Two of the most popular searches on the internet every day of the week is Self-help and self-assertion. Nearly everyone has an inborn desire to help themselves either in a material, or spiritual way. Self-help is the most important way to achieving self-acceptance. If you have decided on self-help, or self-assertion techniques as a way to achieve personal development and success, then be very pleased for yourself for taking personal accountability for your shortcomings. You have decided to work on accepting yourself and then improving yourself on the basis of your inherent humanity.

Being a fallible human being, as everyone is, it is really easy to put yourself down from time to time instead of accepting that as a human you are bound to make mistakes. Self help is about accepting that you have flaws, but you are doing something about them in a positive and assertive way.

Basically being assertive means standing up for yourself, and what you believe, in a non hostile way.

Being assertive is not about applying violence or bullying to get your point of view across. The difference is, when you are being assertive you are still in charge of your actions, but when you are applying violence nearly all of your behaviour will be reckless.

The thing is, people are a lot more certain to act in response to your wishes when you are being assertive. This is all because you are talking in a clear calm way – not because they are frightened of your anger. More often than not, your hostility is about winning a disagreement and making the other person agree that you are right. Assertion is not about winning or dominating the other person. No, assertion is all about getting your point of view across in a clear none aggressive manner.

If you have inclination to become furious during a disagreement, and get verbally or physically aggressive in a short time, give yourself time out: take a few deep breaths and then count to ten slowly.

Hardly anything good has ever come out of a heated argument, so taking a few deep breaths and counting will always work if you want to calm down quickly. Also while doing the breathing and counting remember to think about how everyone has their own opinions and their own shortcomings.

If you accept that everyone is unique, and that everyone is special and flawed in equal measure then accepting yourself for what you are will be a lot easier.

Article by Kathy Williamson, Insightful Copywriter & Coach for Self-Help Market

If you’re a self-help entrepreneur or a life coach, it’s important to address the emotional blockages of your prospects in order to persuade them to purchase your product or service.

Today’s social media allows people to open up quicker and easier through the written word. People get to know you on a deeper level through social media interaction, and when they come to your website, they expect that interaction to continue.

One way to do this on your website is through your sales letter. By identifying with the possible emotional restraints of your prospect, you’ve got their full attention. You can also address these restraints in your blog or articles.

So, what are the top 10 emotional blockages or restraints we hear?

1. “I’m afraid to try again.” They’ve tried to change or overcome a particular problem, and have failed over and over. They’ve tried other people’s products or services and either got temporary relief and went back to their former state of mind, or they didn’t have any breakthrough. It’s easier to live in their situation rather than face the fear of trying and failing again.

2. “I am who I am, I cannot change.” They’re so frustrated because of trying to change and not being able to. They compare themselves with others and end up feeling inferior and unable to change.

3. “I can’t change right now because of my current or past situation.” Excuses have become the norm. But they don’t know they’re using excuses. Some problems have common side issues, which you need to deal with at the same time you’re addressing the main problem.

4. “I don’t believe your product or service can help ME.” Once again, a person may throw up their excuses as to why your product can’t help them. You’ll hear a hundred and one reasons why this process won’t work for them.

5. “It’s easier to stay in my rut than to take the time and effort to break free.” Although it took many years to get into their current situation, they want immediate relief. Today’s society has not been taught the benefits of enduring the time and effort it takes to change.

6. “I don’t have anyone to encourage me to push through to make this major change in my life. All I have are negative-focused people around me.” While this may be a valid point, it is still an excuse. It’s up to each one of us to raise ourselves up and encourage ourselves and motivate ourselves.

7. “I don’t think I have what it takes to get permanently free from this problem.” This may come from lack of knowledge or skills necessary to understand the process of overcoming the particular problem.

8. “I don’t have enough emotional power to make permanent change.” Because they’ve failed over and over in trying to overcome this problem, they start to look for power outside of themselves to help them. And because they can’t find it, hopelessness sets in.

9. “If I overcome this problem, I don’t know how to get the personal attention from people that I get now by having this problem.” This restraint is an unspoken one. Yet it is a huge blockage.

10. “I don’t have a clear picture of how your process to resolve this problem would apply to my situation.” They can see clearly the final benefits of your product or service, but they don’t see how the process to get there plays out in their lives.

Each of these restraints will be dealt with in upcoming articles. But for right now, take a look at these restraints and how they apply to the problem you resolve. Write out the words that a prospect would have in each of these areas. Now incorporate these restraints into your sales letter, being sure to include the words used by your prospects.

More ways to improve your copywriting can be found in my free report “The 7 Missing Elements In Sales Letters For Self-Help Messages” at http://www.christiancopywriter.org