As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Anene Chikuwado Emmanuel (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea being conveyed by the author is the mind. The
author illustrated that as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List the seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it is important to you. Use personal example from your own life.
i. So every act of a man springs from a hidden seed of thought.
It is true that every act of a man springs from the seed of his thought whether consciously or unconsciously. Every day in my life I engage my self in series of thought, a times through that thought I make decisions that are of benefit to me, but the other way round, if my thoughts are unconscious, at that time my mid do deviate to negative things which are of no help to me, such thoughts are usually about the times I spent with my pears, the movies I watch etc. I have gained a lot through thoughts. A year ago , when I was writing my senior school certificate examination, I was able to use the power of thought to organize myself , such as my reading time my rest time.
However, thought are very important that’s why when ever am aiming any goal, I do sit down and take my time to think very carefully and very w ell on the easiest and surest way to achieve it. After every goal been achieved I feel very happy and fulfilled, I would be delighted to quote that “man is almost equal to domestic animals in the absent of thought ” With the thought I have been always able to analyze if am hurting or hurt any one or not, also if am making some one happy or not. Thought helps me to analyze my relationship with people, and through that I then come to conclusion if I should adjust or not. With thought I have been able, and still checking my self every week, on what kind of attitude I portray out, if the are influencing others positively or negatively and if it appears to be the latter then I find every possible way of correcting it.
ii. A noble and godlike character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking. A noble and godlike character is what distinguishes the good, from the wicked. Illustrating a story the reason, why I am living a good like attitude is because is because of a thought that later lead to a decision, that is, I sat down and asked my self, what are the resultant of bad attitude? What is the consequence of good attitude? And I took the consequence of both on my mind. I compared and contracted the both, the n subsequently, I saw that there is no good result in being wicked, but it pa y a lot to be of good behavior, after all corn produces corn, and weed also produce weed.
Being of good character is very important and has accrued to me blessings and privileged, help and respect, which are subsequently listed below. Peace of mind. Peace of mind is what I have benefited from godlike character, am not always disturbed, unlike few of my pears whom a time do wrong things in the school, and later become scared of being caught, when ever you see them, the are always restless at the period that the case of the wrong the did is being discussed.
But the rest of my pears and I are always relaxed and use our time to focus on the next achievement.
Secondly, in my geographical area it is predominant to see people being manipulated with charms, kidnapped or killed. With the noble character I practice God has being guiding me from evil; I have not been kidnapped or charmed and am not a deceased, am alive to write
this assessment A godlike character is important to me because it has save me stress. It is well known that, the eye of God is upon those who love HIM. David who killed Goliath loves God, and the eye of God was on him, God saves him from stress of fighting Goliath with sword and to her complicated equipment, he only used a piece of stone and catapult to kill Goliath in an instant without any stress. The same thing has always being happening to me the stress I was supposed to face in re writing examination those not at all persist in my life.
iii. He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty idea in his heart will one day realize it”
The above aphorism is very important to me, and with adding hard work to it, my vision of graduating with a first class in my degree program will be achieved. The aphorism is a driving force that al ways make me to work hard and eventually any goal I pursue I always accomplished secondly I have a vision to influence the world with dressing pattern, because the world is going naked, which I have noticed that it leads to seduction of thee opposite sex or even the same sex, as in gay today. With the above aphorism ringing in my mind, I will always towards it and thereafter achieve my objective.
iv. Men are anxious to improve their circumstance, but are unwilling to improve themselves. Honestly the aphorism applies to about fifty percent of people I know about, a times my self too. Most times I would like to perform to the extreme, with respect to doing well in my academics, but the work and reasoning I input are not enough This idea is important to me
because I have meditated on it, and kept it in mind, and by improving my se lf
v. Victory attained by right thoughts can only be maintained by watchfulness. I have seen a man with great affluence who later became poor, I and him discussed on the issue. Finally I analyzed the issue and discovered that he do not watch after his wealth. Before my religious life has been rising and falling but what I notice in it is that I am not being watchful. Now that I have known about this idea my achievement can’t fall again.
vi. They who have not created purpose in their life fall prey to petty worries, fears, troubles and self pitying. Not making my purpose very strong have often affected my life adversely. When ever I return from holidays I usually study very hard, after which people begin to tell me that a m getting slim, my eye are not as normal, am over working myself and lot more. Then when ever I go back to my room, I begin to think about what the have told me, and immediately self pity arise from my mind, and some times I do decline in the rate at which I study.
This idea is important to me because I now know that I don’t have to pay listening ear to their talk again until I achieve what am striving for. I will always avoid petty worries abo ut
getting thin and in avoiding it my achievement will be on my finger tip.
vii. His condition is also his own and not another man.
I have noticed that in this universe, what ever a man does, he does it to himself, if a man does well; it is to himself and if a man does bad it is to himself, highest it will only affect people around him but will affect him the most. These ideas are honestly is more heart touching. I will now ensure that my situation is always ok, because a man cannot be rightful conditioned until he is happy, healthy and prosperous.
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?
The idea will help in a practical way both in my daily and personal life if I continue to harbor them in my mind and even recite it every time, and the become my attitude, because it is what a man does that he gets use to, and the idea in consistency will help me to create a better world
4. Quotes: are there any statements that the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they are important to you.
“Man is made or unmade by himself,
in the Amory of thoughts, he forges the weapon with which he destroys himself, he fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavy mansion of joy strength and piece”.
I never knew so heavily that thought could destroy some one, but now I know that when thee fountain is not pure, all will not be pure. I will strive hard to make my thoughts pure that my self will be pure .
These are important to me because I now know the true controlling factor of the body, and the aphorism itself is a motivation to me. “The body is the servant of the mind”
5. Is there any thing in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
No.
6. Did the book contain exercise for the reader tocomplete? If so did you complete all of the exercise and did you find them
helpful?
No.
7. Was there any thing you read on the book t hat you will like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions?
Yes. Which is, can you use the knowledge accrued from the book to influence the ignorant?
Please rate the following question on a scale 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you will give it? 10
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Anene Chikuwado Emmanuel (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the writer is trying to convey is all about having a vision with a continuo us persistence to achieving it.
2. What where the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List the seven idea followed by an explanation after each one as to why it is important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. Most gulls don’t border to learn more than the simplest fact of flight.
This idea is personally most important to me, because it treats the fact about trying to learn more than what you already . The very fact is that anything does not grow will be stagnant and one day it perishes, I am based on the mentality, the mentality of growth. If not, I would stay off it “my sole aim i s growth”. There are sometimes, in my life, to learn a new fact becomes very stressful , especially in school, I know that when I learn, I develop. To develop is stressful but it outcome is splendid. Learning more than the simplest fact about life cause pain, I have faced many pains academically especially, when you will be trying to cover a voluminous topic, even most domestic duties, they cause pain. But I always have it in mind that no pains no gain.
ii. I don’t minds being bones and feathers mom, I just want to know what I can do.
In life, one must know his ability and weakness, if he knows this there will be no fumbling at all, if one knows his ability. There are many things that I can do but I don’t know I can . There after when I discovered that I could do it I do regret.
iii. That the answer, what a fool I have been, all I need is a tiny little wind.
I have noticed that for us to be able to achieve a higher goal. To make it easy and faster we should merge our self, with people who have already succeeded in that area. The above idea Is one of my major principle in life before I do any thing in any field of life, I make sure that I meet with those who are already master/ achievers and I ask them what are the things require to achieve those goals, when the tel l me on how to achieve the goals I stick my self to the to those principle the h ave given to me. The aphorism concern Jonathan seagull, he got the idea of what it takes to fly high and he stick s to it. This is a story of how I got admission into a higher institution. Before the entrance examination into the university, I made the possible enquires of what it requires for what it takes to get the admission, the information I got was mostly based on the fact that I should read very hard and make sure the institution I choose should fall under my locality. I stoked it in mind and make it a principle, and I abided to it. Subsequent the same year I got admission in to the higher institution I must say that one does not have to involve one self in a mumbo jumbo activity. It only requires knowing the necessity to that achievement and making me sticks firmly to it and keep striving very hard as if you know what you are doing.
Also, way back then in my secondary school there was a difficult exam I wrote, the exam I do not know where the question are coming from, on my cause of studies, I was stressed up, it was later after the exam that I gained my normal self. The two stories about me are above, and the basic idea I am trying to convey is that in trying to succeed in any thing try to know what are involved in the achievement, then you will be well focused on the achievement.
iv. A seagull never speaks to a council but it was Jonathans voiced raised.
“once upon a time in my life way back then I always like playing together with my peers it was always a fun but most time I am not happy, because out of my peers there was one, who always confronted me because he Is older than I am always afraid of him because of the mode through which he confronts me but there came a day when we were all playing, and he left his toy and walked to where I was playing and destroyed mine. But anger captivated my mind, and that fear I had in mind toward him was no more, I was furious, immediately I responded to his actions, I fought with him, and beat him up, and after that day he began to show some signs of respect towards me, and the fear I heard towards him was no more. but one thing remain paramount on my mind which is “I spoke back to his treats and confrontation he always bid me with” If one will learnto speak back, if one knows what he or she is doing is the right thing then there will be no need of felling inferior which subsequently will lead to failure.
“Somethings apply to problem when problem speaks to you just have to reply back” if not failure follows. It may be funny to relate the above quote to science, which is Newton’s third law of motion which states that action and reaction are equal and opposite. For one to be, the momentum of the effort he put in towards overcoming his problem should be equal to the momentum of that problem and truly it is the fact on responding towards any arisen problem.
v. You are wasting your time with me, Jonathan I am too dumb I am stupid! I try and I try I will never get it. These idea reminds me of a time in my life when I thought that my own life is not up to expectation .back in those days, when I do try and fail, I normally think that am not human enough to any achievement, but little did I know that failure is a step towards success
This idea has once leaded me to self marginalization. When ever it comes to performing and achieving I start looking down on myself. But now I know that no human is a junk, no human is useless, but goals are achieved with concentration, focus, and hard work towards it. And one interesting aspect about this idea is that, since I discovered the solution to the idea, I have always notice other people, who think they are not what achieving. I always try no to make them see every fact that there is no limit of what the can achieve except thee limit the have set for themselves
vi. Break the chain of your thought and break the chain of your body too.
It is true that the mind is the remote of the body; if the mind is captured by negative things then the body will act negatively. For every thing we do the mind involved. Until I read the book as a man thinketh, I never knew the absolute power of thought. But I will continue in positive thinking and avo id negative thought.
v. Forget about the faith! Chiang said it time and again. “You dint need fait h to fly,
you needed to understand flying this is fast than the same. Now try again. It is imperative to know that being successful does not rest on having faith alone. Faith do es not totally guarantee success to a degree; therefore work has to come into collaboration with faith so as to be successful. This idea is important to me as it takes me to know that it does take even extra miles towards success. After all there is no traffic in going extra miles towards achieving what is in the mind. Here in school I do not only have the faith that I will pass my exams, I also read by
combining as much text books as possible and that where the work comes into play together with the faith I have in God. Although if you do not have faith towards God then your hard work may be totally ruined. Therefore I can now conclude that faith which is the first is one thing and working towards it is another. The amalgamati on of the is then what leads to success,
3. How would these idea or lesson help you in a practical way both in your daily personal life and help you in creating a better world? If so, how?
