As a student of personal development and success I read a lot of different books by many different authors on the subject. Many of them are of very high quality and teach many valuable lessons.
What is annoying is that they all claim to hold the fool proof guide to success. They are also positive that anyone not following their steps will guaranteed fail.
It is in many ways an intimidation industry, claiming to hold the one key to all your dreams.
You do not have a choice, we must listen, we must learn, we must keep learning and buying new products, because the ones we just read are already obsolete, even though they are filled with "timeless" tips to success.
The question is; who do we listen to?
I think that the search for knowledge, all knowledge, is important. Following only one teacher is dangerous, because if that person got it wrong, you have focused on the wrong things.
Reading multiple authors, multiple books, and testing the advice that you feel makes sense to you is what I believe will make you successful.
What works for you, works!
We are all individuals and all of us have to follow our own path.
Putting together the bits and pieces we find useful, choosing the advice that motivates us, the techniques that help us focus and the world view that will make you succeed, is up to you.
Since you are the only one who knows how you work, you are the only one that can see what works for you.
I do think personal development is important
I don't want you to think that I am advising you not to read personal development. I do! I think you should read as much as you can get your hands on.
What I don't believe is that you will find a recipe in one book that is the only path to your success. The only way you will succeed is if you put together different parts from different people and mold it to fit you.
Life is a lot like a puzzle, you have to first gather all the pieces and then put it together into a picture. All puzzles are different, just like all people. Using the wrong pieces will not help you finish the picture.