Walk into any bookstore, take a look at half hour commercials, or look at any personal finance/self-help blog and what do you find?…suggested inspirational reading. Everyone has a favorite book they promote, but do they really work?

The Secret has sold several million copies just in North America, as had Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad series. You would think with this large of an audience there would be millionaires all over the place, but there aren’t. Why is that?

The books make everything seem within reach, and all you need to do is think positively and/or think like a rich person. Yet, no one ever seems to become rich because of these books (note: this includes more than the aforementioned books). What these books do is make you feel good and give you the illusion of power over your life, but it’s just an illusion. Just thinking positively doesn’t do anything. Sure it improves your mood and may increase your confidence a little, but real action is what creates wealth or success. The action is the hard part. Thinking about the action is the easy part.

I personally experienced this yesterday. It finally came time to commit $20-30k to a real business partnership. Thinking positively about the potential success was easy, but actually parting with that cash was hard…very hard. You wonder if the positive thoughts are misleading. So, you sit down and run the numbers again. Turns out they still look good. You wonder if you will be able to do the extra work to make the business work. Again, the positive thoughts are easy, but actually performing the work will be difficult, but once you commit you have to do it.

I’m not saying books with positive reinforcement messages don’t have a place, but that place is a minor one next to any action moving you towards your goal. Next time you are ready to add yet another inspirational book to your bookshelf, stop and ask why the other inspirational books haven’t succeeded in getting you to your goals. Then outline actual actions to reach your goals, and begin the first one. Remember the old saying, “Actions speak louder than words.”