Agada Grace Omenyo – Assessments

As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Agada Grace Omenyo (Nigeria)

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

The main idea of the author is; the power of thoughts. He emphasized this by stating that; the responsibility of what we will become depends greatly on us and this is mostly shaped by the virtue of the kind of thoughts we choose to encourage. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts. The author further buttresses his point by stating that: thoughts in the mind have made us, what we are. By thought we were wrought and built. If a man’s heart hath evil thought, pain comes on him as come the wheel the ox behind. If one endures in purity of thought, joy follows him as his own shadow. So I say to myself, if my thought is the control point to achieving my dreams then, I must be willing to discipline myself to the point that I gain mastery over the management of my thoughts. All I can hear James Allen say is; it’s all in your hand, it’s all in your hand, whatever you need to attain success have been provided for.

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.

i. They themselves are makers of themselves by virtue of the thought they choose to encourage

I want to be successful. Following this idea, I can achieve success if and only if I can concentrate my thoughts more on things that lead to success, and disallow things that lead to failure. As a man thinketh so is he. My thought can mould, build or mar my destiny. For me, I have decided to filter the thoughts I allow into my heart and to continually weed my thought of unwanted element. I must gain mastery and become the lord of my thought

ii. As the plant spring from and could not be without the seed so every act of a man spring from the hidden seed of thoughts and could not have appeared without them.

This explain the principles of cause and effect. It simply restate the common saying that ; they is no fire without a smoke It also tells me that if I want to experience a particular effect in my life I should focus on encouraging the cause that generate that effect. For me I have decided to give it all it takes to see my success happen.

iii. A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts.

It emphasizes a popular saying; nothing good comes easy. I need to be determined, focused and willing to pay the price for success in every sphere of my life. In achieving success or anything worthy of note I will have to make some sacrifices and commitment. That in itself is not easy and requires discipline, but the passion and desire I have to see my dream come true is so strong that I can delay the easy for the difficult.. With God on my side, I believe that my head will always be above waters

iv. Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamond obtained and man can find every truth connected with his being if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul; and that he is the maker of his character molder of his life and the builder of his destiny.

It re emphasizes point number 3. I can achieve anything I set my heart to achieve. The only true limit that exists is the one I set for myself. If only I can dream, and am determined, I can do anything. There are no short cuts in life. Life is full of ups and down, these ups and down are meant to teach us certain lessons, The more lessons we learn, the more we become experienced and knowledgeable and the more we discover the many ways of not doing a particular thing. That streamlines the whole process and brings us closer to our expected end. I will emphasize by restating what Brian Tracy said; Find the bottle neck or control point in every challenge or difficulty, focus on finding a solution to it and you are on your way to becoming a hero.

v. In this direction as in no other is the law absolute that “he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocket it shall be opened for only by patience, practice and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the door of the temple of knowledge.

The bible put it this way; Ask and it shall be given, Seek and you shall find Knock and the door shall be open. This is a fundamental principle. It is by asking that people will know how they can be of help to you. God himself have given us the opportunity to ask him whatever it is that we want. It also tells me that if I want to achieve anything in life, I must be ready to pay the price to see it happen and I am ready. Embedded in this point/idea is the need to posses the following virtue: patience, determination, focus, and trust, hope, courage and practice ceaseless importunity

vi. As a progressive and evolving being, man is where he is that he may learn, that he may grow, as he learns the spiritual lesson which any circumstance contain for him, it passes away and give room for other circumstances.

It re emphasizes the saying; They is a reason for everything that happen under the sun and that for every situation I find myself I should always look for the positive side of the it and learn. The rate in which I learn; to a great extent determines my speed and the height I finally attain. Knowing this, I am determined to learn from every experience and opportunity. I now know that the faster I learn these lessons , the more doors that will be open unto me to show me the way to my desired end.

vii. As the reaper of his own harvest, man learn both by suffering and bliss

It re emphasizes the saying; Life is not a bed of roses. Some experiences are allowed into our lives for certain reason and I should always look for these reasons and learn from them. Sometimes we face challenges in order for us to get the experience and knowledge that will give us strength and make us resilient in the face of a bigger challenge in the future.

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?

i. These ideas will help give me a better perspective of life and will help me escape some experiences that I would naturally have experienced. In other words I learned from the Author’s experience.

ii. These ideas will help me become more positive and see the good in every bad situation. As a matter of fact, nothing is totally bad in itself. find that good and use it to your advantage. In life when I am faced with challenges I should always see the challenge from a positive light

iii. These ideas gives me faith hope and makes me feel in control of my destiny. I now know that I can achieve anything if only am willing to pay the price

iv. These ideas make me understand to a great extent how important it is for me to guard my heart with all diligence and filter the thoughts I allow and encourage. I am responsible for my success.

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.

Circumstances does not make a man, It reveal him to himself

The truth will always be revealed when we are faced with difficult circumstances. This simply means I can know who I am, what I love, what I can do, the extent I can go when threatening circumstances come up. With this knowledge I can now decide who I want to be and how I want to achieve it.

Men do not attract that which they want but that which they are

This re addresses the saying; Like begets Like. I cannot plant an apple tree and expect to reap something different. If I sincerely desire apple then I must strive to plant apple. So I must continually strife to become that person with the right thought. It will then only be natural to attract positive things into my life.

Not what he wishes and prays for does a man get but what he justly earn. His wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when there harmonize with his thoughts and actions.

This simply restate the computer slogan; Garbage in, garbage out. For example, as an employee, I am entitled to monthly salary which is the sum of what I have earned as a result of my contribution to the success of my company. They is no magic or miracle that will suddenly increase my earnings if my employer thinks I do not deserve an increase. But if my employer thinks other wise then he will increase my earnings commensurate to what he thinks is the additional value that I have added . What I deserve Is what I get at the end of the month nothing more or less. Likewise in life, if I desire something of eternal value, I must be prepared to sacrifice something of the same measure to achieve my desire.

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances but are unwilling to improve themselves, they therefore remain bound.

Everyone including me wants to achieve success in what we do. The difference between us all is how badly we want it. If we really want it, we will sit down count the cost and be willing to go all the way to paying the price. Unfortunately, due to the selfish nature of man, we most often than not want to escape paying the price and still intend to get the desired result. But life is governed by principles and laws. No one, no matter how smart can out smart natural laws as a result, most of us are discouraged and remain bound.

Act is the blossom of thought and joy and suffering are its fruit; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his husbandry.

As I began the year 2011, one of my goals is to become better in my relationship and interpersonal skills and to possess a beloved personality. That, as simply stated, is not easy. Act is the blossom of thought, that is, to become that individual I desire to be I must first work on my thoughts. If as an individual all I see is negative; I see people as evil, I see the world as corny, I see family as a burden and I see myself as not worthy e.t.c, then I cannot become the opposite of my thought. I will exude actions commensurate to the amount of my innermost thought. For me I have found the bottle neck in achieving my desire and according to Brian Tracy I am on my way to becoming a Hero. I will also always remember that I am made or unmade by myself, In the armory of my thought, I forge the weapon by which I destroy myself and also fashions the tool with which I build for myself heavenly mansion of joy, strength and peace.

Man is always the master even in his weaker and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation, he is the foolish master who misgoverns his household.

