The following Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Lehman.

The problem with self-improvement culture and what to do about it.

We're a little more than a month out from New Year's,

and most people have abandoned their resolution efforts.

Gems are emptying out, the squat rack is free again,

cars are piling up in the drive-thrus.

The farmers' markets are noticeably emptier.

Was it all for not? Are the grand visionsisions, the big plans, the lofty resolutions really going to culminate in a sad sputter,

a fizzle?

Will one-time optimists resign themselves to just another personal failing, another reason to slink back into despair?

If January is about hope and ambition,

what's the lesson for February? I'm not surprised. It happens every time, and it's caused by

our dysfunctional relationship to self-improvement. Wait, what? Isn't self-improvement a good thing?

Sure, improving your health, happiness, life purpose, fitness,

body composition, business, and or relationships is undeniably a good thing. And there are dozens

of reputable sources of information to help you make the right changes and make them stick.

There's a lot of good advice and inspiration out there. In fact, there are now

so many life coaches, dietary gurus, lifestyle designers, and other self-improvement professionals

that you could probably sign up for a free introductory half-hour coaching session every single

day for the rest of your life and never run out. How many of us are actually heeding the advice from the experts and applying it to our own

lives, though?

If self-improvement seems like such an obvious virtue, why isn't everyone doing it all the

...