As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Olaoni Rhoda Olayinka
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea of the author is that the man is the main architect of his own life. He is the one that determines what life delivers to him. Nothing happens by chance, but whatever happens to man is simply the result of what has happened earlier in the mind-the thought. There is a saying that “the spiritual controls the physical.” Nothing happens in the physical without first being conceived in thought.
The thought is very powerful. We determine our circumstance by our thoughts. If as a man, you believe that you are a loser, then it becomes evident on the outside. A man who can conquer his thoughts is able to conquer his circumstance.
A healthy thought produces a healthy individual. A thought is like a driving force. You are being driven by your thoughts. It helps you to make either a positive or negative impact on your environment.
To become a man, you must find your purpose, devote yourself to attaining it and make sacrifices to keep the achievements.
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. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.
This quote is very important to me because it’s the reality of life. It simply means if I see myself becoming successful, then it will become a dream come true. This reminds me of a time when I needed to write an exam, I became so afraid that I did not see myself passing that exam. No wonder, on the exam day, I was so engrossed with fear that I became disturbed while carrying out the procedure which eventually led to failure. So, if you don’t believe in yourself that you are able to do a thing, you are already a failure in that aspect.
ii. Concentrated thinking is the great secret that separates the winners from whiners.
The winners always engage their thoughts, they produce ideas, they seek solutions instead of dwelling on the problems. Concentrated thinking brings ideas, a way forward to a challenge. For example, so many times when I am faced with a difficult situation, instead of becoming restless, I relax my mind and engage in thinking of the way forward and this has always been fruitful.
iii. Circumstance does not make a man; it only reveals him to himself.
This idea is of great value as it explains that in any situation a man finds himself, there is a lesson to be learnt. If we are sensitive enough, we will be able to discover what ideas to learn from such circumstances. The way we react to a situation determines whether it will make or mar us. For instance, if I find myself in a situation whereby as a professional, I am unable to deliver my duties as expected, at that point, I can determine my weakness and put more effort into improving myself.
iv. Every man is where he is by the law of his being. The thoughts which he has built into his character have brought him there.
This is so true, because our thoughts can be likened to a vehicle which conveys our lives. If a man has positive thinking, great ideas, every step he takes will be geared towards such ideas and he will find himself at higher levels. I remember having a dream of relocating. Everything I was doing then was geared towards that dream and here I am today in the United Kingdom. So, your thought is translated into your character, which then leads to achieving your goal.
v. The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors.
When you are thinking about a certain thing, you become interested in whatsoever that is connected to such. There is a common belief that you dream about what is on your mind.
vi. The will to do spring up from the knowledge that we can.
To achieve anything in life, you must believe in yourself. I Will can only become a reality if it is preceded by I Can. Knowledge is power. When you are knowledgeable, you become empowered.
vii. At the bidding of unlawful thoughts, the body sinks rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad and beautiful thoughts, it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty.
When a man’s thoughts are full of sorrows, it reflects on his outward appearance. Similarly, if he allows good thoughts, it results in a beautiful and glowing appearance. It is believed that when you smile often, you look younger and beautiful than when you are always sorrowful. From my personal experience, I observe that whenever I am happy, filled with good thoughts, I look more beautiful and younger because I take my time to be at my best.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
The above ideas have been very helpful to me personally as it makes me know that the mind is the seat of the thought. Whatever is conceived in the mind goes a long way to affect one’s daily life.
I have been working on my thoughts, having the knowledge that I am who I am based on my thoughts. The outward appearance of a man tells a lot about his state of mind. Happiness is a product of the seed sown in thought. The position occupied by any man is because of his character which is a product of his thoughts. Nothing happens by chance. I can determine the circumstances around me by my thoughts. Our reaction to circumstances determines the result we get from it. If you handle the circumstances positively, the result will be great. Circumstances make a man determine his potential.
