Francisco Okaformbah – Assessments – International Institute for Global Leadership

As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Francisco Onuchukwu Okaformbah (Nigeria)

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

That thought is who we are. They make us. What we were, what we are right now and what we are going to be in the future is not the doing of another man but our sole responsibility by the thoughts we have had all these years. It teaches that there is a Law to thought and everything happens neither by chance, there is no element of chance. when we refine our thoughts and think positively (purely, beautifully) then our Character, circumstances, Health; all that happens to us becomes a noble one.

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

I become my own thoughts:
The idea behind this is that whatever circumstance I find my self in whether good or bad is a direct result of my Thoughts. A man does not go on to think good and pure thoughts and becomes evil or think evil thoughts and have a good character, destiny and good things in life though superficially at times it seems as if the evil doer/ thinker has it all but he doesn’t sooner he will be destroyed. An example are the cyber fraudsters, popularly called yahoo yahoo boys whose only thoughts are of how to fleece foreigners of their hard earned dollars, they may seem to be succeeding, making the money and getting all the good things of life now but alas nemesis will catch up with them and they’ll end up with a very unpopular state.

Think Healthy and you will be:
In order to be healthy I must think first that I’m healthy. This is the first step, and then I can move over to eating healthy foods, regular exercise, Fun and play time and all other healthy habits. This strong, pure, invigorating and energy giving thought of good health should not be a once-in-a-while something (like I am personally fond of doing, then diving into foolish thoughts of sickliness, when my plans don’t end with the right results, which invariable brings me down, at times with malaria), but it should be something I practice constantly, perpetually.

When I start thinking good health it removes the anxiety that results from thinking of ills and disease, which invariably brings on the Sickness. I should think more of good health even when I feel “kind of sick” a times. I will be clothed in side and out, body and soul with beauty, grace and Youthfulness.

Purpose and planning:
Whereby A man must first have a purpose an plan on how to bring it to fruition. Having conceived of his purpose, a man should mentally mark out a straight pathway to its achievement, without being distracted. Doubts and fears should be rigorously excluded. They are disintegrating elements which break up the straight line of one’s very effort, rendering it crooked, ineffectual and useless. Thoughts of doubt and fear can never accomplish anything in my life. They always lead to failure. Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in. therefore I need a CAN DO Spirit. No more doubting my potentials, strengths or the possibilities in my life, if my mind can think it then I can do it. I should just plan and then set my hands on the plough and work.

Open the mind and be willing;
Just like a strong man cannot help a weaker man unless that weaker man is willing to be helped. So also I must open my mind and be willing to work, read, study, grow or improve my skills before another will appear. I can go on and have mentors, teachers or read all the books in the world but I must be open minded first and willing to learn. I must become strong myself, by my own efforts and develop the strength which he admires in another. None but me, myself and I can alter my condition. Unlike Africa, Oh my Africa, which wants to get out of the doldrums of poverty, sickness and are stretching their hands towards the Whiteman for aid/ grants but deep down in our souls we, especially our leaders are not willing to be helped.

Thoughts are factors in achievement;
All that a man achieves is a direct result of his thoughts. Thoughts are a very huge factor in achievement. There is a quote that says “if you think you can’t then you can’t, if you think you’ve already lost (even before the race begins) then you’ve lost. Sooner than later, victory always surely goes to the man who thinks he can (win)” In this school of life one has to make a choice. And the choice better be good. This choice begins with whatever a man thinks. So therefore I must think positive thoughts.

Keep on dreaming;
I should keep on dreaming and never stop (at least it’s free). Every Composer, sculptor, painter, poet, prophet, sage– makers of the after-world, the architects of heaven, had a dream. Michelangelo had one, Christopher Columbus cherished a vision of another world (and he discovered it), Shakespeare had several lofty ideals in his heart, Martin Luther King Jr. also did, all great men had and the world is beautiful because they have lived. Without them, laboring humanity would perish. He who cherishes a beautiful dream or vision, will one day realize it. To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve. I should continue dreaming then, “Ask and I’ll receive.”

Sometimes in my life it seems as if my dreams are the very cause of my problems because the average/ mediocre people I see around don’t face the insurmountable challenges that I do. Should I reduce the quality of my dreams, Stop dreaming big and become average I sometimes ask myself? Noooooooh way! Like Napoleon Hill, Author of the bestseller, Think and grow rich, said “there is an equal seed of greatness in every adversity.” This sixth idea tells me to keep Dreaming lofty dreams, as I dream, so shall I become. My dreams (vision) are the promise of what I shall one day be; my ideal is the prophecy of what I shall at last unveil.

Calmness of mind;
Even in the midst of the tempest and channeling all thoughts to a positive good end. Calmness of heart I learnt would help a man achieve more in life as it will draw the love, reverence and awe the majority of people to that particular man, The calm man exudes a happiness, beauty, peace, serenity and flowering disposition. The calm man is a spiritual man, as he has set all thoughts to align with that of all the people he meets that he is unruffled by whatever shade or degree of Good or bad they come in. A calm man has perfect control over all his thoughts.

This a perfect contrast to what I know about a businessman cum Cyber café operator in my street. He is the contrast of serenity and bears all kinds ill will and thoughts even against his customers. You could even see it in his eyes as you step into the public browsing room, as it’s clearly written there “here comes trouble” and tense and ready to explode into fuming anger is the perfect word to use in describing him as he waits for you to complain about his service. With the perfect result of most of his customers, leaving and taking their business somewhere else down the street, leaving him a more unhappy and ruffled man.

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 be in the forefront of my mind form henceforth. I will learn to practice them as often as possible in my daily routines. Read it every morning. Create a clearer and more specific goal, dream and Vision in my life and read it out loud to my self each morning.

I will also begin to teach these ideas to others and as much as possible give out free copies of the e-book to everybody I met, especially those I consider to be mediocre. Thereby Africa will be taken slowly individual by individual from it doldrums of poverty.

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.

“That mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.”

The above is very important to me as it remind me that mind is the master of my being and I can pour into it whatever good thought I now want regardless of what I had poured into it all these years.

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

The more reason I need to hold on to my Visions of becoming a great author, leader and father. Though the circumstances in my life right now seem to make it look as if its a waste of time, already a failure and will never ever come to past even in the next life, I need to still hold on to them.

“There can be no progress nor achievement without sacrifice, and a man’s worldly success will be by the measure that he sacrifices his confused animal thoughts…He who would accomplish little need sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much. He who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.”

I need to sacrifice daily as much as possible. When it comes to my finance, time, etc. E.g. cut down one hour from my TV Time and use it to read a book. If I do and read a book each month like Jim Rohn ‘in 10 years I shall be among the top experts in my niche of business”

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?

“Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought in some direction. It is an indication that the individual is out of harmony with himself, with the law of his being. The sole and supreme use of suffering is to purify, to burn out all that is useless and impure. Suffering ceases for him who is pure. There could be no object in burning gold after the dross had been removed, and a perfectly pure and enlightened being could not suffer.”

I don’t understand what the Author, James Allen, means here. Suffering in what context? I ask. Does he mean suffering in general? what about suffering that comes as a results of doing good? like saying the truth or that which is imposed from a third party, like the children kidnapped and sold into “Modern slavery” by forcing them to work in factories in the guise of a better life abroad or in the urban areas, or suffering as a result of a condition beyond our control? like a Tsuamni, what about suffering imposed by divine providence as a share in the passion of Christ?

If these are included in the statement by the Author quoted above then I disagree some suffering as stated above by me are not always wrong thought in some direction. It could be any of the above reasons. It could be as a result of purging/ correction, deceit, global warming or even Divine providence. Yeah!

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

The exercises where not as much as the first book, JONATHAN LIVINGSTONE SEAGULL. Though it did contain some exercises, which were helpful some of which were,

* I need to rechannel or reboot my Thought patterns once more towards positivism and have already begun the exercise. This exercise is not a one time exercise. It’s going to be an exercise I have to do daily, each time I wake up, for the rest my life.

* Practice self control for it is strength like James Allen rightly said. I have begun to discipline, myself especially as it concerns my Finances.

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

None!

