Has anyone helped themselves with a Self-help book?

1. 86

   izettlposted 12 years ago

   Has anyone helped themselves with a Self-help book?
   
   Just curious cause this is a big industry and I've read a few but honestly can't pinpoint anything they've done to help me. Has anyone specifically gotten help from these ypes of books? And what book was it?

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   krillcoposted 12 years ago

   Yes. The book 'Passionate Marriage' by Dr. David Schnarch changed my personal life and professional practice.

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   innerspinposted 12 years ago

   I love self help books, though it's more often the case that one or two tips within a book will strike a chord rather than the whole concept. " Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway," by Susan Jeffers was really helpful for me. I have a problem with vertigo and dizziness which is pretty stressful, Susan's practical advice was a blessing. It's worth re-visiting every now and then to remind myself of the message.

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      duffsmomposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      My husband lost his career due to an inner ear injury that causes vertigo that can be disabling.  It is a hard thing to deal with for all family members.  How do you cope and what do treatment have you found helpful?

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      innerspinposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      duffsmom, that's a big question. Will email you tomorrow as it's late here.

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      joanwzposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm with you on this. I have found a lot of intersting information, some of which I was able to use. Much of the information, while informative, wasn't useable for me.

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   MotherWisdomposted 12 years ago

   The biggest self-help book that has been life changing for me is the Bible. It saved my life at 16 when I was suicidal. It has given me hope and peace through the healing process. It has given me self-worth and relationship. No, it is not just a religious experience--it is reality.

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      Ann810posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree, the Bible's inspiration is reality and spiritual not religious.

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   Sri Tposted 12 years ago

   The Miracle of Imagination by Neville showed how to imagine a different situation and change your experiences. Current conditions become irrelevent. With the power to imagine a better situation, everything can be changed. It makes no difference what happened in the past or what others have said. The method that Neville taught puts you in charge of every situation.

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   Born2care2001posted 12 years ago

   Can't wait to see your responses izettl! Only the bold will survive here! I have to agree with innerspin! The now crossed over Dr. Susan Jeffer's "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" helped revive a desire for a new career for me. I have also found solace in Dr. Wayne Dyers works and "Callings: Finding and Living an Authentic Life" by Gregg Levoy.
   I will say many people become discouraged with self help books, primarily because they have difficulty reprogramming past conditioning. One recommendation I have is for those who cannot rely on helping themselves overcome that obstacle...get help, there's plenty of it out there! No sense being stuck in a place that isn't serving you! Great question!

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   lburmasterposted 12 years ago

   Yes. My favorite is The Procrastinators Handbook. It's extremely helpful and taught me that I'm not enough of an organization nut.

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8. 86

   eddiecarraraposted 12 years ago

   I have to say that the book Psycho-Cybernetics, a classic self-help book, written by Maxwell Maltz in 1960 is they best self-help book ever published, and every self-help book published after it, was, and still is, based on this book. If you ever get around to reading it, you will know exactly what I'm talking about

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      Rochelle Frankposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I read this in the 60's-- and it was an eye-(mind) -opener for me.

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      Mike Marksposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      good book, but I'd be careful about siting the "original" ... yes, all the self-helper are similar but you could trace back to 1948's "The Secret of the Ages" by Robert Collier and back further still...

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      eddiecarraraposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      My third time reading it, every time I pick up something more interesting that I missed the last time, lol.

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9. 60

   days leaperposted 12 years ago

   yes...
   About 50 or more, it's like psychology for beginners!

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10. 61

    Dr. Haddoxposted 12 years ago

    It was a long time ago when I read this one self-help book called "The Richest Man In Babylon." As I said, this is an old book, first published in 1926. Millions of people have read it and have benefited from the wisdom found within the pages. I have read other self-help books but I have not found any, anymore useful or helpful for helping one to get their financial situation under control that this book.
    Let me say from the start, this is not a get rich quick approach to life. If you are looking to get rich quick then this is the wrong book to read and to live by.
    However, if you are willing to work hard and to patiently acquire wealth, then this is an approach that will work for you.
    Somebody said it, not me, "That the only way to get rich quickly, is to get rich slowly. It sounds like double talk, but it is probably true.
    Best regards,
    Dr. Haddox

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       Kathryn Stratfordposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       That sounds good. I hate "get rich quick schemes", I like more realistic ways to build wealth, with old-fashioned hard work and patience! I think too many people make money off of writing books on get-rich schemes that don't work.

