Hi, my name is Sabine and I am a self-help junkie.
*Hi Sabine!*
Maybe I am in the denial phase, but I can recommend everyone to become a self-help junkie. I used to joke (sort of…) that xtc should be made legal and free and the world would be much better and more peaceful place (especially when you replace alcohol with it…). I now however feel that self-help books, articles and seminars would be even more effective.
The term ‘self-help’, most often in conjunction with the word books, seem to have a bit of a sticky, muffy image but I don’t know why. Reading philosophies on life and (self)love is a wonderful thing and one of my favorite pastimes. It really is self-help, though it’s really no different from philosophy, personal development, spiritual growth and life lessons through someone else’s eyes.
Of course there are some great masters in this field (what up Lao Tzu, Confucius & Tolle?) but instead I’d like to introduce you to some young, hip, fresh, sexy up & comers that will enable you to live your life to your fullest potential and deal with stressors with more grace and ease.
Sexy Self-Help Guru’s
The fact that she is a dear friend of mine doesn’t have anything to do with this chick being the bomb when it comes to self-help and a side of tough-love. From Dutch grounds and with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology, she writes about general self-love, the laws of attraction (in a non-douchy way), yoga and food.
“You might have noticed this before, but turns out that a morning of abs exercises doesn’t give you a six pack. And one day of healthy eating does not make you drop ten pounds, get perfect skin. And one kind word to a friend in need does not win you the Super Awesome Friend Award.
Give it time. Don’t be discouraged if things don’t happen overnight. Except for pimples (what is up with that anyway), things don’t happen over night. You can’t run a solid 10K from scratch. You don’t get a good grade from doing your homework one time. You don’t get a great job performance just because you did great work one week. You don’t lose weight from one day of no cupcakes.”
Need I say more?
2. Mastin Kipp (from The Daily Love)
I have a total nerd-crush on this dude. Meaning, not for his looks, but for his words. Instead of the newspaper, I read The Daily Love every morning when I wake up (and no I am not being sarcastic). Mastin really speaks from a place of all-encompassing love which is extra beautiful coming from a guy. His words have really opened my eyes to a lot of things and make my every day start on a loving and inspiring note. My outlook on and attitude towards live have changed significantly the last 6 months and although there were many contributing factors, persons and experiences, The Daily Love deserves a big chunk of credit here.
“Instead of looking for what I could get, I started to look for what I could give. Instead of looking for how other people weren’t helping me, I just decided to help other people. And when it came to my clients, I focused on the outcome I wanted, instead of how tired I was, or what I needed. I became much less selfless in all aspects of my life. And when this happened, it was like the Uni-verse finally could celebrate the gift that it gave me to give, and all kinds of abundance started to show up.”
3. Brian Johnson (from Optimal Living 101 and A Philosopher’s Notes)
This L.A. dude vibrates with great energy and possesses a set of eyes that pierce straight through your soul (maybe unrelated but I think it’s worth mentioning 
). Brian is hungry for wisdom and knowledge (hey, my kinda people), which makes him a true philosopher. He has read tons (and I mean tons…) of self-development books (ranging from Tao Te Ching to Thrive Diet, two of my favs!) and has condensed all this wisdom into different ‘programs’. Philosopher’s notes is 100 books by spiritual masters and self-help guru’s condensed into PDF and MP3 formats. With each book, Brian has captured the main essence and translates this to you. There is two volumes, so that means 200 books! His program ‘Optimal Living 101′ is all of his knowledge and experience offered as seminars/classes. He’s very big on mind-mapping, which I love. Optimal Living 101 is all about creating a higher quality of life for yourself from every possible angle. Seriously good stuff folks! Excerpt from Optimal Living 101 – Purpose:
“Purpose. All the great teachers talk about it. Confucius tells us that an army can lose its commanding officer but even an average person is in trouble without a purpose while the Bible, the Gita, the Stoics and everyone else echoes the sentiment. We’ll explore Maslow’s need to self-actualize and his directive that “What one can be, one must be!” along with Deepak’s 7th Spiritual Law of Success—the Law of Dharma—as we have fun discovering our Highest Goal, holding the Dynamic Tension between our ideals and our current reality and celebrating both our Being and our Becoming.”
