As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Steve Anyona (Kenya)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
The mind is the master power that creates and makes a man, and a man is mind, and evermore he takes the tool of thoughts and shaping what he wills, brings forth a thousand joys and a thousand ills, he thinks in secret, and it comes to pass environment is but his looking glass.
We are the creator of circumstances all of our previous pattern of thinking have created the conditions of our own life today.
Concentrated thinking is the greatest secret that separates the winners from the whiners.
We need to control our patterns of thinking to get positive results, our positive thinking travel from the head and into the heart, giving a positive outcome. When the information reaches our flesh and become a knowing allows us to set bigger goals, dreams bigger dreams and feel good about ourselves when that goal is attained.
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. We are the makers of ourselves
By the virtue of the thoughts, which they choose and encourage that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of circumstance and that as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.
ii. A person is literally what she thinks, her character being the complete sum of all her thoughts.
As the plant springs from and could not be without, the seed, so every act of human springs from the hidden seeds of thoughts and could not have appeared without them.
iii. A noble and a God like character is not a thing favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in the right thinking the effect of long cherished association with God like thoughts.
The human is made or unmade by him or herself in the armory of thoughts he forges the weapon by which he destroys himself he also fashion the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansion of joy and strength and peace.
We make ourselves what we are today, this takes me back during child hood, we feed our kids with the power of thinking and imitating, when you teach your children good behavior they will understand that its valuable to have respect to people, and take with respect use good language not abusive, when you sue abusive language the mind digest it and it becomes a norm, there are people speaking dirty in public is not a big deal, they have no manners because that is what fills in their mind, so we have to be careful with our mind, it’s a strong tool that can destroy our mind thinks on making nuclear bomb and it works, making guns and they are in place, if we think making peace then we will be a peaceful nation and world at large.
iv. Transformation
Humans hold the key to every situation and contains within themselves that transforming and regenerative agency by which they may make themselves what they will, we have the power to create ourselves in anything we want to be, if we wake up and push our thinking in a positive way we will achieve a lot nothing comes to being before being imagined and then put down for action, first we think and act positive thinking gives out positive result, negative thinking gives out negative result, we have the power to be what we want to be.
v. Destiny
Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds, obtained and man can find 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 and the builder of his destiny. We have the power to exploit our thinking without fear, it’s a powerful took that is hidden in our soul the outcome is greater when articulated well.
vi. Man’s Mind
Man’s mind may be likened to a garden which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild, but whether cultivated or neglected, it must and will bring forth, if no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed – seeds will fall therein and will continue to produce their kind. If we teach our mind positive thoughts we will be in a better world, people who think about criminology ends up, committing a crime because that is what their minds occupy, the results we see its out of our inner thinking, they don’t just happen it’s something someone thought about and decides to do it, it starts from out thinking then action follows.
vii. Thoughts
Every man is where he is by the law of his being the thought which he has built into his character have brought him there and in the arrangement of his life there is no element of chance but all is the result of a law which cannot err. We are what we are by our choice for example one chooses to be a bad person or good, we make a deliberate choices and the outcome is all about our thinking and choices we made, nothing is impossible if we think positively and work to it.
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?
In our thinking we make ourselves better people or destroy our soul, through understanding and taming my thinking I now know its effect the outcome of my life and thoughts is the engine that produce positive or negative results, it’s a learning lesson that my mind is a powerful tools and my thinking should be pure and on check, the way I respond to people tells it all I will be very careful on what my thoughts are my colleagues and my reasoning should be of high class, speaking carelessly can be dangerous so, I will also be a mouth piece to other students to tame their thinking because the outcome reflect who they are and it’s better to have good thoughts for a better generation.
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.
“Circumstances grows out of thoughts, everyman knows who has for any length of time practiced self-control and self-purification.”
“The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors, that which it loves and also that which it fears, our fears and what we love goes hand in hand so we have to be very much alert in our thinking, it can build us or destroy us.”
“The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world of thoughts and both pleasant and unpleasant external conditions are factors which makes for the ultimate good of the individual.”
“Circumstances does not make the man it reveals him to himself, some people commit crime and they say it was Satan, but thought of the matter it was planned in their thinking what we are seeing it’s the outcome of their thoughts, we usually know people through their actions that is when we understand them well, when someone speak we see the real person from how he thinks how he bases arguments, his temperamental it tells it all who exactly we are, when we plant beans we will reap beans, so if our thought are pure we will have pure outcomes evil thought begets evil results.”
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 books is very clear and easy to understand.
6. Did the book contain exercise for the reader to complete? If so did you complete all the exercise and did you find them helpful?
Nothing happens before its being imagined and thought about anything we see currently it was though thinking that made it to be what it is today, so we have a very strong tool in our mind that is a learning process we start thinking positively and wisely, we need to errs negative thought to have a better life, all crimes we see or good things we see today development careers, they were a just a thought that came in to being what it is today.
