As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Nurudeen Yusuf Temilola (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The “little volume” as described by the author about the power of thought. It examines how one thought can affect who we are and the circumstances we live in. It posits that a man is ultimately responsible for his own circumstances. This means that our life, that is, aspirations, experiences, opportunities and challenges are governed by the thoughts we harbor.
Our thoughts are “seeds” we plant in our minds. Whether we consciously choose our thoughts or not, it will eventually spring into the circumstances we live in. No one plants maize and harvest rice. “Good thought bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit.” Thus, nothing good comes forth from bad thoughts. For that reason, the persistent communal or ethnic conflicts that is ravaging Africa are as a result of the seed of hatred sown in our minds against others despite our heterogenic nature. We are yet to discover the strength in diversity.
Another wonderful take home from the book is, self-discovery. It gives insight into how a man can know who he is, and if on the wrong path rediscover himself for self-improvement. This is the case for me as it has re-inspired me to know that each man holds the key to every condition, good or bad, that enters into his life, and that, by working patiently and intelligently upon his thoughts, he may remake his life, and transform his circumstances. Invariably, as long as one thinks he is the victim of his circumstances, he won’t be in control of his own life because “Men do not attract what they want, but what they are.” The author encouraged me to develop my mind on a higher level to fulfill my dreams.
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. Take Charge of your Thought and Destiny
My first lesson from the book which led me to a deeper reflection is that if I take charge my thought, I will be 100 percent control of my destiny. Meaning “Man is made or unmade by himself.” Instructively, He (Allen) writes. “In the armor of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds himself for heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.”
Therefore, choosing your thoughts can influence your circumstances. It will influence the choice of your friends, places you visit and information you sought. After my high school, the penchant for university education controlled my daily activities and circumstances. When many of my friends were after meager daily income, I took charge of my destiny refused to be lured and wrote WASSCE and University Matriculation Examination (UME) repeatedly before I made my results. Internal thoughts were in my control. Eventually, I made it. Anyone that has become successful with anything has taken control of their thoughts and created what they now have.
ii. Law of Attraction
“Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.” Flowing from my decision, that is, taking charge of my thought and consequently, my destiny, I was naturally attracted to tertiary institutions. Often, I paid “unnecessary” visits to the nearest university, where I graduated from in the long run. Many of my friends saw it as an obsession but, I never say anything wrong in it. Definitely, by focusing on the positive, you attract more positive in your life. Otherwise, focusing on the negative, you attract the negative. In fact, everything about “Who I Am” today is made up of my thoughts. Just like a would-be cleric will stick to the church or mosque.
iii. Thought and Health
I never wanted to believe Allen on the issue of Thought and Health. He writes disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in thought. Sickly thoughts will express themselves through a sickly body. I completely disagreed with his position until I recalled the story of one lady in my class. Though her parents were separated, this lady still live with the despair of the separation and would always appear sick to get empathy from lecturers. Before we know it, this young lady grows wrinkles and will look aged. She looks frail and sickness becomes a metaphor for her. Till our graduation, nobody expected that she was healthy. Consciously or unconsciously, she crafted a picture of herself in our mind.
iv. No Success Without Scarifies
The Thought-Factor in Achievement taught me more about success and achievements. This is very important to me. Let’s take a look at the stories of some successful people today. “I didn’t even complete my university education;” Bill Gates, “I struggled academically throughout elementary school;” Dr. Ben Carson, “I used to serve tea at a shop to support my football training;” Lionel Messi, “I used to sleep on the floor in friends’ rooms, returning Coke bottles for food, money, and getting weekly free meals at a local temple;” Steve Jobs, “I was in prison for 27 years” and still became president. Nelson Mandela.Though they pass through many difficulties in life and sacrificed a lot but, they never give up because life is not about what you couldn’t do so far, it’s about what you can still do. Therefore, I decided to be Unstoppable.
v. Think Big
Allen writes “Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become.” Success starts with a dream. That dream, however, has to be more than simply wanting or wishing for something, Allen said that success must be earned. It’s created by having the right thoughts and taking the right actions. As a good case study, when union elections were approaching, my initial plan was to be the Faculty of Law president. My team and I changed the whole idea and decided to go for the Students’ Union president. We won convincingly even against a former president of the Union. The overarching theme is that any goal is attainable with a well-structured thought process and a strong work ethic. So, I agree with him thus “Dreams are the seedlings of realities. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration.”
vi. Vision and Ideas
To me, this is most important and inspiring chapter. In this chapter, I learned the greatest lessons and will hold on to it for the rest of my life. Allen writes “Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil. The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg.”
