As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Obidigbo Chikwado Valentine (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
In this book I believe the author is saying that we are what we are by our thoughts, a person who thinks positively positive things will follow him same to a person who has negative thoughts. We shall reap what we sow, and a man can find every truth connected with his being if he digs deep into his soul by thinking. Our destiny is in our hands, any condition we find ourselves in; is our thoughts that have been transform to circumstances. We can achieve our goals and vision if we are determined in life and have faith in ourselves. As Martin Luther Jr said “faith is when you take the first step even without seeing the whole staircase”. He is also saying that we can do all things through hard work and determination, and not allowing doubt and fear to step in. Negative thoughts do not only affect our life but our health as well.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
A. As a man thinketh in his heart so is he, a person is literally what she thinks, her character being the complete sum of all her thoughts.
From my own point if view the author means that any character we portray in life is the accumulation of thoughts in our mind and we finally decide to behave that way. Any character express by a human being has been thought of in the mind.
B. Man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild, but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth.
From my own perspective the author means we must constantly developed our mind by thinking positively, we can do this by reading books, articles, documentaries etc. Personally I make sure I read at least a book or an article daily to help develop my mind so that I can think positively.
C. Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.
From my point of view the author means that nothing good comes easy, anything we desire in life we must be ready to work for it. Sitting down and praying to achieve something, you would not get it because even prayers works with action. I had an experience some years back based on this idea, I wanted to be a very good footballer like Ronaldo, so daily I will say to myself I want to play like Ronaldo, but I never did any practice with ball for one day. Later I realized that it cannot be possible to play like him if I do not have constant practice. That is backing your desires and aspirations with actions.
D. Good thoughts and action can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never good results.
This is like saying that “nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles. The author is saying that each bad thought we have in mind bring forth a bad results while good thoughts bring forth good results. When we work hard to get a project done, we will enjoy the success of that project in a long run.
E. A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life.
From my point of view the author means we should be proactive that is take responsibility of our lives and any circumstance we may find ourselves.
F. In any situation we see ourselves whether good or bad we should make the best out of them, these will help us build ourselves up in strong and noble way.
A man’s weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man’s; they are brought about by himself, and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another. The author means that man can be whatsoever he wants to be, he has the key to his destiny.
G. He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it.
Personally I think the author means that as a human being we should have a vision or dream in our life and put efforts towards achieving these visions or dreams. Surely one day our vision or dreams will be realized, we just need to be patient.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you create a better world? If so, how?
The ideas in this book has help me discovered that all my characters are the sum of all my thoughts, so I have the power to be whatever I want to be. It has taught me to think very deep before I venture into anything, not only deep thinking but positive. I have also realized that my destiny is in my hands, what I destined to be in life can be accomplished by determination and hard work. Every thought in my mind should be a positive one at all point in time because positive and deep thinking produces happiness and joy. It has also taught me to be proactive that is I should take responsibility for everything that happens in my life rather than pointing accusing fingers at people. The fact that man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny is totally agreeable by me because when a man set his sight on a goal, with determination and hard work he will get there, no matter the obstacles on the way. These ideas will help me socialize better with people and call them to attention when they are going astray. Let people understand that their future is in their hands, how they want it to be, that is how it will be.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“Thought in the mind hath made us, what we are . By thought was wrought and built. If a man’s mind. Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes. The wheel the ox behind. If one endure. In purity of thought, joy follows him. As his own shadow….sure.”
We are what we think, if we think negative, negative things will follow us but positive thinking will bring us joy and happiness.
“Humans are the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment and destiny.”
We are in control of our destiny, we can be whatever we want to be; though the road might not be smooth but we should be determined and focus, and with God all things are possible in our lives.
“Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.”
You cannot aspire to become a better person without making efforts of being that person. It must start from your thinking and then it comes to action.
“If you would protect your body, guard your mind. If you would renew your body, beautify your mind.”
We should pay attention to our thinking because it is better to enrich our thoughts than our body. We would definitely see the result of having an enriched thought.
“He who conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.”
In anything you do once fear set in then you are likely to fail. So we must conquer fear and doubt before we can become successful, we must be determined and have faith in ourselves.
“He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little, he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.”
