As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Mayowa Racheal Popoola (India)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author aims to convey the key factors and importance our thoughts play in the whole of our existence, he vividly buttressed on the fact that our thoughts define who we are, we see ourselves manifesting and bringing to life, everything we think about, even unconsciously. He explained how we are creator of circumstances and how both our past and present thoughts bring our conditions of living to life.
The author addresses the fact that most of us were not conditioned to think effectively and in a way that produces the effects that we desire, so we often find ourselves having aimless, fruitless and wishful thinking. He explained about the importance of productive thinking as concentrated thinking separate “winners from whiners.” Thinking should be productive and not just some aimless and fruitless thought that happens due to inability to control our thoughts pattern.
He illustrated that for thinking to be productive, it should travel from the head to the heart, once it gets to our hearts it becomes easy to identify productive thinking termed as the “ah-ha moment.” Initially, we might find ourselves having conflict of ideas between the old and the new concept of ideas but this is just temporal as it will eventually disappear and this productive thinking becomes ingrained into us ‘our flesh’ that we find ourselves living it out which causes a paradigm shift within us, we find ourselves setting bigger goals, achieving greater things. The kind of thought that we choose or focus on builds our character, our inner virtue and our circumstances. The mind is the master weaver of both character and circumstance. If our focus shift from unfavorable thoughts to favorable thoughts, we will be able to enjoy a new light that comes in that regard, a light of understanding and happiness, leaving behind the pains and ignorance that comes with unfavorable 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 to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. Thought and Character.
Our thoughts pattern is powerful and produces comprehensive outcomes in our lives, it forms the whole of our being, our existence and character, it influences our situations and circumstances. Every thought of man is likened to a plant that sprouts from a buried seeds, the spontaneous, unprecedented and even intentional thoughts all springs from a hidden seed that has been planted in our minds, they do not just come from anywhere, they are products of what has been sown. There is an adage in my language that says “whatsoever a man soweth shall he reap for man cannot sow maize seed and reap okra,” it even defies logic, it contradict the law of nature. Therefore, whatever is being manifested by man are the fruits of his thoughts, cultivated in the garden of his mind.
The law of cause and effect is applicable to the thought of man and not just everyday events of life. Humans grows following this law and not just merely creation of deceptive maneuver, for example, having a noble and godlike character doesn’t occur based on chance, it happens as a result of continuous and persistent right thinking and godly thought likewise having dishonorable and inhumane character is also a product of harboring cringing, groveling thoughts.
The man is a product of himself, he either destroys or develop himself from the treasuries of his thoughts. Making the right choice and right application of thought, man can attain a divine nature and doing the opposite can even make him descend lower than a beast and in between this extremes are diverse spectrum of character in which man is a maker and Lord of them all. A beautiful and gladdening thing that is even divine and one can pride in is that humans are the master of thought, the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny. Humans hold the key to who they desire to be , they hold the key to building and transforming their situation, they have the power, intelligence, emotions and supremacy to being exactly what they want to be.
I strongly agree to the above as I could vividly remember the desire for change and growth that pressed my heart December, 2019. I was so discontented about the level I was that I made a resolution to pursue knowledge at any cost, I want to be relevant and that determination has led me through diverse journey and opportunities I believe I wouldn’t have gotten without that desire for relevance and that is also part of the reason I’m currently pursuing this program. Therefore, there is power in our mind and thought process, it leads us to heights that can never be comprehended if we are truly committed to the course ahead. We are always the wise master of ourselves even in our lowest state, misery only persists if we fail to recognize the power that we hold to living a transformational life. Once we are able to realize this, we become wise and there is a shift in our status. To be able to do this, there is need to check within ourselves, for transformation to take place, there should be self awareness, self analysis, application and putting different experience we’ve had into consideration.
He made another illustration that succinctly explain all of the above which is; only by much searching and mining, are gold and diamonds obtained and man can fin every truth connected with his being, if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul; and that he is the maker of his character, the molder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove, if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient practice and investigation, and utilizing his every experience, even to the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself which is Understanding, Wisdom, Power. In this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that “He that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened;” for only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the door of the temple of Knowledge.
ii. Effect of thought on Circumstances
A man’s mind must be invested in and cultured to produce beautiful things, there is a usual saying that “garbage in garbage out” whatever you dwell on or feed on become what is absorbed by the mind which aggregate and overtime is manifested. If you invest into your mind and feed on what’s healthy and nourishing to it, it grows and the ills of it becomes starved but if the mind is left alone without any form of sowing into it, different kinds of weeds and wild plants grows in it and the end result might be something devastating if care is not taken. It is not only enough to invest or sow into the mind for as the seeds begin to grow, different kinds of weeds and plants grow along with it, therefore it is essential to cultivate and weed out the unwanted weeds during the growth season to avoid the plants from being choked up leading to death rather grow into perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. And by pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life. He also reveals, within himself, the laws of thought, and understands, with ever-increasing accuracy, how the thought-forces and mind elements operate in the shaping of his character, circumstances, and destiny.
