Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha – Assessments – International Institute for Global Leadership

As A Man Thinketh

Assessment by Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha (Nigeria)

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

In this phenomenal book the idea the author James Allen is trying to convey is about the power of thought in human life. Thought is the fount of all actions. Change of diet or environment will not help one who will not change his thought. All a person achieves and all he fails to achieve is the direct result of his thoughts. Man is made or unmade by his thought. You cannot live above the quality of your thought. If your thought is bad, your life will be bad and if your thought is good then your life will be good. To be in control of your thoughts is to be in control of your life. Some people say that they acted thoughtlessly but that’s a lie. The truth is that such persons have allowed bad thoughts to take over them and didn’t do anything to control them so their thoughts ran amuck and so their actions. If you want to be a person of repute then you must take charge of your thoughts.

The mind is the thought center. It is the kitchen in which thoughts are cooked, the farm on which thoughts are cultivated and factory where thoughts are manufactured. The mind is a great power house. Failures or successes first take place in the mind before their physical manifestations. The mind is the fountain from which life issues emanate. The mind is the canvass on which life is first and foremost painted. The mind is the greatest battle field and the power of thoughts are enormous. All trend, invention or innovations that we see and enjoy in life today first came as thoughts in the mind of the dreamers, inventors or innovators. Ideas rule the world and ideas are simply thoughts. One truth I have discovered is that if your mind is full of negative thoughts then your life will be full of negative, bad and unhealthy things but if your mind is full of positive and healthy thoughts then your life will be full of positive and healthy stuff.

It is only a person that has mastered his mind and thoughts that can encounter a challenge and overcome. If we understand the psychology behind people’s actions then this will help us to help them. The mind plays a great part in the recovering of a sick person. Someone can be healthy or unhealthy through the thoughts in his minds. Great leaders and thinkers are men and women who have mastered the power of their thoughts. Thoughts leaders are people whose opinions matter in their industries or on issues because they have been consistent with quality thoughts. If you can change your thought, your can change your life. Thought is the game changer in every situation 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.

This book is truly a great book that I encountered great and important ideas but here are seven of the ideas that were very important to me.

i. Man is made or unmade by himself. In the Amory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools.

The explanation is that the life of a man is the sum of his thoughts. You can’t have an impure thought and live a pure life nor can you have pure thoughts and your life will be impure. Like begets like. It is via thoughts that a person destroys or makes better his life. Personally, I will attests that when I am sad or bitter, the result is that I become moody and kind of sick because this unhealthy thoughts mess up my body system but when I am joyful and happy, I am lively and creative therefore daily I choose to be joyful and happy and avoid unhealthy thoughts that will make me sad. Joy elongates life span while stuff like bitterness, sadness and jealousy contaminates ones life and shortens life span.

To live a beautiful life, you can fashion this via the power of your thought and you destroy your life via the power of your thought. For one to commit suicide for any reason, he must have had suicidal thoughts and carelessly allowed these thoughts to take over his life. Committing suicide does not solve a problem but if you calm your mind and dwell on positive and uplifting thoughts, surely, solution will come and the problem will be solved but if you kill yourself, the problem will still be there and unsolved. In your mind are arsenals of thoughts that can kill or heal, enthrone or dethrone you. As a man thinks so he is true because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and we act what we think therefore one must be conscious of the kind of thoughts he entertains in his life. A vulgar person entertains vulgar thoughts. We must guard our mind for it is the Amory where thoughts are fashioned.

ii. Doubts and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step.

Truly, fear is the greatest enemy of mankind and fear manifest in forms like doubt, et cetera. Fear stifles creativity, saps vitality from life. Fear has killed many people than disease and wars combined. Due to fear, many die before the real death. Fear is limiting therefore must not be tolerated. After the death of Dr. Maya Angelou, I caught an idea to collaborate with other poets and writers and do a book anthology in her honor. I approached some notable Nigerian writers, some said I was crazy with such idea and two refused to be involved with such project saying that I wasn’t a big name and that the idea won’t work. I got home that evening and thoughts began to fight in my mind. A thought was that these people are notable names in writing industry and if they said the idea doesn’t make sense then it may be true. Another thought was that these people are humans and imperfect, they are not me so they don’t understand the idea. I went on with the idea to make it happen. I called my friend and brother Ogwo David Emenike and we went ahead to make this project happen. Immediately we launched out, some media houses came in to partner with us. A call for submission was announced and finally from the submitted works, we choose 52 comprising of poets and writers from over 25 countries including USA, Ghana, Philippine, UK, Cameroon, South Africa, Nigeria, Botswana, etc. Today the book: ‘The Phenomenal Woman Poetry Anthology – Collection of Poems in Honour of Dr. Maya Angelou’ is a success. Never let fear cripple you or take life out of your dream. When you face your fear, it flees. I have come to know that fear has no power except that you give it. Fear is a great enemy of knowledge because it thrives on ignorance. You must slay your fear or it will slay you. I destroy my fear before it destroys me. When you face your fear with fierce, your life becomes fabulous.

iii. 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.

The truth is that when you leave a parcel of land without planting anything on it, something will surely grow on it but that will be weed. You often have heard that “an idle mind is the devils workshop.” There’s need to be in-charge of your mind and allow only healthy thoughts to take root in it. For a garden to be beautiful and productive, the garden will steadfastly work on it so you should also work on your mind with all diligence for out of it flows the issue of life. With a healthy and positive mind, you can go through trial moments and come out victorious. The state of your mind is what gives you the mindset you have. Your mentality is a sum total of what goes on in your mind. You may not be able to change some life’s situation but if you can change your mind, things becomes easier and better. A garden is guarded from thieves and unwanted people to avoid them killing planted crops or sowing weeds. We should guard our minds from negative people and negative thoughts, to avoid them contaminating and polluting our mind with their badness.

Personally, by harnessing the power of my mind, I have progressed in my works via thought leadership because I calm down to think and meditate and come out with powerful ideas and thoughts that are helping my life and that of others. I read quotes from other great minds and today people read and use my own quotes and they say I am a great mind but this didn’t happen by accident but by the healthy cultivation of my mind. Mind power is a great power! I make conscious effort to guard my mind from pollution. I don’t give room to disempowering and limiting thoughts. I am careful of what I give my ear-time to and also conscious of the kind of people I associate with because if one is not careful subtly, negative and dark thoughts which are weeds will creep into your mind and before you know it, you start malfunctioning. So intelligently the mind must be guarded for it is the garden of life.

iv. They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles and self-pity.

A life without a purpose is likened to a ship without a rudder, when the wind comes, it blows to ship to and fro mercilessly like Lionel Messi dribbling a defender on a football pitch. Purpose is the reason for the existence of a thing. Purpose is what gives meaning to life. A life without purpose is aimless and meaningless but a purposeful life, even in the face of challenges, endures and fights on because there is an aim, a goal that must be achieved. There’s no life that doesn’t encounter challenges like fear, worries, troubles but a purpose-driven life encounters such and overcomes but a purposeless life gives in to self-pity, blaming others for his misfortunes instead of taking responsibility.

The central purpose of my life is to make my light shine in order to illumine my path and that of others therefore anything I will do or say, I first and foremost check if it tallies with my purpose. When I encounter a challenge be it financial, physical, emotional or whatever, I don’t just rush and do anything anyhow but first of all, I go back to my purpose which is my compass before taking any action. There are kinds of lifestyle or relationship I cannot get involved in because it is against my life’s purpose.

Those without a central purpose for their lives do things anyhow, they are the types that embezzle public funds, pervert justice, molest people, trafficking human beings, peddle, abuse drugs and substances and get into other forms of vices because of the quest for money, fame or to pal up with peers but the truth is that such life is dangerous and crumbles. Speaking from my personal experience, I must confess that living a purpose-driven life demands great sacrifice like discipline, people will misunderstand you and call you names but keep on keeping on for one day they will turn and start emulating you. You will make mistakes and fall but rise up, dust yourself, take back your life and keep on living your purpose-driven life.

v. A noble and God-like character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with God-like thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character by the same process, is the result of the continued harboring of groveling thoughts.

Nothing just happens! Life is simply a mix of cause and effect. You can’t plant a corn and expect to harvest cassava. I think it is insanity to keep doing the same thing all the time and expect different result. The mental and ethical traits that distinguish a person from others is a function of nature and nature but the truth is that no matter what nature bequeaths you in terms of birth, you can nurture yourself to be better.

Character is developed overtime. You cannot live your life for years in armed robbery, stealing and maiming lives and expect to have the character of a saint, even if you pretend, you can’t live long in your life of pretense. It is only a life that lives with human dignity, ethical leadership that can have God-like character. I have observed that ordination as a clergy doesn’t change the true nature of a person. If you are bad and you go and get ordained to cover up as a minister, except you consciously repent and change from your past life, you are still the same old mean, bad and wicked person who is only pretending and covering up. True transformation starts from inside out that’s why Christ Jesus admonished us in the Bible to be transformed by the renewal of our minds.

I am this kind of person that is humane and love peaceful relationships. Some people knows this but they try to take advantage of this my nature to either find my trouble or outwit me in some things because of this, there were times I tried to cultivate a mean and unforgiven nature but I couldn’t because this is not my nature and nurture. So what I do is to be careful of the kind of people I associate or deal with.

Reputation can be painted but character is the real you. No matter how you try to pretend, one day your try character will come out. I tell people that you can only deceive some of the people but you cannot deceive all the people all the time. Living an ignoble and bestial life doesn’t pay. The kind of life one should live is a noble and God-like life worthy of emulation for this is the life that will outlive you. Your character shapes your destiny! You can’t actualize a great destiny with an ignoble character. We must learn to cultivate only good character for this is positvely rewarding.

vi. Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain or rise with your thoughts – your vision, your ideal.

The truth is that our environment influences us but the good news is that we can overcome the shackles of our environment and rise to higher heights. The greatest and first environment is your inner environment which is your mind. This controls over 70% of what happens in our life. If your mind is right, it doesn’t matter whether you are from a poor family in an inner city in a third world country, you will rise to become a global brand.

