Adelaide Rufaro Katsika – Assessments – International Institute for Global Leadership

As A Man Thinketh
Adelaide Rufaro Katsika (Zimbabwe)

1. What ideas were personally important to me in this book? Discus why these ideas are important.

I found the book As A Man Thinketh very interesting and motivating. It is full of valuable ideas that moved me as I was reading it. Of greatest importance was the idea that my life is directly related to my thoughts, what I think becomes me, which eventually determines my destiny. Although I cannot directly choose my circumstances, I can surely choose my thoughts, so indirectly shape my circumstances. I found this idea very liberating and exciting, in that no one and nothing is to blame for the outcome of my life.

Yes I may find myself in “unbecoming circumstances” but how I react and what I think and do about the situation will ultimately determine my destiny.

For six years I had always blamed the Zimbabwean government, inflation, my fathers death and all the hardships we are going through in this country, for the lack of progress and opportunities in my life. I had stopped dreaming and believing in myself, my purpose in life was slowly being replaced by bitterness, thoughts of ill will and envy. True to the writers words I had fallen easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles and self-pitying. Reading this book has awakened a deeming light, an excitement that I last felt a long time ago, before getting married, before the children and before my fathers death, when I dreamt big dreams, dreams of hope and prosperity, when all things were possible, when I set out a purpose in my heart, and worked hard to accomplish it. I had forgotten I had such power and control over my destiny and the out come of my life. Hence these ideas were most important to me in this book.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals your values etc?

Before reading this book, I had never consciously thought about my thought process or tried to control my thoughts, but upon reflection on the ideas and concepts in this book I noticed something very peculiar and consistent with the writer. As I write, my marriage is in a bad state, on analysing my thoughts concerning this area of my life, I discovered that my thoughts towards my marriage are constantly negative, suspicious and generally ill-willed, in as much as I try externally to be a good wife, it just was not working.

Then I looked at my career, my thoughts in this area are positive, I have pure, clear thoughts that are linked to my purpose, dear reader I do not struggle in this area, it is an area I am growing in, I love what I do and I do it to completion.

Great opportunities present themselves. Even being accepted into this program has been in itself an opportunity for further growth. Since reading As A Man Thinketh I decided to take it upon myself to change my thinking towards my marriage, (about two weeks ago) the alteration in my circumstances has been in direct relation to my thoughts. As I was pondering about this I was reminded of the bible, when it says in the book of proverbs, be careful how you think because as you think so shall you be, how very true.

I am challenged to strive for pure thoughts at all times concerning all people. What I think of and feel about a person tends to come out at very odd times and it presents itself in attitudes and gestures. I also looked at my three girls, these girls thrive, they are a bundle of joy, and my thoughts towards them are again positive and pure.

The writer also states a very interesting idea that I can thoroughly relate to in my personal circumstances, “There can be no progress nor achievement without sacrifice” I look at all my achievements, from academic to social, I have sacrificed time, money and at times even relationships. I remember when I was acquiring my university degree; in my last year I got pregnant, it was tough. I struggled financially and emotionally, they was a time I wanted to drop out of college, but thanks to my father’s and husband’s massive support, I continued. I would sell burgers during weekends and I worked part time at the school canteen for extra cash. I worked hard and I studied hard, they were days before an exam, I would literally not sleep, it was painful but worth it. I developed a deep-rooted faith in God, which has been steadily growing over the years, I believe now that in order to stay motivated and to achieve the impossible, one needs to believe in something and make sacrifices.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learnt from this book?

To be honest, the ideas and concepts in this book to me were not new at all, but rather the book reinforced ideas and concepts I had already head about. Motivational speakers such as Brian Tracy, Mike Litman, Bob Proctor and Dan Robey speak of the same concepts and I am privileged to their weekly e-mails. I had also gotten a glimpse of these ideas from the bible, in the book of Galatians when the apostle Paul encourages the church to think of all that is pure, all that is praise-worthy and all that is good, he however did not elaborate and expand this concept as brilliantly as James Allen did.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way?

Yes, to a large extent I am now more conscious of my thoughts and the things I feed my mind with. I am consciously trying to earn the things I so desire in my life. This book has further challenged my way of thinking, when the author gives an example of a poor man, who wishes to change his circumstances and environment but does not work hard and considers he is justified given the insufficiency of his wages. This is exactly the way I had been performing at work. I knew I was good at what I did and I love it but living in a country like Zimbabwe is currently very challenging, there is absolutely no motivation to work hard, or to give your best, I would often dream of a better life; of finding a job in England or South Africa but do nothing to improve myself, my thoughts were always negative concerning a career in Zimbabwe.

This book has made me stop and reflect on the power and strength I have to make my own destiny, to stop procrastinating and dreaming and start acting. I am challenged, “to cease to whine and revile” and commence to search for the hidden justice which regulates my life. I need to stop blaming others such as the government as the cause of my condition, limited choices, poor salary, ever increasing inflation and begin to use my own thoughts “as a means of discovering the hidden powers and possibilities” within me.

This book has also challenged me to get rid of thoughts of fear, doubt and indecision. Before reading this book I was one person who had an in depth fear of the future, fear of failing and disappointing people, this made me not want to make bold public decisions, and true as James Allen put it I had a weak, people pleasing, unmanly and irresolute character. It is my 2007 resolution to be more bold, to be fearless and cultivate wholesome thoughts of courage, self-reliance and decision.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with?

In as much as I agree that my thoughts are directly related to my character and ultimately to my circumstances, I totally disagree with the idea that my thoughts are the absolute determinant of my character, condition, environment and destiny. I believe that other external factors also influence my character, condition, environment and destiny. For example a child born in a poor, rural developing country’s character and destiny will be influenced, not only by his thoughts but also by other external factors such as poverty, lack of opportunities, and limited choices. My thoughts will definitely assist me in positively dealing with these external factors but might not necessarily change them.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

I found the relationship between one’s life’s outcome in every aspect, health, wealth, career and relationships to one’s personal thoughts very fascinating and helpful. This aspect portrayed by the book made me limitless, it is as if I have been given an open visa or wings to fly. I can go anywhere and become anything, how amazing. Least helpful in the book I found, as described above the lack of consideration of external factors of which I have no control over such as where I am born and to whom I am born to. Secondly the lack of realising the power of God in James Allens equation, did not inspire me.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

Man can control his character, condition, environment and destiny by simply mastering and controlling his thoughts. If man is able to master his thoughts, then he can surely visualise the life that he wants and achieve it. Man is his own maker through his thoughts.

Rating:

a) How interesting was it to read? 9
b) How helpful were the contents? 9
c) How easy was it to understand? 9
d) Would you recommend it to others? 9
e) What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Adelaide Rufaro Katsika (Zimbabwe)

1. What Ideas were personally important to me in this book? Discuss why these Ideas are important.

Personally I thought the book was full of exciting and liberating ideas, which I found very interesting. Of greatest importance, was the idea that success does not come easily but with a tough price tag. First I need to know my passion, what is it that I want and love to do, then after realising my passion, I need to work very hard at it. Jonathan did not just wake up a great flyer he had to work hard and make lots of sacrifices at perfecting his skills. Like Jonathan I need to invest a lot of time and effort to nurture and grow my talents. I need to sacrifice time in training and developing them. Many times I find that I have dreams and hopes, where I want to be and what I want to achieve in this life, but when it comes to actually living out these dreams, making the sacrifices and working hard, I fall short, hence do not achieve as much as I should.

