I may sound asocial saying this, but I couldn't care less if other people acknowledge my cyber existence. What does it matter if someone commented on my new photos or wrote on my Wall? It doesn't add any value to my life, and fortunately I don't need people's validation to feel good about myself. I'll log in once every few days to see if I need to reply to someone, but other than that it's just another website. It kinda scares me how Facebook is now such a central aspect of people's lives. I know a lot of people who obsess over not having enough "likes" on their profile or whatever and they start questioning their personalities, friendships, etc. It just seems silly to me.
I completely agree. In my Calculus 2 class (integrals and series), the most difficult thing to work with is the algebra and trigonometry. The class is conceptually easy, but our brains get annihilated when we have to grind through a hundred steps of computation. I though my algebra/trig was fine when I went through it in high school, but apparently it didn't prepare me at all for college math.
Its not that self-help books are bullshit, its that most people don't have the willpower to actually change their lifestyles. They're afraid of stepping outside of their comfort zone, because they're afraid of failing, being criticized, working hard, etc. The excuses vary. Self-help books possess a lot of great knowledge, but if people actually followed the advice they read, every self-help writer would be out of a job. I once read through a few books but never took initiative to change anything in my life. Then I stumbled upon "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, and it was so effective at changing my attitude that I've never bothered to read any more self-help books or blogs afterwards.
I don't think it's willpower that really determines things. Willpower is the ability to resist a cookie or do your homework even though you don't want to. I don't have a lot of willpower myself :)
I think self help comes down to willingness to learn and willingness to change. Simple, but hard to do consistently.
One thing that will massively improve one's chances is getting a Mastermind Group (which is a concept from Think and grow rich, IIRC).
