Emmanuel Iziomoh – Assessments – International Institute for Global Leadership

As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Emmanuel Iziomoh

1. Discuss the main ideas that you found most important in this book and discuss why they were important to you.

A student preparing for an entrance exam into the university prepared very hard and wrote the exam very well it is obvious that before the result is out he is expecting an admission to study at the university, that is positive thinking, he had thought that he would be writing an exam and the next thing he did was to prepare for the exam and that is will surely give way to the sun a positive action, it is always good to know that act is the blossom of thoughts and good thoughts and actions can never produces bad results. Men mostly in Africa falsely accuse others as the cause of their circumstances because they never accept the condition they are than they wished to be, these leads to negative thoughts and actions, prosperity and circumstances breakthrough are obtainable by mind searching but for fear that one might be hyper tensed had made them never to think that thoughts will surely give way for each other just like the storm give way to the sun, the sun gives way to the moon, and the winter always thaws into springtime. Our body is the servants of the mind, man must think before he acts his actions will definitely be useless just like a film making the director and producer must tell the actor what and how he should act so does the mind and body work, but there are two things which intercepts thoughts and action which are doubts and fears, Doubts and Fears are the only enemy to progress after a positive thought willing for a positive action , if a man is able to conquer doubts and fear, the man has conquered failure and difficult circumstances with good self control and a high tensed of focus because self control is the strength of every man.

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

To an open speech in a society, the members may all think on the same issue but bring different ideas, perception I believe has always made it so and I had always acquire and it helps me in different circumstance I have been in life, the perception that circumstances does not make me who I am but reveals me to myself, like when I wrote an exam to be in the final class in my primary level, I thought I had done better than every of the student which I did do my best and was expecting the best result as well, but when the results came out I found out that I came second in the class, then I realized that I had not determined to be the best rather competing with others just to be among the best, thus, I say to every thought links with purpose.
As the plant springs from and could not be without the seed so every act of man springs the hidden seeds of thought and could not have appeared without them, this is the first statement I see as inspiring to this assessment that no man can do without thinking. This book recently helped a friend of mine, who is very brilliant and a focus girl and has written an entrance examination into the university for three times now and she could not get admitted, she thought that perhaps it was the job that she was offered that has make her not to read and made her not to prepare well she thought of quitting but I told her not to quit but she wouldn’t listen so I gave her copies of my booklet (as a man thinketh) , she read it and and positive thoughts and she was relieved.

This book is a pure man and I believe every man needs to read it, and know how to shape their shapeless circumstances.

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

Positive thinking is the soul of a real man, in our society today we have many men but some are not worth to be called men rather boys because the boys allow their problem becomes an excuse but the men are they that control their reaction even when they cannot control their problem through positive thoughts and actions. When a man sees himself in a certain situation he does not make him but reveals him to himself because no one is a total failure if he dares to try doing something worthwhile.

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

Yes, like I said average African begins to think and accuse others as the cause their failure and difficulties, with the help of this book I have come to a conclusion that only negative thought leads to difficult circumstance but thought works together with patience, practice and ceaseless importunity and leads to breakthrough and to the temple of knowledge, also how the body operates with the mind and how a man chooses his thought and shape his circumstance, with positive thought man can conquer his doubts and fears because they are the only enemy that breaks up effort and trials but when a man conquers his doubts and fears he has conquered failure and difficult circumstance, no one can be behind my failure and difficult circumstance perhaps my effort was not just enough. Many times when others will be preparing for church, I will be on the bed and when I am been woke up to prepare for church I remember my answer has always been “my mind is willing but my body is weak” , reading this book I got to know that my mind has always not to go to church that if my mind was in to go to church then my body has no excuse but to agree with my mind in going to church.

Positive thought requires ultimate action but sometimes the actions are not carried because of some reasons, doubts is the number one reason see as an obstacle that interrupts thought and progress, the action was to be carried out but the doubts that the action is going to be useless makes it undone and the other is fear, immediately doubts dominate the mind fears add to it.

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

Yes, there is a statement I disagree with but was self explained later in the book which is “as a man thinking in his heart so is he not only embraces the whole of a being , but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstances of his life. So therefore a man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sun of all his thoughts.

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

Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires so may man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless and impure thoughts, and cultivating towards perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful and pure thoughts.

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

The philosophy of thinking, what man thinks and how he takes his ultimate steps towards his upliftment. How thoughts can be lay down and shape the circumstance with every suitable actions.

Please Rate this book on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.

A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessmet by Emmanuel Iziomoh (Nigeria)

1. Discuss the main ideas that you found most important in this book and discuss why they were important to you.

(Line 2-3) a mile from shore a fish chummed the water and the word for breakfast flashed through the air, till a crowd of a thousand seagulls came to dodge and fight for bits of food,

regarding to a throne of meadersho for example a presidential throne, aspirants from different works of life will dodge and fight for the post the president.

(line 12-13) most gulls didn’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flights how to get from shore to food and back again,

for most aspirants it is not the presidential throne that matters but to their selfish interest and for their pocket.

(line 15-16) even his parents were dismayed as Jonathan spent whole days alone, making hundreds of low level glide, experimenting.

Relatives and families of the aspirant will feel dishonored when he starts from low level leadership when he neglects and does something different that other aspirants does.

(line 21-27) Why, Jon, why? His mother asked why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? Why cant you leave low flying to the pelicans, the albatross? Why don’t you eat? Jon, you’re bone and feathers, I don’t mind being bone and feathers, mum. Just want to know what I can do in the air and what I cant, that’s all. See here, Jonathan, said his father, not unkindly winter isn’t far away, boats will be few and the surface fish will be swimming deep. If you must study the study food and how to get it. Don’t you forget that the reason you fly is to eat.

Aspirant tries to be a god and respectable leader, discouragement comes to him that he should try and have something for himself, to his pocket and that being a leader is a business and he will definitely not be a leader for ever, and that he should forget about being a philanthropist

(line 48-49) Jonathan seagull exploded in midair and smashed down into a brick hard sea.

At times, it comes to a situation where the aspirant will fall but that is not the end of the contest because an aspirant cant rise to be without falling.

(line 53) As he sank low in the water, a strange hollow voice sounded within him.

Doubts begins to dominate the mind of the aspirant after falling.

(line 78) He climbed two thousand feet above the black sea, and without a moment for thought of failure and death,

this implies if an aspirant chooses not to doubt and have fear because this are the enemies of progress.

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

This book is related to human thinking and ability to overcome principalities and obstacles of life into transformation with courage and optimism, one can always triumph over difficulties. It doesn’t matter how many times one has failed rather how persistence he keeps trying. “after rain comes sunshine, after sunshine comes darkness, and after darkness comes the glorious dawn”. I say that great people are ordinary people with extra ordinary amount of determination. My belief is that freedom is the very nature of my being and whatever stands before my freedom will be set aside.

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

I found this ideas important because as a youth, one needs to learn the secret of leadership, how positive thoughts work to be a good leadership, how thought of failure and death obscure progress, I also learnt that tough times don’t last but tough people do, I got to know that selfish interest is not the portion of a leader, leadership is not by prominency but showing love, care and by bringing up plans of resistance, pride should be swallowed at that period of time. I learnt that surfaces can be rough at times but that is not the end of time. When the surface get rough like when jonathan exploded in midair and smashed down into a brick hard sea the rough gets tough and the tough keeps perishing until the glorious dawn. I have also learnt that leaning is like sailing the ocean and no one has ever sail it all, even the leader of today still learns and that no knowledge is lost to be a good leader priorities have to be adjusted like jonathan Livingston seagull adjusted food which is essential for health and rather being bone and feathers but he was learning very had to get what other seagulls could not learn. Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, joh? It is difficult to be like other people because we all have minds but think differently which the key is perception, some other flock have no vision but to fly and eat and that is they have no ambition in life but to eat till they die.

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

The ideas will definitely relates to my life, because I wish to be a good embassador of my great country and a faithful, loyal, diligent and honest leader, a leader of example and great respect. My challenges has always been, how can I be a good ambassador as I wished? But now I am contented and I now believe that it is not by going to millennium schools but students from mini schools can also be a leader, that is all depends on how diligent a student is , and how focused he has always been. Thus my thoughts has changed generally in exploring and there is a scene which I so much admire, there’s a reason to life! We are lost ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly! This has also changed my being a lot. I have also been challenged that there is more time, that time is not late to aspire what one admires and it doesn’t matter how many times I have tried but how persistence I keep trying. This kind of flying has been here to be learned by anybody who wanted to discover it, it has nothing to do with time, and at the dawn he will stand to center for great honer and not to stand to center for great shame and lastly I learnt that there is more to life that eating, or fighting, or power in the flock but to learn that the purpose for living is to find something as perfection an show it forth.

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

Forget about faith! Chang said it and again “you didn’t need faith to fly, you needed to understand flying. I disagree with this statement , which is to understand means to see something caress it and romance it but the action is still not cared out, the action which Is the fundamental of thought and if one could forget about faith the action will never be carried out, which is if one has no faith there will be doubt and fears, which are the enemies of progress. So I think one should have faith and then understand, then everything will be wonderful and best done.

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

Every Seen are most helpful in this book and nothing is least helpful, I have read and understood the helping standard towards any carrier.

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

This book is trying to convey the philosophy of life in leadership role, how one could be a good and achieving leader without doubts and fears through thick and thing ways with just the same motive to be in the best leading way.

Please Rate this book on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.

A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Psycho Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by Emmanuel Iziomoh

1. What Ideas were personally most important to you in this book? Do not simply list the ideas, but explain or discuss why they were important to you, using personal examples.

Reading this book i found many useful personal ideas which i can imply to my life, for example, the first questions i asked myself was, what do i want from life? what i am willing to give in return? what i want the focus of my life to be? how my childhood impacted my life as an adult? what were my goals? how effectively i use my imagination and creativity? all of this questions led me to the last that says how effectively do i use my creativity and imagination? which i began to think, imagine and making use of creative mind so as to fill in the answers which at the end i did.it is not at all events we respond to, that some increases stress but the help of relaxation our creative imaginations work.

Self image has nothing to do with reality, it was something that was learned and anything that has been learned can be reevaluated and chllenged, Anyhing that has been challenged can be relearned. it s just like habit that can be changed with the awareness of a negative self image and by challenging the bad habits that support this image and by creating a new positive self image that allows you to set and achieve worthwhile goals.

Everytime i find myself thinking or saying something negative about myself i should become aware of the bad data i would like to replace it with. This will lead to the processing of CRAFT, and instead of viewing a mistake or setback as evidence of personal inadequacy, i should consider it as an event and my concern over the events should not become anxiety about my life and that i can do what i can deal with effectively while remembering that not every event in life will be positive.

Lastly, the important idea i will wite down is about the writer maxwell maltz who was not a psycholist or a physiotherapist but a plastic surgeon and the observation convinced him that it was not the surgery itself that caused the personality changes rather the facial reconstructionsometimes brought about the renewal of some inner quality as well.

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

Yes, learning from mistakes, whenever i hear of strange or new things i reluctantly will not want to ask and i get intimidated mostly when there are girls around i wouldn’t want to ask because i feel i could be humiliated but i could only ask my elder brother or male friends all because i had attended a male secondary school and because of the aphorism that says there is more knowledge in listening that in speaking. I have internalized this thought, it doesn’t have to be that way, it is our self image that prescribes our limits. eat it while you have it , live for today, or tomorrow may never come this is a sickness of selfishness, greed and self centeredness, not to save for another all because you don’t want anyone to inherit your possession for that you never know what might happen next. i strongly believe that this is a falseful thinking and this is exercised by mostly the traditional rulers and illegal money makers. many Nigerians react to this negative belief. how subconscious mind says yes to everything the conscious mind tells it this made me to remember when i was still learning german language and i was taking my oral examination at the oral exam center i was fine but immediately my director called me to approach her i was tensed and i confronted the 2 best teachers at goethe institute and the director which is a German woman, to me I wasn’t good at speaking to her because she had been speaking German for all her life and then I quickly asked her for her permission for me to go to the toilet which she granted but she knew that i was nervous and she told me not to be that that i can do it. at the end of it i scored 63 of 75 i was the highest in my clas of 34 students, the greates obstacle one will face in the process of success is one own sef doubt. i will like to say few things about bill and stephanie, bill ridiculing his own wife stephanie that she is overweight and finding faults in her in whatever she does, infact to everything stephanie does, lies a mistake ,this is a fantastic story which i also consider helpful to relationships.

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

I have learn steps on how i could free myself from false beliefs that we deserve better than to be constrained by reasonable fears, expectations of failure and feeling of unworthiness, negaitive experiences are nothing but habits that have been learned so it can be relearned. it is better to be contented with what one has than to what one wish to have because it puts the subconcious mind at work and the one begins to think negatively and as a result of negative thinking we become trapped behind wall of fears, anxiety, guilt, self condemnation and self hate. after a time, your subconscious mind will forget the errors of the part and learn to follow the new path you have created for it.

i will list many sentences that i found useful and needs to be contemplated upon:
* no real behavorial changes could take place unles the self image was changed.
* anyone could start a new and self fulfilling life by changing his image.
* it is people that make or break a company.
* the winner is the man or woman who does not personalise poor results.
* we always act in a way that is consistent with our self image and we may try to change our behaviour through willpower, positive thinking or even affirmations.
* the human servomechanism can either be a success mechanism or a failure mechanism depending on the targets our thinking mind establishes for it and the way it responds to its own errors.
* people always act, feel and behave according to what they imagine to be about themselves and their circumstances, this is because the subconcious mind can’t tell the difference between a real experience and one that is vividly imagined, through your creative imagination you can create images of success that by incorporation into your self image can be turned into actual successs.
-we can change our actions, behaviour and feelings by changing our mental pictures.

i have also learnt how relaxation helps in activating our creative imagination and that it is not all events we respond to that some increases stress. the power of this idea lies in the notion, for example that i am capable of taking control of our self image and programming our automatic giudance system for success. it is our self image that prescribes our limits, there are many scenes attached to our self image doubts, how doubts diverts our attention and bring limits to our acts, for example the story of john, 28 years old who was not married and was lonely and unhappy but was also eager of meeting a woman with whom he could have his satisfying and longlasting relationship, but when he thought about actually talking to a woman at one of there functions, he was terrified, he believed that every woman in the world going to reject him. his belief had prescribed his limits that he will not have the guts to meet or approach any lady of his kind.or the story of laura with fluency in 4 languages, dropped out of graduate school after being reprimanded by a professor for neglecting her work in her degree area (sociology),she had a series of low end office jobs and she knows that she is too stupid to learn to use modern machines because she knows that she is too stupid to learn to use a high tech machine she will never want to learn and her dreams of earning high income will never come to reality. and also the story of johanna who was 32 but looks more or less like 52 all because while she was a teen she had weighed 60 pounds overweight, though she had long ago dieted away her excess poundage in her subconcious mind she still had an ungainly body and that made her hid herself from people and was easily embarrassed by comments about weight.

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

Yes, this book has changed my thinking ,fist of all i might be hoping to becoming a psycholist or a banker and at the end i to become a public speaker or an economist, because dr maltz was not a psychhologist nor a physiotherapist but a plastic surgeon, a medical doctor patients he treated for severe facial disgussment exhibited profound personality changes within weeks after their operation, their growing self confidence seemed to reflect their new outward appearance. we maintain our balance only while we are moving forward towards a goal and when we try to maintain balance while sitting we ultimately fall, this is a success that goals are a process not a place to be, when one stops moving towards a goal that means he or she will not move forward to their goal because goals are like orchards ,the more energy we put into them the more fruit they bear. success is instinctive but sometimes we block the instinct and watch limits instead of destinations. we should learn how to forget some negative experiences perhaps while we were child or teens and that we should not allow negative experience disturb our future. there are some experience we should try to forget at that time because some bad experience will kill our dreams, for example a friend of mine whose negative past experience now blurs his mind that he cannot stop smoking or thinking when he was fine all because he impregnated a girl at the age of 21 and since then he could no longer further his education or act like a father to his son.

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

No, i agree with every words in this book.

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

I see everything in this book helpful but i think what i found most helpful is this sentence that says anyone could start a new and self fulfilling life by changing his self image and why i found it helpful is that somethings happen spontaneously and everyone has the right to feel that he is on this earth not to live on someone else’s expectation ,so the key to his success is on him.

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

the whole book is trying to giving back life to the dead that it is not over until it is over , regardless of time and how the imagination works towards our success.

Please Rate each of these questions about the book on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
1. How interesting was it to read? 9
2. How helpful were the contents? 10
3. How easy was it to understand? 10
4. Would you recommend it to others? 9
5. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Additional comments: i find these comments about johanna on page 288 irrelevant, i mean to me it is an insult with such description one can get discouraged and build an anger in the heart and the sentence is where they wrote: Johanna, a phone company employee, was 32 years old but looked 52, she had marked frown lines on her forehead and at the corners of her mouth and there was a hint of sparkle in her eyes. i would see her trodging home every evening, her body bent in the shape of a question mark and sour expression on her face.

Keys to Success

Assessment by Emmanuel Iziomoh (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is conveying in the book is to be successful in all that one does, identifying the weakness of an individual and turning them into strength. More so, acknowledging the gift of faith and hope in God in all human activities. This makes the success of an individual a legitimate success in adding the basic principles of God’s teachings to the success of one’s hard work. Furthermore, the idea of an individual to be resourceful in his/her thinking which lies greatly on the mind of an individual’s relaxation and what an individual consumes. In a nutshell, it is the application of positive approach to the work and be successful.

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.

a. acknowledging God and praying

b. one’s health in consideration

c. always using encouraging comments /remarks

d. abstaining from negative conversations

e .knowing that there is no scarcity of opportunities

f. making any decision is better than none

g. treat others how you want to be treated.

A. Acknowledging God and praying.

Without God and prayers, we labour in vein. This is stated in the book on how every individual should put their hope in God and be stead fast in prayers. Sometimes an individual does all it takes to achieve something yet the result comes out wrong. This particularly happened to me during my undergraduate days in the university, while after reading very hard for an exam I heard I got a C, but the independent attitude of “read as if it all depends on you and pray as if it all depends on God” helped me through.

B. One’s health in consideration.

No one would want to be a rich man while in d grave. As long as everybody wants to be alive and be successful, then the health is as important as living. Just as gas is to automobile so is food to the body. Bad gas renders the automobile useless and so is food energy to productivity.

C. Always using encouraging comments /remarks

Rods and sticks may break the bones but words pierce the heart. The words we use in our daily inter personal relationship goes beyond the immediate reactions. An individual is only responsible for what he or she says but not what the receiver perceives. Sometimes, I feel sad and depressed but the words of people especially the aged around me keeps me going.

D. Abstaining from negative conversations

Abstaining from negative conversations is very helpful, it enable creativity and not thinking of negative actions. It helps the mind and brain to be active in thoughts and builds one’s knowledge. There was a time I was keeping some company of friends and what we talk mostly is about girls and alcohol. My pessimistic attitude of ‘I wont take University entrance examination to I will, then I got an admission.

E. Knowing that there is no scarcity of opportunities

if there were patency rights during the epoch of discovery, Thomas Edison would have been the richest man on earth because he was able to apply theoretical and practical knowledge to useful purpose which today people cannot do without. Understanding that there is no scarcity of opportunity helps an individual to be inventive and innovative. If an individual cannot do something another person will do it. In all we do, there is more than one person who wants that position be it having a wife, looking for a job, or gaining admission to study in a University. In 2007, about 17,500 students sat for the post entrance examination at the University of Abuja but only about 1,200 students were admitted which I am proudly one of.

F. Making any decision is better than none.

At times, when an individual is worried or angry he/she makes stupid decisions. It is advised not decide on something when stressed. Also, it is better to act on something than not to. At a period when Nigeria was about to get it right for the first time, the chairman of the electoral commission announced that the election for that day was suspended with stated reasons. This action had a lot of criticisms but that alone did more good than bad.

G. Treat others how you want to be treated.

It is very good to treat others the way you want to them to treat them to treat you, it is lie giving then you receive in return. If you save some money today in the bank you can go tomorrow for withdrawal and those who hadn’t saved can not withdraw.

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 gotten from this book no doubt are in theoretical forms but embedded with facts which definitely can be transformed. The idea will help me to being able to know my limits. Presently, I have taken lessons from the book in identifying my plans for this year and having an insight on how some years from now will be. Also, understanding the three abstract concepts that enables an individual to achieving success, which are Determination, Persistence and Consistency, starting with the definition of purpose and to be specific in one’s life pursuit, whether accidentally or otherwise. Also, learning how to face defeat and understanding the situation of adversity like in the case of South Korea, who after several years of civil war with North Korea have achieved a great development and today about 85% of her population is literate. Lastly, understanding that the only privacy an individual has is in the mind nothing else is hidden under the sun.

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

Yes, there are lots of quotes.

a. going the extra mile

b. if you can see an opportunity as quickly as you can see faults of others, you will soon succeed.

A. Going the extra mile is like a push factor, making someone to do something more than the ordinary. Then I thought on going beyond the extra mile but there is nothing as been beyond the extra mile because anything more than the extra mile is the end of the road.

B. If you can see an opportunity as quickly as you can see faults of others, you will soon succeed. It is very true that seeing faults in others is very easy but not identifying opportunities. As a sociologist, when any presentation or research thesis is carried out the first thing we look for is faults and den criticized. After reading this book I realized that what if we easily identify the opportunities in our environment the way we see faults, we would have done a lot of things differently and succeeded.

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?

Yes, I don’t understand what the authors meant by “success is a worthy goal” but if I may say in my own words I will say “excellence is a worthy goal” because when an individual is in pursuit of excellence success will follow definitely. Also, I don’t agree totally on two things: first is in choosing members of alliance, an individual should consider ability, and the second is putting all eggs in one basket. Firstly, in choosing members of alliance an individual should first consider the interest of the member before the ability. This is because an individual might be able to do the work but also not be interested. Secondly, although I hate plan B but it also helps a lot. I don’t know whether there had been a time that the author did all it takes, I mean everything right yet it produced the wrong result. Well having a plan B is having something an individual can fall back on, like an alternative.

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

No, I don’t think there is any exercise that is let for the reader to complete but blank spaces for me to complete which I have. That is my ideas and plans. I find the book 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.

Yes, this is citing cases of other people who the science of success has helped and they have practically turn their ideas into useful usage and exhibited the use of PMA. For example, Mastermind alliance doesn’t just relate to business or formal organization but also in our daily interaction with people or in our marriages.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude

Assessment by Emmanuel Iziomoh (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is conveying in this book is to stimulate an individual, develop ideas in different ways and encourage him or her to be positive minded in all actions whether physically or mentally. The words used in this book are stimulants and the stories are energizers that make an individual want to do something different if not something more. The author didn’t just stop at encouraging the readers or developing ideas but also inspiring the act on the set ideas without procrastination or inertia. Also, daring the readers to go the extra mile is wonderful. All these I find inspiring.

A. Unless your goals are against the laws of God or society you can achieve it. This idea is a reminder to every individual who dares to be creative and to be creative in the ways that are accepted to the society and not par to the laws of the society. An example from the book was the story of Al Capone, an interesting piece of advice to every reader, this also show that being good or bad is a continuum which is a variation that doesn’t really exist in reality but if one act according to the will of God and society he will make it.

B. Man greatest power lies in the power of prayer. Indeed, the power of Man lie in prayer for when a Man works and compliment it with prayer, he gets the desirable result. Something could be very frustrating at times when an individual does everything right but gets the wrong result. Therefore, work as if it all depends on you and pray as if it all depends on God with that the sky is a start point.

C. Your world will change whether or not you choose to change it but you have the power to choose its direction. This idea is a wonderful idea and a self motivator that pushes someone to the brim to act because whether or not his/her world will change but to which direction…There was a time, I wrote university entrance examination with the required points but could not get in. I got frustrated and after some years not writing the same examination, my brother advised me that quitters never win and winners never quit so with that my world has changed and I am happy with this direction today.

D. I dare you is a challenge. Determination is the key to success and mostly when there is a price (reward). More so, to prove to pessimists that I can do something at the University, I got a temporal job with an investment bank without any previous experience. My boss told me he gave me two weeks to learn how to use Finacle (software) and if I don’t he deducts from my salary and within 1 week I learnt it.