These ideas would help me in a practical, as to I would know what and what I can be able to do, that is my capability, also will be able to reply to a council of people who seem to see me as being wrong but truly deep within me am right.
4. Quotes: are there any statements that the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they are important to you.
None.
5. Is there any thing in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
No.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so did you complete all of the exercise and did you find them helpful?
None.
7. Was there any thing you read on the book t hat you will like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions?
No.
Please rate the following question on a scale 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 7
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you will give it? 7
Key to Success
Assessment by Anene Chikwado (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author is trying to convey in this book is fine personality development and business personality enhancement
2. What were the seven idea which were personally most important to you and why. List the seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal example from your own life.
A. As you speak make good use of gestures.
Gestures over the years have been used to lay emphasis on spoken words, I can use myself as an epitome, in the children class where am a teacher, the way I employ gesticulations captures the attention of the children who I teach, that act of dancing moving my head sideways and hand attracts them a lot since they are just young minds they are easily attracted even by slight movement. I have also observed a friend of mine whom whenever wants to pass an idea to me, he gives me a hand shake and while still holding my hands so firmly he tells me the plan I am to help in out with, and that is also a part of gesture and by doing that I get his ideas so well.
B. Schedule your time use for the next twenty four hours, and stick to that chart.
As I use to tell my friends that time is life, waste your time and you are wasting your life. The above idea is important to me, I have put it into practice and it works. Here is an epitome. Whenever am entering into the campus for the day’s lecture, I have already written what I am suppose to do for the day, one very important thing about the above idea is that it saves time.
The above idea saves time in the sense that, if there is a hand list of thing that are to be bought in the market, it saves that time that is to be used in thinking what is to be bought right there in the market. Again is that, it saves the time that is supposed to be used in bargaining for the price of an item, so that you can use that time to attend to other customers, when a price tag is on the item.
But the above idea sometimes do not work for me at home when I am with my parents, because I am not yet totally on my own, in other words they are my superintendent, I may have my mission for the next day, but waking up in the morning, they tell me, this is what you are to do, therefore my schedule in one way or the other has been terminated. But really the above idea is a time saver and a good director of the day activity.
C. Doing a job just to get it done, complaining about the task before you, and grumbling about your pay are not ways to make yourself excel.
The above idea is something I have also experienced and I have tackled positively. Although I am not a worker, but I find the above Idea appearing to me in my day to day task, I am from a family of five children, the way at which domestic activity and business transaction falls to us the children is much, sometimes, my siblings are affected by inertia, but seeing that I choose to pick up tasks, always keeping in mind that as long as I have not break down, I will keep on working, after all it is for the betterment of the family. As I said, I am not a worker, but as soon as my eye fell on the idea, I had a flash of insight.
D. Practice smiling in front of a mirror.
The above idea to me is good. I know about something called smile radiation, by the smile appearing on your face, others smile too. real smiling makes the body feels good, also makes the face brighter, although I do not have the habit of natural smiling, it is until I have read this book on which as a result to this assessment that I began to learn how to smile, but till then when my face is just as natural as it use to be, friends do ask me, if I just fought, they say this as a result of my facial expression, but I do reply no, the face appears it natural way. But as a result of the above idea from the book, I think it has really helped in improving my facial expression.
E. Make it a habit to read daily, not just news paper, which merely keep you current, but materials which quest your mind.
As I use to believe that in the world of experience and knowledge, there are no graduates so I take It upon me to read materials to add to my knowledge, it is as a result of that knowledge that enthused me into joining this global initiative, and thank God almighty that I am gaining positively from it. As the use to say, reading maketh a man.
F. No single mind is complete; no one person can answer every question.
Incorporated good minds do exploit, such as the situation of Jesus, He gathered the twelve disciples, and down to this very time his ministry is doing very fine. I have got few real mates who we work together, I noticed that when we walk together our accomplishments are not limited, ideas are generated when we sat down to work , it’s really a good idea for two good heads to work together, as the saying goes, two good head are better than one.
G. The only things over which you have complete control are your thoughts.
The mind is a very powerful tool used for making intricate plans, and has been used for human advancement, from the mind there, thoughts are generated. As the womb of women give forth children, male and female, so does the heart generates thoughts, good and bad.
Although one is the controller of one’s thought, however the environs shapes one’s own thought too, shaping ones thought, in other words controlling it. For instance, as the movie industry is growing into nudity day by day, I have watched a film not actually classified under pornographic, just an action oriented film, I discover that the sexual act which I never had in mind to watch was what I saw, then as a result of that, there is always a continuous reflection of such an ungodly act on my mind acting subconsciously as a result of the environ I found myself, where the above idea comes into play is when I am trying to eradicate such stigma from my mind then I become a full controller of my mind. I then have to employ conscious effective control to wave such out of my mind the environs take control of one’s mind unconsciously when he seats down to rest, reflections on what was done during the day are being flashed. The aphorism although it is quite correct but not a hundred percent.
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?
The ideas will help me to save time, create a beautiful facial expression, and develop my study.
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.
Yes, a proverb got my attention. As it is to me I do speak with proverbs. However the one which got my attention is:
“But you will be as unwelcomed as a dentist among other people in a candy shop.”
Meaning that you should conform to your environs inn a positive way, so that they may not work against you.
5. is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
No.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
I completed the exercises, and they were very helpful.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
Feel free to share any additional comments about the book or about the ratings. The book is very good because it covers big ratification of human endeavor even down to the point of on how to smile. It is really a very good work from Napoleon Hill.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 7
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10
Psycho-Cybernetics
Assessment by Anene Chikwado (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea which the author is trying to convey in the book is about self image, and how hypnosis can be eliminated
2. What were the seven idea which were personally most important to you and why. List the seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal example from your own life.
A. Stop letting things push you around.
There are some true facts that are not superficial, but are true, such as the environment pushing an individual in a negative way. E.g. in some situations I will be happy but suddenly, I become annoyed, for example I am easily affected negatively by sun rays, if sun over heats me I become weak and immediately my face will turn unfriendly, which make people to ignore the normal greeting they would have given if I were brighter. From my own observation the act of letting the environment influence you negative is not just it. Another situation is in the market, anyone could easily know what am talking about if s/he is regular to the market, in the market were diversified attitude that dominates people are found, you could easily be provoked at an instance. Therefore I find sense in the above idea of not allowing things push you around.
B. Many people are indecisive because of fear of loss esteem.
The fear of loss of self esteem is what almost every average developing individual is afraid of. In my day to day live I have being practicing a dignified life, so any act that could mar the reputation I have, I ignore, and an instance is when a course mate will bring a problem for me to solve, if I could not solve, and even a friend who brought an expo before the exam, I ignored, to avoid denting my esteem, a fear of loss of esteem is what comes up on my mind.
C. Frustration as a way of solving problem does not work.
The brave knows that frustration is not a way to solve problems, if I could reflect, or rather a flash of insight, there has being no time that frustration has solve any problem in my life rather, it has subsequently lead to aggression ,really I must comment that frustration is never a way of solving problem except God intervenes. I lost my first privilege of getting admission into the senior secondary school and the whole of that day was bad for me until seven pm when I was able to gather myself, but I comment that the time I spent being frustrated was gone. Therefore that time that could be spent in frustration can be used in praying and critical thinking.
D. Your emotional stabilizer.
Ones emotion is what one should try to maintain at all time, in a good and appropriate way. There are all tendencies for one to react in the direction of his own emotion. To me emotion comes from the mind, once the mind is inhibited by ones emotion, the person tends to behave in the direction of the emotion that is as a result of the mind.
It is enough reason why man should endeavor to control his emotions in all time, cardinally to avoid negativity of thoughts, and I think, if man is the owner of his mind and not another’s, hence he has all capability and total power of control.
From my own knowledge I can say that being joyful stabilizes ones emotion. Therefore each one should try to express a joyful moment in whatever s/he does and in whatever form it may take. Like me, most of my joyful moments is when am communing with God especially when am concentrated therefore all man should try to know the joyful moments of their life, so that they can be able to stabilize their emotion
E. What is the worst that can possibly happen?
Carlyle found courage, as used in chapter 13, I have also performed as such, as done by Carlyle, such that, In a situation I just have to do what I have to do, and If I experience any backward emotion within me, I will say to myself what is the worst that can come out of these, an epitome of these is when I had to talk to a superior of my church, there was not enough courage to walk up and tell him of my proposal of travelling at the expense of my duties, I was a bit timid, but at then I raised a question up to myself, “what can be the worst?” I raised a little talk in my mind that if I stand out here without entering his office I stand all chances of wasting my time, but if I enter, two things are bound to happen which could be either, he accepts my request or I will be turned down. I built enough confident and entered, eventually I was welcomed and had a breakthrough with respect to my proposal.
F. Your nervous system can’t tell real failure, from imaginary failure.
This is a personal problem I have encountered, in excessive negative thought, the overcome my feelings, and a times I did began to feel that I was provoked by someone, whereas no one had annoyed me, but this is due to the fact of negative feedback from the mind. Whether true or imaginary failure one point is reached, but different roots are involved, both root are not a good omen, and hence should be avoided, so as to be free from emotional breakdown.
G. Accept negative feelings as a challenge.
I appreciate the above aphorism; the above aphorism has the ability to stop one from attainment, and could be a source of impetus. It has happened many times to me, some which I have been able to handle and others which I could not, a narration of the ones I was able to handle was, when I wanted to assist in the church donation help the church building, although the money I wanted to use in the support was the money I am suppose to use in purchasing a better battery, for my laptop, so as to help promote my computer knowledge and further my online schooling, on the platform of giving this offer to God, I had a thought, “this is the money I was suppose to use in buying a laptop battery” but I had the feeling ignored, and I then took up the negative feeling to me as a motivator, hoping that nothing given to God is a waste, especially at that very point where it hurts you, also having it in mind that givers do not lack. Now I am so grateful for giving to the lord for the outcome of it was so splendid, the resultant of my giving to God was a brand new laptop from my sister to me that contained all the properties I aspired. To me, most of the time negative feelings are my motivator.
3. How will these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way, both in your daily life and in helping you to create a better world if so, how?
The above ideas were personally selected, as I fore see that it helps in my development of guts to work rather than being timid, also will help me to go to work and know that frustration as a way of solving method does not work.
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.
None.
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 an idea which the writer quoted, which I do not agree with, which is, the writer wrote that,“one is allowed to speak recklessly without regard to thinking what was to be said.” Although the writer specified that it was for those who had difficulty in articulating themselves fluently, I really don’t know how true that could be, if it could be a way of in-curing an inability to articulate one’s own self frequently?
