5 Common Problems Many of Us Face & The Books That Helped Me Overcome Them

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5 Common Problems Many of Us Face & The Books That Helped Me Overcome Them

March 17th, 2018

Awake Goy

We all have issues. And as unique as we all are from one another, it’s in our issues that this uniqueness tends to fade away. The characters and circumstances involved may differ from person to person, but at the core, pretty well everything you’re currently going through someone has gone through before.

While some of you may not like the sound of this, the proof of its truth lies in the existence and popularity of personal development. Whether or not Amazon has a monopoly over your book buying, we all know that your local bookstore has a seemingly endless number of shelves dedicated to doctors, psychiatrists, celebrities, and even average Joe’s like me sharing the solutions that they’ve discovered to the problems we all seem to be having.

The issue doesn’t lie in a lack of valuable resources, it instead lies in finding the one you need amidst the plethora that are available.

As someone who at this point has probably read too many personal development books, I’d like to help with your search when it comes to 5 of the most common problems that we tend to seek literary assistance for.

Problem #1: I Suck At Setting Goals

If there is one thing that most of us excel at in this world, it’s identifying what we want. We’re quick to list that we’d love that beach-ready body, that trip to Costa Rica, and that penthouse condo, but when it comes to laying out an action plan to make that dream into a reality we always seem to fall short.

While laziness is often the biggest barrier to doing much of what is necessary to accomplish your goals, it’s amazing how much less prevalent of a factor laziness can become when your goals are set properly. I learned this through one of the first best-sellers written by Tony Robbins Awaken the Giant Within : How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!

While many of the references made within this book originally published in 1991 are quite dated, the core material is timeless, and that’s where the proper goal setting value is packed. I will admit however, that this book is far from a light read. It’s one of those books that not only asks, but actually requires you to regularly engage in exercises if you hope to get full value from it. As someone who took the time to do so, and now hides my copy from others as a result… I can confidently say that it’s more than worth it.

Problem #2: Why Am I Always In Such A Bad Mood/ So Moody?

You may have become numb to the side effects you once suffered from, but you know that your life is best described as an emotional roller coaster. For me, this was a big one and I’m eternally sorry to each of my ex-girlfriends for having to put up with it as much as they did.

But my moody days are now largely behind me, and that’s due in large part to what I learned and was reminded of in Neil Pasricha’s The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything=Have Everything.

This book not only helped me realize what was really at the core of my moodiness (SPOILER ALERT: ME), but also gave me a greater appreciation for all that my life has to offer. For those of you with concerns that this book is largely a “hippie-dippie happy fest”, I can assure you that it’s instead rooted in realism.

Problem #3: I Don’t Have Enough Time!

“I wouldn’t have any of the problems that I do if I just had more time to deal with them.” While you may not have ever actually said this statement aloud, I’m willing to bet you’ve thought something along the same lines of it at one point or another. We all have a million things to do and the 24 hours we’re given in each day to accomplish it is never enough (especially when you factor in all the time we have to spend sleeping, eating and travelling).

I once firmly believed that the solution to this conundrum was to multi-task. That was however, until the understandably controversial Kevin Trudeau put me in my place in the audio-series Your Wish is Your Command.

Within the teachings of this audio, Kevin completely picks apart the illusion of proficiency that is multitasking (among many other valuable -and some questionable -lessons), an understanding that completely reshaped my approach to my daily to do list. I do suggest taking much of what Kevin shares with a grain of salt, but taking the time to sift through his material is sure to provide you with the kick in the pants you need!

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Problem #4: I Can’t Stay Focused

So maybe you have your goals and attitude in check, but when it comes to zeroing in on one particular thing… you’re hopeless. This doesn’t even need to be in regard to grandiose goals or work-related tasks, it could even be an inability to stay focused when someone is talking to you.

I’m willing to bet that a decent chunk of you just went “ah shit” when I added in that extra metaphorical focus-busting wrench. But, thankfully the book Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives by Dan Millman not only exists, but pompous title aside, actually works!

This book is masterful at not only helping to bring and keep you in the present moment, but also gives you a full appreciation for it, even when life is seemingly mundane.

Problem #5: I Have No Motivation

Okay, I can zero in like Obi-Wan but I feel like I have no reason to be doing what I know I want to be doing. While some of this may actually require some heartfelt reflection, I’m going to assume that you know what you want in life (or at least the solution in problem one helped you discover it) but just can’t get your mojo going to do it.

Motivation in particular is the one personal development sub-category that you’ll find thousands of resources for, but the one that stands out for me is The Tools: 5 Tools to Help You Find Courage, Creativity, and Willpower–and Inspire You to Live Life in Forward Motion.

At times, this book can be a bit too much like stepping into a psychiatrist’s office (says the writer who has admittedly never been in one), but it does so for a reason. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that some of the motivational techniques that this book outlines can be tough to swallow, but their effectiveness depends on it.

Why Should I Listen To You?

Amazingly, none of the above mentioned authors paid me to recommend their books
As I mentioned before, I’ve likely read too many personal development books over the past 10 years

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