E. God is the most important word in any language. Without God in all one does, one labours in vain. Even those that think they don’t believe in God, in their actions they do believe in the Most high God.

F. No One should be ashamed of failure. Failure is painful because no one wants to be mocked, teased or insulted but at the same time it presents an individual with a second chance to do better or an alternative idea with a positive mental attitude. E.g Bill Gate once sat for an exam and failed but another person that passed is now working for him. A story of a young Man that went for an interview as a Clerk, after series of question, the interviewers told him he passed that he should give them his E-mail address so they can forward all the necessary working details and ethics to him but he told them he had no E-mail address so they told him no job for him. Immediately, he stepped out he entered a shop, used the last Ten dollars on him to purchase tomatoes, took them out and sold them all, went back to buy more than he had earlier bought and sold all. After some years, he established his own company and at the end of the year an Auditor came and after auditing the company’s account asked for his E-mail address so that he can forward the report to him but he told the Auditor that he has no E-mail. Then the Auditor was shocked and said how much more you would have been if you had an e-mail but he told the Auditor that if he had an E-mail he would have been a Clerk.

G. Men who have something to live for live longer. When a woman commits suicide the first thing that comes into any thinking mind is for emotional reason while a man is for financial reason, this is basically because they have nothing to live for. Although, life itself has its challenges but every challenge has its solutions.

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

These ideas have helped me in so many practical forms as this is the second time I am reading this book. My first week at work was nothing to be proud of as my work involves preparing payments from different accounts; I used to mix up the account numbers. The second week was better because I was really learning then there was a day that my boss and colleagues were cracking jokes with my blunders, there and then I told them I am proud of my mistakes because I have learnt so much from them. Everyone became speechless and then my boss nodded his head. The idea of this book has made me to identify a goal, route to achieving it and the right attitude. It has also made me to stay focus and influence my friends on the science of success and in order to understand what I have learnt; I use the quotes in our conversations. Money can buy the book but not the lessons.

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

A. Too often, what we read and profess becomes a part of our libraries and our vocabularies instead of becoming a part of our lives. This strikes me on what the intended principle of international institute for Global Leadership stands for. It is beyond presenting certificates to students. It is an independent power station to drive students to be successful.

B. Hope is a magic ingredient. Having hope even when things have gone awry is magical and at the same time miraculous. Just like the argument of Karl Marx, that religion is the opium of the Masses and it gives hope to the people that there is eternal life after death.

C. Where will you be and what will you be doing ten years from today if you keep doing what you are doing now? Asking this question makes one think about what he or she had done, is presently doing and question the results if he/she continues. I have asked several friends this question but I have not gotten an answer from anyone. I also don’t have an answer likewise.

D. Every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or even greater benefit. Adversity presents one with an equivalent or greater benefit if one has a positive mental attitude. Lets look at the competitions in different games, everyone striving to be the best. I remember when I was in primary school, i always tried to become the first for that reason I read because if I hadn’t my position would had been for someone else which sometime were.

E. No one will understand and appreciate the miracle of sight until we have to do without. The blinds wish they could see how beautiful the world and those that see do not know what privileged they have got. This means we usually don’t appreciate what we have unless we loose them. May God let us appreciate that which we have, Amen.

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 absolutely nothing I disagree with and I am clear about every ideas. Only that the book is old and as young as I am I would have preferred a more recent version of the same book, I mean the success stories used and this is because a lot has changed in our today’s world that even great philosophers like Socrates would wonder.

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

No, the writers did justice and left no stone unturned.

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.

Yes, there is something I will like to comment on. The story of how the house was bought in Pedragal. This is because I wish to do my masters in criminology and criminal justice abroad but the fees? I have been thinking and I am still thinking and I hope with PMA, I will do it. Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.

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

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main that the author is trying to convey is to neutralize negativity in human relations. Knowing fully well that communication gap is what leads to misunderstanding. Also, the manner at which an individual relays or interprets messages is the key to human interaction as human actions are not predictable and very distinct, could come as a shocker.

a. ability withers under criticism; they blossom under encouragement.

b. assume a virtue if you have it not

c. putting oneself in others shoes

d. don’t criticize, condemn or complain

e. smile

f. talk in terms of other persons interest

g. if you are wrong admit it quickly

a. ability wither under criticism; they blossom under encouragement.

This means people who have the ability will definitely perform effectively and efficiently but due to criticisms it will surely affect psychologically and even while people with or without the ability are encouraged, the passion to do more develops.

b. assume a virtue if you have it not.

Assuming a virtue is like ‘anticipatory socialization”. A wishful way of life and this tends to guide the individual actions and behavior. Let’s take patience for example, an individual that is not patient but wishes to be and assumes the virtue acts patiently overtime because behavior is learnt gradually.

c. putting oneself in others shoes.

Putting oneself in other’s shoes is like looking from another angle rather than being myopic or dogmatic. We all look but see differently depending on the position on is standing. Knowing that no man on earth is problem-free but some problems are heavier. Although I have my problems but it doesn’t stop me from listening to other people’s problems this is because I might have a solution to his/her problem. There was a time a friend was traveling where he got to he could stay there so he called me that he is coming over to my place. Of course it was sudden and I was surprised because I still live by my parents and as such I had to give a notice but I asked myself what if I were the person?.

d. don’t criticize, condemn or complain

This is one of the things I have learned reading this book because all my life while growing I have learnedt to condemn and criticize like every other Nigerian and it is as normal as having a bath in the morning. No one taught me to clap in church or dance in a club, so it is in condemning, complaining and criticizing. I have learned also to criticize as a sociology graduate, criticizing other people’s views and ideas trying to make them see that your idea is the best. Reading deeper, I learnt that the author doesn’t really mean don’t criticize, condemn or complain but we should do if in a way that no one will feel bad or hurt. No victor no vanquished manner.

e. smile

Smiling costs nothing and gives everything, it eases the body, tells about an individual’s personality, family background without saying a word. It is a way of affecting other people’s life without even having any verbal conversation. Let me share a short story- A man got home after being fired, looked at his 2year old son with a sad face, the son however reciprocated with a huge smile, then the man said “look at you, you are happy that have no job now” but the smile on the son’s face increased. For the first time the man smiled that day thanks to his sons’ smile.

f. talk in terms of other persons interest

Everybody likes talking about themselves because what another knows about you is what gives self-esteem. Some even don’t have anything positive to say but listen but listen in return you are important to that person if at all no one in the world wants to hear. You are always on their mind and will miss you when you are not around.

g. if you are wrong admit it quickly

Admitting a wrong quickly and apologizing is a sign of humility. It saves a lot of energy for everyone involved.

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

These ideas will help me build my interpersonal skills, theoretically and practically. Looking at the different stories in the book, all pointing out the same thing in terms of human relations but in different dimensions. The ideas made me understand that people are handled differently all they require is a particular way, manner of response. These ideas also made me to understand that body gestures, verbal intuitions matters in dealing with others. While reading this book I saw the letter Ronald Reagan wrote to hi son before he got married, and I understand more what the ideas in this book conveys.

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

a. Education is the ability to meet people’s situation

b. There is nothing else that kills the ambition of a man as criticism from superiors.

c. By fighting you never get enough but by yielding you get more than expected

d. if you want enemies excel your friends but if you want friends let your friend excel you.

e. Wishing to be above man putteth himself below them; wishing to be before them putteth himself behind them.

a. Education is the ability to meet people’s situation

Bill Gates is proud today being a drop out and the richest man because he got education, attempted school and dropped out. Education doesn’t mean sitting down in class and listening to a Professor speak for 4hours.

b. There is nothing else that kills the ambition of a man as criticism from superiors

When superiors criticize and employee’s efforts such as ideas and views of a person, then desire to exhibit inner potentials becomes a problem. It may cause people to shut down. It takes the grace of God to persist.

c. By fighting you never get enough but by yielding you get more than expected

As a leader of a group I want ideas that depict African culture. A member of the group said broom, lets say I shouted at the person what will happen? I believe others with even better ideas wouldn’t want to say anything. But I said its fine and jotted that down greater ideas came and at the end we had more to select from. It’s important to encourage others to speak.

d. if you want enemies excel your friends but if you want friends let your friend excel you.

I learned about this particularly in the University that when you fail or get bad grades your friends feel bad but when you get higher grades they feel worse and they begin to compete with you. Sometimes competition is good.

e. Wishing to be above man putteth himself below them; wishing to be before them putteth himself behind them Humility and respect.

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?

How will I disagree with the ideas in this book when I just learned not to condemn or criticize? Well even if I disagreed with any ideas I would do it in a way that Dale Carnegie would be proud of. I don’t disagree with the ideas but there were no example of an induced behavior like how one should react to a drunken neighbor, a recidivists attempt and so on. That would have helped me to know more about how to react to someone really negative.

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

No exercises were included in the book.

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

Not really that I can think of other then what I already mentioned.

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

Real Magic
Assessment by Emmanual Iziomoh (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is conveying is simply on our belief, our convictions and our opinion and how we interpret these to our everyday actions. Acknowledging the fact that all humans are created by God and nothing happens to any without the will of God. Also, that everything that happens to anyone can be attributed to miracle or magic as long as there is an action from that individual. As written in the book the author calls it magic or miracle, an individual can call it anything, what matters is an open mind filled with optimism that is what you believe that works for you. The author also brings all kinds of belief system not that he juxtapose them but he brings out synonymous features in Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Sikh etc.

The seven ideas which are so important to me reading this book are :

It is perfect when you are giving; it lacks something when your mind is on receiving.

There is a feeling that comes with giving without expecting anything in return, the feeling of happiness and peace within an individual. Even better when it’s a stranger and the feeling increases as more you give because you get unwarranted favor beyond comprehension then you wonder where on earth has this come from. Just as it is, everything has a price but everyone just don’t know yet what the price is but it is good to be ready to pay.

Circumstance does not make a man, it reveals him.

Circumstance indeed does not make a man, only fools give excuse for all their failures. This was my exact word I told a friend that impregnated a lady that is 10years older than him and his regretting all his actions and then termed it “DESTINY”. For the fact that I am hungry does not mean I must steal if I don’t have the tendency to steal I will never steal. People easily tend to fix blame on not just humans but also to things like alcohol, injustice, hunger, unemployment amongst others but the fact is if you don’t want to play football then never go to the field.

Man many desires are like metal coin he carries about in his pocket. The more he has, the more they weigh him down.

Desires especially quick pleasure desires are exactly pull down objects because while some has plenty desires and want to attain all at the same time he/she begins to fix him/her self into so many places and making achievable desire difficult o achieve. For example I desire happiness, it has to do with me the magnet to attract my thoughts, events, ideas to make me attain the kind of happiness I so desire. This happiness can be achievable when I choose my thoughts carefully. Just like I just learnt in this book, know what you want, write them down hierarchically from the most achievable to the least achievable, act on them just as listed from the most to the least.

The ancestor to every action is a thought.

Every action is premeditated upon this is because attention has been paid to the things one is attracted to then the next is action to achieve what an individual wants. Nothing happens unless first a thought or it could come as a dream but the fact is there must be an intra-personal communication within the individual before inter-personal communication which could be the action. Lastly, you are the architect of your life so choose your thought carefully.

Everywhere you look in science, the harder it becomes to understand the universe without God.

I will begin this explanation with one of my favorite quotes “science liberated man from captivity and today man is a slave of his own creativity”. Somehow when I look at the world today, looking at God’s creation and then human’s one find it difficult to comprehend. Creation of the world is just as the word of God, it is very mysterious. If people like Abraham Lincoln were to be alive the y would be amazed with the development.

Anything that has been accomplished by any other human being in the physical realm is within the field of possibility.

This statement is true in the sense that great people don’t have extra brain, didn’t go to school in another planet or were not treated differently; they are just like every normal person with extra ordinary determination. I was seeing a documentary about Bill Gate, at a point I wondered what he had done specially then I realized that he had a definiteness of purpose, that’s why he could easily drop out of Harvard. Though, we are in the era of innovation does not mean that nothing can’t be invented.

Even the best will in the world, when forced will achieve nothing.

The problem most humans have today is putting a round peg in a square hole, trying to see whether it would work. A friend told me of recent about his student, very good at art subjects but his parents want my friend who is the teacher to convert him to a science student. The first question I asked my friend was if he was a magician or a miracle worker, though I wasn’t trying to discourage him but its absurd and the parents are not observing what his interests are.

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?

Knowing well that all things are possible as written in the book of Mark. To attract real magic I have to be clear in purpose that these are my goals not just that, and also not to do anything contrary to God’s teaching. This boils down to asking myself whether what I am doing is honest, true, and right. Its rhetorical anyway. The worst thing a man can do is to lie to himself. So, these ideas will enable me treat others in a way I want them to treat me in return, be the kind of man I wish my sisters could be with and at the end expect nothing from whatsoever I am giving out.

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

Yes, I find several quotes inspiring however a few was jotted.

In you is the real magic.

The real magic is in me, to decide what I want, take action to achieve my stated decision, be observant not to waste precious time on worthless desires and lastly to change my approach until I achieve what I want.

Be a person who accepts no limit in your mind.

Although the people we often are surrounded with are discouraging but deep within an individual there mustn’t be any limit to achieving success.

A note without spaces is one long sound. Music comes from the silence between the notes.

This quote is inspiring and can mean a whole lot of thing depending on the viewer’s perception. Well, without challenges with would not discover our abilities.

God works with us and not for us.

If God works for us how many people can pay His salary? It is boldly written in the bible ask and it shall be given. So, anyone wants anything the person must first work towards achieving it then God will then crown his/her effort.

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?

Well I will say I don’t understand a little bit of the similarity between magic and miracle. To my own understanding, magic is an illusion, a ruse that other do not comprehend and is usually done by humans but miracle is from above, the one true god that is separated from philosophy. So, I wonder why the two concepts are synonymously used in the book.

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

Not really. All exercises are completed and am grateful to have read this book. It has broadened my knowledge on faith.

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.

Giant Steps
Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is conveying is just as the book title “Giant Steps”. It is self demanding, inspiring, motivating and drives someone to achieving direct and indirect greatness. I won’t want to marry a wife, keep her in the house and watch her like a television. This book has provided sections that could be practically applicable to readers thinking, feeling, attitude or behavior and it also triggers positive actions. All these are what the author tries to bring out and above all to act exceedingly on all what we have learnt.

The elevator/escalator to success is out of order, you’ll have to use the staircase.

Its difficult but one must accept the truth that success is not easy, its not a thing that one can wake up and achieve in a day. There is no quick way to make money but to follow the procedures and kindly wait for your turn. It could take a lifetime but the end justifies the means. Only greedy people are scammed because they want quick money thereby falling for tricks.

Belief have the power to create and to destroy.

Let me begin this with a quote by Frantz Fanon “sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit in with the core belief”. Belief is so strong that it penetrates down into the person just like a hypothermic needle. Sometimes one wonders what kind of humans’ suicide bombers are but it’s the kind of belief that they have. Lastly, if one believes that drinking water will make a headache seize it does seize because of the belief.

Sometimes in our moment of greatest fear, pain or emotional intensity, we look for relief in the form of a belief.

The first time I read this line I smiled and I wont stop smiling whenever I read it because there is nothing more soothing although the problem persist than a heavenly consolation. It is something I have done and I am still doing. It makes you want to accept the present situation and forget the problem. An example is whenever I think about my University life I just get angry with my final result, because I did very well and expected a very good result but at the end I graduated with a questionable result. So, for me not to keep being angry with every other thing I take solace in my belief and tell myself that my future will not be determined by my academic result but by what I have within me.

Convictions propel us to action.

Our convictions propel us to having a certain principle that we work on and this may be perhaps as a result of things we might have heard. I have this certain principle of not to getting closer to a lady from the eastern part of Nigeria, because I have a single story of most of them being arrogant and saucy then I met a lady and she changed my idea of how I used to think they are and that as changed but I still cant have anything intimate with any lady from the east. It’s just my conviction that is propelling me to act in that manner.

Great leaders are rarely realistic.

It is very true that great leaders are rarely realistic this is because they prefer to give an unpleasant truth than a comforting lie inform of hope. Realists don’t gamble, they just can’t give what they don’t have. While idealist disdain from the truth by giving hope this sometimes could be false. I was seeing the just concluded Olympic Games in London, a 200m final relay and I saw how every runner ran beautifully well including the runner that came last, a 20 year old Jobwana from South Africa. After the race he was granted an interview, panting and smiling he said before the race his friend called him and told him that when the race starts he would see two ghosts in front of him, and indeed when the race started there were two ghosts far ahead of others and they were Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake. That’s simply realistic.

New actions produces new results.

If you want something you’ve never had you have to do something you’ve never done. Abraham Lincoln’s road to the white house was not a repeated action, he failed in business in 1831, defeated for legislature in 1832, failed again in business in 1833, suffered a nervous breakdown in 1836, defeated for speaker in 1838, defeated for elector in 1840, defeated for congress in 1843, defeated for senate in 1855, defeated for vice president in 1856, defeated for senate again in 1858 and was elected the president in 1860.

Just because you don’t see immediate results doesn’t mean you are not making progress.

It is just the fact that most people wants immediate result especially after very good performance perhaps in business, academic, politics and so on. If Abraham Lincoln has stopped before his tenth trial he would not have seen the white house but there were silent progress that he was making and were even unnoticed by him but the consistent spirit pushed him through.

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

These ideas have shaped my thinking in a way that I don’t need to have a single story, being judgmental, a belief that will obscure other things. There should always be a room for improvement and not just knowing what Christianity teaches but also what Buddhism and Sikh believes. The ideas have also propel my thought to action starting from asking enough why which will provide me with the necessary how. I also don’t have to overestimate what I can do in a year and underestimate what I can do in a decade, although it is good to dream big. Lastly, my choice of words matters in all I do, when I use positive words the difference is not in the words but in the feeling it produces in me.

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

If you ever found yourself taking 2 steps forward and a step backward, invariably it’s because you have mixed associations.

This is very true, its like investing and making money yet spending extravagantly. There supposed to be prudency to equal the investment and efforts made to making that money.

Change is our greatest ally.

Change is our greatest ally because whether or not we choose to change it will surely occur the only thing we can do is to choose it’s direction whether to go right or awry.

Imagination is more powerful than knowledge.

Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with knowledge and the world is full of educated derelicts. If it’s by knowledge why are professors not the wealthiest in world? Why are academic doctors not the richest? But with a mind that works achieves more. According to Charles Darwin ‘it is not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent that survives; it is the one that is most adaptable to change’.

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?

Yes, there is this part I read and it says “see the situation as it is” that means in reverse don’t see it as worse than it is. Sometimes it is better to see beyond a particular problem, what social scientist call assumption. For example a jobless unmarried man who has a lot to think about will definitely not reason impregnating a woman not because he can’t but other responsibilities attached to being a father.

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

No, all exercises are completed except the take home for readers like myself.

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.

Not really.

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

The New Dynamics of Winning
Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is conveying in the book is simply wearing a winning attitude and discouraging every negative thought and spirit in an individual using several personal practical examples, which he also says in the book that don’t just tell people what to do but show them what to do. This is a wonderful piece of advice and the author demonstrated exactly what he is saying at the last chapter. The author also made mention that all humans are equal but at the moment not in the same position. This reminds me of George Orwell’s animal farm “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others”. So if I must become wealthy than Bill Gate it’s up to me.

Breaking a big goal into smaller component.

Having a big goal is the best thing that can happen to a man however when the goal is big it important that one breaks it down into smaller parts. It’s like a University situation, one hopes to get a degree at the end of the program but cannot get it at once so, it’s after 8 or 10 semesters or as the case may be relating to the program he/she runs. The best thing about breaking down goals into smaller parts is that it makes the bigger goal easier to achieve without consuming much energy.

Instead of achieving or performing to impress the world or your peers, seek to do something that you love, something that is excellent and beneficial.

It’s sad that parents try to dictate to their children, they shape their children’s future. For example, a friend’s dad wanted her to study medicine after the first entrance examination she changed her mind because she wasn’t ready to do medicine but she chose computer science which she did and came out with a very good result. This is what parent ought to do, they are supposed to know the interests of their children and know how to help them getting a brighter future not the reverse.

You’d better learn how to like yourself because you are going to be spending a lot of time with yourself.

The best time anyone can have is when the person is alone whether thinking, pondering, meditating, philosophizing or reasoning. This is known as intra-personal communication and it is what shapes an individual ideas and events. So every individual tends to spend much time with themselves than other people. I have a friend that usually walk at evenings and when I asked her why she does that she says it helps her calm her mind. She is only trying to spend time with herself outside her comfort zone.

If you’re determined to be perfect every time you’re called upon, you’re in trouble.

People should look for perfection in all they do because no one can give what he/she doesn’t have so instead of trying to please people do what you can and leave the rest. When looking for perfection you will be cautious of yourself at all times and ask more questions and even what you aren’t suppose to ask. In my University days I had several presentations, but there was one about social problems that gave me a hard time because I wanted to make it the best and then I fell so ill 2 days before the presentation.

Cognitive dissonance is simply to do as I say and not as I do because our actions contradict our principles.

Cognitive dissonance creates a feeling that is so uncomfortable; it’s a feeling that contradicts someone’s attitude and belief. Most people say exactly the opposite of what they do which doesn’t speak well of them and it is common among politicians or people in higher authorities. This reminds me of a day that we were in church having a fellowship, and then the brother that was preaching was preaching against mortal sins while he was preaching then he started feeling uncomfortable that it became so obvious that he is speaking the opposite of what he has been saying, then finally he concluded by saying we are all sinners but we should pray for God’s forgiveness.

Cultivate a habit to refuse activities for which there is no time, no talent or interest.

When an individual is not in interested in a thing, has no talent about that and especially when there is no time for it he should not even start wasting energy. I always tell my friends that anything they know they don’t want they should immediately desist from it. If you don’t want to play football, never go to the field where they play football because when you get to the field, you will end up playing.

The world is full of greedy people trying to put you or your money in their pockets.

The world is cruel that everyone just want to make it quick out from another person, they seriously want to cheat you but lets be realistic here all entrepreneurs wants to make me money and who will they make this money from?

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

These ideas and lessons will help me in practical ways to shape my actions in the sense that everything mentioned are things to impress someone like a wife making her hair to impress her husband instead of doing it because she loves it. The ideas weren’t just lessons for us to learn but also practical insights that we can easily relate to our daily activities. To change my daily activities, I have boldly written some of the words on a paper pasted beside my bed so it could be what I see before going to bed and when I wake up. This alone will be reminder and a correction guide to all wrongs.

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

Do not compare yourself to others.

It’s bad to actually compare yourself to someone else because all fingers are not the same and what works for you might not possibly work for another person.

Losers are not born to lose.

It is not in anyone’s agenda to being a loser but if you fail to plan you are automatically planning to fail. They lose because they planned to fail.

When this minute is gone, it’s gone forever.

Hmmm! I so much love this quote because its self inspiring that I want to act anytime I see it on my wall.

Network with winners in the field you are pursuing.

Networking with people in the field one is pursuing is very good because it keeps someone in line and broadens one’s thought on the said field.

If you try to sit in two chairs, you will fall between them.

Although, it’s very good to have other plans like having a plan B but its bad to have both of them and expecting one not to work so one can easily jump on the other.

Happiness is like success, it is not a goal that should be chased but that’s the by-product of living an excellent life.

When one chases excellence in all he/she does there is no way that what the person desires will not come in place.

Don’t tell people what to do, show them.

Showing people what to do is the best way to teach another person. My professor in the University used to say that he wasn’t after us getting good grades but wanted us to know what it means to be a criminologist by showing us how.

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 don’t really agree with the statement that one doesn’t really have to know everything, as long as one knows people who know the things one doesn’t. Some people prefer to hoard information instead of sharing even while working for an employer they easily say that the company does not belong to them but if it were theirs they will infuse developing ideas.

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

No, he book is well written and I enjoy the references cited, for example swimming with the shark without being eaten alive by Harvey Mackay.

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.

Everything was brilliantly covered by the author.

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

The Law of Attraction

Assessment by Emmanuel Iziomoh (Nigeria)

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

The main idea behind that the author is trying to convey book is how to channel ones energy and focus it to acquiring what is rightfully needed. Positivity is the end word. Human mind is the most fantastic creation of human and because anything that happens there is transformed into human action whether rational or irrational. It says the law of attraction responds to whatever vibration you are sending by giving you more of it, whether it’s positive or negative. Positive vibrations will attract positive results while negative vibrations will always attract negative results. It is almost as simple as whatever you sow you reap one cant plant corn and then expects to harvest millet.

