Yieh Odette Gwain – Assessments – International Institute for Global Leadership

As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Yieh Odette (Cameroon)

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

The author is trying to make us discover the power we possess in our inner being. He is taking us to the mission of self discovery. How we can shape our own destiny by ourselves either positively or negatively. But no one will willfully shape a negative destiny for himself or herself. Here he talks about ignorance how it can be devastating in our destiny especially if we underestimate ourselves. The author is also putting it to us that we are the masters of our own destiny. The power to think is therefore our biggest gift and tool we employ to either damn ourselves to ‘hell’ with or to take us to the heavens.

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.

* Man is made or unmade by himself- This is personally important to me because as the author rightly says we are what we are because of the fruits of our imagination. This is a vivid example which is applied to me as a person. I had always admired computers and the way they function that I developed personal interest in using the keyboard and typing without looking at the keyboard that today I can type as fast as I speak. This goes down with the choices we make in life and what comes out of these choices is solely our responsibility.

* Man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny. Here from personal point of view the author makes it vividly clear that man is the master over all that is around him. He is the designer of all the worldly things that he sees and touches with his hands. If man desires to live in a hitch free environment then he will for his character is cultivated by him and all conditions around him even though some might be out hand are his making.

* “He that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened”. Even the bible emphasizes on this phrase. Seeking here will not mean doing things that are beyond you to achieve some thing that you have been longing for so long. You just have to redirect your energy to the things that you know you know how to do best. Put in your best and obtain just the best results. Excel in your domain and you shall have credit for that.

*At the bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks rapidly into disease and decay. Imagine a period in your life when all things were falling apart. I for one when things are not moving automatically I become sick and my skin (body) fades, that blossom disappears.

* Thoughts of fear have been known to kill a man as speedily as a bullet. AIDS is real and kills but is not the disease that kills but fear of the unknown. That is everybody knows that AIDS kills but there are people who live with the disease for years and others die shortly after discovering that they are carriers.

* Doubts and fears should be rigorously excluded. Doubts and fears are disadvantageous and can only lead to doom and failure.

* A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts. If your thoughts remain negative and dormant then how do you expect to be prosperous in what you do? Be it business or schooling, you will be bound to fail and collapse in business.

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 are important as they will assist me in improving my quality in life, to set and achieve my goals and to learn to live harmoniously in the community. Man is made and unmade by himself is something that goes a long way to strengthen man in the society. If you decide to become a failure in life then no man can hold you down. All that evolves around man is man’s creation and no one else’s. The fact that the author says Man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny is totally agreed because personally I believe that if one decides on something and it determined to achieve then he will achieve it no matter how many times that person fails he will finally achieve it. That is if the person removes doubts and fears from his character then the sky is going to be his spring board and not a starting point.

All these ideas will assist me in pursuing my professional career the direction with and end goal of promoting sustainable development in helping people in the remote areas God Willing to be able to make a living out of the little they have especially in my little local community where education is still lacking. Having read these two books I can already feel the impact on my behavior and my way of thinking throughout my life because I thought some things are meant for a particular group of persons and not for my type especially when reflecting on my family background. It is my belief that thought and attitude has largely contributed to the wide differences and cultural diversity as it in the world today and with my little knowledge and that which I am still going to learn in this forum my character and perspective in life will be met.

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.

Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things.

COMMENT: We are responsible for every choice that we make. Each of these choices have consequences that go with them be they positive or negative. We therefore must be keen in what we wish for through the choices that we make.

When he begins to reflect upon his condition and search diligently for the law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues.

COMMENT: In whatever situations or in whatever circumstances we are in we should search within and without ourselves and bring the best out of ourselves and out of the situation in which we are in. We should endeavor to make every situation count and every opportunity should be exploited to the fullest.

A 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.

COMMENT: We must be properly cultured and grow good habits because whatever we grow then we shall reap. There is a theory in computing that say (GIGO) which means Garbage in garbage out. I think with and aspiring to be a parent in the future I shall know how to direct my children and how to help them make decisions.

Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself.

COMMENT: This just goes to strengthen the fact that man is the master of thought. Circumstances do not make a man but reveals the man that is inside him. At times you react until you exclaim ‘Man! was I the one that did this?’ That is you discover another you that you did not know existed.

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.

COMMENT: I have known close members of my family and friends who find everything and everyone to blame for their shortcomings and failures. Nothing in their lives improves. It is like a disease that eats you up slowly and surely. Little do they know that they are the fruits of their own imagination. They are the master of their own destiny.

He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it.

COMMENT: The power of positive thinking. Positive thinking is not only good for your health but also it nourishes your ambitions and make them grow so fat you cannot resist trying to realize them. It is good to see your new born baby isn’t it?

A man’s weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own and not another man’s. They are brought about by himself and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another.

COMMENT: No man can blame another for the things that happen in his life. There might be contributions from others but you remain the key behind it.

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 is very clear in its temper and teaching and could never be clearer than it already is. The only disagreement I have with the author is the assumption that man is master over himself. The author seems to forget that there is a supreme being “GOD” that is the master of all things that we see even the environment is HIS creation.

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 exercise but there is a lot of food for ‘thought’.

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.

Nothing

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? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Yieh Odette (Cameroon)

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

The author is inviting us to insight and self analysis. He believes we are not to limit ourselves to what we see or witness with our eyes but to see things with a deep sense of purpose, direction and this by trying to understand ourselves and practicing it. In the process, through selfless service we are to help others…

I. Self belief and direction
Jonathan knew that what he really wanted to do was to learn how to fly and do what an ordinary gull would not be able to do. He believed in his ability and he went out there to practice and learn. When we embark on a journey without knowing why and where we wish to arrive then they surely shall arrive (nowhere). It is important as it remind me not to waiver in the direction which I wish to steer my life in.

II. Commitment, Perseverance and determination
Jonathan failed many times to gain the desirable speeds, sometimes crashing into the waters and hurting himself. He persevered through these experiences. There were several attempts to dissuade him and he tried to take some different advice. In the end his commitment and perseverance prevailed and soon he was back to what he loved and enjoyed most, flying and improving on technique and speed.

III. Courage
It is never easy to achieve set goals. Setting goals is like having expectations and so it goes that big expectations make the biggest failures. Most of the times we set goals but forget to take into account the challenges that we are likely to face as we grow. Sometimes we give up, never realizing that courage and determination are there because there are challenges not obstacles and an important mechanism that strengthens and prepares us for the ultimate destination. Well I have been in situations that seemed so impossible to overcome but with a lot of courage I went through. Some I did while others I could not. I now realize that what made the big difference is courage to face the unknown.

IV. Overcoming our fears, freeing our minds and directing our thoughts towards greater goals. The fear of the unknown is quite enslaving. Developing a brave and optimistic attitude with an open mind may be the beginning of freedom. Having and open mind opens up to new information and knowledge while giving enough leeway for critique and assessment. Freeing our thoughts opens us up to a world of possibilities and tramples fast and hard on any sort of indoctrination in the face of it.

V. Learning is an endless process
There are always new and interesting things to learn. We learn throughout our life experiences and interaction with others. Learning is something we stop only the day we die. We learn in every situation especially in difficult situations. Most of the great people that exist today are people who have continued in the process of learning.

VI. Forgiveness, Kindness, love and selflessness
These are great attributes and virtues that in the story seemingly transcend emotions. From the story it seems that it is an ultimate thing to possess and spread it around. Jonathan Seagull sorrow for example “was not solitude, it was that other gulls refused to believe the glory of flight that awaited them; they refused to open their eyes and see”. It is because of Jonathan’s selflessness that he came back to teach others that were willing to learn.

VII. There is a bigger purpose to serve
Our existence I pick from the story is that our lives are not a simple existence to live eat work play sleep and all the day to day simplicities that a living being has undergo but to also better and improve this existence and make the world a better place to be in within and without.

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?

Personally Jonathan’s story and the lessons drawn from this tells me more about the process of learning as a whole. It is rich in all its aspects and we learn also from it. Courage and determination is one of the key themes in this book. Jonathan is a microcosm of man as a whole. Jonathan here symbolizes man in his process of learning that growth and death. If one assimilates the lessons learned here then I thinks we are going to live in a world void of certain vices because the more we learn the more we are enlightened as to what is awaited from us. Selflessness is also a big lesson one learns from this book.

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.

“Poor Fletch. Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you’ll see the way to fly.”

That it is right for a gull to fly, that freedom is the very nature of his being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form.

COMMENT: These quotes encourages an open mind and attitude and gives you a sense of direction and a purpose. Setting of goals is one thing, knowing the obstacles and finding a solution to them is another thing.
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“Look at Fletcher! Lowell! Charles-Roland! Are they also special and gifted and divine? No more than you are, no more than I am. The only difference, the very only one, is that they have begun to understand what they really are and have begun to practise it.”

For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, through, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything else, Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly.

“I don’t mind being bone and feathers, Mum. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can’t, that’s all. I just want to know.”

The gull sees farthest who flies highest.

COMMENT: Every one is equal in gist and talent. However to discover oneself and go on to exploit ones gifts and talent is the mark of distinction which most people fail to discover and maybe until their death.

And so he shut his eyes.

It happened that morning, then, just after sunrise that Jonathan Livingston Seagull fired directly through the centre of Breakfast Flock ticking off two hundred twelve miles per hour, eyes closed, in a great roaring shriek of wind and feathers.

The Gull of Fortune smiled upon him this once, and no one was killed. Ten times he tried, but all ten times, as he passed through seventy miles per hour, he burst into a churning mass of feathers, out of control, crashing down into the water.

