Desmond Dumisani Dube – Assessments

As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Desmond Dumisani Dube (Zimbabwe)

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

The author is conveying to the reader the power of thought, thought in the man’s mind makes him who he is. The author brings out the idea that everything is based on thought; i.e. Character, circumstances in life, health, purpose, achievement and visions.

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.

• Every result is a blossom of thought- out of the abundance of the heart of a man so is he revealed. James highlights that any act that comes out of a person is not by mere accident but is a product of a well conceived thought in one’s mind. Man’s conduct to the outside environment is as result of what is deeply rooted in his inside that is his mindset and thoughts.

At one moment in my life I had a fear of failure and that always came to my mind especially during my Advanced level studies, I am an intelligent and well talented young man but this kept hitting me hard in my thoughts that what would I do if I fail.. As a result I did not get the results I wanted in my final examinations in fact according to my standard I had failed. This I believe was as a result I had kept in my mind for long.

• Law of attraction- the soul attracts that which it secretly harbors, James lays out that clearly, good cannot attract evil and evil cannot attract good. Whatever one meditates upon, most likely that thing will be received by his hands, one cannot earn what he doesn’t think of, he who thinks of lack attract poverty he who thinks of abundance attracts wealth and prosperity, man should never ever think of receiving that which is outside his mindset, nature cannot contradict that principle. Personally I have come to realize all that I have achieved has been a result of the law of attraction. I remember at one time I wanted to be involved in a business of my own, I had no idea of what exactly I would be involved in and more so I did not even have the money to finance the idea. All I did was to write down the goal I had for that month and this carried on as a written goal for a while until three weeks later I got a call from a Young executive from the organization I was working for and he asked me to partner with him in a business

• Man is made or unmade by himself- In the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace; the above statement hit a cord, because now I realize that I have the power to be whatever I want. I have control of my circumstances and whether they turn out to be great or not is all up to my thoughts, how are frame them to where I want to be. It is also important to me because I’m at a stage in my life where I’m discovering who I am and my being able to know that I can mold myself to whatever I want is both a scary and exciting idea, as if I turn out to be loser I won’t have anyone but myself to blame and it will be very difficult to take responsibility for my failures but if it goes the other way I can always say its all me and be proud of myself as I would know that I did not have to trick anyone to be where I am or had an advantage because I knew someone at the top especially when it comes to employment.

• Circumstances does not make the man- it reveals him to himself: this statement comes as a revelation because growing up I always believed that circumstances determine who an individual is and their future but now everything makes sense as I now realize that our character is revealed when we find ourselves in certain situations.

• The mind is compared or viewed as a garden- A garden that is well cultivated, the plant or flower well watered and protected against invaders represent a model of admiration and that which is not taken care of will only be explored by weed which will invite pest and other harmful or unnecessary plants which represent failure and evil conception, a pure minded man can never fall suddenly into crime by stress of any mere extreme forces.

• Men are anxious to change or improve their circumstance but are not willing to improve themselves- they therefore remain bound to what they are. A man may be honest in certain direction yet remain or suffer privation while a man may be dishonest in certain direction yet enjoy or acquire wealth. Good thoughts and action can never produce bad results while bad thoughts and action can never produce good results. Men in margin that thoughts can be kept secret, but it cannot because his action will reveal his thoughts.

• The hour of opportunity reveals the gathered power of a man- as thoughts, where success is the outcome, his thoughts are considered as pure and where he fails, his thoughts are seen as impure. The wishes and prayers of a man for his desire are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions.

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?

• Every result is a blossom of thought- This lesson has changed me in how and what I think of, I at one moment used to spend time thinking of what I did not want hoping that it would not happen to me but unfortunately that which I was thinking of and wanting was exactly what I got a result. So this has eliminated in me the negative thought line therefore in my personal life I have now learnt to spend time thinking of what I want as results, while on the broader perspective I now believe that for us to create a better world we need to stop fighting what we do not want and promote what we want to see as the change.

