Steve Pavlina: Personal Development For Smart People

Pavliniac (n): Person who is an avid reader of Steve Pavlina’s blog and participant in his forums.

Okay, I freely admit it… I’m a Pavliniac, and like many others, I’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of Steve’s book, Personal Development For Smart People, since he announced that he was writing one. Luckily for those of us who are impatient souls, a glitch somewhere along the line resulted in the book being released earlier than the intended date of 15 October. Dare I call this a collective manifestation caused by all Steve’s many fans?!

The reason why I’ve been a long-term reader of Steve’s blog is that I enjoy the blend of logic and intuition in his writing and thought processes. Often, personal development blogs sit at one of the extremes, and while I’m more than happy to read such blogs, I find that my blog reading list as a whole has to find a balance between the two. Steve’s blog, however, is one of the few that combine the best of both sides of the brain, and his newly released book follows suit.

This book presents the results of Steve’s search for the universal principles underlying personal development – Love, Truth and Power. These core principles are further expanded to Oneness (Truth + Love), Authority (Truth + Power), and Courage (Love + Power). Finally, Intelligence is defined as the combination of all three core principles.

This framework synthesises information in what is often a broad and fragmented field, and provides both philosophical and practical applications to a diverse range of life areas, such as career, relationships and health. Although Steve has given examples from his own life throughout the book as well as provided exercises through which readers can utilise the principles in their own development, this is not a prescriptive book. Rather, the book aims to increase readers’ awareness of the principles in their lives, so that where these are present they can be further developed, and where these appear to be absent they can be allowed to grow. It is, as the book’s tagline says, the conscious pursuit of personal growth.

In the introduction, Steve states that the principles should be simple and elegant. They are. In fact, at first glance, it may appear that some of the book’s content is in fact too simple. Yet, this is not a simplicity born of triteness and self-help cliché that is unfortunately all too common in the personal development arena. Instead, this is the kind of simplicity that emerges from dedicated and conscious exploration and experimentation in the area of personal growth. It is a simplicity that allows us to recognise the overarching structures of life that exist at a deeper level. It is what Oliver Wendell Holmes referred to as the simplicity on the other side of complexity.

Can things really be this simple? Yes. But, remember that simplicity doesn’t necessarily equal easy. As Steve points out, personal development can be very challenging at times. It is at such times that it helps to have a touchstone to return to and which can guide us through to the other side of the complexity. This book is that touchstone.

If you’d like to try before you buy, Steve has very kindly provided a sample chapter of his book for download. The formatting of this sample chapter is different to that in the book, but the content is the same.

The full book is available from Amazon:

Lynne McTaggart: The Intention Experiment

A couple of chapters into Lynne McTaggart’s book, The Intention Experiment, I was disappointed. Bored and disappointed. Two emotions I certainly didn’t expect to feel while reading a book on one of my favourite topics, the intersection of science and psi.

It took me a while to figure out why I was feeling like this. It wasn’t that the book didn’t contain information from scientific studies on esoteric subjects such as meditation and intentions and healing. It did, and those studies in themselves were interesting. The studies presented do make one think about the connections between all living things and the power of the mind to affect matter. I finally realised, however, that I was battling to connect with Lynne’s writing style. It reminded me of some students’ literature reviews that I used to evaluate when I was an academic as well as of some journal articles that I would be asked to review – competent, don’t get me wrong, very competent, but “disconnected”. By this, I mean, they would present many scientific facts and figures, lists of studies and results, but ultimately not really tie these together in any coherent way to give the literature review a sense of continuity and a central critical argument (possible, even when one is trying to fairly present both sides of a debate).

I persevered with The Intention Experiment, however, and it did get better. By the time the final two or three chapters came round, linkages between sections and a critical viewpoint were emerging.

The last section of the book presents some very practical guidelines related to setting and sending an intention. I found these very helpful and probably enjoyed this section, which applied the results of the scientific studies to very specific exercises, the most. The book is further linked to Lynne’s website, where you can join a community, discuss your own and others’ experiences as well as participate in ongoing group intention experiments.

My criticisms above notwithstanding, I am still very grateful to Lynne McTaggart (and all the scientists mentioned in her book) for their continued work to understand the nature of the universe and to make it accessible to everyone.

Wayne Dyer: Your Erroneous Zones

I’d heard Your Erroneous Zones, one of Wayne Dyer’s earliest books (published in 1976), mentioned many times. Yet despite this, despite the fact that it is a book that has sold over 30 million copies and is considered one of the best-selling books of all time, and despite loving other newer books of Wayne’s, I only very recently picked up a copy of Your Erroneous Zones to read.

