Page 1 of 7
Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 02 Nov 2018, 07:22
by FictionLover
I found this book lacked Action Steps, and spent much of the book waiting for them. Did you find that the lack of definitive plan detracted from your ability to get the most out of his philosophy?
Would written exercises at the end of each chapter have helped you learn more from the book ?
I thought written exercises at the end of the chapter would have been a valuable way to anchor the information an help me make some changes.
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 04:36
by Waragu Samuel
No. Exercises at the end of each chapter for me would have distracted me from enjoying this goodies of book to totality. The flow of Marks' ideas are just perfect.
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 07:45
by FictionLover
Samuel Waragu wrote: ↑03 Nov 2018, 04:36
No. Exercises at the end of each chapter for me would have distracted me from enjoying this goodies of book to totality. The flow of Marks' ideas are just perfect.
Interesting. As I said above, I spent most of the book waiting for some idea of how to put his ideas into practice.
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 08:28
by Bavithra M
In my opinion written exercises at the end of each chapter is quite boring and distracting
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 09:57
by melissy370
Perhaps I am coming from a more technical perspective because I have a background in Social Work, but yes, that void of application annoyed me. How do you expect people to change their lives when you don't give them steps to do it? Just making general statements and pithy one-liners only lead to entertainment, not changing lives. We are only setting ourselves up for frustration when we know we need to get to the finish line, but don't have a clue how to accomplish it. The steps could have been weaved into the body of the work where it would be palatable for those that shy away from the "textbook" look.
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 13:43
by cpru68
I think it was written in a way where one idea flows into the next. I sometimes breeze past action steps in books anyway, and I felt this was good as it was written. I was able to grasp on to what he described without further exercises at the end of each chapter.
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 14:40
by Jsovermyer
I like action steps or recaps at the end of chapters. If the questions are thought-provoking this can be very helpful.
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 15:54
by EvaDar
I am feeling a little on the fence about this issue. I am enjoying the author's sharing of his own personal stories and can glean some action steps from that. But I can see a use for a short section of recommended practices. For instance, the author mentions that he visualized the solution to a problem before falling asleep at night and found that the solution was more accessible to him in the morning. I have found this to be true as well. But, it is a conscious practice that I do every night, and it is helpful to have some idea of how to do it. So, I guess I am missing some attention to "how to" material.
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 16:12
by Kareka88
melissy370 wrote: ↑03 Nov 2018, 09:57
Perhaps I am coming from a more technical perspective because I have a background in Social Work, but yes, that void of application annoyed me. How do you expect people to change their lives when you don't give them steps to do it? Just making general statements and pithy one-liners only lead to entertainment, not changing lives. We are only setting ourselves up for frustration when we know we need to get to the finish line, but don't have a clue how to accomplish it. The steps could have been weaved into the body of the work where it would be palatable for those that shy away from the "textbook" look.
I completely agree with your assessment. He writes like he's giving a lecture rather than writing a practical how-to book.
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 17:29
by FictionLover
Bavithra M wrote: ↑03 Nov 2018, 08:28
In my opinion written exercises at the end of each chapter is quite boring and distracting
Why do you think it would have been distracting?
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 17:31
by FictionLover
Jsovermyer wrote: ↑03 Nov 2018, 14:40
I like action steps or recaps at the end of chapters. If the questions are thought-provoking this can be very helpful.
I agree with you. Though I liked the book and thought it could be very helpful, I thought that without instructions on how to remember and use his advice, many people would probably never put any of it into action.
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 17:35
by FictionLover
cpru68 wrote: ↑03 Nov 2018, 13:43
I think it was written in a way where one idea flows into the next. I sometimes breeze past action steps in books anyway, and I felt this was good as it was written. I was able to grasp on to what he described without further exercises at the end of each chapter.
I see!
I sometimes skip action steps or quizzes, myself. In this instance, I felt like he was leading up to how to use his advice, but never really got to it.
Also, I have known a lot of people who think they are taking responsibility for their lives and actions, but fall back on blaming and making excuses. I think these are the people who need a push to see what they are doing.
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 17:38
by FictionLover
melissy370 wrote: ↑03 Nov 2018, 09:57
Perhaps I am coming from a more technical perspective because I have a background in Social Work, but yes, that void of application annoyed me. How do you expect people to change their lives when you don't give them steps to do it? Just making general statements and pithy one-liners only lead to entertainment, not changing lives. We are only setting ourselves up for frustration when we know we need to get to the finish line, but don't have a clue how to accomplish it. The steps could have been weaved into the body of the work where it would be palatable for those that shy away from the "textbook" look.
I agree with you. I think you put it very eloquently. I have read a lot of these type books in my life, and most make suggestions, even if it is just to say a positive affirmation when you get up in the morning.
I think if this was read by someone who had never seen these ideas before, they would have struggled with the concepts more than I did.
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 17:41
by FictionLover
Eva Darrington wrote: ↑03 Nov 2018, 15:54
I am feeling a little on the fence about this issue. I am enjoying the author's sharing of his own personal stories and can glean some action steps from that. But I can see a use for a short section of recommended practices. For instance, the author mentions that he visualized the solution to a problem before falling asleep at night and found that the solution was more accessible to him in the morning. I have found this to be true as well. But, it is a conscious practice that I do every night, and it is helpful to have some idea of how to do it. So, I guess I am missing some attention to "how to" material.
I tried to visualize a solution to a problem before I went to sleep, but it only kept me up!
Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 18:16
by JuliaKay
I appreciate books with very detailed action steps and tasks or exercises at the end of each chapter as I find that it helps put the tools and theories into practice. I would have appreciated it if this book would have had more of them.