Self-help has lot of potential for helping an individual gather enough information in context of a problem they want to solve in their life. But what happens when you know the facts? You learn that discipline and determination are good, that you need purpose. So what?
I often find that it’s not Self-help that has changed me but rather just fictional stories. This might sound very odd, but back in 9th standard, a lot of things happened together and my belief in humans and friendship had disappeared and I was resentful. That would change at the end of 10th standard when I watched Naruto. The show undeniably has problems and also plot-holes but it had emotion.
Emotion which changed me. It taught me determination and the value of friendship. How one feels and go through the ups and downs associated with them. And Naruto isn’t the only one that did that to me. Fullmetal Alchemist had the same effect, so did One Piece and Shingeki no Kyojin. I know I listed a bunch of anime. But there are other fictional stories too. The list is quite long. This is not an attack on Self-help but rather that facts alone aren’t enough for us humans.
I do not even consider living a rational decision without emotion. If one is stripped of it, I do not think living would be worth it. It’s the emotion that add values to things that have no intrinsic value, because nothing really does in the grand scheme of things.