As a critic of personal development as it is done today I’ve come to notice that there is one universal direction that vendors in this industry all move in. They all want to change the way their clients see themselves. In other words, what they think of themselves. Their belief level.
I don’t have a problem with that.
To accomplish this change in thinking the Personal Development (PD) gurus try to give people a boost in the belief department. For a short time it almost always works. But then, just as the client has left the very positive and supportive atmosphere of the counseling room or seminar, it happens.
It starts to fall apart.
I won’t guess at the numbers but I’ll bet the recidivism rate is high. As easily as the self-belief was suggested into existence it’s wings of gossamer break like those of a bird hitting a window. Pumped up for now they go back to their lives. But the hardness of existence is far more real than the fuzzy echoing of affirmations (“you can do it”) they are encouraged to embrace.
