As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Ayuba Ibrahim (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
Quite a number of ideas where discoursed in this book. The author had the vision to explain how a man’s mind corresponds with his environment and circumstances. It tries to show us that the mind is the Master-power that molds and make, and man is mind, and evermore he takes the tool and thought, and, shaping what he wills bring forth a thousand joys, and a thousand ills. He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass: Environment is but his looking-glass.
The author aimed at reawakening minds to discover the power of thought and how if nurtured well could control even the environment for an individual the way he wants it to function. Poorly rooted minds which are on negativity and lack of hope only succeeding to weigh mans mental capacity and it could go to the extent of breaking down a man’s health.
2. What where the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. Thought and character
“As a Man Thinketh, so is he.” I so much love this idea because it has thought me how to keep my though positively to avoid being a victim of bad character. I can only have a noble-God like character if I work hard to keep upright thoughts; I am the master of thought, the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment and destiny.
ii. Effect of thought on circumstances
This idea is so powerful, as it clearly illustrates a man’s mind to that of a garden. Whatever He / She puts into it, would determine the outcome. If an individual take the state of the mind for granted, the mind is likely to be a workshop for both good and evil thus the mind must be diligently guarded because out of it comes issues of life.
Indeed thought and character are one, and character can only manifest ad discover itself through environment and circumstances. This idea succeed in exposing me to the fact that my character is obviously the manifestation of my inner self and that clearly preaches why I must renew my mind to the right state.
This idea has reawakened me to realize that I am a creative power i.e.
I have the ability to detect where I end up in life and not to believe or allow myself to be manipulated by circumstances around me. I should be the one to detect my circumstances and not to be puppet by frustration of my environment. Not only are my to know I am a creative power, I must first of all remedy the defects of my character instead of complaining about bad circumstances I must work on my mind as that will automatically deal with that aspect “good thought bear good fruit, bad thought bad fruits.”
Many a times people would blame circumstances as a course to their predicament, forgetting their own crooked ways of life which is just paying back. “Good thought and action can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results.” Then circumstances which a man encounters with suffering are the results of his own mental in harmony
iii. Effect of thought on health and Body
This idea as explained in chapter three is also very important to me and encouraging. it carries the capacity for my own personal wellbeing as important aspect of why my mind must be healthy as it does not just end in the physical environment alone, but even on my personal self.
The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed. “Thoughts of fear have been known to kill a man as speedily as a bullet and they are continually killing thousands of people just as surely though less rapidly.” Very sure Strong pure and happy thoughts build up the body in vigor and grace. If a man is always thinking about getting wealth in a day, if caution is not taken, then he may go to any length to get wealthy.
Or He/She may run into fraud stars who may promise misleading reward.
another lesson learnt from this idea is If I would perfect my body, then I should guard my mind; If you would renew my body, then I should beautify my mind. Thoughts of malice, envy, and disappointment, despondency, rob the body of its health and grace.
Finally, I have now been prescribed with a better physician whom is cheerful thought for dissipating the ills of my body; also there is no comforter to compare with goodwill for dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow in any one’s life. This good messages will not only remain with me, but I need to take it to the hospital to give the sic a dose.
iv. Thought and purpose:
This idea was able to successfully carry me on a tour on the linkage between thought and Purpose. Until my thought is linked with purpose there will be no intelligent accomplishment. I must keep my thoughts on a profitable purpose and not allow myself distracted my things which profit me not or else i would become weak on the course to greatness. I must not allow my thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings. Finally the idea was important to me because if I learnt that if I can conquer doubt and fear I have conquered failure.
v. The Thought Factor in Achievement
This idea is important as it was able to motivate me and to give me parameters to evaluate myself on my achievements so far. All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts. Now the challenge was that how good is my thoughts, I kept asking myself if truly all i achieve was a direct result of my thought, and to a large extent it was true because if i had allowed weak thoughts control my mind, am very sure my life today would be nothing to write home about.
Also, I learned that a man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts, he can only remain weak, abject, and miserably by refusing to lift up his thoughts. For me to think of achievement, the first thing I need to do is to lift up my thought above weak things, think big, must be willing to make sacrifice.
