As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Agbonifo Osas Emmanuel (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea I believe the author is trying to convey in this book is all about a transformed mind and the process of thinking. He is trying to show a connection between what we think about and our character, he is saying which I believed that what we think about matters because it’s what formed our character and influences our environment, if what we feed on as our thought and think about is not right and good what the outcome we be, be it our character and or the circumstances that follow will be not be good.
Right thought will give birth to right character and right circumstances and when we all have the right concerning anything which is positive it will lead to havening a positive environment which will lead to a better world which everyone wants I believe. “So as a man thinketh in his mind so he is and the world he lives.”
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. Circumstance does not make a man it reveals him to himself.
This I believed is profound I have come to see this personnel in my life, when I was in high school I wanted to be a doctor but circumstance change that made me end up as an engineer because along the way I started having the thought of working with machine electricity and so on so that reveal who I am to me and am happy being that person. we do not attract that which we want but that which we are.
ii. The body is the servant of the mind.
For me I don’t think sickness so I don’t fall sick, there is a link between the mind and the body whether they be deliberately chosen or not what we think about in our mind find expression through our body, remember a merry heart which is a product of good thought ii like medicine to the body to keep our body in good sharp we need right thought. out of a clean hart comes a clean life and clean body.
iii. Changes of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts.
Clean habit, life comes from clean thought, for me I kwon to have a sick free body I need to have thought free from sickness to protect of body we need to watch what goes into our mind and bad thought of disappointment, envy, despondency rob the body of its health and grace, a healthy body serene countenance can only come from having good thought of joy, goodwill and serenity.
iv. He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.
Failure happened in our mind before it takes place for our eyes to see the battle for success must be overcome in our mind by conquering doubt and fear in our mind. we have continued to Align our thought with the positive power of the mind even in the mixed of difficulty when we overcome doubt and fear in our mind our every thought is allied with power and all challenges are bravely met and overcome. So, remove doubt and stay focus.
v. As he thinks, so he is as he continues to think, so he remains.
I have come to realized that am responsible for my life and the actions that follows. A man can only rise and achieve anything in life by lifting his thought and not by blaming others for his inactions. we lived in a world that is quick to blame others for anything and everything that happened to us, we blame others for our own inefficiency, our conditions, and even our health conditions, but fails to realize that no one thinks for us and we are responsible for our thought thereby responsible for our circumstances and conditions we find ourselves.
vi. Victories attained by right thought can only be maintained by watchfulness.
This is so true and I see this and take it as a principle of life. If we kwon what we did and did not do to attain the level of success in life be it good health, financial freedom, position of power, leadership position and whatever it is we may have gotten from life, it makes a whole lot of sense to keep maintaining what it is that we did but more importantly watch out so that negativity don’t crisp in to start making us to slid down. All goal reached be it business, intellectual, or spiritual are direct result of thought we have been having overtime good thought sharpen and control by same principle. So, it right to say that no matter the level we reached in life we should be mindful of the fact that we should always keep the right thought.
vii. To desire is to obtain to aspire is to achieve.
The world needs dreamers. I come to appreciate the fact it good to dare to dream big and as we do so we will eventually become. I kwon that vision is a promise of what you shall one day be, every great breakthrough and achievement was once a dream. it’s good to dream and what we dream about is what we act on that is what we eventually become good thought sharps good dream. You cannot travel within and stand still without.
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 principal have already started helping me, by making me to know that I am responsible for my actions and circumstance by the thought I have in my mind and if I desire to see good success conditions and circumstances I will then watch what I feed on as thought which has the creative ability to create an outcome for the future. Good thinking thought will give out to good outcome which is circumstance the same for bad thought. This book has also made me to realized that, I as a person have a role to play in the world and if I desire to see the world in peace and harmony I will need to start to have good thought toward the world, if I sow good seed of good thought I will reap good and better circumstances from the world.
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. The quote that struck me the most is:
“Men do not attract that which they want, but that which are.”
I find this statement insightful and a power word over the years I have come to see that what anyone think about in his or her life that is what he or she comes to see, that Is why it said that guard your heart because out of it comes the issues of life. It’s like a magnet good thought attract what turn out to be good being and bad or negative thought we also attract the same negativity a person is literally what he thinks, our character being is the complete total of all our thought.
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?
There is nothing in the book that has not be of help to me the is a hand book on how one can transform one life by watching how we think, and what we think about. I now know that not everything am free to think about if I want to get the desire outcome that I want, my thinking pattern must change from what am used to that has led me to where I am now and from now begin to start to shape me life by processes in my mind right and good thought so the event and circumstances around me begin to turn for the better as a man thinks so he is.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
The book did not contain any form of exercise for the reader to complete.
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.
There were other important things I read that I would like to share. It’s about Serenity of the mind calmness is a rout to get wisdom through discipline, it takes a lot of discipline to be calm which show how we could understand one self. The more and more a man is calm the greater his success, his will to be in command of situation the more his influence. Been calm and discipline lead to self-control, right thought which is mastery leads to calmness which ultimately end in self-control which everyone should strive for, which the world ids in dire need off self-control self-restrain, no one like to stay in an environment or with anyone that does not have self-control. Self-control resulting from calm serenity is a way to purge the mind laden with greed which eat the people of the word today. Being calm is not weakness or been a fool its only show how far you develop as a person both in actions and in character been calm help you to access and have a better understanding of situation make you to act carefully and wisely been calm make you powerful.