The other idea that I found very interesting, was that to succeed and truly reach my potential, I need to think and act outside the box. To be a cut above the rest, like Jonathan I need to be different, I need to risk being an outcast and take possession of my dreams with power and passion, I should not be afraid to be different. I need to refuse to be boxed, ‘to be like the rest’, but to fly high and follow my purpose. The concept of being totally free and having no external limitations, in terms of social expectations was really moving to me.

As an African woman, society has a pre-established lifestyle for me, I am expected to get married, have children, especially sons, meet my husband’s physical, emotional and sexual needs and be content and happy with just that. Any dreams outside this expectation such as cooperate growth or career excellence in the co-operate world such as owning your own company is not supported or encouraged.

The reaction of the flock to Jonathan’s different way of thinking and doing things reminded me of my own society, the moment you are different you are labelled, stubborn, rebellious, and loose and technically you become an outcast. I am so grateful to the other African sisters who have stood the test and set us an example to be strong and reach for our dreams no matter what.

Furthermore, the idea that I limit myself, through my conformity to society made me realise just how much power I have to determine my own happiness. As illustrated in the book, when I reach for my dreams and live out my purpose, I acquire great joy, power and pure beauty. Another interesting and important idea raised in the book.

Lastly another important idea raised in the book was the need to continually seek and acquire knowledge. The book emphasises the need to keep learning and never to be satisfied with being in the same place, and when I do this I become a creature of excellence, intelligence and skill, which will give my life meaning and the “years ahead will hum and glow with promise”.

Personally I was challenged by this idea because it is something I had stopped doing after attaining my first university degree. I had just stopped yearning for more knowledge as a result I remained at the same level, true to the writers sentiments, if I do not learn anything new then my word remains the same and I do not move higher. Personally I need to start acquiring more knowledge, skill and wisdom in my chosen career field.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values etc?

Very much so, to a large extend, I can relate to the ideas and concepts in this book. Being an African woman, mother and wife, society has pre-destined my future. I was born to get married, have children and live to please my husband. As long as my dreams or aspirations are not in line with society’s expectations, they will not be supported or tolerated, and I need to make a choice between being accepted socially or, being an outcast like Jonathan or the other seagulls who dared to dream outside the box.

Personally I have chosen to be free, I have fought hard and still fighting to be free, fortunately I have a wonderful support team so it is not so lonely, my husband being my greatest cheerleader.

The other concept I can relate with in this book is the idea of mentorship. For me to grow and fully realise my potential I need to have a mentor to encourage, teach and dream with me. It makes it easier to stay focused and motivated. I have personally experienced this, as I was growing up, being my fathers only daughter I occupied a very special place in his heart, he was my greatest inspiration. Having been educated in the United Kingdom, he did not conform to the African mentality of degrading women. He encouraged, taught and motivated me academically, even though I was an average student I excelled and became one of the top students at high school and college.

However for a while, after getting married having children and my father passing on, I stopped dreaming. My life went back to being routine and boring. I had nothing to look forward to, nothing to get excited over. In such a state life does become meaningless. Then, two years ago, I met a very close friend of mine, who had not stopped dreaming and she was flying and rising rapidly in the organisation that she worked for. This remarkable woman became my mentor and I started to dream again. It is amazing just how meaningful my life has become once again. How excited I get with each new day. I was born to fly and to fly high.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learnt from this book?

The ideas and concepts in this book were not particularly new to me but rather reinforced. I have read many motivational books and e-mails, such as Mike Litman’s ‘Holding your Dreams Hostage’, Bob Proctor’s ‘Greater Success’ and one of our very own Zimbabwean writer Milton Kamwendo in ‘Unleashing your Greatness’. These books and e-mails more or less bring out the same ideas and concepts that are portrayed in Jonathan Livingston Seagull of reaching for my dreams and not allowing myself to be limited by my surroundings.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your way of thinking in any way?

This book and many others like it have changed my way of thinking in a positive and powerful way. I now not only believe I can do anything I set my heart on but I can live the life of my dreams. I can also conquer fear and social expectations, with the knowledge that achieving my dreams will bring me more joy and fulfilment than being part of a flock, pleasing everyone, except myself. This book has also changed my way of thinking, in terms of the knowledge that anyone can become great, greatness or excellence is not only for a chosen few but also for anyone, even me. As long as I can perceive it and believe it I can achieve it.

This change in thinking and attitude has increased my self-esteem and confidence in a very positive way. The book has also helped me change my view on failure. I now look at failure as an opportunity to do better next time, and to learn more and practise more as opposed to an ultimate dead end and hopeless ordeal. I have also changed my attitude and way of thinking towards successful people, from this book I have also learnt that true great people or people of Excellency are very giving of their time and knowledge. They do not simply amass knowledge and wealth for themselves but freely share what they have learnt with everyone who has a desire to learn. When I become successful, I will do the same.

5. Are they any ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

I believe in hard work and I believe in myself, however I do not believe that this is the ultimate ingredient to success. I believe they is a higher being who has more control over my life and that if I decide on a course of action that is against my purpose, no matter how hard I work or what sacrifices I make I will not reach the level of success stated in this book.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

The think I found most helpful in this book was the encouragement and motivation to dream big, beyond normal expectations, to be limitless in my pursue for greatness and to allow nothing to stop me from achieving my passion; not fear not failure or social expectations. What I found least helpful was the immortality portrayed by the book towards the end. There is a greater being that gives the final say of my destiny.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The book’s main idea is not to be afraid to want a better life. To search for a higher purpose and to pursue it. Not to be content with a life that is just good enough but to aim for excellence, to break the limits and boundaries set by society.

Rating Questions:
a) How interesting was it to read? 9
b) How helpful were the contents? 8
c) How easy was it to understand? 7
d) Would you recommend it to others? 9
e) What is the overall rating you would give it? 8

Success through a Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Adelaide Katsika (Zimbabwe)

What Ideas were personally most important to you in this book and why?

Upon reading this book I discovered the invisible talisman that is able to direct and lead me to my desired destiny, positive mental attitude!!! To me this was the most important idea in the whole book. I found the idea very fascinating because this one factor is the back bone of a meaningful life and vocation. Just the new found knowledge of this concept has made me enjoy my work more and to dream bigger, “I can achieve all things through Him (God) who gives me strength” and all things are possible to him who believes, what I can perceive and believe, I can achieve. This idea is also very important to me because it has enhanced my understanding of having power over my destiny, which I found very empowering; mainly because it liberates me and gives me a sense of responsibility over my own life and its outcome. I particularly liked the phrase, ‘if the man is right, his world will be right’. Meaning I can change my world by changing myself and if I am willing to pay the price in hard work, sacrifice, patience, faith and endurance success is mine.

The concept of time portrayed in the book was also most important to me. The authors exhibited a very diligent and systematic approach to success, it is not something that is haphazard or as a result of a quick fix, but of life long changes in daily actions which become habits, which then become character, which give birth to my destiny. Prior to reading the book my approach towards success ranged from simply doing nothing to haphazard quick fixes, I was always racing against time and feeling guilty. I had not yet grasped the concept that my yesterday determined my today, but my today will determine my tomorrow, hence I should learn from yesterday, but do today, things that will give me the tomorrow that I want. This idea was very important to me because it has helped me open my mind, and think more clearly about my future, it is making me become more diligent and calculated in my actions, which I feel is a very good thing. I have not yet arrived but I am getting there.

Can you relate the ideas or concept in this book to your personal circumstances?

