Self-Help

The place where self-help books come up short is in the area of powerlessness.  People tend to turn to self-help for solutions to nagging, ongoing difficulties, because they don't have to admit powerlessness or surrender to anything.  It gives one the a sense of control with the new tool kits from the self-help program.  All this might work well if you are not powerless over whatever you "problem" is.  I did the route of self-help and learned a lot.  I gained knowledge.  I took action based upon this knowledge.  I did not change.  And neither did anyone else around me.  It is humiliating to then admit I had lost control, or was powerless to change me with this self-help knowledge.  I had knowledge but no power.  This is where a spiritual path of surrender and obedience to a process allowed me to climb out of a mess and into the light.  I have found that knowledge plus action is not as good as surrender plus action.