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

i. Positive and Negative Vibration

ii. Give more positive attention, energy and focus to increase your vibration.

iii. The importance of words.

iv. Appreciating time

v. Presence of doubt

vi. Attracting your desire

vii. Affirmations may not help

i. Positive and Negative Vibration

Human mind differs to all other functional parts in a human because that’s the only part that works all the time even when we sleep. When we sleep it works in a form of dream that sometimes (exceptional cases) transcends into action. Positive vibration in human brings not just positive result but also happiness, joy, fulfillment, satisfaction, completeness amongst others. On the other hand negative vibration doesn’t just bring negative result but also sadness, dissatisfaction, depression and so on.

ii. Give more positive attention, energy and focus to increase your vibration.

The more positive attention, energy and focus one gives the more good results the person gets, and like earlier mentioned it affects ones happiness, fulfillment at heart, satisfaction amongst others. This also replicates to affecting ones environment and everyone around thereby channeling into good course.

iii. The importance of words.

Our feelings are from our thoughts and our thoughts are our words used. There is a prayer in the Catholic Church that goes thus ‘Father, forgive us or our thoughts and our words, for what we’ve done and what we’ve failed to do’. This is because our words are products of our thoughts that take its root from the mind. When an individual gets arrested by a police officer the first thing the officer says is “remain silent or anything you say would be used against you in the court of law”. This is because words are so important and it goes a long way than our actions and on our tongue lies the strongest muscles in our body.

iv. Appreciating time

I was speaking to a friend some days ago, and he asked me if I have ever wondered that every human on earth is on death row, that what defers is the time of death considering the where and how. What matters most is understanding one’s purpose in life, attracting the positive side to acquire deserved result.

v. Presence of doubt

Positive affirmations only offers positive vibrations and makes one happy when the course is truly realistic, this is because when one states something that is far from true is sends a negative vibration to the body and thus brings and develops doubts. In my secondary school, I disliked geography and there were some things I could have done to like it and getting a good grade which was reading but instead of reading I preferred reading other subjects. Before the exams I read a bit and after the exams I knew I couldn’t get more than a pass in the subject and I got what I merited. I was soaked in doubts that I will never like it but today I find it interesting.

vi. Attracting your desire

Fish cannot fly yet birds cannot swim and there is absolutely nothing wrong with them and I don’t think either of them has tried to do the opposite perhaps Jonathan Livingston Seagull tried swimming? I don’t think so. Every desire is attracted by the self with our daily whether positive or negative event/actions.

vii. Affirmations may not help

Agreeing to the fact is better than affirming to something that hasn’t been done or that cannot be done like excluding oneself from the obvious. For example, a poor young bloke affirming being a rich man. That’s a huge lie.

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

These ideas and lessons learned will help me firstly to identify what I want true positive thinking and having the right attention, energy and focus to achieve what I so desire. Secondly, understanding the relativity between positive and negative as sometimes a positive vibration might bring negative result, for example doing the right thing at the wrong time or it could be eccentric as culture or belief defers and so do methods. Thirdly and finally for now, there is absolute no point harboring a bad thought, when calling a spade a spade what is bad is equally bad. So letting go negative thoughts of one’s head that is not in line with one’s desire is the best that will not exhibits itself in the action. It is going to be simply and only what I desire.

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

“Yes, and it is the law of attraction itself. The best place of learning is neither within the four walls of an institution or outside the institution but in our mind, what goes in and out of the mind is the learning process that we filter daily through our daily encounter or relationship and experience.”

The funny or the amazing aspect about reading this book is that one way or the other we’ve all been experiencing the idea behind law of attraction in our daily events but we’ve never for once relate it to be the law of attraction.

Like the author puts it “have you noticed that sometimes what you need just falls into place or comes to you from an out-of-the-blue telephone call?”

One day, I was walking on the road and immediately I thought of an old classmate in the primary and how beautiful she was and the peculiar thing was that she is a twin and her twin brother was my friend then. Within minutes I looked straight and I saw her walking down to the bus stop, already a grown lady. I was so surprised that I had just thought of her and I was seeing, it was like I was dreaming. I never thought of it to be the idea of law of attraction but when reading this book I remembered what has happened on the sincere day then I told myself so this is how it works.

“Also about being at the right place at the right time and achieving what you know that if you weren’t at that place that thing would have passed you by or hearing about someone who something bad has happened to or being in a bad relationship over and over again.”

All of these experiences are evidence of the Law of Attraction in human life.

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?

Well, I do understand everything in the book and I totally agree with the ideas. However, having seen the movie “The Secret” which has similar idea one becomes a bit confused due to the scientific explanations given in the movie which the author didn’t mention in the book.

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

Yes, the book contains a lot of practical exercises to be completed by the reader. The exercises require one to think and I did complete them. I find the exercises helpful and important for my daily choices.

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

Yes, and it is where the author says that one should desire money. Well, one only desire money if money is the person’s interest. Our interest in life defers and so does our purpose. Sociologically, some people are “retreatists” that they don’t even have goals, desire or attraction.

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

Nonviolent Communication

Assessment by Emmanuel Iziomoh (Nigeria)

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

What the author is trying to convey in the book is the choice of words that we use in our daily activities that brings a peaceful co-existence in the hearts and lives of everyone. It is a way of communicating that leads us to give from the heart, a method that permits one to observe carefully and to be able to specify behavior and conditions that brings eternal and unending happiness. Although when we look at the world today, we sense grief, a world filled with pain and anxiety as if we are all in a competition. Some want to win at the expense of another man’s suffering. In the words of Martin Luther King Jnr on his fight for social justice “When we look at modern man, we have to face the fact that modern man suffers from a kind of poverty of the spirit, which stands in glaring contrast with scientific and technological abundance. We’ve learned to fly the air as birds, we’ve learned to swim the seas as fish, yet we haven’t learned to walk the earth as brothers and sisters.” So, the author is trying to answer a question of people living as brothers and sisters.

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

i. Nonviolent communication process

The first is the four components of observation, feelings, needs and requests to enable us arrive at the desire to give from the heart. When we practice these components it helps us to give and/or receive and it helps us to be in a natural state of compassion. One day, I entered into a public toilet and boldly written was “please keep this toilet the way you will like to find it, thank you.” There is no one that will not want to keep the toilet clean because the request is asked emphatically.

ii. Unexpressed feelings

Most times we don’t express our feelings due to the situation and especially when it could be endured. Some feelings could be as a result of self-centeredness but it is pertinent to look beyond the present action like the author of this book. I find it difficult to express my feelings not because of fear but I just don’t like being pitied or given sympathetic opportunity.

iii. Observe without evaluation

It is rather too difficult to observe without evaluation due to the values we have made. Our values have become stronger than even our present actions or intentions. At the time I was a student at Goethe Institute (German cultural centre), I was at the German embassy with a friend under the privilege of being students, I met a woman who had stayed in the Netherland for over 14 years and wanted a reunion with her husband in Germany. So she was to book for her appointment at the German embassy but she was angry that the process was difficult and she couldn’t get an appointment. I tried explaining to her because the process of getting the appointment was similar to that of student appointment but she shut me up and called me a tout, I didn’t say anything I think after a while someone around told her what I was trying to say and that I am a student of Goethe so I have much information. She came to me apologized and wanted me to help her get the appointment and not just give her the information, although she is a Nigerian but she doesn’t trust any Nigerian so she thought I was one of the people that will come and give false information to get money.

iv. Impersonal communication

Communicating in an impersonal way that does not require me to reveal what was going on inside of me is rather difficult. Like when I encounter people I react in terms of the way they approach. For example, the woman I met at the German embassy from my previous explanation, I ended up not helping her because of her perception of me even if she never knew me. But after reading this book even though it was a long time I felt I could have helped her regardless of her wrong perception of my being.

v. We are responsible for our thoughts, feelings and actions

Circumstance does not make a man; it reveals a man to himself. We are certainly responsible for our thoughts, feelings and actions in the sense that the choice is ours to do things we want the way we want it to be done starting from our thoughts which then transcends into actions.

vi. Control anger

Anger is like a stick of match that can burn down a whole forest. I used to think that the best way to express anger is to allow the irate person speak and let out the anger in words, especially when I am angry I tend to want to say it out by so doing I will be satisfied but now I have just learned that the best form is to say nothing but just breath deeply.

vii. Blame factor

Immediately people hear they are at fault they automatically stop listening. At a group presentation, I allowed some members of the group to only contribute financially as they appealed that they didn’t really understand the presentation topic but trust my judgment but then another member of the group I depended on disappointed me and when I tried letting him know how much I depended on him so we would both do the presentation he said I caused it from the onset by allowing other members to contribute financially and not intellectually. Initially, I explained to him that those members can’t give what they don’t have and they were sincere to say it indirectly so ours is to oblige and carry on as members of the group but after he blamed me I didn’t even want his contribution anymore.

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

I have read that violence begets violence and that no gentleness can efface the wrath of violence. Reading this book, I have learned that yes, violence begets violence but then 2 wrongs cant make a right, tooth for tooth would only leave both parties toothless. So in order for peaceful co-existence there is need to communicate harmoniously that will favor all parties. What the world knows today is the use of violence in terms of elements of state power (Russia exercising her state power over Ukraine on Crimea).

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, express what you want instead of what you don’t. Instead of discouraging an idea why not suggest a new idea that will serve as a word of encouragement.

When I receive from you I give you my receive; there is always a giving.

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?

Yes, I don’t understand how one can distinguish between giving from the heart and motivated by sympathy.

I also disagree with the author that when a manager compliments his/her employees, they work harder. And the same goes for schools: if teachers praise students they study harder. Once they sense manipulation behind the appreciation, their productivity drops. My first question would be manipulation in what manner? When productivity drops, to what extent? Appreciation is an act of giving confidence and that you acknowledge the persons effort. And I think the author also contradict his own statement when he told his uncle (Julius) how much he appreciated what his uncle did for his grandma and how his uncle took the words joyfully and then later wrote a poem to the uncle and how the poem was read to the uncle everyday for three weeks until he died.

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 useful?

The book does not contain any.

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

Yes, our repertoire of words for calling people names is often larger than our vocabulary of words to clearly describe our emotional state. For example, kike, faggot to mention a few. Anything that is worth doing is worth doing poorly! The author is so perceptive.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People

Assessment by Emmanuel Iziomoh (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is diverse but in the build-up of human mental and physical capabilities. Principles centered on leadership, parenting/ family unity, unique human endowment, the motive of win/win, the skills of emphatic communication which replicates in unleashing the greatest power within the individual. One uniqueness about this book is that its contents lies in the daily activities/occurrence in our daily lives but we don’t pay attention and for that reason we ended up not knowing how to deal with the situation, especially dealing with children or bosses.

The seven ideas most important to me are:

i. Things which matters most must never be at the mercy of things which matters least.

Priorities first then every other things comes later. However, in economics we know scale of preference and opportunity cost which everyone must learn how to prioritize his or her wants. If it is family, let it come first above every other thing and if it is career it should be at the top. One just does not know how much of what he has until he loses it.

ii. Making what is important to other people as important to you as the other person is to you.

This is to understand what someone that is dear to you wants or needs and making the person’s priority one’s priority, to show the person how much he or she means and not be self-centered, domineering. This will in turn bring out the best in the person and happiness. There was a time I told my elder brother that I wasn’t going to write University entrance examination any more as I was fed up after passing twice but unable to get admission, I remember he asked one question “so what would you do?” and I replied “I want to learn a foreign language”. He inquired and the next year I was attending a German Cultural Centre (Goethe Institut).

iii. Seek first to understand to be understood.

In order to make another person understands one’s view point the person has to understand the other person’s point of view to be able to make the person also understand him/her or else they would both be saying two different things as if one were drunk. Its like a student that does not understand a teacher but is answering the questions how on earth will the student gets the right answer? When I was in year three in the University, I remembered during an examination a question was asked and it was about the nexus between urban and rural societies. People didn’t know the meaning of nexus and took it to be a synonym for differences and they answered the questions in a total wrong way because they didn’t understand they were not understood.

iv. The price must be paid (no shortcut).

There is always a price to pay in every situation as there is no shortcut to success. The price could be time or any other thing, perhaps sacrifice of one thing to get another. Like a medical doctor that spends more years studying in the university and med-school and then earns more than any other job. Like the book also says to focus on technique is like cramming your way through school. You sometimes get by, perhaps even gets good grades but if you don’t pay the price day in and out you never achieve true mastery of the subjects you study or develop an educated mind.

v. While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of those actions.

We are free to do whatever we want to do which is liberty to express whether it is for or against the law which means it is our choice to do but then when we freely express ourselves do we also have the choice to choose the consequence? No. This is because there are latent and manifest consequences to our every action. During our orientation in the University, the then Head of Department said that he would not advise anyone not to join cult groups in school that we all know the group’s activities is against the university’s code of conduct but whoever feels he or she would achieve the desired goals from the group should join as membership was not only by association and could also be voluntary but the person should be prepared to face the consequence.

vi. Begin with the end in mind.

Life is like a moving train, everyone in the train all have different places to alight. When one gets to his destination he/she sends a notification and that’s the ends of that journey. But then, the end of one journey begins with another. So, one should always begin with the end of one journey in mind to be able to continue with the other. This attitude helps us have a clear picture of what we would do, how we would do, when we would do to achieve the desired end. The author gives insightful examples about how to be remembered by family members, colleagues at work and so on. It is like been given another chance to correct mistakes because there are some things, if we had the choice to make over again we would make them differently so the end in mind guides us and not giving us the blank idea of making such mistakes.

vii. All things are created twice, the mental creation and the physical creation.

This statement is nearly in line with the “begin with end in mind,” it is having a picture of what to do in mind before doing it. It is so true that before one does anything he/she has a mental picture of what to do. It is also having a mental ability of what one can do despite the fact that one has never tried. If not for the mental creation a lot of people would dare not try new things but because they have it in their head and how they intend to do it. Though it might take longer than expected to be able to perform the physical aspect but the end is always in mind.

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

These lessons help me in my daily personal life as the problem is not the problem but my attitude towards the problem is the problem. As the author puts it “the way we see the problem is the problem.” This means that whichever problem I am confronted with should also affect my attitude to solve the problem. I should be proactive that is have the ability to choose my response (be value driven). And that I should search my heart with all diligence for out of it flow the issues of 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 you.

“Yes, people from every walk of life often struggle to achieve a higher income, more recognition or a certain degree of professional competence, only to find out that their drive to achieve their goal blinded them to the things that really mattered most now are gone.”

There are little things that matters like love, friendship, charity (alms giving), family to mention a few but then we get so busy with life struggles forgetting to acknowledge the fact.

“Interdependence is a choice only independent people can make.”

Nigerian government is so dependent, for example most state government depends on federal government for state allowances except Lagos state where as federal government depends on the sale of crude and in the oil sector where there is lot of corruption the required remittance do not go the federal government and it affects the state governments. That is why corruption and underdevelopment is a bane in our nation.

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?

Yes, I don’t understand what the author means by “all people are to see the world, not as it is,” but as they are” when talks about valuing the differences. Is it that the world is plural or they themselves?

I do not agree with this statement “there are people we trust absolutely because we know their character” this is because there is no such thing as absolute trust. People who have been disappointed one way or the order actually trusted base on some characteristics. So, the best is hope for the best but expect the worse.

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 useful?

Yes, I did some as some are not presently useful but certainly in the future. I find all the exercised 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?

Yes, some people are programmed in a Lose/Win way. This is very true, these people are subjected, are on a lower mental state and they have the feeling that they would remain like that forever. And to such people it takes the help of another person to pull them out of such state. In my everyday situation, I have learned not to judge people based on what they have become rather to try and help.

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

Goals

Assessment by Emmanuel Iziomoh (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is conveying in the book is to plan in one’s subconscious mind, have this plan manifest consciously by having a set goal through the plan and doing it within a specific set period of time and this is because without planning there cannot be a desired result like it is said that when we fail to plan we therefore plan to fail, however, proper preparation prevents poor performance. So, the author made it clear that having a specific goal and making time bound that in this time I must achieve it but when it is not achieved we set again and again until it is achieved… winners never quit.

a. Think and talk positive

Think and talk about what you want and how to get them. Don’t think and talk about your problems and worries. This is because what we think and talk about everyday and in our daily event tends to be what guides our actions and sometimes deviate from our goal because we have not been thinking and talking about them. Immediately I came across this in the book, I remembered an acquaintance that graduated political science since 2010 but till today he cannot point out an achievement and what he has done instead all he talks about is partying and having fun despite having set goals for himself. I told him about IIGL and book assessment and he said that he does not have the zeal to read anymore after University that any time he wants to read he ended up sleeping. You become what think about most of the time.

b. I am responsible

Saying I am responsible has the power to instantly eliminate negative emotions but when one says that he is responsible the blame tends to be more especially in governance. I remember the last NIS recruitment that was done and the Minister of interior came out to say he was at fault and a lot of people that were affected directly or indirectly called for his resignation that he is incompetent all because he took the responsibility.

c. Demonstrating true value

You always demonstrate true values in your actions whether consciously or unconsciously regardless of any situation like in the saying “circumstance doesn’t make a man, it reveals a man to himself.” I remembered being on camp and I heard about facilitating for Millennium Development Goals, although some people said that if one volunteers that he/she would be posted to a rural area. I didn’t see rural area to be a problem but rather I wanted to make a difference in a rural area for this reason I volunteered and I was posted to a rural area that had no communication network, no internet, very poor health care facility, poor road and students who could barely understand what one says in English but to me it is a life time experience and I am grateful because through me the students saw laptop for the first time in their life.

d. Physiological development

Many people had difficult experiences growing up. They fell on hard times and become associated with the wrong people, they behave in ways that were totally against their norms and values especially in youthful age when one wants to try and be everywhere and every time. When I look at me now I ask if this is the same me like 15 years ago, I attended an only boys school and I know the exuberance we engaged in. In this book I have learned that what matters most is not where one is coming from but where one is going to.

e. The seven keys to goal setting

I have learned that a goal must be clear, specific, detailed and written down, it must be measurable and objective; time bound, challenging, congruent with one’s values, balanced, and must have major definite purpose. However, my goal is not to complete IIGL levels but to practice what I have learned from the books read, putting the exercises into good practice and becoming the man I long to be. So, in reading the books, I don’t set time or day but I try as much as possible to reflect on what the author wants in every reader.

f. Zero base time

If I knew all I know today back in some years I would have been more developed than this, it is like pressing the control Z on the keyboard to undo certain task buut our lives is not a computer that we can undo certain task instead we learn from the mistakes and make sure we don’t commit the same mistake twice. I am trying to apply the zero base time in watching football, this used to be one of my hobbies but of late I understand that I become so passionate and when the team I am supporting looses I get angry and for no reason my mood changes. Then I can use the time for a more productive course like reading a book or surfing the net for information.

g. Fear

The one thing that we have to fear is fear itself because it restricts us from achieving everything we desire from thinking to planning and from planning to execute. It is fear that brings doubts in the mind of people and then if one does not a clear idea of what he or she wants they end up getting something else by becoming what they never wanted.

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 values we make is what makes us who we are, therefore in making a right value we therefore do everything right and making the right value doesn’t just come from thinking but also in action. Many people work hard to achieve goals that they think they want only to find, at the end of the day, that they get no joy or satisfaction from their accomplishment. They ask “is this all there is?”

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.

“Nothing happens to an individual by surprise this is because the individual has attracted it whether consciously or unconsciously.”

Yes, asking the how question when you fantasize stimulates creativity and triggers ideas to help accomplish goals is having a deep inquisitive reflection of a purpose.

“The quality of your family life will determine most of your happiness or unhappiness. Successful people fail far more often than unsuccessful people. Successful people try more things, fall down, pick up themselves, and try again-over and over-again before they finally win. Unsuccessful people try a few things and they give up, retreat to their previous activities. For example, Thomas Edison, that tries over one thousand times before he finally succeeded or Abraham Lincoln that failed in business and politics after several years and ultimately became one of the best presidents America would never forget.”

The list of successful people is more for us to read and want to be successful in our every endeavor.

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, I am clear with everything I read and I agree with the author and his method to achieving set goals.

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 useful?

The book does not contain any exercise but there are some questions that needed answers but the answer is not for the author but for us. So, I have tried in my own capacity to answer some of the questions and hopefully little by little the answers would suffice and ultimately I will achieve my set goals.

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

Once you have decided upon the People, Groups and Organization whose help you’ll need to achieve your goals, resolve to become a relationship expert. I am putting my resources together and as soon as this is done and at the right time that their help would be needed I shall strike.

Please rate the following questions on a scale of 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.

Goal Setting 101

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is conveying in the book is a precise and concise approach to achieving success through setting goals. The book addresses the fundamentals of setting and achieving goals in simpler form and exercises. I am not where I used to be and certainly want to move from where I am now to where I have always dreamed to be. So the author provides methods, insights and suggestions to achieving the desirable success

a. Nothing happens by accident

Achievements and accomplishments do not happen accidentally, they are the results of clearly defined goals acted upon until completion. Goal determines what one will or will not become or accomplish. When I was admitted, I had one focus in mind which was to graduate with a very good grade no matter what come may. I made sure I read every day, whether I was tired or not, even though if it was for one hour and at the end I did graduate with a very good grade regardless of all the distractions.

b. A goal is an end

There is always and end and then a means to an end, on this note, a goal is an end while searching through our actions for the means to this said end. In achieving the end, the means must equal to the end, like in Machiavellian theory, the means just the end. In my previous write up, I didn’t refer to my graduating as a goal because I never had it written down but instead a focus. I wish I had it written down I would have graduated with a better grade. If one does not have a goal how will one know what to do? It’s like if one knows where he or she is going to, then the road to follow is easier. Setting goals is a challenge on one’s life and moving out of comfort zone.

c. Finding a mentor

For one’s vision to be translated to action, it must be shared with the people who will be impacted by it, people wont help me achieve my dream unless they know and understand why my dream is important. My lifetime mentor has been my elder brother with whom I usually share my visions and he always had something positive to say about them. I remembered when I met him long time ago that I would like to learn a foreign language without knowing which, he asked why and I told him that aside from the fact I love learning languages I would also love to become an ambassador in the future. He suggested I learn German and he had little information about German Cultural Centre.

d. Diversity in Achievement

The difference between what one person and another achieves depends more on goal choices than on abilities. The profound differences between successful people and others are the goals they choose to pursue. I concur with this statement because I knew a guy in my class in the University who was very brilliant, always asking interesting question and has answers to questions asked by lecturers. He was someone I admire in the class and I wanted to emulate, I know he read more than me because he was always in the library but every time our results are pasted on the board I noticed I was flying where he walked. It is indeed not by our abilities but the goals we set for ourselves.

e. Follow the rules

Just as chess has its rules, so does, the game of life. And while knowing a game’s rule does not guarantee that you’ll win every game, disregarding the rules makes playing the game difficult and winning impossible. According to Paul Coelho, If one wants to be successful, one must respect one rule that is never lie to himself or herself.

f. Reconnaissance

In our information age, acquiring information is every where and available at every time to any one who needs it, however some people are ignorant of this information and hoping something somewhere will suffice having a lazy man’s mentality. I scored a very low mark in the fourth entrance examination I wrote and I knew it was very low to the cut of mark required by the University I chose, but then a friend called me that with my score I could be accepted in another University and that all I needed was to purchase a-change of institution form, the idea was nebulous to me because I didn’t think it was true but she told me not to worry but to send her my details I sent them to her and she did what I was supposed to do, I went for the post entrance examination and I was admitted. I could have deprived myself the opportunity but she didn’t give me the chance and she helped me. Since information is like eggs, the fresher the better, one must use every means available to acquire it.

g. Start an early-plan

If one starts preparing oneself and making decisions the day after graduation about where he or she wants to work and what he or she wants to do, odds are that the person will be underemployed, underpaid, and undervalued. Sadly, this person is me. I only knew I wanted to work with the United Nations but there was no plan or whatsoever to make this a reality when I was in the University until I graduated and now it’s dawn on me because after almost a year planning I realize that a masters degree is a requirement before I could eventually make my dream come true. I now have wasted years because I failed to plan when I was supposed to in that case I indirectly planned to fail.