Finally staying focus is key to achievement, because He who would accomplish little need sacrifice little; he would achieve much must sacrifice much. He who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.
vi. Vision and Ideas
Indeed this idea is so important because there is no doubt that dreamers are the saviors of the world. Since the history of greatness, the people who usually top the list are great dreamers. Martin Luther said “I have a dream” and dreaming entails seeing afar and having a mental picture of what is not visible at the moment. Columbus cherished a vision of another world and he discovered it. Copernicus fostered the vision of a multiplicity of worlds and a wider universe, and he revealed it. Buddha beheld the vision of a spiritual world of stainless beauty and perfect peace, and he entered into it.
These are men of vision whom have proven to me that the power of vision cannot be over emphasized. This idea has thought me to dream lofty dreams, and as I dream, so shall I become. My vision is the promise of what I shall one day be; my ideal is the prophecy of what I shall at last unveil.
No matter my circumstances, I must dream of a better world for myself. I should not stop at dreaming, I must make tangible effort to see this visions come to reality. I have learned to see things themselves not just their apparent “They remark, “How chance helps him at every turn!” They do not see the trials and failures and struggles which these men have encountered in order to gain their experience.”
I have been a victim of this, I would instead of work on myself, but keep praying to God that one day a wealthy family would adopt me and spend so much on myself, sooner I came to wake up from that day dream which was never realized. I have learnt never to envy peoples success on a mindset that they got it on a platter of gold, but I have learnt to learn the principles that get men to where they are and I try to follow similar steps.
vii. Serenity
Serenity means calmness of the mind in the context of thought on an individual it is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. The idea teaches the calm man, having learned how to govern himself, knows how to adapt himself to others and it is necessary in leadership development.
Becoming calm is very important because the strong, calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm.
“Tempest-tossed souls, wherever you may be, under whatever conditions you may live, know this: In the ocean of life the isles of blessedness are smiling and the sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming. Keep your hands firmly upon the helm of thought. In the core of your soul reclines the commanding Master; He does but sleep; wake Him. Self-control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power.
Say unto your heart, “Peace. Be still.” I very much learned from this idea of serenity.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
Like in Chapter 3, which had impacted on me health wise, the good messages will not only remain with me, but I need to take it to the hospital to give the sic a dose, and to remind my friends around me of this. Also I will shear some of the quotes on Facebook and other social media since that’s a place where you can meet a wider population to speak the gospel of James Allen.
In the power of vision, many people in my country Nigeria are beginning to lose hope even in the African continent due to the prevalent insecurity and influx of insurgency. As a testimony of change which (IIGL) has impacted on me through this book, I can say with confidence to the nation that they should cherish their visions; cherish their ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in their hearts, the beauty that forms in their mind, the loveliness that drapes their purest thoughts. For out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environments; of these, if we all but remain true to them, and I know our world will at last be built.
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?
“Strong pure and happy thoughts build up the body in vigor and grace.”
I so much agree on this statement. i had encountered a woman who was divorced and she was unable to get the right council and poorly nurtured her mind. The effect was that physically she became a pool of bones due to her inability to move on with her life. If she had just taken heart from what happened and built up herself with happy thought am sure she would have been a better person today. Out of a clean heart come a clean life and a clean body because even as students in College I do face such situation where I tend to lose absolute confidence when I know I have thought which I know are lower than my standard as a model.
“Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts.”
Hmm just like I did sometimes ago, when I was embarrassed in a public place because of an act of indiscipline, I wanted to cool off the shame by buying myself a nice meal, though this cheer me up, but it was never able to erase those thoughts from my mind. People in my society would go to the extent of taking alcohol to cool off a thought, but that just never help out.
“Thoughts of fear have been known to kill a man as speedily as a bullet and they are continually killing thousands of people just as surely though less rapidly.”
