Your Erroneous Zones

Rating:
Summary: Some Good Things, Some Questionable Things...
Review: In this book, Wayne Dyer talks about the need for present-moment awareness and the importance of living life on your own terms. So far, so good. But after a few chapters you are advised to be done with some common courtesies, (i.e. ignoring a wedding invitation, ignoring a party you are invited to but don't want to participate in, etc.) and to basically not give a damn what anyone thinks about you.

Now, that is true to a point. We all have our lives to lead. But engaging another person in any relationship be it personal or business is vital and can't be treated in a flippant way. This is where Dyer drops the ball in my opinion. Yes, you can't let what others think about you destroy you, but there is a certain level of respect you should have for the opinions of those around you. Why? The Golden Rule; Because that's what you would like to have someone else do for you.

Dyer then goes on to slam dependency in all forms-especially in marriage. While I agree that marriage is ideally the coming together of two whole persons, there are going to be times you are dependent on your spouse. I mean, what kind of marriage is completely devoid of dependence? Surely we want to do all we can to help our spouses/others be happy and if that means I give up a bit of my autonomy, that's ok. Gibraltar won't crumble. The sun will still rise tommorrow.

The thing Dyer leaves out is kindness. Basic kindness. We all have a heart that knows when we are being less than we should be and we shouldn't "halo" that in the name of freedom from 'erroneous zones'.

Conversely, to completely immobilize yourself over the ups and downs of life and become a cloying, approval seeking doormat is completely unhealthy, too. What's needed here is some balance-some moderation and I didn't find it in the pages of this book. But there are some good exercises and thoughts in it. Just use your common sense when you read it.

Rating:
Summary: How long are you going to be dead?
Review: In YOUR ERRONEOUS ZONES, Wayne Dyer encourages his readers to ask themselves this question: "How long am I going to be dead?" Dyer suggests that taking such an "eternal perspective" will aid one in gaining a more "take charge" stance in life. Life is a risk, and we are all going to die anyway, so why not do what we want with our lives? This has been one of the most helpful self-help books I have ever found. In fact, I think it may be THE best self-help book I've ever read. This is one of the "classics," and many others have taken its lead. I believe this is Wayne Dyer's best work.

The other not-so-pretty reality of life that Dyer suggests we face is that things are not fair, and they never will be. In chapter 8, "The Justice Trap," the author writes bluntly about the fact that injustice is committed every day and that if one has enough money one can get away with it. Poor people will rot in jail, while rich people get a slap on the wrist for the same crime. It is not an "erroneous zone" (self-defeating behavior) to notice the injustices of this world; the erroneous zone is the belief that becoming incapacitated with anger, guilt, worry, or indignation, by the injustices will change anything. Many heroic people try to change the injustices, and they are to be commended. But they often fail because they are against impossible odds. Year after year, century after century, the privileged few get away with what the rest of us do not. Is it fair? No! Should we convince ourselves that it is okay? No! Should we fool ourselves into believing incapacitating ourselves with worry and anger is going to change anything? No, again. If you can do something to end an injustice, then do it. If you can't, don't feel guilty.

I also enjoyed Dyer's candor on the hypocrisy of educational institutions, and found it surprising considering that he himself is a professor. He notes that one of the greatest "erroneous zones" is the need for approval, and then he points out that schools are one of the main culprits in instilling the need for approval in people. From the moment you walk into a school, he says, you are told where to sit, how to talk, what to write, how to think, control, control, control, and then you are graded according to your willingness to hand your mind over to the authority figures. Students with high self-esteem, who are full of self-love, and who are not susceptible to guilt and worry, are systematically labeled "trouble makers" by the school faculty. The inference is clear: ridding oneself of guilt and erroneous zones often means going against the very fabric of this society.

This is a radical book! And it's been a good friend for years. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Dyer a few years back at a book signing, and he seems to live what he preaches.

Rating:
Summary: Depression cured
Review: Really, I have not read this book clearly, but I have gained lots of experience out of this book.

This book teached me to live the moment as I want. Also as I want to live it and not as others want me to live it and not to think what people will comment about my attitude, love, do what ever I want, then after reading this book I learned :- live the moment do not think of the past and dream about the future.

Also our visit to earth is very limited time so we have to enjoy life the way we want to enjoy.

Messrs, I am divorced and I am only 25 years old and living in an eastern society where lots of things are prohibited and you are not allowed to do but this book really has changed my view towards my situation and my way of living. Really I have been depressed for a long time, but after reading this book lots of things has changed.

