DR. PHIL LIFES STRATEGIES

In the book Life Strategies, Dr. Phillip C. McGraw gives you overall guidelines to help you solve problems, understand how those problems came about, and how to take back control of you life. The first step to problem solving is to get out of the stage of denial. Think to yourself and say "Okay, I have a problem, quit asking yourself why this is happening to you and get over it!" Now that you have excepted the fact that you have this problem, now you have to solve it instead of dwell on it.

You now need to get real. For example, if you go driving drunk and speeding through a neighborhood street; you have engaged in unprotected sex; you've left your four year old son to watch your two year old daughter while you went down the street for a "minute"; These "shocking stories" are often about everyday people who have done the same things.

TRIZ process for creative problem solving

Eleanor Roosevelt with Fala

English: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Librar...

But instead of getting off "Scott-free," the everyday people have a tragically yet different outcome, they would end up in jail, find a child dead, or go through the rest of their lives with HIV. Thinking that none of the tragedies will happen to you and won't happen to you is unrealistic. You need to wake up! If you are practicing poor life-management skills, you are playing with fire.

Dr. Phil is basically trying to tell you to stop the problem before it starts. He describes many techniques to problem solving and teaching you to respect yourself and others which will reduce the risk of major problems. If you respect yourself, you won't put yourself in bad situations, and if you respect others you are most likely to avoid conflict.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." -Eleanor Roosevelt...