Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?

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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Ferdinand_Otieno
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Re: Did the lack of Action Steps take away from the usefulness of this book?

Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

No, the author flow was perfect for me and i would not change anything in the book.
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Post by HRichards »

From a teacher's perspective, the lack of steps or activities did make the application of some of this rather difficult. Maybe I was looking at it too much from the perspective of the author trying to teach the readers something rather than just giving advice.
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Post by FictionLover »

HRichards wrote: 01 Dec 2018, 11:10 From a teacher's perspective, the lack of steps or activities did make the application of some of this rather difficult. Maybe I was looking at it too much from the perspective of the author trying to teach the readers something rather than just giving advice.
I also had the perspective that he was teaching.

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Post by AA1495 »

I do not think so. I can make the action steps myself. A common set of actions wouldn't be achievable by everyone anyway.
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Post by McKadeemd »

Yes, I was waiting to learn more about how to actually apply the steps that were discussed. Maybe that is due to my therapist background, but I really would have liked to see specific steps laid out in a clear and simple manner.
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Post by Jeyran Main »

Many people strive for things like a sheet or checklist, or an action plan. I think think the book was useful enough. You could simply have your own set of sheet or action plan if you feel it necessary. I would not write in a book anyway and once you do you need more paper anyway so its existence didn't really take away from the effectiveness of what the book represented.
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Post by becsimpson »

They could have maybe included action steps at the end, or a section at the back of the book where you could write out your own plan of action, but i’m Happy with them not being included at the end of each chapter as it would have taken away from the flow of the book.
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Post by dreamthewilderness »

I feel that because the specifics of success in this book are rather nebulous, it would be difficult to make relevant action steps. However, I agree that including writing exercises at the end of the chapters would make the material more engaging and help the reader decide what their action steps might be given the kind of success he or she is dreaming of.
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Post by FictionLover »

dreamthewilderness wrote: 11 Dec 2018, 18:08 I feel that because the specifics of success in this book are rather nebulous, it would be difficult to make relevant action steps. However, I agree that including writing exercises at the end of the chapters would make the material more engaging and help the reader decide what their action steps might be given the kind of success he or she is dreaming of.
I like the way you think.
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Post by amandathebibliophile »

Hmmm. I have an open mind, and so I like to think it’s possible that action steps might have made a difference for me with this book. But as it stands, this book did seriously nothing for me.
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Post by FictionLover »

amandathebibliophile wrote: 12 Dec 2018, 14:39 Hmmm. I have an open mind, and so I like to think it’s possible that action steps might have made a difference for me with this book. But as it stands, this book did seriously nothing for me.
That's too bad. I am surprised at how many people say that action steps would have changed or hurt the flow of the information, and I wonder now if the book did anything for them.

I enjoyed the read, but in many ways found the book's advice generic and not unique at all. In my opinion, action steps ask you to stop and think about what you read and consider how to use the information.
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Post by Erika Thomas »

I find that with personal development, or self help, books tend to keep a broad berth when it comes to the implementation of their philosophies, so that somebody can use it in any aspect of their lives. I feel that making the choice to write out your own plan based on the philosophies displayed in this type of book is the whole point of this type of book. I feel that written exercises at the end of each chapter would have taken away from that crucial step.
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Post by DrHyde_not_Jekyll »

I think that the initials at the end of each chapter are the "action steps" -- or perhaps, the reader's promise that they will take action.

I feel like the author's whole premise of the book was for you to take responsibility for your own life. Only you know what you want, and only you can decide whether you'll commit to getting it or not. Including prescribed action steps would a bit hypocritical, in my opinion, and take awhile the entire point that you and only you are responsible for your life. We need to figure it out without hand-holding. In that sense, Wdowiak upholds his entire promise by not including action steps.
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Post by Highly Favoured One »

I don't really think that the author intended it as an action steps book, rather a wake-up call book. The tone sounds more like "stop moping around,get up and do whatever needs to be done". So the actions to be taken depends on wherever each individual reader is at in life.
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Post by Ekta Kumari »

I definitely think that action steps help many put the ideas into action. Many people who are confused and read these books are exactly looking for that; most probably they know what is right to do but lack the instructions on how to do it. I personally think that some practical action steps would have added to the value of this book.
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