1 comments about When Good Isn't Good.

1. A practical guide to examing and changing our self limiting beliefs and implementing a life to be "all that we can be". Inspirational and constructive. His stories illustrate the resilence of the human spirit, as well as the unlimited possibilities which exist in each of us.

5 comments about Science of Survival.

1. Until the "Power Vs Force" series from Dr. David R Hawkins this was my favorite book of all time. Prior to this book I envisioned science and religion as diametrically opposed with "irreconcilable differences". This book actually moved me off the atheist viewpoint by logically illustrating that spirituality can exist and the most obvious and demonstrable place to "prove" this to oneself is by observing one's fellow man.
   
   I'm a very visual person and to have a scale to plot out various areas of human behavior in order to predict behavior in other areas is extremely appealing, whether or not it's true - the idea simply rocks! This book is spot on and 100% accurate. I have seen it demonstrated as true time and time again even when I was blinding myself because of emotional attachment to people and situations - the information contained in this book, if followed, will definately prevent much heartache and upset!!
   
   This author, whether devil or saint; maligned or benefactor, has the observational geniuse of Galileo, et al. To be able to observe life and the very things that all of us are exposed to for our entire sentient lives and then be able to make sense of things with utter clarity leaves me in awe. How many times have people observed an apple falling and it took Newton to actually make sense of things or Galileo timing pendulum swings with his pulse when all I would see is a swinging chandelier - that is the type of clarity of vision that this book brings to interpersonal relationships.
   
   After this book I started to rethink my studies in theology, philosophy, psychology, etc. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts!! Very uplifting and revealing - you'll definately leave this work less confused and with clarity instead of with a furrowed brow.



2. This book is your guide thru life. This book for me taught me more about people and how to recognize my friends from my enemies. And that is INVALUEABLE. I can't place enough praise upon this book.
   
   Buy it, read it, USE it! It will be a life saver, a time saver and enlighten you in ways you can't imagine. Without this data I would not be the success I am today.



3. Ever wonder why people do the things they do? Or say the thing they say? Did you ever go into partnership with someone only to find out that they were unable to fill their end of the bargain? Would you like to learn how to predict someone's likelihood for success? How about honesty, responsibly, productivity, or even state of health? This book contains the information and technique necessary to answer this question accurately, without guessing.
   It also has all the information and techniques necessary to increase anyone's potential and quality of life.
   It is important to note that this is book #2 after "Dianetics" - The Modern Science of Mental Health. Although after reading both books I think one can jump right into this one. It is also important to note that this reads like a manual. If you are looking for something entertaining, there are better choices out there, but if what you are looking for are answers to life's basic questions and workable technology on improving one's existence than this is a must!



4. I just finished reading Science of Survival, cover to cover and really got my wits around it's content. I had some familiarity with it over the last thirty years (being a student of both Dianetics and Scientology) but I never really grasped it the way I did this time.
   I've noticed that some people have an almost magical quality to make things happen, while others, no matter how well founded the intent or how great the intellect, seem to struggle. This book not only addresses this issue but also provides insight into what is behind this and what can be done to improve one's journey through life, especially in dealing with both the good and the bad intentioned individuals that we all can come across.
   Give it a shot. I hope you get as much out of it as I did.
   By the way, after reading it I suggest you listen to the Science of Survival lectures that were delivered by Mr. Hubbard. They further strengthen the understanding of the material.



5. This may be one of the worst and most offensive books I have ever read in my life. The truly upsetting thing about this book, is that it is passed off as self help literature. It is poorly written and has very little flow throughout its chapters because the author rambles on and writes in circles. Hubbard fills his writings with his own made up words that require google to figure out if you are unfamiliar with these types of texts he produced. It is also filled with quotes such as, "In any event, any person from 2.0 down on the Tone Scale should not have, in any thinking society, any civil rights of any kind, because by abusing those rights he brings into being arduous and strenuous laws which are oppressive to those who need no such restraints."
   