6. Did the book contain exercise for the reader to complete, if so did you complete all of the exercise and did you find them helpful?
Yes, the book contained exercises. I completed the exercises and they were extremely helpful.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you will like to comment on, that was not covered in the previous question, if so please comment.
No.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 7
B. How helpful were the contents? 6
C. How easy was it to understand? 5
D. Would you recommend it to others? 7
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 7
Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Anene Chikwado (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 convey in the book is developing a fine business personnel, also a goal attaining individual.
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. “It’s wonderful to be in partnership with God.”
Right from the very beginning, God has existed; he knows the beginning and also the end, since he knows them all, it’s really a wonderful thing to be in ally with Him. If we go into deductive reasoning we will see that there are many who have worked with Him, He did not fail them, even though they were crushed, they were not broken down. Just like the Israelites, and many others in the bible. Even though I have heard about his greatness in the life of other people, also, I have experienced it too. I can attest that there is no exam that I have faced and finished it completely, yet I have never have a pass mark let alone, failing it, but I keep drifting forward in my studies. It is just noting but the very hand work of God. Since God is the designer of human destiny it is better for one to stick oneself to ones marker, for full manifestation of destiny, and breakthroughs as we drift through life. As for me I have nothing to do but just to cleave myself to God.
ii. “Necessity is the mother of invention, and the father of crime.”
Man tends to meet up with the expectation laid before him or her. But on the contrary, we may meet up to the expectation laid before us, but the question that is persisting is in what way did we meet that end? An aphorism said that, “the end justify the means,” when the end is being meet positively, it is called invention, and when it is meet negatively, it is called crime. As a student, I have seen many people meeting an end in the negative way, because many ways of students are unlawful. There are still good student whose ways are good. At the end of most examination, many students take money to seek themselves out with lecturers, but I maintain my stand. I have once indulged in an examination mischief, but I regretted it, and decided never to indulge in such again. Therefore to all people it is good to say that, necessity should alone be the mother of invention.
iii. “If a man is right his world will be right.”
If a man is right his world will be right, just like in school the kind of habit you exhibit depicts the kind of friends you draw to yourself. I thank God immensely for keeping me going on a very good lane. If you live any how you tend to attract any how people to yourself, and if you live good, you also tend to attract good people to your life, it is said that as we think, so we are, if we think right, we live right, if we attract right people to our life, then our world is right, at this point I cannot fail to thank God who has kept me on the right lane with the right friends, although, the friends I have are just very few, but the world around me is just right. God is great.
iv. “Add something more.”
A time, one tries over and over, but to no avail. In trials it is associated with pains, and consume more than enough time that could have been used in getting through other things, an example, that harmonizes with the above aphorism, is an educational project given to my clients and me, in the course of the semester.
I was appointed the head of the little group, after a research both personally and the ones done together with seniors in the same field of knowledge as me. Together with the senior he fixed, the circuit on the prototype board, but after the fixing I could not wait to test it in his presence because I was short of time, and I waved him a goodbye and left for catechism class, after the catechism, I started to work with my clients, trying to establish the results to the experiment, we worked over three hours without any tangible result, and I had to dismiss them because it was already late night, and there were also ladies amongst us and it may be dangerous to them walking back home in the dark. When I left I carried out amputation on the prototype board, disconnecting the circuit and using the manual to reassemble the parts of the circuit. And after the re-fixing I found out the flaw that caused the default on the prototype board, which made us to use up to three multi-meters thinking it was a problem from the multi-meters.
However in alignment with the aphorism, “add something more” it was obvious that the thing I added more was the amputation on the prototype board, because when my clients and me were working with the connection inculcated to us by the senior, we used different multi meter keeping in mind that the multi meters were faulty and not knowing that there was something more that was to be added for proper functioning of the circuit.
v. “Because he is merciful and generous to others.”
Being merciful and generous are virtues, powerful virtues that are not possessed by the ordinary, but it just an individual decision to make one’s self extra ordinary, by practicing this virtues, because it is said that practice what you aspire, and by practice we are made perfect.
The aphorism which contains mercy and generosity was taught by Jesus, and he asked us to practice the virtues in our day to day life, even when Jesus Christ disciples said to him, master please teach us how to pray, and in the course of teaching them. He included in the prayer that God should forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. In essence, we should know that it is only when we forgive that we would be forgiven by God. Hence we should practice the act of forgiveness.
On the other hand, generosity is a strong virtue, in human existence and the world generosity up holds a principle with it. It depicts that “Givers never lack” here is a story of generosity which I practiced that resulted to a handsome outcome.
During the semester, I had two thousand naira left in my account only, and my younger brother and I share the same account due to the fact that we both school in the same university. Out of the two thousand naira, I was suppose to purchase a handout, which I later did, after which I was left with one thousand six hundred naira only, after my lecture that day, at about few minutes after five pm, I went to the chapel to pray and on my way I meet a security man who asked me for some money that he will use it to purchase a loaf of bread, at first I detested to his request, after which I went straight to my destination, on reaching the chapel, I started to pray, suddenly I had a flash of insight about the security man and how I detested to his offer because the money I had with me was so small, and my younger brother had not yet purchases his own handouts of which I withdrew the money for. Looking at the situation at home I could not help, but only to sell my mobile phone, because it was a higher one, then decided to purchase a small one and use the outcome of it for other little things that may arise. I informed a close friend of mine that I wanted to sell my phone and indeed I needed to proceed that will arise from it. On hearing this my friend exclaimed that why would I sell my mobile phone? And for what reason? The only answer I could offer was that I needed money. He said however that I should come to his residence. Later I went to his residence, and he ended up giving me five thousand naira, and added two thousand naira on the five thousand naira for me to use it for my up keep. I was marveled, at that. But the thing I learnt from that is that God words are not lies and His principles are for real.
An aspect that was so superficial was that I gave out only just two hundred naira and got seven thousand in return.
vi. “He kept his mind on the things he did want and off the things he didn’t want.”
I have discovered that one of the ways of getting things done is by putting your goals constantly on your mind. I have tried it and it worked, when the things you need to do are constantly on your mind, higher tendency to do it is available. I was going through a book written by Brain Tracy, and at a point he said, here is where the secret of accomplishment lies, that to get things done, put the things right in your mind. And it has worked for me.
vii. “Day by day, in every way, through the grace of God, I am getting better.”
In the tongue lies the power of death and life, says the holy bible. The above chosen aphorism, as used by the writer, is positive. The writer also affirmed it a spiritual act, that if it were said every day, could go a long way in helping individuals, although the above aphorism was not what I said that helped me, however, I notice that the things which we use to repeat in our words always, comes around to us. Back in the days, when I was still in the high school, I do tell my friend, about my ambition of studying in the university immediately after the high school without wasting any year at home, and it did worked for me. The author suggested, that the above should be repeated in words daily is just good.
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?
The above lessons, will help me develop my words which I say, knowing that the words which we say stands for us, it will also help me to develop the kind of things I keep in my mind, knowing that the thing we keep in our mind are the things we tend to do, keeping them in mind we tend to accomplish the things fast.
4. Quotes: Are there brief quotes from the book which really got your attention? If so, please list and comment on them.
See Question 2 response.
5. is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
No.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
The book contains a lot of good exercises, and they were extremely useful.
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 are many principles in the book, which are yet to be put in practice, I will try them and see their effectiveness.
Highly rated, thanks to the writer, and those who added to Napoleon Hill’s work. Thanks to IIGL who recommended the book, and over all, we say thank God immensely.
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? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Assessment by Anene Chikwado Emmanuel (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the boy is trying to convey is influencing people positively.
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. The only way to get the best out of an argument is to avoid it.
Many times argument is equivalent to blabbering, because no point is properly taken into account, whether in meeting places or in mutual and friends conversation. In argument one side tries to it optimum to prove itself right and the other tries the same thing as well. I had an argument with a neighbor, although our points were the same but in different ways did we conveyed our point, yet he tries to prove to me that his own words were truly what it is. Another conversation came up which resulted into argument, do you know that the argument developed to the point that he mistakenly tore my industrial training form which I was holding in my hand? After which he began to tell me sorry upon sorry. But the did is already done. Have you ever observe the young whenever the fight? You see that the fight proceeded from just an argument. Is argument a sure way to prove point? Is argument a way to settle ambiguity? Not at all. Big guys don’t argue, rather action towards your point should be brought to light.
ii. “The reason why rivers and seas receive the homage of a hundred mountain streams is that they keep below them.”
Let he who wants to be the greatest among you make himself the least. Duringmy secondary school days, a friend called Obinna claimed he is more superior than I am when it comes to intelligence, I never argued with him, but my reply to him was that, he is my master and I am his servant, after which I told him that the servant will be greater than the master. I went into sheer studying as usual. At the end of the term, I made sure I compared result with him, and in the net average, I gave him a distinguishable gap. After we finished comparing result I then said to him, for the servant shall be greater than the master. We went on holiday, and came back for another term, I walked to him and said this term I will be your servant again, guess what? He bluntly refused, and said to me “I am the servant and you are the master.” Keeping below people, help us to eliminate pride and also receive tangible things from them.
iii. Be genuinely interested in other people.
Have you noticed that many people you come across in life would want to cheat you? The come to you because there is something you have that they desire. A saying here in Nigeria goes “when money dey, friend go dey, when money no dey friend go go.” Meaning,” when you have money, friends will be very well clustered around you, and when your money is finished, friends will go”. Remember in the bible when harlots helped the prodigal son to consume his own share of his father’s property, and when the money the prodigal son had was exhausted, the harlots all left him. Even though the world is more occupied with people who would like to exploit you, there are still a few who are still around to develop you without asking for something in return, doing things for people without asking for something in return is a very strong attribute, which to develop it takes consistency in the right frame of mind. This world can be a better place if we can do things for people without asking anything of them. Be genuinely interested in other people.
iv. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
The above idea not only works here on earth, but also in heaven. Have you ever observed a Christian begin prayer? S/he begins with a sincere worship and appreciation to God. The Igbos’ of Nigeria use to say in their native language “eto dike na nke omere, oya eme ozor” meaning when you appraise a hero for good well done he does again. Have you ever appreciate a child by complimenting for a work well done? The child feels just good and would want another opportunity to prove s/he can do it again and better. Way back then, I use to enjoy it when my mum compliments me. Many times I see myself doing many domestic jobs, even when am tired, I do it not just for tiding of the environment but also for the heart lightening compliment associated with it. You could as well consider those beautiful old days when you were young, when you were to do some little task for dad and mum, when they use to bid your shoulder and rub hands on your head and say to you my dear young one thanks. How did you feel? Did you not feel well? Praise and honest appreciation are what parents now employ to raise intelligent children, rather than insulting them for their wrongs, wise parents correct their children and wait for a time the behave properly so as to give them compliment.
v. Show respect for the other person’s opinion. Never say “you are wrong.”