It is said “the end justify the means.” The outcome of a project determines the extent of the efforts put in that project. So he who wants success in life must be ready to give in much because you cannot sow beans and harvest corn.
“Man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth.”
We must feed our minds with the rightful thoughts, which will yield joy and happiness for us. We can also keep ourselves busy by reading good books, because it is said an idle mind is the devil workshop, let try to put our minds to good use.
“People imagine that thoughts can be kept secret, but it cannot, it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstances.”
Any thought we have in our hearts will definitely show in our habits just a matter of time.
“The person is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things.”
We should be cautious of what we think because what we think might lead us to negative or positive circumstances depending on our thoughts.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so why?
I did not understand what the author meant by the soul attracts that which is secretly harbours, that which it loves, and also that which it fears, it reaches the height of its cherished aspirations; it falls to the level of its unchastened desires, and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
The book did not contain any exercises to be done, what it contain are just food for thoughts.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
Nothing, everything has been well analyzed in the previous questions.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Obidigbo Chikwado Valentine (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
In this book I believe the author is saying that we should never be satisfy wherever we find ourselves, we should get out of our comfort zones and strive for success. Many people will say this job or thing is not for them but for a particular set of people, but it is not, we can have that our dream job or that thing will have been longing for, if we remove fear and cultivate courage, determination and practice as a habit, in any circumstance we may find ourselves. Like Jonathan Livingston seagull when he was said to be wasting his time learning how to fly, that he should instead be learning how to feed since winter was fast approaching but he was determined to learn how to fly even though it was so difficult at first but he kept on trying still he became perfect. It also teaches us that no matter how many times we fall trying to get to our goals; we should stand up and try again still we get there.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
A. Ten times he tried, and all ten times, as he passed through seventy miles per hour, he burst into a churning mass of feathers, out of control, crashing down into the water.
From my own point of view the author meant that no matter how many times we fall, we must always stand up and try again because success does not come easy. As it is said “Rome was not built in a day.”
B. “Why, Jon, why “his mother asked. “Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? Why cannot you leave low flying to the pelicans, the alhatross? Why don’t you eat? Son, you are bone and feathers!”
I don’t mind being bone and feathers mom. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can’t, that’s all. I just want to know! From my point of view it means that not because everybody is doing it makes it right. We must always learn to stand out of the crowd and overcome all obstacles to achieve our goals.
C. There in the night, a hundred feet in the air, Jonathan Livingston seagull blinked. His pain, his resolutions vanished short wings. A falcon’s short wings! That’s the answer.
Here the author means that after serious thinking Jonathan Livingston Seagull later realized why he had not been able to be flying at great heights. This tells us that no matter the situation we find ourselves we should always think seriously before we act because positive thinking might just give us answers to our problems.
D. For each of them the most important thing in living was to reach out and touch perfection in that which they most loved to do, and that was to fly.
From my own point this means that we have to identify what we love doing in life because in doing what we love no matter how difficult we will have the strength to endeavor and keep pushing forward still we achieve it. In any field we find ourselves constant practice is needed for us to be perfect.
E. Instead of being enfeebled by age, the elder had been empowered by it, he could out fly any gull in the flock, and he had learned skills that the others were only gradually coming to know. I understand that age is never a barrier for us to be whatever we want to be. It is said “as you lay your bed so shall lay on it”, the way we live our lives when we are youths will definitely reflect in us when we are old.
In the book elder chiang could do so many things that the others could only dream of because of constant practice when he was young. So we should work hard during our youthful age because the reward is long termed.
F.“To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is, he said, you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived.”
I understand that before we start anything in life we must have the end in mind, we know how we want it to be at the end, so what we just need to do is put all our resources for it to end that way. For example if you want to be a governor if a state, you must see yourself in that position and the things you would do when you are there. So when you get there you will have a plan
G. “Don’t be harsh on them, Fletcher Seagull. In casting you out, the other gulls have only hurt themselves, and one day they will know this, and one day they will see what you see. Forgive them, and help them to understand.”
I like the idea of being patient with people; everybody can never be like you that is why we are unique. If somebody is taking time to teach you be patient with him/her and help them to understand. Above all we should learn to forgive and love others.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you create a better world? If so, how?