Yes I can. When I look at my successes over the years such as attaining my first degree, working on a project and currently working towards career growth, my attitude and behavior has been very consistent with what the writers were saying. Firstly in order to achieve anything, one has to have a positive mental attitude and a defined purpose. Taking a simple example acquiring a university degree, right from junior high school, I knew I wanted to attain a university degree. I did not pass my A levels with particularly high marks but that did not stop me, because I was positive and I had a clear goal, to attain a university qualification; because of that I was open to opportunities and I managed to attain an accounting degree within three years of completing A’ level. I can only imagine if I had continued to apply that definite of purpose and PMA, where I would be today.

Currently I am living in Zimbabwe, it is a challenging period, continuously through out the day I am bombarded with issues and things that are beyond my control; prior to reading this book I would be so stressed, angry and powerless. However the idea of having a positive mental attitude (PMA), clear thinking and definite of purpose which all point to control over ones life regardless of circumstances; has helped me become motivated to think of positive solutions and to stop blaming others; not to say that people and circumstances will not affect me and enter into my space but PMA has taught me to determine how I let circumstances and people affect me. For example with the massive shortages we literally have to queue for everything; I have resolved to do this joyfully, (while of-course I am looking for a job elsewhere). So I take a book or magazine to read while queuing or I book a place in the queue and do other chores as the queue is moving. Furthermore, because of a PMA I have made incredible friends and have learnt a lot while standing in these queues. Instead of time wasted complaining and blaming the government I have added value to my life.

Since everyone is so disgruntled, my employer included, I find I have a lot of free time, so I have resolved to acquire a rare skill in Information Technology risk or security services, while at the same time looking for a better and more challenging job outside Zimbabwe, in a calm, positive and relaxed way. Without clear thinking, a positive and relaxed mental attitude one cannot calmly think and carry out such great ideas. I had spent the last seven years wrestling and fighting with negative emotions; anger, bitterness and hopelessness, and achieved nothing; it was only after reading and re-reading this book that I am beginning to realize what great potential I have and that I can rise up and become somebody. I have not yet grasped the idea in its fullness but I believe my journey has just begun, I am happy; I am excited and ready to unleash my greatness.

What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

To me the most important new ideas I learnt from this book were how to change my world, situations and circumstances that negatively influence me by changing myself.

As one lives through life, one is constantly bombarded by so many influences that derail one from ones original plans and objectives; it is easier to blame other people, situations and circumstances.. This was my way out of lives pressures. As mentioned earlier my home country is going through massive challenges politically, socially and economically. True professionalism, work ethics and principles such as honestly, integrity and genuine love for one another are slowly becoming a thing of the past. It is increasingly becoming difficult to work or start up a business in this country. Before reading Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude I had resigned to a life of silent desperation, waiting and wishing for an opportunity to leave the country; I would wake-up tired and depressed, go to work tired and depressed, come back home tired and depressed; I would blame the government, my work mates, my family or any one or anything. However the authors in PMA state a very intriguing and exciting concept when applied, when faced with a problem first look for a solution within yourself. Once I started doing this on a regular bases I am finding that bit by bit I am beginning to see opportunities, to be motivated to get things done ( I have started applying the Do It Now concept, and it is amazing I feel I am changing slowly, nothing dramatic but it feels good) and to think and dream bigger. Looking at myself for a solution has given me power over negative situations, just the thought that I can do something about a challenge is liberating.

Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

Yes, this book has greatly affected the way that I think. Now I am more positive and energized to take up new challenges. As mentioned earlier these changes are not dramatic but it is a daily battle against willpower, for example each morning I decide not to procrastinate, or to allow negative feeling to block my thinking and take away my energy, it does not happen automatically.

Further, I now think of myself as a unique and wonderfully made being, who was born to be a champion. These are ideas I had learnt of before from the bible and other motivational material, but what has made them more meaningful from reading this book were the examples of real, known people who have come from humble beginning to become men of great success in their own right. It has made these ideas more tangible previously I had thought of material success as a far fetched thing, something that was a privileged only to the developed world, where people are born with many choices but not so, even in Zimbabwe I believe one can achieve greatness and fullness of purpose.

What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

The idea of a positive mental attitude and the influence it has on my life whether I am aware of it or not I found most helpful. I also found the 17 habits of successful people very helpful especially the attributes that I lacked such as going the extra mile, clear thinking and getting things done in completion, these were indeed life changing and I am still working on acquiring them. In addition I found detailed examples of how ordinary men and women acquired success through the use of these habits very motivating and enormously helpful to me.

The New Dynamics of Winning
Assessment by Adelaide Rufaro Katsika

1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is that everyone, including me, has the potential and is born with the natural ability/talent to be a winner, in whatever field. All one needs is to master the psychological component of winning, to think like a champion.

2. What are 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

I need to think, live and work like a champion and be myself in order to achieve my fullest potential.

Naturally I am very ambitious, but extremely sensitive and tend to take people’s comments and views very personally. Before reading this book I was also given to negative talk, giving up too easily and living out other people’s expectation of me. All this has a negative effect, especially when you do not have a strong support system or your ideas or desires are different from others. It hindered my growth and wasted a lot of time. However Denis Waitley’s book helped me realized that at the end of the day what really matters is not what people think or believe but my own self talk, what I believe about myself and what I can achieve that is most important. In this regard the book also helped me realize that I am uniquely ME, and I have a special, specific role to fulfill in this world, therefore I must think like it, live like it and work like it.

Achieving my dreams is no walk in the park, it requires a lot of hard work, determination and sacrifice, “I need to pay the price”, as the author puts it.

Champions are made of special stuff, they have the ability to bloke out distractions and they don’t give up easily’. If there was a state that is currently loaded with distractions, it is Zimbabwe. We are challenged left, right and centre daily; from getting money from the bank to organizing a meal to eat. As a result it takes a lot of determination to get up and work towards my dreams. A typical example in my life was my goal to study for my Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) qualification. The certification is in four parts which can all be written at one go, it has taken me two years, not because I am incapable but because of so many destractions. It has not been easy but it has been worth it. I will be writing my last part in December this year in South Africa because the exam is no longer being offered in Zimbabwe, another challenge!!!! The experience has taught me what it means to pay the price, financially and emotionally.

Currently I am in South Africa looking for a job, it is not easy, but I am paying the price for my ultimate success, I need international exposure and a stable environment to study and become a Chartered Accountant so that I can better serve my nation. I have left my family in Zimbabwe and I am here on a mission. As I was reflecting on this idea, I noticed that in essence everyone wants to be successful and make a difference in the world, we all want to achieve our inner desires but very few people know how, and fewer are willing to make the sacrifices and take the necessary risks.

Total success depends on self management and self mastery

I need to be disciplined and focused. To have a burning desire to succeed at whatever cost, no one can do it for me, I have to do it myself, was another important idea portrayed in the book that I loved. Just having good intentions or well laid out plans will not make me successful, I need to act towards achieving these goals. I need to act upon my intentions. Naturally I tend to be very timid and relaxed in my approach to achieving my goals, I do not like things that are too taxing or that require too much effort. If I try something and it does not work out I leave it. This idea is most important to me because it has challenged my comfort zone. It has questioned my lack of actions when faced with difficulties, how badly do I want to achieve. As I mentioned above, I am currently in South Africa, looking for a job. It is very touch and nothing has come up yet. I am so tempted to just pack-up and go back home, but I am constantly reminded through the many examples in the book on how I need to master myself and not give up. Champions know they will achieve even when all odds are against them, they still believe. How good is that for some motivation?

