As a Man Thinketh
Kelechukwu Iruoma (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
James Allen talks about positive thoughts being the panacea for positive transformation in the lives of human beings. Your thoughts shape your actions. Allen reveals that when man thinks positively, he achieves positive results. If he thinks in a negative way, he will achieve negative results. But when you think positively, positive results will follow you.
“As a man Thinketh in his heart, so he is.” These are the words of Allen. He asserted that positive thinking is very powerful, in the sense that the way we conceive ideas and issues, so shall they be. It is not a curse. It is a reality. The only way to success and accomplishment is through positive thoughts, because it is the way, the truth and the life.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. Determination
When you are determined, nothing can stop you from achieving success. People who have attained greatness today succeeded as a result of the determination they had towards achieving their goals. Determination is the heart of success. It is a roadmap to achieving goals. Allen explained that determination should work alongside positive thinking. Determination is a panacea to success. Determination opens the door for success. When you are determined, the door of success will be opened, but when you are determined, the door of success will remain closed.
ii. Responsibility
Taking responsibility increases our self-esteem and self-respect. An aspired leader has to be responsible all the time. That is the message Allen sends. A responsible leader is that who accepts the outcome of situations without putting blames on others. Responsible individuals should be able to take strong decisions and be able to live with the results of the decisions made. Taking responsibility entails humility and that is what Allen teaches. Humility as the mother of all virtuous should be practiced in our daily activities.
iii. Vision
The power of vision is very important in our daily lives. As individuals, we should be able to foresee positive things and believe in them, so that they can come to pass. We should cherish beautiful vision. As Allen said, he who cherishes beautiful vision will one day realize it. We must learn to positively visualize.
iv. Purpose
Our purpose in life should define our thoughts and our thoughts should also define our purpose. The two combined together will go a long way in shaping us to become who we have been destined to become. For us to achieve our purpose in life, we must think positively. It is only when we think positively that we can achieve our purpose in life. Until thought is linked with purpose, there is no intelligent accomplishment. There are the words of James Allen.
v. Self-Motivation
Individuals are the motivators of themselves. You are your primary motivator. Another person who motivates you is a secondary motivator. You start the engine inside you. People can only push you. You are the one to start. You are like a car whose engine is faulty. People can help us push. But we are the ones to start the car. We must shape our thoughts to be positive. If you can’t, as Brian Tracy said, learn it. Allen advises us to always believe in ourselves and be ready to take positive decisions and actions.
Procrastination should not dine with us. Lazy attitude should be discouraged. Procrastination only kills. It is a destroyer of dreams and visions. Procrastination is a fertilizer that makes difficulties grow. Killing time is not murder. It is suicide.
vi. Serenity
Peace is what the world needs to bring about unity, in terms of diversity ranging from race, religion, and so on. Discrimination should be discouraged among leaders and aspired leaders. The world has to be united. And it is only peace that can bring that to fore. Peace is medicine to unity.
vii. Self-Confidence
Self-confidence builds our self-esteem and self-respect. It is the killer of fear and failure. With self-confidence, we can achieve our goals without difficulties. Self confidence increases our desire to do more. Not just doing more, but also doing extra ordinary things in an extra ordinary manner. Self confidence reveals who we are. It makes achieve great things in life.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
The above ideas will help me become a great leader. James Allen ideas are worth putting into practice so that goals can be accomplished, which will apparently lead us to our destinations and destinies. As a journalist, determination, self motivation among others, are really needed to achieve greatness in the profession.
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.
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is.”
Allen makes me understand that our thoughts define our actions. What we desire to in our heart is what we shall at last receive. Therefore, we are urged to think positively and desire good things so that we can receive good things in life.
“Man is made and unmade by himself.”
Man can make or mar himself. We are made to understand that we can decide today who we want to be in life. We think for ourselves and we pursue goals and aspirations ourselves. The moments we think positively, then we are at verge of making ourselves great in life. When we think negatively, we are at the verge of also unmaking ourselves. Life is a race. If we do not run fast, we will get trampled. Therefore, we must make positive decisions that can make positive impacts in our lives and the lives of others.
“Circumstances do not make the man; it reveals him to himself.”
Challenge reveals we who truly are to ourselves. Success is always at the 75th floor. To get there, we must climb every step and every floor to attain it. No elevator to success. In the course, there will be challenges but Allen urges us not to give up but to be determined and steadfast.
“Good thoughts bear good fruits, bad thoughts bear bad fruits.”
Positive thoughts yield positive results. Positive thoughts can be learned and put into practice. It is only when we practice positive thoughts that they can only yield positive results.
“Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results.”
Good things come to those who do good and bad things come to those who do bad. Bad things can never come to people who do good things. Bad things can only come to those who do bad. In other words, we must ensure that our thoughts and actions are positive enough to yield positive results.