I have got to understand that for me to be a success in life I must get out of my comfort zones and pass my elasticity limit. We never know how perfect we are in doing something unless we try. I have decided to keep on trying to reach my goals no matter the obstacles I see on the way. Determination and hard work is the key to success. In anything I want to do constant practice will help me pull it through, also cultivate the habit of forgiveness and being patient with people, even though all of us were created by God but we are unique in our own ways. Love my neighbors because most of the crisis in some part of the world is cause by lack of love for one another, so with love for one another our society will be a better place to be.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“We’re free to go where we wish and to be what we are.”
This world is a place of freedom, anything or anybody you choose to be that is what you will be. Your destiny is in your hands, if you decide that you will fail an exam, you will definitely fail that exam. So we should use our freedom wisely and be successful in life.
“We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly!”
It is said ignorance is deadly, so we need to learn all the time, nobody is above
learning. We can do all these things if we have a positive thought toward life. We can be whatever we want to be.
Jonathan Seagull discovered that; “boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed.”
In anything we do, we should learn to avoid fear and anger because when these vices set in; whatever we are about to do is in jeopardy. We should always be happy while carrying out any function because most of the time the outcome is effective and efficient.
“We choose our next world through what we learn this one. Learn nothing, and the next world is the same as this one, all the same limitations and lead weights to overcome.”
Whatever we want to achieve in the future we must start now and be striving for it because if we fail to plan, we plan to fail. So whatever we want to be in future we must start now and be working toward it.
Jonathan would say, other times, “is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body.”
We should always try to exceed our elasticity limit that is we should think deeply before we go into anything in life. Our body work in line with our thoughts; bad thoughts have negative effects on our body and vice versa for good thoughts.
“He spoke of very simple things that it is right for a gull to fly, that freedom is the very nature of his being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form.”
We all are born free; we have the power to be whatever we want to be. All of us have goals and dreams in life, so anything that will stop us from achieving them should put aside and let’s focus on our goals and dreams.
“Poor Fletch don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you’ll see the way to fly.”
Let’s cultivate the habit of deep thinking, mere looking at something may seem impossible to do but with thinking and understanding the thing might not be that difficult.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so why?
No, everything was well understood even though not easy to understand.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
The book did not contain any exercises to be done.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
Nothing, everything has been well analyzed in the previous questions.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 7
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
Psycho-Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by Obidigbo Chikwado Valentine (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author is trying to tell us about our self-image and how it affects our lives, we should always keep a positive self-image no matter what we have been through. He also gave us some techniques to override negative self-image like CRAFT and the letters of this word means the following: cancel old, negative self-image, replace it with new, positive self-image, affirm your new image to yourself, focus on an image of a successful you and train yourself for lasting change. The author also made us understand that we have to use the following five steps to tackle any situation we face Seeds that is see the situation as fundamentally neutral, evaluate the situation: who owns the problem?, shift your emotions to fit your evaluation, do something about the situation and self-esteem will follow. In addition the author tells us we must be patient for the positive change of self-image approximately six weeks for a start and above all we must fake it till we make it.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
A. “The winner is the man or woman who does not personalize poor results. Such a person can be disappointed without feeling like a failure.”
From my point of view I understand that nothing good come easy, so our road to success will not be a smooth path we will face obstacles but we will be winners if we are determined and get up anytime we fall. We should not take poor results as failure but a stepping stone to achieve our goals in life.
B. “Not according to what things are really like but according to image your mind holds of what they are like. You have certain mental images of yourself, your world, and the people around you, and you behave as though the images were the truth, the reality, rather than the things they represent.”
From my own perspective I understand that what we think in our mind about ourselves, people or things might not necessarily be the truth but we tend to take it as the truth. For example one of my reasons for joining the international institute for global leadership is to work on that aspect of my life that I feel had some loops like cannot express myself in public very well, but all these ideas were in my mind an not the reality.
C. “As long the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can. I visualized myself being there already-having achieved the goal already.”
