Andrew Kisangala – Assessments – International Institute for Global Leadership

As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Kisangala Andrew (Uganda)

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

The main idea of this book is the emphasis on the power embedded in the mind. This is manifested through our thoughts.

Quoting from Jane Allen’s words:

“mind is the master power that molds and makes, and man is mind, and evermore he takes the tool of thought, and shaping what he wills, brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills; He thinks in secret and it comes to pass; environment is but his looking glass”

His quotation really speaks it all because as someone one day said that “the greatest wealth on earth is but lying in the grave”

To this statement I conquer because many of us go through life without having exploited our potential to the full. This is because many of us never know the capacity of our minds have that we cannot fully explore its depths. As a result of this, we end up living far below what we can achieve and we end up regretting at the end of our lives. Those who but recognize the potential they have, and go on to explore it becomes exceptional from them and we term them as geniuses because they exploit what every individual has.

The greater inventors of this world, did but explore a little of these resources and the fruits of their invention are greatly adored. The inventor of little pig sausages was for long in dire poverty being a farmer who worked tirelessly for years and attained peanuts. He put his physical energy into use and it ripped peanuts. He was fade up of this situation and because he did not his wealth of the mind into use, the situation persisted. As old age creeped in, he was struck by paralysis and hence was rendered bed ridden. For years he spent his time on his bed thinking and as a result his mind was in action therefore the power of his thought was yet to be manifested. He cane up with the idea of little pig sausage that for so long had been hidden in the deep resources of his mind. In a trickle of an eye, the tables turned and he became wealthy and died a wealthy man , because the power of thought was exploited. This man was called Milo. C. Jones of Fort Atkison.

The power of thought is also significant because it shapes character and because thought is the back bone of character. This is true even according to Paul “He encouraged us to keep on renewing our minds”. We learn to control our thoughts in the right direction then will our character be modeled in the right path. Thought not only influences our character but it as well influences our circumstances, health , purpose and general out comes of lives. Therefore our thought are the core of being and as a result take root in every situation of our lives.

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

The seven ideas that are most significant to include the following;

i) The power of thought on character.
The power of thought on character is really significant in our lives. like it says a man is literally what he thinks, his characters being the complete sum of all his thought. One can’t doubt this fact because what so ever a man thinketh so he is as well as what so ever he is to speak. And what so ever you confess so you become.

In my high school, hated the fact that leaders in my class never excelled as it was expected and some reached the extent of repeating advanced level.

I figured this out before I became one, and I made up my mind despite the previous results of other candidates I would excel on to of my class.

At the beginning of it was really tough that my first results were really disappointing and it clearly indicated a was following the same trend. Because I had made up my mind for excellence I became excellent and the one who was once characterised as a failure became an excellent student. I the best that year in my class. This was achieved through having to focus my thoughts towards excellence no matter the out come and it worked for me.

ii) The effect of thought on circumstances.
This really significant to me in a way that it shows me my stand in influencing the circumstances I go through in life.

In this I am able to know and predetermine any circumstances that I want in life because like from the text “Just as a gardener, cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and giving the flowers and fruits which he requires so may a man attend to the garden of his mind, reaching out to all the wrong, useless and impure thoughts and cultivating towards perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful and pure thoughts. By pursuing this process a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master gardener of his soul, the director of his life. He also reveals within himself, the laws of thought forces and destiny.

Every thought seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind and to take root there, produces its own blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own privilege of opportunity and circumstances. Good thoughts bear good fruits, bad thoughts bear bad fruits. The outer world of circumstances shapes itself to the inner world of thought and both pleasant and unpleasant external conditions are factors which make for the ultimate good the individual.

I am now 20 years old, and for the little years I have lived on earth I am grateful because in all the circumstances I have gone through if I scrutinized cause and effect I would end up having a hand in then. This may also be true for any parents because before I was formed in my mother’s womb, God knew me, and set me a part. This therefore to me proves that in this circumstances circumstance as well I have a part to play because any purpose on earth would only be fulfilled through the family I have been brought up in.

Off the record, I refused to be in luck, therefore I focused my thoughts towards the brighter side and you know what I have seen it works for me because in every circumstance that I need money, it always finds its way in my pocket.

iii) Effect of thought on health and mind.
The significance of this lesson to me is really applicable to my life. Like the text says “The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed. Disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in thought. Sickly thought will express themselves through a sicky body.

There the application of this idea to my life is that I can choose whether to enjoy complete heaith for the rest of my life or suffer with disease.

A normal mind would choose complete health to disease and since mine is one I conquer.

Most of us suffer from illnesses because of component I called fear which renders us weak and therefore lets in all kinds of diseases to torment us. For example, I used to be tormented by malaria whenever we went to the country home I know there were many mosquitoes there and therefore one had to be prepared to go to hospital for treatment after the visit. It went for some time because my mind knew it. This was not shocking because we would sleep under mosquito nets but because my thoughts were those of a disease not health. I always got sick. After one time I made up my mind not to sucumb to those thoughts and now it does not count even if a mosquito bites me, I can’t just get malaria because my mind completely does not have the vocabulary of sickness in it only has one of health. Because of that, everyday my body grows stronger and stronger as well as getting better as time goes by. People usually ask how come for you, just get better everyday. I purpose to at least be happy and smile all the time, keep hygiene.

iv) Thought and purpose.

Thought and purpose are like a tortoise which can’t be separated from its shell because if so, it will in the long run become vulnerable to attack and hence may not survive. Linking this to the book was it says until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment. From such a statement I can say without a purpose there is no meaningful thought process.

There a purpose in life determines your thought. And because purpose determines thought and the values, priorities, vision, decisions of a person determines our purpose we have to put then in consideration. Like proverbs say “without a vision, my people perish.”

To avoid such i have to purpose in life so that I focus my thoughts onto that purpose to avoid circuming to irrelevant ones. Having a purpose means knowing what you want in life and how to get it. Most of my peers in high school did not know what they wanted and therefore they could get anything as a result went where it life because they circumed to irrelevant thoughts which led them to irrelevant destinies hence became failures especially in academics. I am therefore encouraged focus my thoughts on the relevant which means I should a priority list in life to have the urgent and important thoughts running in my mind so that I can be able to accomplish what is most urgent and important in life.

v) Thought factor in achievement.
From text. ‘All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts.’ This is true because whatsoever a man thinketh so he is because thoughts create circumstances create destinies.

It is really a reality to me because in my high school I set a goal to achieve excellence in my final year of high school in the national exams despite my previous performance. I focused my mind on positive thoughts this is did not come easily because the more I did so, the more the curve went to the negative side, I did not deviate from the cause and for two years as I slept and woke, I only could focus my thoughts on excellence and nothing less than that.

Results would come back and I would get so frustrated but because i had something in front to achieve I pushed on. And lo at the end, I emerged victorious in my class of physics, chemistry and biology which was considered the toughest therefore in conclusion I was the toughest because my positive thoughts helped me achieve success at the end.

Also as the text says; there can be no programe, no achievement without sacrifice, a man’s worldly success will be in the measure that he sacrifices his confused animal thoughts and fixes his mind on development of his plans and strengthening of his resolution and self salience. And the higher he lifts his thoughts, the more righteous he becomes, the greater will be his successes, the more blessed and enduring will be his achievements.

Achievement whatever kind is the crown of effort, the diaden of thought. By the aid of self control, resolution, purity, righteousness and will directed thought a man ascends and the opposite is true.

vi) Vision and ideas
Cherish your visions, cherish your ideas, cherish that music that stirs up in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drupes your purest thoughts for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all, heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.

vii) To desire is to obtain, to aspire is to achieve.
Dream lofty dreams, and so you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is to promise of what you shall one day be; your idea is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil. The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. You cannot travel within and stand still without in all human affairs there are efforts, and these are results and the strength of the effort is the measure of the results.

“The vision that you glorify in your mind, the idea that you enthrone in your heart – this will build your life by, this you will become.” You can only seize what you can see.

Vision paints the target. Vision starts from within. If you lack vision, look inside your self. Langston Hughes said “Hold first to dreams for if dreams die, life is like a broken winged bird that cannot fly.”

Dreams help me set goals because they are destiny boosters. To be without them is to sign in for doom. Dreams help to make the persuit of my purpose in life more resourceful.

viii) Serenity
Calmnesss of the mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operation of thought.

A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as thought evolved being, for such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as a result of thought and as he develops a right understanding and sees more and more clearly the internal relation of things by the action of cause and effect he ceases to fuss and fume and worry and grieve, steadfast and serene”

I have chosen to quote this text because it says it all. Since self-control is the fruit of holy spirit, as people who have then holy spirit we ought to posses self control. For example one day a pastor was travelling in a plane and there was turbulence but he sat in his seat steadfastly while others were yelling for help. There was a young man seated next to him who was doing the same thing but when he saw his serenity, he gained confidence and trust that they would not crash because the pastor seemed to be more sure about it.

This is just but one clip of the power of serenity because the pastor controlled his mind and hence fear was driven out, he was able to give hope to this young man. You cannot be serene without knowing your source of confidence. The pastor’s source of confidence was God and therefore he knew that God was more than to protect and save them. To have serenity, you must trust in your source of confidence and as a result you will also exhibit confidence which will attract many towards you.

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?

They are really tremendous ideas that if I just let them pass by I would regret because I have already put them to test and lo,miracles are happening.

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?

“A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of his thoughts.’

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 understood everything there was in the book,and all was clear to me and as well as,there are no ideas I dis agree with.

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

Yes, it did, and I attempted all of them,and found them intrensting and worthy the try.

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

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

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

Jonathan Living Seagull
Assessment by Kisangala Andrew (Uganda)

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 in this book is the perfect invisible principle of all life which is “love”

This idea is not vivid in the first reading but on the second reading, it hits you from the word go when you begin truly internalizing the content of the book. And I conquer with “Chiang” as it being the foundation not only being the principle of life.

This is truly evident from the actions of Jonathan Livingston seagull as seen from the beginning paragraphs.

Despite the fact that most of the gulls did not bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight-how to get from shore to food and back again, because it was not flying that mattered but eating, but as for him, though it was not eating that mattered but flight that mattered; more than anything else. He loved to fly. Like the bible says “where a man’s treasure is so their heart is.”

Having said that, most gulls found their treasure in food hence loved eating but as for Jonathan, his treasure was in flight, so he loved flying to an extent that he could forefiet food to a point of becoming feathers and bones like his mother said and he cared not.

The love for flight made him a different gull not like the rest where he did not limit himself to status quo but went on to explore what lay a head of his persistent desire to continually learn and adventure.

Because of the fact that Jonathan’s treasure was parallel to the flock’s expectations, he became unpopular with the rest of the flock as a result turning into a social disgrace. His love for flight beamed brighter and brighter as spent many hours in constant practice alone happy learning. He discovered a lot about his inner being with the untapped potential that was get to be manifest. This meant a lot of hard work and commitment during practice which could only be achieved because of his love for flight. The pains and hunger became insignificant as he became more and more proficient in his flight.

Having discovered the truth which was secret for thousands of years to the flock family, he gladly went to share the truth about the magnificent invention. This showed his love for the flock because he wanted to give them a better reason to living.

But was; discarded and considered an outcast for his great invention therefore being terminated from the flock family. He humbly stood his ground for the truth but was rendered a deaf ear by the rest of the flock family.

Off he went to be alone with a better reason to living. And because of love he presevered through these trials till he got and encounter with the heavenly flock which was instructed by “Chiang”

Having gotten to the level of perfection, his desire was to return to the rest of the flock and show them the light because of his love towards them.

Despite the resistance towards him to coming back to the earth by the other flock, he persisted and returned to at least get one person he could show the light.

He returned despite the previous encounters with the rest of the family having resolved t see the good in them, and show it to them.

This he had spent time learning the nature of love through practicing his kindness lessons.

Therefore his way of love was demonstrated by giving something of the truth that he had to gull who asked only a chance to see truth for himself. And as a result, Fletcher was waiting

After training a few of them, he went on further on to go back to the flock and show them the light despite Fletcher trying to help him. As a result of persistence and love, he was able to recruit thousands of gulls and mentored Fletcher as his successor.

i) Love

Love is one of the ideas because it captures all of the fundamentals and principles of life. It’s really evident in all our daily activities ranging from what we do to what we are.