Born in Aba in eastern Nigeria, getting mentors in my area of passion was hard because the town and region is majorly in the business of buying and selling of goods. I had to go to start reading books authored by people in my area of passion. My desire is to be a force in the life coaching and human capacity development industry. There were times I will skip meals and save the money and use it to buy books. I will travel to Lagos on night buses in order to meet up with events where some role models and mentors I respect will be speaking. I sacrificed to develop myself. Someone may think it is not luck but sacrifice. Success demands sacrifice. I will not say that I have attained but daily I keep on seeking for opportunities to get better. Never allow your background to keep your back on the ground. You are unlimited and unstoppable! You are not finished when you fall down; you are finished when you fall down and refuse to rise. Remaining down causes you to rust and atrophy. When you fall, don’t remain down but rise up again, yes you can!

vii. The dreamers are the saviors of the world. Humanity cannot forget its dreamers; it cannot let their ideals fade and die.

The truth is that dreamers dare to make things happen. The good and advancements we enjoy in the world today are result of prices paid by dreamers. The world will not forget a man like Dr. Jonas Salk, who spent years of his life researching for a vaccine to end poliomyelitis – a disease that kills children. Finally, he succeed to discover a vaccine and surprised the world when he didn’t go on to patent it but said he only wants to save lives.

Thomas Edison spent years to come out with the light bulb and today the world is illumined for his discovery. What of a man like Martin Luther King Jr.? He had a dream for a world where there’s equality and today his dream is alive. Helen Keller is a powerful inspiration. Though she was blind, deaf and dumb but she rose to become an educator, writer and change agent.

Today, I am able to read books, write with pen or on Microsoft word, participate in this program due to dreamers have made them possible. Dreamers have made life easier for me and I dream daily, work hard daily to make my dreams happen and contribute my quota to make the world a better place. The truth is that dreams are possible if we keep pushing them to make them happen. Dreamers are world changers. They are trendsetters and pathfinders. Be a dream maker!

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

These ideas and lessons will practically help me in taking charge of my thoughts for they are powerful. Thought mastery is a great thing in life that will fast track my success and progress in life. I will not give room to negative thoughts for such destroys but by dwelling on positive thoughts, I am empowered to positively impact the world with my giftedness and be a light that illumine lives and places.

Discovering that fear is the worst enemy of mankind has given me the power to rise above fear. I will not entertain fear because it cripples one from progressing. As I become fearless, I can live my dreams and positively made the world better through them. Since I have gained knowledge and I am not ignorant of the stratagems of fear, I will keep improving my knowledge so I can serve lives better. Knowing fully well that my mind is like a garden, daily I will be conscious of the kind of thoughts I grow in it. I will not live my mind fallow so that weeds of negative thoughts will not start growing in it. By daily cultivating a positive mindset, I can contribute to my best toward building a better world where value will reign and vices reduced.

I have decided and will keep living purpose-driven life because such life, people can emulate. Purpose-driven life positions me as a role model therefore I will not engage in unlawful and ungodly lifestyle or businesses. I will avoid anything that will make me bring bad image to myself, community, nation and the world.

I will keep being a person of noble and God-like character. This demands great sacrifice but it’s rewarding. By being a person of good character, my life will inspire others to desist from bad things and bad character and cultivate noble and God-like character. My noble and God-like character will create a ripple effect and cause a positive transformation in the world.

As a leader and change agent, I will do things that will help me grow rightly so that I can impact my environment positively. Each day I must positively touch at least one life and that life will inspire another and before you know it, there will be a great mass of positive impact and surely we create the change we want in our world. I am positively impacted by the life and works of some dreamers so I owe the world to contribute my quota by living my dreams and encouraging and supporting others to live their dreams and in doing so together, we make the world better.

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.

“Achievement of any kind is the crown of effort, the diadem of thought.”

The result of good hard work is success. If one will keep working and walking in the right direction, surely a crown of glory awaits such person. A lazy man shouldn’t envy a man that has worked hard and is now enjoying the fruits of his labor.

“He who would accomplish little need sacrifice little; he who would achieve must sacrifice much. He who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.”

This is important to me because it encourages one to keep striving for excellence. Greatness demands great sacrifice. You cannot use the foundation for a bungalow to erect a four storey building, it will collapse. Whoever wants to be successful must be ready to give his best. You must pay a price to get a prize for nothing is free even in Freetown. Work effectively and efficiently!

“The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg. And in the highest vision of a soul a waking angle stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.”

Dream is the factory where things are manufactured. Don’t laugh at the dream of a man because that’s the seed of great stuff. Those who despise days of small beginning don’t know that the oak comes from an acorn, a bird emerges from an egg and even a human starts from the fusion of an ova and spermatozoa. Big things start from small things. Managing little things effectively and efficiently gives you the capacity to handle big things.

“You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration.”

You are what you desire and what you aspire for. If you take a good study in the society, those who engage in illicit lifestyles have their mind overflowing with dark thoughts but if you only allow God-like thoughts then you life will be light and salt to the world.
Your life can be decoded or summed by your desires and aspirations.

“Self-control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power. Say unto your heart, Peace. Be still.”

Developing self-control requires discipline and it strengthens your person. To be a person who entertains only right thoughts means you have gained mind mastery and life mastery. Calmness gives me power for it is a state that helps me think and see rightly. Whenever challenges come, don’t panic and start running helter skelter but dwell on peaceful thoughts and calm your mind, this good state will help you find right solution.

“The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart – this you will build your life by; this you will become.”

This is very important because whatever you support or give attention thrives. We must be careful of things or ideologies we support or buy into for before you know it, such takes over your life. Let your visions and ideals be godly and life-empowering. Avoid evil thoughts and allow only good thoughts, whatever has top priority in your mind, that you become. You become the thought that you glorify therefore avoid debasing and disempowering thoughts like fear, doubt, worry and self-pity.

“Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own destiny.”

This got my attention because it taught me that thought is like a seed that when planted bears fruits. Bad thoughts produces bad fruit like vices and immorality while good thought produces good fruits of values and morality. Sow a thought and reap an act, sow an act and reap a habit, sow a habit and reap a character, sow a character and reap a destiny. Let only healthy, positive and empowering thoughts blossom in your mind.

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

No! I don’t disagree with any of the authors ideas in the book.

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

No! The book doesn’t contain exercises for the reader to complete but my way of exercising after reading is to read again, digest and begin to apply wisdom garnered from the book.

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

No! The questions rightly covered the book and also made me think creatively before answering each.

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 Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha (Nigeria)

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

In this book the main idea the author is to trying to convey is about self-discovery. Self-discovery is the pathway to better life. Discovering yourself gives you the power to be your real self and not be limited by your environment or other factors. It is only self discovery that will help you unleash the greatness within you and maximize your potential. Without self-discovery, you will go through life struggling and living below your capacity. Those who truly discovered themselves are the people that have impacted the world positively. This book is really an eye opener and made me come to ‘aha’ moments as I found many life truths and principles in it.

The truth is that when you discover yourself is like your morning – a new dawn has come and new chapter of a glorious life opened. When you discover yourself, you find out that you have been functioning below your true worth and capacity. Self-discovery, removes blind fold from your eyes and shatters the limiting lid over your head that has limited you from rising to higher heights. Self-discovery makes you become aware of yourself and this is the journey toward betterment in life for it helps you know your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

The ideology the author Richard Bach buttressed in this book is one that will help anyone who diligently follows it to have a firm believe in himself or herself and overcome challenges of life. The truth is that we are living in a world that does all it can to limit us, make us settle for less and be like the wandering generalities. We were not created to just eat and occupy spaces but to live a purpose-driven life and make positive difference that makes our light to shine and our salt make the earth sweeter.

i. There is greatness within me.

This idea is important to me because it brings me to the fact that I am not ordinary, I am created with illimitable potential, I am not wired to just be good but great and daily I must keep bettering my best. In 2011, I set out to publish my first book but many people told me not to do so that it will be a waste of money and resources but I knew deep within me that there’s greatness begging to be released, I knew that the thoughts I wanted to share with the world will bless at least one life. I made up my mind and went ahead to get the book published; it wasn’t an easy task but today, the reviews and testimonies from readers are clear indications that the book is blessing lives in different places.

Recognizing that there is greatness in me, made me stop comparing myself with anyone rather I do my best to overcome my only competitor which is myself. As a person with greatness within, daily I break my own records and raise the bar. The truth is that discovering that there is greatness in me didn’t just make me become conscious of the kind of life I live, it also made me to start using my resources to impact lives positively and today many of these lives are better and thriving. Greatness demands great sacrifice. Daily, I horn my skills, practice to become better and seek mentors that will help me be my best. Greatness is not a work of magic but result of sacrifice. As someone who knows there’s greatness in him, I don’t eat whatever I see, I don’t talk without thinking of the consequences, I am careful of what I watch, listen to or associate with. If you desire to stay great then you must associate with other great people so that they will help keep your fire burning.

ii. Practice and preparation improves your ability

I have come to know that in life, you simply play at the level at which you practice. As a person, I have some gifts but if I don’t develop them into skills then I can’t play at the world stage. One of my passions as an individual is human capacity development, I daily develop this gift through reading, going for trainings and associating with others in the industry, today, I am helping people develop their capacities. The truth is that you can’t give what you don’t have and when you have potential and you don’t harness it, it will remain dormant and if care is not taken, it will rust.

If I had listened to those who told me that nobody has ever written a book in my lineage, I would still be like the wandering generalities but I gave deaf ears to their limiting thoughts, I invested into the development of my writing skill, I practiced and prepared and today, I don’t just write, I coach and mentor emerging writers and many of them are doing well and we are all happy they are doing well. Preparation and practice keeps you alert so that when opportunities come, you seize them. Today, the preparation and practice of my writing skills have made my writing get featured in newspapers, blogs, et cetera. Practice demands sacrifice, practice enables development and practice leads to betterment. Only the person who practices prepares to win the crown.

iii. “Teachability”is key to becoming a better you

I have observed that so many people are talented but limited because of their unhealthy pride and arrogance. Talent is never enough, you need to be teachable in order to become better. No matter what you think you know, it is not enough. The day you stop learning, you stop growing, stop leading and start dying.