COMMENT: The sheer determination, perseverance, inner strength and faith that Jonathan summoned was quite amazing indeed. I am reminded that he didn’t eat as much as he ought to.

Jonathan Seagull spent the rest of his days alone, but he flew way out beyond the Far Cliffs. His one sorrow was not solitude, it was that other gulls refused to believe the glory of flight that awaited them; they refused to open their eyes and see.

“Jonathan,” he said, and these were the last words that he spoke, “keep working on love.”

COMMENT: The first quote shows the spirit of Jonathan. He so much wanted the rest of the flock to be emancipated. The second quote reminds us to be mindful of others. This was the last teaching that Chiang gave Jonathan.

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

We should learn to have faith in all what we are doing and we should always put in our best in all that we do. We should learn to go further insight ourselves to discover who we really are and only then can we overcome our fears and achieve our goals.

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?

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? 7
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 5
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10

Success Through Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Yieh Odeette Gwain (Cameroon)

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

The author is trying to let us know the power of positive mental attitude and the impact on our day to day life. He portrays life to be what we make of it not the circumstances around us. He wants us to know that if we are optimistic then life is not just going to be worth living but every obstacle is going to be a challenge in our lives.

Also we notice in this book that we are poor not because of our making but because the way we think. If we think positively and follow by action, we will achieved greatness but if we think the reverse way, then guess what will happen. Negative Mental Attitude (NMA) and Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) both have their roles in our lives but we are the ones to know how to challenge both situations. We equally come to discover from this interesting book that our positive thinking should not only match with actions but first we should set our goals to see a good and lasting life. If we set our goals, stick to them, strive for them then we will be moving on the right track to success and thus “anything worth having is worth working for. That is why great people in this book such as Walter Clarke, W Clement Stone, Manley Sweazey and Edwin H. East all worked hard with Divine Intervention to realize their dreams, so we should emulate their examples.

That my mind is made of two parameters of extremes, The Positive Mental Attitude and The Negative Mental Attitude.

One’s life depends on the way that person has decided to see life. Though there are usually forces beyond one’s power I do believe after reading this book that positive thinking has a great role to play in the life of a human being with goals. If you decide to always see the bad side of things then your life is going to reflect just that. There is something that I was though when I was still studying computer that is an abbreviation GIGO (Garbage In Garbage out). That is how our lives are depending on the path we chose in life.

Man’s greatest power lies in the power of prayer.

With this principle, I have learned that whatever thing we are doing if we need to achieve our goals then we must pray for Divine Intervention first before anything. I will always try to read books too like Henry J Kaiser and S.B Fuller who through his positive mental attitude finally build the liberty ship and overcome poverty respectively. These are great lessons.

That which you share with others will multiply and that which you withhold will diminish.

To be generous in life means a lot of multiplications. This just also throws more light on what is said in the bible that freely you give freely you receive. So if we practice this principle couple with getting things done through the right way then we will be moving forward. I have also learned here that Blessed are the hands that give than the ones that receive.

ACT NOW.

This six letter words means the a lot. These words have come to fuel men up in situations that they have always neglected. This just goes to tell us that procrastination is the thief of time. What you have to do today do it and wait for tomorrow because tomorrow is going to come with its own problems. Personally I was of those who believed that their parents were all they had but since I entered the job market I came to realize that if you do not act in the present situation you shall keep moving from job to another without success. Always thinking that your boss hates you. That invisible voice to me is just the voice of wisdom that talks to you and if one follows this invisible voice I tell you people will think that you visit witch doctors. I have also read from this book how many people have done this and have succeeded in their endeavors.

Greatness comes to those who develop a burning desire to achieve high goals.

Before desiring something you must set goals. I remember when the year just began and we had meeting on goals setting for 2010, our company consultant gave us a slogan which I have printed and keep just besides my bed. The slogan is SMART which we developed to mean (S stand for SPECIFIC, M for MEASURABLE, A for ACHIEVABLE, R for RELEVANT and T for TIME – bound). This simply thrills me when I have to set a goal. It works for those who have that PMA and you have hung your NMA besides your bed then you will never understand how great things happen to people. Action, action is the main key in life because we can not set our goals without putting it into action. Setting a goal is just one thing and putting it into action is another thing so if we need to achieve great thins in life, we should always act now to foster success in life. So I have learned that whether failures or success I should not attribute these vices to any person but to myself. Moving through a positive direction means moving towards success, so this principle is very vital and thus must be respected to excel.

MOTIVATION.

This too I have come to know that it is a moving tool to success. Motivation is just magical. Take an example of a boss that always complains of the way his workers work never appreciating them, the result will always negative. Motivation should not just be financial but moral. If you treat your subordinates right then be prepared to reach the top with your team. With this you will notice that people working under you and around you will find life worth living. They will always put in their best when assign a task. This goes even back to parents at home, if you motivate your children in their education and whatever they are doing then be prepared to receive great results. Treat others just the way you will want to be treated.

One good idea followed by action can change failure into success.

Here it will depend on how my mind will response to idea incurred. If I conceived failure match with positive mental attitude will lead me into the right direction. In this I have read how many people changed their lives as they had had failures/, and a single idea change their lives to success. I think this is an example for me to emulate. It does not matter how many times you fail but what you learnt from the failure so if failing will make one learn then when you fail do not feel very bad but make the best out your failure.

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?

From a personal perspective I know the ideas or lessons in this book will go a long to help me in my personal life in my professional life. Take for instance for Mr. Kaiser’s mother said to him “loving people and serving them is the greatest value in life”. Personally I believe that if you put this first in your life you will not really have a problem. I know all business are for profit but the fact that she tells Kaiser to love people and serve them does not mean that he should work for nothing but that he should work with love for the job not for the money.

From this book, I have come to realize some basic principles in life that I have been neglecting out of ignorant. The act of motivation. It is not really that I was ignorant of it but I did not know the importance it had on ones psychology. This means that with what I have learnt from here I start saying that if tomorrow I come to own a company the leadership skills that I have learnt during this course would not have been a waiste.

Act Now is a leading secrete in transformation. If I get information and do not act then I am wasting that information. That is why from the book I have learned from great people who have transformed their lives after hearing information and putting them into practice. This is a big lesson that in some few years to come there shall be transformation leaders from Africa who shall stand the taste of time, this will be thanks to IIGL. What ever thing I do now will seriously be match by action.

To achieve success in life there is always an obstacle from the start. This does not end here, if we push forward to suppress this effect then we will conquer. That is why there are people who are failures today because they do not use their Positive Mental Attitude in carrying out the right things which they would have done to achieve lasting goals in life.

Finally SB Fuller’s mother says we are poor not because of God. We are poor because father has never developed the desire to become rich. This is something I never knew before even though I usually tell my siblings that they shall never go to school the way I did. I know from here that if you set your mind on something you will surely achieve it. Everybody dreams of a life full of luxury but no one has that desire to drive away poverty from their families. Determination is the key to success. Do not just become a dreamer and not work

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.

“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man cam achieve with Positive Mental Attitude” This is to tell us that if we set our plan and follow it rightly we shall always achieve our goals. So I know we are in this world not to suffer but to use the knowledge God has given to us and the abundant opportunities to better up our lives. This can only be done by thinking positively, setting goals and following them up with action. There is no magic that we will always success once this is done.

“Desire” just that word gotten from the quotation of Fuller’s mom is terrific. The desire to become something, the desire to see your children obtain the best education, the desire to see your spouse through a difficult situation, the desire to become rich, the desire to become the first female anything in your country etc. Just that word can make one do things in life and be amazed if you are really the one that did those things.

”If you know what you want, you are more apt to recognize it when you see it” This is something that many people do not know. If like a young girl you have always dreamt of being a pilot and suddenly you stumble on a scholarship for pilots then you do not put in effort to know what the scholarship is all about then you did not really know what you wanted. Also I had always dreamt of being a personal assistant and secretary in any company in my country and suddenly I heard that there was a vacancy in the company in which I work presently and applied. I was leaving in another town and only the thought of allowing my fiancé in one town and moving to another town scared the shit out of me but I tried and was successful. Now we are making plans of different things not only getting married and forming a family but achieving great things in both towns.

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 disagree with the author when he says man’s greatest power lies in the power of prayer. Further he says we are the masters of our fate and destiny. Prayer is the key yes but entire prayers. Pray and put in your own part for achievement will come like manna from heaven. Gone are the days of Moses in the bible. I believe that we are the masters of our own fate and destiny. IF we desire to rich then we must work hard to become rich. I know no one has ever desired to be a poor man in life but there are poor people. We should learn from their mistakes.

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 at the end of each chapter I found some exercise which I completed and there very reflective and helpful as well.

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

Character is the cornerstone of building success .Good and respectable character will always push me to success.

Self – motivation will always lead me to higher height and lead to the group of our society if only other people’s rights are respected.