   Keep in mind that in this "Tone Scale" having "No Sympathy" scores you a 1.2, while having "Sympathy" is lower (and worse) at 0.9. Homosexuals are placed at 1.1 while .375 is labeled as "Making Amends" even further down a "Victim" is 0.1. The author goes on to say, "There are only two answers for the handling of people from 2.0 down on the Tone Scale, neither one of which has anything to do with reasoning with them or listening to their justification of their acts. The first is to raise them on the Tone Scale by un-enturbulating some of their theta by any one of the three valid processes. The other is to dispose of them quietly and without sorrow." I would not recommend this book to anyone except as an example of hate.

3 comments about The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles AND The Master Key System by Charles Haanel (Master Key System).

1. Anyone who has heard about The Secret is bound to ask, "how does this law of attraction really work?" While I truly enjoyed Rhonda's ability to re-market this ancient science for the post millenium audience, I can see why a lot of people are skeptical. If you really want to know the ontology or scientific methadology behind this law, you must get these two books. Rumor has it that the line in the movie " my daughter gave me these books...I had no idea they would change my life" (something to that effect)----the books she is refering to in the movie are these two books.
   Whether you are a fan of the secret or a doubter---these two authors are worth reading.



2. Surprisingly, this book has many spelling errors and grammatical errors within its pages. I am shocked that an editor/publisher did not catch these.
   Other than that there are some areas of use.



3. This book(s) reveals the secrets that have been used through every self help book ever written.

2 comments about Chicken Soup to Inspire a Woman's Soul: Stories Celebrating the Wisdom, Fun and Freedom of Midlife (Chicken Soup for the Soul).

1. This book, Chicken Soul to Inspire a Woman's Soul is geared towards women at midlife...but it truly is a great read, it consists of inspiring true stories for women of all ages. All the authors in this book are shining examples to all that read it. Afterwards, you'll want to reach for the stars -- I felt revitalized -- I have a new lease on life...goals...my dreams will be fulfilled.



2. A very inspirational book. Jack and Mark Victor Hansen are my fav writers and I never miss out grabbing a copy as and when I can. This one is full of inspirations and values that can tranform life. Attitudes always do matter and here's a book to recommend every women - this means, parents of younger kids too coz the chapters cover up very useful message in overcoming obstacles, friendship, parenting and across generations. Life is ever a twist and a turn but books like these always stand by in our thick and thin. A good pick. Enjoy!
   
   - ilaxi

5 comments about Million Dollar Habits.

1. I love all of Ringer's books, but this is his best. Much of his previous books were an offshoot of Ayn Rand's objectivist ethics, an attractive, but not always viable worldview. Ringer seemed to have written this book as an addendum to his previous works, when he was a hard-core Ayn Rand disciple. In Million Dollar Habits, he admits that Ayn Rand is great stuff- for people who live on a planet of Howard Roarks and Dagney Taggerts. Million Dollar Habits isn't for people who live on that planet- it's for the people of planet earth! In this book, he takes a more flexible, positive world view. The advice here is much more practical a real-world. Those who found Ringer's previous works good but impracticle should read this.



2. Robert Ringer discusses 10 habits (in order of importance) that contribute to success:
   
   1. Accurate perception of reality
   
   2. Developing an attitude to objectively evaluate alternatives and creative out-of-the-box thinking in the face of difficult situations.
   
   3. Keeping problems in relative perspective, e.g., comparing day-to-day problems with true catastrophes such as death of near-ones, life-long disability / disease enables one to not panic unduly from more "normal" problems
   
   4. Live in the present - identify what you enjoy doing and are naturally good at. Then, continuously seek opportunities that enable you to spend more time on these activities.
   
   5. Morality - Every action has a consequence although the final result may be delayed. Taking short-cuts eventually come back to bite you and damage you in a variety of ways.
   
   6. Numerous ways to improve human relations including brevity, compassion, assertiveness, discretion, closure, genuineness, refined behavior, responsibility & commitment, tolerance, and win-win.
   
   7. Simplicity - evaluate your time / frustration costs and let more grievances slide,
   
   8. Discontinue reltionships with folks that drain you
   
   9. Self-discipline
   
   10. Action / persistence
   
   The habits are easy to understand and are intuitive. Reading the book will help you identify and act on several improvements.



