What do you think that signing your initials at the end of the chapters accomplished?

Use this forum to discuss the November Book of the month "If life stinks get your head outta your buts" by Mark L. Wdowiak
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BeatrixPotter
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Re: What do you think that signing your initials at the end of the chapters accomplished?

Post by BeatrixPotter »

I don't see the point, and I'm not doing it.
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Post by AnnaKathleen »

I don't really think signing your initials had much worth to me, but I see it for others. I can understand it might be seen as signing n agreement to try and apply things to your life but it loses any potential worth, to me, when it occurs repeatedly. Also, just because you sign something doesn't mean you'll apply it. Not to mention if you're reading with Kindle you probably can't sign it anyway.
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Post by teresao »

I understood what the author was getting at by having you initial the end of each chapter, but I personally didn't do it, and I didn't feel like it would have made any difference.
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Post by BeatrixPotter »

AnnaKathleen wrote: 12 Jan 2019, 12:31 Not to mention if you're reading with Kindle you probably can't sign it anyway.
True, good point.
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Post by godreaujea »

Because I read this on my Kindle, I did not write my initials. If I'm being honest, I usually do not like reflection pieces in self-help books, and prompting me to sign my initials reminded me of that. I am sure it was meant to serve as a promise that I will implement these strategies in my life but that is hard to promise. Therefore, it did not accomplish much for me.
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Post by nomnombooks »

I think I understand what the author tried to accomplish by making the reader sign their initials. It makes you stop for a second and maybe think about what you just read again. Also it feels a bit like contract if you sign your initials, so you might be more likely to actually follow the suggestions.
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Post by lotus784 »

At first I hated it. It felt like entering into a contract. Now that I'm further in the book I like it for the same reason I once hated it. It's like willing myself to follow the advice. I feel as if I have made a promise to myself by signing my initials.
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Post by Jessacardinal »

I believe the author's intention was to create a sense of focused self-commitment for the reader. I did not sign my initials, as I read the book on Kindle.
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Post by zjacks »

I believe signing my initials, as a move by the author, is intended to garner inspiration, as I, in theory, have recognized what each chapter has said and I have put thought and time into considering the help. I believe that this can be effective to an extent, but in order to really improve or change in the way the book intends one much actually put the effort in beyond signing away on a book.
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Post by timd »

I actually tried to use an electronic signature to do this but unfortunately, it did not work. This more a part of an experiment with Kindle but I actually feel that it is quite an important exercise as I believe strongly in rituals and keys to program the mind, (Pavlov). If I had a paperback I would have signed because it creates a contract in one's mind. An interesting idea, but it comes from other motivational literature that I have read.
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Post by McKadeemd »

For me, initialling at the end of each chapter is not effective and did not accomplish anything. For some, this probably serves as a contract to themselves. For me, I would have needed to write down the entire goal and place it somewhere I would see it often. Simply initialling then moving on to the next chapter doesn't work for me. By the end of the book I would have already forgotten the majority of the goals I was supposed to be working on!
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Post by MsH2k »

The prompt to sign my initials made me stop for a moment and revisit what I had just read. It gave me the chance see if there was something I needed to incorporate or at least think about for a moment.
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Post by Twylla »

It is definitely a good idea. It reinforces accountability to the material you just read. But not so practical for an ebook. I think just having a target with a bullseye through it at the end of the chapter would be a good idea.
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Post by Marsha JJ »

I liked the idea behind signing your initials, as it encourages readers to take responsibility. However, most of us download digital copies these days, so it's rather impractical in the world of online books.
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Post by Maris Charles M »

I did not sign my initials at the end of each chapter. I did not think it was necessary.
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