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?

These lessons and ideas have made me realized how much I failed by making the mistake of thinking I could keep my goals in my head. I have learned that for goals to have any value, they must be written own, by writing each step can I see where I am going. Similarly, writing down my goals also enables me to look back to determine how much I have done and how much more I need to do.

I have also learned to respect reality and to face facts. Everything that goes up must certainly come down and the truth will prevail one way or another and usually sooner rather than later. It is netter to face facts at the planning phase, and to convince others to do the same. This is not for the sake of building character or maintaining mortality. It is a matter of survival. Whether or not I face it, truth will create consequences. Denying reality, for any reason, leads only to stress and frustration and it will take me away from my 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 you.

“In a race they don’t say ready, set, and go! For nothing. There is usually a reason it is called and everyone that has a goal must be ready to hear this words in his or her head. Failure to do so looses focus and is disqualified from achieving the set goal.

Everything counts- nothing in life are an accident, our every thought, decision, and action moves us closer to or further from our goals. We have the choice to choose our action but certainly not the consequences so in choosing our action which is guided by the goals we have set; we have to be very careful as to make it congruent to achieving the set goals and not to take us further from the set goals.”

“No one wins all the time, learn to take your losses, learn from your mistakes if possible and move on. It takes courage and character to be a success. Success is not a day’s job, the more I try the more chances I have to achieving my goals.”

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?

Yes, the 6 important goal setting questions- what goal should come before the who will be involved in helping to achieving the set goal.

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 useful?

Yes, and I’m on it.

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

The road to success is often bumpy and constantly under construction, but after that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the ride.

Please rate the following questions on a scale of 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.

Leadership for Dummies

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is how to be an effective leader. The book is for everyone that desire’s to lead in every situation of their lives, be it in their family or organization, every situation in which two or more people come together in pursuit of a common goal. It also shows us how to include leadership skills to our existing talents to compliment our abilities and further explains how it helps to achieve the desirable in all areas of our lives.

a. Leadership is accepting responsibility

Leadership is all about accepting responsibilities, stepping forward to say “I want to do that.” I remembered during class representative voting about four people came out for two positions, whether for personal reasons or not the interesting thing was that there were people willing to take these responsibilities which they wouldn’t get paid for. But then it made people to wonder why we had four people so they were asked and one of them said because he knew the lecturers and he believed he could relate with them and so he was out to serve.

b. Leaders maybe unwanted until needed.

There is no such thing as born to lead, as leaders are made by circumstance. It is when a situation arises that people will begin to reason of the best person to take them out of the situation. The same way the leader is made to lead, he or she could also be unwanted when the specific purpose is achieved. A similar example was the story of Churchill, whom after the end of the war; however, the British grew tired of his leadership.

c. A leader should be dependable

A leader should be dependable and not whimsical, in the sense that one does not withdraw support from people on whom he or she supports. At one time, we had a YouTube presentation and I was more or less a self acclaimed leader because no one contributed but at the dire minute for the presentation to commence, a member of the group brought up an important idea of having some beautiful image at the back of the paper but due to my chagrin I refused though perceived it to be a nice idea. So the member also got angry and told other members of the group and they all met me and told me it will cost nothing to add a copy behind the presentation material. My anger grew more because when it was time to contribute none of the members showed up and now that we will present they came up with useful ideas. At last, I dropped my ego and allowed it to be attached and at the end it was one of the best presentations with every member of the group scoring above average.

d. Rebels in every group or team

Most teams are made up of people who are not all voluntarily in agreement about a vision, or a goal, or even how to accomplish a mission, especially when it amongst equals. They tend to frustrate every little effort made by the leader and they sometimes don’t come up with an alternative idea. When I was voted the president of Catholic Corpers, I blatantly told myself that there was no way I could do the job and that was because my predecessor filled the positions actively all by himself. He was the President, the Treasurer, financial secretary, secretary, welfare and even the PRO. The funny thing was that there were people that filed those positions but due to their inactiveness he took up their duties and these same people criticized his every action.

e. To be a leader is to be a good listener

A leader has to be a good listener. If he or she does not make listening a critical skill, then he or she can never be a leader as it provides an avenue to know what a problem is, how the problem could be resolved and advance warning of the problems. I was at a gathering, and we were told to write a list of our names and contact (phone numbers and email) and then an alternative email address. About 17 people before me gave their names and contact but none gave an alternative email address, I presumed they didn’t have but after I filled the person after me also gave and alternative email address and so it continued. After it was filled then the instructor asked the people before me if they didn’t have alternative email addresses and to my greatest surprise they said they do. I was in awe and because the instructor was very observant she quickly commended me being the first to give my alternative email address.

f. Karate and jujitsu leader

Every leader should know when to use weakness to its best advantage and so does leaders needs to know when to lead with strength this is because not every problem can be solve with only on method or the other. From the leadership positions I have held, I believe I am a jujitsu leader as it tends to also calm the followers that gradually but surely their expectations would be met. At a tutorial centre, I took up a job to tutor not because I had time but because I wanted to build my public speaking skill. The first day, I invited a friend over for assessment, so he could tell me where I failed and what I needed to do because at that time I was still very shy. When I got to the venue, there was a tutor in the class and I went in with my friend, sat at the extreme from there I started learning but I noticed that most of the students were sleeping. After an hour it was my turn, I easily introduced myself and started my asking them questions about other ethnic families but nothing personal and that was because the course was sociology of the family. The class suddenly became lively and every student had one or two things to say (weakness beget strength).

g. Delegating your team

Delegating authority is one of the most useful tools leaders possess to build a team, motivation and cohesion. After I accepted the position of being the president of Catholic Corpers, my predecessor told me that I could do the job if only I delegated responsibilities to the right people. Experience has shown that every man is an architect of his own fortune, from this saying I quickly easily learned that I needed to act if I wanted to be successful, so I immediately gathered my executive members and gave them specified duty that I will be their assistant in all they do, so instead of me being everywhere at the same time, they did all they could do and at the end I believed we succeeded and I passed the same orientation to my successor.

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

These ideas and lessons have helped me to understand more about leadership from the roles I have played in teams and groups and I will handle a greater role with much hope to do things right. I have learned that I can become a leader by acting like a leader and that all i should do is to embrace responsibility, to be able to elicit cooperation from people, listen to their needs and then place those needs above my personal need. The authority or title is not needed to be relevant in a team or group what is needed is to make people dependent on my ability and trust in my judgment.

Secondly, I have learned not to promise what I can’t deliver because no matter how confident I am in achieving my vision, if my followers do not comprehend or deem the vision as unrealistic my efforts would be frustrated.

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.

“Leaders are trained by experience, their success, and most often, their failures.”

From my experience as the deputy speaker of the house of parliament in the University of Abuja I can say that being a leader is not an easy task as one is not expected to always get it right always but what is important is to self assessment of success; to emulate and carry on with the good work, and self assessment of failure; to be able to understand the diversion to curb future occurrence.

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?

Yes, the author made mention of finding the time. I have come to a conclusion to know that time is a continuum and time periods are cyclical, the end of each period, gradually declining time spans and human values to dissolution. Then another period starts, and the cycle repeats all over again. What I mean in essence is that every time is the time to act, but what matters is what we do. However, most leaders make the mistake of waiting for the right time but there is no such thing as the right time.

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 useful?

No, the book does not contain any exercise.

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

Yes, it is the responsibility of the leader to inspire the trust of the people who have chosen him or her and this trust is leveraged from the action and words of the leaders whether past or present.

Please rate the following questions on a scale of 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? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Unlimited Power

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

Human brain functions to an unlimited limit and the fact is that we live in an age where many people are able to achieve wondrous things almost overnight. This doesn’t come by accident, but preparedness to achieve greatness, to achieve the desirable and enjoy it.

The author is trying to teach us (every reader) simple methods to growing and developing oneself by applying practical principles to achieving greatness (result oriented) and ultimate power.

a. the great end of life is not knowledge but action.

Action doesn’t just speak louder than voice, it equally speaks louder than knowledge, and that is the reason energy is simply defined as the ability to get work done. As the author puts it, success is the ongoing process of striving to become more. It is the opportunity to continually grow emotionally, socially, spiritually, physiologically, intellectually, and financially while contributing in some positive ways to others. Knowledge alone doesn’t handle all but action takes over when the knowledge is present.

b. You shape your perception, or someone shapes them for you, you do what you want to do, or you respond to someone else’s plan for you.

Terrorism is common today because we have a lot of fanatics who have allowed other people shape their perception for them and then they respond to their plans. While I was reading the autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah (former president of Ghana), it is mention that there are three things in life that changes peoples plans and these things are Money, Religion, and Woman (opposite sex as it is suitable), so during my one year compulsory service I was elected to be the president of National Association of Catholic Corpers (NACC), but then I didn’t want to because I was involved in a lot of activities and religious activities are so sensitive that it changes one’s lifestyle else flak comes from different angles and corners even from non-Christians. After much pressure I accepted the position but it wasn’t easy, I wasn’t as free as I used to and new responsibilities arose.

c. we are leaving in the information age. Money is what fueled the industrial society but in the informational society, the fuel, the power, is knowledge.

What I know gives me an edge over anyone that doesn’t know. In our today’s world, there are on one hand lots of important information available for use and on the other hand there are people that need the information for use but because they do not have it, they miss out. A friend attended the 7months entrepreneurial training in Kerala last year because I got the newsletter from IIGL and sent it to him and then he applied jokingly, but then he was chosen and he got the scholarship. In every epoch, there are always two classes of people, those who have the information and those who must function out of ignorance. I certainly don’t want to be in the latter group.

d. the kind of behavior people produce is the result of the state they are in.

One state of mind has an awesome power, and one can control it. There is a popular conviction that when one’s Monday is bad the whole week is likely to be bad. But with a change of state beginning from that Monday no matter what has happened, the week will end on a brighter note. A friend cried to me one day because his result was bad and after much talking I asked him what exactly he wants he said he wanted to graduate with a good grade but with this result it was impossible with two semesters to go. The first thing I asked him was to define impossible but he looked at him with a shock on his face, then I said he shouldn’t bother but he should tell me one thing that is not possible and I will tell him 10 similar possible stories starting from the bible. After the next semester I calculated his result for him and he was on 2.37 CGPA, and then I told him he already did it and that he is going to graduate with a Second Class Lower because that class grade was from 2.4 CGPA, and all he needed was more effort. I knew I lied to him because that class grade is from 2.5 CGPA but I wanted his state of being to change from the beginning of the semester till the end. After everything I received a phone call, happily-crying, he told me he made 2.52 CGPA, I didn’t know when tears began to flow from my eyes.

e. to change our behavior, we have to start with our own beliefs.

From the earlier story about my friend, I believed he could do it and I also wanted him to believe but then I told him about things I had seen him do independently and how successful they were and then made him also see how dependent he was at the earlier stages and the result of it. So I made him stop depending on his friends to believe in his ability and at the end he made it.

f. everything happens for a reason and a purpose, and it serves us.

Immediately after my High school, I took University entrance examination and I passed but wasn’t admitted, the following I did the same, made above the cut off but wasn’t admitted again. It was a frustrating feeling for me at a very young age that I stopped reading. There was no point reading and wasting my time when I knew passing the exams does not guarantee admission. So the next time I took the exams I didn’t read and I the result was very bad, I didn’t believe I had performed that bad. To cut the story I was admitted after the 4th trial and to a different University I never applied in the past. When I got it I realized that if I were admitted before now I would have been too young and naïve to face the pressure from lecturers and classmates, rebellious activities of cult groups, the harsh weather condition and perhaps distraction from ladies.

g. knowledge is only potential power until it comes into the hands of someone who knows how to get himself to take effective action.

Any who may wish to profit himself alone from the knowledge given him, rather than serve others through the knowledge he has gained from learning is betraying knowledge and rendering it worthless. It is gained and then shared because one doesn’t know what another person will make of such idea. Even Albert Einstein learned certain things before he came up with his postulations.

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?

The key to success lies within an individual, and I have learned the importance of new information, that is learning new things everyday. These will in-turn build my knowledge capability and reflect in my actions in every event in being the effective leader I have always want to become. I have also learned that patience and endurance keeps the fire of success burning instead of blowing it out. That is to handle frustration as it can change a positive attitude to a negative one. This reminds me of when I had a career switch by working in an investment bank, the first few days were frustrating as everything I did, had an error, and the to the extent that I prepared a payment schedule and the officer underpaid the customer. When I noticed the error I told my boss, she told the officer and he said the font size was too small. I got home one evening with the mind that I wasn’t returning the next day. I got home, thought about it and told myself if I quit, I am likely to quit every other job after this. I changed my state went the next day and it was months of fun.

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, success is not an accident.”

Some days ago I was talking to a friend and he asked whether I have observed all success stories, that they all have a peculiarity which is funny. Success is not by accident but then it is always funny. It is funny to the extent that dumb stuff seems smart while doing them.

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?

Putting the right person in the right job is Nigeria’s greatest problem. A country filled with so much ethno-religious fanatics, favoritism, and interest. I am surprised because the author says it is America’s challenge then I wonder what the author would call that of Nigeria if he were here.

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 useful?

Yes, I did but then I tried the most effective way to breathe as written by the author instead I found myself yawning, and suddenly feeling sleepy.

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.

I have nothing else to comment on.

Please rate the following questions on a scale of 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? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Long Walk to Freedom: An Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

Assessment by Emmanuel Iziomoh (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is conveying in his book is a rundown of his life stories, the ups and downs of his experiences to achieving his dreams and seeing the change he desired. Although his dreams would not have been achieved without the assistance of fellow change agents that most of them lost their lives during the struggle. What this book stands for is that success can be delayed but not denied.

The seven ideas that were most important to me were:

i. Knowledge is acquired through observation.

Attending a public school and in average African family, we were meant to learn through imitation and emulation not through questions. Questions were considered a nuisance, adults imparted information as they considered necessary this got Andras worried in one of the workshops we had while in Nigeria, as he thought the students present where not comprehending because they weren’t asking questions but where only listening until Felix explained to him that this is a typical African public students which I am a product of.

ii. A leader is like a shepherd.

Not every leader stands in front of his or her follows and directs them on what to do, the best form of leadership is to stay behind the followers, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind just like the shepherd and his flocks. I consider this the best form of leadership style and in most leadership position that I have found myself this is the form I have expressed.

iii. The end of a journey.

The end of a journey is always the beginning of another journey but one always seemed carried away with the accomplishments of the previous journey not minding the task ahead. I have so far reached the end of several journeys but after my service year with the hope of getting a Masters degree with ease I was happy and elated because I have reached the end of what seemed like a long journey, but was actually the very beginning of a much longer and trying journey that has so far tested me in ways I wouldn’t have imagined while still in service. So far so good, I am not where I want to be but I am certainly not where I was.

iv.Idealistic actions

The best leaders that this world have seen are idealistic in nature, they tend to want to give hope to the people and in so doing some of their actions failed and they succeeded in some. But humans behavior are unpredictable therefore idealistic actions should not always be put into considerations at all times because it will make the people loose their confidence, ipso facto, a rather practical action should be put in place.

v. Consensual agreement

In leadership, the majority must come to a consensus before any action can be put in place but when there is always confusion and commotion amongst and between members of the group nothing can be achieved. I remembered at one time in the University when we had a presentation to make, one of the group members quickly chose a girl amongst us as the leader and another said he wanted to be the leader and it continued but for an hour we were still arguing that some members of our group where already saying we have failed.

vi. Take unpopular action

As a leader, one must sometimes take actions that are unpopularly unknown to the majority or whose results will not be known for years to come. In just recently Ekiti state elections that the incumbent governor lost, his first statement was that he lost because Ekiti people were not ready for his kind of leadership. I believed he made most of his actions unpopular because he did well as a governor but then the results will come in years from now.

vii. Odd

The Nigerian Immigration Service were supposed to conduct a nationwide test on March 15th 2014 were they had millions of youth far and wide in every stadia in the country and some lost their lives due to congestion and stampede. The following day we heard of blame fixing but till today nothing is done as to this regard because most the youths are sleeping and those that are not sleeping are busy selling their future to the politicians. If something of such could happen to the youths of a particular country and nothing is done, we are digging the grave of that nation. Something is odd if a person is not liberal when he is young and conservative when he is old.

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

These ideas have in some cases helped me without even realizing what a great decision I have made in the past but then there are some lessons that I have just read in this book that I hope to put into practice. I have learned of not just doing the right thing at the right time but with also the right people because some people are also prepared to frustrate a good gesture because they want their opinion to be superior as life has a way of forcing decisions on those who vacillates. I have also learned that most people would want to befriend you when you are wealthy but precious few would do the same when a person is poor. Lastly I have learned that a slogan is a vital link between the people and the group it seeks to lead.

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

“An educated man cannot be oppressed. An educated man cannot be oppressed because he holds the key to the door he wants to enter and because he can think for himself.”

“Politics is nothing but a racket to steal money from the poor.”

This is why politicians often see themselves as superior when they holds a political office and become power drunk after accumulating wealth with the position they occupy.

“Discussing politics is as almost as a much of a waste of time as participating in it.”

A man can get used to anything. Whatever circumstance a man is he can get used to the situation depending on his goals.

“The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid but he who conquers that fear.”

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?

Yes, and it is wealth and money equal happiness. I don’t think wealth and money equals happiness considering the fact that the rich also cry. More so, there is more to life than just making money. The bible says what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and loose his soul.

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

No, the book does not contain an exercise that the reader should 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.

Well, the autobiography gives me a sense of belongingness and it was as if I was part of the struggle as at some point I imagined myself side by side with freedom fighters seeking to be liberated from the ills of slavery. All autobiographies have a similarity of life well lived and I even ask myself of my own purpose in life. The sad thing about this great autobiography is/was that Nelson Mandela who was a great leader and the world still respects who even after his death was listed as a terrorist by the United States until 2008. No doubt he formed a rebel group which was part of the methods to be liberated and which as only in South Africa was a terrorist in another country until 5years before his death the only man that dined with the Queen of England without a bolt tie.

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

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.

Assessment by Emmanuel Iziomoh (Nigeria)

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

This book is a story of a life spent in devotion to human society development due to the racial abnormality that plagued the United States of America about 6-7 decades ago. Some people saw it as their duty to correct he wrong before it becomes a culture utilising different methods, some died along the line and some held their hopes high to see their society as United in the States of America, a society free from racial prejudice and segregation. However, while some device violence as a method, martin Luther King Jnr. Utilized a rather non-violent approach which was diametrically opposed and could suffer lots of sacrifice and endurance and this is because there is no intrinsic moral differences between violent and non-violent resistance, the social consequences of the two are methods and different.

Below are the seven points that I found most important:

i. Studies have made me skeptical

My skeptism comes as a result of studying sociology in the University upon which I could see some facts in science and life time experiences which could be squared in religion. A one point, after being exposed to Karl Marx’s ideology on religion I stopped going to church and in our presently day societies where Pastors are concerned about their pockets than preaching the truth.

ii. Judging success

We are so carried away with materialism that we lost the hope of humanity, life to us is nothing and we are often prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or size of our cars rather than by the quality of our services and relationship to humanity. Another reason I stopped going to church at one time was because of the segregation according to riches and the way someone was dressed.

iii. Latent and manifest consequences of war.

Sociologically war has its good side just like every social issue has its latent and manifest consequences. While war could never be a positive or absolute good, it could serve as a negative good in the sense of preventing the spread and growth of an evil force. War as horrible as it is might be preferable to surrender to a rather totalitarian or fascist system.

iv. Social consequence after the method.

Whatever method we implore to achieving our set goals is deterministic on the social consequence just as we do not have the choice to the consequences of our actions. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted the social consequence of his society to be a good one that was the reason a non-violence means was adopted. The aftermath of a non-violence struggle is the creation of a beloved community, so that when the battles are over, a new relationship comes into being between the oppressed and the oppressor.

v. Joy of breaking an unjust law.

One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly and with a willingness to accept the penalty. Although I am a conformist who in no way would want to rebel against an unjust system but most times I find myself raising eyebrows and locking jaw to a system that subjects people to suffering. Just like Gandhi said that many people, especially ignorant people want to punish you for speaking the truth, for being correct, for being you. Never apologize for being correct, of for being years ahead of your time. If you are right and you know it, speak your mind even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.

vi. Capitalistic ideology

Capitalism is always in danger of inspiring men to be more concerned about making a living instead of making a life. To have to wake up as early as 5a.m in the morning and with work resuming by 8a.m and closes at 6p.m everyday one works from Monday to Friday and during the weekend tend to other issues. One does not live but exist because all he works for his money with the fear of not being able to make money or being fired. At one time I was consumed with the idea of working hard and just making money, but after a few IIGL books I asked myself what would people remember me for?

vii. Teaching as a profession

I have always considered becoming a teacher/lecturer in order to impart knowledge on other people just like I have also gained a lot. I believe by doing this I would not be betraying knowledge and that I have realized the necessity for scholastic attainment in teaching profession.

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

These ideas are lessons that I have gained through my degree though in theory so reading about them wasn’t far to understand. Although as human it is not easy to put theory into practice when dealing with humans because they will try as much as possible to frustrate whoever is the leader just like it is always impossible to carry out the responsibilities of a father and husband when one has demands from the people to lead. Lastly, we all have dreams in life, our goals and our purpose in life, this might not be achieved just like more people have died without realising their dreams but the good thing is that dreams may not be achieved but it’s just good that one has a desire to bring it into reality.

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

“Rosa parks was a victim of both forces of history and forces of destiny.”

Sometimes one wonders why some bad things happen to some people who it should not have happened to.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

What affects one directly affects all indirectly.

“Only when its dark enough can you see the stars.”

Birds born in cage think flying is an illness.

“Be a voice not an echo.”

Maintain relevance in any situation you find yourself.

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, there is nothing in the book that I do not understand or I am unclear about and I do agree with all.

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

No, the book does not contain any exercise that requires me 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.

Yes, Recently I read an article of how some twitter accounts of celebrities were hacked and some of their nude pictures were shared online. As much as I felt that this action was not racially incline Gabriel Union whose pictures were also shared reacted in a rather aggressive manner and she felt it was racially to have shared her quiet time pictures online. But then I have never been racially insulted so I do not know how it feels to have been racially abused.

Life is a continual story of shattered dreams, from time immemorial have people sought to fight segregation and oppression but yet till date people still suffer these same abnormalities that Gandhi stood for in India, Mandela went to jail for 27 years and yet Apartheid is not completely wiped out of South Africa, and Martin Luther King Jr. went to jail severally and was killed but yet racial segregation still exist in the United States of America then one wonders why these people suffered and gave up their lives to a course that still exist. In every battle for freedom there are Martyrs whose lives are forfeited and whose sacrifices endorses promise of liberty and Martin Luther King Jr. is for sure one of those Martyrs, who gave up all they believe for a United America and today what he stood for and died for was achieved when the United States elected a black president for the first time.

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

You Just Don’t Understand

Assessment by Emmanuel Iziomoh (Nigeria)

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

This book talks about the differences in the way men and women approach same issues in terms their perspective with a rare combination of humorous stories that made me smile the entire time reading this book and at the same time felt guilty because I am equally a man and a culprit. The book also explained why both men and women have different impressions to the same issues from an unbiased point of view even though the author is a women but she showed a professional and the book also gives understandable reasons why both men and women should have the difference. Lastly, the book proffers ways in which men and women relationship can best be strengthen without a victor and a villain.

The seven ideas I found to be most important were:

i. The foci of men and women

Women tend to focus their interaction with men on the basis of intimacy while men focus their relationship on independence. This divergent gives both men and women different views and sometimes if not always a conflicting views. From a man perspective I want to take action that permits my independence not exercising power and I remember taking some decisions without the notice of my mother when I was much younger because I knew my mother would not have approved. Sometimes I try to imagine the way women think but the I just don’t understand, if I ask my friend that we should go to a party for example, he could easily say okay, let’s go, but then if I ask a lady friend the say question about accompanying me to a party she will start by asking what should she wear and how her hair doesn’t look good.

ii. Women ask questions.