It is evident in our work, relationships and all that we are. This is in correlation with the life of Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

From the book you can evidently see the element of love vividly painted in a clear picture.

He love what he did which was flying and he reached “heaven” as a matter of fact, that wasn’t all because he was mandated by Chiang not to forget the principle of life which was love.

He was to keep working on love which was at the apex of any achievement in life.

The more he practiced his kindness the more he got to know the nature of love. From this you can clearly see why Jesus narrowed the commandments which all centre around love that is “love God with all you heart, soul and mind” as well as “love your neighbour as you love your self”

And the significance of love to me is that it is the centre and at the core of everything I do. I am very motivated by the fact that excel in any human endevour it carries an equal magnitude of love, and because of this fact, am encouraged to love what I do knowing the final reward.

ii) Hard work and practice

From the book, the element of hard work and practice are clearly indicated.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull devoted a lot of time practicing and working hard to learn how to fly. This meant stretching beyond normal limits so as to achieve results; he had to do without food so that he got to the point of feathers and bones.

The significance of this to me is that for me also to achieve results in any endevour be it academics, work relationships I have got to work hard at them and constantly practice. This means I have to go beyond normal limits and stretch forward. I can also relate to Jonathan’s story in a way that; for example in the previous semester at school, I devoted a lot of time in a course unit where I constantly practiced and as a result I excelled in it with A and the other course units I had B’s.

iii) Perseverance

Perseverance is one of Jonathan’s Livingston Seagull traits that are highly visible.

Despite the challenges he went through, he was able to hard line and stands the test of time. This trait is really significant to me, because in life we go through thick and thin that so often we give up before give up before reaching our destined goal.

I can be motivated from Jonathan’s story, to also hold on until I attain my desired goal; despite the hills and valleys that may be my way. For example i had a challenge of constant nose bleeding in my childhood, that a simple knock on the nose would lead to bleeding as well as in the nights that I would consistently wake up and my pillow is socked in blood. I would then rush to Dad’s bedroom and for years he would encourage me and pray. After some years when I joined high school, I noticed that I no longer nose bled and I wasn’t shocked because my dad had persevered through prayer that when the miracle happened I could not remember because it happened in a process as a result of perseverance.

iv) Standing for the truth and not accepting the status quo of seagull not flying at high altitudes that he was rendered irresponsible for his acts.

He had found out the truth and he decided to stand for it to an extent of opposing the council elder of the flock. This is really significant to me that am so encouraged to not limit my self to the normal standards set by the community and shooting for the stars. For example it is normal for youth in our society to be shabby but I have made up mind to be always smart that most of the time a different from the rest that they ask I tend to do so.

v) Perfection

Jonathan Livingston Seagull reached perfection in what he loved that when he flew the other gulls looked at him as a son of a God. In relation to this proverbs say “have you found a man best in his ways, they will serve kings not mere men.” This calls me to perfection in all I do that I may be able to gain significance before God and men. To gain perfection comes with constant practice like Jonathan did.

I loved basket ball during my school days, that I would dodge classes while on court just on moon light. I became skillful that I would dribble the ball with my eyes closed because I had reached perfection in my dribbling skills.

vi) Leadership

Jonathan Living Seagull did not believe he was a leader but he had an element of leadership engraved with in him. He explored it and indeed became a great leader.

In my A-level, I had the opportunity to be a chapel prefect and before I could not believe I could handle that opportunity of having to do God’s work leading 1,000 people into the house of God. it was such a privilege having to do so that I learnt a lot and was modeled for the better.

vii) Mentorship:

For a successful leader there must be a successful replacement. In Jonathan’s case, he was able to recruit Fletcher into his position successfully. I was also able to get one after my service in school that he pushed even Gods work further.

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?

Relevancy of the ideas to my personal life.

All these 7 ideas mentioned above are really relevant to my life. To create a better world will really mean for to take all of them into account and make them reality in my daily life. That means I will have to learn the lesson Jonathan learned which was to practice constantly the lessons of kindness so as to fully understand the nature of love because it is the fundamental principle of all life.

4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.

i) ”Heaven is not a place and its not a time. Heaven is perfection.”

This tells me that to attain my heaven in any endeavor I should attain perfection at whatever expense.

ii) ”Heaven isn’t a place or time, because place and time are so very meaningless”.

This is true because God speaks of heaven as eternity therefore there isn’t any limit to anything whatsoever it may be. I’m encouraged to push on to my desired goal.

Iii) ”Any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limit”

This is of great inspiration because in any endeavor ranging from my spiritual, social, leadership, physical, economical life, I know that when I get to that level of perfection, I will be but my own limit.

iv) ”You didn’t need faith to fly, you needed to understand flying.”

Like someone said God seems to bless those who seem to know what they want. Therefore, what I need is understanding what I do so as to achieve excellence.

v) ”See the good in everyone of them, and help them see it in themselves, that’s love.”

This statement just says it all.

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 think I understood everything and there are no ideas I disagree with in the book.

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 all the exercises and I found them to be extremely helpful.

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

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

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

Keys To Success
Assessment by Andrew Kisangala (Uganda)

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

The main idea echoed by the author is that I can achieve success in anything I do in life, through the various secrets put across by the author.

i) Developing definiteness of purpose is the first significant idea. Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement, and its lack is the stumbling block for ninety-eight out of every hundred people simply because they never really define their goals and start toward them. If I know what I want from life, if I’m determined to get it to the point that it becomes an obsession with continuous effort and sound planning, then I have awakened and developed definiteness of purpose. Like the proverb that says;

“If you would plant for days, plant flowers.
If you would plant for years, plant trees.
If you would plant for eternity, plant ideas!”

As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote,” One single idea may have greater weight than the labor of all the men, animals and engines for a century. ”Putting ideas and definiteness of purpose to work will develop self reliance, personal initiative, imagination, enthusiasm, self-discipline, and concentrated effort which are required for success. Definiteness of purpose will encourage me to specialize, and specialization leads to perfection so as to attain success. It will also enable me to budget my time and money and all my day-to-day endeavors so that they will lead to the attainment of my major purpose. It will also help me be alert to opportunity, decision making capability, develop confidence in my own integrity and character, which attracts favorable attention from others and inspires their cooperation. The greatest benefit of definiteness of purpose is that it opens my mind to the quality known as faith which makes my mind positive and frees it from the limitations of doubt, discouragement, indecision, and procrastination.

ii) The second idea is creating a positive attitude.
From the tale of the choice of two envelopes where at birth we arrive figuratively clutching two sealed envelopes .One is labeled “Rewards,” and the other “Penalties.” The first envelope contains a list of all the benefits I will enjoy from taking possession of my own mind and using it to get what I want. The second carries a list of the consequences that befall me if I neglect controlling my mind and directing it toward a worthwhile goal. If I put my mind to work with a positive mental attitude and believe that success is my right my belief will guide me unerringly toward whatever my definition of success might be. The benefits of a positive mental attitude include but a few; sound health both physical and mental, financial independence, peace of mind, labor of love in which I express myself, applied faith, enduring friendships, longevity and well balanced life and wisdom to understand myself and others.

iii) Going the extra mile the third major idea.
Going the extra mile is a state of mind that must be developed so that its apart of everything I do.

IV) Using applied faith;
Faith is my awareness of, belief in, and harmonizing with the universal powers. It’s a state of mind, for one to achieve lasting success, it must be an active not passive, faith. Active faith is the process of relating myself to the vital forces of the world called infinite intelligence.

V) Enforcing self discipline is another major idea.
Controlling my emotions is an aspect of self discipline where I have learnt to think before I act.

vi) Thinking accurately is another idea.
My mind is like a piece of land. Through diligent planned work, it can be cultivated into a beautiful and productive garden. Or it can lie fallow, over run by weeds sprouting from seed carried by passing birds and the wind. Harvesting the bounty of my mind depends on careful effort and preparation by me, the gardener. This organization and its successful implementation are the result of accurate thinking. All plans, purposes, and achievements are created by thought. My thoughts, I have already learned, are the only thing over which I have complete control. I can use them wisely or unwisely, but however I do it, my thoughts have power. For example I purposed to direct my thoughts to being in harmony with everyone and lo, its amazing the amount of peace, joy that comes along my path that I have nothing like hate, envy, strife within me but just happiness, a peace of mind and the future is way too bright for me. As I’m writing this I was attacked by malaria and I had sleepless night but I decided to focus mind into the direction of perfect health despite the condition and I went for treatment and amazingly all the pain and weakness had vanished even before I took the drugs. This is usually not the case when you are attacked by malaria because it really puts you down for some days but for it was only a day.

Vii) Cultivating a creative vision.
Creative vision requires me to stimulate my imagination to work toward my definite major purpose and to put the results of that imagination to work which involves going the extra mile. Creative vision is more than an interest in material things; it is a commitment to a better future for us and the world at large .Creative vision makes me keenly aware of the price of personal achievement because I myself know its labors. I understand the benefits of sharing my blessings, experiences, and opportunities with others; I know that actually my success depends on it.

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

All these ideas are of enormous importance not only to me as an individual to the whole human race, therefore I intend to make them apart of me through habituation in that wherever I might I may be a pillar for transformation of lives. The is need of us, therefore I wont just sit on these ideas but act accordingly. Already they are working miracles for me and those around me because Im being a person of a difference and changing lives.

4. Quotes: are there any statements which the author made that
particularly got my attention? If so, please quote them and comment as
to why they were important to you.

• “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, your mind can achieve.” This is so important whatever I desire out of life I got to focus mind towards that direction because ultimately I will achieve it through patience and persistence.

• “If you can see an opportunity as quickly as you can see the faults of others, you will soon succeed.” We are so quick and alert to criticize the faults and mistakes others around us do which a negative way to focus our thoughts but if I will only adapt this ability and focus it to opportunity that comes my way then I will achieve success.

• “Anything worth having is worth working for.”
This is a good principle that motivates to go for anything in life worth having like academic Excellency, health, wealth, high spirituality. All these aspects in life need to be achieve but they come with a price tag that has to be paid so to gain them because on earth there is nothing for something therefore I’m motivated to push harder till I arrive to desired goal.

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

I think the book is precisely okay and all the things we crystal clear. Disagreement of the ideas would come about if I tried to apply them and all in vain.

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?

It contained them and for sure they are worth doing and I found them helpful.

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

There is nothing so that I would love to comment about since almost
everything was covered.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 7
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8

The New Dynamics Of Winning
Assessment by Andrew Kisangala (Uganda)

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

The main idea being put across by the author is basically the psychology of winning by putting the mind into action. It’s a guide and an inspiration to achieving my personal best. Quoting from him, ”It’s the mind over muscle, mind over competition, mind over everything”

The drive to win is the first idea that was most significant to me. The key concept here is the realization that, early in the game, champions risk playing the fool-because champions know there never was a winner who wasn’t at some point a beginner. The greatest risk is the fear of taking action. The greatest security derives from self-determination linked to specific, incremental goals, which leads to ultimate victory like those many champions. Motivation is a desire for change, and it must be internalized before it has any real power. The fear of change, and even the fear of success, keeps many a person’s natural drive for achievement locked in neutral drive for achievement locked in neutral, or in reverse.

Ii) The second idea that was most significant to me was that of paying the price.
Commitment is formed at certain vital turning points in your life; when you seize a moment and t turn it into an opportunity for altering your destiny. When you think about it, believe it, feel it and share it with those you really care about. Before the competition ever begins, winners deserve to win. Performance is only a reflection of internal worth, not a measure of it. What you reveal to the outside is what you feel on the inside. The inner ‘gold medal ‘of self esteem determines the quality of your performance.

Iii) The third most important idea is integrity.
Before you make any decision, whether it’s personal or professional, ask yourself;’ ’Is this true, is this right, is this the honest thing to do?” And not telling others what to do but show them. The material benefits that success brings are wonderful, and the desire to bring them into your life can be a strong motivator. But, to sustain motivation over the long term, there must also be a commitment to human values like honesty, responsibility, and concern for others. Making that commitment, and living up to it every day, is what is meant by integrity.

iv) The visualization of victory is also another major idea put across by the author.
Visualization works because the mind reacts automatically to the information it receives in the form of feelings, words, and sensory experiences, such as sight, taste, and touch. The mind can’t tell the difference between a real experience and one that has been vividly and repeatedly imagined. By mentally rehearsing the perfect accomplishment of your goals, you create a neurological pathway that allows your muscles to repeat those actions. Seeing leads to believing. Believing leads to achieving. Focusing all my attention on what I’m doing by being aware of silent conversations I have with myself, and directing them to lead me toward the desired result.