The seeds we sow into our lives daily determine what life brings to us. When a man is fond of thinking negatively, he tends to attract negative things to himself. Most times when we sleep, we tend to dream of what has filled our thoughts. You attract good things to yourself when your thoughts are filled with positive thoughts. I discover that whenever I am happy within myself, there is an inner zeal that encourages me to keep pushing until I achieve the set goal. Good thought is that fuel that keeps life going against all odds. Even when you come across obstacles, it is the inner strength that keeps you going.
The “I Can” believe, is an important part of every successful man. Believing in yourself empowers you to climb the ladder of success in life. When you allow yourself to be conquered by your thought, then you are already a failure. To become a winner, I must give myself concentrated thinking. Tips for success in life can only be acquired from the place of quietness and deep thoughts. Winners are those who give themselves to critical thinking. That is why it is so important for a wise person to think deeply before speaking.
I also learnt that a man can not directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts and so indirectly, shape his circumstances. Every one of us could control our environment, choose the kind of people we relate with, and determine how we are being treated. When you think and act wisely, you command respect from those who encounter you. When you get to a new environment and people are hostile towards you, reciprocate with love and you will be surprised at how far your reaction could bring them close to you. I also learned that when you give room to unlawful thoughts, then you are not far from disease but with glad and beautiful thoughts, you become filled with beauty. The inner beauty radiates outwardly. People can not see or feel your thoughts, but they can predict your thoughts by your outward appearance.
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.
“People imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot, it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstances.”
This quote makes me see that if I want good circumstances, I need to work on my thoughts, and this will gradually become a habit which I do not need to struggle with. The same way is, if I develop a negative habit, it will also affect the circumstances around me.
“ Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but they are unwilling to improve themselves, they therefore remain bound.”
This simply means that people want the result but do not want to engage in the hard work that produces the good result. A man needs to be the architect of his own life circumstances.
“Blessedness, not material possessions, is the measure of right thought; wretchedness, not lack of material possession is the measure of wrong thought.”
When a man is rich in his thoughts, this will be evidenced in his material possession while poverty of the thoughts results in wretchedness. The invisible controls the visible. Right thoughts produce blessings.
“A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life.”
“Until thought is linked with purpose, there is no intelligent accomplishment.”
Anyone who gives himself to whining and reviling and not searching for the purpose of his existence has not discovered himself. Instead of taking action and finding purpose, some prefer to sit at a spot and blame others for their circumstances. You must find your purpose and seek to fulfill it. A life of no purpose is not worth living. We must devote ourselves to attaining our purpose.
“Disease and health like circumstances are rooted in thought. Sickly thoughts will express themselves through a sickly body.”
A healthy thought will produce a healthy body and vice versa. To remain healthy physically, it begins from the inside the thought.
“The people who live in fear of disease are the people who get it.”
We are attracted to what we think of. Our thought is like a magnet that brings whatever we think of towards us. We are controlled by our thoughts, until we achieve that which we think of, our mind will not rest.
“There can be no progress, no achievement without sacrifice, and a man’s worldly success will be in the measure that he sacrifices his confused animal thoughts.”
“He who will attain little must sacrifice little, he who will achieve much sacrifice much.”
No gain without pain. A man must be ready to make sacrifices to attain his purpose. An ordinary man is confused without purpose, but a successful man sacrifices his confusion by going the extra mile in search of his purpose. He sacrifices his comfort to become somebody in life. The more a man can sacrifice, the more his attainment.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
The book was clearly written in simple language, and I understood all that was written there. Therefore, I do not disagree with any of the contents.
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 was no exercise to be completed by the reader from this book.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
I also find the following ideas from the book helpful:
Man does not attract what they want, but that which they are.
Man during the process of putting himself right, he will find that as he alters his thoughts towards things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him.
Change diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure food.
He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.
To desire is to obtain, to aspire is to achieve.
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.