Where a man is presently is a product of his thoughts that has formed character, no man is where he is today by chance but by the consistent conscious effort and thoughts put into being whoever he is. Man has the power and creative force to form what he wants out if his life. As long as man fail to recognize this, he will always think that life happens by chance or due to some lots been played with his life but when he realize that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes the rightful master of him. We are the product of whatever seed we’ve sown in ourselves, series of circumstances or events happens as a result of this. The mind is powerful likewise our thoughts, therefore it is essential to constantly be conscious of what is being taken into it.
Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself!
iii. Effect of thought on Health and the Body
As a Nurse one thing that has been hammered into my ears during college days was that health is holistic. The body and the mind are in a state of complete interdependence and interaction and any mishap to one affect the state of the other. The world health organization defines health as a state of complete physical and mental well-being not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Meaning that to be considered healthy, the whole components of your body and self must be at a state of wellness. Therefore it is essential to pay attention to what goes into the mind to attain a state of wellness to be considered healthy. If you would renew your body, beautify your mind. Thoughts of malice, envy, disappointment, despondency, rob the body of its health and grace.
iv. Thought and Purpose
Thoughts should be linked with purpose for intelligent accomplishments. And thoughts that leads to these isn’t just some aimless or worrisome thoughts that leads to nowhere but purposeful and planned thinking. These types of thinking directs, confines and guides an individual on the path to it’s fulfillment, they do not become prey to whatever comes as it leads nowhere.Even though a man can fail on his way to attain his purpose, he can rise again for he knows he heads towards a greater course and that whatever obstacles being encountered during this journey are temporal and building blocks towards the achievement of the same. He picked himself up and leverage on these blocks towards the greater good.
And this takes effort, consistency, patience, perseverance, strength. He should give no mind to doubt and fear. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them thwarts himself at every step. He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.
v. The Thought-Factor in Achievement
Different forms of achievements in life whether intellectual, spiritual or any other are direct results of our thinking. What you are in life are the results of the actions that you have taken from the series of thoughts you’ve pondered on. A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts above anything low and demeaning. He can only remain weak, and abject, and miserable by refusing to lift up his thoughts.
Another interesting idea is the point that the author shared about someone who is compassionate, he describe him as person who embraces both the weak and the strong without any form of bias. Watchfulness is also essential once individuals attain success otherwise they might find themselves sinking it falling back into failure. All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed by the same law and are of the same method; the only difference lies in the object of attainment. He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.
vi. Visions and Ideals
You become what you envision, vision is important towards attaining life’s purpose. What you conceive in your heart is what you become. “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 to desire is to obtain; to aspire is to, achieve.” The author gave examples of different people that were able to attain greatness through their vision such as Buddha, Columbus, sculptors, poets and others. Vision alone is not important, it requires effort. I could remember the day my eyes were opened to this while reading the story of a young man in the scriptures, he doesn’t only envision but was proactive towards attaining the same. Putting action into your dreams makes them become reality otherwise they remain as wishful thinking, fantasy and will not see the light of reality and fulfillment because no effort was put into it.
Those who are proactive towards attaining their goals become successful and those who do not might call them lucky not knowing that success do not happen by chance or luck but by the decisions and continuous efforts one take in the course of one’s life journey. “In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not. Gifts, powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized. The Vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart—this you will build your life by, this you will become.”
vii. Serenity
Calmness of mind is a beautiful thing and product of persistent self-control, it also develop from experience and knowledge an individual has gathered over a period of time. Calmness help a man understand himself and in turn understand others thus helping him in his interaction and relationships with others to foster a strong emotional bond.
It also helps him to attain success, power and influence in what he does. For only a man that has self-control can wield the sword of success, power and strength to he does not gets easily provoked or enraged by people, situation or different circumstances that wants to derail him. And this is a man that is truly at peace.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas has really given me insight in how powerful my thoughts is. The mind is indeed powerful and must therefore be cultured with care. I will summarized how this ideas will be of help to me into three (3) key areas:
These ideas will help me in shaping the way I think since I have come to learn about the importance of purposeful thinking towards attaining fulfillment in life.
I have learned that wishful or aimless thinking leads nowhere, therefore I must constantly develop myself to think productively, it might not be easy initially but with time and practice, I will get better.
I also learned that it is essential that I pay attention to what I take into my mind for it grows, I must feed on healthy thoughts and starve the evil and bad ones, for my thoughts shows the condition of my heart, shapes my circumstances, influences my health, determines how successful and peaceful I will become in 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.
“They themselves are makers of themselves.”
This shows that we have the power to make ourselves into whatever we want, we have the necessary tools in our hands, especially our minds and thoughts , we only have to recognize and learn how to properly utilize it to attain the desired results. It’s just to literally put that your destiny is in your hands.
“Thought in the mind hath made us, what we are by thought was wrought and built. If a man’s mind hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes the wheel the ox behind….If one endure in purity of thought, joy follows him as his own shadow sure.”
Our thoughts define who we are and will continue to define who we are, we either master it and enjoy the rewards that comes with it’s mastery or become slaves to it and bear with the sorrows and sufferings that entails.
