Whether you realize it or not, you already have a strategy, conscious or subconscious, that you use to get through life. That strategy may involve being obedient, respectful and hard-working, or it may embrace rebellion, defiance and thinking outside the box. Whatever your strategy is, until you become aware of what it is and determine how it works for you, you will continue to navigate your way blindly through life. You might even call this strategy your life code. Once you've identified your personal code, you can strengthen or revise it in order to use it to your best advantage.

Unfortunately, many of us live in a world that has changed significantly from the one in which we grew up. We were often raised to see the good in others, do what our "superiors" tell us to do, and always follow the rules. While that may have worked in the 1950s, it doesn't necessarily work as well today. In fact, blindly following the rules is often the quickest route to finding yourself in danger from those with nefarious intentions.

"Whether you look at others with a suspicious eye or always strive to give them the benefit of the doubt, something Dr. Phil advises against, LIFE CODE is a real eye-opener into the motives of those people with whom you probably deal on a daily basis."

In his newest book, LIFE CODE: The New Rules for Winning in the Real World, Dr. Phil McGraw helps readers identify obstacles to their own success and tells them how to create a more effective strategy for meeting life's challenges. One focus of the book includes helping us realize that we live in different times and helping us to identify people in our lives who are willing to take advantage of us, or even harm us, in order to meet their own goals.

LIFE CODE is divided into two sections. The first half of the book focuses on identifying those individuals Dr. Phil names BAITERs. The acronym BAITERs stands for people who can be labeled as Backstabbers, Abusers, Imposters, Takers, Exploiters and Reckless. If you're not sure if someone qualifies as a BAITER, Dr. Phil lays out common behaviors that make it easy to look past the exterior image a person tries to present and allows you to judge them realistically on their actions and intentions.

The second half of the book advises readers on how to create the life they want by knowing themselves and their motivation thoroughly and through effective decision-making and goal-setting. Rather than drifting aimlessly through their lives, readers are encouraged to decide what they want and boldly pursue it.

The final chapter is devoted to advising parents how to raise their children in a way that allows them to embrace the tenets of the book and protect themselves from BAITERS as well. 

Whether you look at others with a suspicious eye or always strive to give them the benefit of the doubt, something Dr. Phil advises against, LIFE CODE is a real eye-opener into the motives of those people with whom you probably deal on a daily basis. By being aware of the lengths to which others will go in order to achieve their goals, you can protect yourself and your family from them. Additionally, once you've taken the appropriate steps to ensure your personal safety, you then can set about achieving your own goals in a positive way.

While these ideas are not necessarily new to some, they will be revolutionary to others. No matter what point you're starting from, LIFE CODE offers valuable information for anyone living in a world where heinous crimes are a daily occurrence and helps to arm the uninformed with the tools to protect themselves from harm while pursuing and achieving success.