V) The strength through mental toughness is another idea.
This undertakes learning from the experts meaning those ones good at what they do so as to be able to transform myself from the grassroots to the highest place through their enormous advice embedded in the wisdom they offer from watching and listening. When I’m in the presence of a genuine authority in my industry, think less about talking and more about listening. And when something is directed to me I take it seriously and act upon it. It will prove to be valuable advice, if it’s spoken by some over one whose credentials I know to be genuine .The hurdles I’m jumping over may not be the same kind Bill Toomey faced, but, like him, I need all the help I can get. The idea of not rushing success is so crucial through practicing patience. For example the ancient Chinese wisdom of ‘’going with the flow” as quoted from Earl’s conversation with the author. He quoted Lao-Tzu’s classic book, the Tao-te Ch’ing. He said that trying to force our way against the current was a sign of emotional and intellectual weakness.

Earl likened genuine mental toughness to the principles of martial arts, where the aggressor’s own power and force are used to defeat him. When the attacker makes a move, you simply channel him, using his force to cause him to lose balance and fall . He only painted a verbal picture of the kind of person who smiles at adversity ;a person who understands that goals are best achieved by going with the tide and with the wind, without force, anger or impatience. For example, water to be fluid and soft, in time it will wear away the largest, hardest rock. The paradox of toughness is that what appears aggressive and hard is in fact easily broken. What appears soft and patient is really strong. Focusing on the desired results of success like winners do while losers focus on the penalties of failure. Winners concentrate on the present, eliminating what happened yesterday and any apprehension over what may happen tomorrow through approaching each day as a whole new event with the past forgotten. Expecting the unexpected through contingency planning by expecting the best and planning for the worst, and being prepared for a surprise.

Vi) The Coachablity factor is another idea of great importance. The keys to being coachable, to being a team player, are easy to define but not always so easy to act upon. Subordinate your ego needs to the best interests of the group. Being open and inquisitive, but being able to follow instructions .Never assuming I have all the answers .Most important of all, being a good listener with my family, friends, and coworkers.

Vii) The Quality of Leadership is a good idea that caught my eye. The foundation of real leadership is empowerment, which is the desire to understand the needs of the people who are depending upon me, and the ability to create an environment in which they themselves can fulfill those needs.

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

All these ideas that have been put across are of a great significance in that the principles being echoed by the author don’t only apply in the sporting arena but also as much in real life. First of all I doing the 21 one day plan so as I can make the ideas a habit which will evolve into my character. I believe no one can ever have impact on the world without influencing those around as well as total transformation of oneself ridding oneself of all the inhibitors to achieving the desired goal.

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.

• “Life is never just being .It’s becoming and creating.”
This helps me not to waste time accumulating objects or attributes that will mean nothing to me after a few years because real value comes from whatever I create in beauty and goodness and truth. This gives me hope to create impact in the lives of many so as to make this world a better place because life is what you make and I have purposed to do so because there is great need.

• ‘’Life’s most important revelation is that it’s the journey that counts, not the destination.” RobertLouis Stevenson’s said, “To travel hopefully is better thing than to arrive.” When I set out to achieve an objective, the hope that is in my heart is more valuable than whatever goals I may gain.

• ”Life is not a treasure hunt. Life itself is a treasure “
Life is made up of small pleasures and tiny successes. Its my duty to create and notice those successes that come along in this journey of life hence giving me a passion for living.

• “Success is a process, not a place you come to.”
This is really of great significance in that one has to savor success when it comes along my path because it is transient, always in motion like the game of basketball. I should learn never to take myself nor any success I’ve achieved too seriously because real success is a peace of mind which comes from the knowledge that I did my best that I’m capable of becoming.

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

There nothing in the book that I found un clear as well as there are no ideas in the book I disagree with.

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

Yes, it did and completed all of them and also found them helpful.

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

I think the author covered anything I would have commented about in the book.

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

Psycho-Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by Andrew Kisangala (Uganda)

1. What is the main idea the author is trying to bring across?

The main idea the author is trying to put across is about helping the reader attain greater self esteem and fulfillment in their lives. This is illustrated in the various topics put across by the author like; How myself image affects me, how to program my success mechanism, shaping my personality for success, freeing myself from false beliefs, choosing and setting goals, goal getting, avoiding failure, removing glitches from my personality and ultimately living a long satisfying happy life.

2. What are the seven ideas that are most significant to you?

I) Impact of myself image.
Ii) How to program my success mechanism.
iii) Freeing myself from false beliefs.
IV) How to choose and set my goals.
V) Shaping my personality for success.
VI) How to avoid failure.
Vii) How to make the most of my life.

3. How these ideas can be used to transform me and those around me?

i) The impact of myself image is significant because of many various reasons; “The impact of self image has been around for more than a decade. Yet there has been little about it. Curiously enough this is not because “self-image psychology” has not worked so amazingly well. As one of my colleagues expressed it,” I am reluctant to publish my findings….because if I presented some of my case histories and described the rather amazing and spectacular improvements in personality, I would be exaggerating, or trying to start a cult, or both. -Maxwell Maltz said. Self –esteem is one of the greatest ingredients of building ones personality because everyone of us always acts, feels, and behaves in a way that is consistent with our self image regardless of the reality of that image. Like the Californian Task Force to Promote Self –Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility. ”Self –esteem is the likeliest candidate for a social vaccine, something that empowers us to live responsibly and that inoculates us against the lure of crime ,violence, substance abuse, teen pregnancy ,child abuse, chronic welfare dependency, and educational failure.”
Working on my self esteem in high school days helped me achieve excellence in all aspects ranging from academic, social, leadership and spirituality. Because of this I was in position those who were down cast and low. They were in turn motivated to hold because of the hope I had provided for them at the end of the dark tunnel.

Ii) How to program my success mechanism.
Maxwell Maltz, said ”The creative mechanism within you is impersonal. It will work automatically and impersonally to achieve goals of success and happiness, or unhappiness and failure, depending on the goals which you yourself set for it.”
This will be a success if I learn how my internal guidance system works, the role of my self esteem in programming it and how to tap into my success instinct.

iii) Freeing myself from false beliefs. “Realizing that our actions, feelings, and behavior are the result of our own images and beliefs give us the lever that psychology has always needed for changing personality. ”Maxwell Maltz. I’m responsible for my thoughts in my head at any given time. I have the capacity to think whatever I choose, and virtually all self-defeating attitudes and behaviors originate in the way I choose to think.

Iv) How to choose and set my goals.
We are engineered as goal-seeking mechanisms. We are built that way. When we have no personal goal which we are interests in and which ‘means something “to us, we are apt to’ go around in circles’, feel ‘lost’ and find life aimless. People who say that life is not worthwhile are really saying that they themselves have no personal goals which are worthwhile.

v) Shaping my personality for success.
We are not on earth to live up to someone else’s expectations. To make our unique contributions to the world, we each need to prioritize our individual worth and pursue our dreams.

VI) How to avoid failure.
No one is immune to negative feelings and attitudes. The important thing is to recognize them for what they are, and take positive action to correct course.

Vii) How to make most out of life.
Everyone’s real goal is for more life, more living. Whatever your definition of happiness may be, you will experience happiness only as you experience more life.
More living means among other things more accomplishment, the attainment of worthwhile goals, more love experienced and given, more health and enjoyment, more happiness for both yourself and others. Let us not limit our own acceptance of life by our own feelings of unworthiness.

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.

“A person’s worth is contingent upon who he is, not upon what he does, or how much he has. The worth of a person, or a thing, or an idea, is in being, not in doing, not in having.” As a human being, as spirit manifested in form, you are innately
worthy. Your worthiness does not have to be strengthened or improved. However, you may not PERCEIVE yourself to be worthy. If you doubt your self-worth, consciously or unconsciously, you will limit the good things you will allow into your life.

“We cannot achieve more in life than what we believe in our heart of hearts we deserve to have.” What more can one add to such a statement.Its self explanatory.

“Knowledge of any kind … brings about a change in awareness from where it is possible to create new realities.” As we evolve, we handle knowledge in different ways. We tend to move through these stages:

– We are unaware.
– We become aware of facts, data, information.
– We comprehend meaning from the facts.
– We can personally apply the information in our lives.
– We have wisdom – enlightened, we can lovingly apply our knowledge to
world affairs.
– We live in truth.

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 think everything in the book was well stated and I hardly found anything unclear. There also no idea in the book I disagree with.

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

There were a few exercises in the book that I attempted and found them helpful.

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

There was nothing I read in the book that was not covered in the previous questions only to say that it has opened my eyes a little wider.

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 would give it? 8

Real Magic
Assessment by Kisangala Andrew

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

The book is centered on the theme of finding one’s purpose in life by first of all connecting with the higher power (God) and then with the inner power (soul/ conscience). When we connect with our purpose for being and who we really are, we start to create miracles in our everyday lives. Deep within each one of us is a unified field of unlimited possibilities. It is in the realm of our minds that miracles are produced. It is here that real magic takes place which will eventually manifest in our physical world. We must be willing to go in and discover it for ourselves. Part of living a purposeful life is coming to the realization that every aspect of our lives is necessary and perfect. Each step eventually leads to a higher place on the path of destiny and purpose. Every single event of our lives is in some way related to the next event therefore every event must be lived fully and lovingly. The greatest and glorious masterpiece of man is how to live with purpose. By getting ourselves aligned with this purpose we discover the joy and peace of giving not getting, of contributing not acquiring, of doing not competing or winning. Purpose is always about giving. Complete possession is proved only by giving. All we are unable to give possesses us.

The universe is on purpose; all the assistance that we need will be provided by the universe as soon as we convert our readiness to willingness. Our willingness makes the teacher able to help us – when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. The teacher makes an appearance in everything and everyone that we encounter. We must ultimately leave behind that which is self destructive or functioning as an obstacle to growth. The universal law that created miracles has not been repealed and never will be. In order to enter the world of real magic we will need to learn how to go way beyond our rational mind and enter the dimension of spirituality.

“Most people are so busy knocking themselves out trying to do everything they think they should do, they never get around to do what they want to do.”

When we clearly set an intention, our conscious and subconscious minds mobilize to help us meet that intention. At the start of each day, thoroughly review what commitments you have made to others for the day, and decide what commitment(s) you will make for yourself.

What can you do today that will move you one step closer to your personal goals? Own your power to choose to meet your own needs. After all, we are much better able to help others when our own needs are met. And at the end of the day, when you’ve honored your commitment to yourself, acknowledge your success.

“If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got.

One of the ideas which I found to be important to me is the idea of the world being order incarnate and therefore it’s for us to put ourselves in unison with this order. This statement and the chapter expounding on it helped to understand that there are no mistakes or accidents in life. It has totally changed my life ever since I started to look at life from that angle. I have a positive attitude and grateful heart for all that happens in my life whether positive or negative. I see each event as a part of the great plan. I no longer panic or get worked up because I have this confidence that everything will work itself out according to the divine order and purpose. This has also given me a great desire to reach to those in dire need of knowledge especially the students where I motivate them and lo results are on the table because they always want to hear more and more.

The other idea that I found to be important is the idea of purpose always being about giving. I must admit this was a totally new concept for me though I had often heard about giving from a religious perspective. I am involved in a number of voluntary services and some times people ask you how you benefit and can not really explain it save for the fact that it gives me such a great sense of satisfaction even if I do not get paid to do much of my voluntary services. Reading this opened my eyes to a whole new sense of motivation and purposeful living. I am so happy doing what I have always believed to be God’s purpose for my life. Being able to share my life and gifts with others is a whole lot more valuable than just a few dollars or pounds. I have purposed to live for purpose because that is the real source of true fulfillment and satisfaction in life. I delight in serving others more than ever before.

Most of our self-talk comes unconsciously from our subconscious. Yet every thought that exists in our subconscious got there through a conscious decision to accept that thought.

We need to become conscious of our self-talk so we can at will choose to replace negative beliefs with positive ones. We have the power to choose an identity we love, but we need to do the work. The process of changing our subconscious beliefs requires awareness, diligence, consistency and repetition.

“Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.

