Thanks for dropping by.

I don’t think it is a good idea to equate a bestselling book with being valuable. For example, “Dianetics” sold 83 million copies. Obviously many people bought it. But with all due respect to Tom Cruise, I am not going to recommend anyone join the Church of Scientology.

If people get value out of a book that I personally don’t like, then more power to them.

But getting value from something doesn’t make it true. For example, a friend of mine turned his life around after joining some alien cult. He did get a lot of value from it (still does as of this writing), but I won’t recommend you join an alien cult. I don’t believe that an alien came to Earth to save mankind. And no matter what result it got for my friend, I have no problem saying that it’s not true.

Nice comment…who knew I had Dr. Phil fans reading this blog! The truth is I have read a Dr. Phil book. I read Self Matters. I didn't review it for this blog because I read it a long time ago before I started this blog and if I reviewed it now, I'd need to look at it again to make sure my review was fair. That book resides in another hemisphere at the moment, so….

Here's what I remember about the book and why I didn't like it:

1. He did provide quizes (you mention that in your comment) but he didn't provide a key on scoring the quizzes, which means the quizzes were useless.

2. He talked about himself too much.

3. His tone was condescending.

4. He 'spooked' in this book. In other words, it's a lot of fluff. He says in hundreds of pages what could have been said in about 2 sentences.

5. He tells you WHAT to do and not HOW to do it.

And #5 is the reason I didn't like Dr. Phil's book. Maybe his other books are better, and I'd be happy to review one if Dr. Phil sends me one. The Dr. Phil type gurus are great at telling you to take action and take responsibility. Heck, I can tell you to take action. Anyone can tell you to do that. But 'taking action' is not a message. His book was full of calls to action, but was never very clear on what I should be doing. Telling me to take action is not enough.

The truth is I tend to favor the Dr. Phil types more than the 'get your vibes in alignment' types. But just because I like a person's general message (take responsibility for your life and don't make excuses) doesn't mean I agree with everything he says. And I expect a lot more from the Dr. Phils of this world. If you're going to berate people for not doing something and then are vague about what they should be doing, you will not get a recommendation from me.

I'm glad you commented. I might have to use your comment and my response when I update this list the next time.

PS. I read your dating story post. Very nice.

Nice comment…who knew I had Dr. Phil fans reading this blog! The truth is I have read a Dr. Phil book. I read Self Matters. I didn't review it for this blog because I read it a long time ago before I started this blog and if I reviewed it now, I'd need to look at it again to make sure my review was fair. That book resides in another hemisphere at the moment, so….

Here's what I remember about the book and why I didn't like it:

1. He did provide quizes (you mention that in your comment) but he didn't provide a key on scoring the quizzes, which means the quizzes were useless.

2. He talked about himself too much.

3. His tone was condescending.

4. He 'spooked' in this book. In other words, it's a lot of fluff. He says in hundreds of pages what could have been said in about 2 sentences.

5. He tells you WHAT to do and not HOW to do it.

And #5 is the reason I didn't like Dr. Phil's book. Maybe his other books are better, and I'd be happy to review one if Dr. Phil sends me one. The Dr. Phil type gurus are great at telling you to take action and take responsibility. Heck, I can tell you to take action. Anyone can tell you to do that. But 'taking action' is not a message. His book was full of calls to action, but was never very clear on what I should be doing. Telling me to take action is not enough.

The truth is I tend to favor the Dr. Phil types more than the 'get your vibes in alignment' types. But just because I like a person's general message (take responsibility for your life and don't make excuses) doesn't mean I agree with everything he says. And I expect a lot more from the Dr. Phils of this world. If you're going to berate people for not doing something and then are vague about what they should be doing, you will not get a recommendation from me.

I'm glad you commented. I might have to use your comment and my response when I update this list the next time.

PS. I read your dating story post. Very nice.

I do get something out of his advice (I did discover him through Oprah… I can feel your disappointment through cyberspace as you read this) once you get past all the pompous bravado there is something good in there.

Yes, Dr Phil does encourage us to take responsibility for our lives. I don’t think he shames people into it, I feel as though he reminds people, that they are the captain of their own ship, he reminds them that instead of just being unhappy with their own circumstances that they can do something about it.

I don’t always agree with his tactics and have winced from time to time, but I do believe that other people do sometimes need to be shocked into taking action.

I am quoting from the jacket of the Dr Phil book Love Smart (yes I own a copy), “Dr. Phil tells people who are dissatisfied with their love lives to stop making excuses and start taking action. You deserve a committed relationship, and it is within your control to have the one you want”.

How many times have you heard, there are no good men left, I’m just meant to be single etc etc these ARE really just excuses, people get stuck… we all do, myself included. Sometimes instead of trying to do something in an attempt to make an improvement, we try to justify where we are – instead of accepting where we are in that moment, and figuring out how to get where we want to be.

He’s not really about blaming, he’s more about taking action, his books give people something tangible, a plan of action and helps them to figure out why they are where they are, and how to get where they want to be, “you need to determine what you want in a partner, plot your course, and get out there and create velocity in your pursuit of a loving relationship” (also from the back of the book).

His books are filled with quizzes, questions to ask your self and step by step instructions.
I believe anything that can help people make a positive tangible change in their life is a good thing, something that goes beyond sending good vibes into the universe, something that is about action, telling people; understand why you are unhappy, understand how to want to change it, here’s how you can get there, now get off your butt and take the first step.

Wow, I never intended to write an essay about Dr. Phil’s good points. I am going to put an end to this comment before it gets any longer, however I just wanted you and your readers to understand that beyond the audacity of his self righteousness there is indeed some good in his tactics.