Furthermore, just for YoYo’s meeting topics this year, would you like to make a wild guess on how many of them were related to “self-betterment”? You may be surprised to know how high the percentage is!
Many YoYo members are already overachievers in the eyes of our society but pursuing “self-improvement” is still on the top of their life’s agenda. This phenomenon doesn’t just exist among YoYo members; more and more people are also lingering around in the “self-help” arena, and they are even willing to pay whatever it costs to become the best version of themselves!
“Self-help” is an umbrella term which includes life coaching, personal development, self-improvement, and self-optimization. It can be delivered in many formats, such as motivational books, videos, speeches, mobile apps, personal coaching, organized support groups, conferences, expensive seminars, luxury retreat camps in holistic institutes, or any religious quest for enlightenment, etc.
As technology advances, the self-help craze only seems to grow. On the one hand, technology has made people more vulnerable mentally, on the other, it offers channels for self-empowerment gurus and seekers to connect. Self-help is becoming ubiquitous. Based on the market research, self-help has blossomed from a genre of books into a full-blown industry. Why are people so obsessed with self-help? Does it shine a bright light on the path ahead for all the seekers?
Recently I came across a video talk, “The Toxic World of Self Help”. It got me to rethink the whole self-help realm and the practice of personal development. I am not trying to downplay the value of self-help. I think it is only fair to listen to both sides of the argument. Besides, anti-self-help may be another kind of self-help as well!
[Reference Materials]
The Toxic World of Self Help: Hustle Culture, Toxic Positivity, Addiction, and Fake Gurus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmLTLkCBSN8
Why Self-Help Might Actually Be Making You Less Happy
https://www.gq.com/story/why-self-help- ... less-happy
[Additional References]
5 PROBLEMS WITH THE SELF-HELP INDUSTRY
https://markmanson.net/self-help
Session I Questions:
Q1: Why do people need self-help/self-improvement? Why is it so pervasive and why are some people obsessed with it?
Q2: How do people benefit from self-help? Please share a successful personal experience from a good self-help book/video/seminar/workshop/meetup/retreat and how it had affected your thoughts and life.
Q3: What image would you like people to have about you? What would you do to live up to the image you try to maintain?
- Q2 Hints:
For the experience, you can share
- Which area of improvement? (health, skills, relationship, or general life coaching, etc.?)
- What were the delivery methods: a book, speech, seminar, workshop, retreat center, etc.?
- In what way did it impact you? thoughts, behavior, lifestyle?
- How long did the effect last?
If there is no particular thing you can think of, you may want to check out this TED Talk, “The Person You Really Need to Marry” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3fIZuW9P_M (TED Talk)
https://singjupost.com/tracy-mcmillan-o ... ranscript/
Share your thoughts on who that person is and why the speaker thinks you should marry that person.
Q3 Hints: In the first 1:20min of the video (“The Toxic World of Self-Help”), the film maker describes his motivation and the onset of his journey into the self-help world. He filled his life with hustle and bustle to maintain the image that he wanted people to have about him. Are those images you want people to have about you?]
Q4: What do you think about constant self-optimization? Do you think it is human nature or it is a business model created by the self-help industry to lure the help-seekers into the self-improvement trap?
Q5: “We've had 100 years of psychotherapy— and the world's getting worse. How could that be?”
What would be your answer to the above question?
Q6: “Stop expecting others to change. The only thing you can really change is yourself.” vs.
“Stop obsessing with personal growth you want to achieve – and start collectively addressing and tackling group (i.e. family, workplace and society) issues.”
Between the above two completely opposite attitudes, looking inward because not much you can do in the external world vs. searching for external collaboration to take up issues, which one is a better solution? How would you put it into practice?
Agenda:
3:45 ~ 4:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
4:00 ~ 4:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
4:10 ~ 4:50pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
4:50 ~ 5:10pm Summarization (20 mins)
5:10 ~ 5:15pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 10 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
5:15 ~ 5:55pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
6:00 ~ 6:20pm Summarization (20 mins)
6:20 ~ 6:30pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements
Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 4:00pm – 6:30pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $100)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號[MAP]-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘
Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for two times. After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1500 lifetime membership fee, or NT$1000 for students.