Bikundo Onyari – Assessments

Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Bikundo (Kenya)

LESSONS LEARNT
Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) and Negative Mental Attitude (NMA)
Five Mental Bombshells for Attacking Success
17 Success Principles

I must admit from the onset that this book was powerful to the extent it actually inspired me to spring to action. Every page was worth it and useful and I am growing impatient to read Napoleonís other book of Think and Grow Rich. Another factor that I would want to raise is that the books I have read so far seem to flow inter relate to each other. The selection was magnificent as most of the books continue to imprint tools that are badly needed to make the world a better place starting with the individual.

WHAT WAS USEFUL/HELPFUL AND WHY?
Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) and Negative Mental Attitude (NMA)

This is the starting point for either success or failure of the human being that has been termed as ìthe most important living person. Success has to be redefined once again to mean not only wealth but happiness, ability to relate with other beings and the power to control and use one attitudes for personal and community advantage.

NMA is brought about by what Gerald G. Jampolsky said in his book Change Your Mind, Change Your Life where he says that attitudes can be ones great friend or enemy depending on how they are viewed. In this book of PMA the challenge lies where one has to contionusly develop and practice attitudes that are long lasting in the sense that the make one successful in the field they have chose to pursue on their lives generally. The are not wish lists that are to be used anyhowly, but are tools that can bring about change and desired results. I would like to emphasis on a point that I came across in this book “Every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit for those with PMAî”.

In life we seem to be looking at the negative side of the good stories that happen. You find that most can do a lot to avoid failure, shame etc but do less to be happy. In Kenya as an example, news without politics are no news. Politics are given undue advantage over other important issues such as innovation, agriculture or even economic recovery.

Five Mental Bombshells for Attacking Success
They are: –
* having a problem is good
* learn to see
* the secret of getting things done
* how to motivate yourself
* how to motivate others

Anthony Robbins in his book Awaken Within You says “repetition makes perfect”. This book on PMA has shown that this is possible for those who try and not for the faint hearted. Most of what Robbins says in the above mentioned book is repeated and emphasised in Napoleonís book, and that good. Why? All these issues are known to man/woman but they have been procrastinated for a long time.

Most of us including myself when having a problem tend to give up and feel ashamed that I can’t tackle it. But recently I have developed a method of addressing this. When faced with a problem, the first thing that I do is to call it a challenge. This will enable me to face and address the faced situation in a different perspective. We face challenges generally in life since we look at them from one perspective or angle we never quite go around to solve them. I once overheard a friend of mine telling his colleague who was having a problem at hand saying “a person who is surmounted by problems and cant be able to solve them, can only do so by stopping straight thinking”. There is need to deschool ourselves from the trap of straight thinking since it shows only one way of tackling challenges.

Procrastination is one of the challenges that are faced by all of us. A nice idea springs from the subconscious mind but implementing it can take a whole decade. The self-motivator DO IT NOW! Repeated in the mind can change a man/woman. This can be combined by self-motivation that induces action or determines choice. There are also Universal Principles of Success motivators that can work well in going to action.

Motivating oneself for any reason or aim and to motivate others, its prudent to understand and apply the ten principles that are outlined in this book. These are
* the desire for SELF PRESERVATION
* the emotion of LOVE
* the emotion of FEAR
* the emotion of SEX
* the desire of LIFE AFTER DEATH
* the desire of FREEDOM OF BODY AND MIND
* the emotion of ANGER
* the emotion of HATE
* the desire for RECOGNITION and SELF EXPRESSION
* the desire for MATERIAL GAIN

17 Success Principles
* A Positive Mental Attitude
* Definiteness of Purpose
* Going the Extra Mile
* Accurate Thinking
* Self-discipline
* The Master Mind
* Applied Faith
* A Pleasing Personality
* Personal Initiative
* Enthusiasm
* Controlled Attention
* Teamwork
* Learning from Defeat
* Creative Vision
* Budgeting Time and Money
* Maintaining Sound Physical and Mental Health
* Using Cosmic Habit Force (Universal Law)

These principles need to be memorised and stored in our hearts so that success can be achieved as if we are walking in a plain land. They can be used as indicators that measure where we are and where we are heading and the intentions and goodwill have to be present so that they can be achieved one by one. You can’t have one or the other but you have to combine all of them as ingredients in a meal that is superb and healthy.

All these need to be also combined with the seven virtues that are Prudence, Fortitude, Temperance, Justice, Faith, Hope and Charity.

CONCLUSION
This is an inspiring book that should be read by every living soul since they are themselves “the most important living person”. I have mentioned in one of my last assessments that as I grew up, I was filled with fear of the unknown and low self-esteem. These get worse when I was in High School and saw myself as inferior to others. One day however all this changed, I can recall why and I didn’t believe that I could be able to resist peer pressure for example. I am glad now that am past that challenge and prepared to face other life challenges especially using the skills that I have learnt from the last 7 books.

The tools provided here are real and can change life definitely with one blink of action. More so in Africa where we cant compare it with America the land of opportunity as it is referred in the press..

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

ASSESSMENT
For the purposes of clarity and easy explanation, I would limit this assessment to five areas I discovered while going through Jonathan Livingston Seagull story.
These are:
(a) Limitations
(b) Challenge
(c) Discoveries/explorations
(d) Love and kindness
(e) Success

LIMITATIONS
1.Can a person fail? And if so what limitations bring about failure? Does being “normal” contribute to this?
-Seagulls as you know never falter, never stall, to stall in the air is for them disgrace and dishonour
-Tried to behave “normal” like other gulls but he didn’t succeed
-Even after failing severally he didn’t give up but tried again and again
-After this a discouraging voice from within him told him that he won’t make it, that he is limited by nature. He needed lots and smarter brains to succeed. The disappointing fact is that he started comparing himself with other birds like the falcon and owl
-Made a resolution of never going back to practice speed as he was a normal seagull
-Felt better for his decision to be just another one for the flock. No more challenges and no more failures he told himself. It was pretty not to think
-Consoled himself that such promises are only for the gulls that accept the ordinary
-There was a limit to how much the new body could do, it was still a limit that could take great effort to crack
-In heaven there should be no limits
-Any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limit’s-perfect speed is being there
-The trick is to know that ones true nature lived, as an unwritten number, everywhere at once across space and time
-Jon knew that he was not bone and feathers but a perfect idea of freedom and precision flying is a step toward expressing our real nature. Everything that limits us we have to put aside
-When you want to explore your abilities you become an Outcast
-Try to overcome our limitations in order and patiently
-You need to keep finding yourself little more each day, that real, unlimited seagull.

Conclusion
Any person is bound to fail when s/he ultimately fails to discover his her/her ability at owns peril. This is as a result of wanting to be “normal”to avoid being different and not wanting to steer curiosity or suspicion from fellow human beings. One has to know the potential that exists within and live up to it fully and freely. Although it should be noted that by trying find oneself, one could easily loose touch with social life.

CHALLENGE
1.Does any challenge towards your aspiration affect you? How do you cope with
that?
2.Is it wrong to compare oneself with others? Does this lead you to break your resolution and afterwards after breaking them do you feel guilty?
-Jon was challenged by his parents then afterwards from the Council Gathering
to behave like a normal seagull
-Fletcher Gull had a blazing drive to learn to fly,”I am too dumb! I’m too stupid! I try and try,but will never get it”
-You have to be smooth, but firm and smooth to make it
-They liked the practice, because it was fast and exciting and it fed a hunger for learning that grew with every lesson. None of them had come to believe that the flight of ideas could possibly be as the flight of wind and feather
-Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body too
-We are free to go where we wish and to be what we want
-Why do you have to obey the law if you are not part of the Flock?
-He had some crazy ideas they couldn’t understand, but then he had some good ones that they could
-You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way
-The only true law is that which leads to freedom
-Why is it that the hardest thing in the world is to convince a bird that he is free, and that he can prove it for himself if he’d just spend a little time practicing? Why should that be so hard?
-Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you’ll see the way to fly

Conclusion
Here it depends on what perspective you want too look at challenge(s). Definitely a challenge will affect the scope of success you want to head to, by understanding it and dealing with it. Most times it’s a problem which should be looked at as a challenge that can either fail you or lift you higher to a different level. Comparing oneself is equal to demoralising oneself. There are those who are lesser than you, then there are those who are at a higher level than you. The secret is to know oneself better, discover all the deeper secrets and then use them strongly and proudly to move forward. Comparing oneself leads to breaking of resolutions of which were conceived out of fear, this afterwards leads to feeling of guiltiness.

DISCOVERIES/EXPLORATIONS
1.Why the need to explore/discover? What drives this desire and what’s the secret behind it?
-The need to learn more than the normal life
-Happy while learning though hungry
-Though careful and trying his best, he lost control at high speed
-He learnt the secrets of speed and how to behave at that peak
-90 miles per hour, he had set a world speed record for seagulls
-There in the night, his pain, resolutions vanished he got the answer-to fold most of his wings
-Challenged himself to dive 5,000 feet
-One who has touched excellence in his learning has no need of that kind of promise (to quit)
-Put his fear under control
-Told that one day he shall learn that irresponsibility doesn’t pay. Life is the unknown and the unknowable, except that we are put into this world to eat, to stay alive as long as possibly can
-Tried to share his discoveries, told the council that they had a reason to live -to learnt discover, to be free
-His one sorrow wasn’t solitude, it was that other gulls refused to believe the glory of flight that awaited them, and they refused to open their eyes and see
-He learned more each day, that a high-speed dive could bring him to find the rare and tasty fish that schooled ten feet below the surface of the ocean
-Mastered his inner control
-What he had hoped for the flock, he gained for himself, he learned to fly and wasn’t sorry for the price he had paid
-Discovered that boredom, fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short. All this had gone away from his thought-he lived a long fine life indeed
-When one school is finished, a time will come for another to begin-New sights bring new thoughts and new questions
-Saw there was more to learn although with a difference
-The most important thing in living was to reach out and touch perfection
-We choose our next world through what we learn in this one. Learn nothing, and the next world is the same as this one, all the same limitations and lead weights to overcome
-Heaven is not a place, and its not time -Heaven is being perfect; place and time are meaningless
-Those who put aside travel for the sake of perfection goes anywhere instantly
-Chiang”we can start working with time if you wish till you can fly the past and the future. And then you will be ready to begin the most difficult, the most powerful, the most fun of all”.

Conclusion
Discovery and exploration are the most fundamental form of understanding and brings to surface amazing insights to ones potential. The constant desire to learn more and more keeps the flame of discovery alive. The desire to perfection, excellence, success and rising above are some of the greatest fruits of going through the discovery journey that’s both challenging, fruitful and refreshing.

LOVE AND KINDNESS
1.Explain love and kindness. How does it come about?
-You will be ready to begin to fly up and know the meaning of kindness and love
-Keep working on love
-The more he practiced his kindness lessons, and the more he worked to know the nature of love, the more he wanted to go back to earth
-Jon was born to be an instructor, and his own way of demonstrating love was to give something of the truth that he had seen to a gull who asked only for a chance to see truth for himself
-Proverb”the gull sees farthest who flies highest”
-If our friendship depends on things like space and time, then we finally overcome space and time, we’ve destroyed our own brotherhood
-You don’t love hatred and evil. You have to practice one of them, and to help them see it in themselves. That’s love.

Conclusion.
In the pursuit of excellence and perfection we are bound to meet challenges and opposition from even our own family or friends. This need not deter us in reaching and achieving what we set out to do. It should be imperative that we put love and kindness at the back of our minds and constantly remind ourselves no matter what, we have to practice those very virtues of co-existence.

SUCCESS
1.When does one reach the height /climax of success? Is success achievable?
How?
-Went for what mattered to him
-Now flying 214 miles per hour-breakthrough which opened a new age
-Speed was power, and the speed was joy, and speed was pure beauty
-Spared no time for socialising with other gulls
-Made discoveries
-We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill (we can be free)
-Wasn’t interested in being honoured or being a leader but to share his discoveries
-Stood to the Centre for Shame was banished on the Far Cliffs for his “reckless irresponsibility, violating the dignity and traditions” of the Gull Family
-His outer form had changed, as his own body was growing bright
-With half the effort, he thought, he will get twice the speed, twice the performance of his best days on earth (Perfection=1/2 Effort+Double Speed+Double Performance)
-They spent hour after hour every day practicing flight, testing advanced aeronautics
-Only a few reach perfection
-Will touch heaven in the moment he touches perfect speed
-To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is, you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived
-It always works, when you know that you are doing
-It was easier for them to practice high performance than it was to understand the reason behind it
-Simple things
v it is right for a gull to fly
v that freedom is the very nature of his being
v that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside,be it ritual or superstition or in any form
-When you begin to understand who you really are and begin to practice it you
are on your way to being special and gifted and divine.

Conclusion
When you touch perfection you are on the way towards success. This comes through a lot of practice and understanding of your goals. However I your pursuit there is a possibility that your “flock” can mistake you but this is OK.After all you have targets to achieve.

ASSESSMENT 2
To achieve perfection (success) is an interesting journey that has to be understood from the beginning upto the end. There are different ways that I want to look at it from experience:
* You have to clearly be sure what you have to achieve and accept all the challenges you will face.
* One has to move out of being “normal”to discover oneself better and go for what matters most.
* Know your abilities and limitations, then deal with them accordingly. Both of them are important and there have specific instances to be used.
* No matter what, when you try and fail, try again and again and again and surely you will achieve.
* What you are pursuing can make you unpopular with your friends /family. This sometimes comes as a result of being mistaken as reckless irresponsibility and breaking of rules. This is the perfect time to show kindness and love and explain what you are doing to those who challenge or dislike you-or is it your ambition.
* You can start to persue a certain goal(s) with your colleagues but not all will achieve what you set to be achieved.
* Being honoured or being a leader is not guaranteed as you edge to achieve your targets.
* The secrets of success are (I) lift ourselves out of ignorance and (ii) reach our goal. One must begin by knowing and accepting that she already achieved.
* There is more to this live than just eating, working and living and this is what has to be discovered and conquered.
* In order to be successful all fear that emanate within us to be put under control and also master inner control.

As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari

ASSESSMENT I
For the purpose of this study I will limit myself to the following three
categories: –

a) Application
b) Self analysis and
c) Experience

APPLICATION
How does one realize what s/he set out to achieve? Does it come out of choice or by continued positive thoughts?

CAP I – Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruit -By the right choice and the application of thought, man ascends to the divine perfection -Man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought.This discovery is matter of application …………. -If he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others and upon his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient practice and investigation and utilizing his every ex perience -Only by patience, practise, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the door of the temple of knowledge

CAP II – So true is this that when a man earnestly applies himself to remedy the defects in his character, and makes swift and marked progress, he passé rapidly through a succession of vicissitudes -Following the inmost desires, aspirations, thoughts by which he allows himself to be dominated, a man at last arrives at their fruition and fulfillment in the outer conditions of his life -Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results -A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates life -Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life -A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances

CAP III -At the command of glad and beautiful thoughts it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty

CAP IV -A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it -He should make this purpose his supreme duty and should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings

CAP V -As he thinks, so is he, as he continues to think so he remains -A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts -The higher he lifts his thoughts, the greater will be his success, the more blessed and enduring will be his achievements -By the aid of self control, resolution, purity, righteousness, and well directed thought a man ascends -He would accomplish little need sacrifice little; he would achieve much must sacrifice much. He would attain high must sacrifice greatly

CAP VI -He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it -Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil -The strength of the effort is the measure of the result

CAP VII -Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control

Conclusion Thought is a powerful factor that can be employed to realize our visions or aspirations. But there is caution to this, if one thinks aimlessly then there is a danger of failing to achieve what was planned there before. Mere thought only won’t help, it need to be coupled with application and carefully assessing the challenges that are met on the way. Suffering will be met as one progresses that are brought about by weakness and until they are done away with, purification will be part of the way.

SELF ANALYSIS Does introspection alter or change the outcomes of one’s thought?

CAP I -A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of his thoughts -A noble and God like character is not a thing of favour or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long cherished association with God like thoughts -That man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, enviroment, and destiny

CAP II -Every man is where he is by the law of his being; the thoughts that he has built into his character have brought him here

CAP III -Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts

CAP IV -Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative force CAP V -He who has conquered weakness and has pushed away all selfish thoughts belongs neither to the oppressor nor oppressed. He is free -But he is limited only by the thoughts that he chooses

CAP VI -The dreamers are the saviours of the world -To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve -Dreams are the seedlings of realities

Conclusion If one belittles himself then that’s the way he will be. A powerful example from the book As a Man Thinketh has clearly stated that we need to insect ourselves, understand ourselves and thereafter control or be our own masters. Without this we will be lost on negative thoughts that we bring suffering and pain to us.

EXPERIENCE How does one know s/he is traveling towards success? Are there signposts that guide?

CAP I -Man is made or unmade by himself

-Man is always the master, even in his weakest and abandoned state

CAP II -Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are -Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain abound -Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought in some direction. It’s an indication that the individual is out of harmony with himself, with the law of his being. The sole and supreme use of sufferings is to purify, to burn out all that is useless and impure. Suffering ceases for him who is pure -Blessedness and riches are only joined together when the riches are rightly and wisely used -Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life. Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot

CAP III -He who has strengthened and purified his thoughts does not need to consider the malevolent

CAP IV -To put away aimlessness and weakness and to begin to think with purpose is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment -He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure

CAP V -All that a man achieves and that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts -Victories attained by right thought can be maintained only by watchfulness

CAP VI -Gifts, powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort. They are thoughts completed, objectives accomplished, visions realized

CAP VII -The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good.

Conclusion Three words from the book come to mind; patience, practise and ceaseless importunity. Unless we critically evaluate ourselves as we progress our journey towards perfection will be hampered. Signposts towards the success of our journey will include; gifts.powers, material, spiritual possessions. Without those one will need to reconsider where he is heading.

ASSESSMENT II

Some of the lessons that emerge are similar to those of Seagull Assesments. All the same, some of the things I have learnt include the following and that what I believe: –

When you have made the right choice and apply your thoughts, one can ascend to higher places
By understanding and accepting our weakness, we can be able to succeed
We can only succeed by following our innermost desires and aspirations
We need to continue to think positively so that we can produce good fruits
One should put a stop to complaining and start to understand his life
One can change his/her circumstances by proper thoughts
Suffering and pain comes as a result of weakness and distraction from achieving our goals
The employment of self control, resolution, purity, righteousness and well directed thought can a man highly achieve
One of the fruits of patience and self control is calmness of the mind
We are fully to blame if we do not achieve a purpose in our life’s.

AWAKEN THE GIANT WITHIN

Assessments by Bikundo Onyari
Assessment 1

INTRODUCTION

This book by Anthony Robbins has reawakened in me a strong desire of understanding myself and taking control of my destiny. Personally I think this book was timely and relevant for our quest to coexist together as human beings and bring about peace and harmony. I am proud to use some of the skills ideas to help out my friend who was hopeless and was waiting to die. I shared with her the relevance of life and the purpose of our existence. This was not easy as it took me almost a week to see the changes she so desperately needed. Interestingly the desire to change is not held by someone else, but by us. Its up to us to deicide to live a joyous and fulfilling life or a life full of miseries.

Fortunately though for me there are some tips in this enormous book that I had started practicing before I joined IIGL. All the same to refresh ones memories and empowering oneself is in itself a great thing to practice. I will forever cherish the teachings in this book particularly the relevant examples that showed that it’s possible.

As I will be doing these assessments, I would prefer to go chapter by chapter. The good thing about the author is that he bolded those important points. I have borrowed most of his lines as I share the same views and feeling about them.

DREAMS

What are they and why are they important to our lives? Can they really become true? -I made a decision in that moment which was to alter my life forever. I decided to change virtually every aspect of my life. I decided I would never again settle for less than I could be.

-Concentration of power: most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all our resources on mastering a single area of our lives

-I decided that somehow I must concentrate in some way that would live on long after I was gone -For changes to be of any value, they’ve got to be lasting and consistent

-Changing an organisation, a company, a country or our world begins with the simple step of changing yourself

-Our beliefs are like unquestioned commands, telling us how things are, what’s possible and what’s impossible, what we can do and cannot do.

DECISIONS

Can decisions shape the destiny of our lives and make us truly happy?

-Different actions produce different results

-If you don’t set a baseline standard for what you’ll accept in your life, you’ll find it’s easy to slip into behaviors and attitudes or a quality of life that’s far below what you desire

-Making a true decision means committing to achieving a result, and then putting yourself off from any other possibility

-The way to make better decisions is to make more of them

-We don’t have to allow the programming of our past control our present and future

-Success truly is the result of good judgment, good judgment is the result of experience and experience is often the result of bad judgment

-In order to succeed, you must have a long-term focus

-Know that it’s your decisions, and not your conditions, that determine your destiny

-Information is power when it’s acted upon

-There are no failures in life there are only results

FORCE

What is force and how is it exerted in our lives/Is it relevant to our live and where do we get it?

-Understanding and utilising the forces of pain and pleasure will allow you once and for all to create the lasting changes and improvements you desire for yourself and those you are about

-Most people would work much harder to hang on to what they have than they would to take risks necessary to get what they really want from their lives

-We are constantly weighing our own proposal actions and the impact they will have upon us

-I realized that discovering idea and strategies that could help me to shape human behavior and emotion could give me virtually everything I wanted in my life

-If we link massive pain to any behavior or emotional pattern, we will avoid indulging in it at all costs. We can use this understanding to harness the force of pain and pleasure to change virtually anything in our lives

-What drives our behavior is instinctive reaction to pain and pleasure, not intellectual calculation

-The force shaping world opinion and consumes buying habits is also the same force that shapes all our actions. It’s up to you and me to take control of this force and decide on our own actions consciously

-Simply link pleasure to the new behavior you desire for yourself

-Anything you want that’s valuable requires that break through some short-term pain in order to gain long – term pleasure

-Most of the things that are valuable in our lives require us to go against the basic conditioning of our nervous systems

BELIEFS

Can we use beliefs to consistently shape our lives and bring about desired goals? Can we change our beliefs if they don’t help us?

