Self-improvement is a favorite topic of TRP. I know it is one of my favorite topics to think and write about. It's something we all want to do, but without knowing the purpose behind self-improvement, you won't improve. What is the purpose? To live a better life. Ok, you might say, that is good and all, but that doesn't mean anything to me. Indeed, it is meaningless, because it isn't specific.

In Elements of Style by Strunk and White, they talk about the superiority of writing specifics instead of generalities. Here's an example from the book.

General: "A period of unfavorable weather set in."

Specific: "It rained every day for a week."

Specific writing, speaking, thinking, talking is much easier to understand. Specific self-improvement is much easier to do than general. This board tends toward the general instead of the specific, and even frowns on the specific and shames people who ask specific questions by calling them spergs or by telling them to lift. This reduces the quality of self-improvement advice. Maybe that's because general advice tends to sell better than specific advice. There's less room for advancement in a niche self-improvement site. There are less upvotes and readership for specific advice or question threads.

Let me give some examples of general and specific advice. The purpose of knowing the difference is to help you find the right advice for you. Avoid the noise of general advice and seek the specific.

General

Diet and Exercise: the most generic and biggest industry in self-improvement. People will always be concerned about their looks and their health, so it makes sense why it's so big. The problem, is telling someone to lift and stop eating junkfood, while good advice, isn't enough. People don't know how or why to follow that advice. Why can't they shortcut it and still be successful like Seth Green or another fat frumpy person you can think of. People want to look and feel good, but they know the things they really want (money and security) are attainable without looking and feeling good. Did Pablo Escobar lift? Did he eat his veggies? He got more poon and had more money than you ever will, and although his life ended badly, it didn't have to, he could have made better decisions with better consequences. You don't personally want to be Pablo but, he had the things you want and he did it without diet and exercise.

Purpose: The reason why diet and exercise are general improvements is because improving in either area expands your potential in all areas. If you are healthy you can focus better, take more social risks because of improved confidence, get injured less, worry less about physical attack from other people, begin developing an abundance mindset, etc. Therefore, better diet and exercise advice would cater to specifics. Instead of telling people to lift, tell them why lifting with X program will make it harder to injure their shoulder. Tell them why they crave X and how Y will solve that craving and keep them from getting fat and lazy. I never ate an avocado until I was in my 20s; the reason I began eating them is because I read a book on how to improve your brain function, and eating specific foods (avocados) was a massive part of the book's advice.

Specific

This is holy grail of self-improvement. What makes the difference between a good and a shitty New Years resolution? Shitty resolution: I'm going to get in shape. Good resolution: I'm going to take a Dale Carnegie or Toastmaster course and learn to give better speeches. Why is How to Win Friends and Influence People still popular? The title itself is specific. Every chapter has specific actionable goals. Why will a book like Pivot die into obscurity? The title is a buzzword. The chapters are generic, the advice generic, and so on. A mechanics pivot is not going to look like a teachers pivot is not going to work the same way as a receptionists pivot. It's a bad topic dressed up to look like a good topic. The book has nothing new or good to know, it's made up of things you already know like herp derp you mean I shouldn't change jobs if I don't have savings?

So, the next time you feel like posting something on self-improvement, ask yourself, is this general or specific? Is it truly specific? Instead of posting something like '10 tips to improve your lifting' post 'Why the machines at gyms can improve your lifting.' Instead of 'Read more' try 'One book that will help you deal with social anxiety.'