Motivational books?

[Faith No More]

As someone that has dealt with depression since I was about 7 but didn't know what it was until I was older and learned to cope and eventually outgrew it after basically snapping out of it due to learning how to control the mind, I need to say only you are in control of your thoughts. The sooner you understand no one can effect your thoughts besides you, the sooner you will remove depression from your life. Those who live in a dependency mindset who seek approval from others to validate their beliefs about themselves will stay in a depressed state. The key is acknowledging you are an individual sovereign being in control of your life and if you are depressed it's your own fault, and there is no one else to blame. Might seem a bit insensitive, but it's the realization that you can control your thoughts and your life that is the key to success which will raise you out of depression. Once you control your thoughts, you start to control your actions which lead to life experiences and ultimate happiness. Medication will only be a band aid and the key is to work yourself off the medication and work on yourself.

It figures you would completely fail to understand mental illness. Yes, you have some control over your thoughts, but saying you have total control and can just will yourself out of depression is ignorance at its finest. I'm extremely skeptical of your claims of depression, especially if you believe that you just thought your way out of it.

I got to the point of planning my suicide and when that happened, started researching what happened what happens after you die, and eventually found the purpose of life, and GOD. If you believe there really is no purpose to life, then life seems meaningless and easy to get depressed. There is so much more to life than this world, and when you find out the purpose, it will give you purpose. Hang in there. It will take time to learn this.

Fuck off. Discussions about mental health are the last place you should be peddling your fairy tales.

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Hey, l made a suggestion and left it at that, l did not post in this thread again nor would l have, but others took exception to what I did, except for the OP.

GC

Oh, bullshit. You know we can read the words you type here, right? Not only are you here pushing your religion in an inappropriate discussion, but you made a petty comment about Jesster not being a true Christian.

Grow up and find some street corner to peddle your fairy tales. This is not the place for you to do that.

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Oh, and TEGH, I don't know if you'll find it helpful, but I always found comfort in reading books about other people's struggles with depression. They don't really offer a lot of insight into how to cope, but they help you to feel less alone. I don't know. There's just something about reading a book about an author's experience that was so powerful they felt compelled to write it down.

If you want to go down that route, I would start with "Darkness Visible" by William Styron. Not only does it tell an interesting experience, he's quite the writer, too.

[scoobysnack]

As someone that has dealt with depression since I was about 7 but didn't know what it was until I was older and learned to cope and eventually outgrew it after basically snapping out of it due to learning how to control the mind, I need to say only you are in control of your thoughts. The sooner you understand no one can effect your thoughts besides you, the sooner you will remove depression from your life. Those who live in a dependency mindset who seek approval from others to validate their beliefs about themselves will stay in a depressed state. The key is acknowledging you are an individual sovereign being in control of your life and if you are depressed it's your own fault, and there is no one else to blame. Might seem a bit insensitive, but it's the realization that you can control your thoughts and your life that is the key to success which will raise you out of depression. Once you control your thoughts, you start to control your actions which lead to life experiences and ultimate happiness. Medication will only be a band aid and the key is to work yourself off the medication and work on yourself.

It figures you would completely fail to understand mental illness. Yes, you have some control over your thoughts, but saying you have total control and can just will yourself out of depression is ignorance at its finest. I'm extremely skeptical of your claims of depression, especially if you believe that you just thought your way out of it.

I got to the point of planning my suicide and when that happened, started researching what happened what happens after you die, and eventually found the purpose of life, and GOD. If you believe there really is no purpose to life, then life seems meaningless and easy to get depressed. There is so much more to life than this world, and when you find out the purpose, it will give you purpose. Hang in there. It will take time to learn this.

Fuck off. Discussions about mental health are the last place you should be peddling your fairy tales.

---

Hey, l made a suggestion and left it at that, l did not post in this thread again nor would l have, but others took exception to what I did, except for the OP.

GC

Oh, bullshit. You know we can read the words you type here, right? Not only are you here pushing your religion in an inappropriate discussion, but you made a petty comment about Jesster not being a true Christian.

Grow up and find some street corner to peddle your fairy tales. This is not the place for you to do that.