3. I have a friend who is a self made millionaire. This is his favorite "success" book. Please notice that I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. The following comments are primarily critical, but I hope to add more value to the discussion by questioning the book. If you just want to read praise of the book, read all the other reviews.
   
   Quote: "Life is nothing more than the sum total of many successful years; a successful year is nothing more than the sum total of many successful months . . . and a successful week is nothing more than the sum total of many successful days."
   Reply: Life is not simple addition. The reality is one mistake can devalue 100 successful actions, or 100 successful days. Life is not always linear & progressive. I agree with the spirit of the author's statement, that success can be promoted by repeatedly doing profitable daily habits, but positive & negative actions are often not equally weighted. The cost of a negative action is often larger than the benefit of a similarly positive action.
   
   Quote: "Success is not a grand slam home run. It's a matter of consistently hitting those singles and doubles every day."
   Reply: Success can be a grand slam home run. It has been for me several times. But the author is right, most of the time it is not. But when life gives you a grand slam, it is important to know how to recognize it & perserve it. A person should appreciate their good fortune, and realize extraordinary acheivements & luck are not necessarily normal or sustainable.
   
   Quote: "Reality is precisely the same for everyone. There is only one reality. What differs is each person's perception of reality."
   Reply: While I agree in large part, it must equally be emphasized how different perceptions of reality and truth vary. There are at least 2 dangers. 1st: A person can get in trouble being too certain they have THE correct perception of reality. It's important to always have the ability to concede a perception of reality if data suggests the perception might be wrong. 2nd: Even if your perception of reality is correct, if you don't understand another person's perception of reality, you will still often err in dealing with them.
   
   Quote: "Life is a never-ending stream of hardships . . . None of these are fatal; they're just life."
   Reply: I like the author's intent here, but the principle is overstated. It is important to remember that some mistakes are fatal & final.
   
   A final thought: The book regularly suggests that success is more simple than it is. The book hypocritically uses the "Something for Nothing" temptation it warns against. Success is not simple.



4. Ringer does it again, this and looking out for #1 are tied for my favorite Ringer books. Here is page after page of wisdom coming from the the experiences of an action oriented and open minded man.
   
   Ringer bravely takes off the glasses of illusion and stares at reality for what it is, often it is painful/horrible, but it is the only way to truly "live".



5. 
   This is an insightful and enlightening guidance on how to achieve success through adopting some winning habits. Drawing from his experiences, Ringer presents the following ten basic habits which are crucial for succeed in life: simplicity, positive attitude, perspective, high moral principles, human relations, drain people habits, present living, self-discipline, and the action habit.
   
   The book was very informative and helpful. It is simple, clear, and gives ideas that are sensible and workable. The book contains a lot of practical and useful ideas that can help you. The habits make sense but very often, they are not practiced, in view of the fact that, although they are simple, they are not easy. The author has a profound understanding of human behaviour as he has had some serious setbacks in life from which he recovered and went own to achieve remarkable success.
   
   The book is recommended to anyone with a sincere desire in the development of their potential.

5 comments about Successful Intelligence: How Practical and Creative Intelligence Determine Success in Life.

1. This book is a strange hybrid: part informal discussion of flaws in intelligence testing, part autobiography, part self-help manual. Many of Professor Sternberg's criticisms of IQ testing are right on target, but his argument is diffuse and interlarded with the same personal anecdotes told over and over. We hear a great deal about his own poor IQ scores in elementary school, how his son Seth exhibits creative intelligence, how his talented grad students' careers were hobbled by poor test scores. It concludes with his definition of true intelligence (what he calls "successful intelligence"), which is basically a catch-all category for common sense or street smarts (what Howard Gardner calls "interpersonal intelligence") and self-discipline. The traits of successful intelligence turn out to be rather obvious: Successfully intelligent people know when to perservere; successfully intelligent people seek to surmount personal difficulties; successfully intelligent people are self-confident but not cocky and can delay gratification in order to achieve long-term goals; etc., etc. All very true, and all very old.