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    Ann810posted 12 years ago

    I read a self-motivational book in the year 2000, the name of it was "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. It helped to with confidences, motivation, and goals. And I will read it again, that's how much I like this book.

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    savvydatingposted 12 years ago

    Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl. It gave me a reality check and helped me to stop whining over dumb stuff. I read it about 13 years ago. So many self help books are psychobabble, but not this one.

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       Born2care2001posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Maybe one of the most profound works ever written. Dr. Frankl's commentary on logo therapy is life changing. I still think of his description of the space between external stimulus and our reaction to it. We have a choice! Thanks for the reminder.

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    Deja Vudooposted 12 years ago

    THE GAME
    PENETRATING THE SECRET
    SOCIETY OF PICKUP ARTISTS
    
    http://www.conspirazzi.com/e-books/game-strauss.pdf
    
    Yes, it would seem a selfish book to lure women into a relationship for sex. But it truly is more. It changed me from being a goody two-shoes into a confident man that could attract women. The author of this book actually got his wife this way and I also used it to get my wife. You do have a tendency to attract the bad girls (ALOT of them) but even being with them teaches you what you don't want in a WIFE. Before you judge me READ the book. Guys, this will CHANGE your life!

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       jravity1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Said the guy that wrote the book, and is trying to sell more copies.

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       eddiecarraraposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       That was my first thought jravity.

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       zduckmanposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       No, gentlemen, he is not the author. A friend of mine used this book to great success in San Francisco, and found his girlfriend/finace.

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    jravity1posted 12 years ago

    No one can tell you how to help yourself...you just help yourself....for instance self help books for confidence should read just like this.... BE CONFIDENT...THE END. Sure people can tell you how they did it, but what should that matter to you. You are not them, your life is not like there's. There are different elements involved in it. If you need to read a self help book...then you haven't actually tried helping yourself.

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       Kathryn Stratfordposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       LOL, that is funny.
       Some people just like to read books like that to help them look at themselves in a different way, or because they find it inspiring. I never really need the books, I just like them. Certain ones are motivating to read.

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    Aleksas Grodisposted 12 years ago

    Surely! There are plenty of self-help books on basically any topic you need help with. Of course not all the information is useful and the general ideas are covered in stories of peoples experiences, but when you get the main point it is very useful.
    I've read books like how to gain confidence or become more social and gained much useful information. Which books are you thinking of reading?

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16. 92

    Kathryn Stratfordposted 12 years ago

    I enjoy self-help books, and often get little snippets of information that I find inspiring or motivating, but I have never found them to alter my life in a huge way. I do enjoy the self-discovery process, and like to do little things to improve my life over time.
    "Write It Down, Make It Happen" was the most inspiring book I have read, and it got me to put a lot of my goals and dreams in writing, and focus on them in a way I never had before.
    "Optimal Thinking" is also wonderful (I keep that on my bookshelf).
    At one point I ate up Phillip C. McGraw's book called "Self Matters". It was probably the most illuminating book about evaluating yourself and trying to get back to your authentic self.

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       Born2care2001posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you for the titles and authors. I'm going to check them out. Perhaps the change in us is so subtle it is almost imperceptible until we see it reflected in our relationships. Thanks again!

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    Dusana1234posted 12 years ago

    I love The Secret and The Power from Rhonda Byrne. Also if you can see The Secret video, it is amazing and it did change the way I think now. I became positive, my life changed and now I'm also writing about the power of positive thinking, the power of words, the way we think and how to get what you want.
    Dusana :-)

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    Ghost32posted 12 years ago

    eddiecarrera beat me to it, but I, too, got a LOT of help from Psycho-Cybernetics.  That single trade paperback taught me more about human psychology than all of my college courses put together.

