As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Olumide Adetunji Idowu (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The mind is the master power that moulds makes and man is mind and evermore he takes the tool of thought shaping. The mind is the master power that moulds and makes the man. In other words, man is mind that takes the tools of thought which shapes what he wills; this brings joys or ills expressed as a result of a secret thoughts. In a brilliant summary the author is demonstrating how our thoughts, attitude and belief systems create our experience (personnel, career and professional) in life.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these 7 ideas followed by an explanation after each one as why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. A man’s thought determines his character.
This idea is very important to me because I have reaffirmed that the character we exhibit portrays our predominant thought, hence it’s important to me because I must guide my thought so as to productively engage my thoughts.
ii. The effect of thought on our health and body
Healthiness is the absence of both metallic breakdown and Emotionally Induced Diseases (EID), but the former are easily cured compared to the latter. This has thus informed me that I can be and live a very healthier life if I can cultivate the habit of healthy/pure and
positive thinking/thought.
iii. The impact of our thoughts in achieving a purposeful life, peaceful mind, good and productive habits.
Our achievements is greatly dependent on our thoughts, however, we can all experience purposeful life, peaceful mind, good and productive habits. Hence, it has reinforced my belief and confidence that if I can program my thoughts, I will greatly experience purposeful life, peaceful mind, good and productive habits.
iv. Sufferings are sacrifices to achieve sustainable success
Suffering is good, because it purifies a man, and gives him the power to take charge of his life so as to discover the right direction. This idea has helped me discover a new concept about sufferings and I have since have a paradigm shift to continue to see sufferings as a blessing in disguise and positively explore sufferings so as to make
great achievements and have sustainable success
v. A man can only become his desire after self-discovery, self-analysis
and thought control.
Desire = Self-Discovery + Self-Analysis + Thought Control. I have since adopted this as the equation of Life, hence I have regularly engage in constant self-discovery, analysis with mechanism to control my thoughts so that my life, personal, career and family desires are collectively and holistically achieved forthrightly.
vi. Human beings are beings of power, intelligence and love
Power, Intelligence and Love are intrinsically the three components of human beings, which we must discover to repossess if they have being lost or greatly put to use to ensure a balance in our sacredness, supremacy and shared responsibilities. I have since learned that I am a man of power (authority), intelligence (aptitude) and love
(adorable) to radiate/attract these virtues that can be productively
engaged to assist me in achieving my purpose in life.
vii. Self-Control is Strength; Right Thought is Mastery; Calmness is Power.
Self-control, Right Thoughts and Calmness are three important virtues to becoming a confident and charismatic person, which is very critical to successful leadership. Hence as a leader I have discovered another great secret to becoming a very charismatic/energetic leader, for which I have wanted to be.
Other relevant ideas that are also important are:
•The human is both his maker and master
•A man can only become until he discovers, how to control his thoughts
•A positive change in our thought can enhance rapidly our material
transformation
•Thoughts are seeds, that geminates in the mind(soil) to produce
circumstances(fruits) we find ourselves
•Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought in some direction. It
is an indication that the individual is out of harmony with himself,
with the law of being i.e. suffering ceases for him who is pure)
•The sole and supreme use of suffering is to purify, to burn out all
that is useless and impure
•Blessedness, not material possessions, is the measure of right
thought, wretchedness, not lack of material possessions is the measure
of wrong thought
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?
Practically, these ideas/lessons will help me in my personal
life as follows:
Assist me in developing a feasible, workable/sustainable and time-framed strategic plans capable of enhancing my personal life for increased productivity and excellence
Develop a workable personal transformation checklist /framework and tools/tips that can be immediately put to use.
Acknowledged that concentrated thinking is the great secret that separates the winners from the whiners, hence positive thinking, self-visualization and self-projection are critical to personal success.
It is important that we realize earlier in life that we are and can become creators of circumstances.
All our previous patterns of thinking have created the conditions of our life today
If you do not control your patterns of thinking, you will be controlled by endless assaults of fruitless thoughts and left with wandering/wishing for more
For more thinking to generate positive impact thoughts, the information which is the outcome of our thought must travel from the head into the heart, such that is done with faith.
Our wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with our thoughts and actions
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.