---

Oh, and TEGH, I don't know if you'll find it helpful, but I always found comfort in reading books about other people's struggles with depression. They don't really offer a lot of insight into how to cope, but they help you to feel less alone. I don't know. There's just something about reading a book about an author's experience that was so powerful they felt compelled to write it down.

If you want to go down that route, I would start with "Darkness Visible" by William Styron. Not only does it tell an interesting experience, he's quite the writer, too.

[Edwardo Piet]

Motivational books actually demotivate me. While I'm reading a book telling me things I already know all I'm doing is procrastinating instead of taking action.

[scoobysnack]

Motivational books actually demotivate me. While I'm reading a book telling me things I already know all I'm doing is procrastinating instead of taking action.

The purpose of motivational books or videos is to remind you and shake you out of your sloth like behavior, and remind you that you are not reaching your true potential. Every change comes from a decision to commit to personal greatness.

[Crossless2.0]

If you want to go down that route, I would start with "Darkness Visible" by William Styron.  Not only does it tell an interesting experience, he's quite the writer, too.

I second this recommendation. I read Darkness Visible shortly after its publication and in the midst of a pretty serious bout of depression and found Styron's account of his own, critically serious, depression oddly comforting.

But don't stop there. I recommend all of Styron's books. He was not only a fine writer but a courageous artist, willing to tackle some of the most troubling and painful subjects imaginable.

[Edwardo Piet]

The purpose of motivational books or videos is to remind you and shake you out of your sloth like behavior, and remind you that you are not reaching your true potential. Every change comes from a decision to commit to personal greatness.

Lol I definitely don't need to be reminded of the fact that I am demotivated and not reaching my true potential. I'm aware of that every day.

[vorlon13]

One of my bosses at the defense contractor pummeled me with a 500 page RFP. I found it motivating.

Sorry, don't recall what program it was for.

[scoobysnack]

The purpose of motivational books or videos is to remind you and shake you out of your sloth like behavior, and remind you that you are not reaching your true potential. Every change comes from a decision to commit to personal greatness.

Lol I definitely don't need to be reminded of the fact that I am demotivated and not reaching my true potential. I'm aware of that every day.

I have my days myself where I'm not motivated to progress because it's comfortable to remain stagnant and not progress. Have to ask though. If you know you are not progressing, what's keeping you from doing so? What do you think it will take to move forward in your life?

I find writing down my goals which puts them into perspective helps and I look at them continuously to remind me. Remember thoughts become things, and you need to first control your thoughts before you are able to control your life. Think of what you want and before you know it, it will be. You really have to focus on what you desire though. Keep in mind negative thoughts also manifest. If you think of all the negative things, you will continue to fulfill that destiny, but if you focus on what you want to change, you will change, and your life will adapt. Trust me!!

[The Valkyrie]

The Little Engine Who Could.

[Kernel Sohcahtoa]

Over the years I keep thinking I'm going to find some self-help book that offers advice that isn't already obvious and that actually impacts my life.

Nope.

And most of them say the same things anyway.

IMO, you bring up an important point.  An individual can read a book and have a good understanding of the theory and concepts covered in it. However, IMO, this understanding alone does not necessarily mean that that individual will be good at actually putting the concepts into practice. 

Based on my experience, regarding these self-help books and even the learning process in general, I've found that when people actually do what they are learning (or an active lab portion), then the concepts/ideas become more solidified, as this forces people to actively exchange ideas with others, to test their understanding, to ask questions, and to experiment with the concepts via finding realistic, creative, and workable ways of applying them in multiple contexts.

IMO, I guess the real trick is for an individual to define a vision of success that belongs to him or her: if he or she is just going by another person's vision of success, then that individual will most likely find a flaw in it and ultimately discard that vision.  Hence, once that vision of success is defined and owned by that individual, then IMO, that's where the adventure begins; however, IMO, in order to stay on track, it helps to view/reframe setbacks and obstacles as the normal stepping stones toward bringing one's vision of  success to fruition: IMO, they are valuable/requisite tools for learning/growth which needn't be feared.