Further, he said “Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environments; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.”
No matter how bizarre my dreams are, I have learned to hold on to it, be true to it and one day, it shall come to reality. The first day I stepped my feet on the soil of Lagos State University, I vouched not to leave the campus the way I met it. Though, I was not too sure on how to go about it. Today, that vision came to pass and the school is better than the way it was, in 2009. Now, there is sustainable peace on the campus. Indeed, “dreamers are savor of the world.”
vii. Conquering Failure
“He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.”Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step. When we decided to lead the struggles for the reversal of the more than 1000% increment in LASU School fees in 2014, I did not harbor any doubt in my mind. Despite the severe and several warnings from people, I was resolute to the detriment of my career. It got to a point many deserted me after the 35-60% reduction. Parents have started paying the new rates. We faced the struggles headlong with the aim for our proposed N46, 500. When I read this book, it now dawns on me that “To put away aimlessness and weakness and to begin to think with purpose is to enter the ranks of those strong one who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.” By virtue of creating purpose and focusing on it, we got more than we proposed. We achieved a total reversal.
3. How will these idea or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in help you to create a better world? If so, how?
With the lessons that are accrued from the book, I have learned how to guard my thoughts to take charge of my destiny. Choosing my thoughts, therefore, influence the circumstances that surround me. Naturally, the law of attraction will bring that which I do not want, but that which I am. I have been able to distil that there is no success without sacrifices. The lessons will help me think big, for as I dream, so shall I become. That dream, however, has to be more than simply wanting or wishing for something, but the success that must be earned. The lesson has made me become a visionary to create a better world. I have learned to conquer fear and doubt and I have been able to put away aimlessness and weakness and to begin to think with purpose is to enter the ranks of those strong one who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.
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.
“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves, they, therefore, remain bound.”
Many want to be rich, live a life of affluence but are not ready to change their thought, sacrifices or face the challenges. As fire is the best way to purify gold. When all the impurities are gone, you have the most valuable gold!Achievement does not happen by accident and rarely does it happen quickly. It is the result of putting one brick on top of another, one step at a time, day after day. Big idea begets big opposition, little idea limited opposition, no idea, no opposition.
“The circumstances which a man encounters with suffering are the result of his own mental in harmony.”
Once your thought is in contrast with your circumstances, one begins to live an unfulfilled life. Fulfillment is not about wealth or position. It is the harmony of out thought with the circumstances. I have seen a Medical Doctor who went back to study creative arts. As for me, I set out to Accounting, when I discovered that I have an edge in human rights advocacy, I took WASSCE again so that I can have literature that will enable me to study Law. Today, I am fulfilled even if am not rich.
“The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do.”
Knowledge is key. Self-discovery is important if one must take charge of his thought and consequently his destiny. It the knowledge that drives the will, the will drives the passion. Will do not thrive on ignorance.
“Men do not attract what they want, but what they are.”
Naturally, a business mogul attracts a company of businessmen. Unconsciously, the mind guides our footsteps as we progress along the pathway of life. The purity of mind leads inevitably to the purity of life, to the precious love and understanding that should control our everyday acts and attitudes towards friends and foes. “Out of a clean heart comes a clean life and a clean body,” James Allen writes. “Out of a defiled mind proceeds a defiled life and a corrupt body.”
“Right thinking begins with the words we say to ourselves.”
