As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Happiness Onwubaiauka (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
* A man’s thought and character
* Effect of Thought on Circumstances
* A man’s thought and purpose
* The effect of thought on a man’s health and body
* The thought factor and achievement
* Visions and Ideas
* Thought and Purpose
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
a. Thought and character: A man’s character is a reflection of my thought, as they say that attitude determines ones altitude, I have come to realized that both my attitude and altitude are products of my thought. My altitude is by the law of my being; it is as a result of the thought which I have built into my character.
b. Effect of Thought on Circumstances: A man’s mind is like a garden. After reading this book, I have completely turned my mind into a beautiful garden by constantly occupying it with the right thought. According to the author, a man is required to tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful and pure thoughts’
c. Thought and Purpose: I’m inspired by the writer’s idea that says, “A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts”
d. Effects of Thoughts on Health and Body: A man’s body is a servant to his mind. A healthy thought determines how healthy our body becomes. If there is nothing I have learnt from this point, I am fully aware that sickly thought expresses itself through a sickly body. According to the author, Men will continue to have impure and poisoned blood, so long as they propagate unclean thoughts. We are the product of our thoughts. It is so inspiring to know that the only think I could do to renew and perfect my body is to guard and beautify my mind.
e. Thought factor in achievement: A man’s thought determines his achievement “‘A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts. He can only remain weak, abject, and miserably by refusing to lift up his thoughts.’’ I’m a master of my destiny. Through my thought I control my world and achieve all my goals, for every achievement is as a result of careful, self-control and well-directed thought. It is so lifting after reading this book to know that it doesn’t matter what life may bring I can only be limited by the thoughts I choose. I am not controlled by circumstances; I am the designer of my destiny through my thoughts.
f. Visions and ideas: We are as big as our dreams and visions, a man cannot grow beyond his dreams and aspirations. Our dreams and visions determine how much we achieve.
According to the author, vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil. I appreciate the writer’s further explanation that we can not only dream and expect our dreams to come to past, he explained that we need to remain true to our dreams, in other words, we need to strive to see them come to past by committing ourselves to them.
g. Serenity: The author talked about self control and the serenity of the mind. According the author, a man with a calm mind knows how to adapt himself to others and in so doing others rely and learn from him.
I have come to understand that a calm mind will cause a man to be successful in whatever he finds himself doing. This is because a man with calm mind and self control is trusted by people and when a man is trusted by people he is already on his way to greatness because people will always prefer to deal with him.
After reading this part of the book, I had begun a journey to greatness by consciously developing on a daily basis a calm mind.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
After reading this book, my life has completely taken a new turn. I have begun to see myself as a new being as a result of constant renewing of my mind and thought.
I see a new me in all aspect of life because I have come to realized that the achievement of every bit of my goals in all aspect of life is determined by the quality of my thought. I have become more committed to seeing my goals and aspiration come to realization.
I see a world of beauty, a world full of laughter, a world where every man is given an equal opportunity, a world free of violence and hatred. I have channeled my strength to see that this world is a reality but using the information I got from this to educate others. The essence is for everyone I met to be conscious of the quality of their thought because their entire world is a reflection of their thought.
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.
‘’A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.’’
This is a very important statement to me because according to the author, a mind can be allowed to run wild and with this consciousness, I will guide my heart with all diligence because out of it comes the issues of life. My entire world depends on the seeds I saw into my mind and how well I cultivate them. The thought of greatness produces greatness in me. The thought of good health makes me physically healthy. The thought of a violence free world brings peace to my world.
“As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills.” I like this quote because the thought that I am a being of power, intelligence and love, with a mind of my own is so inspiring.
With nothing been able to wipe this knowledge from my thought, I know I have conquered the world of fear, intimidation, poverty, and failure. I am in charge of my life and my environment.
“A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.”
According to the author, we do not have control of the things that happens to us. But we have control over our thought. He went on the explain that a particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character and circumstances.
And this has inspired me to think of the best, to think of the good thinks of life.
“As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.”
Practice they say takes a man close to perfection. We are born differently, with different background, upbringing and from different environment. At times we may have our thought channeled to the wrong directions due to our experiences. It is very electrifying to know after reading this book that is never too late to effect a change, even the change of thought.
According to the author, a man with weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.
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?
All ideas are clear with good explanations.
