Akouyu Alphonse Akohleng Chefor – Assessments

As a Man Thinketh

Assessment by Akouyu Alphonse (Cameroon)

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

James Allen in his novel underlines key principles required for success. These principles whose fruits can only be seen in the action of an individual tells the story of an author who does not only want the reader to understand life from a physical point of view but from both sides of the coin. The fundamental message which Allen is trying to convey to his audience is that psychology has indeed the all and all of life. As such, he takes the reader for a very memorable ride around the streets of the mind with the intention of illustrating what this powerful tool can do and undo to an individual. Too often in life especially in football, it is common to hear coaches, players and other stakeholders talk about ‘Mind Games’. Mind Games which are all about trying to play with people psychology and letting them know that they are either defeated, lost a game which is to come or are on top of the chart is reflected in Allen’s way of describing the mind. Mind for example may include the coach of a team who are on the front seat to win a trophy refusing to accept that they have won and rather saying that the team close to them have an upper hand in the race.

Allen therefore in a different way explains to this reader mind games though the reader can only get a perfect view of that if he or she reflects on what the author is trying to say.

As the title of the book says “As a Man Thinketh,” there is no doubt that the author simply wants his reader to think. However it is not all about thinking but the manner of the thought and how to go about the thought that catches my attention. Allen wants us to think in what I describe as the “James Allen Thinking Philosophy.” He therefore advocates for a new approach to the art of thinking and this new approach based on my understanding calls for a critical examination of any particular area in life in which thinking is require. As such, he wants the individual not only to see thinking in the actual sense of the word but to see it as the underlying principle behind any life changing action, decision and choice. In his ride along the streets of the mind he agrees on one thing that the mind is the center of everything, a place where good and evil can be conceived, planned and executed. However if the world is to be a better place, Allen wants the mind to be an epicenter love for one mind, a street where people see others as human beings and treat them with the famous proverb of ‘do on to others what you would like them to do on to you’. He therefore concludes this brief but exciting journey by proposing to the individual certain ways of being a better thinker. To me and the so many who have read Allen story, he simply wants great leaders to be great thinkers because the men and women who have written their names in the sands of time thought about building a wonderful world. As therefore we who live in this century of the good, the bad and the ugly are simply benefiting from the fruits of people who thought thereby concluding that change makers are great thinkers.

2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.

Allen is one of those rare authors who divides his work in to seven short chapters and each of these seven chapters has a peculiar message. To me the seven chapters reflect the 7 ideas which I gained from the book.

i. Thought and Character

Character is certainly a crucial factor in the life of any leader. History tells us that the leadership style of any leader was the summation of his character. Some say character is natural, others say character is inherited while others say character is developed along this journey called life. Allen disagrees with all of the above is the sense that they ignore a very important factor which thought. The consequence of thought on character is necessary in the sense the result of a good or bad character is from the manner in which an individual thinks. To me it simply reminds me of the fact that in order to have a good character, I must think which is something I sometimes ignore but now thinking about my character would be amongst my new year resolutions for 2015.

ii. Effect of thought on Circumstances

More often than we face two types of scenarios in life and these are those we can control and those we cannot control. A friend of mind once told me that for those we cannot control all we need is divine intervention but for those we can control, we must put the brain to test and make sure it performs to the utmost best of its abilities. While reading chapter two of this book, it appears my friend had read James Allen book before me. This because the power of thinking on controlling the circumstances in our lives which are within reach cannot be underestimated. If before writing an exam, all a student thinks about is failure, failure and failure, the chances of that student failing that exam is very but we think about success, the probability of success also becomes high because of the thought.

iii. Effects of thoughts on health and body.