This idea makes me understand that they are two sides to being in control of ones life. First is the side that is beneficial and the other is the side is the harmful part. If I do not harness the thoughts of my heart and channel it to the right direction; it will result to an effect of the same magnitude but in a negative direction, as James Allen said; but in his weakness and degradation, he is the foolish master who misgoverns his household. I do not want to misgovern my life and destiny, I do not want to unmake myself, I rather want to harness my energy and thought into making purposeful commitment towards the success of my future and life . With this idea I now know that I have to be careful because; the bee that produces honey can also sting.

Mans 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 fruit .But just as a gardener cultivate his crops keeping it free from weed and growing the flowers and fruit which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind.

Like a garden, our heart needs cultivation. There are so many thoughts coming into our hearts from time to time, but like a plant if you water and weed the farm, and provide a condusive environment, then the plant will flourish. But if you leave it uncared for, then the seed may not germinate or if it germinates it will not survive the hardship. Likewise if we decide to encourage a particular thought that comes into our heart by watering it and providing a conducive environment for it then, that thought will grow and flourish. But if on the other hand we do not desire a thought, then like an unwanted plant, we discourage it and leave it to dye a permanent death. As James Allen said; Let a man cease from his sinful thoughts, and all the world wills often towards him, and be ready to help him; let him put away his weakly and sickly thoughts, and lo, opportunities will spring up on every hand to aid his strong resolves; let him encourage good thoughts, and no hard fate shall bind him down to wretchedness and shame.

Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. This is but saying that nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles.

This idea simply implies that if they is an effect I am seeing in my life that is not reflecting what I actually desire, then the cause can be traced to the kind of thought I choose to encourage. Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results and bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results is a natural principle and we cannot out smart natural principles, they govern the world we live in, so fighting against it is futile. I will always remember that; suffering is the effect of wrong thought in some direction. The conclusion of the matter is; The right thought is always the key to any positive effect I desire.

A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so Indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.

This still reemphasizes the importance of the role I play in achieving my dreams and that role is the role of choosing and filtering the thought I allow and encourage in my heart. The heart is the control point and the bottleneck to achieving my dreams. If and only if I can control effectively my thoughts then I can produce the effect I desire to see. For me i have discovered that most times if I think of the outcome of an event as positive, it often always come out so and vice versa. There are times when it may be very difficult to focus my thoughts on positive things. In such times, as Brian Tracy said, confess it, speak or voice it out. Tell yourself you can do it, and that you are the best and the strength and courage you need will come.

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 understand perfectly every idea contained in the book

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?

There were no exercises contained in the book

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.

1) The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed. At the bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad and beautiful thoughts it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty.

This is beautiful, it encourages my heart to know that they is a lot I can do with what God has provided me. I can be in good health, I can be healthy and strong, not with drugs injection or some special medications, but with the magic that comes with encouraging the right thoughts. I want to enjoy all these and more and at this point I can say that I am willing to pay the price to see it happen so help me God.

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? 10

 

 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Agada Grace Omenyo (Nigeria)

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

The main idea the author is trying to communicate is; Irrespective of who we are, our background, our group or class or any limitation that we think exist, the truth is; the only true limitation that exist is the one we place on ourselves. There is no limit to what we can do, who we can be or what we can achieve. Put in another way, everything is possible if only we agree and believe it is. Jonathan Seagull had limitations like anyone would, he was a seagull that means; life is difficult, he had to fight for survival, he had a dream that other seagull did not believe in like most of us, he faced a lot of obstacle and discouragement whilst trying to achieve his dream. But the consolation in his story is: Despite all odd he achieved his dream. So my conclusion is, if Jonathan Livingstone seagull can with all the limitations that I can relate with, then I can achieve whatever I desire to achieve. This simply means that, I need to be focused, passionate and resilient, determined and exercise faith. With these, the sky would definitely be my starting point.

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.

i. Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight – how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything else. Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly

This idea is important to me because it emphasizes the importance of desire, determination and Vision. With all of these I can decide who I want to be and how I want to achieve my dreams. It re emphasize the need for an established purpose, for if purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable. For Jonathan Livingstone he defined his standards, values and goal. He said, life is not all about eating, but flight, more than anything else. Therefore, if I want to fly, I must also define my standards, values, goal and dare to be different.

ii. 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.”

This re emphasizes the need to delay gratification and introduce discipline if need be to achieve whatever we want to achieve. If I sincerely desire an effect then I must strive to plant or input its cause. It also highlights the need for me to have passion towards my vision and goals. Jonathan seagull wants to know. The quest for the accomplishment of his vision kept him going. Jonathan was passionate, enthusiastic and focused about his dream. It didn’t matter whether he was losing weight, investing

iii. But victory was short-lived. The instant he began his pullout, the instant he changed the angle of his wings, he snapped into that same terrible uncontrolled disaster, and at ninety miles per hour it hit him like dynamite. Jonathan Seagull exploded in midair and smashed down into a brickhard sea.

iv. This simply tells me that the road to success is not smooth and that sometimes I might stumble but I should always be of good courage and keep the faith. Jonathan seagull stumbled but he stood up and continued the pursuit of what he believed in. Everyone including me wants to achieve success but the difference between us all is how badly we want it. If we really want it, we will sit down count the cost and be willing to go all the way to paying the price. Most time we are scared of what the outcome might be, other time we just feel is not possible or we would not survive it, but the truth is if we will just try to conquer our fear, try to be more optimistic and have courage, then the sky is definitely our starting point. Brain Tracy said, and I paraphrase, Figure out your fears, determine the worst thing that can happen and make every effort to prevent that worst thing from happening.

v. As he sank low in the water, a strange hollow voice sounded within him. There’s no way around it. I am a seagull. I am limited by my nature. If I were meant to learn so much about flying, I’d have charts for brains. If I were meant to fly at speed, I’d have a falcon’s short wings, and live on mice instead of fish. My father was right. I must forget this foolishness. I must fly home to the Flock and be content as I am, as a poor limited seagull. The voice faded, and Jonathan agreed.

This idea is important as it reemphasizes how dangerous self discouragement is. If I do not believe in myself, then no one would and I will not achieve my dreams. I should never encourage negative thoughts and never agree with it for if I do then the battle is already lost. The book as a man thinketh emphasizes the need to channel our thought to achieve positive effect. It isn’t what you have, or who you are or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about -Dale Carnegie. Our thoughts is the driver of our destiny and whether there are positive or negative, they will bear fruits that will breed the corresponding effect

v. How much more there is now to living! Instead of our drab slogging forth and back to the fishing boats, there’s a reason to 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 re echo a believe that I have. Once the purpose to a life is established, it gives you every reason to want to live on. You never get bored, you never get tired, you just want to keep going until that purpose is achieved. Maybe for many of us this is the starting point. Discover your purpose and time will be too short for what you have to achieve.

vi. Here were gulls who thought as he thought, 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.

It re emphasizes the importance of the company or friends we keep. Some one said and I quote; Two things that determine how far you go in life are the people you know (Friends) and the people that know you. The company we keep goes a long way in determining whether we are encouraged to achieve our goals or we are encouraged to abandon it.

vii. The same rule holds for us now, of course: we choose our next world through what we learn in this one. Learn nothing, and the next world is the same as this one, all the same limitations and lead weights to overcome.”