The above ideas are pointing towards the same thing. Man must work on the important part of his life; the thought. Your thoughts determine your position and who you relate with. Many people have failed to work on their thoughts, thereby encountering problems. Whereas, if they can work on their thoughts, they will be able to attract positive relationships with people and change their circumstances. Everything we are, starts from our thoughts. Your mind is where we draw pictures of how you want to look, the same picture is then projected and determines your circumstances.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10, Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Rhoda Olaoni Olayinka (United Kingdom)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author is trying to tell a story of a bird by name Jonathan Livingston Seagull who was an example of a life lived not limited by nature. Jonathan was not comfortable with his status quo; he did not allow himself to be discouraged by several pieces of advice he received from his elders. He broke away from the cage which limitation had put him and was determined to do what others thought was impossible. When he was deserted by those, he called family and was regarded as an outcast, that did not stop him, rather he forged ahead until he reached his goal and became a celebrity. Jonathan Livingston Seagull didn’t allow himself to be weighed down by several failures he encountered, but each time he failed, he got up again and kept trying until his failure became success. He gave himself to persistent practicing, even when it was not comfortable for him, he was consistent at what he was doing. Jonathan Livingston Seagull was ready to learn from others. He identified his weak points and sought help from those that knew better.
Another idea the author is trying to bring out is that every man is unique. Learn to discover yourself. There may be children from the same mother but there is something unique about each of them. Do not compare yourself to others. Work on yourself daily to discover your purpose. Do not limit yourself to others achievements, you can be better.
He was not selfish by keeping what he knew to himself, but he was ready to help others learn and be like him. Jonathan was a man who saw the possibilities in others. He was ready to encourage others by making them realize their goals. He was a good leader who possessed leadership skills. Jonathan did not give up until he reached his goal. He did not settle for less but continued to aspire for higher levels. Even if you are confronted with negativities, tell yourself “I Can.” It is what you believe in yourself that matters and not what others believe about you. don’t allow people to talk you down, rather say something good about yourself and pursue your dreams in spite of opposition.
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. To fly as fast as thoughts, to anywhere that is, he said ‘you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived.
As a man who wants to succeed in life, you must be a positive thinker. You must continually have the picture of the result you are expecting, and this will help you to achieve the same goal.
For instance, I had the passion of becoming a Nurse, I started seeing myself as one, working towards this by enrolling in school, writing professional examinations, and today, the dream had come true as I am now a registered nurse.
ii. There is so much more to flying than just flapping around from place to place.
Jonathan in the book paid lots of sacrifices to achieve his goal. Nothing comes by chance; you must work to see it come through. There are so many obstacles that you will encounter, but you must remain focused. Like I mentioned earlier, I did not sit idle because I had the plan to become a nurse, I wrote many examinations to become one. So, no gain without pain.
iii. Everything that limits us we must put aside.
To achieve greater things in life, there are hurdles to overcome. As someone that wants to be successful in life, you must learn to deny yourself of things that may hinder your progress. At times, you may need to let go of your pleasure to achieve the set goals. There are prices to pay to get the expected result. From my personal experience, I had to forgo some pleasure to focus on my goal. Though, it’s not usually easy, but it’s worth it in the end.
iv. Break the chains of your thoughts, and you break the chains of your body, too.
This simply implies that, once the thought is positively established concerning a thing, all activities of other parts of the body will be controlled by the thoughts. You must get your thoughts right to get your action right. A negative thought yields a negative outcome. I am a living experience of this, once I am determined to do a thing, I must have imagined how to go about this and this makes the plan easy to execute.
v. We are free to go where we wish and to be what we are.
There is power in our thoughts. We are free to become whatever we wish to become. Nothing can stop us as long as we are determined and resolute to go wherever we decide to go. A man is the architect of his own fortune/misfortune. If you see yourself succeed, you will succeed. But if you write yourself off, then that’s what you become.
vi. You know nothing until you prove it.
Nobody believes in your idea until you prove yourself. So many people have good ideas but fail to show it. You are what you prove yourself to be. If you conceive an idea within you, nobody sees it except you. Hence, they can not value such an idea, until you show it to the world to see.
vii. You must understand what you really are and begin to practice it.
As an individual, you must understand yourself, who you are and your purpose and begin to bring it into practice. Self-discovery is a very important aspect of a successful life. It is not good to compare one to another person but take time to discover your own purpose in life and ensure you fulfill your purpose daily. Personally, self – discovery has helped me a lot to appreciate myself and to know that I am unique and different from others. It also helps to prevent competition amidst people which may promote strife.