“Mind is the master power that moulds and makes, and man is mind and evermore he takes the tools of thought, and shaping what he wills. Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills; he thinks in secret and it comes to pass; environment is but his looking-glass.”
We generate power (will power) from our mind, because where there is a
will there is a way.
“Concentrated thinking is the great secret that separates the winners from the whiners. The differentiating factor between winners and losers is the way they think.”
“Circumstances does not make the man, it reveals him to himself. Circumstances tells the real man we.”
“They themselves are makers of themselves.”
“Men do not attract that which they want but that which they are.”
“The divinity that shapes our ends is in ourselves; it is our very self.’
“A person is literally what she thinks, her character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.”
“Strong, pure and happy thoughts build up the body in vigour and grace.’
“Clean thoughts make clean habits.”
“If you would protect your body, guard your mind. If you would renew your body, beautify your mind.”
“Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results, bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results.”
“Doubts and fear are the great enemies of knowledge. He who has conquered doubts and fear has conquered failure.”
“Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative force.”
“All that a person achieves and all that person fails to achieve is the direct result of thinking.”
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
There is nothing in the book that is not explicit enough, neither is there any idea that I could disagree with, because all the ideas, concepts/theories communicated in the book are practical and evidence-based.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
There are no exercises but there are tips/suggestions, recommend resources and affirmative statements to recite, which I find very useful, relevant and of great impact when I completed them.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
Answer. Though the book is small in volume, yet a thought-provoking and mind-blowing, I would have expected that the author includes end of module exercises/activities that will not only condense the learning objectives, but capable of engaging the reader for a lifetime personal transformation/development.
Please rate the different questions on a scale of 1-10. 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? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Olumide Adetunji Idowu (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author is trying to convey in the book is that we are creatures of excellence, intelligence and skill; hence we have the capacity to lift ourselves out of ignorance of limitations, imperfection, bondage, irresponsibility, fear, sufferings and
thoughtlessness/negative or impure thoughts.
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 why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. We are limited by our nature
Everybody has the potential to be great/succeed if he/she has determined to overcome natural constraints. From my personal experience, I used to train certain Project Management course for 35hours (contact hours), until recently when a client approached me to deliver it for 20 hours, first it seemed impossible, but I later did after considering the fact everything is possible for me, if only I can overcome my natural limitations and I delivered the course successfully to the expectations of the clients/participants.
ii. Self-realization precedes self-actualization
To actualize one’s dream/desire, it is important first to discover/realized one’s potential, capacity/capabilities. From my personal experience, some years ago, I decided to have a career switch from the geosciences to management consulting, after I have realized
that I have what is takes and could get all that is needed for the career switch. I launched out and today I have actualized the dream of not just a management consultant but a certified and qualified one with global impact and relevance.
iii.When we succeed life, we are meant to teach, demonstrate, suggest and guide others with these success principles.
This suggests to me that participative leadership with impacts entails developing leaders through strategic coaching and active/result-oriented mentoring, hence from my personal experience, I have since realized and concluded that the more I teach, live and
actively involved in propagating some of these life/leadership and
success principles, the more I am closer and achieving my life/career
purpose/objective
iv.We become more responsible, when we discover and follow a meaning
and higher purpose for life.
To become and achieve a higher level of responsibility requires that a person must first discover its purpose, with strong determination to follow that purpose and take responsibility for the outcome/results or consequences. I discovered this secret long time ago and have since been my motivation, that when I decide/resolve to take responsibility
of my actions/decisions and consequences, I receive energy to pursue
my purpose/objectives and I get my desired results.
v. We are creatures of excellence, intelligence and skill
Human being are created with potentials to which makes us intelligent with the opportunity to develop/acquire and utilize our creative abilities for excellence. Hence, as a Christian professional, with several opportunities/privileges to manage/lead I have always seen challenging, impromptu and difficult assignments(secular or spiritual)
as an opportunity to activate my innate potential to develop/acquire requisite skills to achieve my goals and objectives that have since being assisting me to achieve excellence in all areas of my life.