This simply tells me how important it is that I learn from every experience and how to a great extent that determine the speed with which I move on to the next level in life.

I also know that the more I learn from every experience the more I grow, become matured and grounded and to a great extent will determine the wisdom I will apply to future challenges.

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?

i. These ideas have made me see how easy it is to achieve anything i want in life.

Yes, it Is true ; nothing Good comes e
asy but the beautiful thing about this one is that virtually 80% of what I need to do to succeed depends on me. I am responsible that makes it a lot easy.

ii. These ideas will help me become more positive and see the good in every bad situation

iii. These ideas have given me faith, hope and make me feel in control of my destiny. I now know that I can achieve anything if only am willing to pay the price. if Jonathan living stone can, then I can.

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. No, Jonathan, there is no such place. Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect.”You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. perfection doesn’t have limits

I have learnt that heaven can start from wherever we are and that the idea of heaven being a place that we will be someday should be modified to the thought of a Heaven that starts with me whenever I say it should start. I can enjoy all there is to enjoy and reach the highest height if only I am willing to pay the price.

ii. To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is,” he said, “you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived…”

Faith and Confidence in oneself. The starting point for the achieving of any dream is the believe that we can do it. So If I believe I am one step close to achieving that dream

iii. Why, Jon, why?” his mother asked. “Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? Why can’t you leave low flying to the pelicans, the alhatross? Why don’t you eat? Son, you’re bone and feathers!”

The whys of life. I have learnt that it is only natural for people to ask why and want to discourage you when you dare to be different. This is however borne out of fear that has held them bound for years. Sometimes we have to damn the consequences and move outside the box. If we succeed, then thank God but if we do not succeed, then we have learnt a way not to do that thing. That in essence will prevent us from making such mistakes in the future and will give us the experience that can add value to the up coming generation.

iv. See here Jonathan” said his father not unkindly. “Winter isn’t far away. Boats will be few and the surface fish will be swimming deep. If you must study, then study food, and how to get it. This flying business is all very well, but you can’t eat a glide, you know. Don’t you forget that the reason you fly is to eat.”

When we have made up our mind to do something, distraction will start to spring from all angles making you see reasons why you should not step outside the box. I have learnt that in such situations I need to be of good courage and keep the passion alive because in the long run that is what counts in achieving my dreams. True satisfaction comes from following what you believe in. Jonathan seagull tried to heed the advice of his father, but he could not because, there was a greater passion for something he believed in.

v. From a thousand feet, flapping his wings as hard as he could, he pushed over into a blazing steep dive toward the waves, and learned why seagulls don’t make blazing steep power-dives.

If we could dig a little deeper, be a little patient, show a little faith passion and courage then we are close to learning the secret to our success. Jonathan seagull Pushed over into a blazing steep dive and learned why seagull don’t make blazing steep dive towards the waves. The lesson here is that he learnt something, something that sitting down and remaining in his comfort zone would not teach him, something that will help him in the future, a lesson that will enrich his experience.

vi. Get down! Seagulls never fly in the dark! If you were meant to fly in the dark, you’d have the eyes of an owl! You’d have charts for brains! You’d have a falcon’s short wings!

There are many lies and fallacy that comes in the event of trying to achieve ones dream. Lies that come from within, Lies that come from friends, society and our environment. These lies are meant to give us a sense of hopelessness, to make us believe that we don’t have what it takes to accomplish what we set out to do. The good news is ,the only lie that can actually achieve to a great extent the aforementioned is the lie that comes from within that is the lies we believe in, accept and internalize

vii. 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! What a fool I’ve been! All I need is a tiny little wing, all I need is to fold most of my wings and fly on just the tips alone! Short wings!

Jonathan seagull being a determined individual turned an idea that was supposed to discourage him into something that became useful for him. He was told he will never be able to attain his dream because he did not have a Falcon’s short wings. His reply was and I paraphrase; if short wing is all I need to achieve my dreams and I have got long wings, then all I have to do is to fold most of my wings and fly on just the tips. That, is what I call turning negativity into positivity, seeing the good in every bad situation, that alone can avail much

viii. He climbed two thousand feet above the black sea, and without a moment for thought of failure and death.

Sometimes what we need to achieve our dreams is our ability to take risk, our ability to be prepared for any outcome as a result of our action. Without a moment for thought of failure and death Jonathan Livingstone moved on towards his dreams. That is what most of us need.

ix. His vows of a moment before (he vowed, he would be a normal gull) were forgotten, swept away in that great swift wind. Yet he felt guiltless, breaking the promises he had made himself. Such promises are only for the gulls that accept the ordinary. One who has touched excellence in his learning has no need of that kind of promise.

I now understand better, that if I can break away or break out of my self inflicted limitations then the journey to success will begin. Jonathan forgot his vow and convinced himself that such promises are only for the gull that accepts the ordinary. He assured himself he was different and that he had no need of such vow. That is an important point to me. How I see myself, how I view my future, how I go about achieving my dreams, will, to a great extent determine the height I will attain and how fast I will get there..

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 understand perfectly every idea contained in the book

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?

There were no exercises contained in the book

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.

None of such.

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? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

 

 

Keys to Success
Assessment by Agada Grace Omenyo

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

Our progress toward success begins with a fundamental question: Where are we going?

Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement, and its lack is the stumbling block for ninety-eight out of every hundred people. People fail simply because they never really define their goals and start toward them. Only by finding your own burning desire will you achieve success. The difference between a wish and a burning desire is crucial. Everyone wants the better things in life-money, fame, respect-but most people never go beyond just wishing for them. The first step from poverty to riches is the most difficult. The key is to realize that all the riches and all the material goods that we acquire through your own efforts begin with having a clear, concise picture of what we seek. When that picture grows to be an obsession, we will find that our every action leads us toward its acquisition. Definiteness of purpose develops self-reliance, personal initiative, imagination, enthusiasm, self-discipline, and concentrated effort. All these are required for success. Success in life will also depend a great deal on our ability to know about a specific area and to perform exceptionally within it. Generally, education is important because it help us discover our basic aptitudes and desires. Once we have discerned them, it is important however, to immediately begin to acquire specialized knowledge in our major interest. Definiteness of purpose makes us aware of opportunities related to our major purpose, and it inspires the courage to act on them. Definiteness of purpose also act like a magnet to attract to us to that specialized knowledge necessary for success. The greatest benefit of definiteness of purpose is ; it opens our mind to the quality known as faith. It makes our mind positive and frees it from the limitations of doubt, discouragement, indecision, and procrastination. These limitations are some of the greatest roadblocks we will face. Nevertheless, anything in life worth having, is worth working for.

Another key factor to success is ACTION, taking action at the right time; proper timing is determined by the intensity of our desire at the moment of exposure. The author pointed out that Successful people make decisions quickly (as soon as all the facts are available) and firmly. Unsuccessful people make decisions slowly, and they change them often. Ninety-eight out of a hundred people never make up their mind about their major purpose in life they simply can’t make a decision and stick to it. How then can we overcome the habit of avoiding decisions? The author suggested we Start with the very next problem we face; MAKE A DECISION. Make anydecision; any decision is better than none. If you make some mistakes at first, take courage, your batting average will improve. Knowing what we want will help in decision making, because we can always judge whether or not it will contribute to our goals.