“You may be keeping accounts, and presently you shall walk out of the door that for so long has seemed to you the barrier of your ideals, and shall find yourself before an audience the pen still behind your ear, the ink stains on your fingers and then and there shall pour out the torrent of your inspiration. You may be driving sheep, and you shall wander to the city-bucolic and open-mouthed; shall wander under the intrepid guidance of the spirit into the studio of the master, and after a time he shall say, ‘I have nothing more to teach you. And now you have become the master, who did so recently dream of great things while driving sheep. You shall lay down the saw and the plane to take upon yourself the regeneration of the world.”
“As long as you don’t give up on your ideas and visions and you are dedicated to it, there is light at the end of the tunnel. This gives me hope to stay consistent to what is true for with time, I will reap the rewards.”
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 none.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
No, there were no exercise in the book for the readers.
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? 5
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Mayowa Racheal Popoola (India)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author shared about the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull with the aim to motivate and to admonish us to dare to be different and go against the norm and doing things differently, trying out new things. And to dare not be ordinary but extraordinary. Not to be discouraged by failure or limit oneself by the impossibilities around or what one lack or the limitations around. Not to be complacent and or settle for mediocrity but to strive for excellence. Not to give into the voices of failure and doubts that discourages from breaking boundaries beyond expectations or the norms, the voices that inhibits from daring to make a difference or being like someone else but to listen to the inner voice that pushes to action, for in that can one attain self-discovery, purpose-discovery and become relevant. To ponder on one’s mistakes and analyze one’s failure to get a knowledge about where things might have gone wrong and how to avoid the same in the future.
The need to recognize different phases of life especially the phase where one might need to be alone and drop people off on one’s path to excellence and greatness especially the naysayers who do not believe in one’s dreams but rather see the impossibilities in the mission one is set to do, listening to them can be limiting and sometimes one will go farther than you can ever imagine if one turn deaf ears to them. One might be criticized for what one does or even become an outcast for defiling the norm, might look disobedient, be termed crazy, be ridiculed, they might not believe in one’s potential and therefore be blinded to their potential as well. But do not be discouraged by that for in your pursuit with diligence lies ahead success, power, discovery and that made you to thrive and not just survive.
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. Purpose and Passion
“Who is more responsible than a gull who finds and follows a meaning, a higher purpose for life? For a thousand years we have scrabbled after fish heads, but now we have a reason to live – to learn, to discover, to be free!”
It is essential to identify the reason for one’s existence beyond living and survival. Purpose is the foundation of all things, without purpose one might involved in so many things without satisfaction and fulfillment and merely just living. Purpose defines, confines and motivates and directs you. Finding a purpose to live and being passionate about it beautifies, satisfies and brings fulfillment.
ii. Determination, Consistency and Practice
Learn to fly, and not be sorry for the price I will pay. ‘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 thought, he lived a long fine life indeed.’ I must follow the course of my journey till I get fulfillment, satisfaction and serenity, if not I might find yourself wondering and thinking “what if?” “What if I have done what I didn’t get to do, what would have changed?” and I might become dissatisfied with my life. I might be criticized for what I do or even become an outcast for defiling the norm. I might look disobedient, be termed crazy, be ridiculed, they might not believe in me and therefore be blinded to their potential as well but I should not be discouraged by that for in my pursuit with diligence lies ahead success, power, discovery and that made me to thrive and not just survive.
iii. Love
“Keep working on love.” I must be kind, selfless, ready to create impact and be of help to others that aspire to be where I am. Consider and think about others that might have the same issue as I had and be willing to lend a helping hand to them. Be an example, come down to their level, be emphatic but know when to pull the correction rod. Show love and choose to see the good in all.
iv. Leadership
Jonathan seagull possessed and demonstrated leadership qualities and potential. I should bee an expertise at what I do and be detailed. It is essential to also replicate my knowledge to others especially those who look up to me. Understand who those that are under me really are and how they carry themselves and demonstrate it. My predecessor looks up to me therefore, I must be a motivation to them as well. Leaders don’t give room or settle for mediocrity or complacency. They are driven by diligence and all that they pursue are to be valuable, indispensable, instill and impart values any (every )where they go. Therefore, nothing about them should be questionable or fishy.
“To lead is to guide, direct, inspire, and consciously impact life transforming virtues and value that would help others become better.” Mike Oladipo.
A leader guides, directs; that means s(he) is a compass, a map we call it “atona” in my language. So someone who doesn’t know the way himself/herself or with no sense of direction can never guides or directs. A leader is source of inspiration, the people in his/her sphere looks up to him/her. Everything about him/her, I mean everything, impact them to bring about transformational changes (incompetence, character, worth, virtues, name it all…) till they become the best version of themselves.) Leaders continue to learn, relearn, unlearn till they become the best of the best.
Leadership is not by favoritism, nepotism or chance though I can attest to the fact that sometimes, certain attributes or traits can make someone outstanding and be the basis for selection of a leader, but only the test of time will reveal who a true leader is.
A leader makes trans-generational impact and produces sustainable value. S(he) is relevant in all ages as long as s(he) is alive. They are evergreen!