“Teachability”is a skill that has helped me tremendously in life. I am not a prideful or arrogant person, I am humble, noble and teachable and these have made many great souls give me the opportunity to learn from them or collaborate with them. It is my teachable nature that makes my mentors and friends willingly give me their best. If you are teachable, people will help you, correct you and admonish you. As a teachable person, I have a hunger to learn, I admit mistake when I make one. No matter how good people may think I am in a particular thing, I still go on to improve myself. The truth is that there is much to learn in life once we are teachable. “Teachability” demands humility because pride closes our mind from learning new things, admitting short comings and making needed change. As a teachable person, I learn to listen. “Teachability” is a great law of life time growth, I am a living testimony.

iv. You were not created to simply survive nor just to succeed but to be significant

Many people in life are like the limited flock of gulls in this book ‘Jonathan Livingstone Seagull,’ they have settled for a limited life, believing that prosperity or higher heights are for a select few which they are not part of but this is a great lie and deception. I see people who have settled for the crumbs of life that even when you offer them opportunities to live better they refuse. Such people keep passing over opportunities repeatedly. There are some people in life that have attained a level of success but due to pride or arrival mentality, they have become stagnated instead of progress to higher heights. We are wired for significance, we are created to make our light shine and we are powerful beyond measure. We are created to stand out and not to cave in, that’s why our finger prints differ.

Due to the fact that I have discovered my purpose and I am living it, I don’t live to just survive nor just to succeed but for significance through the things I do. Before I use to Google search peoples name on the internet but today people search for my name, they reference me, quote me and some see me as their role model. You are a person with a difference because you are wired for significance. I like helping people discover and maximize their potential that is why I am into the human capacity development industry, today my works have distinguished me from the crowd. I am now a sought after person though I am not popular and this requires me to keep improving daily. I am not created to be in the rat race of survival mentality or just to relax because of a success achieved, I am purposed to be achieving great feats daily for this is the price for generational relevance.

v. Love is the greatest gift in life

The greatest factor that endear a leader to his people is love. Without love there is no compassion, empathy or kindness. The love for your people will help you rise to greater heights. It is love that make me wake up and think of how I can be blessing to at least one person per day. It is the love to see people become better that motivated me to share my sagacity via writing and public speaking, start numerous empowerment initiatives of which “Mentoring Moment” an event that teaches career-centric skills, cutting edge information’s and connect people to mentors or leaders in their field is one of them.

In this book, Jonathan, could have remained and enjoying in his new found heights but the love for other gulls made him to go back to them to help them be better even though they made him an outcast because of his quest for betterment. The truth is that love makes life beautiful and when you help others to become better, you too are getting better. When you do things from a heart of love, you feel bliss. Let love lead you to be your best and give your best for this is the secret of good success in life.

vi. Fear is the greatest enemy of mankind

Nothing has crippled men or killed dreams like fear. Fear is a virus that eats up confidence or saps energy. There is no one that doesn’t experience fear but allowing fear to take over your life is detrimental. It was the fear of the unknown that kept the flock of gulls to be limited in the low life of just living to eat and not attaining higher height. Jonathan had fear but he overcame it and rose to greater heights. As a person, I experience fear but I don’t let it take over my life. When I started one of our student empowerment program with a group of friends in Aba, we met challenges that wanted to stop us. One of them is the fear of finance but we didn’t let it stop us. The program was held in many secondary schools successfully. Fear devitalizes ones life. When fear creeps in, I ask myself this question: will you forget everything and run or will you face everything and rise? Fear has no power except the one you give it; it is false emotion appearing real. If we face our fears with fierce, our lives will become fabulous. Truly, overcoming fear strengthens my achievement muscle.

vii. Your network impacts your net worth

I have lived for over twenty plus years in life and I have come to know that the kind of environment you are in, the people you associate with, the kind of stuff you watch, listen to, have influence on you. Man’s life is a sum of relationship so be careful the kind of people or things you associates with. I have made it a point of duty to associate with positive minded people and I must confess that it is rewarding. When you mingle with clowns, your psyche get messed up and you start behaving like clowns but when you associate with great minds, your mind is sharpened and your greatness comes alive. Like it or not, people influence people. As a writer, I associate with other visionary writers, they constructively criticize my works and offer me feedbacks that are helping me improve. You are simply a reflection of the people you associate with. To improve your networth then first improve your network. Your network is the totality of the friends you keep, the quality of information’s you consume and other things you associate with.

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

The ideas or lessons are life-transforming that daily, I will take practical steps to improve myself and create a better world. I will recognize the greatness in me and unleash it. Unleashing the greatness in me will serve both myself and others because I will use my greatness to make positive impact in the world. There is greatness in everyone one of us, as I unleash mine, it will inspire others to unleash theirs too. I will daily practice my gifts and prepare for opportunities. I will also train others on how to prepare and seize opportunities for when everyone begins to maximize their true potential, there will be great reduction in crime and other vices in the world. By being teachable, I get more opportunities to learn or collaborate with great minds.

This is one of the principles I will teach people in my community for when we become more teachable, we get open to idea and bring to live our creative thinking.
Since I came to the light that I am not on earth to simply survive nor just to succeed but to be significant, I have seen a tremendous improvement in my life and I will coach others to cultivate this mentality. This is the mentality that will help people live their royal nature and stop struggling for the crumbs of life. I will never allow fear to cripple my life and also I will encourage others to never allow fear stop them from living their dreams because dreams are what change the world. Daily, I will consciously seek the association of great minds so that I can learn from them and be better. I will also connect, collaborate and create with others on sustainable ideas that will make the world a better place for all. I will graciously share the wisdom I got from this book with others because if they get better, the light will spread abroad and the world will be better because of such.

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.

“You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way.”

This is powerful and life-transforming for it tells me that I am in-charge of my life, I am the governor so I must stop making excuses and face every challenging situation and overcome. When a stone of rejection is through at me, I will turn it to stepping stones to success and when life hands me a lemon then I should make lemonade from it.
Being true sets me free. Nothing can stop me from succeeding for I am unlimited.

“The only true law is that which leads to freedom. There is no other.”

This statement strengthened my conviction that a true law enables people to be their best and not limit or cage them. Anything which anyone says whether the person be a clergy, parent or teacher that is not going to empower me to be a better person, I will never agree or buy-in to such. This statement also is kind of corollary to what Jesus Christ said, “We shall know the truth and only the truth will set us free.”

“You need to keep finding yourself, a little more each day.”

Each new day, I must keep discovering myself and get better. I must break my records daily and raise the bar. I will never rest on my oars but strive for greater heights for each success attained inspires me and motivates someone else to rise up.

“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. all they show is limitation, look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you’ll see the way to fly.”

They ordinary eyes sees things ordinarily but the mind’s eye see farther and extraordinarily. To see and step into greater glory, you need to harness the power of your mind for that is the center of understanding. Keep improving on what you know and I bet you that the sky cannot limit you.

“The price of being misunderstood is that they will call you devil or they will call you god.”

The truth is that once you decide to be a difference maker, people will misunderstand you. Some will tag you a devil and some others will see you as a god. The truth is that I won’t let any of the two get into my head. When people don’t talk or gossip about you then you aren’t making news. Success has a price and the crowd misunderstanding you is one of them, in all, keep moving and never let anything stop you.

“Change your level of consciousness.”

The truth is that what brought you here may not take you there, so, you need to change your game to come up higher. You cannot fit a 7×7 idea into a 2×2 mindset. You can’t enter prosperity with a poverty mentality. Your consciousness is your mindset (mentality); you must make it right. Your consciousness is the game changer; transform it positively.

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

The book is truly a great book and the author wrote in simple and clear terms but I disagree with him on the place he wrote, “Forget about faith! Chang said it time and again “You didn’t need faith to fly, you needed to understand flying.” I disagree with him on the above because faith is very essential to life and success. Faith is not limited to a religious belief as many think. Faith is a lifebouy; it propels you to rise and make things happen. You can understand a thing and have loads of knowledge about it but without faith you won’t launch out. Faith brings meaning to life, gives hope and connect you to your divinity. Faith is the force and factor that trumps fear and failure.

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

The book doesn’t contain exercises for the reader to complete but I diligently read the book over and over again to internalize the wisdom in it, I have started applying them in my daily life and I must confess that the rewards are inspiring.

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

The questions truly covers topical areas in the book and truly these questions made me think deeply and I am happy I gave my best to answering them.

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

PsychoCybernetics

Assessment by Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha (Nigeria)

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

The main idea the author Dr. Maxwell Maltz is trying to convey in this book Psycho-cybernetics and self-fulfillment is that one should steer his or her mind to a productive and useful goal. He buttressed the fact that a human being should be the driver of his or her life and not leave it to someone else. This book talks about personal leadership which precedes public leadership. It teaches that we must garbage out negativity from our life and input positivity which helps us develop confidence and healthy self-image. This book unveils the fact that the human mind is more than a computer. PsychoCybernetics is a creative process aiming at self-fulfillment.

i. Yesterday isn’t entirely irrelevant.

Often I have heard people say that yesterday is gone and therefore is irrelevant but from what I read in this book and which is important to me is that yesterday is not entirely irrelevant because there are lessons we can learn from it. This idea is important to me because it teaches me to not brood over yesterday which is past but to look at it and see lessons I can learn from it. Yesterday is not entirely irrelevant.

I look at yesterday and see the mistakes I made, ask why and find the way to do better and this helps me to launch out today with new vigor and clarity to do better than I did yesterday. I look at my yesterday’s success, celebrate it and draw strength from it to achieve greater success today.

ii. Everyday is a challenge to you, and you respond to this challenge with the best that is in you.

Each new day comes with its unique challenge and requires new energy and strategy to tackle it. In me is an arsenal that is formidable to surmount any mountain on my way to success. There was a day I was hosting a webinar and half way into the webinar, the network I was using developed issue that I couldn’t connect to the internet again, I became angry but immediately, I thanked God I had sim card of another network provider therefore I changed sim and the one I changed to worked properly and I was happy the webinar went well. I have had or encountered other challenges but one thing I do is that instead of fretting and cursing, I calm down and put my creative thinking mind to work and in no distant time, solutions pops up.

iii. Creative thinking is the greatest power in the universe.

Creative thinking is very needful if one must thrive in this day and age. It is the pathway to great discoveries and innovations. This kind of thinking involves concentration, longing for improvement, empathy, aspiration, relaxation, tapping hidden resources, habit of self-discipline, imaginative development of will power, nostalgia for today, knowledge of direction, integrity, new nucleus of faith and growth as a human being. Creative thinking is the avenue many great thinkers have maximized to produce great stuff. A creative thinker is empathetic, he or she feels, listens to others view points. Concentration is highly needed in creative thinking because if you do not concentrate, you lose focus and your thoughts run amok.

This idea is important to me because as a living person, creative thinking helps me in my daily decisions. As a writer, it is creative thinking that helps me word my writing right and also helps me in packaging and harnessing avenues of dissemination. When I encounter a challenge, I do not just dabble into things but I calm down my mind and creatively and thoughtfully devise strategy to tackle the challenge. This has helped me greatly and I will keep using it.

iv. Opportunity does not usually knock. You must create opportunity.