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve. When we make the decision we will realize that we begin to conquer fear.

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.

i. If you can see an opportunity as quickly as you can see the Faults of others, you will soon succeed.

Most often than not we give excuses why we are where we are and why things are not working for us. The Author in this idea pointed out that there are a lot of opportunities around us, but the problem is; we do not see opportunities as quickly as we see fault. If we can make up our minds to be more sensitive and diligent in searching for opportunities as we do faults then we will soon succeed. The other side of this idea is; we see faults often in our friends and loved ones because we expect to see one and we diligently watch like a watch man to achieve our expectation. If I can shift my expectation from looking for and finding faults to looking for and finding strength, then, I will also achieve my expectation and things will go on smoothly. Marriages and relationships today are crumbling because of this reason. We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses what we choose to see and focus our attention on is what we eventually see. I want to be happy, I want to enjoy a happy married life, I want to love my husband and satisfy him, I can do all that if I am willing to act as though there are no weaknesses in him and he is all made up of positives. We do not see the world as it is , we see the world as we are. The question is , WHAT DO YOU FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON, WHAT ARE THE CONTENT OF YOUR THOUGHTS. Everything you desire in life is possible as long as you are willing to pay the price. I can hear some people say, that is simply not as easy as it sound and I have not said that either. Everything good and worth the while has a price tag, pay the price and you will enjoy the benefits refuse to pay the price and you remain where you are. It might be difficult, but it is POSSIBLE. I have Chosen today to amplify the positives and take no notice of the negatives.

ii. The value of the wealth that comes with success is that it carries with it the lessons you have learned in acquiring it. You will learn in achieving wealth that success comes about only because you are willing to assume great responsibility and to deliver unfailingly goods and services which are truly valuable.

To fail is not a bad idea, To fail is a good idea, for out of the failing comes the lessons and the lessons prevent further failure in those area and draws us closer to our desired end. To be a failure however is a bad idea. Those years when I was much younger I would say to myself, No I don’t want to do a particular thing because I do not want to fail. Later in life I discovered that it were better if I had tried those things earlier, failed and learnt the lessons. Because, I am going to learn the lesson anyway so I was just postponing the evil days as. Many of us have reached a point in our lives where the fear of failing has held us bound. It could be scary sometimes, but if we realize that, somehow, someday we are going to still learn that lesson and for some rather unfortunate situations postponing it might be more dangerous than having it now then we will begin to see the opportunities failing offers and we will develop a positive mental attitude towards failing

iii. The first step in putting together a mastermind alliance is to adopt a definite purpose for it to attain. (Who would board a train without knowing where it went?) Obviously you cannot do this if you have not yet selected your own definite major purpose. You must be certain that the purpose of the alliance is either the same as yours or very closely aligned. Your progress toward success begins with a fundamental question: Where are you going?

Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement, and its lack is the stumbling block for ninety-eight out of every hundred people simply because they never really define their goals and start toward them. Only by finding our own burning desire will we achieve success. Life is a journey and you’ve got to be prepared. Like any other journey you’ve got to ask yourself, where am I going, why should I go there and what do I need. If at the start of a journey you’ve figured all this out, then you are ready to go. Many of us today do not treat the journey of life as we treat other journey. We simply wake up, go about our normal businesses, without having a definiteness of purpose. No wander we are so dissatisfied with the results we get. If you know what you want you can generally get it . If you are determined to get it to the point that it becomes an obsession, and you back that obsession with continuous effort and sound planning, then you have awakened and developed definiteness of purpose. Definiteness of purpose develops self-reliance, personal initiative, imagination, enthusiasm, self-discipline, and concentrated effort. All these are required for success. Definiteness of purpose also makes you aware of opportunities related to your major purpose, and inspires the courage to act on them

iv. I tell this story because I want to say the same thing to you. Whatever personal obstacles you face, you must start getting to know that side of your personality that knows no obstacles, that recognizes no defeats. Cultivate a friendship with the “other” you, so that no matter what you are doing, you are allied with someone who shares your goals. All the philosophy and advice in this book about persuading and motivating others will be much more useful to you if you practice it on yourself. If you have convinced yourself that you need and deserve a ten-thousand-dollar loan, you won’t just walk into a bank and ask for it. You will cultivate the friendship and appreciation of the loan officer. You will present her with a list of the possibilities for the project you have in mind, you will outline your solid plans for repayment, and you will do it with infectious confidence. You will succeed. You will begin to take charge of the efforts of others only when you take complete charge of the power of your own mind.

This idea is so inspiring. I now know that I have two sides and that the result I get in life depends on which of the sides I choose to exploit. The author encourages us to cultivate friendship with the side that knows no obstacle, has faith and hope, the side that is not discouraged by the wind of adversity and the side that always love winning. The human mind is an intricate machine designed to accomplish things. The power that operates this machine comes from outside the mind, and faith is the master gate through which we gain full and free access to that tremendous power. This other side of me has a lot of faith and hope reserve and it means that I can access that tremendous power. The power of faith is inexhaustible. It is the ultimate renewable resource, a reflection of the Creator’s desire that we use it in every way possible. Faith’s power is easily attained by any person. No fee must be paid. It is simply appropriated through the desire for its use.

I do a network marketing business and before now I have had problem getting along with people. I do my work well and keep to myself. But I latter realized that that was not helping me; I was caught in my world and bored until the day I discovered this quotation: people won’t buy your product or do business with you until they buy you. How can people buy me I asked myself and I got the answer right form within me ; People become friendlier with you if you are friendly with them, You get exactly what you deserve. I began applying these principles and was shocked at the remarkable result I got. People began to be nice and accommodating, they began to buy my products and I recorded huge success in my business. I later realized that the more generous you are, the more help you will get. So I decided from that day onward to continually improve my personality and be the kind of person I love to see in others. I will always remember that Courtesy is nothing more than the habit of respecting other people’s feelings under all circumstances, the habit of going out of one’s way to help the less fortunate, the habit of controlling selfishness in all forms. Success is closer than we think.

v. A united family is a great team.

This idea inspires me a lot. Family is the smallest unit in the society and if the family can work together as a team then we can have one big enjoyable, fine society. Team building is one essential skill in our world today. In the work place we need team building, in the church we need team building, at home we need to work as a team and in our society at large we need team building. The reason we have so much problems in the family circle today is because we do not possess team spirit and we have not reached that point where we are ready to make the necessary sacrifice. In the work place we have thousands of people being sent for training on team building. Companies invest thousands in making these trainings effective. Yet we record even lower levels of cooperation and team spirit in the work place. Why, I used to ask. There Is a lot of politics going on in the work place, and that is because people do not see themselves as members of a large team working towards a common goal they rather see themselves as individual unit, or subgroup having different goals and objectives. They do not realize that the company they work for has just one goal and objectives and that no matter what they do or believe they are suppose to all contribute to the common goal of the company. They discover sooner or later that the more they get disconnected from one other the more they drift from the company’s goal and the more the company drift from achieving customer satisfaction. Sooner or later the companies break down and the normal downsizing activity takes its full course.

vi. The third step in achieving lasting success is to develop an attractive personality. A pleasant personality is a well rounded one; accordingly there are twenty-five different aspects of your personality which you must strive to improve. Don’t be intimidated by that number, for you’ll find that many of the aspects are closely related. Working to bolster one will help you strengthen many others.