All the above attributes are vividly portrayed by Jonathan Seagull.
v. Courage
I command the respect of others when I am fearless and able to break from boundaries. Nothing can stand in my way for freedom is the very nature of one’s being and anything that might stand against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitations in any form. I should not believe what my eyes are telling me. All they show is limitation. Rather, look with understanding, find out what I already know, and I’ll see the way to fly.” My whole being and situation is nothing more than thoughts
vi. Seeking Knowledge and it’s application.
We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly! “You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits.”
The mind is the only limitations that we have, once one can envision oneself to be there, then one can get there. Knowledge is available for anyone who is ready to seek it. It’s mystery can be unraveled with willingness. Have less fear of learning, be willing to learn and improve yourself. Be opened to ideas and put into practice what you learn. Teach others about what you know, replicate the knowledge, demonstrating, suggesting, pressuring, guiding your predecessors along their own path to fulfillment
vii. Fulfillment
When you are able to attain the peak at what you do, people might call you lucky, divine or abnormal because they are not ready to come to term with the fact that they are their own limitations. Jonathan seagull eventually found peace and harmony though he was an outcast, he lived long but with a difference. He lived with the thought that the most important thing in living was to reach out and touch perfection in that which he most loved to do.
“The only answer I can see, Jonathan, is that you are pretty well a one-in-a-million bird. Most of us came along ever so slowly. We went from one world into another that was almost exactly like it, forgetting right away where we had come from, not caring where we were headed” Never forget how far you have come and do not live for the moment, do not live only for survival. Give no room for idleness. Know your true nature, your abilities and capabilities.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
:
These ideas will be of help to me in the following way especially in being an advocate of a better world:
In identifying my purpose and living with the goal of attaining fulfillment likewise benefitting others as well.
To be diligent in all I do, be consistent and strive to attain perfection in all I do for the only limitation I have is my mind.
To run the race before me fearlessly and with courage, I might be an outcast, be termed crazy but the greater goal is enough to keep me afloat the oceans of criticism.
To pursue knowledge, seek to improve myself and be better for the day I stop learning is the day I die and the knowledge gained should be replicated to others as well.
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.
“Keep Working on Love”
The above quote really spoke to me especially in a world filled with hate. Therefore I must keep learning to show love to others and likewise show love constantly. I must be empathetic, have the ability to understand and share the feelings, needs and concern of others, I must have capacity to place myself in another’s position and respond to it as well. I must be able to step into the shoes of another person with the aim to understand their feelings, emotional states and perspectives, and to use that understanding to guide my actions. I must learn to be:
An ear that listens.
Eyes that see.
A nose that perceives.
A heart that cares and heals, in this context, the feelings of others.
Showing gratitude, giving rewards and praises to people for their strengths and accomplishments goes a long way in motivating them, I should not be too caught up with busyness that you forget to appreciate people. I must learn to spread love and positivity, show love, show gratitude, there are lots of hates and negativity circulating these days, I must dare to be different!
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 none.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
No, there were no exercise in the book for the readers.
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? 7
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
PsychoCybernetics
Assessment by Mayowa Racheal Popoola (India)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author explained about how the mindset plays a vital role in the whole of human existence as to whether an individual lead a fulfilling life or give in to the uncertainties or challenges that comes with life. He buttressed about taking life one step at a time and having a goal to work towards as this in itself brings about hope and aspirations that gives life it’s fullness and vitality. He vividly explained about how the self-image is the key to human personality and human behavior. And if you make any change to this, you sure will find a change in the personality and the behavior of that individual. As the development of an adequate, realistic self-image will allow the individual with new capabilities, new talents and literally turn failure into success.
His introductory message also stood out to me to dare to go against the norm, even if people will talk and call you crazy for in failure lies success. If you fail, you are able to review where things went wrong and make changes accordingly to perform better in the future. I should have the attitude of learning more from my failures than from my successes. As changes can only be seen not by intellectual knowledge alone, but by experiencing. For example, “It is not the it is the child who has experienced love that grows into a healthy, happy, well-adjusted adult not a child who is taught about love.” Therefore, experiencing is paramount to attain desired results. Nothing succeeds like success, we learn to function successfully by experiencing success. Success has nothing to do with prestige symbols, but with creative accomplishment. He also stated that man is by nature a goal-striving being. And because man is built that way he is not happy unless he is functioning as he was made to function as a goal-striver. Thus true success and true happiness not only go together but each enhances the other. Another important message is to always strive to find truth and not close off my mind to new discovery and also demonstrate how I can use it in my own life to achieve goals that are important to me. Quoting him: “I have always believed in going wherever it may be necessary to find truth, even if international boundaries must be crossed.”
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. The Self Image: Your Key to a Better Life
The self-image is our own conception of the “sort of person I am.” It has been built up from our own beliefs about ourselves. But most of these beliefs about ourselves have unconsciously been formed from our past experiences, our successes and failures, our humiliations, our triumphs, and the way other people have reacted to us, especially in early childhood. Once an idea or belief about ourselves goes into this picture it becomes “true,” as far as we personally are concerned. We do not question its validity, but proceed to act upon it just as if it were true. This self-image becomes a golden key to living a better life because of two important discoveries:
All your actions, feelings, behavior even your abilities are always consistent with this self-image.