The third idea that was important to me is the idea of everyone and everything being a teacher in some way. This is true when we choose to focus our thoughts.

Do you know? We get so accustomed to our thoughts that we lose awareness of them. We don’t see how they are stuck in old habitual patterns, most of which don’t serve us.

Take time to journal so you can capture your thoughts on paper. By doing so, you will begin to take control of your mind and use it to best advantage.

“When you choose to understand [and] exercise control over the functions and attributes of your own mind, you will be empowered to create your own reality, to be completely self-reliant and totally prosperous.

Another idea that I found important is the idea of meditation. For all my life I had always had a distorted perspective of meditation and believed it had to do with false spiritual activity some what close to demonic practices. Reading about it from a positive perspective has opened my eyes to another way I can get in touch with my inner self and it is great. I have tried it a couple of times and it does refresh as well help one get back on course you are losing focus. It is one of those habits that I am working on developing especially considering the fast and busy world in which we live. It’s worth taking off a few minutes to just reconnect with your sense of purpose and being as well as consulting that all knowing well with in each of us. Actually I have began waking up early to meditate and greats results am seeing.

I also found the idea of not setting limits for myself or others very important. Some times even when we know things, we need some one to remind us of what we already know. This chapter not only encouraged me to think and dream big but also to believe the very best of everyone. There is a lot of potential in every one, sometimes all people need is some one to believe in them and they will rise up to the occasion. They way I think will also attract the right kind of people around me so by thinking positive I will attract people of a like mind around me. Like the holy book says, if you walk with the wise, you become wise therefore I must think right to live right.

The last idea that I found to be important to me is the idea of an individual remaining an individual not only from birth to death but actually long before birth until long. I have always know about the need to respect peoples will and opinions as part of their dignity but had over looked the fact that I can not intend for some one to act in accordance with my desires.

“Men are more accountable for their motives, than for anything else ….”its of great significance to me to give people their due respect and examining all my intentions.

Throughout the day, continually I ask yourself about your underlying motivation. I”m doing what you are doing for selfish, manipulative or fearful reasons, or in honest service? Maybe you will see that much of your activity lacks purpose. This is a great way to become more conscious.

Your intention and motives are fundamental to the results you receive. Set high intentions and your life will blossom.

“A good intention clothes itself with power.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

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?

First and foremost these ideas are already helping me in my personal life to become a better person. This book is more of a personal improvement book than a training guide. The things that I have learnt I am already applying in my life and will continue to use as stepping stoned to better myself. There is a lot of treasures in this book that apply to our daily lives. I already feel like I am not the same since I started reading this book, I could say I have started experiencing miracles in some areas of my life and I am reaching for more so this is only the beginning.

The principles that I have learnt have given me a whole new insight on how to deal and approach people on a daily basis. Much of the lessons have got to start with me as an individual and then they will flow through to every aspect of my life so I believe that the lessons are helping me become a better person so to impact my society.

The other way I am going to use the lessons learnt is by making them a part of my trainings/ curriculums as a trainer/ facilitator. These lessons are invaluable to any one and yet not every one is able to access them for one reason or the other. Since purpose is all about giving, I believe the purpose for my getting to learn these lessons is so that I can get to share them with other people so this is one of the way I am going to make use of the lessons learnt.

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.

One of the quotes that got my attention is ‘There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving and that’s your own self’. This gives me the impression that from the moment we are born to the moment we die we must continually improve and become better in an effort to reach our full potential. Most of the times we focus on the changes that others can make in their lives instead of the changes that we ourselves must and can make.

The other quote that caught my attention is, ‘The world is not to be put in order, the world is order incarnate. It is for us to put ourselves in unison with this order’. This means that the world does not need to be changed; it is us who need to change so that the world can become a better place. This is a timely message for our day and generation where lots of innovations are being invented to reshape and redefine the world without the people necessarily seeing a need to change themselves. I think the reverse is true.

Another quote is, ‘unless you learn from your mistakes, you are doomed to repeat them’. Many are the mistakes that I have made in the past without necessarily stopping to find out what was in them for me to learn so I have found myself having to make the same mistakes over and over because I never took the time to recognize the lessons. From now on I will take the time to learn from my mistakes.

The other quote is, ‘Purpose is always about giving’. More than ever before I now realize that life is not all about what we can get out of it but rather what we can give to those around us. I feel such a great sense of purpose and satisfaction in what am doing and it is more worth than a fortune of money.

“All man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.”

Meditation calms our minds and makes it easier for us to pay attention to the reality around and within us. Meditation breaks through the masks that have built up as our identity. It helps us see through our defenses and connect with unacknowledged and unloved aspects of ourselves. It opens us to higher mind and the voice of intuition.

We can consciously choose meditation as a way to become more aware of who we truly are. If we don’t take the initiative to open to our authentic selves, we can be certain that deep challenge and pain from life experience will push us to awaken.

“Meditation helps me feel the shape, the texture of my inner life. Here, in the quiet, I can begin to taste what Buddhists would call my true nature, what Jews call the still, small voice, what Christians call the holy spirit.”

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

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?

Not really yet it had lots of points to stop and ponder which I have done. I have been able to come up with a couple of action plans that I am following through one step at a time.

The book is really practical not just theoretical, it highlights a number of things that need to be worked on in each of our lives.

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.

This is a wonderful book for everyone that desires to leave a purposeful life. It is so relevant for our day and age when most people work for the pay cheque with no heart for community service. It is very relevant for the young generations and should be adopted in some of the formal training curriculums; we need a future generation that will have the heart of service at the core. I believe this is the answer to all the selfishness and corruption that is constantly on the rise.

Thanks for the opportunity availed to me, indeed I will never be the same again.

Greatness always waylays great people because IIGL has made it possible and the impact wont go unnoticed already lives are being changed.

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

Giant Steps
Assessment by Andrew Kisangala (Uganda)

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

The book conveys 365 daily lessons to become an exceptional leader. Along with these directives are practical exercises for self development and to assist one in thinking about how they can better prepare themselves to become a leader through mental and physical gymnastic exercises.

For instance here are some 14 steps to having a positive mindset.

Habits often have a bad reputation…but some habits can be helpful and healthy. Stop and think about your talents for a moment. Even Christ himself emphasized it in the parable of the talents, which is of-course engraved in habit.

* Identify a practice that you’d like to become an automatic part of your life.
Perhaps you want to spend regular time honing your craft. Maybe you want to complete a particular amount of creative work each week. Or meditate regularly. What practices would you like to turn into habits? Select one of these habits as your target habit. (It’s helpful to focus on one at a time).

* Be specific and concrete.
Instead of saying ‘write more’, identify exactly how much you want to write. “I want to write at least five pages a day, at least five days a week, every week.” OR “I want to spend at least an hour a day writing, at least four days a week, every week.” The more specific the practice, the likelier it will become a habit.

* Ask yourself: why?
Identify the benefits of starting this habit. (For example, if I practice my sousaphone at least an hour a day, I’ll become a better musician; I’ll increase my repertoire; I’ll do better in auditions; I’ll feel so much better). Write down as many reasons as possible to start your new habits and practices and keep them handy. Review your list at least daily.

* Whittle your intended habit into reasonable, doable baby steps. If your target habit is to compose a new song every day, for example, then you might begin the process by committing to write a song a week (assuming that sounds realistic for you). After that becomes second nature, aim for two songs a week. When, eventually, that practice seems like old hat, go for three a week…until eventually you are writing a song every day.

* Start small.
Your beginning practice should be so easy it’s laughable. Guarantee your success. Returning to the last example, if writing a song a week is easy as pie, that’s a great place to start. If, however, the notion of writing a song a week puts you in a sweat, then choose something smaller and easier. Aim for a viable chorus or verse instead. Still shaking? Aim for a musical idea or a cool phrase that might become a lyric someday.

Rest assured, wherever you start is fine. AVOID JUDGING yourself or being too hard on yourself. Pick a practice that’s really, truly easy.

For example, let’s say your target habit is to paint for at least an hour a day. You might start with the practice of painting for at least five minutes a day, at least four days a week. “Five minutes? I can’t get anything done in five minutes,” you are apt to wail. Yes you can. You can gesso a canvas. You can sketch out a figure. You can apply paint.

“But five minutes a day isn’t going to accomplish anything!” You’d be surprised what you can get done in five focused, undistracted minutes, dedicated to a specific task.

The truth is, if you aim for minutes, you may well do more. What matters is that you do AT LEAST five minutes, at least four times a week.

Let me repeat that: The important thing here is to ESTABLISH THE HABIT. The amount of time doesn’t matter. What you’re actually doing doesn’t matter. What you get done doesn’t matter. As long as you are taking steps towards your intended target habit, you are on track. That’s why it’s helpful to start with easy practices. The easier the initial practice, the more likely you’ll cultivate the new habit you desire.

* Set yourself up for success.
Start your new, easy practice when you’re really ready. Put in place the support or resources you need — be it information, a teacher/mentor/coach or a trusted “progress buddy” (like a diet buddy to keep you on track).

If you’re the kind of person that needs to make a public commitment to get yourself to do something, then email your friends and tell them your intentions. Ask them to hold you accountable to your new practice. In contrast, if you suspect your ‘friends’ might be jealous or competitive or might unknowingly undermine your efforts, then it doesn’t serve you to tell them what you’re up to.

* Monitor your progress.
Every day, make note of what you did, related to your target habit.

* Remind yourself why you’re doing this.
Until your target habit becomes like breathing for you, make it a daily practice to review your ‘benefits’ list (from step 3). This only takes a few seconds and can really help.

* Praise yourself.
This is non-negotiable. It’ll feel pretty darned good to do what you set out to do…yet it’s important to acknowledge you successes in some tangible way. Give yourself bonus points for every day that you carry out your intended new practice. You can mark ‘X’s on a calendar. You can give yourself gold stars. You can email your creativity buddy at the end of the week to say ‘I did it!’

* Be kind and gentle with yourself.
If you happen to not do what you intend, avoid beating yourself up. Simply record what did (or didn’t) happen. I’m human and therefore fallible. It’s no big deal. Let’s move on. Tomorrow is another day. Look at the bigger picture: okay, I missed yesterday, but I did my new practice eight times in the past two weeks. That’s eight days I did great. Overall, I can see I’m establishing this new target habit — I’m making this practice an automatic part of my life, most days.

* If you find yourself consistently missing your intentions, then it’s time to dig deeper. What’s going on? Do you really want to establish this new target habit? If no, then review your list of habits from step #1, pick a habit you DO want to establish and start over with that. If yes, then perhaps you’re trying to do too much too fast. Try breaking your daily/weekly practices into smaller, easier increments. Or are you trying to start too many new habits at once? If so, pick one to focus on and leave the other target habits for now.

* When you find yourself meeting your initial baby step practices regularly and consistently, up the ante a bit. Aim to do a little bit more. Repeat the process (steps 6 – 11) as you gradually work up to performing your target habit regularly and consistently. Build momentum, slowly but surely.

* Be patient.
Slow and steady progress is better than short-term maniacal enthusiasm followed by sudden burnout or abandonment of your intentions. Avoid thinking about what’s to come — just focus on what you need to do today. Depending on what it is you’re trying to do, it can take 21 — 30 days — or more — to establish a new habit.

* When you’ve successfully established your new habit, be sure to reward yourself for that milestone. Give yourself a healthy, happy treat — you deserve it

i. The author said : “It’s not what we do once in a while that counts, but our consistent actions. I believe our decisions—not the conditions of our lives determine our destiny.”

A friend usually tells me life is what you make of it. Am always motivated because its in hands and not even the so called fate can stop me. Many of us have realized this fact and therefore we are swayed by the winds of fate, ignorant of our control of it. What would the world if Bill Gates had settled for these winds or Carnigie, Dell, and most importantly the stake holders of IIGIL especially Micheal who have made it what it is. I believe because of you endeavors this globe won’t remain the same.
When faced with trials, you and I too have the option of overcoming them, using the events as teachable moments, helping one’s self and others to become stronger and wiser because of the experience as well as learning from them with purpose.

ii. The paradox of life’s journey may be another lesson to be learned.

“It is only when we realize that life is taking us nowhere that it begins to have meaning.”