The psychology of a human being especially with regards to controlling certain circumstances in that person’s is just stunning. I have witnessed a case of child who once went to a doctor for treatment because he had a slight pain. After careful examination by this doctor, it was found out there was nothing wrong with child. But when he was going to the hospital, he had programmed his mind that he was going to be given an injection. In fact to him, the injection was the only solution to his problem but when the doctor refused to give him the injection, he cried and said he still felt pains. Being a professional, the doctor gave the kid an injection but the difference was that the injection was filled with water. It was then I understood the power of thinking on the health and body of a human being.

iv. Thought and Purpose

This chapter is amongst my favorite in this book because it encompasses the whole reason for our existence. It is often that we were created for a particular purpose in life. However, the key question to answer now how do we live a life of purpose or simply put a purpose driven life. James Allen provides a therapy for that kind of situation. To him, to archive the purpose for which we were created, we must think. Thinking here comes in two forms which are thinking about the purpose and thinking about how to archive that purpose. He explains in details factors such are fear which are elements to avoid when thinking about a purpose driven. Nevertheless, he is confident of the fact that a life with purpose signifies accomplishment and this can only be possible when the mind think, when it says to it itself ’where am I coming from, where do I want to go and how do I get there.

v. The Thought Factor in Achievement

The way Allen examines the power of thought in achievement is simply sensational because to him ’all that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts’. He therefore stands for the fact that a man can only rise, conquer and achieve by lifting up his thoughts. He can only remain weak, abject and miserably by refusing to lift up his thoughts. This reminds me so much what we used to be told back then in secondary school that if we really want to become who we were meant to be, we must conceive the idea, plan it, execute and accomplish in the mind. Because once the idea is upstairs, getting it down stairs or to the physical world won’t be a problem.

vi. Vision and Ideals

Another topic which is also full of interest and knowledge, the author capitalizes on the need for vision and ideals. A great man once said that it is useless to have a vision without a mission or a mission without a vision. Mission here can be interpreted to mean ideals or a plan of action. To Allen “the dreamers are the saviors of the world.” This means that to have any positive impact on this world, one must be ready to embrace come up with visions which are capable of rewriting history. He agrees with a great one who once said the people who changed this not follow the world rather the world followed them to the direction in which they wanted it to go.

With statements like your circumstances may be uncongenial but they shall not remain so if you only perceive an ideal and strive to reach it. You can travel within and stand still without. Allen emphasizes on the need to have vision and ideas in order to better one’s predicament.

vii. Serenity

No great idea can be archive in a noisy environment. In summary therefore, the author wants everybody to have a cool head especially when making life changing decisions.

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?

Thought and Character: This teaches me to have a morally acceptable

character, I must think properly.

Effect of thought on Circumstances: This encourages me to always think before I act in all situation in my life.

Effects of thoughts on health and body: This teaches me that a healthy body is one which thinks positively.

Thought and Purpose: This teaches me that I must understand my purpose and know how to go about achieving it.

The Thought Factor in Achievement: This teaches me that every good accomplishment is as a result of thinking seriously.

Vision and Ideals: Vision reminds me of the fact that great leaders are visionaries.

Serenity: Serenity teaches me that no great idea can be archive in a noisy environment

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.

It difficult to quote because to me being a short book, from the first line to the last all were 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?

None as at when this assessment was written.

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

No exercises to complete

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

None as at when this assessment was written.

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1-10. 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? 4
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 7

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Assessment by Akouyu Alphonse (Cameroon)

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

In an animal like classic, Richard Bach uses animals to illustrate what the late Myles Munroe once described as the various kinds of people in this world. That is those who make things happen, those who watch others make things happen and those who have no idea of what is happening. Richard Bach in a rather subtle approach paints the picture of the occurrences of day to day activities. He identifies the main character in the story Jonathan Livingston to be unique person who refuses to bow down to the norms of daily life. Instead he feels that mankind was not born to end a t a particular level or limited by what people say, the perfect situation is reflected in goal setting.

Assuming a child sets a goal for himself to score all 25 points in the subject which history has as record that no one has ever scored more than 10, he is regarded by peers and friends alike as mad and they try their best to make it seem a herculean task or as impossible to achieve. To them, the fact that no one has ever scored above the 10 means that no one would ever cross the line set by the others. As such the child with the dream of not only passing the mark of 10 but scoring all 25 points is basically wasting his time trying to make the impossible a possibility. However they forget that no two people on planet earth are the same, we were all born with our different gifts, talents, abilities, short comings and most especially different mind framework. Therefore, what John sees as herculean task may just be amongst the simplest things to do based on Mary’s judgment. Those who deem the child as a failure forget to achieve anything meaningful in life, one has to commit himself or herself to achieve these preset goals and objectives. This is exactly the kind of philosophy which I think Jonathan Bach is opting for. One which is based not on the limitations of life but how to overcome these limitations and the only factor the drug he prescribes for this particular illness is the art of learning.

