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Are You a Self-Help Junkie?

Posted by cheryl on Jul 16th, 2004 | 6 comments home title

Take this little quiz to see if you’re a self-help junkie.

Do you forever put off things that you know you should do now?
Do you feel remorse for this and start talking bad about yourself?
Do you feel a great deal of dread in life, and feel like life is one big TO-DO list?
Is it hard for you to start something?
Is it hard for you to finish something?
Would you rather read about how to do something rather than do it (dejunk, get fit, eat well, meditate, etc?)
When you feel the urge to get on top of something (file, exercise, declutter), do you go buy a book and read about it first or take a class?
Do you take all the self-help courses that come to a neighborhood near you, even if they’re expensive…because you think "This is it! This will work!." Then you forget about it and move onto the next offer of hope?
Are you like a hungry baby bird with your mouth open waiting for the big mommy or daddy to feed you the answer?
Do you succumb to the emotion-based promises made by marketers, as if you are in a dream?
And when you wake up from the dream (after buying their product), do you still have the original problem and no plan to handle it?
Do you use self-help activity as a salve for your wounds and feelings of failure?

Ouch! How many did you answer yes to? The more yes answers you have, the more triage (immediate help) you need. If it bugs you that you’re an outted self-help junkie, there is something you can do about it. Stop doing it! Read each item again; think about ways you get hooked into the same old behavior, and choose to do it differently. Think, "How can I do this more successfully," and see what comes to you.

Don’t ask negative questions like "Why do I always screw this up?" because your mind will look for answers to that question. Ask a better quality question that will bring you better quality answers. Are you just a simple procrastinator, or are you a self-help junkie? I’m not sure this distinction matters. What matters is that you start living the life that makes you feel good, makes you feel successful, makes you feel that you’re on top of it. Continually avoiding action feels bad. Make a list of common things you avoid doing. Here’s a sampler list:

paying bills
balancing the checkbook
making phone calls
looking for a job
saying you’re sorry and making peace with someone
taking a vacation
meditating
paying off your credit cards and getting out of debt
filing papers
decluttering your house, garage, basement, office, off-site storage
exercising
relaxing
starting or finishing a project
cleaning out your email inbox
cooking healthful meals
getting the roof fixed
weeding your garden
clipping your dog’s toenails

Determine RIGHT NOW what thing you will start action on today! And do it. You do know that beginning is the hardest thing. Right? So begin now and the rest will be simpler.

My Commitment

I’ve been avoiding adding weight training into my fitness program. I’ve been avoiding it for a long, long time. This weekend I commit to lifting weights one day and at least one day a week from then on. When I get comfortable with that, I will add one more day a week. Starting small is very good. It’s easy to start small and build.

I’ve also dragged my feet in creating a weekly menu. This Sunday I will write a menu and be sure I have the groceries that I need for the week. I will re-evaluate and see if I can commit to doing it again for a week. Commitments don’t have to be all or nothing. They can start with a trial period and then build.

What will you commit to?

Here’s Some Inspiration

Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing! ~ Donald Gardner ~

Do not wait; the time will never be "just right." Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along. ~ Napoleon Hill ~

Procrastination is my sin. It brings me naught but sorrow. I know that I should stop it. In fact, I will–tomorrow! ~ Gloria Pitzer ~

Comments Please – What came up for you as you read this post? Would love for to click on the comment link below and let us know.

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6 Responses home title

Anonymous says:

August 7, 2004 at 6:58 pm

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous says:

August 7, 2004 at 6:58 pm

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous says:

August 25, 2004 at 3:02 pm

It can be scary to add weight training into your fitness routine! I definitely struggled with it, too. I gain muscle quickly, so the scale scared me away from the weight room the first few times I tried. I’ve been doing The FIRM at home all summer and I am just now comfortable enough with weights to try them in the gym. I love working out at home to build confidence. –Julie
rosalina says:

June 21, 2007 at 7:53 am

Very interesting questions to ask…….. is a very good point of view. When you are clear what you want , but there are so many chooses and that make difficult to say that is what i wil do…..what if i make a mistake…..what if i dont choose the better. Paralisis for analysis!
Cheryl Miller says:

June 21, 2007 at 10:32 pm

Rosalina – yes there are lots of choices! But we’ll never get anything done if we wait for a perfect plan. We do our best work when we select one to work on and do it. Then we select the next thing to work on and do that. This is the way things get done. Just pick one OK? And let us know how it goes. Good luck, Cheryl
Jessica says:

January 11, 2008 at 12:49 am

Great Quiz! Thanks for providing such amazing quizs.