Women ask questions before they act and most time men feels they should have done it without their answer and sometimes they only asked for asking sake because they would still do what they have at heart. When women try to initiate a freewheeling discussion by asking, “what do you think?” Men often think they are to decide but in the real sense they are not. During my service year, my neighbor who is a female friend would ask me what she would cook, but I would tell her anything she cooked was fine but she would say I should also tell her. I found these questions not appealing because I should not be part of such decision making.

iii. Talk to me

Women often want to talk about anything and at every time, but men sometimes want to be quiet or do something they derive pleasure in not minding what do women thinks. At one time in the University, I was to go out and watch a football match at the viewing centre with friends but my female friend didn’t want to stay at home alone, she wanted to come with us to watch the football match, so I agreed we went together. Immediately we sat down and the match began she began expressing her displeasure, making body gestures of how uncomfortable she was and after a while she told me that we should go home, I didn’t understand why she came in the first place and I told her that I could not go home and she slept leaning on my shoulder.

iv. Women are interested in unimportant details.

Women are always interested to hear unimportant details in a discussion whereas men don’t have the patience to talk in details especially when it is of no use. Let’s take for example, a husband gets back from the office, wife in the kitchen cooking and he enters the kitchen to say hello and she asks, “how was work?” The husband says “fine” like every man would do. But women do not really just want the fine, they want to hear the details of how many people you greeted, who called, what you did and so on. I guess because men do not have the patience for details and women do that is why women are naturally more intelligent than men.

v. Personal discussions

Men should accept that women regard exchanging details about personal lives as a basic ingredient of intimacy. I was in the room some time ago reading one of my IIGL books when I overheard my younger sister and her friends discussing, their discussion was so annoying and irritating yet they were smiling and laughing. I do not see men participating in such discussions and the only time men could talk about their worries is over some bottles of alcohol.

vi. Don’t tell me what to do

For no reason I just find it annoying when a lady tells me what to do and I see myself telling them my own opinion to something and they agree. Also men use imperative statements to talk to themselves and no one find it offensive or being autocratic but at the same time when a man use such imperative statements in talking to a woman she finds it abusive and egoistic. For example, when I tell my female friend to give me something or help me get something they always request I say please but it is matter because I am talking to my friend, so we must have being used to ourselves talking instead of talking too formal.

vii. Passionate

Women are passionate about their discussion and they tend to express their concern at every opportunity they have whether or not it is the best time for the discussion or not. I remember in my Sociology of the Family class when our lecturer was a female who was single and probably in her late 30s, when treating some topics that concerned infidelity, incessant absenteeism from home, early marriages, divorce and so one, she was so passionate and it was as if she was telling her stories, this time we listen with carefulness and the class is usually as quiet as a graveyard unless when it was time to sigh.

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

These ideas and practical examples have given me the insight that all the way I have been egoistically exercising my masculine power that when I was reading the book I saw that I have to be considerate not in a sympathetically manner but because that is just how women are, and that if I so much cherish my friendship or relationship I have to understand the way she or they have perceived the situation as the case may be.

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

“Reading newspaper in the morning is as important to men as putting on makeup in the morning is to many women.”

Men love to read about current affairs not to discuss politics but to stay informed.

“Do men interrupt? Yes we do especially when listening to conversation we have no interest in, men will annoyingly express their disgust although not all men.”

“Asking men to record their conversation had mixed results this is because men focus on problem solving or solution related discussion.”

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, there is nothing in the book that I do not understand and I am clear about everything especially the examples these are real and practical examples that one way or the other I have experienced.

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

No, there is no exercise in the book that requires me 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.

This book is very helpful and very true in our everyday conversation, daily I see this book as a guide to help me understand the conversational style of family members and friends and I am very sure it will help me in becoming a good husband and a wonderful father someday.

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

God at the Speed of Light
Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The author of this book is trying to develop the religious belief with certain life experiences and also raising consciousness about how it is to understand life purpose with his examples of Near Death Experiences of people and how it would be to if people knew what they are doing with the life that they have before it is too late. The author also made it clear that one can only or should only stop what he or she was part of and since humans are not the creator of life no human should be part of ending a life… this I find interesting.

a. The mystery of death

Death itself is a mystery that no one has scientifically proven, from one state of being to another. We are born one day and die another is not the making of humans but a supreme. For these reasons, people with Near Death Experiences are often quiet and calm because they have been to where people can’t be normally, they have seen and heard things that are not ordinary. If an atheist could mention the name of God, and crying out for divine intervention then he has witnessed a strong force of power.

b. Facing the phase

People, especially physicians should not interfere with death, because many times when they do, they only test the power of God. “God giveth and He taketh.” I have heard of so many miracles and I strongly believe in the power of miracles, there are some things that i have seen that are more than human making. For example, in 2003 I scored 225 in the University entrance examination but wasn’t admitted but in 2007 I scored 163 and got admitted into the University. Same examination, 4 years after when the score was supposed to have increased instead it was different in my own case. That’s how death/life is, one wonders the different situations of people and how one person could die of the same situation that another person is but on the field playing soccer.

c. Tunnel vision

Pre-death visions are sometimes ill-fated forewarnings that we over or in many times under look. There are many types of hidden matter, energy, forces and dimensions in action all around us but we are too busy perhaps the want or need for what to eat, to wear and where to stay have clouded our mind. We are all born with some level psychic ability, do we recognize them? I don’t think so. Especially in Africa that our belief system is so shallow and bigoted and our consciousness is zilch, i have an opinion that if the world is to end it would start from Africa. Our leaders are in the stage of pride and have subjected the populace to the stage of apathy that one cares less when another person is dying by his or her side.

d. The light of God

Isn’t it amazing how the sun gives us a very bright light at day and then gives way to the moon at night to brighten the earth? Sometimes I wonder how the sun in its own form shines and then how it would be so dark if the sun doesn’t shine in a day or if the moon refuses to take turn and brightens the earth at night. It also mavels me how a small candle can light up a room, it tell us that God is light to illuminates us from darkness of the world.

e. Is believing seeing?

As a social scientist, i have been taught through many years of University education to only believe that which can be scientifically proven but my faith as not just as a person born into a Christian family but the fact that I have raised my consciousness to a certain level and somethings have happened in the lives of people that I feel could be beyond human making. Was it scientifically proven that Jesus Christ turned water to wine? No. Do I believe? Yes. People can’t change the truth but the truth can change people. Sometimes all we need to do is just to believe even without seeing because God is infinite in His works and wonders. Across the planes of consciousness, we have to live with the paradox that opposite things could be simultaneously true.

f. Wrong perception

If we could separate our minds from the physical reality surrounding us, it is possible that we might witness alternate dimensions and experiences that may lead others to label us as removed from reality. But the truth is that when one is truly comfortable with who you are, not everybody will like you and one won’t care about it one bit. Recently I don’t have the zeal to go to church on Sundays and that’s simply because of the way the house of God has been monetized instead I find solace in playing football on Sundays but people around me do not understand the reason I don’t attend Sunday services in church.

g. Common sense

Aside from common sense, my personal experiences in life and knowledge gained from every citadel of learning I have been to has taught me to be logical and thoughtful. However when we look at the happenings of the world today one wonders the reason for the vices and whether they are ordinary. As a social scientist I am trained to seek for answers or as it was written in the bible “ask and it shall be given.”

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

These ideas have always helped me in the sense that as a person having being born into a Christian home, I learned the hard way of Christ, because I wasn’t only socializd by my family but also by the church and today I see reasons I was protected. I had wrong perception of other religions at some point but growing up has taught me how to accept without prejudice that we humans are creation of a just God. Talking about Near Death Experience, sometimes even a small fever or flu exemplifies our closest preview of what may await us beyond death.

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.

“Life is indeed strange.”

Life is strange in the sense that its not our own, I don’t know how I was formed, how I came into this world but today i see myself hustling and trying to make ends meet, trying to get a roof above my head, what to wear, what to eat and drink and so on but then I still don’t know my purpose in life and what happens next.

“We are all born with some level of psychic abilities.”

I believe everyone is born with some level of psychic abilities from birth until we distort this ability with actions and events in our every day life. The problem however is that do we recognize these abilities and act upon them? Most of us don’t, because we dont know who we are and our purpose in life.

“Does God supply answers to those who seek the truth?”

Yes, God supplies answers to those who seek the truth though some people do not want to have the truth and some have embedded truth which they do not see or fail to realize.

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 are lots of things in the book that I do not understand, I am a social scientist and I felt the book would be centered on the melding of God and science socially never thought it would be on natural science and to be precise physics.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?

No, the book does not contain any exercise that requires me 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.

Yes, some academicians will argue voluntarily as to why God does not exist, but they are equally fervent in their belief that the universe formed from nothing. It is most plausible that all of space-time arose, not from energy source pre-existent to creation, space and time. Also, the sun which represents day and moon, night at most times were created in the second day which does not represent our 24 hours a day.

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? 7
C. How easy was it to understand? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others? 7
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 7

Peace is on the Way
Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey is sharing the happenings of the world and the reason there haven’t been peace is the world and he mentioned the phase of inequality amongst people, countries and the likes and how our individual religion has brought differences in our lives rather than planting the seed of peace in everyone’s lives. What we see daily is as a result of who we are deep down our conscious state of being.

i. Secret pleasure

Its as if an invading virus has entered the system and cannot be stopped. It corrupts the everyday being of being happy, special or protected when war has almost become a secret pleasure to some countries if not people then one wonders whether its more than the tussle for supremacy. We should also understand that the tussle for state power takes lots of human lives and suppresses some people to an unwarranted state. In truth, life is neither fair nor unfair, the world is just a reflection of who we are and with terrorism rising everywhere in the world one wonders where in the world is safe.

ii. Prevalence of violence in human

Violence is not the essence of human nature. It is prevalent, yes and it is innate due to struggle for survival and it is only the strong who survives. But so is the opposite of violence; love. An old man told his grandson a story of two wolves in every human. He said, one is evil, it is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies and ego. The other is good; it is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth. The boy thought about it for a while and asked the grandfather “which wolf wins?” the grandfather replied “the one you feed.”

iii. Humans should stop being passive

The time has come for us to stop being passive, and to take control of our own destiny, one person at a time. To be conscious of ourselves and other sentient beings around us, to be compassionate about another man’s misery and to lend a helping hand. Instead of what it is today that people afflicts others and are making money from other people’s misery. Sometimes i wonder whether being born black is a crime because there is something that spurs anger at and on every given Sunday. Even though we have all the physical features of the Homo Sapiens, we haven’t fully evolved as complete Humans because our minds are still in its primitive form. I don’t mean in general terms of course but in a more majority form. Just like a bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking because her trust in not on the branch but on its own wings, should also know that our trust is not on a clergy man but on ourselves (mind) to search the truth.

iv. Our reality

Idealistic thoughts becomes our reality in a way whether we recognize that fact or not and every realist at one point where idealist in their thoughts too. But too far, our reality is largely dependent on our state of consciousness. Our reality is a sum total of our illusion. Once upon a time, I asked some friends how they felt whenever they smoked weed (not abusing it) and they told the burst of thoughts that flows in their mind and how calm it makes them feel in as much as I imagine the feeling and why they want to do it more I felt I can’t try smoking because that is one and the only thing my dad warned me against.

v. Bad memories

Assuming I have an enemy and the day I got to my enemy’s house to kill him I saw his 10year old son, killed my enemy and let the son live. I have not just killed my enemy but the father of my enemy because the son will carry the memory for the rest of his life and one day grow the power to avenge his anger. The same way memories keep anger inflamed in families, countries and in the world; when I saw the way Gaza was turned black by Israel i weep because this makes the work of terrorist recruits easy, all they needed to do was to remind the newly recruits of one thing and they are recruited. All because a story was too old to forget therefore we have to look at how this mechanism work if the way of peace is going to prevail on earth.

vi. Yin and Yang in everyone

One evening, i heard a loud noise in the compound and to my greatest surprise it was once a quite boy fighting hard and pushing everybody away from him it was as if another spirit was inside of him and had taken possession of his body and everyone where as surprised as I was all of that because his mother was injured. I wonder what happened to him that day and I seriously would love to ask him how he felt after the scene because it was a large surprising moment not just for him but for me and everyone present. I believe that there is a dark realm inside everyone called the shadow. In our daily lives we don’t contact the shadow; we pretend it doesn’t exist and unfortunately that attitude makes us its slaves. When quarrel breaks out, the shadow rises to the surface and wreaks havoc and I believe this is what happens to people in the Middle East. To be continued in the next point.

vii. The irony

What happens in the middle east, Nigeria and other parts of the world that breeds terrorism is the shadow that wreaks havoc, the shadow that was unattended to and that is the reason terrorists do not see themselves as though they are, they see themselves as revolutionaries, more than that as idealists who are willing to make enormous sacrifices in order to bring about a social order if not a new world. And then when two opposing parties meet to discuss the possibility of truce their diplomats have to lie about what is actually going on like in the case of Gaza and Israel but what was actually going on was irrational, confused, brutal and full of anger which keeps the rest of the world in a rather confused state if not being partisan thereby showing a rather partial concern via the television.

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

These ideas will help me in practical ways not to be partisan in my judgment as there are always two sides to every coin so are there two contrasting stories in every conflict. Like it is said, life is neither fair nor unfair, it is only a reflection of who we are on the inside. Like i do tell my friends condemning Nigerian Police and their corrupt vices that they are a part of us and what they exhibit is an extension of the corrupt culture in our society and in failing to conform will make them look as if they where outcasts. Today there is a misuse of hope, and there is almost no power that gives a Nigerian the confidence to step out and try seek international business.

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, everything is shaped to who you are. The musician finds the essence of beauty, the scientist the essence of reason, the devoted mother finds the essence of motherhood. Yet the world is universal.”

This makes me ask myself, “in what do I find an essence?”

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?

Absolutely nothing.

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

No, it does not.
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.

Yes, religion plants a seed of peace in open wounds and from that seed a tree of peace will grow. I think we should concentrate more on what unites us rather than what divides us. The tussle for which religion is the best is really dividing us and instead of planting a seed of peace it instead plants a seed of hatred.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

The Power of Failure
Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is the rudimentary secrets to success or as the author puts it in the book “primary secret to success”. The author tries to give variety of solutions to life challenges that people face in their daily events. It also tries to address these life challenges in practical forms and making one turn disadvantage into advantage, defining failure as a challenge that has not been solved but will soon meet its waterloo. Giving instances of the times he failed and no one noticed but then people would say “obviously you are a very successful person, don’t you ever fail at anything?” In one sentence the book is about only he who does nothing makes no mistake.

a. Double your failure rate

This may sound odd, but as far as one knows the how to get back up it is better because if one wants to be successful one should double his/her failure rate. It is an odd prescription but it’s a sage advice. Abraham Lincoln failed and failed so many times but became one of the best President America has had, if one hasn’t tried then one can’t be where he or she wants to be that’s because one has the choice to act or not to act but the result is dependent on whether the action is good or not and the power of invisible hand.

b. Failure isn’t the end

Failure shouldn’t be viewed as the end of a story instead as a stepping stone to a larger success story yet to be written. I was listening to Steve Jobs speech at Stanford University when he talked about how he dropped out of college but will take any class that interests him and how he could connect the dots to fit today’s events. So I am learning every day, and I believe whatever I learn is good and better useful for tomorrow. I do not consider it as a waste of time and energy.

c. Learning from mistakes

Without doubt one of the most powerful pillars of long-success is learning from mistakes. One who doesn’t learn from mistakes does not want a difference in whatever they do and I can say that I have been guilty of such. I have consistently and repeatedly being dependent on some people even when warned by a friend not to expect too much but I felt since they can do it and if I were in their shoes I would do the same. It almost turned me to being a sadist and having hatred for all thereby becoming isolated and a recluse. At this time I can say I have learned from my mistakes even if someone didn’t fulfil his or her promise I won’t be disappointed. A close mouth doesn’t get fed.

d. Fixation on success

Most times because of how easy we feel success is or how easy it was for someone to be successful not knowing the every detail the person went through we just feel we can do it too therefore we don’t look at the disadvantages. I was talking to my former boss some months ago that the company should be bent on growing thereby delivering effective and efficient service to clients but she wasn’t looking at it that way all she wanted was to make money. Even though she has great plans and future the company can’t grow because of her definition of success and I have spoken to her but she doesn’t seem interested in my idea. I worked with her for some months but no improvement from her end and so I quit after some weeks I learned that some other employees did the same. Our fixation on success discourages us from risk taking because it values success over learning and abhors failure whether we learn from it or not.

e. Fear

Fear is characterised as good sometimes but most times it is wrong to have fear because one doesn’t know the end result. There was a time I wanted to act on fear I knew I was always discouraging myself on certain things due to fear that I might lose some money but one day I sat down and saw a masters application in the USA that I was interested, I sent forth my application and my application fee of $75 at the end I wasn’t qualified, it hurt me that I gave my money away but then I was satisfied that I tried applying, so whenever the ill-feeling arises I project with the consolation that I did well. The greatest mistake that i can make is to continually fearing I will make mistake; I dare to make more. A wise lesson is in learning that the shortest route to victory may be a trap that can cause us to lose more than we gain.

f. Helping others

Helping others help you is a plus irony that most people do not realise but it works marvel. Steve Jobs said that he was downsized by the company he built that’s because he helped others built it and since he built it he could build another which he did and after some years all was fine back to the company. Although the investing in oneself challenging circumstance can be very trying and the beauty of every difficult situation is hidden from one’s view but it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. After i spoke to my boss about building the company and she was reluctant i spoke to a friend about it and he asked me to be learning so i kept my cool, today i and a friend are starting our own company and all what i have learnt from my previous experiences are brought to the fore and channelling this company to making history. The sky is the start-point invariably if we help others get what they want; we usually get much value ourselves.

g. How it could be frustrating

Life can be frustrating when it fails to deliver what we think it should, just like a mobile phone or a computer command failing to respond and how it frustrates the commando. Some days I wanted to pick up a phone call but the pick-up swipe key malfunctioned and I was angry with my phone so that is how frustrating life could be. At one time I was talking to my former roommate in the University and he said he doesn’t blame armed robbers because he feels after University when should get a job or something better but the absence of that frustrates an individual but I told him that circumstances doesn’t make a man, it reveals him to himself. So whenever he has such thinking or imagination he should ask himself whether he should be right or be happy; it’s better to be happy to be being right.

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?

Over the years I have made certain mistakes that ideas in this book has helped me modify that thinking that the mistakes where not mistakes in its form but a way for me to have learned what to do next time. Today, i am new and reformed a young entrepreneur who has a lot to still learn so it is very essential to learn from experts who have failed and who have equally excelled in different endeavours. At the end, define success in a way that will make me happy together with my clients.

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, to succeed in new challenging and meaningful ways we must fail. This is a quote that first before one starts any new challenging task if one hope for the best and expect worse it is good because he or she must have learnt the hard way and believe me I have learned the hard way too.

Sometimes when you lose, you win. A friend told me about the kind of job he wanted and that he required a first class degree for it but at the end he graduated with a second class upper but when he was invited for an interview they told him that they require a second class upper and not a first class candidate.

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?

Yes, I do disagree when the author says that the most important thing in any game is not to win but in taking part. In our today’s world that some games determines a person’s life for example after the game between USA and Colombia in 1994 Escobar was killed one is not advised just to take part but to give all the best he or she has to win…no room or excuse for failure.

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

No.

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.

Sometimes it feels as if our lives are headed down a dead-end road to failure and when one has such inkling one should know that there is an invisible author.

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

The Story of my Experiment of Truth
Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey is a truly as it is titled an experiment of his events when in the world, how he found and acquainted himself with other people of different race and religion and stood for truth which he combined by saying that all religion preaches peace but the practice is different and concluded that religion is man made but God has no religion. The author equally tries to inspire and encourage people who are used to condemning and even where is was from which had and still exist the caste system of segregation and how the system has eaten deep into the Indian culture and his opportunities in England and South Africa. In one word…Principle.

a. Making friends

When I was much younger, i didn’t know the difference between friends and acquaintances I felt once we had to play together we are friends and that exposed me to a lot of things that I sometimes shake my head when I remember it but as I grow more I have learned making my friends instead of allowing friends choose me and this is due to life expectancy, my purpose and what i hope to achieve in life. Like how Ghandi puts it in the book that a reformer cannot afford to have a close intimacy with him whom he seeks to reform-true friendship is an identity of souls rarely to be found in this word. And he went on to say that he who would be friends with God must remain alone or make the whole world his friend…when I read this sentence I thought about the Monks, Amish, and other people living isolated life and i also feel its just good to extend goodwill and treat everyone equally.

b. Women a blessing.

Even if my culture permits the subordination of women does not mean that men should treat their partners in a way they won’t like, i believe God created women as our companion and not subordinates and that means they are a blessing to us all. Only a good wife tolerates hardship and that was why Ghandi regarded them as incarnation of tolerance. A servant wrongly suspected may throw up his job, a son in the same case may leave his father’s roof, a friend may also put an end to the friendship but a wife, even if she suspects the husband she may keep quiet but if the husband suspects her, she is ruined. I have been with a close friend and I witnessed the way he gave authority to his wife as if he were an Army Officer. Immediately she left I told him what he did was wrong but he said he didn’t want to give any chance for discussion after all he paid her bride price.

c. Goodwill connects

When there is an over-reliance on someone and that person fails the relied becomes disappointed but when the relied has given lots of goodwill he will see that from nowhere things keeps falling in place. I was in a friend’s car some days ago and he pointed to a hotel and said some 20years ago the owner of the hotel was a plumber but he helped an accidental-victim to a hospital and that made him who he is. Sometimes, things happen that are unexplainable, when hope is gone, comforts flee and helpers fail help arrives from above beyond human comprehension. Supplication, worship, prayer are no superstition; they are acts more real than the act of drinking, eating, walking or sitting.

d. Truth

Over the past two years and so, I have learned that the path to freedom is an individual responsibility and cannot be given to anyone other than ourselves. The truth has nothing to do with religion and so if i deem it right to know the truth about science or human anatomy all i need to do is to make my research on my own. But today religion is like a bane to human foresight. Religion was created to soothe humanity in the face of the many challenges. Today when someone gets involved in politics people think he/she wants to cut off the national cake forgetting that the government willingly or unwillingly has the sovereignty to exercise its powers. J.J Rousseau opined that man is free but everywhere in chains, so we must take back what belongs to the people by being involved in politics in search of the truth. Disestablishmentarianisms do not know the real meaning of politics.

e. Raising consciousness

I listened to a song that was saying something about forget belief and raise consciousness and it really thrilled me. No doubt, belief is faith and it is good but what if in the process we tend to understand that certain things as were told weren’t the way it was, like listening to a preacher telling the story of Lazarus in the bible as if he was there present. I know that i am equally in the centre of having several believes but i certainly want to raise my consciousness so as to feel it myself. One of Ghandi’s deadly sins is Commerce without Morality and the way churches and mosques are built these days should scare the devil. Unfortunately, one can only wake a man if he is really asleep. No effort that one makes will produce any effect upon him if he is merely pretending sleep.

f. Inability of mortals

The world today crushes the dust under its feet but we should be humble as Christ himself that even the dust could crush Him. After Ghandi was exposed to reading the teachings of Jesus Christ in the bible, he found a huge disparity on the ways Christ taught when He was on earth and the way humans (Christians) acts, he told some of the Christians then that he liked their Christ but do not like them Christians because the Christians were so unlike their Christ. We can be guided but not delivered and the inability of clerics have made it so obvious that people should open their eyes and understand the teachings of God the Father through Jesus Christ the son.

g. Our mind, our hope

The real seat of taste is not the tongue but the mind. My regard for my ability to do certain things is crawling but because i had set my mind to do it, it then becomes a success and this surprises me a whole lot. Indeed, whatever the mind conceives and believe it achieves.

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

These ideas have helped me especially in trying times to understand that there are certain times things doesn’t go as planned but it doesn’t mean that it is bad and it has also helped me in appreciating the lives of everyone I meet, I try not to judge and set aside prejudices. Lastly there is this story that struck a cord inside me…A child asked his father “who is a man?” father replies “a man is a person who takes care responsibility for his family and his home.” Then the child said “I hope to be a man like mummy one day.”

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, there are quotes i really love.

“God ultimately saves him whose motive is pure.”