Bonus points for Brian being a recent raw food convert. He and his wife went to the Hippocrates Institute for their honeymoon <3
Gabrielle Bernstein is being touted as the spirit junkie: author, motivational speaker and spiritual guru. I don’t know about the guru part but she is definitely a fresh and inspirational role-model for young (female) adults. Coming from a world of addiction and corporate business in New York, Gabrielle is now determined to help young women find their true blessing and self in this life. She wrote a book, ‘Add More -Ing To Your Life : A Hip Guide To Happiness”. The book includes step by step action plans and meditation guides as well as stories of real women that Gabrielle has worked with to help them overcome personal struggles and painful experiences. Gabrielle also offers up additional content, including guided meditations, on her website, www.addmoreing.com, and iTunes podcast. It’s a fun little book that has a low threshold and is a good starting point to transform your life.
“So long, Carrie Bradshaw—there’s a new role model for go-getting thirty-somethings. Gabrielle Bernstein is doling out inner peace and self-love for the post-modern spiritual set.”
5. Philip McCluskey (from LovingRaw.com)
Ok so Philip is actually one of my favorite raw foodies out there but he also writes and vlogs a lot about this thing called life. I love his energy and charisma and down to Earth outlook. Check out his YouTube channel for tons of inspiring videos, my favorites would have to be ‘Quitting Your Job/Freedom from Work’ and ‘Crushing the Food Ego‘. Philip is a real inspiration to me in the way he lives his life to his fullest potential by being genuine and authentic and having fun while doing so.
“I would rather be homeless than be unhappy one more day in my life. When we become the example, and we become the light and we shine bright, so bright, that everyone around us is affected, that is when change happens.”
Give it up for my boy Philip!
Leave a comment and tell me about your favorite self-help spiritual master guru wise-ass
Gonna check them all out, thanks!
Because of you mentioning the daily love in your previous post I have been reading it for hours, I love it so much! I will check the others out too, thank you.
Love this post! it is important to actively search for inspiration because it does not fall from the sky onto our laps (contrary to what many people believe)! I think these are all so awesome and if one would start your day with a dose of love, passion and inspiration like this, being unhappy just would not be an option!
Awesome post!
Where can I find the writings of your dear friend and #1 self-help guru
???
Hey babe, just click the link! (or go to: http://theselfhelphipster.com/)
x0x0
Hi Sabine! I was awarded with the versatile blogger award and I pass the baton to you, because at this moment you’re one of my favourite bloggers. You’ve been awarded with the versatile blogger award. I hope you accept it and pass the award to 7 bloggers too. Acess the link to know what to do: http://www.naturaliiz.com/2012/02/versatile-blogger-award-yay.html
NaturaliiZ recently posted..The Versatile Blogger Award yay!
Thank you so much <3
Sabine recently posted..Self-Help Junkie
I don’t know about #1 self help guru but I was the first on the list.
Hope you like it, Jenny!
And thanks a million to my dear Sabine, who is my food inspiration for ever and ever. <3
The Self Help Hipster recently posted..The Law of Attraction: How it works for me, part II
Well aren’t you awesome? Thanks so much, Sabine! Appreciate your kind words and support and sending lots of love.
-bri
I used to be a self-help junkie, but now I’ve become a spiritual junkie. Actually, to me they are the same thing.
Before I became a New Thought minister six years ago, I was a corporate motivational speaker who taught people how to live happier and more successful lives. Even though I am no longer focusing on my career as speaker, as a minister I still teach people how to live happier and more successful lives. Who would have thought I could be doing the same thing in two totally different venues?
To me spirituality is practical. It is a way of understanding how the Universe works and how you can work within its principles so you can make your life better. It helps you identify where your blocks are and it teaches you how to dissolve them so you can let more good into your life.
I find that spiritual self-help is more powerful than regular self-help because you can tap into a higher power than yourself. When I was a regular self-help junkie, there were times when I personally could not follow the action steps that were taught. Now, when I find that I am stuck, I surrender to Spirit and let it help me move forward. It’s easier and it always works.
Whether someone chooses to be a self-help junkie or a spiritual junkie (or both), I think it will definitely make that person’s life much better.
RevDella recently posted..Where is Your Imagination Taking You?
thank you so much for your input! and I agree, both will make your life better in every way, but spirituality goes much deeper (and is thus much more satisfactory) than most practical lifestyle guidelines. i am loving ‘the four agreements’ right now, bet you’ve read it too!
ps your work sounds awesome