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? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10

Keys To Success
Assessment Yieh Odette Gwain (Cameroon)

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

The author is trying to relate the behaviors / characters of human beings in relation to the Seventeen principles of personal achievement. How we can use these principles to attain success in our lives provided we use them in a positive way. He drew examples from some great people who have achieved lasting success as a result of these principles. Here each and every principle explains the exact motive behind the success of people who reason positively, and the principles all depend of each others, that is one can not develop one without relying upon and developing others at the same time.

i) Definiteness of Purpose:

What we intent to become is the secrete core of this point. Before we achieve our goals in life, we must have started somewhere. Here if we set our objectives in a concise and positive manner couple with faith, we will surely attain our success. As you will agree with me that no one has ever gotten up in a day and achieve success without ever thinking of a starting point or definiteness of purpose. This too has called for specialization, budgeting time and money, currents to opportunities, making wise decision, cooperation, having faith in all that we do, conceiving success as our goal, putting definiteness of purpose to work, creating a good plan to success, and finally if these are well manage, success is worthy to come our way.

ii) The Idea of Mastermind Principle:

This alliance is built of two or more minds working actively together in perfect harmony toward a common objective. It lets one appropriate, and use the full strength of the experience, training and knowledge of other people just as any obstacle faced with, no matter one’s education or talents. With this point, one can use it to build a sound society, that is gathering facts from one or two persons putting them together for the growth of the society. We will know that there are people who are gifted with specific talents and if we merge with this type of people and use our initiatives well, we will lead to success. It is just like putting together determination and desire and then you will see the results. This principle will go a long way to limit the occurrence of dictators who think they can influence society and everybody should listen to them. So if we use this principle well, we will build a world beyond reasonable doubt that each and everyone can be flexible. This principle helps to manage a huge community should you become the Mayor one day and as we are all striving to become good leaders, we should be able to know how to group the people we lead according to their talents.

iii) Learning from Defeat:

Nature puts it that before one achieve any success in life, he/she must have come across failure or resistance at first. There are several attempts which great people have made, met with failures and due to pressure, going the extra mile, applying faith, with positive mental attitude finally hit their target-success. Example after several attempts by Edison to create a light bulb which first met with some failure, he finally succeeded, due to his faith and positive mental attitude he applied. This point has enrich me with the idea that what ever thing I want to do, to be successful, I must encounter difficulties and pains at the start which is how nature speaks to every one, pointing out mistakes. And that what I need to do is to go the extra-mile, apply faith with positive mental attitude.

iv) The Principle of Assembling An Attractive Personality: Here, there are some qualities which one portrays that will qualify him a man. An attractive image boosts the moral of each man/woman and makes that person more confident of himself/herself. Imagine you going for and interview in a bank wearing a pair of jeans while every other applicant is in suit. Morally you are down just because of your dressing. Or a lady going for an interview with an unkempt hair. Failure to apply this principle will lead to one’s dove fall. Some of the characteristic are;

Positive Mental Attitude – The right to positive mental attitude in any given situation which qualifies success is most often composed of the plus- Characteristics such as – faith, hope, optimism, courage, tolerance, common sense just to name a few and thus having this will mean that one’s actions and thoughts will further one’s end.

Also this idea leads to flexibility that is to adapt to certain circumstances quickly without panic or loss of temper. If we exercise this principle, we will upgrade our society. This will help us to know which type of approach to use during the situation one face at hand. For instance, there are situation that may warrant me to loss temper but with these idea in mind now, I will know how to commit myself to existing circumstances that might mislead me.

v) the Principle of Applied Faith

The awareness of, belief in, and harmonizing with the universal power is our core of the day, Faith- this principle go a long way to teach us how to behave in society when face with certain conditions which may warrant us to quite the race, but if we have a positive mental attitude, faith and are willing to go the extra-mile, then we will achieve success. In every of such tense moment, we should not even think of anything like fear or not be defeated because defeat is never the same as failure unless and until it has been accepted as such. We need to commit ourselves to prayers, mediation, apply faith, feel for others, so as achieve success. For instance, there are time that when i am difficulties i conceive negative thoughts of say wanting to have something for nothing. But immediately I think of the impact on me and may be on my next generation i result to adjust myself. (flexible)

vi) The Principle of Control Attention:

Taking a decision to focus on something makes one to directs his attention thus the act of coordinating all the faculties of the mind and directing their combined power to a given end leads to control attention. If we turn to specialize on a single domain, this will increase our chances of focusing our attention on that particular domain- here again concentration our definite major purpose to one direction is vital. That is deciding on what one wants, creating a plan for it, strictly following the plan with faith, thought, positive mental attitude going the extra mile and the mastermind alliance just to name a few will not let you down. For instance I have had situation where i take a decision on carrying out a task and because of lack of faith, lack of control attention, lack of idea of going the extra mile, I turn to quite the race, thereby forgetting to know that success attracts success while failure attracts failure.

vii) The Principle of Inspire Team Work:

This is cooperation like love, friendship. Thus if we encourage this, we will always grow rich as interacting with many different persons of diverse views helps in building a solid team work provided you help them in commitment of the work from others. This will let them discover what they are up to. So when you are at the head, always lead your associates’ needs to work with you willingly. As one is at the top, he set up the aims of the work and not making it comb son to others. If this happens this way, it will lead to the growth and expansion of our society.

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 will help me know how to manage people of different background working towards a common definite objective.

This idea will speed the growth of the society as every body is oriented towards a common goal.

I will know the right part to follow as a result of climate change. That is to say having a positive mental attitude will shape my notion towards this threatening hazard.

I need to have enough rest (sleep), eat well and exercise my body so as to achieve success in life

It will lead to less constraint in time and specially since everybody will be at work.

We should form alliance that will help us achieve our goals in life. The achievement of my goal in relation to my mastermind alliance depends on the members of the alliance

It will lead to full participation and build up capacity in leadership in the wider sense. As no one is allow to over right others which may leads to dictatorship- power concentration to one direction.

That defeat is never the same as failure unless and until it has been accepted as such.

That no one has ever achieved success without a stumbling block from the beginning. That before any success is attained; one must first be ready to over come failure.

That the result of failure can strengthen one’s will power by providing it with a challenge to greater effort provided i have a definiteness of purpose.

That I should always walk with a notepad in other to jot down vital ideas were necessary.

That with cooperation like love and friendship leads to the growth of the society though one may be dealing with people of diverse views.

That we should be polite, respect flexible, sincere and give chances to our subordinate for a clear participation.

That I should learn how to do more than I am paid for.

That all these should be crown by a word of prayer for success.

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.

From Andrew Carnegie – “There are types of people who never amount to anything. There are those who never do anything except what they are told to do. And there are those who can not even do what they are told to do. Those who get ahead do the things that should be done without being told and they don’t stop there, they go extra mile and do much more than is expected of this” – This is necessary if you are going to realize your goal. It brings you advancement, attention and opposition.

“Know what you wish to say, say it with all the feeling you command, and then sit down.” It teaches me to communicate effectively. This will help me to know which type of language and the matter of approach to exercise when in a gathering or face with difficulties.

“Success attracts success while failure attracts more failure” if we focus on something we will attaint, if we lack definite purpose than we are accepting attracting more failures to come our way. “ if we open our minds to fear, frustration, lack of definiteness of purpose then we are attract failure to come our way, so the only way we can succeed all these is to make our minds positive. We should learn that nothing great had ever been achieved without a Positive Mental Attitude. We should learn to clear our minds of any influence which does not support a Positive Mental Attitude and also learn to close the door the our mind on all failures from the past

We should not merge ourselves with discussion that will make us think relatively but instead make us engage with people of good ventures whose ideas can influence us positively. This is because we know that every thought we release comes back to us multiplied in its effects. We should not forget prayers.

“one single idea may have greater weight than the labor of all the men, animals and engines for a century” This quote is important to me because if we develop definiteness of purpose couple with faith confidence, portray an attractive personality, developing Positive Mental Attitude, no doubt that one’s idea will yield more fruits and subsequently expand to aid the society whereas if we lack all these positive qualities, our success will not be guaranteed.

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?

No. The main theme and explanations where understood

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. The book is interesting that is why all bits of questions were looked into and were completed.

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. The questions just match the main content of the book

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

Psycho-Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by Yieh Odette Gwain (Cameroon)

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

The idea here is that the author uses self-image to relate our thoughts which is always accompany by our action. The author Dr. Maxwell Mattz further stresses that the science of cybernetic applies to the human mind. That is to say our self image acts as the key to every success or failure in our life.

The main purpose of this book is to develop a self-image you can live with, one in which you can feel secure, one that you can be proud of to express to others, one that lead to self-confidence and success.

The author went further to let us know that our two minds correlates and interacts with each other. That is the conscious and the subconscious minds. That whatever one side of the mind conceives the other side will interpret to the other side what needs to be done. Whether good or bad the other side will put it into action.. And also that The simple process of CRAFT if followed with care will change our lives for the better.

a. That our success or failures depends on us, as per what is recorded in our minds and the character we portray, that is what people say and think about us. That is why Dr. Maxwell stated that we have a picture of who were are or who we are want to be thus we hinder ourselves in doing most things. If we want to achieve success in life it will depend on how we reason and how people judge us.

b. If you don’t know what you want you are guaranteed not to get it. This is because people nowadays don’t have a focus and when they tend to have failure, they attribute it to other people not knowing that it is due to their lack of focus that has taken them this far. Many successful people today are as a result of because they developed definiteness of purpose and they focus strictly on it that is why they are successful today. So if we follow this example we will also be like these rich people and this can only be done if we have positive conception mind.

c. The idea if CRAFT too is a big lesson for me. This science of Mattz Psycho-Cybernetics as I have learned from the book have greatly changed millions of people’s lives and is continuously changing them.. That is if we believe and concentrate of this principle and have 15-20 minutes of our time this principle we will success in life. Everything about this principle is to believe and put it into practice then we will see the magic of Mattz science.

d. They are times that we tend to have our failures not because of our wishes but as our self-image had made us to act. Immediately the invisible man in us push us to act as per a situation, we do it ignorantly and when we finish from this act we now come to may be realize that what we have just done is not good but we have already carryout the act. We now see that this will lead to failures in our lives in many forms.

e. Also I learned that we need to be open to the world. They are some people who do not share their riches with others. That is they hate seeing others progress like them. This is not the type of leaders we need to nurse. Since we need a world that will be free for everyone, we have to be open to others and if we see our fellow brothers and sisters falling into river we need to pull them out, direct them and leads them, not necessary using force to them. This will lead to a free world. We should know well that our self-image will exactly show who we are. If we help people find their direction then we will be successful in life.

f. I have also come to note here that there are some seven negative mechanism which if we replace them with the positive ones our lives will be the best. There are the failure mechanism that can be aborted by recognizing this seven signs: frustration, aggressiveness, insecurity, loneliness, uncertainty, resentment, and emptiness; and replaced with positive values that spells win-win for everyone. Situations are not to be viewed as indication of failure but as it is really, a guide to corrective action: changing the self-image for a desire course as CRAFT should always be taken into consideration.