Do not procrastinate or wait for that miracle or that break, do it now.

Today is my day and I need to break the bond of procrastination. I do not have to wait until Zimbabwe becomes better or when my children get older to achieve my deepest desires but now is the time to get up and possess my dreams, to become an uncommon woman and make a difference in the world. Before becoming a member of the IIGL, I was a master on procrastination, there was always tomorrow, it was like my life was on hold, I was waiting for a big break, a better job, a better boss before I could realize my dream of becoming a Chartered Accountant. However now I am on my way, bit by bit, in a relax way I am in the process of achieving my goals and making a difference to Africa and to the African woman.

As I was pondering upon this idea, I could not help but to ask myself specific deep questions about my level of commitment, how committed am I to achieving my goals? The level of my commitment will determine my actions, as the writer puts it “the price of success is total commitment”. Am I totally committed to my goals? What is my passion? How do I feel about my work? My discipleship? My life? How much do I want to succeed and why? If I am committed, the achievement will follow naturally and the good thing is that I can make this commitment today.

In order for me to succeed I need to develop self confidence and self transformation; to believe in myself completely.

It is very easy to become my worst critic, in the disguise of being humble. It is surprising how I did not realize that negative thoughts and feelings have a direct relation to the level of my success. Consistent to this idea, I have been analyzing how much I have achieve in the past two years after joining GL and getting to put this idea into practice. For example I have three daughters aged between nine and two, now children are a source of great joy but they can also be extremely challenging, and can drain all your energy and leave you with nothing to work with. Previously my daughters were a major obstacle in my personal growth. They would not only take up all my finances, but emotionally I was drained, the thought of going home from work would cause a surge of negative feelings which would stress me, block my mind and I was not able to do anything productive. However when I changed my attitude towards them and became more positive, positive things began to happen in my life. My marriage as well is another example I can give on how ones thoughts and self talk have a bearing on the outcome of your life. Now I am very conscious about my self talk and the feelings I allow myself to feel. I refuse to entertain anything negative, if I cannot change a situation then there is no point in worrying over it. The more positive thoughts, feelings and habits I develop, the better decisions I make and the more I achieve my goals. This idea helped me to start learning how to detect and eliminate negative and self sabotaging thoughts, feelings and habits. To succeed I need to develop the sense of basic self- worth that will overcome the inevitable mistakes and setbacks. I need not compare myself to others, my success needs to come from doing my best based on my unique skills and goals. What I make of my life is up to me.

Have very big expectations of myself and focus on the present

I found this idea very empowering, and motivating. Being risk averse and very sensitive, I tend not to set too high goals to avoid disappointments. Mediocre is a comfortable thing, you have low expectations of yourself and your world; unfortunately it does not pay much. From the book and particularly this idea I have learnt to ask for more from myself and my world, I have began to set high goals, believing that I can achieve them. I have stopped worrying about the future and regretting the past and started living in the present. It is unbelievable what power and motivation comes from having a big goal, something that is beyond my imagination.

I am thirty one, married with three kids in Zimbabwe and I am pursuing a new career as mentioned earlier, I am becoming a confident, happy Chartered Accountant, this goal will take all I have from the examinations and practical training, I am becoming super organized and am ready to tackle the challenge. As the book says and I believe, “what you can visualize and believe, you can achieve”.

The readers edge

I cannot get over this simple but very effective habit that is transforming me from a mediocre employee, wife and mother into a very content, goal oriented motivated and grateful individual, “the people who read the most are the most successful”. From reading widely, I have noticed two distinct things, the first is that, for everything that I go through, good or bad someone else somewhere has gone through it, the second is that for every adversary or negative thing that happens to me, there is a solution that has been proven to work somewhere. Having stated the two facts above, what is my role ….., to search and learn from other peoples experience’s and solutions through books. The more one reads the more knowledge, wisdom and understanding one gains. This in turn affects the decisions that you make, the people you associate with, your habits change, your character changes and low and behold your future changes!!!.

3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how

From the ideas above, I am learning to always be kind to myself, to edify myself with good thoughts, to celebrate my strengths and to minimize beating myself when I fail or when I realize my weakness. I have noticed that doing this reduces the amount of stress I feel and with reduced stress I am able to make better decisions. Negative situations that occur in my life do not seem to be so bad anymore. This idea is clearly helping me deal with the negative situation in Zimbabwe in a positive way. Career wise as well it has helped me develop immense confidence and great self esteem. I think when an individual is happy, they perform better, and this increased productivity has a ripple effect, which benefits everyone.

As a direct result from the ideas above, everyday I write a ‘To do’ list, which is linked to my major goal. By so doing, I work towards achieving my goal of becoming a Chartered Accountant everyday. I am learning that an organized, diligent calm approach to achieving goals is very effective. As from the example given by the author, that it takes a minimum of four years to effectively prepare for an Olympic, this has helped me see that in order to achieve anything of value one has to be diligent, determined and very hardworking (in an organized and productive sense).

4. Quotes: Are there brief quotes from the book which got your attention? If so please list and comment on them.

I found the book very interesting and life changing; I have actually read it about three times now. However no particular quote got my attention. The whole book is just so inspirational.

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?

6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so did you complete all the exercises and did you find them helpful.

Yes it did, I am still in the process of completing 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.

8. 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? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10

Psycho- Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by Adelaide Rufaro Katsika

1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?

The main idea that the author is trying to portray in this book is that our thoughts, both conscious and sub-conscious are a direct link to our very being; my character and the outcome of my life. Since I have full control of my thoughts, I can therefore re-learn thought processes that can lead me to the achievement of my desired goals.

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.

The seven ideas that were most important to me were as follows:-

Idea 1:- We act, feel and behave in a way that is consistent to our self-image.

Explanation:- As stated by Bobbe Summers our self image defines the area of the possible for us, that is what we believe we can do. I consider myself successful in most areas in my life, namely my health, my relationships, spiritually and my outlook in these areas is very positive, I love life, people and God. However my success rate in two areas of my life is disastrous, my career, and my finances; as I was reading the book I could not help fully relate to this concept. I have a poor self image when it comes to money and my career. I am not confident, very fearful and generally negative about these areas. Since I believe I will never have abundant money or grow in my career that is just how it is. Due to a poor self image when it comes to money and my career, I have not realised much growth in these areas.

However since reading and re-reading this book, I have made a conscious decision to have positive thoughts about my finances and career, to cancel all demeaning feeling of inadequacy, inability, and lack. This is a daily struggle but already I can see positive and encouraging outcomes. We have bought our first house, I am gaining knowledge and skills in my job and I believe in the next year or so I will be saying a different story.

Idea 2:- No real behavioural change can take place unless the self-image is changed

Explanation:- As long as one continues to feel inadequate, insecure and “not clever enough” their achievements will continue to be below average. As I mentioned above, this is an idea that is changing my life in two areas I have always struggled with. At the moment, in my finances I have resolved to work solely on my image, seeing myself with lots of money and living the life of my dreams. I have let go of the “reality” of my situation and have started to dream and to dream big. Bit by bit my life is moving towards this desired outcome, I now think like a “moneyed” person and believe I now act like one too all because I am changing my self-image by challenging my beliefs and my core values. I can not put any scientific explanation to the changes I am experiencing but it is phenomenal. In my career, I have also decided to change my inner self as opposed to changing jobs, bosses etc. I am now kind to myself and am very sensitive to my self talk. They have been situations I have messed up at work, written a lousy report or just did not perform as I should have. Previously I would look at the situation and curse myself, telling myself I am not good enough, I am dump and I would look at my colleges and wish I was as clever as them. Despite having a university degree, the highest qualification in my field, I simply believed I was not good enough. My behaviour as a result of my self-image was of-course getting me no way. I am currently in the process of changing this, through a change in my self image; I am learning to be kinder to myself.