The self-image can be changed.
Since the formation of a self-image is influenced by so many factors, I realized the need for me to see myself for who I truly am and not what the circumstances, environment or other factors have molded me to be. I must have an adequate and realistic self image that I can live with. I must find myself acceptable to me, I must have a wholesome self-esteem. I must have a self that I can trust and believe in. I must have a self that I am not ashamed to be and one that I can feel free to express creatively, rather than to hide or cover up. I must have a self that corresponds to reality so that I can function effectively in a real world. I must know myself; both my strengths and your weaknesses and be honest with myself concerning both. My self-image must be a reasonable approximation of me, being neither more than I am, nor less than I am.
This was a moment of truth and light for me as I realized that I’ve been selling my self short all this while by doubting in myself, my abilities, potentials and simply tagging myself based on some things that happened to me in the past. This gave me hope to fully express myself just as I am without doubting my abilities or comparing myself with others as there is only version of me available.
The author cited example of patients that despite the correction of their defects still did not perceive themselves differently because they failed to feed their minds with these new truths till they are able to grasp it. Likewise there are people or patients who see their scars as honor indicating that our self-image is all in our minds, it springs from the messages or signal that has been sent to it that has accrue over time. Once the concept of self is changed, other things consistent with the new concept of self, are accomplished easily and without strain. This new discovery excites me to the point that I can’t help but record a video where I shared about how to recode one’s mindset by focusing on the core of oneself rather than the exterior.
ii. The Success-mechanism.
Every human has an inbuilt mechanism by our creator oriented towards our physical survival, spiritual needs, emotional needs, procreation and even more than this with the end goal of living a fulfilled life and this is the creative mechanism, servo-mechanism or success mechanism.
Servo-mechanisms are divided into two general types:
Where the target, goal, or “answer” is known, and the Objective is to reach it or accomplish it, and
Where the target or “answer” is not known and the objective is to discover or locate it.
The human brain and nervous system operates in both ways. This mechanism is a goal driven or results oriented mechanism driven by the mind and impersonal to self. Servo-mechanisms are so constructed that they automatically steer their way to a goal, target, or answer. It works based on the kind of information or goal fed into it either success or failure as it needs a clear-cut objective to drive results. It functions both as a “guidance system” to automatically steer one in the right direction to achieve certain goals, or make correct responses to environment and an “electronic brain” which can function automatically to solve problems, give you needed answers and provide new ideas or inspirations.
And these goals are one’s own self-image or mental image created by imagination. So this affects the process of attaining desired results based on the kind of picture it has interpreted or perceived and then stored, this wiring directs our actions, corrects them if a deviation from the norm is perceived, automatically correcting course when necessary till the right results are achieved.
Therefore, we need to understand the existence of this mechanism and how we can use it to drive successful results through learning, practicing, and experiencing, new habits of thinking, imagining, remembering, and acting in order to develop an adequate and realistic self-image, and use our Creative Mechanism to bring success and happiness in achieving particular goals. And I can truly relate to the above as there are times wherein my past successes have given me confidence to launch out on an initiative for I belief that I could do since I was able to in the past.
iii. Man is not a machine.
Psycho-Cybernetics does not say that Man is a machine. Rather, it says that man has a machine which he uses, the physical brain and body functions as a machine which only me operate, that is, the servo-mechanism and the complexity of this mechanism is whole lot more than it can be imagined. A computer does not have a forebrain, nor an “I.” It cannot pose problems to itself. It has no imagination and cannot set goals for itself. It cannot determine which goals are worthwhile and which are not. It has no emotions. It cannot “feel.” It works only on new data fed to it by an operator, by feedback data it secures from its own “sense organs” and from information previously stored.
The above is an interesting information for me and continuing I also realized that when one set out to do creative work in any field with a goal in mind, even though it might be vague, will be recognized when achieved because the creative mechanism goes to work to arrive at a solution till it clicks and one recognize it as the answer one have been searching for.
Therefore it is essential to:
Have a goal as it supply the process to achieve the end result
Be ready to do trial and error to direct oneself till the goal is achieved, and not to be deterred by failure.
Not to be too conscious of achieving the results for this mechanism will steer you to achieve the results otherwise, it affects the overall performance of it.
I was able to derive the importance of goal setting in these, often times people do share about why having a goal in mind is effective to attaining results but I haven’t read anywhere on how this effect one to produce results as it was vividly explained in the book
iv. Imagination: The Key to Success Mechanism
Whatever plight we find ourselves in might be because of our imagination which may not be necessarily true. It can affect our self-image and confidence. Creative imagination produces true self-image and confidence whereas destructive imagination does the opposite. A human being always acts and feels and performs in accordance with what he imagines to be true about himself and his environment and since the nervous system cannot tell the difference between an imagined experience and a real experience. In either case, it reacts automatically to information which you give to it from your forebrain. Your nervous system reacts appropriately to what you think or imagine to be true. You act, and feel, not according to what things are really like, but according to the image your mind holds of what they are like. You have certain mental images of yourself, your world, and the people around you, and you behave as though these images were the truth, the reality, rather than the things they represent.