From my own point if view this idea tells us to see our destination even before we start. In anything we do in this life we must see ourselves as being successful that is achieving it at the end of it; we should remove all form of fear and doubts from our mind before we start anything. I had an experience regarding this idea when I was in the university, I always wanted to come out with a first class honors so from my first year to final year I had that thought in mind and I always see myself receiving congratulatory messages from people for an excellent performance. After my days in the university I finally thank God that I came out with first class honors.
D. Try to do only one thing at a time, in this our present world we have many projects demanding our attention and we are anxious to complete them, and we end up not doing any of them.
We forget the fact that our automatic mechanism can only handle one goal at a time. It is said that even a computer can only execute one program at a time. We should focus our awareness on one project and forget about the others, when it is done it will increase our self-esteem and give us the courage to face the rest.
E. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
It is not always easy to reach the peak of your career but we must take one step at a time to achieve our set goals. As it is said “Rome was not built in a day,” we should not be angry when things are not going as planned, we should be patient and take it one step at a time. It was sung in a song one step at a time sweet Jesus that all am asking of you….” even our creator answers our prayers one step at a time.
F. “Every human being deserves to be recognized as a unique and valuable individual.”
We must respect the dignity of human beings, rather than as pawns in our own game. We should respect others feelings and thoughts no matter who they are because we were all created in God’s image. It is said respect is reciprocal so give respect and you will receive it in return. In this world we should all see ourselves as brothers and sisters in Christ.
G. “Accepting ourselves does not discount the need for change and growth,” the California task force maintained.
Just the opposite: it is the first step we can take when we want to change. We can decide to do something differently only after we accept who we are, where we are and that we are capable of change. From my point of view if we must change we must first accept the fact that we have a problem, then and only then we shall go on with the habit changing process.
The ideas were well understood and it will go a long way in my self development. Firstly I have learnt a lot about self-image and how it affect my personality, so I now know it is very important to have a positive self-image because it is the key to a better life. I also learnt how to use the five steps to change a negative self-image to a positive one. Canceling old negatives thoughts, Replacing it with new positives thoughts, Affirming my new image to myself, Focusing on an image of successful me and Training myself for lasting change. Take about fifteen minutes daily to focus on myself and my goals. Secondly I also learned how to act when face with a disturbing situation, this will help me in my daily activities. I should See the situation as fundamentally neutral, Evaluation the situation, shift my Emotions to fit my evaluation, Do something about the situation and Self-esteem will follow. I also learnt that it is good to take at least fifteen minutes daily to relax because it helps in good health, sound mind and evaluations of situations in our lives. Thirdly I also learnt to fake-it-till-make it that is to keep trying to achieve my goals no matter the obstacles I find on the way, but I should be patient and persistent. I should live my own life and stop trying to be like another person. Fourthly I also learnt how to set my goals in a smart way that is make my goals Specific, set Measurable goals, develop an Action plan for my goals, decide what goals are Realistic for me and set Time conscious goals. Finally I learnt not to procrastinate when working toward my goals and learn how to forgive others and myself from my past mistakes. All these ideas will help build myself and the people around me and with these make our world a better place.
“Only a person or a nation self-confident in the best sense of the word”, he said “is capable of listening to the voice of others and accepting them as equal to oneself. Let us try to introduce self-confidence into life our community and into the conduct of nations.”
From my own point it means that I should cultivate a positive self-image which will make confident in anything I do.
“The time to worry bout the decision is before you make it.”
It means that before we make any decision we should take time to evaluate it and think of it consequences. Once it is made it cannot be unmade, so we should not rush to make decisions.
“Plan your work before you work your plan.”
This means that we should always have plans before we do any project. It is said that failing to plan is planning to fail. So anytime we have a project in front of us we should always plan because it makes the work easier then finally we work the plan.
“When you’re not goal-striving, not looking forward, you’re not really living.”
In life we all must have a goal that is what we want to be or achieve. If we do not have a goal that means we are not moving forward, we are just stagnant in life and will never achieve anything unless we set our goals and work toward them.
“The illiterate of the future,” Alvin Toffler tells us “are not those who can’t read or write but those that cannot learn, unlearn, and re-learn.”
This quote tells us that as we grow we learn. We learn everyday no matter how old we are; nobody is too bog to learn. As a human being we should open our minds to new ideas and innovations as we grow.