Idea 3:- I can challenge and change my beliefs

Explanation:- Nothing is written in stone, the way I view myself can be challenged and changed. This gives me freedom to define my own rules and the outcome of my life. Who says I can not do it? Do I want to believe that? If not, then I can change it. After learning this idea, I realised that nothing is final, I can get up and start again, and that my life can be redefined at any point towards the things that I want.

Idea 4:- A healthy self image can add years to my life

Explanation:- When one has a positive, well balanced self image, one tends to enjoy life and expect the best from it. I have noticed that when I am happy, and at peace with myself, my hours, days, weeks and months are spent in joyous pursuit of new goals, new experiences, and new areas of growth as a result my health is improved and I believe the aging process is prolonged.

Idea 5:- Sewing SEEDS when I experience setbacks

Explanation:- I found this idea very helpful in that I feel encouraged when things do not work out as I planned, its an opportunity to readjust my thermostat, remodel my goals and get back on track. Previously, when I did not achieve my desired outcome, I would personalise the failure, and end up feeling and acting like a failure. This would have a ripple effect and in the end I would end up being a failure because of one simple setback. Thanks to SEEDS, I can fight back and be a winner.

Idea 6:- I must be prepared to continuously learn and improve myself.

Explanation:- I have the power within me to write my own life story. The world is changing and I need to prepare myself for these changes. I love this idea and have been using it in my career. I work in the telecommunication industry as an Auditor. This industry is dynamic, and ever changing, before I had even mastered the 3G concept, we are moving into 4G. Before reading this book, I felt overwhelmed and powerless, even to learn new concepts and just do my job well. But because of this powerful idea I am motivated to write my own story, to approach learning as a life long processes and to love it. I use CANCEL, whenever I start getting negative, “loser” thoughts and feelings. Life is dynamic and I must change with it.

Idea 7:- Respect for diversity and effective communication

Explanation:- In my job as an Auditor, you get to meet people from diverse backgrounds. It is very challenging trying to coordinate a team of totally different individuals. Bobbe’s idea on how to respect diversity and deal with people from different backgrounds was very inspiring. People hear or perceive what we are trying to say based on their own image. Therefore it is very important to try and understand people; where they are coming from. This will help me to communicate better, as I will be able to say what I want them to hear. I have used this idea to communicate Audit findings to senior managers, with great results.

3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?

These ideas are already helping me in a very practical way, like I said my self esteem has sky rocketed. I am growing more and more in the areas I struggled with most, finances and career. I need to continue “cancelling” through out my days but it is worth it, and I am loving the journey.

I have always been a dreamer, I would see my self ten years from now, but I lacked the day to day practical drive to achieve my dreams. These ideas are teaching me just that, to dream big, but live in the moment, to take daily steps towards my goal with confidence.

My country Zimbabwe is currently going through a tough period politically and economically, (things are a lot better though). We have a lot of resources, well educated citizens and it’s a great country, but served by selfish leaders, men and women who are geared at serving their own interests. Reading this book has given me the confidence that I can make the changes I want to see in my country. Replacing selfishness with genuine love for people; being myself and living in love.

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.

I loved the following quotation; “You always act, feel and behave in a way that is consistent with your self-image- regardless of the reality of that image”

When I first read this quote, I immediately thought of my career, at that time, I always thought I was not good enough, my colleges appeared to know a whole lot better and to perform a great deal better, as a result, I always acted and felt like the black sheep, despite being the most qualified. This quote alone changed my whole outlook to my career, now I fight to preserve my self- image. I have carried this fight through to my children as well, I believe only the best for them, I refuse to have a negative image of any of them. This one quote is changing the way I perform at work, I am calmer and best of all I believe I am good enough. My life has taken a beautiful new turn.

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?

After trying out the ideas for myself, I am totally taken. No they is no idea I disagree with in this book but maybe just how easy Bobbe makes it out to be. For me it is a lot of hard work trying to change your self image and the negative feelings and thoughts inside me.

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?

Yes, the book contained exercises to complete and I completed them. They were very helpful especially the ones on setting and achieving goals.

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.

The book was amazing and the real life example helped so much. I have no additional comment.

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? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Keys to Success
Assessment by Adelaide Katsika (Zimbabwe)

1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book

In this book the main idea that the author is trying to convey is the control we as individuals have over the success or failure of our lives. He states that each of us can achieve our desires, hence live successful and productive lives by knowing and applying 17 principles of personal achievement. These principles in summary are as follows:

Develop a specific purpose or goal for my life; I must define what success means to me by being very clear on what I want to achieve.
To achieve this goal or my definition of success I must surround myself with likeminded people who will aid me in achieving my goal
Acquire a pleasing personality. According to the writer they are certain personality traits that attract success and others that work against me. I must learn these, get rid of the distractive ones and cultivate those that attract success.
The writer states that I cannot achieve success without a certain level of faith or belief in my specific purpose and that the universe is working together with me to help me achieve this.
Demonstrate my faith by actions, I must be prepared to work towards my success, to go the extra mile.
Be creative and be myself in achieving my goals.
Build a positive mental attitude, I must always see the good in all things, be grateful and live life as a gift. Be alert to my health and budget my time and money carefully.
Lastly I must be disciplined, think accurately and learn from adversity and defeat.

The seven ideas which were personally most important to me and why are as follows:

i. In order to achieve personal success one needs to enforce personal discipline. He highlights that this is the channel through which all my personal power for success must flow.
To me this idea was particularly important because it was one of the missing components in my fight for success. For the past ten years I have always known what I want to achieve, year after year I would write down my goals, have a definite plan. By nature I have a pleasing personality and am very hard working when motivated but lacked the discipline and time management skills for achieving the level of success I wanted and at the rate I hoped for. I first read this book two years ago, and remember highlighting this idea as an action point. Prior to reading the book, I had a habit of procrastinating, always thinking I had more time and I could always do this another day. I was really inspired by the writer’s declaration that time is my most precious asset and that I must spend it under strict discipline. The example he gave of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn really brought home my need to be disciplined and showed me that it is possible for a human being to master the art of discipline. The past two years have been remarkable at achieving my five year plan; I have achieve more progress in these two years than I have done in the previous ten. It has not always been easy, and I have shed many tears along the way, but it has been worth it.

ii. The power and effects of accurate thinking is another great idea I found in this book which applies tremendously to my personal life.

The author states that the mind of an accurate thinker is an external question mark. He encouraged me to challenge everyone and everything that influences my mind. I found that personally liberating. Any African girl who is honest with themselves will tell you how our culture indirectly places expectations, things that we can and cannot do simply because we are mothers or daughters or sisters; as I read this idea I was so excited, as I began to question these expectations, and limits my possibilities began to expand, I am now the master, not the slave of my emotions, the world is opening up and I truly can become what I have set my mind on. Currently I am studying a program that takes five years, I am a mother, a wife and full time employee; and above thirty five years of age, I have gone through the first two years successfully and defiled all cultural norms. Linked to accurate thinking is the aspect of controlled habits which translate power of thought into action, (one thing I was missing in my journey to success). I find it very good to have goals, but in order to achieve these I need to be an accurate thinker with controlled habits, and to question everything that limits me.

iii. The third idea I found very dear to me in this book was the power of controlled attention.

