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How Self-Help Writing Can Enrich Your Life And Make You Happier

Updated on March 13, 2015
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Have you ever asked yourself why the self-help sections in bookstores are so huge? Self-help writing has become so popular, especially in the U.S., and this is not a coincidence; there are numerous reasons why self-improvement represents a lucrative market for bloggers, online writers and copywriters. Even those who state that they are happy with their lives always leave some space for self-improvement.

You may already have an idea of what self-help is but that understanding should be deepened by the range of self-improvement topics you could write about.


What Is Self-Help Writing

The idea of self-help is nothing new, but only in the 20th century did it become a mass phenomenon.

A conventional view of self-help is that it deals with problems, but the essence of self-help is that it actually deals with possibilities.

I’ve read somewhere that self-help has a new name nowadays – literature of possibility. Most people would accept the thought that "common unhappiness" is the doom of humankind. However, there are those who refuse to accept that we have to be defined by life difficulties, troubles, misfortunes and slowdowns, although these may be real. If you fall under the latter category, you may be a great candidate for self-help writing.


What Self-Help Writing Is NOT

Self-help writing is not about the fantasies of the ego. Instead, it’s about "the identification of a project, goal, ideal, or way of being where you can make a big difference. In so doing, you can transform a piece of the world – and yourself along with it." I was enlightened by this thought reading the book Fifty Self-Help Classics by Tom Butler-Bowdon. I borrowed the book from the library and I’m taking it back only when I’ve ordered my own copy from Amazon.

The book will introduce you to the world of self-help and explain the main thoughts of different self-help writers, carefully chosen as representatives of self-help classics.

If you get your hand on this book, be sure to have a notebook and a piece of paper to write down some powerful quotes; there are many of them in this book and you’ll want to remember them. Even if you aren’t planning to write about self-help topics, this book can shed a light on quite a few "life questions" and help you understand how to think in order to improve your life and be happier.


How To Write Self-Help Content?

Self-help writing is not purely informational; it comes with a benefit – economic, intellectual or emotional. It doesn’t have to go so deep and explain only how to be your own best friend and supporter, and express faith in your essential greatness. Although you can develop this philosophy and decide to write about deeper subjects, you can also explore the small, almost unnoticed, everyday life situations and needs, and write about them from the self-help perspective.

Modern copywriting is built on the belief that people have to read about the benefits of the challenge, project, product or any topic you’ve chosen to write about – not the features. These can be explained in a few brief sentences, but benefits are the food for the hungry.


My Discoveries

A number of self-help writings offers specific guidance, for example on relationships, diet, money and career, or self-confidence, but the central idea of self-help writing is "man thinks – realistically, but positively." The huge diversity of the genre can be explored with SeekSuccess, a challenging self-help website, that gives you the opportunity to learn more about self-improvement, craft your writing and improve your knowledge, online experiences, lifestyle, earnings, and much more.

When I first signed up for SeekSuccess, I thought I’d go for bookmarks first and see how things will go on the site. However, after doing some testing and meeting the hard-working owner and administrator, I started to explore the site a little deeper and tried to understand what it’s all about. It has all the common features of a user-generated website, yet somehow it differs from all of them. Finally, self-help as a topic caught my attention and after doing some investigation, I realized that this topic is what makes the site different. The question was: what was I going to write about?

I took a closer look at the sub-topics and found many that interested me even without knowing that they fall under the category of self-help content. Further thinking and the strong influence of master copywriters, such as Andy Maslen, Maria Veloso and others (thanks to hubber Susana S for recommending these), I’ve also realized that the self-help website can be of enormous help in crafting my copywriting skills and applying them on other websites where I contribute with my content.


Great Thinkers Mentioned In Self-Help Writing

Among others, Tom Butler-Bowdon included The Bible, The Bhagavad-Gita, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin as self-help classics in his book. Although these books haven’t been thought of as self-help books, Bowdon argues for their inclusion (and quite successfully, if I may notice).

Abraham Lincoln is sometimes mentioned in self-help writing because of his idea of "limitless thinking." Other classics are: Dale Carnegie, Paulo Coelho (maybe my favorite author in Bowdon's classics list; he listed The Alchemist, but I could add a few more by Coelho),The Dalai Lama, John Gray (Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus), Lao Tzu, Thomas Moore, Henry David Thoreau, Ralf Waldo Emerson, Norman Vincent Peale, and many others.


The Future Of Self-Help

It’s interesting that every book on copywriting mentions and explains the 80/20 principle. I found that self-books mention and explain this principle, too; as Bowdon put it:

"Success now and in the future comes from being more yourself; if you are willing to express your uniqueness, you will inevitably contribute something of real value to the world. This has a moral dimension to it, but also makes economic and scientific sense."

Back To You

Christopher Buckley, an American political satirist and novelist, the author of God Is My Broker said that the only way to get rich from a self-help book was to write one. Maybe you have noticed, like I did, that not all self-help books are so good or valuable to the reader. That’s why I like the idea of SeekSuccess and their focus on self-help writing; the content is free and available to everybody (and there’s obviously interest in the topic).

Remember, self-help is a huge genre. When you try out self-help writing, don’t stick to “self-help” as your keyword. Take a look at the topics and make a connection with your writing style, the niche you’re dominating, or the usual topics you like writing about.

How to Become Successful The SeekSuccess Way

Are you a self-published author? Is there something you would like to share about your experience and you think it might be valuable to others?

Do you have right on the spot information about money making and careers you’d like to write about, and you believe people can actually benefit from this information?

Experience in relationships, spirituality, lifestyle? Hair loss? A hobby? Are you an Internet freak who knows something new about SEO? Health? Anything else?


Why SeekSuccess Is Not Successful

Unfortunately, there aren't enough people who are interested in writing on this website because it still hasn't reached the point needed to monetize the efforts. For most people who write online content on user-generated sites, making money is the No.1 goal and if this goal isn't achieved in a short period of time, they are likely to give up. It's just like with young unexperienced people looking for a job; they apply for different jobs and the biggest problem is that employers look for people with experience. If you don't start somewhere, how do you get this experience? A total paradox.

Your Opinion On Self-Help Writing

Have you expanded your horizons with this self-help hub?

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If there’s something you’d like to add or ask about self-help, SeekSuccess, or share your self-help writing experiences, let everybody know in the comments!

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