As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Akagha Chukwuemeka Dennis (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea that the author is trying to convey is that man is the maker of his life. Everything that man is; his character, health circumstances and body is a direct function of his thoughts system. Basically, as portrayed by the author, man’s thoughts affects his being – As a Man Thinketh in his heart, so is he.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List those seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal example from your own life.
The seven Ideas which were personally most important to me and why are as follows:
i. Thoughts as it affects our character: a man is literally what he thinks says James Allen and his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts. This is one of the most important ideas James Allen has opened my eyes to. Most times I usually think it’s the environment that influence our character not our thoughts. Using myself as a typical example, I was brought up in a ghetto but it’s hard to believe unless I say it. This I believe was a function of how I have programmed my mind over the years to be the best and nothing but the best. I have never allowed the fact that I was born in the ghetto to influence what am supposed to be in life.
ii. The effect of thought on our circumstances: this is sometimes difficult to believe but as a matter of fact, it’s true. Our circumstances in life are based on how we have been thinking in the past. Every challenges passed through in life is a product of our thoughts system. I used to believe that my circumstances have nothing to do with the way I think and with this belief; I blame other people for my challenges. However, man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions. Some years back I was writing a professional exam and there was this course I feared most. I couldn’t read because I really don’t because I have made up my mind not to pass the course and so it happened – I did not pass the exam no matter how i manage to write the exam. From this experience and reading this book, I now understand why I did not pass the exam. It was as a result of my past thoughts and fears.
iii. Thoughts as it affects our health and body: according to James Allen, “it is the people who live in fear of diseases are the people who attracts it. The soul attracts three things: what it harbors, what it loves and what it fears. No wonder Job in the Bible said “that which I fear most have come upon me”. According to research, taking of drugs does not heal but believing that when one takes the drugs, he gets better. Personally, I use to think ill health most times and gradually I would notice that my health will begin to respond to what I have been thinking.
iv. Results and effort: “in all human affairs, there are efforts and there are results; and the strength of the effort is the measures of the result”. In other words, every human achievement is a product of his effort and there is nothing as good-luck. This is a principle which I believe is related to what Newton’s law of motion says: “all objects remain in a state of rest until a force is applied”. This force is what I call effort. Nothing moves until something moves. When I wanted to started my business, I had to plan, have positive thoughts but until I made an effort to make a step, nothing ever worked. I had plans to set up a business but all was just an imagination and aspiration. All I needed was a little of action and when I did, everything came to play.
v. Thinking big: this was a striking idea considering his words that “you will become as small as your controlling desires, as great your dominant aspirations.” God has given us the ability to think but it’s our responsibility to think big. Scripture says, As a man Thinketh in his heart, so is he” meaning, if you think less, you will become less and when you think big, you become big. I will always use my business as an example because most of the ideas are one way or the other related to me. Before I ventured into business, I have always had a small business mentality and I believe this is what is still keeping me where I am today. I saw a small business, a mall office, a staff and this is what I have gotten so far. I really need to start THINKING BIG to become big and reading this book and other books on positive thinking and thinking big is an eye opener.
vi. Every achievement in life first existed In the mind: James Allen in his word said “he who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart will one day realize it. Nothing that existed which did not first existed in the thoughts of anyone. Every achievement was first and for a time a dream. From this idea, it is a worthy fact that all that I have become is a result of my dreaming and thinking about it. What this does to me is that it shapes my thoughts system to suit my vision in life.
vii. Calmness of the mind: the productivity of the mind is a function of how calmed and relax the mind is. Only he whose thoughts are controlled and purified makes the world and the storms of the soul obey him. To be able to control your mind, you need a relaxed and a calmed mind, only then will productivity be assured. Just last month, after attending a business school, we were asked to come up with a business plan but at that moment, my mind wasn’t relaxed because of certain issues. I could not meet up with the deadline given to come up with the plan.
3. How will those 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?
First and foremost, it will help me to think effectively and productively. It will help me in such a way that I will start thinking good health instead of poor health, stop blaming people for my challenges knowing fully well that I am the creator of my world. It will also help me in aligning my thinking to my purpose and most of all, master the act of calmed and relaxed mind. With this, I believe I will make a better world because my life will always be a reflection of what I think and people will want to emulate me.
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.
“In all human affairs, there are efforts and there are results. The strength of the efforts is the measure of the result” according to Martin Luther King jnr, “faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the stair case”. This first step can be referred to as efforts. Ideas can only be said to have been realized only when the first step has been taking to achieving it. This is important to me at this point in my life that there are visions I’m yet to achieve and I have not made a step but sincerely, I have been motivated by the words of James Allen and I will make effort.
“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” this is a mind-blowing statement and has transformed my thinking. From the above statement, I realized that man is the maker of himself by what he thinks.
