Peter Lindsay Iredia – Assessments

As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Peter Lindsay Iredia (Nigeria)

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

In my assertion, Jonathan Livingston Seagull and James Allen’s As a Man Thinketh have the same notion. While Jonathan was figurative in his approach, James Allen was direct in his approach on the subject matter “Thought.”

2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by explanation after each other as to why it was important to you? Use personal examples from your own life.

i. Men are the makers of themselves.

This is by virtue of the thought which they chose and encouraged that mind is the master Weaver, both of inner garment, of character, and the outer garment of circumstance, and as they may hitherto wave in ignorance and pain, they weave in enlightenment and happiness.

ii. A man is the plant springs from and could not be without the seed.

So is every act of man springs from the hidden seeds of thought and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called spontaneous and unpremeditated as well as those deliberately executed.

iii. 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 husbandry. Thought in the mind has made us what we are. By thought was wrought and built.

iv. Man is made or unmade by himself.

In the armoring of thoughts he forgets the weapons which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy, strength, and peace.

v. Man is the master always, even in his weakest and most abandoned state.

Man is the gardener of his soul, the director of his life. If he will understand.

vi. Changing one’s mind.

Man has the inherent ability to change his circumstances by the thought he allows in his mind.

vii. Every thought

Every thought; seed down or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own blossoming sooner or later into act and bearing its own fruits of opportunities and circumstances.

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

The practical way these lessons or ideas can help me daily life are numerous.
I have known that knowledge is not power. It is the knowledge that I know and applied that will produce results. Similarly without me practically applying these ideas no expected result will be achieved. Meeting people and inculcating what I learned here will guarantee what I want to see in the world around me. I have to be the change I want to see I the world. More over getting a group of persons who are o f like mind to bring up is the most practical way these can be of help. Coaching men and women in light of the leadership type I want to see in the world. I will endeavor to audit myself daily and possibly reward anyone who points to me whether knowingly or unknowingly where I have derailed.

4. Quotes: Are there any statement which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why were they important to you?

* A man is literally what he thinks his character being the sum of all his thoughts.

“Man is a growth by law and not a creation by artifice.”

“Man by his good and positive thoughts can recondition himself and change his circumstances, health, character, purpose, achievements, vision, and serenity.”

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

Nothing I didn’t understand.

6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete 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 question, if so please comment.

Nothing else.

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? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9.5

 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Peter Lindsay Iredia (Nigeria)

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

The idea in this book was figuratively conveyed by the author. In his notion, he used the seagull as metaphor. In actual sense his attention was on man. Seagull doesn’t think but uses instinct. It is only man that thinks.

The summary of his ideas are that:
1. That man is a being of thought. It is only by engaging himself in quality thoughts, that he can ascend. Whatever man is now and what he will be are directly going to be what he thinks.
2. Every man has within himself an inherent ability to think and be where he want to be. From his head to his toe are all thought. His body is ready to obey at the beacon of thoughts.
3. Man can limited only by his thoughts and by same thought he can be liberated.
4. Until man engaged himself in thought like Jonathan Livingston, he cannot get out of the norm or status quo to his freedom.
5. Father, mother, siblings, friends, and
other acquaintances will always not be in support of our new line of thought or freedom.
6. Man should control fear and not to allow fear to control him. Fear limits a man from his horizon of freedom.
7. The liberty that our thought brings are not without challenges. But that they will always make man better if we did not
return to the norm or status quo.
8. Success is never ending. Once man has achieved a particular level of success, another level that is more challenging will surface.
9. On the way up on the ladder of success man needs someone to guide him (mentor). What a man needs to get to the other side is in another man.
10. Thoughts leads to the discovery of man’s full potential.
11. Success is not a orphan. It must be transferable, teachable, and must reproduce other successorship. (Elder Chiang Seagull and Jonathan, Jonathan and Fletcher).
12. There is nothing like faith (wishing what you would like to be in your heart). Get involved. This is what man’s thought commands.
13. There is a place called heaven. It is the place of perfection. When man has nothing else to learn.
14. At the place of perfection, what man will continue to learn that will keep him is forgiveness, Kindness, and Love. Failure to so, he will degenerate.

2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by explanation after each other as to why it was important to you? Use personal examples from your own life.

i. Man is a being of thought.

