Life Strategies: Doing What Works, Doing What Matters || Phillip C. McGraw

Life Strategies: Doing What Works, Doing What Matters (1999/2000) by psychologist and TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw delivers a tough-love blueprint for taking control of your life through practical, actionable principles. The book centers around ten foundational “Life Laws” that empower readers to break free from self-defeating behaviors and craft a more effective, fulfilling existence 

Dr. Phil structures the book around these guiding laws—including “People do what works,” “There is freedom in forgiveness,” and “Life is managed, not cured”—and pairs each with real-world strategies, checklists, and compelling case studies to help you apply them 

Beginning with the law “You either get it, or you don’t,” the book encourages acknowledging how your perceptions shape outcomes. It emphasizes personal accountability—“You create your own experience”—and challenges readers to identify why they fall into harmful patterns by recognizing the payoffs driving their behaviors Sporting a direct, even confrontational tone—“pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps” advice, to quote one summary—the book opens by recounting how Dr. Phil helped Oprah Winfrey navigate and ultimately triumph in the 1998 "Mad Cow" lawsuit, illustrating the power of owning your reality 

Key Highlights

• Publication & Format
  Released in 1999 (U.S.), typically around 320 pages in paperback format 

• Central Themes & Tools

  • Embraces personal responsibility and proactive life management.

  • Offers structured self-assessment tools, exercises, and corrective strategies.

  • Encourages facing uncomfortable truths and designing life based on effectiveness, not excuses 

• Intended Audience
  Ideal for readers who value straightforward, no-frills self-help—particularly those ready to take ownership and implement radical change.