-It’s not the events of our lives that shape us, but our beliefs as to what those events mean

-Beliefs are what cause some individuals to become heroes, while others “lead lives of quiet desperation”

-A belief is an interpretation/feeling of certainty about something

-Most of our beliefs are generalisations about our past, based on our interpretation of painful and pleasurable experiences

-Sometimes we develop beliefs that create limitations or strengths within a very specific context

-Once accepted, our beliefs become unquestioned commands to our nervous systems, and they have the power to expend or destroy the possibilities of our present or future

-With enough emotional intensity and repetition our nervous systems experience something as real, even if it hasn’t succeeded yet

-If you develop the absolute sense of certainty that powerful beliefs provide, then you can get yourself to accomplish virtually anything, including those things that other people are certain are impossible

-New experiences trigger change only if they cause us to question our beliefs

-The only true security in life comes from knowing that every single day you are improving yourself in some way

-Nothing in life has any meaning except the meaning you give it.

INSTANT CHANGE

How can we make instant change in our lives and how can it improve us? Why do some people take long to change than others?

-Once we effect change, we should reinforce it immediately. Then we condition our nervous systems to succeed not just once, but consistently

-The first belief we must have if we’re going to create change quickly is that we change now

-The second belief that you and I must have if we’re going to create long-term change is that we are responsible for our own change

-Two reasons why people take long to change;

* The assumption that they make is that important changes must take a long time and be very difficult to make

* In our culture, we have a set of beliefs that prevents us from being able to utilise our own inherent abilities

-Nothing changes until we change the sensations we link to an experience in

our own nervous system

-Each time we experience a significant amount of pain or pleasure, our brains search for the cause and record it in our nervous systems to enable us to make better decisions about what to do in the future

-So often we blame the wrong cause, and thereby close ourselves off from possible solutions

-When you give brain mixed messages, you’re going to get mixed results.

CHANGE YOUR LIFE

What are the secrets of changing ones life? Is it really possible to change to completely change ones life for the better?

-The first step to creating any change is deciding what you do want so that you have something to move forward

-But change is usually not a question of capability; it’s almost a question of motivation

-The only way to make change now is if we create a sense of urgency that’s so intense that we’re compelled to follow through

-The greatest leverage you can create for yourself is the pain that comes fro inside not outside, knowing that you have failed to live up to your own standards for your life is the ultimate pain

-One of the strongest forces in the human personality is the drive to preserve the integrity of our own identity

-The failure by most people to find an alternative way of getting out of pain into the feelings of pleasure is the major reason most people’s attempts at change are only temporary

-Remember your brain can’t tell the difference between something you vividly imagine and something your actually experience

-Any pattern of emotion or behavior that is continually reinforced will become an automatic and conditioned response. Any thing we fail to reinforce will eventually dissipate.

GETTING WANT YOU WANT

How is it possible to achieve or get what you have some much desired in life? Are there shortcuts to get what you really want without sweating it out?

-But first we must learn how to take control of them (feelings) consciously instead of living in reaction

-The difference between acting badly or brilliantly is not based on your based ability, but on the state of your mind and or boldly in any given moment

-Create patterns of movement that create confidence, a sense of strength, flexibility, a sense of strength, flexibility, a sense of personal power, and fun

-Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear

-Our ability to change the way we feel depends upon our ability to change our sub modalities

-You’ve got to be in a determined state in order to succeed

-Live your life in a way that causes you to feel tons of pleasure and very little pain

-All that you really want is to change how you feel

QUESTIONS

Is there any need of asking yourself questions as continue to struggle to want to attain what you have set? Is it really empowering to continually evaluate the strategies you are using for success?

-It’s not events that shape my life that determine how I feel and act, rather, it’s the way I interpret and evaluate my life experiences

-I began to realize that thinking itself is nothing but the process of asking and answering questions

-Successful people asked better questions, and as a result, they got better answers

-Quality questions create quality life

-The difference between people is the difference in the questions they ask consistently

-Remember, it’s not the questions you ask, but the questions you fail to ask, that shape your destiny

-Questions immediately change what we’re focusing on and therefore how we feel

-Learning to ask empowering question in moments of crisis is a critical skill

-Questions are the laser of human consciousness. They concentrate our focus and determine what we feel and do

VOCABULARY

What has vocabulary has to do with my life and my happiness? Does this help in any way or is it like literature that is sometimes used to write good plays or poems?

-The words you habitually choose also affect how you communicate with yourself and therefore what you experience

-People with an impoverished vocabulary live an impoverished emotional life; people with rich vocabularies have a multihued palette of colours with which to paint their experience, not only for others, but for themselves as well

-Simply by changing your habitual vocabulary – the words you consistently use to describe the emotions of your life – you can instantaneously change how you think, how you feel, and how you live

-This is the essence of Transformational Vocabulary: the words we attach to our experience become our experience

-Thus, it’s important to realize that words shape our beliefs and impact our actions

-If an assemblage of words you’re using is creating states that disempower you, get rid of those words and replace them with those that empower you

-The words we use a as corporate culture and as individuals have a profound

effect on our experience of reality

DESTROY THE BLOCKS

How can we live a life that we want and overcome every challenge we face along the ladder to success?

-Whenever we explain or communicate a concept by likening it to something else, we are using a metaphor

-We must take charge of our metaphors, not just to avoid the problem metaphors, but so that we can adopt the empowering metaphors as well

-A whole set of rules, ideas, and preconceived notions accompany any metaphor you adapt

-Changing one global metaphor can instantly transform the way you look at your entire life

-Sometimes it’s useful and important to get us feel negative emotions with strong intensity

-Life has its seasons

-Take control of your metaphors now and create a new world for yourself: a world of possibility of richness, of wonder, and of joy

TEN EMOTIONS OF POWER

How can emotions control our life? Are we in charge of our emotions or we merely respond to the way the drive us? Can one-use emotions to propel him/her to greater heights?

-If the message your emotions are tying to deliver is ignored, the emotions simply increase their amperage; their intensify until you finally pay attention

-The emotions thoughts of as negative are merely a call to action

-Realise that emotions you are feeling at this very moment are a gift, a guideline, a support system, a call to action .If you suppress your emotions and try to drive them out of your life, or if you magnify them and allow them to take everything, then you are squandering one of life’s most precious resources

-You are the source of all your emotions; you are the one who creates them

-You can feel any way you choose at any moment in time

-You don’t need any special reason to feel good – you can just decide to feel good right now, simply because you’re alive, simply because you want to

-Feeling depressed is another call to action, telling you that you need to change your perception

-Getting curious helps you master your emotion, solve the challenge, and prevent the same from occurring in the future

-So realize that a sense of vitality is a critical emotion to cultivate in order to handle virtually any emotions that come up in your life

-Very feeling that you have – good or bad is based on your interpretation of what things mean

CREATING A COMPELLING FUTURE

Why is achieving your life goals sometimes become elusive? How can you get hold of what you want and arrive at where you want to go?

-You possess a lamp that is not limited to a mere three wishes

-Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into visible – the foundation for all success in life

-All goal setting must be immediately followed by both the development of a plan, and massive and consistent action towards fulfillment

-It’s not just getting a goal that matters, but the quality of life you experience along the way

-The direction we’re heading is more important than individual results

-Sometimes we need to trust that our disappointments may be truly be opportunities in disguise

-At least twice a day, you must rehearse and emotionally enjoy the experience of achieving each one your most values goals

-Achieving goals by themselves will never make us happy in the long term; it’s who you become, as you overcome the obstacles necessary to achieve your goals, that you can give you the deepest and most lasting sense of fulfillment.

MENTAL CHALLENGE

Are we in charge of our mental state? Can we control and use this state for the improvement of our lives?

-The same pattern of thinking that has gotten us where we are will not get us where we want to go

-A new level of thinking is now required in order to experience a new level of personal and professional success

-In life, never spend more than 10 percent of your time on the problem, and spend at least 90 per cent of your time on the solution

-All too often, the security of a mediocre present is more comfortable than the adventure of trying to be more in the future.

MASTER SYSTEM

What is this and what has it to do with my life and success?

-People are not their behaviors

-We all have a system or procedure that we go through in order to determine what things mean to us and what we need to do about them in virtually any situation in life

-If someone is doing better than we are in any area of life, it’s simply because they have a better way of evaluating what things mean and what they should do about it

-I am the source of all emotions. Nothing and no one can change how we feel except me. If I find myself in a reaction to anything, I can change it in a

LIFE VALUES

How do we choose these values and how do we use them to our advantage?

-We must remember that all decision-making comes down to value clarification

-Get clear about what is most important in our lives and decide that we will live by these values, no matter what happens

-So often people are too busy pursuing means values that they don’t achieve their true desire: their end values

-Obviously there are some emotional states that you’ll do more to achieve than others

-People will do more to avoid pain than they will to gain pleasure.

RULES

How are rules useful to our lives? Can we break those that disempwer us and stick with those that are useful?

-The truth is that nothing has to happen in order for us t feel good

-As long as we structure our lives in a way where our happiness is dependent upon something we cannot control, then we will experience pain

-Whether or not you feel like you’re achieving your values is totally dependent upon your own rules

-You could be winning and feel like you’re loosing because the scoreboard you’re using is unfair

-Make it easy to feel good and hard to feel bad

-At the base of every emotional upset you’ve ever had with another human being is a rules upset

-Don’t expect people to live by your rules if you don’t clearly communicate what they are.

REFERENCES

Where can we get references and how can we use them to shape the destiny of our lives?

-The larger the number and greater the quality of our references, the greater our potential level of choices. This enables us to more effectively evaluate what things mean and what we can do

-it’s not our references ,but our interpretations of them, the way we organise them – that clearly determine our beliefs

-Imagination unleashed provides us a sense of certainty and vision that goes far beyond the limitations of the past

-You want to learn from your past, not to live in it – focus on the things that empower you

-Loss is imaginary. Nothing ever disappears in the universe; it only changes form

-Expand your references, and you’ll immediately expand your life.

IDENTITY

What is identity? How can it be used to be beneficial to our lives?

-The beliefs that we use to define our own individuality, what makes us unique, good, bad, or indifferent -from other individuals

-The kind of person other people perceive you to be controls their responses to you

-We will act consistently with our views of who we truly are, wether the view is accurate or not

-As we develop new beliefs about who we are, our behaviour will change to support the new identity

-I believe that our true identity is something that’s indefinable and greater than anything that ‘s describable.

EMOTIONAL DESTINY

How can I be successful?

-There is not true success without emotional success.

PHYSICAL DESTINY

What has my physical well-being has to do with my destiny? Can I do away with physical fitness and yet attain my goals?

-The failure of most individuals to grasp the difference between fitness and health is what causes them to experience the frustration of working out religiously and still having the same five to ten pounds stubbornly clinging to their midsection

-Anyone can achieve endurance and vitality by deciding to condition their body’s chemistry.

RELATIONSHIP DESTINY

How can I make my relationship worthy and self – fulfilling?

-The only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as place to give, and not a place that you go to take

-If you want your relationship to last, never, never, ever, ever threaten the relationship itself.

FINANCIAL DESTINY

How can I make enough money to get me what I want? What are the secrets of having a stable financial life?

-Ability to take something that has very little value and convert it into something of significantly greater value

-All wealth begins in the mind

-The key to wealth is to be more valuable

-Devise a way to consistently add real value to people’s lives, and you will prosper

-the contribution makes life richer so don’t limit yourself to adding value strictly for personal gain

-Spend less than you earn, and invest the difference.

CODE CONDUCT

Does this go hand in hand with rules/values? How does one go about making a personal code conduct? Is it helpful to have one?

-What states would I be in if I were my highest best? What states will I commit to being every single day, no matter what?

-Some of the states are the same as my values, and some of them are not

-I had consciously chosen to live by what I now call my Code Conduct

-States I committed myself included being friendly, happy, loving, outgoing, playful, powerful, generous, outrageous, passionate, and fun.

MASTER YOUR TIME AND YOUR LIFE

Can this improve my life? How can they be used simultaneously for a successful life?

-Take control of the time frame you’re focusing upon

-So often we forget that time is a mental construct, that is completely relative, and that our experience of the time is almost exclusively the result of our mental focus

-The ability to distort time so that a minute feels like an hour, or an hour like minute

-The most powerful thing I’ve learned to compress time is to learn through other people’s experience.REST AND PLAY

Why rest in the pursuit of success?

-Take a day off to have some fun.

ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

What next after all this? What can I be able to do to know that I have made it?

-You have the power right now to control how you think, how you feel, and what you do

-It is the small decisions you and I make every day that create our destinies

-The solution to every one of these problems is to change our behaviour

-The one thing we have absolute control over is our internal world – we decide what things mean and what to do about them

-The only limit to your impact is your imiganination and commitment.

Assessment 2

This book has impacted me in almost all areas mentioned by the author. It has reawakened some of those thoughts that can really spur on in the areas of emotions, financial, relationship and physical well-being. I must admit some of the exercises posed in the book; I have been using them while others are very new to me. If I were asked why then have I not yet achieved most of my goals, I would say that I lacked persistence to follow up to the end.

As I mentioned in the introduction, some of this skills have really helped especially in the areas of beliefs, values, code of conduct, references and financial destiny. Last month I was very busy as I helped organise a street children exhibition in Nairobi. This is an annual event that uses exhibitions to expose and market what this young people who have been rehabilitated from the streets can do. This is in the areas of crafts, music, learning etc. I met with a lady who was volunteering in the event. (By then I had finished reading the book). She was staying with her cousin who was abusing her. This lady had lost hope in life and was even ready to die though she admitted that she feared death. I was able to challenge her and give her some tips I learnt in the Anthony Robbins book. Today she is one of the joyful people I have ever met in my life.

Nothing is impossible to achieve, it’s all in the mind like the author says. All wealth begins in the mind and makes yourself worthy or valuable before you demand for an increment. I’ll want to conclude by saying the choice with which the chapters flow and also the books I have read from the beginning is marvelous. I am still sharing the secrets of having a joyous life that I know my fellow youth miss.

PULLING YOUR STRINGS
By Dr.Wayne W. Dyer

ASSESSMENTS I

Chapter 1
Declaring Yourself as a Non-Victim
Who is a victim? You are being victimized whenever you find yourself out of control of your life. Victims are first of all people who run their lives according to the wishes of others. They operate from weakness. Their life is not working for them

How does victimization relate to freedom?
Freedom means you are unobstructed in ruling your own life as you choose To be free does not mean denying your responsibilities to your loved ones and your fellow men You choose freedom for yourself when you begin to develop a whole system of non-victim attitudes and behavior in virtually every moment of your life

How do you develop non-victim attitudes?
Getting out of your victim traps involves above all, developing new habits, infact, healthy habits are learned in the same way as unhealthy ones, through practice, after you have become aware of what you are going to practice You will become what you expect to become, and you will become a non-victim only when you stop expecting to be victimized

Chapter 2
Operating from Strength
How can one overcome fear and attain what s/he wants?
Never operate from weakness Being a non-victim starts with the principle of saying and believing that you are valuable, but it is put into practice when you begin behaving as if you are worthwhile . All times you will not attain your goals
Being effective simply means you apply all your personal resources and use all available strategies short of stepping on others, to achieve your objectives
Fear simply does not exist out there in the world. It is something that you do to yourself by thinking fearful thoughts and having fearsome expectations If you have to have a guarantee that everything will be all right before you take a risk, you will never get off first base, because the future is promised to no one
You cannot learn anything, undermine any fear, unless you are willing to do something. You canít know strength unless you are willing to test yourself
Courage means flying in the face of criticism, relying on yourself, being willing to accept and learn from the consequences of all your choices

Chapter 3
Refusing to be Seduced by what is Over or Cannot be Changed
How do I address life challenges without victimizing myself? The most obvious thing about which you can do nothing now is your past behavior. There are many other things you are incapable of changing, which consequently are logically A “should have” will not change a thing you’ve done, but it can be used to get you to admit that you were wrong, and to avoid dealing with you about what can be done now. While other people are definitely willing to use past references to manipulate you as they choose, you can also do quite a job on yourself on this regard. As you assess past influences on your own life, make sure you’re not hanging onto the belief that anyone else is responsible for what you are feeling or doing, or even failing to do today The art of forgetting can be essential to the art of living. All those dreadful memories you’re so carefully stored away in your brain are hardly ever worth recalling. If you don’t forget and forgive, you will be the only person to suffer. Courage and assertive
behavior will see you through once you’ve seized up the situation

Chapter 4
Avoiding the Comparison Trap
How can I avoid comparing myself yet it’s the only way I know I can progress?
But first you will have to see that it is impossible to be like everyone else and still be your own person. Realize that there is only one you, and you take that you wherever you go. Our culture is composed of people who all too often are threatened by anyone who is different. In addition to realizing that you are unique in this world, you must also accept that you are always alone. You donít have to look outside yourself for self assessment. You never have to enforce policies loudly or emotionally, and you can generally overlook them if they simply donít apply to some particular personís situation

Chapter 5
Becoming Quietly Effective and not Expecting ìThemî to Understand
Can I live my life effectively without being understood and enjoying it?
Being quietly effective means that you donít have to tell anyone else about your victories to make them meaningful to you. The most important key to being quietly effective lies in how you feel about yourself. Wanting to have everyone understand and share everything that you think, feel, say and do is a self victimizing attitude. Your privacy is a very important part of your life, and it is necessary to your own sense of well being
Having to prove yourself to others to others means being controlled by the others to whom you must show the proof. Many families operate under the assumption that members have the right to know all about each otherís business. A friendship, on the other hand, one that lasts for a life time, is relationship in which neither party to prove himself. The simplest and usually the most reasonable way to deal with grumpy people who are not willing to change is to stay away from them

Chapter 6
Teaching Others How You Want to be Treated
Will I be seen as abnormal when I donít relate to people the way they want?
You get treated the way you teach people to treat you. If you change your attitude and expectations about being hurt, then you’ll soon find the above terminating, and your victim status eliminated. You teach others how to treat you on the basis of what you will tolerate. The most effective teacher in the world is behavior. Action which demonstrates your resolve is worth a million well intended words. Behavior is the only way to teach others not to bully you. One of the more illogical victimizing games people play on themselves is to expect totally unrealistic things of others, and when others do not live up to their expectations, they are shocked, scandalized, offended, distraught. Being assertive means making bold, confident declarations in defense of your rights, or your non victim position. People who achieve their goals by pulling their own strings are unafraid to risk standing up and insisting upon their rights when they are threatened. The greatest leaders of mankind have known all too well that people teach and learn how others are to be treated from behavior. If you allow yourself to be persecuted and don’t offer resistance, then you’ll never be able to pull your own strings

Chapter 7
Never Place Loyalty to Institutions and Things Above Loyalty to Yourself
Why do people struggle to be loyal to others for their own detriment and how can they come out of this seductive trap? Nothing is worth devoting your life to at the expense of your own happiness. Being independent of domination by things, jobs, companies, and other man made institutions, is just as important Loyalty does not mean slavery. You can be faithful to nay organization and devote yourself to its tasks with honesty and integrity without having to become its servant. Loyalty is misused when people are given less importance than
profits, and when the human spirit is sacrificed for the name of good old Anything, Inc. You can make your own happiness and responsibilities to help and love others in your family the most important thing in your life People who are victimized by institutions re very often devotees of competition at all costs All human beings are worthy of life, and can be happy and fulfilled, without having to look over their shoulders at other people for their self worth. Cooperation is a much more efficient way to upgrade the quality of your own life and the lives of others. You have the capacity to undo any tensions that are part of your life. Things oriented people have a great deal of difficulty relating to others. If you need to win to prove yourself, you have lost all healthy perspective
If you cant be happy without someone else out there whom you must defeat, then you are being controlled by that person, which makes you the ultimate loser, since people who are controlled by others are psychological slaves. We wont allow ourselves to fail, even though failure is a natural and necessary part of the learning processAny victimizing you experience as a result of your connection to an institution has probably come about because you allowed it to happen

Chapter 8
Distingushing Between Judgments and Reality
Are there things that one can change? How can one enjoy reality without becoming a victim? Many people victimize themselves by placing more stock in their beliefs about or attitudes toward what is real than reality itself If you conduct your life according to the belief that judgments and reality are the same things, you are in for a warehouse full of self imposed woes. The world does not owe you a living or a happy life, and the more you think it does, the harder you make it for yourself to get these things. People who are constantly cursing reality doom themselves to lives of needless anger and frustration. Judgments are only victimizing when they keep us from enjoying present moments, or when they furnish us with built in excuses for behaving in self destructive ways. The reality you see looks very exciting when you pause to enjoy it. How foolish ever to allow yourself to be upset or immobilized over things when your upset will do nothing. Thinking can be a disease when its overdone Being means simply allowing yourself to take part in an activity, and to do whatever is natural for you, without any prodding or persecution from your reviewing, analyzing, planning mind. The most proficient players are those who are relaxed enough in their heads not to be nervous about performing, and are able to let their bodies do what they’ve trained them to do

Chapter 9
Being Creatively Alive in Every Situation
How can I kill boredom and live my life to the fullest? You always have options. Creative refers to the individual’s capacity to apply himself to any undertaking in the world. The non-victim creatively applies himself in every life situation, and refuses to be victimized by the circumstances into which he, after all, chooses to put himself
Work hard at breaking the self victimizing habit of not liking the places you choose to be in. Life is always changing, and every day of your life ñ every moment of every day ñ represent something totally new. You’ll stop evaluating your happiness on the basis of achievements, and instead look upon the whole trip of life as something to be happy about. The most crucial test of your attitude development will be in the face of adversity, rather than while things are running smoothly. If you have an open mind, and allow for many possible ways of accomplishing the same task you may retain your preferences for doing things in certain ways, but you will not be blinded by turning them into mandates or absolutes. If you want to be a non victim, you will have to give up your giving up, and replace it with some dogged perseverance Demonstrating that you will not be victimized generally involves choosing which battles you want to fight. Action is the single most effective antidote to depression, anxiety, stress, fear, worry, guilt, and ofcourse, immobility

Chapter 10
Victim or Victor?
Demonstrate a hundred ways that you can use to make you live enjoyable? I found out that this chapter was the most important one summarizing what was learnt on all the nine chapters before. However, I would just recommend it the way it is.