   Still, the book has enough interesting remarks on the history and errors of intelligence testing to make it worth reading. If Professor Sternberg had organized the book a little better and eliminated some of the redundancies, I would have given it four or five stars. As it is, I give it three.




2. First, I should mention something of my own background. My academic background is in psychometrics and also neurobiology, where I did my master's and doctoral work. Sternberg is mostly preaching to the choir with me, as I agree with many of his criticisms about the deficiencies of current and past I.Q. tests.

   That having been said, I am mostly okay current psychometric, statistical, and mathematical theory and practice here, as long as one understands the strengths and limitations of the various approaches. I understand those very well, but most people don't and tend to get hung up on one or another aspect of it without having a systematic grasp of all the psychometric issues. If it weren't for that, books like Sternberg's wouldn't be necessary.

   Sternberg's definition of successful intelligence is pretty common-sensical, although more difficult to quantify than the abilities typical I.Q. tests measure, but I'm okay with that.

   However, the bottom line is that the real answers about intelligence are eventually going to come from the brain research areas, which was my main field. The neurobiology doesn't contradict the psychometric approach but does complement it and provides a more rigorous basis for the idea of intelligence and what it consists of. To give you just a brief example of the neurological picture, the human brain contains 60 trillion nerve cells organized into 14,000 major and minor brain centers and pathways, and each nerve cell is connected to between 3,000 and 100,000 other neurons, producing a neural network and web of almost unbelievable compexity. And in the past 50 years, neuroscientists have made considerable progress in understanding the neural basis of intelligence and of higher cognitive abilities, such as language processing and spatial ability, which have been found to be located in the temporal lobe in the case of language processing, and in the right hemisphere in the case of left-hemispheric dominant people (which is most of us).

   But getting back to Sternberg's concerns, the most egregious and widespread problem with I.Q. testing, of course, is that people hung up on a single I.Q. high or low test score, which might not mean much in isolation, and the system doesn't help that situation since it attaches too much credence to them without understanding the other factors, qualifications, and exceptions to a single I.Q. score that must be taken into account.

   Sternberg also spends a lot of time discussing examples of people (such as himself), who don't do very well on standard I.Q. tests and about the baleful effect such scores had on their lives. Appropos of that, I can give two much more glaring examples than Sternberg himself, notwithstanding his being a Yale professor, which I am perfectly willing to concede is pretty impressive.

   In the late teens and 1920s an important Stanford psychologist, Lewis Terman, tested thousands of California schoolchildren to identify those with high I.Q.'s and then to follow them throughout their lives, to see of the early promise of their intelligence was fulfilled. Terman ended up with a group of 1300 children, who he followed from their early years until their deaths. I would suspect many if not all would be dead by now. Until they had passed away, their files remained sealed, and only Terman and his group knew their actual identities.

   Anyway, many did have impressive careers as writers, scientists, lawyers, teachers, and other professionals. Despite most of them growing up during the depression in the last century, many more of them went to college and onto professional and graduate school than the overall population. That having been said, the test had two major faults or oversights in terms of the selection process: the test, which was the Stanford-Binet, an important and widely used I.Q. test, missed the two Nobel Laureates in physics, Luis Alvarez, and William Shockley. Shockley is familiar to many as the famous inventor of the transistor. Both were tested but fell below the minimum of 140 or a score of 135 for a sibling to be included. And none of the other 1300 children won a Nobel Prize. Hence, the test missed the only two Nobel Laureates in the entire group.

   Also, James Watson, of Watson and Crick fame, only has an I.Q. of 115, if I remember right, and is the co-discoverer of DNA, for which they shared a Nobel Prize back in the 50's.

   So obviously, I.Q isn't the whole story. I have many stories myself of people who had much lower test scores than I on any of the standardized tests, whether I.Q., the SAT, the GRE, or whatever, who did just fine in college and grad school and who often got higher grades than I, and who went on to become more successful in real life too. So as I said, Sternberg is sort of preaching to the choir in my case, and overall, I tend to agree with him that I.Q. should not be the overriding determinant in the selection and educational process that it often is, at least not without taking into consideration other factors such as special aptitudes and talents, creative abilities, grades, work and real world experience, self-discipline and willingness to work hard, and so on.




