Newseek on the self-improvement industry:
http://www.cesnur.org/testi/NextAge_newsweek.htm

Clearly *someone's* getting rich...but whether it's the self-help customers' lives that are being turned around isn't really explored.

It seems fairly obvious to me that to achieve the kind of financial wealth these people promise, you have to have something to offer that lots of people are going to pay good money for...and how many people really have that? There are plenty of talented artists across the disciplines, for instance, producing fine work and who "believe in themselves" but who don't achieve financial success. Sure, you need confidence--and the self-improvement literature can help you get it--but you need much, much more than that. If you are a confident mediocrity, the competition is still fierce and the cards are still stacked against you. Despite what the industry promises, let's face it, not everyone is exceptional.

[This message has been edited by jl3goat (edited July 06, 2005).]