ASSESSMENT II
Lessons Learnt
Personally this book has been very inspirational and has made me rediscover that most of us suffer from victimization because we condone it in everyday life.

Below are some of the lessons I have come across: –
It I who chooses to be a victim because I let others or circumstances control me
People have been conditioned by life and they continue to live unconsciously without lifting an eyelid. Comparing myself to others and their standards is a cruel method on oneself to live life fully. I cannot at all times achieve what I want. There are some things in life I cannot change or do something about them (very interesting). Fear and worry are our own creation and we can choose to do away with them at any time To enjoy and appreciate what you have (a bird in hand is worth than two in the bush ÖÖ. Eeh!!) Constantly testing myself to know my strengths and weakness

Debatable issue
Lying: this was a very sensitive tool to be used to avoid victimization. But as the author warned that this can open up a Pandoraís box. Staunch Christians will find this very hard to sell.

Uncondtional Life: Discovering The Power To fulfill Your Dreams
BY Deepak Chopra

Contents
* What I have learnt from this book
* The relation between nature and human being
* Personal healing
* Spiritual consciousness and awareness – this didnít come out well to my understanding
* Discovering self and who I am
* Making miracles happen in my life
* How science is interrelated to being
* Meditation
* Time distortion

What was useful/helpful and why.Personal Healing – how to heal oneself using the energy and power within us to influence the health status of one self. Most times we rely on medicine(s) recommended by doctors which is not bad; but the one fact that has been ignored since the discovery of medicine is the ability of the body to produce or supplement medicine within itself. The challenge here is to discover this inner power to control ones outer health.

Discovering Self – since I began leadership studies, almost all authors seem to reemphasise on the discovery of self. The major issue here is without knowing oneself, its is futile to achieve one dreams or reach a state of self-awareness. This indicates the purpose one has to fulfil in this life, not walking to be consumed tomorrow without personal concern.

Making Miracles Happen – this is related to the aspect of discovering self. Anyone can while discovering the potentiality inside make miracles happen in his/her life. Most times this looks abnormal to the world we relate to everyday that looks “perfectly” glued together. A lot of people, interestingly fear to view their world as being able to perform miracles where they will be disruption or uniqueness in their lives. A thought of flying which was so appealing to a young child seems far-fetched to an adult.

Least HelpfulMeditationPersonally I find that meditation wasn’t very well addressed mostly on the way to go about it. I do not wish away or abhor meditation, from personal experience I have come across people who have been “brainwashed” due to meditation. My bone of contention therefore remains on the process towards meditation without necessary becoming brainwashed. Replacing of some of not all of a person’s established thoughts is not that bad, but the thought here is that this is open to abuse.

In pursuit of excellence in world leadership especially to young people, it should be conducted cautiously and the process thoroughly understood so that it brings about a world that is desirable to all as an end result. It all also shouldn’t be abused for the purposes of creating short cuts on life journeys.

Perhaps we can put on the discussion board the topic on MEDITATION and see what other students think.

Challenged/Altered My Thinking/AttitudeTo some extent.
I will discuss two aspects in this book that have challenged my attitude and how they can/or have applied in my life.

Personal Healing – people who are sick look withdrawn and hopeless because of their physical health problems. The ability to look inside and come up with a solution to this situation is like an illusion to them. Before I discovered the word ‘Personal Healing’, I had visited a cousin of mine who was army and was in hospital since he had this growth on his throat. This guy used over a hundred ways to describe his situation. He totally believed and depended on medication to change his throat condition. I began to challenge him in using ‘alternative medicine’ from his body to influence that way he was feeling and responding to treatment. I didn’t succeed in this mostly because of my limited understanding of the body power to heal by then.

Time Distortion – during the beginning of 2003, I had a lot of spare time, which I really felt the need to utilise. Days/nights were long and sometimes I felt hopeless and questioned God the reason of being alive. There was need of converting the available time; and this was only through time distortion. The Leadership was very crucial to achieve this and lately by landing on a short-term contract to work in prison (giving legal advice to prisoners). The later job is overwhelming sometimes and just finding a creative way to distort time and yet attain set goals can vanquish this.

CHANGE YOUR MIND CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari

Lessons learnt from this book

Attitudes affect our bodies and the outside world
Flowers of positive mind are peace and love
Attitudinal healing and its principles
Fearing death
Positive business attitudes
Sports attitudes
Giving and receiving are the same

What was useful and why and the challenges linked to it through my life experience
Attitudes Affect our Bodies and the Outside World
The book raises issues that are well known by people, which unfortunately have not been taken seriously and instead trashed behind the mind. The way we work, we relate, we eat, we walk, we talk etc are all interrelated with our mind attitudes. We need to understand that attitudes form we are, what we do and where we go. Our bodies also communicate a lot about our attitudes.

I would like to use a common illustration that happens almost everyday in the classroom worldwide. Tom who is in a mathematics class has a habit of every time complaining on how algebra, calculus are difficult topics. The teacher looks at him and shakes her head and asks loudly, “what has the world become?” The student only needs to understand at that these thoughts can distract if not controlled and only can do magnificent changes if used to realize the set goals.

Flowers of a Positive Mind
The ones that come out strongly are peace and love that are two important flowers the world needs to embrace. Most times as human beings we find excuses outside ourselves that make us angry, depressed or unloving. Like the famous author, James Allen of the book As a Man Thinketh says, “That the mind is a garden that needs to be nurtured and weeded every time”

(By the way this book, Change Your Mind, Change Your Life by Gerald & Diane goes hand in hand with the one by James Allen, As a Man Thinketh).

The challenge to us is to continuously plant good seeds in our minds that will bring about positive thoughts, which in the end will bring forth empowering actions. This will miraculously change the world where war and civil strife are the only tools that are known to bring about “change” and “democracy.”

I am writing this assessment at a time when Rwanda and the world are remembering the 1994 Genocide that saw the death of over one million innocent people most of them being women and children who would have changed the course of their country and the world destiny. The conclusion here is that this all started from the mind due to planting of evil seeds.

Positive Business Attitudes
Successful businesses are as a result of attitudes that are keenly applied into all aspects of the business. The Aspirations Statement of Levi Strauss & Co. affirms the above statement. A company that puts its employees first than profit is one that is bound to have the best sales and returns for a long time. Itís inspiring to have a company motto, vision and policies that are people centered.

A word of caution though, it is meaningless to have all these on paper and not practice them. I have seen and come across companies that have a nice and ambitious vision an yet their employees donít know them by heart or donít give a damn about them. Most attitudes that prosper a company are derived from the kind of leadership that is practiced. If it is a situation where the top echelon is all knowing, the company is then doomed. The employees will not feel motivated or even share their ideas that are needed to prosper them and their companies.

A good manager in a company and anywhere else is not one who gives orders but one who leads by example.

Giving and Receiving are the Same
Most times, people of the world think that money is everything and can give you all the freedom and joy that can be found. While it must be appreciated that money is an important resource in our lives, the issue of giving this treasure out to those that are needy is also vital. In the world today there is so much inequality and injustice in the way resources are distributed. One NGO I know had a sticker talking about Fair Trade Practices, the sticker read ìDonít Globalize Povertyî. This reminds of a certain phrase me and m friends coined since those that have refused to share with the less fortunate. It goes something like this,îLetís distribute poverty equallyî.

The culture of giving not only money, but also time, expertise and other essentials should be given top priority. It should be realized that giving and receiving are all the same. Oneís life improves as s/he seeks to make a difference in the world however small it may seem.

Conclusion
Honestly, almost everything was useful in this book, but I chose to dwell on the four (4) issues that I saw to be paramount.

Attitudinal Healing goes hand in hand with Personal Healing that was covered in the previous book of Unconditional Life: Discovering the Power to Fulfill Your Dreams by Deepak Chopra.
Overcoming Fear of Death and Sports Attitudes are well covered in point no.1 of how attitudes affect our bodies and the outside world.

Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Bikundo (Kenya)

LESSONS LEARNT
Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) and Negative Mental Attitude (NMA)
Five Mental Bombshells for Attacking Success
17 Success Principles

I must admit from the onset that this book was powerful to the extent it actually inspired me to spring to action. Every page was worth it and useful and I am growing impatient to read Napoleonís other book of Think and Grow Rich. Another factor that I would want to raise is that the books I have read so far seem to flow inter relate to each other. The selection was magnificent as most of the books continue to imprint tools that are badly needed to make the world a better place starting with the individual.

WHAT WAS USEFUL/HELPFUL AND WHY?
Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) and Negative Mental Attitude (NMA)

This is the starting point for either success or failure of the human being that has been termed as ìthe most important living person. Success has to be redefined once again to mean not only wealth but happiness, ability to relate with other beings and the power to control and use one attitudes for personal and community advantage.

NMA is brought about by what Gerald G. Jampolsky said in his book Change Your Mind, Change Your Life where he says that attitudes can be ones great friend or enemy depending on how they are viewed. In this book of PMA the challenge lies where one has to contionusly develop and practice attitudes that are long lasting in the sense that the make one successful in the field they have chose to pursue on their lives generally. The are not wish lists that are to be used anyhowly, but are tools that can bring about change and desired results. I would like to emphasis on a point that I came across in this book “Every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit for those with PMAî”.

In life we seem to be looking at the negative side of the good stories that happen. You find that most can do a lot to avoid failure, shame etc but do less to be happy. In Kenya as an example, news without politics are no news. Politics are given undue advantage over other important issues such as innovation, agriculture or even economic recovery.

Five Mental Bombshells for Attacking Success
They are: –
* having a problem is good
* learn to see
* the secret of getting things done
* how to motivate yourself
* how to motivate others

Anthony Robbins in his book Awaken Within You says “repetition makes perfect”. This book on PMA has shown that this is possible for those who try and not for the faint hearted. Most of what Robbins says in the above mentioned book is repeated and emphasised in Napoleonís book, and that good. Why? All these issues are known to man/woman but they have been procrastinated for a long time.

Most of us including myself when having a problem tend to give up and feel ashamed that I can’t tackle it. But recently I have developed a method of addressing this. When faced with a problem, the first thing that I do is to call it a challenge. This will enable me to face and address the faced situation in a different perspective. We face challenges generally in life since we look at them from one perspective or angle we never quite go around to solve them. I once overheard a friend of mine telling his colleague who was having a problem at hand saying “a person who is surmounted by problems and cant be able to solve them, can only do so by stopping straight thinking”. There is need to deschool ourselves from the trap of straight thinking since it shows only one way of tackling challenges.

Procrastination is one of the challenges that are faced by all of us. A nice idea springs from the subconscious mind but implementing it can take a whole decade. The self-motivator DO IT NOW! Repeated in the mind can change a man/woman. This can be combined by self-motivation that induces action or determines choice. There are also Universal Principles of Success motivators that can work well in going to action.

Motivating oneself for any reason or aim and to motivate others, its prudent to understand and apply the ten principles that are outlined in this book. These are
* the desire for SELF PRESERVATION
* the emotion of LOVE
* the emotion of FEAR
* the emotion of SEX
* the desire of LIFE AFTER DEATH
* the desire of FREEDOM OF BODY AND MIND
* the emotion of ANGER
* the emotion of HATE
* the desire for RECOGNITION and SELF EXPRESSION
* the desire for MATERIAL GAIN

17 Success Principles
* A Positive Mental Attitude
* Definiteness of Purpose
* Going the Extra Mile
* Accurate Thinking
* Self-discipline
* The Master Mind
* Applied Faith
* A Pleasing Personality
* Personal Initiative
* Enthusiasm
* Controlled Attention
* Teamwork
* Learning from Defeat
* Creative Vision
* Budgeting Time and Money
* Maintaining Sound Physical and Mental Health
* Using Cosmic Habit Force (Universal Law)

These principles need to be memorised and stored in our hearts so that success can be achieved as if we are walking in a plain land. They can be used as indicators that measure where we are and where we are heading and the intentions and goodwill have to be present so that they can be achieved one by one. You can’t have one or the other but you have to combine all of them as ingredients in a meal that is superb and healthy.

All these need to be also combined with the seven virtues that are Prudence, Fortitude, Temperance, Justice, Faith, Hope and Charity.

CONCLUSION
This is an inspiring book that should be read by every living soul since they are themselves “the most important living person”. I have mentioned in one of my last assessments that as I grew up, I was filled with fear of the unknown and low self-esteem. These get worse when I was in High School and saw myself as inferior to others. One day however all this changed, I can recall why and I didn’t believe that I could be able to resist peer pressure for example. I am glad now that am past that challenge and prepared to face other life challenges especially using the skills that I have learnt from the last 7 books.

The tools provided here are real and can change life definitely with one blink of action. More so in Africa where we cant compare it with America the land of opportunity as it is referred in the press..

Real Magic Creating Miracles in Everyday Life
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

LESSONS LEARNT FROM THIS BOOK

Having a Purposeful Life
One of the things that came out clear through out this book is that there can be no miracles if one’s life is not on purpose. In Kenya we have a Swahili saying that goes like this ‘Bendera hufuata upepo’ (wind blows a flag direction). Most human beings are caught up in the web or imprisoned by external life direction. They are just like a flag that will be blown any way by the wind with no resistance. Life becomes meaningless just another form of ‘punishment’ where one is forced to live life the way it is. Apathy and poverty become the key for such people’s life and complain bitterly of life and their inability to influence the world. What they haven’t realised is that all they need is in them.

The book has provided breakthrough in terms of reminding us that we can affect the world situation if everyone of us can live a purposeful life. We won’t be seeing the war and destruction of Iraq and other many countries if we tapped the resource within us. The first view of the book can make one dismiss the book as an illusion that has come to justify the existence of the world problems. But a deeper interest and review of the book reminds one of the things we should have been aware since we set foot on this world.

The challenge then is for mankind (women included) to go within themselves and tap the resource that exist in their spiritual word and manifest it in their outside world. Youth especially are the ones that should be educated to be purposeful and influence the politics of the world and provide solutions that are desperately needed by tapping into ourselves.

Spiritual Beings/Revolution
This is tied together with manifesting miracles in your physical realm.

This is where the ‘World Bank’ of humanity exists. The moment human beings realise that the don’t need to look anywhere else for solutions to their lives, then the world will shift radically to something totally different and empowering. Many things are manifested in the spiritual realm of human beings. Dr.Dyer talks about the many pictures one visualises in the mind and the temporally inability to transfer the to our physical world. At the spiritual level there are no impossibilities as opposed to the physical world. This is true revelation that should be reminded often. The question that begs here is that, why is it not possible for us to manifest miracles in the physical world?

The spiritual world has all the positive things one can imagine, peace, love, prosperity, harmony, healthy, unending possibilities etc. Why why is it so hard for us to tap into this resource and enjoy our physical life? Revolution here is needed here so that there is a radical shift from those false images you lay trust upon.

The secret here is that everything is possible if you set your mind to it period. Unfortunately all we can afford to do all the times until we sleep is to whine, complain and curse. Those pictures/images we treasure in the mind can be transferred to reality. The pictures need to be made real by believing them and consulting them daily for guidance on what you want. A word of caution though, as spiritual beings we should avoid having mere wishes in our thoughts. Reason, we will start complaining and whining for wanting the wishes to come true instead of working hard to realise them.

The Big Lie
Dr.Dyer reminds us that there are many misbeliefs that we hang to that are destructive to our lives and add no value to empowerment. We have been told continuously as we grow up that we will never make it, we were born in inferior families, that we have limited IQ, that our race is inferior and so on. And we grow up accepting these lies and instilling them into our lives. I guess we find justification in explaining why we fail and not why we can improve. This discourages one to have a purposeful life and instead concentrate on finding fault in oneself and others. Growing up believing that there are many limitations in life is an illusion that works against our having a purposeful life.

We should be able take charge of our personality and decide to do away with any kind of fear and affirm to ourselves what kind of habits, customs, levels of confidence and intellectual abilities we would like to have. We need to decide what kind of person we would like to become and that decision ultimately lies within ourselves. These have to be married with having a purposeful life and engrained in our thoughts then finally transfer it to our physical lives.

Healing Miracles
There are many instances where our misbeliefs have led us to live unhealthy lifestyles. The illusions that we have adopted in our minds affect our health to the extent that serious complications start to occur and can cause even death! This makes one shudder and be filled with uncontrollable fear.

We need to once and for all and even for the sake of us to look and analyse the roots of ill heath. Yes I agree that sometimes there are those who are sick for various reasons and they need to tap into the inner power that can heal themselves in an extraordinary manner. Borrowing from the book and Dr.Dyer life experience in working with patients there’s a possibility of a person himself or herself and become the miracle decided. It ties down to what kind of person you will like to be if as an example you are suffering from cancer. Do you want to look frail, withdrawn, feeble, no appetite etc? This can be able to guide you as you commit to change how your feeling as a person and its success can be applied in other areas of life.

CONCLUSION
The book has proved to be a true tool with real facts that can be applied any where in ones life. I must admit that the book has reminded me of meditation which I had dismissed in Deepak Chopra book ‘Unconditional Life’. That’s the one sure way of tapping those resources that are in the spiritual realm. My concentration used to drift sometime back and was hit with a reminder from Dr.Dyer that without concentration you can never tap that which you posses. I have wondered on the possibility of understanding the other person, learning and appreciating his/her fears, but this has been improved. Itís powerful to look at someone through concentration and know what they want to say.

Sometimes I have looked for happiness outside myself and learnt a vital lesson that without finding it in you, you can be able to radiate it to those you love and even strangers. I must repeat this affirmation here; ‘everything that you need to know is inside you.’

I didn’t find anything that I didn’t like or that wasn’t useful in fact the book has trained me and challenged me to improve and look keenly inward and then decide what I want to be and do. I also need to radiate that what I have learnt to the outside world in order for me to influence it and not the other way round. I need to remember that I was placed here to accomplish a certain task and that needs to be the driving force that guides and teaches me the way. Finally I need to be ready always to learn new things, as this is the only way the teacher will appear in my life.

I will be a student always.

You’ll See It When You Believe It
Assessment By Sammy Jacobs Abbey (Ghana)

As if it really happing all the time but until I read the book ‘You’ll see it when you believe it’ by Dr. Wayne W Dyer

The book tackles very real issues of transforming our life and adopting a positive attitude towards the development of our mind.

Indeed your transformation is all about adopting a new attitude as putted by the writer in his preamble of chapter one of the book ‘transformation is the ability and willingness to live beyond your form.’

Just as I mentioned when assessing the book Giant Step, had it not been a personal transformation, I could not have taken that bold steps in securing the project with the Association of Global Citizens a subsidiary of World Assembly of Citizens

Because I have for a long time hold the perception of inferiority and not-to-do-with, my way of doing things remain limited until that moment of transformation which led me clear the talisman of negative perception in my way of thinking.

You’ll see it when you believe it and the personal experience shared by the writer on how he left lecturing at the university to carry on with his own dream brings back into memory when I took such a risk decision some two years ago.

I was working as a public relationship officer at the Ghana Telecommunication Limited, very successful and energetic and well admire by all due to my effort in turning the corporate image to the acceptable of management but meanwhile I have a dream of settling on my own since I have a long term dream of working in the area of humanity and helping young people to make an informed decision.

I intend discussion my decision with my family but upon second thought, I rescind my decision and kept analysising why I wanted to do this, I asked myself series of question until finally I told my family of it.

But unlike Dr. Dyer, I was discourage by almost all those I informed on my intension but having a dream and risking for it, enables you to become very successful.

I finally walked into the office of the head of human resource department not to seek information but actually going to hand over me resignation letter, the woman became very disappointed and advised me of my decision, what interested me most of the was I told her, I have finally decided because I have thought of all that you had said.

Upon resigning from Ghana Telecom, I faced different challenges in my new endeavour but now I’m laughing even though I’m not yet financially independent but I believed my transformation is no different from the writer’s story.

The words ‘you’ll see it when you believe it’ drifted my thoughts as concluded, I feel such an inner sense of joy at honoring and encouraging this part of me, as I’m now seen everywhere working and lobbying for the right of the child and advocating for youth development and involvement in decision-making in national and international platforms.

I was attach to the belief that I’m nobody and nothing seems to be working for me, in fact I declared myself useless just waiting for the lord to call me home until that transformation came when I took a bold steps in living beyond my form.

In summary, it is recommended that we should continue to live beyond our form to mastermind our transformation.

Living beyond our forms, enables a step in successful living

Illusions: The Adventure of a Reluctant Messiah
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

Introduction
The book is easy to read and can actually be read in one day which makes it more amazing. Richard Bach has an interesting way of showing how limits are broken in a brief and interesting manner. I didnít expect what I found in his book. I have to admit that the contents took me by surprise. The surprising thing is that the author is part of the story as opposed to what I expected ñ a story of someone different.

As I was perusing through the pages of the Illusions, three perspectives quickly crossed my mind. They are as follows: – Imaginations (faith), Curiosity and
Persecution

Imaginations
The author gave two meanings to the term imaginations ñ it can mean faith or illusions. I have had this opinion for a long time that we live in two worlds as human beings. One if reality and the other one of dreams. This can be seen as a clash on what the messiah described as illusions. What is the clear from the onset is that there is an influence a human being exhibits to the world that contributes to a change or impact.

Imaginations are an important component of our lives, although little has been done to tap this mysterious potential. I am drawn to the Success through a Positive Mind Attitude by Napoleon Hill that states that one can use his/her mind to produce the results desired. This is also true to imaginations but not if they are wished away. Instead they should be translated into practice by constantly working on them. Practice makes perfect as it has been said before. Imaginations alone cannot complete the picture or bring about the desired results. The secret lies in translating and transferring those imaginations into our daily activities.

Most at times I have been dismissing my imaginations and not wanting to imagine of things, places what have you. By through this book I have learnt that one imagination is a true amazing asset one has to change ones life. The need to overcome fear and use the imagination to create any kind of live or success is available within me and everyone else.

