We can feel inadequate with the genuine successes we do have

"At the same time, because we see this huge menu of books, all promising that we can attain success in all manner of ways, we can feel inadequate with the genuine successes we do have. Consider, for example, the anxiety a person in a long-term relationship can feel. They may well be an excellent life partner. But perhaps they are not a sexual athlete, the world’s best communicator, the possessor of a great body, a domestic god or goddess. In their local bookshop, however, they will be told by book covers that they can and perhaps should be all of these things. This can foster feelings of inadequacy and, perhaps worse still, encourage them to think that, though their partner may well be pretty good, couldn’t they be that little bit better? After all, ‘you’re worth it’."