Review by Amber2332 -- How to Define Yourself

[AmberP23]

[Following is a volunteer review of "How to Define Yourself" by Chuck Clifton.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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How to Define Yourself: Taking Control of Your Life by Chuck Clifton is a collection of life examples that lead the reader to define themselves with concrete exercises. Clifton uses real- life experiences to show how a person can evaluate a chosen course of action and reflect whether the response was appropriate according to the example they wish to live by. His book is about learning to define (or redefine) yourself through specific behavior and attitude adoptions and abiding by those definitions in which you choose to honor. How to Define Yourself: Taking Control of Your Life is a short read but lacks depth in some of the examples provided; therefore, I give the book 2 out of 4 stars .

How to Define Yourself: Taking Control of Your Life appears to be professionally edited. There were not any grammatical errors that interfered with Clifton’s theme of the book. The purpose of his book is clear, but the lack of arrangement by topics is distracting. I disliked most that there are no definitive chapters or categorical order of the topics. The table of contents does list the topics that will be covered and suggests that each of the topics are separated potentially as subsections. However, as I was reading, no transitional flow existed from one topic to the next. One minute I was reading how I intended to define myself in the workplace and shortly within the next few pages I was determining how I should fit in at school without a distinct ending point between the topics.

I also disliked that some of the scenarios given in the anecdotes are distinct in listing, but vague in elaboration. There are not enough details in the anecdotes to connect with the reader. The shared stories lack depth and are not thoroughly extended to offer a decent perspective as to how the reader can dissect a situation of their own and reflect a personal characteristic they wish to define. The exercises that follow the life experiences or examples are not aligned as a logical bridge to lead the reader to assess their situation, evaluate their response, then redefine themselves to a higher standard. For example, there is a section that focuses on defining yourself at school. Clifton briefly touches on the range of educational settings that are defined by teachers or professors and processed by students, but then he followed up with a personal anecdote of how he made a choice to bring his peers together and concluded with an exercise to prevent talking during a test.

I did appreciate the passages that I was able to apply to my own life that needed redefining. I gained an opportunity to reflect on the areas that I felt I needed to adjust for myself. I feel Clifton wrote the book with good intentions and he does offer some valuable insights for reflection and redefining dispositions. How to Define Yourself: Taking Control of Your Life is an easy and light read and leaves a small bearing that there is no excuse for not taking control of your responses or attitudes to a stimulus.

I recommend this book to anyone who needs a quick reassessment of their overall character, to find the areas in life that may need defining. It is for the individuals who seek only tweaking the attributes of which they are not satisfied and have the discipline to actively change. Clifton affirms that positively changing an aspect of yourself within and practicing a better response will ripple for others to follow your example. I do not recommend this book for those who are needing to make a drastic shift in their life because the substance in content is not strong enough.

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How to Define Yourself
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