Curiosity
Throughout these studies, we have been reminded by the different authors that ìthe teacher will appear when the students are readyî. To me this becomes the driving force that can be used for greater success. Everyday we meet people who can completely change our lives for better or worse. Itís only imperative to discern between what we want and what we donít. Curiosity opens doors to greater possibilities as well as challenges.

Its disheartening to hear a common adage being used to lock people in a box, reason ìcuriosity killed the catî This should be discouraged at as soonest since it translates to mean that no matter what how aware you are it should stop at that. If I look back at my own experiences, without curiosity I would be just another looser. I sometimes think am obsessed with any new information that comes my way. I have to look at it found out if there is anything interesting and use that , anything contrary to that a leave out. With this kind of experience, I have noticed that itís easy to identify a good thing or relevant information just by a mere glance. Take an instance of how I enrolled to the Global Leadership Institute. If I hadnít been curious then, I wonít have dug up any information about the institute.

Persecution
When using this word, am forced to remember one great man in the history of mankind and that Jesus Christ. Honestly if any of us were to be asked to volunteer and play Jesus once more, am sure none would volunteer. Reason ñ fear of persecution. Today we live in a world that is dynamic and therefore makes people change from one belief to another or principle to another without blinking their eyes. Our generation has been turned to a survival circus that demands we use the laws of the jungle to apply to human life.

We fear being unique, miraculous, successful, healthy, rich and even heroic for the fear of being persecuted. I have gone through these and it has been a challenge. I can go to a meeting and find out that am the only one who has a different view or argument of a certain issue that is being discussed. I fear to raise it up for fear of being wished away or something else. I have learnt that this should not worry me since as a ìmessiahî I have to stand out and proclaim what I know and even working for me. Thatís the only way that others may be wiling to learn and become true ìmessiahsî not to the world but to themselves ñ by believing in the Self and the potential that waits impatiently to be unleashed.

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

Introduction
Deepak Chopra has once gain through his book exposed the very secrets that need to be applied into our physical world after they are planted in our thoughts. His use of ancient Indian wisdom is understandable and fits in very well by combining both orient and western philosophy to show that everything is possible by having intention and desire of where one wants to go or achieve. I have previously stated that what we learn in these marvelous books is not something new. The authors have taken the deliberate intention to document through their experiences all our lives processes in a systematic manner that can be used for self referral.

Lessons learnt
Potential and purpose
Giving and receiving
Acceptance

Potential and Purpose
I am using this words together since I believe that they should be used together to realize greater achievement. As human beings each one of us in our uniqueness has potential that can be used to steer us to greater heights. Unfortunately that lies untapped in that subconscious part of our lives. Interestingly the moment we discover this potential and not have purpose, we get lost not knowing what to do and our lives can turn haphazard. It’s like a mechanic who has tools but doesn’t have anything or equipment to use his tools. Our purpose should often lead us to discover the hidden potential and tap it to our physical existence.

Over the years I have promised myself that I need to tap my potential since my purpose is very clear. However in the process I have experienced fear not knowing how I will be. I ask myself, ìwhat if I become totally different? How will I relate to my family, my colleagues and work mates?î Then I discover that fear drives us out and make us miss an opportunities. The driving desire I have developed is to be the best I can be no matter what. Itís opposite to the ìmessiahî who feared to use his potential for fear of being persecuted.

Giving and Receiving
Gerald G.Jampolsyky in his book Change Your Mind, Change Your Life stated that giving and receiving is the same thing. There is nothing that can get lost in this earth; it will find a way back to you. Most of us have over the years thought that in order to give, you must give money. This is incorrect. There is so much that we can give. The author has listed several things apart from money that we can give to each other. There is a prayer, a smile, a flower, a gift etc. Unfortunately the world today has been ìpoorî because it has measured its status to the amount of money one has or a country has. Itís common today to hear that half of the world lives in poverty. I sometimes wonder if this is always the correct picture pr argument. The assumption that people who do not have money are poor should not hold any water.

Acceptance
Another word that can be used together with acceptance is tolerance. Most times we find out that there are some of us who have one clear intimate purpose ñ of wanting to change others to be like them. They spend so much resources and energy to make sure that they have changed others completely. In fact this makes them to be so impatient in any given moment. The author through his experience encourages us to accept the present moment as it is for there is a reason. I seem to like this. This doesnít mean that I admire things to be like the way they are at that particular moment.

I am reminded of the youth congress I attended last year (2003) in Morocco. The theme of the congress was ‘tolerance, solidarity and sustainable development’. There were approximately 1000 delegates from all over the world inclusive of the ones in Morocco. We are all aware that our brothers/sisters in Palestine and Israel don’t get along very well for reason they understand better. It was a disappointing moment considering even the theme of the congress that some of them disagreed and fought. What shocks me about this scenario is that these are young people and still carry hatred towards each other. Who will bring peace if they can’t bring the long needed change across their common borders? One thing that they didnít embrace was that they needed to accept each other no matter what differences they had since differences are not always permanent.

Notes from a Friend by Anthony Robbins
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

Introductions
Having read Awaken the Giant by the same author, I find that this book summarises most points that appeared in the former book. Notes from a friend is a book that gives you the desire to reach out for more and explore the hidden mystery of Anthony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within.

The book can be classified as a pocket book that can be used for two purposes: – for reflection and for reference as one goes around with his /her duties in life.

It reminds me of the many points I came across Level 1. Vision and purpose are very important for one to lead a purposeful life. However this has to be broken down to goals that are realistic and can be achieved daily or little by little and are in tandem with the vision.

Conclusion
The author emphasis on character formation as I head towards fulfillment by continuing to part my back every time I achieve a goal however small it is. He also goes on and says what I usually like to tell myself daily that “on your path to fulfillment do not expect acknowledgements or recognition”.

I remember I commented deeply on the Awaken the Giant Within during my Level 1 studies and I feel that I should pause here. I do not want to repeat what I commented. I want to use this opportunity and say that all the potential lies within us and am aware of that. But I constantly need to tap that potential and utilise it for me and for humanity. That I should never doubt myself but to constantly thrive to learn a new thing everyday about myself. To finish, I would like to echo what the author said in this book – “the past does not equal the future”.

You’ll See It When You Believe It
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

Introduction
Dr.Dyer has a charm of writing what motivates one as you go through his many books. I must commend him for using personal experience to relate to the situation he’s expressing in all the books I have read written by him. Its interesting to note that his books are voluminous thus containing more detail and real stuff not for the sake of it but for the benefit of the reader. He is more concerned that the reader understands what he is communicating.

He has discussed many important topics some of them I would want to draw their similarity with Deepak Chopra book on the Seven Spiritual Laws. These are Detachment, Synchronity and Abundance. This shows that the authors speak in one language although from various and different perspectives. This to a student is vital not for the sake of comparing the authors but to understand deeply the fullness of embracing workable principles that are taught. Therefore I will limit myself to two main lessons I have learnt from the book. These are:-

Transformation
In the youth organization am in, I was able to come up with what I termed the Youth Transformation Programme (YTP). This way back in 2001 and the event was envisaged to be held annually for a different selected group of young people between the ages 16-25 years. They would spend time together out of town for four or more days depending on the plan and learn with “experts” on how to discover their potential and how they can transfer this to their school work and in job hunting. Little did I know that such a programme was powerful in enlightening the leaders of our generation.

Why all this? I personally find it valuable for young people to be guided to discover who they really are and what they can accomplish given the right training, mentorship and exposure. This has worked well with several young people although others are shying form it. I must note from experience that its easier for most of us to conform to the world instead of purely and gently transforming the world by beginning with ourselves.

Discovering transformation has sparked in me this question that I have started asking daily, “What potential do I possess that can make me successful?” It has made me to do my best of what I love to do and it has worked. And now I feel like writing and speaking to others that are in need of motivation and for them to “see it when they believe it” as the author continuously hammered home.

Forgiveness
At this moment I have started reading the book “The Little Book of Letting Go” by Hugh Prather and after flipping through realize that letting go can be achieved through forgiveness. It amazing to understand the interrelation between the two words. It has been repeated in history by the many teachers that have lived on earth that, “you have not forgiven if you haven’t let it go”. This is where the challenge lies especially where it involves oneself. It is common to find a person condemning himself to death because of something he omitted or to have done at a particular moment or he made a fool out of himself while trying to do something.

The author has presented in the book one paradox “that what you fight weakens you and that what you cherish or love strengthens you”. He bought out three negative actions that will weaken us and make us defective or rusty. These can be stated easily as revenge, judgment, and blame.

As I grew in my teen life staying with my parents who both struggled daily to make ends meet, I remember wasting time and energy blaming them for the situation we were at that time and judging their actions. Little did I know that I could be a lot freer if I accepted them for who they were and used that to propel me. The author therefore is not alone in blaming his father he never saw. It is liberating to stop judging, blaming hating and the likes and open to another possibility that has never been imagined. To use my energy to what can make me happy and successful.

Conclusion
I like the way the author defines death, that its not a punishment but rather a reward. This seems difficult to comprehend when viewed plainly since it brings into the fore the use of what he called “form” and “formless”. Unless we all understand and accept that we are spiritual beings having human experience – this to me means that the I is not limited as the body that houses it. This therefore alludes for us to accept physical pain since we are housed in a body that is bound to feel that. To understand this means total liberation for me not to become a slave of my body but a master in guiding it to work for me.

The Little Book of Letting Go
Assessment by Bikundo (Kenya)

This book talks about what can also be referred as detachment through out i.e. from the start to the end. It was challenging to read the book and I must admit that the flow of the book was difficult to follow through. Or I can say that there was too much friction that prevented me from enjoying the book.

One thing is clear though that as an individual there are several things that I need to detach myself from. These include misery, perfection, and prediction among others. In some of my assessments in Level Two I have commented about detachment and I want to restrain from repeating myself. Similar books I have read that talk about detachment are; You’ll See It when You Believe It by Wayne Dyer and The Seven Spiritual Laws by Deepak Chopra.

Otherwise the book was fair in terms of it applications and exercises that it provided.

Succeed and Grow Rich through Persuasion
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

INTRODUCTION
I want to continue to emphasize now and then that Napoleon Hill is an admirable and tactful author who provides practical simple steps to mould a great man. The most inspiring part is that he just didn’t sit under any tree to come up with any of his success books. Instead he learnt it from great and successful men in the America. I bet strongly that African leaders can learn a lot from the author. If I can use one example provided by the author in the book it will be on Del Smith (mentioned in the book as a success in the aviation industry). The guy would ask before he went to any venture if what he wanted to do could benefit mankind. He didn’t just care for profit and profit alone but by the recipients of his services. What they felt and if he added value to the lives even of it wasn’t in a big way.

LESSONS
Many lessons have been learnt from this book while some of his writings have been repeated from his other book Positive Mental Attitude. I guess perhaps the author cares for his readers especially on areas that he wants to emphasize so that the reader can be transformed and therefore become a new person.

Lesson 1: Prayer & Meditation
If you can remember my Assessment of Unconditional Life by Dr.Chopra, I had indicated that I didn’t find meditation to be useful. I must admit that the test of time has changed this opinion. I have come to learn that prayer and meditation are two superior keys that can be used for success if used in the right way. I like what Napoleon Hill says about success, “as long as it does not violate God’s laws and fellow man”.

Prayer and meditation provides guidance and enables one to tap that potential in the mind to provide solutions to any problems. I have tried practical meditation and I must admit that its not easy the first stages where you feel that you are heading nowhere. To overcome this I have learnt that I need total commitment and concentration from me so that I can enjoy the full benefits of the superior keys.

Lesson 2: Applied Faith
I have found out that without this a great idea can flop since it can only be wished away. You can be sure of your purpose but without applied faith its useless and only acts as a wish. By applying faith, one makes the mind work for him/her without limits, to its full potential. The lesson goes hand in hand with lesson 1.

Personally this lesson has worked for me wonders. The whole of November I didn’t have a cell phone since the one I had developed some problems. I was out of touch from some of my daily activities. Then I had to apply the principle of detachment advocated by both Dr.Dyer and Dr.Chopra. One week to this month (December), I started telling my mind repeatedly that I wanted a phone, the rest is history for I have another phone now.

Lesson 3: Master Salesman
The book provides a whole manual on the basis of making a great salesman. It’s encouraging to note that a teacher, social worker, scientist, actor etc can apply either the same principles. The part I loved about the Salesman Manual is of neutralizing the customer. I applied this in two occasions. I will share one of those.

On 26th – 27th November, the Civil Society in Kenya organized the Kenya Social Forum, a replica of the World Social Forum (WSF). I happen to be affiliated to one of the human rights organizations that exhibited. This organization was selling human rights education materials and when I was given an opportunity I didn’t hesitate. When a customer came I would be bale to talk to him/her and convince them to buy the materials. I must admit that this worked out very well, I was even surprised by myself. Infact it went further than that since among the customers I was able to make new friends. There was a proposal from one of the friends I made to form a mastermind alliance for a strong and vibrant youth movement in Kenya since the youth have been marginalised from mainstream politics and national agenda. This is a big challenge I have to admit.

Lesson 4: A Role Model or Symbol
There are people in life I admire their deeds and sacrifice they have made to humanity. Some of them are Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther Jnr., Mahatma Gandhi etc. By just admiring them and identifying myself with them is not enough. I need to do more than that by studying their life and what made them tick the circumstances they were in, the challenges they faced and how they seized opportunities.

I have understood that young people have a lot of people in the world they admire as their role models. The only challenge that remains is for us from either by studying their works and if possible met them in their world. This calls for local role models to be identified and emulated. It will be inexpensive to meet them or learn from them since they are not far away. This doesn’t mean that international role models should be disregarded, but they should be both complemented with local ones learning from their experiences.

Creating Money; Keys to Abundance
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

1. Discuss the main ideas that you found most important in this book and discuss why they were important to you.

As I was going through the book, I came across the following points that I found useful and that can be easily applied in my life. The points are in italics and in red.

If you are forcing yourself to do something, working at a job out of obligation or spending money because you feel you have to, you are not listening to your inner guidance.

The aspect of doing what I love is important provided it is guided by my inner voice. It is boring to do anything for the sake of it, one’s happiness is vital to feel successful.

If you are not happy with what you have created so far, you can learn to make different choices and change your life into one that brings you joy, aliveness, or whatever else you want. You cannot change the future except by actions you take today, so focus on what you can do today to create prosperity.

Each day I live is important remembering that I have one life to live. My past has taught me important lessons that were not by coincidence but those that were guided by what I did each day. In the same spirit all my future depends on the behaviors that I practice everyday.

Success comes from feeling successful in the present; it is not something you may feel someday when you have reached a goal or have something you want.

I am reminded that success is doesn’t not come when you have something at hand. Success is how I feel at any given particular moment regardless of the situation before me. Realizing this will make it easy for me to achieve what I want without compromising my feelings.

Indulge in unlimited thinking and expand your imagination of what is possible for you to have.

The art of thinking creatively is so powerful that it makes one realize how easy it is to achieve any goal(s). We normally desire a lot of things in our lives; the interesting part is that we don’t want to imagine ourselves having what we desire. We are in other words good in wishful thinking. Our thinking therefore has to be guided and negative thoughts weeded out and in its place plant thoughts that are healthy.

Nothing is ever wasted experience; even a routine job will teach you lessons you need to learn.

Every aspect of our lives has lessons some which are painful and others that are fruitful. All in all each of that part of our lives no matter how it manifests, it teaches us a lesson(s) which is instrumental to either change our way of live or on how to use a certain skill for ones good and the society’s.

For every part of you that is afraid there is also a part that knows you can succeed.

Here I will use Napoleon Hill words which are similar to this point, “every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or a greater benefit”.

What am getting from these two points is that there is an opposite of anything we feel or do. It is for us to realize that and use to the best of our advantage. Normally we focus our thoughts on the negative part of everything. Our thoughts are those of “what if something wrong happens, what if I fail, what if …………”

If you resolve to think about money only when you feel confident and peaceful, you can increase your magnetism to what you want.

I find this to be so powerful, the author in a way caught me flat footed. I think about money only when I feel vulnerable or when my guard is down. It is rare for me to think about money when at peace either within or outside. This is because am so concerned about the outside and not what goes on within me.

Every time you are willing to take a risk you increase your ability to trust and believe in yourself.

Risk taking is seen as an expensive undertaking that maybe requires insurance for you in order to take it. In as much as I admire this point, I personally try as much as possible to reduce risks in my life. Provided you feel joyful about that particular risk it its appropriate you go through it.

When you ask for something that is way beyond what you have now, such as an enormous increase in your prosperity, it may take a while to come so that you can be prepared to handle it.

This means that the bigger the goal, the larger the step and it will take time definitely to have what you want. That why the beginning of the book encourages the magnetism of small things that if you master that you can then move to a bigger goal. In other words you can have a big vision and to be able to realize that you first start by taking small steps.

Don’t discard your fantasies as merely wishful thinking. Honor them as messages from the deepest part of your being about what you can do and directions you can chose.

Any thought that comes to my mind is important and I should be keen to learn what it is trying to communicate to me. They can act as guide to show you direction or offer you clarity in whatever you are trying to achieve.

Know that there is no one else in the world who is going to do your work exactly as you do it.

I am unique in this world and I have a different role to play. If I don’t do what am supposed to do in this life then I will have failed on my duties of being me and performing me.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Explain.

As I grew up and went to school, I was wondering if live was really interesting. I wondered why the teachers were ever insisting that we should take our studies seriously so that we can be successful in life. This is the only medicine that was pumped to our systems every day of school life. I wondered if there were other areas that had been ignored only to be shocked by what I found out. This didn’t stop there, back home my parents would substitute roles with the teacher and they monitored by studies at home. If I was seen drawing or imitating a radio presenter, I was chided that I won’t make in life.

In the community where I was raised up viewed financial success as evil, not well deserved and that some unorthodox means were used to acquire wealth. The concept of working harder followed. Bikundo for this and that to happen you have to work hard, be submissive; don’t ask questions do as you are told etc. I now find myself fighting for personal freedom to cleanse myself this poison that I willingly allowed to pass through my throat.

I have fond memories about my childhood and what I remember most is that I was a stubborn boy. In other words you could have easily labeled me a rebel without a cause! I never liked to stay in one place, dint like to be ordered around, pursued what I believed in. That spirit disappeared after I voluntary continued to drink the upbringing poison.

I now find myself forcing myself to do things or jobs and funny enough to earn an income. I have locked safely my dreams, desires and joy until the right time comes. If there are goals I have been pursuing, they have been reluctantly followed. I thought that a job was a job and it didn’t matter whether my heart is there or not. Instead go after the money, don’t think or ask where it is coming from. Personal success was measured by what I had or how much money I could make at a particular time or even if I was in top of my class. It didn’t matter what my feeling were, what I was thinking was not relevant. At the end of the years I have been conditioned to conform to the world. I have been caged in a self constructed prison and thrown the keys to the ocean.

The authors have opened my mind towards creating wealth and not just about making money only. It is like I have been given a chance to examine my past thoughts and feelings about money. I am happy to learn that success is not an outcome of a certain attempt but rather a peaceful feeling inside.

I am now more focused on my relationships with myself, my fiancée and my other family members. Sometimes I easily realize how easy it is to argue endlessly for the sake of supremacy. However as I take small steps to address this situation and gain results, the more confident I am on other parts of my life. It is easier for me to change how I feel inside first before I rush to change my environment. A recent episode clearly demonstrates this; a lady friend of mine who lives almost 120 miles from where I stay had some problems with her ex-boyfriend. She wrote my several short messages through her mobile phone. She now had given up on getting another boyfriend since the ex said something to the effect that she won’t find any one to lover her. She was so hurt and at that moment didn’t have anything to tell her. As I was still meditating through her issue, a thought occurred to me, “joy comes from within and not outside. If you are having difficulties or challenges with your outside world, it is vital you examine yourself. If we want to change the world, we have to change how we feel inside”. This is what I precisely communicated to her. From the on she has developed personal joy that is radiated from her inside.

Another part of my life that has received a boost from the teaching of Sanaya and Duane is on my life goals. I remember in Level 3 I developed 7 goals that I wish to pursue in the areas of education, financial success and marrying among others. I wish I had read this book before I made the goals. All is not lost since my goals are flexible and the insight I have received so far will be of additional value to developing them further. She clearly insists that I should avoid doing that which doesn’t not please me. She further observes the importance of following my joy in feeling and achieving success. Now I must say that this felt like she was speaking to me. From the way I have observed and examined myself after reading this book, I have discovered that most of what I doesn’t make me feel joyful. I still have a lot of work to do in breaking those socialization principles on money that I gained from childhood. I am also glad that we have started a new year (2006) since most of my resolutions will be based on the teachings of this book. From the way I have examined myself, it is like I have been living the life of the world and not my own. I had in a way forgotten about my goals and started pursuing the world goals. I have just discovered that I have passed through a lot of opportunities and that was that. Interesting a thought flowed through my mind,” if I am looking for a job I wont find, however I must be willing to create a job to find a job”. I guess this come after years of being ‘unemployed’.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

The actions I take today can affect my future.

Every step I take today will have an effect on tomorrow. My future is affected by what I do daily whether willingly or unconsciously. This therefore calls for a sober presence to take control of my life and guide it where I want. Life is not a rehearsal and that means to me that I should have influence in my life on how I feel, think, talk and act.

Fantasies are important as the guide me.

Everyday I have my own thoughts or dreams that take me to either a fantastic place or to some areas that are fearful. There is need for me to listen carefully to this feelings or thoughts since they try to communicate to me. There is need for me to listen to my body and deeper thoughts or what they are trying to communicate to me.

Success if not derived from material possessions.

I should not wait to hold something in my hand or to have an impressive savings account to be able to feel confident or successful. I can feel successful anytime I feel like, whether am going through a difficult time or am having a fun filled week. My health, how I feel, how I relate to others, what I eat etc are components of feeling successful. In other words, when I look at myself am a success story already because I have chosen to feel so.

That am unique and there is no one who can do what I can do.

I am one person who has a special mission on earth and I have to complete it before I return to my spirit state. What I do is totally unique and no one else can do what I say, speak as I speak, love as I love, rejoice as I do and so many other things.

That risk enables one to be confident.