This is a quote that in itself is gratifying because at the end God blesses those who are pure hearted in their daily actions rewards them.

“Great men never look at a person’s exterior, they think of his heart.”

Although it is difficult not to look at someone’s exterior and not pass judgment if not condemnation but great men looks beyond and I hope to be great.

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, I am clear with everything I read.

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?

None at all.

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.

Yes, when I read about how Ghandi’s mother fed on the sun I thought for once that it was impossible, quickly searched on google then I saw people who are called the sun gazers…so just the way I am hungry to eat rice there is someone somewhere that only wants to gaze at the sun for meal, so amazing that I told a friend and she called me a liar.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8

Heaven is for Real

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The author who is a father of the actor of the book is trying to send a message of faith to every one not to doubt what the bible teaches essentially using his son’s short spell in heaven. He inspires young people of the world how shocking it could be for a four year old boy to even not explanatory but with sharp memories of his vision above the earth which started as a miracle because he was not due to survive the appendix burst which was due to the inability of some certain doctors. As a pastor, he also tries using the book to preach the word of God in a simpler form which was the ordeal of his family that turns to be inspiring and encouraging that no matter what anyone is facing in life is a blessing in disguise. If Colton was not sick, if the first hospital had not referred him to a children hospital and if the parents were not worried and rage at God for not understanding the situation they would not have gotten the message intended for their family.

a. Badge of Courage

Sometimes its not as if the reward given to someone is equal to the task one was supposed to do but the anxiety and to conquer that fear would be worth the trial. Sometimes i ask myself what is it that i am afraid of that does not permit me to take certain risks. I was speaking to a friend sometime ago and he told me how he would love to go for mountain climbing, skydiving, skiing and bungee jumping whereas these thoughts never crossed my mind because we are in a society where everyone just tries to survive and no one wants to do anything extra-ordinary. However in the past few weeks, I have come to a self realization of living a life of fulfillment and be happy as much as possible whilst acting courageous. It doesn’t matter how many times I have tried but what matters is that at the end i was able to act on my courage just like Colton that was initially scared of holding the tarantula but wanted the badge but the next time he did.

b. Dependable

In every family, everyone looks at their father as the strongest of all and in time of trouble he should carry they whole family just because he is the builder. Todd Burpo was the father, husband and the family builder and when things was sore he would act I rather courageous way in front of his family to give me strength and hope and in turn his family will affirm with his action and words that everything was okay and fine but on the inside he was burning with anger and anguish. So at all times his family was dependable on his ability to give them hope and the hope kept his family strong with the grace of God. I wonder how many families would go through such an ordeal and the one they would look up to would disappoint thereby rendering the family in hopeless.

c. Understanding God’s ways

Repeatedly, from the happenings in our daily event we would understand that God’s ways are not our ways even though we find it difficult to imagine or believe but the lack of understanding gives us a different metaphor as if we were isolated or God didn’t care. Because Todd didn’t understand God’s ways he raged separately in a room didn’t want his wife to see his fears and flaws but at the end of it he was able to understand God’s message to him, his families and friends and to people like us who just read the book. Sometimes in 2013, i once knew a friend who worked with a bank but at one time he said he wanted to further his studies and he secured admission in the USA, got his visa and after he got his visa he was fired, so was it that he knew he was going to be fired or he bosses knew he was already leaving? Rhetorical as this sound i still would not mind knowing what happened.

d. Supplications and Prayers

Things could be so difficult at times that one just need the help of anyone if not everyone who was willing and coercing indirectly those that were not. At the time Colton was in the hospital, Todd was desperate for prayers even though he is a pastor but then he felt his prayer alone was not sufficient to give Colton the miracle required, so he was desperate that other believers would bang on the stages of heaven and beg for the life of his son. He thought of the times that God answered the prayers not of the sick or dying but of the friends of the sick that was why he asked for prayers and he got prayers. Still, God’s ways are not our ways though we might try to understand his ways but as human in this body we will only keep trying.

e. More of what you had

Many times we complain of the things we have like the things were disturbing, never realizing that there are some people in the world that are praying to have even a little. Some people complains that the noise they hear is too much whereas there are some people that are deaf and they are praying to even hear the noise, equally there are some mothers that complains that their children are dumb and senseless or too playful whereas there are some barren women that all they want to hold is a child no matter how he comes. When Colton was in the hospital and he suddenly screamed “daddy” Todd wanted to hear him scream because for days all he had heard were cries and consolatory words, so he wanted to hear Colton’s scream more than anything he ever wanted to hear in life.

f. Children, a blessing

Sometimes adults look in amazement when they hear how little children especially preschoolers tell stories they heard or what they think, and the surprise is how detailed they explain a particular even, colors, lines even how a slap sounded something adult would have paid attention towards and certainly wouldn’t have remembered I was playing with a three year old girl sometime ago and I collected the money she was holding, tricked her that the money was in her pocket while talking to a friend and didn’t realize when she left, after a while she came back to me, hit me that I made her misplaced the money she was holding, apologetically I told her that the money was not in her pocket but was with me and I only tricked her and this time I gave her back her money.

g. Information from children

It’s amazing how much information one can get from a child and I wonder if parents really paid attention to their children how surprised they would be every day. Now, I imagined if Todd wasn’t patient to give Colton the time to express himself or had not inquired at certain instances on what Colton had seen. Unfortunately, I grew up in a society where children who talks about how they feel towards certain things are regarded as talkative, and asking questions is viewed as rude and disrespectful behavior. However the feeling, we keep quiet and bury our little thoughts.

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?

This practical ideas and lessons from the Burpo’s family have thought me how to be more patient with life itself and be considerate. No doubt life could be tough but tough times never last only tough people do. In my daily event this ideas will help me guide my listening skill and my basic intuition on what happens, what to do and what not to do.

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, “Solomonic solution.”

This is a story I have heard so many times but never heard it was termed a solomonic solution in solving problems.

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, I understood everything in book and was clear with everything. I do not disagree with any idea as Todd was telling a story about his young son.

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?

Not any.

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, there was nothing.

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

Your Faith is your Fortune

Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is to raise consciousness. Like a friend will always say “forget belief and raise consciousness”. The author is trying to bring the teachings of Jesus Christ to a proper understanding for practical exercises quoting vital verses in the bible and further explaining in a simpler form which is though his opinion but very true. The author further explains man’s existence and how everything was made from nothing, which when we try to understand how the world was created we could understand the nothingness in its form which still is a mystery that only the conscious few would understand and the awareness of their being.

a. Decree and Declare

To decree is like to prophecy whether in action or words. Man in his own wisdom has always decreed that which has appeared in his world. He is today decreeing that which is appearing in his world and he shall continue to do so as long as man is conscious of being man. Nothing has ever appeared in man’s world but what man decreed that it should whether by action or word; although some will argue that it is the act of God. Let’s take for I have headache and claim it is God’s wish but then I take pain killer and the headache relieved. Was it God? I was read about an American rapper that cut off his penis and when he was asked why he had done that he responded that all the problems he had was caused by it so he didn’t want any other problem. Without any effort or the use of words, at every moment of time, man is commanding himself to be and to possess that which he is conscious of being and possessing. Man will know that his unconditioned consciousness of being is greater than his conditioned state of his conception of himself.

b. Lifeless

Just as branch has no life except it be rooted in the vine, likewise things have no life except one is conscious of them. Just as a branch withers and dies if the sap of the vine ceases to flow towards it, so do things and qualities pass away if one turns away his attention from them; because our attention is the sap of life which sustains the expression of our lives. Like a plant that we water, so then we must nurture our good thoughts, talents, abilities for them not to die off. We must equally feed our conscious state even though it is very difficult to maintain because of the negativity around us but it is worth the trials.

c. Illusion

Some days ago, I got into an argument with a friend and she accused me of insulting her pastor whereas I had not. I only asked her whether the way Jesus Christ preached as written in the New Testament is the same way her pastor is preaching, to her that was an insult. For a price, most of these pseudo-teachers offer their students initiation into mysteries, promising them guidance and direction. Ones weakness for their religious leaders makes one an easy prey of these teachers like that my friend I mentioned earlier who does not want to be asked the truth. I fear for people like that because they tend to be slaves in their mind but think they are the righteous. Well it’s what they think because I strongly believe no one can lift you to the level you desire, the power to ascend is within oneself.

d. Loss of Identity

In the world today, the gap between the rich and poor is so huge that a man has money more than a country. Sometimes i wonder whether it was sheer luck but then I realized that even if the wealth of the world is equally divided among all men and women, in a short time, this equal division will be equally disproportioned. Wealth will eventually find its way back into the pockets of those from whom it was taken just like how water loses its identity as it assumes the nature of that with which it is mixed.

e.Change

Change they say is ubiquitous whether positive or negative; it is the only constant thing. However, the best is to have a positive change in whatever one does. One should not waste time trying to change the outside but change the within or the impression; and the without or expression will take care of itself. Changing the conception of oneself and it will automatically change the world in which one lives in. Sometimes when one tries to change another person it becomes bizarre so we should not try to change people as they are only messengers telling us who we are. When we revalue ourselves with our action and words, they will confirm the changes and then it would influence them whether knowingly or unknowingly.

f. Prayer

Prayer is a psychological communication with God being that one can close his or her eyes and visualize a one on one confrontation. It is recognizing oneself to be that which one desires to be rather begging God for that which one desires. The psychological state could be imagining a desired form, feel as if the desired state is now upon closing the eyes and visualize at the end of the exercise one would be amazed to know that it were only an imagination. Taking away all manner of worries and paying attention only to the realm of communication with an innate supremacy. With no offence to the recent way of praying and shouting that one would not even recognize that he or she is in a prayer mood but listening to what the next person by the side is wishing for. Long time ago I attended a pastor’s birthday and then one of the attendants at the birthday wanted to make an expression of where gifts should be dropped, so she carried a big stone placed in a box and wrapped it, then she dropped it to indicate where gifts should be. Of course people followed and dropped their gifts but when all the gifts where unwrapped to their surprise they saw a stone and they felt it was an attack and then they started praying not for the attendant that made that gesture to come and then told them what she had done.

g. Hawthorne effect

This effect is when one realizes that he or she is being watched or under a particular study and then it automatically changes the behavior and affects the desired result. So too should humans have the end result at heart to enable them remain calm. Like a businessman writing a feasibility study see the end of the business potential and smiles because the picture of it is so positive. One should have the picture of the results feeling the happy end of it by consciously feeling, expressing and possessing that which one desires.

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

These ideas have helped me to shape my spirituality and in search for the truth and not being dogma or a slave to a particular belief or person. My life is a reflection of my action and words and what I truly intend for myself, so if I fail to plan I inherently plan to fail. There is a natural mystic blowing in the air.

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.

“Great is He that is in me than he that is in the world. This is a quote from the bible that gives one a self realization of what one can do without the help of another man.”

“Out of mind is out of sight. The mind sees beyond eyes so when the mind is shot on a particular thing then it is out of sight.”

“You are not a victim of fate but a victim of faith. Like the title of the book, your faith is your fortune. This message has been rewritten in so many words like whatever the mind believe and conceive the mind can achieve.”

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

I understand everything read in the book and I am clear.

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

No, the book does not contain any exercise that requires me 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.

Yes, the story of the Count of Monte Cristo that was beautifully analyzed by the author. A very good movie that I have seen and I loved the way the author anatomized few sessions for proper understanding.

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

Fifteen Minutes

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

I can really use a sigh of learning new things now. It is really an eye opener to me to learn that some of the celebrities that people wished to be in their shoes and live the kind of fancy and luxurious life that they live have lots of problems and they equally wish to be a low life commoner that can walk on the street or to a pub at anytime. The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is the temptations, change in behavior and the cost of fame. Temptations in the sense that there are lot of things that could be alluring and can easily make a strong faithful person succumb to the pressure and sometimes people willing or unwilling enjoy the present life that they live not paying attention to the cost they will pay for that, change in that same sense that change is inevitable and the best way not to change is not to engage in anything that might lead to change and lastly, fame is a prison that would hold one down for the rest of his or her life. Although some people live with it and enjoy the fake life of luxuries wearing fake smiles and all that which is not new.

a. Loosing a loved one

Loosing someone is perceived as disturbing and very annoying or frustrating but it is a negative karma and the cost one has to pay for one thing or the other. Mistakes are intrinsic to the learning process, which is the fate of the human condition itself but when people only seek what they perceive as good and pleasurable to themselves alone it then has a price they pay when Chandra Olson lost her both parents at the time their beautiful family story was at the best part because she got carried away with fame and at the end she paid the price by her stalker. Indeed, ignorance is expensive because at the end it will cost a lot more than having knowledge from the start.

b. Praise

When the praise on someone is too much the person tends to drown in it and forget that nothing last forever. I have seen so many people drown in hype and praise at the period when they are about to start shining their lights. When the stars starts shining on someone, everyone will see it but no one will see what comes with the stars. Chandra saw the Judge’s comments and her mother’s praises and felt that her future would be brighter than the sun. Of course, her future was brighter than the sun but she paid dearly for is that even all the money she made cannot buy back what she lost.

c. Silent messages

In everything we do in life, there are some silent messages that comes with our actions as either reactions or consequences that we should always pay attention to, it might come from people around us or the things that happens. We should always be observant. A friend of mine is a Manager of a company, often times he would call me that we should hand out after work and tell me some stuffs seeking my own view and how I would have reacted if I were in his position and sometimes he would ask me whether he has changed in his behavior. This is him being observant and always wanting to know whether what he is doing is right and good at the same time not reliant on his intelligence and fake friends around him. The things people around us think of us that we know almost nothing of but then we act as though everything is fine. From my observation, about 90% of Africans spend most of the time hating and judging and it is evident in our daily status whether polity, religion, economy and so on.

d. In the derby days

In the derby days, some people never find their way back home because they get carried away by the demanding mistress called fame. Fame is a demanding lover and it keeps demanding until the last day that the only way out is not to get into it in the first place. I can start mentioning a handful of teens that could not cope with the pressure and they drown in fame doing drugs and alcohol. When i was reading this book, i remembered a friend who at one stage growing up was very good in music along the line he was concerned about what people would think of him and his family’s religious life so he didn’t continue in music. Recent times he would tell me how he regretted not being a singer and had it been he would be living large and flying anywhere he wants to and at anytime. So I met with him and discussed some of the things fame bring and asked him whether he was willing to pay the price, he thought for a while and said he is happy and contented the way he is.

e. Attention seeker

When normal people become famous overnight, they can never ever go back to being normal and that is where the pressure comes. One can hardly walk out the front door without people taking pictures or one’s life not being monitored. This reminds me of the Italian footballer Mario Balotelli who at the earlier stage enjoyed the fame he had and the media hype and paparazzi, setting agenda for discuss even off football field and for his humorous comments on social media. I believe at some point he was tired of it all when his comments on social media soon turn news that his coach at AC Milan complained that the media are not allowing him focus on football. The question I asked myself was “why would the media allow him focus when he craves their attention?”

f. Reality

Reality isn’t reality for the famous. Reality to them is whatever segment their producers choose to air, whatever stories and photos are featured in magazines, whatever the managers asked them to say on interviews, fake friends around them, faking smiles at all time and avoiding the tabloids and everything about their public image because that the world that they live in. Good news does not sell so people in the media are always willing to go the extra mile to get any information about celebrities’ downfall so they can make money. I guess people didn’t understand the reason Zayn Malik quit his boyhood group “One Direction,” I could feel his relief of trying to live a normal life because they had no real friends, constantly on tour and hiding from press and fans that always wants more.

g. Philosophy of cheating

I was thinking that no matter how much a man loves a woman, when he gets the attention of another woman he tends to want to reciprocate the attention but then he shows his weakness, cares for her thereby doing what he is not suppose to do by cheating on the woman he loves. When it is all set and done he will realize what a big mistake he has done but didn’t want. There is always a cost to pay for every action and/or inaction.

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

These ideas and lessons will help me to observe the cost I will have to pay for any action or inaction that I would be involved in and warn any one not to drown in fame as it is a demanding lover because I have never conceived being famous.

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.

“Fame is an illusion. Yes, it is indeed an illusion because it promises a whole lot but then you pay a price that even when trying to trade one cannot get the same value for what has been lost.”

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, I totally agree with the author.

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

No, it does not.

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

The book is an eye opener as it reveals a shocking truth what so-call celebrities go through.

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

Journeys Out of Body

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is about the presence of another realm outside the physical that we humans do not pay attention to or that we are unaware of it. The author uses himself for an example and how it started for him and how scared he was initially when it first happened and how he felt it was weird to talk about it to some people who would not understand and how they would have perceived him to be crazy and recommend him to a Psychiatrist. The author also gave the happenings of every event that happened while he was away from the physical body and how he was able to remember all what he was engaged in.

i. Out of the body

Out of the body experience is something not everybody knows of or would want to try, it only happens to a few who pushes the limit but then sometimes the limit pushes back and that was the reason the author said that at first he was scared not to journey out of the body and not return. Facing the fact, prior to having a general knowledge of journey out of the body with no experience, suppose someone told me that on a previous night he had an experience of flying through the air over a large city which he soon recognized as Lagos. Suddenly he says that it was so real and that it wasn’t a dream but he was actually flying over Lagos. I would look at the person with surprise and start to think whether he is demented. But at first ignore him or think perhaps it was due to stress but if he persists about this reality I will assume he is crazy.

ii. Be smart

When an individual has experienced the journey out of the body, he is scared at first but on the other hand would want to share his experience with everyone around him so he could hear whether it was normal for him or her to have experienced that but people would not be on the same page with the person because the experience is a rare one an only happens to people who pushes the limit. But if he is smart enough he will quickly learn not to talk about his experiences because when he or she talks to many people about it they may worry about his or her mental state. I remembered sometime in 2013, when a friend read a book on consciousness he was so excited that everyone he meets he want to talk about enlightenment, meditation and how people have been so carried away by organized religion in the West but the more people he talked with the more people perceived him not to be mentally fine. He immediately adjusted his steps because his siblings were equally thinking the same.

iii. Your thought, your action

We are products of our thoughts, that is whatever we have thought about is what we really see ourselves doing. This means that every action has been pre-planned in our mind. For this reason, we should be careful of what we think about or set our mind to just like the law of attraction. If we constantly think on sex we would observe that the urge to indulge keeps coming. Mere thought is the force that supplies any need or desire and what we think is the matrix of our action, situation and position in this greater reality that is why i often suggest meditation to cleanse out negative thought from the mind and concentrate towards a rather positive thought that will bring positive energy to the body and thereby it will affect people around us.

iv. What are you hearing?

Time immemorial, we had no idea that sounds existed beyond the range of human hearing until we developed instruments to detect, measure and create sounds. Until comparatively recently, those who claimed they could hear what others could not hear were considered insane or persecuted as witches and sorcerers. Since we now have instruments most people have so much relied on these instruments and not having the knowledge of science in pre-technological era. Sometimes, we are too blind to observe but in this book i have learned that if one is blind in one eye, he or she should turn the head, and if one is blind in both eyes, then one should open the ears to listen.

v. Accepting a possibility

When listening to the word of God and the events in the bible, sometimes with doubts they seem untrue to us or then we wonder how might this occur, personally while growing up i never felt there is a possibility of someone staying without food for one day aside Jesus Christ in the bible, then i soon heard of people fasting even with awe i wonder how they could and as life unfolds I soon saw that i can equally stay one day without food. Similarly to the things we hear in the world today that seems unreal and untrue. So also does one have to accept the possibility, remote as it may seem to be experienced that one can act, think and exist without the restrictions of a physical body.

vi. Enigma

A long time ago, I was talking to someone who told me about his girlfriend back in the University. He visited her and while he was about to leave she asked him for 50naira but his transport fare from her house to his was 50naira and he only had 70naira, so he told her that he’d be willing to give her 20naira as his fare is 50naira but she was adamant and she told him that his fare today is 20naira that she wants to use the 50naira he couldn’t understand her as he felt she was teasing him at the end she refused the 20naira and he left with the 70naira. When he took a bike to his house he gave the bike man the usual 50naira that he has always been paying but the bike man told him he had no change, surprised, he asked the bike man how much was the fare and the bike man said 20naira. One of the greatest enigma of this whole affair is that someone or more than one has been helping us in our daily event and from time to time, we don’t know who these helpers are or why they help. Sometimes we don’t even see the help.

vii. Sub-consciousness

The presence of a second body is a subconscious state that happens when someone is asleep or unaware of his or her presence. I have read through meditation how someone can leave the presence of the physical body to a place of higher positive energy and it is a very interesting moment or event that i would also love to experience. Though, I have heard from a friend how it happened to him after he used Marijuana and how the experience thrilled him but ever since he has not gotten to that state.

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

These ideas and lessons in this book have broadened my perception of spirituality and give me more reason to accept other possibilities i might not have heard of. It has also made me know that though it might happen while one is unconscious but one can still remember things that occurred outside the physical just like in dreams.

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, there are no quotes in the book that got my attention.

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, I am clear and understand everything in the book.

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

Yes, it contained a practical guide to journey out of the body but i do not see the possibility of it without meditation as the author didn’t mention the practice of meditation in the book.

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

Not at all.

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

Hidden Messages in Water

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is the hidden messages in water as it is the title of the book itself, he tries to explain that water has some messages that we humans should pay a closer look towards and since water is a basic amenity to everyone then it equally has more usefulness than we perceive. He also advised the usage of words with water that when spoken kind words towards, water forms and respond positively and when harsh words are spoken water reacts negatively. He explained that using some images of water formation in crystals. The author however, further interpreted the messages as regards life and how harsh words are not to be used in our everyday lessons as it surrounds itself with negative vibration which is a level of frequency that only attract that which we do not want. Like attracts like and so does human vibrations attracts and interact, so, if we want the best for ourselves we have to attract positive things we want for ourselves through the usage of words in our every day event.

a. Curiosity

With the way things are today, troubles spots almost in all countries of the world and individual mysteries and plights, people are trying to work things out by knowing what is really happening. This in Africa is done by mostly those who visits traditionalist or like it is called in South Africa a Sangoma to tell them about their lives and in the some other religious parts of the world other methods are utilized like the Christians would ask their local Pastor for supplications and the Muslims would also speak to their Imam. People have started asking questions and trying to make sense of everything that is happening, people are looking for ways to make sense of this world of chaos that we find ourselves in.

The entire universe is in a state of vibration and each thing generates its own frequency. Every individual vibrates at a certain unique frequency and each of us has a sensory skill necessary to feel the vibrations of others. A person experiencing great sadness will emit a sadness frequency and someone who is always joyful and cheerful, living life fully will emit a corresponding frequency. One cannot hang out with negative people and expect a to live a positive life. A person who loves others will send out a frequency of love but from a person who acts out evil will come a dark and evil frequency. This same principle applies to objects and locations although in Africa we are not that observant to know places that have certain positive vibrations but most religious people that belong to certain denominations do visit the beach, or mountains to pray but I don’t know whether they equally know that the vibrations there are positive energy or perhaps they learned to do so from time to time, even things around us gives us different vibrations but we are not too observant to notice.

We often hear the saying that like attracts like, sometimes you might be meeting someone for the first time and then it would seem upon looking at the person it that you’ve met before or that interaction seem easy flowing without forcing words out there is proper placement or usage. Whenever i hear the teachings of Jesus or Buddha I imagine the compassion and simplicity of life and the level of vibration they emit. Being around such people would affect someone’s frequency of vibration positively. Like the woman with the issue of blood in the bible that believed that if she could only touch Jesus she would be healed and she did. People all over the world are often attracted to people with high level of frequency vibration.

When someone with a frequency-level capability of 10 marries another with a frequency-level capability of 2 would be a catastrophic union in the sense that they are both not on the same frequency level. It would be like a relay of a horse and a cat. Surely one would be way forward but then the one at the back would keep dragging the one at the front backward. The Bible says if your left hand would drag you to sin cut it off, it simply means when someone around you keeps dragging you backward let the person go. Life is an individual race even though we try in as much as possible to help those that are down, to comfort the sick or downtrodden.

Humans have the dominion over everything in the world, but how we use this gift is up to us. We are the only creatures that have the capacity to resonate with all other creatures and objects found in nature. We can speak with all that exist in the universe, we can give out energy to everything around us and so also can we receive energy in return. However, when people act out on their own greed and ego, they emit an energy that serves to destroy the harmony within nature. Thus, the world is held to ransom by this greed, which is a by-product of ego. Until the fleck of ego and illusion is removed from our eyes we might not know peace. Take away ego and the world would be an angelic realm.