“Justice not injustice is the soul and substance of life.”
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Leaders and aspired leaders must therefore practice equity because that is what keeps the world going.
“Change of diet will never help a man who will not change his thoughts.”
It is only when we think in the right direction that our healing will come to us. Positive attitude is the key to a successful leadership. A leader must learn to think positively so that others can be motivated to also think in the same direction.
“A man only begins to be a man when he cease to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And he adapts his mind to that regulating factor; he ceases to accuse others as the cause of the condition and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts.”
Every leader must always take responsibility in order to increase his self esteem. We are not supposed to blame anyone for our failure. We must learn to accept the outcome of decisions and actions taken. That is a true feature of good leadership.
“Until thought is linked with purpose, there is no intelligent accomplishment.”
Thoughts and purpose are two powerful ideas. They work hand-in-hand to ensure that they achieve the goals in which the thoughts and purpose were made.
“All that a man achieves and all that a man fails to achieve is the direct results of his own thoughts.”
This is also a powerful quote. All that we achieve is the effect of what we conceive in our mind. You think positively, you get positive results. You think negatively, you get negative results. That is the secret of life. The quote can only make or mar us. It is our decision to take. Whichever we want, we take.
“He who would accomplish little need sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; and he who would attain highly most sacrifice greatly.”
Hard work matters in everything that we do as aspired leaders. The efforts you invest or put into a business, the result of what you will get is the efforts you put in it.
“He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it.”
When you decide who you want to be in the next five years and you believe in it and work towards achieving it, you will realize. We must start now to pursue that destiny.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
I understand everything written in the book. It was very easy to understand.
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 does not contain any exercises.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No.
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 Kelechukwu Iruoma (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
Independence is the main idea of the book. Richard Bach makes me understand that with freedom, I can achieve greatness in life. Independence can unleash the talents and gifts in you. Independence can unleash the hidden treasure and skills in you. With freedom, we can move mountains. Despite being an outcast, Jonathan was able to show that he could do what others could not do; he could fly to the height that others could not imagine; he could make positive decisions himself, that could make him great. Independence is a road to greatness. You are free to do what you want to do and surprise those who think you cannot make it without them.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. Independence
Independence gives us the freedom to do whatever we want to do. It is left for us to do the right thing or the wrong thing. It is left for us to make the right decisions that can bring us to limelight or make the wrong decisions that can easily mar our future. The moments we become independent, that is the moment we start making decisions. Bach enjoins us to make positive decisions that can shape our future and make us great in life.
ii. Determination
When you are determined, nothing can stop you from achieving success. People who have attained greatness today succeeded as a result of the determination they had towards achieving their goals. Determination is the heart of success. It is a roadmap to achieving goals. Bach explained that determination should work alongside positive thinking. Jonathan was a positive thinker who was ready always to take on new challenges and surprise people. Determination is a panacea to success. Determination opens the door for success. When you are determined, the door of success will be opened, but when you are determined, the door of success will remain closed.
iii. Desire to learn
Jonathan Livingston Seagull was always ready to learn. Even when Chiang Seagull thought he had no strong mind to fly, Jonathan was determined to fly in order to become one of the best Seagulls ever lived. It was the desire to learn that made Jonathan a great Seagull. He was recognized and respected by other Seagulls. In everyday of my life, I have always desired to learn new things because it is through learning that one can increase and expand his horizon and scope of knowledge.
iv. Leadership/Teaching
Another idea conveyed in the book is that of leadership and teaching. For knowledge gained and learnt, it is advisable you also impact positively on others by teaching them the techniques and strategies of doing those things in order for them to be perfect. That is the secret of knowledge. Leadership and teaching were highly respected and put into practice in the book. If not for the teaching Jonathan received, he would not have been great. It is as a result of that that he also decided to also teach others so that they could become great.
In the book, skills and knowledge were never hidden. They were shared for others to learn from and also circulated for the development of humanity and mankind. Jonathan was a great leader and teacher who ensured that his students learnt everything that he was thought by his teacher, Chiang.
v. Practice
When you learn and do not put into practice what you have learnt, you are like a tree that has been planted and does not bear fruits. Practice as they say makes perfect. Perfection is the secret of knowledge. If you aspire to be perfect in this life, you must learn to put into practice everything that you have been taught, so that you can get used to it and be able to teach others. There are people on earth who have received great teachings and trainings from great teachers but do not put them into practice as a result of laziness. Because of that, their knowledge gained dies with them. Jonathan ensured that he put into practice what he learned as regards to how to fly.
vi. Perfection
Perfection is also an important idea conveyed in the book. If we must realize our potentials, we must be perfect in what we do. And it is only through constant training and practice that we can be perfect in this world. I love perfection. Getting perfection is quite a difficult task, but practicing everyday will make you be a perfect individual. We are in a world of perfection. And a perfect world is a world of peace free of conflicts, war, hatred, discrimination and stigmatization.
vii. Self-Motivation
Individuals are the motivators of themselves. You are your primary motivator. Another person who motivates you is a secondary motivator. You start the engine inside you. People can only push you. You are the one to start. You are like a car whose engine is faulty. People can help us push. But we are the ones to start the car. We must shape our thoughts to be positive. If you can’t, as Brian Tracy said, learn it. Richard Bach advises us to always believe in ourselves and be ready to take positive decisions and actions.