All major mystical traditions have recognized that there is a paradox at the heart of the journey of return to Origin. …Put simply, this is that we are already what we seek, and that what we are looking for on the Path with such an intensity of striving and passion and discipline is already within and around us at all moments. The journey and all its different ordeals are all emanations of the One Spirit that is manifesting everything in all dimensions; every rung of the ladder we climb toward final awareness is made of the divine stuff of awareness itself; Divine Consciousness is at once creating and manifesting all things and acting in and as all things in various states of self-disguise throughout all the different levels and dimensions of the universe.

“Look at you, you madman, Screaming you are thirsty And are dying in a desert When all around you there is nothing but water!” — Kabir

“After changes upon changes, we are more or less the same.”

In each decision one faces, one has the choice to either take the high road or the low road. The high road consists of making good choices that align with a universal moral code, a choice that does not defy one’s own set of values for the sake of being political and attaining immeasurable gain.

iii. Robbins emphasizes writing goals down and the reason why you want to achieve this goal. Actually putting the objectives on paper helps make them concrete in one’s mind and serves as inspiration for completing them if one reviews their goals daily.

Robbins suggests setting not only goals that you know you will achieve but even ones that are a little bit out of reach, ones that you will be stretched by. Often I drag jotting down goals because of the fear of taking the leap of faith. I know writing them creates the desired results.

A lot of times, we adults are the same way, wanting to set goals that we know for sure we will accomplish. By encouraging folks to set goals a little bit above themselves, Robbins wants us to be challenged and learn new or greater skill sets so we develop into a more capable individual. He also instructs us to not be afraid of failure; that failure is a stepping stone to success. So don’t fear!

iv. Quote: “The secret to achieving your goals is mental conditioning. Review them at least twice daily. Post your goals where you’re sure to see them every day. Remember, whatever you consistently think about and focus upon, you move toward.”

Even though my goals are in the back of my mind, I think writing them down and reviewing them daily is an excellent idea. It keeps one’s mind focused on what is important. We should be like the ruminants who regurgitate the cud so should we to make them apart of our daily living.

v.: “There’s a huge difference between achieving to be happy and happily achieving.” This is so true because many achieve happiness as the end result not as the process therefore becoming irrelevant in the long run since it makes no meaning. Many expect sheer joy in heaven therefore life is considered burdensome because they focus on end product happiness which is only in flickers. Happily achieving is a process oriented and deeply engraved in principles as a results its everlasting experience.

vi. I suggest that rather than jumping to conclusions, consider all the possibilities and choose to focus on one that will empower you and those you care about.” We are naturally critical beings therefore we ought to reconsider this trait and shift to conscious beings. This will bring great results in my life and others. Its a more proactive approach.

vii. Follow your own path may be another lesson learned.

“Life is complex. Each one of us must make his own path through life. There are no self-help manuals, no formulas, no easy answers. The right road for one is the wrong road for another … The journey of life is not paved in blacktop; it is not brightly lit, and it has no road signs. It is a rocky path through the wilderness.

We each have our own pathways to develop both personally and spiritually. They are based on our character and past experiences. No one else can identify our paths for us. Tune in to your inner guidance system and follow its direction.

“What every man needs, regardless of his job or the kind of work he is doing, is a vision of what his place is and may be. He needs an objective and a purpose. He needs a feeling and a belief that he has some worthwhile thing to do. What this is no one can tell him. It must be his own creation.”

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?

This book challenges me to set more goals and to reinforce these goals on a daily basis by reviewing them and putting them down in writing. As Robbins stated, the more we focus on our goals, the greater the chance we have of completing them. I am thrilled because there cannot be enough of all this I wake hungrier for more each day.

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.

Quote #1: “Obstacles are merely a call to strengthen your resolve to achieve your worthwhile goals.”

Have you ever seen the picture where there are two people in it, one older lady and a younger lady, where the objective is to be able to see both people instead of just one, the older lady and the younger one? Sometimes, people just see problems as obstacles only. But like the picture, if we are to squeeze all the juices out of the grapes, then it is best to see obstacles not only as weaknesses but strengths which will help us grow into a greater person.

Quote #2: “How we deal with adversity shapes our lives more than almost anything else. Achievers usually see problems as transitory, while those who fail usually see even the smallest problems as everlasting.”

Not only is our outcome affected by how negative or positive we see our trials, but also by how long we think they will last. Those who overcome see the hardship as coming and going. They tend to think that hope is right around the corner versus over the lake where it will never be reached.

Quote #3: “Clearly, we must adopt the concept of continuous improvement as a daily principle rather than as a goal to be pursued only occasionally.”

One can always become better at something.

“Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities — always see them, for they’re always there.”
— Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

One of the saddest lines in the world is, ‘Oh come now – be realistic.’ The best parts of this world were not fashioned by those who were realistic. They were fashioned by those who dared to look hard at their wishes and gave them horses to ride.

Creativity and intuition are meaningless unless you put the ideas that arise into action. We must make some effort to do things differently or to do different things, or our lives remain the same.

“People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives.”

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

No.

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

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

Rating

A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9.5

How To Win Friends And Influence People
Assessment by Andrew Kisangala (Uganda)

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

The main idea in this book is based on the principle of human relations. This bases on the fact that every endeavor in anything involves human interaction therefore ones knowledge about handling people is of great importance. When dealing with people, we should remember that they we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity.

This may be through speaking ill of no man and speak all the good I know of every body. Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do. But it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving.

“A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little men.”

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

i) The first aspect is learning not to condemn people instead let try to understand them and figure out why they do what they do. That a lot more profitable and intriguing than criticism, and it breeds sympathy, tolerance and kindness.

“To know all is to forgive all.”

God himself does not propose to judge man until the end of his days therefore why should we.

ii) The second lesson is giving honest and sincere appreciation since mankind craves for a feeling of importance. For example the old saying,

I shall pass this way but once, any good therefore, that I can do for any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

Emerson said. ”Every man I meet is my superior in some way in that Learn of him.”

iii) The third lesson is that the only way to influence people is to talk in terms of what they want not what you want.

This is through the ability of getting the other persons angle as well as from your own. People are interested in others when they are interested in them. Actions speak louder than words. For instance a smile says, I like you, you make me happy, I’m glad to see you.

It costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash and the memory of it lasts a life time.

None so rich they can get along without it, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, justice to the sad, and natures antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good to anybody till it is given away. A smile.

iv) Also remembrance of people’s names is as important as the above because that is their identity and as a result shows you care, respect, treasure, adore them. Being a good listener and encouraging others to talk about themselves is a great trait, as well as talking in terms of the other person’s interests.

v) Winning people to my way of thinking by avoiding any argument whatsoever and being honest, looking for areas of agreement, control of my temper is another lesson I picked from the book.

Alexander Pope said “Men must be taught as if you taught them not and things unknown proposed as things forgot.”

Galileo said, “You can’t teach a man anything, you can only help him to find it within himself.

While Lord Chesterfield told his son, “Be wiser than other people if you can, but do not tell them so.”

vi) Time to change? “When coasting in our comfort zones, we don’t grow. We continue to do more of the same…. Maintaining a comfort zone can, paradoxically, lead to discomfort in the long run. If by being comfortable we avoid important life issues, internal tension accumulates…. Eventually, as both internal and external pressures for change persist, the ‘comfort zone’ ceases to serve us.

It takes effort to change. What do you most want to change in your life? Make a list of what you can do to start the process. Try journaling, perhaps. Read books. Take a course. Find a mentor. Seek out support.

“Be not afraid of changing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.”

vii) Follow through and complete “Activity is not achievement. It is not enough to rush about beginning a lot of things and keeping busy. A well-spent life is one that rounds out what it has begun.”

Intention and the words we speak are powerful. When we say we are going to do something, we set energy in motion. When we fail to act or complete our intention, we drain our energy. We lose our power.

We would be wise to choose our words carefully — to really mean what we say and to honor the commitments we have made.

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

I am going to apply all these lessons in my daily living by carefully rehearsing them till my subconscious is fully saturated with nothing but relevant data to transform my life and those around me. A dying mother wrote a letter to the son saying life is a mystery which cannot be comprehended by our sight or insight it takes an inner commitment to a higher cause from the inside with connection to heaven. This is possible through meditation and prayer .Little wonder God epitomizes meditation of his word like in (Joshua 1:8), Psalms. Note: Gods children and His enemies both underestimate the power of prayer, so lets keep praying.

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.

“Genius begins great works; labor alone finishes them. “We are obliged to follow through every undertaking we set our hearts to do.

“Good to begin well, better to end well.”This puts emphasis on consistency and excellency.

“A life spent in making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”

“Only those who risk going too far can know how far they can go.”

To try is to risk failure. But risk must be taken because the greatest hazard of life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, live, and love. Daring to risk is an essential step to self empowerment. This is the key to breaking out of stuck thinking and behavior. It is about breaking through the comfort zones and barriers. It is about experiencing new levels of mind and feelings. It is about experiencing more life.

“Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.”

Stepping back to review your week can offer many insights. Normally we can’t see the forest for the trees. Now back away and see the whole forest. Review your week. Now write a short summary — whatever comes to mind for you. If action is required, plan how you will accomplish it in the next week.

“Ask the experienced rather than the learned.”

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”

We get clues about our unconscious programming if we watch our reactions, responses, feelings and thoughts about other people and events. Ask yourself: How do I judge or stereotype people? What pushes my buttons? What makes me angry or fearful or sad?

The outer incidents that trigger these reactions in me simply MIRROR my own nature. If I didn’t have beliefs around the issues that upset me, where would my reactions come from? If I didn’t have some internal reference, I wouldn’t react at all.

When outer events spark a reaction, we need to look inside to explore what’s going on. We discover in ourselves what others hide from us and we recognize in others what we hide from ourselves.

“The most pathetic person in the world is the person who has sight, but no vision.”

What’s the big picture for your life? Always have a larger, purposeful, even spiritually ideal picture of where you are going. Your mind needs to have a clear and challenging vision to draw you ever upwards. Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and follow where they lead. The only limits are, as always, those of vision.

“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. You can see that when you think how the friends that really listen to us are the ones we move toward, and we want to sit in their radius as though it did us good, like ultraviolet rays.”

How well do we communicate with others? Often, when we are interacting with others, our attention in both speaking and listening is focused on meeting our own needs.

Our communication skills improve when we can open to be aware of the needs of the other person. When we listen, we can release the filters that serve our own needs for security and receive the message with our compassionate heart. And when we speak, we can choose words that the listener is able to receive. True communication happens when we harmonize with the other individual.

“So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.”

“The first duty of love is to listen.”

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?

Every aspect was pretty clear to me..

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

It only contained space for personal follow up on the various topics learned.

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

No I wish not add anything because the questions are pretty encompassing.

Ratings:

A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful were the contents? 9.7
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

The New Dynamics of Winning
Assessment by Andrew Kisangala (Uganda)

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

The main idea being put across by the author is basically the
psychology of winning by putting the mind into action. It’s a guide
and an inspiration to achieving my personal best. Quoting from him,”It’s the mind over muscle, mind over competition,
mind over everything”

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.

ii) The drive to win is the first idea that was most significant to me.

The key concept here is the realization that, early in the game, champions risk playing the fool-because champions know there never was a winner who wasn’t at some point a beginner. The greatest risk is the fear of taking action .The greatest security derives from self-determination linked to specific, incremental goals, which leads to ultimate victory like those many champions. Motivation is a desire for change, and it must be internalized before it has any real power. The fear of change, and even the fear of success, keeps many a person’s natural drive for achievement locked in neutral drive for achievement locked in neutral, or in reverse.

ii) The second idea that was most significant to me was that of paying the price.

Commitment is formed at certain vital turning points in your life; when you seize a moment and turn it into an opportunity for altering your destiny. When you think about it, believe it, feel it and share it with those you really care about. Before the competition ever begins, winners deserve to win. Performance is only a reflection of
internal worth, not a measure of it. What you reveal to the outside is what you feel on the inside. The inner ‘gold medal ‘of self esteem determines the quality of your performance.

iii) The third most important idea is integrity.

Before you make any decision, whether it’s personal or professional, ask yourself;’ ’Is this true, is this right, is this the honest thing to do?” And not telling others what to do but, show them. The material benefits that success brings are wonderful, and the desire to bring them into your life can be a strong motivator. But, to sustain motivation over the long term, there must also be a commitment to human values like honesty, responsibility, and concern for others. Making that commitment, and living up to it every day, is what is meant by integrity.

iv) The visualization of victory is also another major idea put across by the author.