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 to be completed.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No there are no such things
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it 10
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Happiness Onwubaiauka (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
a. Discovering and understanding who you are
b. Breaking the boundaries of limitation
c. Passion
d. Pursuit for excellence
e. Act of learning
f. Mentoring
g. Love and sharing
h. kindness
i. Forgiveness
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
a. Discovering and understanding who you are: This point is important to me because it made me curious about what makes me unique. I also got insight on how to really manifest who i am, by looking inward and drawing strength from within. Over the years, I have taken time discover to an extent who I am, but this book, Jonathan seagull has inspired me a lot. Now I know that there is no limit to who I can become.
b. Breaking the boundaries of limitation: I have come to learn that it is important not to give in to barriers in our life journey. Limitations come in different shapes and sizes. (Fear of the unknown, oppositions from peers etc) But, I have come to the realization that I can be who I want to be. When I was younger, I thought certain achievements are for certain people. I thought you have to come from a particular background to be a success in life. My limitation was my own thought but little did I know that the seed of greatness has been deposited inside of each man. All we need to do is to look within and develop the ability we have inside.
c. Passion: When a man sees the big picture of his life, in other words, when a man discovers himself, he definitely needs to be passionate in pursuing his goals. Enthusiasm they say is the mother of efforts, without it nothing great was ever achieved. Passion is the strong feeling to press on even when there are challenges. Jonathan Seagull according to the author was passionate about flying and his passion distinguished him from every other seagull. I have been inspired to be passionate about the things I like to do.
d. Pursuit for excellence: As the author wrote, ‘there’s a reason to life! We can list ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly!’
This point is important to me because I have learnt to pursue excellence. I discovered that perfection is not a destination which means it can’t be reached but pressing hard to be excellent in all I do makes me special and outstanding.
e. Act of learning: When one school finishes, another one begins. Learning as I have understood from this book is continuous. It doesn’t have an end. And the more I learn day by day the more I improve on that which I have chosen to be. As the writer mentioned, ‘the most important thing in living was to reach out and touch perfection in that which one most loved to do’’. Though perfection has no limit but constant learning takes you anywhere you want to be because learning enlarges your perception, increases one’s ability to achieve what others may see as impossible. It brings information into your palms and as they say, information rules the world.
f. Mentoring: I have learnt that for one to actually be a success there is always a mentor. One who helps you in developing your skills and sometimes discovers the abilities one may not see on his/her own.
g. Love and kindness: Love is what makes one to share his knowledge. The more we practice love and kindness and the more we know and understand the nature of love the more we want to share our resources with others no matter the situations. And the only way to demonstrate love according to the author is to give something of the truth that we had seen to another person who asked only a chance to see truth for himself.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas are helping me to see life differently. I understand now that i can be who I am made to be. I can only be limited if I allow it. I’m a product of my thought; I can be who I want to be. Challenges are there to build my character, make me strong, better, wiser and sets me above others if I don’t give up to my dreams. I will always share my knowledge with others and make sure i encourage others to always look within to discover who they really are.
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.
“To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is,” he said, “you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived…”
The trick in this statement according to the author is for one to stop seeing himself or herself as trapped inside a limited body that had a forty-two-inch wingspan and performance that could be plotted on a chart. The trick he said is for one to know that his or her true nature lived, as perfect as an unwritten number, everywhere at once across space and time.
This statement is important to me because I have begin to see myself as a success in everything I do even before I start to do them because I have realized that the ability to succeed is lays within me.
‘The gull sees farthest who flies highest.’ As they say, the highest order of madness is to do the same thing in the same manner everyday and expect a different result. Anyone who wants to achieve what no man has achieve must be ready to do what no man has done even if it means to be called names, abandoned, ostracized or castigated. The person must see beyond his or her physical eyes and do the extraordinary.
“Sully, for shame!” Jonathan said in reproach, “and don’t be foolish! What are we trying to practice every day? If our friendship depends on things like space and time, then when we finally overcome space and time, we’ve destroyed our own brotherhood! But overcome space, and all we have left is here. Overcome time, and all we have left is now. And in the middle of Here and Now, don’t you think that we might see each other once or twice?”
This statement inspired me, I have seen that success, achievement and fulfillment can only come when we do what we want to do and help others succeed in their own life.
‘That freedom is the very nature of his being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form.’
