Digging Yourself Out of Debt

Dave Ramsey does great work. What I particularly like about him is that he does NOT promise to make you wealthy (or powerful or sexy). He focuses on the most common problem people have and that is the debt that grinds them down.

Now, once you get past "neutral" and up on the plus side of your balance sheet, his techniques will help you accumulate wealth, that's for sure. But first, lets get out of debt!

His advice is "boot camp" for individuals and couples. He says that you can't eat out every night and charge on credit cards if you are going to get out of debt. It's rice and beans and please can I have more beans.




Dave Ramsey has books, he has a radio program, and he has software. I like his approach. This is practical realism. This is "no pain... no gain" and we all know it's true. Dave is your personal trainer. You'll like him and he's good for you.

Making Who You Know Work for You

Are you on LinkedIn? If so, you don't need this book. Otherwise, read on.

The "Little Black Book of Connections" is my daughter's pick. She is into selling and leverage. I wasn't so enthused until I looked at this book and figured out that this guy is describing what I have been doing all my life.

Maybe you aren't so lucky as to have a mentor, padre, godfather, or friend to help. You probably need to know more about the rules of success, corporate relationships, and selling. Jeffrey Gitomer has a series of books that give advice on selling and other challenging aspects of business. But, this book, "The Little Black Book of Connections" is his best. In a very easy to read format, Gitomer spells out what you should have in your business bag of tools. He gives you ideas on how to "network"... how to use your friends, collegues, and connections.... in a good way... to achieve success.



I didn't have this book when I was climbing the three organizational ladders I've ascended in my life. (Did I just say, "When I was your age....?" Beg your pardon.) Now, I probably could write this book, but not as well. Take it from me, my hard won experience tells me that Gitomer got it right. But, you don't have to learn it the hard way. A great book for anyone in a large or small corporate ladder. (Yes, my daughter wants me to say that it has great advice for people in very small businesses too!)

A Valuable Survival Guide for Pre and Early Teens

Seventh and Eighth grade in today's schools are just awful. The peer pressure is mean, tough, and unrelenting. We know because we had one (very bright) kid forced out of seventh grade because of it. I discovered this book through a home schooling discussion group and it is widely praised. It is for the kids to read and then for you all to discuss. It gives great advice on schedules, getting along, dealing with bullies, pressure to smoke, pressure to get involved with drugs, and sex. This isn't something that the parent should read and preach. It is something the pre-teen should read and absorb with the parent's reinforcement.



You can buy it for under $9 (plus shipping of course) and it could be the best money you ever spent. It sure beats years of therapy later!

"How to Win Friends" TIMELESS Wisdom

The title of the book is: "How to Win Friends and Influence People". Many people skip over the verb "win", but I think it's critical. There is gaming in people-to-people relationships. There are rules. If you master the rules, you win friends and influence. Yes, this book was written in 1936, but there is a reason why it is still popular. It is practical, factual, and effective.

Today everybody says, "Be natural!" "Be yourself"... actually, that's pretty much bullshit. People are naturally self-involved and narcissistic. That's not the face you want to show others, but it is the leverage you can use to turn them to your side.



In other words, make others happy so you can be happy. The game of relationships is a game as much as poker or Battlefield 2142. There are rules and Dale Carnegie does a great job of spelling them out.

This is a book you should have on your shelf (it is not expensive) and take down when you have to kill some time on a trip or when you want something to recommend to a friend or to someone younger than yourself. It simply must be in your mind and in your library!

"The Biology of Belief" -- I Believe This a Lot More than "The Secret"

The author of "The Biology of Belief" and "The Wisdom of Your Cells" , Bruce H. Lipton, has great credentials as a biologist and teacher. He is no fly-by-night "feel good" artist. I've been through these books twice and am still trying to link into and to fully internalize a lot of what he says, but it certainly is worth thinking about what he says! The value of his work is in the thought it inspires, not necessarily in any actions it initiates.

My personal opinion is that Lipton does a more believable job of integrating the spiritual with the scientific than the "The Secret" crowd does. Lipton stays with biology and the body instead of wandering off into wealth as you find in "The Secret".

I think we will all agree that the mind can make you sick and the mind can make you well. That's Lipton's main point, but he explains the "How It Works" aspects much better than anyone else I've found.

In the part of his work closest to Newton's physics (the physics of concrete and chemical reactions) Lipton does a great job of explaining how cells work. In the part of his work closest to Einstein's physics, he puts out ideas (the cells care about what you think) that are interesting and hopeful. If you have even the slightest technical interest and have ever pondered something like "The Power of Positive Thinking" , then this book is for you. I highly recommend it.

Also, if you think you find biology tedious to read, then I recommend getting the audio book version. This is the author himself speaking and he is a great and enthusiastic teacher. You will probably enjoy the book more and get more out of it if you listen to Lipton himself. Click on the link below for the audio CD. Read the reviews by other folks on Amazon.com. They are overwhelmingly 5-Star positive. That's a pretty good guide!

Very Useful Advice on Diet and Exercise

Hey, there is a difference between men and women! Deny that and miss out on a whole lot of interesting times. We like all of the work of John Gray, PhD - these are all of the "Mars & Venus" books. Oh yes, sometimes he over simplifies and stereotypes, but simplicity and models can be useful for both basic communications and more complex understanding.



But now, Dr. Gray turns his insight into something very useful: The differences in diet and exercise between the Martians and the Venezuians. This is another useful book for couples. She can read it cover-to-cover and he can read the parts describing what guys do right and do wrong. It's useful.

Plus, almost as a bonus, you get some of the most practical insight into dieting and its relationship to exercise that you'll ever find. It's a very valuable book that we like a lot.

Great Stuff for (some) Teenagers

This book is in paperback and available very inexpensively (maybe even a penny plus shipping), so you have nothing to lose. If just one story is valuable to your teenager, then it's worth every cent. We are not telling you that Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul is great stuff for every kid. If he/she just won't read and rebels against anything "preachy", then this book isn' good for much. But, if you have a teenager who will read something occasionally or is an avid reader, then this is a great book of guidance and inspiration. It's set as a series of stories. Teen readers can start, stop, sample what they like, and jump around. It is flexible, not confining.



Click this link and read the reviews from Amazon.com customers. When I last looked there were 470 reviews and they were overwhelmingly 5 stars... the highest rating. We all need help keeping teenagers on the right path. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul is an inexpensive and potentially potent tool.

The Amazing Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield is in the news right now for his connection to "The Secret", which has a "love it/hate it" polarizing impact on many folks. But, Canfield has been well accepted and successful for a long time. This is the guy who wrote the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He is very good.

I like his book, The Success Principles" specifically because it has a list of 64 codified and practical principles. It isn't totally "touchy feely", but rather very practical.


This is a great book that a woman to get a male partner to read. Guys like a "reporting" style with specific actions. But, Canfield co-authored this book with a woman, so there is a softer side too. "The Success Principles" can open doors, create conversations, and spark ideas.


Two Great Chicken Soup Books On Nutrition and Weight

Here are two great books from Jack Canfield's "feel good" series of Chicken Soup books. If you have not yet picked up any of the Chicken Soup books, each one is a compilation of stories from real people - this time health related. Most of the stories relate to nutrition and weight. And since nearly 80% of Americans are overweight and over 18 million children are obese - these are stories that many people can relate to.




If you are on the diet roller coaster, pick up either book to see that you are not alone and that there is hope! The "To Inspire" book on the left is his latest, but the female half of our reviewing team likes the selection on the right from the "Healthy Living" series. You'll find some excellent stories describing how Isagenix has touched and changed the lives of many people. (For more information on Isagenix, CLICK HERE).