Attractive personality, what an essential characteristics to possess. I stumbled on this subject a few years back and my life has since taken a new turn. What can we possibly do without an attractive personality? In sales we are often told that people will first buy you before they buy your product. Attitude to a great extent determines your personality. What do people know you for, and how do people treat you. We are often treated to the measure with which we treat others. Just as a dog can sense those who do or do not like dogs, people recognize very quickly whether they are dealing with someone who likes other people. They resent those people with a natural dislike for their fellows, and they are attracted to those who possess genuine enthusiasm and concern for their fellows. Even if you think you can cloak your dislike with appealing mannerisms, soon, others will sense your lack of human affection. Guard your thoughts against uncharitable impulses, and pay particular attention to your temper. Temper is nothing but uncontrolled emotion, and when your emotions are out of control, you may suddenly say and do things which will cause you and others great injury. Always be good, loving and considerate. It takes courage to do that.

vii. Dillydallying does not inspire popularity. In this fast moving world, those who do not move quickly cannot keep up with the parade. Prompt decision making is a habit, and it is supported by your positive mental attitude, which gives you confidence. Opportunity is everywhere, but it is fleet of foot. Even if you have the vision to recognize it, without a fast decision on your part, it will be gone

This is a wonderful idea. Action, Decision, fundamental attributes to success. I particularly like this part of the idea; Opportunity is everywhere, but it is fleet of foot. Even if you have the vision to recognize it, without a fast decision on your part, it will be gone. Six months ago an opportunity to earn an additional stream of income came. At first I was quite skeptical. I told myself is this going to work, and if yes for how long. It was at that moment that an idea by Napoleon Hill flashed my memory. Whatever is worth having is worth fighting for. Everything of great value have a price, success also has its own price. So if you really mean business you better be serious and get to work. At that point I had a thousand and one reason why it’s not going to work .like the author said; The belief that you cannot succeed, that you are not worthy, that others stand in your way, that some things cannot be done: each of these will act as an imperfection in the prism of your mind, distorting and scattering the power of Infinite Intelligence And if you close the window of your mind to the power of Infinite Intelligence through disbelief, you will never experience its benefits. So I summoned courage and heeded to my inner voice which kept telling me; TAKE ACTION, MAKE A DECISION TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE. I finally summoned the courage and took action. Today I might not have arrived but am sure making good progress and getting to achieve that financial freedom that I have long desired. In all of these, I had nothing to lose. My life is getting better, I am expanding my networking I am learning and gaining new experiences. To buttress this idea further I will quote the author: There is a right moment and a wrong moment for everything. Tact is the habit of doing and saying the right thing at the right moment. It is an invaluable skill, just as noticeable for its absence as for its presence.

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 will help me have a better perspective of life and success. I now know that they are some certain skills, personality and attitude that are positive type and others that are negative type. Success type personality will naturally attract success. I want to be successful and I now know the price they is to be paid. I am willing to develop that success type personality that will attract success, so help me God.

These ideas will help me become more positive and see the good in every bad situation. So I will always look for the equivalent good in every challenge.

These ideas gives me faith hope and makes me feel in control of my destiny. I now know that I can achieve anything. It all depends on how badly I need it.

These ideas gives me the courage to act towards my goal of having an improved positive personality that would make the world a better place.

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.

It also give us the power to see past worldly obstacles, to envision new solutions and new ideas on our paths to individual achievement. As one man has aptly stated,

“Where faith is the guide, the individual cannot lose his way.”

The power of faith is inexhaustible. It is the ultimate renewable resource, a reflection of the Creator’s desire that we use it in every way possible. Faith’s power is easily attained by any person. No fee must be paid. It is simply appropriated through the desire for its use.

Faith is a virtue and is the reason we have hope for a better tomorrow. Faith the bible puts it is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Through faith we move on in life with agility, enthusiasm and courage believing that we have everything under control. To succeed we need faith. Except of course if our dreams is not bigger than us. But if you have a big dream, one that you know you cannot accomplish on your own, one so big that it scares you then faith is one of the important ingredient to achieving that dream. No fee must be paid. It is simply appropriated through the desire for its use.

May I quickly point out that faith without work is dead. The two go together. The author puts it this way; Faith is a state of mind. For it to be useful to you in achieving lasting success, it must be an active not a passive, faith. Active faith is the process of relating yourself to the vital forces of the world, which I call Infinite Intelligence.

Those days when we were in school, a lot of people confuse these two things; Faith and Work and assume that one can replace the other. They later discover that it does not work that way. For you to enjoy true success you must have faith backed with works and action

A final word: If you make your prayers an expression of gratitude and thanksgiving for the blessings you already have, instead of requests for things you do not have, you will obtain results much faster.

I like this idea because it inspires me and make me appreciate thanksgiving. Let’s look at ourselves for example, as humans we love to be appreciated, and recognized. I remembered how it felt those days when I was called out as the best student in a particular subject. I felt good and would work majestically to receive a hand shake. I enjoyed the roar of the crowd, the clapping and applauding by the audience. The joy and happiness expressed on my parents face makes me feel great. It’s same with our creator. Gratitude and thanksgiving for the blessings we already have, instead of requests for things we do not have, will help us obtain results much faster. A thankful heart is and always will be a joyful heart

Every moment of your life that has passed by has taught you invaluable lessons that you can apply today. You should have a positive appreciation for the wisdom and understanding you have gained. Most of the great achievements in human history have come from people who have blown out more than a few birthday candles.

I love this idea so much. It makes me look at experience from a different angle. Everything has a reason for happening and that reason if fully exploited has an equivalent blessing in it. I will hence forth relate to every circumstance in my life as something that has happened for the best, for it may be that our saddest experience will bring us our greatest assets if we give time a chance to mellow our distress. Every moment of my life that has passed by has taught me invaluable lessons. Knowing this I look for the lesson in every moment of my life and acquire the wisdom stored therein. The popular cliché states; experience is the best teacher. I will exploit my experience until I get the best teaching embedded in it. The worst thing that happens to you may be the best thing that can happen to you if you don’t let it get the best of you. Every moment of our life is valuable; our own actions can have a positive effect far beyond our own situation. Most of the great achievements in human history have come from people who have blown out more than a few birthday candles. We all have an obligation to act for the common good. Failure and pain are one language through which nature speaks to every living creature, pointing out mistakes. Realize that the turning point at which you begin to attain success is usually defined by some form of defeat or failure. With this realization, you need not accept defeat as failure but only as a temporary event that may prove to be a blessing in disguise. No one who has attained success who has not met with some form of failure comparable with the scope of his or her success. Defeat is never the same as failure unless and until it has been accepted as such. Emerson said: Our strength grows out of our weakness.

The Law of Compensation ensures that everything you do will bring you some sort of result of the same kind. To benefit from this, you must always render the most service you are capable of, with the best attitude, and you must do so regardless of your immediate compensation, even if it appears you will receive no immediate compensation.

