Self Matters: Creating Your Life from the Inside Out

The well-known""life strategist"" and TV personality Dr. Phil begins this upbeat self-help book by recalling one of the most unpleasant phone calls he ever had to make. In 1989, ten years into a flourishing career, McGraw called his father to say that, despite the outward trappings of success, he was miserable. His new plan was to move away and start a new career and a new life. According to McGraw, many people are currently in a similar situation--trapped in unsatisfying lives or jobs that they loathe. Too many people, says McGraw, are""so busy being busy, that they have let the colors fade from their lives."" They're worried about superficial matters rather than what's important:""I'll bet 90-plus percent of them spent months, or even years, planning their wedding and almost no time planning their marriage!"" To change their lives, McGraw's readers must first complete two questionnaires he designed to assess their""authentic self"" and their""congruency"" (how someone's current life compares with a vision of an ideal life). With the scores from these tests, readers can then embark upon a specific plan for changing their lives--and for determining which external and internal forces they will, or won't, allow to control their futures. Readers familiar with McGraw's aggressive TV personality may be surprised by this book's thoughtful and serious tone. McGraw's notion of making change is not a simple one--it requires readers to examine every aspect of their daily lives--and it's likely that some readers may not be able to make all the changes he advocates. But his book offers a thorough, realistic resource for those who are committed to turning their lives around to get what they really want and need.