The Top 101 Experts that Help Us Improve Our Lives

460 Pages·2003·1.64 MB·English

Self Improvement: The Top 101 Experts – http://www.SelfGrowth.com
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Self Improvement: The Top 101 Experts
That Help Us Improve Our Lives – by David Riklan

Published by
Self Improvement Online, Inc.
http://www.SelfGrowth.com
20 Arie Drive, Marlboro, NJ 07746

©Copyright by David Riklan
ISBN 0-9745672-0-5
Manufactured in the United States

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
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except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without
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Limit of Liability / Disclaimer of Warranty: While the authors have used their best efforts in
preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or
completeness of the contents and specifically disclaim any implied warranties. The advice and
strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a
professional where appropriate. The author shall not be liable for any loss of profit or any other
commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other
damages.
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Self Improvement: The Top 101 Experts
That Help Us Improve Our Lives – by David Riklan

TABLE OF CONTENTS

* Each of the chapters below can be accessed immediately by
placing your mouse over the title and clicking on it.

Chapter Page

Introduction
The Purpose of This Bok 7
How to Use This Bok 10
How is This Bok Organized? 12
Who is an Expert and How are They Ranked? 13
What About All of the Other Experts? 17
Where is Oprah? 18

Expert (Best Known For)

# 1 Phil McGraw (Dr. Phil TV Show) 20
# 2 Anthony Robbins (Unleash the Power Within) 24
# 3 Sylvia Browne (The Other Side and Back) 28
# 4 Dalai Lama (The Art of Happiness) 32
# 5 Laura Schlessinger (Dr. Laura Radio Show) 36
# 6 Dale Carnegie (How to Win Friends and Influence 40
People)
# 7 Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist) 43
# 8 Deepak Chopra (The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success) 47
# 9 Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) 51
# 10 Zig Ziglar (Over the Top) 55
# 11 Wayne Dyer (Your Erroneous Zones) 59
# 12 Kahlil Gibran (The Prophet) 63
# 13 Rick Warren (The Purpose-Driven Life) 67
# 14 John Maxwell (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership) 71
# 15 Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad, Poor Dad) 75
# 16 Carlos Castaneda (The Teachings of Don Juan) 79
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# 17 Robert Allen (The One Minute Millionaire) 83
# 18 John Gray (Men are from Mars, Women are 86
………………………… from Venus)
# 19 Iyanla Vanzant (In the Meantime) 89
# 20 Les Brown (Live Your Dreams) 93
# 21 Louise Hay (You Can Heal Yourself) 96
# 22 Brian Tracy (The Psychology of Selling) 99
# 23 Mitch Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie) 103
# 24 Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love) 106
# 25 Eckhart Tolle (Practicing the Power of Now) 110
# 26 Og Mandino (The Greatest Salesman in the World) 114
# 27 Ken Blanchard (The One Minute Manager) 118
# 28 L. Ron Hubbard (Dianetics) 122
# 29 Norman Vincent Peale (The Power of Positive Thinking) 126
# 30 Dave Pelzer (A Child Called “It”) 130
# 31 Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich) 133
# 32 Caroline Myss (Anatomy of the Spirit) 138
# 33 Thich Nhat Hanh (Living Buddha, Living Christ) 142
# 34 Tom Hopkins (How to Master the Art of Selling) 146
# 35 Albert Ellis (A Guide to Rational Living) 149
# 36 Leo Buscaglia (Love) 153
# 37 Jim Rohn (The Art of Exceptional Living) 157
# 38 Daniel Goleman (Emotional Intelligence) 161
# 39 Kevin Trudeau (Mega Memory) 164
# 40 Robert Fulghum (All I Really Need to Know I Learned 167
………………………………… in Kindergarten)
# 41 Gary Zukav (The Seat of the Soul) 171
# 42 Julia Cameron (The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to 175
………………………………… Higher Creativity)
# 43 John Eldredge (Wild at Heart) 179
# 44 Jim Collins (Good to Great) 182
# 45 Oriah Mountain Dreamer (The Invitation) 185
# 46 Bob Proctor (You Were Born Rich) 188
# 47 Ram Dass (Be Here Now) 192
# 48 Barbara Sher (I Could Do Anything if I Only Knew 195
………………………………… What It Was)
# 49 Anthony de Mello (Awareness) 199
# 50 Laurel Mellin (The Solution) 202
# 51 Bruce Wilkinson (The Prayer of Jabez) 206
# 52 Tony Buzan (The Mind Map Book) 209
# 53 James Redfield (Celestine Prophecy) 212
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# 54 M. Scott Peck (The Road Less Traveled) 216
# 55 Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations with God: Book 1) 219
# 56 Rollo May (The Courage to Create) 224
# 57 David R. Hawkins (Power vs. Force) 228
# 58 Robert M. Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle 231
………………………… Maintenance)
# 59 John Bradshaw (Homecoming: Reclaiming and 234
Championing Your Inner Child)
# 60 Loretta LaRoche (Life is Not a Stress Rehearsal) 238
# 61 Cheryl Richardson (Life Makeovers) 242
# 62 Stuart Wilde (Science of Mind) 246
# 63 Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul) 249
# 64 Po Bronson (What Should I Do with My Life?) 253
# 65 Richard Bandler (Neuro-Linguistic Programming—NLP) 256
# 66 Dan Millman (Way of the Peaceful Warrior) 259
# 67 Evelyn Wood (Evelyn Wood Speed Reading) 263
# 68 Spencer Johnson (Who Moved My Cheese?) 266
# 69 Krishna Das (Spiritual Leader) 271
# 70 Ernest Holmes (International Religious Science 274
Movement)
# 71 Don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements) 277
# 72 Byron Katie (The Work) 281
# 73 James Allen (As a Man Thinketh) 285
# 74 Harville Hendrix (Getting the Love You Want) 288
# 75 John Gottman (The Seven Principles for Making 291
………………………………… Marriage Work)
# 76 Joy Browne (The Dr. Joy Browne Show) 294
# 77 Paramahansa Yogananda (Autobiography of a Yogi) 298
# 78 Barbara De Angelis (Making Love Work) 302
# 79 David Burns (Feeling Good) 306
# 80 Sark (Succulent Wild Woman) 310
# 81 Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul) 314
# 82 Martin E.P. Seligman (Learned Optimism) 318
# 83 Lynn Grabhorn (Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting) 321
# 84 Werner Erhard (est) 324
# 85 Jiddu Krishnamurti (Self-Awareness) 327
# 86 Martha Beck (Expecting Adam) 332
# 87 Debbie Ford (The Dark Side of the Light Chasers) 335
# 88 Shakti Gawain (Creative Visualization) 339
# 89 Nathaniel Branden (The Psychology of Self Esteem) 343
# 90 Gangaji (Spiritual Teacher) 348
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# 91 Earl Nightingale (The Strangest Secret) 352
# 92 Julie Morgenstern (Time Management from the Inside Out) 356
# 93 Richard Carlson (Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff) 359
# 94 Jon Kabat-Zinn (Wherever You Go, There You Are) 362
# 95 Robin Sharma (The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari) 366
# 96 Lynn Andrews (Medicine Woman) 369
# 97 Alan Cohen (Dare to Be Yourself) 373
# 98 Gary Craig (Emotional Freedom Techniques—EFT) 376
# 99 Eric Butterworth (Discover the Power Within You) 379
# 100 Denis Waitley (The Psychology of Winning) 383
# 101 Maxwel Maltz (Psycho-Cybernetics) 387