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 7
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
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

Jonathan Livingstone Seagull
Assessment by Francisco Onuchukwu Okaformbah (Nigeria)

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

Richard Bach, the author is…by the way I wonder if he was an athletic, high jump or gymnastics coach with all does slow roll, inverted flip, etc, well the main I idea he is trying to convey is that one can achieve anything he thinks of. We are thought and are only limited by us; our thoughts and nothing more.

* Listening to the right inner voice.

It’s good to listen to the inner voice in one. Sometimes the inner voice could prove wrong like when Jonathan felt on top of the sea and it was telling him that if he was meant to fly he would not be a seagull. Yet there is also still another inner voice that urges one to continue and at the end there of is success (which Jonathan did). All one has to do is train his mind to be able to distill from the two and pick out and act on the positive.

* Been extraordinary…

Jonathan never wanted to be like the other seagulls. Scraping and dying for food alone. He wanted more to be extra ordinary. That desire to be was what stood him out. This is one of the most important thing to me because the inner voice always stands one out. Though there may be dangers (his been blown to shreds by the many dives and rolls he was making) in the cause of been that extra ordinary thing one should still strive.

* Study of success

People will not understand. And like Jonathan they may ask you “to stand to centre for shame”. Especially elders or even young extreme conservatives, for example recently in my church group where I was advocating for youths to showcase their acting talents and use to win souls to God but someone else, an elder of the church group countered it as not been what was obtainable during his time as the leader of the group. But once you dedicate yourself to it and particularly to how to success in that thing, by reading books, getting mentors, attending the right programmes, etc you’ll achieve the success. people will turn their backs on you and it can hurt for someone just seeking understanding, seeking to give life to the passion in you but you become more determined develop gradually within you and grow.

“Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long and fine life indeed.’ This knowledge could only have come to him out of studying. Like the Bible said “study to show they self approved unto God (and I will add unto men)”… and you’ll achieve success. …and he was not sorry for the price that he had paid. Jonathan! Study!

* Perfection:

Part from wanting to be different, extra ordinary. One should also try to be perfect. Take it a notch higher and strive for perfection. Why this is so important to me is that it puts you in a position where you keep practicing and practicing and practicing the skill becomes PERMANENT in you. Therefore I have vowed that I’ll not rest until I become the wizard of writing and of course leadership. This was why I had to take 3 solid years off Publishing to prepare my next book.

* Fear! Fear of learning fear of…

Fear the idea of fear really touched me hear. Fear of failing, fear of death, fear of never becoming what you want to become. Where it personally affects me is that if I am afraid to lose then I have lost. So I should just swallow my fear and move on.

* Mentorship

Mentorship touched me also, Jon’s idea of walking straight to the elder and becoming his tutor. Mentorship will help me grow faster. I wish I could be mentored under the great and powerful leadership of giants like, Martin Luther king Jr, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Obama Barack, Great Zik of Africa, Herbert Macaulay. Because I want to take Africa from the doldrums of poverty; The Nigerian spirit; the new Nigerian spirit.

* Never giving up

Like Winston Church Hill said “never give in, never give in, never give in”. I will never give in especially when I am assailed with needs and I am broke just before the next month begins

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 made me believe that there is gold within us; a goldmine. What we are great or good at is already within us we just have to bring it to the outside. And as for me to bring it outside entails using any one or all of thee seven ideas above. Honestly this world is a form of heaven and in heaven there are no limits. Yeah none, my new body can do all, win all, dance all, everything. Unlimited!

The book even taught me that there’s no place like heaven. Anywhere is heaven, “No, Jonathan, there is no such place. Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect.” I can make anywhere I want Heaven. I can make Nigeria to be heaven today, I can make my Home state Anambra, heaven. I can make Orile Iganmu where I live in Lagos heaven.

The trick, according to Chiang, was for Jonathan to “stop seeing himself as trapped inside a limited body that had a forty-two-inch wingspan and performance that could be plotted on a chart. The trick was to know that his true nature lived, as perfect as an unwritten number, everywhere at once across space and time. For each of them, the most important thing in living was to reach out and touch perfection in that which they most loved to do, and that was to fly.”

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.

“But you can, Jonathan. For you have learned. One school is finished, and the time has come to another to begin.”

Its time for me to move from personal self development/ financial intelligence training and start leadership, start mentoring and empowering others.

“… thousands and thousands of gulls. I know.” Sullivan shook his head. “The only answer I can see, Jonathan, is that you are pretty well a one-in-a-million bird. Most of us came along ever so slowly. we went from one world into another that was almost exactly like it, forgetting right away where we had come from, not caring where we were headed, living for the moment. Do you have any idea how many lives we must have gone though before we even got the first idea that there is more to life than eating, or fighting, or power in the Flock?” –

Whatever I want is not going to come easy. But I can achieve it because I am one in a million. it’s not going to come easy.

“No, Jonathan, there is no such place. Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect.” –

I will start striving for perfection, nay for heaven, in writing, speaking, leadership, more…

“You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.”

Perfection, heaven doesn’t have limits. This really touched me as It made me realize that all my desire, plans and actions towards perfection doesn’t have to be in the standard of what the experts say. I CAN CHOOSE MY LIMITS AND WORK TOWARDS IT.

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

None, except this quote “Your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip, is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body, too . . .” – Hmn! I don’t understand it.

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! Learn everyday and push yourself to the limits of your learning. I have started to learn and stops above all stop procrastinating and start practicing. You need to keep finding yourself, a little more each day, that real me everyday, wizard of writing I shall become.

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.

What I have become from reading this book? I have learnt From now on that I, Francisco Onuchukwu Okaformbah am not bone, muscle and sinew but a perfect idea of freedom and fight, limited by nothing at all. nothing, absolutely nothing at all…I am an image of the Great God and I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.. Phil 2v 13

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

Success through a Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Francisco Onuchukwu Okaformbah (Nigeria)

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

Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone by their book are telling me that success all begins with thought and that my thoughts must be positive so as to influence my mental attitude. And once my mental attitude has been influenced and is positive all other factors of success will “conspire” with the individual to ensure that he achieves his goal, dream or Purpose. Therefore my thoughts henceforth should always be positive.

Misunderstanding.

When I am faced with a problem that involves misunderstanding with other persons I must first start with myself, i.e. take a look at myself first. The misunderstanding doesn’t really lie in that person as much as it lies on my own perception of the person/situation or handling of the case, for example, when I have misunderstanding with my mom or siblings I need to look at myself first for a solution.

Longevity and a well balanced life.

With a Positive mental Attitude I can live a long life even if everything in my life crashes this means even if I never become rich (which is a very unlikely possibility) I can still live to the ripe old age of 120. Positive Mental Attitude affects my mood and body functions. In this case, If I’m sick I could bring myself back to health, back to a well balanced life by thinking positive. This I’d try to practice from henceforth in my personal life, esp. whenever I’m sick.

Talks so much about taking action

The idea of taking action also meant so much to me. Personally I have always been a fan of taking action on any project/idea I am involved in even when I am not ready and don’t have all the resources at my disposal. And sometimes I fear that it is the cause of some of my failure but with the words I have read about taking actions and taking it quickly I will work towards it.

Inspirational Dissatisfaction.

This idea touched me greatly and it teaches me not to be comfortable in my comfort zone and how to turn every piece of ‘shit’ that comes my way into an advantage. I need to use that pain/ dissatisfaction to drive myself towards achievement and success. For example the challenge I face with getting free publicity for my book has inspired me to research more deeply and get a book Publicist to help me with the publicity of my next book. If I had not found it difficult or encountered several critics on the way I may not be on the path which I am now.

Autosuggestion, Self Suggestion, etc.

The chapter on autosuggestion, self suggestion, etc, touched me greatly “everyday in every way by the grace of God I’m getting better and better.” Among other positives, I must always make it a habit to suggest to my subconscious minds all the positives and pluses I want. Instead of crying and deriding myself upon my losses and failures I shall now always command upon myself the lessons of autosuggestion. Every time and anywhere I am. I will particularly do this every morning as I wake up, every night before I sleep and as soon as I enter the office and am about to begin my work.

I must engrave this into my mind every time by repeating it as often as possible. Better still I will create a 4” x 5” card write these words on it and take it along with me wherever I go. I will also distribute this card to my loved ones.