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”
This quote tells us to accept whatever God has given us and work very hard to achieve success in anything we do.
No, everything was well understood.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
The book had so many exercises which were very helpful and justice has been done to the exercises.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No, everything was well analyzed in the previous questions.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
Success through a Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Obidigbo Chikwado Valentine (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author is trying to let us know that we have an invisible talisman with the initials PMA (positive mental attitude) emblazoned on one side and NMA (negative mental attitude) on the other. We should always have faith in anything we do, because what we conceive and believe, we can achieve. The author also tried to let us know that anything worth having is worth working for. In a nutshell the author is trying to let us know that we can achieve anything we desire on earth, if we have a positive mentality towards it and he also made it easy to comprehend by using realistic examples. We should place our minds on the things we want and remove them from those things that will not benefit us.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
A. We are poor-not because of God.
We are poor because father has never developed a desire to become rich. No one in our family has ever developed a desire to be anything else”. From my own perspective I believe the statement means that before we succeed in anything we do in this world, we should have that burning desire to achieve that because without that desire we will be reluctant to achieve it. We can be whatever we want to be, God did not create anybody to be a looser. It is our mentality that deters us from achieving that we want.
B. I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.
From my own point of view the author meant that anything we are in the world we are responsible for it. In other words we have the key to our future, if we plan for a bright future then we will have one. As it is said, “As you laid your bed so shall you lay on it.”
C. To become an expert achiever in any human activity it takes practice; practice; practice.
Man’s greatest power lies in the power of prayer. The author meant that if one wants to be successful in anything in life he/she must practice daily because one cannot be an expert in any field without constant practice and improvement. In anything we want to do in life, we must always invite our creator who is the Lord of lords, King of kings, Alpha and Omega to come and take control because without Him we are nobody.
D. If you are unhappy with your world and want to change it, the place to start is with yourself.
If you are right, your world will be right. From my own point of view the author is trying to let us understand that we want our family, society and environment to be a better place we should always contribute our own quota. We should not always leave everything for the government to do alone; and keep criticizing them but we should ask ourselves what we have done for our government to help it become a better place to live in.
E. I learned when I am faced with a problem that involves misunderstandings with other persons, I must first start with myself.
The author is trying to tell us that we should not always rush to criticize somebody you are having problems with, but we should sit down and analyze the problem and see if we may have initiated the problem in one way or another. We should always take time to think and analyze any misunderstanding we might have with somebody; if we are the one that caused it Try and make amend because in this world we are brothers and sisters no matter our religion, country or race.
F. Keep your mind on the things you want and off the things you do not want.
The author means that we should remove our minds from all the things that would not contribute to our future because they will act as a form of distraction for us. That which we are yearning for should always be on our mind and do things that would draw us closer to our goals and objectives in life. We should use our time wisely; parents should start now and discourage the habit of their children spending hours upon hours watching un-educational programs on television. Instead they should channel those hours in reading good books.
G. One of the surest ways to find happiness for yourself is to devote your energies towards making someone else happy.
The author meant that in this world he who sows good will reaps good that is whatever you sow; you shall reap. When you make someone happy the reward you will receive is from our Father in heaven and do not expect something from the person in return. We should not let the whole world know what we do to make people happy or else we shall be termed hypocrite.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you create a better world? If so, how?
This book success through a Positive mental attitude is rich with so many ideas that have kept me thinking and I know these ideas will change my life if it is well implemented. Firstly I have learnt to approach anything in life with a positive mentality because that is the first step to success. Not only that but should defined my goals in life which I have done already. Secondly it is said that anything we believe and conceive, we can achieve which has taught to be 100% confident in anything I do in my life. Thirdly put a smile on someone face so that another person will do the same for me that is the law of natural attraction. I will try to make the people around me to always be happy. I also learnt that I should stop pointing accusing fingers at the government of our country but I should ask myself if I have contributed my own quota to make the country a better place for all to live in. As we know the government cannot do everything for us but with that position you occupy no matter how low, we can still try to make our country a better place by saying no to tribalism and corruption. Finally I have learnt to set my mind on the things that will improve or contribute to my future and remove my mind from those that would not. I plan to do this by refraining myself from watching un-educational programs on television and engage my time in reading at least two good books weekly with a comprehensive summary at the end of each book.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve with PMA.” (Positive Mental Attitude)
Once we have a positive mentality towards anything in life with courage and determination in us, we can achieve that no matter what it is. We just need to believe in ourselves and get into action.