• Law of attraction- this powerful law has brought in me a magnificent dimension of thought because I now view live as a catalogue, and that i can simply attract what so ever I need in life through attracting it in thought. I also have been guided to understand that we can attract by default and intentionally and regardless of being well acquainted with the law or not, it will always be functional.

• The mind is compared or viewed as a garden- The lesson I got from this idea is that I should watch what I plant in my mind because every action has its own subsequent result. The mind is a garden and every thought is a seed therefore now I have clear understanding that all I have experienced in my life, good or bad is as a result of the seed I planted consciously or unconsciously in my mind at one moment in my mind.

• The hour of opportunity reveals the gathered power of a man- I now take each day as a time of preparation so that when my opportunity comes it will truly reveal the power I would have gathered over time. I am a man of excellence therefore am doing everything with a standard of excellence because I want to see a world of excellence around 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 there were important to you.

“Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil”- I have learnt that I should dream! The same effort I take in dreaming is the same effort I might take as well if I do not dream, so iam better off if I dream, even best if I dream big! There should be no limits to my dreams and if I hold on to the vision it will come to pass.

Cherish your vision; your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your drapes your purest thoughts. For out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.

To put away aimlessness and weakness and to begin to think with purpose is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.

Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes a creative force. He who knows this is ready to become something higher and stronger than a bundle of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations. He who does this has become the conscious and intelligent wielder of his mental powers.

From the above mentioned quotes one can get that they are all about purpose and one’s vision because after reading this book, I realize that we are only good as our thoughts, what we think of ourselves and that will determine the things we think we are good enough to achieve. The measure of how we think of ourselves will be revealed by the kind of dreams we have for ourselves and the purpose our lives hold. Our dreams or visions and purpose are our driving force; how hard we work will be the result of these.

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

Personally I do not disagree with any idea though I believe that the author should have made it more clear that inasmuch as thought is important in determining what we attract in our lives we should also make sure that the spirit man is also in harmony with our thought line for a human being is made of spirit, body and soul and for us to move in ultimate success the three should be in harmony and none is more important than the other, i.e. we should ensure that balanced in all three points.

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

I did not come across any exercise to complete.

7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.

No.

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? 9
E. Overall rating you would? 9

 

 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Desmond Dumisani Dube (Zimbabwe)

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

The main Idea that the author is conveying is that there are no limits in life and that there is more to life than just giving up on your vision and dream.

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 everyone is in support of your vision and desires in life- From the book I personally picked up the idea that inasmuch as we might have our own great ambitions not everyone will share that very same sentiment, just as Jonathan’s parents tell him that he shall fly and behave like other seagulls, I personally after I had finished my Advanced level (High School) without excellent results I still wanted to progress to University, people around me told me it was impossible and that I would not at all make it to where I wanted but I did not lose hope at all and today as I write am now in my final year at a University in Zimbabwe, Africa.

II. To be persistent in achieving our desires- I have learnt without persistency you cannot go any far than you can imagine, thus imagination can be a jump start to achieving one’s goals. Like Jon, he had a passion to fly and he flew and he coupled this with persistency, same to me my passion to become a renowned leader will come to pass if I keep the zeal and the fire burning. The world needs a people with a passion, individual passion, will grow to be a national passion and ultimately a global passion, and then a world we want is made a
possibility.

III. Understand that there are no limits in life- Jon understood that there was no limit in life in achieving whatever it is that we desire for besides one’s self and by being able to conquer the fear in us then we expose ourselves to a new world of possibilities. This point brought into remembrance one time I was working on building a company, I thought I never had enough knowledge on how to do it and that alone brought so much discouragement in me and was a great limitation in advancing my dream and shaping it into reality. But I later on discovered that its not how much I know that matters but how much am willing to learn in the process. And by so doing I broke the limitation that I had brought upon myself.