I am looking at this in the positive light. It is very easy for me to risk something in order to avoid pain. I cannot do the same thing when it comes to risking gaining happiness or success. I have risked for the wrong reasons. It is time that I should feel confident and one of achieving that is risking sometimes even if the road ahead is not very clear. Through that I will begin to trust and feel confident about any situation I face.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

It has totally affected my thinking especially in stopping to complain about finances. I have learnt so much about how to create finances without feeling shy or guilty about it. The authors have further challenged me to do what I love to create money and stop finding excuses in doing jobs that are not self motivating or fulfilling.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

None. It was a great book.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

That it is important to listen to my inner guidance and avoiding do things for the sake of it or which I reluctantly feel about. And further that I don’t need anything to feel successful, it is already there and I should start acknowledging it.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The book was enabling me to understand myself and the fears and values I have had about money and success.
Please Rate this book 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
C. How easy was it to understand? 7
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Comments – Feel free to share any additional comments about the book or about the ratings:

This is one of wonderful book I have ever read about finances, the authors go beyond the aspect of money by exploring the inhibitions that we have developed about money and the fear we have conditioned in ourselves about success. After taking you through discovering those roadblocks they go further to assist you change your mindset.

Money is My Friend;
Eliminate your financial fears and take your first steps to financial freedom
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

1. Discuss the main ideas that you found most important in this book and discuss why they were important to you.

Five popular myths about money. About working hard, education, the right job that you can’t be paid while enjoying yourself and lastly that there isn’t enough money to go round.

Through out history mankind has developed myths that tend to show who can be successful and how one can be successful using what means. What this has done instead of motivating people it has instead excuses for them and enabled them to live a life that is based on fear. All this myths apply to most countries of the world. They have been practiced overtime and their usage has become a daily occurrence. It is in fact easier to find this words used subconsciously by teachers, students, doctors and others.

We have found an excuse of being unhappy and for completely failing that which we were created to do. This augurs with what Anthony Robbins said in his book Awaken the Giant Within, that we can come with my excuses in our lives of why we are unhappy and yet crack our heads searching for reasons of why you can be happy.

If two people agree on everything, you can be sure that one of them is doing all the thinking.

The context this statement use in the book is interesting. The author doesn’t support the idea of having a joint account since this will be turned into a competition to see who will spend his/her money fast. According to my understanding based on relationships, both partners should be involved and actively participate in any plans of finances since they affect both. There is need to talk to each other as opposed to the other common habit of talking to the other.

I can further add that money is not a one persons business and involves a lot of people. This therefore calls for love and activeness so that a money disagreement cannot be turned into a battle zone. This happens when one party sees that it’s only them who deserve money and not the other.

Your life is ordered by your thoughts. The thinker and the prover.

As observed in the previous book of Creating Wealth, thoughts play a crucial role in being financially successful. Not only in finance but also in other areas of life. There is therefore need to store only those thoughts that empower us to create money and success based on our own happiness. This in turn will automatically have an impact on all humanity.

The author has listed very well the two elements in our minds, the thinker and doer. The doer will only prove what the thinker has thought and the result has to be in tandem with the thought. This to me clearly means all the actions that I have taken were planted to my mind by my thinking. If I therefore have narrow thinking, the results will be narrow.

The five biggies/inhibitors of the human mind; the birth experience, parental disapproval syndrome, specific negatives, unconscious death urge and other lifetimes.

I like the way Phil has categorized some of the greatest inhibitors to the human mind. Starting from infancy there is a problem each and everyone suffered and this has had an effect on our actions. We have grown as a result of fear and this has been difficult to erase from our mind.

Our socialization has also had a great role in that it has made us what we are today, whether we choose to accept this or not. The one that is come and can virtually apply to all our lives is the parental disapproval syndrome. It has be the tradition now to see children accepting everything the parents tell them. The worst part is that I have seen friends who end up pursuing their parent’s career.

Fear of death on the hand is the other problem that doesn’t have a replacement soon. We all have come to view death as a thief who has come to take what doesn’t belong to him. The mere thought of it can drive one insane by the simple fact that one doesn’t need material possession in the spiritual world.

An individual’s life is an expression of his purpose and goals whether these are consciously or unconsciously chosen.

What makes us are our thoughts and what comes out of them are actions that are either intended or not to fulfill who you are. What we do says many things about us as compared by what we say. It is easily said that a man/woman will be better remembered long after his/her death by the actions exhibited during lifetime than words spoken. Even if you spoke a million words and did ten actions, it is the actions which will be better remembered.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Explain.

The issue of money has been easily related to my upbringing and what I saw said, thought or done about money. I was taught that money was had to come by and I had to spend each penny I had with 100% care. My mind was also implanted the notion that money was and is the root of all evil. In other words, I should tread careful with money since it is the most negative invention to be created by man. The sounds of work hard sounded so sweet that I believed that life will be so smooth. If only working hard meant I would be finically successful, why not embrace this ancient philosophy. Little did I know that there is more required apart from working hard. When we elected a new Kenyan president back in 2002 during the General Elections, there he was in his inaugural speech talking about working hard! I am now supposed to work hard in every area of my live, be it in any job I do, in my relationships and also in campus.

I have honestly been unable to make headway with this philosophy; it has refused to secure my financial independence. Breaking it from my thoughts is not easy since I find myself struggling daily to replace this condition. If only working hard is all that mattered, my life would have been different today. Really, when I look at how much I have given to facilitate community development in my estate, it pains me that am still far from achieving full development.

What has also driven me to the wall are the fears I have in almost everything and especially about job security. If I did a job that was not joyful to me, was not paying me well and I told my friends or parents – they would just tell me to ignore those foolish excuses and focus on the job. It didn’t matter if I hated the job or not, in the words of the friends and family they tended to say any job is better than no job.

Fear is the greatest obstacle I have even when it comes to pursuing my goals. It makes me afraid of speaking my mind sometimes. I have very nice goals that look magnificent to be achieved but I sometimes find myself reluctantly following through. Half of me is upbeat about the goals and the other not willing. In fact, I know deep in my heart that by overcoming fear I will be in a much better position to succeed on virtually everything I focus on. But no, this doesn’t come easily and it is not easy to lay a finger at a particular area and say eureka!

Phil has talked from a personal experience and to me his thoughts are relevant for today’s leaders including me. He has outlined very well that financial success starts from the mind. Throughout his book, he has reminded me the importance of philosophy and why I should understand my thoughts. I like his four laws of wealth and mostly on the one on investment. The author has challenged me like a mentor that I should do something more about my financial life especially on the Investment Law. I agree that I should stop postponing buying securities and decide now and go for it. I have to stop waiting for my money to be enough. The decision lies on me and not anyone else. By learning to take risks then I will be able to trust myself. I posses qualities that can facilitate my personal growth that includes financial success. I am reminded that my denial life has ended and its place is a force that is powerful and can drive a space rocket.

I have to be so intense on what I focus on, the wishful thoughts that seem to lead my life should henceforth stop. To be financially successful I need to stop coming up with funny excuses that tend to demoralize me as I think about money. Money is not my enemy anymore but a trusted companion who facilitates my life. Wherever I go and whatever I do money will always be there read to be used. For me to feel financially confident I should stop abusing money, to only use it to achieve my higher purpose.

The personal thought of thinking that money is everything has evaporated from my mind. My words and actions need to stem from the purpose of my life. Money now has stopped being a number one priority in my life. I will first and foremost pursue my personal actualization and money will be part of it. I have discovered that I can create money anytime, anywhere when I decide to. This can be through many ways; doing what I love best and willingly receiving from others who want to bless my life.

Another important part I found the thoughts of the book relevant is on my life goal 4: to be financially stable by January 2007. It takes more than the written word to achieve set goals. Small steps like savings can be an important strategy for preparing to buy something or invest elsewhere. The little thoughts of opening separate accounts were brilliant. For me funny enough I have only one account that is ‘one stop’. This means that I keep all money in it, be it college fees, small savings, any monthly income I get and so forth. This account doesn’t not make it easy for me to know what am saving for. I don’t have a particular purpose for it, in other words it’s multipurpose. This realization has challenged me to open several accounts like two for a start. Not just for another rainy day but for a lifetime purpose.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

Five popular myths about money.
The myths mentioned by Phil are what I have based all my life on. I am surprised that he clearly shown that they are just myths. This is not easy to remove from the system, I must admit. This has been my food since childhood. That why I went to school, that why I need to sweat to make ends meet and also work in the perfect job for me to be financially successful. The author’s revelation is mind blowing. All this has been an illusion!!

I find this to be totally confounding. You can see me putting both of my hands on the head. If only I knew this some years ago, I perhaps would have a different kind of life. I am totally liberated from basing my financial life in myths that I now call excuses. If I become frustrated and am trying to find an easy to route to throw in an excuse, then I think these myths would find a store in my life.

If two people agree on everything, you can be sure that one of them is doing all the thinking.
I usually thought that for a harmonious relationship to be smooth and long lasting, both couples should be in agreement about everything. I now understand why we normally say, disagreeing to agree! It is important then for both parties to creatively think and both participate in what is before them and how they are going to address that.

It is boring to think alone especially when it comes to gaining financial success. There is need to talk to other people who have been successful or who have followed the same path like me.

The five biggie’s inhibitors.
The author summarized this in an easy to understand way. I have never thought that what he mentioned would be used to talk about financial issues. I once performed better in the parental disapproval syndrome. Although to overcome this I developed a stubborn nature to give excuses about everything I did. In the end I was termed a rebel for refusing to follow the family tradition. Whatever that meant!!

The biggie or inhibitor about birth experience sounds well researched and I tend to agree with the author that here is where success issues start and needs to be challenged.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

The book has lived to its word or title that money is my friend. I have discovered that in all my handling of money I have become successful in abusing money instead of treating it well. I have also found out that I have almost accepted that money is everything and it can take me where I want.

I have been able now to evaluate my thoughts and value about money. I have realized that the better I treat money, the easy it is going to find its way to my pocket. The last aspect that challenged me is the issue of opening separate savings account, each for a particular purpose.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

There is one idea only that I don not agree with and this on the discouragement by the author to hold joint saving account with your spouse. To me I look at it differently although it might not be easy to manage it. With the right consultation and having agreements then I don’t see any problem in having and managing a joint account. This can vary and can’t be used as a general rule to apply for everyone.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

The part on the Investing Law especially on securities was well researched and was really challenging since it is an area am seriously considering in venturing into.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The book intends to show how to create and treat money by overcoming the myths that we might have heard about money during our upbringing. It also shows the importance of investment and why it should be taken seriously.

Please Rate this book on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.

A. How interesting was it to read? 5
B. How helpful were the contents? 6
C. How easy was it to understand? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others? 5
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 5

Comments – Feel free to share any additional comments about the book or about the ratings:

Money Magic: Unleashing Your True Potential for Prosperity and Fulfillment
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

1. Discuss the main ideas that you found most important in this book and discuss why they were important to you.

This book is really wonderful and has continued to challenge me in seeking a fulfilling financial life. I was able to come across the following points that I found useful and that can be easily applied in my life. The ideas derived from the book are in italics.

One of the most amazing keys to having more money comes from universal spiritual law – the greatest of these laws being to surrender to what we cannot control.

Money cannot be controlled since it is both mysterious and elusive as the author has rightly put it! There is no way we can be able to own money no matter how hard we try. This is the most common trap we fall to since in all things we want to control, one of them is money. It is important to realize that money facilitates our human nature, the same as other resources that are available to us.

Fulfillment is not about filling your life up with material possessions.

As young people when we grow up and become mature one of our most desired dreams is to buy all the latest new furniture, electrical appliances, cutlery and what have you. We easily think that this will show our friends and colleagues that we are successful. When you get money the first easy thing that we want to show the world is that I am ‘rich’ which is actually temporarily. We end up squandering all the money we have acquired easily than the way we earned. It is come to hear among our peers when you question this habit, when they reply saying that we have only one life.

Without this faith, we will not know true fulfillment, regardless of how much money we have or how many things we try to fill our lives with.

We have gone an extra mile of basing our life entirely on how much we have. All our life from basic to the ‘most’ complex levels we easily agree that it is money that takes care of all of us. Actually come to think about it, we normally agree that ‘money makes the world go round’. True and satisfactory fulfillment will come from being peaceful inside, exercising faith and transforming our lives for something better.

Wealth does not suddenly make personal or psychological problems disappear.

In life we face a lot of challenges and one of them is how to handle the money that comes our way. It is common and easy for us to be heard saying that all our problems will be addressed by having ‘enough’ money. The contradiction to this feeling is that more and more money will expose our personal weakness and life problems that we have failed to address. We find ourselves easily using money to hide our failures and to buy love.

Wealth without consciousness is but another state of poverty.

Money does not guarantee happiness. Where a lot of money abounds there is a possibility that consciousness is inadequate and that we will now be operating on the basis of what is external to us. In other words the temptation to seek to control the outside world without conquering you inner self is higher. For us to be able to feel successful with whatever amount of money we have there is a genuine need to be striving for internal success first.

Although we are powerless to rewrite history, we are infinitely powerful, through knowledge and creativity to reinvent the future.

This statement cannot be truer!! In life we come across or go through many lessons although we rarely learn from them. Interestingly we keep on regretting this and that instead of focusing on how we can influence those learns to have a better life ahead.

The closer you get to your personal truth, the closer you are to the source of life, which is limitless and available to us all.

One thing that man (woman) has succeeded in doing is either distorting the truth or totally being oblivious of it! We refuse totally to listen to the voice that lives within us. As a result that voice either dies or disappears. We then move in life as the three blind mice derived from a famous childhood story. In essence few of us have discovered their purpose and the work they come to do on earth.

It is no easy task to recognize that our resistance is the gateway to transformation. Fear of moving from the known – even if we don’t like our present life – into the unknown prevents us from realizing the magic and joy of being on our true path.

That’s it! Resistance has become part of our lives starting from fear of changing jobs, shifting houses, getting married, retiring etc. Resistance is one of the sisters to the word fear. We tend to feel comfortable with where we are although inside we die to have a change. That does come because of the unknown and our fear to change. In fact if I was asked, I would say that resistance is our greatest obstacles in being financially successfully.

Magicians embrace the inner life as the place of spiritual wealth and the outer life as the expression of enlightenment in the material world.

Our joy and happiness exists in our ‘first’ world and this is where our inspiration lies. The much needed solutions are also found here because its one fountain that wont cease to exist. To be successful in the physical the journey has to start from the inside of our life and then the rest will fall into place.

The possibility and potential of each individual is far greater than the sum of his or her past experiences.

This is really powerful! No matter what we have gone through in our past life, there is really no need to cry about that. We have this greater power within us like a giant that is sleeping that is waiting for us to reawaken it. We can never know what power we posses until we are able to use what we have.

Success of any future relationship greatly depends on resolving our own issues and clearing the way for the new relationship to evolve. Unhealed wounds, resentment, and blame are obstacles that block the flow of good into our lives.

Most of us tend to grow with a lot of pain and in the process conditioned ourselves to be able to shock absorb any negativity or challenge we meet along the way. There is no short cut that we can be able to run from our past until we are able to address the pains we went through. Here is where we need to forgive our adversaries and show them love and only then can we be able to feel on top of the world.

Every relationship that holds any significant value in our lives is a living energy system that needs attention, understanding, and nurturing.

We take for granted many things in our lives from our family relationships, love affairs, relationships with colleagues at work and other friends. We rarely appreciate any kind of friendship that we do little to strengthen that bond or love that exists. Its time we treated everything in our live important and continue to nourish the same.

To invite the power of abundance and prosperity into your life, you must first make room for it.

This point is in relation with the two points above. When we fill our inner world with hate, jealous, envy and covertness, it truly puts abundance and prosperity in limbo. We have to shed the painful past so that we can create space for any new opportunity that comes our way. Our inner world is just like a computer space disk, if we fill it with unnecessarily junk, we will miss space for an important resource.

True fulfillment can only be experienced internally. It is not something you can buy or acquire; it is an experience of completion and self realization. It is more a process than a destination. It is not something anyone can give you; it is something you become.

Our financial success is related with our inner world as I have noted elsewhere in this assignment. We can never feel content however much money we have, if we haven’t discovered ourselves and what we stand for. In other words, what we looking for is actually inside us not out in the world.

At a certain point, we realize we’ve bought a ticket to a life we no longer wish to live, and that there is no refund.

As my friends continuously note, life is not a rehearsal for an upcoming show in the other ‘world’. We have to be conscious of how we live each and every step of the way based on our true feelings in our inside world.

There is no such thing as a mistake when you are truly working hard toward finding your path.

In life there are no failures, only results that can be changed as we continue to know ourselves. There is no way we are going to know our true purpose if we are unwilling to take the first step to find the way.

If you’re trying to find your path, it will be easier to discover if you stop expecting it to be clothed with money.

I must admit that this is not easy and the author didn’t deeply delve into this point. Normally there is no way we can see our live now and in the future without money. It is actually the fuel that drives our lives. It is the catalyst that propels us from this situation to the other. All this is illusion, lying to our minds! To faithfully discover our path, we have to remove the money attachment to it first. This we can’t know until we try it out!

When we are on the right path, we are more likely to experience abundance and prosperity.

This is more related with the above point. When we discover our path, several things are going to happen, one of them is to have fulfilled our life’s mission (fulfillment), and the other is being able to get what you deserve for you to fulfill that life mission (abundance).

I think that miracles are happening all the time, all around us. They are simply waiting for us to become available to them. All we need to do is step into them with faith and surrender.

Detachment to the end results is the most difficult things to do in this physical world. We are told that whatever we give out, it shall come back to us no matter what. The secret here as I discover it is that we should not be too attached to the results. I tend to admit that knowing the results of your work motivates one to move forward. I want to agree with Dr. Deepak Chopra in his book the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success that nothing is lost in the world. Whatever you give, it will surely come back.

God simply loves us and wants us to follow our hearts and our path and to be happy. You can begin to transform your life by consciously planting at least a one seed every day of your life: a seed for change, creativity, love, joy, abundance, or prosperity.

Following ones heart is one of the most challenging tasks I have ever come across in my life. You receive so much resistance that the easiest way out is to drop your hearts directions. I have seen bring conflict among children and their parents. Parents want to be listened to every time; they rarely listen to what their children are saying.

The secret to start breaking this is by starting to achieve small life goals, like showing love, appreciating our family, friends and others.

Praying daily is the best way to nourish your soul, your life, and your relationship to Spirit.

Spirituality is truly a personal issue, all the same we need time for ourselves to meditate, pray and seek inner guidance. We rarely have private time with ourselves to think, evaluate our actions and seek for decisions to challenges that we come through. As I said above our solutions lie inside us, in our spiritual world.

We must use the gifts we’ve been given – creativity, imagination, consciousness, and free will – to grow into the fullness of our being.

Each and every one of us was given creativity, imagination, consciousness and free will. What we fail to do is to utilize this to fit into our lives. I agree that levels of this attributes might vary from one person to another. However if we haven’t tried them out, it will really be impossible for us to know who we are and what we stand for.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Explain.

As I read through this book I felt like the author (Deborah) was speaking directly to me. She has reminded me first of the many wake up calls I have encountered in my life and done nothing about it. I have totally assumed most of the lessons I have learnt in the wake up calls. There have been many instances where I have felt to do what I really love, but by fearing that it doesn’t have money has instead deviated my original purpose severally. I think because of societal expectations of me and others to do things a certain way, behave ‘properly’ etc, has denied me a chance to discover who I really am. I tended to think that’s part of life, that there are times you feel like quitting but latter to feel that is a ‘passing’ wave fit to be ignored. Our human history is filled with money success. That no matter what you achieve, if it doesn’t have a money attached to it, it not worthwhile putting your effort there. From our basic school education it has been easy to get trapped in the money game. And when the great break comes as a result of a wake up call, I am deep asleep to my situation.

The 10 exercises in the book have made me realized that my past and the values I acquired have affected my money situation. This is as a result of seeing my parents handling money and where money was supposedly the source of all our happiness. It has also made me catch myself justifying those many beliefs about money like: –

* Money is the root of all evil
* The gap between the rich and poor continues to widen
* I cant be rich
* Only the rich can rule the world
* Too much money is a sin etc

Instead of giving me joy the beliefs have continued to work to my disadvantage since I have failed to realize that I can never be able be happy until I evaluate my spirit. Its also shows that I have been caught in the trap laid in the world that tends to state either you play with us or you disintegrate into pieces. I have discovered that there is no way am going to be successful if I am unwilling to address my past, to let go what needs to be released, to forgive those who might have rubbed me the wrong way, to show love to myself and others, to appreciate my family, colleagues and others.

The author has exposed me to what she calls the 8 money types. These are the

• Innocent, Victim
• Warrior
• Martyr
• Fool
• Creator/Artist
• Tyrant
• Magician

As I started through the exercise to know which type I am, I was filled with a certain fear first. At first thought that I was an Innocent type – the ones who have the characters of trusting, happy go lucky, indecisive, fearful/anxious, financially dependent, non – confrontational, feel powerless, repress feelings & beliefs and seeks security.

How wrong I was!!! This I realized after taking a short break and proceeding with the exercise. My, what I discovered was really hard hitting, totally exhilarating!!! I was a Martyr, can anyone believe that? The Martyr had the characters of controlling, manipulative, long suffering, and secretive, caretaker, self sacrificing, and disappointed, critical & judgmental, perfectionist, resentful, passive – aggressive, compassionate and wise. Although this doesn’t mean that I have all the characters listed here, I was really dumbfounded. I realize the character is true since I have been denying myself for the sake of others. I do rarely take care of myself and this was evident since my childhood days. As I grew with my siblings it was rare for me to go to a fight if one of them wore my favorite shoes or trouser. What I did instead was to tell them to have it for good!! The good thing is that the author would want me to aspire to be a money magician since I have few magician characters. These are trusting, compassionate, optimistic, confident and generous. As I can see am on my way to Damascus, sorry to being a money magician.