“everyman is where he is by the law of his being, the thoughts which he has built into his character have brought him there and in the arrangement of his life, there is no element of chance, but all is the result of a law which cannot err”. The universe is guided by principles and laws and it takes an obedience of those principles before it can deliver to you what you seek. These laws are no respecter of persons and no matter how handsome or beautiful a person may look, if he/she jumps from a 25-storied building, definitely, he/she will die. This is because the law of gravity and every other law does not respect ones personality and delivers to you in the portion at which they are obeyed. Therefore, the law guiding thoughts says you can’t think rice and get beans. You get to the measure of your thoughts.
“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances but are unwilling to improve themselves, they therefore remain bound”. It’s been said that there are three kind of knowledge. What you know, what you know that you don’t know and what you don’t know that you don’t know. What you know is an asset and it takes knowledge and acting upon what is known to set one free. A lot of people are facing serious challenges but are unwilling to seek for knowledge or acting upon what they already know to liberate them from their present circumstances. On a daily basis, I crave for new ideas because I know that today’s knowledge will become outdated tomorrow.
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?
Not at all
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?
To the best of my knowledge, the book “As a Man Thinketh” does not contain any exercises.
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.
After reading chapter one, I asked myself a very important question which was “how does a man forges the weapon by which he destroys himself?” this is really a mind-blowing statement made by James Allen and from this I got to understand that if a man can forge the weapon to use in destroying himself with his mind, so can he fashion the tools with which he can use to build heavenly mansion. This is why the scripture admonishes us to “keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts…” – THE MESSAGE.
Please rate the following questions on 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 other? 8
E. What is the overall rating you will give it? 10
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Akagha Chukwuemeka Dennis (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea in the book “Jonathan Livingston Segull” that the author is trying to convey is never to give up on your dream and visions no matter what and how critical the challenges may look like. Believe in what you are capable of doing. Jonathan kept on believing on his dream despite the challenges from his flocks, the excommunication and wrong advice from his mum and dad. He wanted to live not just like an ordinary bird or within his comfort zone but to go beyond what a gull is generally known for.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List those seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
The seven ideas which were personally most important to me and why are as follows:
i. Persistence: Jonathan was always persistent no matter how many times he tried and failed. Jonathan Seagull in his strives for perfection and excellence faltered and stalled but he never allowed that to create an obstacle or limit his power of persistence. Considering the challenges I faced with when starting up my business, it was a trying time for me, the resources weren’t there to start but I kept on persisting that it will work because I believe in the dream. I should say here that the little level of persistence I employed in my life really worked for me.
ii. You fail doesn’t mean you have failed. Most people after trying and it seems they have failed refuses to try again with the notion “what will people say”. From the book, “Jonathan was unashamed, stretching his wings again in that trembling hard curve…” so many of us see failure as the end but from the book, I got to understand that in the mist of failure, there is success. I also found out from my little research of successful men in the world, no one ever succeeded without encountering failure in one form or the other. My first business which was supposed to be a transport business failed yet I never allowed that to affect my striving to be an entrepreneur. In my second year in the university, I did fail some courses but I kept on believing that no matter what, I will make it.
iii. The power of knowledge: a Greek philosopher once said that “he who knows not and knows that he knows not is an incorrigible fool” Jonathan, in his words “ I don’t mind being bone and feathers mom, I just want to know what I can do in the air…”. Knowledge they say, is power because it is what you know that you will apply to real life situations. This is one of the greatest ideas exposed by the author. Personally, i have always wanted to know more. I got to realize that the more I know, the better I become and to a large extent, it has worked for me.
iv. Another important idea I found out from the book is what I could term enculturation programming. Enculturation is our environment from the time of our birth to this moment. It includes our culture, our friends, the people we have met along the way, our family especially our parents. That’s a lot of influence, and this influence has a way of programming our minds to be something other than who we truly are. It causes prejudices, dislikes, and believing certain things are “right” while others are “wrong”. It leaves many choices unexplored, many opportunities missed, and many pathways labeled as “wrong”. This almost affected Jonathan but he was able to break from it. for example, I was born in a ghetto and while growing up, it affected my way of behavior and addressing lives issues. However, so long as I was able to fight enculturation programming, I realized that life is all about being unique and not the usual way.
v. Love: this is the greatest idea ever. Despite the hatred by his fellow flocks he kept on working on love by always wanting to teach them what they don’t know. This is important to me because even the bible says love your neighbors as yourself and the greatest commandment among all is love. There was when a friend of mine visited me all the way from another state and wanted to put up with me for a few days but I told him that I was out of town while I was in town. I did that due to my past experience with him but that does not justify my actions towards him. As a matter of fact, this does not portray love and I believe, I have realized how important love is to the success of every man here on earth after reading this book.
vii. Strive for the best: Jonathan was always striving to become the best. He was not satisfied with where he was. He was not satisfied with living to eat instead he wants to live and fly high. After my graduation from the university, I thought I have arrived but little did I know that the journey has just begun. In a bid to become the best in what I do, I started taking soft personal development courses on leadership, public speaking and entrepreneurship. At a point, I became dissatisfied with my present state.
viii. Thoughts and body: according to the author, our body moves in the direction of our thought. Jonathan, in his words, “break the chains of your thought and you break the chains of your body too…” I quite agree with this idea because our thought is what determines the state of our body. Relating it to my personal life, some years back I became ill and no matter how much of drugs I took, I never became well. All I had to do was to think healthy thoughts. This really worked for me and it went to compliment whatever drugs I have been taking so far.