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?

I have learned from the book on how self-image can direct one for a goal. That is to say I was able to learn how to change habit of failure into habits of success .Also I have learned to always have a positive habit and forget about what people think and say about me. This is because in the society we have people of diverse minds and I may be doing something which is right and may be misunderstood by some who may not be well acquainted with the mode. I know in everything I do I should have confidence in it and affirm to this principle of always succeeding.

Also I have learned that what the mind conceived and send to the body, action is put in place. So if I believe in the destiny of succeeding I will and vice versa.

To know how to interact with people of diverse background too is an important matter. People with low self-esteem can be rightly directed to achieve their goals in life. To do this I must have to know my self-image because what people may think about me can sent me away from the public. So I have a responsible self-image I will make a change in the globe from one person to the next generation in how to set goals, work on them, how to tackle stress and how to achieve there goals. This will create a grate impact in the world.

I equally learned how to set goals using the SMART method (Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, Time-Conscious.) It makes me know that so far I set my goals the right way i will not regret achieving what I am striving for.

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. page 99

“You don’t break a habit and form a new one through “iron-jawed willpower”; you do it by creating clear mental images of a desired result and by acting as if it has already been achieved.” This is a good example to make mention of because habits as the book tells me is a byproduct of subconscious mind and repetitious behavior. So what we portray as our habits comes from the mind and make us act the way we always do. If we want a new habit we must be conscious so as to hid the target.

“It is our self-image that prescribe our limits” If we see our self-image as failures then when will always be as such and vice versa. But if we want to revert our failures then if we see ourselves as failures we need to always aspire for success in life and the success will come.

“CRAFT” This is a principle whereby we tend to keep away negative attributes replacing them with new and prosperous habits The full meaning of CRAFT thus is

C- ancel old , negative data
R –eplace it with new, positive data
A –Affirm your new self-image
F- Focus on an image of success
T – Train yourself in your new attitudes and behavior.

And that if we practice this process for six weeks then we will miracles in our lives. After which we have concentrated ourselves 15-20 minutes each day for meditation.

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?

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 All exercise contain in the book were completed.

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.

Please rate the following question 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 content? 10
(c) How easy was it to understand? 10
(d) Would you recommend it to others? 10
(e) What is the overall rating you will give it? 10

How to Win Friends & Influence People
Assessment by Yieh Odette Gwain (Cameroon )

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

The author is trying to let us know here that humans were blessed with potential skills which we don’t fully exploit . The unseen potentials are still not exploited and if we discover and develop them then we will fully know to how get about meeting and creating friends. So the unseen should be fully used so as to influence those around us. The author presents useful information here that are most needed by today’s youth. Through this book the author makes it clear to us that there are some things that are better left unsaid. It is not that he is promoting hypocrisy but making us to usually see the good side of things and not only the bad part.

After a review of this book there are lots of things and ideas which if kept one cannot really be what he/she was before reading this piece of art.

i) “I don’t see how I could have done any differently from what I have” said Taft

Taft’s sentence here leaves us perplexed because it reflects what we say on a daily basis. One of things I learn from this is that we should not always conclude without having tried all possibilities. Change is the only constant thing in life and we should learn to accept our faults so as to grow and learn more. Further in this book we realize that the author encourages to be a keen listener and to be less talkative so as to learn and grab the most out of people around us.

ii) Judge not, that ye be not judged

This phrase when read take immediately to the bible for even in the bible we are warned not to judge others for that will the yardstick that will be used to judge us. We should learn to appreciate others justly and correct them where they have failed and not condemn them whenever they make a mistake. Judgment is what we do everyday even without knowing that we have judged someone. Take for instance in a Company where there are many women who are connected with each other in and out of the Company. There is bound to be gossiping and condemnation in some situations. Gossiping in women is like some kind of judgment which we do no realize. Some people may think that judgment is only what happens in our law courts but no we judge people on a daily basis. These ties with the reply of Lincoln after listening to the criticisms of Mrs. Lincoln and others who spoke harshly of the Southern people “Don’t criticize them: they are just what we would be under similar circumstances”. Dr. Johnson also says “God himself, Sir, does not propose to judge man until the end of his days”.

iii) If our ancestors hadn’t had this flaming urge for a feeling of importance, civilization would have been impossible.

Importance is one thing that goes with self image. As in ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ self image is one thing that make people want to gain wealth and fame at the same time. Civilization I believe is as a result of such a feeling. One man starts something it finally becomes an affair of the whole community and later the city then the country. To be important in society does not emphatically come with education or the fact that you are like Lincoln. He was one of the most perfect rulers in the United States as would say the Secretary of War Stanton ‘There lies the most perfect ruler of men that the world has ever seen’. Feeling important is something that pushes people to extremes so as to have that self esteem. To it is all about having confidence in yourself and being open to learn at all times.

iv) People are not interested in you, they are not interested in me, they are interested in themselves

First and foremost, I will like to draw our attention here that we can not preach love when we don’t love ourselves or we can not .here we are made to know that situation and behaviors matters in what ever thing we do in life. What ever thing one does matters as it will either attract or repel people. Many people will like to be self-centered to a point that they are convinced that what one is doing is right before they can ever thing of joining the group. If not they will remain as such and may be they were moving on the opposite direction, living them to follow this trend is a psychological and emotional crime. What ever thing we do counts a lot as we should not allow people to be interested in themselves but with the growing problem problems which needs solution.

v) Thought is supreme.

As inspired leaders we don’t need to relent our efforts. The author clearly states it, our minds should always reflect and think ahead. We should always try to predict the future, this will help us think positive things, knowing that the way we behave and do our things will clearly should how fast one reasons. From the mind all other activities are generated, so our mind is the focal pint to all what we do and need in life. If we want to achieve positive result, the way we reason will give us what we need and vice versa

vi) Make the other person feel important, and do it sincerely

We should always learn to treat others as human being. Not because we have our reaches or because we have got a job and will make others feel inferior, this is not a good attitude of inspired leaders like us. If we make our present felt them our mission of IIGL will be accomplished. Priority should be given to the people we see as depress. We should treat them the way we treat our own selves or children. As a leader let some one not come to seek for advice and you instead mislead the person. This will cause you very much as you have wrong mankind/nature and God almighty will not forgive you as this person’s life from all indication will be frustrated. What ever thing we do in life sincerity should always be our first goal.

vii) Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person

Many people in our society will first like to read one from his behavior. The image one portray will determine what others think about you. As human being we know well that we can not be aiming at always being right through out our life. All of us have shortcoming, so before one goes out to talk to people we should always take our life to be an example for what we want to put forth. This will go a long way to change our course and make our journey successful. Many people will like to hear from where you went wrong and they various ways you tried to get out from that situation. To talk about others in a negative manner, we should always judge ourselves first and then proceed

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?

From the book our mission is to transform and inspire people and the society What I believe here is that I can not transform society when I have not yet transformed myself. How do we go about doing this great job, how do we rate our results. To begin with, what I know is that we need to inspire people to think positively and to discover the potentials they possess. When people must have discovered what they have in them, then they will know that they have not yet exploited anything of what they posses. When we go through this book we see that we as future leaders of tomorrow need to learn and read more in other to become like Lincoln who learnt out of his mistakes. The essence of falling is not to fall and stay on the ground but to look at what made us fall and learn from that mistake. Make every situation an advantage for learning just like Fuller.

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.

Many quotes were made after this book was read. There were equally interesting and inspiring. There are most applicable to daily life of today, The following below are some of the ones which personally got my attention;

i). “Hatred is never ended by hatred but by love.” – Buddha

Anything we want to do we should always put good faith first before anything. Hatred, jealousy and greed are some of the ills that rein our society of today. We can not talk about Love when we don’t live with it. Love should not only be preached, it should be practiced and done. The Holy Bible further tell us that whatever we do, we should do it with the fear of the LORD. If we want to succeed in life let us first be successful in what ever our mission is and all will be well with us. If our mission is to change people we should first make sure we examine ourselves and know that we have change from our previous deeds(may be bad) to good, because this is how the society will look at it. The way you portray yourself in the community will determine the person you are, that will in tell determine the change you will like to create in society. Judging from the above quotation, the ideas got from IIGL and the highly inspirational books will now go into manifestation. Here, true leaders will put their skills into practice. From the end of it all the public which we are out to change will judge one’s attitudes and when talking to a person he/she will know which step to follow. If hatred was backed by hatred in any case visible to the public then we will equally know our outcome. So we should always try to wear a positive image with what ever thing we do.

ii). Nobody likes taking orders, or dictatorship, so convince people to your way of thinking without using orders, so that whatever they will do will be perfect and with free will but not because you said.