I have been making small progress in my family and in relating with the people of my street

Living the Nigerian Dream

If Americans can form a dream and live it then I can also create a Nigerian dream and live it to the full. I can live the Nigerian Dream and make my country better by living by great Philosophies just like Americans do. Its very important for me to live the Nigerian Dream as there are so much suffering around me. Americans are living the American dream Initiated by their founding Fathers, just like them I as a Nigerian can live the Dream even if the colonization we sufered form the British did not allow our founding fathers to set up a sincere and worth dream for the generations to come.

I must initiate my own so in my personal life I will begin to take more seriously the Philosophy of being honest amongst other virtues, no matter what happiness, in everything I do. I must also adopt the other Philosophies of Hardwork, Discipline, Tolerance and the Golden rule of doing unto others as I will like them to do unto me. I will also try and implant this dream on every one of my fellow country men.

A Solution In every Problem.

Every problem, Challenge, Adversity, Sorrow or defeat contains the seed of an equivalent benefit and I’m supposed to dig deep in to find the benefit. When Applied to my personal life for example Not being able to get the girl of my dreams or true love of my life then this problem has made me to see a seed, a solution I can grow through it and encouraged me to study myself more and know what I want I must build upon myself, package myself and be more open and friendly to the opposite sex. It has helped me to see the flaws in my approach and mindset with the opposite sex and take measures to correct it. This particular idea can also be applied to other areas of my 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?

These ideas and the book in particular have inspired me to reach out more vigorously for my goals. I have also learnt to build upon and continue to develop myself more and more through these ideas. I am going to make every effort humanly possible to act on these seven ideas, in fact I am going to print these ideas and work on them. Also I am going to form a team- a kind of mastermind and together we’ll brainstorm on how they feel they can better help me to implement these ideas.

By implementing the ideas above like the one of living the Nigerian dream and the 4” x 5” autosuggestion Card I am going to create and distribute among my fellow countrymen and particularly my loved ones I am going to make the world a better place to live.

The seven ideas above have also taught me that I may develop and most importantly Maintain a Permanent positive Mental Attitude by making it my responsibility to adopt and apply the 17 Principles of Success viz-a-viz enforcing discipline, responsibility, personal initiative, develop definiteness of purpose, etc, in my daily life. I am also going to re-read this book once again and get newer ideas I can implement.

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

None, I can easily remember now.

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

None.

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

No! There are no exercises of which I can remember.

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 would like to comment on “stage” the book made light reference about the Phrase ‘Stage in Life’ but surprisingly I got a whole lot floodlight of encouragement and ideas that stopped me dead in the tracks (like a deer in the floodlights) when I read those lines, that phrase “a stage in life” reminds me that there’ll always be a stage – a phase in life – there has always been where even after doing the right things, giving your best shot applying all the laws of success you know, doing the right things and all, yet you still find yourself down and almost going out.

Being the stage/phase I was in presently an inspiration/inner voice was saying to me “this is a passing / testing stage, keeping doing it, keep applying those laws of success and doing all you can to achieve that goal. That my perseverance, persistence and Character is being tested to see if and how I can handle the success when it finally comes.”

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10.

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

PsychoCybernetics
Assessment by Francisco Okaformbah

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

The main idea the author is trying to promote is that we are the causes of where we are presently and we can control the outcome of our future by controlling our thoughts, esp. our Subconscious mind. He also highlighted the value of doing (Actions), relaxation over the stress and anxiety we find ourselves in daily and some basic principles for guiding our servio-mechanism towards our goals in life.

The subconscious mind is like a horse

This idea is trying to tell me that the subconscious mind is like a horse and I am the rider, wherever its rider wants to lead it, it is ready to go and after subsequent times it gets accustomed to that path it will take weeks and months of unlearning and relearning to make the subconscious mind (my horse) take another path. Practically what it means is that whatever we continuously think about again and again becomes a part of us and manifests itself in our very lives. Applying this to my own life means I have control over my horse (subconscious) and I can allow it lead me to the successes and failures I so desire.

Five Steps to a new self-image/ Success

The five steps to a new self image and success contained in the acronym CRAFT meaning Cancel, Replace, Affirm, Focus, Train is one strategy that can get anybody up the success ladder (though I have been using it to make better choices and a few successes without knowing it) it can help me reach my goals faster and save me from sabotaging myself. And as it applies to my personal life whenever any negative/ sabotaging thoughts comes to mind I should “Cancel” it out, “Replace” it with a new positive thought, “Affirm” my new self image (by repeated affirmations, the horse complies with the new path), “Focus” on an image of success and not on the failure I am trying to overcome and finally train myself in the new attitudes and behaviours I want.

Success in one area of life vs. success in several areas

The book got me to think about how I view success. This idea of success really touched me because there are several people I know who are successful in the sense of the word but their personal lives, married lives and those of their children are in ruins. It is asking me to really ask myself what success really means to me, myself and I and to redefine it. Therefore I must be successful in every aspect of my life, in business and career, in my academics, in my personal life and relationships with others, all –round general success as a whole, using the secrets of Psycho-cybernetics. And from now on I will say always as often as possible, “I am homing in on targets of success in every aspect of my life.”

Relaxation

What ever it takes to become successful relaxation must also be a part of it. When one is relaxed he/ she can access the creative recessed of the brain. A major advantage of relaxation is that people begin to see the results almost immediately. Relaxation is simply whatever my body is not obliged to do that is fun and interesting. And I have taken it a step further by fulfilling some of my earlier goals of relaxing. For example I was able to attend a Comedy show and a Music concert and refrain from work on Saturdays. Every one in my Family should learn to relax and I am taking it upon myself to set up plans and strategies to help them do so next year.

The 5 Steps to diffusing anxiety/over reaction.

These 5 steps under the acronym SEEDS; which are Situation, Evaluation, Emotions, Do and Self Esteem, can be used to diffuse any anxiety, smother over- reaction and even help me to relax among others. Recently I used it to analyze the break up with my recent girlfriend to discover where the fault really lay. By using SEEDS (Situation, Evaluation, Emotions, Do and Self Esteem), I saw the Situation as it truly was, I am not the only and first person to break up, Evaluate it, She was not truly in love with me. Shift my emotions as I observed that it was just an event for the good of both parties, Do something about the situations, which is start talking to and re-connecting with old friends and lovers and my Self-esteem as a hard working honest handsome young man any girl will dream of having will come back in full. I can control the outcome of situations or be indifferent to the pains and frustrations situations in my personal life may bring and even surmount them.

The SMART way to set goals

Having done a self exploration to evaluate my dreams and desires (long ago), I have come to learn of the power of setting them as goals and working to reach for them. And with the SMART, specific, measurable and action oriented, realistic, time consciousness I have learned from Pyscho cybernetics, the limit of my achievement is really boundless. I will specifically choose my goals (the power of focus also talked I little about this), they must be measurable, e.g. I wanna lose 10 pounds in 4weeks, action oriented over wishing for castle in the sky, realistic (no pipe dreams here please) and time conscious. It shouldn’t take me forever before I achieve it.

Procrastination

I learned something new about procrastination, which is nothing more than postponing things to the morrow due to sheer laziness, ineptitude or fear. Procrastination would not help matter and from filling the questionnaire/ Exercise on why people procrastinate to learning abut the 6 ways to keep my automatic mechanism from wandering off course. I have learnt to nip it in the bud. Applying these techniques to my life has helped me recently, in fact it helped me to quickly conclude this assessment, jump into another book I have been dying to read which would help my little upstart business.

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

These ideas have made me know that nothing is entirely possible out of the reign of my imagination. That I can keep reading and reaching for the skies as well as implement every strategy and idea I get here on earth. Henceforth I will apply these ideas in my life and o on to teach it to others starting first with my family particularly my Mom.

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.

Yep! There are lots and lots of them. Here are a few.

“instead of improving 100% in 100 areas, aim for 1% in 100 different areas.” Here I am being asked to concentrate my efforts. There just isn’t so much I can do. I will get exhausted and frustrated with all the things I have to do. So I need to take it slowly, one goal at a time, one meal at a time one bad habit at a time improving just 1% on them each day.

“What ever is on your mind as you are falling asleep tends to appear in some form that night in my dreams.” Quite true and I have noticed it a couple of times after reading this book. Now I intend to think of all the good things I want before I fall asleep.