The rationale by this is to be sure of the motivation behind our actions. It is to encourage us to take this to heart when considering what comes out from out thought. Not only what the circumstances are but the motivations behind the guiding principles of our thought. Someone see himself in Godliness will not proclaim to be evil. As soon as he says it he begin to thinking in that direction.
“Cherish your visions. Cherish your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment, of these, if you but remain true to them your world will at last be built.”
Visions are the Imagination we have like wearing the wig and gown for a budding lawyer. The feelings that accompanied (say, The Law!) represent our visions, our ideals. A cherished vision is like a baby that the parent works day and night to nature to maturity. Out of the process of bringing our visions to reality, we will feel some delightful conditions and if we stick to these nostalgic feelings be sincere, that vision will one day be birthed
“Dreamers are savor of the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of a world without violence, he was the change he wishes to see in the world. He lived a non-violent life and saved India from turmoil. Nelson Mandela dreamt of a reconciliation where everybody will be free and equal to pursue their fulfillment, he saved South Africa from apartheid. Martin Luther King (Jnr.) had a dream, saved America from discrimination which is what America stand for today.
I see the world that embraces of human diversity, the world in which all individuals and cultures enjoy equal rights and respect. The world where all are seeking to make a contribution to freedom, peace and prosperity for all human beings, never to the exclusion of any category of humanity. The world that the pursuit of a high minimum standard of human fulfillment is encouraged, a tool for the advancement of human development. I see the world that belief in the critical role played by individual human effort, hard work, innovation and creativity in leading to the betterment of society. I want to save the world from war by waging peace.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Yes, I disagree with the fact that man is solely the architect of his circumstances.
Man cannot live in isolation. The environmental factor plays a crucial role in forming an individual thought. The environment could have an overbearing influence on thought. For instance, for a business to thrive, it requires an enabling environment. In the third world countries, there are many shattered dreams for lack of an enabling environment. In a caste society of India, the rich and the poor are separated. These two different socio-political conditions are crucial in the thought process of a man.
Therefore, it is only an enabling environment that allows self-analysis. The environmental experience may be dehumanising to discourage a man in search for the truth. It may be negative and overpowering that it can hijack the notion that a man is a maker if his character, molder of his life and builder of his destiny. Ditto Boko Haram in Northeast Nigeria.
Allen acceded to this point in Chapter II “Effect of Thought on Circumstances” where he said, “A man’s mind can be likened to a garden. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein and will continue to produce the kind”. Furthermore, “both pleasant and unpleasant external conditions are factors which make for the ultimate good of individual.” Finally, the book is suggestive rather than explanatory. It only stimulates but not preach real issues. The content can be likened to a lust. If care is not taken, the lesson fades in a matter of no time. Though the ideas contained therein are not utopian.
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 exercise is on to get hold of my thought so that I can control my destiny. Hence, how do I control my thoughts? The first step is changing our unproductive and bad (destructive) thoughts to a positive one that will, in turn, attracts positivity and dictate the prevailing circumstances. I have decided not let my mind aimlessly wander around. Chances are if left alone – it will wonder into places where it shouldn’t be going. Sadly that is just our nature. Once I acknowledge that my thoughts needed to change, then it took discipline to redirect them. This takes work and it is not easy. For a while, I felt like constantly correcting yourself. When I first started taking control of my thoughts I was amazed. My thoughts were all over the place with no direction or discipline. Once you make a habit of playing goaltender with your thoughts you will start deflecting the negative with more and more success. After a while, you will learn to stay focused only on those thoughts that bring you closer to the person you want to be and the life you want to have. This is how you truly take control of your circumstances and ultimately your destiny.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
I say Thank You to IIGL, for the well thought curriculum and affording me to read the book. The 113 years short piece, I can honestly say has impacted me on a fundamental level. The intention of the book which is to get the reader to purify his mind and align his thoughts with right principles have manifested in me.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Nurudeen Yusuf Temilola (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The book is about young seagull by name Jonathan who is bored with daily squabbles. For this gull, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. Seized by a passion for flight, he pushes himself to learn everything he can about flying, until he finally broke the jinx.