Most of our hand picked leaders today don’t care about the type of instructions they give. Wither it will change the community in a positive or negative manner. The only thing they do is just to sit up there and pass the so call decree. They don’t care to take advice from their subordinates as they think they know everything. This is not what 21 century inspired leaders of IIGL should practice. We should try to convince people to our way of thinking as inspired leaders of which I will like to put as transformation leaders. We should always try to feel for others. To teach or directs one to a particular think to follow, it matters the tone one gives the advice or orders. Harsh orders are often resisted because of their nature, as leaders, who are oriented and inspired we should always take or give orders that will not cause conflict with those we govern, because if they are not there, we can not perform our duties because we will not be influencing any group of people. So are way of approach should matter as we should put in mind the interest of others.

iii) You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him to find it within himself” Galileo

To help one to find what is within him is a big asset. I will like to pinpoint here that most people have talent but don’t know how to go about it or how to exploit this gifts. In the book of Corinthian, we are made to know about the spiritual gifts each and every one of us are endowed with. To fully apply this gifts we need to associate ourselves with those we view as successful in society to direct us. By so doing we are directing and helping people to tape the unseen asset they have and don’t know to go about it. This will should the love we have for others, as the we see in the Holy Bible where Apostle Paul plants the seed of the church, Apollo waters and God made it grow. We should practice this example of Christ Almighty and we will be free from all that drag us behind not to progress.

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 always something that one does not understand but after reading and re-reading the book one definitely has to understand even though not entirely.

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?

I personally see the book as very important to me because all what I went through is applicable to daily life. What I need to do now is just to put them into practice and the results will be enormous. However I did not find any exercise to be completed. What I have discovered from previous books I read is that there are on a particular trend. One book read have a very big impact in one’s life and the more this books are read the more I get inspired.

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.

Yes. The information trend presented by the author needs to be promoted, all what we are fighting for is transformation and inspiring lives. The author should be given credit for the wonderful work of inspiration he had put forth. We as transformation leaders need to champion the course even to higher heights. Because if we relent the information presented by Dale Carnegie then our next generation will not have it. Also the techniques involved in getting to know how to attract people to your side is a very big asset to me in particular as I will know how to associate with the outside world.

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? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10

Giant Steps
Assessment by Yieh Odette Gwain (Cameroon)

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

The main idea the author is trying to convey to the readers is to stop procrastinating things and act now. To cast fear of the unknown aside and make positive moves in their lives no matter what the result turns out to be in other to become better, happier, and motivated. To believe in achieving great things and to act according to our beliefs and not because A is doing this or that so I must also do it. We should learn to exploit that which is inside us and believe deep down that it is the right decision we have taken by setting our goals clearly even if it takes us 10 years to realize or accomplish those goals.

2. What are 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.

a) Decision Making is the biggest decision one can ever make. Decision as the author puts it is the biggest decision, to me in particular I think before I had a problem with taking decisions. For me before taking a decision was a problem because I always thought that if I take a decision that is detrimental to A would not be nice because I always said what would that person think of me or what will I say to that persons when he/she confronts me even though it situation is detrimental to me. But now I know and I have started by removing all the cobwebs in my closet by taking some decisions and God knows the repercussions are not going to be best for me but with time the people affected will see reason with me why that decision had to be taken. The author says “the more decisions you make, the better you’ll become at making them”.

b) Procrastination. Procrastination is one of the most common ways to avoid pain. The author makes it clear that one has to make some decisions and instantly to solve some things that do not need to wait. There are things that we ought to do immediately but thinking of the pain it will cause us we decide to wait for the appropriate time to do those things forgetting that there is no time that is appropriate. The author helps us see that we can make some decisions and act upon them. He says “there are no excuses. Make three decisions now that will change your health, career, your relationships, your life and act upon them”. This has helped me a whole lot because after reading this passage in particular I decided to make some changes in my life and now I am fine with myself.

c) Never Give up. If your attempt at achieving your goals seems futile, should you move on and do something else? Absolutely not! Here we are made to see that we should never give up in the achievement of our goals no matter how many times we try and do not succeed we should try to brainstorm on them see where we went wrong and see the corrections we have to make to achieve our goals. I had a friend who started writing the GCE Ordinary Level when I was in form one but did not succeed. He wrote for four years and nothing came but he did not give up. He continued writing until he succeeded six years later and today he is the Head Teacher of one of the Primary schools in my locality. This had always been his dream. He admired one Head Teacher that he said he was going to be exactly like him impacting knowledge on the generation of tomorrow. He is living his dream and is very happy today. From this guy I learnt that we should never give up what we want to be in life no matter the time it takes up we shall certainly attain our goals in life if we persist and not run after the first trial.

d) Power. To be in control of your life is certainly the most interesting thing that keeps one going. To know that if you take this decision or that decision you are going to be happy is certainly the best thing that can happen to someone. Imagine that you decide today to undergo a venture which you know will not be acceptable maybe to your entourage yet you stick to it then some years later your goal materializes and others come to seek advise how will you fill at that particular moment? Happy right? That is just how it is when you have a hold on your life. When you believe in yourself and know that you can do great things in your life. Clarity is power. Be concise in your decisions.

e) Take Action. Desire is not enough to achieve a goal. You should not just wish for something and stay put you need to work hard to achieve what you want. I have read in one of these IIGL books that poverty should not be blamed on God because their parents did not have that desire to be rich so they stayed poor. You see here that desiring something and not doing anything about it is just waist of time and energy.

f) Don’t put off joy and happiness. As read joy and happiness only comes when one has achieved his goals which to me is not true because at the end when you have achieved your goal you will still set another which will still be in pursuit. There’s a huge difference between achieving to be happy and happily achieving. The author says we should strive to live each day to its fullest squeezing all the joy you can out of each moment. It is just like a young child who see the father well dressed and going to the office he is like saying to himself I shall be like my father. But when he grows up he realizes that he is not happy with what he is doing. It is just like a child whose parents want him to become a Lawyer in the future but the child becomes a successful Lawyer and asks himself if this is all there is to it. He is not happy with his life or he does not fill fulfilled and decides to do something else and the whole family is like disappointed in him but he is happy.

g) Do the things I want to do. This is something that always takes some people aback. They love to do things they ought to do but finally don’t do them because they are blocked somewhere. They lack the means to do them. Personally I my country there are lots of children who want to go to school but don’t have the means to accomplish this. Money stops them from going to school. There are some that do not have these facilities in their localities.

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 gone a long way to help me see things positively and to believe that I can be whatever I want to be no matter the time constraints. These ideas will continue to help me in the long run especially to be confident, make things work for me, never give up on any goal set until it is achieved and strive to be happy at all times. Also after having gone through this book I have discovered that if I put in practice all that I have read life will be better and worth living. For the world to be a better place for all we need to try to reach our officials in the little things we do for our various communities to better the lives of the people through little subventions and funding of projects. These can go a long way to make the world a better place for all and being leaders of tomorrow we need to stand by our goals and act upon their achievement because desire is not enough.

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.

Our Decisions – not the conditions our lives – determine our destiny. I used to complain a lot about many things around my life. I decided to change my pattern. It was not easy but I feel better inside. Less complaint.

All personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs. Tradition holds it that if something happens to you it is because one of your ancestors is not happy with you that is why you are not succeeding in all that you are doing. If you have this belief then you will never see things positively and attribute all failures to some ancestral belief. If these ideas are removed from your system then great things are bound to happen to you.

The secret to living is giving. This is an old adage and it is even sang in songs that blessed is the hand that giveth than the one that receiveth. The feeling that what you are doing is helping others in one way or the other, the act of servitude as Mother Theresa contributing to others lives is really exciting. Making you each day to try and do something that can help another achieve his dreams. Trying to illuminate the life of somebody who thinks his/her life is over. Doing something that gives you pleasure and at the same time helps in the growth of your community or in the Company you are working. This is really an emotion that leaves you perplexed not having the words to describe how you feel.

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?

Well to the best of my knowledge the author is very explicit in all the lessons he wants us to learn. But as it goes enough is never enough, maybe another person might see things there that he/she does not understand or disagrees with the author.

6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all the exercises and did you find them helpful?

The book contains a series of exercises that were not completed for instance the exercise on changing our negative mentalities to positive, helping the reader become pragmatic, goal setting and achieving goals from little ones to big ones and doing positive things to break old bad habits.

I did almost all the exercises and it helped me and is still helping me because I have started enjoying the act of setting goals and achieving them; having to overcome obstacles and move to a better level each day and gaining something each day.

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 you, please comment.

The book lacked a few ideas that could motivate and inspire a person who has been depressed as a result of the death of a loved one. It is not easy to recover and move forward and even forget the memory of a loved one.

Generally the book is highly inspirational, pushing people to do the right things to become happy by creating a consciousness of the unpleasant nature of stagnation and negativity.

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.

Real Magic
Assessment by YIEH ODETTE GWAIN (Cameroon)

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

The main idea the author is trying to convey here is that nothing is impossible with man. If we set out for something no matter how hard you think that thing is difficult if you put in your best then you will create some kind of magic that you will always realize or achieve things that are beyond your imagination. As the author says in the beginning that Michael Jackson, whose words, music and love reminds us that it is only through giving that we are saving our own lives. Even in the bible it is said there is joy in giving that in receiving.

i) The world is not to be put in order, the world is order incarnate. It is for us to put ourselves in unison with this order.