“Habits are the mere by-product of sub conscious thinking and repetitious behavior. You don’t break a habit and form a new one through ‘iron-jawed will power’ you do it by creating clear mental images of a desired result and by acting as if it has already been achieved.” A big one and emphasized more the fake it till you make it strategy of achieving success. Will power alone will not help me break my lateness habits, my procrastination, my trying-to-do-all-at-the-same-time habits but I need to create a clear mental image of the new habit I want and added with the will power what I want comes to pass.

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

The statement that the left side of the brain has certain functions and the right side another different function (one engaging in analytical functions and the other creative functions) I quite disagree with this statement as I believe both side of the brain has the same functions. And according to John Buzan Author of the power of creative Intelligence (thorsons.com), the left side of the brain and the right side don’t really have clearly defined functions that are different. They have one and the same neurotic, analytical and creative functions. And I quite agree with him as he backed it up with proofs and exercises to prove his point.

I don’t know why I am particular about this but I seem to always be drawn to it. The statement “god grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference,” this statement which the Author attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr was actually first spoken by Francis of Asisi. Francis of Asisi being my Patron Saint has being put under the spot light for a very long time by me as I am studying his teaching and lifestyle.

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! There were several exercises some of them I did not complete like the ones that asked use to write down all that has happened to us during our childhood in other to know what old tapes we were still playing in our adulthood (which was holding us back from success) this exercise had already been carried out by me years ago, though unconsciously and so I had stopped playing my old tapes and didn’t need to complete the exercise. But most other exercises were completed by me and they were really 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.

None

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10.

Ten is good and one is poor.

A. How intresting was it to read? 6
B. How helpful were the contents? 6
C. How easy was it to understand? 5
D. Would you recommend it to others? 7
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 7

Keys to Success Assessment
Assessment by Francisco O. Okaformbah (Nigeria)

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

The main idea the author is trying to promote is that there are certain key principles that are useful for the attainment of success, personal achievement. These principles seventeen (17) in whole, according to Napoleon Hill are the essential ingredient anyone must use to attain success.

Developing definiteness of purpose.

Definiteness of purpose means defining a goal and working towards it and by definiteness of purpose I can develop self reliance, resilience, personal initiate and every other good quality I want. It goes to say that every Human Being on earth that has achieved something of note had a definite major purpose (a goal), just like I have done with several of my pet projects and businesses, e.g. like publishing my first book, delving into entrepreneurship and more and also by adding “a creative vision” of where I want to be in the future then there is not stopping me.

Self Discipline

The great achievers of our time were disciplined enough to know what’s right, do it and at the right time. And as it applies to my personal life whenever I am faced with the challenge to overdraw on my savings accounts or watch some stupid Television show over working at my computer I must be disciplined enough to do the later. Some of my major problems and challenges have come from having to concentrate and focus, esp. on one project at a time but I seem to be scatter-brained. That’s why I see myself doing multiple things at the same time ( You’ll see my reading 2, 3 books at the same time, working on 2 different websites at once, etc).

Assembling an attractive PERSONALITY

With assembling an attractive personality I have come to learn of the great importance of Character; character building which in other words means sincerity of purpose, bearing no ill against another, honesty and integrity. I am going to apply it to my business by not looking out for my own ends and advantages only but also look out for the other side’s needs too. If I have sincerity of purpose it will strengthen every other one of my attractive and pleasing personality. I need to also smile more often especially when I am angry and I will start doing so immediately.

Learning from defeat

I seem to be very well connected with this phrase and it never ceases to amaze me every book I come across seams to re-emphasis this point. And I guess it is because of the many challenges I meet constantly with at every point of my life and I seem to be learning from each of them.

Now I believe there is no impossibility in this world and that nothing can stop me from achieving whatever I set my mind on in as much as I am sincere of purpose and am in sync with infinite intelligence (God). It’s just a matter of time and I have learnt from so many religious trainings and sermons from my pastors the importance of patience. With patience I can learn from every defeat. Thus my mantra becomes, “Patience, learn from your defeat and move on…”

Go the extra mile.

I need to go the extra mile in everything I do especially as it has to do with Mentors, Superiors, and even subordinates. And I can do this by giving superior service/ support/ advise whenever I can. By doing this sooner or later it becomes a habit with me and as it is with anything in the world I will soon receive compound interest upon compound Interest of my investment. And this mustn’t end with business colleagues and associates it will also be extended to my Mom, siblings and Church members.

Choose a pacesetter

The idea of choosing a pacesetter; someone prosperous, self reliant and successful, then making up my mind not only to catch up with that person but also to pass him by appealed to me especially in (three) 3 different ways.

I have decided to choose three (3) masters in the field of Public Speaking, Non- fiction writing and Internet marketing (I can’t reveal their identities) and I a going to work and work until I surpass their successes. It should be noted that this is not a pubic contest of popularity but to help me get to where I want to go. They become a standard I base my work towards but on I aim to take higher.

Maintaining a Sound health

Whatever I am doing I will need a sound body to carry through. My journey to success will be naught if I am not healthy enough and to be able to do the things I want. And sound health involves Body, Mind and Soul. In order to maintain sound health I must eliminate the fear of death, correct my eating habits, relax, sleep very well, exercise frequently and use correctly the sexual energy within me.

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

These ideas have shown me that it all depends on me and that frequent practice of these fundamental key principles will lead to success it now depends on me to define what I mean by success and work towards it.

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.

Yeah! There are lots and lots of them. Here are a few.

“According to the law of increasing returns the quantity and quality of the extra service you render will come back to you greatly multiplied,” just like my answer in number 2, 5 above I must keep giving out more than I am paid for because it leads easily unto success.

“Realize that the turning point at which you begin to attain success is usually defined by some form of defeat or failure,” this is quite through esp. as it has to do with me, there is this particular computer software/ script that I and my team have been developing over a period of Months and it was only when we met with defeat that it really picked up and we found a solution.

“Every day in every way, I am getting better and better” repeating this sentence to myself many many times will help my subconscious to pick it up and once it does and accepts it. It begins to carry it out.

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

None.

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

Yes! There were several exercises and most of them were completed by me and they were really 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.

None.

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10.

Ten is good and one is poor.

A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
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 -Dale Carnegie

Assessment by Francisco Okaformbah (Nigeria)

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

The Author’s intent is to make leaders out of those reading his book by making them influencers and friendly human beings. Dale Carnegie is also on how to help us interact, relate and effectively manage other human beings we come across.

Bait the hook to suit the people:

This is particular with the kind of people I am addressing. If I want to win friends or people I need to think about what they want. Every act I have ever performed since the day you were born was performed because I wanted something. So why not I talk about what people want. Everybody always ask “what is in it for me?”If I am in a group that loves sports I should talk sports or use sports to get their attention, if I am in the midst of stock brokers I should use a stock market story, experience or question to get them to my side.

A Simple Way to Make a Good first Impression:

A simple way of making a first good impression and making people like you is to smile. Smiling works so perfectly and that’s why, according to Dale Carnegie, Dogs and babies make a great impression on us. I have been smiling a lot lately and subsequently people like me for it. Now I need to smile more at strangers I want to relate with, a genuine smile it should be.

How To Make People Like You Instantly:

Look for something you like about them, compliment them, be interested in them without wanting anything back in return. There is one all-important law of human conduct. If we obey that law, we shall almost never get into trouble. In fact, that law, if obeyed, will bring us countless friends and constant happiness. But the very instant we break the law, we shall get into endless trouble.

The law is this: Always make the other person feel important and they’ll like me instantly.

Listening more intently can make me a good conversationalist:

Being a good conversationalist is not about me doing the talking but lies much more in me doing the listening. I can charm any individual to believing that I am a good conversationalist by just listening to what they have to say.

I Guess you are right:

Dale dedicated a part of his book on how To win people to Your Way Of Thinking and one of the principles he gave as the ways of doing this is not involving in arguments. In his own opinion, I can’t win An Argument. I have long learned this and the section of this book on it goes to remind me of that fact. Nobody wants to be wrong. And so I’ll use the phrase I have always been using to avoid arguments even when I know that I am right and the other party is wrong and the phrase is “I guess you are right.” It’s not a flat out statement that they are right neither is it one that says they are wrong but it helps to quell any argument and resolve issues.