“The more you share, the more you will have.”
We should be generous to people no matter who they are. It is said no one knows tomorrow, the person you meet on your way up the ladder might still meet him on your way down.
“Anything in life worth having is worth working for.”
We all desire to be somebody in future. We must work very hand so that we will see our dreams come to pass. It is said there is no food for the lazy man, so anything we desire here on earth, we should give in our best to see the desire come to pass.
“Success is achieved by those who try and maintained by those who keep trying with positive mental attitude.”
We have to be patient if we want to succeed because we will meet many obstacles on the way but we just have to be persistent.
“It is difficult to get to the top (successful) but more difficult to stay at the top.”
So it does not just end when we become successful but we must keep working hard to maintain the success.
“Sow an action and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
We can get things done in life by repetition of action; and this repetition of actions turns to habit. We need a good habit to see our destiny come to reality. A good character with hard work begets a wonderful destiny.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so why?
The concept of OPM which means other people’s money. In the book it is said that if we do not have money we should use other people’s money (OPM). I stand on the point that it is not fully right because other people would not like to give you their money to do business while they can easily invest it. Many people will be afraid because they do not know whether you will pay as at when due.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
The book had so many exercises which were very helpful. After doing the exercises I noticed a change in my way of thinking and seeing things.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
I will like to say that hope is the magic ingredient in motivating oneself and others. Always make use of the self motivator: Do It Now! The various examples of how people approach different issues in this book were very much helpful in understanding the book.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
Keys to Success
Assessment by Obidigbo Chikwado Valentine (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author is trying to make us understand the seventeen keys to success and that they depend on each other. The first and most important principle is the definiteness of major purpose; we cannot be successful in anything in life if we do not know our goals, for instance we cannot embark on a journey if we do not know our destination. The author also tries to let us know that these seventeen keys to success must be inculcated in us; he made it easy for us to understand the principles by citing real life examples of some successful people in our world. Finally the author gives us the assurance that we can achieve all that we believe and conceive if we put the seventeen keys to success to practice.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
A. Definiteness of purpose.
It is the starting point of all achievements. If we must be successful in life; we must have goals and layout plans on how to achieve them. Having goals help us set our mind on how to achieve them and remove our mind from the things that will be an obstacle to our goal. If we define our goals with positive mental attitude and applied faith other positive values like specialization, budgeting time and money, alertness to opportunities and decision making will follow. To achieve our goals we must go the extra mile that is put in extraordinary effort that most people are not willing to make.
B. Establish a Mastermind Alliance.
This idea of establishing a mastermind alliance is important because to be a success in any field in life we need like minds of ours who would actively work together toward a common definite objective. Mastermind alliance is very much helpful to someone who has the burning desire to succeed because he receives ideas fro members of his group towards achieving his goals, and he is caution when making a bad decision. The most important thing in mastermind alliance is having the interest of the members at heart; it is not always about you.
C. Assemble an Attractive Personality.
In anything we do in life or anywhere we find ourselves we must make sure we portray an attractive personality such as being polite, tone of voice, effective speech that is take note of the way we communicate with others and the habit of doing and saying the right thing at the right moment. Positive mental attitude is the most important aspect of any attractive person, it influences our posture and facial expressions and affects every thought we have and the results our thought bring us. Being able to adapt to all conditions that we come across in life that is being flexible, with our positive mental attitude we must be flexible in all aspect in our life. It is not only about us but we should consider what others are saying or doing. An attractive personality is one of the key principles for our success.
D. Go the Extra Mile.
This idea is very necessary for each and every one of us in the sense that we must put in all our best in anything we do in life. Maybe your success is short of a thing and that extra effort that you would put would see your dreams or goals coming to reality. As the author said going the extra mile has benefits such as law of increasing returns which is the quantity and quality of the extra services we render will come back to us greatly multiplied and law of compensation which ensures that everything we do will bring us some sort of result of the same kind. In a nutshell anything we do in life we should work as if it depends on us and pray as if everything depends solely on God.