3. Successful Intelligence (1996) purports to be a self-help book, but is actually a polemic on public policy in education and employment. This book explains much about the weaknesses of psychological tests and thus can dispel the conditioned esteem problems of those who have done poorly on such tests. It also provides advice on methods of developing effective techniques for solving various vocational and personal problems. However, this book is primarily aimed at the pernicious influence of psychological testing in our society.
   
   The author outlines the development of psychological testing from the time of Sir Francis Galton, one of the first to attempt to measure a wide variety of human characteristics. Although the field of Astronomy had a well established tradition of measuring reaction times to improve the accuracy of observations, Galton began measuring just about anything measurable in human beings. He used the tools developed by the astronomers to calculate group statistics and begin comparing these results between different groups. While these statistics generated a great deal of interest in human differences, they also led to a number of spurious pseudoscientific ideas.
   
   Later, Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon were asked to develop a means of distinguishing between truly mental deficient children and children who had other problems within the Parisian school system. They produced a set of tests that could be administered by trained personnel to provide a measure of mental age. This Binet-Simon test set was used by Lewis Terman at Stanford University to design an American version, the Stanford-Binet. Later, a number of other similar tests were developed to measure intelligence and other psychological characteristics.
   
   Such tests were individually administered and so were more useful as diagnostic tools than for screening. However, during World War I, the Army Alpha, a paper and pencil test, was developed to check mental capabilities. Afterwards, the Otis tests, civilian versions of the Army Alpha, and other group tests gained widespread usage for pre-acceptance screening in education and employment.
   
   While some tests are labeled "intelligence" tests and others are called "aptitude" test, all of them are highly correlated with each other and have similar strengths and weaknesses. All these test are useful predictors of success in the academic environment up through the first year of graduate school. They also are fairly good predictors of certain types of vocations that are very similar to the academic environment.
   
   However, the basic weakness of such tests is, strangely enough, the relatively low correlation between these tests and other independent measures of "intelligence". Another is the dependence of these tests on prior learning; all such tests are basically achievement tests for skills that are presumed to have been learned much earlier and thus are very inaccurate for persons from other cultures and environments. Even the so-called "culture fair" tests are not totally culture free and may have hidden problems that strongly impact the results.
   
   The author points out that successful living requires more than the narrow mental abilities measured by most selection tests. He calls the abilities measured by such tests "analytical intelligence", but also makes a case for "creative intelligence" and "practical intelligence". These terms are his own and not necessarily used by anyone else other that his students; normally, these terms would be called "abilities" rather than "intelligence".
   
   Intelligence tests mostly test analytical abilities -- associated with deduction or convergent production -- but the author has shown that creative abilities -- associated with induction or divergent production -- can also be measured. Moreover, he has also found ways to evaluate practical abilities -- i.e., wisdom or common sense -- to some degree.
   
   My only problem with this book is the semantics of the title. The author is misusing the word intelligence. This mental attribute has been studied for millennia and has been a subject of experimental investigation for over a century. However, I believe his misuse of this term is a matter of "practical intelligence", for such usage attracts more popular attention than an unfamiliar term which happens to be more technically correct.
   
   The author also defines success in very narrow terms, much like the Hollywood or Madison Avenue stereotype. While addressing the importance of cultural influences and social criteria, he fails to mention examples that do not meet the popular criterion of success. He also assumes success is the result of high achievement. Maybe not so strange a viewpoint from a Yale academic.
   
   The author provides an extensive explanation of the problems caused by the widespread usage of such tests. Anyone who has children or aspires to higher education or certain types of jobs should read this book. It will open your eyes to the political effects of such dependency on an incomplete and flawed approach to educational and employment testing.
   
   Highly recommended to anyone who is interested in intelligence, psychological testing, and the effects of testing on education and business. This book can also be an eye-opener for anyone who has had difficulties on standardized tests and may have problems in gaining admission to schools or obtaining jobs.
   