It takes someone genuine to agree that s/he is wrong. If we need to correct others, let’s begin to look through their own spectacle, as to why they behave that way, after which we gently introduce our own idea, as we then slowly remove their own from our eye and their eye as well.
On a beautiful lecture morning, where we were taught engineering analysis 2, the lecturer miss-spelt a formula on the board, it was barely obvious that only a few detected it, those who saw the mistake began to murmur saying it was surely wrong, while some others joined. The lecturer linearly refused to admit his mistake rather he concluded that the lad who complained about the mistake did a cramming work with regards to the formula. The lecturer also told the boy if he had started to chronologically spell all of its procedure before arriving to the final formula, it would have been appreciated. I do not mean nobody can sometime be wrong, but few rightly accept their mistakes, it is hard for many to admit it. See anybody who easily admits his or her wrong see a sincere person. I guess the boy did not show enough regards to the lecturer before spelling out the right formula, and you know human nature, no one wants to be proved wrong, no one wants to take the blame. Therefore let’s show respect for the other person’s idea to avoid confusion
vi. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers
God never created us as robots but left us to our own idea and will. God has his set of rules, which directly is our will to obey. On the human-human side, nobody wants to be bossed around, many do not want people who will be ordering them around, and they respect and want their own will. Who does not want to be in charge of him or herself? I was about to make a far journey and while waiting in the park for the bus to get filled with passengers, a driver arrived in the park and jumped out of the bus where he was approached by his fellow driver, he then replied to the fellow and said loudly after the fellow had already spoken to him, “nobody should give him orders that even, his rank is higher than the fellow talking to him”. See that the bus driver needs no ordering around. The pertinent thing about the idea above is that people should be well guided so that they can do things from their mind, allow them, let goodness flow freely and natural from them. Christianity teaches about free will, a verse in the bible says, I set before you fire or water, choose!
vii. Be a good listener, encourage others to talk about themselves.
Giving listening ears during conversation help us to understand what other people have in mind. Early last year, I was speaking to a friend he was quiet while I spoke, he kept nodding his head to the points I made, within me I felt what I was saying was making much sense. On another occasion I was speaking to a lady about decent dressing, and I raised the question to her, that what was her view about decent dressing, she spoke at length, I gave her audience, and watched her carefully as she spoke, she readily articulated her view, the conversation was an enjoyable one.
3. How will these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way, both in your daily life and in helping you to create a better world if so, how?
It will help me to be genuinely interested in people, and help them without asking of anything in return for my help. The above lessons will help me to avoid arguments, because arguments are no sure way of solving problems, but showing things practically will proffer solution than argument.
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.
See Question 2 for quotes I liked.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there idea which you disagree with and, if so why?
None.
6. Did the book contain exercise for the reader to complete, if so did you complete all of the exercise and did you find them helpful?
No exercises were contained in the book.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you will like to comment on, that was not covered in the previous question, 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? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8
Real Magic
Assessment by Anene Chikwado Emmanuel (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author talks about is as a man thinks so shall he be.
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 become what we think about all day long.”
I first saw the brief above aphorism in the bible, it never counted so much, because I never understood it, maybe because nobody has explained it to me or perhaps I have not pondered on it properly, until I read James Alien’s wonderful work “As a Man Thinketh” and then I understood that man is a product of his thoughts, he moves in accordance with his thoughts. Christ himself literally spoke out clearly about thoughts when he said “not what goes into a man defiles him, but what comes out” if I may ask, that which comes out, how did it came about? Therefore great need is to be taken about thoughts.
ii.“I have been all things unholy; if God can work through me, he can work through anyone.”
There is nobody too impure, that God cannot manifest his power through, there is no body too crude that things refine cannot come out from. It all depends on transformation that many times transcends ordinary understanding. The place I am today, I never taught that I could ever be there, my level of articulation, confidence and knowledge acquired, all I never taught I could arrive at, there is truly an unexplainable transformation, see me standing in front of large congregation as a second person of the Chaplaincy, talking elegantly, tutoring the young and the less intelligent, at a young age. All I could remember that continued ringing in me with great consistency when the position of a catechist was given to me was “there should be improvement”. I adhere to the internal yearning, and am getting better now than before. As the above idea is, the creator is capable of changing any creation of His to His taste, and work through the creation to the actual level He desires. No human is restricted to that. Consider St. Augustine, how unholy he was, his mother Monica, continued to pray for him, until he was touched by God. God almighty called Augustine as unholy as he was, made him a priest, a bishop and a saint. Say about fifty years ago, could it be imagined that a black could run the presidency of the United States? I strongly believe that it is the same thing that is around the environment of what am writing about that St. Francis of Assisi also saw that he came up with the above point I deemed fit for consideration.
iii. “All it holds is the opportunity to love, to serve, and to give.”
At the beginning of my encounter with self help books, I began to meet consistently with words such as love, serve and give, but my understanding about them were not as intense as now. As time proceeded, I began to see that it is love that holds the world together; it is in giving that we receive and, in serving people they feel special. When we portray love, our mind feels light, which I have experienced so much while serving in my school chaplaincy with my little human resources.
iv. “True joy and the exhilarating feeling of being at peace with yourself and your world come to the person who lets his or her physical world flow from the pleading of the soul.”
Of course the best time I seem to enjoy real peace is when I conform my body to the pleading within. On our Christmas vacation from the school, being the lodge president I became the last to leave the lodge, an idea flowed within me pleading that I should go round the lodge and make sure all sub-gates were locked, I conformed accordingly, going round locking all sub-gates, in the process I got injured, but I was not bothered, it was as though I was hypnotized to act so. It was conformity with the yearnings of the soul. I can remember so many occasions I got injured unnecessarily like the above one, but the difference between those ones and this one is the peace that lay inside despite the injury. I can categorically attest that there is joy in conforming to spiritual yearning.
v. “Ask nothing of anyone in terms of helping you to get better.”
Begging for help is not bad, but the other side is not wonderful. For one to place ones hope solely on someone else is risk, because when that hope is not meet, tendency for lack of happiness is present. Consider this analogy of my two friends. I was asked by the first to purchase for her a smart phone, as an undergraduate, am still solely dependent on my parents, so, not being able to conform according to her request, I stayed away from her, and she learned to call me “long mouth” whenever she sees me.
Then the second, we were both given a task by our chaplain to execute. Some days I was unable to take breakfast before coming out, while having my breakfast she has to wait for me to be through because we were both working on same task, I will ask her if she wanted to take anything, she gives a no for reply. It is not that I can’t help the first but it is because am not a working class. Notice that there is now a far distance between me and the first person I described in the above example, because of the demand she gave me that I cannot meet. People shy away from the other, when the other tries to impose on them the demand they cannot meet, and the ones who impose the demand may on the long run become frustrated.
vi. “The non-spiritual being is laden with grudges, hostility and need to revenge. The spiritual being has no room in his heart for these impediments to miracle making and real magic.”
See me realigning my thought about hostility; I use to think that the right decision should be implemented with force if the individual proves stubborn at the first attempt to correct (note: it should not be so when grooming a child). Haven done that often I noticed that while am present, they do what I insist on, but in my absence the do their wrong pattern, later I discovered that it’s no point to force a good will on anyone, I changed and learnt another way of presenting my good will in form of idea/advice, and then leaving them to make their own personal decision, my new idea is working for me because it brings me peace of mind and the one I give my idea feels not marginalized or dominated.
vii. “Knowledge rather than Achievement.”
Seated and haven watched through my spectacles, I saw individuals who are interested so much in achievement rather than knowledge. In an analytical chemistry lecture by Dr. Sylvia, she said certificate is in-material, what matters most is the knowledge being acquired. I have observed many students who buy good grades in the form of sorting a lecturer in cash and/or in kind. With the high grade point they feel on top of the game, simultaneously I have seen others studying immensely gaining the knowledge and also making good grades.
Just as Daniel of the bible said “and I Daniel understood by books.” Haven also sat down and analyzing the rich and the poor, the distinguishing strong factor is knowledge, what separates industrialized countries and the developing ones? The knowledge is the small difference that is making the big gap. Really, knowledge is very very imperative.
3. How will these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way, both in your daily life and in helping you to create a better world if so, how?
The ideas will help me in a practical way to learn how to love and be loved, because it is in giving that we receive, if we give out love we receive love. Contribute my little human resources for the development of my community. Knowing that knowledge should be appreciated more than achievement, I am therefore going to focus more on knowledge that will be useful to me.
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.
See Question 2 for quotes I liked.
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?
None.
6. Did the book contain exercise for the reader to complete, if so did you complete all of the exercise and did you find them helpful?
No.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you will like to comment on, that was not covered in the previous question, 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? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
Giant Steps
Assessment by Anene Chikwado Emmanuel (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main ideas which the author is trying to convey in this book are dreams and practical steps towards realization of our dreams.
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. Mixed emotions are behind most patterns of self sabotage.
Mixed emotions are not friendly with accomplishments. Today one may decide that this is the way one has chosen to live one’s life, and that decision has been made. But come tomorrow, see how the fellow becomes illogical. He chooses this and does the other. All as a result of mixed emotion. Mixed emotions are deadly instrument to decision, and should be avoided. To avoid mixed emotion, I discovered that one should avoid events and friends that go contrary to ones decision.
ii. If you had no financial limitations, what are some of the things you ‘d like to have or experience?
I have always had strong attraction towards the less privileged; the orphans, the widows, the sick in the hospital, the imprisoned. I had always wished that I had got enough money so I can touch lives, and influence people positively. At the long run I discovered that I could not get enough money as I wished to touch enough lives as I desired. I discovered a secret that small contributions can make a very big difference, just start the way you are, I began to give out the little I had, I affiliated with Divine Mercy society, to reach out to the imprisoned, singularly I reached out to the broke individuals who were hungry. In doing these things the small way I can and according to my financial strength. I began to see that in some way there are no financial impediments. Let us therefore, begin to do those things we aspire to do in the little way we can until we attain that height we crave for.
iii. Our decision, not the condition of our lives determines our destiny.
As growing mind, haven gotten experiences, I realize that our decisions are really what matters the most and not condition, although condition of our life may matter just a little, but the most striking one is our decision. I have seen people in bad conditions but their decision and faith in God led them into good condition, just like the story of David in the bible, did you see how the Israelites were confronted by the philistines? Did you see their condition at that time? Did you see how hopeless they were? But the decision of one young boy, just a young boy and faith in the most high made a very big difference in the lives of the Israelites, and subsequently, his fame increased in Israel. When we overcome adversity, by virtue of our decision, increment of fame may follow. In times of distress, as a Christian, I hang on Christ. In the context of decision, I discovered that, “All decisions have consequences, and even making no decision at all is a decision on its own.”
iv. We must commit to learning from our mistake instead of agonizing over them.
