Self Improvement: Between Flexing & Motivational Addiction

Asep Kamaludin

July 17, 2024

I'm sure you're all familiar with the terms self improvement, self development, or self help. The topic of self improvement has been around for decades, but interestingly, it's still trending today. In fact, the self improvement industry has transformed into a multi-billion dollar industry, which is predicted to reach 14 billion US dollars.

You can see if you go to a bookstore, you might notice that the best seller book display in front, which when you enter the bookstore, is usually mostly filled with books with the self improvement genre. Interestingly, 75 million self improvement consumers are millennials and generation Z, which is all of you.

From this phenomenon, I've discovered some intriguing points that are crucial for us to discuss. First, with such high numbers, who are the consumers, and why are so many people still struggling in their lives? Secondly, why is there an increase in mental health issues, even though self-improvement is such a trending topic? And thirdly, what is the secret behind the self-improvement industry? Read this article to the end to gain the full insight.

What Is Self-Improvement

First of all, what is self-improvement? By definition, self-improvement or self-help is a method of self-development carried out independently. Simply put, the self-improvement industry involves people, including you, encountering content or products designed to help you develop yourself independently.

The self-improvement industry offers a wide range of products—not just books, but also webinars, coaching sessions, videos, and podcasts. Essentially, what the website asepkamaludin.com does is related to self-improvement.

If we break it down further, the products in the self-improvement industry cover various topics, including motivation, how to get rid of bad habits, building a positive mindset, relationships, personal finance, lifestyle, and more. According to Forbes, 95% of Millennials have goals and commitments related to self-improvement.

Maybe I, and you who are reading this article now, have at least one goal related to self-improvement. Something as simple as losing belly fat is already considered self-improvement. The question now is, does the self-improvement industry really help us all?

Does Self Improvement Really Help?

Well, the answer is yes and no. Mark Manson, the author of the book 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck', explains that self-improvement actually reinforces perceptions of inferiority and shame, essentially making people feel inferior and insecure.

And sometimes, well, often, self-improvement products also set unrealistic expectations for their audience. For example, you've probably heard phrases like "everyone can be successful," "if I can do it, you can too," and so on, without any disclaimer that success is actually measured by other factors, not just hard work. There are variables like privilege, skills, and others that are often not mentioned in self-improvement materials. However, on the other hand, there are also many people who feel genuinely helped by self-improvement products. You might even know someone who has improved after consuming self-improvement products. Maybe someone succeeded in building a business by learning from leadership and management books, or perhaps someone managed to change bad habits and live a more productive life.

Whose fault is it, the consumer or the industry?

So, who is to blame? The person or the industry? Well, in my opinion, the answer depends. If we feel we have a productivity problem, it's natural to seek solutions from various sources, right? Whether it's from books, podcasts, or consultations, it makes sense, doesn't it? It's just the same.

For example, when you're stressed or bored, you might read an article on asepkamaludin.com instead of reading something less beneficial. Or when you feel like you have no purpose in life, you might search on YouTube and find a self-improvement video. That's actually okay. The problem is that just seeking information might not be enough to solve life's problems and make significant changes. Simply searching for information, attending webinars, or participating in training sessions won’t be effective if you’re not serious and don’t take action. It’s just a waste of time.

Searching for information is just one stage of the six major stages, which realistically take weeks or months to bring about personal change. The key point for all of you is that you might be stuck in stages like contemplation, precontemplation, or preparation without taking real action, or without maintaining your progress. As a result, your bad habits might not disappear, which is why you often feel stuck despite repeatedly learning about self-improvement. Or perhaps you do take action, but it’s inconsistent and you tend to be lazy. Or you might become addicted to attending webinars and training sessions, spending even tens of millions, but without any significant changes.

This can be explained by the theory of analysis paralysis, which occurs when you feel you’ve improved because you’ve learned a lot, but in reality, you haven’t made any real progress and remain stuck.

Well, in my opinion, the best way to approach the issue of self-improvement is not to debate who's right or wrong. It's like tools, like a knife or anything else—can we blame a knife for causing harm? Not really, right? Can we blame a car for causing traffic jams? Well, we could, but it's not very pragmatic and doesn't provide solutions if we just blame things.

Especially when it involves things far beyond our control. Instead, what's most pragmatic is focusing on ourselves. We can focus on what we can do and control. There are several ways to avoid the negative impacts of the self-improvement industry.

1. Research

First and foremost, it's crucial to research thoroughly. Make sure you learn from reliable sources. At least, in my opinion, it's important to ensure your sources are scientific. You can start by questioning if the source is valid, trustworthy, realistic, and aligns with your goals. If a source doesn't fit with you, or if it's non-scientific and doesn't make sense, it's not necessarily a problem—many herbal remedies, for example, lack scientific research but still work. However, if something doesn't make sense, lacks evidence, and so on, you can stop and find another source before it becomes more detrimental to you.

For example, self-help methods often criticized as pseudoscience include 'The Secret,' which has been discussing the Law of Attraction since the early 2000s. While we can't label something entirely negative because it can have positive impacts, imagine if you spend tens of millions on a webinar or seminar only to find it's a placebo effect—you believe it works, but the effect isn't from the webinar itself. That's wasting money that could have been spent on more effective methods.

So, regarding this topic, we've discussed the Law of Attraction before, not just its negatives but also its positives. But we also state that it can be considered pseudoscience.

2. Understand the steps to change

Try to understand step by step how this self can change. This can be explained with the stage of change theory. We all must realize that self-improvement isn't just about learning, but also requires action. So, like there's pre-contemplation, you have to start realizing, 'Oh, I have a problem.' You contemplate, what's the solution. You prepare, you act, and you maintain for months. Until finally, when there's a relapse, you can overcome it with 'Oh, I can't do this, I can't smoke again,' 'I can't masturbate again,' and so on.

3. Don't Just Learn Self-Improvement

Don't limit yourself to just learning about self-improvement. Now, why do I say that? Because, I acknowledge that self-improvement is important as it can provide us with motivation and new insights. However, self-improvement isn't the only thing we can and should learn. There are many other knowledge and skills that are necessary to support our lives, our careers, and more.

By the way, thank you so much for reading this article until the end. If articles like this are helpful and relatable to you, don't forget to follow our Pinterest account so you don't miss out on more beneficial articles. See you!