Wanting to develop yourself, to improve your relationships and your life is a noble intention.  But just like ice cream, too much of a good thing can be bad for you.  Answer the following questions to see if you might be taking self-improvement too far:

1.     Do you have a shelf or even a whole bookcase of self-help books, CD’s, and/or DVD’s?

2.     Do you get excited and feel an urgent need to buy a self-help product when you discover a new one that resonates with you?

3.     Do you find yourself comparing yourself to the authors of these products, wanting to be like them?

4.     Do you feel self-doubt about making decisions for yourself?

If you answered yes to two or more of these questions,it may be time to re-think your personal development strategy.  If you see yourself in these questions, it is likely that you are trying to develop yourself from a fear-based or inferiority standpoint. This means that on some level you think that there is something to "fix".

What’s the problem with this?  I discovered in my own quest to improve myself and my relationships that I unconsciously believed the “next” self-help product would the one that would solve my problems. And, finally I realized that the “next” tool or technique never did solve my problems.  Now, mind you, it took me 38 years to figure this out, and then I finally gave up on self-improvement.

Ahhh!  What a relief!  And then I became a lazy,inconsiderate, insensitive clod who quit caring about being loving and generous and lost all my friends – NOT! 

There is life – a wonderful, relaxed one, actually –after compulsive self-help, I promise. If you want to know more, just stay tuned to the next blog on Self-HelpRecovery….