IV. Not every system gives the freedom to explore your possibilities- I need to get out of my comfort zone, leave all systems build around me that are counterproductive and pursue a freer life. I am suppose to progress the world by leaving old beliefs behind. The systems of men are oppressive because to a greater extend they conceal the truth from being exposed. Most of the time certain systems keep people oppressed, it abuses the very people who follow it, and very much is a hindrance to progress.

V. Love conquers all- As humans we need to have love for we live in a world that has different people with different values, and to be able to value what others value we need to has unconditional love for one another.

VI. Life is not about mere survival but about reaching out to your higher calling- Believing without proof was a corner stone to Jonathan’s achievements. With faith he attracted himself to Chiang who taught him astral travelling. He had a strong belief in flying to the extent that he found himself travelling in this kind of dimension. He was able to use the principle which says “ that which is seen is temporary, but that which is unseen is eternal” By faith Jonathan got the desires of his heart

VII. The true mark of a great leader is one that builds other leaders- Jon’s endeavors of becoming a better seagull didn’t go far until he met his coach Chiang. He was taught all the principles that where required in flying, and with the experience Chiang had, he groomed him into another wise, loyal ,trusted advisor and counselor whose teachings ultimately influenced thousands of other seagulls.

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 first thing I will take from these lessons is that I can be whatever I want to be if I remove all the limits I have created in front of me I should not let my human body set limits for me and of course all of these limits can be overcome with much practice. Also I have learnt without passion you cannot go any far than you can imagine, thus imagination can be a jump start to achieving one’s goals. Like Jon, he had a passion to fly and he flew, same to me my passion to become a renowned leader will come to pass if I keep the zeal and the fire burning. The world needs a people with a passion, individual passion, will grow to be a national passion and ultimately a global passion, and then a world we want is made a possibility.

And lastly deep down in my heart there is a voice that always whispers, that’s the inner person who is able to give me advice and knowledge, the only way to success is to listen to this person which I can dub my second “mind”. This was a secret which Jon revealed to me! This world needs to have a people that a able to tap from their hearts, a people that are able to listen to the whispers that come into their hearts, as an individual I have learnt that I need to listen to my heart and most cases what I hear will benefit the world.

4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.

“Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect.”- This to me means that is we can craft the world and environment we desire. Heaven is belived to be a place of peace and joy there for us as humans can begin to live that reality here as we are and find the joy and peace we desire to see in our lives.

“You can go to any place and to any time that you wish to go,”- live has no barriers at all therefore we are able to accomplish whatsoever it is that we want. If it is a place we dream of reaching to and we pursue that dream then we can go to any place and to any time we wish to go.

“To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is, you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived…”- for you to start something you should also visualize yourself already at the end, our thoughts carry us to where we want, thought detects the pace at which we move at.

“It always works, when you know what you’re doing”- we cannot express power that we do not possess, the only way by which we may secure possession of power is to become conscious of power and we can never become conscious of power until we learn that all power is from within. So this makes clear that if you want to have ultimate success in an area of life know that which you exactly want.

“The only true truth is that one which sets us free- Jonathan”- mysteries are mysteries, but they cease to be when the truth comes into play! The truth is the highest possible level that ensures that one is free and in peace, “it removes hide and seek”

“Each of us is in truth an idea of the Great Gull, and unlimited idea of freedom,”- Life is an enfoldment, not accretion. What comes to us in the world without is what we already possess in the world within. Therefore we all are not limited in the freedom of thought, and within us is a great individual which is only but the truth about us.

“The only true law is that which leads to freedom,”

“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding”- The natural eye and body can be bound by limitations and impossibilities but the man within is ever free, the spirit or inside will of human can never be limited as to what it can think or imagine. If we find wisdom in the world within, we shall have understanding to discern the marvelous possibilities that are latent in this world within, and we shall be given power to make these possibilities manifest in the world without.

