As Simple as It's Going to Get: The Tools of Self-Help

So, you want help but you're broke, uncomfortable with seeking help from others, or simply unable to do so.

The good news is, when it comes to personal change, the basic tools that you need to use to get the results you want are available to you whether you decide to work with a professional or not. Here they are:

- Thought

- Action

- Learning

Further, what you ultimately need to do to get the results you want remains the same whether you are doing it with the help of a professional or on your own. Here it is:

- Think

- Act

- Learn

You see, self-help is the process of working towards personal change by leveraging abilities everyone has.

We all think, act, and/or learn on some level every day, whether we are conscious of it or not, so it's easy to take these abilities for granted. However, these are the main tools through which personal change is achieved. Much, if not all of the advice, motivation, and tough-love you'll find out there will tell you some version of "change your mindset," "find your purpose," "align yourself with your values," "be yourself," "hustle," "change your beliefs," "don't let your emotions get the best of you," and so on. This is all great advice that, if followed, could really contribute to your personal growth. But how do you actually do the above things?

Guess what? The underlying processes that ultimately enable you to do these things are thinking, taking action, and learning, in one way or another. That's why it's so important for you to know how to leverage these basic abilities so that they serve you. This is where something very simple can become not only a lot more complex and sophisticated, but also a lot more powerful! We'll get into this in more detail in later posts.

For now, the next time you are experiencing problems, don't succumb to your suffering. Know that no matter how helpless or inadequate you might feel, there is always something you can do. Take a deep breath, and actually try to:

Think about what you want and how you can get what you want.

Act on what you come up with.

If you're having a hard time coming up with answers on your own, learn about how you can get what you want. Start with learning about yourself.

How?

Think.

Introspect. Reflect.

What's driving you? What's holding you back? How do you tend to perceive and experience the world? Why? Is it helping or hurting? What must you do differently? Do that.

It is not enough to learn or realize. It is also not enough to simply know what to do.

Take action. Implement. Apply.