This idea emphasizes the idea ; you get what you deserve. The author buttresses this idea further by stating that ;You will never command more than average compensation until you become indispensable to somebody or some group. Make yourself so useful that it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replace you. People who have pulled themselves out of the crowd and have included the priceless ingredients of going the extra mile and having personal initiative in their service has virtually written their own paychecks. I also liked this idea by the author Always be aware of the diverse nature of compensation. Money is nice, but it certainly will not be the only thing that makes you successful–or allows you to enjoy success. Do not cut off relationships which are poor in financial rewards but rich in other qualities, for no matter how much service you render, others will recognize your one-sided approach. The spotlight of contrast will shine on you unfavorably and will seek out those who remain true to the spirit of going the extra mile. I will conclude this idea with this statement by the author; truth will be truth regardless of a closed mind, ignorance, or refusal to believe.

Trust that adequate solutions can be found for all your problems, but accept the fact that the solutions may not always be the ones you want.

What else can I say,. I am quite trilled by the insight from this idea. This idea recognizes the fact that solution exist for all problems but that the problem might be that the solutions that exist may not always be the ones we want. So there is a difference between what we want and what is available. I will always remember that no one can win all of the time, no matter how much he deserves it. When we do not get exactly what we wanted, we should maximize our gain by increasing our understanding of ourselves. Life is a continuing learning process, and even bad experiences can become good ones, it all depends on how we see it.

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 understand perfectly every idea contained in the book

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?

There were no exercises contained in the book

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.

None of such.

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? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

 

 

Success Through Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Agada Grace Omenyo

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

The main idea of the author is the power of a positive mental attitude which the author said was a new way to get more living out of life. We can achieve success if we choose to pay the price and keep trying.

Perseverance, determination patience and faith are essential ingredients to have if we must achieve success. Success is achieved and maintained by those who keep trying with PMA. It gladdens my heart also to know that I am the most important living person and that my success, health, happiness and wealth depends on how I use the invisible talisman; my mind. The invisible talisman is emblazoned on one side with Positive mental attitude (PMA) and on the other side with Negative mental attitude (NMA). Perhaps the challenge is how can we develop the right mental attitude? The author rightly addresses this question by stating that we may develop and maintain a permanent positive mental attitude by making it our responsibility to adopt and apply the 17 principles of success in our daily living. Greatness they say comes to those who develop a burning desire to achieve high goals.

What is a positive mental attitude? A positive mental attitude is the right mental attitude. What is a right mental attitude? It is most often comprised of the Plus characteristics symbolized by such word as faith, integrity, hope optimism, courage initiative generosity, tolerance tact, kindliness and good common sense. A person with PMA aims for high goals and strive to achieve them. It is also important to learn how to ask for divine guidance and to strive to apply the priceless principles in life; love and service.

It takes courage to love and to be of positive service.

Most of us are inclined to look upon success as coming in some mysterious ways through advantage that we do not have, perhaps because we do have them we do not see them (the obvious is often unseen). To achieve anything worthwhile in life, it is imperative that we apply PMA regardless of what other success principle we employ. PMA Is the catalyst which makes any combination of success principle work to attain a worthwhile end. I particularly liked the story of the wood cutter. Imagine what his life would have been had he found the treasure hidden in the woods. For me it is a big lesson. I also liked the idea of inspirational dissatisfaction, it is mind blowing. I realize that my expression of inspirational dissatisfaction can turn dissatisfaction or challenging situation into something that will work positively for me.

PMA is indispensable, it cannot be overemphasized. The author buttresses the importance of PMA by stating that after years spent studying successful men, he has reached a conclusion that PMA is the one simple secret that is shared by them all.

I also was inspired by the story of the minister’s son. The lesson in that story is if a man is right, his world will be right. If we are unhappy with our world and want to change it the place to start is with ourselves. If we are right our world will be right. When we have PMA the problem of our world tends to bow before 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.

i. To prepare yourself to be ready, understand clearly

Andrew Carnegie’s observation that all achievement, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea!

Idea is the key to every kind of growth. Before the physical manifestation of anything there must be the birth of an idea. An idea is a sketch of how you want to carry out or achieve a particular goal or objective and that is the genesis of every great business. But most of us do not encourage this aspect of our lives. We are too busy runny from one place to another searching for what we can get if we can just take a deep breath and meditate. I now understand also that ideas most often than not come through serenity, meditation and looking from the inside. Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude instructs us on what to do and how to do it when it comes to tapping and using the powers of your subconscious mind. Our mind is the invisible talisman lets make it work for us.

ii. Results are what counts

I cannot agree less on this point. Most times we go through life, having nothing to show for it and we wonder why people don’t treat us or believe in us as they should. It is because the human mind is program to be energized only by evidence and facts. People do not like to take risk and most often than not will prefer to remain in their comfort zone. So for you to trigger that courage necessary to enable them break out from their comfort zone you need results and evidence. Recently, I signed up for a network marketing business and it’s just amazing how results and evidence can change people’s paradigm about something. People all over the world are interested in what they stand to gain. They get more encouraged if there is evidence to give them hope and even better if they can feel the evidence very close to them. But evidence and result cannot just fall from heaven; you need to achieve them through experiencing, making mistakes and learning from them and being sensitive and listening to your environment. I particularly like this quotation by the Author; You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying. Success is achieved and maintained by those who keep trying with PMA. I also realize that, No real success or genuine happiness is possible until a person gains some degree of self-acceptance. The most miserable and tortured people in the world are those who are continually straining and striving to convince themselves and others that they are something other than what they basically are. I believe that in my network marketing business, I will succeed and my success will be so evident that even the blind can see. I will have a story to tell.

iii. You will discover that he carries with him an invisible talisman with the initials PMA emblazoned on one side, and NMA on the other. This invisible talisman has two amazing powers: it has the power to attract wealth, success, happiness and health; and it has the power to repel these things — to rob you of all that makes life worth living.

I know from my little knowledge of genetics that chromosomes come in twos and that one out of the two is the dominant gene and the other the recessive gene. In life also, we determine to a great extent which gene is dominant; the one that is mostly expressed and recessive; the one that is less expressed. The authors W.Clement and Napoleon Hill clearly state the importance of our role in determining which side of the PMA is expressed. They also made us to understand that each of the side of PMA has its fruit and that whichever side we choose to express, we will eat the fruit thereof. I particularly liked this quotation; But whether success to you means becoming rich as it did to S. B. Fuller, or the discovery of a new element in chemistry, or the creation of a piece of music, or the growing of a rose, or the nurturing of a child — no matter what success means to you —the invisible talisman with the initials PMA emblazoned on one side and NMA on the other can help you achieve it. You attract the good and desirable with PMA. You repel them with NMA. However, since our lives are forged by our experiences and environment it becomes pertinent to strive to apply PMA and discipline our self to conform to its teachings. Remember Greatness comes to those who develop a burning desire to achieve high goals. Success is achieved and maintained by those who try and keep on trying with PMA. To become an expert achiever in any human activity, it takes practice, practice, practice. To learn and apply these principles, we are all encouraged to turn up our invisible talisman to the PMA side. I am determined to turn on the positive side of PMA knowing that I am the master of my fate and the captain of my soul. I am the master first, of my attitudes and my attitudes are what shape my future.

iv. Every adversity has a seed of an equivalent or greater benefit

I have come to realize why people are afraid to fail. I was afraid sometimes too until I understood that Every adversity has a seed of an equivalent or greater benefit. As a matter of fact we learn by experiencing so if I fail today I have succeeded in discovering one wrong way to doing a right thing or one particular way by which a thing cannot work. In addition, I might have also succeeded in discovering the level of my competence. Sometimes the things that seem to us as adversities may turn out to be opportunities in disguise. This therefore means that we can profit from disappointment, if it is turned into inspirational dissatisfaction with PMA. I have made up my mind to develop a positive attitude and convert a failure of one day into the success of another day and I will always remember that knowledge doesn’t make one successful, but application of the knowledge will. Action! Action! Action! Through action we make the decision to change our lives and through action we get things done.

v. Our attitudes shape our future. This is a universal law.