Actually I take sides with Henry Miller when he says that the world is not to be put in order and that it is left for us to put ourselves in unison with this order. The world could for each and everyone of us could the little town, city or country in which you live in. Make that area worth living for you with the little resources put at your disposal. Take for instance in village I come from, there was no electricity in the early 1990s but now with the help of elites and the government electricity has been established though not to the nocks and crannies of the village. After reading through all the books that I have read lately I believe that with the little resources we are having we can make a living for ourselves given that in my village Irish potatoes is produced in large quantities and with some capital one can turn to export this and make it a cash crop.

ii) Enlightenment through suffering

Suffering is something that we undergo in our day to day life. Suffering does not only entail what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross of Calvary but suffering exists in many forms. Happiness is yet another means of suffering because before you become happy it is because something had happened that made you said and later you started getting over that pain. Break ups in relationships is another form of suffering because at the time of the break up you suffered a lot of pain and some months or weeks gone by you begin to realize that you really had to break up without which you would not be experiencing what you are feeling right now, the joy of maybe another relationship or the joy of healing alone. When you loose someone very dear to you like a father in whom you were dependent for all. Your school fees, money for your clothing and practically everything you think that you are finish whereas your life is just beginning. At that particular moment you think you are nothing without your father, you think you are not going to go back to school whereas if you look deep within you as would say Dr. Wayne you will discover that you are able to do things way beyond your imagination. Real Magic just teaches us that in everyone of us there is that power of a magician.

iii) Enlightenment through purpose

Nothing is more likely to help a person overcome or endure troubles than the consciousness of having a task in life says Victor Frankl. Papoose and goal setting keeps a man awake all year long. Year in year out you set goals that keep you going working hard to achieve your yearly goal. You overcome, you persevere, you endure in situations because you are aiming for something without which you will stay at home and not bother to fight for a better tomorrow. There would be no IIGL if not for the fact that we are working towards a common purpose and goal which is creating a better tomorrow and teaching and training great leaders of tomorrow. Success through Positive Mental Attitude keeps us going. It is because we do not allow our negative mental attitude take the better part of us that we keep saying no if I had not fallen then I would not know the pain in falling and I would not strive not to fall again tomorrow.

iv) Develop a conviction in your heart that prosperity truly belongs to you.

To think about prosperity is a great beginning but you must take those thoughts that you are entitled to prosperity into actual beliefs. You must cultivate this kind of mental conviction if you are to manifest prosperity. It is the process of living through knowing. Merely wishing for it is not enough, for nothing will be truly in your life until you reach a conviction within you that it belongs there. Imagine that you know and is convinced that you need a car for your day to day activities and yet you are only convince of this idea yet you are doing nothing towards this goal. It just goes a long way to strengthen what is in the Bible that says we have been given the power to trample upon snakes and scorpions and upon the power of the enemy and no harm shall befall us. Also in the book of Mark it is said that whoever says to a mountain that it should move and be cast into the sea and believes it then whatever you ask whenever you pray believe that you received them already.

v) No man is an island

Whether we like it or not, life can not move without any body accompanying you. Despite our state of wealth or living one can make it out from this world without somebody besides him. So we should always try to treat others the way we will like to be treated even in times of pain. You can be rich today and tomorrow you are no where to be found. What we want in this our world which Christ took several years to come up with a beautiful idea and put besides nice creatures is cordial relationship between all of us, by so doing we will then create a world of peace and tranquility. So our presidents and top ranking officials are there because of all of us and they have to deliver the goals the way it ought to be. So it is often said that you are there because am here.

vi) Your intentions create your reality

What we will want to be is determined by our thoughts or state of mind. If I will wish to be a minister (an inspired leader) tomorrow then what I conceived in my mind will take me there. I carefully believe that most of my inspired colleagues of IIGL are succeeding today because of the right decision which they have made by joining this grate site which is directing us how to move from one step to the other despite then condition we may be facing. So I found this quote very important to me. I have earlier made up my mind to enroll in a private teachers training college after spending five years out of school because of sponsor. But because of the books I read from IIGL, I stop procrastinating and went into business, though seemingly hard we are there.

vii) Avoid the trap of expecting your prosperity to arrive in your life through the efforts of others.

Rely on yourself to achieve your goals and prosperity. Do not think that because X is prosperous due to team work you too can become like him. Remember I read one of Shakespeare’s books that say some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness entrusted upon them. Prosperity and wealth is what everybody wants and is striving for. You may start a company or business all by yourself and after some years of putting in your best to see your business grow, you start flourishing and seeking for people to work for you. Here you are no more relying on them to prosper but relying on them to keep the business moving. You are not expected to go to sleep here and say you have already made it, you have to continue working and exploring new avenues to go higher and higher everyday. Take for instance, when I started working I was earning less than 20.000FCFA and today I can be proud of what I have become and through the aid of IIGL I know that the best is yet to come because I had been exploiting my talents.

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?

With the aid of these ideas or lessons learned while reading through this book one will be able to realize the power that lies in ones inner self. The power of acquiring what it is that we desire if we really reach for it. Greg Anderson says “You become a cancer conqueror not because you go into remission…… Instead you become a cancer conqueror because you choose to become a new person”. Just this sentence alone says it all.

You know when we hear somebody has cancer immediately we start preparing and consoling that person because we know he/she is going to die. It is rare to hear that someone survived cancer no matter the kind of cancer the person is having. Reading through this book and trying to make practical in our day to day life what we read in this book we come to realize that life is worth living in its entirety. Learning is the only thing that is continuous in life and we never get tired of it

What a great lesson this is in learning how to male all relationships work at a magical level. You simply do not have to understand why someone else would want to do and think the way they do. The fact that you are willing to say, “I do not understand, and it is fine,” is the greatest understanding you could exhibit.

4. 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.

i) One simply must know that there is more to life than achievement, performance and acquisitions and that the measure of life is not in what you accumulate but rather in what is given to others.

Blessed are the hands that give than those that receive says Bob Marley. There is joy in giving than receiving. We are blessed when we are able to identify ourselves with the less privilege in our society and are able to help them even with the little that we have. We should not wait to become the President in order to be able to help the less privilege for if we cannot give out of the widow’s mite that we are having then when we get more like Pharaoh we are still not going to be able to give. There is a saying that goes “the higher you go the colder it becomes” Physicists will understand it their own way but in simple life it just says when you earn less then your problems and responsibilities are less but when your salary become big then your problems increase and if you could not give out of the little salary you were earning then even when you start earning more you shall never be able to give out.

ii) Behave in ways consistent with love and harmony, and do not be attached in any way to the fruit of our success.

If we are out to lead, we should put in our maximum effort for the betterment of the public. We should not be self-centered. If we learn to love our neighbors like ourselves then we are inviting more blessings to our lives. Your neighbor might not only be the person that lives besides you but even your colleague in the office is your neighbor. If we share love, peace then we are on the verge of growing in God’s spirit.

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?

Well to the best my knowledge to my understanding I did not understand little things but it is fine. I will go through again and I am sure I will understand them better.

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 useful?

Yes. There were lots of exercises for the reader given that the book is a book of self discovery. Some of the exercises are still being done.

7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions?

Love, Peace and Harmony are the most talk about in the book. These are things that one has to continuously work on them to make the world a better place for all to live in.

Ratings:

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

The New Dynamics of Winning
Assessment by Yieh Odette Gwain (Cameroon)

1. What ideas were personally most important to you in this book? Do not simply list the ideas, but explain or discuss why they were important to you, using personal examples.

So many things were personally most interesting to me like what it takes to be a winner. The book gives an in depth explanation on what one can do to become a champion. Here we are made to understand that if one wants to be a champion, one has to think like a champion. I have a notion of what a champion should undergo but the book has shed more light on the things I need to do to achieve my goal and attain greatness. I have added to my knowledge that for me to become a champion I must have the traits of a champion I must be able to focus my mind for excellence. That is I should be able to focus my mind for peak performance anywhere, anytime.

The book also made me to understand that you choose what you want to be in life; whether you want to be an achiever or a follower, that champions are Born Losers are unmade.

1. Paying the price
2. The drive to win
3. The Olympian within
4. Fame, fortune and integrity
5. Visualization of victory
6. Self confidence and self transformation
7. Strength through mental toughness to mention few.

Relating the idea paying the price to my personal life experience. I am paying the price of becoming a great person and been wanting to be versatile. As an undergraduate in the University of Lagos I am paying the price to be given a degree certificate by spending four years in the University with hard work.

Furthermore, I am paying the price in my day to day activities to become somebody in life by being hardworking. One could also pay the price for what one had caused. I payed the price of devoting my time for reading the new Dynamics of winning, to answer and add to my reservoir of knowledge.

I have made sacrifice for so many things I achieved today. That is I have payed the price for been in the University today. I wrote different examinations at different times in order for me to gain admission into the university. Buying of change of course form, transport, feeding is part of the price paid to pass my examination. It is certain that when one paid the price, and do the right thing at the right time most definitely one will get the gold and not the silver nor the bronze.

The second idea in this book is the drive to win. As related to my personal circumstances. I have a mind set of a champion because I know I am a star and I am a success to my generation. For the fact that I have this mindset everything I want or plans is always coming to past and reality. I don’t believe their is something I can’t do, I don’t see myself as a failure or never do well. So I prefer to try something and fail than not to try or attempt it at all; and when I fall I will stand up and try again. By trying again I am always excelling. I had an encounter with a particular girl in my under Eighteen category. It happens that anytime we meet in the competitition, she is always beating or defeating me. Though I am always feeling bad but their was nothing I could do than to learn from my mistakes and perfect my strokes.

I did these and I was able to defeat her in our next match. If I do not have the mind of a champion I would have given up that I can’t defeat her but instead I put on an armour of boldness that I am a winner and I can do it and I did it.

The third idea is the Olympian within. What this is talking about is that if one has a project that involves different spheres of life, one should endeavour to prepare for four years or years before the actual day.