It is obvious that some people are limited by tradition or some kind of law they do not understand the origin. But, according to the writer, anything that stands against our freedom must be set aside. Success is all about a sense of fulfillment. To achieve success, every boundary must be destroyed; all tradition that limits one must be put aside.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
I fully understand every word and page of this book, even when i have doubt in some sentence, the clarification always come in the next line.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
There were no exercises
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.
We should realize that we are all gifted and divine. The only different between the one who is making progress and succeeding in life and a mediocre is their thought. If you always think of flying high, you will definitely fly high but when you occupy your mind with failure, mediocrity, you will end up with the result of your thought.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
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.
Happiness Onwuabiauka (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
Positive Mental Attitude is an essential ingredient in all success.
Negative Mental Attitude is an essential ingredient in all failures.
We are responsible for who we become in life
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. The mind is an invisible talisman: We have powerful forces, the PMA and NMA emblazoned on each side of the mind. I have come to realized that PMA is the right attitude for each occasion because it has the power to attract the good and the beautiful while NMA repels them and make life ugly and hard. The power of negative mental attitude cannot be underestimated
I have learnt to keep my mind on the things I want and off the things I do not want. After reading the book, I realized that in searching for the light, the light to success, greatness and the light to achieve my goal, I have got to read the Bible and other Inspirational book because it takes practice and learning to be successful. It is a great inspiration to know that adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefits for those with PMA. Now, I see adversities as opportunities in disguise. And I have accepted the priceless gift to love and serve others-that is the joy of work.
ii. Change your world: As the author wrote, ‘’your world will change whether or not you choose to change it, but you have the power to choose the direction. To change my world, I need to have the courage to face my fears and fight when necessary. According to the author, the ingredients for changing your world and leaving in the world of success is to identify oneself with a successful image and to have a definiteness of purpose. As I go through this book, I came to that point where I sat down and asked myself, what is my purpose of going to school, why do I have to work and what is the purpose of doing some of the things I do. Now, I have clear picture and clear cut-goal of what I want to achieve. I have set my priorities.
I have discovered that problems and challenges do not lie with the world, but with individuals who are faced with these challenges. We all have talents for surmounting problems and challenges.
iii. We are what we think: Getting rid of negative feelings, emotions, passions, habits and prejudices off our thinking is simply what Napoleon Hill explains as clearing the cobwebs. He further explained that every human sometimes is caught up with these cobwebs but we can remain free by getting rid of them as they begin to develop with positive attitude.
iv. Satisfaction is a mental attitude. This point is important to me because it has made me see way of which I have improved my job satisfaction. Being an employee has never been so easy till I discovered this point. I have learnt that it is not the salary or fast is paid that brings the satisfaction but my attitude towards what I do and how I do them. I am still on the same job with same employer but happier and more satisfied.
v. Raise the energy level. It has been so lifting to learn that in order to achieve any goal, the physical, mental and spiritual energy has to be applied.
Can you attract Happiness? Attracting Happiness as explained by the author all depends on well we can attract it through a positive mental attitude. I’m devoting and channeling more energy towards bringing Happiness to others because with this, Happiness will always come back to me.
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 practicing all of these ideas, I have seen myself improve in so many areas that are so obvious to my family members and colleagues. Since majority of people learn by seeing, my life is practically making a positive impact to those at my sphere of contact.
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.
A. ‘’You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying. Success is achieved and maintained by those who keep trying with PMA’’. As constant practice takes a man to the level of excellence, so does trying without quitting takes a man to the place of achievement and success. A man with a positive mental attitude is a man who is prone to reaching his goals and aspirations. He does not quit in the face of challenges, he does not compromise at the face of difficulties. He keeps trying until he reaches his destination. This quote has inspired me to always to reach for something more, knowing and understanding that the little difference between success and failure is often something more.
B. The victory within us does not assert itself until we are ready. We are all born to be champions. No one is born a loser. We all inherited potentials and powers we need to achieve our goals. We are born winners and not losers, victors and not victims but anyone who needs to assert the victories in him or her must get ready first. As understood through reading this book, everyone has the talent for surmounting his special problems.
We need to get ready by discovering those inherited talents/ abilities and begin to develop them.
C. ‘’When I’m faced with a problem that involves a misunderstanding with the other persons, I must first start with myself’. This quote is important to me because I have learnt to examine my actions and mental attitude when dealing with others. I discovered that negligence is one of the reasons I’m in conflicts with others and reading this book has made me to begin a walk of clearing this cobweb from my attitude. As they say, the world will be a better place if we can learn to maintain a positive attitude on a daily basis.
