Building Self-Esteem

By L.S. Barksdale and Lilburn S. Barksdale

Book Overview

Lilburn S. "Barks" Barksdale was raised on a cattle ranch in the Rocky Mountains and received his B.S in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University in 1932. During the Depression he worked... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0918588111
• ISBN13: 9780918588111
• Release Date: December 1991
• Publisher: The Barksdale Foundation
• Length: 73 Pages
• Weight: 0.49 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.3" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

I've gone back to this book since 1990

Barks' teachings are revolutionary, so much so that I have to re-read his book every so often when I find myself slipping back into old, destructive behaviors. This book taught me to stop being judgemental -- with myself as well as with others. It was a great revelation to me when Barks taught me I always make the best decision I can make at any given point in time. So the church's concept of "sin" is totally bogus. Barks says there is no sin because given a person's genetic makeup, total life experience, and inner conscience, the person always makes the best decision they can make at a fixed point in time. One can never say: "I didn't want to do that." Yes they did, or they wouldn't have done it. So I can go out and rob a liquor store and murder the clerk, and at that fixed point in time, that is the best decision I could make. A horrible decision, but inevitable. And I will have to suffer the consequences. The only way to progress is to get my awareness in line with reality. I met Barks several times at his Idyllwild, CA mountain retreat. He was a truly great man, who did much to help us live enriched lives without blame or guilt.

This book "gets it."

I read this book in May 2005 and it changed my life. It totally gets it. No preaching, no questionable frames of mind, no cults. This book breaks life down: Life is all about perspective, and the more perspective you have the more likely you are to make positive choices for yourself. I mean, there's lots more in it than this, but it's only 66 pages, so there's not tons more.

This book is to the point!

This book is still ahead of it's time and it was published in the 1960's. It changed my outlook on life the same day I read it in 2004. I was introduced to it through a self-esteem workshop, but only when I read the book did I "get it". This book is very straightforward and a rare find. It explains human interaction on a very basic and fundamental level. It leaves God, blame, guilt and what you "should" do to fix your life out of it. This book explains WHY in the end YOU make the decision for how you want to feel about yourself. Somebody should send a copy to Dr. Phil or Oprah because this book has been overlooked and needs a spokesperson.