Rating: 
Summary: Seems Easy Enough
Review: Dr. Phil's life strategies seem easy, but they take a true commitment to implement. His advice makes some readers angry, but that is probably an indication that the message of the book is getting straight the the point. As Dr. Phil would say, "You either get it or you don't!" I also found Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maza of Life by JoAnna Carey full of practical, easy to implement tips for getting what you want out of life.
Rating: 
Summary: Hup, two, three, four ...
Review: The subtitle to this book is "Stop Making Excuses!" It should have been: "Boot Camp-style self-development."
Take this nifty little mental straightjacket that the reader is invited to lace themself into around page 28:Assignment #2: ... I want you to sit down and write a story. The story is entitled: "The Story I'll Tell Myself if I Don't Create Meaningful and Lasting Change After Reading and Studying This Book.
... I suggest that you begin it by writing: "After reading and studying this book, I did not create meaningful and lasting change because ..." In psychology this kind of stuff is known as a 'double bind'.
- If you do what you're told then you are admitting, with literally 90% of the book still unread, that the only way it can't work is if you refuse to let it work.
- If, on the other hand, you turn down the invitation then obviously the book can't be expected to help you, because you've only read 10% of it and already you're refusing to co-operate.
Either way, if the book doesn't revolutionise your life then it's no one's fault but your own! Neat, huh? Anyway, let's say you march willingly into the boot camp, you may want to unload your thinking abilities at the gate in order to get through the next 254 pages. For example, it will help you to overlook all the nonsense statements, like: "Life Law #7: Life Is Managed; It Is Not Cured" (page 167) What that means, as far as this book is concerned, is that the only way you'll ever get a life is by producing great reams of lists. In fact you'll be asked to create so many lists that you'll need to have to create a set of "summary sheets" just so that you can "see the 'big picture.'" (You don't get this thrilling bit of news until Chapter 12 - I wonder why?) As to the so-called Life Rule, rightly or wrongly, I had been under the impression that "life is for living" rather burying yourself under mountains of paperwork. But hey, what do I know 8) Of course the author does have a rather unique personal philosophy: "I cannot think of a single time in my life where my experience has been enriched or the quality of my life enhanced by my saying 'no'. I can think of dozens of times when my life has been enhanced simply because I said, 'Okay, sure: I'll give it a try.' " (page 81) I guess someone must have spotted what a no brainer that one was, because in the very next paragraph we read: "If someone is saying, 'Hey, try some cocaine; you'll love it,' that's obviously not the time to be a willing spirit." On other occasions the illogicality of the instructions in the book takes on a life of its own. For example, on page 166 we are told that: "There is no reality; only perception. Let your perceptions be fresh and new and grounded in fact, not in history." 'Scuse me? If there is NO REALITY just where do these facts come from?
And if there is "no reality, only perception", what sense does this next instruction make (page 234): "Writing it down adds important objectivity to your self-appraisal." If there "is no reality, only perception" then everything you think must by definition be SUBJECTIVE. So how can writing things down "add ... objectivity"? But the book isn't just off-beam. It is deeply pessimistic. On page 73, for example, the reader is told to: "Honestly evaluate your style of engagement [with other people], and you will begin to understand why the world responds to you as it does. To help you, here are some examples of engagement styles to which the world reciprocates very predictably." We then get 18 examples - and every single one is negative (pages 73-80). The trouble is, it seems, that the book is not sufficiently informed by modern psychology. Thus on page 50 we find this apparently simple statement: "Having read this list, you may be thinking, 'Boy, this guy is a pessimist about people.' Not true. I'm not a pessimist; I'm a realist." Actually those two qualities frequently go hand-in-hand. As Martin Seligman observes, in the best-selling "Learned Optimism" (a book which is based on about a quarter of a century of solid scientific research): "Overall, then, there is clear evidence that non-depressed people distort reality in a self-serving direction and depressed people tend to see reality accurately." And in psychological terms, as Seligman points out, depression is the *real* epidemic sweeping the Western world. Not because someone *thinks* it is - but because there is indisputable clinical evidence to show that it is so. So, if you like being verbally beaten about the head, if you find it comforting to imagine that the whole of life can be reduced to just ten short rules, if you believe in slogans like "No pain, no gain", you'll certainly like this book. If, on the other hand, you're still in the mood to think for yourself, I'd suggest that you'd be far better off with Maxwell Maltz' "Psycho-Cybernetics" (the original, not the re-write), or if you have problems with depression, Martin Seligman's "Learned Optimism".
Rating:
Summary: YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR DESTINY
Review: Each of us has the power to make those decisions which ultimately determine the course of our precious lives. "Life Strategies" is one of those rare finds, a self-help book that does not wallow in big words or esoteric concepts. Mr. McGraw outlines his steps for success in life in simple, direct, yet engagingly written chapters. The organization of the book is excellent throughout and reflects an author who has had extensive experience in dealing with people from all walks of life. He deals with concepts such as self-reliance, individual responsibility and similar notions often downplayed (or ignored outright) by other authors seeking to play into the culture of victimization. You will find none of that in Mr. McGraw's book; his main theme is that we are responsible for our own lives and we do not have to allow ourselves to be knocked about like a punching bag on a windy day. Once you pick up the book, it is difficult to put down; you will find yourself nodding your head at what you have always known in your heart, but do not always acknowledge in your daily life. This book is well worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: Keep up the good work
Review: He actually has a lot to teach in a time where the term "common sense" has lost it's meaning, and isn't so common anymore.