Richard Bach goes on further to tell us about the immediate consequences of those who try to overcome their limitations which is failure. This can be associated with the example earlier mentioned of a child who has set his sights on scoring all 25 points in a subject which nobody has ever scored a 10. Assuming the child said he was going to do so during his first sequence and fails to do son, then they critics and prophets of doom come in. They would’ we told not to try to do this task because it is impossible and you insisted. Now instead of scoring even the score of 10, you had a 5, too bad, sorry my dear’. But biblical analogy tells us that even the great master himself felt three times indicating that life is not a bird of roses.

As such, like Jonathan when he crashed, he didn’t give up. He continued in his quest to defy the odds of life by doing what no other seagull had ever done. Success is like pregnancy which cannot be hidden and when the stars shine at night, they are very visible for all to see. Richard Bach wants his reader to know that ‘when you failed, they laughed at you, they mocked you, calling you all sorts of names. Even your own parents doubted you when you said you wanted to the impossible and simply because of a small stumbling block, people turned their backs on you.

When they saw you fail, they said they said they stubborn fly follows the corpse to the grave and that the hand that lingers around the anus would surely touch excrement. Now that you have started making it big like Jonathan Livingston Seagull who started flying at heights which normal seagulls believed could not be achieved, they have summoned you out of jealousy to come and answer charges for being in a class of your own.’ This is simple message that in society not everybody is happy when you succeed especially when we live in community which is made up of average people. When we begin to be brilliant instead of congratulating us, they banish us from their society. It is now that I understand why Joel Osteen once said that sometimes our dreams may be too big for the society we live in, as such we must change the environment and move in to a place which can contain our dreams.

In conclusion, Richard Bach advocates for the society which is not limited by the thoughts of people and their beliefs but a society which encourages hard work and strives for excellence. He wants the reader to know that any society which is limited by thoughts and believes ends up being mediocre. Like the supreme master he also proposes like Edison who fail about 1000times before creating the electric bulb, we shouldn’t be discouraged when we fail a few times.

2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.

i. Determination

It is often said that nothing good comes easy and one that in every venture in life, one has to be very determined in everything he or she does. Richard underlines this in Jonathan when he says in spite of all that had happened, he still went on trying to fly, trying not live to the average bench marks set by people but to this best of his abilities. Determination for me stands high amongst the values which I hold I high esteem in life but if I wasn’t determined I could have been where I am. It has more often than being my prescription to those friends of mine who sometimes feel as to give up.

ii. Confidence and Determination.

These two values which move hand in glove. In fact I have always abbreviated them as (D.C). Every confident person is a determined person. Jonathan was confident of where he was going, he saw the end of the road while his critics saw just the pot holes and obstacles on the road. He was confident of his abilities to defy the odds while his critics were considered him doomed

iii. Ready to learn.

Readiness to learn is also another important lesson which Richard Bach portrays in his story. He tells about Jonathan who often takes time to learn, even when he ostracized from society he saw it as an avenue to learn. To be great leader and a master of a particular art, one must be willing to learn. Readiness to learn means readiness to accept correction especially correction which is aimed at the better of the individual.

iv. Not limited by what people say.

It is true in life, there exist rules, records, regulations and bench marks but the aim of all these is to guide us and not to limit us. Livingston Seagull was not interested in what people say, he wasn’t bother about what people had told him he could do and not do. He rather the positive side of the records which is that records are meant to be broken and that is why he never listened to anybody but his strengths.

v. Failure is not the end of the road.

This is to me is one of the key themes in Jonathan’s Livingston live. The fact that failure is not the end of the road. As earlier mentioned, biblical analogy tells us that if the Almighty could fall three times, then all mankind is liable to failing. But the difference is the reaction to the fall. Some fail and conclude their story while to others, it’s just another chapter. To Livingston, failure was indeed another chapter and not the end of the story. Meaning they were so many beautiful and amazing chapters still to come and this was reflected in his achievements.

vi. Believe and Will Power.