   -Bill Jordin



4. The "theory" expressed here is really nothing new, and seems like repackaged emotional intelligence and other ideas. The author continually uses personal stories and anecdotal evidence as proof of many of his ideas. While I agree that IQ does not tell the whole story, this book doesn't add anything new or unique to the discussion.



5. Quite a few years ago - at least ten - I read another book by Yale pyschologist Robert Sternberg on intelligence, entitled "The Triarchic Mind". It was excellent, as he criticized standard IQ testing and put forth his own broader definition of intelligence, which he defined as "mental self-management."
   
   So I was looking forward to this follow-up book, "Successful Intelligence." Unfortunately it was not near as good as his first book.
   
   The book is too long - it's almost as if his publisher told him to flesh it out with discussion of the defects of intelligence tests and personal anecdotes from his own life and that of his children. There are too many of these analyses and anecdotes. He could have cut the book by at least a third. And at times the book is more of a self-help manual - focus on goals, be persistent, identify problems. As another reviewer on Amazon said, perhaps he should have titled the book "Successful Abilities."
   
   Certainly his theory that there are three components of intelligence - the analytic, the creative, and the practical makes lots of sense. And too much emphasis may be put on the analytic element, because it is most easily tested in so-called intelligence tests. Sternberg makes a good case for that, showing that there is not much correlation between the ability to score highly on these types of tests, and ultimate success in business and professional areas (some correlation, but it's pretty underwhelming).
   
   All in all, if you are interested in a good book on intelligence, I recommend Sternberg's first book "The Triarchic Mind" and give this one a miss.

3 comments about Access Your Brain's Joy Center: The Free Soul Method.

1. Excellent book, the author is clear and gives practical examples and exercises. By learning the techniques in the book you can achieve a lot in your life. The techiques guide you step by step in learning how to improve areas of your life. How can you use a couple of simple techniques to conquer fear, worry, hurt, and stress. Reduce the stress level in your life by using techniques that take just minutes to accomplish, without the use of drugs. (It can't get more natural than this). Reduce the inner stress in your life, stop smoking easily, loose weight, increase the happiness in your life. I tried some of the techniques while at the dentist and it helped tremendously. I recommend it for everyone. Mr. Sanders has the scientific knowledge and backs it up with pilot studies from the University of Northern Arizona. This is a great book if you want to learn how to de-stress easily, and improve all areas of your life.



2. I have read a slew of this type of book and I really got a lot out of this one. The exercises are clear, concise and the visualizations are not too complicated. I enjoyed the relaxed teaching style and anecdotes. Like Nathaniel Friedland, Pete Sanders is an author that is a pretty basic guy who taught himself to open up to his psychic centers. I very much admire his work and just bought the correspondence course! Looks like fun!
   
   Buy this, it is a great book and very well worth the price.



3. First of all, this is not just another self-help book.
   
   In the first 40 pages, the author uses very simple, straight-forward instructions to teach you how to stimulate the pleasure and mood-elevating responses (through the Septum Pellucidum) in your brain easily, naturally, and AT WILL. Out of 214 pages, those first 40 pages alone earn the book 5 stars! In fact, he specifically wrote the book so that you could just read those 40 pages, containing the deceptively simple instructions, and walk away with an incredible new ability for life! That's the good part.
   
   Here's the not so good part - after those first 40 pages, the book seems to lose it's focus and wander aimlessly all over the field of self-help and new age fluff. The author seems intent on describing how to apply the technique to every conceivable ailment known to humanity. Unfortunately, he never stays on any one topic long enough to really discuss anything in depth, including the technique itself.
   
   So, for me personally, the value of the book dropped dramatically just after the first chapter. On the bright side, knowing what I know now, I would have happily paid five times the price for that one chapter alone.
   
   I just think this book and it's author, missed an opportunity to discuss in laymen's terms, the hard science and biofeedback theory behind the actual technique itself. After all, there's more than enough new-age self-help methods going around, but this one is actually rooted in physiology. It's a chance to appeal to a larger audience through simple scientific fact.
   