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
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Agbonifo Osas Emmanuel (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
I think the focus of the author in this book is all about going beyond the ordinary trying new things, breaking tradition and going for what you believe in. Jon In this book has shown me that its achievable is one put is mind to anything he want to do, when we set our mind to get something done especially what has to been try before. This gull try to learn something others have refuse to do or try learn something different from the ordinary from what other are used to, though failed at the beginning of the process which in my view is very important but kept trying and going further never allow the failure of yesterday to stop the new things he need to learn today, also the idea the author is also trying to pass across here is that sometimes not doing what other are doing or used to often make one not to be popular or accepted by the society be it family peer group or even the high class elite which out of fear or lack of vision have set the bar to what we can or cannot do we our life, so for us to feel belong and accepted we have over the year remain tie down by the fact that this is how things our done or life should be lived, it have always been like this. The author is showing to us from the gull life story that we are not banned by any law to what we can or cannot do our life.
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. We are more than what we think we are.
You are bone and feather, when we try something and it did not yield the desire result we often say after all am just human what am I even thinking or what was I excepting. I have come to kwon that am more than what I think I am or better still what people say I am if only I remain true to myself and try to push forward then and only then we I see a better me brighter world now I have wake up to see myself that am more than flesh and blood, more than feathers and bone.
ii. Limits
Am not limited by nature, years back I wanted to be in the singing group but was to that I don’t have the talent for singing so I let go of singing but from this book I have getting the idea not to be limited by nature which could come from one physical biology make up or from people around us to say what we can or cannot do. Also, we are tempted to be like others after we fail at something possible the first time we try it now I know that success does not exclude failure. And when we finally break the glass ceiling to the next level away from the normal people and society we all along trusted and believed in sometimes or often misrepresent our passion for excellent or the desire to improve for being proud and irresponsible and instead of reward for excellent come shame and reproach even to the extent of being cast away.
iii. Present life right now
I learn and got the idea that what I do with my present life right now determine what come. What I do or learn with and from my present world goes a long way to determine what comes next, if I do noting with this present the present one the next will be the same. That means to keep improving and trying and learning new things every time the opportunity presents its self by that its sharpen the world to come the young gull could do this by having an open and free spirit to keep learning be good and bad conditions eventually he was able to brighten the next world of his, the same principle or idea apply to me and everyone who care to improve and better tomorrow.
iv. Number is limitation
Also, I now know that number is limitation. Number is limitation its set the bar to what level to what one can reach in whatever area he or she choose to go into, when you used number to set the bar be in age to reach before getting the needed college degree and at that set age one is yet to get it instead to push forward its becomes a limitation because in our mind the set time number has pass. Perfection is a continuous process not a destination, so, I have concluded that number is limitation I have desired not to you age or number is a limitation. The secret to achieving the unachievable is to first know within us that we can do by removing the thought of every form of limitation we have in are mind up till now.
v. Detail
I also got the idea that I always work when we know what we are doing, it’s important for us not just know something about what we are doing but to know the detail of what we are doing that is how is going to work, to know enough is not just enough but everything that is the key, the key to achieve that that not be achieve or to reach the level that has not been reach we need to know more of what we do because we cannot solved the same issue that is at the same level as we are so we need to move our knowledge level about what we are doing up that is the act of perfection.
vi. Love
Keep working on love is another great idea I got from this book, no matter what we do be it for us to learn new things in the act of learning or practicing for self-development, seeking to know more about what we do we must do them in love for it and love for others, love help us to take correction, humble us to ask for from those above us and those we are ahead of, keep working on love is keep working on one self-keep developing that lead us to the perfection process. It helps one to accommodate others learn the act to tolerate others in love. this act of love makes us think of given back to the society that we have taken a lot from which will make the world our own community a better for us all and fun place to live in which the world need today. Working in love give us the ability to share be in any form of knowledge we might have love make you give back.
vii. See farther when you go higher
You see farther when you go higher, this is true and a great idea knowing that the higher you go in seeking knowledge or practicing what you learnt the brighter the horizon the gull see farther who flies highest. There are millions of miles from where we are to the level we want to be but when we choose to go higher in seeking more knowledge and practicing what we know that worked through self-discipline, commitment and patient then we go higher then the horizon becomes clearer and we see farther, here we can also see and know how to help others. Being up higher make you see better.
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?
All this seven lessons or ideas we be of help to me as a person, the reason been that I have been able to learn that there is no limitation to what I can or cannot do, am the only one that can stop myself, am the only one that can have worked on me no one can but me. These lessons we help me work on my self-control, discipline, love others and love my self, help me to aim higher in life and dream and achieve my dream by working toward the dream. it’s we help me to work on my present state so that the next level of my life turns out great finally help me to have a positive thought and mentality toward whatever I do from now.
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.
“Don’t believe what your eye is telling you. All they show is limitation.”
This is a fact of life most time we see things and circumstance and we conclude that its can be done or its impossible these are all what the eye see but I have learned from this book to look with my understanding that is my heart with wiliness and a positive attitude.
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?
Everything in the book is clear for me to understand and the book has help to gain more confident within myself, and most of the things talked about are practical life experience some of it I have go through myself, so it was a pleasure reading 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?
No exercises for the reader to complete.
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 further comments.
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