E. Learn from Adversity and Defeat.
The author emphasis on looking for the seed of an equivalent benefit in every defeat we experience. From my point of view this idea compels us to learn from our defeats and try to benefit something from our defeats. We should keep on trying no matter the obstacles until we achieve our goals. Many successful people in this world failed before they eventually became successful, so we should persist in all our endeavors. At times some adversities are blessings in disguised.
F. Think Accurately.
From my point of view this idea deals with the mind we need to use our minds to think accurately and positively. As the author rightly said a mind is like a garden if it is not watered and weeded it will lie fallow, so we need to cultivate our minds with positive and useful thoughts. We need to cultivate the habit of positive and accurate thoughts, it is said that we need at least fourteen minutes of thinking every day. We must all try to think accurately because we recognize our thoughts as the only thing over which we have complete control.
G. Inspire Teamwork.
Teamwork is important in all spheres of life, for instance if a company wants to produce standard products the employees must have that team spirit. It also makes sure everything is done on time. I learnt that if I want to be successful in my field; I should inculcate the habit of team spirit in my mastermind alliance. Finally I also induced the fact that greed and selfishness have no part in team spirit.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas will go a long way in seeing that I achieve my goals in life. Firstly definiteness of major purpose has taught me to set my objectives or goals and plan ways how I will achieve them. Secondly having a positive mental attitude in anything I do and with applied faith my set goals will be achieved. As said by Martin Luther King Jr. that “faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase,” that is the kind of faith I need to succeed. I have also learnt to look the seed of an equivalent benefit in every defeat I experience that is I should always stand up and work harder anytime I fall. Thirdly going the extra mile will help me in the pursue to achieve my set goals because I have learnt that money is not everything when it comes to work; but we should offer our genuine services in anywhere we might find ourselves; happiness and good thing will be added onto it. Attractive personality is one idea I really like because I believe in packaging of oneself because we will be address by the way we dress. So for me to have an attractive personality I have learnt that I have to work on my speech, tone of voice, emotions, humility and a good handshake. Last but not the least I have also learnt that what I conceive and believe with the right positive mental attitude I will achieve it if I have self-disciplined, creative vision and controlled attention. Lastly I realized the importance of sound health in achieving my set goals by resting, relaxing well and eating balanced diet. Teamwork will not be left out as one of the ideas I induced. In any organization or group I find myself I should developed this habit of team spirit because it really helps in achieving goals.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“One single idea may have greater weight than the labor of all the men, animals and engines for a century.”
This quote tells us the importance of positive thoughts in definiteness of our major purpose; it has taught me to take time and think reasonably before I engage in anything that will lead to achieving my objectives or goals.
“Before I do anything for you, you must do something for yourself.”
This line has taught me to be proactive that is take responsibility for all my actions, even if I need help from somebody I should try at first; and if I fail then seek for help. God our Father even said it that He helps those who help themselves.
“Know what you wish to say, say it with all the feeling you command, and then sit down.”
This quote has taught me to be careful when communicating with people; I should say what I know and keep quiet than continue speaking what is not required. That is I should always mind my language when communicating.
“Strength and struggle go hand in hand.”
This quote made me remember another saying that nothing good comes easy. If we want to achieve success we must be able to work hard even in difficult situations and with faith and determination our goals would be achieved.
“Success attracts success while failure attracts more failure.”
This quote simply tells us to have burning desire for success because when we are successful it will attract more success. If we do nothing and accept failure it would bring us more failures.
Andrew Carnegie said, “There are two types of people who never amount to anything. There are those who never do anything except what they are told to do. And there are those who cannot even do what they are told to do. The people who get ahead do the things that should be done without being told. And they don’t stop there. They go the extra mile and do much more than is expected of them.”
It will bring us advancement, attention and opportunity.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so why?
The idea of don’t put all your eggs in one basket. The author said we have to put all our eggs in one basket and concentrate our attention on protecting that basket and getting it to the market. I disagree with the author because it is always good to have plan B should in case plan A fails.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
The book had so many exercises which were very helpful and justice has been done to the exercises.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No, everything was well analyzed in the previous questions.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9