In conclusion to this section, there is one great thought that occurred to my mind; my spiritual and purpose in life. I realized for the first time how important this was. As I evaluated my self there are various expressions that have flashed through my mind like; teacher, facilitator, work with young people, mentorship and socialization. It has made me realize that my true purpose in life as I wrote it down as follows,

“My path and purpose in life is to work with young people. I want to achieve this through offering personal coaching services to young people who want to make a difference in the world. It doesn’t matter if am going to get money as a result of pursuing it, but am more concerned about the fulfillment I will get”.

I know understand why Mike you had to quit your job and establish the Global Leadership. It has really to do with your purpose in life and you have truly inspired many.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

The 8 Money Types
I have discovered my money archetype and this has enabled me to go through the values and beliefs I have had about money in the past and now. It has been me realize that as Martyr I have spent all my life rescuing others and not seeking to support myself. This is louder in my life because I am the first born in a family of 5 and the way society expects plus my parent’s id for me to support the young ones. If I take it literally it will mean that my life will cease to exist. I have learnt that there are other ways of supporting the family, through showing them love, appreciating them and forgiving what they might said against me. And since I have some characters of a money magician, the more I should aspire to be one by practicing and owning those characteristics.

The Lesson of Wake Up Calls
That this world is not permanent is more clear to me that ever. All the circumstances I apps through should be used as lessons that are telling me something. I should not assume things for the sake of it. I should ask myself what I am learning this very moment especially when faced with adversity. My life is about motion thus dynamism, in should not feel too comfortable standing at one place. It is time now I pursued by path and happiness and stopped blaming others for my life challenges.

The Importance of Faith
This can’t be better described without the detachment world. I need to start having faith in myself, believing that am in God’s plan and that he knows better of my life. My duties are to have faith in Him, to follow his path, to seek from His wisdom and achieve my purpose.

The Path and Purpose
The discovery of my path above assures me that on my above of financial success and more importantly fulfillment and prosperity. I have to focus on that now and build the purpose and never rest until it comes to pass. At least I have discovered a foundation that will enable me work on the other parts.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

It has blown my comfort zones away and through it am confident that now I am more aware of my purpose than ever. And I will test the path by try it out since there is no better way that testing every new thought. I am totally without words for being so lucky to discover what I have come across in the book.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

None.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

That all success in finance, relationships, work, purpose starts in the inner part which we have ignored for long. Success is not very far from us and unless we discover that material wealth won’t bring us joy into our life since it is temporarily. We need to aspire that which is long lasting long love, peace, appreciation and harmony.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

It was journey to the spiritual world to discover the inhibitions that one possesses that blocks him/her from realizing a true fulfilling and prosperous life.

Please Rate this book on a scale from 1 to 10.

A. How interesting was it to read? 10
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

Comments – Feel free to share any additional comments about the book or about the ratings:

The author has used practical tips and tools to easily enable a reader discover the true purpose and their beliefs about money. She has a knack of humor that makes it easy for one to grasp the contents. It is actually an easy book to use by virtually anyone.

The Soul of Money
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

For some, the chronic absence of money becomes an excuse they use for being less resourceful, productive, or responsible than they could be – the author started by first defining the soul – that inner part that describes who we are truly are, where money is seen as a flow that is supposed to manifest our good to the physical world. For me I have continuously repeated to myself and others that I don’t work because of money. Or rather, money is not the first achievement I get when I work. Since I left high school, money was never my main motivating factor; rather it was the joy I felt when I did what I loved. I have worked with different people and many issues that surround money affect them. They then easily use many excuses to be less productive in their work places. They steal their employers’ time. When I challenge them to do something about their dissatisfaction, they make even more excuses. I have come to find this as normal and accepted that people work for money and they therefore don’t feel resourceful because the have been “salary tagged”. I have fallen into this trap myself and I have come to learn that we think that money alone can meet all our needs. Right now am not working or better am not employed. Yet I have ideas that can be used to making something better. It has been so easy to complain and cry that because I have no money or have any income, why should I bother to use my ideas for something. In response I am running an entrepreneur project that trains youth to write business plans. It may not be much but am making a difference with the skills I have. Your relationship with money can be a place where you bring your strengths and skills, your highest aspirations, and your deepest and most profound qualities

When we’re in the domain of soul, we act with integrity. We are thoughtful and generous, allowing, courageous, and committed. We recognize the value of love and friendship. We admire a small thing well done. We experience moments of awe in the presence of nature and its unrefined beauty. We are open, vulnerable, and heartful. We have the capacity to be moved, and generosity is natural. We are trustworthy and trusting others and our self-expression flourishes. We feel at peace within ourselves and confidant that we are an integral part of a larger, more universal experience, something greater than ourselves – the author has challenged me to think from the soul when dealing with money. To be true to the self, who am I. in this life, it actually competition with who has what and how much more money do I have. I have seen what the pursuit of more money has done. We have believed that more is better, not for everyone but for me. In this pursuit we create jealous, covertness and hatred therefore blocking our souls from transforming us to who we are supposed to be. The secret I have learnt is to create friendship and show love to those I work with or work for. Sometimes it is not easy, because our society has been created to think that when you do more good you have more money. I have personally been attacked because of this. When we allow jealousy, envy, resentment, and even vengeance to become the focus of our attention and intention, we become jealous, envious, resentful, vengeful people with our money. Some of my friends have described me as too ambitious and unrealistic. For the simple reason of being truly who I am, not for money or anything but by sharing my goodwill with others. Partnerships have worked for me and in all types of work I do, I go for making friendship and contacts.

In our relationship with money, more is better distracts us from living more mindfully and richly with what we have – When we buy into the promise of more is better, we can never arrive. If you get a piece of cake and eat the whole thing, you will feel empty. If you get a piece of cake and share half of it, you will feel both full and fulfilled. All the greatest spiritual teachings tell us to look inside to find the wholeness we crave. In pursuit of more we overlook the fullness and completeness that are already within us waiting to be discovered. I have many times felt like giving up on things I love just because money has not come from it. Resignation makes me feel hopeless, and cynical. Resignation also keeps me in line, even at the end of the line, where a lack of money becomes an excuse for holding back from commitment and contributing what I do have – time, energy, and creativity – to make a difference. In that resignation, I abandon my own human potential, and the possibility of contributing to a thriving, equitable, healthy world. I have to realize that there is enough, and that I am enough already. The author has suggested that if we are willing to let go, let go of the chase to acquire or accumulate always more and let go of that way of perceiving the world, then we can take all that energy and attention and invest it in what we have. I have come to realize that in pursuit of more material stuff in the world we disregard what we have, the richness we have in our heart. Personally am not a materialistic person, therefore it gives me peace because as I aspire for great things in life that manifest my soul’s worth. Everyday I grow and I see it as a recognition for who am already are.

Could it be that the key to turning around a runaway, unsustainable economy, culture, and almost frightening time in the evolution of civilization is in confronting and embracing the surprising truth that there is enough, we have enough, we are enough, and that at the heart of every circumstance is that possibility and that opportunity? – I like Mahatma Gandhi quote of there is enough for our need but not for our greed. In Africa that’s one of the quotes we should be walking with tied around our neck! Our kind of education has taught us that after one is through the education system, a better prosperous life lies ahead – a future of accumulation. They therefore don’t want to be known for what they allocate, rather on what they accumulate. I find myself in the same situation wanting more and more because that what I have been taught in school, at home and in society. This is not an easy value to break unless I muster all the courage to break it piece by piece. I am confronted day by day by parents, friends and others who ask me what a doing with my education. That at my age, I should have this and that. In our society, one is recognized with the material wealth s/he has rather on what he gives. No wonder that everyone in Kenya is interested in politics because they are among the better paid in the world. I often times see my self as different for having taking a stand, to make a difference. This is not easy because not many people understand that. I personally believe that we as a country (Kenya) have all that we need to reduce the gap between the rich and poor. The poor in this country constitute 56% and this is very sad and instead of looking within ourselves on what we can do together, we have left that job to aid agencies. Everyone has the perfect gift to give the world – and if each of us is freed to give the gift that is uniquely ours to give, the world will be in total harmony.

Just as blood in the body must flow to all parts of the body for health to be maintained, money is useful when it is moving and flowing, contributed and shared, directed and invested in that which is life affirming. No matter how much or how little money you have flowing through your life, when you direct that flow with soulful purpose, you feel wealthy – we should invest money in ways that contribute the most to a meaningful, fulfilling life. Money is a great translator of intention to reality, vision to fulfillment. We use money as a direct expression of one’s deepest sense of self is a powerful, miraculous thing. I have learnt that when am at peace, not worried about money or not feeling broke, I attract money. Interesting there are times I have money and I don’t want to use it. At that time, I want to look at the money where I have placed it as a possession, as a flower! In this way, I hoard money without realizing it and therefore block the flow of the good I have. Then I am surprised and complained that money doesn’t flow not realizing how I blocked the flow. Money is never really absent, and we can use it as a mirror for understanding who we are and what we stand for.

Even in adversity, if you can appreciate your capacity to meet it, learn, and grow from it, then you can create value where no one would have imagined it possible. When you are crashed by the victim mentality, as they were, your ability to dream and envision is crushed, too. It goes dead. If I can re-look from the inside out and access and appreciate what’s already there, what’s already available, then its power, utility, and grace will grow and prosper in the nourishment of my attention. They suggest we shift from our frame of reference from one of “problem solving “to one that seeks to identify sources available in any collection of people for inspiring, mobilizing and sustaining positive change. If instead, you can put your full attention and appreciation on what’s there, then you experience the bounty available in the moment – I have personally faced many adversities in life and especially this year, yet I have caught myself severely complaining and not getting the lesson. I am aware that each adversity has an equivalent or greater reward, yet I complain. In this situation I see and accept am the victim and that blocks me for sometime from rising up and dusting off myself and doing what I love and know to do. There are many things I take for granted when life seems to flow and interestingly during adversity that the time I remember and regret. A strong lesson I learn daily in my life is that I should appreciate everything each time and my life will appreciate. This will confirm that am sufficient already before I get that what I want. This is a time for transformation, and transformation comes not out scarcity but out of possibility, responsibility, and sufficiency.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Beliefs/Goals
As I have grown up I have been taught to get a good job, you must be well educated and all the other things will automatically flow. That in other words, the kind of education I have should be equivalent to the kind of job I want. I have lived in this great lie for a long time. How easy it has been to forget the abundance and richness that exists inside me. I have potential, I am resourceful but because I don’t have money or lack money, I am useless. This is what the world seems to be telling me. I have done more with less more. Like I mentioned early, I have run projects and most times I have come to realize that the flowed well when we put what was on our souls first then money later. In everything I do now I ask myself, “does it bring the true me, does it show my potential, my commitment”? I have found out that it really works and there are people who have come to comment that about me.

Relationships
Most relationships are broken for the sole reason of money. Not being honest with how much is available and what’s lacking. I have often conflicted with those I love when I share with them the new focus we should have about money. I bet it takes time to get this across. I normally emphasize on being rich in the heart, so that the ebb and flow of money does not affect our lives. I have found that we have based our happiness on material things rather than what we have. We have failed to appreciate that which is available. I guess these as lessons that I have to keep repeating to my family and friends so that they look at the true gift each one has.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

To invest money in ways that contribute the most to a meaningful, fulfilling life – that is important how I treat money and how use it. I can use more to bring the best of me to the outside if am operating from the soul. To know that am sufficient in terms of gratitude, fulfillment, love, trust, respect, contributing faith, compassion, integration, wholeness, commitment, acceptance, partnership, responsibility, resilience, and inner riches. No matter how much or how little money I have flowing through my life, when I direct that flow with soulful purpose, I feel wealthy.

If you get a piece of cake and eat the whole thing, you will feel empty. If you get a piece of cake and share half of it, you will feel both full and fulfilled – most times we are driven my greed and I want all attitude. We really don’t want to share because we think we will loose everything. The world has become too individualistic when people say, “everyone for himself and God for us all”. My life has revolved around sharing because I was born in a community that shared its resources for the sake of the children who were growing up. There have been returns and in different forms apart from the way it was given. We find sufficiency and sustainable prosperity when we think of our resources as a flow that is meant to be shared, when we put our full attention on making a difference with what we have, and when we partner with others in ways that expand and deepen that experience.

Appreciation is the beating heart of sufficiency. What you appreciate, and the way you direct your attention, determines the quality of your life – one of the things that has been taken advantage of in life is appreciation. There is one relative of mine who no matter what you do to her, she will never appreciate. So sometimes I wonder how I can make her appreciate things. I appreciate constantly in my life from life to what I am already. And although it takes time, I see the quality of my life improving day by day.

Collaboration frees us from the obligatory chase to acquire more in order to feel we have enough, and becomes an opportunity to make a difference with what we have. The true law of survival is ultimately cooperation. Survival of the cooperative and collaborative. Collaboration is an essential part of our human story, the truth of sufficiency, and the key to a prosperous, sustainable future for us all – collaboration and partnership are words that are now being common around the world, but their true meaning has not really been understood. There is one author by the name John Maxwell in his book, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork says in one of the laws the Law of Significance that one is too small a number to achieve greatness. There are many times I have wanted to work alone, especially know since I discovered some friends I was working with were not genuine and blocked very project we started. I have thought of working alone but that thought was countered by John Maxwell. I am willing to work with new people who have the same passion that I have so that we are achieve together.

A dream is a catalyst for change, first in the dreamer, and again and again in the dream shared. The world is as you dream it. I have seen that we must redream, learn to question the cultural dream of more and begin to create a dream and a future that is consistent with our reverence toward, respect for and affirmation of life. Changing the dream may really mean to see the world completely differently. I like to say that when we take a stand, we can move the world – the world of ideas and people who act on them. We can take a stand, change the dream, and shift the conversation to enough – I must focus on what I want rather than what I don’t. If am not happy with what I have created so far, I can still go back to my dream and changed it o fit what I want. I find myself at this moment viewing the world as completely different because of change of perspective. This therefore means I will get different results.

You can never really discover your destiny because you are afraid to commit fully – I fear a lot to be disappointed, to be hurt, to be rejected, to be vulnerable etc. One thing I have learnt from this is that by only being committed without fear, it is the only way am going discover who I am and what I love.

If we are in conversation about possibility, a conversation about gratitude and appreciation for the things in front of us, then that’s the world we inhabit – talking to each other is important and exchanging ideas. In this way we may come across many good ideas that can be put in place to change our community and ultimately the world. Not only sharing ideas, but also encouraging each other and supporting others because every one is in need. We each have the power to shift, and create the conversation that shapes our circumstances.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

It has indeed changed my thinking as regards the issue of money and how it relates to my soul. I have come to learn that all richness about money start from the inside of each and every one of us. That I am rich beyond the amount of money I have or will ever have. I have also learnt that money is like a river that flows freely if we let it be. We dwell so much on discussing about scarcity instead of looking at the potential we have and how we can share it for good of ourselves and others.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

No.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

None.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The book is simply pointing out how rich each and every one of us is. The book points out some of the lies that we find acceptable when we talk about money. It further talks about collaboration to bring about a situation that we desire. That it is not necessary that al of us money, but we can work together with those who have, by sharing our ideas and others money to realize a project. And finally we should take a stand about money and how we can be sustainable fulfilling each other needs.

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
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

The 40 Days Prosperity Plan
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

The will of God is for all of us to be wealthy – one of the important truths that come out of this book (CD) is that, God is the source of all prosperity and abundance. It was in His plan during creation to see man become wealthy in all aspects starting from spiritual, financial, knowledge and in love. This assures me that I need not worry but be one with the Spirit in order to realize total abundance. It is more clear then, that there was a plan before creation of how humankind will relate and grow according to the desires of the Master. Therefore I don’t need to struggle to question Him but in everything to recognize the opportunities presented daily of creating money and touching other people’s lives.

Sometimes I find myself questioning a lot the Master about prosperity and abundance. Yet I simply forget that I didn’t create myself, that there is a Supreme and Divine being who knows me and my thoughts. Interestingly when I relate more with God, the more I find ideas to explore and try them out. This happens most times when I feel like am down to nothing. I therefore have to simply relax and tap this Source.

Money is the symbol of divine mind – the mind is one of the truth wealth we have as humans. It is connected to the source who is God. It is in the mind where plans are created, analyzed, explored and then brought to the physical world to be executed. Among those plans in the mind is the creation of money and it is presented in form of a sign that inspires one to do something about it. Money has to be seen as an idea first before it is manifested in the physical world.

I normally see money in mind in the form of ideas first before I do something about it. When I talk about money in the divine mind, am not really seeing “money” but ideas that can be used to create money.

Money is not my supply. No person, place or condition is my supply. My awareness, understanding and knowledge of the all prevailing activity of the divine mind within me is my supply. My consciousness of the truth is unlimited, therefore my supply unlimited – most times we think that one has to be in a particular place at the right time and doing the right task to generate money. We forget that there is a difference between the source and supply. There can be no supply if the source is not available and not known. God is the source and the supply at the same time. Without Him we will be stuck and be unable to move. We all know the truth; however we are totally ignorant and oblivious of it. We know who we are, where we are heading to and our purpose in life. Instead of focusing on this, we instead become conditioned by life circumstances.

I believe that I have potential and it is only by using it that I can realize that am unlimited in what I can do since am connected to God. The various tasks that I have carried out including projects have proven this. At the time am writing this project, am “jobless”. This is a big word if looked at literally. I have managed to change this by focusing and doing what I love. Without this realization, I will be pretending for the sake of making money. I have come to understand that when I talk about money, it doesn’t have to mean hard cash. Money can mean creating contacts, friendships & new relationships, selling ideas, assisting others to discover themselves.

When I am aware of the God’s self within me, as my total fulfillment, then am totally fulfilled. I am now aware of this truth, I have found the secret of life and I relax in the knowledge that the activity of divine abundance is eternally operating in my life. I simply have to be aware of the flow, radiation of that creative energy which is continually, easily and effortlessly pouring forth from my divine consciousness. I am now aware. I am now in the flow – how true this is, without God we are nothing but with Him we are able to accomplish abundantly more.

I keep my mind and thoughts of the world and I place my entire focus on God within as the only cause of my prosperity. I acknowledge the inner presence as the only activity in my financial affairs as the substance of all things visible. I place my faith in the principle of abundance and actions with me now. I keep on remembering that am a spiritual being having a human experience, therefore what I desire has to be felt in the spirit then manifested. It is easy for me to struggle because of worry of the unknown, yet the secret is to float in the flow of time and space. If my mind therefore is on source, on the cause, the supply flows freely.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Values & Beliefs
First of all my number one value of life is LOVE, all other things follow. It may seem easy to talk about love but the act of it will be difficult to manifest it because of the actions. One may ask on what priority do I then place money. To be sincere money is not even in my top five values. When I am given paid work to do, it is not money that drives me accomplish the task. Rather it is the joy I get from the job. However the people I have worked with have never understood this and seem to find it strange. The response of why people work is to get paid, nothing more. It does not matter if you derive joy from your job or not. The important thing is the pay check. I have fallen severally in this trap especially when am broke and I am need to make ends meet. However I have found out that’s the only way I will feel content about what am doing is not to focus on money purely. My skills and talents can never be compensated by money however enough it may seem! Money is therefore not my supply.

Relationships
The most challenging experience I have had is not making friends but in keeping them. Why? It all goes back to the values and beliefs they have in life. If I develop a project, they first people I want to work with are the same friends. I put so much trust in them and forget that they are humans. This is because am personally an organized person and can be classified as a perfectionist. From this point I sometimes view the world as an illusion. We all focus on money as material only instead of looking at it broadly to mean ideas, skills, talents, potential etc. As we relate and this point is not very clear we get into disagreements and the focus is removed from accomplishing the task. The friendship you have created for a long time ends simply because all our attention is focused on material gain not even our personal development! I have fallen in trouble severally because I personally tend to focus more on the inner development rather than the outside. So when am talking to people and interact they easily mistake that I must have a lot of money stuck someone from the way am talking.

My Goals
One of the seven goals I have in life is to be financial stable by 2008. Sometimes I feel that I can be able to accomplish this and yet other times I feel that I might not make it. On one side I have enough reasons to back up this goal accomplishment, on the other side am discouraged by what I see and I tend to view my life as a struggle. I have forgotten that I need to place my focus on the source of my supply that is divine. I need to be aware that it is the will of God for all of us to be rich. Now this richness is only focused on material things and therefore not balanced. I am personally not a materialistic person, maybe it is where I was raised and how I was raised. The first riches we get from the Divine Master are moral riches of how we interact with ourselves and others. We have however changed this and gotten rid of the morals and replaced them with material and we will therefore do anything to get materially rich even if it means selling our moral and life values.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

The will of God is for all of us to be wealthy
God had a plan from the beginning on why He created us. He had a special purpose that was to be fulfilled by each and every individual. There are many things which worry me in this human experience. How am I going to meet my basic needs? How am going to achieve the goals I have set for life yet they need. In this confusion of questions I forget that God is the source and the supply, that He is equals to wealth. Therefore my focus should be on Him. It is for me to understand and belief in His purpose. I should therefore worship the source of money and the supply will flow freely without hindrances. I am God’s will made manifest.

I should stop worrying what will come from where, I should flow with energy of money that surrounds me and should be happy when spending money as it creates the circulation of money to be real. All of us all wealthy in many aspects and the secret is for use to use that to create prosperity for ourselves and others. We can realize this through collaboration and partnerships with others ho have different gifts from us.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

Definitely it has. It has demystified what money is and how we view it. I only knew money as being only liquid and not talent, potential and ideas we have. I further discovered that am already rich because God is and that is enough to propel us forward to greater heights. I have been challenged to stop focusing on scarcity and focus on abundance that already exists. That “money” is one way of expressing the true wealth we posses, therefore there are a thousand other ways that show that we are rich.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

No.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

None.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The book is simply challenging us to meditate on money and its effects in our life and how we should handle that. It further request us to change our attitudes towards money and explore our inner selves to discover our true potential that can create money anytime in our daily lives. We have to start step by step to remove those beliefs that exist out there in the world about money.

