50 Self-Help Books That Changed Lives (Part 1 of 8)

1.   Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss

Encoded within your body, teaches Dr. Myss, is an energy

system linking you directly to the world's great spiritual

traditions. Through it you have direct access to the divine

energy that seamlessly connects all life. 

In Anatomy of the Spirit, Dr. Myss offers a stunning picture of the human

body's hidden energetic structures, while revealing its

precise spiritual code and relationship to the sacred energy

of creation. Our most revered wisdom traditions, including

Judaism, Christianity, and Hinduism, hold in common

essential teachings about seven specific levels of spiritual

development, the stages of power in life.

These seven great truths also grace the human body

as an energetic system, a spiritual compass

pointing the way to the divine.

By honoring this inborn code,

you can learn to see the symbolic blocks

within your energy centers

and their correlations with your health, relationships,

and spiritual development.

Richly interwoven with research, examples,

and self-diagnostic guidelines,
Anatomy of the Spirit will take you to the heart 

of the spiritual life and beyond.

2.   As a Man Thinketh by James Allen

This little book, filled with much wisdom,

can be summed up in this one sentence:

"All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve

is the direct result of his own thoughts."

Overall, this book is about taking responsibility for your lot in life

- the good and the bad - as it can all be traced to the thoughts

you entertain day in and day out.

It also shows how our thoughts directly impact

our character - we are what we think - How true!!!

I would recommend this book to everyone

interested in changing some aspect of their life.

It is less than 70 pages and can be read 

in less than an hour,

but its effects could last a lifetime.

3.  Ask and It Is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks

I'll be honest -- I don't know what to think of the claim

that Esther Hicks is channelling non-physical entities. 

I initially resisted buying this book,

because I am cautious around such claims

of supernatural inspiration.

But I respect Wayne Dyer and other great thinkers

who praised this book, so I decided to give it a try.

I'm glad that I did.

This is one of the most powerful books

on manifesting your dreams that I've ever read.

Every paragraph contains deep truths

that just feel intuitively right.

This book is especially effective in showing
how our emotions are the key to understanding

whether we are on the road to success or failure

in manifesting our desires.

The exercises are both fun and deeply practical.

I particularly like the exercises involving the "Magical Creation Box"

and "The Prosperity Game."

They make you feel young again -- your imagination is activated

and everything suddenly feels possible.

I don't know whether the origin of this book is supernatural, nor do I care.
The message is true and the exercises work.

Try it for yourself. It will change your life.

4.  Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Published in 1957, Atlas Shrugged

was Ayn Rand's greatest achievement and last work of fiction. 

In this novel she dramatizes her unique philosophy

through an intellectual mystery story

that integrates ethics, metaphysics, epistemology,

politics, economics, and sex. 

Set in a near-future U.S.A. whose economy

is collapsing as a result of the mysterious disappearance

of leading innovators and industrialists,

this novel presents an astounding panorama of human life

- from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy,

to the great steel industrialist who does not know

that he is working for his own destruction,

to the philosopher who becomes a pirate,

to the woman who runs a transcontinental railroad,

to the lowest track worker in her train tunnels. 

Peopled by larger-than-life heroes and villains,

charged with towering questions of good and evil,
Atlas Shrugged is a philosophical revolution

told in the form of an action thriller.

5. Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins

I first saw Tony Robbins on the Joan Rivers show back in 1993.

I was very impressed by his charisma and energy,

but like many others, felt that Tony Robbins was just a salesman

trying to dupe the naive into buying his books

and then all of the other products, seminars, etc.

I ran into a friend who was radiant (unusual for her)

and unusually bubbly.

She told me some of the changes in her life

that were taking place had begun when she read the book:

Awaken the Giant Within.

What really impressed me were the changes

that started taking place in the days and weeks that followed.

She started to lose weight, was participating more in meetings at work,

and then got promoted. I was impressed. 

So I decided that this must work.

I went out and bought Awaken the Giant

and began to use the techniques

such as "the swish pattern" and "scrambling technique".

Awaken the Giant Within is a huge book, but I read it in one week.

My job performance improved immediately as did my tennis game.

I got immediate and dramatic results.

This is not just a "feel good book", the techniques really work.

6.  "Beyond Survival" by Gerald Coffee

Retired U.S. Navy captain Coffee was a prisoner of war

in North Vietnam from 1966 to 1973,

most of the time in Hanoi and in a cell by himself.

How he endured and what he learned from the experience

are the subjects of this inspiring book.

By calling on his inner resources, such as his faith in God,

his conviction that the United States was right to be in Vietnam,

his love for his wife and children, and his respect for his fellow prisoners,

he was able to overcome loneliness and the pain of occasional torture.

Each chapter is headed by a paragraph of invincible principles

that Coffee discovered for himself during his ordeal:

"The only real security we have is the certainty

that we're equipped to handle whatever happens to us. "

"Humor is integral to our peace of mind

and ability to go beyond survival."

7.  "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink is about the first two seconds of looking

-- the decisive glance that knows in an instant.

Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point,

campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading

with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling.

Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage,

speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars,

and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small

and focus on the meaning of "thin slices" of behavior.

The key is to rely on our "adaptive unconscious"

-- a 24/7 mental valet -- that provides us

with instant and sophisticated information

to warn of danger, read a stranger, or react to a new idea.

Part 2 of 8 

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