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.
The book is well covered and understood and very inspirational.
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? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Steve Anyona (Kenya)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author is trying to convey is about determination in anything you do, seagull as you know never falter, never stall, to stall in the air is for them disgrace and it is dishonor. It is also a motivation that in whatever we do we do it fully without fear or intimidation or discouragement from others. Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight – how to get from shore to food and back again, for most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating, but for this gull, though it was not eating that mattered, but flight, it all tells us that we have our own unique way of doing things unlike following what others are doing, you tap your own skills and talents to be yourself but not copy paste of others, do it from your utmost sincere heart and don’t listen to people who are discouraging you, your inner power will make you achieve whatever you want no matter the challenges you face in 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. “Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, why can’t you leave low flying to the pelicans, the albatross?
Many times we are discouraged to do what we want to do with people we know, our relatives and friends, they see impossible in us, we have to give them deaf hears so that we can prosper, in my life challenge most of people used to tell me why go to school and study and yet your mother will never get money to take you to high school, just be like other children whose family background is poor, get few coins and start selling ground nuts or boiled eggs to make a living, to assist your mother get house rent, but I never gave up until today I am about to finish my studies and a bright future awaits me, same people who discouraged me today they are congratulating me, it’s just turn of event.
ii. If you must study, then study food, and how to get it.
This flying business is all very well, but you can’t eat a glide, you know. Don’t you forget that the reason you fly is to eat. Same statements we get on daily basis why do we study, most people perceive that study goes hand in hand to get a better job and live a happy life, some justify ignorance with education, why study and you want get a job?, just start business or earlier employment and make a living, in my take that is not the way we study to be responsible citizens not to get a good job or have big investment, but be civilized human beings, it’s not all about making a life but know how to live with people in a good manner, and understand the human thinking a fool parts with his money or her money in that matter.
iii. Jonathan had set a world speed record for seagulls.
In whatever you do, do it at your level best, get the best out of it, after being discouraged not to continue with my studies I kept my faith and worked hard to achieve my dreams and aspiration, I am setting example that no matter what situation you are undergoing through faith and determination God will send a helper when time is ripe.
iv. I am a seagull, I am limited by my nature, if I were meant to learn so much about flying I could have charts for my brain, if I were meant to fly at speed I could have falcons short wings and live on mice instead of fish.
Our negative attitude pulls as far from our dreams, we have more reasons to quit than conquer our fear, so many impossibilities that makes us not go for what we want and justify the situation, when we look at what we cannot do we end up doing nothing better try doing than do nothing at all, those who have succeeded, tried severally before they became victors, persistence is the key to success no matter what people say you cannot do, you will do it if you are determined it comes from your heart go for it and do not look back what people are saying or what they will say it is your life do it and be happy.
v. There would be no ties now to the force that had driven him, to learn, there would be no more challenge and no more failure.
Once we focus on our goals the challenges become easier and a learning process we become acquainted with and we make the best out of our challenges.
vi. He spared no time that day for talk with other gulls, but flew past sunset, he discovered the loop, the slow roll, the point roll, the inverted spin, the gull bunt, the pinwheel.
Learning is fun when you love what you are doing. Nobody forces you but do it willingly. You feel good and determined to know more and more and learn new skills without listening to negative vibes.
vii. There is a reason to life; we can lift ourselves as creation of excellence and intelligence and skills and lift ourselves out of ignorance because we are capable of achieving anything we want in life, our life is like a book we are the author and we will write whatever we want to write to the book we have our own contents.
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?
This is a very powerful tool for all human race, what we are determined to do we can do it if we put more efforts and avoid discouraging people, those who do not want to see us achieve high lengths of life, we can do what we want to do if we are ready and set to do it.
4. Quotes: are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention?, if so please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“We can lift ourselves out of ignorance; it is a choice that we can do away from our lives, ignorance costs a lot, and it makes one not to achieve what he wants through ignorance, our human brain can be trained to adapt and achieve anything if put in constant practice and give out good results.”
“Other gulls refused to believe the glory of flight that awaited them, they refused to open their eyes and see, when we conquer our fears we open a new beginning in our lives we see the impossibility and achieve our potential in all aspects of life. Learning is a continuous process the more we learn the more we become better people and get new skills that will impact our lives positively.”
“Boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that gulls life is so short and with these gone from his thoughts, he lived a long fine life indeed. Our life are short when we do not struggle to achieve what we want in life, we need to get something that makes us active not just sit and get bored, those who exercise regularly have less to worry about different diseases, we need to wake up and do what we love most.”
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 well stated and clear it’s well understood too.
6. Did the book contain exercise for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all the exercises and did you find them helpful?
The book contains a lot of life exercise which is a day to day activities we learn every day and we perfect what we do through determination.
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.
The book is well covered and understood.
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? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10