False Economizing

Conservation Of Energy

Living Within Your Means

Take A Vacation

The Importance of Play

Lies

Importance of Atmosphere

The Joy of Giving

The Guarantees Of Success

The Power of Positive Thinking And Tenacity

Authority

The Importance of Education

The Habit of Ambition

Mother

Religion

Orison Swett Marden is considered to be the founder of the modern success movement in America. It is hard to deny this because Marden's first book, Pushing to the Front, was published in 1894 and had a phenomenal circulation. Then in 1897 he founded Success Magazine, which reached the enormous circulation, for that time, of nearly a half-million. This means, of course, that it was read by from two to three million readers. Through his magazine and his many books he honed the skill of actualizing success to perfection. Although his ideas are as needed and true today as a hundred years ago, the writing is hopelessly out of date because of the great difference in culture.

In an effort to bring his thoughts back to life in today’s world we decided to edit and rewrite one of his most famous works Be Good To Yourself. Examples like the coal burning fire engine are replaced with modern analogies, things like eBooks are introduced and sexism is removed from the language. Otherwise we remained true to his original work and only made changes where necessary.

We chose Be Good To Yourself because this title was written right at the height of his career and it is targeted at the successful business person. The book defines the traits which prevent success and explores the thinking habits that often create our failures.

 In a positive but forceful manner the author explains how to escape or avoid the traps that so often cripple our careers and our businesses. One of the great gifts of Marden's style of speech and analysis is that he avoids the jargon and psychological language that is so often found in success books.

Orison Swett Marden is considered to be the founder of the modern success movement in America. He bridged the gap between the old notions of success and the new, more comprehensive, models later made popular by best-selling authors such as Napoleon Hill, Clement Stone, Dale Carnegie, Og Mandino, Earl Nightingale, Norman Vincent Peale, and today's authors such as Stephen R.Covey, Anthony Robbins, and Brian Tracy.

Although targeted for business professionals, this is a book for anyone who has ever been called an under-achiever or one who fears that they may never be able to fulfill their own potential or early promise.

 Be Good to Yourself defines the traits which can prevent success and explores the thinking habits that often create our own failures. In a positive but forceful manner the author explains how to escape or avoid these traps that so often cripple our lives and careers.

 This is a basic guide to life and success. Like a faithful good friend it can always be relied on for inspiration as well as everyday good sense.

Two 4 Star Reviews from Amazon   Old-fashioned Advice that is Still Relevant Today, April 7, 2010 By  Rebecca Johnson "SeasonedwithLove.com" (Washington State)   This review is from: Be Good To Yourself - edited by Ross Books (Hardcover) "The most precious investment a person can make is in their health."  "Be Good to Yourself" was originally published in 1910. However, most of the advice in this book is relevant today. Ross Books has done an excellent job of making the text readable and exciting.  This book covers many topics that are relevant to anyone who wants to be successful in the workplace. Orison Swett Maden originally wrote this for business professionals. I think it is also general enough to be useful to anyone seeking to improve themselves.  "Beware of the disposition to see the worst instead of the best." ~ pg. 63  For the most part, this book is a good reality check. Orsion Swett Maden seems to be a great observer of human strengths and weaknesses. His message is character building and can help you get ahead in life if you take his advice seriously.  Some of the topics discussed include: addiction, anxiety, anger, education, criticism, discipline, enthusiasm, generosity, habits, harmony, kindness, laughter, lies, luxuries, mastery, money, obstacles, perfectionism, pessimism, prosperity, sacrifice, self-consciousness, selfishness, vacations, truth and zeal.  If you enjoy books by Napoleon Hill and Clement Stone I think you will also enjoy "Be Good to Yourself." It is filled with wisdom learned from experience.  The only thing I found unsettling was the author's belief that only superstitious people believe in the devil. I think he alienates part of his audience with this remark.  ~The Rebecca Review       Core concepts are core for a reason... they transcend time., May 2, 2010 By  Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) This review is from: Be Good To Yourself - edited by Ross Books (Hardcover) So have you ever wondered how far back the "success movement" in terms of personal development goes? One of the first significant books in that genre is Be Good To Yourself by Orison Sewett Marden. Given that the book is 100 years old this year, you might wonder how well it holds up over time. Surprisingly, pretty well. Ross Books has taken the title and updated some of the language and illustrations to be more relevant for today's audience, but this edition still retains the basic message and style. What's nice is that you can read and absorb the advice without becoming caught up in the personality of the individual delivering it, as odds are you've never heard of Marden.  Contents: Be Good To Yourself; False Economizing; Conservation of Energy; Living Within Your Means; Take A Vacation; The Importance of Play; Lies; Importance of Atmosphere; The Joy of Giving; Power and the Self; The Guarantee of Success; The Power of Positive Thinking and Tenacity; Authority; The Importance of Education; The Habit of Ambition; Mother; Religion; Index  Within these chapters, you'll see many similarities to messages and concepts that are common today when it comes to personal development. For instance, the chapter on education ends with the quote "Do not throw away the opportunity for learning as so many others have thoughtlessly done. Education is power." The accessibility to education via books and electronic sources is so great today, yet so many people decide that spending hours in front of the TV is time better spent. How wrong... Or in the chapter on living within your means, we find "All people owe it to themselves to live a real life, whether they be rich or poor; to be, and not merely to seem. We owe it to ourselves to be genuine." Today, we find that we have far too many "wants" that are disguised as "needs", and we go broke trying to meet them all and appear to be something we're really not. These gems, along with many others in the pages of this book, can help to focus you back on what's really important in life.  It's nice to be reminded of core concepts that can help us to live more successful and satisfying lives. If you're into the habit of seeking out good personal development books, Be Good To Yourself is another option that should rank up there with titles by other well-known writers of that genre.