Appendix A About the Author 391
Appendix B Expert Summaries in Order by Rank 393
Appendix C Experts Listed in Alphabetical Order 416
Appendix D Other Valuable Self Improvement Experts 419
Appendix E Other Valuable Self Improvement Companies 436
Appendix F Other Valuable Self Improvement Books 444
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INTRODUCTION

THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK

The purpose of this book is to assist us with that wonderful journey we call life.

Our goal was to create a single resource that would open up the doors to the Top
101 Self Improvement Experts in the world who can help us improve our lives.
Through the use of Internet technology, this book provides detailed biographical
information, product information, key thoughts and beliefs, book excerpts, audio
clips, and articles for the Top 101 Experts (i.e. Gurus) in the Self Improvement
Industry. This fact-filled book is a guide to help us determine which experts are
best for us and what products will help us improve our lives.

Our first challenge was to define the Self Improvement Industry. What is Self
Improvement and how does it differ from Self Help or Personal Growth? Our
research indicated that the term “Self Help” was coined by Samuel Smiles in a
book that he wrote in 1859 titled Self-Help. The terms Self Improvement and
Personal Growth appeared to have evolved over time. Due to the nuances of each
of these terms, we decided to limit the definition of Self Improvement to the
categories that we cover. These categories enabled us to define Self Improvement.