3. How will those 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?
First and foremost, the idea on love will teach me on how to love more. Jonathan was advised to always work in love no matter the challenges set before him. I have notice that I don’t love that much as I am supposed to; and to creating a better world, love is an important ingredient.
Also, reading this book has motivated me to always strive to know more. To be the best in what I do and not wanting to live an ordinary life rather to live a life filled with hopes and inspiration.
Finally, it will help me in my personal life in not wanting to give up on my dreams and aspiration no matter what the challenges will look like. For instance, I have always had this dream of starting an NGO on young entrepreneurs and motivating young people on how to start a business and becoming there own boss. Sometimes, I do feel discouraged maybe due to the huge task involved. However, I will never give up and like Jonathan, I must succeed. My becoming successful will definitely create a better world.
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.
“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” – this really caught my attention because I realized that some of the task I couldn’t do was as result of looking with my physical eyes. Most times, I’m always scared of reading voluminous books. This is simply because my eyes have said I can’t and it has been passed to my subconscious and at the end of the day, nothing is done regarding reading of the book. This has really been a challenge to my personal life. This is important to me because I have not to look with my physical eyes but with my inward eyes because the physical eye is deceptive and can’t be relied upon.
“You didn’t need faith to fly, you needed to understand flying…” I quite agree with this saying and its in line with what the scripture says that “wisdom is the principal thing, in all thy getting, get understanding…” To achieve a particular task, all you need is to understand what is needed to achieve the task and after which faith.
“Keep working on love” to buttress further on this quote, Paul in his statement to the Corinthians said “and though I have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I would remove mountain, but have not love, I am nothing” working in love is the foundation of every man’s success.
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 really don’t understand what happened to Jonathan at all most the end of the book where he vanished. Was it that he died and if he died, it was not specified what happened to him or was it a transition?
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?
To the best of my knowledge, the book does not contain any exercises.
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.
There was one important point I will like to comment on and that’s in the area of forgiveness. A lot of us find it difficult to forgive and as a matter of fact, it’s not a better way of becoming who you want to be in life. Fletcher Lynd Seagull was one of the seagulls treated badly and his motive for flying high is for payback but according to Jonathan, “Don’t be harsh on them, Fletcher Seagull. In casting you out, the other gulls have only hurt themselves, and one day they will know this, and one day they will see what you see. Forgive them, and help them to understand.” To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. in return, you will receive untold peace and happiness just as Jonathan Livingstone Seagull did.
Please rate the following questions on scale from 1 to 10. Ten being good and One being poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Assessment by Akagha Chukwuemeka Dennis (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
Dale Carnegie’s How to win friends and influence people according to research was a first in the interpersonal skills category. Generally, the book is about being nice to people, relate, and work with them. Dealing with people is practically the biggest problem one face as a business person, a sales person, or whatever profession one is; and much of what Dale Carnegie has done in his book is giving principles and case studies which if practiced, will not just help one in relating with other people but will increase one’s people skill. Everybody want to feel sense of belonging, want to feel important and appreciated and the best way to get at it is to give them what they want which is a better way of winning friends and influencing people.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List those seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal example from your own life.
The seven ideas which were personally most important to me are as follows:
i. Don’t criticize, condemn or complain: let me start by using the words of the author which he said that when dealing with people, let us always remember that we are not dealing with creatures of logic but creatures of emotions. Reading this book, I have realized that the best way to handle a seemingly unfavorable situation with someone is never to criticize instead, encourage the person. In a personal experience, I have just one employee and each time she does anything wrong regarding to sales, I scold and criticize her. This has really not gone well for me as a business owner because it never brought any changes instead, it makes my employee to be scared and afraid of taking actions when necessary even if it’s the right one to take. This idea is most important to me as a business person because it has shown me my flaws when it comes to relating with my employee.
ii. Becoming genuinely interested in other people: the statement, “you can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you” I have realized this from personal experience that people are more interested in themselves than others and to add to their misery is by wanting to let them interested in you. The best way to get close to people is by getting to know them genuinely and be interested in them. Virtually all of my customers are gotten by getting to know them. Wanting to be close to them and interested in what they want. I even go the extra mile to send them motivational message on a daily basis just to let them know that they are not alone that I care. This idea reinforces my belief about getting to know and interested in other people.