D. ‘’Is it the suggestion of the doctor or is it the suggestion in the mind of the patients that effects the cure’’? The author explained that it was the mind of the patient that subconsciously or consciously made the suggestion to which our mind and body reacted. And this has set me thinking, how do I response to autosuggestion?
I have learnt to always maintain a positive mental attitude on a daily basis, constantly on the positive side of life. What a great joy I bring to the life of my children by impacting this positive mental attitude on them through proper suggestions. I have learnt that in every situation, a positive attitude should be employed. As long as the mind is capable to picture it , it will come to realization.
E. ‘’The whole is equal to the sum of all the parts and is greater than any of its parts’’. It is important that one adds all the necessary parts to complete the whole. Life is a total package I will say, the challenges, failures and disappointments are parts of the things that makes up the whole package of success. As they say, it is not what life brings to you that matters but the attitude of which one puts out to life.Therefore, no one should stop trying when faced with challenges. We should all begin to see challenges as bread; this is what they truly are ‘’Bread’’. When you eat them, you become better and get a step closer to success.
‘’Failure is experienced by those who whenever they experience defeat, stop trying to find the something more. This statement is an inspiration for me. I have been inspired to press on until I achieve my goals. I used to find it so difficult finding the courage to move on anytime I tried doing something new and it failed but since I read this book it has been different for me. I’m out of that mentality that says ‘’whatever will be will be’’. It takes perseverance to win a race.
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?
Every word in his book is well understood and every idea is an instruction to direct personally. I wouldn’t have disagreed.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
There were no exercises to be completed.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
None that I discovered.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 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
Keys to success
Assessment by Happiness Onwuabiauka (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
Keys and principles to personal achievement.
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.
Develop Definite of Purpose: This idea as the author explained simply encouraged everyone who is pursuing success to define their goals and start towards them. Defining ones purpose according to the writer is the starting point on all achievement, without it one will be travelling without destination. When a man defines his purpose, it leads him to specialization which leads to perfection. I have always been a woman who wants to do so many things at the same time but most times I seem to get discourage along the line because I found out is difficult getting anyone done. But now I have learnt to have a clear picture of what I want to achieve then I channel my efforts towards achieving it and the story has been different.
Assemble an Attractive Personality:
Go the Extra Mile: This idea encourages that whatever one finds himself doing, he should do it with all diligent and exceeds expectation. In so doing, that person is creating opportunities recommendation, opening doors for favorable attention and becoming indispensable. I am going the extra mile in my job, in my relationships and contribution to my society. I am going the EXTRA MILE.
Enforce Self discipline: ‘’The positive emotions can also be destructive if you do not organize and release them with conscious control’’ from the writer. For me is an eye opener. Indeed positive emotions without control are dead zones. Inherent in our emotions according to the writer is explosive power, if regulated can lead someone to the heights of achievement. But if allows to run wild can dash someone into pieces on the rocks of failure. This idea is important to me because there has been times I have made decisions based on my feelings which according to the author doesn’t show or suggest self-discipline. This idea teaches for one to consult his/her feelings and reasoning before reaching any decision. And this has helped me a lot recently. I see myself more emotionally matured than before. I am making great and constant progress.
Build a positive mental attitude: This idea deals with attitude which determines an individual altitude. As was explained by the author, a mental positive attitude is the single most important principle of the science of success.
In other words, if you must succeed, you must manifest the right attitude towards people and in every situation. To develop a positive mental attitude, I discovered that one has to set his/her mind to a course and this involves making a choice and embracing it whole heartedly. I have learnt that a wish is not enough in the journey to success. Successful people develop their wish to desire, from desire to hope, from hope to belief, from belief into a burning desire, from burning desire into faith, the make a plan and follow their plan to achieve their goals. I have set my mind to a course.
Think accurately: Our minds can be likened to a piece of Land that produces anything that is cultivated on it. This land can be cultivated into a beautiful garden or can’t be allowed to lie fallow and overrun by weeds. We are gardeners of our minds and any Gardner who expects having a bounty harvest sows good seeds. Our minds are also likened to a photographic film that registers any object reflected on it and has no control over the focus of the image it receives. We are likened to the photographer and we need to exercise control over what our minds captures. As the scripture from the holy bible says, ‘’Guide your heart with all diligence for out of it comes the issues of life’’
According to the author, we must develop beneficial mental habits to be in control of our thoughts. He went further to explain that we should select, filter and adjust all information in order to present a perfect image. I have learnt not to accommodate all images that come to mind.