Not that we should not feel remorse of our wrong doings, but we should not use mistake as an avenue to feel miserable. I have heard of people who used rope to take their own life, as a result of the grief in their hearts for having made mistakes. As the above aphorism said that we should commit to learning from our mistakes. If I have to make references concerning my life pertaining to mistake, then I will say how I have made mistakes over and over as though mistake is unavoidable. I devised a mechanism, to help me overcome the mistake, by asking God for grace and strength. Making same mistake again and again, makes no sense and should be avoided, when I used to be more younger I can remember how my mother do reprimand me if I do something she thought me how to do wrongly, if I analyze my mother’s teaching, it’s anchor on the above aphorism. May God help me to be careful, and see my mistakes, and learn from it, and not to doing it again.
v. Although we cannot control always the events in our lives, we can always control our responses to them, and the action we take as a result.
Most events in our life are seldom known about before they happen. Those who die, are they aware of their death day? Early this morning before I sat down to make this writing, I went to morning mass with the hope of coming back quickly which was my plan, but then I was called by a priest and a little conversation with him caused delay, the only way to be fast with the priest was to give him a direct answer of any question he asked. It is not wrong if I say that we act like the wind very often, we do not know where we come from neither do we know where we are going to. All we can possibly do is to act accordingly and positively to situations, most especially the unplanned.
vi. Have you ever felt that no matter what you do you’ll get pain?
Pains and troubles are always breakfast, the wait for us as the day is dawn, and we as individual wake up every morning and do not know what kind of trouble and to what extent does it await us. We should not try to avoid task, because of the pains that accompany it, because we would had made progress in life after the task have been executed. What amount of pain did you face, when trying to acquire a degree in the tertiary institution? What amount of stress did you pass through under lecturers, doctors, and professors? How much did you spend on tuition and text books? How much of your pocket money did you converted to utility fee? Are all these not pain? All these pains ultimately made you a degree holder. Feeling that no matter what you do you‘ll get pain is my subject of writing but not my subject of contemplation. Pains are breakfast and we should see it as part of life, and not to run away from a problem, because of the pain attached to it. What must be must be.
vii. Questions are the laser to person consciousness
Do you want to be on the right lane in life? Do you want to be a destiny actualizer? Do you to be what you are meant to be? If yes, then what you need is question and a sincere answer to it. Many times when I exhibit characters that am not meant to, or live below expectation, I use the principle of asking me questions and give sincere answers to me. As in science and engineering, the world has metamorphosized to where it is today as a result of continuous questions scientist ask about things around them, and the answer to those questions are what is developing the world today. In other words the more you ask yourself some good questions and provide sincere answers to them, the more developed you are likely to become. Albert Einstein a scientist saw the good thing in questioning and he said; “the important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”
viii. Success is unfulfilling unless you have someone to share it with.
My chaplain in school use to say “Heaven will not be interesting when you get there and see no one you know here on earth. Two-face Idibia, a Nigerian and a musician said in one of his song “If it were just me, I will be leaving anyhow, live my life as though nobody dey here.”
Here on earth we are in one way or the other linked to other persons. How fulfilling will success be after attaining it and have nobody to share your success story with? When you have nobody to tell about the impediments you meet on the road to success and how you overcame it? How do you feel when you have nobody to pop your wine with and celebrate your success with? We all need somebody to share our success story with. Despite your level or whatever degree of success you have gotten, always have good relationship with people and always help the less privileged, doing that you have inscribed an indelible mark on their heart, and also you have won the favor of God.
3. How will these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way, both in your daily life and in helping you to create a better world if so, how?
The above lesson will help me to create a better world by giving the little I have, understanding that you don’t have to give only when you have got in surplus, but you can be a better philanthropist by giving from the little you have got. I have also understood very well the importance of question our self so as to create optimal leaving.
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 important to you.
See quotes in Question 2.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
The author illustrated a set of procedure to burn down fat, what about those who are just naturally slim, should they align to the set of procedure given by the author? If they align to those set of idea what fat have they go to burn?
6. Did the book contain exercise for the reader to complete, if so did you complete all of the exercise and did you find them helpful?
Yes, they were few set of exercises. Sure, they were spectacular.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you will like to comment on, that was not covered in the previous question, if so please comment.
None.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1-10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8.5
The New Dynamics of Winning
Assessment by Anene Chikwado Emmanuel (Nigeria)
The main idea the author is trying to convey in the book is developing the mindset of a champion and training the mind towards achievements.
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. Not Giving up after Failures
Not giving up after failure is a clear indication that you really need what you chase after, only that time and situation have not granted your desired to you. When you give in to failure it is only an indication that what you chase is stronger than your person or you are not interested in it. Would you continue to pursue the good will you crave? Or prove to yourself that what you pursue is greater than you? If there is any task that was divinely handed to us, there is always divine guidance just as Wayne Dyer was saying in his book, that refusing the task is also refusing the divine guidance. Hence for any worthwhile task, our mind should always be programmed as achievers.
ii. You cannot separate your personal life from your professional life.
Understand that no matter how hard we try to separate personal life from professional life, some elements of our personal life must still come in. therefore our professional life, our personal life should be made up of elements of good ethics so that even though our personal life come to play into our professional life there will be no trace of scandal or bad news about us. I was speaking to the president of a certain student organization that I was tired of having dual character; I portray one in the office I handle and the other as my personal life. I told him I just wanted to have one habit. Although his reply to me was to continue in dualism of character. At some point my personal life come into play in my professional life. Actually within me I don’t see the need any longer to continue to practice dualism of character.
iii. “Before You can see it, You have to believe it”
Seeing is believing as a concept exists and it true when it comes to handling people. You must have observe that some people gossip about the others from hear say, not that there were physically present when the scenario occurred, and as it is in hear say gossip they must have added and removed words, and the end point of it is denting peoples image in the public. If you do not catch anyone in a bad act or there is no enough evidence, please don’t convey the story.
Before you can see it you believe it comes into play, when we want to achieve our task or goal. Jesus in the holy bible admonished his disciples, telling Thomas who doubted the resurrection of Christ that you believe because you have seen but blessed are those who do not see but believe. Hence if we have got expectation we want to reach we have to be optimistic enough that we can get it. I was enrolled into learning a few Computer Aided Design only because of the belief and conviction I had within me that it will be possible. Although it was not an easy task but believing that I would get it aided me through and to my greatest surprise my belief carried other three persons too.
iv. He Continues to Move Forward and in the process, becomes an inspiration to everyone.
At a point, my close friend told me that he is tired of doing his report to a higher standard, that he is no longer going to spend money on printing and he is no longer going to spend time to type the work, rather he will do it hand written just as other student do theirs. His reason was that the marks attributed to his work does not check mate it. He gave up his typing and printing for hand written work. I became the only one in the department who typed my report. Our last report of which I typed mine and he had his hand written, later he told me that my work is nice and more marks will be accorded to it. We all should understand that as it gets though let’s go tougher with it, what is worth doing is worth doing properly. Let’s not give up to increasing trouble but rather increase the ways in which we can solve the problems, and at the end we become inspiration to others when our story is told.
v. Always be Prepared for sudden change.
One can be swept of his feet when one is not prepared for sudden change. Having in mind that your plans will just come to pass the way you wrote it may bring frustration to you when it fails, always make alternative A and alternative B available in case of the original plan fails so you can avoid frustration. When I was much younger, I never believed that I could fail any exam due to my initial performances. I was among those who wrote entrance exam into a pure science secondary school, I had high anticipation that my name was to be among those who are to be admitted into the school, lo and behold, when the admission list was out I checked thoroughly through the list , over and over again and could not find my name. The whole of that day was miserable for me, I cried till about 7pm that day. If I had had another alternative maybe I should not have grieved as much, I would just quickly switched into the next plan. However I later gained admission into the same science school, because some of us were reconsidered for admission. When you write plans, always write alternatives.
vi. Coaching can be an important component of success
Have you taught about why the young make so many mistakes, perhaps to you it may be because they are inexperience. However, we could as well consider an important factor which is that many of them have got no mentor. Many young successful people have got a mentor which may be their parent or an external person, and they are doing just fine. If all the young can be attached to a mentor they can be better people with time. It is true that the young are intimated to movies and music and they so much copy those musicians and actress and actors that fascinate them. I have heard a young lady who talked about an actress as her role model. It is categorically clear that whoever is your role model, your ways will much align. Hence if we can have good role models, then we can have good young people.
vii. A real love for their life’s work.
In the contemporary environment, you will see lots of people, who are not happy or love what they do to make both ends meet. Watch closely, what they do in their work, they do it hap hazard and don’t bring out their best in it, they put on happy faces at work rarely, they will always want the day to run fast so that they can go home. Ones who enjoy one’s day and love what one does for a living will always wish that there is more than twenty four hours in a day. It is true that in school, there are some courses one likes more than the others. When you observe students closely, they perform better in the courses they love. Just like in science and engineering more styles of doing same thing is been discovered every day because of the love for it, believe me it is the love for engineering that is changing the world today when it comes to infrastructure. One who does not love what he or she does will not indulge one’s self in research and development, s/he will just want to do things in the convectional way in which they are done and go away. In essence to enjoy live and gain its longevity “do what you love and love what you do.”
3. How will these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way, both in your daily life and in helping you to create a better world if so, how?
The will help to believe in a worthwhile goal that I will achieve it, because when I believe even when I have not achieved it, I will see it. Secondly, I will always have my alternatives prepared in case of sudden changes. Thirdly, it will help me have good ethics both in my professional and personal life.
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 important to you.
See Question 2 responses.
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?
Actually ma, not that am not cleared. But chapter three talks about consistency and not allowing your personal integrity to be contradicted by your behavior in any area of your life. Sometimes I find it difficult to conform my creed with my deed. What idea will you give me to help me out?
6. Did the book contain exercise for the reader to complete, if so did you complete all of the exercise and did you find them helpful?
Surethe book contains exercises which are in the last chapter and I am working on it.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you will like to comment on, that was not covered in the previous question, if so please comment.
Feel free to share any additional comments about the book or about the ratings:
The way the author started the book made me have less interest about the book, but as I read through the book I just but began to love it.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
Unlimited Power
Assessment by Anene Chikwado (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 convey is how to produce good and faster results
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. Success or failure begins with belief.
The group of words above is very true, and it works, for real. I engaged my dad to a new exercise that was very much unusual of his exercise cycle, to him, it was unorthodox. I asked him to try it out, he said to me that he cannot, of course, that was in the first days I made the exercise known to him. In the subsequent days, I persuaded him too much to the point he could not resist, he gave in, and then I gave him clues on how to make the exercise, I made him believe that the exercise is simple and that he can actually do it, just about 2 minutes I made him believe he can, he began to do the exercise that was very much unorthodox to him, which he actually never believed he could. If I analyze the short story I gave above, at first, he said to himself that he can’t do the exercise, and he couldn’t. I made him believe, that is, changing his initial believe, and then gave him clues on how to do it, and he did it. In this context, there are no truer words than the above idea. Even religion itself starts with believe.
ii. No matter how terrible a situation is, you can represent it in a way that empowers you.