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? 8
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 Nine Steps To Financial Freedom
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

Financial freedom is when you have power over your fears and anxieties instead of the other way around – when I hear about finances, they first thing I think about is liquid money. I have had a look at my financial goal for life and I only talk of money and not on the other potentials that I have. To be honest the more I think about it (the goal) the more I see that I didn’t really understand the true meaning of financial freedom. This coupled with fear makes life seem unbearable, because when am broke like now when am writing this assessment, I feel anxious at times. In short I have mixed feelings about money. The more I think about this without focus the easy I lose it! Over the past few months I have been dealing with FEAR over many things apart from money. I can proudly say that am coming out of fear of anything. I had to first demystify what fear is, False Evidence Appearing Real. I have caught myself many a times worrying about money and other things instead of focusing on what I want always. The trouble with fears is that when we keep them inside and refuse to deal with them, they grow, like weeds left alone in a garden.

The road to financial freedom begins not in a bank or even in a financial planner’s office, but in your head – the famous philosopher said that we are what we think we are. If we think we are poor, we are. However when we think we are rich, then we are. As an individual I have to appreciate who I am and take stock of what I have first even if it is not money. If I think of only scarcity, this will be manifested in my physical world. I have found myself a lot in this trap and tried to fight it. I therefore acknowledge that my fundamental bank is my mind first and for most. When I let it wander off, then my thoughts about money become juggled inside therefore loosing focus. True financial freedom lies in defining ourselves by who and what we are, not by what we do or do not have. You are the person you are right now. We cannot measure our self-worth by our net worth.

Messages about money are passed down from generation to generation, worn and chipped like the family dishes – in the book there is an exercise that shows one how they viewed money when they were young. I simply discovered that most thoughts I have had about money have been about scarcity. There was never enough as I grew up and I saw how my parents had to struggle to meet our needs. My mother quit being a housewife and thought that she needs to supplement the family income. I therefore grew up knowing that there was never enough and that to be rich one had to be corrupt or steal. This was before I came across the powerful though of Mahatma Gandhi, “there is enough for everyone but not for one man’s greed”. One of the struggles I have daily in my life is to break these beliefs of not enough and that we have to struggle to make ends meet. I have to focus on new thoughts therefore experience new actions in my life.

Believing, really believing, other realities makes other realities true: that we can control money, that we do deserve to do well, that there will be enough. How do we replace the old fears, the old reality? With new thoughts. With new truths – I have found out that it is easy to focus on the negatives of life, of things we don’t like instead of focusing on what we love or want. I didn’t realize this quickly although of late when caught myself straying to negative thoughts – I replace that thought quickly before it sinks to the subconscious. We often times find it hard to belief that everything will be alright because it require patience and faith. I guess having the human body makes us rush things. We want to create the world and all that is in it in one day!! There is a nice thought that I came across in the book “Just remember: Give your money ten years to grow”. I remember some years back when I was a new student at IIGL, one of the first truths that I came across was, “my thoughts have gotten me where I am today”. Therefore if I want to change my tomorrow, I have to start with changing how I think, with very new thoughts”. And it works, because I take time to review the results of my past thoughts. I must break these thoughts of poverty, for thoughts of poverty are bonds of poverty, for thoughts of poverty are the chains that keep one bound to poverty. Mental chains may be invisible but they imprison one nevertheless. If I believe that somehow everything happens for the best and hold firm to this belief, especially during troubled times or when I undergo what appear to be setbacks in my life, then I will be able to draw the good out of any situation.

One way to get in touch with your money is to actually start touching it again, to handle cash, to feel and respect it, to delight in spending it the way you did as a child, to enjoy choosing not to spend it, to take pleasure in putting it away now for later – We experience prosperity, true financial freedom, when our actions with respect to money are dharmic, or righteous, actions – that is, actions of generosity, actions of offering. I open myself to receive all that is meant to be mine. Giving not only when I feel poor, but also when I feel rich, lucky, grateful, expansive, and vital. Giving to say please and giving to say thank you. It is so important to learn to accept that my own money will also have its ups and downs. No matter how carefully I plan – even if I do every financial thing right – money, like every other living, isn’t always going to behave in ways I can predict.

There are many ways the universe offers us guidance to protect ourselves, but we usually just turn our backs on this guidance because we don’t recognize it as such. The little voice inside you is actually a powerful signal – I believe it’s the voice of God – and if you listen to it, and take action based on what it tells you to do, it will keep you safe and sound – I sometimes grasp things quickly especially when am at peace, however it is different when am in crisis. It usually takes me time to listen to the inner guidance then during that kind of crisis and the next time I hear a voice is when I completely feel that I will lose it!! Or maybe as I come to think about it, there are possibilities that I could be ignoring this wonderful clear voice. I want to do things or my own understanding not based on the Spiritual connection. The rare times I listen to the inner voice and am amazed by the results that come after words. As each and everyday passes, I get positive messages flowing easily and I therefore apply them.

But these two worlds must flow in and out of each other, because it takes both money and spiritual understanding to sustain us – in the audio CD of 40 Days Prosperity Plan by John Randolph Price, it lays emphasis on the spiritual understanding about money. He says that it God’s will that we should all be wealthy. I discovered that the spiritual part in us is important since it guides us on how to spend money wisely basing on our life values. That we shouldn’t let money be our source and supply and therefore end up worshiping money. Instead we should respect the source who is God. This is the only way where we will balance our financial freedom with the amount of money that we have. At end we won’t find it difficult to offer our money to help others and to transform others. When I critically look at the spiritual part of finances, I see wisdom and ideas that we are given to use in order to first make the world a better place and then secondly, earn an income. I have discovered that I posses so many gifts not necessarily money that I can freely share with others and as a result generate financial freedom in my life. This is something that I have to work on everyday.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Relationships
Sometimes in this era, I see money being given more priority especially when it comes to make things work. I have also forgotten that when am in conflict with my family, there first excuse that comes is about money. When there is less money we easily disagree than when there is money. I guess we have not totally understood that money has its ebb and flow and we can’t attract it when we seem to be in a fight or disagreements. And when we eventually get money, we seem to disrespect it and use it any holy to meet that days needs and wait for another day. Liquid money has become of more important value than love. However as things continue to be more difficult I find that we revert quickly to love, where we try to analyze our situation and get ideas on how to get out of it.

Beliefs and Values
The first thought about how money relates to my beliefs and values starts with how the money messages where passed down to me. I have taken stock of what was implanted in my mind. I do at times revert to those beliefs instead of breaking them down and adopting new ones in my mind. I am aware that it’s not easy since they took time to be put in my mind and I have to be patient to break them one by one and by finding positive messages to replace the old ones. I have to accept that my parents struggles are not mine and they struggle with money are not mine. I belief like Mahatma that there is enough for everyone me included and that is where my focus should be.

Goals
One of the life goals as earlier mentioned relates to finances. As I was preparing these goals, now I remember that I missed one important element – that I only focused on liquid money. Yet I would have also included aspects on financial freedom that didn’t relate to money directly. Being financial stable as I have discovered has more to do how I feel about who I am, what is my net worth more than how much I have or don’t have. That’s the starting point for me, every time I think am broke – I try to remember what my net value is and repeat that being broke is only temporary.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

Financial freedom is when you have power over your fears and anxieties instead of the other way around – that being prosperous and abundant is based on how we view money and the fears and worries that associated with it. That financial freedom starts from my mind and only manifests in the physical world what I have in mind. This freedom does not take into account how much I have, rather on how I use money, how my talents are utilized and how I serve others. It also includes the values I place on money and the beliefs that I have come to associate with money.

One way to get in touch with your money is to actually start touching it again, to handle cash, to feel and respect it, to delight in spending it the way you did as a child, to enjoy choosing not to spend it, to take pleasure in putting it away now for later – the first thing that is spoken loudly in this book is respect of money, be true with our actions that are related to money. Offering to us who are of more need that me, not because I have so much money or talent to share, but to exercise the abundance that exists inside me.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

The main challenge I got from this book is on financial freedom. Before I read the book I thought that financial freedom means being financial stable, having all the money I desire so that I become comfortable. This idea was full dismissed and I like the financial freedom the book is talking about. The message actually is very simple – that I am already on my way to financial freedom, not with the amount of money I have but realizing that am already rich and that my net worth can’t be measured by money.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

No.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

Step 4 – 6 have dwelt so much on the American system of money issues ranging from stocks, wills, trusts etc.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

It is important for us to evaluate our first experience with money and analyze the beliefs that we accepted in our minds based on those first experiences. Then we are later told about the truth about financial freedom which has less to do with money but more on our values towards money and recognize the true wealth that lies within us.

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? 6
B. How helpful were the contents? 5
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 5
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 5

Comments – Feel free to share any additional comments about the book or about the ratings:

The Architecture of All Abundance
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

It is the journey into silence that leads to stillness that can inform our actions and our lives with peace and with abundance – I have been going through various challenges in terms of finances and relationships as I was reading through this book. What interesting I was able to identify some similarities of what they author went through and I have gone through. Though very few areas are similar, I felt like she was speaking to me. As I have undergone those challenges, it was rather difficult to be still, to be at peace. I wanted to be active, to run away from those realities. Until finally I was unable to do this anymore after I had a gentle voice from within asking me why am I running away from what I want? I was shocked and had to review what this question meant. I was later able to experience true peace by understanding the abundance that exists deeper within my soul.

If we acknowledge or share our fear with the goal of knowing ourselves and becoming free, it will lead us here and there, in and out, above and below – as I was going through this difficult experience, the presence of fear of the unknown was driving me crazy. I didn’t realize that this would help me know myself better until I had to erase fear afterwards from my life. How did I do this? By demystifying fear to mean,

F- alse
E – vidence
A – ppearing
R – eal

Then I was able to admit to become my prayers and hopes, expressing them in my daily interactions, to create a more peaceful and loving world. And afterwards I feel transformed embracing change and what lies before me.

There is sufficient for all our requirements and dreams. We are unable to see it, to know it, but providence is there. It is knowing that all we require is already before us; we simply don’t see it. There is a solution; it requires commitment and courage; it requires that we forge beyond our comfortable our comfortable little realities and out into the unknown, the unseen world – as I sometimes look around at life, I most times see lack and want that makes me feel weak and discouraged. I ask myself very many questions, like how will I be able to meet my life goals, how am going to relate? And so forth. My live is surrounded by a lot of excuses, fears and doubts of the next step. Yes I am a risk taker, but that scares me off most a times. When I concentrate so much on lack, I close my mind to what probably exists that can help drive me forward. I understood that it was my nature of protecting my comfort zone, not wanting to move, not willing to risk and know my potential. The simple lessons I have learnt so far from my challenges are to be persistent, have faith, act on my hunches, question my soul more and more. Interestingly this has worked especially when it comes to question a certain activity I want to pursue. And I find the answers right there with less effort. If we ask the right questions, the answers will inevitably lead us out of undesirable circumstances. There is always a way for the determined person to understand their purpose and dream, and be guided to its fulfillment. There are moments in one’s life when one has to stretch, to risk, to leap forward naked into the wind.

You must first be who you really are, then do what you love to do, in order to have what you want – this is an important lesson that I came across in the book. I should stop fearing who I really am, my thoughts, fears, goals, needs, desires, wants, and desires. These are the ones that make me who I am. Like I said earlier I have learnt to stop to give excuses to what I need. I must be me and more of me. I have to be my purpose, to live it, sleep it to walk it and pray it.

If peace of mind is what you value, then value it monetarily as well. If writing, or nature, or volunteer work is vital to you be sure that it shows up in your personal economy. Value yourself, value whatever is your lifeblood, and value your thoughts and dreams, your soul. Give them your power, your time and money, and energy. In business, it is necessary to invest a good share of the earnings back into business so that it remains healthy and generative over time. In the same way, your investment in yourself will bring the highest gain. It is the hunger to have purpose, the hunger to be filled with the wisdom of the Soul, to reconnect with our spiritual base, with one another, and with the earth that is our life – I discovered that my life purpose was being a teacher in late 2004. I haven’t done much about it and for sometime I was stuck as to where I start. Just this month as I was going through a certain Christian literature, the message about my purpose was just there in black and white. It said that unless I did something about my purpose, nothing will happen and God won’t move in that area until I decide to do something about my purpose. That got me scared all right!! For starters early this year I have been working with much effort to prepare a concept paper on a personal development programme I want to start for schools. Finally it was done and I gave it to be looked by someone. But I have done nothing about it, like contacting schools to find if they are interested and that kind of stuff. I have found that I need to fuel my purpose, give it my all and watch the results as they unfold.

God makes everything ready but its up to us to see what’s in front of our face! – how true and at the same time difficult to see. It is amazing in our prayers we ask for many things, yet others are just in front of us. It calls fro creativity, inner guidance and understanding our intitution to be able to recognize the many opportunities that lie before us but disguised as challenges. However because I normally catch my mind thinking scarcity at that state it is indeed not easy to recognize an opportunity lie there. Sometimes I think it was how I was brought up and the many challenges I have faced. After going through those difficulties, I expect to find an easy road, but that is not the case most a times. I have therefore changed my mind to take advantage of what’s already there.

Choosing what we will live to be our dream, choosing a life that is connected to our soul purpose – these are vital passages of our journey. We can only have deep satisfaction when our dream is coming from the very core of our soul; that is an abiding dream – I have come to understand what we draw to our lives is what we have all along wanted. I have reflected at about things about my life and amazed at how this is true. Back in 1998 I wanted to badly work with a certain NGO. This did happen immediately but after 3 years of waiting there I was, working with that organization in the promotion of human rights. The same happened when I wanted a laptop. There more I think about this, I become perplexed. Our souls indeed inspire our dreams although we rarely listen to it.

Courage is required to create dramatic change in one’s life. It is courageous when you change a habit, take a new direction, are deeply truthful and compassionate with yourself or another, when you act true to your values – one of the most difficult things any human has to come in terms with is change, moving from the known to the unknown. I have personally feared venturing into the unknown and instead preferred to stick within my comfort zones. Interestingly enough, just last year June I wanted to resign in a human rights organization I was working with because I felt it wasn’t fulfilling my purpose. I can say that was not easy. Instead of focusing on where I was heading, I protected my security. It took me 9 months to gain the courage to move. One person once said, “You will never known your true potential in life unless you risk”. That sounds risky and crazy, however it has connection with the life purpose of everyone. I have been trying for the better part of this year to eliminate any kind of fear in my life. This is not an easy exercise although it’s worth it.

Keep asking. And know that you can carve out of the kind of life you want for yourself. Just keep at it, enjoying the process, until it feels right. Be responsible, also, to yourself. Keep listening to yourself an asking your questions. You will know – one thing I have learnt with my challenges this year is to never ignore my hunches and intuitions. Reason, the cost implications are high. My soul is important and sometimes I strive to look for answers, yet they are within me. The secret I have come to understand is to question my soul when am peace with my self. I ask myself various questions about anything I might be going through or something am not sure about. I indeed get answers to most of my questions although some answers are not what I expect. All the same this exercise has played and important role in my life.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Beliefs/Goals
The greatest and most heroic sacrifice we can make to change the world is to sacrifice fear, guilt, and judgment, to sacrifice the habits, behaviors, and qualities we possess that no longer serve our world or us. There is no greater thing we can do to change the world than to change ourselves.

In my life I have honestly feared sacrificing anything for the sake my life purpose. I just wanted to be like any other human being, get a job, start a family and care less about how money is made. However am called to action when I remember as I was growing up, I committed to be different, to pursue that which would male me happy. There are habits I have found hard to break, I have feared loosing what I treasure in my life. I have feared taking care of myself and meeting my needs first. This has robbed me many opportunities that I should have taken advantage of.

Relationships.
Instead of looking to others for love, become love. Inhabit it. Love your divine soul, love who you are, love the dream you have manifested.

There are things I have learnt about relationships that keeps me wondering. I give and give and give because when am committed, I give my best. At times I don’t get the same from others. Sometimes I ask myself how possible is for nature to return the same love to me. How do I love those that hate me, sometimes for no reason at all? Hate is one of the worse things that can happen in life, especially when you loose your best friends because of it. In my life I have never known hate until I discovered my best friend contributed to the break up of my best relationships. I honestly questioned myself as what I ever did to him for him to hate me. I didn’t find answers to all these questions. Eventually what I decided was to send him love energy whenever I thought about him. The good thing is that we talk a bit although we are not best friends as we used to be.

Values
Stillness, innovation, peaceful means, creativity, soul based interaction, authencity, timeliness, all these are included in our core values. Dignity and equity, justice and wisdom, temperate means and intuition are others that guide this business.

My values in life affect my purpose in one way or another and that’s very discouraging. The good that I have can boast about myself is that I have committed never to work for money as the first thing in life. Instead I focus I focus on the personal gratification I get of the job. If there is none, I start questioning it. In the job I quit, it was my values were being comprised especially when it reached a point I felt I was being “used”.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

We are the fulfillers of prophecy. Therefore it would be wise for us to choose carefully those that we wish to fulfill. It is our choice. It is our dream. All that is our combined history we have dreamed. And the dream is the Creator dreaming us – I realize that am the one that has created this situation that am in with my thoughts, desires and dreams. If I don’t like it at all, it’s only me who change it. It’s up me to gather the courage and start another life for myself. I have to connect with God since am called to be a co-creator with Him to create the future that I want. It is through Divine Connection I can realize this, that all that I need is already here. I can therefore prophecy my future and fulfill it as it manifests.

Love, in truth, simply is. Love is. Love is the essence of the life force surrounding us; it is what allows everything to have cohesion. Love is both our birthright and our legacy; it is in the original blueprint of our Soul – love is the wonderful thing that can happen to any one at any time wherever. To connect with true love is a rare gift that inspires all of us to strive to achieve what we want. Personally love has been like fuel in my life, encouraging me no matter the situation, guiding me as I seek to understand myself and answering the many questions I have. If in everything I do, I add love, it expands and looks achievable.

If we trust our own judgment, choices, healing ability, and self-honesty, we become free of the need to make others “behave” so we can feel safe. You can trust that your life is on course, that you are exactly where you should be, in every moment and situation – I have learnt to trust myself and what I decide I do. I should stop trying to please others so that they love me. I have to be love, peace and prosperity in order for me to realize this in my physical life. I have been discouraged and will be discouraged, but that doesn’t stop me from trusting myself when I seek solutions to whatever I face.

Most of our ideas about who we are and what are like come from outside ourselves. Investigating, challenging, educating, and allowing change of our current opinions, actions, understandings, an interpretations bring about our desired results – I have said that solutions lie within me and I don’t need to look far away to see them. The challenge is for me to continuously question myself, find what I love, why I love it, where am heading and that kind of thing. In everything I do, I ask myself, how does it fulfill my higher purpose? I strive to learn more, to explore more and in that way understand my hidden precious potential.

If it’s everyone’s first time, no one knows what they are doing – sometimes I like challenging my parents that no one goes to school before getting kids on how to raise children. In other words, I didn’t come on earth to rehearse about anything. Instead I come to fulfill my purpose and the many mistakes I make the better since I will learn from them. From the failures I will gain free lessons for making my life worthwhile to live in.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?
Yes. It has shown very many things that affect my quest for abundance. One of them is my childhood and the dreams that I had which were lost along the way. The other is about changing the dreams I don’t want and replacing them with new ones. I have also learnt how fear and judgment denies us the true meaning of purpose in life because it robs us the desire to pursue the dreams that make us whole and satisfy the soul.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?
No.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?
The most helpful aspect I found was the importance of dreams and how they can be changed.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.
The book intends for us to understand who we are and what we create in life and how that can be changed to make us realize that which we desire without comprising the true intent of the soul.

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

Comments – Feel free to share any additional comments about the book or about the ratings:

Full Steam Ahead! Unleash the Power of Vision
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari

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

The book brings out three things in a clear crystal manner. These are purpose, values and vision.

Full steam ahead means having a vision – being so clear about your purpose, so committed to it, and so sure about your ability to accomplish it, that you move ahead decisively despite any obstacles
The authors reminded me of the importance of a vision and I kept asking myself if I had one. I remembered how my daily life revolves and how sometimes I focus so much on the present. There are so many discouraging events that keep appearing and the vision thing looks so far fetched. Personally I have come to accept that once you have a vision in life, you will always encounter adversity. I just hope that through this experience I will be strengthened inside, then outside. It’s not easy to reach your vision, it’s a constant struggle that at times I don’t know where it leads. The one thing I have come to understand is that a vision is achieved by bits. I think when you have a vision you are fully powered, knowing where you’re going, and moving ahead full force

Leadership is about going somewhere
I am writing this assessment at a time when in my country (Kenya) is preparing for elections. Normally our elections are held every 5 years and we have one day or two days to elect a President, Members of Parliament and Councilors (to run councils). Back in 2002 before I joined IIGL I did try my hands in politics and I had fun and sometimes a nasty experience since it was my first time. I am this person who believes that political leadership is about serving the electorate. So when I ran for public office I had a very limited and tight budget. This did not scare me. Our political culture is very funny, during campaigns, politicians dish out money and other goodies. The result of this has been that this trend has been difficult to eradicate. This meant that I had a huge challenge ahead. How was I going to convince the voters to elect me if I didn’t have any money to give them?

So I decide to do two things; one was to educate the people on the voter process and two, market myself so that I could be voted. Before any politician name is printed on ballot papers, they have to go through nominations so that their parties can endorse them. This is stage where I was rigged out and didn’t make it to the final elections. Now why am I saying all this? As a leader nothing scared me, I know that I can still serve in other capacities that require my expertise and experience. A leader has to show and act upon their beliefs. I was tired of talking and complaining about the poor services that were afforded to my community. I wanted to change things and I realized that very few people have a vision in their lives.

Although am not running for public office this time round, the impact I left has challenged a lot of youth to run for public office. Through the last five years I have come to discover my true purpose. That is to be a teacher and that’s what am pursuing to accomplish.

