<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"  Photo: Getty Images ELLE editor Amanda FitzSimons is an admitted self-help addict. In a recent review of new self-help tome Promise Land: My Journey Through America&amp;#039;s Self-Help Culture for ELLE&amp;#039;s January issue, she writes, &amp;quot;Looking back, I guess you could say The Secret was my gateway drug. I had always prided myself on not being the touchy-feely type, but there was something that I found bizarrely intoxicating about author Rhonda Byrne promising in her downunda accent that all my dreams would come true if I just believed hard enough. Six years later, self-help (in the form of books, seminars, tweets, iPhone apps, YouTubed TED talks) has become a genre that I just can&amp;#039;t quit.&amp;quot; Here, she lists her top 10.  1. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne For those who&amp;#039;ve somehow missed Oprah&amp;#039;s tireless campaign to put The Secret on every bookshelf in America, its premise is basically thus: if you think about something reeeeallly hard, you&amp;#039;ll get it. Sounds stupid, you say? Well, I say: if anyone knows the secret to something, it&amp;#039;s The Secret author Rhonda Byrne, a formerly unemployed Australian TV producer who raked in a reported $300 million within a year of publishing her tome in 2008 (and probably has Oprah on speed dial).  2. Lean-In by Sheryl Sandberg A controversial pick, I know. To be clear, I&amp;#039;m not claiming the book is without its issues (that&amp;#039;s for you to take up with your Lean-In circle), but I do find the passages in which the author cops to certain insecurities (impostor syndrome, fear of appearing too type A) uplifting. They&amp;#039;re an incredibly effective reminder that at the end of the day, nobody&amp;#039;s perfect\u2026not least of whom are those who enjoy reading about other people&amp;#039;s shortcomings to make themselves feel better.  Related: So What If Pantene Is Using Feminism to Sell Shampoo? 3. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie Carnegie is best known for How to Win Friends and Influence People, but I happen to be a bigger fan of his first book because it deals with what many (myself included) would argue is the root of all other impediments to living a full life: anxiety. (Notable that Carnegie never felt compelled to write How to Stop Compulsively Eating and Start Living or How to Stop Lashing Out at Your Family Members and Start Living.) Be forewarned, though: that Carnegie, who rose to fame by helping the down-and-out during the Great Depression, was writing in pre-Oprah Supersoul Sunday-era is readily apparent. (Referring to his formerly nervous wreck of a self, the author writes he was &amp;quot;one of the most unhappy lads&amp;quot; in New York City). But if you can get past the author&amp;#039;s old-timey-isms, the book has some very practical pointers for getting rid of the jitters. (Sample: &amp;quot;Decide how much anxiety a thing may be worth and refuse to give it more.&amp;quot;)  Related: That Lovin&amp;#039; Feeling: Psilocybin For Existential Anxiety 4. Uncertainty by Jonathan Fields This 2012 New York Times best-seller, written by corporate lawyer-turned-self-help guru Jonathan Fields, is basically the book version of one of those &amp;quot;No Fear&amp;quot; posters you had taped up in your locker in middle school: Using hard data as well as anecdotal evidence, Fields makes a convincing case for embracing the unknown rather than shying away from it. (Fields&amp;#039; recounting of his own experience quitting his corporate gig to open a yoga studio in Tribeca on September 10, 2001 is particularly inspiring.) I found this gem on the giveaway table after we reviewed it as part of our ELLE self-help package two years ago and every time I reread a passage, I feel a little more, um, certain about it. (Sorry, couldn&amp;#039;t resist.)  5. Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl by Sherry Argov I&amp;#039;ve actually been given this book as a gift\u2026 twice. I&amp;#039;ll leave that to you to decide what that says about me, but don&amp;#039;t let that stop you from seriously considering its premise, which is actually a lot more enlightened than its title would suggest. Yes, there&amp;#039;s a &amp;quot;she said/he thinks&amp;quot; table in the back, but ultimately Argov&amp;#039;s message boils down to one of confidence and self respect, which, let&amp;#039;s face it, isn&amp;#039;t just a recipe for making the opposite sex love you, it&amp;#039;s the only sane way to go. In short, come for the shtick, stay for the sage advice. (Also, be sure not to miss Argov&amp;#039;s inevitable follow-up, Why Men Marry Bitches.)    Related: Guinea Pig of Love: A Look at Julia Allison&amp;#039;s Personal Mementos 6. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Ironic that I picked up this book in an airport last year in an effort to find a way to kick some of my vices (Homeland binge sessions, that second glass of Pinot Grigio), and ended up so addicted to it, I could barely put it down even at baggage claim. Written by a New York Times staff writer and former war correspondent, the book is more descriptive than prescriptive, with spellbinding Gladwellian anecdotes, like one about how certain mega chain stores have been known to detect a customer&amp;#039;s pregnancy based on her buying habits even before her gynecologist has confirmed the news.    7. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey Full disclosure: I was looking for something wacky to throw in here (seventh inning stretch!), came across this, and was very pleasantly surprised. Harvey&amp;#039;s commentary on the difference between the sexes reads more like a punchier Men Are From Mars Women are from Venus than a book by the man who played the teacher in You Got Served (which, admittedly, it is). Not convinced? With three marriages under his belt, Harvey&amp;#039;s got plenty of material.   Related: Meet The Thursday Guy: The New Problem Plaguing Single Ladies 8. The Power of Now by Ekhart Tolle I initially picked up this book because I thought it was targeted at procrastinators. In reality, this Oprah-endorsed read is about something even more appealing: the key to happiness, which the German-born philosopher Tolle tells us is achieved by living in the moment. Go ahead, try it: Think about how happy you are right now reading this genius round-up. See? I told you.  9. Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Coleman True story: my own father gave me this book in sixth grade (better that than Men Love Bitches, I guess) after an emotional outburst involving a pair of Airwalk sneakers and a student council meeting. I refused to read it back then, but I came across it in adulthood, and I ended up really liking it. Forget reruns of Home Alone, you shouldn&amp;#039;t go through the holidays without revisiting this &amp;#039;90s classic. In it, Coleman, a psychologist and New York Times reporter, suggests emotional intelligence\u2014one&amp;#039;s facility for managing our feelings\u2014is just as essential a skill set as IQ. After deftly avoiding a fight at the Christmas dinner table with your conservative uncle-in-law using techniques outlined in this book (yes, he did just say God Bless Ted Cruz under his breath, no, you shouldnt say anything in response), I guarantee you&amp;#039;ll agree.     10. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey Two decades before the Huffington Post came along, Stephen R. Covey had already hit on the formula for viral material\u2014write about something people invariably want to know (how to be more effective!) and put it in list form. With tenets like &amp;quot;synergise&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;be proactive&amp;quot; the former corporate executive&amp;#039;s mega mega-hit (15 million copies sold and counting) is often categorized under the business how-to umbrella, but I find that almost all of its pointers can be applied to one&amp;#039;s personal life, too. To borrow, and slightly misuse, one of Coveys favorite phrases (one which he actually coined in the book), its a win/win!    "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/culture/books/news/a14914/top-ten-self-help-books/?click=hprc>