There is no substitute for taking action

After consuming self-help content for almost 6 years, what I realized is that there is simply no substitute for taking action.

Meditating, exercise, gratitude, journaling etc. You name it. All this stuff is just bells and whistles. The ultimate core of self-improvement is taking action. Taking action to reach your goals in order to make your life more meaningful.

Honestly, I find stuff like meditating, exercise, gratitude, journaling are just a big distraction. I feel that stuff like this are side missions and the main game would be our goals.

The reason for reaching this conclusion is that many people substitute these things (meditating, exercise, gratitude, journaling etc.) for main actions towards main goals. These activities should only aid you in your ultimate goals but they cannot substitute themselves!