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You're Addicted to You

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You're Addicted to You

Why It's So Hard to Change – and What You Can Do About It

Berrett-Koehler,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Are you ready to change? Start by fixing your relationship with yourself.

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Editorial Rating

6

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Though there is not a lot of new material here, Noah Blumenthal manages to combine diverse ideas and create an extremely practical guide to personal change. He takes in two valuable elements. First, he is clear and methodical. Some books on change hurl readers into the process, but his multistep plan walks readers through every stage of building awareness and making changes. He demystifies the change process, suggesting small, manageable steps. Second, he insists on the importance of the larger context in determining behavior. Blumenthal gets readers to scour their past, present, future and surroundings for the factors that trigger, reward or support their bad behaviors. Likewise, he insists that readers get feedback from those around them and ask for considerable support. The result is an immediately applicable book. However, the advice might seem somewhat uncomfortable, as it exposes one’s efforts to the (supportive) scrutiny of an entire community. getAbstract recommends it to readers who accept the author’s call for emotional honesty and are seriously committed to change.

Summary

What is “Self-Addiction” – and What Can You Do About It?

If you’re like most people, there’s something about yourself you’d like to change – some aspect of your behavior that just isn’t working for you. And, if you’re like most people, you’ve probably already tried to change it and failed. Training courses and seminars don’t help much. The information they present may be great, but they don’t tell participants how to integrate it into their lives. This is true of all areas of change, but can be especially challenging when you’re trying to alter yourself – when you are fighting a self-addiction.

You may not think of a personal behavior like working too late, talking too much or giving in too easily as an addiction, but it functions in a similar fashion. (However, if you are struggling with a clinical addiction, such as drinking or gambling, please seek professional help in a structured setting like a support group.) With a self-addiction, you repeat certain actions that don’t advance your life, but rather make it worse. You do so in a largely unconscious fashion. If you are aware of the habit, you might think of it as your character (just who you are) and might feel...

About the Author

Noah Blumenthal is founder and president of a consulting firm that focuses on executive coaching and team development.

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