See the other person’s opinion:

As much as I can I should try and see the other person’s perspective. I believe it’s a formula that will work wonders for me. I will especially apply this in my business, especially in customer management. Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.

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

I would let these ideas become a part of my mindset. ……………………………ody, soul and spirit and try to improve positively on the various ways the ideas have affected me. And I believe that once I begin to try them out I’ll invariably become a better person and thus create a better world. I’ld also make a commitment to teach them to others through my contact, blogs, websites, speech, etc and thus create an army of positive thinking and acting people who will make this world a better place.

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

“If you argue and rankle and contradict, you may achieve a victory sometimes; but it will be an empty victory because you will never get your opponent’s good will.” – Ben Franklin

This particular sentence reminds me of the power of arguments. I can’t achieve anything with it, it better to avoid them entirely.

“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.” – Herbert Spencer

This means that whatever education, skill or information I am getting be it from a school, book or course It should propel me to action.

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

No.

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

Yes, it contained exercises but I’m yet to finish all. I did a few and plan to go back and do more later in the year.

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

Giant Steps

Assessment by Francisco Onuchukwu Okaformbah (Nigeria)

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

The Author is encouraging us to take small doses of motivation and thought provoking actions (exercises) daily that will help in our personal advancement, self development, relationships and success goals and that these small steps will invariably turn to giant steps.

The real purpose of goals:

This particular idea struck a cord with me in the sense that the real purpose of my goals should not just be in the pursuit of the goal, i.e. The most important part of achieving success is not trying to pursue and achieve it but what it ultimately makes of me as a human while I pursue it and that thing being the ultimate reward.

For example, my goal of being a bestselling Author should not just lie there in being famous and making lots of money, but it should also make me into several things including being a Philanthropist, great manager and ethical marketer too. I need to ask myself once I have succeeded in achieving a goal, am I a better person as a result of achieving this particular goal or I just ended up being a “sick” and manipulative person.

My achievements:

The book reminds my of my achievements and this thus boosts my confidence. A particular text reminded me indeed that I set goals and like every Human being have been able to achieve them. For example, I remember that having a business of my own was once a mere goal 5years ago but it’s now in 2011 as I read this book, it’s a reality I live with constantly everyday and no more a goal. So rather than cursing and berating myself for failing to achieve some of the goals on my goals planner book, I should console myself in the fact that hence I am alive I can achieve that goal like the previous achievements I have had.

The link between pain and pleasure:

What I link to pain and what I link to pleasure are the two most important things that shape my destiny. To get what I want in life I will have to link more pleasure to that goal. To dedicate more time for my dreams and aspirations for example, I ‘ld have to link more pain to watching TV and more pleasure to reading motivational books. This is a hard thing to do but with time and practice and more linking I will get to that level of sophistication.

My beliefs and reference points:

Beliefs have the power to create and also the power to destroy. Whatever I believe in and have enough reference points and experiences to support becomes my way of seeing things or doing them. If I believe that I can’t sing then I have several reference points from my past that support the way I see this. The reference point could be a public embarrassment I had when trying to sing in front of a crowd or the demoralizing remarks of friends when I last sang to them.

This affects me in my personal life this way, since I need to change or rather improve my beliefs about my health, lifestyle, business and relationships in other to become better I have to create more reference points to support the improvement that I want to happen in these areas of my life.

Responsibility:

In page 147, tip 22, the Author recounted a story of how he was able to change a man and helped him stop smoking only to see him something later and discover he had become a worst smoker than he was before, with the man saying, “After our session, I didn’t smoke for two and half years. But one day, when I got stressed, I lit up and I have been smoking ever since. It’s all your fault, you didn’t program me properly!” This little incidence reminds me of the fact that I have to be responsible for my own success, my own conditioning. No one can program me. I am responsible for my own personal change.

It also reminds me that once I start practicing all the ideas and tips in giant steps or any other personal development book for that matter, I need to be aware of the temptation to drift back to my old habits. I need to take responsibility and resist that temptation/ re-programming.

I can make myself happy any time:

This particular idea struck me with the fact that I can make myself happy anytime and any way, despite my circumstances. I don’t have to depend on circumstances before I can be happy. I just need to think about the last time I was happy and felt utter euphoria and then work myself into that former state then I could be happy right now and right here.

Happiness comes from within me and not from external factors or circumstances. This has been difficult for me in practice but I will keep trying and I guess I have no choice than to make it work and be happy.

Win – Win relationships:

As much as I can I should make every relationship in my life, family, friends, lovers, clients, etc, a win – win. I should try and give as much as I try to collect and not the opposite way around. When the thought is one receiving only I become a selfish person and one incapable of loving. Love makes this world go round, so therefore win-win makes the world a better place

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

I would imbibe these ideas in my body, soul and spirit and try to improve positively on the various ways the ideas have affected me. And I believe that once I begin to try them out I’ll invariably become a better person and thus create a better world. I’ld also make a commitment to teach them to others through my contact, blogs, websites, speeches, etc and thus create an army of positive thinking and acting people who will make this world a better place.

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

“Words have the power to start wars or create peace.”

– This particular sentence reminds me of the power of my words and how to use them for good.

“Man’s mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to it’s original dimension.” – Oliver Wendel Holmes

– This got me thinking thus, if my mind can be stretched further and further I could accomplish a lot of good in life, os I’ll have to start studying and meditating to stretch my mind more.

“… find out what our highest values are, then committing to live by our decision every single day.”

– I’ll sort out my values and then make a daily commitment to always live by them.

“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” – Thomas Edison

– This quote reminds me of the power within me. The power of my mind like I have read in many books is unlimited if I can use it I would outstand myself. The same with many other people in the world, they have unlimited powers in them. They only need to learn how to bring it out, in action, and outstand themselves.

“Go put your creed into your deed.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

– All I believe in should be acted upon mere belief or words will not get me anywhere. I have to act upon 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?

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?

Yes, it contained exercises but I’m yet to finish all. I did a few and plan to go back and do more later in the year.

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

None.

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

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

Real Magic

Assessment by Francisco Onuchukwu Okaformbah (Nigeria)

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

Wayne Dyer in his book Real Magic is trying to tell us that we are captains of our own life, our own souls and we can create real magic which in actual fact means everyday miracles with our own mind. He let’s the reader be aware of his inner spiritual albeit higher power and purpose (mission) here on earth.

I am a spiritual being

I am a spiritual being we are all spiritual beings on this planet earth. We were created in the image and likeness of God, so we have uncommon powers and unlimited energies woven into our thoughts and mind but most humans are in aware or choose to ignore these facts. By embracing this knowledge, I can grow to become a better young man, loving husband and father to my wife and kids when I marry and a great entrepreneur and responsible leader in whatever leadership position I find myself in. All I need to do is embrace the fact that I have a higher self, that is, my spiritual being, and work on it.

All Human experience is blest and for a purpose

All human experience whether painful or exhilaratingly fun is fro a reason and cannot be classified as bad or good. In essence Wayne Dye is telling me that every experience has brought me to the present circumstance I am in. This means the school I have attended, the untimely death of my father, The fact that I was born into a poor family, etc, all these cumulated to the point I am now in, in life.

As a spiritual being I am not alone in the universe

As spiritual beings I am not alone in the universe. I have teachers, observers and divine guidance available to me at any time. I am a soul with a body rather than a body with a soul and there ‘s an invincible eternal part of me that is always available for my assistance. For me, this assistance is God. I will try as much as I can to use this assistance in my personal life especially when something unpleasant happens to me. I will kneel down pray and believe.

14 Keys for creating a miracle mindset

With these keys I can achieve success, fulfillment and health of mind and body. For instance, in case I come across an activity or skill that’s proving difficult to perform I’ll just use one of these 14 keys particularly “creating a real magic zone in my mind” and suspending any form of doubt or skepticism to resolve the issue.

These 14 keys are the building blocks for living successfully the life of miracles. I am very much in love with these keys because they are real practical lessons/ exercises that I can perform, exercises that will help me build up a miracle mindset in virtually all areas of my life including my relationship, careers, Business, health, fun and hobbies and personal development. Here’s a practical example; one of the 14 keys is relying on my Intuition as divine intelligence or guidance being made available to me. I have to listen and take heed when it’s advising me on the course of action to take the next time I want to choose a business opportunity.