iii. You cant win an argument: from the cases sighted, I have come to realize that no matter how good one is in driving his/her point, to be able to make friends and influence people, the best way to handle argument is to avoid it. I believe avoiding argument irrespective of whether you are right or not doesn’t make you a fool; it only puts one ahead. In a practical experience I had was with a customer I used to give credit facilities. Along the line of doing business with her, an issue came which resulted to an argument. We argued for a very long time, though I was making a point and at the same time, unknowingly to me, I was losing her as a customer. After the argument, she stopped buying from which if I had avoided it, it wouldn’t have resulted that way.
iv. Knowing the names of the people you are hoping to influence: it was only recently I realized the importance of this idea. According to Dale, “a man’s name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language”. Personally, I am not good at remembering the names of people and this has cost me even in my business. Some months back, someone called me to transact business with me but simply because I could recollect who he was and his name, he hung up the phone and that was all. This is important to me because I have not just read but putting into practice. I had to open a file for all my customers where I have their names and profile. With this in place, and to a large extent, I now know my customers by their name.
v. Showing sincere appreciation: every man’s desire is to be great an appreciated. However the best way to do this which personally, I have flaws with is by making others feel important. To influence someone, they must be appreciated sincerely not criticizing or condemning. Most I have used flattery to achieve a motive which is an insincere way of appreciating someone. Reading this book has really made me understand the difference between flattery and sincere appreciation.
vi. Letting the other person feel that the ideas are his/hers: the best way to get cooperation from people is to let them feel that the idea is theirs and not yours. This is quite interesting and important such that the idea behind the company I am incorporating with my team is mine but in other to gain their cooperation and understanding, I have made them feel its theirs; though, I did it without the knowledge of this principle by Dale.
vii. Asking questions instead of giving direct orders: this has really worked for me when it comes to my relationship with my employee. Sometimes I see some undone jobs she was supposed to have done but instead of giving her orders which might bring down her moral towards work, I use words like “when will you balance the account?” “Have you swept the office?” this alone makes her feel sense of belonging instead of using direct orders.
3. How will those 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?
According to Dale, the great aim of education is not knowledge but action; likewise, I believe I am not just into IIGL for the fun of it but to acquire knowledge and act upon what I have been reading so as to affect lives and create a better world. While growing up, I have had this passion for public speaking but I needed to get myself armed and prepared for the tasked ahead which I believe much of the ideas in this book is a sure foundation for me in learning how to deal with people.
As humans, we have flaws and disadvantages and this is what makes us imperfect. As a matter of fact, I have flaws in most of the principles laid down in the book but the important thing about life is we are learning on a daily basis and I have given myself to learning with the help of IIGL. So these ideas or lessons will help me by ensuring that I apply them in my daily life so as to not just create a better world but to influence a larger group of persons to achieve destiny by not condemning or criticizing, by giving honest appreciation, giving preference to people’s names and do a great deal of listening to other people.
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.
“The great aim of education is not knowledge but ACTION” I am particularly interested in this quote because reading books through IIGL has really sparked everything in me to take action in my area of passion. Honestly, it’s like if I never acted on what I have been reading so far, then, something is wrong.
“Don’t be afraid of the enemies who attack you, be afraid of the friends who flatter you”: this is important to me because over the years, as a business person, I have used this tool to achieve my aim and from the lesson I learnt here, flattery is insincere, not from the heart and selfish. I believe, I will start using genuine appreciation to people if I really want to influence them and affect their lives positively.
“A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little men” being great doesn’t mean you should sit on other people’s head. Ones greatness is indicated by how he treats other people. Greatness is reflected in ones character and this quote is important to me because it has not just taught me ho to treat people but to make them feel appreciated and important.
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?
One idea I quite do not agree with is the idea of smiling. I am not disputing the fact that smiling is not good, in fact, health wise, it is recommended. Yes, I agree that first impression matters, but does it require only a smile? Our outfit should as well matter. I guess I need more clarification on this regarding this quote “the expression one wears on ones face is far more important than the cloths one wears on ones back”
Personally, I believe that what we put on matters a lot because if you wear a rag to my office, no matter how large your smile is, I will have to address you the way you are dressed.
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 exercises
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.
Not at all
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? 9
E. What is the overall rating you will give it? 9
Keys to Success
Assessment by Dennis Akagha Chukwuemeka (Nigeria)
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 is basically on personal development. Reading this book, I have come to realize that life is bounded by principles and until you understand this principles, success is cannot be achieved. According to the author, the foundation for every man’s achievement begins with definiteness of purpose, in other words, know where you are going? Bishop Oyedepo will always say that until you know where you are going, you end up a wanderer. Every man is created with a purpose and it’s our responsibility to identify that purpose to achieve personal success which is basically the main idea the author is trying to convey.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List those seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal example from your own life.