   Regardless, my advice is whether you're an avid new ager, an agnostic explorer, or even a hard core skeptic, find a copy of this book, read to page 40, and just follow the simple instructions. Because this isn't about believing in a new age self-help method, it's about feeling an ability that you already have, but may not be aware of - the ability to trigger your brain's reward system and feel really, REALLY GOOD, INSTANTLY, AT WILL!
   
   This is not the kind of thing you read about and then never get around to using in real life. Once you learn how to do it, it simply feels so good, you'll probably find yourself doing it all the time, without even thinking about it. All those other benefits, like pain reduction and mood-enhancement just seem to happen as a by-product. The amazing thing is, triggering this effect just becomes a habit, because the more you do it the better it feels and the better it feels, the more you'll find yourself doing it!
   
   And if that's not self-help, I don't know what is.

3 comments about All the Math You Need to Get Rich: Thinking with Numbers for Financial Success.

1. Mr. Hershey's lighthearted tome takes a humorous yet enlightening approach to providing clarification on a subject that frightens many - crunching the numbers. If math was one of the subjects you avoided like the plague in high school, you might think this book isn't for you, and yet, it's the perfect guide for those that might find math a little unsettling. Loaded with clear examples of everyday financial situations, it's easy to track down the answer to questions many people face on a day to day basis. I especially liked the emphasis on the effect of compounding interest and the details on calculating investments in chapter 6 and 7. One word of caution though, if you're a big time gambler, just waiting for your horse to come in, skip chapter 3. In a nutshell, if you want clear advice on understanding investments, percentages, the odds of winning or how you can strategize on long term goals, this book is the place to find it. Even for the weak of heart when it comes to numbers.



2. Here is a handy guide to life's financial problems. It is more than just an inventory as it provides the steps necessary for working with the numbers that underlie the solutions. You aren't a math wiz? No problem. Every example, and there are so very many of them, comes complete with simple words and an easy walkthrough to the solution. They build on each other, much as our real world financial problems are extensions of each other. Question: What is the world's most powerful financial force? Answer: Compound interest, of course. It is easily applied and can be made to work for anyone. The author suggests using a pocket calculator, and for most of the examples it will suffice. The more adventurous reader will want a spreadsheet, as the more involved (and realistic) examples/problems have many parts. A descriptive phrase can then accompany each number, and the rather straightforward formulas can be programmed at the start. All in all this is an excellent primer for the realities of money. The author's humorous touch adds to the book's enjoyment and utility.



3. I PURCHASED THIS BOOK AND IT SEEMS TO BE GOOD EXCEPT THAT WHEN THE AUTHOR REFERS TO THE "RULE OF 70", I HAVE ALWAYS HEARS IT REFERRED TO AS "THE RULE OF 72". IS THIS AN ERROR OR A TYPO?

5 comments about Write Your Own Magic.

1. Science has proven that writing down your goals greatly increases the chance of them becoming a reality.

   Richard Webster shows you how to use "white magic" to achieve your dreams and goals in this delightful and fun book. His writing style is amazing... everything is clear, as though he is personally guiding you along.

   I've tried out some of the sacred words and the results are interesting to say the least.

   Get this book. It's fun, and your future could depend on it! :-)




2. I find this book to be something for inspiration. It does not go in to details so for a beginer it is OK.I was looking for lot more.Waste of money.



3. I did find Write Your Own Magic to be inspirational, I read it in about one day (casually reading it in small chunks over about a 12 hour period). So...it's not going to take you hours upon hours to read, nor is it overly hard to get started using the authors techniques. Write your own magick contains lots of good, useful information on using the power of positive thinking magickally through the power of written and spoken words. Sections take the reader through twelve chapters (with an afterward, several appendices, bibliography, recommend reading and an index), some of the useful information covered includes:
   
   Chapter 1 detailing how words ARE magic
   Chapter 3 with information on manifesting your dreams and finding your life's purpose (who couldn't use help in those areas...lol)
   Chapter 4 determining what to ask for
   Chapter 6 the ritual
   
   I did particularly enjoy the section in chapter three regarding the five year plan...which most people have heard of or dealt with at some point in their lives...I found it to be a fun "take" on the process!! If you follow the book, developing your plan and implementing it with Mr. Webster's technique, you've gone a long way toward finding and achieving your life's purpose!!
   