I have been a to distill from the book that breaking the barriers imposed by nature, finding more to living than the ordinary, the choice to find reason to live, discover our potential, free ourselves from the bondage created by the environment we live in, sticking to your beliefs despite the adversities designed to distract you, trying to change the status quo will definitely come with a price. Going against the crowd can be a lonely road, but if you believe in yourself and your convictions, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The overall theme of the book is that we should all strive to reach our greatest potential and break out of the boundaries that limit us.
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. Self-Discovery
Jonathan embarked on a journey to know what he wants. Though, he acknowledged that he is a seagull, so he does not have the brain to determine the complexities of flying and he has long wings (not short, like a falcon’s), which are not meant for speed but decided that if he can make his wings shorter, like a falcon’s, he will be successful. That, if he pulls his wings together, like a hawk’s, he will be able to fly straight down at super-seagull velocities.
Self-discovery; “a becoming aware of one’s true potential, character, motives, etc.” I have come to realize that the moment a person truly starts down the path of self-discovery, they will never turn back. Ignorance towards my true self is something I lived with for a long time. Self-discovery means many things. It means finding your purpose in life (we all have a purpose), it means digging deep into your childhood and revealing the experiences that shaped you, good and bad. It means realizing what your beliefs are and living by them. Self-discovery brings happiness, fulfillment, clarity and maybe even enlightenment! The journey, however, is not always an easy road. The journey includes fear, confusion, misunderstanding, doubt and literally re-visiting all your choices in life. I like to refer to it as spring-cleaning of the mind, your emotions and your surroundings (including the people in your life). It requires making some tough decisions and sticking to them.
ii. Learning in Isolation
Another lesson is that isolation is often necessary for the transmission of knowledge. A leader must often distinguish himself from the crowd before he has any followers or before he can offer a different path from that which is already known. Solitude provides peace, relaxation and concentration of the mind. On the other hand, distractions often haunt those who are entrepreneurial minded or are gifted with the above average work ethic. That is why the library is always the perfect place to learn even before we are encouraged to engage in group discussions. Jonathan spends hours alone each day practicing various aspects of flight, and he knows this fascination with flying separates him from the others. He learns so many new things: to catch fresh fish, to fly above the sea fogs, to dine on “delicate insects.” The things that shorten a gull’s life, he believes, are boredom, fear, and anger. He experiences none of these and lives a free and satisfying life.
iii. Sense of Compassion
The ability to forgive is a mandatory “passing condition.” Hence, love deserved respect, and forgiveness all seem to be equally important to our daily activities. Despite the persecution by a fellow, seagulls Jonathan finds a place in his heart to forgive his people. This is one of the cardinal principles of great leaders that world reckoned with. In connection with this, Mahatma Gandhi was reported to have said that “An eye for an eye will only leave the world blind”. Nelson Mandela in his great sense of compassion forgives his persecutors, those that jailed for 27 years. From this, I have learned a great deal. “Do you want to fly so much that you will forgive the Flock, and learn, and go back to them one day and work to help them know?” Jonathan asks his first student, Fletcher Lynd Seagull, before getting into any further talks. The idea that the stronger can reach more by leaving the weaker friends behind seems totally rejected. Without the mind-set vengeance, he teaches others to fly.
iv. Breaking Barriers
Jonathan keeps crash landing and hurting himself as he tries to go faster and faster. This is a pointer to the fact that “No pain, no gain.” He practices steep dives into waves and realizes why seagulls never do this: at seventy miles per hour in a vertical fall, he crashes—every time. But he perseveres, makes some corrections, and is able to dive at ninety miles an hour, setting the “world speed record” for seagulls. As he floats, he hears a voice in his head and begins to focus on his limitations. Jonathan actually broke the barriers and never gave in at any time to these barriers. For me, this is the most important lesson in the book. It has reinforced my determination to break barriers and go for gold.
