The 10 Greatest Self-Help Classics Youve Never Heard Of

Over the last few months Ive immersed myself in books, probably 60 or 70 of them. Many from the fields of self-help and personal development. And while most of these didnt really stand out, some were masterpieces. The funny thing is, the best books were often the oldest ones books that are all but forgotten today. When I told some friends about these books, theyd never heard of them. I was stunned. And to make matters worse, many expressed little interest in the old ideas these books contained. These people were stuck on the false notion that only the latest and greatest ideas have value. This is tragic. Not only are they missing out on some of the most engaging self-help books ever written, but theyre also missing out on some of the most powerful ideas of all time. This inspired me to make this short list of some of the best of the best. Im sure there are many more that could be added and when I find them, Ill add them but this list is enough to get you started. The bad news is it seems only a few of these books are still in print. Still, you can find used copies of the others online with just a few keystrokes. As far as Im concerned, all of these books are worth checking out. But to help you decide which ones might be right for you, Ive included a few lines describing the books and what I found so special about them. If I could only keep a handful of books out of the 1000 plus books in my personal library, these would be among them. If I could not replace them, I wouldnt consider selling them at any price. If you decide to read some of them, let me know what you think. And if you know of other books that belong on this list, let me know. Id love to hear your thoughts. Blair Warren www.blairwarren.com

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The 10 Greatest Self-Help Classics Youve Never Heard Of

The List (in no particular order)
1. On Being a Real Person by Harry Emerson Fosdick , 1943 Fosdick was a well-known preacher and author of numerous religious books. The focus of this book, however, is more practical than religious. While it covers typical self-help type topics, (e.g. faith, fear, self-acceptance, etc.), what I loved was his understanding that our very attempt to fix ourselves often does us more harm than good. He says, "...turning attention to oneself in the earnest endeavor to improve oneself may only increase obsession with oneself, which is the root of the mischief." So how do we improve ourselves without focusing on ourselves? Read the book and find out. 2. The Human Machine Arnold Bennett, 1913 Arnold Bennett was a prolific and popular novelist, yet he wrote four excellent self help books. His most famous is How to Live on 24 Hours a Day. And while this book is excellent, my favorite is The Human Machine. He points out that the happiest, most productive people are often those who are consumed with work on a machine. Inventors, builders, etc. These people are so busy designing, building, tweaking and testing their machines that there is literally no time for self-destructive thoughts to enter their minds. Bennett then points out that each of us is capable of living such a life if we treat ourselves as machines. It may sound blasphemous in a world where were taught to focus on our feelings and our inner selves, but Bennetts idea is fascinating. Even better, its true. 3. The Technique of Getting Things Done by Donald and Eleanor Laird, 1947 No flash here. Just plenty of good old fashioned get-off-your-butt-and-do-something advice. It contains some stories that I couldnt really relate to, but others provided very revealing looks into some of the most productive people around. One of their keys to success is a relentless focus on self-control and self-discipline. Not a popular idea, but a powerful one if you can stomach it.

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The 10 Greatest Self-Help Classics Youve Never Heard Of

4. Beyond Success and Failure by Willard & Marguerite Beecher, 1966 Inspired by the ideas of the psychologist Alfred Adler, this book is incredibly powerful. Briefly, it is about becoming more self-reliant by telling the truth about ourselves and others. No more excuses, rationalizations and other intellectual garbage. Stop trying to figure out life and start living it. Or as the Beechers point out, If we watch only movementwe cannot be fooled by others, nor can we any longer fool ourselves. What a person does is what he truly means. 5. Wake-up and Live by Dorothea Brande, 1936 Heres the gist of this book in one sentence: Act as if it were impossible to fail. I know, I know. Youve heard this a thousand times before. But this advice isnt the main reason I like this book. Brandes attitude and tone are what really jumped out at me. Many years ago I took a seminar called the est training which was like a psychological boot camp. Its in-your-face style forced you to stop lying to yourself and accept responsibility for your life. In a way, this book is similar to that but it came nearly 40 years before the training. Still, this book is more than a much-needed slap upside the head. Its filled with solid, down-to-earth ideas from one smart, tough woman. 6. Obvious Adams by Robert R. Updegraff, 1929 This tiny little book turned my mind inside out. Told in the form of a parable, this is the story of a man who rose to the heights of business by being and doing the obvious. While others wasted their time looking for technical and complex answers to their problems, Obvious Adams took the opposite approach. He did what he saw needed to be done. He said what he meant. And he learned that the most powerful way of understanding anything is by direct observation. After reading it, I was amazed at how complicated we tend to make things in our lives. Could many of the answers were searching for really be this obvious? Read it and find out for yourself. 7. The Psychology of Power by Capt. J.A. Hadfield, 1919 If youre looking for a how to rule the world book, this isnt it. A more accurate title for this book would be, The Psychology of Energy. That is, raising ones level of life energy in order to be more productive in life. This book is short, to the point and will blow your socks off with its simple but powerful ideas. Heres a quote to give you a sense of why I like the book so much: Page 3 of 5

The 10 Greatest Self-Help Classics Youve Never Heard Of

Give (an overly self-conscious man) something to live for, that awakens his interest , and his ambition will arouse his instinctive emotions till the heart that was sluggish palpitates with the joy of life once more, the nerves tingle with eager expression. Lifes demand for expression will be satisfied. See what I mean? 8. People in Quandaries by Wendell Johnson, 1946 A great book about language and how to use it to open up a sense of possibility in our lives. This is one of the true classics from the field of General Semantics. I must warn you though, if youre happy with the way things are, leave this one alone. However, if youre not happy with the way things are, read this book; youll be glad to discover that the way you think things are isnt necessarily the way things are. Note: If you arent familiar with the field of General Semantics, thats something else you ought to look up very powerful stuff on how our use of language impacts our lives. 9. The Art of Selfishness by David Seabury, 1964 Do you ever feel like a psychological 98 pound weakling? You know the type. These people are constantly at the mercy of others. Theyre guilted into doing things theyd rather not do. And they often feel a tremendous responsibility for the feelings of others. If any of this sounds familiar, this book is for you. Its subtitle says it all: How to Deal with the Tyrants and the Tyrannies in Your Life The stories in this book are very dated and tough to relate to, but the ideas can transform your life if you put them into practice. Easier said than done for most people. Or as Seabury puts it, the question of living life well is not one of wisdom only, but of daring. You may have intelligence enough to see a practical solution. Have you the nerve to follow it? If not, you might as well be stupid. 10. Conditioned Reflex Therapy by Andrew Salter, 1949 Few books are so powerful that they can help create an entire new field of study. This one did. Though Salter doesnt use the term assertiveness, this book inspired the assertiveness movement. Today there are dozens of great books on assertiveness, but none come close to this one. One of my all-time favorite quotations came from this book:

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The 10 Greatest Self-Help Classics Youve Never Heard Of

The basis of life is excitation. The creatures that survive in the jungle are those that slink and jump and kill. The polite and inhibited ones crouch behind a tree and are soon dead. The human species could never have survived if it were inhibited. This is the tone behind the entire book. If this quote touches you, this book will transform you. If I had to pick one of these 10 books as my favorite, Conditioned Reflex Therapy would be it. Be warned, however, that this is not really a self help book but a rigorous psychology book so parts of it may be a bit too clinical for some people. But thats okay. Those who dont have the strength to handle the style of this book, certainly wont be able to handle the substance of this book. Note: Conditioned Reflex Therapy just recently came back into print. Its amazing it ever went out of print in the first place.

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