These two go together because in order to believe, one must possessed will power. Each I think about will power and believe, I think about the 2009 confederations cup finals between Brazil and the United States of America which took place in South Africa. At half contrary to what bookmakers had predicted, the U.S was winning by two goals to zero but a second half inspired show by Brazil led to a change in fortunes for the U.S with match ending U.S A 2-Brazil 3. One of my best moments was when from an Elano corner, Brazil captain headed in the third goal and the match commentator said amongst other things that ’It was all about the will to win from Brazil not just the brilliance’. Meaning no matter how brilliant a person is without will power and believe, it is difficult to win.

vii. Practice makes perfect.

Very masters of a particular can dare to say that they did not practice their trade a good number of times before they excelled. Practice makes perfect and that is why even though he knew he was a standout performer and tactician, Jonathan always made sure he practice what he was good at in order to become a better master

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?

Determination: That I should be determined in all I do.

Confidence: That I should have confidence especially when on the right tract.

Ready to learn: That to be great leader, I must be ready to learn.

Not limited by what people say: That in life the fact that everybody is doing it does not mean is correct. I must not to listen to what people say.

Failure is not the end of the road: That when I fail one time I should know it is not the end but I should continue working hard but failure is not the end of life.

Believe and Will Power: That when I have believe and will power, everything is possible because where there is a will, there is a way.

Practice makes perfect: That I must do things over and over in order to have a grip over them in order to be a master of my art.

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.

It’s difficult to quote because to me being a short book, from the first line to the last all were 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?

None as at when this assessment was written.

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

No exercises to complete.

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

None as at when this assessment was written

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1-10. 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? 4
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 7

Keys to Success

Assessment by Akouyu Alphonse Akohleng Chefor (Cameroon)

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

The dawn of the 21st century has witnessed increase usage of a particular word called “Success.” There exist countless number of success views and stories from different angles and from different authors based on their experiences and beliefs. To be successful is the goal of every human being because nobody goes in to a particular venture with the aim of failing. Napoleon Hill’s key to success finds itself amongst the very best of literary work of arts on success because the steps are simple and easy to understand. The principles are pragmatic because the author has experienced the rough times of life and has also encountered the moments worth remembering including encounters with people who succeeded in making a name for themselves as one of the greatest success stories of their generation. Napoleon Hill gives the book a blend with the good, the bad and the ugly of how to get to the top. However he has no intention of scaring the reader with the bad and the ugly of success but in simple terms, he wants the reader to know that nothing good comes easy.

From purpose the author takes the reader to another important aspect is life which is team work or in his own words “Establishing a Master Mind Alliance.” Truly as they say no man is an island and therefore ‘No one has ever attained outstanding success without applying the Master Mind Principle. No one mind is complete by itself. All truly great minds have been reinforced through contacts with others that allow them to grow and expand’. To able to establish a good and trust worthy master mind alliance requires that we develop an attractive personality. This is because on true great mind would like to work with a person who has an unattractive character. When the purpose is established, a good alliance created and personality developed, it’s time for action and application and this requires faith.

Two weeks ago, I was speaking with friend who recently graduated from school with a Bachelor of Science in Geography but currently anchors a radio program on business. When I asked why the change in field, he told me; “Gone are the days when it use to be all about getting the degree, nowadays, the world has become so competitive so much so that employers now look for one simply thing; the ability to use your personal initiatives.” In fact, the aspect of using one’s personal initiatives is not only required in the job market but in all we do. I really enjoyed the next aspect the authored talks about; Building a positive mental attitude.

