Due to a family passing at the time, I was unable to download this in time before it was archived, and having only returned after several years away due to it severely affecting me, I am now working my way through those reviews I was unable to get to to detail the issue. Thank you for the opportunity, and I look forward to working with you in the future.

Although it does do some distillation and attempts to pull out what works across the millennia of self-help and self-improvement, this book was really more of a history of self help from the stoics and ancient Chinese onward. Schaffner did a really good job breaking down the major areas where self-improvement is focused (generally self-knowledge, cognitive control, detachment/stoicism, moral action, humility, simplicity, imagination, grit/perseverance, visualization, and mindfulness). I really enjoyed seeing her talk about the ebb and flow of different approaches and techniques across the centuries and she has a very acerbic wit for some of the modern movements which are really glitzy reupholstering of age old pabulum. I'm not sure I know how to live a better life, but I sure know a lot more about how humans have tried to get there.