Rating: 
Summary: AWAY WITH THE FOGGY THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF
Review: This book is a thrilling message to all who enjoy rising their consciousness and awareness above the cloudy and foggy thinking about themselves. In case you support the psychological rule of the importance of the self-image this book will be an indispensable appendix to all you have read from Maxwell Maltz and others. The language is fantastically clear and the reasoning plain. You will enjoy it...
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the effort
Review: This is a good book for anyone who enjoys a systematic approach and enjoys doing exercises, because the book provides both. It's called "The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem", but one thing that is important to grasp is that self-esteem is not built directly; rather it is an indirect result of what you do. Branden breaks this down into the six practices of Living Consciously, Self-Acceptance, Self-Responsibility, Self-Assertiveness, Living Purposefully and Personal Integrity. If you are aware (conscious) of the real conditions of your life, accepting of yourself, take responsibility for yourself, assert yourself, have a sense of purpose and are rigorously honest, then self-esteem is the natural result.The heart of this book is the sentence-completion exercises which Branden has developed during his decades as a practicing psychologist. The exercises are designed to bring about change gently. Because the effect is gradual and cumulative, you will begin to notice subtle positive changes in your thinking and behavior without having to summon superhuman resources of willpower. The exercises take about fifteen minutes a day to do and there are about a year's worth in the book. The most profound beneficial effect this book has had on me so far is to make me more aware of my own values and desires and to keep me honest with myself; this awareness of who I really want to be has served as a reminder when it comes time to make choices, and has helped me to make the right choices for myself.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the effort
Review: This is a good book for anyone who enjoys a systematic approach and enjoys doing exercises, because the book provides both. It's called "The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem", but one thing that is important to grasp is that self-esteem is not built directly; rather it is an indirect result of what you do. Branden breaks this down into the six practices of Living Consciously, Self-Acceptance, Self-Responsibility, Self-Assertiveness, Living Purposefully and Personal Integrity. If you are aware (conscious) of the real conditions of your life, accepting of yourself, take responsibility for yourself, assert yourself, have a sense of purpose and are rigorously honest, then self-esteem is the natural result. The heart of this book is the sentence-completion exercises which Branden has developed during his decades as a practicing psychologist. The exercises are designed to bring about change gently. Because the effect is gradual and cumulative, you will begin to notice subtle positive changes in your thinking and behavior without having to summon superhuman resources of willpower. The exercises take about fifteen minutes a day to do and there are about a year's worth in the book. The most profound beneficial effect this book has had on me so far is to make me more aware of my own values and desires and to keep me honest with myself; this awareness of who I really want to be has served as a reminder when it comes time to make choices, and has helped me to make the right choices for myself.
Rating:
Summary: Five Stars is a No-Brainer
Review: This is probably Brandon's most famous book. It is his clearest and most complete analysis of the meaning of Self-Esteem, and its central importance in each person's life. If you come to this book, as I did about five years ago, with sufficiently low self-esteem, and knowing nothing about its importance, this book will be the equivalent of being hit head-on in a traffic accident: the end result being that you will either change your life with effort and considerable inner pain and finally begin to live -- or you will realize that you are dead and want to remain dead! In summary: Read this book at your own peril! ...And if you faithfully do the exercises at the end two or three times over, then gradually over the course of a year, you will begin to feel self-esteem sprout into your life. It will soon grow into a beautiful green plant. This will also become a book you will want to come back to now and again throughout your life, to drink from its healing clear waters.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing book
Review: This is probably the best self help book i've ever read. It's easier to integrate into general life than other books i have read. it deals with a range of topics and problems that that other books would only deal with individually. and it's not as tedius and boring as some books can be. I would suggest this book to anybody.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely worth reading several times
Review: This is the first comment I've ever placed. If there was ever a book I would support it would be this one. The book, in its value towards my life, has well exceeded its purchase price. I highly endorse it. He packs so much into it that I suggest it be read several times, attacked with highlighters, and underscored with pens, pencils, and crayons. There is a saying, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear". Well...for many people (who want to improve their sense of self esteem) Nathaniel Brandon is that teacher. As Siskel and Ebert used to say "Two Thumbs Way UP!!!". Aloha
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is THE self discovery book. If you want to learn more about yourself and overcome your fears and be more self-confident this is the book you should reach for. Forget all the other books on the market that are written by motivational speakers. Reading this book will help you become more aware of yourself.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of self-help books
Review: When I was a teenager, I had a very low self-esteem. This I knew, but I wasn't exactly sure why. Then one day at the bookstore, "The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem" caught my eye, and I have read it many times since then. This book has literally changed my life. I like it because Dr. Branden seems to understand what it is like to have low self-esteem, and that comes though in his writing. Furthermore, he defines self-esteem in simple terms by breaking it down into pillars. He also explains how to build one's self-esteem with sentence completion exercises. Overall, I have found that there are three levels to this book: reading it, understanding it, and living it. This book is a lot of work because there is a tremendous amount of material to digest. And raising your self-esteem takes time and is painful, but the rewards are priceless. I just wish they taught this in high school. I easily give this book five stars!
| 