I like to read authors’ books in the order in which they were written, if I can (not always possible, especially with someone like Wayne, who is a prolific writer!). I do this where possible though as I like seeing the development of an author’s thoughts around a topic. In this case, however, it was interesting to go back, especially so far back (pretty much to the beginning of Wayne’s writing career!). While Wayne’s later books are much more focused on spirituality, Your Erroneous Zones is much more of a standard personal development book. It is also written in a more formal tone that dates it to the 1970s ;). Neither of these detracts from the power of the book – it is clear and inspiring in its message to stop worrying, stop feeling guilty and replace these “erroneous zones” with a more empowered way of living.

The book covers a range of topics, diverse yet connected in that growth in one area has a spill-over effect into other areas. Topics addressed include self-acceptance, approval seeking behaviour, guilt, worry, procrastination, anger, and becoming independent. Sprinkled throughout the book are also exhortations to live in the present moment, predating Eckhart Tolle’s work on the topic, although not giving as much information on this specifically. Each chapter discusses one of the “erroneous zones” in detail, giving examples of how each zone manifests itself in daily life to make it easy to recognise when you are displaying ineffective behaviour, as well as providing strategies for overcoming and eliminating the ineffective behaviour and replacing it with a much more effective way of being and doing. Because of the interconnectedness of all the topics discussed, there is a fair amount of repetition of strategies for eliminating the erroneous zones, only slightly different for each behaviour. Rather than this being annoying, I found it quite comforting to know that the strategies could be distilled into a few basic principles, although I would have liked to see the book itself pull this together (I guess I have to do some work though, right?!).

The final chapter of Your Erroneous Zones is a portrait of a person who has eliminated all erroneous zones and is living an emotionally, mentally and spiritually healthy life. It was interesting to read through this chapter to see how I’m doing compared to Wayne’s ideal. Luckily, for myself, I found that I displayed many effective behaviours already! I was also able to identify those that I’m still personally working with – rather than beating oneself up over not meeting the ideal, this is an excellent opportunity to see what effective behaviour would look like, and hence to identify areas of further growth.

Would I recommend that you read this book, given that it was written over 30 years ago? Yes, I would. It is a classic in the personal development genre, and it still feels relevant today. If you’re looking for a fairly no-nonsense approach to development, then this book is for you!

Gordon Smith: Through My Eyes

Gordon Smith is a barber in Glasgow, Scotland. But he’s no ordinary barber, juggling this job with his other work as “Britain’s most accurate medium”, a description derived from his ability to provide specific names and exact dates rather than the vague impressions often conveyed by mediums.

I’ve only seen Gordon in action once before, on a South African television programme, a talk show called Noeleen after the host. At the start of the programme, I was looking forward to seeing Gordon’s accuracy in action. By the end of the programme, I was disappointed. The people who phoned in to the show seemed fairly happy with the information that they received, but I was left feeling unsatisfied with the quick rushed feeling to the readings and the lack of depth. It was therefore incredibly interesting for me to read Gordon’s own account of the show in Though My Eyes, in which he talks candidly about his reluctance to do what he calls “McMessages” and how he abandoned his principles in this regard when asked to provide readings on Noeleen’s show.

Gordon’s regret over succumbing to McMessages in South Africa and his commitment to providing proper in-depth readings for those who have lost a loved one, is far more reflective of his spirit and the energy that surrounds his writing. Overall, Gordon comes across as loving and very down-to-earth, and the overall feeling that I experienced while reading Through My Eyes was one of comfort. In this book, Gordon not only describes what he experiences when communicating with spirits, but also covers the most common concerns that people have about what happens to their loved ones after physical death and about how to continue to live after bereavement. For example, Gordon discusses subjects such as the resolution of “unfinished business” in one’s relationship with the deceased, how spirits communicate with their loved ones to let them know that they are okay, and why messages from spirits are sometimes delayed until the time is right for them to be expressed.

Throughout the book, Gordon’s message is inspirational and healing, allowing people to progress through the process of grieving in a healthy manner instead of torturing themselves with feelings of guilt and anger. Each chapter contains many examples from Gordon’s experiences as a medium, fascinating in themselves, but also used to good effect to illustrate the information about death, dying and living contained in this book.

Eckhart Tolle: A New Earth

A New Earth is Eckhart Tolle’s second book on the power of living in the present moment. Like The Power Of Now, his first book, A New Earth is special to read. Words are powerful carriers of energy, and both of Eckhart’s books emanate the love, peace and joy that he obviously experienced while writing these from a place of presence and high level of consciousness.

