This is not a book to read; it is a book to work. I have worked through this book with a counselor for many months now, and I can honestly say it has changed the course of my life.

Since childhood, I have struggled with low self-esteem. I have a Ph.D. in physics, a good job, and a loving wife. However, I still said to myself on a daily basis, "I am a failure." "It is all my fault." "It is only a matter of time before they find out I am not as good as they think I am." "I don't understand why she is still with me." Working through this book with my counselor has been the most important part of breaking out of these lies about myself.

This is not easy work, but it is worthwhile, and I would recommended to anyone whose head is echoing with the same self-hating lies. ( )

This is a must read book for anyone who needs solution on any problems that may happen in their lives. This book give me some strategies on how to increase my self-esteem and how to feel better about my looks and abilities, how to channel self-confidence to help bring me success and fulfillment. ( )

A bit of a (poorly) mixed bag. ( )

What I learned from this book:

1. If I have low self-esteem it is all my parents’ fault.
2. We are all valuable because we are alive and we just are trying to survive and doing the best we can. (Yeah, tell that to Ayn Rand.)
3. We can enhance our self-esteem through powerful visualization techniques, like visualizing ourselves getting out of bed or eating a sandwich. Ooh, that’ll work!
3. Self-hypnosis is easy and fun!
4. There is no such thing as good or bad or right or wrong. No one can be blamed or judged for anything they do or fail to do. “[P]eople always act according to their prevailing awareness, needs, and values. Even the terrorist planting bombs to hurt the innocent is making a decision based on his or her highest good.” Awesome. We can all be totally selfish and do whatever we want even if it results in the death of other people, as long as we feel good about ourselves while doing it!
5. I pretty much stopped listening after #4. What crock of bantha poodoo.
6. Oh, yeah, one more important thing: A major drawback of reading e-books is the inability to fling a book across the room with great force when it makes you as angry as #4 made me. ( )

This is an okay book if you're looking for a pretty structured "course" to work through, and if you're fairly open-minded, and if you don't mind the occasional pablum, poor writing, and excessive arguments.

However, if you're like me, and find the inappropriate use of the word "literally" (as in, "you will literally jump out of your skin") distracting, or think that notions of forgiveness and repentance are more than just psychological baggage to be disposed of at the nearest opportunity, or have difficulty suspending your likes and dislikes for the sake of arbitrary exercises, you might want to look elsewhere. Because the book can be exhausting in those sorts of ways. ( )