Visualization works because the mind reacts automatically to the information it receives in the form of feelings, words, and sensory experiences, such as sight, taste, and touch. The mind can’t tell the difference between a real experience and one that has been vividly and repeatedly imagined. By mentally rehearsing the perfect accomplishment of your goals, you create a neurological pathway that allows your muscles to repeat those actions .Seeing leads to believing. Believing leads to achieving.

Focusing all my attention on what I’m doing by being aware of silent conversations I have with myself, and directing them to lead me toward the desired result.

v) Strength through mental toughness is another idea.

This undertakes learning from the experts meaning those ones good at what they do so as to be able to transform myself from the grassroots to the highest place through their enormous advice embedded in the wisdom they offer from watching and listening. When I’m in the presence of a genuine authority in my industry, think less about talking and more about listening. And when something is directed to me, I take it seriously and act upon it. It will prove to be valuable advice, if it’s spoken by some over one whose credentials I know to be genuine. The hurdles I’m jumping over may not be the same kind Bill Toomey faced, but, like him, I need all the help I can get. The idea of not rushing success is so crucial through practicing patience.
For example the ancient Chinese wisdom of ‘’going with the flow” as quoted from Earl’s conversation with the author. He quoted Lao-Tzu’s classic book, the Tao-te Ch’ing. He said that trying to force our way against the current was a sign of emotional and intellectual weakness.

Earl likened genuine mental toughness to the principles of martial arts, where the aggressor’s own power and force are used to defeat him. When the attacker makes a move, you simply channel him, using his force to cause him to lose balance and fall He only painted a verbal picture of the kind of person who smiles at adversity ;a person who understands that goals are best achieved by going with the tide and
with the wind, without force, anger, or impatience. For example, water to be fluid and soft, in time it will wear away the largest, hardest rock. The paradox of toughness is that what appears aggressive and hard is in fact easily broken. What appears soft and patient is really strong. Focusing on the desired results of success like winners do while losers focus on the penalties of failure. Winners concentrate on
the present, eliminating what happened yesterday and any apprehension over what may happen tomorrow through approaching each day as a whole new event, with the past forgotten. Expecting the unexpected through contingency planning by expecting the best and planning for the worst, and being prepared for a surprise.

vi) The Coachablity factor is another idea of great importance.

The keys to being coach able, to being a team player, are easy to define but not always so easy to act upon. Subordinate your ego needs to the best interests of the group. Being open and inquisitive, but being able to follow instructions. Never assuming I have all the answers. Most important of all, being a good listener with my family, friends, and coworkers.

vii) The Quality of Leadership is a good idea that caught my eye.

The foundation of real leadership is empowerment, which is the desire to understand the needs of the people who are depending upon me, and the ability to create an environment in which they themselves can fulfill those needs.

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

All these ideas that have been put across are of a great significance in that the principles being echoed by the author don’t only apply in the sporting arena but also as much in real life. First of all I doing the 21 one day plan so as I can make the ideas a habit which will evolve into my character. I believe no one can ever have impact on the world without influencing those around as well as total transformation
of oneself ridding oneself of all the inhibitors to achieving the desired goal.

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.

“Life is never just being. It’s becoming and creating.”

This helps me not to waste time accumulating objects or attributes that will mean nothing to me after a few years because real value comes from whatever I create in beauty and goodness and truth. This gives me hope to create impact in the lives of many so as to make this world a better place because life is what you make and I have purposed to do so because there is great need.

‘’Life’s most important revelation is that it’s the journey that counts, not the destination.”

Robert Louis Stevenson’s said, “To travel hopefully is better thing than to arrive.” When I set out to achieve an objective, the hope that is in my heart is more valuable than whatever goals I may gain.

”Life is not a treasure hunt. Life itself is a treasure “

Life is made up of small pleasures and tiny successes. Its my duty to create and notice those successes that come along in this journey of life hence giving me a passion for living.

“Success is a process, not a place you come to.”

This is really of great significance in that one has to savor success when it comes along my path because it is transient, always in motion like the game of basketball.

I should learn never to take myself nor any success I’ve achieved too seriously because real success is a peace of mind which comes from the knowledge that I did my best that I’m capable of becoming.

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

There nothing in the book that I found un clear as well as there are no ideas in the book I disagree with.

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

Yes, it did and completed all of them and also found them helpful.

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

I think the author covered anything I would have commented about in the book.

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

The Power Of Intention
Assessment by Andrew Kisangala (Uganda)

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

The main idea the author is conveying is the fact that we aught to get to our rightful places of experiencing God and as a result become spiritual beings having a human experience. Therefore we will stop wandering from room to room hunting for the diamond necklace that is already around our necks

Peace, joy, health and well-being can only be found inside us. They exist within us now, waiting to be discovered. Yet we tend to look to the outside world to satisfy our needs and longings.

Our outer life reflects back to us the way we think, feel and behave. The outer world is all effects. Go to the source inside for all of life’s treasures.

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.

People often view the spiritual path as a search for the light. In truth, spirituality asks us to bring light and darkness together in wholeness. And in fact, this is the only possible solution. In our world of duality, any effort to focus all attention on the light only serves to increase the power of the darkness. Our aim is not to deny or reject anything but to embrace it all.

“When you are able to contain both the light and dark together, that is a very enlightening state. It means that you no longer have to choose one experience over another. You do not have to choose love OR hate, blame OR forgiveness, sadness OR joy, anger OR openheartedness. You are no longer polarized; no particular feeling boxes you in and keeps you from the light of true self. You then have access to the full range of human experiences you came into this life to embrace.”
.
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) Creativity is the first idea being highlighted by the author Its God in action since He is the author of creativity, therefore being His creations, we ought to be creative, the benefits are immense.

ii) Kindness is the second, any power that has, as its inherent nature the need to create and convert energy into physical form must also be a kindly power.

ii) Love is the third and greatest because God is love. It’s our highest word and synonym for God. The energy field of intention is pure love resulting in a nurturing and totally cooperative environment. Love is patient, love is kind: It doesn’t envy, it doesn’t boast, it is not proud: it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always persevers .Love never fails because God never fails. This is perfection made possible better yet the reality of heaven that we all look forward to. Jesus is what makes heaven, Hes perfection at its best because He’s love. If we could only cling to this fact, we would experience the reality of heaven on earth. This is Gods dream! Indeed He made it a reality 2000 years ago at the cross when He died of a race that was lost. To attain this, it should also be our dream daily. TRY IT!!!

iv) Beauty is the fourth: its truth, truth is beautiful, that is all. Ye on earth and all ye need to know.”Beautiful thoughts build a beautiful soul.” Its not caused it is. Anything beautiful always speaks for itself and if we could only attain this what would this earth be like.

v) Expansiveness is the fifth: the elementals nature of life is to increase and seek more and more expression. It’s unlimited. Life continues expanding towards more life. I have learnt to expand my reality that means erasing all the scarcity mindset I had before and embracing Gods mindset of plenty and lo the results are immense.

vi) Unlimited abundance: No boundaries, is everywhere at once and is endlessly abundant. God’s desire is for us to live a life of abundance rather not extravagance. Nature’s gifts are in abundance for us. There are no limits to our potential as people, as collective entities and as individuals because we emanate from such a source. The more we instead of me: us instead of I, we begin thinking like God does ultimately and that is SATORI.

vii) Receptivity: to all never discriminating peaceful. Doubts arise because of an absence of surrender. Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. The law flotation was not discovered by contemplating the sinking of things but by contemplating the floating of things which floated naturally and then intelligently asking why they did so.

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

These are all brilliant ideas that need to be grasped by every one who would love to prosper. They look by human grasp, because I for one finds it challenging to get there. The first step Im working on is to take inventory on all I do ranging from my thouhts to the acions on a daily basis.

As I do that I find my self attaining states unimaginable before as well as accomplishing the tasks that seemed so far from reach.

This has greatly helped me monitor and influence the environment around me.
For instance when I find a highly negative and judgemental atmosphere I sieze to judge and only look for the best. The response is so positive and various people invovled are so energized and transformed. My desire is to expand this reality so as many can benefit. I have a gift of encouragement and kindness that at one someomne asked if I ever get angry.

4. Quotes: Are there brief quotes from the book which really got your attention? If so, please list and comment on them.

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”

This is what they call total surrender. Im learning to let go of what Im to what I may become of.

“Only when we can love hell will we find heaven. “This quote says it all plainly.

“When you arrive at your future, will you blame your past?”

What holds you back from being and doing more? In your journal, list what
you believe is holding you back. Have you blamed people or factors outside of yourself? It’s important to understand that ALL problems are rooted inside us. Even the blocks that appear to be outside of us are only reflecting back an issue we have inside that we have not yet owned. Once we address our inner issue, the outer
situation no longer troubles us.

The buck always stops with us. We step into our power when we accept
responsibility for our lives.

“The most self-destructive thought that any person can have is thinking that
he or she is not in total control of his or her life. That’s when, ‘Why me?’
becomes a theme song.”

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

No, there isnt anything that I didnt understand in the book, they were all prety clear to me.

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

Yeah, it did contain some exercises and I tried them out and found them helpful.

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

No, there isn’t.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful were the contents? 9.5
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Unlimited Power
Assessment by Andrew Kisangala (Uganda)

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

To laugh often and much: to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children’s earn the appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition: to know even one life has breathed easier because I have lived. This is the main idea of this book: success. Anthony Robins gives an exclusive insight into the possibility of one living a fairy tale and achieving all that there is to achieve in this life. I have adapted his ideas and indeed I’m beginning to have results in my life, for example I have improved in my relationships with my peers, I have become a model example for them in speech conduct and way of life.

i) Modeling of human Excellencies the first idea that caught my eye. For every disciplined effort there is a multiple reward, taking effective action through modeling.

It’s a funny thing about life: if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it. Things don’t change we change, therefore the meeting of preparation with opportunity generates the offspring we call luck. This is a very intelligent idea, because instead of resenting success models in my life I have resorted to learning something from them. I intend to get in touch with some of the greatest minds in business, leardeship, and spiritual so that I can be in place to model their success. This is already underway through the help of IIGL, because I have met great people.

ii) Power of state. It’s the mind that maketh good or ill. That makes wretch or happy, rich or poor because the ancestor of every action is thought. Most of our self-talk comes unconsciously from our subconscious. Yet every thought that exists in our subconscious got there through a conscious decision to accept that thought.

iii) The birth of Excellency belief, man is what he believes because one person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety nine who have only interests. It’s the door way to excellence precisely because ones nothing divorced or static abort it. I can because I think I can. The mind is its own place, and in it self can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.

iv) Mastering my mind: how to run my brain. I have learnt not to find fault rather a remedy .Therefore nothing has power over me other than that which I give it through my conscious thoughts .Like Shakespeare said “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. I rarely let the word No escape from my mouth because it is so plain to my soul: That God has shouted, yes! Yes! Yes! To every luminous movement in existence.

v) Ability to think creatively is the other idea picked from the book. The longer I hold on to the thought in my mind, the more I dwell upon it, the more life I give to that thought. Give it enough life, and it will become real. So I make sure the thought is indeed a great one. Remembering that As a man thinketh so he is.

vi) The ability to become a visionary through purposeful living, that means making of goals, living my mission statement, taking inventory off all my decisions.

Reflection helps us step back from the details of our lives and see the bigger picture with fresh eyes. It’s worth a few moments of your time. Review your week and come up with at least one conclusion, insight or learning and write it in your journal. I have been doing this and I intend to intensify it.

“Just because we increase the speed of information doesn’t mean we can increase the speed of decisions. Pondering, reflecting and ruminating are undervalued skills in our culture.”

Vii) Ability to achieve all my desires through the enablement of the law of attraction.

Wherever you are is always the right place. There is never a need to fix anything, to hitch up the bootstraps of the soul and start at some higher place. Start right where you are.

Peace, joy, wealth, health and well-being can only be found inside us. They exist within us now, waiting to be discovered. Yet we tend to look to the outside world to satisfy our needs and longings. Our outer life reflects back to us the way we think, feel and behave. The outer world is all effects. Go to the source inside for all of life’s treasures.

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

I intend to open to these new possibilities and as well unveil them to the world.