As one living in this century, this idea is important to me because I must sharpen my eyes to see opportunity and develop myself to create one when there is none. This require rational and clear thinking, tenacity, vision, focus and mind enlightenment. As someone living in this time when to get newspaper to publish your work is costly and difficult, I maximized social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and others, started pushing out my authentic quality creative contents via these platforms and today newspapers, blogs, magazines now come to ask me to write pieces for them to publish. I did not keep waiting for newspapers but leveraged social media and today the gains are encouraging. When an avenue is not working or coming, look for another and if you can find then create one.

Every big thing started small and grew big with tender loving care. When opportunity does not knock on your door, worry not, just create one and soon you will look back and smile for the success.

v. Aspiration means that you accept yourself not in a passive, but in an active sense.

I often tell people that aspiration without worthwhile perspiration will lead to frustration. Perspiration here means hard work. “If wishes were horses, beggars will ride.” You need to be a goal striver in order to actualize what you aspire for. Aspiration is good but aspiration alone cannot make anything happen, it must be coupled with right actions.

One truth I know is that wishes do not bring riches therefore when I aspire for a thing, I set goals and map out strategies for its actualization then I unflinchingly work toward it. The desire to achieve or accomplish a thing must be followed with needed work. When I joined the International Institute For Global Leadership, I had the aspiration to become a better leader therefore my strategy is to diligently read all course materials and apply the quality knowledge sieved from them into my life and daily living.

vi. You must accept responsibility for yourself and live today.

People may be responsible for what you are going through now but you have a responsibility to decide what and how you want things to be from now. Responsibility to me is two words – response + ability, which means I have ability to respond to things or situation therefore I chose to respond rightly and positively. I have had situations where I did good for people but in return they were ungrateful, that should have been a reason for me to get angry and stop doing good but I said ‘No!’ I won’t allow peoples ignorance rob me of my joy, happiness, peace of mind and stop me from doing good. It is my life and I have to be in-charge of it and live it right.

vii. God created you to succeed not to fail.

This idea is important to me because it is a true reminder that God did not make a mistake in creating me. He made me in His image and likeness therefore I am not a failure. Even when I venture into a thing and it fails, I will not kill myself but rise up and do better.

I am a worthwhile person and will not let anything limit me from doing and becoming my best. A knowledge of biology made me to know that there was war of sperms during my procreation but among the millions of sperm cells, mine won and my mum carried me for nine months in the womb and safely delivered me therefore if I can win the war when I was just a sperm cell or tissue, now I have functional mind, hands and legs, I won’t let anything stop me. God is a good God and He made me and endowed me with abilities to not just survive nor succeed but to be significant.

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 life transforming and their application will help me very well in life and making the world better. I will look at my yesterday, sieve wisdom from it and therefore make my life today to be better than my yesterday. By teaching people to learn from their yesterday and do better in the present, everyone will stop brooding about past mistakes or clinging too long to past successes and break records better today. Such lifestyle will make the world better.

Everyday is a challenge, I will not dodge or run from it but face it with the best of my ability because overcoming a challenge strengthens my achievement muscle and make me an inspiration to other people in the world, giving them the inspiration to surmount their own challenges. We need to make the world better than we met it therefore as an individual, I maximize my creative thinking ability which is my great asset in everything I do, anywhere I am. I dedicate my time to teaching others about the power of creative thinking and how to use it to build a better life and in doing so we create a sustainable community via our thinking and doing.

The benefit of seizing and creating opportunity cannot be overemphasized. I develop my eyes to discover opportunities and when there is none, I arise and create one for myself. The opportunity does not benefit only me but others around me and this is my contribution toward creating a better world. As a global shaper, my aspiration must be one that will better humanity and I do not stop at aspiration but launch out into good works that will make my goal become successful.

Wherever I speak or through my writing, I encourage people to make healthy aspiration and work toward making it happen for the success touches other lives positively.

It is foolishness to leave my destiny at the mercy of another man. I accept full responsibility for my life and must live it right. As one who wants to make the world better, I choose not to live unhealthy lifestyle rather live a life that is worthy of emulation and this will help uproot vices and root values in the world.

I am a masterpiece of God. That a venture I pursued failed does not mean I am a failure. I am born to be successful and significant. I am wonderfully and fearfully made plus greatly endowed to fulfill great purpose here on earth therefore I choose to not live anyhow but to live a purpose-driven life. Such life will influence those I come in contact with and they change for good and a ripple of goodness is caused and together we make the world better.

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.

“Opportunity knocks, but are you listening? Or are you deaf to opportunity, deaf because you cannot exercise your right to succeed, because fear holds you in paralysis.”

Opportunities are ubiquitous but many miss it because they often come clothed in or as work. We must be sensitive to decode an opportunity and seize it to the fullest. Waiting for the perfect day or time is like waiting for eternity therefore we must learn to start from the little opportunity we have and grow it to bigger ventures. Listening is one quality that we must cultivate in this era in order to gain opportunity. We must not be deaf to opportunity calls. Now is the best time to deal with fear and exercise your right to succeed. I will keep my ears open for opportunities. I will never let fear paralyze me from launching out and making success of my dreams. I will seize and maximize opportunities that come my way.

“The individual who does not forgive does not really live.”

Forgiveness is one of the habitudes we must cultivate and practice if we desire to live happily and joyfully on earth. To err is a human error but to forgive is a human achievement. Forgiveness is not easy but it is possible. Forgiveness set both the forgiver and forgiven free. The person who forgives is a hero. We must learn to forgive ourselves when we make mistakes. I forgive because unforgiveness is like a miry clay that keeps one in a hurtful and bitter state. In forgiveness is like a virus that destroys both its container. I practice forgiveness and my life is better for it.

“We are human beings, not supermen.”

Perhaps supermen do not make mistakes, they are perfect but real humans are not perfect and make mistakes. Supermen may not get tired but humans do get tired so we must learn to do our best and relax living in cheerful expectancy. As creative people we must make out time to relax and refresh ourselves in order to bounce back better. Relaxation helps me be in good state of life, it re-energizes and reinvigorates me. I am human and not a superman so if something did not work out the way I planned, I do not kill myself but calm down to study the situation and launch out to do better.

“You cannot truly succeed if you carry in your mind someone else’s image. You must develop your own; as you do, you develop a real confidence in yourself.”

I see many people who try to dress like someone else, walk like someone else and speak like someone else. The highest you can be of someone else is second best therefore it is best that you be yourself. Imitation can be limitation. The wise thing you need to do is to learn from someone whom you know that is doing well in what you like and then develop your ability. You cannot stand out unless you be yourself and develop your abilities.

I tell people that confidence confers on us the courage to conquer challenge and the greatest challenge you have is to be your true self. Develop your confidence and you will see yourself succeeding in your area of giftedness.

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! The book was very easy to read and comprehend because it was written in simple and clear English.

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

The book did not contain any laid down exercise but as a reader, I gave myself the exercise of meditating on all I read and took steps in applying the wisdom garnered from the book into my daily life and living.

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! The questions rightly covered the book.

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

Success through a Positive Mental Attitude

Assessment by Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha (Nigeria)

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

In this book titled “Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude,” the main idea the authors are trying to convey is that a positive mental attitude is a catalyst for success. If you have other factors necessary for success and you do not have a positive mental attitude (PMA) that means you have a hole in your success plan and it will crash.

A positive mental attitude stirs your hope and believability in what you want to achieve. The opposite of positive mental attitude is negative mental attitude (NMA), negative mental attitude saps you energy, deadens your passion and stifles your creativity.

Positive mental attitude is a powerful success talisman. Both PMA and NMA are contagious. If you can overpower your negative mental attitude and empower your positive mental attitude, you life will turn out better.

i. Mental Powers

You will develop your mental powers when you learn and develop the habit of asking yourself questions when you develop the habit of using pencil and paper to write down your questions, ideas and answers.

One of the greatest powers I possess as a human being is mental power. It is the healthy usage of mental powers that led to the great discoveries we have and innovations we enjoy today. One of the ways to awaken and develop my mental power of creativity is through asking questions. I tell people that questions stir the mind in order to produce answers. When you develop the habit of asking yourself questions then you stir your thinking capacity and it gives great productivity. This idea is important to me because as a social entrepreneur, my work is to innovative creative solutions to society’s problems therefore what I do is to observe what’s going on in the society and begin to question myself on what can be done to solve these issues. When I ask myself questions, the answer may not come immediately. The answer may come while I am walking, sleeping or doing something else and there is need to save this thoughtful answer somewhere in order not to forget it, I make sure I have a pen and paper in my pocket when I am walking or a notebook and pen beside me when sleeping or relaxing. Severally when I failed to write down the thought (answer), I was unable to remember them exactly since then I now make it a habit to write them down. And when you write down the answer, with time it keeps getting refined and better.

ii. To be happy make others happy.

You cannot give what you do not have. Life is like a ripple and nature pay us back in compound interest. This idea is important to me because in my job as a life coach and human capacity developer, I meet several people with diverse challenges and I found out that my greatest joy comes not from the money they pay or will pay me but from the fact that I helped make their lives become more meaningful and better. These people go about telling others what I did and that brings me more jobs, happiness and good will.

I believe that I am blessed to be a blessing to others so I use my time and other resources in serving humanity. At the beginning of each day, I awake with a hot passion to be a blessing to someone and at the end of the day, I go to bed happier that I touch at least a life positively, there is no greater joy than this. When you give happiness to another, it comes back to you in measures pressed down and running over. It must not necessarily be in cash but deep down me I feel a sense of joy and fulfillment.

iii. If the man is right his world will be right.

The truth is that the problem is not the problem but your attitude toward the problem. If a man is right, his world will be right cannot be overemphasized. This idea is very important to me because I have come to discover that my first and main world is my mind. My mind influences my thoughts, attitude and everything I do. So if my mind is full of unhealthy stuff surely my physical world will be full of unhealthy stuff therefore I do my best to guard my mind for it is my thought fountain and out of it flows life issues.

The mind is the canvass on which life’s issues are firstly painted. The mind is the greatest battle field. A man first succeeds or fails in his mind before its physical manifestation. When I fully launched into the life betterment business which is a work fit for my nature, I heard silly comments from people but I never let that deter me because I knew that my first and major aim in this business is not money making but to make lives better and today, life are being made better and I know good money is coming too because I am doing good for humankind.

iv. If you are unhappy at your job, the poisons of this dissatisfaction spreads into every phase of living.

