There is a huge self-help industry. It seems that books which will give you the secrets of success come out at an increasingly fast rate. The fact is everybody would like to be better. What is meant by ‘better’ varies from person to person. Some people turn to religion. Some turn to the personal development section of their local bookshop.

The books all compete with each other. They each attempt to promise more and more with the minimum of effort. The amount of effort is a key point as many of the people buying into these theories are lazy. Yes, they want it all, but they don’t want to work for it. Look at some of the most successful businessmen around such as Alan Sugar or Bill Gates and you will quickly realise that they got where they are by hard work, a phenomenal mind, or maybe a combination of both.

Of course, luck can be involved, but the chances of the sort of luck that will lead an individual to the top of the business tree are equivalent to winning the lottery.

In short, for true personal development, there is no substitute for hard work and ensuring clear targets. What are you trying to achieve? How can you do that? It really isn’t rocket science and you might find something other than those books to spend your money on!