4. Quotes: Are there brief quotes from the book which really got your attention? If so, please list and comment on them.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle”

I intend to live as a miracle everyday of my life that means everything will be a miracle for me.

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” The greatest step in life is to let go of what we are and adapt what we could become.

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

No, everything is pretty clear to me and there are no ideas I disagree with.

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

Yes it did and they were really helpful and relevant to me .for example the goal setting exercise was great.

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, there wasn’t, precisely everything was covered.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9.5

Nonviolent Communication: A Language Of Life
Assessment by Andrew Kisangala (Uganda)

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

The main theme of the book is the ability in human beings to communicate from the heart in a way that allows our natural compassion to flourish. We all have the ability to communicate though it’s more developed in some people than others. Discovering how the language I use can strengthen my relationships, build trust, prevent conflicts and heal pain. Communication is the greatest tool in human civilization and the ability to become an expert in effective communication is of immense importance. Even God himself authored it and since we are his replicas we ought to adapt it and as a result this world will be a better place. Most of our communication is blurred because we communicate our insufficiencies instead of our sufficiency as a result get what we sow.

i) Make requests not demand; because in life people have a choice to either cooperate with you or not. Every human being has a will that we must all learn to respect one another. I have learned this fact because this is a facet of humility.

ii) Express your feelings: This does not come naturally for me but I have purposed to work on it so as to become a better person. For example I felt so hurt when I lent someone money and after a long time he kept tossing me around and I was unable to confront him about the issue when I actually needed it. Through the help of the book I was able to express my disappointment in his action and was able to receive my money.

iii) Creation of personal and professional relationships based on mutual respect, compassion and emotional safety. I have been able to create a peaceful atmosphere wherever I go despite the prevailing circumstances.

iv) The difference between the cause of anger and stimulus: Sometimes we get so emotionally involved that we fail to the draw the lines between the root and the symptom. Often times the real cause of an issue is far deeper than the case presented. People may act as stimulants but the real cause of my anger is far deeper than what might have happened. This calls for soul searching and dealing with the roots of the anger which may go as far back as early childhood.

v) We are responsible for our feelings: There is no need for me to blame my negative attitude or feelings on others. I may not be able to control what happens to me but I can control how I react and respond. I can choose my own feelings in a given situation. The real influence is not from without but from within. Like some body said, ‘your greatest enemy is yourself’. To become a better person and leader, I
must first of all learn to deal with myself and then I will better relate with others.

vi) Being clear about what I want, the more likely it is that I will get it. Therefore it entails me listening to what people are in need of rather than what they are thinking.

vii) Defusing anger and frustration peacefully through not judging because judgments are alienated expressions of my own unmet needs and knowing that judgment of others contributes to self fulfilling prophecies therefore I should notice what’s right rather than the opposite that we easily cling to. Learning that the analyzes of others are actually an expression of their own needs and values therefore
should be more understanding towards their feelings so as to effectively communicate.

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

The Nonviolent Communication models helps us to become conscious and choose to respond differently – that is in ways that are more likely to lead to positive and satisfying outcomes for everyone. It has helped me to transform my relationships, for example: learn how to really listen to others while not taking anything you hear personally (what a gift!), learn how to give and receive in ways that are deeply
gratifying, and much more.

Someone said that he who knows much about others may be learned, but he who understands himself is more intelligent. He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still. Therefore the point if I will master myself then will I be in position to effectively communicative as I’m in the process of doing. I have learnt that to effectively communicate, I must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to my communication with others. The ability of putting my primary focus on connection through empathetic listening rather than being right or getting what I want because what I desire is compassion, a flow between myself and others based on a mutual giving from the heart.

4. Quotes: Are there brief quotes from the book which really got your attention? If so, please list and comment on them.

“All you fight weakens you; all that you support empowers you.” This inspires me to be apt to transform conflict into mutually satisfying outcomes.

“Feelings are clues about your destiny and potential.” This comes back to me as a person because the core of feelings is thought. Therefore would be delusional to have the wrong thoughts and expect the right feelings.

“The message we send out is not always the message that we receive.” It is so easy to be misunderstood and to misunderstand others. I now endeavor to get feedback from the people that I am communicating with to ensure that we are on the same wave length and try to ask for clarifications just to be sure I got the other person right

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

There is nothing in the book that I didn’t understand or unclear about as well as there are no ideas I disagree with.

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

Yes, there were exercises to be done ,they were rather pretty obvious.

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

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8.5

Leadership For Dummies
Assessment by Andrew Kisangala (Uganda)

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

The main theme of the book is people centered leadership that springs from a servant hood attitude that places the needs of others above our own. People are not interested in how much we know until they know how much we care. In a world that is so self centered there is need for people centered leaders contrary to goal and value oriented leadership structures. How well we lead is dependent on how we view people and the value we attach to human resource. The strength of every leader is how well you listen and elicit cooperation from the people that you lead. As I write this I’m thinking about what would happen if leaders opened up themselves in their imagination of the infinity that is so vivid to us and yearns to get in touch with our souls. Opening our lives to this possibility we shall forfeit our human tendencies for a greater calling that knows not the boundaries of human nature, wisdom or limitation. My role model of a leader that opened up to this possibility was King Solomon and the rest is history.

i) The first idea is “Great leaders inspire people to go beyond what they think they are capable of doing, making it possible to attain a goal that was previously thought unattainable” There is enormous potential in each one of us and often times it only takes a skilled person to draw out that potential. This has changed the way I look at people and how I relate with others. I attach so much value to relationships and endeavor to look for the best in others.

ii) Leaders should be great models and living mirrors for those they are leading. This makes communication of the values expected from the group to be easy and sink home. I for one have learnt of a great facet from my father, to do less talking than action. For example I hardly had him say that he loves me, on the contrary the thought of his love me was so evident that even I was incapacitated of the five sense I would know that he really does so.

iii) Ability to mentor others into the position you are in is of great importance. Most of our African political leaders cling on to these positions in that when they relies a potential in you, instead of grooming it they let it wither away.

iv) The fourth idea is responding to situations flexibly. Being a very systematic person, I often want to stick to the rule of the game without having to bend them. Flexibility often comes when I think it is worth changing but not because others think so. Flexibility in many cases is anchored in how well I trust the other person to make the right decisions. I am learning to look at things through the eyes of others and to be more open minded so at to welcome new ideas. I also realize that my ability to respond flexibly is dependent on my ability to effectively listen to others.

v) The fifth idea is the fact that I have to motivate my team into action. Motivation is a subtle giant often ignored by leaders and therefore the people they lead have no enthusiasm for what they do. The Greek have a very thoughtful definition for the word ‘enthusiasm’ which means God within! Therefore as we motivate the people we lead we unveil the God inside them who is the author of creativity, therefore just imagine the rest…………

vi) The sixth idea is the ability to develop a mission, and once you’ve established a goal, your mission is the plan of action for you and your team to reach that goal. I will be able not to take an untakeable hill. The cost is too high. Approach my mission
incrementally. Do many small things well, and will have a big success. Bring my group into mission development and planning at an early stage. Listen to what they have to say, and make the modifications you need at the start. Work to get ownership of the mission from everyone in the group. My followers are going to do the heavy lifting, so they have to know what they’re in for. Make certain that I have a “point of no return.” If the mission is not going well, know how far I can go and still regroup. I’m not General Custer, and leading shouldn’t be the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Lead people; manage events. Keep your troops motivated.

vii) The seventh idea is responsibility of a leader is to communicate the vision so clearly that no room is left for doubt among those who must execute it. As vision bearers, often time we have the vision and dream in our heads and expect others to run along with us even without knowing where we are heading. I must learn to communicate the vision clearly to those I lead beyond a shadow of doubt and that has to be catalyzed by effective communication skills.

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?

First and foremost, these ideas and lessons are helping me become a better leader. They have given me a criterion for evaluating myself from time to time. As a leader, I must be above the average line at all times and these ideas are helping me keep myself in check. There is so much I am learning from these ideas and I can say that it’s a growing process not a one time event. I am certainly not where I was a couple of months ago and I am getting better and better by the day. This has come from me being able to make small decisions which amount to big changes as well as self evaluation at the end of the day.

As a team builder, these are very valuable resources for building the capacity of my team members. Knowledge is power and often time we fail because of ignorance. By empowering my team, I will be equipping the team for success. Some of this information is very expensive through the formal education system but am glad I can access it at no cost and still be as good as those who have gone through formal training. Ability to stoop and lift others is so important for a leader.

4. Quotes: Are there brief quotes from the book which really got your attention? If so, please list and comment on them.

“”Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.”

“Leaders ask the what and why questions, not the how questions”. This comes from knowing precisely what outcome you desire and therefore predetermining its success by asking the right questions.

“Leaders should be like candles that provide light for others while there burn out.”
For me this is the call for leadership which means absolute sacrifice for a greater cause for a greater good. True servanthood.

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?

Everything in the book is pretty clear to me because the authors tried to make it elaborate as possible.

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, it didn’t contain any exercises for me to do.

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, there isn’t anything the book that was not covered in the previous
questions.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 7
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8

Goal Mapping
by Kisangala Andrew (Uganda)

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

The theme of the book is made evident in its title. It is centered on the concept of goal setting, emphasizing the importance putting down our goals on paper, referring to them from time to time so as to achieve the desired end. It is not enough to know what you want to get out of life, its important that you clearly define it, map it out and continually refer to the strategic plan so as to achieve that goal. Persons and societies do not submit passively to surroundings and events. They make choices as to the places where they live and the activities in which they engage — choices based on what they want to be, to do and to become. Furthermore, persons and societies often change their goals and ways; they can even retrace their steps and start in a new direction if they believe they are on a wrong course. Thus, whereas animal life is prisoner of biological evolution which is essentially irreversible, human life has the wonderful freedom of social evolution which is rapidly reversible and creative. Wherever human beings are concerned, trend is not destiny.

a). Reflection on your life is the first important idea picked from this book. “Reflection is one of the most underused yet powerful tools for success.” Regularly, take time to reflect on what has been happening in your life. Step back to work ON your life instead of IN it. See yourself as the C.E.O. of your own personal company, or as the captain of your own ship. Are you navigating the waves as well as you might?

Stepping back helps us see a bigger, more inclusive picture. Small events make more sense in the bigger scheme of things. Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.”

b) “One of the great differences between successful and unsuccessful people is that successful people have learnt a major life lesson and do not see failure as a negative dead end that stops them in their tracks.” This is a reminder of what the previous authors had all been echoing in the previous books. It is refreshing to find such truth affirmed by various authors. Every setback can be a stepping stone. We do not have control over much of what happens to us but we sure have control over how we respond to them and how we allow those situations to affect us.

c) Following through till I reach and achieve what I desire is another idea. You never know what you can achieve until you try. Reach for the stars and you may only get to the moon, but it is still a great step up. Maybe you’ll reach the stars next time.” I am reminded that the only obstacle between me and my destiny is myself. I learnt earlier on from the previous book that I am a master of my destiny and I can determine what I get out of life. I am challenged to reach forth for that which is seemingly impossible in the midst of great discouragement. I will dare to reach for the stars at least I might reach the moon. It’s an inspiring quote to live by.

d) Ability to direct and determine your navigation. This is really true because unless one knows where they are headed they are doomed never to reach since there destination isn’t clear. One time I was directed to a certain meeting to see someone and I confused the directions. This was really tough because I had to pay three bus to the same place and it cost me three hours of my time. Therefore as for our lives we cant afford this.

e) Never to quit while in transit.
“You don’t fail when you fall, you fail when you refuse to get up.” I think this is a good point as well. Like in the previous case, we don’t determine what happens to us much of the time but we sure have a choice over how it affects us. We all fall down at various points of our lives, what makes the difference is whether we choose to give up or not.

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?

The book has challenged me to reevaluate my life and my goals. To develop new and better habits geared to helping me reach my destiny. I am currently reviewing some of the goals I had set at the beginning of this year and some of them are so vague no wonder I have not been able to achieve them but with the help of this book I hope to do better in the near future.

I listened to a message about the same I was reading the book and it stirred me within to consider what was being communicated. It was about making a strategic life plan for ones life and indeed I’m following along.

For in the book called” Wealth and poverty of nations” David lanes says that a certain family had a 100 year plan for the family’s wealth. What more should our lives have?

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.

“He who knows much about others may be learned, but he who understands himself is more intelligent.”