As I travel around cities or connect with people via cyberspace, I can authoritatively say that many people are unhappy with their jobs and this unhappiness is killing their lives and that of the organization they belong to. Unhappiness is a deadly poison that can subtly spread to every area of your life and even infect those around you. To cure this dissatisfaction or unhappiness with you work, you need to see your job with a new eye. The way I see works I do whether paid or free is as a service. The truth is that I will not because of money and mortgage my happiness by doing a job I have no passion for. When someone jumps into a job because he or she is just over broke and needed money, few days into the job, unhappiness begins to surface because money is not a lasting motivating factor. Don’t let money be your only motivating factor for doing a job.

v. The thought that you think and the statements you make regarding yourself determine your mental attitude.

Thoughts shape our life. The truth is that what we think and say has influence on our lives. This idea is important to me because it made me become conscious of thoughts I entertain and stuff I say. Whatever you keep thinking about and continually say begins to get embedded in your subconscious and conscious mind and before you know it, such stuff begin to play out in your real life. To see good happen in your life, think and say good things to yourself and to others. Never give room to evil or negative thoughts or confessions in your life. If you want to be successful, think success thoughts and confess success a confessions or affirmations. What you think or say becomes ingrained and gives you equivalent mental attitude. You cannot be thinking and saying negative things and have a positive mental attitudes nor can you be thinking and saying positive things and have a negative mental attitude. Your thoughts and confessions sets your mental attitude.

There was a time in the past I entertained fearful thought in my life, this made me sick and zapped me energy and I had to face my fear with fierce and my life became fabulous. No matter what it is – whether you are sick or going through crisis I advice you to think and say positive things to yourself for this can turn things around for good. Daily I think positively and say positive things to myself and this sharpens and empowers my positive mental attitude and make my whole life better.

vi. Anything in life worth working for is worth praying for.

This idea is important to me because I have noticed that people have different views about prayer. To me, prayer is not about shouting or muttering incoherently but about thinking, stock taking and gratitude. Personally, if I must venture into anything now, I must set out time to pray about it, that is, to think and strategize and not jumping in without proper planning or idea of what I am going into. Prayer gives clarity, focus and strength to succeed. To pray is to think and meditate and in doing this, creative ideas are born.

vii. To be enthusiastic; act enthusiastic.

This idea is important to me because it taught me how to stay up even when I am down. Enthusiasm means strong interest or excitement. Even when things are going wrong, I have enthusiasm that things will turn out well for me. Truly, enthusiasm is contagious. I was enthusiastic about joining this institute and that is why even in my busy schedule, I create time to read the books and do the assignments because each one completed makes me better. I don’t just read to get by but I apply the principles and wisdom I garnered from the book into my life and living.

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?

Theses ideas or lessons will practically help my life become better and also aid me in creating a better world for:

I will begin to ask myself quality questions about my personal life and the world I live in and as I ask these critical questions and answers begin to emerge, I will endeavor to write the answers down so that I will not forget them. I know that if I can think it then I can ink it. Next thing I will do is to take action on the answers by applying them to my life for my life’s betterment and also to my world in order to create a better world.

The lessons will help me become more intentional about making others happy and being happy. Since life is interconnected, in everything I do, I will be ethical to make people happy by telling them truth and offering them help in ways I can and at the end of the day, I will be happy that I contributed to making a better world and my life happier.

Everyday, I will ensure that my internal world which is my mind is right by thinking positive and living with a positive mental attitude for this will make my physical world better. I will treat people the way I love to be treated thereby obeying the golden rule with positive mental attitude for this will make me live longer and happier and the world better.

I will maturely handle dissatisfaction with a job if such issues arises, I will not let such dampen my spirit or make me become problematic. I will speak with authorities concerned and if they refuse to proffer better solution then I will wisely find one that will make the situation not to escalate. I will make sure I do not take up jobs I do not have competencies for, instead, I will give it to someone who can do it well and support the person. I will advocate that people must not make money their only motivation for doing a job but see what they do as service to humanity and engage in jobs they love and can execute well.

In my personal life, I will only think, dwell and confess positive things. I will take charge of my mind, develop positive mental attitude and give no room to negative thinking. I must be careful of what I say. To make the world better, I will teach others the same thing that I do and together we create a world full of good things and positivity. I will make it a lifestyle to pray for anything I want to pursue, achieve or work for. Prayer gives me the avenue to think, meditate and strategize in order to make my personal life and the world better. I will share this my way of life with others and encourage them to practice it and as everyone begins to pray, think and take right actions, the world will become better.

I will live an interesting life full of love and enthusiasm. Even when things are not working the way I want, I must act enthusiastic and my life will be full of enthusiasm. I will infect or influence others with my enthusiasm and together we make the world a fun, lovely and lively place to live in.

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 most important living person is you, as far as you and your life are concerned.”

This quote is important to me because it brings me to the knowing that I must be in-charge of my life. I must not relinquish the leadership of my life and living to someone else. I must be the driver of my life, driving it with utmost carefulness in order to arrive at my beautiful future and destination. This statement is a wake up call and a motivator that I have etched in my heart and every day I must remind myself that I am the most important living person therefore I must be solution to the world and not problem. I must leave legacies worthy of emulation in everything and wherever I find myself. I will be an inspiration to people.

“Seeing is a learned process.”

Seeing is different from looking. Seeing involves sensory perceptions and interpretations. You need to train your mind in order to rightly interpret what you see. You cannot discover or recover what you do not see. If you can see it; you can seize it. What you see is an interpretation of the mind therefore if your mind is negative then you will see negatives but if your mind is positive, you will see positives; opportunity even in adversity. How you see influences what you see.

“Awaken the sleeping giant within you.”

There is greatness inside of me and it is my responsibility to unleash it. God has endowed me with what I need to succeed therefore I must discover and maximize them. I must not rest on my past or present achievements but arise and break my records daily. Now is the best time to arise and shine, I rise to overcome every limitation or challenges.

“A failure uses up as much energy in his work at failing as a successful person uses in winning success.”

The truth is that failure or success is a process not an event. The same energy that was invested into a failed stuff is the same energy that can be used to achieve success therefore it is expedient to invest energy into the right things. You do not need to waste the time of your life engaging in things that at the end will not make your life better. I have determined never to invest my energy into things that will depreciate my life but into things that will make my life appreciate.

“Honesty is one thing for which a satisfactory substitute has never been found.”

Honesty is a virtue that one must cultivate if he or she truly wants to become a person of repute. It is a facet of moral character and connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, straightforwardness, along with the absence of lying, cheating, theft, or other forms of corruption. The need for honesty can never be over-emphasized. I will be honest no matter the situation for that will make me a better person.

“You have the power to choose.”

The power of choice is a great power. As I have the power to choose therefore I choose to do good and be involved in positive things and not bad or negative things. One truth I know is that my choice makes or mars me. People must learn to choose wisely. Never choose a negative mental attitude but cultivate a positive mental attitude.

“If you know what motivates a person, you can motivate him.”

As a leader, this quote inspired me to become more intentional about knowing people and what they like. Except I know them, there is no way I can be able to know what motivates them so what I will do is to draw closer to them, be more friendly and then know them better in order to know what drives and motivate them. If leaders will learn this then there will not be issues between leaders and followers.

“It is important to know how to use a formula as it is to know the formula.”

Knowing a truth and not using it is of no good to you. When you know formula that can solve a need then apply it. Knowledge is good but applied knowledge is power. Amassing knowledge without rightful application is waste of time and resource. I will apply the formulas I know to the issues they can solve and this will make my personal life and the world better.

“Motivate by example.”

The best gift I can gift to people is gift of good example. I must be the change I want to see in the world. It will be wrong of me to profess something and live a life contrary to that. My life must be in tandem with what I profess. People especially teenagers learn from what they see adults do therefore I must be an exemplar.

“Keep your mind on the things you should and do want and off the things you shouldn’t and don’t want.”

Focusing your mind on things you should and do want enhances your mental capacity to come up with creative ways to make things better but focusing on what you should not and do not want simply waste your energy and heightens negative mental attitude.
Invest your time and resources into the right things that matter. You must learn how to say ‘no’ to bad things and say ‘yes’ to good things.

“You develop habit through repetition.”

What you do repeatedly becomes part of you. Doing the same thing over time and expecting different result is insanity. Learn to invest your life time into habits that will help you be a better person. Your habit makes you who you are. Habit is easy to imbibe but difficulty to do away with. Let us learn to cultivate healthy habits and desist from unhealthy ones. Whatever you do repeatedly, you become.

“To hear does not necessarily imply attention or application. To listen always does.”

Ears that hear are many but ears that listen are few. The truth is that someone can be looking at you seriously but he’s only hearing and not listening. Hearing means sound enters but listening means that your mind is into what the speaker is saying and you are understanding. Listening is a skill that is very needful in this day. As a student, entrepreneur, leader, parent, et cetera, you need listening skills in order to render your service well. Listening is key to success.

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

No! I understood the book for it was written in simple and clear English.

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 contained thoughts to steer by and exercises to complete especially chapter twenty. I completed them and they were very helpful. The success quotient analysis opened my eyes to my great success quotient.

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! The questions covered the book well.

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

Keys to Success

Assessment by Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha (Nigeria)

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

The author is trying to convey idea on personal achievement which is the bedrock of success. The author highlights 17 principles that are very essential for a person to develop himself or herself to become better. These seventeen keys are principles that have been tried, tested and trusted. The keys include:

1. Develop definiteness of purpose; 2. Establish a mastermind; 3. Assemble an attractive personality; 4. Use applied faith; 5. Go the extra mile; 6. Create personal initiative; 7. Build a positive mental attitude; 8. Control your enthusiasm; 9. Enforce self-discipline; 10. Think accurately; 11. Control your attention; 12. Inspire network; 13. Learn from adversity and defeat; 14. Cultivate creative vision; 15. Maintain sound health

16. Budget your time and money; 17. Use cosmic habit-force

The truth is that success is never accidental but intentional; you must be ready to pay a price to get a prize because nothing is free even in Freetown. You can achieve success in anything you do if you are ready to give it your best. The idea in this book helps one to clarify his or her philosophy of success and live it.

i. There is no shortage of opportunity. There is only a shortage of imagination.