It follows that if our ideas and mental images concerning ourselves are distorted or unrealistic, then our reaction to our environment will likewise be inappropriate. Realizing that our actions, feelings and behavior are the result of our own images and beliefs gives us the lever needed for changing our personality. These can be applied positively to boost confidence and perform better. We are created to express our fullest potential and have dominance not as an egoistic person but to be successful and be the best at what we do for our creator himself is all powerful. To express my fullest potential, I must do the best I could, explore my inner strength and power for I am not created to be inferior but to let my light shine—so that my Father may be glorified.
v. Dehypnotize Yourself From False Beliefs
Identify your potential and abilities and be confident in your ability. Negative belief is limiting so replace it with positive belief to be able to deliver the message only you can. Once you have a wrong, negative belief or self-limiting beliefs your actions will be in support of this to prove it to be true, so negative idea causes you to defeat yourself as you cannot express or bring into play your actual available strength. Therefore, this mental block must be removed to express true strength by changing your beliefs such as dehypnotizing yourself from the ideas of “I can’t,” “I’m not worthy,” “I don’t deserve it” and other self-limiting ideas.
For example, the fact that I am an inferior dancer does not make me an inferior person.
This feeling of inferiority comes about for just one reason: We judge ourselves and measure ourselves, not against our own norm but against some other individual’s norm thus we make ourselves come out second best. The cure lies in realizing that the coin itself is spurious. Therefore I realized the truth about me that: I am not inferior Nor superior, I am simply me, I am not in competition with any other person because there is no other person on the face of the earth like I am unique. God did not create a standard person and in some way label that person by saying “this is it.” He made every human being individual and unique just as He made every snowflake individual and unique. So I must stop measuring myself against “their” standards. I am not them and can never measure up neither can they measure up to me; nor should they.
vi. Relaxation
Physical relaxation, when practiced daily, brings about an accompanying mental relaxation, and a relaxed attitude which enables us to better consciously control our automatic mechanism. Physical relaxation also, in itself, has a powerful influence in dehypnotizing us from negative attitudes and reaction patterns.
“I must relax and let my success mechanism work for me.”
We could relieve ourselves of a vast load of care, anxiety and worry, if we could but recognize the simple truth, that our Creator made ample provisions for us to live successfully in this or any other age by providing us with a built-in creative mechanism. Instead of worrying about how to go about arriving at a solution, get all the necessary information you need, envision the end goal in your mind and let your mind do the rest in arriving at the solution or process to reaching the end goal, for worrying or thinking a lot on how to go about it do not help in anyway but waste your time and energy that can be invested into other things
vii. How to acquire “Success-Type” Personality
S-ense of direction
I should have a sense of direction and goal I strive to attain, to just keep moving, to never look back, to not be swayed by the opinion of others about me but instead focus on why I am at that particular stage, what I seek to attain and to keep going to gain momentum.
U-nderstanding
I should seek to understand the situation I am in and avoid misinterpretation to prevent causing confusion due to wrong conclusion. I must acknowledge the truth about my errors and misgivings to be able to appropriately interpret a situation rather than drawing wrong conclusion due to personal issues. I must be sincere to yourself rather than rationalizing or telling myself rational lies.
C-ourage
I should be bold to take actions and not only think but face it head in and act no matter what, I must daily have the courage to risk making mistakes, risk failure, risk being humiliated for a step in the wrong direction is better than staying “on the spot” all my life for s long as I am moving forward I can correct my course as I go.
C-harity
I should regard others as humans and treat them as you would like to be treated.
E-steem
To practice treating other people as if they had some value and my own self-esteem will go up.
S-elf-Confidence
To reinforce my successes to become better, for we get better at a thing not but because of practicing our successful attempts.
S-elf-Acceptance.
To understand that no real success or genuine happiness is possible until I gain some degree of self-acceptance. Therefore I must accept myself as I am and start from there.
I must also learn to make the failure Mechanism work for me instead of against me.
To turn my F-rustration, hopelessness, futility
A-ggressiveness (misdirected)
I-nsecurity
L-oneliness (lack of “oneness”)
U-ncertainty
R-esentment
E-mptiness into a will to win
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas will help to come to self-realization for better understanding of who I am, to seek to pursue my goals courageously, taking it one step at a time without comparing myself with anyone. Learning to retreat and relax when the need arises and as I am able to effectively come to term with who I am, I also get to understand others better thereby fostering my relationship with them. Above all the goal is to leading a fullness of 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.
“Imagination rules the world.”
“Imagination of all man’s faculties is the most God-like.”
“The faculty of imagination is the great spring of human activity, and the principal source of human improvement. Destroy this faculty, and the condition of man will become as stationary as that of the brutes.”
“You can imagine your future.”
The above quotes explained about how powerful the mind is and the fact that it can never be underestimated, so I must daily strive to be creative in all I do and my delivery for in that can I see my mind come alive.
“Every human being has been literally engineered for success by His Creator. Every human being has access to a power greater than himself. This means You.”