My thoughts can influence my health

This idea seems to emphasize my earlier belief that everything in life is a choice. So I can choose to be healthy all year long and with my thoughts I can create perfect health for myself, particularly like the story of grey Anderson on page 276, who was able to conquer two bouts of cancer and wrote about it in his book, the cancer conqueror. And since Dr. Dye insists that there isn’t any real difference between magic and miracles, I am believing and miracling myself to great health.

Since real magic is about connecting to my higher self and creating miracles. I can bring my higher self to influence my physical body to good health by thinking positive and good thoughts. According to Dye, thoughts have been proven to help the body secret hormones, enzymes and other chemicals that have physical effects on the body hence my positive thoughts will produce chemicals that will make me live healthier thus the connection between my thoughts and my health.

Meditating daily is very important

Too much relevance has been put on this physical world, especially as regards the evil, crimes and other negatives that go on in the world. But I can change these with the use of meditation. Meditation is a very great practice that all the ancient spiritual masters recommend. Meditation is one activity that has helped them to achieve their success. And according to the ideas I got form this book, Meditation can also help me to solve the many problems I have.

So I will apply this idea especially in my relationship with difficult friends. Once we encounter a tough challenge or disagreement that threatens the peace and quiet of the relationship all I have to do is to go to my quiet spot and meditate extensively on the problem. Through This meditation I can get direct help on how to solve the challenge. The practice of daily meditation will become a habit in my life.

How I can create a Miracle in my world

I like the idea behind me becoming a miracle worker in my world. By accepting and coming in contact with my higher self I’ll become a miracle worker, able to do the impossible and use my invincible thoughts to create a better, safer, cleaner, more responsible and more loving world starting with my own country Nigeria, particularly Surulere, Lagos, where I live currently.

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?

Using these ideas will turn me into a better person one who believes in possibilities and creating miracles. Once I become this person, I’ll act out positively and with enthusiasm in the way I treat my colleagues, friends, people I meet and my mentors. Once I can influence and infect others with my “miracle creating” capabilities they can go ahead to create miracles for themselves and a better world as a result.

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

“I have been all things unholy; If God can work through me, he can work through anyone.” – St. Francis of Asisi

– Francis of Asisi being a spiritual mentor to me reminds me that though I am unworthy, though I am a human God has deposited great treasures in me (and anyone) and Works through me.

“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

– My life and the entire universe has been ordered so perfectly that when I am ready for life, ready to go to the next level in any area of my life, the teacher – which could be a tool, person or experience will appear in my life.

“The secret to changing your life is in your intentions, wishing and goal setting cannot accomplish change without intention.”

– If there is one thing many of the personal development books miss is the single statement and this statement reminds me that I must act out my positive things before good can start happening.

“Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come”

– I should continue in whatever positive roles or activity or idea I have though there may be distractions and loud discouragements. If that Idea is powerful enough and it births into its own time, nobody, no force on earth can stop it. Likewise any other ideas I get from other individuals in the world.

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

None yet, probably I’ll need to re-read it once more to find out.

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! The book did contain exercises but rather than written exercise it was practical exercises and I have promised myself to practice these exercises for the next 6months starting with this month of January.

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 is one of the greatest personal development/self help books I have ever read in recent times. I highlighted so many important points in the book and so I have set out to copy and write out all the points I highlighted from the book. I am going to type and bind them and they are going to form my own personal review copy that I can carry in my pocket all day long and consult regularly to remind me of miracles and my higher self.

A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 7
D. Would you recommend it to others? Yes
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10

How To Win Friends and Influence People

Assessment by Francisco Onuchukwu Okaformbah (Nigeria)

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

Bait the hook to suit the people: This is particular with the kind of people I am addressing. If I want to win friends or people and influence- not manipulate- them to my own way of thinking I need to think about what they truly want. Every act I have ever performed since the day I was born was performed because I wanted something. So why not I talk about what people want? Everybody always ask “what is in it for me?” If I am in a group that loves sports I should talk sports or use sports to get their attention, if I am in the midst of stock brokers I should use a stock market story, experience or question to get them to my side. I should as much as possible “bait the hook to suit the people”.

A Simple Way to Make a Good first Impression: A simple way of making a first good impression and making people like you is to smile. Smiling works so perfectly and that’s why, according to Dale Carnegie, Dogs and babies make a great impression on us – they smile. And one doesn’t necessary have a reason before one can smile. Smiling could also be a way of life. I have been smiling a lot lately and subsequently people like me for it. Now I need to smile more at strangers I want to relate with, a genuine smile it should be. And form that impression of a warm, friendly person. Once I am able to do this doors of opportunities will tend to open up in my personal life.

How To Make People Like You Instantly: look for something you like about them, compliment them, be interested in them without wanting anything back in return. There is one all-important law of human conduct. If we obey that law, we shall almost never get into trouble. In fact, that law, if obeyed, will bring us countless friends and constant happiness. But the very instant we break the law, we shall get into endless trouble.

The law is this: Always make the other person feel important and they’ll like me instantly.

Remembering names: This is one important and subtle way of offering a compliment to someone. Once you remember someone’s name and call it correctly (without misspelling) it helps you build a relationship with the person. It shows you care enough and the person is important enough for you to remember the name. Whatever you want to ask them becomes easier to undertake on their part, as they are more likely to be willing. A person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. I am always in the habit of forgetting people’s names and though I dedicated some time to developing my memory and began remembering names, which I progresses in rapidly, after a while I degenerated back to my old self of forgetting people’s names . Dale Carnegie reminds of this and this is also a slow but sure prodding to get back to remembering people’s names.

Listening more intently can make me a good conversationalist: Being a good conversationalist is not about me doing the talking but lies much more in me doing the listening. I can charm any individual to believing that I am a good conversationalist by just listening to what they have to say. This happened to me once when I listened intently to a lady and all she had to say. Nowadays I am the best conservationist she knows and she always want to speak to me whenever she’s around. I just need to fine tune this skill and make it better when it comes to listening to my clients and customers.

I Guess you are right: Dale dedicated a part of his book on how To win people to Your Way Of Thinking and one of the principles he gave as the ways of doing this, i.e. winning people to Your Way Of Thinking, is by not involving in arguments. In his own opinion, “I can’t win An Argument.” I have long learned this and the section of this book on it goes to remind me of that fact. Nobody wants to be wrong, especially in Public. And so I’ll use the phrase I have always been using to avoid arguments even when I know that I am right and the other party is wrong and the phrase is “I guess you are right.” It’s not a flat out statement that they are right neither is it one that says they are wrong but it helps to quell any argument and resolve issues in a less argument way.

See the other person’s opinion: As much as I can I should try and see the other person’s perspective. In a negotiation, in a debate, in a business deal, people should try and see the other person’s perspective. I believe it’s a formula that will work wonders for me. I will especially apply this in my business, especially in customer management. Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.

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

I would let these ideas become a part of my mindset, body, soul and spirit and try to improve positively on the various ways the ideas have affected me. And I believe that once I begin to try them out I’ll invariably become a better person and thus create a better world. I’ld also make a commitment to teach them to others through my contact, blogs, websites, public speeches, articles in newspapers, etc and thus create an army of positive thinking and acting people who will make this world a better place.

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

“If you argue and rankle and contradict, you may achieve a victory sometimes; but it will be an empty victory because you will never get your opponent’s good will.” – Ben Franklin

This particular sentence reminds me of the power of arguments. I can’t achieve anything with it, it better to avoid them entirely.

“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.” – Herbert Spencer

This means that whatever education, skill or information I am getting be it from a school, book or course It should propel me to action.

“the ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee.” – John D. Rockerfeller

Meaning the finesse to deal with people prudently can be easily learnt.

“Compared to what we ought to be, we are only half awake. We are making use of only a small part of our physical and mental resources. Stating the thing broadly, the human

individual thus lives far within his limits. He possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use,” – Professor William James of Harvard

The limitless possibilities of our brain, mind and even body was further reiterated by this statement.

Learn to Speak Effectively Prepare for Leadership – Dale Carnage.

