Rating: 
Summary: Reclaiming your fire.
Review: If you are unsatisfied with how your life is going and you are ready to buckle down and make some changes, Dr. Phil's is here to support you in "SELF MATTERS." McGraw leads you through a series of exercises aimed at getting you to evaluate the events, people, and decisions that have played a key role in your personal development. Once you've identified areas such as "Your 10 Defining Moments" or "Your 5 Pivotal People," you can create a new roadmap to your authentic self by changing the things that haven't worked for you and by investing more fully in the things that have. One of my favorite sections was a discussion of "tapes" - conversations we have in our heads that play over and over, limiting who we are. Dr. Phil encourages you to go for it in life, to "drive with passion." For those who want another refreshing perspective that will show you how to rediscover your sense of well-being and aliveness and live way beyond what your mind holds as possible, you should grab yourself a copy of "WORKING ON YOURSELF DOESN'T WORK," by Ariel and Shya Kane. The Kanes have mastered how to live in the moment and their book allows others to catch this magical phenomenon.
Rating: 
Summary: this is a great book!
Review: If you decide to read this book you have to use it as a workbook. Do lots of work beside listening to the book otherwise, it won't be constructive and will serve as a novel.
Rating:
Summary: Phillip C. McGraw's latest book tops them all.
Review: Phillip C. McGraw's latest book tops them all. Self Matters helps get to the core of what's keeping you from a fulfilling, happy life. His tell it like it is style helped me take a good hard look at myself and how I could begin the healing. I have been going through a rough time in my life and Self Matters has helped me to stop feeling sorry for myself and start feeling good about what is good in my life. For the first time in a long while things don't look so bad. When I'm working at my computer I use Neurosync behavior modification software that Dr. Phil mentioned on Opra. I'm impressed that their are products like this and books like Dr. Phil has written that can really make a difference and change your life. This book is money well spent.
Rating:
Summary: Challenge of a lifetime
Review: This book is not some innocent read. Potentially, it challenges the reader to take a serious look at his or her life - stop clinging to things they dont really want and start working for better things.
Surely, most people probably find safety in the status quo, but this is not a book for them. Instead, this is a book for people who actually wants change. And what a great book it is !
-Simon
Rating: 
Summary: New bottles, old wine
Review: While the method that Dr. McGraw suggests for re-creating your life is a good one, and anyone who follows it will learn a great deal about him/herself, I found this book VERY off-putting for two reasons. (1) Although it's less abrasive than some of his other books, I found his tone offensive. As he well knows, people create a "false self" for the worthiest of motives (pleasing a parent or other mentor whom they honor, holding a job that's valuable to society, supporting their family), so I felt that his usual "Quit whining and straighten up" approach was inappropriate. Most people who find themselves deeply discontented with their lives are NOT whining, they're gritting their teeth and sticking with it for the sake of their spouse and kids, their community, etc. (2) He constantly berates other self-help experts, but in fact he's stolen most of his ideas from them; he just restates them in his own (blunt) words. While that can be valuable for readers who are put off by terms like "self-actualization," I felt it was deeply dishonest of him not to give credit where it's due. He's a good popularizer, and his "I'm going to tell it like it is" rhetoric is very appealing, but, really, that's ALL there is to him.
Rating:
Summary: I Love Me
Review: With this book Dr. McGraw hits the nail on the head ... so to speak ... or does he put a mirror of truth in front of your face? Well, anyway, as usual McGraw is blunt and as direct as he can be and once again his advice is not for the faint of heart, because the reader may discover something very special or perhaps sensitive about himself/herself. This is McGraw's strategy and through all of this his advice is helpful and beneficial as he motivates to face the truth about one's self. Great book! Another book that has a more gentle approach, but is just as direct touching sensitive areas of one's life, and I highly recommend this book, is Dietmar Scherf's "I LOVE ME: Avoiding and Overcoming Depression."
Rating: 
Summary: You must be pretty low to benefit from this book
Review: You must be pretty low to benefit from this book. It was so boring, same thing over and over. He goes on making you feel really low so that you feel like only Dr. Phil can save you. I have a hard time believing that people really like this. I guess I'm successful and happy with my life because I turned it off (audio book) after about 45 minutes. That's all I could take.
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