Self-help? Ummmmm…no thank you.

I’ll be the first to admit, there’s a lot of baggage that comes with the term “Self-help.” Having spent the last 15+ years immersed in this world – first as a student and now as a coach (but still ALWAYS a student) – I’ve seen the best and worst that the “self-help” industry has to offer. Whether it’s fitness, nutrition, relationships, jobs, mindfulness, business, entrepreneurship, or any other of a myriad of areas to study, it’s often the same (bullsh*t) formula:

A BROKEN YOU + MY SECRET RECIPE = TOTAL LIFE TRANSFORMATION!!!

“Completely transform your life in just 30 days with this simple hack to X and Y and Z!!!”

The first part of the formula requires you to be broken, missing something in your life, less than everyone else. Praying on this psychology is frankly what gets us to buy junk food, shoes, makeup, clothing, mindless entertainment, or just about anything else that gives us the false promise that by consuming this thing we will therefore be better (rather than simply feeling better for a very short period of time before we revert back to our default state of being…thus needing to purchase the next thing).

Then comes the second part of the formula which is the super secret discovery that somebody came upon that NO ONE has ever used until now that when combined with the broken human (i.e. you) will lead to a totally new life! In short, this is just about every single sidebar banner ad (with a totally irrelevant model with massive cleavage) selling a pill that’s getting amazing results in [insert your area here].

I find the easiest way to separate all of the snake oil recipes from the legit information is one simple thing:

The stuff that works take time. And it’s the stuff you already know works.*
*that you just don’t want to do

Hey there, want to lose weight?!?!?!

Here’s my secret formula: Eat more vegetables and eat less donuts, pizza, and junk food. Move your body more, drink less alcohol, and get plenty of sleep.

Anyone that promises you quick & easy results is most likely looking to make a buck by over-enthusiastically pitching you a product, formula, framework, or system that might even get you quick results…but that ultimately isn’t sustainable.

(PS Cocaine is in fact an amazing way to lose weight, and it works FAST! But…it’s not sustainable, nor is it healthy.)

(PPS Don’t use cocaine to lose weight.)

There’s a reason why everything in the multi-billion dollar fitness industry is between 30 and 90 days: Because long-term, sustainable lifestyle change one small step at a time is BORING and doesn’t earn billions of dollars.

But small changes over time do get results.

A term I vastly prefer over “self-help” is instead either “personal development” or alternatively “personal growth” because from my perspective they both denote the following:

You are great just as you are…but you know you’re capable of even more, and you’re ready to discover your true potential.

I cannot even begin to measure the countless benefits I’ve received over the last fifteen years since that fateful night I sat in the dark after yet another 16 hour day (in a string of endless sixteen hour days) repeating to myself,

“I can’t live like this anymore.”

But in order to develop the countless habits that have led to sustainable lifestyle change, I had to choose one area of focus, research sustainable strategies that lead to healthy change from recognized experts who genuinely believed in helping others (rather than making a quick buck), and as I often tell my own kids, I had to “put on my patience.” And the deeper I dug into my own personal development – whether it was listening to an endless array of podcasts, reading books, going to seminars, buying online courses, attending virtual workshops – the more I realized that knowledge alone can’t affect change.

Here’s a more sustainable formula for personal growth & development:

RELIABLE KNOWLEDGE + ACTION = RESULTS

TBH taking consistent action is virtually impossible without some form of accountability (except for you ‘Upholders,’ I don’t know how you do it!), and at least for me that form of accountability has been surrounding myself with the right coaches & mentors who could guide me in the right direction.

So to revise one more time:

RELIABLE KNOWLEDGE + ACCOUNTABILITY + CONSISTENT ACTION = SUSTAINABLE RESULTS

If you find yourself in a place where you are looking to make a significant change to your lifestyle or career but you’re not sure where to start (i.e. lacking knowledge)

…or you don’t know what to do next (i.e. how to take action)

…and/or if you’re afraid you can’t stick with it on your own (i.e. you require accountability like all mere mortals)

Here are a variety of podcast interviews I’ve done with my mentors & coaches over the years who’ve supported me through this amazing journey of discovery and transformation.

My business mentor:
→ Ramit Sethi on Forging The Path Towards Your Own ‘Rich Life’

My editing mentors:
→ Mentorship, Networking, and Surviving Hollywood Blockbusters | with Dody Dorn, ACE

→ How a Tentpole Hollywood Feature Editor Stays Healthy, Fit, and Sane | with Alan Bell, ACE

My fitness & health mentors:
→ Defining Your Purpose and Living Large | with Tony Horton

→ Real-Life Wonder Woman Jessie Graff, ANW

→ How to Use ‘Intuitive Eating’ To Change Your Relationship With Food | with Melissa Costello

Want to Learn More About How to Approach Your Personal Development?

In case you missed it, last week I released a brand new interview with one of my coaches Melissa Costello about Navigating the “Messy Middle” of Career Transitions, and tomorrow I’m releasing a brand new podcast that talks specifically about better understanding what it means to be a “man” in today’s ever-changing society from a coach who leads what is called a “Men’s Group.” (a what???)

→ Click here to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode when it drops

In the meantime…

Be well.
Zack Arnold
Creator, Optimize Yourself