A onetime student union government governor in my school wrote on his campaign posters “troubles are like breakfast, we should expect them every day.” Everybody witnesses troubles in life, but the way you handle it makes you strong or broken, if you represent it in the way that empowers you, you will be strong, but if you represent it in the way that de-empowers you, you will be broken, ’it has been known that the heart is easily deceived, why not deceive your heart in the way it can empower you?’ I thank God for my life in the recent times, troubles, troubles everywhere, but am still strong. Temptation all around but I am still standing. Over the past times, from experiences, this is what I can say, ‘if there are a hundred reasons to keep you broken and there is only one reason to keep you strong, always obsess your mind with that one reason that keeps you strong’. It is good that we study and discover our highest source of strength and that which empowers us, after a meticulous and conscious studies, I have discovered something substantial, that ‘no matter how terrible a situation is, let us fit it in God and also believe. Then in that way, we can represent it in the way that empowers.
iii. Most of us form our beliefs haphazardly
Mixed feelings, I think have been the cause of retardation to creating strong beliefs. I am a voracious reader, who read peoples books from different walks of life. I have come to understand a lot to a great deal, that they write in different states, hence, ideas of different writers’ conflict. As a youngster, that sometimes goes a long way to altering my already existing beliefs. It should be noted that for one to excuse mixed feelings from oneself, it is advisable, to have a model or models in which the ideas they share are in the same environment, if not, reading about people who write from different universe of thought, in other words, worlds apart could establish haphazard belief in you, especially if you are not meticulously guided. Mans greatest mind force is prevalent in the absent of mixed feelings, and in transit, strong beliefs are established.
iv. If pain is sending you important signals about something you need to change in your body, then unless you address that need, the pain will most likely come back, because it is serving you in an important way.
Though the above aphorism is long, I decide to choose it, because it has many times affected me. This is the way the above affects me, when there are task I needed to perform at a moment in time, and I leave it for another, I feel greatly uncomfortable, my heart will begin to swell as though it is being pumped with a compressor. Until I leave the latter task for the first one I needed to do, I will continue to feel highly inconvenient. I have observed myself and have seen how I am been affected by this which I describe above, I then decided to correct it by following the right prompting that comes firstly and urgently from within and not that which my brain tries to avoid, as a result of dodging from stress you know, the brain and the whole body will always like to dodge from stress. And according to the words of Thomas Edison – “there is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the real labor of thinking.” It is right to conclude this way, “things are in syntax, and should be followed accordingly.”
v. “The key to life is a balance in all things.”
As one runs through books, one discovers many other things about life. I first discovered the above idea in another book, and the idea was described as the Greek intelligence. Most o f the aphorism chosen by me has in the previous times touched my life. I have spent most of my time, intoxicated with books and religion and my social life untouched, truly, truly, I felt empty within me. I began to check this source of emptiness within me and I have come to see that there is a social life left un-touched. I have practical try to fill this emptiness, and to a great deal, life is fulfilling.
vi. The best way to learn to spell it isn’t to say the letters over and over again – it’s to store the word as a picture in your mind.
The above idea for me is a new discovery. Today’s educational system prevail the fact that the school award more grades to those who are able to store the work given by the lecturer and reproduce it in the same form and manner, but a few amongst lecturers are not inclined to this pattern. Most of the time, some of my lecturers have deliberately turned down some of my findings, they insist their work should be given the way it was given to them, however the rest of my lecturers are welcoming to my findings. The above idea, by Gods grace will help me get across my lecturers who insist that they be given back exactly what was taught by them.
vii. Rather, smiling and laughing set off biological processes that, in fact, make us feel good.
Smiling and laughing, cheers up and reduces stress. People go for comedy shows even though the pass fee is expensive or not, just to get them in good state, to make them feel good. At almost my every semester break I go to my village to stay a while with my grand ma, what do I do at my stay with her? Less domestic activities and much of joke and dancing for her, to keep her alive. She has got high blood pressure, but my presence, to her is very much invaluable. Smiling is a wonderful tool to good living, and can be gained easily when you are with loved ones or with good people.
3. How will these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way, both in your daily life and in helping you to create a better world if so, how?
Tony Robbins has to a great deal touch many environment of life in his book, many of his steps can help me develop good posture, take better diet, create syntax of thought and in recalling forgotten ideas.
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 important to you.
“Let all things be done decently, and in order.”
I loved the way the author related biblical reference, indicating that all things proceeds from God.
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?
None. Truly most of the author’s ideas are maiden
6. Did the book contain exercise for the reader to complete, if so did you complete all of the exercise and did you find them helpful?
I completed the exercises and they were of immeasurable value and benefit.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you will like to comment on, that was not covered in the previous question, 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? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8.5
Leadership for Dummies
Assessment by Anene Chikwado (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 convey in the book is, the intelligence required to coordinate a group despite the different caliber of humans involved in the group, so as to achieve a common objective.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
The seven ideas, which were personally most important to me, are:
i. “The better leader has a sense of urgency about translating the vision into a business.”
About two years ago I had began to think and practice how to live financially independent. I wanted to taste how the real world really looks like, and how it feels to carter for oneself without the financial assistance of my parents. And started off with entrepreneurship on campus on a small scale. I got skilled in computer programming and industrial plant design using software which has for long been part of my vision as an engineering student. I began to teach other undergraduates, I taught masters student and recently I wrote a program for a professor in my school which assisted him in developing his textbook, and all these three groups paid me.
It was a resolution within me to begin to live financially independently as an undergraduate, which prompted me to translate my vision of being a good programmer and an industrial plant designer into business. However my vision was not achieved in full capacity, because, truly, education is expensive. IIGL is held to me at high regards for really offering this education for free.
ii. “Many more idea are abandoned after a bit of research.”
It is not that we are not inspired, it is not that we do lack the imagination of great things, it is not that we did not get to work when we had the idea, but it is that we did not follow the idea into darkness until it gained illumination. I had been taught when running through literatures relating to Albert Einstein, how he tried his incandescent bulb for about one thousand times and experienced failure after each trial, but the fact that he did not gave up on his dreams made him to ultimately realize the dream he sought after. If Einstein was discouraged not to continue at all he may not have made his achievements, as we know through history, technology begets technology, that is, it is in the already existing technology that another sophisticated technology can arise. In truth, as an engineering graduate, I have made some feasible device but never concluded them. This topic reminds me of many realistic ideas I had, and I stopped in the process because there came other things that were more pressing and urgent.
It is not actually in my will to still be a level two student at this point in time, because I joined IIGL since 2012, but because I had offices and a Bachelor Degree and a business I was running altogether, my idea towards IIGL dropped and presently, it takes me longer time to send my assessment.
iii. Teams create many more Hands and Heads
I have recently been faced with my final year research project in the university I attend. I have been told by my friend Marcel who made two publications that, when you write, you have to leave it for weeks and then read again later to see if you can still find meaning and sense in it. I try to rush my work at the beginning so I can have enough time to go through it over and again, to make my work clear based on what my friend told me. The truth is that, I make mistakes that I do not even observe, it is the members of the group that I lead in the project that pointed out the mistakes I have done. When one has a team with good head, with absolute certainty the best can be achieved. One can be fast when one goes alone. But if one needs to go far then one needs a team.
iv. “Leadership begins with the willingness to embrace responsibilities.”
Many true and faithful leaders that I have known had the attribute of accepting responsibilities, and in many cases, the problem is not a problem personal to them, but they pick it up and upon themselves to solve the lingering problem. This happened when I was having a degree course in Anambra State University, I was a 200level undergraduate student, and I never had a good sense of what leadership entails, “my lodge at a point in time was littered by nylon sachets, and somebody messed up the compound with excreta, many persons came into the lodge and swayed around as though they did not see the bad condition of the environment. There came one day, I could not bear the dirty environment any longer, I singularly cleaned the whole compound, later that month, the president of the student lodge decided to quit the position, because he was fed up with the attitude of some students, which he considered non chalant. That night the lodge president stepped down from his position, nobody showed sign to occupy the position, immediately I declared interest, without any second thought all the other students unanimously agreed I be the president. In my passion to get many things right, I was loved by many, and I made many influence, such as providing water to the lodge and ensuring a good environment. I practiced leadership as a result of that office”. In this context, do you think that there are truer words than ‘leadership begins with the willingness to embrace responsibilities’?
v. “A vision is based on reality”
In the presence of vision are constraining parameters. We often make unrealistic vision.
Not that the vision we make is not doable in ultimate, but because there are other parameter involved; time, resources; both financial and human,
In theory a vision may be feasible, but in practice it is not, due to the parameters mentioned above and some others. Take this for an example, one may have too many vision to accomplish in a short time, at this point, time is a constraint. In short I am saying that
vi. “Elicit cooperation”
Eliciting cooperation is one of the necessary and essential ingredient to the running of an organization, if one cannot gain the cooperation of one’s fellows’, two things are prevalent, one is that the fellows will be carefree about the goal and effort of the leader, secondly, there may be antagonists, who will do nothing but only to act against the goal of the leader and group. It is therefore very necessary to elicit the cooperation of the people in a group. When I was made the leader of a very large group of about a thousand persons, in my first speech, I asked for their cooperation and at the same time I gained their likeness. Honestly speaking, doing that drew their attention to me.
vii. “Building your vision on a doable dream”
Vision in many cases fails. And one of the reasons of such is that the dream is not doable at all. You can easily find people in our society who propose dreams that are not realistic at all. Sometimes I do have a lot of thing bothering me that I needed to sought out, and I will outline it all in my daily book, I follow each after each. But the saddest thing is that I am unable to realize all the vision of that day. Sometimes I get angry for having not realized all, and the other times I console myself not to get angry for not actualizing my entire goal for that day. Some other times I write a very short vision/goal for that day and I follow all meticulously and then realize them all. So truly, one of the factors that mitigate actualizing dreams is setting of unrealistic goal.
3. How will these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way, both in your daily life and in helping you to create a better world if so, how?
The ideas will help me elicit cooperation from my fellows if eventually am made a leader in a new team. The idea will instill in me the zeal to follow ideas until it gains illumination. The idea will help me propose doable goals.
4. Quotes: are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention if so please quote them and comment as to why they were important to important to you.
None.
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?
None.
6. Did the book contain exercise for the reader to complete, if so did you complete all of the exercise and did you find them helpful?
None.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you will like to comment on, that was not covered in the previous question, if so please comment.
None.
Please rate the following question on a scale from 1 to 10
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? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8.5
Goal Setting 101
Assessment by Anene Chikwado (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea this book carries is a step by step procedure for achieving a goal.
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. “Just as chess has it rules, so does the game of life. And while knowing a game rule does not guarantee that you will win every match, disregarding the rules makes playing the game difficult and winning impossible.”
