Self Matters by Dr. Phil McGraw – NOT a book review

By Annette Rey

If you don’t like Dr. Phil, and it’s my experience people either love him or hate him, don’t stop reading. If you are a writer, these comments can help you.

I am always looking to self-improve – you can tell that from the messages I send out on this site. Encouragement and Education are my middle names. There are no limits but the ones you put on yourself and I believe an avenue always exists to learn more about proceeding down the life-path you really want to follow.

So here we are. We discover we are writers in our hearts and brains. Many of us find this out about ourselves after we are encumbered (not unhappily) with a host of responsibilities that hinder us from pursuing our true inner dream. Perhaps you are married with kids and/or in a job or career that really does not fulfill you. Maybe you have a degree in a field that actually bores you. You might have bought a house in a city or state or country where you’d rather not live and it would be just so much trouble to change locations. Maybe you are tied down with debt and have to work at a job that you hate. And what you really want to do is write!

In Life Matters by Dr. Phil McGraw, he makes you feel you are not alone in your dilemma. He gives common sense techniques you can learn to develop your “authentic self” which gives you perspective on your circumstances. And once you are on the path to living a life true to that self, changes occur and, ultimately, you can pursue your dream.

I related to the first few pages and know from other sources about this book that it is going to pay off for me. I’m stuck between working so hard – because I have to – that I don’t have energy for writing the kind of writing I really want to produce. I have tossed the idea around in my head to just quit the world and take a chance, live off my savings and with my back to the wall, produce writing that will pull in money and pay my living expenses.

Of course, that’s a risky option. I could lose all my savings, not be a successful writer, and have to go back to a life-draining job just to get by – and never be able to retire. THAT last part is the real kicker.

I have not read enough of this book to give a full review, but I can see how it applies to a person with the desire to pursue a career in writing, but whose circumstances are preventing him from doing so. And I wanted to share this with you to give you just as much of a head-start as I have in reading this book.

I will post updates as I progress through the book for those of you who just can’t get to this reading. As for expense, I know you can get this book at your library. I bought my copy for one dollar at a library book sale.

You have a dream – now how to get there?

There are ways. Let’s get there together.