There is a plethora of books, podcasts, videos, courses, and apps about self-help, but people are still looking for more and more. Why?

That’s a very good question.

Let’s imagine a wonderful book with a methodology to re-create your life and a step-by-step process of how to do it. Many people will be excited about the content and start to think about it, but few will start practicing tools from the book, and even fewer will keep up the practice some weeks after finishing the book. It’s because getting inspired is one thing, but going through an actual change is another — and much harder. You need time, persistence, and self-discipline for that.

Working on yourself is not easy. We, the teachers behind the Good Life Engine course, know it very well. That is why the concept of the course includes an execution of a routine for personal growth that each student chooses for themself. Examples of such routines are meditation, exercising, journaling, reading books, and so on. Sounds easy, right? In practice, however, it’s not.

Getting inspired is one thing, but going through an actual change is another.

Most students feel excited at the beginning of the course and when they choose the routine. Starting is easy. However, usually after 3-4 weeks, everything starts to fall apart. Life gets back to them with multiple things to do daily, and they start to postpone their routines. In the course, we support them in this moment of weakness when they are about to drop their routines. We talk with students and remind them that they have to continue doing things important to them, and they get to chat with fellow students who struggle with the same issues. This multifaceted approach helps students to continue with their journey. After some months, their routines become habits — performed without effort — and they start to feel the difference it has made in them.

The people reading the book, however, don’t have this support mechanism. After the initial excitement, they can be taken aback by their busy lives.

Another reason for the constant need for more self-help material is that the majority of books offer a prescription for a better life based on one or two main concepts. However, every human and their story is unique. What works for one person might not work for another. Unfortunately, there is no magic pill to solve all issues in life, and there is no single piece of advice that works in every situation. Some typical advice (for example, be brave, step out from the job that you dislike, work less, and so on) could even be harmful to a person in a particular life situation.

We acknowledge that people are different and their life situations are very different. In our teaching, we try to give students full ownership of the process of redesigning their lives. My personal role is to be a librarian of the multitude of tools and concepts to be shared with the students. Each student designs their own journey, picking only some tools from the toolkit and leaving others, useless at that moment, untouched. Students decide by themselves how deep they want to go with each exercise. They can stop at any point if they feel like it.

The third reason that distinguishes the course from a well-written book is us — the community. The course works as a safe place for sharing your thoughts and getting to know fellow students. That allows us to connect on a deeper level and see that no one is alone. Change is easier when there is a mutual journey and support along the way.

But in the end, it doesn’t matter what you choose — the book, the course, the podcast, coaching, or just a discussion with friends. Whenever you work on learning about yourself, connecting with your inner core, and setting directions for the future, your efforts will be useful.

Welcome to the course!