This line is important to me as it reminds me that effective public speaking is attached to leadership.

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

None yet.

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 exercises but I’m yet to finish all. I did a few and plan to go back and do more later in the year.

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

None.

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

The New Dynamics of Winning

Assessment by Francisco Onuchukwu Okaformbah (Nigeria)

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

The Author Dennis Waitley in the book tries to prove and inspire in us the idea that we can succeed in every sphere of life we set our minds to. That winning is a psychological thing. He also helped to further emphasize this by giving several notable steps as well as strategies towards ensuring success in life or whatever else we do.

a.) Paying the Price: For one to attain success in any endeavour one must pay the price and there is no other price for success than hardwork – diligent hardwork. As an Athlete I will have to train rigorously, as a Business man I will have to study success books hard and develop a strategy for my business as a father or a mother I will have to invest in myself as well as my kids, are part of paying the price and the second analogy about a businessmen reading success books and developing a business strategy applies to my life and my little Internet marketing/Book Publishing business.

b.) Integrity: Being a student of the word. I have been studying the virtue called integrity for the past 6 months. The word has attracted and appealed me at every single place I have seen it. I have began to observe other people’s life, even mentors that have really been successful and have discovered that a-times their integrity has been called to question. And I want to live differently, to be remembered for the word Integrity even after my demise, if that be the only virtue I am remembered by I will live with happily that knowledge in my grave. Integrity is a great value and the new dynamics of winning, just reminds me to continue learning more about it, cherish it and live by it.

Dr. Waitley reminds me about this and he also talked about Silent approval. In his words, “…Silent approval Occurs when Authority figures- whether they are heads of families or leaders of companies- look the other way when actions conflict with their stated principles.” So I should be wary of this too. My being truthful is a big part of Integrity.

Also what I do consistently is what people are going to take as truth and not what I say consistently.

c.) The Ten Dos and Donts of quality leadership: Leadership is one cord that strikes me here, in my heart. And Dr. Waitley helped emphasis this. On page 152 of his book, he proffered Ten Dos and Donts on leadership, quality leadership at that, which I am going to use to successfully lead my young company, my family, members of my congregation and any other group I am opportuned to lead. Some of these Dos and Donts include; listening often as much as possible to what others say, using praise frequently and sincerely and being firm and fair. Others include not putting off or penalizing anyone for asking questions, Not criticizing others in public and not being afraid to share my concerns with others.

d.) Learning from the Experts: Almost every book I read talks about learning from the experts and mentors in one form or the other. And each time I come across it, it imprints a new impression on my life, as I understand it from another new perspective. From this book, I learnt that the idea of learning from experts will help me live a honourable life, enjoy freedom and wealth and impact on the lives of others. This rule of having mentors may seem obvious but acting upon it is the decisive formular for winning and I am going to henceforth act upon it as much as I can.

e.) Developing Mental Toughness: Since I am the type of person that gives up, though not so easily but quite often (My challenges are mountainous and keep growing by the leaps and bounds) especially when assailed with trials and tough decisions and heavy responsibilities; toughness- Mental Toughness- is what I need now. According to the book this is the ability to thrive on pain and adversity in other words, “When it starts to hurt, you start to win,” This encourages me to do something that moves me forward, there must be something I can do to move forward however be it slow.

Also learning more and staying positive will help me. I have learnt that I need an inner strength (beyond Physical Strength), when things are not going on okay and I will try and develop this over the next three months. Conversion of stumbling blocks into stepping stones is what truly sets the champions apart.

f.) Self confidence and self transformation: For someone like me who occasionally suffers from bouts of lack of self confidence especially when my plans and actions don’t yield the right results. Always made worst by the fact that I see others that rarely take the actions I take or do the right thing yet unknowingly yielding positive results. I should take heart and be firm that’s when my self confidence should be strong. The trick I have learnt is to be relaxed, take things easy and be aware of the silent conversations I have with myself and redirect them to the right and positive results. Relax!

g.) The drive to win: In all I do, I should have that desire to succeed, this book New dynamics of winning is trying to make me believe that the capacity to my winning, even against all odds is there. I just have to build that drive to win. I must be motivated enough to want to change, to want to win. This idea appeals to me so much so that I am flaming and building up my desire to be successful in everything I do in this 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?

By using these seven Ideas, I can not only get better as a person and in how I treat and lead others. This will subsequently create a good example for the members of my family, my group at church and the society at large. I can make better decisions as a result of these ideas and live a far better life than what I had hitherto lived.

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.

“When it starts to hurt, you start to win,”

And where he talked about the school teacher that came from the grandstands four years later to win an Olympics gold. I will etch these golden words in my secret place of place.

The readers edge- quite simply the people who read the most are the most successful, regardless of occupation

This piece of advice touches me and reveals to me the fact that since I am a great reader of books I am on the path of success.

Expect the best, plan for the worst

We all should expect the best to happen to us in life but we should always have a plan be as life is not scripted and doesn’t read the way we plan it. But a second plan can help one weather the storms and disappointments of a sore going plan.

The five most important words a leader could speak are; “I am proud of you”

These words can make any follower to aspire for greatness and do exactly what the leader wants.

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

None.

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

Yes! A 21 day plan on each of the 9 themes/ chapters in the book. And I am doing them presently though slowly.

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

None other than this book has been of immense help in helping me know myself and working out a successful winning formular.

Rating

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

Leadership for Dummies
Assessment by Francisco Onuchukwu Okaformbah (Nigeria)

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

The Authors by the ideas in their book are trying to define the real meaning of leadership and what it takes to lead.

a. Leaders must be trained

Leaders must be trained in the roles and responsibilities expected of them. You don’t just expect them to know what to do and how to do it. And when they fail to do it you start going mad. They must learn about the job. This applies to me in my personal life because I have junior leaders in my church group that have been appointed to work with me at their various church roles/posts, and as the overall leader (Leader of the other leaders) I don’t have to just expect them to perform. I need to train them in their responsibilities that way, they can give their bests and work with me towards a common vision. I always get mad when My junior leaders(co-leaders) don’t do what they are supposed to do but right now I’m not juts going to get mad, first I’m going to train them and not just guess that they’ll know what to do or how to do it.

b. Visionary leadership

The book defined vision as simply a great hope held in common. A vision is not just an idea, it’s much more. Its also a reminder of why you joined the group. A visionary leader is a leader with vision. By becoming a visionary leader I can establish something that will still be around even after I have left. So therefore I’m going to set a vision for the different groups I chair. It will take a visionary leader to set in motion a vision for a group and I am going to become that leader from henceforth.

c. There’s no natural leader

No one is born with leadership skills or abilities. This according to the authors of the book is a myth. I believe one of the greatest problems we as Africans face is the fact that we lack great leaders but if we also face the myth that there are natural leaders and until we find them we won’t go any where and disband that myth, Africa will still remain a dark continent. This idea is so important to me as it (and several other related common leadership myths) reminds me of what goes on in the minds of a lot of people, I will keep this in mind while dealing with them always, while trying to disabuse their minds from it.

d. Leadership report card

I got this idea from a simple statement in the book and it has inspired me to create a report card. A small pocketsize card board report, for myself and for my leaders that will help to evaluate our progress as individuals and as leaders. A leadership report card is simply a physical document that list your goals, personal inventory skills and missions, as well as visions and other skills or jobs that have to be done and grading or evaluating these against set values, like dates or numbers of tasks completed. It’s also going to have possible recommendations as to how to improve as a leader and can be reviewed by co-leaders. This report card once created will help me become a better leader.

e. Leading when you are not the leader

Leading when you are not the leader is one idea that’s so important to me. Every time is potentially the right time for leadership. And this includes moments when I’m not in the fore front as an elected or appointed leader. I can lead even when I’m a follower. This idea begins with me using simple ideas improving the simplest things and using information to build team spirit. Leading from the sidelines, .i.e. when you are not the leader is one of the best ways of helping the group achieve its goals and even getting noticed as a potential material for leadership. As this applies to me? Well! I am in so many organizations both in Church, Work and my social circle that I’m not the leader, so I will use these ideas, particularly improving the simplest things to lead from the sidelines and together we can score great field goals.

