Rating: 
Summary: An OK, but overly mechanized guide to living
Review: Self help books are to living what fast food is to dining. At best they offer up some basic nourishment, and at worst they simply clutter our lives with harmful junk. The problem is basically this: self-help books try to take something as enormously complex as life and simplify it and package it in an easily marketable format. Thus, for example, Dr. Phil's "Ten Life Laws" (and, no, they're not the ones Moses received on Mount Sinai, though those probably would, for most people, be a much better guideline). To me, the whole thing smacks of gimmickry, as if we are to believe that somehow Dr. Phil has magically discovered the human equivalent of the laws of physics and, even more amazing, there's exactly ten of them! Now, to be fair, much of what's in here is simply common sense, although it could have been expressed better, and certainly more concisely. His writing style often grates; he rarely fails to use several paragraphs to say something that could have fit into a sentence or two. In fact, the bulk of this book could have been summed up in a single sentence, namely - If you want to succeed in life, you need to learn to deal with reality. Not bad as insights go, but hardly a concept that requires 250 or so pages to explain. The best parts of this book are the personal examples. For starters, they are by far the most interesting because, among other things, they're where Dr. Phil's writing style is elevated from leaden to lively. He's clearly become a huge hit on Oprah, winning the devotion of the millions of women (and half dozen or so men) who watch her show by being quite effective in helping people deal with their problems in a one-on-one setting. I can see where many people with *specific* personal problems (substance abuse, marital strife, etc.) could peruse this volume and find something useful to help them deal with it. What I'm having a much harder time buying is the idea that this book can be used to, as the title suggests, create a "life strategy" that will result in a far more fulfilling and purposeful life. The reason is his approach is simply much too mechanized. He is pretty much saying that, by simply following a set of instructions, making out lists, and paying homage to ten (completely arbitrary, not to mention somewhat banal) Life Laws, we can add depth and meaning to our existence. One of the true joys in life (and, IMHO, key to becoming a genuinely successful person) is learning to think for yourself, and that's something you simply cannot do when following a cookbook approach to living, i.e., do Step One, Step Two, Step Three, etc. Life is not that simple, and so much the better for it.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the Beef, Dr. Phil?
Review: Dr. Phil may be good on TV but not in this book. He rambles on and on with seemingly endless nebulous statements and imposes writing assignments on the reader to apparently add some sort of substance to this surprisingly lame book. Except for the many references to Oprah and her legal troubles in Texas, there are very few anecdotes. It is like Dr. Phil got on a tape recorder one morning and started talking off the top of his head. Read the back cover and you will get all the main points this book has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: In this case, the workbook is better than the book.
Review: I agree with the reviewer who said Dr. Phil excels in one-on-one strategizing. The workbook for Life Strategies is much more worthwhile and understandable because it forces you to relate what he's saying to your specific life experience. I look forward to the TV show.
Rating:
Summary: Good general motivation- but NOT the end-all
Review: Dr. McGraw is much more effective on Ophrah. This is because you can see him apply his advice in detail-one one one-where he excels. This audio-tape is good, but not great. His speaking quality is excellent and some of his stories are hilarious, but I have a problem with the depth of advice offered here. For example, the basic premise is that you must recognize your problems and situations are your own fault and only you can change them (you're "life lazy"). Ok, I did accept that and I want to change. Now what? I'm sorry, but I need more specific advice on how to fix my problems. For example, what if I'm a social phobic, or an alcoholic? Nothing in this tape will help you overcome those problems and there are no references here that will help point you in the right direction. Yet there ARE specific methodolgies available. Granted, he does give specific advice on goal setting. Perhaps his workbook might be useful to get more out of this audio tape, but once you accept the basic premise of this audio tape, you're left hanging. If "life rewards action", I need to know what actions to take.
Rating: 
Summary: I like this book
Review: Dr. Phil tells it how it is. I think some people are looking for a magic pill that they can take to get results without effort.As the title of the book indicates, it's all about strategies to make your life work. Dr. Phil, I am reading Self Matters and love that as well and am looking forward to your tv show in Sept.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: This book along with In-Law Drama the novel really helped my self-esteem!
Rating: 
Summary: If it don't hurt, it ain't workin'
Review: It has puzzled me for some time why people could possibly regard this book, as banal and unimaginative as it is, could achieve best-seller status. But then, I wondered the same thing about some other books - like Covey's "7 Habits" and Johnson and Blanchard's "Who Moved My Cheese?". And then it clicked - some people LIKE to beat up on themselves. Somewhere along the line (from a certain kind of parent, perhaps, or a certain kind of teacher?) they learned that IIDHIAW - "If it don't hurt, it ain't working". Or as Jane Fonda put it: "No pain, no gain".
And some people have captured that message and turned it into a book. Well, this is one of those IIDHIAW books. And readers who believe that pain is the only effective teacher will love this hidebound set of instructions on how to live their life. Readers who enjoy average to high self esteem, on the other hand, will most likely hate it!
Rating:
Summary: Life Strategies
Review: Practice what you preach! from a Shawnee Mission North Graduate 1968
Rating:
Summary: Let's be honest....
Review: us 'self-improvement' junkies are suckers for books like this no matter how many times we keep hearing the same old advice. We're searching for that magic formula that just doesn't exist and this book - like most others of it's kind - is the same recycled, repackaged jargon. Deep down we all know what we need to be successful - a solid idea of what we truly want and the discipline to work towards making it reality. If you already know this there's no point in buying this book.
Rating:
Summary: Another Life Saved - Mine.
Review: This man and his knowledge did literally save my life.
This book is a MUST read if you have ever doubted yourself.
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