If I can but think it, believe it I will become it if I can have the courage to think and ask the right questions, such what is the purpose for living, what is has Ben my contributions to humanity, can’t I be different? Am I a solution or a problem? Who am I; Where am I? Those who make things happen, watch things happen or those who clapp for those who make things happen? Is life just all about “the rat race”? Give birth, eat, get old, and die?

ii. That if I can think through and get myself off the hook or noose, the people around me may discourage me, wife, father, mother, and siblings.

That I should not bother as long as I am convinced and purpose driven. There will also be a time when personal discouragement will set in. At this point I should encourage myself..

iii. I learned that failure is part of success. On the way to the top of the ladder of success are failures. Failure repeated failure are finger print to achievements. I have done a lot of businesses that have failed, yet still a business man and waxing stronger.

iv. Power of association.

No man is a monopoly of knowledge. Like I said in previous response, what a man needs to get to the top is in another man. When I lost my job in 2002, I tried searching for another job, but could not find. I took the decision not to become and employee again. It was not a simple decision, but along the way I met with business partners of same mindset like myself. With their association, I learnt a lot about the ups and downs of business. It was a great experience.

v. Learn from experts.

What a man needs to cross to the other side is in another man. Mentoring is an essential Integra part of success and achievements. Along the way up in our goals, pursuit, and dreams, we need someone who has experience in that same sphere to guide us. This was the reason I went online to Google and to search for competent leadership school that will endowed me with leadership qualities. When I got International Institute for Global Leadership, I was really excited about what I saw.

vi. Leadership impartation.

A good leader must always find out among his followers who to impart or unleash his leadership skills. I have been a leader in caring degrees. I tried all I could to inculcate the effective leadership skills I know into them. Without this transfer, whatever Enterprise there is will come to abrupt end.

vii. Love, Forgiveness, and Kindness.

These are universal values that are not in the common place. Without them no matter the height a “leader” attained, he will crash. Lack of it is what makes leaders make themselves thin gods, and were later reduced to a loaf of bread or degenerate into dictators. Here is wisdom; no leader can make use of his skills when he passes on. I have learnt this.

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

The practical way these lessons or ideas can help me daily life are numerous.
I have known that knowledge is not power. It is the knowledge that I know and applied that will produce result. Similarly without me practically applying these ideas no expected result will be achieved. Meeting people and inculcating what I learnt here will guarantee what I want to see in the world around me. I have to be the change I want to see I the world. More over getting a group of persons who are o f like mind to bring up is the most practical way these can be of help. Coaching men and women in light of the leadership type I want to see in the world. I will endeavor to audit myself daily and possibly reward anyone who points to me whether knowingly or unknowingly where I have derailed.

4. Quotes: Are there any statement which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why were they important to you?

“I do not mind being bone and feathers, but I want to know what I can do and what I cannot do in the air.”

This was a strong resolution that mowed every limitation on the life of Jonathan. Livingston. It was a bulldog determination. I means I refused to see limitation in who I am and what I have. It was this incurable definiteness of purpose that spurred him into action. No wonder he so resilient on his way up.

“Boredom, fear, and anger are the reasons why a gull’s life is short.”

Bordom which is same thing as laziness, fear come as a result of lack of knowledge. What a man does not know he fears and mystifies. Anger comes as a result of lack of confidence and enough knowledge.

“Heaven is not a place ant it is not a time, it is being perfect.”

Knowledge brings calmness of the mind. Perfection comes as a result of the much you know and have practiced.

“Any number is a limit, perfection does not have limits. Perfection is being there.”

“Stop seeing yourself as trapped inside a limited body. Our true nature lives as perfect as an unwritten number everywhere at once across space and time.”

It means man is unlimited in what he can do. He must learn to conquer time and space in his thoughts. Our body from head to toe is nothing more than our thought itself.

“Do not believe what your eyes are telling you. All they see is limitation. Look with understanding, find out what you already know.”

This is a great advice to anyone one who wants to be different like Jonathan. I should not just follow,, but in my thoughts question the status quo in all I see. Anything that limits me should be put aside.

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

In the course of coaching Jonathan, elder Chiang with a flip was seen at the other side of the sea by Jonathan and back on the shoulder of Jonathan. More over they went to another planet where stars the and the sun were double. What happened in these two incidents? I didn’t understand.

6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete 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 question, if so please comment.

It was this book that brought a revolution to my mind. I could have rated it more than the maximum. It is always professional to abide by rules.

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