With the increase in self destruction of mind, soul and body of the knowledgeable, one can begin to ask questions like; why will this tragedy come to this person? Why will this person get less? The answer is that s/he failed to apply the law. There is this quote that, the law of the universe are so precise, that we have no difficulty building spacious and sending people to the moon, and we can time their landing in a fraction of a precision of a second, because of knowing how the law of the universe work. Great thing can be accomplished by knowing laws and applying them, whether religious, human or even natural laws. And it can be uncomfortable to hear that, whenever we violate the law, we lose. Education has gone wide, such that many people can easily get access to books, but the question that continues to pose out is that, why are there no enough improvement despite so much education?
One can easily defile laws, being consciously carefree, one can as well think that the consequence is so infinitesimal. In fact, in one of my writings I presented to youth focus magazine, I tried to explain that there is nothing like infinitesimal, and that cause and effect are always taking place in our lives. So, we should not go on thinking that if we break laws, the effects are small and can be handled. In truth, effects will continue to compile for us, until the blow our head up.You may now have understood the law, and you may as well say, if i have done this and done that, i would have been at that other level by now. Knowing the law is one thing and applying is another thing. Failing to apply the law make knowing the law useless. I‘d rather end with this, it takes hunger for knowledge to study the laws, and it takes discipline to apply the law.
ii. “Prepare well, deeply and thoroughly, in advance!”
Thomas A. Kempis in his book, my imitation of Christ, said those who wait for occasions to draw near, before they start preparing end up half prepared or totally unprepared.
I had good grade in my final year project. It is true that all goodness is attributed to God. I also think that my preparation and several night of practice did play a paramount role in my grade. I recall vividly, the nights I used to stand in front of the mirror to practice, i can still remember how i called my friends and asked them to seat as my examiners and watch me perform, i remember how they asked me question as though they were real examiners. And after all this practice, I had good grades. Good preparation pays, except only if one thinks that what one is chasing is not worthwhile.
I can go further to say that preparation can be worthless if we have not collected enough data, knowledge and information required. I can remember clearly, some of my research and proposal I made way back, which i intend to turn into an enterprise, I am still yet to achieve. I really think why am yet to get my breakeven is as a result of the knowledge that is missing. Good preparations and plans can help save resources. This is what I mean; I have seen civil engineers who demolish some part of already built house and then say that another has to fit in here. Such may be avoided with proper plans and preparation.
iii. “Find a Mentor”
Having a good mentor is something beautiful, it is one of the gift life can offer to an inexperience person, or someone who is desperately in need to achieve a certain goal. I will as well in this context refer to a mentor as a role model. One of the problems i think is associated with mentorship is far distance. Most time the person one aspires to be like can be far, the remedy to such is a follow up of their various media publication or media chart or other available means. When I was younger, I used to like the live style of Joseph in the bible. If he was alive today and lives in my neighborhood, I will make him my mentor, but since he is already recorded in history and is no longer my contemporary, I follow his mentorship through reading the bible, were there is a good record of him. The advantages of having a mentor is numerous, I will outline some.
Mistake caused by inexperience can be avoided. Mentor can serve as a referee. A mentor is patient enough to give step by step guidance. Just fill in the gap, because there is a lot a mentor can do.
iv. “Act Like a Leader”
I understand that everybody is a leader; it may be of a country, or state, or a local government or a constituency, or a community, or a group or even a family or at least, yourself. As life continues to unfold, it still continues to be clear to me that I am the leader of myself. If one cannot take lead of one’s life, other people will dominate and control it. It is very necessary to be a leader at least, of one’s self, so as to avoid the dominating and marginalizing character of most people who feel their job here on earth is to subdue and control others. You know, when people subdue and marginalize you, you cannot act or perform at your best.
v. “As Your Birth Right, You Are Given Your Greatest Power – The Power to Choose.”
The power to choose is evident in our life daily, beginning from the choice of thought that we allow to run through our mind for a long time, the kind of food we want to eat, cloths worn, just name it. I remember vividly one of the choices I made long ago to be a good computer programmer, the result and effect of that choice is still positively evident in my life, the choice gave the platform of my today’s job. Before I went into computer programming, I had the choice to learn or not learn it, I decided to learn it. To a great extent we have an unchallengeable power of choice, which I think is the benefit and gift from the creator to humans. The power of choice helps us to do and undo, it helps us to choose between becoming good or becoming evil. Choice is what humans have to a great extent.
vi. Always Set Deadlines
Without deadlines, one can spend excessive time on a project, and it may begin to look like self deception, or a task that can never be accomplished. But if there is a dead line, and a disciplined commitment towards it, the proposed goal is achievable. Noble commitment to the deadline stimulates all the organs of the body, and make them work accordingly.
Back then on campus, whenever a semester starts newly, many students on campus go about their different business which is usually out of the academic curriculum. But when it is about a month to the exam or when the exam time table has been released, everybody becomes stimulated by some force i really cannot understand and explain.
Now, if i choose to analyze the story above, i think the dead line is the exam date. If one can be frankly committed to ones deadline, results will be obvious. I have practiced accomplishing goal within deadlines, i think the problem with deadline is that the goal can be roughly executed, and may not be able to meet up to the desired taste, the goal may not be fine tuned as well. So my own way of getting things done with deadline is that, if there is a general deadline for a task, i will set my own deadline that will come before the general deadline, so I can have more time to fine tune the task before the general deadline comes by. I conclude by saying that, with the consciousness of dead line in mind, the whole organ is set on motion.
vii. “A Mission Statement is a Declaration of Who You Are, Why You Exist, and What You Intend to Accomplish.”
An understanding of whom one is can always put one on track whenever there is a shift in attitude or paradigm. I have observed parents telling their children; don’t forget where you come from. Mission statement written down and worked on fosters an individual to the next level. Knowing the reason for our existence can help us direct our time, energy, strategy and resources. Irrelevances can be avoided, idleness as well.
A consciousness of our mission can keep us working,
3. How will these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way, both in your daily life and in helping you to create a better world if so, how?
It is true that I am aware of deadlines for a goal, the idea in this book is recommitting it again to my memory. I have now learnt how to act like a leader, unlike most times, I will continue to wait for the presence of some people before acting. Thirdly, I am now on my way to choose a mentor from the field of engineering, as a result of what I have learned from this book.
4. Quotes: are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention if so please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“Be uncompromising in areas that need no compromise.”
It is important to me because of, there are sometimes I allow compromise in my life. Although work on progress with regards to compromise
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?
None.
6. Did the book contain exercise for the reader to complete, if so did you complete all of the exercise and did you find them helpful?
Yes, the book contained two sets of exercise. Indeed, they were helpful.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you will like to comment on, that was not covered in the previous question, 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? 7
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 9.5
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
Nonviolent Communication
Assessment by Anene Chikwado (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 convey is peaceful communication and relationship
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 tend to notice what’s wrong rather than what’s right”
The above aphorism is evident when people can find no satisfaction in the things you do. The above aphorism is also evident when you find yourself among haters and the people who feel that they are better than you. It is rather heart breaking that after so much effort, and a little mistake, most people spread the mistake, and that is the figure you are known for. Even though am writing in line with the axiom above, I am not an exception from the practitioners of this unkind act. That is why whenever I found myself exhibit such act, in all of my capacity, I try to abate it or correct it. Sometime ago, I took my mother’s car to the mechanic, so as to solve gear box issues, it was a stressful week, trying to solve the problem with the car. After the problem had been solved, I also had to sell the former gear box, there was so much stress that week. It happened that after everything became well, I drove the car home, and one of the tires got stock on a bad road, then it was already night and raining. The words I received that night from my mom were unfair. I taught in my mind, if my mom had felt the stress I had undergone for the sake of getting the car to normal, she would had said fair words in place of the unfair words she uttered. I had learned a great lesson that night, that great effort can be spoilt by small mistake. And that night I had as well arrived at a resolution not to destroy people’s mood, because of the small mistake done. But rather, be of good compliment to the achievement made.
ii. “Observing without evaluating is the highest form of human intelligence.”
When it comes to relationships, there are no truer words than the heading above. The above aphorism is not suggestive of the fact that one should be complete quiet having observed something that is wrong, rather, it depicts that evaluation is not the way forward. Do you know that many relationships, especially in families would have been more peaceful if evaluation does not follow observation?
This is how evaluation works. During evaluation, the person under consideration makes a compendium of faults that was committed by the other individual in his/her head, despite the fact that it was just one offence at that point in time. Thereafter, heart shattering words are uttered to the individual at fault. And just as humans are conditioned, they immediately develop resistance, and then, there is a big burst of quarrels and anger.
I am suggestive of the fact that if two individuals have got a problem the one who is not at fault should try to reach the heart of the other who is at fault and make understand why the action committed was wrong, and also make understand the consequence of the action committed, and by so doing, the individual at fault has understood the consequence of the action, and is most likely to avoid it in the future.
Here is a little story about what transpired between my brother and me. I saw a lesbian movie in my brothers’ phone, and asked him to delete it, he refused at that point in time to do as I have told him, it was not too long, I smashed the phone, because of his blunt refusal to delete the video. Later I bought him a new phone, and we settled our differences, he demanded for my laptop which I gave him, on coming back to get my laptop I discovered that many of the videos he loaded inside were pornography. I engaged myself in a discussion with him, and he said that the videos were put by his friend, although I did not believe it. Now observe my story above carefully and you will see that even though I smashed my brother’s phone as a result of the analysis I made, and then I replaced it to settle the matter, changed did not influence him, he still had to load pornographies in my laptop. After observation, I strongly advice that the heart of the person at fault should be reached and then make understand the consequence of the committed action.
iii. “The Need at the Root of Feelings”
People express their feelings in different ways, some may express it in the form of criticism, and others make it direct and obvious in such a way that anyone can perceive the need behind it (feeling expressed in form of a request). When a mother quarrels her child for not washing plates, the need behind the mothers feeling is to keep the dishes clean. Expressing statements, such as “you lazy boy/girl” does not foster any good. Rather, if any feeling is to be expressed, it should be done in the appropriate way. Take it this way, Johnson, you need to do you domestic work on time, rather than Johnson, you are a lazy boy. In the above sentence the message is so obvious that Johnson can perceive that he was called a lazy boy. This inability to express our feelings properly is the major cause of problems in relationship. Problems encountered in relationships, can be intelligently handled and suppressed by those who are aware of this fact under discussion. Such that, when people express their need in the form of criticism, the can quickly pick up the need being express.
iv. “Making Comparison”
Comparison is another way to make life miserable. Comparison begins at first to lower the self esteem of the one involved. If one compares oneself with another, see what happens: the individual see his/her self as inferior, and see the object which it compares itself to as a benchmark. And people grow to meet a benchmark and in most cases can’t go above the benchmark.
It is worst when a mother compares her child with another child. All the efforts of her child will be futile. Virtually all the impressive act the child portrays will seem negative.
