I recently completed What are Your Goals? by Gary Ryan Blair and found that it did a sufficient job of helping me develop my 2007 goals (and some for the future, of course). I'm curious if any of you have read any good Self-Improvement / Self-Help Books so far in 2007?

Sadly no. I ought to though. I bought a number of useful ones for me last year, including many on how to relax and be stress free (one of my biggest problems). They don't work by just sitting there on the shelf apparently *winks*.

i humbly offer......that when you seek to reduce stress in your life......that you look at what is causing the stress and see if you can change that......instead of simply mitigating the effects of stress......as is usually the case these days. hope that helps :)) jay

:) I tried that. I am just one of those people who gets stressed over pretty much everything and is unable to relax. As my better half often states, my idea of being relaxed is his idea of running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. *grins*.

It will probably improve a lot when I learn to sleep better too which is on another of my self help book lists. *chuckles*.

I really am going to read them soon though.

Hi adamallen--how are your goals progressing? Are you able to stick with them?

Last year I took a class through www.barnesandnobleuniversity.com with self-help author/ life coach Debbie Ford. It featured a couple of her books which were also on goal setting and making things happen. The books we discussed The best year of your life : dream it, plan it, live it , The right questions : ten essential questions to guide you to an extraordinary life
and also her Best Year of Your Life Kit,which has 52 cards that you randomly pick each week to keep you focussed on your goal and a meditation audio.

charlenemartel, since I've added a bit of mediation, quiet time each day it's really helped with my stress relief and control. (In fact the card I picked this week was 'carve out an hour of quiet time for yourself each day--no READING, TV, telephone or other distractions. An HOUR??? Eeek --I didn't do well on this week's challenge. :) ) I also took a self-hypnosis class this year which was also very helpful in going within and quieting myself.

The progression towards my goals are going well. I set a lot of them so I'm pleased to be moving forward with the vast majority. There's one - improving my guitar playing - that is getting severly neglected. Ironically (based on your post), the other that happens some but not enough is my goal of meditation. I need to meditate more frequently and with more regularity.

I've found it incredibly helpful just to have the goals written though. I review them once or twice per week but they're always in the back of my mind. When I have free time or I'm coordinating my schedule for the day, I incorporate them. It's been wonderful.

streamsong - I am with you on that one.. an hour of doing nothing would be impossible for me. I am going to give it a try this week though. I suspect the only way I will manage that is to lock myself in the bathroom with a nice hot bath as I let the pets fight amongst themselves. :))