Rating: 
Summary: The Good, The Bad, The Details
Review: The Good:
Reduces the complexities of life into a few easily understood guidelines.
The Bad:
Reduces the complexities of life into a few easily understood guidelines.
The Details:
I'm not a big Dr Phil fan. The few times I've watched him on TV I felt he too easily jumped to conclusions after having only limited information about the situation. In fact, that kind of flies in the face of his guidance in this book on planning. That being said, his show is, after all, only a 60 minutes long...so what can you expect.
The best thing about this book is it provides a "framework" of ideas rather than a "methodology". Having been in computer systems development for many years I came to understand why the numerous "methodologies" could not seem to produce a significantly better success ratio than not having one at all. It's not because, as methodology proponents would argue, that the methodology wasn't followed. In my experience it was because the rationale for, or concepts behind, the steps in the methodology weren't readily understood by the people tasked with following the steps. A "framework", on the other hand, provides the basic and essential view of what works, and as long as the detailed approach stays in sync with the "framework" rules, there will be value in each one of the details.
The above statement is essential in order to understand the value of this book. This is NOT about details, but essential concepts, with some EXAMPLES of the kind of detail you might need in order to be successful. The reason many reviewers say this is a book of "common sense platitudes" is most likely due to the fact that it is. However, if you understand that what Dr Phil is providing is a set of clear, unalterable guidelines...beneath which you can develop your own personal success plan detail..then you might have a good chance this book will be a great foundational tool for making you more productive and effective.
What is essential in this "framework" idea is that it is up to you to ponder and meditate upon the meaning of each of his guidelines as it pertains to the details in YOUR life. For example, some reviewers have been at odds with Dr Phil's view on perception versus reality arguing that if everything is perception then there can be no objectivity, which is at odds with Dr Phil's view on viewing the facts of your life objectively. As an instructor I used to teach my students that "perception IS reality" in that the reality you must face in your everyday life is based on yours and everyone else's perception of the actions and results you have produced. The actions and results are absolutely objective, but they produce subjective impressions, which are the things that impact your life.
I only point out the above as an example of the type of ongoing consideration I believe you may need to give Dr Phil's guidelines in order to understand their complexities/subtleties in order to derive some benefit from them.
A personal platitude to those that take offense to Dr Phil's exercises: "There are two types of people in this world, those that plan, and those that fail."
All in all a great book if you're willing to take the time and really ponder the depths of what Dr Phil covers in a fairly light manner.
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Phil is great.
Review: I have read loads of personal development books but there are only two books that I recommmend for life mastery. The first book is Life Strategies. Dr. Phil is realistic and without any fluff, teaches you how to stop being a victim and make your life work. If you use his strategies, you will get your life back. The other book is Optimal Thinking: How To Be Your Best Self that explains why many positive thinking books don't work and how to be your best, master your feelings and make the most of any situation.
Rating:
Summary: Get Real!!!!
Review: This is a great audio book. Eventhough I had this book for years but I didn't read it until I got the audiobook. I enjoy Dr. Phil's texan accent!
There are somethings that I do not agree with, like everything that happens in life is your own responsibility, but generally it is a constructive book.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Advice
Review: The subtitle hints of the practicality of this book: "Doing what works/Doing what matters." Time is a key element in the process of accomplishing what you set out to do. Dr. Phil writes, "I design plans to help get people what they want in life." There are some places in the book that are...shall we say they reveal things about him that he didn't intend. For example he's quite obsequious toward Oprah. Perhaps because she catapulted him to fame. On the other hand he's condescending to other people. He doesn't realize he comes across this way in the book, quite obviously. His arrogance is alarmingly apparent in places. But there are some insights to be found in spite of these weaknesses. For example, he encourages you to "focus on results, not intentions." Do people ever need to hear that! A similar insight is found when he points out people fear rejection, but need acceptance. That means life is a risk. I particularly liked this sieze windows of opportunity discussion in chapter six. Again time is the relevant variable, i.e., certain opportunities have a limited window. Sieze the day or miss the chance forever. To sum it up, I felt the book started weak but grew in substance. After the self-promotion and sense of having all the answers in the first few pages were over he developed some substantive thought on significant issues.
Rating: 
Summary: this egotistic diatribe deserves no stars
Review: This is a wonderful book and Dr. Phil McGraw is totally on point throughout. I noticed a few reviewers disagreeing and blabbering on with their fancy words (evidence enough of why they disagree..) about how a person can't be expected to be held accountable for 100% of their life and how their environment and social, political, etc. influences must be taken into account, etc. You know, the folks that are so compassionate and caring and brimming with acknowledgement of victimization. Obviously, this book isn't for you. Neither is the real world. It's never what happens to you, folks. It's always, 100%, how you REACT to what happens to you. There are countless, countless examples of people in this world who have faced incomprehensible adversity, challenges and difficulties and they simply did what normal people didn't do: Push on. They reacted in a different way than the normal person who would blame the government, their parents, their hamster, etc. There are no victims. Anyway, great book and very highly recommended. Not for people that wish to go to their graves denying that life will give you what you fight for (because they don't have the gonads to fight?). 5/5 Also recommended: Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting by Lynn Grabhorn
Rating:
Summary: very clever common sense
Review: There is really not that much to say. Either you get it - or you don't. This book is common sense. But clever common sense. I feel very good about having read it. And I imagine most people would, if they took the time to read it. A great book by a great man. -Simon
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