Rating:
Summary: Mental Health 101...
Review: right here in the pages of this book. Dyer talks about the need for present-moment awareness and the importance of living life on your own terms.

Basically the book can be boiled down to a few simple ideas:
1. Be your own best friend and cheerleader.
2. Don't let someone else's bad day become yours.
3. Don't be afraid to try new things.
4. Don't blame your heredity, race, sex, locale, or family for who and what you are today.
5. Don't be in awe of others, especially those in authority.
6. Remove guilt from your life as quickly as possible.
7. Enjoy sex as the gift from God that it is.
7. Don't be afraid to be yourself.

I remember when I first read "Your Erroneous Zones", I felt as if I had always known deep down inside the very things I was reading. It helped me break out of some ruts, particularly with regard to some past incidents and view them in a whole new light.

One drawback in the book and it is a small one, is in the area of relationships, particularly marital ones. There are going to be times that one partner will want to give up something for the other. There will be times that one partner may be dependent on the other and there is nothing wrong with that. Especially if both parties are in agreement and consent. There is a certain amount of freedom that you give up in order to be in any substantial relationship. I think Dyer over-stresses the idea of complete personal autonomy in a couple of places, but thinking readers can pick out and adjust the ideas to fit their own lives.

The important thing to remember here is that each of us is unique with our own set of talents and desires. Although we live in a world that sometimes does its best to break us down and take away our individuality, WE are the only thinkers in our own minds and we have the right and obligation to be ourselves so long as we do not infringe on the rights of others.

I know as the years have gone by that Dyer has gotten into more esoteric and spiritual modes of writing and lecturing and gained a whole new following through those pursuits, but as far as I'm concerned this is the best book he ever wrote. This book will work for you regardless of your religious/spiritual beliefs. It was the first and best of its kind. The ideas are as timeless and fresh as they were twenty-five years ago: Enjoy being yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Dr. Dyer knows who I am!
Review: Somewhere in the first Chapter of this book, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer began speaking directly to me. What I mean, is he basically summed me up as a person throughout this entire book. It's unbelievable how we can all adopt the same neurotic thoughts and views on certain things. Dyer knows ALL of the things that go on inside our heads and he did a damn fine job in telling us how to change these self-deflating thoughts and actions. This book is a must for anyone lacking self-confience, or is depressed, angry, or just not living life to the fullest. I am a better person for reading this book. In all honesty, reading this book was probably the best thing I have ever done for myself.

Rating:
Summary: it will make you free
Review: the best it teach you a new way of thinking that it will make you free from yourself and others you must read this book it is the best do not matter How much you think you know about yourself I promes you it will be helpfull

Rating:
Summary: Give it a try!
Review: This book changed my life. After I read it, I moved to another city, got another job, and started thinking in a more open, optimistic way. It was a great help!

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Summary: The book opens the minds eye to different percetions.
Review: This book has something in it for almost everybody. It awakens your mind and will so that you have a mutitude of thoughts about your being and the people that you love. There is a staying power that the good Doctor has put into this book because it was written about twenty years ago and is very relevant today. There should probably have been some biblical quotes as a verification of some of the ideals, but on the whole it is an excellent book and it should be used for self improvement or resolving issues that seem burdensome

Rating:
Summary: A book to live by...
Review: This book is a book to live by...I purchased this book in 1976 and have read it over and over...the binding is coming apart and I would be lost without it. I have underlined passages, earmarked pages and have written notes in the margins ...it has sustained me when I felt I had trouble coping with life's hardships and problems...it is a book everyone should have in their home...my children have read it and anyone I have recommended it to has said almost the identical same thing...buy it...it is worth every word written...definitely a book to live by...

Rating:
Summary: A good start to healing, but...
Review: This book is a good place to start to figure out what areas you need help in, like anger or jealousy, etc. I think that writers Dr. Phil McGraw and Gary Zukov, and men of that ilk, read this book when it first appeared in 1977 and based a lot of their ideas on it. I really enjoyed this book, but it is only the first step to self-healing. Read it, then move onto other books that concentrate on your needs. For me that was "Seat of the Soul" by Garzy Zukov. But for you it might be another book. Deepak Chopra is a good place to go from here. He and Dr. Dyer collaborated on a few projects, and I enjoy their talks on PBS that are run during fund drives. Good luck in your journey!