v. Optimism
A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is “a glass of water at the halfway point,” where the optimist is said to see the glass as half full and the pessimist sees the glass as half empty. My nickname is “Optimist.” My friends at a retreat in 2010 gave me the name because of my disposition to issues. At the retreat, I was expecting the best possible outcome from any given situation. Jonathan expected a positive outcome from the training despite the negative environmental factors. It has never been done before but Jonathan like my humble self believed that it is possible.
vi. Practice makes perfect
Practice makes perfect is the cliché for doing something over and over again is the only way to learn to do it well. Though, I do not believe in perfection. But I an advocate and staunch believer in the fact that leaders are made, not born. That is why there is not end to scholarship. Jonathan continues experimenting and learning. The other birds mock, shun and even attack him – it doesn’t matter; he keeps doing what his heart tells him to do. His purpose was to do what you love as hard as you can for as long as you can. When I looked back at the first essay I wrote in 2005, it was very hard for me to believe that I was the author. However, with continuous practice, there has been a substantial improvement just like Jonathan. In summary, we can say the Effort + intention = magic.
vii. “For most gulls, it was not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight.”
Find something too compelling and meaningful in your life. Find the true purpose and meaning in life. The reason for existence that forces you to transcend your own limitations and boundaries and make your one like the Jonathan. This statement inspired me to do more question my reason for existence and to embark on the mission to achieve them
3. How will these idea or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in help you to create a better world? If so, how?
We see the seagull obsessed with pushing the limits of everything he knows about flying. Every day, he learns more and more. As an aspiring leader, I will be well-placed if I am willing to push against personal boundaries and discover what lies beyond. It is refreshing and insightful to learn more, grow more, and unravel truths not yet learned in my career. Jonathan transitioned to higher reality informed my decision of finding a mentor, a master, a guide to lead me down the path of greater truth. The best masters do not tell us outright what these truths are, rather they point us in the right direction and let us discover and learn through our own commitment to moving higher and higher.
In addition, followership, conscious or unconscious stems from knowledge. Having discovered new and greater truths Jonathan desires to share these truths with the seagulls still back on earth. He has no intention of becoming a master to someone else, but this is essentially what will happen, should he find any followers when he begins to share the truths he has found. Henceforth, I decided to forgive and refuse to hold grudges, resentment, and other negative emotions against anybody because greater truths are unobtainable until we are willing to forgive the wrongs that are done to us.
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.
“We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill.”
It reminds us that you too have those dreams and the wings of your dream and they are there so that you can take flight and find a newer world for yourself to prove to the world that you are exceptional. That you have nobody to blame for your ignorance but you and you alone.
“The only true law is that which leads to freedom.”
In response to this Jonathan said, “There is no other.” Indeed, there is no other. Therefore, in a free society, each and every man lives under a rule of law, as opposed to a whim-ridden rule of men. Such a rule of law has only one purpose: to protect the rights of the smallest minority that has ever existed — the individual. Giving happiness to the greatest number of people is the purpose of law. Any law devoid of this is not a law but an instrument of oppression.
“To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is, you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived.”
See the big picture, stop been trapped from within and unleash your potential. Break the chains of thought and the limitations from reaching your goals.
“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding.”
Keep moving on the path of your dreams and see what others can’t see. This is a clarion call for thinking outside the box. Others are limited to their vision. You are not!
“We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill.”
Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with these gone from his thoughts, he lived a long fine life indeed.
“Overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now.”
Don’t stop. Don’t quit. Keep your momentum. Even when you are alone, just move on. We choose our next world through what we learn in this one. Learn nothing, and the next world is the same as this one, all the same limitations and lead weights to overcome.”
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?
“Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect. -And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.”
Perfection is a state of completeness and flawlessness. Vince Lombardi said, “perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” Therefore, nobody can reach the state of completeness or flawlessness. There is no end to learning, it is a continuous process and journey which nobody has arrived the final destination. Nothing will ever be perfect. Furthermore, I disagree with the claim that faith is not needed. I have believed that action begins from faith rather than understanding.
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 exercise contained therein is finding a mentor to lead me down the path of greater truth. I find it helpful but am yet to complete the exercise.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
None.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 7
C. How easy was it to understand? 7
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 7