The book takes its title from a Biblical prophecy that refers to the emergence of a new heaven and a new earth, the deeper meaning of which relates to the transformation of human consciousness and the reflection of this higher level of awareness in the physical world. Although the title has its basis in a Christian teaching, A New Earth is a spiritual book and as such can be read by people of any religion or people of no specific religion. In fact, it is interesting to note that the feedback received from the webcasts done recently by Oprah and Eckhart Tolle has indicated that many people have found that reading the book enabled them to understand the teachings of their religions in far greater depth and to apply them with far greater insight than they had previously had.

While The Power Of Now was written in question and answer format, A New Earth reads more like a traditional book, and it is therefore often the preferred introduction to the topic for many people. It was certainly Oprah’s choice for the webcasts that she and Eckhart conducted! Having read both books, I would probably recommend starting with The Power Of Now; however, this really is a personal choice and either will do as a starting point. The important thing is to read at least one of these books, and to reflect on and practice the teachings contained within them. Increasing your awareness and living in the present moment can be a challenging process, particularly when you start, but the rewards are immense. If you haven’t yet read my earlier review of The Power Of Now, you can find it and read about these rewards here.

In addition to going in-depth on subjects such as the ego and the pain-body, A New Earth addresses the topic of conscious creating, particularly in Chapter 10. Although Eckhart never refers to this as The Law Of Attraction, the principles that he discusses provide a spiritual view on the process of creation. If you’ve ever felt disillusioned by the very materialistic view of The Law Of Attraction, then Eckhart’s description of how consciousness creates may be just the antidote that you need!

Tim Brownson: Don’t Ask Stupid Questions

I recently read through the e-book version of Don’t Ask Stupid Questions (There Are No Stupid Questions) by Tim Brownson. Tim is a Life Coach and has a blog called The Discomfort Zone, which I’ve been a fan of for a while now.

Like Tim’s blog, Don’t Ask Stupid Questions made me laugh at least once each page. I love Tim’s sense of humour - it’s off-the-wall and yet spot-on! Our lives are obviously important, but that doesn’t mean we have to be serious and sombre all the time. We can have some fun with personal development, and Tim’s approach encourages us to do just that. Laughter and results can happily co-exist!

Using humour and examples from Tim’s own life and common challenges that his coaching clients experience, the book presents a series of questions that we can ask ourselves to help us step out of our comfort zones and create a life that we love. Each chapter is dedicated to one question and is one or two pages in length, allowing us to stop after each bite-size chunk and mull over the question presented. It is obviously up to you how you approach a book like this; I tend to read through books containing questions and/or exercises (without stopping to do each exercise as it arises) to get the overall framework in my mind before going back and spending time delving into the details. I did this with some of Tim’s book, although I did find myself pausing after many of the chapters and reflecting on the questions presented. In the introduction to the book, Tim also mentions that the chapters can be worked through in any order – I read through the book in the order in which it was presented, although second pass through the book has taken a more scenic detour depending on which questions feel more relevant to me at this time.

Whichever way you choose to read this book, please do not skip the introspection and action asked of you by the questions. These are certainly challenging questions, but they are also most certainly questions that can help you change you life for the better if you allow them to. Tim’s questions made me think right from the get-go. For example, I read the second chapter, Who is the most important person in the world to you?, confident that I knew the answer: me! And indeed, that is the answer… I have so much more to offer the world when I look after myself first. This is not a selfish position in the way we traditionally have used the word selfish, because such kindness to oneself is not done at any expense, least of all at the expense of others. Rather it is a position that acknowledges the priority of one’s own emotional, mental and spiritual health in order to help others reach that state too. I know this, and I practice it, or at least I thought I did, for when I got to the end of the chapter and considered the question (“If you accept that you are the most important person in the world, what can you do differently to demonstrate that belief?”), I realised that I had been neglecting myself and not honouring those things that are important to me. I’ve since starting living up to being my own BFF* and have noticed a significant energy shift in my life for the better.

Don’t Ask Stupid Questions is a practical book that would suit people with fairly analytic minds who are used to the principles of goal-setting and want to become more effective at this. However, Tim has also introduced some more esoteric concepts, like manifesting, into the book, presented in a way that makes them understandable and palatable to people who may never have encountered such concepts. For those of us who are comfortable with both the physical and metaphysical, Tim’s book is a good blend of both.

Don’t Ask Stupid Questions is currently available via Tim’s website in hard copy and e-book format. He is also currently giving away his latest e-book, Know Yourself, Change Yourself, free of charge and you can download this via the link above as well.

[*BFF = Best Friend Forever]

Esther And Jerry Hicks: The Law Of Attraction

The Law Of Attraction is one of the later books written by Jerry and Esther Hicks containing the teachings of Abraham, a group of non-physical entities channelled by Esther. It is, however, a book that focuses on the basics of the teachings, and for that reason I’d suggest reading this one first if you are new to Abraham-Hicks’ material.

