# What's the best self-help book you have read?



## EllaDen (Mar 1, 2012)

What's the name?
I love the self-help, self-improvement, psychology-type books.

I'm a newbie and love the forum,I want to learn with all and have nice stay here.


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## McPatrickClan (Jun 5, 2012)

I just finished "I've Got Your Back" written by a tennis coach and it was very helpful in thinking about how I lead other people.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

The absolute best self help book I have read, cover to cover, more than once, is my Life Application Study Bible/New International version, published by Zondervan. The new international version is easily read and the life advice is timeless! Paraphrasing the late Gen George Patton, I try to maintain the habit of reading a bit, "every ***-****** day!"


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## Mox (May 30, 2012)

Hmmm....

_The Illuminatus Trilogy_ by Robert Anton Wilson was a bit of a mind-scramble at the time I read it, and one I needed.
_Change: Principles of Problem Formation and Problem Resolution_ by Watzlawick, Weakland & Fisch - I found this to be a great book for myself, and is one I wish every politician would read and understand.


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## TSWalker (Nov 2, 2011)

Mox said:


> Hmmm....
> 
> _The Illuminatus Trilogy_ by Robert Anton Wilson was a bit of a mind-scramble at the time I read it, and one I needed.


I'd say Prometheus Rising is more "self-help", but still, nice to have you here fnord.


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## Mox (May 30, 2012)

TSWalker said:


> I'd say Prometheus Rising is more "self-help", but still, nice to have you here fnord.


Yes, in the traditional sense, but TIT was my first RAW book and it really got me thinking in another direction. I'd already read _Awaken the Giant Within_, and despite the _cliché_, found it useful. Wilson was in a different vein altogether.

And thank you. It's been very nice to be here.
(Hail Eris!)


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## ajo (Oct 22, 2007)

How to Find Fulfilling Work by Roman Krznaric; just picked it up this week. I felt that I needed a few pointers as I am in a rut and have to get out of HR. Where next that is the question. This book I think (hope) can provide some stimulation and direction in getting out of my employment rut.


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## SarahTobin (Jul 10, 2012)

*Achieve Anything In Just One Year* by Jason Harvey - great book, it really motivates you to want to live an amazing life. Highly recommend this one.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

The Martyrdom of Man - Winwood Reade.

An erudite and remarkably improving tome.


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## imabsolutelyunique (Jul 17, 2012)

can't wait to check it out


Shaver said:


> The Martyrdom of Man - Winwood Reade.
> 
> An erudite and remarkably improving tome.


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## drlivingston (Jun 21, 2012)

Absolutely, unequivocally, without a doubt... The Spirituality of Imperfection by Kurtz and Ketcham


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

drlivingston said:


> Absolutely, unequivocally, without a doubt... The Spirituality of Imperfection by Kurtz and Ketcham


I have, upon your recommendation, added this book to my amazon wishlist. I am rather interested in the narrative approach to exposure of a sense of self, and so trust that I will be able to enjoy the content.

May I be so bold: what might we infer from your recommendation of Kurtz/Ketcham's text if perhaps considering it's usual application and this combined with your chosen avatar?


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

imabsolutelyunique said:


> can't wait to check it out


I cannot recommend the book highly enough. A tour de force by a truly exceptional and now tragically neglected Scotsman. Published in 1872 and later described as a "_substitute bible for secularists"_ it is a remarkably prescient summation of the forces that compel a man and thus Mankind and that ultimately shape our civilizations and in consequence our beliefs. 

Lest more convincing is required, that redoubable genius from literature Sherlock Holmes quotes Reade in one of Doyle's original novels.


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## barkingloud78 (Jun 30, 2012)

the Bible, specifically Psalms and Proverbs. No life situation is not addressed there.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

barkingloud78 said:


> the Bible, specifically Psalms and Proverbs. No life situation is not addressed there.