The 6 different general categories that define Self Improvement include:

• Empowerment (Philip McGraw, Anthony Robbins, et al.)
• Spirituality (Marianne Williamson, Dan Millman, et al.)
• Business (Spencer Johnson, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, et al.)
• Relationships (John Gray, Harville Hendrix, Barbara De Angelis, et al.)
• Personal Finance (Robert Kiyosaki, Robert Allen, et al.)
• Professional & Academic Skills (Dale Carnegie, Og Mandino, Brian Tracy,
et al.)

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?
This book is a must read for absolutely anybody connected to, or interested in, Self
Improvement. It is a clear, concise, and handy Self Improvement reference guide,
with rankings for the industry’s top experts. Finally, all of the worlds top experts
in one place, ready to inspire you now!
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WHAT ARE THE TOP TEN QUESTIONS TO DETERMINE IF THIS
BOOK IS FOR YOU?

We have included a series of questions you should ask yourself. If you answer
“yes” to at least three of these questions, then this is the book for you.

1. Do you feel drawn to the Self Help section of your local bookstore?
2. Have you ever taken a continuing education course or seminar on any of
the following topics: personal growth, empowerment, goal setting, speed
reading, public speaking, communication, relationships, stress
management, time management, writing skills, or sales skills?
3. Have you ever tried to find or contact any of the top Self Improvement
Experts or their companies?
4. Have you ever wished there was one meeting place for every major expert
in the industry with instructions for how to get started with your favorites?
5. Have you every watched a Tony Robbins infomercial or an episode of Dr.
Phil’s TV show?
6. Have you ever picked up a copy of the book by Dale Carnegie called How
to Win Friends and Influence People?
7. Do you want to know who the top 101 Experts in the Self Improvement
Industry are and their rankings?
8. Have you ever listened to an audio program by a motivational speaker?
9. Have you ever searched the Internet looking for Self Improvement
information?
10. Do you want to improve your career, make more money, meet Mr. or Ms.
Right, feel better, or be happier?

If you answered “no” to all of the above questions, you need this book more than
anyone else. Start reading it immediately.

WHY DID I WRITE A BOOK ABOUT SELF IMPROVEMENT EXPERTS?

This is a very valid question. Why should a Self Improvement book cover
information about the experts? We based the premise of this book around the
concept of “modeling.” We believe that if you want something, anything, the best
way to get it is to find somebody else who already has it and figure out how they
got it. It doesn’t matter what that is; it could be anything from:

A Better Job More Fulfilling Relationships
Higher Level of Education A Happy Outlook On Life
A Great Tennis Game Inner Peace
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SO WHICH EXPERT DO YOU GO TO?

The experts featured in this book are all people who specialize in helping people
get something they want. That something could be tangible or intangible. This
book is about the Top 101 Self Improvement Experts who teach us how to improve
our lives. In many cases, they are showing us how to teach ourselves.

WHY DID WE WRITE THIS BOOK?

We were looking to create a guidebook for anybody interested in Self
Improvement, or more importantly, anyone interested in improving their lives.
Originally, we wanted to buy a Self Improvement reference guide and couldn’t
find one. So we wrote one ourselves. Our hope is that we can all use it as a guide
to help us improve our lives.
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HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This reference guide can be used in many different ways. Here is a short list of
ways this book might be helpful to you:

1. AS A REFERENCE GUIDE

This book can be used as a traditional reference guide. You can look up any of the
Top 101 Experts in Self Improvement and immediately get their contact
information, their websites, a list of their best-sellers, information about their
businesses, their most notable quotes or ideas, their biographies, and a quick place
to get started with them. You can then proceed to the link at the end of each
“Getting Started” section and immediately read additional excerpts from their
books or listen to audio excerpts from their programs when they are available.

You can look up each expert’s information by name or by ranking. We provided
two additional appendices to help find the person(s) you are most interested in.

• In Appendix B, the experts are listed in order by their rank (1 -101), #1
being the most popular of the 101. Additional details on ranking order can
be found in this introduction.

• In Appendix C, the experts are listed in alphabetical order by last name,
making it easier to find the expert(s) you are searching for.

2. SELF IMPROVEMENT 101 COURSE

This book can be read cover to cover. Each chapter functions like a mini-course in
the beliefs, background, and experiences of the expert. The book can be described
as a mini-encyclopedia for the Self Improvement Industry.

3. A QUICK DOSE OF EMPOWERMENT AND ENLIGHTENMENT

For each of the 101 Experts, we tried to identify their key concepts or key thoughts
for helping us improve our lives. You can read chapter-by-chapter and gain
insights from the people that helped create the Self Improvement movement
(Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, et al.) or from the people who are leading the
charge today (Phillip McGraw, Tony Robbins, et al.).