It is not for any reason why there exist speed breaks on our roads and these are meant to slow vehicles down and also control them as they move towards their destinations. We too need speed breaks and control in our hunger for success in order to avoid making the wrong decisions. Discipline is also important in every success journey and this requires balancing our emotions with our reasoning, in another way, looking before leaping. Discipline at a personal level is in my own opinion compulsory for success. It is very rare and difficult to find a success story without discipline and this is because discipline helps in curbing down that which is not required. Again, the aspect of look before you leap is very important and that is that’s what the author spells out in the chapter “Think Accurately’. I particularly enjoyed this phrase in this chapter.”Adolf Hitler found the opportunity to use his power so destructively because so many other people failed to use theirs constructively. Although his thinking was not accurate in the sense that you would come to understand, it still had the power to cause death and suffering for countless millions of innocent people. His thoughts were abominations but they had force.

Applied accurate thinking is crucial for your desire to success but you should recognize that exercising it is a moral duty you owe to every other person in the world.” There is a difference between thinking and accurate thinking. Accurate thinking requires that we understand and know our purpose and we must control our thoughts all the time.

In chapter 12, Napoleon Hill examines the role of team work in any successful venture. Earlier he had given us a gist of team work by telling us about the need establish a master mind alliance. He sums up everything about team work in the introductory passages of the chapter when he says “Cooperation like love and friendship is something you get by giving. There are many travelers on the road that leads to happiness. You would need their cooperation and they would need yours.”

Every success journey as mentioned earlier has the bad and the ugly and also its own pitfalls, setbacks and failures. But in recent times, we have been told that the story has changed from being about the failure and defeat to how respond to failure and that is why the author wants his reader to learn from adversity and defeat. The advent of failure and defeat means that there are problems in the activities we carry and therefore there becomes the need to change the approach and if so we must cultivate a creative vision. Health they say is well and no true success can attained with an unhealthy body. Chapter 16 talks about time and money. Financial success is a vital ingredient for success and has often been used as a measuring tool for a 21st century successful story.

2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.

The book is pregnant with a lot of knowledge and every good reader would definitely have a lot to choose from in terms of personal lessons. To begin with

i. Purpose

This chapter is amongst my favorite in this book because it encompasses the whole reason for our existence. It is often that we were created for a particular purpose in life. However, the key question to answer now how do we live a life of purpose or simply put a purpose driven life. Napoleon Hill provides a therapy for that kind of situation. To him, to archive the purpose for which we were created, we must think. Thinking here comes in two forms which are thinking about the purpose and thinking about how to archive that purpose. He explains in details factors such are fear which are elements to avoid when thinking about a purpose driven. Nevertheless, he is confident of the fact that a life with purpose signifies accomplishment and this can only be possible when the mind think, when it says to it itself ’where am I coming from, where do I want to go and how do I get there’. As earlier mentioned, an individual without a purpose is the like the wind which blows in any direction.

ii. Teamwork is key in Life.

I personally feel team work is one lesson which is highlighted in this book and for it to be highlighted both directly and indirectly in two different chapters means that I as someone striving for success must always appreciate team work. The author mentions it when he talks about a master mind alliance and also in Chapter 12 that we should inspire team work.

iii. Self Control

In our thirst and hunger for success, we often lack control in our activities. The author wants his reader to know that in life we must develop speed breaks in the form of control which reduce our speed. This is true because excess speeding without control can lead to self destruction.

iv. Self-Discipline

Control and discipline have a lot in common but I decided to separate them because discipline is paramount in our success journey. Discipline encompasses control and requires that we stay focus in all we do. Discipline is therefore a yard stick for every successful journey.

v. Make use of the opportunities

To be an active player in life requires that we make full use of the opportunities that come our way. A friend once told me that “opportunities are flights that once we miss our flight of opportunities, we can’t catch them again.”

vi. Creativity is important

Nowadays, there is much talk of having entrepreneurs that would provide innovative and pragmatic solutions to society’s most urgent needs. Therefore if we intend to be problem solvers we must be creative. In fact we just have to be creative in all we do.

vii. Learn from Adversity and Failure

This is to me is one of the key themes in this book, the fact that failure and adversity does not signify the end of the road. Biblical analogy tells us that if the Almighty could fall three times, then all mankind is liable to failing. But the difference is the reaction to the fall. Some fail and conclude their story while to others, it’s just another chapter.

Perhaps that is why the author does not give it the title failure and adversity but learning from failure and adversity.

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?

