Because time is a valuable resource, and no one seems to have enough of it, do not waste time learning self help for things you do not need help doing. It would be like attending a seminar on emergency preparedness when you have a silo of grain, a water tower, and ten years worth of canned food, clothing, money, etc. set aside. It would do little good. So, instead, figure out what you do need to do better. Could you save more money? Could you exercise more? Could you lose some weight?

Here is how to assess your self-help needs:

There are two broad categories in the pursuit of self-help. These we will call: 1) Categories of Distress; and 2) Categories of Achievement. These determine what kind of motivation you will use, movement toward pleasure, or movement away from pain.

If you fit under categories of distress you likely show symptoms for the following kinds of problems: anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, negative thinking and so on. These are the types of symptoms or problems that consistently have an adverse effect on your sense of well-being.

If your self help needs fall under categories of achievement, you are likely to want self help in the following areas: find personal growth, self-improvement, positive thinking, goal setting, success conditioning and so on.

It is likely that you will have more than one problem area to deal with, or more than one achievement goal to pursue. You may have low self esteem, which is something you want to move away from, and want to advance in your career, something you want to move towards. However, before you feel overwhelmed by your self help needs simply approach them as a ladder. Tackle the problem of need that ails you the most, then move to the next one. In many cases, by conquering one, you unknowingly conquer many. For example, if you are experiencing low self esteem and depression, by working on your esteem first, you may pull yourself out of depression.

Before you can help yourself, you need to determine what you need help with. So, take the time to evaluate your life and pin point the areas in your life you need improvement with. Do you need to think more positively and stop placing self-limiting beliefs on yourself? Or do you need to reduce your stress and anxiety? Once you have your needs or problems determined, then you can better, more effectively address them.