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Maybe it's just me, but I have a problem with people telling me how to live when it doesn't look like they can do what they suggest the rest of us should do.

Let's take for example Dr. Wayne Dyer's There's a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem.' Wasn't there a spiritual solution to prevent any of his three marriages from ending in divorce? Or didn't he think divorce was a problem? I'm assuming he took the same vows all married people take, the ones that include Until death do us part.' Don't those vows apply to him? Instead of writing Change Your ThoughtsChange Your Life,' maybe he should've written Change Your Mind, Change Your Wife.'

Wayne Dyer leads the self-help brigade appearing on the highly regarded PBS channel. PBS, which stands for PUBLIC Broadcasting System means that your donations help fund his programs. In addition to what he gets paid to appear in the studio, he gets to promulgate his products during breaks in the program.

"Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into," says Dr. Dyer. How we do that is something of a mystery. What is obvious, however, is that if you can write a fluffy inspirational book packed with maxims sans substance, you can make a bundle. Just open up and let the universe send you its abundance. "Successful people make money," he says. "It's not that people who make money become successful, but that successful people attract money. They bring success to what they do."

Is money the only barometer of success? Does anyone really understand how to "attract money?" Doesn't that sound a little passive to you? If you want money, I always thought you had to work for it. But that concept isn't going to sell any books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, or tickets to speaking engagements.

I'm not trying to target Dr. Dyer for any special criticism. Similar observations can be made about motivational giant Anthony Robbins whose body of work includes a film, "Back from the Edge: Creating Everlasting Love," which implies that he's in a position to give relationship advice. In 2001, he divorced his first wife of 15 years and remarried in the same year.

Another person who gets my ire up, but for a different reason, is Dr. Phil McGraw, well known for his, "How's that workin' for ya?" mantra. Here's a guy who, in addition to his self-help books and sensationalized TV show, has written "The Ultimate Weight Solution." Have you checked his waistline lately? How's that weight loss solution workin' for him?

What's with these guys who can't take

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