Self help skills could mean several different things. The most important though, is that they are skills that help you help yourself. These are important skills to have.
The most important thing about this topic is that the help being given is truly helpful and not just motivational phrases or “happy thoughts.” It is important that it would address specific problems and give concrete, detailed solutions that are possible to implement. The person giving the advice should also be qualified to offer this type of help, through either education or experience. I think this is most important because people turning to things like this might be truly desperate and/or in bad shape and don’t need to be sold “snake oil” or psychobabble.
I asked readers, researchers, and curious folks like yourself what they felt was most important about this topic. What follows is a combination of some of the better answers in a long series of interview-format articles. The answers are raw, personal, and hopefully add some insight to your life.
Today’s Focus: Self Help Skills
R: What would someone really get out of this?
I: The most useful benefit from learning self-help skills are the new skills. With these skills applied a person can not only do what they set out to but also gain self-confidence and self-worth from knowing what they accomplished. With this confidence the person can refine their skills further, as well as have fun with what they are doing.
R: How do you think this could change someone’s life?
I: No one can go to a therapist every time they need a pick me up. Self-help is just part of life. Thinking you never need to improve yourself is short sided. It also gives you insight into helping others.
R: Tell me about your thoughts on how this helps folks be better in life?
I: Using self help skills can help you to improve yourself in the areas that you are looking for positive change. Only you know where you need change so you are the best person to help yourself. You’ll be a better person just knowing that you took the steps you needed.
R: If you had to pick the “World’s Best” for this topic, who would it be?
I: Someone who is interested in making themselves a better person. Self-improvement enthusiasts like these skills. Support groups that teaches independence instead of reliance could use the topic.
R: Tell me who in your personal experience is not up-to-speed on this subject at all.
I: Self-help is not a hard topic to understand. Any person is able to apply the skills learned from self help if they are just willing to actually do it. The only way there is ever a problem is if a person cannot find the self-motivation to begin.
R: Can you tell us what it’s like to have this subject in your life?
I: There are many online resources for getting started with self-help. If you want to learn how to speak French there are self help courses for that. The same can be said for everything from understanding and coming to grips with the loss of a loved one to cooking.
R: Pick a time, pick any time� when should folks out there bring this idea into their lives?
I: It is always a good time to begin developing self-help skills. They can allow you to do more in your career and home life than you would by just punching the clock day to day. They also help to make a person happier with themselves.
R: When’s just a really bad time to be working on this subject?
I: Self-help skills are an important part of life however, when someone has just recently just lost a close loved one it best not to pursue this line of engagement. A person who has not been able to get a job over a long period would also not want to hear about their personal characteristics. People who are diagnosed with terminal illness also need to focus on the matter at hand.
R: If you can to name a place where this topic works really well, where would that be?
I: Remember that we were born not into death, but into life and that the journey continues, and we accept this on FAITH. This faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs EVEN within many non-believing hearts. THEN our hearts are filled with INTUITION that we have the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. We become able to fight with that faith to live, fully, richly, exuberantly.
R: There’s a time and a place for everything – what’s a place to NOT dive further into this topic?
I: Self-help skills doesn’t always work when you’re in the real word, or are working a stressful job. Sometimes you need to rely on others to get through. Self help skills can only take you so far before you need to invite others into your life.
R: What kind of person would benefit from looking into this subject further?
I: Insurance sales companies could benefit from engendering self-help skills in their workers. Insurance salespeople need to constantly deal with rejection and manage to keep their chin up. In addition, improvement of the self might be a great way for salespeople to increase their sales. After all, people will always want to buy from a kind and caring person before they do from a pushy and uncaring person.
R: Describe at least one thing you would recommend to someone looking into this topic more.
I: It is always good to be able to help yourself and not rely on others. If you ever get stuck somewhere and you need to change a tire out, you do not need to call one of your friends and they could possibly not even show up. If you don’t have road side assistance you’ll have to pay. It doesn’t hurt to know these type of things
R: Please, let us know what you think is the biggest problem related to this topic?
I: Avoid taking advice from people who are not successful at helping themselves. Don’t take advice from books that are by people other than professionals on the topic of self-help. Avoid advice that sounds to good to be true, like people who tell you that if you think hard enough, you can change who you are on the inside.
R: If you had to do just one thing *right now* to get better at this subject, what would it be?
I: A good way to get the best out of self-help skills is to understand that there are different types of self-help for different personal problems. Seeking professional and group therapies are also an effective step to getting the best out of self help skills. If a person is learning these skills from someone else it is important to get more than one source of help.
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I trust you enjoyed this trip through learning more about this topic. Often, I find some of the most useful (and colorful!) pearls of wisdom come out of the quick little answers we give each day. I hope you do too and that some of these nuggets of awesomeness were here for you.
Please feel free to share your thoughts, comments, or personal life-changing wisdom below.