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

I personally do not disagree with any ideas the author has, though there is a point I believe was not made clear in his writing, i.e. in the book the author only puts emphasis on personal will power only and does not highlight the equal importance of God or a higher power which gives us the greater ability to achieve our greatest desires. The human being is made of the parts, the body, spirit and soul therefore for us to achieve anything we desire for all three units should be equally attended to for the mind alone without the harmony of the spirit and body cannot achieve man’s desires. For Man by himself cannot help himself but the higher power that his spirit believes in gives man ultimate success and in my case I believe in God almighty the creator of the heavens and earth. And I also maintain a healthy diet and fit body by going to the gym and participating in sporting activities. In the book Jonathan would chose to go and fly and neglect eating, and this placed very little emphasis on his diet and eating habits.

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

There were no exercises in this book that required my doing.

7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.

No.

Ratings
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

 

 

Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Desmond Dumisani Dube (Zimbabwe)

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

The book centers on the most powerful machine ever conceived, a machine created by the Master Author, a machine that can build or destroy, the machine is the mind. The book then talks about two extremes of the human mind a positive and a negative which results in a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) and Negative Mental Attitude (NMA) respectively. The book then highlights the power of the subconscious mind in tapping the mysteries of the mind. Only with a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) can a person achieve positive success, success that can turn the world upside for good. This PMA brought to my understanding that we have through knowledge the wonderful power of using or directing this force, when we recognize it, and know that it exists so as to bring us health, happiness and eternal peace of mind. Composed as we are of this force, we are ever attracting more of it to us and making it a part of our being.

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 am a product of my own thinking- as one author puts it across, “Each day, life will send you little windows of opportunity. Your destiny will ultimately be defined by how you respond to these windows of opportunity” and a PMA is what gets you to make use of the opportunities availed to us. Life’s too short to play little hence we have need to implement a PMA in all we do. I have now for the past few years started to use the law of attraction and the results have been absolutely phenomenal.

• What one can achieve is only limited by what one can dream- The author clearly shows us that in this life that we live we hold the power of thought and dreams and envisioning what we want to see manifest in our lives. I have also come to realize that as unique individuals we should not be afraid to be ourselves and begin to have a personal dream, one other writer once said, “Too many among us are afraid to be ourselves. So we give up our dreams to follow the crowd”, this hit me hard as it reflected the point that indirectly we have entertained a NMA through the fear of being ourselves and following the crowd in hope that the fear of failure will be covered up by the crowd or rather failure will be less embarrassing as we might fail of a crowd.

Personal I have seen myself as a figure that will influence nations, great leaders and great institutes, this has now begun to manifest in my life. It started off as a simple dream and vision and when I got my first job after graduation from University I was employed in one of the country’s largest telecommunications company and through my position I have been able to meet with government officials such as Ministers, CEOs from other big institutes recognized worldwide. And I greatly believe that this did not just happen but it was an opportunity created over time through a PMA and holding a dream of my own.

• The other interesting idea is the one saying, ‘your world will change whether or not you choose to change it. But you have the power to choose its direction’. This is in line with the idea that we give a meaning to our life, to our world and our decisions and behaviors shape our future. I agree with the statement that if a man is right, his world will be right. If you are unhappy with your world and want to change it, the place to start is yourself. To have peace, be peaceful; to be loved, love first. This brings about the point that there’s no point in being successful but sad. Makes no sense. Yes, reach for the mountaintop. But enjoy the climb as well. Life wasn’t meant to be an ordeal. It was meant to be a celebration. So have big – time fun as you chase – and catch – your most cherished dreams.

Personally I have realized in my life that for the time I spent trying to keep all things to myself and not building relationships I begun to be miserable and often found myself dwelling in the NMA state which in actual fact was crushing my dreams totally because I was not happy. But God shifted that entirely and when I begun living a happy life and enjoying every relationship opportunities were presented before me that I never knew would exist in this stage of my life.

• Self affirmations can change my lifestyle- Man’s word is his wand filled with magic and power. Jesus Christ emphasized the power of the word; “By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned,” and “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” So man has power to change an unhappy condition by waving over it the wand of his word. In the place of sorrow appears joy, in the place of sickness appears health, and in the place of lack appears plenty.