Feed your focus daily and starve your distraction is a way of achieving that which is desirable. When one’s attention is concentrated to a particular thing at a time he os she tends to achieve greatness at it in the meantime. However, to give positive or negative attention to somebody or something is a way of giving energy, in the sense that when you are angry at something your attention to every other thing at that particular time is the anger attention which is a negative energy. It is often advised not to taker a decision when one is angry because it would be a wrong decision due to the negative energy. The most damaging form of behavior is withholding your attention by not acting at all or not giving anything an attention. Most people in this level are recluse and are removed completely from the society because they don’t know where they fit.

While there is no one who does not have an evil bone in their body, there is also no one who is totally evil to the core. Sociologically speaking, being good or bad is only but an expression of a form from one ideal to another that really does not exist in reality. Lets take an armed robber for example, he robs the bank, made away with millions of naira, goes home to give his wife or girlfriend part of the money stolen. It is also like the

Chinese Yin and Yang.

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

These lessons and idea have given me a whole new view of water that i use everyday but have never appreciated the use of it, whether to drink, wash or bath. The first day i read some part of this book, i went to the kitchen got some water and was trying to understand some of the exercise explained in the book. I have also begun to show my gratitude and love to the element.

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, speak words of praise to people would make them healthy and feel alive.”

“The world trade organization stated that the twentieth century started with wars for oil, but that in the twenty first century we will see wars for water. This is so happening in Nigeria especially in Lagos right now that people are beginning to buy water thereby sand fill the space because they want their houses to be built by the water side.”

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?

Yes, some of the crystal photographs. I looked at them but was not clear with the actual crystal formation.

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?

Not at all.

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.

Yes, the experiments in this book teaches a whole new lesson of life and the perception of water and other elements like fire, earth and air.

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

Vital Factors

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is to being a leader or becoming that leader that one wants to be in a formal structure or settings in the sense that one should not just be there and making the decisions for others to work with but also listen to others and take their decisions seriously and keenly as regards getting the desirable for the company, one should not be egoistic but be humble as it is mentioned in the attributes of a leader. Also, one should set a personal goal and operational goals for the organization whilst working towards the business plan that is already written but one should be smart enough to know when to take advantage of other opportunities that appear along the line as it will always appear. Lastly, the book also indirectly convey the message of informality in a formal organization that it shouldn’t always be a tom to bottom approach but also bottom to top as far it meets the goals of the organization, humor should be encouraged to give a level playing ground for everyone and bring harmony within the organization of every member staff using the MAP tool.

It is easier to direct people on what to do but it is better to do what you want them to do by simply showing them what you are doing and then they will follow suit. Once a leader is doing something he or she does not have to tell the followers or other members of the same group to do the same but by default they will do. Showing people what to do is always more effective then telling them what to do, especially when it comes to teaching the skills of leadership and communication. One will often hear leaders saying do not do as I say because I might be wrong but do as I do when you are not correct by mere looking you will correct yourself.

In the awakening process, the very first step is to see clearly one’s strength and weakness as a leader or manager and seek feedback from people around whether colleagues or friends as to what is one’s strength and weakness, this is because the view of one on his or her self might be egoistic and could be a contrast with other people’s view. So it is better to ask people what they feel are your strength and weakness. I have friends that I do ask what they feel are my strengths and weaknesses and they most times ask me what I feel are theirs. Mostly I would have to write them now and what I feel they should work on as regards their job descriptions so they can use that to create their personal development plan and to maximize their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. The only problem I see with this is that most people do not set everyday goals but everyday plans, inclusively, myself.

Quitters never win and winners never quit. Although, quitting is not easy because there is fear, fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of not being appreciative that over a million people crave for this opportunity that he or she has, fear that his or her family members might think he or she is going demented for quitting such a wonderful opportunity. One of my friends work with an international company and often times I have heard him talk about owing a business, wonderful ideas and the feasibility is so strong and powerful that the ideas would thrive in few years, he has his business plan well-written and structured but he has the fear of the unknown and the fear of no steady income to cater for his little needs. Sometimes he tells me that he looks at himself and feels that he is not doing the right thing but the fear of quitting this job is so powerful in him and that he envy people that have conquered such fear. My advice to him has always been that fear is healthy, it is good to spell out what one is fearful of, acknowledge the fear and write out the advantages and disadvantages, whichever overwhelms the other, he should follow.

Good oral communication or memory is not just enough to every thought or idea and at every time, it is good to write down goals, ideas, events or thoughts as they come through because when it is written it is likely to come through. I have had several wonderful ideas forgotten all because they were not written down. Talk is cheap, spoken goals are often intentions, for example there were three birds on a tree, one of the birds decided to fly, how many birds are left on the three? The first time I saw this question I replied “two”, but there are still three birds on the tree because the bird only decided to fly but has not and might not fly. The same it is with spoken intentions. So, it is good to always write down the goals, mission and vision statement. The mission is the purpose and the vision is where one intends to go.

Identify companies that would afford someone the opportunity to grow and express one’s liberty and knowledge. Some companies would hire and set the employee up for success, back the person up with support team. But some wont do all that, what they will set are guided rules and regulations as to the dos and the don’ts, set on the job training hoping one would learn through mistakes and some employers do not even have the patience for so many mistakes. So one should be smart enough to fix himself or herself in such organizations. I read about someone who was working with a firm and doing something entirely new, so they created a new department but nobody to understudy what he does and how he does his work and his statement was that he does not think he can grow in such firm because they only want him to continue doing what he can do and what he does.

Keeping in mind that there is no shortcut to success, the road to success is usually rough long and requires, patience, consistency, focus and determination. Profound change does not come from a quick fix; it comes from a long-term process of growth and maturity. As Robert Mondovi tells us that the finest grapes and wines comes from older vines, the ones with roots that are strong and deep and rich in character. I wonder what success is to some people though because success could be a relative term, and the risky crossing of the Mediterranean sea to Europe by some Africans come to mind. When one thinks of this gruesome event one wonders what the definition of success is to them.

We have all had teachers or coaches who have had an important impact on our lives; there is no point for us to betray the knowledge given to us by these teachers or leaders. It is left to us to ask ourselves whether we are good teachers in terms of helping others. Recently in one of my French language classes we were given a class work but because I had no pencil I could not do the work, the teacher asked and I told her I don’t have a pencil she asked me to use my pen and that the book is mine. So I told her that I would have to pass the book on to someone else and using a pen won’t be good, the whole class were surprised as most of them felt it is their books and they are free to do as will.

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

These ideas and lessons will help me to be an effective and efficient leader in whether formal or informal organization and be fair to everyone being given the same responsibilities. For example I will not have to judge the actions of people in their daily event as I do not know the choices they have had to choose from.

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, find yourself an experience coach and mentor. It is very good to have someone that would be the guide as to what someone does.”

Presently, I am a mentor to one of the students that participated in the Secondary School Leadership Initiative who is admitted to study Sociology in the University and when I was given the responsibility I didn’t think it twice because I knew how difficult it was for me and would not want another person to have to go through the rigorous reading and not understanding method. As a leader one has to empower his people to help them grow.

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, I understand and I am clear with everything explained.

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?

None at all.

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

No.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8

White Mask, Black Skin

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The author is trying to convey the message of how blacks feel less inferior to the white and in his book a explains the disparities in different stories as regards people from Martinican republic and the French, and how they interact upon the arrival of the citizens from France and how they see less of themselves which is the people that are in the republic because they have gotten a rather new identity. It therefore encourages the phenomenological theory that is of the opinion that our daily event is a process of revealing oneself however there are equally some subjective people who didn’t have white mask but with black skin.

i. Language possession

In Nigeria, we have about 500 languages and to us due to the large number of people and this ethnic languages it has made us a power hold in the African continent. When a man possesses a language, he possesses an indirect consequence the world expressed and implied by this language and this is due to the fact that languages break barriers. During my youth service, I was to serve in Kwara state in the north central of Nigeria. Even though I look like an Igbo, a south easterner, I speak Yoruba, south west language which is their identity and Hausa the northern language and identity but I am from the south southern part of Nigeria. Wherever I find myself people find it difficult to place my identity due to the diverse language knowledge. It is very extraordinary and I often place myself first as a Nigerian before anything so has to balance any form of prejudice.

ii. “R” factor

English is a lazy language for those who understand other foreign languages in the sense that it has just one gender and one often pronounces a word as it is written except in some cases where a particular letter could be silent. Letter “R” is often a problem to those who are not English speakers because it is pronounced “AR” in English and “ER” in most foreign languages. This is fault that I also have and I am often made caricature of whenever I pronounce any word that has “R” at a time I found it insulting but then I grew over it. But during my German language classes I saw how my “R” blended and my pronunciation in German was very good compare to people who do not have the “R” fault in English. In the book, I read how black people upon their return to Matinican republic swallows the “R” like the French that they make every effort to roll their tongues and also to make them stand out.

iii. New identity

It is very hard to see an individual that has travelled to a developed western country that will not come back with a new identity, this is because of the new life they have seen, talk less about the infrastructural development that must have been witnessed. Sometimes they even lose their culture like the case of a returnee in the book, as soon as he sets foot on the island, asserts himself; he answers only in French and often no longer understands Creole. On seeing a plough, he asks his father “what’s that thing called?” His father dropped the plough on his foot and his amnesia disappeared. I guess that was a good way to remind some of them, the returnee no longer understands Creole; assumes critical attitude towards his fellow islanders, reacts differently at the slightest pretext. Equally, I have seen Europeans who visits underdeveloped countries but adjust in a certain way but still react to certain things that they feel is abnormal. Lets also take someone that has been to places like New York, Tokyo, Berlin and some other developed countries and he or she is visiting Lagos and Africa for the first time and immediately he or she looks around in search of hi-rise buildings because he or she is used to things like that.

iv. Thinking there should be a flaw

One day I was speaking to a friend and he told me about his aunt who studied Medicine in the USA, that upon seeing her as a new student every of her classmate was surprised that a woman of color would be taking that science and then wondered how competent she would be. It is like every man of color is not equals to the task and I guess that is because our continent has not developed to the extent that would make the rest of the world see our human psychology development and then would not expect flaws. In the book, I got to understand that when a person who speaks to a man of color does not see that there is a flaw or a defect in his behavior has not paused to reflect.

v. Act up

I have often heard certain friends talk about how home sick they were and how much they have missed eating Nigerian food but immediately they step into Nigeria and at the airport they start expressing displeasure that it is too hot, the dust is too much, everywhere is so dirty, the way you speak your English is so bad, the process of the food is bad and so many others. Then one wonders whether the complainer was not part of the people he is complaining about. Well, I understand the fact that they have gone to a developed society and see the way things are organized and they expect that one day it could be the same in Africa. If they say, I am so happy to be back among you and the next minute they are complaining that it is so hot in the place, I am not sure I can put up with this heat, I think one should understand where they were coming from.

vi. Carefree attitude

When one is faced I with a challenge as important as the possibility of mutual understanding between two people, one should be very careful but when the problem is something one cannot do anything about, one should take it as it comes. Someone has just died, what can I do about it? Nothing, then no amount of cry can bring the person back to life. But when a returnee comes back from a developed country and sees something that is abnormal, he or she should be able to correct the wrong and not act irritated and give a carefree attitude. There is absolutely no point to complain when he or she can fix the problem and that is the reason Africa is underdeveloped. Because our Africans in the Diaspora feels less concerned about our polity but presently they are beginning to see reasons they should come so we can all create a continent we envision.

vii. Irrational action

To us the blacks, most of the things we do and say are on the basis of irrational action which is based on our emotions and feelings. We spend most of our time talking about other people, envying them and for nothing cursing them if not hoping for their downfall. And then on the other hand, we are against another race doing the same to us as termed as racism. I believe blacks calls blacks nigger more than white calls black nigger. If the word nigger is thrown by a white is racism but then what is termed when it is from a black to his fellow black?

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

These ideas have helped me understand not to judge those who see us as inferior race and backward, I do not blame them because they have not known the right thing to do, because to them what they have done is right, they are rather unfortunate. I have also learned that it is our action or inaction that brings us to the state in which we are presently.

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.

Not really.

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, there is none.

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

No, it does not.

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.

Yes, the title itself. White mask, black skin. I hope one day, we will accept who we are for how beautiful we are made. Unfortunately I am not a radical.

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? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8

Black Boy

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is narrating the ordeal of an African-American while growing up in the USA in the early 20th century, how they lived in terror, fear, degradation and a life of mental and physical slavery in some parts of the country and the dreams of moving north to earn a worthy living and make up a family, where they can live peacefully and see themselves as equal to white Americans. Live the life they dream of wearing good clothes, studying, working and earning good pay thereby becoming financially independent and a life free from mental solitude and slavery. Although, the book gives a total insight of the author’s life from southern misery to northern hope for better life but the autobiography represents a life of a typical average African-American which one could fathom with the recent happenings in the States.

a. Clear conscience

The saying that clear conscience fears no accusation also goes with the fact that clear conscience should have no fear for either spiritual attack of fear of the unknown. Why should I be scared of darkness when I know for sure that darkness is simply the absence of light or what would I say is the fear of blind people that have never seen light or the reflection of light itself? Why should I be scared of a Police Officer when I am not an outlaw? Sometimes when I see people running away from Police Officers I wonder why it is so, but I have heard of Police harassment and brutal handling of cases, I have soon seen the gross and enormous involvement of people who are supposed to be mechanisms and state apparatus to serve and protect citizens being the co-agents of corruption and crime. In the recent Xenophobia attack in South Africa, Police Officers looked away while people where looting and causing panic then I understand that they are only but part of the society. Thus, even a clear conscience with a clear motive must fear for his or her life.

b. The difficult learning process

Learning is a lifelong process that one is involved from the beginning of his or her life till the end. However, there should always be a guide to shape ones learning like I should have someone to ask anything I have learned but in this part of our world, it was not as easy for children to ask parents as the child is regarded as a talkative or to be too rude. We learn simply by emulating what our elders are doing. Sometime ago, I was with a family with two children while the elder sister was eating the younger brother was eating too but as soon as the sister said she was fool the younger child also stopped eating, a friend of mine who was also observing told the mother that although you have two children but correct the elder one and the younger one would emulate, and for every wrong the elder child does be ready that the younger child would do the same. This is typical to average African children who have to solve their school works themselves, think on what has been learned themselves and be independent especially in Nigeria with the exception of private schools of recent. I was a victim of this learning process and at a very young age, I saw more than I could understand watching TV, and I heard more than I could remember.

c. What I said was not what I meant

In continuation of the learning process, since I saw more than I could understand there was liberty to use words even when I didn’t really understand the actual meaning especially in other languages I learned. Pidgin English was the first language I knew then after I knew English but as I was growing up I learned other indigenous languages. At one time, when I was much younger, I was at a neighbor’s house with lots of grownups and we were all speaking Yoruba and this means that I was not allowed to call anyone by name but to be respectful by adding “brother” before the name. One of the elderly guys in the room was searching for a pair of his shoes and I wanted to tell him “that this is it”, I soon said “didn’t you see it” immediately I received a very good correctional slap on my face but another person that understood my difficulty in the learning process told the one that had slapped me that I didn’t intend to be disrespectful but I was only learning the new language.

d. Locomotion and its effects on one’s life

I am so glad that I didn’t have to move from one place to another which invariably means the change of home, school, friends, environment and the learning of the new life, making friends all over and the competence in school standard. All this was as a result of the disapproval of my mother because she didn’t see any good in moving from a place where one has enjoyed the good beginning of life. Although the only time I had to move away from Lagos was to study and during my compulsory one year youth service. It is very good to plan well and understand the grounds of moving and unable to do so one misses the chance of being contented. The goal is not to be better than the other man but to be better than the old self.

e. The word “religion”

We should not believe something just because a so-called religious person said it but we should learn to inquire and search our hearts through the act of meditation, is it right, is it good, it is to the beneficial of man, and so on. Religion is an issue that is so sensitive in the world and instead of bringing peace and harmony has caused war, violence and gives a very strong negative memory. To Karl Marx it is the opium of the masses as it breeds dogma and in recent times one can deduce that its precipitation of divides amongst people. Therefore, the word religion should be scrapped from English dictionary and people should start seeing themselves as humans above every other thing.

f. Speaking broken English

Sometimes seeing the television I hear Africans-Americans still speaking some kind of colonial English then I wonder whether it is a normal for them now or they fancy their kind of English. In the book the author wrote how some of them spoke in the early 20th century but we still hear them speak the same way, like saying “you was there when I came”. Sometimes it is hard to believe that not every American can read and write after they must have spoken all the English to an African and then the African wonders when he would be able to speak like such with so much intimidation.

g. Deeper life

Most times, I wish that African leaders could live and be compassionate about the welfare of the people, be thoughtlessly and serenely like the leaders of developed societies and not be greedy. Deeper reflection explains that Africans are suffering without even realizing it and what other ill could be as dangerous as that? Every day we see hundreds of people hoping to go through Mediterranean sea in search for good life because to them that is the only hope left for good life.

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 in the book are real practical lessons that one faces in everyday event not just even in America but in Africa. I understand through reading that most blacks suffered really hard in the 19th and 20th century but we are still suffering in the hands of our so called leaders, who are greedy and are only concerned about their welfare. So the ideas give me the notion to endure and to do the little I can do to help my people in whichever capacity I can. For example, the only time i ever stayed in a rural area was during my one year national youth service and I practically lived in a way i never thought of in the community whereas the local government chairman stays in a city. How can the leader of a community live outside and away from his own people? This only happens in Africa.

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, there are no quotes from the book.

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, I understand everything i have read in the book

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

No, the book contains no exercises.

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

No, there is no comment,

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

Gifted Hands

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in this book is to encourage and inspire other people with his own life experiences and to change people’s thinking of whether they cannot be intelligent or be what they want due to their family status or their perceived self. The author through his life experiences tries to tell every reader that there is a drop greatness in everyone all one has to do is to pursue excellence in all one does. Like one of the sayings of HH Dalai Lama, when the student is ready the teacher is ready. So it is up to one who wants to achieve greatness to be ready and everything one seeks is right in front of us.

a. The joy of having a mother

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my mother, my co-creator, a priceless being, someone that has help made certain decisions in my life, at a time when I didn’t know which path to take she stood and directed me, the time I equally knew the part to take but was limited she soon stood and gave me the resources to go the part, such that today when I remember I only see tears dropping from my eyes. She was, is and always will be.

b. Mothers actions for their children.

It had never occurred to me that anyone could make change anything when school authorities made their decisions when I was in primary school but my mum did. Every mother believes to have what is best for their child and my mother was no exception. After my primary school, I was transferred to a high school of both male and female and when I got home with my transfer letter my mother looked at it and said that there was no way I would go to a mixed high school instead she wanted I attend an all-boys high school, I didn’t know what her reasons was/were but that day she followed me back to my primary school and asked my teacher what could be done to change the school and that was how I had another six years of my life in an all-boys high school. Today I don’t want to believe what think her reason was is true but if it is…I am grateful to her.

c. The inner self

What is inside counts the most; anybody can dress up on the outside and be dead inside. Sometime ago, I was in a tricycle and it was raining and then a young man entered the tricycle but he was wet sitting by my side. I didn’t want to seem heartless by telling him not to wet me instead I adjusted a bit so there could be space between us but as soon as I adjusted he adjusted as well coming closer to me and I was a bit upset then the tricycle rider who knew why the young man was wet sympathized with him and for us that didn’t know what had happened the young man then narrated how there was a stand-still of vehicles while it was raining and he had to go down from the vehicle he was to help control the traffic and ensure free-flow. At that point I said in my mind, here is a leader and I soon didn’t bother whether he was getting me wet but to praise him of the wonderful job he did.

d. Emit frequency

Life in itself is neither fair nor unfair but a mirror of our actions and inactions, we are encouraged to always emit our own frequency instead of absorbing the frequencies around us. When we do this we will always and at all times get what we want by so doing not crave for material things and not attached to anything. This is something I just learned and most of the time I tend to take charge of certain situations and not being dragged by the frequencies of others and what I do mostly I prepare my mind everyday that I would not use negative words or pessimistic words, words of the lower mind but be affirmative.

e. Everyday has its own experience

Every day is a grace to correct it and get it right; it is a blessing and a miracle to wake up the next day and the next day, grace that not everybody gets. From our every day events, actions and inactions we are faced with series of test, all we have to do is be mindful and learn from everyday situation. When the student is ready the teacher is ready, also remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. Life is full of lessons, instead of wondering what one will learn tomorrow be mindful of today as tomorrow is not a guarantee.

f. There is a solution to every problem

Because we are humans, anger and foul moods are natural and normal part of life, but what is not natural are the problems and challenges we are subjected to face in our daily event. The challenges we see are as a result or our actions and inactions therefore can be corrected with proper mindfulness. In the midst of darkness light persist hence God is life and truth; He is love and supreme good. God won’t let me go into any situation he can’t get me out of. If I ask God for something, believing He will do it, He will do it.

g. Success

Successful people don’t have fewer problems, if one chooses to see the obstacles as though they are one of those bridges needed to be crossed, one can easily cross them. There is always a determination that nothing can stop me from moving forward in life though, to me success means going to bed at night with the knowledge that my skills and abilities are used in a way to constantly serve humanity. Of what usefulness are skills and abilities when not utilized to help people? A person who knows a lot but does not practice is like a shepherd who does not own any sheep but always looks after another’s flock.

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

These lessons will help me to be focus and determined towards my life goal and not be confused or distracted with the hurdles I have to leap over to reach it. It also gives me the idea not to belittle my skills and abilities, not to judge the outward appearance of someone but to understand what the person is going through and not to be concern about my outward appearance but what I have inside and what I have to offer others.

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, the quote is “for me to tell my story means beginning with tears.”

As soon as I read this, I closed my eyes to reflect on my life, where I was and when it seemed like the normal for me, how things soon changed and how receptive it was to accept the new normal. Gracefully.

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, I understand and I am clear with everything in the book.

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

No, it does not contain any exercise that needs to be completed.

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.

Yes, I will like to paraphrase the warm acknowledgement and personality that the author gave to his mother as every good mother deserves much more praise. My mother has a type A personality, hardworking, goal-oriented, driven to demand the best for her in any situation, refusing to settle for less. She’s highly intelligent, a woman who quickly grasps the overall significance rather than searching for details. She has a natural ability, an intuitive sense that enables her to perceive what should be done. Hardly a day goes by she was tired of doing too much for me. Thank you for the physical attributes and for everything.