A. Positive mental attitude and its application: this is most important to me because it has taught me how to apply PMA and get it work for me. After reading the first chapter of the book, and as a business person into the sale of telecom products in larger quantity, I needed to put it into practice. Before going to bed that night, I had this burning desire to make a larger profit compared with other business days. I made it an obsession and slept with it. The following day, before leaving for the office, I confessed how much I wanted to make for that day. To my greatest surprised, it worked!
B. Building self confidence with the use of the mirror: this is one idea I had never taught it will work until I tried it myself. Doing business is all about doing what you love and passionate about. Before going into business, I was very passionate about what I wanted to do but along the line, I realized I wasn’t so passionate about the business compared with when I started. This affected my sales drastically. On a particular day, while going to make delivery, I walked passed a glass house seeing my reflection, what came out of my mouth was “Dennis, you can make it!”. Automatically, my self confidence came back and as well the passion.
C. Enthusiasm as a tool for success: enthusiasm is far beyond the normal push or inspiration. It is an inward burning desire to make it in life. I would say it’s an inward force from within resulting from what one have heard and seen another do. Your way to the top is a function of how inspired and motivate you are to make it. The truth about this idea is that enthusiasm dies and over the years what I have used to ensure that I continue getting inspired is reading books and listening to people who have made it in life. Doing this to a greater extent have helped me in building my enthusiasm.
D. Self-discipline and success: it is important to note that all other factors as discussed in the book anchored on self-discipline. A man who can’t control his emotions can’t control his life. It is one thing to know but another to put into practice and it takes discipline to follow all details. With this principle in place, I have learnt to think before I act and not the opposite. On a more personal experience, I made a derogatory statement to a friend which if I have put this principle in place; it would have saved me the stress of feeling guilty after the statement.
E. Understanding the senses as a key to mental positioning: there are five organs that make up the senses. Each of these organs play a very important role in our lives but the fact remains that these organs can be easily fool and it’s our responsibility to control them. In the course of reading this book, I have come to understand that whatever affects the mind also affects these organs. To control these organs to a greater extent, one must first control what goes into his/her mind. A typical example was when a friend of mine gave me a very voluminous book – becoming a better you- Joel Osteen. When I saw the book, initially I was scared considering how voluminous it was and how long it will take me to finish reading it. to be a able to defeat that, I had to “deceive” my mind that its small and just lie a miracle, I finished the book in a week which I wouldn’t have done if I had succumbed to what my eyes saw at first. I so much agree with what Hill said when he said “much of what goes on this world is not obvious…”
F. Adversity becoming a success: sometimes I used to think that once you have failed, you are doomed for life. I used to believe that I can’t learn anything from my past failures and defeat. However this premise is false; reading this book and other books I have read so far on personal development and achievement, I have come to a conclusion that failure is never a failure until you have agreed and accepted the fact that you have failed. Only then will it be termed failure. As a matter of fact, no successful man on planet earth that has never encountered one forms of defeat or the other. But the truth is, they never gave up. Most of the defeats we termed failure are likely a blessing in disguise. In my secondary school days, I hated anything calculation or arithmetic. This affected my grades and I couldn’t pass my Senior School Certificate Examination in one sittings. I had to enroll for extra classes and ensure I do my best in learning mathematics. After much personal studies and learning, I re-enrolled for the exam. I was the best student in mathematics for that year and even in my university days; I was the best in my class. The question remains, what if I had not failed? Would I have become the best student? Would I be good in mathematics as I am I now? I guess NO. Which means, failing at that time was a way of telling me that I could do better and indeed I can.
G. Time management: this is one of the best ideas I have gotten from this book so far. This is because, if a man can manage his time effectively, such a person can manage his life very well too. Using my case as a clear example, I used to work almost round the clock without prioritizing my task and this has affected my health to a large extent. What Napoleon has succeeded in doing for me is teaching me how to prioritize my time for effectiveness and personal growth.
3. How will those 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?
First and foremost, reading this book is an eye opener to facts I have never known. These ideas will surely help me in knowing how to apply a right mental attitude towards achieving my goals in life. Right from creating a positive mental attitude to having self discipline, building self confidence and using my time wisely, I believe to a greater extent, I am set to create a better world a generations yet unborn. Presently I am incorporating a limited liability company and am using the principles set here to achieve that aim by applying a positive mental attitude, establishing a mastermind alliance, using applied faith, going the extra mile etc.
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.
Some of what the author made and which caught my attention are as follows:
“You can never achieve anything great without learning to think accurately” – while growing up, there was this popular advertisement which says “good thinking, good product”. Then I taught it was just an advert but far from it. This is a very important statement and it has added to my previous body of knowledge as to my belief about not just thinking but thinking accurately.
“Contempt prior to examination is a trap that will limit your opportunity, applied faith, enthusiasm and creativity.” This statement is important to me because, I have learnt not to come up with conclusions until proper examination is done. Things are not usually the way they seems and this I have learnt. This is where accurate thinking should be used.
“Honor alone does not equal accuracy”. Most times we accept things simply because they are said by honorable people. As a matter of fact, honor does not equal accuracy.