The law states that we translate into physical reality the thoughts and attitudes which we hold in our minds, no matter what they are. We translate into reality thoughts of poverty just as quickly as we do thoughts of riches. But when our attitude towards ourselves is big, and our attitude towards others is generous and merciful, we attract big and generous portions of success.

Attitude yes attitude is a very vital factor in determining how successful we become and it’s so surprising how effective using this small but effective tool can be in achieving success. You ask people if they want to be successful and the answer is a big yes, you move a step further to inform them what they need to do to achieve success and about 96% of them decline because of unbelief and fear. I can’t do that, it’s so difficult, give me another option they will say, they simply do not realize that success require ordinary people doing extra ordinary things. It not so surprising why only few people make it. I guess they are only a few who dare to change their life. Others expect someone or something to do it for them and such people do not make any meaningful progress. A Positive Mental Attitude is the right mental attitude. The right mental attitude is most often comprised of the “plus” characteristics symbolized by such words as faith, integrity, hope, optimism, courage, initiative, generosity, tolerance, tact, kindliness and good common sense. To achieve anything worthwhile in life, it is imperative that we apply PMA, regardless of what other success principles we employ. PMA is the catalyst which makes any combination of success principles work to attain a worthwhile end. Many time people including myself just keep complaining about all the things that are not right about our world but whilst we are complaining people with PMA are making huge difference in their world. And then I wonder; same world, different people, doing things differently. If for any reason we are unhappy with our world and want to change it, the place to start is with our self. If we are right, our world will be right. This is what PMA is all about. When we have a Positive Mental Attitude, the problems of our world tend to bow before you. I have started imagining what it would be like to have the world bow before me, what an exciting feeling that would be.

vi. The priceless gift:
After her day’s work, Mary Kaiser would spend hours as a volunteer nurse, helping the unfortunate. Oftenshe said to her son, “Henry, nothing is ever accomplished without work. If I leave you nothing else but the will to work, I will have left you the priceless gift: the joy of work.” The greatest value in life: “It was my mother,” said Mr. Kaiser, “who first taught me some of the greatest values in life. Among these were the love of people and the importance of serving others. Loving people andserving them, she used to say,is the greatest value in life.”

Many times we have the inbuilt tendency to always want to get something for nothing, we don’t want to sow before we reap and we don’t know that life gives us exactly what we deserve. There was a time in my life when my career was static, and nothing was just happening. At that time I was busy lazing around, not doing anything meaningful that will add to my company. I just waiting on time to pass and was glad when it was closing time. I wouldn’t hesitate to go home. This continued for some time until one day when I stumbled on TIME MANAGEMENT by Brian Tracy. That book dramatically changed my life. I began to organize myself and make use of my time judiciously and I could see and experience a dramatic change in my life such that I have never experienced before. From that day onward I made the decision never to stop reading inspirational and motivational books.

Soon I became indispensible, I was given important responsibilities at work which I never dreamt of and my career path took a positive soar. Quality work I latter discovered is like a light and it shines even in darkness. Also at that time I was having serious problems with my colleagues in the office. There was a lot of envy and malice going on. So I decided to look inwards and apply one of Brian Tracy’s rules which states that for every challenge you are facing, you contribute about 50% percent to the cause of the problem. Could it really be me I asked myself I thought I was the good sheep and the other were being unnecessarily inconsiderate. But as I began to apply PMA I experienced a change in personality which greatly influenced my colleague response towards me. I simply realized that I have control over my life actions and response It’s not as if they were faultless No, they had their own short comings but I did not try to change that because you can really not change anybody unless they decide to change themselves, I simply changed the way I looked at things and choose my response using PMA.

PMA has helped me look at things differently and that has helped me neutralize the entire process and made it less severe. This kept them wondering what went wrong. PMA is indeed a very vital tool in achieving success. PMA does not make people perfect or faultless it only makes you look at things from a different angle and that in essence determine your response. There is victory within us concerning all the issues of our lives but the victory within us does not assert itself until we are ready. Another great lesson in this idea is; If I am unhappy with my world and want to change it, the place to start is with me. If I am right, my world will be right. I now understand also that when we try to prove to people whom we meet that they are wrong, we repel rather than attract. Love with empathy is the greatest weapon.

vii. Now, the point of this story does not lie in irony. It is true that the man with PMA found the money while the man with NMA had not. But it is also true that good breaks do occur in everyone’s life. However, the man who lives with NMA will prevent life’s lucky breaks from benefiting him. And the man with PMA will so arrange his attitudes that he will turn even the bad breaks into advantages.

The importance of having the right attitude cannot be overemphasized. The attitude we display will to a great extent, determine how far we go in life. The world today is in short supply of true love and affection. People want to experience some act of kindness, love and concern and this encourages them to become open to us and to show us love in return. This is the idea behind the success of most companies today. Satisfied customer will always make a repeat purchase and you can only satisfy a customer if you can reach them emotionally. The wood cutter story by the Author is an example of a service provider that failed to meet customers need and end up repelling success. I particularly like this statement: But it is also true that good breaks do occur in everyone’s life. However, the man who lives with NMA will prevent life’s lucky breaks from benefiting him. And the man with PMA will so arrange his attitudes that he will turn even the bad breaks into advantages. Most times all we do is sit down and daydream of some sort of miracle happening to us that will change our lives. We do not realize that nothing is going to happen until you make a decision, a decision to change our paradigm and shift our mind set. We are also quick to forget that even nature obeys the following rules

* There is no food for a lazy man
* Seek and you will find
* You will be the same person year after year except for the people you meet and the books you read.
* Who you know can be important but what is more important is who knows you and what they think of you.

There is no such thing as luck, there are just people trying different things, making mistakes and learning from them and finally achieving success. A wise man once said that success is the hundredth item, this means, you will most often than not fail at least 99 times to achieve success. But the problem with most people is that they quit too soon. I will always remember that Failure is experienced by those who, when they experience defeat, stop trying to find the something more. Thomas Edison tried more than ten thousand experiments before he developed a successful incandescent lamp. But after each defeat he kept searching for something more until he found what he was looking for. It isn’t necessarily the quantity of something more, but the “inspired quality” that counts and it isn’t necessarily easy but those who are willing will always find a way.

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 will help me become a better person and encourage me to develop Faith, courage, interest, optimism, looking forward, which brings new life and to discourage futility, pessimism, frustration, living in the past, which are not only characteristic of “old age” but contribute to it. It will also help me develop a positive attitude towards people and the way they behave. I will have no time to notice or respond to a fictitious environment.