Many people are doing great things daily, becoming wealthy, solving problems in the society, innovating things, leading revolutions whether the economy is dwindling or thriving. These kinds of people are difference makers; they are vision minded and creatively pursue their visions. Imagination is very powerful, it is the room where ideas are first painted because physical birth. Daily, I see many people complain that there is no jobs, no opportunities. Yes! They are right but you should not let that limit you. It is time to wear your creative thinking cap and launch into strategic actions and create opportunity for yourself and others.

ii. No one person can answer every question. but two or more minds, united behind a definite major purpose and working in harmony to achieve it, will accomplish great things.

I always hear people say that they are self-made but I must let you know that no one is 100% self-made because even those who rejected you or turned you down are also push for the success you have achieved today. Had it been they did not do what they did to you, you may not have been challenged to dare to succeed. As a learned person, the book you read were written by someone, someone taught you; the house you were living in was built by someone though you paid for the services. Truly, life is about relationships and therefore no one should be an island. If you say you are self-made, are you the one that created yourself? No one knows it all, therefore always be open to learn and share with others. In conferences, when I speak, I tell listeners that teamwork is the secret that makes common people achieve uncommon result.

iii. People who achieve success do it by careful and attentive effort.

Nothing just happens. Success is not accidental but intentional, you do not wish for success but work for it. If you desire success then you need to careful map out plans and strategies on how to achieve it. The plan you set out will serve as your blueprint and guide.

iv. Nothing is ever taking from youwithout being replaced by something of equal or greater value.

This idea is very powerful, it shows that nature has a way of compensating or repaying one in every situation. When you go through pain, do not kill yourself nor give up because from that pain can emerge gain. In life, I have been through some bad and challenging situations but today from those experiences, I gained wisdom which I was using to teach people in seminars, conferences, webinars, write books, et cetera. Years ago, I wanted travel to United States of America, I severally applied for visa but was not granted visa then one day, I was leaving the United States Embassy in Lagos, and in my spirit, a thought came up saying, your life’s purpose is far greater than visas of all nations on earth put together. From that day, I forgot visa and focused on my visa which is to be a transformational leader, nation builder, positive change facilitator and social entrepreneur. I began going to schools to host life development conferences, writing for newspapers, magazines, training, coaching and mentoring people. I invested the little money I have into developing myself and today, I coach, train and mentor Americans, Britons, Nigerians, and people from different nations and walks of life. Today, from my miseries, I have carved out ministries that are blessing lives. You can move from pain to gain.

v. Your greatest enemy and your greatest friend is yourself.

Whether you like is it or not, you are your greatest friend or enemy. When people are against you, you must learn to be for you. When people are pulling you down, you must learn to pull yourself up. You are you worst enemy when you do not believe in yourself. Be your greatest cheerleader. When things are going against you, learn to give yourself a pep talk. I have encountered times in my life when things were so bad and I was so confused but I had to calm myself down and controlled my mind and gradually things began to turn green for good.

vi. Cooperation, like love and friendship, is something you get by giving.

Many people want to be served without serving, they want to receive without giving and that is not good for us to have a peaceful and sustainable world. You must learn to treat others as you would like to be treated. Be the go giver and not just the go getter. As a human capacity developer and writer, I have offered my good services to people both old and young that today I have made positive impacts in their lives and in return they are blessing to my life too.

vii. You can be changed by environmental influences or by your own decisions.

The truth is that we have two kinds of environment – the physical environment and the internal environment. The physical environment include where you live, where you work, where you worship and other places you do physical things. The internal environment is your mind, this environment is very important because out of it flow the issues of life. The mind is life’s workshop. You may live in a ghetto, a place full of bad people but never allow that influence you. Build up your mind positively and you will win over your physical environment. I grew up and live in eastern Nigeria, a place noted for business, the small and media scale business hub in Nigeria. In this part, people do not really value reading but I saw such and today, I have overcame it and gradually raised readers and writers, together, we are causing a positive change and reviving good reading culture in this region

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

The first idea will aid my creative imaginations to come up with solutions and ways to better my life and the society. I will train and improve myself in order to serve humanity better. The second idea will help me create a peaceful co-existence with other thereby fostering teamwork, collaboration, partnership and support to actualize my vision and build a safe and secure environment where everyone thrives. For the next idea I will carefully set goals and strategically go after them. I must make sure that these will be stuff that will better me and others in my community. The fourth idea will help me see opportunity in adversity therefore learn to be grateful in life and do good to others.

Next, I will love to love myself and never sabotage my success. This idea will help me practice the golden rule. I will give my time to personal and community development, helping more people to achieve their good dreams and as I do such my own dreams will be actualized too. Finally, I will learn to think positively, guard my mind and not let negative influence in my physical environment influence me. I will teach other people how to do such too.

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.

“Before I do anything for you, you must do something for yourself.”

You must respond to your ability to become a better you daily. If you wait for someone to spoon feed you every time then one day you will be amazed to discover that we are living in a very busy world where no one has your time. Know this truth: before anyone will help you, they need you to show a proof of what you have done and what you can do. Today, many people want something for nothing. No one wants to waste his or her resources, even God does not like waste therefore you must take personal initiative and responsibility to make yourself better. This idea is important to me because it challenges me to take steps for my success.

“You are what you are and where you are because of the dominating thoughts in your mind.”

My thoughts shape my life therefore I must be careful with what I entertain in my mind for the mind is a great powerhouse.

“The mind of an accurate thinker is an eternal question mark.”

Daily, I will question myself, challenge limiting status quo and be better.

“Nothing in life is static.”

Life is always in motion therefore I should always build the momentum to positively move forward. If you stand on the road without making right moves then you will surely have an accident.

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! The book was written in simple and clear English.

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 contained exercises that helped me evaluate my life and what I read.

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

No!

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

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

How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age

Assessment by Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha (Nigeria)

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

In this book titled: How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital age, the main idea the author is trying to convey is that we should be human even in the use of digital media and tools. This idea is very timely because many have become so selfish or self-centered in the use of digital tools; all the seek is their own personal aggrandizement, they are more focused on having millions of online followers without really caring about them. The author advocates that we thoroughly consider both the meaning and media of our messages.

This book teaches that you must learn not just to communicate but to connect with people while using the internet and other digital tools. The book buttresses the fact that taking interest in others and caring for them is a good plus to your life, living and legacy.

Living in an era where noise plus naked equals celebrity, therefore it is expedient that one internalizes and apply the wisdom in this book in his or her daily life and living. This is truly a human relationship handbook that transcends age and time. This book teaches authentic empathy, strategic connection, and generous leadership.

i. Know what matters to others through a practice of listening.

Listening is a critical factor for life and leadership success. We live in a period where many are talking or want to talk but they don’t listen nor want to listen to someone else. The truth is that listening to others can save you from problems and even cause a better relationship between you and them. Listening helps you build trust and such tells the other person that you value him or her. Listening is important to me for it saves me from troubles, serves as means of learning and building healthy relationship with others. As a public speaker, listening helps me know my audience, what they are going through and what they want therefore it furnishes me with information’s on how to tailor my speech in order to meet their needs or challenge them to take actions. The power of listening is the power to change hearts and minds. When I listen to those I work with, it fosters organizational harmony and progress too.

ii. Smile through your written words and you convey to others that their well-being is important to you.

As a writer and author of books this idea is very important to me because many of my readers are far away from me in their houses, offices, schools, holiday destinations, et cetera reading the paper or electronic versions of my works therefore, I must use the right words to convey meanings, ideas, emotions in my books to them. I don’t have to make them crack their heads to understand what I am writing like some writers do in the guise of professional or academic writing but I must make my writing simple and easy to understand to the reader. I can smile, show anger, happiness and other emotions via my writing using tones, styles and others. I always have readers call me that they read my works and it blessed them and two major words they use in describing my writing are inspirational and educative. Another writer’s work can be entertaining, and so on and so forth. Words have power – they can kill or heal. Written words and their effects are permanent and largely irrefutable therefore one must be mindful of whatever he or she writes.

iii. When it comes to mattering to others, you must discuss what matters to them.

This is a great and important idea to me considering the way many people communicate today – they are self-centered and attention seeking, they always want to be on the spotlight and be followed by others but they do not want to be followed nor give spotlight to others and this is bad. There is a saying that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I have come to know that if we can replace the ‘I’ mentality with ‘We’ mentality there will be harmony, teamwork and better productivity in our homes, places of worship, our work places and society at large. Personally, I have come to know that when I see others and ask them questions on what matters to them, the open up and it creates good friendship. I have also come to know that when I serve others or help them achieve their goal, that they try to help me too and at the end everyone is happy. To influence them, it requires you go to them, meet with them, discover what matters to them and find ways to meet their needs. You are ultimately building a healthy community when you intimate interactions on what matters to others and meet needs that matter to them.

iv. A primary difference between ordinary and extraordinary people is how they perceive and respond to failure.

Failure is not a person but only an event. Failure is not final but gives one an opportunity to bounce back better. This idea is important to me because I have seen many people who have given up on their dreams or in life because an attempt they made failed. When you fail try again, never give up. As a college drop out, I never let that limit me nor stop my dreams rather it gave me reasons to strive and thrive today I am a writer, public speaker, human capacity developer , et cetera. Daily, I use my life’s stories and experiences to become better and in helping others. You are not a failure because you failed, you become a failure when you fail and refuse to rise up again. The people we call and respect as extraordinary people are simply ordinary people who went extra miles to make success happen – many came from dysfunctional families, poor back ground, some were physically disabled but they persevered and made a positive mark in life. Failure is a part of life and we must learn how to deal with it. When failure is rightly handled, success is achieved. Life is not much about what happens to you but more about how you respond to what happens to you. How you perceive and respond to failure matters. Stop seeing failure as defeat rather see it as an opportunity to start again and do better. Bounce back from failure, learning and growing from the experience.

v. Even if the other person is wrong, we only destroy ego by causing someone to lose face.

As long as we live, people will encounter problems or make mistakes but there’s no gain trying to humiliate someone because of his or her shortcomings – doing so will cause more problem to you and the person. The best thing we must do when someone makes mistake is to find good ways to correct and help the person to make amend. Don’t use such time to make the person know that you are better rather show love, care and empathy. This idea is important to me because when we mitigate faults, we are not only saving the other person’s psyche. We are building confidence and trust into our relationship with that person. It is best to discuss people’s faults with them face to face. Allowing and helping others save face is needful for peace and progress in life.

vi. Include others in your decision making process whenever possible; it shows your faith in their sound judgment.

