In today's hyper-connected and digital world, where a constant flood of information is available, everyone seems to have a solution: a hack, a trick, or advice for every imaginable issue, each claiming to be life-changing. These tips are so neatly written that it becomes hard not to try them. The most tempting part is that all it takes is just two, three, or five minutes of your day, and how easily everything can be incorporated when you are told to invest only a few minutes.

The moment you face an issue, be it related to health, productivity, dressing styles, beauty tips, or relationships, every app — Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others — throws hundreds of results at you to fix it. Each hack promises to transform your life in as little as 21 days or even overnight. However, it’s not just these apps or websites that are pushing these hacks. The self-help books on your shelf do the same, making you look cool, dedicated, and serious about your life.

The more you read, the stronger the urge becomes to try the next new hack, and soon it becomes a never-ending cycle. What was promised as productive turns into oppression. There is always a constant list of tasks running through your mind, each claiming to make your life easier and better, promising to make you a better or best version of yourself, more efficient, or even help you find your purpose. Basically, everything you’re doing in your life is wrong, or you’ll be doomed bcs how you are living, and your life is a waste until you don't achieve certain things by a fixed age.

What began as something empowering soon feels overwhelming. The easy hack becomes a heavy burden. The constant comparison and pressure to adopt new hacks erode your individuality and peace of mind. I wonder why they never tell us to simply breathe. Maybe we’ve been breathing wrong all our lives, but somehow, we’re still alive. Thankfully.

The more you follow every new trick and hack, the easier it becomes to forget that you are a completely different human being. You have your own experiences, circumstances, and beliefs that only you can understand. Life is not a one-size-fits-all approach. We all have our own lens through which we view things, and that makes us human. While following these hacks as tasks all day long, you start to feel like a tireless machine. People often fail to understand that you cannot replicate someone else's success. It is only their journey, and you are seeing just a small, highlighted part of a big, uncertain, and messy life journey. Because one method works for someone does not guarantee success for the whole world. Those you follow have tried and tested their own ways, which simply means they made their own path. You cannot walk the same path and expect the same results. It can actually be harmful because it makes you forget that you, too, can create your way and achieve success on your terms. Moreover, it is foolish to follow someone's advice just because they are famous or influential today; they might not be tomorrow.

You have a life, a unique list of tasks shaped perfectly by your own circumstances, which only you truly understand. In an attempt to make your life stress-free, you start reading and following these hacks. But soon, you realize you end up with a long list of tasks handed over by strangers who have no idea about your reality. You might not even have those problems in the first place, or you could be perfectly happy living your life your way. Yet, after reading about some drastic transformation in someone else, you start to believe that you are somehow less, inadequate, or incomplete. One book leads to the next, one tip replaces another, one hack chases another, and the cycle never stops, eventually leading to disappointment.

The endless chase for a dream life makes you lose sight of what your own definition of life is, what truly matters to you, and how your definition of success should be your own. Instead of fixing anything, these quick solutions create immense pressure to constantly change yourself, pushing you to tick off boxes without pause. They rarely remind you to just breathe and live at your own pace. And no matter how many fixes you try or how many full-fledged plans you make, life has a way of surprising you and throwing all your carefully laid plans out the window. Almost every self-help book or motivational video carries the same message, just in different fancy words, but none of it is truly life-changing.

Self-help is often less about genuinely helping readers and more about fueling a rapidly booming industry. According to The Business Research Company’s Self-Improvement Products and Services Global Market Report 2025, the global market is projected to grow from $59.22 billion in 2024 to $64.61 billion in 2025, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1%. Zooming in on India, the personal improvement industry is expected to reach a projected revenue of US$ 3,643.1 million by 2030, according to a report by Grand View Research.

The data paints a clear picture of the booming self-help industry, highlighting big, impressive numbers and its global influence. Yet behind these figures lies a wake-up call: overconsumption of self-help books, advice, tricks, and hacks on the internet often does more harm than good. This “information overload” can make individuals feel pessimistic about their life journey and progress, leading them to believe that nothing works for them and that they are the only ones living a shallow and unfulfilled life.

Everyone on the internet seems to be selling some sort of shortcut designed to appeal to a vast audience. Blindly following such advice can lead to unrealistic expectations, especially when you don’t achieve a certain goal within a set timeframe. But the reality is that the outcome and its timing are never in anyone’s hands. Most content creators themselves had no clear idea they would become famous or succeed, and the time frame of their success. How, then, can anyone realistically promise you a roadmap that works in just a few days?

This is why it’s crucial to pause and reflect—not on what your favorite influencer defines as success or fulfillment, but on what truly matters to you personally. Again, Nothing in the world is a one-size-fits-all approach. Real growth comes from knowing yourself deeply, understanding your own goals and values, and carving out your own unique path. It means living authentically rather than following a script written for millions or billions of others just like you.

The sweetest success or the most meaningful breakthrough isn’t found in hacks, but in choosing to breathe, reflect, and trust your own journey.

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