“There are no great and no small.”
I’m created to be successful and not a failure so I must stop selling my self short of my true potentials.
“You must have a clear mental picture of the correct thing before you can do it successfully.”
The above quote expatiate the importance of goal setting.
“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
“Happiness is purely internal.”
I alone hold the key to my happiness, no one owes me anything and I can only find my liberation or limitation in myself.
“No man ever became great or good except through many and great mistakes.”
Mistakes, failures and disappointment are meant to direct me back to the right course.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
None.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
Yes, they were very helpful. I was able to practice the relaxation exercise, get rid of my limiting Mindset and let my creative abilities take effect without worrying about what others will say, there were time I struggle with this but I’m learning.
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? 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
Keys to Success
Assessment by Mayowa Racheal Popoola (India)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author explained about the seventeen (17) principles to attain success as displayed by great people termed “self-made men” in the book , these principles can be applied by an individual that desire to be successful. This also includes actions and attitudes that made them who they are today which I can also apply in my 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. Having definiteness of purpose
This explains the importance of having a purpose to live for in order to have a clear direction and picture of where I am going, this purpose or goal should be definite enough to work towards achieving it, by devising a plan for it. It is only by finding my burning desire that I achieve success, then beyond wishing for it, I must become obsessed with it, plan and strife till this is attained.
This will also give me an insight into the why, the what, the how and when ( what I will need to achieve this goals and how I will get it done plus the resources I need, including the people I will need to get on board to get it done, my strength, weaknesses, the obstacles I will meet? What my consumers want from me which I must inculcate into my plan and purpose). The why answers every other question that may arise.
Definiteness of purpose will keep me focus on that specific area I need to work on, in turn equip myself in it to perform exceptionally well at it, it also help in budgeting of time and resources as you that is essential to my purpose and it’s achievement.
It also helps me become aware of opportunities around me related to this specific course and act promptly on it instead of just doing things as they come. A quick decision making ability backed with facts without wasting time and in turn loosing out, development of faith, cooperation and success consciousness are other essential benefits that come with having a definite purpose to live for. I read that the subconscious mind is powerful in directing the conscious mind till the desired results is achieved, therefore I have to ensure to feed it with the right kind of information occasionally (i.e. my definiteness of purpose) as this is what drives me towards taking action. All the above are not enough as putting them to work to attain success and this can only be done by understanding and positive mental attitude to acquire the right resources needed and then it’s application to execution, what can I offer to get the resources I need to commit to The purpose?
Am I ready to be disciplined enough to be able to do this and pay whatever is due to whom ever it is?
I must also understand that not everyone will be committed to my purpose but the few that does will be willing to go to any extent for it and these are the kind of people that become indispensable to this course, therefore, I must willingly reward them generously.
When I started taking my self-development journey serious, I realized there are lots of aspects I needed to work in to improve myself and knowing my purpose is one, I still struggle with this sometimes but I can surely say that I’ve improved and that was because I never get tired of learning to improve myself, I embarked on the journey of self-discovery to identify what drives to me to do what I do and as I stated it wasn’t easy earlier on but it gets better.
ii. Establish a mastermind alliance
This is an area that have been jumping up at me over the past days and reading this book nailed the idea for me, one can never go wrong with having the right kind of people especially like-minded people around, it goes a long way in helping one evolve to becoming better. One can never go wrong in having masterminds based on one’s different areas of interest. I learnt from the book that there are prices to be paid for anything I seek to achieve therefore I must be willing to pay those prices especially in bringing great people close. Below are some other important nuggets from the book;
Having a team that shares their expertise, experience, skills and knowledge towards a common goal is essential. Each member is like a piece of puzzle that fits together to complete and make meaningful a set course, therefore no one is dispensable.
So in order to form a master mind alliance, having a clear vision is essential to steer the team, while choosing, it is also essential that competence and cooperativeness are criteria for selection of the team. Rewarding each member appropriately for services rendered, occasional meeting for harmonizing, task delegation, progress analysis, execution, reorientation and so on.
This alliance should also be maintained for its longevity, create a master mind alliance with yourself by having a positive mental attitude instead of focusing on the negativities around you, the truth is each one of us is faced with challenging situations day in day out but it is our attitude and response towards it that determines whether it will make or mar us, we must choose not to become victims to these circumstances. We also need to identify and acknowledge that we have it in us to scale through this situations and in return building up ourselves to believe input dreams and visions. Only when we develop ourselves can we deliver our roles competently and also lead others effectively and all these are life-changing nuggets I’m holding onto in my journey.
iii. Having an attractive personality
The author explained about how having an attractive personality is essential to success. He listed 25 indispensable aspects of an individual’s personalities that needs to be improved which are intertwined. At a point in time we all might have come across someone that left a lasting impression on us and this is due to the attributes the person displayed either good or bad, so, the kind of feeling that will be invoked in us when we remember the person and recollect the sceneries involved will be based in the experience we had with this person. There are people we meet and always reminisce about and some we wish to never remember. This got me thinking and questioning the kinds of impression I’ve left on others, will these make them be willing to work with me and go all out for me if the need arise in the future?
iv. Faith
I’m a Christian so I understand the power having faith displays in an individual’s life. The scripture says faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, meaning, one can call to existence things that are not as though they are and see them at play in one’s life, some of the previous books I read at level 1 also buttressed the importance of having the right mindset and this is in one way, faith, you have the faith in yourself to carry out things excellently and trust that the results are excellent, this also means believing in an infinite intelligence, putting faith into action, overcoming fears that limits you and rids you of success by taking deliberate and intentional actions.