“Managing your time – like managing your life – requires knowing what you want to use it for”. Time is the greatest assets God has given to man and until one knows how to manage time, one can’t manage his/her life. There was when I used to ask God for more 8hours to the 24hours He has given us. This is absurd I know but it was as a result of improper time management. I had to go over this statement over and over again so as to digest it and know what the author meant. Sometimes I do certain things just to while away time and this is simply because I don’t know what to use my time for. Howbeit, knowing what to use your time for can bring about proper time management in every facet of life and this book has taught me that.
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 quite agree with his principles for personal achievement.
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 book does not contain any exercises except that of the commitment statement in the last chapter of the book. This has really helped me because, I am getting committed to the principles laid by the author.
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.
To the best of my knowledge, no.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
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 will give it? 10
Real Magic
Assessment by Akagha Chukuemeka Dennis (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
According to the author, the central theme of the book is that the universe and all that is in it is on purpose. In other words, if you know who you are and your purpose on earth, every other thing will come as easy and as imagined. I quite agree with the author and to buttress further, the Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11 “for I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” That is to every one has a Purpose, an expected end. Therefore, the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book is on Purpose. It is lack of purpose that makes one thinks he is poor; it is lack of purpose that makes one consider the place of scarcity, have bad relationship, poor health etc. Everything lies on purpose.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List those seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal example from your own life.
The seven ideas which were personally most important to me are as follows:
A. The power of intuition
One major idea this book has taught me is how to listen to my intuition to achieve what I want. Sometimes, it is called ‘the still small voice’; but the truth is, it works. I have never been a fan of the concept of intuition but on reading this book, I have learnt to listen to my intuition or whatever other people call it. On several occasions, I wanted to go somewhere or do something against my inner voice. However, they eventually turned out to be disaster. If I had listened to my inner voice or intuition, the opposite would have been the case. This book has taught me to always listen to my inner voice because according to the author, “anything that happens to everyone cannot be attributed only to coincidence or simple luck.”
B. The mystery of asking nothing of anyone
This is indeed a mystery because all my life, I have always had this belief that “someone must give me.” Reading this book, I realized that ones purpose is about giving unconditionally. No wonder Jesus said, “blessed is the hand that giveth than the one that receiveth.” The truth is when you expect nothing, that’s when things begin to come into your life. I used to ask a lot from people but on reading this book, my life has experienced a transformation from within. I now realized no one owes me anything instead I am indebted to them by showing them unconditional love and care.
C. Meditation changes things
This is another idea that caught my fancy and I had to personally put it into practice to ascertain its potency in getting things done. I went into research on meditation and how to meditate effectively. The experience was awesome and the result was fantastic. I had issues in my relationship and wanted to call it off but on several occasions I have called it off, we either ended up quarrelling. On reading this book, I went into a 30minute meditation. I visualized how I wanted to say it and how I wanted her to react. While meditating, I called it off and we neither had a fight nor a quarrel as we used to and that was how it happened in reality. Now I realized why Blaise Pascal said “all man’s miseries derived from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone”. Meditation pays and I am a living testimony.
D. The big lie syndrome.
I am really a benefactor of this idea unfolded by Wayne, Dyer. Over the years, I have lived my life believing that my family is responsible for my personality; what I’m able to achieve and my whole being. However, this has affected me a great deal that I got to realized that everything that happened to my dad during his youthful age is beginning to happen to me. Reading this book, I have realized that despite my family and I have a similar DNA, I am responsible for what happened to be. I have the power to reject whatever happened to my family from happening to me and they cannot create the me that I’m experiencing. It’s my choice and will always be mine.
E. We are all multi-talented by design.
While growing up, I was meant to believe that some persons were created to be poor and while some were created to be rich; some talented; while some untalented. However, reading “Real Magic” has open my eyes to the fact that we are multi-talented and being poor or rich is a state of mind and knowing your purpose on the earth. Now I know why when I was a bit younger, I could play football, I could sing, I could dance, write articles and drama. Now I know I can be whatever I want to become if I choose to.
F. Dreams transcends into physical reality.
This is another important idea I have been able to grasp and to a greater extent, it proves to be true in all respect when related with my personal experience. The truth is a lot of us don’t pay much attention to our dreams and that’s why a large percentage of what we dreamed of doesn’t translate into reality. I believe that this is where meditation and deep thoughts upon ones desired intents comes to play. Some years ago, as a sales person, I do experience a lot mostly from customers. However, that day, after the business of the day, I went to bed and I had a terrible dream that a customer came to purchase some stocks with some fake currencies. I woke trying to picture who the customer was and dwelling upon it in my mind. Before the close of business that day, a very respected customer showed up to get a stock, however, part of the money he was having with him were fake currencies. This was a dream dwelt upon which became a reality. Personally, I believe, if I had not dwelt upon that dream, it may not have manifested into physical form.