Control your attention: Controlled attention according to the book is the act of coordinating all the faculties of the mind and directing their combined power to a given end. This idea is important to me because I got hold on one truth that changed my mentality and reasoning. There is an old adage that says, do not put your eggs in my basket and this has become a basis for some of my major decisions but it is so inspiring to know this does not apply in every situation. Now I can put all my attention in one basket and concentrate my attention protecting that basket. With this, I can dominate and control any market I choose to.
Budget your time and money: Time they say is the currency of life, and money is as precious as time itself. This idea has taken me through the steps of on how to use these resources and make the best of them.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
I am beginning to think and act differently. As they say, doing the same thing same way at all times and expecting a different result is the highest order of madness. I have learnt to do things differently after reading this book. I have made money that I not able to account for but now I learnt to plan my money and make good use of them. My finances have improved tremendously. Now, I have more stories, ideas and advices to give members of my club.
My desire is to learn and share my knowledge with others so we can all have a better society and the ideas in this book has added to my box of knowledge and I am making tremendous progress in every area of my life. My thought, my attitude towards others and life in general has taken a new turn.
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.
a. ‘’A smiling face defeats the cruelest of antagonists, for it is difficult to argue with someone who smiles while speaking’’. I have the habits of smiling always but I never know that I have got a great asset which is a smiling face. Wearing a smile is actually the best make-up I ever put on and this has made ways that I never knew can be opened without stress. I love this quote because whenever I remember it I know I have a gift that attracts the good things of life.
b. ‘’Refuse to heed anyone’s advice-unless that person is willing to give you satisfactory evidence of the soundness of his or her counsel’’ When we take advice and apply advice from people without collating the soundness of the counsel we sets ourselves on shaky ground. As they say ‘’those who are capable of transferring wisdom are also capable of transferring errors’’ We all not to be careful where we get information, advice and how we apply them.
c. ‘’Wasting time is sinful, most people waste enough time in gossip alone to earn them all the luxury they envy in others’’ it is important to know because sometimes we indulge in this without knowing we do so. I have pasted this quote on my wall to remind myself that wasting time is sinful. Who wants to be a sinner?
d. ‘’ The greatest manifestation of self-discipline is in the strength of your will’’ To succeed in life depends on someone’s will power. And the same applies to self -discipline if anyone wants to achieve it, a strong will need to be in place.
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?
Every word was well understood.
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 was exercise at the end of the book and it has been very useful and 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.
Nothing I could recall. The questions covered every corner of the book in my own opinion.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10
PsycoCybernetics
Assessment by Happiness Onwuabiauka (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author is conveying a secret to change ones leaving a better life.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
a. The self image: Understanding the psychology of the Self Image has actually made a big different in my confidence level.
According to the author, self image is built up from our own beliefs about ourselves. These beliefs about ourselves have unconsciously been formed from our past experiences, our successes and failures, our humiliations, our triumphs, and the way other people have reacted to us, especially in early childhood. It is a “premise,” a base, or foundations upon which your entire personality, your behavior, evens your circumstances are built.
I had always believed that I am not as good looking as I should be and this image affected my confidence but after reading to book, I realized it was nothing but an image and a picture that that can be changed. Now, am changing every image that has robbed me all that I should have achieved and things will only get better.
b. You can acquire the Habit of happiness: Happiness according to the writer is simply a “state of mind in which our thinking is pleasant a good share of the time. This idea is important to me because i have learnt that I don’t have to wait or deserve to think pleasant thoughts before i do. We need to delight in Happiness; it is not the reward of virtue but virtue itself. I have learnt that i do not need to look to the future to be happy like we normally do and say, when am married i will be happy, when i get a better job, i will be happy. Happiness according to the writer is practiced in the present because when one problem is solved another surfaces, so it is a big error to pursue Happiness but wisdom to develop this virtue called Happiness.
c. Ingredients of the Success-Type Personality and How to Acquire Them: The seed of success and failure are in our personality and character; we carry them around every day. This idea is important to me because I have come know after reading it exactly what a good personality is. I have learnt that a successful personality is contained in the word success itself. S – SENSE OF DIRECTION, U – UNDERSTANDING, C- COURAGE, C- CHARITY, E- ESTEEM, S- SELF CONFIDENCE, S- SELF ACCEPTANCE. Now I have a clear sense of direction before I venture into anything, I strive to understand situations better now before issuing judgment because according to the author, one cannot act appropriately if the information he/she acts upon is faulty or misunderstood. Having the right understanding does not really make things happen, one must have the courage to act on his/her understanding and have regard/respect for others.