I believe this because research has shown that free is a great killer itself. When an enemy wants to win a battle, one of the strategies is to incite free in the cam of his enemy. An American leader once said the only thing we have to fear is fear itself; indeed fear kills as fast as the bullet kills as it would leave a person in perpetual limitation since the fear in the individual will not allow room for exploration of other options. Business wise, people remain poor because they fail to take calculated chances for fear of failure. As a leader, I must overcome fear first, and embrace confidence.
“They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-pitying, all of which are indications of weakness.”
This statement is important to me because as I was growing up, I face series of challenges, but one thing kept me going, I believed that one day I will be a better person. Coming from a very poor and wretched background where my parents live in a small hut, but by favor and opportunity I went to school, kept reminding me that one day I will make my parents proud parents. I would no longer be ashamed to tell my friends about them because they too would be able to afford a descent job if I work hard. But the moment I forget this commitment I found myself amongst bad company and had to give a second thought.
Most students like myself have fallen victims of lack of purpose and live like they don’t care thus becoming vitamins of worries when they can’t cope no more.
“Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step.”
I should watch these variables.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand, or are
unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
“The people who live in fear of disease are the people who get it.” This is a bit confusing as of recent outbreak of Ebola hit the African continent because Nigeria had confidence on themselves but it still found its way in so is living in fear the actual determinant of being siege by disease as it may sound un scientific an due to other factor beyond the fear or psychological courses.
“All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts.” I was not clear of the roll my parents and elders thought now play in my life as I would have taken wrong decisions if not for the risqué of their own thoughts.
6. Did the book contain exercises for reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
Yes, but not to the fullest yet.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to
comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful was the content? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 5
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 7
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Ayuba Ibrahim (Nigeria)
1. What is the main Idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
At first, when I picked the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull, as I glanced through in the first paragraph I could not understand what the story was all about, because hitherto I never heard about gulls. So as I carefully read through the lines and stumble through statements like “Seagulls, as you know, never falter, never stall. To stall in the air is for them disgrace and it is dishonor, but Jonathan Livingston Seagull, unashamed, stretching his wings again in that trembling hard curve – slowing, slowing, and stalling once more – was no ordinary bird.”
Then I began to understand what the author had in mind. The book basically is about Jonathan Seagull who was seen as a no body in the society even his parent lamented his state of being “Why, Jon, why?” his mother asked. “Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? Why can’t you leave low flying to the pelicans, the alhatross? Why don’t you eat? Son, you’re bone and feathers!”
The author uses a Bird that leaves close to water (Seagull) to teach some lessons such as: Love, determination, courage, zeal to learn, hard work, endurance, patience, positive attitude, willingness to teach others, think big, and to discover the main purpose of existence. In this book, you learn how a sound mind can change an unpleasant situation in the society, into a place filled with opportunities and in fact you will know that truly there is nothing impossible, and that you have all it takes to make it work for you.
Anyone who reads and understand this book, would of course be moved to change his circumstances as Jonathan Seagull discovered himself, and a generation was reawakened into a world of heroes. Not just mere creatures whose purpose is to exist to eat and die without exploring what they have. I recommend this to any one in any situation at any point in time especially youths who still have a better future ahead of them. This would enable them to discover themselves now and to use their youthful strength to explore greater of their potentials/
2. What where the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
This book was so much a fun of experience; since when I started reading, I enjoyed myself as I saw how Livingston dared his world to fly far beyond to discover himself, risking his life and overcoming his critics. There in fact more than seven ideas which where personally most important to me, but I would cheap some under the major ones and they are as follows:
a. Discover yourself
Until you discover yourself, you still remain where you are. Jonathan Seagull in the book had to first of all discover himself, he told himself he is not useless and an “outcast” as people saw him. I learnt a lot from this, he discovered truly he was weak, and he accepted that fact but did not fold his hands and feel it is his nature; he had to discover whom he was example in the text “As he sank low in the water, a strange hollow voice sounded within him. There’s no way around it. I am a seagull. I am limited by my nature. If I were meant to learn so much about flying, I’d have charts for brains. If I were meant to fly at speed, I’d have a falcon’s short wings, and live on mice instead of fish. My father was right. I must forget this foolishness. I must fly home to the Flock and be content as I am, as a poor limited seagull. “This was how Jonathan Seagull started discovering himself. In life, we are faced with so much challenge of knowing what we are and that we can do more than we think. This was a great lesson to me as I read further; never allow yourself get discouraged; I must believe i am better. This was seen after Jonathan Seagull overcame and he discovered himself “His thought was triumph. Terminal velocity! A seagull at two hundred fourteen miles per hour! It was a breakthrough, the greatest single moment in the history of the Flock, and in that moment a new age opened for Jonathan Gull. Flying out to his lonely practice area, folding his wings for a dive from eight thousand feet, he set himself at once to discover how to turn. A single wingtip feather, he found, moved a fraction of an inch, gives a smooth sweeping curve at tremendous speed. Before he learned this, however, he found that moving more than one feather at that speed will spin you like a little ball… and Jonathan had flown the first aerobatics of any seagull on earth.”