Linked to my lack of discipline and inaccurate thinking was my inability to focus on one thing, master it and achieve it. I would find myself setting great goals and making plans for the year but by the month of June I would have lost steam, discouraged by one thing or the other or just thinking to myself. “I can always do this next year” and giving up. The writer emphasis this idea and states that concentrating on my major purpose is essential and the hallmark of my success. The two years that I have tried to master this idea has showed the truth of this statement.

iv. Learning from defeat is another idea that I found important.

Between the years 2000 and 2008, our country experienced a terrible financial crisis; inflation was above ####%, it was a bad period for us, up to today we have not yet fully recovered Professional honest people were the hardest hit as we were unable to hussle and make ends meet; a lot of people lost their jobs as companies were closing down. Personally we moved to a foreign country; defeated. The story of Milo C Jones inspired me; we moved back to our troubled home country and I am learning each and every day to see the good in our situation and to change our adversities into blessings. I am writing my story; all things are possible, one day, five years from now I will have realised part of my dream and I will look back at the adversities and defeats I will have overcome and encourage others going through the same and hopefully our nation would have fully recovered.

iv. The fifth important idea I cherish from this book is the teaching on how to budget my time and money.

Due to the economic situation in my home country, this idea is very important and dear to me. Money is a resource that is scarce, and if not managed properly may result in me not achieving my goals. Prior to my reading this book I found myself lacking in resources; I could not afford to put myself through a post grad qualification and was surviving from hand to mouth. Naturally I blamed my country, the government, my employer and even my husband. Circumstances where controlling me and I was blaming others for my lot in life. The writer distinguishes between doers and drifters, where he states that drifters did exactly what I was doing, blaming others and allowing circumstances to control them. After reading about this idea two years ago, I was determined to be a doer and to achieve success despite my circumstances and to help my fellow brothers and sisters do the same. I took hold of situation and I am determined to improve myself, take control of my mind through self-discipline, go the extra mile and apply active faith in my life. The next five years will be a testimony of how this principle or ideas works.

vi. The sixth idea I loved in this book was going the extra mile.

Naturally I am hard working, but get easily discouraged by external factors for example if my boss does not acknowledge my work I tend not to put any extra input and lose focus. Reading about going the extra mile in this book helped me develop personal motivation to keep working hard regardless of what people say or do not say; to remember that the more I render the more I am investing, not only in my organisation but also in myself. I must give superior service with the right mental attitude and be very proud of myself, this will distinguish me from the crowd.

vii. The seventh and last idea that was important to me was maintaining sound health.

I found this idea quite interesting and indeed very helpful in cementing my love for healthy eating and exercise. I have always been particular about my health and upkeep but I had never married it to my purpose or goal, so reading about this idea was really encouraging and I will surely continue with added motivation.

3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and helping you to create a better world? If so why.

These ideas will help me achieve my goal of acquiring a professional qualification within the next three years, getting a better job and starting my own business; as they all address my major area of weakness, lack of discipline and clear thinking. I have not only shared these ideas and the lessons I am learning with some of my workmates but I have started reading and studying these with my daughters as well, creating a better world for them and their children.

4. 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.

From the book, the quotes I found particularly captivating are the following:-

“Strength and struggle go hand in hand.”

I have noticed from reading about the lives of many great men and women that their lives were not all smooth but some of them endured many hardships and personal struggles but they managed to use this to their advantage. From this I have begun to look at my struggles as catalysts to propel me towards my goals. I look to each day with renewed strength, hope and faith knowing that my struggles strengthen me. It has not been easy raising children in a country like ours, and it is a huge and painful struggle for an ambitious person like me, however as the author puts it I need to “prove to your own satisfaction by making it so that every adversity, sorrow or defeat, whether or not you caused it to happen contains the seed of an equivalent benefit which you can nurture into a blessing that soars above the disaster that brought it.”. I am striving to do this, and it is my desire that one day I may write or read of my own success story and give praise.

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.

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

Yes, the book contained exercises to complete, I am in the processes of completing these.

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.

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1-10 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

Keys to Success

Assessment by Adelaide Katsika (Zimbabwe)

1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book

Develop a specific purpose or goal for my life; I must define what success means to me by being very clear on what I want to achieve.

To achieve this goal or my definition of success I must surround myself with likeminded people who will aid me in achieving my goal

Acquire a pleasing personality. According to the writer they are certain personality traits that attract success and others that work against me. I must learn these, get rid of the distractive ones and cultivate those that attract success.

The writer states that I cannot achieve success without a certain level of faith or belief in my specific purpose and that the universe is working together with me to help me achieve this.

Demonstrate my faith by actions, I must be prepared to work towards my success, to go the extra mile.

Be creative and be myself in achieving my goals.

Build a positive mental attitude, I must always see the good in all things, be grateful and live life as a gift. Be alert to my health and budget my time and money carefully.

Lastly I must be disciplined, think accurately and learn from adversity and defeat.

The seven ideas which were personally most important to me and why are as follows:

i. In order to achieve personal success one needs to enforce personal discipline. He highlights that this is the channel through which all my personal power for success must flow.

To me this idea was particularly important because it was one of the missing components in my fight for success. For the past ten years I have always known what I want to achieve, year after year I would write down my goals, have a definite plan. By nature I have a pleasing personality and am very hard working when motivated but lacked the discipline and time management skills for achieving the level of success I wanted and at the rate I hoped for. I first read this book two years ago, and remember highlighting this idea as an action point. Prior to reading the book, I had a habit of procrastinating, always thinking I had more time and I could always do this another day. I was really inspired by the writer’s declaration that time is my most precious asset and that I must spend it under strict discipline. The example he gave of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn really brought home my need to be disciplined and showed me that it is possible for a human being to master the art of discipline. The past two years have been remarkable at achieving my five year plan; I have achieve more progress in these two years than I have done in the previous ten. It has not always been easy, and I have shed many tears along the way, but it has been worth it.

ii. The power and effects of accurate thinking is another great idea I found in this book which applies tremendously to my personal life.

iii. The third idea I found very dear to me in this book was the power of controlled attention.

iv. Learning from defeatis another idea that I found important.

iv. The fifth important idea I cherish from this book is the teaching on how to budget my time and money.

vi. The sixth idea I loved in this book wasgoing the extra mile.

vii. The seventh and last idea that was important to me was maintaining sound health.

3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and helping you to create a better world? If so why.

4. 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.

From the book, the quotes I found particularly captivating are the following:-

“Strength and struggle go hand in hand.”

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.

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

Yes, the book contained exercises to complete, I am in the processes of completing these.

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.

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1-10 ten is good and one is poor.

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Assessment by Adelaide Katsika (Zimbabwe)

1.What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?

Relating with people effectively and efficiently requires a certain art that we all must work on acquiring. It is a worthwhile endeavor that will yield rewards beyond our imagination.

2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List the seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.

i. Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.