Needless to say much about my life but to be where I am its because I have leant to speak into my life affirming that which I want to see manifesting, this is totally inseparable with the law of attraction. Inasmuch as I have be affirming positive things I have also attracted exactly that. I love this book, because life is impossible to live without a PMA.

• Self motivation- I believe it is not your action that makes things happen, it is your intent. Hence with that clear intent self motivation is build up on a PMA. You can reduce the need for action to a minimum by allowing yourself to focus on what you desire until you feel the positive energy begin to move within you. Just as one man clearly said it, “Remember work well done does good to the man who does it. It makes him a better man”. This statement gives us reason to build up self motivation as individuals and not wait for some other form of motivation else were, which is also good but self motivation is not rocket science cause the only thing that is rocket science is rocket science.

• Extended Imagination- Average is the norm for a reason. Being exceptional demands extra effort, sustained inspiration, uncommon discipline and greatly an extended imagination. When we attempt to give flight to our dreams, we have to overcome the weight of opposition. Like gravity, life’s circumstances constantly pull on our dreams, tugging us down to mediocrity. Most of us don’t pay the price to overcome the opposition to our dreams. We may start out inspired, but through time we fatigue. Although never intending to abandon our dreams, we begin to make concessions here and there. Through time, our lives become mundane, and our dreams slip away. But through extending our imagination all this fatigue and abandonment of dreams will not come to us. In fact an extended imagination is only possible through a PMA.

Personally I started taking time out to think, some 15mins a day and this has been absolutely phenomenal and awesome because my imagination has grown from what I can call “zero to hero”. It’s truly amazing how thinking has really extended my imagination.

• Satisfaction is a mental attitude- I believe satisfaction and gratitude go hand in hand because you cannot exercise much power without gratitude because it is gratitude that keeps you connected with power. The creative power within us makes us into the image of that to which we give our attention. The grateful mind is constantly fixed upon the best; therefore it will receive the best.

Personally I have reached a level were am satisfied by surrendering my life to God and allowing his will to take control as a result a great transformation took place, I get to be trust with much and I find favor from both God and man simply because am satisfied and grateful to work under the will and guidance of God.

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?

• It is common knowledge that 95% of the people of the world are drifting aimlessly through life, without the slightest conception of the work for which they are best fitted, and with no conception whatsoever of even the need of such a thing as a definite objective toward which to strive. This idea has helped me o think of myself as a finished product and the value which I will add to the people around me. Practically I have begun to positively view all things in life
regardless of how impossible it seems to be, because ultimately I am a product of my own thinking.

• Napoleon Hill once said, ‘’Do not tell the world what you can do, show it”. Practically acting upon my dreams is radically changing my life and breaking off all limitations, as much as I tell people of my dreams am greatly showing them what my dream is. As am writing this assessment the thought of the power of dreaming which God is depositing in my life brings tears of joy to me, August 2011 am starting my MSc and this is just but one of the action pursuits that was a simple dream at one point in my life.

Overly the book carried a lot of important lessons especially the PMA and NMA lessons, these were very practical to me in a way that I could look directly into my life and note down events in which I have attracted both negative and positive outcomes, e.g. because of the positive attitude I generally have I have managed to penetrate into the most competitive industries in the country, but because I believe that God is able to do all thing through the power that works in us I made 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 there were important to you.

“Day by day in every respect I am getting better and better”- I was taught to take time and talk to myself, telling myself who I am and what I can accomplish and do to make this world a better place, this was a profound quote of assurance, telling me that I cannot afford to remain the same, there is always a better life.

“Every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or a greater benefit,”- this made me understand that all things contribute to our advancement so if faced with adversity we in turn should scout out for an opportunity that will lead us to benefit from it.

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

Personally I do not disagree with any idea the author laid across in the book. And to sum it up I loved the clarity he created.

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

I did come across some exercises to complete and they are helpful and I believe they are progressive also.

7. 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? 9
E. Overall rating you would? 9