G. Collective imagination produces large result.
This is one idea that blows my mind. From this idea I got to understand that much of what we are going through is as a country is as a result of what we all have been thinking. This is because the energy carried by this thought is far greater than an individual thought. This did not just sink into me, but it made me to ask some questions like, why the war? Why the hunger, the poverty, the failures, the corruption? Every day people want to discuss what they are not satisfied about governance, how government officials are looting public funds, why they need to be a revolution and so on. It’s amazing that these ills still reoccur. However, the truth is our collective imagination is the cause of what we are going through. “As a Man Thinketh in his heart so is he.”
3. How will those 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?
First and foremost, I have learned to change my world using the power of imagination and meditation. Dyer has really thought me how to meditate and I do this exercise on a daily basis and it has been working for me.
Also, plans are on ground to set up an organization whose main motive is to change the mentality of people and make them understand the power of intuition and imagination. When the generality of people are thinking right irrespective of their present condition, the world we live in will definitely be a better place. My vision for Nigerian youths is to see that they change their mentality from “hard work” to “hard work”, from war to peace, from hatred to love, from terrorist to peaceful cohabitation etc
Personally, I have stopped listening to people who argue issues relating to poor governance, issues relating to terrorist and poverty. Instead, I speak riches, wealth, and good governance. I speak that my country is a country filled with people who can make things happen positively in the lives of the ordinary Nigerians. I believe that the more we align our thought system to thinking right using a platform I am working on, our country will be a better place; our world will experience transformation.
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.
Honestly, there are a lot of statements made by the author that got my attention but permit me to quote and comment on a few.
“Everywhere we look in science, the harder it becomes to understand the universe without God.”
Thank God most scientist have begin to realize this fact that there is the existence of a true God which most of them don’t believe in. Some will say the universe is created by energy; some will say man originates from apes which I strongly disagree with. From the words of James Ray, energy can be described by a scientist as something that can never be created or destroyed, always was, always has been, everything that ever existed, its moving into form, through form and out of form. While a theologian will define God as “Always was and always has been, never can be created or destroyed, all that ever was, always will be, always moving into form, through form and out of form.”
So, what are we saying? It’s really hard to understand the universe without God. I don’t care what the scientist call Him, the truth is God exist.
“All man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.”
Although, this quote is attributed to Blaise Pascal but personally this quote is very important to me. I have realized that noisy people are lazy people and it takes a serious minded person to be quiet and meditate. Meditation brings one closer to a higher power and it’s at that point ideas begin to flow. Reading Dyer’s book and other books on meditation had made me understand the importance of meditating.
“The secret to changing your life is in your intentions.”
I strongly agree with this quote that no matter how much motivation a person gets, such a person must first have the intention to change or else nothing happens. In other words, its not how much motivation you receive from reading motivational books, not how much hope you have, or goal setting a person sets that brings change but the intention to change. Someone said, to get motivated, you must have a Motive.
“When wealth is the reason for your activities, and the quality of your life is based on what you have accumulated compared with others, then prosperity is impossible.”
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?
Real Magic is a book I will always want to read on and on so I could grasp every bit of ideas the author is trying to unleash. It’s a book I will even recommend to high school graduates, entrepreneurs etc. so, I do not disagree with any of his ideas.
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.
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.
In the words of Albert Einstein, “the significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them”. This quote kept me thinking for hours how important it is that we need to Change in the way we think. We can’t continue to think poverty if we want wealth, we can’t continue to think war if we want peace, hate if we want love. As a matter of fact, we need a new level of thinking in this region of the world so as to make our world in general a better place for living. The truth is, there is great potentials here in Africa and that’s why Africa remains the largest market for new innovations and ideas. All we need in a new way of thinking so as to solve the problem already created. We can make it happen!
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 was the content? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you will give it? 10
Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Akagha Chukwuemeka Dennis (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea about the book is on how to use one’s subconscious mind to achieve anything one desires. It conveys the idea of how one can use the machine that was ever conceived or created by God which is the mind; to achieve success in life.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. The books we read and the thought we think affects out subconscious mind
This is so true that I could relate it to my personal experience when I was admitted in the hospital after being infected with Ebola. Right from when I was taken into the isolation ward, I kept on denying the fact that I have the virus. The confidence I developed was as a result of the book I was reading at that time and the self-help books I had read in the past. I was only focusing on the positive side of my situation and this was what kept me.
ii. Man’s greatest power lies in the power of prayers.
This is what most people don’t realize that prayer is the greatest assets any man can have/posses. I understand the potent of prayer during my moment of travail. Since I have no one to run to, prayer was the only means that gives me comfort and hope for the future. While others were complaining of their present situation, I was busy doing my spiritual exercise daily.
iii. When you receive a flash of inspiration, write it down!