If you have already read other books written by the Hicks, like The Amazing Power Of Deliberate Intent and Ask And It Is Given, you may find much of the information in The Law Of Attraction repetitive, especially that contained in Part I which focuses on the Hicks’ journey to channelling Abraham. Although Part II (The Law Of Attraction), Part III (The Science Of Deliberate Creation), Part IV (The Art Of Allowing), and Part V (Segment Intending) were largely familiar to me, I still found much of value in them. Through a series of questions and answers, these sections did clarify quite a few aspects of the material for me and also gave a very thorough overview of Abraham’s teachings.

The Law Of Attraction has often received criticism from those who have only watched The Secret and concluded that it is all about magical thinking and how to attract more material possessions into your life. If you want a good introduction to how the Law Of Attraction is so much more than this, and a more spiritual take on the principles, I would recommend that you start with The Law Of Attraction as well as look into other books published by the Hicks.

Deepak Chopra: SynchroDestiny

For someone who loves reading books on metaphysical and spiritual topics, I have hardly read any of Deepak Chopra’s work – apart from one of his fiction books, SynchroDestiny is the first of his books that I’ve delved into! Luckily, it was a good introduction to Deepak and his style of writing, so I’ll definitely be investing in some more of his books soon :).

This particular book focuses on the phenomenon of synchronicities – those apparent coincidences that illustrate the larger forces at work in our lives. As the book’s blurb states, “…there is no such thing as a meaningless coincidence.”

The first part of SynchroDestiny focuses on the science that lies behind synchronicities and the Law Of Attraction. If you’re looking for a simple, clear explanation of some of the principles of quantum physics and nonlocal intelligence (the field), this is it. Deepak is definitely very skilled in explaining complex concepts in a very user-friendly manner! This section of the book also goes deeply into the concepts of coincidence and intention.

The second part of the book is devoted to the practical exploration of the concepts. These exercises are centred around the process of meditation, using mantras to focus the mind. I found these exercises interesting and useful, although I altered the process of meditation described to fit with my own style of meditating. Deepak’s methods may work for him and for others, but I found them to disruptive to my own rhythm, and I therefore had much more success when I integrated his techniques with my own. Don’t be afraid to experiment a bit to find what works for you – there is no “one size fits all” style of meditating!

Throughout the book, Deepak makes reference to the ancient Eastern wisdom of Vedanta, which describes much of what quantum physics is only now discovering regarding how the universe functions. In this respect, it is also incredibly interesting to read SynchroDestiny’s Appendix A, in which Deepak outlines the principles of the Hermetic tradition, which has its origins in ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt, to illustrate how these principles match those of the Vedanta. Reading these ancient teachings demonstrates clearly that the Law Of Attraction is not new!

Sonia Choquette: Ask Your Guides

In this book, Sonia not only discusses the various angelic influences on our lives, but also goes into detail regarding the different roles that spirit guides can play in our lives, from “runners” who help us with practical details (yes, like finding a parking space!) to those who help us in a teaching capacity to transcend our egos and become more consciously aware.

I bought Sonia’s book about a year ago after a psychic reading in which I was introduced briefly to one of my guides, and it was extremely useful in helping me meet and interact with the various spirits who form my guide team. I would certainly recommend it as an excellent overview of this subject. However, I’d also recommend that you read a variety of sources in this regard. This is mainly because interacting with spirit guides can be like interacting with people on the physical plane – we all have different ways of communicating with others, and what works for one person may not work for another. I certainly found it helpful to read about the different approaches that others have used, and to integrate these into a system that works for me. Ultimately, what matters is developing a strong and clear connection with your guides, and this can be achieved in multiple ways. Apart from Sonia’s work in this regard, I’ve also benefited from the wisdom of Andrea Hess, Slade Roberson and Erin Pavlina. Currently, only Andrea has a book available, but I would encourage you to also visit her blog, as well as those of Slade and Erin.

When it comes to making the decision to buy a book like Sonia’s and invest the time and effort into making a connection with your guides, possibly the most important questions needing answering are: Does it “work”? And is it worth it? The answers are: yes. And yes. It may feel strange at first to attempt to connect to your guides, especially since many people worry when they start whether they are really connecting or just making it all up. It is important to remember here that, because our minds bridge the physical and spiritual worlds, our guides use our thoughts and imaginations to connect with us. We have also been used to our guides presence since they’ve been communicating with us all along – we’ve just called it “a feeling”, or “intuition”. At the start, it can then definitely feel like we are making it up because it seems so “normal” to us – there are no big booming voices from above! As you persevere, though, you will be able to tell the difference between communication from your guides and your own thoughts as they do have different energy signatures. As you learn more about guides from books like Sonia’s, you’ll have personal experience that convinces you that it “works”. And in terms of it being worth the effort… well, the proof is in the pudding! Your life will be enriched by having access to a group of spiritual beings who love you, support you and guide you towards your highest path and purpose.

