Wayne Dyer was an American self-help author and motivational speaker. He was considered the ‘Father of the modern self-help movement’ or the ‘Father of motivation’. Most of his childhood was spent in orphanages and foster homes and it was also the driving force that inspired him to move ahead in life. He drew heavily from his life experiences. He started his career as a guidance counsellor after receiving his D.Ed. degree in Counselling from Wayne State University. He published journals and set up a private therapy practise. His motivational speeches drew a large number of students to him, and encouraged him to put his thoughts in writing. The outcome was his first book, ‘Your Erroneous Zones’. Thereafter, he took to promoting his book with full vigour, making bookstore appearances and giving media interviews. He released audio tapes of his motivational speeches and made television appearances in talk shows. He denounced dwelling in guilt and emphasised on self-actualization and self-reliance. He did not talk about spirituality until much later in his career. He propagated the idea of being Christ-like or Buddha-like, instead of being a Christian or a Buddhist. He married thrice and had eight children.