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

Animal Farm

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is explaining the difference in methodological system of government and the politics involve before power changes hands, how politicians are able to maintain a status quo among the elites but give the majority a common hope which is false but only a propaganda for them to hold power and govern the way they like. Also, the author explains how the elites makes rule by themselves and they break the rules with exceptions that the rule is maintained with certain class. These were done in like-characters of animals and with every single event in the book I thought of where and how it has happened.

a. Life in a capitalist society

Being jobless is a big problem because one might have no source of income and that means one cannot afford to pay certain bills but then even having a job is a similar problem as one would have to worry about getting things done, scared of competition, waking early and sleeping early. Life is a race; our lives are miserable, laborious and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last tom of our strength and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty. So, what I do advice is to do what one loves or love what one does outside that…it is better to be miserably happy being jobless than to be furious having a terrible job without no emotional security.

b. Man is the sculptor and the marble

I was listening to a phone-in-program on the TV one day and a lady called in and she said she was older and still not married they presenter asked her how many guys was she seeing and she replied “2.” How would she be seeing 2 guys and complaining that she wasn’t married? She was her own problem. Man in our everyday event is the sculptor (attracting whatever he wants for himself or molding anything he wants to see) and the marble (everything we want is available for usage), what we make of ourselves would be our present situation. In the world today, there is hardly a continent that one would not hear of a natural disaster or human disaster but then we ask ourselves what can be the root cause of all these? Money can’t solve the present challenges in the world today.

c. Leadership and its many complexities

With the complexities involved in the role of a leader yet I wonder when I see people longing and dying to lead. Then one understands that it is not for the leadership role they are vying for but the grease involved in that position and other impunities that comes with it. When I was the president of Catholic Corp Members, I would envy those who didn’t know what sacrifices some people put in order for the association to move forward. Just like an exam, one reads and reads several nights burning candles and after the exam no one knows how many candles needed to be burnt before the result is out but people wants to see a good result. Leadership is not a pleasure, on the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility…I can say with the little experience I have.

d. Discipline

Discipline is one of the attributes that makes anyone successful, be it in anything one is involved in when the person has discipline it affects it. In Animal Farm, there was no discipline from bottom to top and from top to bottom and it was reflective at a point that the pig assumed the leadership position as a tyrant and the rest of the animal could not voice their opinion with the fear of the unknown. In any organization that there is discipline and a well spelled out rules and vision even without the presence of the leadership all other things would work for the good of the organization. It is by politeness (application of good manners towards others), character (doing the right thing at all time) and courage (exercising the ability to go the extra-mile come what may) that a society is saved from falling into a heap of savagery.

e. Lose vision

Every exemplary leader must have a vision and this vision must e shared and agreed by a reasonable majority, most of their actions and events would be guided by this said vision and deviating of any kind means that the goal would not be achieved. The president of Nigeria on his inaugural speech mentioned something that I was glad to hear and he said that in recent times Nigerian leaders appears to have misread the mission and the fathers worked on established standards of governance and that they might have differed in their methods but they were united, however, some of their successors behaved like spoilt children breaking everything and bringing disorder to the house. The vision of the fathers was sold to greed, tribalism and corruption. Sometimes when I think of some of the practices of recent times and I wonder whether people really know the rationale behind it, for example, I do not think most people walking on barefoot know the rationale of such act and I guess its because there was no proper link of extension so most of their vision was lost and even Christianity today. The real practice is lost to modernization.

f. Equality

Regardless of the fact that I am not for the legalization of single sex marriage does not mean I am against it, I sometimes see myself lock jaw and frown when I hear of such but I remind myself of the philosophy of Mark Twain that when you find yourself agreeing with the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. I asked a friend sometime ago that what is really wrong with same sex marriage he said that the bible is against it and so it is wrong, then I asked whether the bible is not against adultery and fornication he said the bible is, but do people engage in them? Presently we are quick to identify divides, stereotyping and scape-goating whereas we are also guilty of same. All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others, they are not equal because they created the divides but in the real sense they are all equal.

g. Elite rule

In every society, there is always the presence of a small group within the state or other organization which has a disproportionate power over important decisions. This group might be powerful in terms of finance or economically gifted but they control power and make decisions that do not affect them but the ordinary people. The funny thing is that they seem to represent the interest of the people but on a closer look, they do not. Sometime in the northern part of Nigeria, when sharia law was introduced, it was said that they frown against alcohol and some of the northern leaders were in support of it but in the real sense they mostly had foreign brandy in their houses which made some common people to voice their opinion and rebelled against.

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

These ideas have helped me to always identify the class of people at the helm of affairs before I involve myself in the group because I have conscience and I want to a member as much as I would want to be led. It has also helped me not to gulp all information I must have heard but to be perceptive in my own understanding as all that glitters aren’t gold.

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

“God had given him a tail to keep the flies off, but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies.”

True, there is always a solution to every posing challenge.

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, I am clear and I do understand everything read in the book.

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

No, the book does not contain any exercise.

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.

Not at all.

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

The Republic

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in this book is inference, deriving logical conclusions from premises known or assumed to be true and this was done through discussions with other people making it dramatic and intriguing. From the premises drawn in the book one can see in our present society how it has affected our lives as it is a mental process of reasonable conclusions.

a. Conversing with the aged

The more the pleasure of the body fades away, the greater to me is the pleasure and charm of conversation, amongst all things i equally like conversing with the aged for i regard them as travelers who have gone a journey which i too may have to go and of whom I ought to inquire whether the way is smooth and easy, or rugged and different. Whenever I read anything about the second world war I quickly remember a sentence from a story I was told by an old man who is late now, at the time I was told the story he was 93years old and he said “Emmanuel, in 1939 Warsaw Sawwar.” I son ran to him anytime I wanted to hear about his life journey and he was filled with lots of stories to tell.

b. Distinct perception

A dog distinguishes the face of a friend and of an enemy only by criterion of knowing and not knowing. Whenever he sees a stranger, he is angry and when he sees an acquaintance he welcomes him, although the one has never done him any harm or the other any good. I visited a friend and his dog welcomed me without any back even though he was seeing me for the first time and then not too long another person came to the compound and the dog started backing and was furious running up and down as if the person had done something to him and when I asked my friend he told me that dogs have a way of smelling someone from afar and they know who is a potential friend and on the other hand who can pose a threat.

c. God the creator

Christians would say that God is the creator of all things but God is not the author of all things as many asserts but he is the creator of a few things only, for few are good to human life and many are evil. The good of the world is attributed to God alone and the evil are to be sought elsewhere. God is the creator of light and not darkness but darkness is the absence of light in the sense that even a little candle can bright up a room, a flash light can shine from a distance and even light rays can travel as far above and beyond but the absence of it all is light which was what God created. Meanwhile when i say light i do not mean light invented by Thomas Edison but sunlight created by God. Another premise is when an individual has stressed himself thereby having headache attributes the headache to be God’s making is wrong but he soon had pain killers and the headache is gone. If it was God’s making would the headache leave? So it is with the religious, ethnic, state’s show of power in the world today and how it has bedeviled our societies that the memories of the ills would linger in the hearts of those who where not part of the problems like in the case of Israel and Palestine. God does not create evil.

d. Light (sight)

The sense of sight that is the eye is most like the sun, the sun is not sight but the author of sight. The sight when a person directs them towards objects on which the light of the day is no longer shining, the person sees nothing, and is nearly blind. He or she seems to have no cleanliness of vision but when the sight is directed towards object on which the sun shines and the moon and stars, the person sees clearly. Thus, even with the sense of sight, we still need light to be able to see. However, there is a sense that we usually don’t acknowledge but rely solely of the sense of sight to see, which is in our mind. With our mind, we don’t require the light to see and we would see even beyond what the eyes sees. I was talking to my brother and he told me of an incident that happened, and that he was talking to a bling lady and suddenly the power went off since he was with a torchlight he quickly switched it on and told the lady that the light is towards the staircase for her to follow but she told him that she does not need the light, then he realized that he was the one that needed the light and she was relying on her mind to see.

e. The beginning and the end

I was thinking that I had made an end of the discussion but the end in truth proved to be only a beginning. Sometimes one may reach the end of what seemed a long and fruitless journey and believes that it is the end but is actually the beginning of a new journey. I might think being reach would be the end of the journey of suffering, pain and sleepless nights but becoming rich would still be the beginning of sleepless nights, torture and pains. Its like seeing a movie, at the end of the movie it writes the end but the end of the movie is the beginning of the scenes in the person’s mind who has seen the movie. I was talking to a friend and he told me how reading the local newspapers had made him resent people from a particular region in Nigeria and their hatred as fetched them nothing but backwardness. Reading the local newspapers was the end but a new beginning was the hatred.

f. Calm is cool

Calm is the new cool, he who is of a calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age. But to him who is of an opposite disposition youth age is equally a burden. Be still at all times in thoughtfulness and mindfulness that even at difficult situations you find yourself smiling. The bible says be still and know that i am God.

g. Opinions

Philosophy should not be repeating the opinions of others and never telling his own. Anyone does not have the right to speak that which he does not know but he may say what he thinks as a matter of opinion. This might be a belief that rests its onus on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty. There is a song i love listening to, sang by one of the son’s of Bob Marley and in it he said he read books, asked questions in search of the truth but all answers he got he wasn’t satisfied until he searched his mind. It doesn’t matter what people might have said but what matters most is one’s own opinion.

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

These ideas and lessons will help in my daily life event to always reason beyond common comprehension in consideration and fairness to all humans, it will make me be a good listener and also someone that is available to ask the right questions in order to get the right answers. As it is said, he who ask questions is only a fool for a minute but he who keeps quiet is a fool for a lifetime.

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, the soul is like the eye; when resting on which the truth and being shine, the soul perceives and understands and is radiant with intelligence but when turned towards the twilight of becoming and perishing the it has opinion only and goes blinking about.

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, I am clear with everything and understand them.

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?

Not at all.

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.

Yes, and it is. One must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs for their souls are ever hastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell, which desire of theirs is very natural.

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

Character is Destiny

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is identifying special virtues and attaching them to people that have lived with such virtues and how their destinies were tied to those virtues. In a true light, these virtues are the mental and moral qualities that are distinctive to these individuals mentioned. I have in many ways admired some of the people mentioned in the book and I have equally leaned of some I never had the opportunity to read about until now. This means that I admire them and appreciates their quota to the human development and through which the author has used to encourage concerned people like myself.

a. The Truth

According to Gandhi, many people, especially ignorant people would want to punish you for speaking the truth, for being correct, for being you. Never apologize for being correct or for being years ahead of your time, if you are right and you know it, speak your mind. Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is still the truth. It is very true that change is constant but the truth is something that does not change and knows no bound. I really enjoy this advice; to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou cannot then be false to any man. In other words, being true to our conscience, being honest and sincere with ourselves, will determine the character of our relations with others.

b. Positive or negative reaction

To every action there is a reaction that is either positive or negative depending on the circumstance that the action is through and knowing that circumstances on its own reveals us to ourselves, therefore, it is pertinent for us to react in a positive way reflecting our hidden virtues. The life of Gandhi is a true reflection of positive reaction, from a young shy boy who became a lawyer and could barely opened his mouth in court on his first case in court but later became a world reckon for self-respect, a lifelong campaign for justice in all continent based on true justice, on respect for the natural rights and dignity of all human beings. This hidden virtue was exposed due to subjugations and abuse whether directly or indirectly he faced in India which was inherently not much and it was normal being born in a Caste system, studying in the UK due to him being a Vegan and the height of abuse in South Africa. So he was compelled to react but he reacted in a rather shocking and non-violent way.

c. Man’s purpose

Those who abandoned hope, even those who were in better physical shape than others, perished because they expected something from life and when life gave them nothing but cruelty, they gave up. To be able to learn from one bad decision than all the good decisions one has ever made, one has to have a why to live for and should be able to bear with almost anything. When one has a purpose in life, he does not even struggle to achieve it because the vision is there and he is sure to achieve it, be it to love or to share. Mother Teresa was not the richest woman on earth but the little she had she shared from her heart, with love and compassion.

d. Courage to stand firm

Some days ago, I and a friend had a conversation telling us what our virtues are, he told me that he envies something which is the virtue to always want to help and that it is rare in our today’s world. That aside, I so much envy his courage and there are some things he does and even dares to do or say that sometimes I wonder whether I could reach that height with so much courage and confidence. Sometimes I feel it’s a show of pride but then I realized that it is not as far as he was always ready for the consequences. When we talked about some of his courageous vision, he often asked me if he does that, what would he gain or what would he lose? Courage display means that one have to be prepared at all times for the consequences of his or her actions, the good and the bad if one is truly to be his or her own man or woman.

e. Togetherness as one

The whole is more than the sum of its parts, this I have learned practically and theoretically. There is a constant need for interconnectedness and harmonious effort for there to be an effective work. An engine is the most important compartment of a car, vital for the car’s locomotion and every other function it is built for but what good is an engine of a car without a wheel? This methodology has been proven to be the best in every facet of life that a tree does not make a forest and in building team work. Last year world cup final between Germany and Argentina, despite Argentina having the best attackers in world any team would wish for and they lost to a discipline and united team without any special name or recognition.

f. A leader and his/her followers

A leader is only but a single entity without his or her followers, for without the legs, the head cannot move from one place to another but it is only monstrous for the feet to direct the head. At the time I was tipped that I was going to be the President of National Association of Catholic Corp members, I was against it not because I lack the ability of competence but because I know how sensitive religion is and how it affairs can be politicized. I was not ready for religious propaganda or even shenanigans especially when it involved church funds. So, I spoke to my predecessor about it and the first thing he mentioned was the people around me and how he felt they would support me in whatever capacity I choose and after much were said I soon accepted.

g. Choices given

On any given Sunday when one is given choices, one should understand the motive behind each of the choices given and that is what makes ordinary leaders great. To be able to learn and understand from experiences and bad decisions, then take the most difficult of all choices but the best. When Germany gave Britain choices of war or peace not to involve in the war, Britain chose not to interfere but soon saw Germany going against the agreement. But before then, Churchill already told the Prime Minister that he was given the choice between war and dishonor and he chose dishonor but he would get war and they did.

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?

Yes, these lessons in this book will help me practically to understand the virtues and how they characterized by people whether mentioned in this book or not. For example the resilience of Abraham Lincoln stands in the sand of time and arguably can be referred to as the father-resilience. To the present moment shared by the President of my beloved country, reminds me that it seems impossible until it is done, winners never quit. I must also comment that I have learned greatly from all the virtues now it is up to me to display my own character and live my own destiny.

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.

“Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser, teach a just man and he will increase in learning.”

This reminds me of Nelson Mandela, how he was transformed from being aggressive and rebel to a wise, just and forgiven man. I used to think that no man can live in isolation but I soon understand that the wise people prefer silence and isolating life because it gives time to reflect and meditate on the truth and in generality LIFE.

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?

Well, not that I disagree per se but the author mentioned that the one thing no man can take away from another is dignity. I believe no man can take away any virtue of another man unless given that he does not possess the virtue. Having read extra ordinary stories of men that their characters shaped their destiny makes it clear.

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

No, there were no exercises.

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

Reading this book is like seeing the beauty of a lotus flower growing in muddy water. Despite all the social ills in the world there are people with good intentions; feeling good to know about a few.

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

Losing my Virginity

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in his book writing about his life as simple and straight forward, not using too many English to confuse the reader whilst motivating the reader to break barriers and be whoever he or she wants to be. The book thus make one feel as though he is meeting the author and the author thus tell the reader what he did at some point, smiling and laughing and his pragmatic approach in business asks the question of, so, I am here, what next? This question has made him not to relax but to dare himself to taking certain risks other people would have been crucified for. He is audacious and to him, every chance is an opportunity to have fun, indirectly making money which has brought him far, becoming a friend to almost everybody in the world and there is rarely a country he has not contacted for one thing or the other.

a. Power of the tongue

The tongue is very powerful in the sense that it does not just say something without the brain recognizing certain facts and based on the actions and abilities of one person. The congratulatory message given to Richard by his Principal was that he predicted that Richard would either go to prison or become a millionaire. I guess Richard held onto the latter rather than the former even though had some point the former had happened to him. Today it is like a prophecy in his life, having being to prison he still became, not just a millionaire but billionaire. A friend once told him how he was while growing up and his mother would worry and scream with the fear of how he would turn when he grows older but one day they had a visitor and when he came home the mother started her usual antics and the visitor calmed her down to tell her not to worry about her son, and that he would grow to become a great person. He held that word “being great” and today he is striving to become the great person the person saw in him.

b. Business and fun

A business has to be involving, it has to be fun and it has to exercise one’s creative instincts. Richard honestly said that he had never gone into any business purely with the heart to make money and that if money was the sole motive the he believed one is better off not doing it. I had once tried to start a mobile phone business too, while I was in the University but my sole aim was to make money and the first mobile phone I was to sell to a friend turned my idea down because he pleaded that he did not have money at that point but needed the mobile phone to reach his parents. I could not be a barrier to him and his parents and I instead let him have the mobile phone for that reason that money was forgone and I thought if I continued there would be another occurrence which I was not ready and my sole aim being in that environment was to study.

c. Survival of the fittest

Starting a big business at one point is to do anything to survive, thereafter do illegal things to keep the business floating and make some money for balance. The whole business thing is a game to the business owners, playing with people’s lives in order to make money, stepping on toes and having the world under their foot. Sometimes I feel entrepreneurs are heartless, not the little ones trying trying to solve societal problems but the big capitalists who control mode and means of production. One time, when I was working in a bank and one of my colleagues was sick our boss asked him to go home and that if anything happens to him the bank would open the next day and that business would go on as usual.

d. Business is in practical and not in theory

Generally, business success can no be defined because it cannot be taught as if it were a recipe. There aren’t ingredients and techniques that will guarantee success. Parameters exist if followed will ensure a business can continue but one cannot clearly define the behavior of success and the bottle it as one would a perfume. It is not that simple; to be successful one has to be out there , has to hit the ground running and with a good team around more than a fair share of luck, one might make something happen but there is no guarantee to that by just following someone else’s formula. I have learnt this from people who had been to business schools and had seen professors who had no practical experience of business teach business and then one ask himself why do they teach business and are not billionaires themselves?

e. Success and failure

There is a thin line between success and failure; though survival is the key priority in everything not just business. It is almost impossible for anyone to start a business without financial backing to succeed, businesses had come and gone, businesses had come to stay because of the motive, mission, team and services they render. The business life itself is a race, just when one thinks one is at the finish line and wants to start celebrating one would see other competitors struggling to get past them. It is a continual race from the beginning but to have no end or of the business or entrepreneur. It reminded me of the book “who moved my cheese” and how there is no safe haven in business. Today might be the best day that the business might just make a fortune and tomorrow is another day entirely for the business to crash which competitors would be very happy to assist with.

f. Hoping for the best

In every event, we all hope for the best but in truth the reality is far from our hope. The few people who have the courage to hope the best whilst on the other hand are ready for the worst when it comes are the risk takers who we refer to as entrepreneurs. Like Richard, reading the book one can easily tell that he was always ready to expect the unexpected. It sounds easy but all the things that happened to him and his family taught him to be prepared at all times to deal with surprises and ready to pay the prices when it comes. One just had to get his or her feet and get on with whatever there is and what is to be.

g. Altruistic acts

According to Robert Kiyosaki, it is pertinent to give back to the society after one has made money from society. Most business men and women become altruistic after they have seen it whole and feels they should give and it is usually Africa and to curb the widespread of diseases. But the sad part is that are we ready for this help? It is almost free for people to get blood test in hospitals, the spread of condoms is almost free but people still engage them and are ignorant about the widespread. Anytime there is a compulsory HIV test you see the countenance of people around and one wonders that with the amount of money spent. Well! I personally don’t think money can solve the world’s problems at the moment but global consciousness.

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

These ideas will help me practically to be bold in my daily events so that when on my dying bed I would be happy with no regret or whatsoever. In terms of courage to take the bull by the horn and always weigh the advantages and disadvantages, no matter how people might have shared the experience. For example, after reading this book I shared with a friend how when Richard and his crew flew the balloon and wind pushed it towards North Korea and how they were advised not to try and get permission from the North Koreans and before I could even finish my story my friend was already telling me that they would reject their application and any attempt the North Koreans would blow up the balloon and he jokingly said that the crew had just get out of the balloon and blow air with their mouth so the balloon could go towards South Korea. I shocked him when I told him NO, that the person in-charge went ahead asking for permission from the North Koreans and within minutes they were granted permission to pass through the North Korean Airspace.

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, there were no quotes in the book that got my attention.

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 am clear with everything in the book.

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

No, the book does not contain any exercise.

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.

Yes, the tax authority in the UK is more interested in extracting money than going through expensive court cases. This is still very much the order of the day and by doing so the problem persists. They should focus on the crime and how it should be stopped and not the amount of money they would be making. Some footballers are affected by this creating in them enmity. For example, after Luis Suarez had publicly apologized for insulting Patrice Evra, they fined him and banned him. This led to him not shaking Evra during a football match.

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

Who Moved My Cheese?

Assessment by Iziomoh Emmanuel (Nigeria)

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

The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is identify the changes in life expectancy and adapt to the changes when it comes. Life is not a bed of roses and sometimes things turn out different than we envisage or there is an alteration along the line but the book, as a simple parable that tells an amusing story of four characters who looks for nourishment to survive. The author used these to represent the ways and approaches different people adopt in their daily events and the ways they soon behave when certain changes occurs.

a. Negative-receptive to change

Most people are not receptive to change positively including very myself. After reading a question from the book, as it was directed towards me, have you noticed how we don’t want to change even when things change? I replied with a capital Yes. I have been there and done that, I didn’t change when I ought to have on so many occasions. I remembered clearly in year 2002 after I took University entrance examination and passed above average but was not granted admission into my desired department, the following year I did the same thing and passed but was accepted, I got angry and decided not to take the examinations again and whatever happens I was ready. I responded negatively and for two years I didn’t take the examinations but after the second year I thought that I had neither move forward nor backward but remained at the exact spot but in the real sense I had retrogressed academically because in those two angry years I was not reading anything that would prepare me gain admission to the University and by 2006 that I took the exam I had the lowest score I have ever had in my life.

b. Looking myself in a mirror

We keep doing the same things over and over again and wonder why things don’t get better. Sometimes things change and they are never the same again. Though hope is a good thing but even hope does not say continue doing the same thing. One can hope on the same thing but using a different practice to get to that desired hope. Life moved on and so should I had but instead I worried and complained, blamed people for my set back and today it has changed nothing. One good thing about IIGL studies is that it does not give anyone a direct reward but a self rediscovery through one’s ability to read as many books one can. Another good thing is that IIGL studies helps keep up with the momentum as we are no more in the information age but in the intelligence age. So, it’s like I am looking myself in a mirror as I saw myself in two characters.

c. The only thing to fear is fear itself

What would I do if I were not afraid? There are so many Nigerians who call themselves leaders that I would like to look in the face and call them looters and gullible thieves if only they are aware of the things they do and how many lives they have ruined due to their greed. Personally if I were not afraid I would walk into the UN office, tell whoever is in-charge of recruiting how much I have envisioned to work with the UN and that it is a childhood dream to work as a humanitarian through the United Nations. In the book, I read something worth jotting that when one is afraid things are going to get worse if one does not do something, it can prompt one into action but it is not good when one is so afraid that it keeps one from doing nothing.

d. Re-socialization

Some days ago, almost all Nigerians frowned at the legalization of same sex marriage in the United States and a discussion erupted on IIGL Nigeria whatsapp-group, but no one could give any other reason aside from religious doctrine why it is wrong. Not that I argued for or against but I was only not judging because I was not in any position to be. I asked a question whether our religion is not against premarital sex or adultery and whether Nigerians engage themselves but no one could answer those questions but they were very much against the former. Old belief does not lead us to the new cheese, until we change what we believe then we change what we do. Just like when a professor told a monk that he wants to learn about Buddhist teachings and the monk replied that you cannot be full and still want more you have to first empty yourself before you can be able to acquire new skills.

e. Laugh out the tiredness

The fastest way to change is to laugh at oneself, then one can easily let go and quickly move on. Sometimes I laugh at myself not because it feels good to have had a solution to whatever challenge there is but it gives self assurance that when one encounters a similar challenge or something relative one would have had an experience to deal with it and move on. I have had so many experiences of people calling themselves negative names as against their folly, in the University one of my roommates would ask me to call him a goat and another would out rightly call himself a fool and I would laugh at them and tell them that they should not joke with their calamities.

f. Locomotion of change

I have an ambition to work with the United Nations but my cheese have been moved on so many occasions and I had always wanted to stay in a rather known territory trying to revive my lost and old cheese but this has also cost me movement along the social ladder . at a point I realized that there could be a time that I would have to connect the dots but at the moment, I have to be receptive and I soon had a joint business in construction whilst still on the look out on where I actually fit and where my strength lies.

g. Dwelling in the past

Complex brains filled with many beliefs and emotions to search for a very different kind of cheese with a capital C which they believe would make them feel happy and successful. This mean that my brain is complex and I am still not willing to change even after I have read the book, I feel that there is nothing I do that I will find happiness in except I do what I really want but then what if what I am thinking I would find happiness in doing is not really where my happiness is, what will I do? Then I have no choice but to change and accept it the way it has come.

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

These ideas are so helpful and they will help in to be able to observant and understand that nothing last forever, be monitoring and be in constant check of the current position and while still there I should be wary of other options that are available, to identify change when it come and to be receptive and respond quickly without delay.

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, I have been held captive by my own fear. I had to think about this I realized that the only limitations I have has been my fear all these years and I wonder what I might have gained. Sometimes, we are not even aware of been afraid.

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, there is nothing in the book that I am unclear with.

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

No, the book does not contain any exercise for me 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.

Yes, it is indeed a very short story, very inspiring and I have recommended it to a few friends.

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