Quote: “One of the great differences between successful and unsuccessful people is that successful people have learnt a major life lesson and do not see failure as a negative dead end that stops them in their tracks.”

Quote: “Our High Self represents all of our positive qualities such as: self-motivation, inspiration, responsibility, self-belief and confidence. These are the qualities that ultimately produce successful results in ourselves and our lives, even in the face of failure.”

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

No.

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

Yes, I completed all of the exercises and found them helpful in discovering how to write and identify clear and concrete goals.

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.
Rating

A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would 9

The Law of Attraction
By Kisangala Andrew

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

The book centers on the law of attraction which reveals that we attract to our lives whatever we give our attention, energy and focus to whether positive or negative. There are no coincidences in life, everything that comes to us is what we have been setting into motion either consciously or unconsciously. By grasping the law of
attraction we will be able to attract all that we need to do, know and have so we can get more of what we want and less of what we don’t want. As a result we will have the ideal that we desire in all aspects of our lives.

Stopping the battles in our lives is one of the seven ideas listed in the book. When you fight something, you’re tied to it forever. As long as you’re fighting it, you’re giving it power. What do we fight in our lives? Resistance always brings pain, therefore we need to examine our struggles and what we want from the situations we face. Always strive to mend separation and achieve unity. Always choose love over fear. If you can embrace whatever you are struggling against, the struggle will disappear.

“What you resist persists. And only what you look at, and own, can disappear. You make it disappear by simply changing your mind about it.”

Positive and Negative vibrations: This is something that happens to all of us all the time and yet it often goes unnoticed. Now that I know, I am working at being more conscious of what kind of vibes I am sending out and what I actually want to achieve. The good news is that I can only send out one vibe at a time so I don’t have to worry if I sent out a negative vibe a little while ago because all I have to do is to change the vibe to a positive one and give it more energy and attention. And there is no limit to how much vibe I can send out and it totally costs me nothing. Vibes are also contagious so I need to watch out who I keep around me. This idea also relates to the positive mental attitude that is discussed in some of the books I have read.

Understanding the significance of my words: words generate feelings which send out a vibe. It is not just the words I speak that send out a vibe but rather words that I read, write, think, see, type and hear in my head. I have always limited myself to the thought patterns and the confessions of my mouth. I have learnt that the best way to send out positive vibration is by using positive words that create in me positive feelings. I am learning to omit words such as ‘don’t, not and no’ from my vocabulary. I have learnt that to get the right selection of words is by answering, ‘what do I want?’. In so doing I turn the negative statement into a positive one that sends out positive vibrations. Words create, develop, nature, sustain, enrich and offer life when used positively and so is the reverse.

Identifying my desire by contrast: often times when I have a bad experience, I just wanted to push it out of my mind and forget about it with no intentions of ever reviewing it again. I now realize that even bad experiences have lots of worthwhile resources that can be used to clarify what I want to get out of life. By contrasting what happened to what I desire to get, I am more able to clearly identify what I want. Instead of complaining and whining about issues, I can decide to spend time focusing on what I want to get the next time an opportunity comes by.

Perception defines our reality. The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend. Our entire universe is energy — vibrating waves of pure potential.
The electromagnetic vibrations of our consciousness interact with the energetic potential that exists everywhere as the life force to ‘collapse’ the waves and create matter. So the patterns of our minds create the form of our world.

By simply observing a form, we influence it. We in turn are influenced by others. This challenges us to be more aware of the quality of our being and the vibrations we transmit. There is no reality in the absence of observation.

Creating a desire statement: The whole process on how to create my own desire statement was very beneficial. I reckon that there is power in words and that is a power I am so determined to tap into. The different options offered are also very relevant because these are the kind of words that I use pretty often. It is a matter of being more intentional in my selection of words bearing in mind what I want to get out of life and different situations. It also emphasized the need to not only create a desire statement but the need to continually read it and review it so that it increase the vibes that come as a result of the feeling derived from the positive statement.

The principle of allowing: I guess the greatest hindrance to all of us is the fear that we battle with almost on a daily basis. Allowing is interpreted as faith in my perspective. We need faith if we are to achieve anything in life. What we believe, we become passionate about and will consistently pursue. I have come to believe that we are shaped by our belief systems. They determine how we see the world and perceive the things that happen to us and others. Fear cripples while faith liberates us to reach for high place. What we believe we expect and anticipate. I choose to live by faith and not by sight. My faith has nothing to do with what is happening around me, it has everything to do with what I believe and perceive regarding the future both near and far.

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

These ideas will help me as they already doing to solve the problems coming my way. “If I expect the best, I will be the best. By learning to use one of the most powerful laws in this world; I will change my mental habits to belief instead of disbelief. To expect, not to doubt. In so doing I will bring everything into the realm of possibility.”

It’s so easy to lock our minds onto problems rather than opening to receive solutions. But what we think is what we get. This is so important! If we continually focus on problems and negatives, that’s where we’ll stay.

“No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.”

Awareness of when we are feeling overwhelmed can help us go inside, claim our power and change our experience of any situation.

“When we know that the cause of something is in ourselves, and that we (ourselves) are one of the few things in the universe that we have the right and ability to change, we begin to get a sense of the choices we really do have, an inkling of the power we have, a feeling of being in charge… of our lives, of our future, of our dreams.”

Understanding that life is not the when, the then, the if, and rather knowing it as the this or the ¨now¨.

“Time is not a line, but a series of now points.” We understand time as a continuum. Our memories link the moments of the past and our imaginations draw on the patterns of our memories to project the future. If we leave the movies of the mind behind, time can only be experienced now — moment by precious moment. Open in awareness to what is happening right now. Appreciate all that is. Immerse yourself in the joy and wonder of every now and life will be a gift. “The responsibility for both present and future is in our own hands. If we live right today, then tomorrow has to be right.”

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.

Nil; apart from the title of the book which simply summarizes what the book is all about.

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 that I know of.

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

Yes; the book does contain lots of exercises and I did all of them. Some of the exercises are on going and I am still continuing to work on them and implement them in my life. I found the exercises backed up with the illustrations to be very effective and practical. They are simple and the instructions are very clear which made them very enjoyable for me.

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.

It is a very interesting book though the flow of the book drags a bit for some one like me who loves literature. It is more for ‘hands on ‘, kind of people. It is the relevance of the exercises that kept me coming back to the book.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 7
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it 8

Goal Setting 101
Assessment by Kisangala Andrew (Uganda)

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

The main idea that the author conveys in this book outlines a significant idea of the importance clearly giving priority ones life on the path you desire to take. He bases this on the already established principles and realization of our values predetermined by the person on the journey. Values lay the ground work for life. It leads to the life’s work-our legacy. Goals lead to fulfillment of our mission, which is the journey we take in our lives.

i. Having a mission statement for ones life is a very important thing in the practice of goal setting. It defines a reason for being which is our life’s purpose or business. We all have to give meaning to our lives by finding or creating reasons for living. A life plan is of great importance for a purposeful being because it focuses your path and acts as a litmus test for ones progress. I for I’m designing mine that runs till 2097 where I will be in perfect bliss.

ii. Decision making is another idea clearly outlined in the book. No decision is difficult if you get all the facts. Like success is the intentional, premeditated use of choice and decision. Therefore we got to make everything count as our philosophy for living. Its meaning is simple yet powerful. Every thought, decision and action moves us closer to or further from our goals. I’m really amazed at the profound power in consistency on the art of our lives. I for one have blessed with great examples that could inspire anyone to the uttermost heights ever imaginable. One of the millionaires in the country is a friend and there are many like him I known who have come form very dismal circumstances unimaginable and now are flying high in the skies. They are busy donating millions to people, lifting up others and it goes on.

iii. Ability to evaluate progress of ones growth to the desired place. Self knowledge grows as we subject our lives to examination. Listening to our own speech, reflecting on our own thoughts, looking at our own actions-these are the processes by which were master ourselves. We shape our philosophies and our self by observing and striving to understand the events of each moment. The examined life is the one worth living, making everything count! Planning is another significant idea presented by the author. Planning helps us analyze where we are and can point to where we want to be, determine the career we might want to go into and the best way to enter and conduct that career, project expectations and the direction we are taking as well as a means to monitor our performance.

v. Advancement only comes with habitually doing more than we are asked. To go forward is recognition that life is dynamic, not static. It means to make each move, action count. It’s to give up dwelling on the past. And only using the past to go forward because goals never fail only implementation does.

vi. Nothing of any lasting value was ever created by someone who was reasonable. It is the unreasonable, those discontented with the status quo,the dreamers and visionaries who never the less have their feet planted firmly on solid ground who improve peoples lives and advance society.

vii. Only by stretching do we grow. If we push the limits, we define new limits. And then we should push those. We are capable of producing and achieving much more than we believe.We as people ought to go beyond what the conventional standards ask of us, ranging from our work, relationships, service, attitude…….so as to achieve real significant value in our lives.

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

The successful man is the average man, focused. The book has helped me concentrate my ability to think about absolutely nothing when it is absolutely necessary as a result prioritizing my energy. Eventually, meditation will make my mind calm, clear and as concentrated as a laser which we can focus at will. This capacity of one pointed attention is the essence of genius because when we have this mastery over attention in everything we do,we have a genius for life itself:unshakable security, clear judgment and deep personal relationships.

The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced.

There is an old adage, “Life is what you make it,” and I couldn’t agree more. Life doesn’t need to be so complex; in fact, it can be easy and stress free! Sounds, too good to be true, right? Do you know why that is? It’s because we come from a society where we have been taught the harder we work the more we get and the more we acquire the more successful we will be. This age old mentality is WRONG!

Life is a vibrational river of universal consciousness and just like any river it has a course to the stream. Now we are represented as swimmers, and we jump into this beautifully flowing stream of consciousness — the blood-force of Source — and start swimming upstream against the current. What is going to happen is that it will
become increasingly difficult because we are fighting the current. we’ll get knocked around, banged up, bruised, and beaten — yet, this is the exact same thing as working harder to get where we want to be. The issue is we want to be downstream, where the river dumps into a pool of our abundance and awaits us. Yet, we are struggling against the current trying to find it upstream.

So, what we can we do to reach our abundance and true potential is to “Going with the flow! That’s it!

I’m learning to wake up every single morning and look at myself in the mirror and say, “I am a Divine Being filled with the love and light of source and fully equipped to handle every situation. Each experience is not a challenge but rather a blessing.”

This is because inside of every seemingly negative experience is a nugget of gold and it’s my choice to focus on this treasure or the dirt and rubble I dug through to get it. Surely, my responses to my experiences thus far have been to focus on the dirt and rubble. This has left me feeling negative, hopeless, and encompassed by a fear based reality: a false reality that I have been both taught and chosen to live in. It is one where the Ego — the false self — resides and is accompanied by; self defeating thoughts, misconceptions, excuses, walls, and barriers, and much more. This fear based reality has been inhibiting me from experiencing all of life’s abundance and glory because I have been coming from fear. A fear that says;
“I lack that…”
“I cannot afford that…”
“I don’t deserve that…”
“I could never be…”
“I’m a realist…”

We have all said those thoughts probably on numerous occasions and several times a day. They are all examples of fighting the current of life, by not surrendering to the awesome power that is effortlessly flowing to your abundance.

I have began writing down all the seemingly negative experiences I have had. Then written the positive or nugget of gold that came from that experience — it has not been easy but there is something positive there! After that, I turn that nugget of gold into the new focus of that experience! Doing that has allowed me to feel better
about experience and I have begun seeing the abundance it has brought into my life.

When we respond from a place of love, happiness, excitement, and enthusiasm we are in alignment with our source. If something that we are doing does not make us happy or feel good then we are in misalignment and need to reroute our course by turning it around and making it positive. When you find yourself in a position of opposition or adversity find another way to see it. Ask yourself, “Am I flowing?” And when you find myself feeling like I’m struggling I remember: struggle indicates fighting the current. So I find my way back to the flow, by perceiving the very thing I was struggling with in a positive loving light.

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.

No,there are no statements made by the author that particularly got my attention.

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

No, there is nothing in the book that I don’t understand or that is unclear.

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

There were no exercises to be completed although the book contained an assignment to be completed at the end that involved what had been conveyed by the author of which I gladly did.

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

No, the questions precisely cover everything I would think of.

Ratings:

A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9