d. How to Remove Emotional Scars and Give Yourself “An Emotional Face Lift: It is 100% truth that whenever we receive an emotional injury, when people hurts us by taking advantage of us, we form an emotional or spiritual scar for self protection. I am a living witness of these emotional scars and I know how much these scars have affected my life, I have always tried to be too careful which always turn out to my disadvantage, it really does not add but cuts one off from living. It is inspiring to know that the first step in dealing with the scars is to recognize and identify emotional scars, then free my personality from glitches by unleashing the power of forgiveness not only to those who offended me but to myself too.
e. How to Unlock Your Real Personality: Personality according to the author is not something that is acquired from without but is released from within. Personality he said is the outward evidence of a unique and individual creative self made in the image of God. As a matter of fact, ones personality has to be unlocked since it is within. It is very inspiring to know that someone with a good personality is one who has freed and released the creative potential within him/her and is able to express his/her real self. The author advised that in unlocking ones personality, ones need not be too careful; one need not constantly criticized him/her self. In the part of the world where I came from, women who are outspoken and goes all out for what they want are always criticized. We learn to bottle up our feelings especially when the feelings have to do with falling in love with the opposite sex. We wait for them to notice and ask us out first, if they don’t, you die in silence but after reading the idea, I know that my personality can only be termed good if I learn to really express myself.
f. How to Turn a Crisis into a Creative Opportunity: According to the author, the difference between people who handles situations differently is not inherent quality one has and the other doesn’t. It is a matter of how the learned to handle crisis situations. I have learnt that in order for me to bring out my best in everything I do, I must learn to react properly to situations. In so doing, I will have power, strength and wisdom I do not ordinarily posses to handle crisis. Improper reaction robs one of skill and ability he/she ordinarily possess.
g. How to Get “That Winning Feeling”: According to author, if we keep our positive goal in mind and picture it to ourselves so vividly as to make it real and think of it in terms of an accomplished fact, we will also experience winning feelings, self-confidence, courage, and faith that outcome will be desirable. He also mentioned that the winning feeling itself does not cause one to operate successfully, but it is more in the nature of a sign or symptom that we are geared for success.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
The essence of learning is to improve ourselves and through a better understanding and exposure to our environment mentor others, those who see us as role models. I have learnt to unlock my personality, learn the power that lies there in forgiveness. I have let go of every offense. Most especially, I realize the seed of failure and success lies there within me and I carry them around everywhere I go. And I have chosen to succeed by exhibiting the right personality.
As the saying goes, if each one could teach one what a better world we will have. I will pass on my discoveries from this book by changing my usual way of doing things for people in my sphere of contact to see and learn by example.
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.
a. ‘’The man who conceives himself to be a “failure type person” will find some way to fail, in spite of all his good intentions, or his will power, even if opportunity is literally dumped in his lap.’’
This shows that we are truly what we think of ourselves. ‘’As a man thinks so he is’’ success or failure does not depend on what we see or our immediate environment, they are all depends on the image or picture we have in our minds about who we are. We all need to endeavor to erase any negative picture and begin to see the positive images of ourselves because what we see is what we become.
b. “Success” has nothing to do with prestige symbols, but with creative accomplishment.’’ According to the author, no man should attempt to be “a success,” but every man can and should attempt to be “successful.” He explained that “a success” in terms of acquiring prestige symbols and wearing certain badges leads to neuroticism, and frustration and unhappiness but striving to be “successful” brings not only material success, but satisfaction, fulfilment and happiness.
c. ‘’Discovering your real self means the difference between freedom and the compulsions of conformity.”
Many times we see ourselves as describe by others especially those who have influences over us. For example, a child sees himself as dull and a failure if his teacher or mother tells him every day he is a failure. But whenever he clears the negative image and discovers his real self, he frees himself from this negative conformity and begins to function the way he is created to function. Each and everyone of us is created with the seed of greatness, all we need to do is to discover it despite what others say about and fulfill our God given purpose in life.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Everything is well understood.
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 was helpful jotting all the important points and looking at them everyday remains me that am on a course to improving myself.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment. 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? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10