Andrea Hess: Unlock Your Intuition

Andrea Hess is one of my favourite people :). I’ve been an avid reader of her blog for a while now, and I can honestly say that Andrea’s articles have played a big role in helping me to align with my highest path and purpose. Even though I came to Andrea’s site already fairly familiar with my own intuitive abilities, I have had quite a few “a-ha!” moments while reading through Andrea’s blog, and my spiritual growth has progressed in leaps and bounds as a result. It was no surprise that I therefore jumped at the chance to purchase Andrea’s book when it came out!

Unlock Your Intuition is best used as a workbook. It is full of practical exercises to help you to hone your intuitive ability to the point where you can easily and reliably access it when you need it. I tend to read books straight through fairly quickly when I first get them, as I like to get the framework of the material in my head before I dig deeper into the nitty-gritty of the information. I did this with Andrea’s book, skimming through each of the exercises – but since then, I’ve been going back (and back and back!) to the book, doing the exercises and adding new layers to my intuitive ability each time.

The book begins by focusing on the practice of divination, either dowsing using a pendulum or with a simple muscle testing exercise that you can perform alone. I would encourage you to pay particular attention to these grounding exercises – the discipline learned through this practice is invaluable, and it will stand you in good stead when you do move beyond this. The book’s later chapters will help you take your intuitive skills further through receiving accurate information through asking open-ended questions and communicating with your spirit guides.

As with the articles on Andrea’s blog, this book benefits from her ability to explain concepts clearly and simply, and Andrea’s down-to-earth nature and great sense of humour shine through. This is a well-written and extremely valuable book.

Eckhart Tolle: The Power Of Now

On one of the online forums to which I belong, whenever anyone asks for book recommendations to help them with personal development, spiritual growth, becoming more intuitive, meditation, relationships or the Law of Attraction, the first book recommended and endorsed over and over again, is Eckhart Tolle’s The Power Of Now. This book has clearly had a profound and powerful effect on many people’s lives, including my own.

Like Tolle himself, this is a quiet book. And it is in this quietness, in the spaces between the words, that the book’s power becomes apparent. The book gently and lovingly, yet firmly, deconstructs our egoic minds and allows us to experience the pure spiritual presence that lies behind the identities created by our egos. Letting go of the incessant chatter of our analytical minds, and living in The Now, is far from being an empty and boring place to be (as many people starting out on this journey imagine). Instead it is a rich and fulfilling experience, full of intense joy and peace. It can be quite overwhelming the first few times you experience this – I dipped in and out when I started, each time increasing the length of time for which I was able to sustain such presence.

The concepts Tolle discusses are both profound, yet simple, but it can be a challenging process to implement. Our egoic minds are strong and they do not give up their hold on us easily! But, the more you practice the principles, the easier it does get. It is worth persevering – the rewards for doing so are enormous. For example:

• Going about daily life with a strong background hum of joy and peace is infinitely preferable to one of anxiety and stress. And this is noticeable to others as well – people (even those who are not into woo-woo things themselves) have often said things to me like “I enjoy being around you, you have good vibes”.
• You are able to focus on tasks before you with much more clarity. The full strength of your mind is brought to bear on your work (and play!) as it is no longer cluttered with unrelated issues.
• You feel alive and your health usually improves. You glow with vitality. Tolle himself is one of the best examples of practicing his own teachings – he looks about 40 years old, but is actually in his early 60s!
• Your life circumstances change to reflect the abundance of love, joy and peace to which you are connected. Life flows more smoothly, problems seemingly disappear, and new and exciting experiences and things are drawn to you.

Eckhart Tolle is currently working with Oprah Winfrey on a series of teleclasses based on his second book, A New Earth, which expands on the concepts in The Power Of Now. While I found it most helpful to me to read the books in the order in which Tolle wrote them, you can start with the books in any order, and some people have found A New Earth more easy to digest. If you’d like to follow the New Earth webcasts live, you will need to register on Oprah’s website. Be warned though that they have experienced some bandwidth issues because of such high demand, resulting in some viewers not being able to log in. You don’t need to log in, however, to download the classes after they have taken place (you can download the video, audio, or a pdf transcript of the show, depending on your preference and internet connection).