Customer Reviews

Own Your Own Life

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book helped me realize that my life was just a series of choices. Some things I could control: how I felt, thought, and the actions I took, and then there was the rest of the world. I have no control over that so, why stress? There is so much valuable information. Like how on your deathbed, the only person you will be accountable to is yourself. If you had lived others wishes, dreams, guilt-trips, whatever...not a good choice. Thanks Gary for this book. Reading this in '85 has enhanced my life greatly!! I have lived as I should, and have no regrets so far. Why wasn't this a bestseller??? I can't imagine anyone's life that wouldn't greatly benefit from your.. formulas, ideas, perspective. I always looked for more copies for friends and family, but to no success. My copy is old and tattered,it's been around world and sailing for 10 years. My favorite book!! Please find another publisher and reprint. Thanks again, Sandy

The dependency belief list on pages 188-190 is worth the
price of the book all by itself.

THe book covers physical, economic, emotional, social, etc
dependencies and how to get more independent or shall we
say interdependent.

I haven't gotten much personal counseling, but if I did,
I would want to use this book to work up a list of issues
to give the counselor. Otherwise, they'll take your money
and it will be slow going and a lot of wasted sideways.

This book is about the "unconscious denials" which we
have in these areas. You won't realize the extent of your
beliefs until you see them mentioned in black and white.
THey are not all 100%, he allows for percentages also!

There was a year in my life where I needed to refer to this book constantly. It was a profound help. I hope it finds another publisher and is reprinted. It's terrific.

This is a thorough self-help book. This book uncovers, explains and gives hope. It gets to core issues, naming and understanding them. Most importantly, it gives words, actions, solutions to implement and elevate the stressors of living with self, other people and how to alleviate anxiety and stress while navigating the daily viscissitudes of life. I am on my second reading. I have and am experiencing enormous relief already. I am daily mastering situations and recovering self-esteem. Its the information, mentoring, manual we wish someone had given us before we got here!

Peppering with irrelevant biographical notes and elaborations on theories that have been disproved (e.g., that it takes 21 days to change a habit), and expressing himself with a mixture of grandiose and cutesy terms that are entertaining but baffling, is a major pitfall in this author's way, IMO.

With his own mien of sarcasism, he occasionally surprises with succinct descriptions of one's control over what one experiences (As in Chapter 9: Emotional Independence). But that exact same info can be found elsewhere by other authors in simple, kind, and gentle terms.

I am saddened by both old-school psychotherapy of finding a (very questionable) "Why there is a problem" and new-school ("cognitive") detailed-to-death instructions of "What comprises a meaningful How to solve a problem."

This "new" Cognitive Therapy has made some impressive strides since its inception in the late '70s & early '80s. Bearing in mind that New does not mean Better and that Complicated does not mean More Useful.

After almost 30 years since its publication, I wonder whether "Own Your Own Life" would be any different if he wrote it today.