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 have taught me many lessons and this has really helped me in my daily life. Believing in oneself is very crucial to becoming someone in life. If you are defeated in your thoughts, you are already a failure. I could see that belonging to the same parents has nothing to do with your achievements. There are examples of siblings where one is successful and the other is not. All these are the components of the mindset. Getting a right mindset is fundamental to achieving great things in life.
Nature has nothing to do with your achievements in life. How far you are able to go in life is a factor of the value you see in yourself. We see lots of women today doing what men are doing even better. Whereas some women are still in the cage of thinking that some professions are meant for men while some are meant for women. We are not limited by our nature. We can use our nature to our own advantage and not otherwise. We can only be limited when we give room for that.
A man is the artist, while his thought is the pen with which he can design the image he wants for his life. It is good to think good about oneself, appreciate yourself and you will be surprised at how far this can help you achieve great things. An idea does not benefit anyone when it is still passive until it is activated. I must learn to bring out the potential in me and never allow myself to be intimidated by anyone. People don’t believe in you until you believe in yourself and prove it to them. There are seeds in everyone of us meant to benefit the people around us, but we need to identify those seeds, cultivate them, and allow them to germinate and become fruits that others can benefit from.
The more time you give to self- discovery, the greater the values you discover in yourself. A man is like a parcel, until it is unwrapped, you can not tell what value it holds. And self-discovery brings satisfaction, it allows one to do more. In life, there is no smooth road to success. Each success comes with a huddle to overcome. There is no gain without pain. Every successful person has stories to tell. It might not be easy at the beginning, but there is joy at the end of a tunnel at the end. Perseverance is an essential part in the journey to becoming a successful person. Another lesson is to remain focused. People will always make you see that the task is not possible but as a person who is determined to reach his goal, you must remain focused. There is a particular saying that, ‘you don’t listen to the noise in the market, but you only focus on what you want to buy’. This is true for anyone who wants to make it in life and stand out among his peers.
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.
“Freedom is the very nature of his being.”
“Whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition, or limitation in any form.”
The above statements were talking about Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He recognized the importance of freedom and exercised it. This was what the other seagulls failed to realize and that was the reason they saw him as an outcast. There were lots of hindrances that stood in his way such as the superstitious beliefs by other seagulls, he maintained his stand and was determined to stand out. He dared to be different from other seagulls.
“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation.”
Looking at a situation physically, one might become discouraged but when you look at it with the eyes of your thoughts, you can see possibility in impossibility. The physical eye will only let you see the obstacles, but your thought will make you realize the solution, the way out. As someone who aims at succeeding in life, you must look beyond the ordinary. Learn to go step ahead of the steps taken by others. Even when others are saying there is no way, look further to find another way. You must exhaust all your alternatives and never give up.
“We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence, intelligence and skills.”
To be successful in life, we must come out of ignorance, seek for knowledge, live beyond ordinary and superstitions. To write our names on a platter of gold like Jonathan Livingston seagull, we must be ready to do something different from the way others do it. Though, at the beginning, he was faced with lots of opposition, but at the end, he gained a name which set him apart from others.
“You don’t love hatred and evil of course.You must practice and see the real gull, the good in every one of them, and to help them see it in themselves.”
Jonathan is a good leader, he committed himself to helping other seagulls identify and develop their potential. He was selfish in any way, despite all he went through, he was ready to help others to the level where he had come. He gave them support to gain their freedom.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
I did understand the content in the book and do not disagree with any of the ideas written.
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?
This book has no assessment for the reader to complete.
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.
Jonathan learned 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 life indeed. This also implies to us as a man, boredom kills more than any sickness or disease. Though he was rejected by his flock and was left to be alone, yet he did not allow this to weigh him down, he moved on. Fear would not allow a man to activate his potential and anger can destroy things in a twinkle of an eye. If one can do away with all these, such a man will live long.
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