Being a parent, I found this idea very interesting and of great importance to me. We have three daughters, two of whom are teenagers, it is amazing how easy it is to criticize their weird behavior. Before reading this book, our household was constantly a harb of long arguments over petty things. The arguments would end in almost the same way with me stamping my authority and having the last word because I felt I was right and I was ‘the mother’. I would constantly criticize their dressing and their untidy bedrooms but yielded no real results. They would clean up or dress better after long arguments or only when I was around but returned to their “weird world” as soon as my back was turned. After reading this book in January this year, I decided to teach and train the same principles but using the tactics recommended by Dale. So instead of saying a statement like “what is that you are wearing? You are not getting out of this house looking like that!!!”, I am learning to use phrases like “ I could be wrong hey, I was a teenager a long time ago, but I think your dress would look much better with tights or leggings, what do you think?” I am noticing the second statement makes my girls more empathetic and receptive to my ideas and bit by bit they are learning to dress better and becoming more confident. We are all still learning and growing but I totally agree with the author, it is foolish to scold and that criticism puts a person on the defensive and usually makes him strive to justify himself and arouses resentment

ii. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.

Like my point above, this idea was important to me as a parent. In the African culture, admitting that you are wrong is largely considered as a sign of weakness, especially for an elder person admitting to a younger person, worse still a parent to his/her child, the general feeling is that if you do that your child will not respect you in the future. Many times I have struggled with this concept, where I know I am wrong but cannot admit it to my children. This idea was so important to me because it helped me form deep convictions about changing certain aspects of my cultural beliefs. When I am wrong I need to admit it quickly and emphatically, it is not a sigh of weakness but of strength. This idea was also important to me in my career. As an Auditor, being perceived as right or very knowledgeable is important, as it speaks to the credibility of ones’ work. As a result we work particularly hard to seek knowledge and to become proficient in a given area of review. 90% of the time we are right about our observations and risk assessments because we would have thoroughly researched on the given subject. The natural reaction is to want to prove to the client that we right, however, when I read the chapter on admitting when I am wrong or winning people gentling when I am right, especially on how it raises one above the herd and gives one a feeling of nobility and exultation, I made a decision to put it into practice. During a recent agent network review, I made a very factual audit observation, I knew I was correct and normally I would have proudly gone to task to prove my client wrong, but I used Carnegie’s approach and the statement “I could be wrong but.” It worked like magic and the client accepted our recommendation with ease and even offered additional action points which we had not thought about. I was very humbled by the fact that such a simple change in approach can yield a great positive response. I am still in the process of refining and mastering my new skill, so far it is proving to be a great asset in my professional life.

iii. Give honest and sincere appreciation.

As part of achieving my career goal, I decided to return to school and become a Chartered Accountant. I was studying and writing my CTA level 2 examinations this year. Anyone who has ever attempted or qualified knows how demanding these examinations are, you basically have no life at all. Early on in the year, it became very apparent to me that I needed a very strong support network to make it. Generally I am good with people and do not really make a conscious effort to get along with them, however the idea of giving honest and sincere appreciation was important to me in building my network of supporters. I have countless examples but I think I will mention one, the relationship I managed to build with my house helper. As mentioned earlier, I am married with three daughters and I have a full time job. After reading about this idea under the fundamental techniques in handling people, I know I had to instill the notion of importance in my house helper, I needed her in order to maintain balance between my school and family. I had no time to do homework with the kids especially our last daughter who is ten, cook or do any form of cleaning. I started by praising her and telling her that she was the girls manager in front of the children, and then I made every effort to praise her work, for example, each time I got home and the house was looking clean and fresh I would comment positively and with a lot of enthusiasm. I appreciated and encouraged her. When my first daughter became a form leader, and my second daughter became head girl and won an academic award, I honored my house helper and told her that it was partly because of her that the girls were doing so well. I have learnt to be very hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise. I realized the power of appreciation, I was able to focus on my school, while my home ran smoothly and my children thrived because I was able to honestly and sincerely appreciate my house helper, and because of that she delivered excellent service for me.

iv. Become genuinely interested in people.

I am a quiet and reserved person and tend to keep to myself. I enjoy my own company and generally I am not really interested in other people, unless there is something for me. As I was analyzing the reasons for my slow career growth, I realized that this was one of them, ineffective networking or rather self-centered networking, where I tend to be more concerned about what I will benefit from the relationship rather than being interested and adding value to the other person. Yes, I have good relationships but I think there can be improved upon by me taking a more keen interest in others, by being self- less and looking at the interest of others.

v. Remember people’s names.

I am very terrible at remembering people’s names, prior to reading this book I thought it was not important and that it did not have an impact on the people I forgot their names. I therefore made no effort to develop this skill. I was quite shocked to learn that it is key to remember people’s names and that great leaders remember names. I want to be a great leader which is why this idea was important to me, it was totally new and it is a skill I need to learn.

vi. Smile.

This was a funny one. I have been told that I have a lovely smile, and being a fairly happy and free person I smile a lot. This idea was important to me because it made me conscious of the effect of my smile on people. Apparently I gave good first impressions because I smiled, unknowingly. The author is very right when he says happiness is an inside job. Living in Zimbabwe in this period can be very challenging, if one concentrates on outward conditions they would not be a single happy person in this country but for those of us who choose to love, to give and to be free, we are happy and we smile.

vii. Showing respect for other people’s opinions.

As I am growing in wisdom and in knowledge through my GL studies and through my academic pursuits, I am realizing that my intellectual reasoning is now above average. The common temptation is to want to prove my knowledge or the lack of this knowledge in others. Where I struggle the most with this is with my spouse. I was very ashamed with myself when I read about this idea, and how I was behaving in exactly the opposite way to that of the author’s recommendation. Since the beginning of the year when I first read this book, I have been consciously trying not to argue with my husband or to tell him bluntly that he is wrong but instead I am using a little diplomacy and encouraging him to also join GL and to up skill himself. I hope it is working.

3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?

These ideas or lessons will help me be a better and more effective mother in the sense that I will be able to encourage and influence my daughters to do what I want them to do without criticizing them, or condemning them or complaining. I will also be able to raise confident and happier girls who are not defensive or angry. These ideas will also help me be a better manager or leader when I eventually get promoted, as I will be able to manage and lead people through positive reinforcement as opposed to threats and intimidation. I will know the effects of both and I will choose the most effective options with lasting results.

4. Quotes: Are they 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.

Yes. The following quote particularly got my attention, “The world is full of people who are grabbing and self-seeking. So the rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage”

This quote was important for me because it resulted in a great learning opportunity for me. When I started the year, one of my major goals was career growth. I was centered on this. After reading this quote, it altered my how I was going to achieve this, initially I was focusing on myself and how I was going to benefit from certain relationships, when I read this quote I started thinking along the lines of how I was going to add value in people’s lives and how my career growth would serve others better. In essence, how I was going to serve my organization, my family my church and my community and not how they were going to serve me.

5. Is there anything in the book that you did not understand or are unclear about or are there ideas which you disagreed with and if so, why?

No, the principals in the book were easy to understand and there were no ideas I did not agree with.

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?

Yes it did, I completed them and found them helpful.

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.

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? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8

Real Magic
Assessment by Adelaide Katsika (Zimbabwe)

1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?

Regular people like me can create miracles in our lives, by simply taking charge of our thoughts and realizing that we are spiritual beings with a physical form. As such I must not limit myself because of my physical circumstances, but create my own miracles first in my spiritual realm which will then translate to my physical world. Miracles are not for special people but are available to everyone and anyone.

i. Creating a miracle mind set. I too can create my own miracles in my life.