I am rather keen on the Book of the Revelation of St. John the Divine as well as Genesis (a masterful piece of prose, truly resonant words) plus there is some wonderful material in St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians. Jesus' words conversely, as attributed, have always struck me as rather trite.

Whilst I have identified above merely certain passages from this enduring Book I consider that it is a fascinating tome generally.


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## herfitup (Mar 4, 2012)

Fraser Tartan said:


> _Think and Grow Rich_ by Napoleon Hill


This and "Golf isn't a Game of Perfect" by Dr. Bob Rotella. It doesn't just apply to golf even though it is written about golf.


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## DarkDestiny (Nov 30, 2011)

"Get the Life You Want: The Secrets to Quick and Lasting Life Change with Neuro-Linguistic Programming by Richard Bandler"

I feel like the odd ball here that reads about some weird psychological thing to help actually change a part of me ...


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## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

I'm surprised I haven't contributed to this discussion. My favorite self-help book, and it has been for years, is _Clutter's Last Stand _by Don Aslett.

Reading it always makes me want to throw things out. I'm not exactly a minimalist, but I keep the hoarding instincts down after a few chapters.

Unfortunately, I loaned it to someone who I felt needed it more than me and it was never returned. A year after we stopped speaking, she mailed back_ Emily Post's Essential Manners for Couples_, because apparently her own rules about dealing with her new husband (her fifth) were far more suitable to her needs.


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## Snow Hill Pond (Aug 10, 2011)

My favorite self-help book is a copy of Cormac McCarthy's border trilogy that I've read and re-read. The trilogy is a compilation of his three novels, *All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, *and* The Cities of the Plain*. In my opinion, the novels completely illustrate how men should act and how they should react to everyday life and stressful situations. The protagonists, John Grady Cole and Billy Parham, go through life treating others fairly and doing what they have to do with clear purpose.

On top of that are McCarthy's musings on fate and destiny which pop up throughout the author's oeuvre. Paraphrasing, "All the events of your life have led you, inextricably, to this point." Powerful stuff if you think about it.

The trilogy really changed my view on how life should be lived.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

Once when I was suffering through a period of depression a friend sent me a copy of this:

https://www.amazon.com/When-Things-...e=UTF8&qid=1362496599&sr=8-2&keywords=chodron

I was very skeptical, to say the least, as I have zero tolerance for anything that smacks of "new age," and I'm also skeptical about Westernized forms of Asian traditions such as Buddhism. At any rate, the book helped me a great deal.


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## Stirling Newberry (Mar 4, 2013)

Franklin, Autobiography


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## Hitch (Apr 25, 2012)

_See You At The Top_ ; Zig Ziggler


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## Trip English (Dec 22, 2008)

Atlas Shrugged


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## Hitch (Apr 25, 2012)

I thought that was banned in CT


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## Zakk (Aug 4, 2011)

Trip English said:


> Atlas Shrugged
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


In what way did you consider Atlas Shrugged to be a "self-help" book?

Personally, I find "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie the indispensable book. I've also recently read "How Not to Write Bad" by Ben Yagoda which was a useful read to brush up on your writing skills.


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## blairrob (Oct 30, 2010)

Zakk said:


> I've also recently read "How Not to Write Bad" by Ben Yagoda which _*was a useful read to brush up on your writing skills*_.


I'm afraid it was not as useful as you think...

I'm sorry, but it was just too hard to resist! :icon_cheers::biggrin2::icon_cheers:


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## Zakk (Aug 4, 2011)

Two great financial-help books I've recently read that I enjoyed:

:. The Total Money Makeover - Dave Ramsey
:. Go Roth!: Your Guide to the Roth IRA and Other Roth Accounts - Kaye Thomas


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## drlivingston (Jun 21, 2012)

blairrob said:


> I'm afraid it was not as useful as you think...
> 
> I'm sorry, but it was just too hard to resist! :icon_cheers::biggrin2::icon_cheers:


:biggrin2:


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