Top Ten Self Help Books #7 and #6

The Four Hour Work Week is a manifesto for a lifestyle revolution. Tim Ferriss doesn't believe that retirement should be endlessly deferred or that the joy of a full life should be forever delayed.The author has experienced a unique and exuberant journey that has taken him from the tango halls of Buenos Aires to victory in the Chinese kick boxing championships. He now shares the productivity secrets that enabled him not merely to take "gap years", but live an independent, peripatetic but fulfilled life.

The schematic he devises is called DEAL: Definition, Elimination, Automation and Liberation.The underlying principle is that pay-day must come every day, that quality trumps clutter and that freedom and passion can be achieved even within the comfort zone of a regular and safe job. Ferriss suggests we turn off the fire hose of information that is drowning us (i.e. begin "a low-information diet"), outsource all non-essential tasks and pioneer remote and flexible working arrangements that give us cover to live our dreams. His book extols the pursuit of eustress: positive, beneficial life stress derived from dreams that are actually lived.

Ferriss is a big fan of the Pareto Principle, the revolutionary and subversive insight that 20% of the inputs result in 80% of outputs in any process, and that it always pays to focus on the critical few. He is clearly an admirer of Richard Koch, who not only expounded these insights but used them in the field of private equity to make millions. Ferriss neatly encapsulates the essence of this lean 80/20 philosophy in a simple, interlocking rule: limit tasks to the important, to shorten work time. Shorten work time, to limit tasks to the important. The latter point is critical because Parkinson's Law suggests that work will always expand to fill time available.

Ferriss naturally appeals to the footloose twentysomething eager to travel the world and seek out adventure, but something of this pioneering spirit will strike a chord with every wage slave and office troll. He does not offer the glib and dangerous solution of "resign and then go off to live your dreams", but rather explains how we can start living life more fully where we are, within the constraints of the jobs and commitments we already have. He offers tantalising examples of how differentials in wage rates and living costs can be exploited to maximum benefit and how internet marketing ideas can be road-tested and then deployed.

Even with the necessary caveat that the road to personal liberation is always harder than it looks, Ferriss offers a stimulating and conversation-igniting route to the pursuit of happiness. His insight that success is about more than the accumulation of money, and that quality of life is pivotal, chimes well with the values of Generation Y. The book is timely in another sense; for the first time in history, the potential of technology to deliver a life of pure mobility and choice is catching up with the dream.

Life is fleeting, and the Ferriss concept of "lifestyle design" is one technique to seize the moment and squeeze the juice out of the journey. The Four Hour Work Week is a cornucopia of ideas on how life can be lived in all its glorious colours.

Self help books that stand the test of time are rare indeed, but this 1965 gem is an acknowledged inspirational classic. The Magic of Thinking Big by David J Schwartz starts with Disraeli's maxim that "life is too short to be little". The text now conjures up a long-lost world of grand industrial corporations, suave executives and $100 suits and images of ABC's Mad Men come to mind. Yet the basic lessons - of mental conditioning, resilience and the vital importance of optimism and purpose - remain timeless.

The concept of the "self-worth thermostat" is particularly valuable. This idea suggests that all of us are satisfied with a certain level of success and that "a person is a product of his own thoughts... and others see in us what we see in ourselves". The core message - that external reflects the internal, and that thoughts are things - is a teaching of so much twentieth century New Thought and motivational literature. in Schwartz's work the philosophical musings are light, and the advice is always hard-hitting and intensely practical.

His advice about the two foremen in the factory of your mind - Mr Defeat and Mr Triumph - may seem at first a little corny, but who has not had a day soured by negative thoughts or even gripes about the weather? Cue another highly practical tip from The Magic of Thinking Big - never complain about rain, snow or any adverse weather conditions! This is because one negative thought can multiply fast unless stopped at source. Positive thinking affirmations, in contrast, can work.

One of the most truthful and challenging chapters is entitled "Cure Yourself of Excusitis - the Failure Disease". Motivation matters. The importance of self-reliance, persistence and positive focus is showcased with any number of compelling practical examples. More practical tips ensue. "Be a front seater. Make eye contact. Walk 25% faster. Go first class". The ideas flow thick and fast.

The concept that self-belief is the furnace and cauldron of achievement is clearly delineated in later chapters. As The Luck Factor would advise decades later, it is good to circulate in new groups to accumulate new insights and expose yourself to new opportunities. As Tony Robbins would also suggest in later years, "set goals to get things done".

The Magic of Thinking Big is a motivational work far ahead of its time. It is a foundation stone of many of the great self help books that followed and has already delivered meaningful positive change for many of its four million readers.

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