Purpose: It is important to have purpose in all we do

Team work is key in Life: We must learn to work and share our

success with others

Self Control: We must control our drive for success

Self Discipline: No true success can be attained without self discipline

Make use of the opportunities: That opportunities are flights that

once we miss our flight of opportunities, we can’t catch them again’.

Creativity is important: if we intend to be problem solvers we must

be creative. In fact we just have to be creative in all we do.

Learn from Adversity and failure: Adversity and failure is not the

conclusion but when one doors closes, another opens or perhaps a window opens

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.

It difficult to quote because to me I think that the whole book from the first line to the last is worth quoting. Some quotes are in Question 1 that I really liked.

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

None.

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

No exercises to complete.

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

None as of when this assessment was written.

Please rate the following questions on a rating scale from 1-10. 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? 9

Psycho-Cybernetics

Assessment by Akouyu Alphonse Akohleng Chefor (Cameroon)

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

In his book Psycho-Cybernetics, A new way to get more living out of Life Maxwell Maltz takes the reader through a soul searching journey. He wants the reader to know that there are two physical aspects of human life; that which is seen which is the body and the unseen which the soul. In my own opinion, it’s a quiet reflection about the role of the ‘unseen’ in the ‘seen’. It important to note that the author has a medical background and the main aim of medicine is to heal and that’s why he talks about; ‘When you change a man’s face you almost invariably change his future. Change his physical image and nearly always you change the man his personality, his behavior and sometimes even his basic talents and abilities’. Change is a word which is gradually being frequently used nowadays and as they say change is constant.

Therefore “self-image” is the key to human personality and human behavior. Change the self-image and you change the personality and the behavior. The self-image sets the boundaries of individual accomplishment. It defines what you can and cannot do. Expand the self-image and you expand the “area of the possible.” The development of an adequate, realistic self-image will seem to imbue the individual with new capabilities, new talents and literally turn failure into success. Self-image psychology has not only been proved on its own merits, but it explains many phenomena which have long been known but not properly understood in the past. For example, there is today irrefutable clinical evidence in the fields of individual psychology, psychosomatic medicine and industrial psychology that there are “success-type personalities” and “failure-type personalities,””happiness-prone personalities;” “unhappiness-prone personalities,” and “health-prone personalities; and “disease-prone personalities.” Self-image psychology throws new light on these and many other observable facts of life. It throws new light on “the power of positive thinking,” and more importantly, explains why it works

with some individuals and not with others. Positive thinking does indeed work when it is consistent with the individual’s self-image.

Furthermore the self-image is changed, for better or worse, not by intellect alone, nor by intellectual knowledge alone, but by experiencing. Wittingly or unwittingly you developed your self-image by your creative experiencing in the past. You can change it by the same method. It is not the child who is taught about love but the child who has experienced love that grows in to a healthy, happy, well-adjusted adult. Our present state of self-confidence and poise is the result of what we have “experienced” rather than what we have learned intellectually. Thus true success and true happiness not only go together but each enhances the other.

The author brings out a very important aspect which is worth mentioning in his definition of success which is happiness. As history and various case studies tell us, the trend is gradually changing from being about attaining success to attaining success with true happiness. Stories have been told of successful men and women who have amassed wealth for themselves but strangely they commit suicide. One is tempted to ask the question why leave all that wealth and fortune to go and commit suicide? The answer is simple, success does not necessarily brings forth happiness. Therefore true success also entails happiness and that is why as the as he says true success and true happiness not only go together but each enhances the other. This idea of success with happiness brings to mind a saying by an African leader during the colonial period. We prefer poverty in freedom to riches in slavery. This simply reminds us that happiness compliments success.

Whether we realize it or not, each of us carries about with us a mental blue print or picture of ourselves. It may be vague and ill-defined to our conscious gaze. In fact, it may not be consciously recognizable at all. But it is there, complete down to the last detail. This self-image is our own conception of the “sort of person I am.” It has been built up from our own beliefs about ourselves. But most of these beliefs about ourselves have unconsciously been formed from our past experiences, our successes and failures, our humiliations, our triumphs, and the way other people have reacted to us, especially in early childhood. From all these we mentally construct a self or a picture of a self. Once an idea or belief about ourselves goes in to this picture it becomes true as far as we personally are concerned. We do not question its validity, but proceed to act upon it just as if it were true. If every human being carries in him or her a mental blue print of ourselves then we must discover the success mechanism and this is done by creative imagination. Therefore we must understand that ‘every living thing has a built-in guidance system or goal-striving device, put there by its Creator to help it achieve its goal.