f. Leadership is a process

Leadership is a process that involves a lot of activities and set of rules or skills. Leadership involves assessing one’s situation, doing a personal inventory, Highlighting mission statement and visions, building a team and instilling a sense of team work within it, providing tools and resources for the team and putting a solid plan into action to achieve set goals and objectives. All these are processes that have to be undertaken. They are not just destinations. I was shocked when I found out that all these are what leadership, Excellent leadership that is, is about. I always thought excellent leadership was a destination, somewhere you got to or became after acquiring a set of skills, the set of skills listed above. But alas! It’s not. So therefore I must always go through this process over and over again for every new leadership post I hold. Leadership is a process.

g. Being disciplined

Leadership doesn’t come without challenges, it has it own set of problems. Leadership could even be a problem in itself for an individual not to talk of the responsibilities of that leadership posts. Sometimes responsibilities point to problems that need solutions. Being disciplined is one of such challenges and responsibilities that leaders have to bear. A leader must be disciplined. Being disciplined is currently one of the biggest challenges I am facing as a leader. I can’t get myself to do some of those tasks that require my input. This might be due to one thing or the other like distance, commute time or even limited resources. But If I truly want to succeed as a leader then I must give myself to these activities. I must discipline myself, I must not find an excuse not to fulfill my responsibilities but find reasons to.

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?

By using these ideas my aim of becoming a better leader now and thus a better leader in the future will be achieved. I will also be able to correct the mistakes of leaders around me, point out facts and advice others on leadership, groom future leaders and improve continuously and ultimately one day become one of the best political President Nigeria or Africa will ever have. And thus the world.

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

“Learning by doing”
I can do a lot of things if I take my time to learn about them first.

“In order to elicit cooperation, listen well and place the needs of others above your own.”
If I really want to influence people and have them cooperate with me then I have to listen to them, placing their own needs far above mine.

“Don’t worry about being original, being effective is more important.”
I don’t have to be afraid of copying other leaders or systems that work. I should go ahead and use them if they are proven to work and will give me what I want.

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

None yet, probably I’ll need to re-read it once more to find out.

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! And I carried out some of them.

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.

For me it gives a total panorama view of what leadership is all about, though it leaves out some in-depth analysis of several leadership issues like How to make a vision the team’s own and not only the leaders and what to do when one doesn’t have capable hands to lead.

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

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

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Assessment by Francisco Onuchukwu Okaformbah (Nigeria)

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

What the Author is trying to convey in his book is how to live a fulfilling life suing certain sacrosanct life guides. In essence Stephen life live via principles…(page 11)… Also there are many ideas in the book that are quite similar to Dr. Wayne Dyer’s Message in Real Magic.

a. Living a Principled Centered Life:

Instead of living a life that is centered on several wrong focal points like money, pleasure, Spouse of even Family. We are meant to live our lives around principles. Living life around fundamental unmovable principles will give one the full advantage of having Security, Wisdom, Guidance and Power, Which are the four life issues that projects from the centre of any individual.
For me I’ll have to defocus from centering my life around family and pleasure. I have discovered that to a degree that is where my centre lies, despite all my good intentions and reading motivational literature I discovered from this idea/book that this is rather the centre I am focusing on. So right now focusing on Principles will take a large part of my energy and thus all other centers; family, pleasure, money, etc will thus have their proper place.

b. Interdependence is much more important than independence:

Interdependence as defined by the book is the basic realization that all of this world; all nature; all things including the society rely on each other for survival and effectiveness and are inter related. Interdependence is a combination of efforts to achieve success or perfection. All over the world people believe that independence is much better than any other form of living. That it’s the highest pedestal to live for. But independence is only a paradigm, it’s just a stage and Interdependence is a stage higher than it.

Since the death of my dad, I have always strove to be independent and entirely dependent on myself for achieving any goal or success I want in life. But this idea made me know that I am only in the second rung of the “effectiveness in life” ladder. Thus I need to strive for the highest rung which is interdependence.

c. Our Habits make us

We are creatures of habits all we do, all we are all what we think about or say or even fail to say or do are part of our habits. Our habits according to Stephen Covey (God rest his soul) are defined as the intersection of knowledge skill and desire. They are what makes or mar us and these habits are directly under the control of our independent will. This idea applies to me in a special way because apart from wanting to be effective, rather highly effective, I also want to drop some terrible habits (bad habits that I have been doing effectively J) and to do that I must take control of my own independent will. I have had series of defeats with this ugly habit and have thought I’ll need super human strength to conquer it but with this idea I can conquer my habit using my normal God-given abilities and it all starts with my own independent self will.

d. Live with the end in mind

This idea of living with the end in mind resonates so well with me. I have always wanted to live a legacy to live life out as it should me using up all my potentials impacting upon life, etc but I have never thought of it in terms of “what the end of my life” or “my wake keep ceremony” will be like. But right now I am always going to put this in front of me in all I do.

e. Lose/Win

The Idea of lose/win which depicts someone that gives up easily in interaction or argument with others appeals to me. It shows me someone that’s afraid to take the bull by the horn, someone that will rather shelve his principles and allow others have their way in other for him/her to gain among other things popularity or appease others
There are several people within my life that seem to be focuses at the win/lose paradigm, That is winning at all cost and they seem to compliment me. Because I have now noticed that sometimes I see myself as inferior and allow them to have their ways. But not anymore, I wont lower my standards or set my principles Aside for the sake of “so called peace”. I won’t engage in Lose/win attitude with other again. My principles stand.

f. Seek first to understand, then to be understood

We are built biologically to always have our way or put ourselves first but this idea tells us to put others first for a change, especially if we want to get them to share and open up to us; especially, if we want to influence them. This is almost the same idea in Real Magic, about listening to others. This idea is so important to me that from henceforth I will try and understand others first before speaking, especially younger individuals. I barely give them a chance, as I feel I’m more superior, more special, more intelligent and more experience but from henceforth I will seek to understand them first.

g. The spiritual dimension

The spiritual dimension is a very private area of anyone’s life. It’s about having a core, a center or commitment to one’s value system. Out of all the four dimensions of renewal that talks about the 7th habit, which is Sharpen the saw this one touched me most in the sense that I want to have a sense of inner peace and happiness with my God the supreme being.

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?

Using these ideas will turn me into a better person, especially the type of person I see myself as I want to be at the end of my life here on earth. Once I become this person, I’ll act out positively and with. I am already on my way to “perfection”. And these ideas will only add to my personal development and help me build more life skills.

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

“The Inside out approach says that Private victories precede public victories, and that making and keeping promises to ourselves precedes making and keeping promises to others.”
This means that I should work to have victory and mastery over myself first before I decide to face or correct others. This is one thing almost all Personal development books I have being reading in Level 1 and 2 of this ILGL course have had in common.

“Lord give me the courage to change the things which can and ought to be changed, the serenity to accept the things which cannot be changed and the wisdom to know the difference.”
This Quote which is kind of a prayer, reminds me of the fact that I may not like some things happening within my life. And each time I experience such I should just say this little prayer.

“Anytime we think the problem is out there, that thought is the problem.”
Some of the problems we face in life are not really out there as much as they are within us. So I should look within me, starting with the thought in my head.

“The proactive approach to a mistake is to acknowledge it instantly, correct and learn from it. This literally turns a failure into a success.”
This from the Author reminds me that each time I make a mistake I should not try knocking myself out but should learn from it and turn it into a success.

“Whatever is at the center of our lives will be the Source of our security, guidance, wisdom and power.”
This quote reminds me of having a principled centre. Like one of the ideas above. I should try and make principles the centre of my life.

“Proactive people make love a verb.”
Love should not just be something of a noun, something that you wait to happen to you. You have to act, do it, do the things that will make you feel love or care. Love is actualized through giving, through actions.

“You can’t talk your way out of problems, You have to behave yourself out.”
This means that I have to act upon the problems I have develop a definite plan to solve them. Just talking to others about them or complaining will do me no good.

“Anything less than Win/Win in an interdependent reality is a poor second best that will have impact in the long term relationship.”
In whatever interdependent relationship I am in, especially for the long term it should be Win/Win.

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

None.

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

Yes! The book did contain exercises and I did all of them.

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

None.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 5
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 5
D. Would you recommend it to others? 5
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 6