Fine, there is always a talent but one must build on the talent to be the best relating the Olympian within to my personal life circumstances, I will use my academic career as an example, there is an Olympic within me but in as much as I do not prepare or train the sport within by studying for the exam, my best can never be seen, but if I study so hard and even burn candle when there is no light means I am paying the price and Olympian within will be sound and I will have an excellent result on merit. I always prepare ahead of my examination and I am always having a good result. Building an Olympian within is another key point that will lead one to his destination and achieve a success after paying the price by building the Olympian within.

The fourth is fame, fortune and integrity. These three words are very important in ones life. Most especially when one is striving for greatness and after one must have achieved the greatness. Yes, I have had fame in my own little way, fortune yes and integrity yes. It is very easy to get these three points but maintaining it is the problems. When I started having the fame and fortune, I had already built the integrity to a point. I did not go to the University at the right time. I finished my college education at seventeen and I played away four years before getting an admission into the University because I was enjoying fame and fortune and I felt I will go and play professional table tennis but I thank God I realized that there is need for me to go to University in time. I thank God I did not spoil my integrity when the fame was on as well, because good name is better than gold and silver. It is very important to have the fear of God because when one is having fame and fortune at the same time it is dangerous.

I have experience visualization of victory because whenever I am preparing for something, I am always viewing it that I am going to excel. My dream began when I was twelve years old, watching an Olympic and All Africa Games Championship on the television. I saw a lady from Nigeria playing in the all Africa Games and their was so much fame ascribe to her. Immediately I felt I can do what she is doing, that I have gotten the talent and the following week I started going for training because I also want to have fame, fortune and integrity. I started like that and I played so many competitions but my dream, to my vision is yet to be fulfilled because I have not been to the Olympics. I still have the desire to feature in the Olympics. I still have the burning desire after my degree or during my master’s degree. I lost courage of continuing to play table-tennis in Nigeria after I lost in the trials for the all Africa games and I opted to go to the University.

Self confidence and self transformation is another idea. I have always had confidence in myself. Their was neither job, nor money with my parent. I came from a poor family where had to look for what to eat, wear and sleep individually and come together as a family. I had confidence in myself and I transform myself into an entrepreneur and device work that will be bringing in money for me before I started playing table-tennis I am always having confidence when training and during competition. I assimilate fast and learn fast so I have always been excelling even in school. Sometime I don’t read or study until one week before the examination and I will do excellently well because I am very fast at learning and assimilating. I am also pro-active and self confidence in all my dealings.

In all the ideas here, I embrace the fact that, to be a champion, one must have the following.

* I am responsible by the value in which I live
* My body, my mind and spirit I live to excel. I am worthy of happiness and success as anyone else and nothing is impossible to achieve in live.

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 most important ideas I learnt are the following; self worth and self trust
The five fundamentals of self esteem
Ten self-affirming beliefs

The book explain that one must believe that, one is worth of happiness and success as anyone you are worthy in your own way, regardless of how you may feel different from others.

That, one must learn self trust, which is the ability to feel positive, responsible and in control of what takes place as you try to test your limits.

Apparently, the five fundamentals of self esteem is another good idea I really appreciate in the book that one should be aware that self esteem, or the lack of it, is at the root of all behavior, both positive and negative. There is nothing like self esteem because it is inevitable; most definitely one will be spending most of the time with one self.

Self esteem is made up of self worth and self trust. Self worth is simply the feeling of being glad with one self. Self trust is the functional belief in your own ability positively and effectively to control what happens to you in a world of uncertainty.

One should realize that no opinion and no judgment is so vitally important to your own growth and development as that which you hold of yourself. I am able to denote that the most important meeting, conversation, briefings and lectures one will ever have, are those that one hold in the privacy of one’s mind.

That no eyes will ever critique a video of you, a photo of you, a reflection of you in a stone window or a full length view of you in the mirror as you step out of the shower, as sharply and critically as your own years. That one should make effort to feel good about one’s physical appearance including how you look, talk, think and dress. That if one does not feel good about those things one should take control and make amend by making changes.

Lastly, you can be your own worst enemy or your own best friend. Realize that once and for all, you hold the key to your personal success and happiness even failure.

I also embrace the ten affirming principles which are:

* Control of thoughts. I control my thoughts, emotions, actions and I direct them to improve the quality of my health, my relationships, my work and my life.

* I am a good valuable and worthy person.

* I am fully capable of achieving the goals that I set for myself today.

* I trust my abilities and my judgment in taking risks that will test my hints and I am willing to live with the consequences and rewards of my decisions.

* I am responsible for the values by which I live

* I learn from problem and setbacks and through them I can find opportunities for improvement and growth.

* My spirit, mind and body are a powerful team, which I set free to excel.

* I am my own best friend and coach. When I talk to myself, I am encouraging supportive and respectful.

* Every day I am becoming more knowledgeable more caring, more adaptable, more successful and more in control.

* Regardless of what happens in my life, I have decided to be happy.

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.

“To be a champion” This is the most captivating quote that has been ringing a bell un my head since I went through the book “The New Dynamics of Winning”. Being a champion is what everybody wants, either being a table tennis champion, a handball champion or better still a champion in all the works of life. This quote caught my attention and I believe all of us are champions in life depending on what we look and think to be a champion.

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?

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.

I found all the points broken down into chapters very helpful and interesting. Every word in the book “The New Dynamic of Winning is soul lifting. I think this book is actually meant for people trying to find their way in life; that is, somebody like me that is not born with a silver spoon. At times I regret been in my family because no one cares, one is independent from teenager. The book is excellent it is full of inspiring words. The book actually outlines different steps one needs to go through to have a smooth road to ones destination.

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?

Well for me the book was just complete and timely and even though one can never say there was nothing there to comment on. I liked the book and would recommend it to all around me to be able to learn to know themselves better.

Please Rate the following Questions on a scale from 1 to 10.

A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10

Unlimited Power
Assessment by Yieh Odette Gwain

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

The Author in this book is making the reader see the how communication is essential. What we become in life is a replica of our thoughts. If we keep accepting defeat and our challenges are like a limitation and do nothing about them then we become just that. Take the case of Colonel Sanders who was turned down 1009 times but he never gave up hope. He had that conviction that there was someone out there who could help so he kept on and the next door was a success and he was in business. This is as a result of the power of communication. He kept on communicating to himself telling himself that he can do it. If it were it this world of today we would have given up. I for instance would have given up because I cannot imagine myself talking to people up to 1009 times and continuing to accept refusal. At one point in my life I thought I was doomed only for failure, everything I touched was not working out for me. I started a little business and the same month all the capital vanished how I cannot explain. After reading this book I can now see that it was my thoughts that made me fail because even before starting the business I knew I could not succeed because I always have this feeling that people who borrow from me shall never repay my debt. Power here is the ability to act. So power in this book is not like the power boxers use in the ring but the ability to use knowledge we acquire into practice as the author says ‘ Knowledge is only potential power until it comes into the hands of someone who knows how to get himself to take effective action’

Communication
Communication is the key to yourself and others. If you have a pessimistic thought about something then be sure that thing is going to happen just the way you think of it. If you know that you are very limited in one field then try to work on your weaknesses and you see the magic. Communicate positively to yourself, say you are a success, say you can do it and you will certainly do it. I for instance before now I knew I was a failure in my family because I thought I could not offer anything good to anyone. I was always blamed for everything bad, I was always told that I was a good for nothing girl. I kept repeating that to myself and really all I was doing was just going down the drain. One day I said to myself I can do this thing, I can take my family out of poverty and I started working on that. Today I have two siblings in professional schools due graduation with this year 2011. Then also after reading this book I can now understand the power of communication.

Action
The Author talks more often of action. Knowledge he says is not useful until it falls in the hands of someone who can produce results. Which means that knowledge should be put in action before it can be useful. Also he says action is the only thing that can produce results. If you find your role model and do not act on their results then you cannot produce any results. I have a lot of things bottled up in me that I need to act upon so this year I have taken up that initiative to go back to school and get a degree program that can permit me after graduation be able to produce results.

Belief
Our beliefs about what we are and what we can be precisely determines what we will become. “I am what I THINK I am.” Lift yourself up to possibilities that come along your life’s pathway. Make success your dominant thought, as that’s what will end up happening. Put it “out there” and everything will follow from that. Keep on BELIEVING.

The power of state
The difference between the time when everything goes right and the time when everything goes wrong is the neuro-physiological state you are in. There are enabling states that tap great well springs of personal power and there are paralyzing states that leave us powerless. Our behaviour is the result of the state we are in. So to control and direct our behaviors we must control our states. When we know what we want, outstanding positive results can be consistently produced. Take the case of W. Mitchell though severely burnt and paralysed, he does not lose hope. This is because of the state he put himself in. Would it be that he put himself in a lamenting state and thought all was over for him, he would have entered a depressive state.

Clarity of Values
Values are specific belief systems we have about what is right and wrong. Hugely successful people almost always have a clear fundamental sense about what really is important to them, so prioritise your values. Take the case of Dean Barbara Black of the Columbia University School of Law who envisioned herself to be dean one day. Her purpose was clear so she set to work after getting a degree in Columbia she put her career on hold and developed another career which is creating a family of her own. After nine years she went back to her original goal and made it and became a successful dean in one of the most prestigious law schools in America.

Passion
Passion is an inner force, a reason, a consuming, energizing, almost obsessive purpose that drives people to do, to grow, and to BE more. It gives the power to tap one’s true potential and achieve seemingly impossible endeavours. With passion and purpose in our individual lives we can touch others and in so doing illuminate the hearts and minds of humanity to make a better world (through helping raise consciousness). Let us offer an alternate vision for the world to embrace: one that banishes the fanatical ideology of intolerance and hatred to the darkness from which it emerged. Each one of us in our own little ways can and must offer a compelling new horizon: a bright future of justice, tolerance, respect for other traditions and values and especially a vision of hope and thoughts of peace fuelled by the eternal
flame of love, which can light the darkest night.