2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.

i. True Success entails Happiness

This is important because success requires happiness and I can’t be successful without having happiness.

ii. Satisfaction

In life we have satisfaction from we do. This lesson is very important to me because in life, I sometimes border so much about being successful forgetting that in my success drive, I must learn to appreciate the role of having satisfaction.

iii. Creativity Pays

Nowadays, there is much talk of having entrepreneurs that would provide innovative and pragmatic solutions to society’s most urgent needs. Therefore if we intend to be problem solvers we must be creative. In fact we just have to be creative in all we do.

iv. Imagination

It is important; Imagination is a like dream and every great dreamer from Joseph in the Bible to the great men that exist today had one thing in common. They had that mental blue print of where their lives would be and worked towards it and that is why the author talks to us about creative imagination

v. Personality Development

Personality Development or image development is critical. We must learn to develop attractive personalities. This is because we can’t succeed with a personality that is bad. We must learn to develop an attractive personality one that is success like.

vi. Self Acceptance

Every successful personal must accept who he or she is. That is a human being with strengths and weaknesses. We must therefore learn to accept who we are and try to use turn our weaknesses in strong points.

vii. Charity

It often said that the greatest investment a person can make in life is human investment or investment in the lives of peoples. We must learn to help others and put smiles on the faces of people in society not privilege to have the opportunities we have because sharing they say is caring.

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?

True Success Entails Happiness: I must learn to be happy in all I do

Satisfaction: I must learn to have satisfaction is my activities

Creativity: That to be successful means to be creative

Imagination: I must have mental picture of how I want my life to be

Personality Development: Leaders must develop good personalities

Self Acceptance: I must accept who I am and work my life and avoid trying to be somebody else

Charity: It’s important to give because investment in people’s lives is vital

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.

It difficult to quote because to me I think that the whole book from the first line to the last is worth quoting. I did include some quotes in my response to Question 1.

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

None as at when this assessment was written.

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

I completed the exercises and they were extremely helpful especially the points to remember section at the end of each chapter.

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 as at when this assessment was written.

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1-10. 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? 9

Success through a Positive Mental Attitude

Assessment by Akouyu Alphonse Akohleng Chefor (Cameroon)

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

In another epic thriller, Napoleon Hill, has decided to focus on the power house of success. The starting point, where it all begins and where it can all crash; the mind. With this in mind, the reader can understand why he says that ‘success through a positive mental attitude instructs you on what to do and how to do it when it comes to using and tapping in to the powers of the sub conscious mind. Where you have been taught to constructively use, neutralize , control or harmonize with your passion, emotions, instincts, tendencies, feelings, moods and habits of though and action. It specifically tells you how to use the greatest machine that was ever conceived, a machine so awesome that only God himself could create. This machine is a human computer, it is your brain and your nervous system from which the mechanical computer was designed. Have you been taught how to aim high and achieve your goals regardless of obstacles? If your answer is No, you would be these things if you read and then apply the principles in success through a positive mental attitude. The role of the mind is underscored here when the author described the mind as a human computer.

If having a positive mental attitude is having a strategic plan, one can be tempted to ask the question why design a strategic plan or positive mental attitude?. The answer is gotten from the old saying ‘he who fails to plan, plans to fail’.

This idea of having a positive mental attitude reminds me of a situation I found myself when I was in Level One in the University. Mathematics used to be one of my worst subjects since from primary school, in fact everything calculation scared me. When I got the University to Banking and Finance, there were three courses (Business Mathematics, Business Statistics and Elementary) which I had to validate and the general rule in the University is that you need to pass all the courses to graduate. There was a lot of fear on my part especially when we had to write any mathematics continuous assessment.