Procrastination should not dine with us. Lazy attitude should be discouraged. Procrastination only kills. It is a destroyer of dreams and visions. Procrastination is a fertilizer that makes difficulties grow. Killing time is not murder. It is suicide.
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?
Independence, leading, practice, teaching, among others are what I cherish with passion. They have gone a long a way in defining me. They have gone a long way in making me discover who I have been destined to be. These ideas are what I will daily put into practice in order to ensure that I attain greatness and be a great leader which I aspire to be. As a freelance Journalist, these ideas will help in shaping my daily decisions as I campaign for good governance, quality education, access to clean water, good environment, among others. These ideas will help me in being a good and effective voice to the voiceless in the society; being an advocate of youth unemployment and a good voice for the eradication of poverty in Nigeria and globally.
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.
“Seek a higher purpose in life, even if your flock, tribe, or neighborhood finds your ambition threatening.”
A higher purpose is what every leader desires to conceive and achieve. We must learn to create and make great goals and dreams that can transform the world and make people community and tribes realize that independence can go a long way in transforming a nation, community and a race.
“Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is short.”
Jonathan Seagull knew that boredom, fear and anger are the secret of gulls. In other words, he took the advantage and was able to overcome boredom, fear and anger and became a loved, committed and great gull that every other gull respected and cherished and wanted to be like. Fear is a disease. It can destroy destinies, dreams and visions. It is a roadmap to failure. And everyone is advised; every aspired leader is advised never to fear or be afraid of failure. Those who have attained greatness today failed many times before they became great. In other words, there is need that we be determined and be focused in our pursuit for greatness.
“The most important thing in living was to teach out and touch perfection in that which they most love to do and that was to fly.”
Teaching is a call which everyone has to practice no matter what you are involved in. Gulls only fly and it is their hobby and that was what they do in order to overcome boredom. They also teach the skills they have learnt for others to emulate and also do to be perfect.
“The only true law is that which leads to freedom.”
Freedom is the key that opens not just one door but many doors. Many countries today that have been freed by their colonial masters have gone a long way in becoming great countries. That is what freedom does. It gives individuals the opportunities to change their lives and become who they aspire to be. Freedom is the law that everybody individual and country recognizes. It is only through freedom that individuals can practice what seems so difficult to practice. Freedom is the panacea to greatness. When you are free, you can do extraordinary things. Jonathan Livingston Seagull was free; he had the freedom to change his life and destiny, and he never allowed the opportunity to pass him by. He was so determined to achieve greatness and that was what he achieved, as a result of the freedom he had.
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 quite good. The ideas conveyed are very important. But the book was so difficult to understand, especially from the beginning part of it.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
The book does not contain any exercises.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No. I am absolutely okay with the content of the book. The book was quite inspiring and motivating.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8
PsychoCybernetics
Assessment by Kelechukwu Iruoma (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The message Dr. Maltz tries to convey is that we are bound to succeed no matter how difficult it is. Just as a machine performs all tasks, human beings can also do the same. It all depends on our attitude towards achieving the set goals. Also, it all boils down to how determined and ambitious we are to be successful. If we can produce a machine that can perform many tasks, why can’t we be successful? What the mind conceives is what will happen. Everything begins in the mind. Dr. Maltz tries to encourage us to be positive in order to build a very strong self-image to achieve self-fulfillment. We must conquer negativities. Just as he said, we have goals but we’re afraid to reach them. Only a positive conscience or mind can achieve positive things. In other words, the mind must be positive to achieve self-fulfillment.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
I really love the part two of the book, which contains questions asked by readers regarding the theory of cybernetics. He was able to answer the questions-many which have to do with the daily challenges and worries we face as human beings and he explains how we can be able to tackle them with ease to improve our self-image and achieve self-fulfillment. There are many of them he pointed that are most important to me but I’m going to explain seven below.
i. Success
Someone asked how we can be successful ourselves. This is very important because we live for success. If a poll is taken, for example, asking people what they really want in this world. The majority will say they want to be successful. This is what bothers people daily, especially the youths. Many people have committed suicide due to the failure in the course of pushing to achieve success. Maltz makes us understand that we have to be of not being successful. We cannot achieve success by mere talking about it. We must take a risk and having a positive mind can go a long way in ensuring that we become successful no matter what it takes.
ii. Tomorrow
We worry a lot about tomorrow. Norman Vincent Peale in his book, “The power of positive thinking” said that a man who wastes today lamenting yesterday will definitely waste tomorrow lamenting today. We must always move on and work towards making tomorrow brighter and better. He really talks about procrastination in this part. It is dangerous. I procrastinate a lot but I have always worked to eliminate it daily.