   Having said this...I do want to point out that this book could just as easily be shelved in the psychology or self-help section as in the New Age, Metaphysical, or Magic/Pagan section of your local bookstore. As a matter of fact in the first few chapters (if the title did not specifically use the word "magic") you might not even know that this was a book on using magic to improve your life...and surprise...this is an issue I have with this book...I'd like to feel that it was more than a "run of the mill" self-help book right off the bat!! I bought this book sight unseen from Amazon for my birthday...to read out of curiosity and to possibly recommend to my students as a good starter book and I find that I have a more than a few mixed feelings about it...I DO feel that it has a lot to offer the absolute beginner and that it's useful as a reminder how powerful one's state of mind can be in affecting what energy we send out and receive in our life, but I also feel that it has an extreme "new age" almost fluffy feel to it that is somewhat disconcerting.
   
   This IS a good magickal "cookbook" for complete beginners. It stands above many of the others on the market by providing general methods for doing magick as well as prewritten spells. What I really like about this book is that the main component or teaching tool is not JUST a string of prewritten spells...this volume actually requires a bit more of the reader than the usual introductory book on this subject and I feel it does a more than adequate job of giving the reader the tools needed to use magic for one's own personal needs -- even if those needs were not directly covered in the book.
   
   There IS some interesting info as follows; in chapter seven we see some magical methods from around the world for sending a wish out to the universe. The next chapter covers making written amulets and talismans, followed by a brief chapter on using crystals and gemstones, a small but relatively harmless chapter on mandalas, followed by a short chapter on group work. The last chapter of the book discusses more formal spells, with a good number of prewritten examples; however, everything here is VERY brief and while it is interesting, it's not enough for the total novice to actually begin using any of these methods...this overview is at best, a springboard for those areas you'd like to study more in depth!!
   
   So, in the end, I find that I feel this is NOT a stand alone volume on the practice of magick in everyday life...it would be used best as part of a "set"of books recommended to get one started studying and practicing magick as part of your regular spiritual practices!!
   
   I give it a B for content and usability...mostly because the information from chapter 7 forward is largely unusable unless you buy a bunch more books do a heck of a lot more research (and that's just to achieve a beginner's usable level of knowledge on each subject)...but don't let that discourage you, there is lots of info to be had here and it IS presented in an easy to use format. I would personally use and recommend this techniques in this book as PART of a larger reading group or "set" of books...to give a more rounded and accurate skill set to the reader!!
   
   I give it an A for price...with a list price of 9.95, it's perfectly reasonable for a book of this size (about 250 pages including the appendices and index) and caliber of content!
   
   AG ;-)



4. I was looking for a lot more. But that's my own fault. The book is written in a friendly, easy to read format. The author touches on a lot of different spiritual paths such as Buddhism and even Judaism. He also touches on the use of herbs and crystals.
   But he does supply some good appendixes of herbs and even shows three different magical alphabets.
   There's also a nice amount of spells for various things.
   What I was looking for was more detail on the 'writing' part. While he does give this subject a fair amount of attention, it wasn't as in-depth as I'd have liked.
   All in all this is a good book for beginners.
   xox
   MEF



5. This is one of the better books that I have read in a LONG time. I thouroughly enjoyed it from cover to cover. Richard breaks the steps down to really make you think about why you want what you want -- and if you are having trouble deciding what it is you truely want, he gives advice and little rituals that will help you decide!
   
   Even though magic is something I have been practicing for a while, he reminded me of the things that us, as more advanced users of magic, sometimes tend to forget... It really was a great refresher!
   
   I think some of my favrite chapters were the ones in the beginning, which gave a lot of great spells & rituals to help you break down what you truly want in steps, and how one thing affects another thing in your life..... truly inspiring!
   
   Much Love & Many Blessings,
   Thorn Nightwind

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