Wow! This blew my mind, i learnt from the power of discovering myself. This is so applicable to my life, sometimes when i encourage myself and put extra effort, tend to achieve more. I explored further on discovering myself from Jonathans life; “How much more there is now to living! Instead of our drab slogging forth and back to the fishing boats, there’s a reason to life! We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly!”
This just puts it straight, the power of discovering oneself is a first step to better achievement. When i was a kid, and down to teenage level, I had a philosophy that if am giving money it will solve all my problems, but sincerely later in life i grew to discover that even with a million dollar in my bank account, if I don’t now my purpose i can still go poor as I will waste it on empty projects.
Seagull found the benefits of discovering oneself.
Furthermore, discovering myself is a continues thing, in everyday life I must discover myself for a better me “You don’t need me any longer. You need to keep finding yourself, a little more each day, that real, unlimited Fletcher Seagull. He’s your instructor. You need to understand him and to practice him.”
b. Have a very good and high self esteem
In this book, I learnt self esteem through the life of Jonathan seagull. Without that, he couldn’t have survived the discouragement from his society.
“I don’t mind being bone and feathers mom. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can’t, that’s all. I just want to know.” Indeed I am what I see myself, I have learned to stop taking what people do to discourage me as important as that can defy my purpose.
“He stood on the sand and fell to wondering if there was a gull back there who might be struggling to break out of his limits, to see the meaning of flight beyond a way of travel to get a breadcrumb from a rowboat. Perhaps there might even have been one made Outcast for speaking his truth in the face of the Flock.”
I have also through my experience in the book that I an not people call me, I am what I see myself as “He knew with practiced ease that he was not bone and feather but a perfect idea of freedom and flight, limited by nothing at all.”
c. Courage:
So amazing because I learned so much about courage from this literature. The life of Seagull Jonathan was just a life that had to do with taking courageous steps to find fulfillment. Without courage he would not have been able to beat all odds to dare fly higher. “Breaking the promises he had made himself. Such promises are only for the gulls that accept the ordinary. One who has touched excellence in his learning has no need of that kind of promise.”
“He climbed two thousand feet above the black sea, and without a moment for thought of failure and death, he brought his forewings tightly in to his body, left only the narrow swept daggers of his wingtips extended into the wind, and fell into a vertical dive.”
There some level of life that I can reach only if i have courage, because to achieve above others i have to do what they cannot do and only a courageous heart can take me their
d. Focus
I learned focus a lot because to go far if I don’t have a focus I will just give up. Also the benefit of focus is that it can make me discouraged if I don’t have set goals for myself. He said “I don’t mind being bone and feathers mom. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can’t, that’s all. I just want to know.”
I can achieve if I remain focused. Slow and steady, thriving for the best can also help me grow a great leadership capacity to improve my environment. Like this statement said “See here Jonathan” said his father not unkindly. “Winter isn’t far away. Boats will be few and the surface fish will be swimming deep. If you must study, then study food, and how to get it. This flying business is all very well, but you can’t eat a glide, you know. Don’t you forget that the reason you fly is to eat. Jonathan nodded obediently. For the next few days he tried to behave like the other gulls; he really tried, screeching and fighting with the flock around the piers and fishing boats, diving on scraps of fish and bread. But he couldn’t make it work. “
Focus will help me achieve so much because, if i remain focused, nothing will distract ne just as the author podrida “Well, of course, it works, Jon.” said Chiang. “It always works, when you know what you’re doing.”