This idea is extremely important to me. Dr. Maltz said to do things tomorrow is a negative philosophy because no one has seen that tomorrow. There have been opportunities I have lost because I failed to embrace them when they come.
A writer once said that procrastination is the fertilizer that makes difficulties grow and that killing time is not murder but suicide. We have to think about what to lose if we do not take action immediately.
iii. Weakness
This is one of the challenges be-deviling people on earth. Many people do not meet expectations and they take it as a weakness that may perhaps not be overcome. There is no challenge that cannot be overcome. Everything begins in the mind. I have weaknesses but every day I try to always improve and I tend to see improvement in my day-to-day activities. That is the message Dr. Maltz tries to convey. Just as we have weaknesses, we also have strengths and we have utilized them to achieve great things in life. But we must also accept our weakness and improve on them daily. Some footballers start playing at 18 but some of them reach their peak at 30. This is as a result of constant training and determination. We must always train our minds positively and in the end it will reflect in our actions.
iv. Winning
I’m a freelance journalist. When I started freelancing, it was so difficult. I was receiving rejections so I got frustrated. Some advised me to switch to another kind of journalism other than freelancing. I appreciated their advice but I was determined to succeed. I knew I would one day start having approval. I knew one day I would become a winner. Though I have not reached where I want to be in my career I’m glad I have received positive responses from editors. That means I am already winning and a winner is forever a winner. Our mind must be positive and we must always be determined at all times.
v. Unhappiness
How do we break the unhappiness habit? There are apparently many unhappy people in the world. There are times I just become unhappy but I try as much as possible not to let it affect my mental and physical performance. Dr. Maltz says unhappiness is a habit and there is no habit that cannot be stopped. So we must always work towards ending that habit of unhappiness. Any day I have not smiled or laugh, I quickly remember a quote by an author which says “any day you have not smiled or laughed, that day could be the worst day of your life.” I try not to regret any day of my life and since I was born, I have never regretted any day in I have lived.
vi. Yesterday
Of course, we have made mistakes in the past but that should not make us fear. Dr. Maltz encourages us not to forget the past but to learn from the past and move on. We have past success and failure stories. We should be motivated by the success stories, learn from our failures and move on. We should not be afraid of making great decisions because we failed in the past. We should not worry about the mistakes we make in the past.
vii. Self-Image
A question was asked of what is man’s most important asset. Dr. Maltz replied that it is self-image. “Our self-image is our key, If, remembering the confidence of past successes, we use it in our present goal, chances are good we will succeed.” We must build a very strong self-image to be relevant and be successful. We must be confident in ourselves. By so doing, success cannot depart from us.
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 are daily issues I face as I work towards becoming a successful person and a great leader. These ideas will mould me and influence my daily decision making because, without them, sound decisions can’t be made. I must always have it in mind that there are challenges and I must always prepare my mind to face and overcome them. This will indeed improve my self-image and ensure I achieve perfection in my day-to-day activities.
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.
“Creative thinking is the greatest power in the universe.”
This goes a long way in helping people make positive decisions that can make them successful. Successful people in this world are all creative thinkers and only creative thinkers can achieve success.
“Imagination can give you inspiration.”
This really drew my attention. Often times we achieve what we imagined. This has happened to me many times. Whenever I have a positive attitude or feeling towards something I am aiming to achieve, I will end up achieving that. My positive thought gives me inspiration.
“With your imagination, you launch yourself towards achievement.”
Imagination can indeed launch us towards achievements. It still boils down to the ability to be inspired from what we have imagined or thought about. It is through imagination that many successful people are successful today. In 2012, I imagined getting admission into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I was very positive about it and never for once had a negative thought about it. In the end, I was admitted into the prestigious university of my choice.
“Be determined to reach your goals.”
We achieve success through determination. Determination encourages the mind to think positively. When we are determined to succeed, nothing can stop us from reaching our goals. I am always determined to be successful. Determination drives me.
“We came into the world to succeed not to fail.”
No one wants to fail. I don’t want to either. We should not even think about failure. Therefore, efforts must be made to ensure we succeed. It begins from the mind. We must conceive success. Only when we do that we can achieve it.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
None really.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
No.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No. I indeed understand the theory of cybernetics.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 7
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? 7