Self Matters: Creating Your Life from the Inside Out

asked by smiling on November 9, 2006 5:09 PM

What if there is a You that has never seen the light of day, has never got to say, "Hey, what about me?"

What if there is a You that you have never even met and certainly never permitted to just be, without fear of judgment or condemnation?

What if you live your life on the sidelines in constant fear of failing to please those who forever seem to stand in judgment of you and your life?

What if you discovered that you had settled for what life has served up instead of what you really wanted and needed?

What if you really think and feel things you have never allowed to come out, and certainly never acted on?

What if your marriage is not at all what you really emotionally want and need, but you silently stay the course anyway, selling out your hope to be happy?

What if you are allowing days to turn into weeks and weeks to turn into months and months to turn into years, all adding up to a lifetime of being what some nameless, faceless world has assigned you to be?

If any of these "What ifs" are true in your life, then we need to talk, and through these pages, we will. First, I have some bad news, and I have some good news. The bad news is you are making the choices that have put you in this life circumstance; the good news is you are making the choices that have put you in this life circumstance. Now is the time to make the biggest choice of your life. Through Self Matters, I will help you do just that.

-- Phil McGraw

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Reviews

Both the Self Matters audio CD and the print paperback companion workbook are wonderfully warm and relatable: delivered straight up in that patented no-nonsense McGraw style. But most of the the book and/or CD "Self Matters" is just used as a jumping off point for the self-directed "homework" assigned to the reader in the companion workbook. He's not gonna give you many answers - he's just gonna point which direction you get to start looking in.

reviewed by rafit on November 27, 2006 8:31 PM

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Dr. Phil tells his personal story of his choice to trust what his heart knew. It is about being true to one's self in textbook fashion. Good for a self-esteem booster.
Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope, Concepts to Ponder and South State Street Journal, Secrets of The Heart.

reviewed by librarian on November 28, 2006 1:38 AM

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Well, I just had to try another Dr. Phil book, since it has been a number of years since I read Life Strategies. To be honest, even though he can be a polarizing figure, I have nothing against him. I think his TV is a source of help and inspiration for thousands of people.

This book however, was a real struggle to complete. It was not coherently structured, and the author kept saying things like "This book will show you...." all the way through the book. It felt like I never left the "Introduction" and he was continually trying to convince me (or himself) that this book really would eventually get to the point and that the point would be profound. Instead it really couldn't ever get moving and instead often relied on crass language as a weak attempt to get the reader's attention.

Fret not! There are other books out there that tackle the same general issue, but are far better reads. I recommend:

1. Failing Forward, by John C. Maxwell
2. Today Matters, by John C. Maxwell

Again, I have no issue with the author, and applaud his efforts. However, in writing a review to my fellow Amazon customers, I must strongly recommend that you spend your time on more impactful literature within this genre. Best of success to you in reaching your goals!

reviewed by perfect10 on November 28, 2006 4:05 AM

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Haven't finished the book yet because unlike almost every other self-help book I've ever seen, this one requires a lot of hard work -- and that's the only way to get results.

I just wanted to note that the scoring for the exercises on Appendix A and B were accidentally left out of the first edition. They are:

AS: 8 points, A: 4 pts, DS: 2 pts, D: 1 pt

reviewed by wellness on November 29, 2006 7:19 AM

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This book was an interesting read; I enjoyed hearing all of Dr. Phil's amusing personal stories. I guess this book could be helpful if one actually had the motivation to get through all of the exercises. However, discomforting is the fact that most of the concepts in this book, actually every concept in this book, is largely stolen from other prominent psychologists such as Maslow and Erikson. There is no credit cited for any source used in this book.

reviewed by guitarplayer on November 29, 2006 3:36 PM

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add a new book!