I remember past times, when I was in the primary school, after school hours, we still go for extra-tutoring, to increase our knowledge on basic subjects as mathematics and English language studies. I remember performing very well in English language, and my friend performed poorly. Reaching home that day after the tutorial classes, we first arrived at my friends house, his mum was at home, the mom decided to go through his son lecture notes, and she found out that her boy performed poorly in English Language, immediately she asked for mine, she looked through my notes, and say my performance was ok. Not too long, in my presence, she flogged her son and began to compare her son and me, she even abused her son, saying that we are mates, and were taught the same time. My Dad is not an exception to such habit, at the end of school term, he will ask me if the person who took the first position in the class had to heads.
I understand the feelings behind comparison, I understand that we want to be doing well just like the people we compare our self to, but using comparison strategy is not a good option. See what comparison does: those people we compare ourself with become a standard, and in the field of growth, as regards to comparison, one cannot grow more than the standard. If anyone is hungry for growth, he should set a benchmark and struggle purposefully to reach it. Comparison is a bad strategy to achieve growth.
v. “Judgment of others contribute to self fulfilling prophecies”
I had a friend in the days I was in secondary school, he was popularly known with the name,“La-Confuse.” Everyone called him the name, because he easily gets confused when issues are discussed. He had every time told us that he noticed within himself that, he gets more confused as we called him the name “La-Confuse,” he strongly pleaded with us his class mates, and urged us to stop calling him the name. The judgment we give to others in the process of analyzing them are almost and often evident in the life they live. And as I understand life more and more, it is obvious that affirmative and positive words are far better in all ramifications than negative words all combined and garnished,
If we had called my friend I described in the example above a better name, he would have dance to the tune of the name we called him.
vi. “Practice translating each judgment into an unmet need”
If the aphorism above is applied in many relationships, stress caused as a result of relationship problems can be avoided. As I read the above aphorism, and began to think about it in my mind, I imagine myself extracting the need from people’s quarrels and complains, in the course of doing that, I felt peace of mind. What there really is in the above aphorism is the peace of mind associated with it when practiced. This is how I have come to understand it, there is always a need behind any quarrel and judgment, if anybody can practice translating each judgment into an unmet need, the person will experience peace of mind because when the other person is busy quarrelling and complaining, the other individual will be extracting the need that has not been met.
Understand that there is a shift in thought, the person been talked to or complained to has shifted thought to satisfy the need of the other person, the thought is no longer on trying be defensive, further noise making and troubles that would have escalated will be abated just because the person who is been spoken to has understood and gained the magnificent education of extracting need from quarrels and complain.
vii. “The heavy cost of unexpressed feeling”
Unexpressed feelings can be visualized from two dimensions. The first is when one is completely quiet to the feelings within; no utterances are made to express the feeling that is causing the depression within. This can be attributed to fear or timidity. This case is dangerous because the one who is alienating depression to the other may not know that a scene is inflicting pains on the other.
The second is when one does not know how to express feelings properly, this is common and cuts through many individuals. You can easily find one who expresses feeling in the wrong way, and the person whom the feeling is expressed to gets the wrong message. This is evident when you see people expressing their feelings with quarrel and anger, and the person to whom the feeling is expressed to gets a wrong message. In fact, in my final year, there was a lady in the group I super headed, we both engaged in a talk, and she told me that, whenever she has a problem with someone, the way she expresses herself with anger, the people around the scene conclusively say that she is the one at fault. I have watched the lady for about five years in our department, she lacks the capacity to express herself and her feeling rightly. Although she told me that she was working on handling anger.
The heavy cost of her improper expression of anger makes people around her to see her as the person at fault whenever she has problem with some other person. The first dimension of expressing feelings I talked about above is typically mine, sometimes I find it difficult to express feelings. I rather be quiet and hope the time passes, so that everything becomes normal. But I can confess that there is no gain in such, it even worsens the case, because there is always a bottled depression within me. But I have found out that it is habitual and conditioned within, I thought it wise to change such conditioning by engaging in discussions and being lively frequently.
3. How will these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way, both in your daily life and in helping you to create a better world if so, how?
The ideas will help me in a practical way. First, when I am involved in observation, analysis will not follow, but to reach the heart of the offender and make understand the wrong committed and get issues resolved peacefully. Secondly, to talk with people in affirmative words, so that it becomes their reality. Thirdly, to avoid comparison in my day to day living, if there is a form of personality I desire to be, I will set it as a goal and then reach it.
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 important to you.
None.
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?
None
6. Did the book contain exercise for the reader to complete, if so did you complete all of the exercise and did you find them helpful?
Yes, the book contained exercises. There were helpful and it aided me to distinguish expressions that are feelings and the ones that are not.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you will like to comment on, that was not covered in the previous question, if so please comment.
Actually the book expresses peace in abundance, but I have come to understand that some people do not adhere to peaceful talks
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Assessment by Anene Chikwado (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author conveyed “Leadership” as a means of knowing where an individual or a group aspires to be, and then “Management” as a means of following guidelines and principles to manage self or group effectively, so as to reach the intended personal or group destination.
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. He who cannot change the very fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality, and will never, therefore, make any progress.
Just after my first degree in 2016, I had been applying to secure a scholarship for a master’s degree program in environmental engineering. I was fortunate enough in one of my applications to have passed the first stage selection criteria, and with big faith I hoped to make it to the final selection. I had so immersed my emotions and thought in great belief. On the day is received the final result in my mail, I was not shortlisted among successful candidates. That day seemed like an emotional impact to me, like 9/11. I felt bitter, I was not at ease with myself any longer, my whole thought system had crashed; I got angry at little conversation with people as though they were the cause of me not been shortlisted. As I tried to correct the negative thought the failure had subjected me to, I find myself the next hour back to the negative thoughts. It seemed that I was not able to help myself. My friends and sibling had tried to talk me out of it, though later, it seemed that their counseling was futile. My constant thought had made me non productive, I felt no motivation from within any longer, not even to pray. I suddenly came across a friend I had back then in the university, who had just rented a new apartment and had no money to purchase a bed, I offered him a bed which I got from my family home. We began to chat, and then I told him about my recent pain and how I was not able to shift thoughts. I said to him that it was not that I had not failed before or lost valued item, but why this is painful to me was the amount of thought emotion I had attach to it during the application process. My friend began to fix me again by telling me his own story, which I considered far worse than my situation. His story began to change my thought. He was psychological, he penetrated my thought, it was as though he had removed the painful thought that made me non productive and put in a new one.
ii. If you don’t let a teacher know at what level you are by asking a question or revealing your ignorance you will not learn or grow.
I have a character of hiding weakness and lack, and I think so do many peoples. But I have understood that when one mentions one’s lack/need, people who are willing to help always help out. I have witness a situation when a gentleman mentioned what he desperately needed without minding his ego, he was helped. Truly for us to grow, we have to reveal who we are and what we want. During a one year volunteer program I participated in, a female friend I had already known for 5 years before the program was also present. Often she asked me to help her out with domestic work in the morning and evening, I always refused because I saw that was a task she could easily do on her own without any help. As she often asks for my help I turn her down many times. Until the day she called me on phone and told me she was in the hospital and that I should come quickly. That was when I realized that she was asthmatic and she has been hiding her health condition even from her roommates and me, and her condition was the reason she had often asked for my help often. Sincerely, if I had the slightest knowledge about her medical condition I would have done any task for her. But she could not reveal it to me or any other volunteer. Asking question or expressing our lack/need is not a sign of weakness as people may interpret it, rather it is a sign that an individual wants to improve.
iii. Circle of concern, Circle of influence.
In life, there are things we have direct control over, indirect control or no control as described in the 7 habits of highly effective leaders. It is true that a lot of situations around us are unfair, but if we spend time on blaming and complaining it makes no difference to the existing situation. Concern expressed in the form of blame and complain is futile. Have you noticed that blame causes bitterness to the person complaining and the person being complained about? Blame is like confessing the sin of the other person, which many people do not like. Problems can be solved, focus can be increased if we shift gaze away from circle of concern to circle of influence.
iv. Our most important financial asset is our own capacity to earn
There is no other asset greater than human asset. I have heard stories of people who lost great wealth and stories of people who have moved from rag to riches. I have believed that the power to earn is in the self and not in the physical or financial asset.
During my undergraduate studies, I began to think of ways to become financially independent. And then the best business I thought I could do was sales of laptops and phones. Since I did not have the capital to run the business but understood the terminologies used for the business, my business idea was to convince prospect to release their cash and then help them purchase it while I make my profit. I decided to place posters all round the campus to indicate that I was a dealer. Later, I began to receive calls from people who wanted to purchase. Whenever a buyer comes and mention the specification s/he wanted, I requested for immediate payment and after I was paid I rush to the market and buy what they wanted, and that was how I made gain even without having capital. So I think financial asset is the people not the facility or real estate.
v. Organize and execute around priorities
To organize a schedule requires understanding of what is to be achieved, to organize means to know which activity which will come first and the one to come last. And to execute requires discipline and commitment to schedule. Being busy all day without achieving desired result is one of the hard situations I have faced. When I looked within myself I had found out that many times I do not include in my routine the activities that facilitate the result I want, yet am busy all day with activities. I am busy! But results are not showing. The maxim above reflects the answer to my issue. Even if results are not reflective immediately after the right routines are followed, diligence will bring out the results. If I apply this piece of work to my daily living, results will be evident.
vi. Self-Awareness
I see self-awareness as fundamental of all human endowments, every other endowment builds on it. An exercise of self awareness enables an individual to reflect on his/her thoughts. Self-awareness is an endowment that can be used to measure if the actions we are taking measures up with what we aspire for. I practice the act of self-awareness every weekend, reviewing the past week and recalling the actions taken and how mistakes can be corrected. Self-awareness is also a good tool in leadership; as it enables a leader know his/her strength and weakness.
vii. With a mission statement, we can flow with changes. We don’t need prejudgments or prejudices.
Before now, I was selective and find it very difficult to work with people who do not share the same moral with me. I have noticed that such habit promotes strife and does not encourage cooperation for productivity. In fact if one continues to practice prejudice, it won’t be long one will be lonely. A mission statement can help an individual use opportunity and take advantage of interdisciplinary collaboration. Mission statement helps an individual understand his/her goal and when goals are understood opportunities are well utilized, but if mission statement is not well understood an individual can easily reject opportunities, saying that the opportunity is not related to my mission statement.
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?
Self-Awareness will enable me know myself; my strength and weakness and from there, I can find a way to compensate my weakness either by employing others or by learning. Self awareness will also help me in my thought process. Organize and execute around priorities will enable me focus on the things that are most important to me and can produce results. Understanding mission statement will enable me flow with changes and grasp interdisciplinary collaboration.
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.
No.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
No.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
Yes.
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.
When I thought that I have read the best books and the rest that I may read will be a repetition of the ideas I already know about, all of a sudden came 7
Habits of Highly Effective Leaders. It is now rated the best book I have read.
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? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10