I also understand that death should is a reminder that the time at hand is valuable and should be used for the common good of all since we all don’t know when we will die ( death is inevitable) and should not just incapacitate us from taking actions, therefore I must replace fear with hope by feeding my mind with things i want rather than what I don’t want. My mind should be focused on things, circumstances and conditions I really want as this is the greatest application of faith I can make and having definite purpose activate my faith, and which I can call upon infinite intelligence to apply and another way to demonstrate the power of my faith is by putting it into action through positive mental attitude.
v. Going the extra mile
I must be willing to render more service than I am paid for, I like this to showing faithfulness in little things which prepare one ahead for greater or grander things.
It is important to keep in mind the law of harvest that states for every seed of useful service you sow will sprout and reward you with abundant resources. Going extra mile for others by buying into their vision and doing everything within my power to make it work even though it might not makes sense or might not look rewarding, having faith will sure be a push and a motivation to keep going, I can offer services not because of the rewards or grudgingly but with my heart and I will be amazed at the results I get.
I should also ensure that I do things better than before for it not only position me as an expert but also help in improving yourself. The following are others benefits of doing so;
Going extra mile is a way of writing myself an insurance policy against fear of wants, poverty and competition.
Going extra mile is beneficial in that it provides increasing return, compensates, position me to gain attention and be noticed, create opportunity, aids my self-improvement, boosts my confidence, helps overcome procrastination, have a pleasing attitude, help me take personal initiative to do things and position myself as a favorable contrast to others.
After I read this chapter I was so elated that I decided to look into ways to be of help to others more than I have been, so I reached out to different platforms I can utilise my skills for and one was a platform on relationship I was a volunteer for, I noticed that they struggle with their designs and offered to help make their flier designs and it has been a great experience.
vi. Creating personal initiative
Going ahead to do things without being told to and going extra mile for that particular thing, doing much more than is expected of me is challenging but I learnt that when this is done, it creates opportunity and stimulates others to action especially my team, I am also able to create work for myself, build a mastermind alliance for it and set myself up for success, create the future as well as promotion. Therefore I must not delay or procrastinate as this can plague me, I should strive to do things with a sense of urgency and make necessary adjustments as I progress. Typing this made me see how this has changed my way of attending to tasks without even knowing, no matter what I might be doing, I try to deliver tasks given as soon as possible and in my best competence.
Another essential point mentioned is feeding one’s burning desire with image of one’s successful self that catapult one to take action. Another aspect is, analysis after a task is done to see if that’s the best I could have done and what can I do better, acting on opportunity as soon as you discover it.
vii. Building a positive mental attitude
If you do not use your mind, it becomes passive and lack creativity, it just take in things as they come and I can’t agree less with this. Having a positive mental attitude means I believe that success is mine, therefore I do everything in your power to attain it. A negative mental attitude on the other hand focus on failures, mistake and frustration and that only lead it to failures. Therefore my mindset is essential in nurturing the seeds of greatness and potentials I have. What I love about the Level 1 recommended books is that these books laid the foundation or rewiring one’s mindset and this is often an area I constantly look out for as an individual to see if I’m on track and the need for any modifications so that I won’t be setting myself up for failure or selling myself short.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas will help me live with a sense of purpose and direction and not as someone just passing through earth but as an individual with a greater task ahead and this will enable me narrow my focus and walk towards the attainment of my greater goal, looking out for the necessary things that are paramount to successful achievement of my purpose on earth such as my personality, the alliances I keep, my mindset, attitude towards work and all. The knowledge I gained will be a leverage for me to be successful at what I do for I learned that it’s only a few percentage that are successful at what they do and this is because of the attitude and urgency they attached to living out their purpose.
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 value of wealth that comes with success is that it carries with it the lessons you have learned in the process of acquiring it.”
So this means that, the experience and knowledge that I gather on climbing the ladder to success will be what will sustain me at the pinnacle of it. If I lack these, I might be setting up myself for failure, reason most that hit luck or lottery find it difficult the manage this overnight wealth and in return go back to penury.
“Only a simpleminded person worries about something he or she has no control.”
Life doesn’t have a manual to living it, so I must learn to take it a step at a time and therefore not sell myself short of what I haven’t tried at all.
“Make yourself so useful that it will be extremely difficult if not impossible to replace you.”
Whatever I do must be with excellence such that there’s none that can deliver the same as I can even if I’m replaced.
“Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, your mind can achieve.”
There is nothing I set my mind on, that I can see with my mind that I can’t accomplish, this is motivating to be creative and do things.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
None.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
Yes I did and they were really helpful.
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? 7
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? 9