vi. .Boredom, fear and anger are three critical reasons why life is short-lived
To want to live healthy/live long and be fulfilled one must do away with boredom, fear and anger. I have the privilege of appreciating this very important life principles over two decades ago, when I have to struggle to get a meaningful employment. I came quickly to this reality and thus begin to appropriate and contextualize this principles and later I discovered I could have developed some ailments/disorders and conditions that I could have been nursing. Ever since then I have resolved to get these life threatening/draining
demons from my life, that have resultantly assisted to live a more confident, happy and optimistic life.
vii. Learning must be deliberate for it to be more meaningful
Meaningful and productive learning can be achieved from a deliberate and purposeful learning. I will never forget my grandfather, who taught me this lesson in my high school days. As a third generation literate, I have the privilege of my grandfather’s
tutelage, who with other circumstances made me to learn and make learning more meaningful/productive. He even made me discover that, if I will ever want to look younger, I must always exercise my brain, learn and always learn new things. This has greatly helped me in my career, personal, family, professional and divine callings. I have
been able to have some near impossible achievements, keep my integrity, influence & motivate people with my wealth of knowledge and been able to counsel/coach/mentor others too.
Other Relevant/Useful Ideas are listed below:
We overcome, when our thought triumph
We can lift ourselves out of ignorance
We all have a reason to live, to learn, to discover and to be free
Our purpose for living is to attain and exhibit/demonstrate perfection
Learning is continuous and it improves/enhances our living
We choose our next world through what we learn. Learn nothing and
the next world is the same limitations which leads to weights to
overcome
Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect
We reach/get to our achievement destination from our thought i.e.
our thought is the vehicle to convey us to our desired destinations
We should always learn quickly from our experience i.e. experience
is the best teacher if only you can quickly learn from it.
We are a perfect idea of freedom, limited by nothing or with no limitations
We should never stop learning, practicing and striving to
understand more of the perfect invincible principles of all 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?
It will enable me to perform a self-study, self-analysis and self-appraisal, so as to have a better self understanding of who I am, what I am made of and what I can become due to the inborn potentials in other to realize that my inability to achieve my desired purpose in
life, career, family, business and profession is dependent on my self-imposed limitations that can be attributed to my predominant productive thoughts. Therefore, I have ensured that I take control and be conscious of my thoughts and engage in pure, progressive and
productive thoughts always.
Having realized that boredom, fear and anger are three critical reasons why life is short lived, I have decided not to find all possible means of avoiding them and develop capacities to handle and manage them, for which I have since being getting immediate results like peacefulness, restfulness, more confidence and allied virtues.
As a Christian I have seen another dimension to the concept of Heaven. Heaven is being perfect, which has helped me with confidence to strive for/towards perfection in everything I do.
These ideas has also helped me to realize that despite life challenges, I can still step into something that can make me feel empowered, feel happy and feel successful.
Similarly, I have been encouraged to be a leader that will develop more leaders, engage all avenues and resources within my disposal to continue to teach/train, coach and mentor more youths, organizational executives and allied professionals for a purposeful personal, career and professional life.
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 gull sees farthest who flies highest. Until we go above average/normal, we cannot achieve excellence.”
“Overcome time, and all we have left is Now. Responsible time management is key to success.”
“Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body too. Emotional freedom determines the extent of our physical freedom.”
“The only true law is that which leads to freedom. Should there be any law, principles or life concepts that should be seriously embraced, it must be the one that would enhance my freedom, liberty, independence and self-determination”
“We can’t force ourselves to go where we’re not welcome.”
“We’re free to go where we wish and to be what we are.”
“The hardest thing in the world is to convince a bird that he is free.”
“We must understand that as a person we are an unlimited ideas of freedom, an image of greatness and embodiment of virtues greatly controlled by our thoughts.”
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. I do not totally agree with the concept, based on my religious preference, however, I believe the latter part of the statement. Heaven is being perfect justifies and corroborate my initial belief and the ultimate predisposition that perfection is the expectation for everybody and it is achievable/attainable.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
There are no exercises but there are tips/suggestions, recommend resources and affirmative statements to recite, which I find very useful, relevant and of great impact when I completed them.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
Though the book is small in volume, yet a thought-provoking and mind-blowing, I would have expected that the author includes end of module exercises/activities that will not only condense the learning objectives, but capable of engaging the reader for a lifetime
personal transformation/development.
Please rate the different questions on a scale of 1-10. 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? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9