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    Dulce y Sabrosaposted 12 years ago

    The problem with self-help books for me is that I read them, not *do* them. The moving force of every self-help book is to... well, to get you movin'. And as I am a major procrastinator, I just feel extremely content just reading it.

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    Rochelle Frankposted 12 years ago

    Wow! A lot of the books mentioned are very good and have influenced a lot of people. The trouble with "self-help" books is that they don't (in themselves) help you. The secret is in the description. "Self" help ,means You have to do something "yourself".

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       Born2care2001posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Well said!

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    Mike Marksposted 12 years ago

    I reckon the first self help book I read (not counting N.V.Peal's "The Power of Positive Thinking" that my head of the choir uncle turned me onto amist his ECayce stuff) would have been "The Lazy Man's Way to Riches" that was heavily advertised in newspapers around 1971, basically a fwellow named Joe Karbo rewrote the regular classics, attached his name to it, and invested in full page prominent advertising, made out pretty well I understand.  But all the concepts were there, and it gave me the understanding of how I think so I act so I accomplish and so on, and how I think may be scientifically reconstructed via self hypnosis and affirmations and the whole thing... it was quite exciting because it made so much sense and I practiced it and never totally let it go... but I'm not sure the logic panned out in real world terms... after exploring other similars from Est to Scienctology my interest dwindled until an acting coach made N. Hills books (Think and Grow Rich and dozens of rewrites on that one) a requirement, so I gave it another shot... I guess, all in all, I thought perhaps the flaw in the logic is that negatives can't simply be erased by overlapping positives on top of them... actually, scienctology might have had a point in stating negs are lodged in our emotions... I thought maybe I could rewrite my emotions by reliving instances in my life and concluding them with happier endings, via things like psychodrama and even BDSM scening... I guess in the end I just concluded to take an honest inventory of myself, my strengths and weakness just as they are, and see if I might spend more time applying my strengths to realworld projects and stop using up time trying to strengthen my weakness... and in the meantime, to cherish whatever I have or have had, not miss so much what has passed and is gone, and see if I can be consistent towards working toward acquiring things I do believe I would enjoy, and sometimes finding, after giving it an honest try, that one of my weaknesses is that I can not be consistent toward a certain work for a certain acquisition and accepting that and finding a better way to use my time... other that that, looking to find something to love in all things I must encounter... but, since these posts is about the self help books themselves, if I were to recommend one or two, out of all the ones I read, let's see, I'll recommend  "The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power" by Vernon Howard... and I don't know if this falls into the catagory but Shunryu Suzuki, David Chadwick's "Zen Mind Beginner's Mind", and maybe at least one Krishnumurti book, "You Are the World" perhaps, two books clear on thought/action/being without confusing money or even goals, as worthy as money and goals may be, with the issue of what is thought/action/being

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    momfirmsposted 12 years ago

    Honestly no... The closest I've every come to getting help from one of these books was 'Chicken Soup for the soul' but I was mostly nodding my head at parts of it saying 'wow my grandfather use to say that' or 'oh dear, this is so my mother's philosophy on life'.
    
    Most of these books are about common sense and treating the world and your-self with respect. I find that if you have a well rounded family while growing up you will hear all these advises collectively. Chances are you are applying it already to your daily life without even thinking about it.
    
    Nothing in this world is perfect, and if it was meant to be we would not physically grow and change. The people writing these self-help books do not have all the answers and they need help in their lives as well.
    
    If you are going to read self-help books at all, read them for fun.

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    zduckmanposted 11 years ago

    Yes, I have read a few that really seemed to help. The one that sticks out the most is " How We Choose to be Happy". It is a fantastic book that talks about the fact that happiness is a choice. They point out a number of examples in their book about how certain people in very adverse situations chose to be happy. It helped me quit living as a victim, and become accountable for my feelings.

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