In fact before writing these assessments, I already had in mind that I would fail and since most of my friends knew, they would make a mockery of the whole situation and in the end, I would fail the mathematics continuous assessment. The exams came and I took the same negative mental attitude of failure and in the end, I had all three mathematics courses for Reset. In my quiet reflection time, I asked myself serious questions about this whole mathematics issues and I found some hope. So I decided to get a teacher who would teach me mathematics during the long holidays. This was in July and the Reset sessions usually begin in September. So between July and the beginning of the Reset sessions in September, it was two hours of mathematics each day. As the days went by and as I was being taught by my teacher, I started realizing that just maybe it was not difficult as my mind had made it to be. In fact, when the teacher revised some of the continuous assessments and exams we had taken in mathematics, I was so shocked at some of the things I was failing. When time for the Reset session came in September, I validated all three mathematics courses and proceeded to the level. While in level tow and three, we a good number of calculation courses by I passed all of them in normal session and finally graduated 3rd in my class.

The question now is why did fail to validate the three mathematics courses? Was it because I was dull or my mind was made up that I would never pass a mathematics exams. I guess the latter is true; my mind was made up that I would never pass a mathematics exam or in the context of the book, I had a negative mental attitude. When I started reading success through a positive mental attitude, I saw myself in the book.

Another message which the author portrays with regards to mental attitude is the environment in which we live. That point to me is very important because it is difficult to have a positive mental attitude in a negative environment. The idea of a negative environment was also another keep factor which I failed mathematics. My immediate environment while in the university were my friends because I spent majority of my time with. Too often, they would laugh at me and make me feel bad each time we had a mathematics exam coming up. This simply added salt to injury but when vacation time came, we were separated and I was on my own in different environment which use my history to encourage me and that was my teacher and my family. So the environment has a critical role in developing a positive mental attitude. It possible one to find himself in an environment which makes him or her feel like a failure, a dejected and useless human being. Such a person can never attain success no matter the situation because the environment is negative.

Too often we have to leave as present environment which sees us as liabilities and move to an environment which regards us as again. I personally belief that success through a positive mental attitude is important for leaders especially in the 21st century. The author makes mention in the closing chapters about the sleeping giant within us. There environments where instead waking up the sleeping giant, they lack the necessary know how to awaken this sleeping giant and make it to sleep forever. In summary, the author wants us to know that we all things are possible so far the mind has set its sights on the prize. It would invent, think, create and push forward ideas that can help achieve meaningful success. It’s all about developing a ‘Yes We Can Attitude’.

2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.

i. Have a Positive Mental Attitude

This to me is important because it demands that once the mind is positive about any venture, it can make the impossible look so easy.

ii. Avoid Fear

Fear has often one of the reasons why so many great potentials and dreams were never realized. This simply means that we must try to avoid fear and be courageous.

iii. Learn to see

At times we often look for solutions in the moon when theses so solutions are so close but yet very far. It is important to cultivate the habit of seeing other people values and abilities.

iv. Change is important

There can never be a positive mental attitude without change. We must learn to accept change in order to have a positive mental attitude.

v. Look for a positive environment

A positive attitude thrives successfully in a positive environment as you such we have to look for a positive environment which can contain our positive mental attitude.

vi. Have Realistic Ambitions

It is good to be ambitious in life but it is always important to have realistic ambitions and goals which are attainable.

vii. Stay focused

A good positive mental attitude requires that we stay focus. Because lack of focus and concentration can destroy our positive mental attitude.

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?

Have a positive mental attitude: That I should be positive at all times

Fear: That I should not be afraid but I should be bold and courageous

Learning to see: That I learn to appreciate other people’s values and adapt

Change: That a positive mental attitude requires change on my part

Look for a positive environment: that I should always remember that

a positive attitude thrives best in a positive environment

Realistic Ambitions: That my goals in life should be SMART;

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic: and have a Time frame

Stay focused: That I should always be concentrated and focus in all I do

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.

It difficult to quote because to me I think that the whole book from the first line to the last is worth quoting.

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

None as at when this assessment was written.

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

No exercises to complete

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

None as at when this assessment was written.

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1-10. 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? 9