Like myself always have focus even when am failing. Example, I usually love social interaction and blogging about student life. People usually call me names and see me as unserious. But when I was chosen as a Unilever Brand Campus Ambassador, they began to see the reason why I was always interconnected as this was how i came in contact with the information.
e. Be willing to make sacrifices.
This is where even I find most painful to do. But I have in this text been able to see the benefits of making sacrifices at the appropriate time because there will be a reward for hard work.
“Time after time it happened. Careful as he was, working at the very peak of his ability.
“Ten times he tried, and all ten times, as he passed through seventy miles per hour, he burst into a churning mass of feathers, out of control, crashing down into the water.”
Also making these sacrifices at the right time is very important. I just pray I could be like Jonathan Livingston Seagull. In fact in my campus, many times programs are organized and once people are asked to pay a little contribution you end up seeing low turnout because no one want to pay any price and success is not free. For me perfectly, though I do pay the prices I find it very tough to buy books for myself though if I see any in a shelve I do patronize but I believe from now that attitude should change
f. Be willing to learn and willing to teach others.
Knowledge that others cannot benefit from is not complete. I have learnt that I must share what I have learnt if not it will all have no impact in the society. Shearing past experiences about life is also very important as it can help the helpless discover themselves. I have also learned that I cannot know too much. No matter what I must learn to learn from anyone in a good state of mind to communicate to me?
“He had been talking quietly with them all, exhorting them never to stop their learning and their practicing and their striving to understand more of the perfect invisible principle of all life. Then, as he spoke, his feathers went brighter and brighter and at last turned so brilliant that no gull could look upon him.”
“You don’t need me any longer. You need to keep finding yourself, a little more each day, that real, unlimited Fletcher Seagull. He’s your instructor. You need to understand him and to practice him.”
Love is very key, if I show love to people around me then I can achieve and find real fulfillment “He stood on the sand and fell to wondering if there was a gull back there who might be struggling to break out of his limits, to see the meaning of flight beyond a way of travel to get a breadcrumb from a rowboat. Perhaps there might even have been one made Outcast for speaking his truth in the face of the Flock. And the more Jonathan practiced his kindness lessons, and the more he worked to know the nature of love, the more he wanted to go back to Earth.”
g. Believing in myself
Once I can believe in myself, I can achieve. So many times I feel
intimidated by people who are more placed in the society in my country since the gap between the rich and the poor is so large. I have in this book also learnt know that I have all I takes once I have faith.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in practical way, both in your daily personal life and helping you to create a better world? If so how?
These lessons are so strong and will help me in my personal life as they will serve as principles to help me. Just as discoursed in Question 2, they will strengthening the aspects which i am already practicing and those which I have been finding difficult dealing with example, to be positive no matter what, to believe I can make a change in my world, to realize that my family background is no excuse to remain where I am but that even the poor have potentials. This also has come to me as a warning against looking down on people. No matter what color, race, tribe, gender, religion, all must be respected and can be learned from them.
For me personally, these ideas will also go a long way in helping me set pace, goals and vision to solve world problems instead of shying away from reality. Just as Jonathan Seagull Saved the whole Seagull race from remaining insignificant creatures, to purposeful existence, this ideas especially learning and willing to teach others will enable me crusade for and against some practices like gender inequality, tribalism in my home country, communal clashes, abuse on the environment, air pollution coursing heavy climate changes and so much genocide and political violence among others. Lest to forget, this ideas will also enhance my mission to groom youths for a better Universe. I have realized how vulnerable youths of my country are, and as a youth i want to talk to them.
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 important to you.
There so many of them which I discoursed about in Question 2
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 reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
Yes so many exercises, I completed some and I feel some are a lifetime process which needs to be applied daily. They were very helpful. In fact I have had a 60% increase in appetite for change in my community and the globe.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to
comment on that was not covered in the previous question? If so, please comment.
No.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful was the content? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 5
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9