This idea is important to me because as a leader I work with people and must know that leadership is a privilege and an avenue to serve others and not to lord myself over them therefore I must practice transparent and open leadership, carrying the people along and giving the opportunities to contribute their ideas to the progress of our goal, vision and mission. I lead Hinovelty – a human capacity development organization and what I do is to be open, accessible and available to the people I work with and this fosters organizational harmony where everyone in the team is valued and contributes his or her idea and quota for the progress of the organization. That you are a leader doesn’t mean you know it all. You should listen to other peoples opinion and welcome them for each human is uniquely gifted. When people know you believe and have faith in them, it heightens their sense of responsibility and productivity.

vii. People live up to our expectation of them

This idea is very important to me because influence works. I have observed that some young children or students who are struggling in life, the issue can be traced back to their parents and families. There are parents who talk down on their kids, cursing and abusing them, these young ones unknowingly begin to see such lowlife thoughts poured on them as their worth – their confidence and self-esteem deteriorates. When parents believes in their kid and encourages such kid, no matter how dull such kid is, he or she begins to become better and thrive. The case of Dr. Benjamin Carson or Albert Einstein is a popular case. We must come to know that what we say to or tell people have an impact on their lives. Parents, guardians, teachers, friends, must know that people live up to our expectations of them, no matter how good or bad those expectations are therefore to change someone’s behavior, change the level of respect he or she receives by giving him or her a fine reputation to live up to. Act as though the trait you are trying to influence is already one of the person’s outstanding characteristics.

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 or lessons will help me in a practical way, both in my daily personal life and in helping me create a better world by:

I will discipline myself to be a creative listener thereby listening to people to understand them and feel what the feel and as I do this, they also learn from me and listen to me and in doing so harmony breeds and the society will experience peace and progress.

Through my written words, I will give value to people and make them know that they are important. I will ensure that each line or word I write carries value that will be beneficial to readers and in so doing my brand is etched in their minds and they also come to value me and then a great and sustainable value chain is created in the society as the value in my written words meet their needs.

As a leader, I will never focus on self but on the people and vision I have been called to lead and serve. I will make myself available and accessible to them thereby running a people-centered leadership and not a self-centered leadership, discussing what matter to them and doing so the society progresses and lives of the people become better.

I will dedicate my time to helping people discover themselves, teaching them how to handle and bounce back from failure and this will include helping them develop a transformed mind set. As I do this daily and diligently, it will cause the rise of a mass of enlightened minds who will help build and transform the society for the good of all and sundry.

I must learn how to correct people who made mistakes without hurting their ego and also teach others how to do so. In doing this, we all learn how to help those who faulted amongst us to make amend and save face and this lifestyle will make hurt, bitterness and unforgiveness to die down in the society.

In any decision I make, I must involve my people, we deliberate the goal we want to achieve and everyone in the team contributes his or her idea and together we reach a consensus. I will also teach people to live this kind of life and in doing so our society becomes one in which everyone in it is valued no matter his or her age.

I will see everyone in good light, believing in the greatness they carry and helping them to unleash their greatness. I will also teach them to value others genuinely and in doing this, ripple effect of true love and goodness spread in the society.

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 be successful you must surround yourself with successful people.”

This statement got my attention because it is an indicator that those you spend your time with influences your life. You cannot be desiring to be successful and all you do daily is to surround yourself with failures and those with negative mindset. If you want success therefore you must surround yourself with success mindset for they will challenge, inspire and encourage you to become successful.

“He who sows courtesy reaps friendship.”

This is to tell you that when you treat others in a good way or approach them in a good way, they become friendly. Learn to value and respect people for whatever you give comes back to you in double fold.

“Just as humility seems to be at the epicenter of leadership effectiveness, arrogance is commonly at the root of a leader’s undoing.”

A leader must be humble if he truly wants to lead well, when a leader is arrogant, he cannot listen to others or empathize with them and this causes his failure. When you are arrogant, people will not be free to tell you the truth nor share ideas with you but when you are humble people will come to support and work with you.

“Encouragement breeds motivation.”

When you truly encourage people, it gives them the drive to do more therefore we must not fail to be good encourager nor to encourage the good people are doing. Never hold back from encouraging someone to do good.

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?

No! The book is good and have no laid down exercise but I took my time to internalize the values in the book.

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

No! The book is well researched and good.

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

Real Magic
Assessment by Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha (Nigeria)

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

The central theme of this book is that the universe and all that is in it is on purpose. This book takes one on a journey of activating his or her spirituality. The author did his best to make the concepts in the book easy to understand and applicable. The book helps one to clarify his or her purpose and live it. It teaches us that when we recognize that we are spirits on an earthly journey then we spread love and light wherever we go. Truly, this book will cause a mind shift in you that leads to life shift. The book helped me and encouraged me on my purpose journey. The kingdom of real magic is in you and here is where things happen effortlessly but you need to develop yourself to operate in this realm in order to create miracles in your everyday life.

i. There are no limits.

The truth is that what you believe becomes your own fulfilling reality. If you say you can’t, you are right and if you say you can, you are also right. The mind is limitless and borderless but life experiences can box one into limiting thoughts. All things that you have been convinced as limits are products of the way in which you have learned to think. This is true because when I decided to face some things which seem impossible in my life, I saw them giving ways for possibility. As a busy person, I was wondering how to finish my level one book at the right time and it seemed I had no such time but when I decided that I can make it, I created the time and today I am done with six books ahead of the normal time it should have taken me.

ii. The enemy is hate itself.

When you hate or are angry with someone, you are not only hurting the person but also yourself. Hate is a poison that destroys what it is poured on and also destroy its container which is you. Learn that hate is the main enemy and not the person you are hating. This means that I must learn not to hate humans, I should only not give my time to characters I don’t support. Example: when I stopped hating and began forgiving and loving, I saw my life become full of joy and happiness.

iii. What goes around truly comes around.

Whatever you make happen for others is what nature will make happen for you. If you are the kind of person that plants discord, disunity, propagate and cause strife, I bet you that your life will be full of envy, and bitterness but if you are the type that shows love, care, respect to other then same will come back to you. This is like the law of karma. A person that throws sand up into the air should not cry that the sand entered his or her eyes. Be an encourager, a giver and good will never cease in your life for I am a living proof. This idea is important for it encourages me not to stop doing good. Truth be told, there are those I have done good for and they were not appreciative or some even paid back with evil but in all things, as I do good, I see good come to me in various ways.

iv. You have power to create whatever kind of person you want to become, in all aspects of your humanity.

You have what it takes to transform your life. In you is the power to make things happen. It’s your choice to be a bad or good person. You are firstly made or unmade in your mind this means that your mind can make or break you therefore I encourage you to guard your mind for out of it flows issues of life. This idea is important to me because it is a clear indication that I am driver of my life and how and to where I steer my life to is my duty.

v. There really are no accidents. The universe is on purpose.

The truth is that if you critically look at things that happen in our life, even the bad ones have something to teach us. Sometimes a drug addict doesn’t stop until she encounters a health crisis and this becomes her turning point. When a lover ends a relationship and walks away, you feel bitter, broken and depressed but if you can calm down and assess the situation you can find that this means there are better things or person ahead. Even the Bible said that “all things work together for our good.” I know of a couple, once they gave birth to a son, the lady became engrossed with the son and said now she’s a full fledged woman and she stopped caring for her husband but one day this son became ill and died and she cried like one without hope but it was this same man – the husband she gave no attention to that came to comfort her and they became one again and overcame the loss. I have learnt to see opportunity in adversity for I know at the end all things will work for my good.

vi. We become what we think about all day.

Whatever predominant thought you have in your mind enlarges to engulf your life and spread to those around you. If you always think scarcity or poverty then such takes over your life but if you dwell on prosperity thoughts rightfully then your life becomes prosperous. Everything that you know about yourself as a physical being corresponds to a mental equivalent, or a belief you are holding. Truly, all that you have become is the result of all that you have thought. Your state of life is the sum total of the state of your thoughts. One of the things I don’t give room in my life is bitterness because such can cause me depression so I focus and dwell on positive and life-uplifting thoughts and the results are joy, happiness and peace in my life.

vii. When you evaluate and judge others, you do not define them but define yourself.

Like I always tell people, how you see influences what you see. You define, evaluate and judge people from your own point of view and this means that you only can see in them what you see in yourself. I know a lady, I have over time observed her gossip and talk people down, so I intentionally decided to reach out to her and interact with her. I began asking her questions and via our interactions, I found out that she was hurt and didn’t deal with it rightly and the hurt now metamorphosed into bitterness and so she is hateful and antagonistic to people without knowing it. Such hatred has taken root in her software (mind) and it is now showcased via her hardware (physical body or reality). We must learn to see good in others and if we must evaluate, judge or criticize them, let us do such with love and constructively. This idea means that I must see people in the good light of their potential and not just their problems. And as I show them love, they become friendly and we all are happier for that.

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

The idea that there’s no limit practically helps me become a “possibilitarian,” a person who is unlimited and one who turns adversity into opportunity. Daily, I will guard my mind to think no limits. In order to create a better world, I will teach others to develop this kind of mindset for it is what’s needed for us to solve the numerous problems burdening our world.

Hate is what breeds unrest, fight, wars and other evil so I will eschew hate of any person, tribe, race, gender or religion from my life and be more loving and an ambassador of peace and community progress. Daily, I will reach out to others in love, learn to understand peoples point of view, and live in peace with them even when we don’t agree on a particular issue. I must advocate that people pursue tolerance and do away with hateful thoughts and in going about doing so, I will create an atmosphere of love, peace and security.

Practically and daily, I will sow good seeds of love and encouragement in peoples life. I will position myself to be a blessing to them. I will also encourage the people to do good unto others and as we all go about doing good, our society becomes good for all because a society is simply the reflection or sum of the people living in it.

I am powerful and can become what I want to become therefore I must live life deliberately in order to be a good exemplar and inspiration to others. As a public speaker and writer, through my works, I will encourage, educate and challenge people to know that their lives are in their hands and like a potter they can make anything they want of their life but I advice they become better people so that humanity will be better because of we all.

Truly, there really are no accident for the universe is on purpose. This idea helps me to look beyond present challenges or circumstances and see with my possibility-eyes. Daily, I will learn to see good even in bad situations and also be a hope dealer thereby encouraging others to stop lamenting and praise God in all things and surely the lines will fall unto pleasant places for we all and our society becomes joy-filled. As a man thinks so is he therefore daily I will only dwell on/entertain life-uplifting thoughts in my mind. When bad or depressing thoughts come, I will not allow them take root in me. I will teach others about the power of the mind and encourage them to harness it for their good. As we all become people with enlightened minds then the world becomes a better place for all and sundry. Daily, I will try to see others in good light, I will not give destructive criticism nor live in prejudice. I will also influence anyone around me to show love to others and together we make our world a love zone.

