Self improvement isn't just a matter of reading a few books and then magically becoming a better person. It's a very involved process roughly analogous to renovating a house or undergoing a serious exercise program. Reading and learning more about what you can do to be a better person is certainly part of it, but it also involves a difficult process of looking at yourself, your actions, and determining how best to go about becoming a better person.

That all takes a significant amount of time. Many people want to improve themselves - taking classes, reading books or taking time to go into therapy. Few people really succeed in getting the significant results that they desire. This can be for many reasons, all of which are completely in the control of the person who wants to get better. It could be that all of the progress that you are trying to make is just being undermined by people in your life - either friends, co-workers, family or romantic partners - which make it difficult. For example, if you're trying to work on your self esteem, having someone in your life that berates you daily when you return home from work will be rather counter-productive.

Few people can just lift themselves up on their own. It takes help to have the best results. Lean on the people that you can trust and professionals that will be happy to help you. Take yourself seriously, and you'll have a lot more success than if you don't.