Energize Your Self-Help With ‘Star Trek’

You’ve gotten in touch with your inner child, your inner goddess or your inner hairy man.

Now it’s time to run with your inner Worf.

Not wolf. Worf, the warrior figure on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

Wake up your inner Lt. Worf, and you can live your life with gusto and integrity.

On the other hand, you may be too in touch with Worf and need to work on your inner Spock. Instead of instantly launching the photon torpedoes, he analyzes the situation and proceeds logically.

Yes, it’s happened. “Star Trek” mania has finally merged with the self-help phenomenon.

Richard Raben, a corporate consultant, and Hiyaguha Cohen, a career counselor, have produced “Boldly Live as You’ve Never Lived Before,” unauthorized and unexpected life lessons from “Star Trek.”

Raben actually admits that if it hadn’t been for “Star Trek,” he would be a bum. Watching the show, he says, gave him a weekly reprieve from his bleak existence.

Capt. Kirk’s courage and sense of mission inspired him, and he soon found himself using Kirk’s example to get through his own dilemmas.

He also looked to Spock for help in making tough decisions and to engineer Scott when he needed to believe that nothing is impossible.

When someone points out to Raben that these are fictional characters, he answers that we have always sought guidance and inspiration from mythological figures, such as Hercules and King Arthur. “Star Trek” is our modern mythology.

There is even a test. It’s great fun to discover how your friends and colleagues rate as relaters (Guinan or McCoy), warriors (Worf), analysts (Spock or Data) and leaders (Kirk or Picard).

One may score high as a relater and poorly as a warrior. Another could rate high as an analyst and a leader but lack relating skills.

After you learn who you are in the “Star Trek” universe, you can look at a profile listing that type’s favorite films, books and vacation spots and worst nightmares, among other things.

Analysts, for instance, love “Rear Window” and “2001,” Sherlock Holmes mysteries and taking behind-the-scenes tours of history museums, and abhor the thought of being selected to chair the United Way drive.

Now if this analyst is low on warrior skills, there is help for getting in touch with his or her inner Worf.

First, look like a warrior. Stand tall. Be strong and confident.

Talk like a warrior. Get to the point. Don’t use “um.”

Warm up for all of this by watching “Star Trek” episodes featuring Worf or other Klingons - “Heart of Glory,” “Redemption,” “The Icarus Factor.” Raben and Cohen even list episodes for certain situations.

Want to confront your boss? Watch “The Gamesters of Triskelion.”