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 secret to changing your life is in your intention.

I always tell people that your heart influences your art. Intention is the energy of your soul manifesting in physical reality. Becoming aware of your intentions will make you aware of your true self. You can deceive anyone or pretend but inside you, you know your intentions and can’t deny it. This statement is important to me because it clearly portray that changing life is a matter of changing your intention for your intention is you.

“Conflict cannot survive without our participation.”

When a conflict emanates, how you react matters for it can either aggravate or ameliorate the situation. This idea buttresses the fact that peaceful loving relationship or co-existence starts from your state of mind. We need to be tolerant, patience and avoid violence too. When conflict comes, do not give it room to thrive, be peaceful and disciplined.

“What you think and talk about expands into action.”

This means that your thought metamorphoses into your talk and your talk metamorphoses into your action. If you are thinking and talking all the time about your weakness then you start becoming and acting weak but when you think and talk of your strength then you become and act strong. Think success, talk success and you will make actions that will lead you to success.

“There is a network of good guys out there who are truly making a difference.”

This statement is truly an encouragement and challenge for me to keep on doing the good that I am doing in my community. It tells me that I am not alone.

“Persons are much more than their packaging.”

Never you look down on anyone or allow peoples look to deceive you. As you take care of the body which is outer packaging, learn to make right your inner self for it very important.

“Everything that you know about yourself as a physical being corresponds to a mental equivalent or belief you are holding.”

Your thoughts influence your life. Your life is simply a summation of your thoughts of which make up your mind set. It’s time to become a better you by dealing with doubts and fears. All that you have become is a result of all that you have thought. You can change your thoughts in order to change your 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?

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?

No! But I gave myself the task to meditate and practice what the author said.

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

The New Dynamics of Winning

Assessment by Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha (Nigeria)

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

The central theme of this book is that the universe and all that is in it is on purpose. The author outlines guides towards achieving success. Truly, this book provides clear, easy, no-nonsense advice on what it takes to succeed in any field of endeavor, covering topics like: Harnessing your mind power for peak performance anywhere, anytime; Paying a price for success; How to overcome self-destructive beliefs; How to turn stress to your advantage; The characteristics of winner. This book simply advocates mind over muscle and I enjoyed it.

i. You are your most important judge.

The truth is that no ones opinion is as important to your well-being and performance like the opinion you have of yourself. The most important interview, assignment, assessment, meeting or briefing you will have is with yourself. You make or mar yourself via your opinions. This idea is important to me because it makes me to not give care to the negative opinions of people. As young guy, many told me that I cannot write but I ignored them and developed my English language proficiency and today I write and speak better English than many graduates; I did not say this to brag but to tell someone reading this that you must be your best judge and break limitations.

ii. Any goal can be achieved, but first it must be broken down into a series of sub-goals

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A great building will never start if we neglect the small bricks. To achieve your big goal, you need to break it into small goals and as you accomplish this small goals, the big goals gets done. Each of the smaller goal should lead you gradually to the big main goal. You cannot put a whole cow leg into your mouth, but when you cut the cow leg into small chunks, cook them and begin to eat daily, one day you will come to know that the big cow leg have been consumed. This idea is great to me because maximum success is built upon mini goals. As a writer and author, by putting words together one by one, before you know it, I have a good piece and by developing more good pieces, I get a book.

iii. You are in charge of causing your result.

Waiting for the right time has killed many visions or ideas than any other factor on earth. Procrastination is a cancer that subtly eats up your time and life. Stop waiting for miracle or a break, become that miracle and break. Make things happen. Now is the right time to take right action. Today is that tomorrow you have been waiting for, decide how you will spend it. You are the one who creates your result via your actions and inactions. This idea means that I am a miracle worker and I can bring to light the result I want, so no more lamenting or procrastination.

iv. Commitment to “paying the price” is a key quality in the mind of a champion.

I always tell people when I speak in events/programs that ‘You must pay a price to get a prize for nothing is free even in Freetown.’ Commitment leads to upliftment therefore whatever you commit yourself to, you grow and becomes better in it. Commitment is not a mere word, it should become our lifestyle if we truly want to win. As one who truly want to win, you must do away with illegal short cuts, give your best to the task and you will surely become better. This idea connotes that if success has an entry fee, the cost is simply total commitment. As an individual, I have committed myself intentionally to develop myself and that is why I dedicate time to study my IIGL books, diligently do my assignments and daily I become a better me.

v. Think of success as a process that you want to continue, not status that you reach once and for all.

Success should be seen as a journey and not a destination for this is the kind of mentality that breeds excellence. When you relax and think you have arrived, you will start rusting and become outdated. See life as a full-time school where each day offer you opportunities to learn new lessons, some of which you may like and others you may not. The learning experience never ends. The day you stop growing, you start dying. This idea is important to me for it inspires me to never give up nor quit. As a person, no matter how good I am in the things I do, I still hunger to learn and get better for this gives me an edge in the industry.

vi. Your physical well-being is your most precious asset.

The truth is that your body and how you treat it matters. I have seen people who in the quest to attain some status in life, mismanaged their body and this led to health disorder. It doesn’t make any sense that you misused your body in the bid to make money, at the end that money will be gulped by drugs and other medical bills. Learn to love and take responsibility of your well-being. See your body as a spacecraft which must be taken good care of whether in use or not in use. This statement is important to me because there was a time I broke down due to stress and it cost me more me dearly therefore I have learnt to rest and do the best I can do per day and I have learnt not to do everything but to work with my team and everyone bring their competencies for efficient and effective success.

vii. The less you try to impress, the more impressive you become.

As a person, you are meant to express your true self and not impress people by living fake life. No matter how you try to impress, one day you will be exposed. Be true to yourself and live life of truth. This idea is very important because many people today are living a lie. They hid under designer clothes, make up or materialism but inside they have low self esteem and are dying of unhealthy comparison. It is time people start being comfortable in their skin – whether you are black or white, short or tall, learn to love yourself and be yourself. As a person, I love myself and I am real and express my true self, some people may not be OK with it but that’s their own headache. I am made in the image of God and therefore I live my God-nature daily.

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?

In my daily personal life, I will redesign my mind to not be a destructive critic. I will not give ear to people’s negative opinions. I will always tell myself truth because it is only truth that can set me free. In order to create a better world, I will be an encourager, giving hope to people and make them know that failure is not final, they can rise up and win. As I do this, I create a healthy winning mentality in everyone and our community becomes a community of champions.

I will break my goals into sub-goals and as I actualize these sub-goals, the major goal gets accomplished. I will try to infuse this mentality to everyone I encounter as we go on teaching others about it, we all become achievers. Whatever I set my mind on, I will launch out to make it happen; no more delay. I will become more intentional in living. These ideas will help me create a better world for I will not procrastinate again but take right actions.

I will stay committed to the success of anything I decide to do because the success is not just for me but for others. In being committed, I will become an example to others and as they too become more committed to doing good, the world becomes better. I pursue excellence by seeing success as a process and not a destination therefore, I break my records daily. I will not allow pride to engulf me rather I will remain humble, teachable and collaborate with others and as I do this I make the world better for all.

I must endeavor to do and give my best work and find time to rest in order to be more productive. My body is like a machine and must be properly taken care of because if it breaks down, it cost more to fix it and it affects productive and can cause hurt to others or loss of man power. As I take care of my body, I will encourage others to do same and together we reduce cases of stress and ill health. I will never try to impress anyone nor live a false life rather I will do my best at all times and stand for things I believe in. I will advocate that people stop living under the cloak of falsehood. Let them be true and they will see that life is good. Living fake life doesn’t pay; it’s deadly!

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.

“Champions don’t shrink from risk.”

Life is full of risks and the greatest risk is not doing anything at all. You can’t win until you try therefore never let fear kidnap your champion spirit. Retreating from challenges simply makes you surrender to them. When risk comes, face it and fix it.

“Achieving goals step by step also builds your confidence.”

By breaking your big goal into small goals makes it easier to attain. Actualizing these small goals one day at a time sums into the accomplishment of the big goal. As you achieve each of these goals, you grow your confidence and experience, you are on fire to do more. I tell people that overcoming challenges strengthen your achievement muscle so each goal you attain makes you better.

“Today is your day.”

Today is that tomorrow you have been waiting for; seize it! How you spend today matters. The secret of your failure or success is in your daily agenda. Choose how you will spend today for it influences the rest of your life. Take charge of your day.

“If success has an entry fee, the cost is total commitment.”

Success demands sacrifice and commitment to what you want to achieve or what you are involved in is what will cause success to happen. You cannot give a half-hearted attention or haphazard service and respect the result to be successful. It is needful that in all I do I get committed to it and surely that thing will thrive and succeed for what you give life to simply grows and what you take away life from will simply wither and die.

“The way to develop the best in anyone is by appreciation and encouragement.”

I consider my anointing as a hope dealer – the ability to inspire, encourage, motivate and enthuse lives as great part of my calling and purpose here on earth. I have discovered that nothing kills the esteem, passion or ambition of workers or team members like unhealthy criticism from a superior. I don’t flatter people but I genuinely praise their good for I know that when someone’s good is praised, his/her standard or effort is raised. I also talk healthily to myself no matter the situation. Destructive criticism kills but in all things I am teachable.

“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you are not.”

Many people see all they do not have but fail to see or appreciate what they have. Truth be told, it’s not what you don’t have that limits you, it’s what you have but don’t know how to use! I am powerful beyond measure. I am a treasure chest with more jewels within than eyes can see. I am unlimited.

“Real power comes from empowering others.”

Power multiplies when you share it. Leaders must stop micromanaging people and give them opportunity to exercise leadership and grow. A good way to think of leadership is as a process of freeing your people to do the best work they can. The more power you have as a leader, the more you should give it away to your people for their good. As a leader, I don’t really like being in the spotlight rather I give others the spotlight and at the end it is a win-win situation and everyone is happy for the success. We must learn to collaborate in order to achieve exploits.

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?

The book contained no laid down exercises for the reader but I engaged myself in the exercises of rereading in order to internalize the valuable wisdom that the author shared.

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! The questions generally covered the book.

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

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