At the age of 36 and after 14 years of marriage with three children, I decided to change my career, from an Auditor, I went back to school to become a Chartered Accountant. I was and I am still searching for a higher purpose in my life, I know I was created for something more meaningful and I want my short life to count for something; to make an impact or a difference to the world, especially to African Women. However, there has always been a disconnect or a misalignment with my idealistic self and my reality in the physical. What this book did, through this idea was to clearly give me a blue print of how I can move from my current insignificant, uninfluential position to a position of positive influence, to thinking of and wanting to give more to the world, to the people around me in humble thanks giving to the creator. The idea has rekindled my desire to be the CEO of a large multinational company that helps African women be self-sufficient, start their own businesses, with the aim of reducing or ending cases of women who are abused because their choices are limited. This is a sad reality in Africa. It is an idea that I have carried for years, and have been steadily progressing towards this goal. My progress has been slow because of self- doubt and thinking that this level of success is for others but not me. The idea that I too can create my own miracles was very enlightening as it reminded me that I have what it takes and I must create a miracle mind set, yes even I can do it. This was truly liberating. The author also not only shares this idea but gives explicit guidance on how to create these miracles. My success will not only impact my personal life but the lives of many African Women in the world.

ii. Every aspect of my life was necessary and is perfect.

I loved this idea deeply. Unlike my daughter, who at 16 was questioning her existence and purpose in life and moving towards it, (maybe because of my influence and the many books that surrounded her as she was growing up), I was unfortunate to be part of the turbulent Zimbabwe, where for a period of about 10 years we lived in a survival mode. In this period all we could think about was bread and butter, surviving the day, making sure the kids have food on the table, they have gone to school, and they have a roof above their heads. It was a terrible time especially for ambitious people like me; I wanted to become more and to give more but due to circumstances beyond my control and not having a miracle mind set I was stuck in this circle. It was only around 2010 when our economy improved a bit, I was around 34 years old then, that I began to search for something, what exactly I wasn’t sure but I knew there had to be something more to my life. I went through a phase were I hated my country, I despised the fact that I had been born in Africa, I questioned why the world had to be so unfair, we work so hard and have such big dreams but our leadership has let us down so much. I felt robbed of my youth and prime years. This idea helped me understand that I had to go through what I went through in order to live out my purpose, I can empathize and serve Africa better because I know what it means to be African, I know first-hand what bad leadership can do to a nation and its people. After meditating and processing this idea, I am learning to have no regrets concerning any part of my life’s experience, I am beginning to see that it was necessary and that all the events are perfect and bringing me to my life purpose. There are no accidents, everything I experienced was necessary to move me ahead to the next level.

iii. Enlightenment through outcome- what can I learn about myself and how much strength can I muster to deal effectively with this problem.

This idea was very interesting and timely in my personal life. As I mentioned earlier I have a ten year goal of becoming the CEO of a multinational company that makes positive impact on African women. I started my journey towards this goal four years ago. I have made very good progress academically, however corporately I have not made much progress. I have been working towards corporate growth since 2014, I have made no traction in this area. As I read and learnt about this idea of enlightenment through outcome, I was drawn to the author’s question, “what can I learn about myself and how much strength can I muster to deal effectively with this problem?’ I had never really seriously asked myself this question or realized the impact it has on the overall achievement of my goals. I have a plan of action but I had never really taken a daily look at it and actively motivated myself to work diligently through it daily. I am inspired and have taken up the challenge. Even through the author highlights that after this stage they is an even greater stage of enlightenment, he calls it enlightenment through purpose, I think for this year I will dwell on enlightenment through outcome as I think through my purpose.

iv. What is my purpose- why did I come from formlessness to form, why did I show up in this human body?

I found this idea intriguing, At 40 years of age I still do not really know my purpose, I have an idea and a goal but not an in-depth, motivating purpose. I am searching. This book through the idea and question posed has helped me search even deeper, I have a grand mission, and I must discover it and begin thinking and living in alignment to this mission. I am still to receive an answer, which is what made this idea or concept so catching to me, In order to live at my most optimum levels I must be aligned to my purpose. What it is I am not quite sure yet but I will find out. Knowing my purpose will help me position myself to the purpose of the universe. I will be able to contribute purposefully and meaningfully to Gods plan for his creation. Thereby contribute positively to the greater good of humanity.

v. I must serve the creator and others in any and all of my actions.

The idea of serving and giving lovingly to all is very key to the entire book. It helped shift my timing of giving to humanity from a long term goal when I become CEO, to an immediate goal. I began to consciously think of others and how I can help them in my present state; to give more of myself now to those around me, for example how can I assist my husband achieve his purpose, how I can assist my co-worker meet her goals, how I can assist the youths at our church to become bigger and better. I also particularly loved this idea because it is consistent with the Bible, which speaks of loving one another and the importance of servant leadership. From this idea I have made a deliberate decision to serve my family and church more, to started shifting my mind- set and deliberately focusing more on giving to others. I am still learning and have a long way to go but I have started.

vi. I overcome weaknesses by leaving them behind.

I found this idea liberating. As mentioned earlier I am in the process of growing my career. Prior to reading this book and getting the many ideas, some of which are highlighted in this review, I had a lot of questions concerning my birth place, and I felt it gave me great disadvantages. I have also not effectively taken career opportunities timely. I spent a lot of time and energy analysing my weaknesses and trying to work on them. The author’s advice was simple, just leave them behind. Know that it was meant to happen and that your life’s plan is perfect. I did that, I feel much happier and less inclined to explain or give reason for my career detours, these are not accidents and I will enjoy my journey as I travel to my destination. With this new attitude towards my weaknesses I hope to propel my career growth and achievement of my goals faster in-order to make my contribution to Africa and the world quicker and more impactful.

vii. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

I found this idea very stimulating. It was not a new idea but was reinforced very powerfully by the author. Many times in my life I have found that I seek out things which are right in front of me. When I received my level one books about two three years ago, Real Magic was the least appealing; the title and summary put me off; I did not read it for a long time. I recently finished my qualifying board exams, and looking at completing my GL studies. I had read most of my level one books, hence had no choice but to dive into Real Magic. I discovered that I was so wrong about the book, I thoroughly enjoyed what I was reading and learning a lot. I think if I had read this book two years ago, it would not have made the same impact. I was ready and the teacher appeared. I am a dreamer, I often dream about a better Zimbabwe, a better Africa a better world, but get overwhelmed as to how I can contribute to this growth and change. I have read many self-help books, which have really help me a lot, however my rate of growth has been limited mainly because my inner being was not yet ready, and I often doubt myself. As I was reading the book; deliberating and meditating on this idea specifically, I know I was ready and one of my many teachers was right there in front of me. This idea was also important to me because it helped me be more conscious of my environment, seeking to learn and grow from everyone and every experience.

3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?

My ideas are included in Question 2 related to what lessons I have learned.

4. Are there brief quotes from the book which really got your attention? If so, please list and comment on them.

“The great and glorious masterpiece of man is how to live with purpose.”

This is a brief quote from the book which really got my attention. Maybe it’s because I have not yet found my purpose and I am excited at the prospect of being peaceful and living a meaningful life with the full knowledge that this is why I was born and this is why I have been allocated my days in this physical world. I have started meditating and praying that my purpose might be revealed to me, hopefully before I am too old to execute.

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 particularly disagree with any idea in the book, but some of the ideas were too simple in approach, I am still to conceptualize the simplicity and really experience them personally. For example the Flow idea. This idea states that I can achieve the supreme goal of life, when I selflessly devote myself to the welfare of others. In order for me to reach the flow state I must relax and remove any pressures from myself and simply flow. I don’t know, the idea appears too simple to be effective.

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?

Yes it did and I found them very helpful indeed.

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.

This was the best level one book I have read so far. The title is deceiving but the contents are amazing.

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? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10