I have always been a writer most especially when it comes to writing down ideas that matters to me. Whatever I write down tends not to leave me and they become part of me. Over the years, this had helped me even in handling issues.
iv. The power of sex
Over the years, I have had issues on how to turn my drive for sex into virtue. This book had been able to let me know that I can transmute sex into virtue with the right Positive Mental Attitude. I have also realized that sex is a physical function of the body under the control of the subconscious and the conscious mind. After my experience in my last relationship, every other relationship had been on the basis of sex and this had greatly affected my ability to focus on what I really want in life. According to the book, “Marry for love beyond the sex instinct;” I consider sex first before love and now I realize why all the relationship I have tried to build never lasted.
v. See another person’s abilities, capacities and viewpoint.
I have always had this as a watch word that “no man is an island”. Everyone in one way or the other has a role to play in other people’s lives. Where one man’s wisdom stops is where another began and that’s what makes our world a better place. In the course of my work as a social worker, I have learned to appreciate other peoples’ ideas/viewpoints because, I am not an embodiment of wisdom and I have my own flaws.
vi. Memorizing the self-starter, Do It Now
This is a very important idea for me because as much as I want to always achieve something, there is a part of me that is always procrastinating. For instance, being a student of IIGL was something I want to go through and read all the books in all stages but that part of me that always procrastinate had been holding me back all these years. However, this had affected every phase of my life and coming across it in the book and reading stories of men who applied the “Do It Now” principle and succeeded, I am motivated to do same.
vii. Never underestimate the value of a book
This is a very important idea and point. A lot of people underestimate the value of a book and that’s the more reason why they don’t have positive mental attitude. A book reshapes our belief and provides us with the tools to address life’s issues. There are countless of successful people whose success is linked to reading a book on wealth. Most of the things I have achieved were gotten from a book.
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, these ideas gotten from this book will help me see things differently and also help me in ways to build my positive mental attitude. One major idea I have learnt from this book is “getting into action”. I realized that where I am now and why I haven’t been able to achieve as much as I want to is because, I haven’t been taking action in a lot of things. I have so many projects and ideas I developed but due to inability to take actions, most of them have not been implemented. Therefore, I have decided to revisit those projects and implement them accordingly. Also, the book had also given me practical ideas on how to raise my energy level when they are low. At some point in our life, our “battery” needs to be charged to continue working geared to create a better world and this book has helped me in providing ways to go about that.
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.
Some of the important quotes which really got my attention are as follows:
“Sex is the greatest challenge of change.”
There are certain things that will not change in a man’s life until he/she changes his constant drive for sex. No doubt sex is good but must be done with the right person and in the right way.
“What we see is always an interpretation of the mind. We have to train the mind to interpret what we see.”
“Sow an action and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
I quite agree with this quote because from experience from my personal life, I have realized that much of the things I do on a daily basis are what form my character.
“Success must be continually practiced, or it will take wings and fly away.”
“Man is the only member of the animal kingdom who, through functioning of his conscious mind can voluntarily control his emotions from within, rather than be forced to do so by external influences.”
“Anything in life worth working for is worth praying for.”
Praying has always been my lifestyle because I believe prayer works. I take it as responsibility to always hand over all my activities to God.
“It makes no difference how much thinking and study time you spend, it will avail you little unless you also act.”
This is so true because no matter how much faith a man claims to have, if he doesn’t act on what he believes on, nothing will ever work. I have made personal plans but failed to achieve them simply because all the plans I made were just on papers without acting on them. It’s like someone who is unemployed and longing to have a better job but refuses to send out Resumes to organizations. Such a person will remain jobless for the rest of his life because jobs don’t fall from the sky.
“If you don’t have money. Use Other People’s Money.”
This really caught my attention and after critical thought on this, I realized that much of all I have been doing to get wealth is based on this principle. Some of the business transactions I went into were based on using other people’s money to do the business. However, to effective make use of this principle, honesty is required. No one will ever want to put his money in the hands of a man who is not honest. Honesty often reflects itself in one’s face, one’s way of speaking, trend of his conversation as well as the tone of one’s voice.
“The more you share, the more you will have.”
This is one universal law I so much respect and want apply in my personal life. This is similar to what was written in the Holy Bible that says “blessed is one that gives than the one that receives” I find it very pleasing and comforting when I give.
“If ever there was a time America needed help of a positive mental attitude, it is now”. Coming across this quote, I’d rather replace America” for Nigeria.”
This is simply because of what we are going through as a nation – the Economic recession, corruption, embezzlement, unemployment etc. Our country need a new plan with PMA to make things work as it used to be.
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 quite didn’t agree with the statement “Your banker is your friend.” If they are my friend, why will they give out loan with an exorbitant high interest rate? Personally, I don’t really subscribe to borrowing to start up a business because just like what the Holy book says that “the borrower is a servant to the lender.” Why will I want to be the servant of the people I went borrow money from to start up a business? To me, it’s absurd and I’d rather meet family and friends for funds, start small and grow big rather borrowing.
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 exercises contained in the book except with some summarized thoughts to steer by.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 7
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8