Perseverance
This is one of the greatest attributes one can have in life. If Abraham Lincoln was not perseverant and had focus in life he would have given up hope after he had failed in business at the age of 21. He was elected president at the age of 52 after having recorded a series of failures in life.

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

All these attributes and ideas are already helping me in life and I believe that with constant reading and reminding myself on what I want in life I believe that the sky which is the limit for others will be my springboard. To give hope to others and to teach all around me that challenges are not a limitation in their lives. When you fall do not look at where you fell but at what made you fall and learn from it. I think Abraham Lincoln should be a role model for many people who want to succeed 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

i) The quality of life is the quality of communication.

Communication is the key in every domain in life. In a family where there is no communication, problems are bound to arise because the husband will have his problems with the wife that he cannot express and vice versa so is communication at helm of an enterprise or company. You may nurse and idea and without expressing yourself you will never get suggestions from friends and people who can advise you on what strategy to put in place to see your idea become a reality. One hand as is usually said in my country cannot tie a bundle.

ii) The ancestor of every action is thought – by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

This quote quoted by the author is mind blowing and true. Before you take action you must think and before you coin your goals you think of the advantages and disadvantages. You think of the reason you need the thing you have decided upon and what is involved in attaining that goal.

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?

To the best of my knowledge I do not see anything left for the author to explain. As it is said in the Bible during the teachings of Jesus Christ those who have ears should hear. The book is very explicit and clear to the point that even a grade 5 child can read and understand the content. The only thing left now to do is to walk on the cold that is put all these in practice and see that we have a better life in the days and years ahead.

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?

The only exercises left in the book for the reader is put all these examples into practice if he/she did not have a role model, should try and look at someone who has succeeded and who has the purpose he/she has in life and emulate. The book is very helpful for people like me who is still struggling to make a living.

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.

You know this book is so good that I cannot even stay a day without reading at least a chapter just to be informed and not to loose focus.

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.

Leadership for Dummies
Assessment by Yieh Odette Gwain (Cameroon)

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

The main idea in this book is all about leadership and the skills a good leader should possess. It’s like a handbook for inspired leaders or a book to be owned by all and read also even in schools. The book talks most especially about the three leadership skills or abilities a good leader should work on. Becoming a leader is not like winning an elections or just being promoted to a higher rank in your company, it is all about what you are going to give out. The Anecdotes used in this book helps us see the successes and failures of the various leaders through history. Take the story of ABRAHAM Lincoln and you will know that he was a leader from scratch even though he registered a series of failures before becoming President. There are several stories here to throw more light on leadership and leadership skills. Its does not take time to become a leader but it takes a lot of energy to become a good leader. There are three view points the authors throw light on as virtues of a good leader, listening well, eliciting the cooperation of others, placing the needs of others above yours.

It takes a lot of effort for people to place the needs of others above theirs these days but as the as good leader that you are placing the needs of others above yours should always be a priority. This is difficult in African countries today because almost all our leaders think first of themselves before thinking about the masses. It is just like the case of corruption in Cameroon which to me can hardly be eradicated. Families starve for one of theirs to be able to reach a good position, they engage in debts which need to be repaid and if tomorrow they are given a political advancement, what do they do? They try to fill their pockets first before serving the interest of the masses. I think this book should be recommended in professional schools in Cameroon. As for me I am putting in the best I can to serve the people around me before thinking of myself. I also do well to listen and elicit the cooperation of others because without them I cannot achieve my desired goals in life.

i. Leadership begins with the willingness to embrace responsibility. For one to be a leader you need to accept the responsibility that comes with being a leader. This responsibility is putting other peoples needs before yours, become a good listener and elicit the cooperation of others. For one to lead and turn to a successful leader they need to serve others or offer beneficial services to the community in which you live in. To be a good leader you need to know the goals of the people you are leading and see if you identify yourself with them.

ii. Taking in new information and adjusting your response to a particular situation requires intelligence. What counts in life is not our action but our reaction in every situation we are in. What really defines the intelligence of a person is the ability to deal with different situations at every given time and doing it with more intelligence. We do tell the personality of a person by the way he carries himself around others and the way he reacts to different situations. This also helped me to learn to be watchful in every situation and work towards solving the situation other than creating more havoc towards the problem. A critical leader has to look round for all possible solutions in different situations articulated on that one thing that no one saw and work on it to perfection. This a virtue many people wouldn’t see. Take the story of Bob Lutz who came to Chrysler and was allowed to form his own team. Everyone he picked was considered a castoff. Instead of being defeated with the huge challenge he turned the whole thing around and was finally made the president of Chrysler. This is because he could adapt and create a good team. He was adapted very well to the new situation in which he found himself.

iii. You become free by acting free. The statement caught my attention since most of the time we sit and wish for something but do not make an effort towards attaining what we want. Freedom is something that can be interpreted in so many ways. Remember chains are not the ones that we see physically but the mental chains to which we tie ourselves. Take for instance a horse; he knows that when he is tied to a tree he should not move. He is so used to it that even you tie it to a chair it is not going to move. This is more mental than physical. This statement does not apply on being free but it applies in so many aspect in our life and rather than taking it literally we need to make an effort towards what we desire and focus mostly on the end result of what we want, but what’s important is not letting our ego get caught in the glory and forget that we need to work in order to attain the glory at the end of the day.

iv. Making yourself a leader when you aren’t does not mean running around…..It does mean acting on the moment and helping those needs above your own. Some people work so hard to attain the spot light for different reasons. Some do it for fame, money, publicity some do it out of sympathy, empathy among other reasons. When I read this statement it reminded me that a great leader is a great servant. Who offers services to others and keep others above himself despite how hard the task might be. This is the thin line that draws great leaders from the rest and the mark leaders live in the life of many. This only goes to strengthen the view that JESUS was a great leader who laid down his own life to safe mankind from destruction. We can do that today in our own way not necessarily going to die on the cross but by doing things to others who really need them.

v. Volunteering is a way to do a lot of things that have very little to do with helping others, or with leading. Some people see volunteering in many different ways and start the course due to different reasons. Once you develop the purpose and draw a line and make an effort towards dedicating your time, money among others you might end up not only getting a leadership position or creating one, but also learning and growing as a person. This might lead you to appreciating the little opportunity you get in life and also gives you the zeal of working in creating opportunities and changing circumstances to work for you and to work for others too but not against. Here elicit the cooperation of others because you cannot do it on your own. You need others to help you around with other things. You cannot be in several places at the same time you have to dedicate powers in that way creating other leaders within your group and together you make a great team.

vi. Your job as a leader is to ascertain the skills and experience of your team members and then helping them disseminate that knowledge to the group as a whole. No man is an island and that’s why we need others. As a leader you are suppose to learn that you do not know every thing and every group member is gifted in one way or another and has the basis of one thing better than anybody else thus you should make an effort of discovering what is the talent of each group member and how you can use it to benefit each one of you and how it will help you attain your goals. We go back to the book to read one tip which states ‘To be an effective coach you have to let your team know where you stand, what the vision means to you, and what you will do to make it happen’. We should learn to give each group member a chance to shine and make them fill as if they are important as any other person in the group and has equal magnitude as anybody to influence the progress of the group. If each member feels this way they will work with a lot of zeal thus leading your group to attain what you desire and make them celebrate the effort of everyone.

vii. Transient nature of leadership. This point is very important to me because it demonstrate the various types of leadership like, Situational leadership, Transitional leadership and the Hierarchical leadership, with each explaining the importance attached to it. For instance after Stalin died there was a struggle, here there was a need for a ruler until the country could really stand on its feet. Then came the reign of Nikita Khrushchev who followed what Stalin had left in a locked box in one of his drawers. When he had exhausted all that was written then came the time when it was said he should choose a new ruler. As read in the book if your main aim of being a ruler is to attain a goal what will happen to you after attaining the goal? So leadership is a continuous process that needs to continuously be revived with learning.

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?

As the former managing editor of Forbes used to say ‘What does the dog who’s chasing a car do with it once he catches it’. To me all these ideas are going to help me in the future as is the case now because I now know what to do and how to do it. To be a leader now to me does not only entail the advantages that come with it also the responsibilities that go with the position. As said some people tussle for leadership because of the fame and money that goes with it but others have their various reasons.

4. 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.

”A company control the job you control your career – Lester Korn” Here the quote is worth noting especially in a country like Cameroon where bosses and Chief executives just dismiss randomly. Really the Company control the job whether keeping or removing you while control your career.

“Your ability to lead depends on the willingness of others to follow, or at least to cooperate with you”

First you need to make an inventory of the group you are about to lead when given a new position. Ensure you know the talents of all the members in your group and know how to exploit them. If you do not identify yourself with a common goal as the members of your group then you stand alone and there is no one for you to lead. This just goes to enforce the fact that you need to elicit the cooperation of your group members.

“In dreams begins responsibility – William Butler Yeats” This to me is like a spur, if you dream of changing the lives of your family members then you have to take up that responsibility and work even harder. You need to see the goodness in all of your family members. You need to identify their fields of specialization and it is only through that that you can help them come out. Then comes the point when you have to identify yourself with the entire group, you have to be either proud or ashamed of your success so far.

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?

To the best of my knowledge the book is a success and I still have to go through the book again but so far so good to me.

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 useful?

Most of the exercises in the book were completed by me and to me I have learnt a lot while reading the book. As I said earlier this book needs to be recommended in most professional schools.

7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions?

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? 9
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
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? 9