These ideas will help me become more positive and see the good in every bad situation. I now understand that, when great demands are placed upon us and we fearlessly accept the challenge and confidently expend our strength, we will acquire the strength that come with that difficulty. ‘As thy days so shall thy strength be.’ I also now understand that as far as my emotions are concerned, the proper response to worry pictures is to totally ignore them. I will endeavor to live emotionally in the present moment and must keep my eye on the ball. Then, my response will be appropriate. I will always bear this in mind; the more intense the crisis situation under which we learn, the less we learn. If we all endeavor to Practice without pressure, we will learn more efficiently and be able to perform better in a crisis situation.

These ideas have helped me to look at myself in a different light and feel in control of my destiny. I now know that I can achieve anything if only am willing to pay the price. I particularly liked this quote: Many people say in effect to themselves, “Because I am skinny, fat, short, too tall, etc.—I am nothing.” Say to yourself instead, “I may not be perfect, I may have faults and weaknesses, I might have gotten off the track, I may have a long way to go—but I am something and I will make the most of that something.” “It is the young man of little faith who says, ‘I am nothing,'” said Edward W. Bok. “It is the young man of true conception who says, ‘I am everything,’ and then goes to prove it. I therefore encourage everyone, accept yourself as you are—and start from there. Learn to emotionally tolerate imperfection in yourself. It is necessary to intellectually recognize our shortcomings, but disastrous to hate ourselves because of them. Differentiate between your “self” and your behavior. “You” are not ruined or worthless because you made a mistake or got off course, any more than a typewriter is worthless which makes an error, or a violin which sounds a sour note. Don’t hate yourself because you’re not perfect. You have lots of company. No one else is, and those who try to pretend are kidding themselves.

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.

“It is interesting to note that life never leaves us stranded. If life hands us a problem, it hands us also the abilities with which to meet the problem. You see, when you know the cause of a problem, you can often avoid it or you can find your own solution to that problem if you already have it.”

Fantastic idea, I really which I knew this much earlier. The problem most of us have is that we succumb easily to problems. When problems raise their ugly face we suddenly become helpless and allow that problem decide our faith. It is now interesting to know that for every problem that I face, I possess an equivalent ability to solve the problem. No problem is bigger than you except you say so. I do not deny the fact that some problems can really be challenging, but if we have that consciousness that we can always find a way out then, it help us to relax and put our subconscious mind to work and secondly we are more predisposed to choose the right response. The kind of thought that go through our mind in the event of any problem to a great extent determine how we place that problem. If we decide to turn on PMA , we suddenly realize that we feel better and more in control and that determines our mental attitude The author buttresses this point further by stating that; the thoughts that we think and the statements we make regarding our self determine our mental attitude. If we have a worthwhile objective, lets always find the one reason why we can achieve it rather than hundreds of reasons why we can’t.

“ And when you think about it for a while, you will see that the strongest cobweb spun by NMA is the cobweb of inertia. Inertia causes you to do nothing; or, if you are moving in the wrong direction, keeps you from resisting or stopping. You go on and on. When you make decisions because you refuse to keep an open mind and learn the truth —that is ignorance. And NMA keeps alive and grows fat on Ignorance. The man with PMA may not know the facts or have the knowhow.”

He may not understand. Yet he recognizes the basic premise that truth is truth and is not

It’s amazing how many of us have clues to what we can do to change the situations of our lives yet we do nothing to make these changes. Many a times, it is not what to do that is the problem, it is how to do it and the courage to start doing it. The law of inertia which causes us to do nothing, if we are moving in the wrong direction and keeps us from resisting or stopping, is the law that has held many of us bound for years. Is it then surprising that only few make it? NO, this brave few have simply developed the courage to challenge and overcome this law of inertia. What does it take to overcome this law someone may ask. Firstly, MAKE A DECISION. Decision is a very important ingredient for achieving success. Secondly have the courage to carry out your decision. Thirdly be determined to follow up on your decision and finally persevere until your decision becomes a reality. It’s not going to be that easy. There are going to be a lot of challenges along the way, but if we are determined coupled with the courage that we have and we persevere we will achieve success. I meet people every day and I could perceive NMA in the tone of their voice; It’s not possible, I can’t do it, am not good at that e.t.c. They quickly forget that the only limits that exist are the one you set for yourself. As for me,

“Let others lead small lives, but not me.
Let others argue over small things, but not me.
Let others cry over small hurts, but not me.
Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not me.”
Jim Rohn

One word with NMA can cause an argument, develop misunderstanding, generate unhappiness and end in misery. One word with PMA, when compared to the same word with NMA, brings opposite effects. One word can bring peace or war, yes or no, love or hate, integrity or dishonesty.

Yes the words that we say and the tone in which we convey them have a vital role to play in communication. People do have different meaning for a particular word based on their experiences and background. But most importantly is the tone with which we say them. I use to have this problem of not knowing how to use the right tone when communicating and that affected my relationship then. My Boyfriend told me something one day after a heated argument that I will never forget. He said, Grace, water is the most common, ordinary and gentle element that we have nevertheless, it is only water that can quench the most powerful, potent and destructive element; FIRE. Fire which is so powerful and can destroy anything in its path in a split of seconds cannot quench itself. If you add fire to fire you will get more fire, but if you add water to fire it just cools it down and the fire stop burning and become friendlier. I learnt a big lesson from that. I started to apply this principle in my relationship with people and I discovered tremendous improvement in the way people responded to me. In fact I have been able to make most of them play it my own way by just being subtle, gentle and mild like water, it works like magic but again how many people are really willing to be ordinary, to be in the place where people describe as common, how many people are willing to pay the price of happiness? Just a few. They simply do not realize that there is less competition on the path of gentility meekness and being ordinary. They choose to be in the place of power, popularity and fame. And that is why our marriages suffer a lot of wear and tear, The husband and wife all at the same time want to be the most powerful and influential element (FIRE) , the result is more fire, some so severe that it burn down the walls (Love) on which their marriage was built.

“So you’ve got a problem? That’s good! Why? Because repeated victories over your problems are the rungs on your ladder of success. Everyone has problems. This is because you and everything in the universe are in a constant process of change. Change is an inexorable natural law. What is important to you is that your success or failure to meet the challenges of change are dependent upon your mental attitude.”

Many times when we are faced with challenges, we tend to think of challenges as totally bad. While challenges can be challenging they teaches us certain things about life. Sometimes it is through challenges that we learn to be independent and acquire the courage to change our lives. Other times challenges help us identify our strength and weakness and to do some of the remarkable things we have previously considered impossible. If we can begin to see challenges with PMA, the effect will be less severe and we will become better persons at the end of the challenge. I remember when I lost my Father, I experienced so many difficulty, beginning from secondary school, through the university. These difficulties kept me focused and determined. I knew I had only one option and that option is to pass my exams. And so I threw my whole heart and soul into it. I began studying and focusing on my goal. It was not surprising that I realized my dreams. I then made up my mind to apply these principles in all areas of my life and it’s also not surprising that I am where I am today and that I will be where I will be tomorrow. Who knows what would have happened have I taken my life less seriously. So you’ve got a problem? That’s good! Why? Because repeated victories over your problems are the rungs on your ladder of success. Everyone have a problem, the difference is what you see

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 understand perfectly every idea contained in the book.

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?

There were no exercises contained in the book.

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.

None

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? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9