Purpose
Purpose is one of the elements of a compelling vision
Am not really sure what my vision is since am still yet to develop one. What I know for sure is that my purpose in life is being a teacher. Can this help in terms of understanding my vision? I am yet to this, I just hope that am not putting the cart before the horse. By purpose, I mean understanding what we are here for, why we exist. It means understanding what business we are really in so that we can all focus our efforts in support of that purpose. Involving others besides the leader is important because we have to grow together. This is not that easy but what keeps me going is that not matter what stands on my way, I am going to make it. Since 1997 till now I have been involved in a lot of community development. The number one failure rate is not the impact of any programme implemented; it’s the lack of unity and agreeing on what is needed to solve the community problems. As a leader this is very frustrating and many a times you feel like quitting. For me the availability of my purpose is to fuel me to make things happen no matter how the situation looks like.

Last year I was in the middle of implementing a 6 months programme that I had developed on entrepreneurship and the greatest challenge came. Adversity seemed to have the better of me and I watched as all my life goals crash and there was nothing I could do. I forgot the good lessons I had learnt as an IIGL student and suffered by choice. I started quitting everything I was doing from projects, groups, everything that represented my life. Somehow along this trail, I did muster some little courage as reminded by my life purpose and finished the project I was doing. Although it didn’t turn out exactly as I had visualized, the lessons were valuable and we had some impact on our target group who were young entrepreneurs in my community.

Vision
Vision is about going somewhere. It is a clear picture of the future that you can imagine happening. A picture of the future is a key element of vision. The power of picture works when you focus on the end result, not the process to achieve it. Vision is enduring. It continues to provide guidance as goals are achieved. One way to tell the difference between a goal and a vision is to ask, “What next?” A vision offers clear direction for future activity and guides the setting of new goals once the current ones have been achieved. Without vision, once the goal has been achieved, its all over. In fact, an honest and accurate assessment of the present is as important as a vision of the future. Learn from the past, plan for the future, and live in the present. In other words: live your vision now. Your personal values reflect what you care most deeply about. The process of creating the vision is as important as what the vision says. Visioning is an ongoing process; you need to keep talking about it. Vision isn’t really about the future. It’s about what you’re doing now. It takes courage to create a vision and it takes courage to act on it. Moving from success to significance means understanding that everyone must benefit from your vision. Communication around current events in relation to our vision allowed us to understand how we were continuing to move forward during adverse times and helped us stay committed.

About ten years ago I remember attending a church conference while I was in high school. What was very key to me in that conference was the way the speaker emphasized about vision. He said that vision is the picture one sees at the end of a story. Vision is knowing who you are, where you are going, and what will guide your journey. Knowing who you are means being clear about purpose.

In 2005 I developed my personal life goals. Right now I don’t seem to own the goals and they do seem strange to me. I keep on asking myself was that part of my vision or it was based on my life circumstances? This is not an easy question for me to answer and sometimes when I think about it, I easily freak out. Yet goals are the map to where one wants to go. At the moment am contemplating redoing my goals since circumstances change and the affect the goals. All these goals were a result of dreams I have had for so long. Sometimes I feel like giving up because it seems that the goals will never be materialized. I look for a reason for me to be focused on what I want in this life and I easily get discouraged but the circumstances I face daily. I can see the place I want to go and how I will be happy once I get there. I stretch my hands to reach to this vision and most times I get tired.

However I have discovered that having a vision and aspiring to it are two different issues. Its like knowing where I want to go and doing nothing about it. Having a vision for me is what keeps me alive and makes me wake up everyday refreshed. Pursuing it is another thing altogether because it makes me grow scared for I have failed over “a million times”. In my own world I sometimes get mad with nature and think that its cruel. I ask myself when is the right time. I have been patient most of my life but when it comes to vision I feel desperate to realize it. As I read this book, I was once again reminded that realizing a vision is an ongoing process and there is no one day I will say that, look I have achieved my vision. Therefore instead of looking for a vision as this big picture, I should look at what contributes to that picture. For me, these are the seven goals I have. Its has been over a year since I looked at them and right now am challenged to relook at them and do something about them.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Values/Beliefs
Values are deeply held beliefs that certain qualities are desirable. They define what is right or fundamentally important to each of us. They provide guidelines for our choices and actions. Values guide people’s behaviour and decisions on a daily basis as they pursue that purpose.

Over the years my values and beliefs have changed since there are those that have worked for me and others haven’t. Right now the values I hold dear guide where I go, what I want to do and the kind of people I want to socialize with. At first this seemed strange, but not anymore. What has been outstanding for the last one year is that I now relate with people who do not feel am a threat because of my ambition(s), but instead feel that we both can learn from each other. I do not care what people think about my ambition, instead its more as to how they relate with me not only to realize mine but theirs also. As I was reading through this book, I took time to quickly browse through the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The book is very inspirational and I strongly feel like that seagull – rejected, scorned, embarrassed and doubtful. Until it realized its purpose and no matter what the other seagulls said, happiness started to be part of his life. If purpose is important because it explains “why”, then values are important because they explain “how”. (Purpose tells Why – Values tells How).

Relationships
I now look for relationships that make be grow that are built on honesty and love. I myself need to be love and honest before I expect that from others. I realized that some friends come and go and others will be there even when we don’t notice them. I recently found myself complaining that I had such and such a favour to someone and when I needed help, they are disappeared. I almost grew mad as to how I gave the world so much and received so little. Now I know that to give more is my nature and it doesn’t matter if I get less than what I initially gave out. I am not here on earth to profit from helping others. I am here just to be me whether others recognize this or not. I have made so many friends and also lost so many friends, but I guess that’s part of life. Relationships are what make the world a better place whether they are acknowledged or not. Relationships make us close to God for that how He created us, to relate. It has been said that God created relationships before he created man.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

Good mission statements include a clear statement of purpose. An effective mission statement includes clear purpose.

It’s important for me to have a life purpose that is so clear and compelling. In the same line I need to have a strategy as to how am going to realize my purpose. If the purpose is vague then I will in the end feel disappointed because of not being where I want. A good mission statement might also include a description of how I deliver on the purpose, what strategise I use an how they support the purpose.
People cherish their values and are deeply emotional about them. When they act in support of their values, they are proud of their actions.

I need to embrace my values since I act out of them everyday. When I do something today or any other time, my values have played a role in it. I should develop and embrace those values that bring the best of me so that I can achieve me purpose and eventually my vision.

I discovered that by being honest about my present, accepting the tension or uncomfortable feelings, and also focusing on my vision at the same time, ultimately a shift occurs.

Like I mentioned in the introduction of this book, for the last one year I have felt desperate, lonely, ostracized, embarrassed, failure, unlucky and unable to put to my life in order. I did succeed a bit by hiding my true feelings about the situation. However this didn’t help, but what as I supposed to do? Right now I smile at my situation, sometimes I laugh because I know it’s a temporal situation. Honesty is the key word, I might not be where I wanted to be right now, I might have felt that my dreams crashed. However I owe myself the ability to stand up and dust myself and seek to rediscover myself once again.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

I thought having a vision is enough, how wrong I was. The book has challenged me although they used the example of a company to redefine my life purpose. I need to live and love my purpose. I need to develop a life mission statement. I need to be focused so that I don’t miss those little miracles that occur daily as a result of my life purpose.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

None.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

None.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The authors have simply used the example of a company to convey the message on life purpose, mission statement, values and vision. They have showed me how all these interrelate and how I can use this for my life purpose. Having a vision is not enough, having a life purpose is not enough. For them to be enough, I need to develop a mission statement that shows how I get there. Finally having them is not enough, the challenge is for all of us to be our dreams, goals, purpose and vision.

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10

Goal Setting 101
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

This is a great small book that you can read in 30 minutes and later read it over ad over again. Gary Ryan in a very simple way has demstyfied the art of goal setting to be fun and a must for everyone who wants to achieve success.

A vision is a way of seeing or conceiving what you want to create and achieve

the are different definitions of vision and the one I like most is , “vision is the picture at the end of a story”. I had some many goals and I still want to achieve most of them but one thing that I didn’t know was that that all my goals are related with my vision. In all honesty I have never thought about what my vision is. All I know was that I have goals and that is enough. This book has helped me see that how goals feed into my vision. The next step was for me to identify what is my vision. By having life goals its more easier to identify the vision than first knowing my vision an break it down to goals. A vision for me know is the big picture that I see when achieve my goals step by step.

You are born with great capabilities, but you will not achieve your potential until you call upon yourself to fulfill it.

I never knew the importance of goal setting until I joined IIGL. My studies taught me about the importance of putting down my goals in writing and not merely wishing them in m head. I learnt that writing something down is the first step toward achieving it. When I first wrote down my goals in Level 3 I felt great although I forgot one thing – to use all my abilities to see that my goals are achieved. I understand how its important to know my strengths, abilities and also my weaknesses. There are also areas that I need to improve in my life. I know that I have potential although it other people who see it easily than me. I therefore need to fully utilise my potential without giving excuses o any failure or success I make.

Reality moves you toward your goal; denial moves you away.

when I “failed” achieving 80% of the first goals that I developed, I felt weak, a loser, and made some excuses and complains about why I failed. This for me is how reality hit me so hard and I was shocked beyond words. I know see that experience as helping me to be clear about my goals and continue asking myself questions to better refine the goals.

One does not plan and then try to make circumstances fit those plans. One tries to make plans to fit the circumstances.

this statement cant be more truer than it is now! I have been raised in a very tough enviroment and the neighbourhood speaks volumes about this. Everyday I see how people like me struggle to make it in life and the challenges they face. Sometimes me and m peers have been guilty of forcing things work in our circumstances. I am aware that situations create people and those who make it are those who look around and decided to do something different about it.

Goal setting involves establishing a delicate balance between planning and improvisation.

I once thought that writing down goals was enough. I sooner than later realised that good planning and creativity are very helpful as I try to find a path in the midst of planning my goals and how to achieve them. It’s not only planning but also to find out which ways I can use to achieve my goals.

In the real world, however, there is no totally right time. Sometimes you have play with the cards you have.

for me I think this is a great statement. Its more close to what Donald Welch in his book, Conversations With God (CWG). He says that in the world everything is relative and its only in heaven where everything is absolute. I hear myself and others say that they are waiting for the right time every time they are faced with difficult challenges like when to marry, when to star that business, when to do this or that. I have sang the same song and its boring. I listen to my heart and move as it directs. Even if I don’t achieve the intended goal. I better describe myself as a man of acton, one who is on the move. There are times though I catch myself procastinating and this is a struggle I have to overcome.

To go forward is a recognition that life is dynamic not static.

in the last one year or so I have lost so much especially what I valued most. I spend too much time complaining and cursing how all this happened. This for me is how reality hit me so hard by realising that I needed to do away with those beliefs that have not worked for me. This has not been easy but it one of the reasons that has helped me move on despite the pain, the loss, disappointment and so forth. The author has put it so well for me, “expect reverses, expect losses, and expect rejection. They are inevitable. But why give them the last word? Take them as bumps in the road to success!

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Relationships
If necessary, create occasions to celebrate – I am in a new relationship and what I learn from the previous one was that I failed to celebrate any single success I made however small. I have also learnt that a relationship is not about one person but two people. If i set a goal regarding our relationship I should inform my partner so that we are most of time at the same par and also create reasons for celebrations

Beliefs
Failure is a part of life. It will happen – I thought that by trusting God so much especially on the things I have will not cause great failure or loss. I accept that there will be many occassions for failure in my life just as there will be many occassions of success. However I admit that this new thinking is not easy. I am trying to accept it as a fact.

Goals
the difference between one person and another achieves depends more on goals choices than on abilities – I have spent so much time wanting to be different with my peers and other people and I have not been successful. I have understood the reason for this shortcoming, that I should instead focus on what I want not based on what others have or dont. My life i about me and I know better what I need and where I need to go.

Goals never fail; only implementation does
I realised this where I thought that my life had crashed because I “failed 80% of the goals I set to accomplish. Know I know that I failed to implement, to consistently see that I was achieving my goals.

Values
Success is an the intentional, pre-meditated use of choice and decision – I value success and sometimes I find myself accepting success as one of the values I passionately hold. Success with all the other personal values I have are more of how I make choices about my lives and especially where I arrive at crossroads.

Success is an attitude and character – when I have valued success as an important value in my life, it automatically absorb it to my subconscious so that its an attitude that I see for myself and others see about me.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

Leadership is a synthesis of theory and practice, of preparation and spontaneity and improvisation

I have a friend who keeps on saying that leadership is a lonely place to be. Sometimes I experience it this way I relate with people and organisations that are supposed the interest of the vulnerable in society. Sometimes i so lonely and there is no one who understands you and it grows better when other feel threatened by my ideas or vision. How I handle this situation doesn’t mean that its because I went to school No! It has been a journey of trial and error, testing of theoeries and impacts. I once thought that leadership is a stage where one gets to. How wrong I was, leadership for me is a state that we aspire everyday until we are no more in our human bodies!

You can incorporate some of the individual into what you are creating or you can incorporate some of what you are creating into the individual.

I love this statement although honestly I am unable to express it in words.

The winning attitude is one of movement and progress, not digging in and holding ground

I have failed and I will fail because as I have learnt this will happen. I have noticed that I complain so much when I fail or when I face resistance. I now accept to myself that complaining isn”t necessarily bad provided I don’t waste too much time complaining! I have to get up and dust myself and move on boldly not fearing the next challenge that lies ahead.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

It has made goal seeing fun and exicting for me. I used that goal setting was a boring process. I am able to visualise the goals that I want to create and how to tap into my potential to implement them.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

None.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

Nothing!

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

Its a pocket book with very simple and easy steps on how to create goals that are enjoyable to reach. It also highlights the important life goals that should be given so much focus.

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

Goal Mapping: How to Turn Your Dreams into Realities
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

If you think you can, you can, if you think you cant, you cant – either way you are right

This is a great way to start the book for it gives me courage to try again. In everything that I want to do the most important thing is how I feel and the passion I have towards realizing my goals. It all starts deep inside me and how I use that to drive me forward. I am the one who knows if I can or not, the answer to my success therefore doesn’t lie with outsiders rather it lies with me.

There are certain things in life that you can learn to get right only by getting them wrong first

How true this is and yet at the same time it so “painful”. True success demands the best and most people me included give up after several attempts because at times we think its not worth our efforts. There are several things in my life like relationships and jobs that I have gotten them wrong in every attempt I make. It doesn’t matter how many times I try these two areas seem to be very difficult. Sometimes I wonder when I will ever get them right. I now am aware that successful people stay fully focused on what they want and generate great power, rather than allowing themselves to be distracted and deflated by worrying about what they fear.

Emotionally we are designed like a bicycle – if we are not moving towards something, we lose our equilibrium or balance and fall over

For the last one year I have been struggling to be balanced in my life after I temporary lost it. Balance is the best state I can be and trying to gain that is not an easy ask but one that calls for great and true commitment to be able to realize it. When am balanced I know that am on purpose and therefore inspired to carry out great exploits. There is a time I thought I was in no way going to achieve my goals. That’s when I knew that was almost going to fall over. I now derive power from inside and am committed to trying again till I make it.

To bring about positive evolutionary change we need simply to change the focus of our intentions and the goals that we pursue.

By focusing on what you want to achieve, prior to taking physical action, your subconscious helps you to be your best – as I develop my goals it becomes easier to focus on me only and not think how this will affect the environment I live in. Most of the time its about me and not anyone else and this therefore can create satisfaction to me but destruction to the world! I remember the person who created the AK47. I keep wondering what was on his mind, what did he want to achieve? Personal fame or mass destruction at the press of a button? With all this questions in mind, I am called to focus and create personal goals that are beyond me, goals that make the world a better place than I found it. I am challenged by what the author calls change the focus of our intentions, if I know my intentions are for the highest good not only for me but to others, then I have somewhere to stand on and create my goals.

Goal setting is the main ingredient in any recipe of success, goal setting is the trigger that fires your imagination and releases your potential.

Goals are the sparks that light the fire of our intention

When I developed my first life goals, it felt so tedious and uninteresting. Throughout this book the emphasis has been on goal setting, the reason for writing them down. For me at the moment am re-evaluating my current goals to reflect what I try want and the commitment I want to make to achieve them. I can have so many ideas but if hey are scattered then it would be difficult to achieve even the smallest success I want.

Being able to motivate yourself and inspire others around you is crucial in all forms of business or personal endeavor

This statement reminds me of some years back when I was developing my self esteem. It wasn’t easy at first until I realized that I needed to start small and then grow from there. It was easy then to inspire others because I got concerned if people around me were not making progress. This is also true today for I find myself wanting to help others grow. In fact one of the philosophies I use nowadays is, “you can get what you want……………if you only help others get what they want”. In this line also is a school programme that I want to badly implement.

When you are ‘on purpose’ you find your passion, your power, your flow, and it feels as if life is working with you. To be on purpose, you must discover ‘that thing that makes your heart sing’

This statement cant be more true than it is! Being on purpose made so many things possible for me. I used to feel like flying and being on top of the world. I remember I used to finish my assignments on time, had faith in whatever I was doing, used to dream to much. That’s the time I was on purpose. Now because of the transformation am going through some of the tasks I liked look a challenge to me right now. I honestly know how I feel and its hard to pick up myself after I have hit the ground so hard. I feel nowadays I struggle to be on purpose but am consoled by the fact that this is a phase of life which I must pass. I long for the day that I will feel like flying again and being on my true purpose. The author reminded me the difference between a purpose and a goal by first saying that a purpose and goals are different. A goal is tangible, quantifiable. It has a definite date. A purpose, on the other hand, is an ongoing endeavor, a long term mission, or life vision. Purpose is the direction; goals are the significant milestones along the way. Therefore am confident that I have not completely lost my purpose, instead I have been temporarily distracted and am on way to be on track!

No one is more powerful than someone who speaks their mind and then does what they say

I am one person who speaks his mind candidly without fear. Sometimes I think that am too honest, or maybe to conscious or at times too realistic. This doesn’t augur well with the people I relate with in either social or professional circles. One thing that is clear is even as I struggle to be a man of my own words is to make that sure that I stand by word no matter what. I personally don’t like people who are double minded, in one instance they want this and in another way they way something else. I guess to stand on my words is the way I understand purpose; that this is something I aspire to and grow through it everyday.

Setting a goal is like firing an arrow: the more ambitious the goal the longer the arrow will take to reach its target. The lag-time between the setting of your goal and achieving it will be determined more by strength of your belief and consistency of conviction than by your physical circumstances and personal ability.

People who know me tend to believe am a dreamer and an ambitious person. This I came to realize was true even to myself when I looked at when I have been, what I have done and what I want to do. I have come to accept that these two words better describe me. The dilemma however for me is how to achieve goals that deeply matter to me. I have been impatient to some level where I have sabotaged my life goals. I sometimes think they are not worthy pursuing. However when I read this book I found the reason; most of my goals were ambitious. They will therefore take time to achieve. The challenge right now for me is to break those ambitious goals into small realistic goals that would be easier to achieve instead of waiting for the major goal to come to fruition.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Relationships

The first is not to tell anyone about you goals, plans or desires, just to keep them for yourself until you have achieved results

I love this statement just they way it is. Easily sharing my goals or plans once got me to trouble because one of my friends used that to lie that I had gotten a certain benefit yet I hadn’t. From that day I learn’t to be careful with what I say because of that experience and for the reason that it can be easily construed. Another reason why for me its important to keep goals to myself is because I have seen that when I share them people become envious and try to either dissuade me from pursuing them or totally discourage me from pursuing them.

Look for what’s right in your self, and you’ll boost your self esteem and build your self confidence. Look for what’s right in your life and you’ll spot opportunities and find solutions. Look for what’s right in other people and you’ll create harmony, peace and synergy

I have learnt the cost of wanting to be different. It has almost cost me my life and everything that mattered. Right now as I go through personal transformation, I spend more time understanding myself and what my heart is saying. I am conscious of the way I relate with people. Just before I completed writing this assessment I happened to be invited for a small meeting of four persons. We talked about a project that we were pursuing and the obstacles we were facing. Most of the obstacles we were facing were because of people who denied us access to see a pastor so that the project could roll with less problems. What become apparent was that most Christians me included put our guards down when we deal with other Christians. We tend to easily forget that they are human and are bound to make mistakes. My key lesson here is that if I relate with people I should expect to be let down, however I should be vigil and keep my guards on. This doesn’t mean that I wont bring the best of me when relating with others, rather I would be happily enjoying accomplishing my purpose.

Beliefs

I believe that true success depends upon achieving a balance of just three core values: happiness, peace of mind, and experience of abundance

Right now I don’t feel balanced and am working on it. I know the benefits of being at balance because its the same as being on purpose. When am personally balanced I feel like am flying and my goals interesting to pursue. When am at peace I can strategise, I am innovative and the like. That’s a belief I have had and and continuously hold dear even up to this moment when I feel imbalanced.

Love is the essence of creation

Without love my goals will never have a positive effect on me and others who I relate with. My number one goal is to make love a part of everything am doing even if I feel unbalanced and uninspired. I want to develop business and if I don’t love my clients then the business will be like any other that rakes profit and leaves the clients unsatisfied and used.

Goals

Successful people think successful thoughts

Most of the times I feel overwhelmed by so many things especially because I catch myself focusing on lack. Recently I caught myself feeling sorry for myself and that got me thinking straight away. I remember in one of the books I read that clearly stated that no matter what I should focus on what I can offer and not on what I lack. The environment where I live offers an opportunity to do something although sometimes I feel impatient to see my initiatives come through. For me its time to learn from the greatest teachers on the commitment they had in realizing their goals. I challenge myself everyday to think like a successful person already and he rest will fall in place.

Having a goal, a sense of direction or a compelling purpose, generates motivation and provides momentum, thereby producing stability in life

I have lived for sometime a life of wishful thinking, following the current or wave, going through life unnoticed. This has been a life of lies to me. I now know my purpose and nowadays in everything I do, I have to make sure that aligns to my purpose. If not I make changes without feeling sorry or making excuses. Even when I feel like am limited and discouraged, I only have to look at my purpose and the get up and move on.

Values

Never be afraid to ask for help or advice

I have been brought up in a society that considers asking for help as being weak and insufficient. The value placed on people who donot ask for help is high. We tend to admire people who are ‘independent’ and ‘successful’. While I do not have anything personal against people who are independent or successful, it discourages others to learn from those who have made it. I struggle with putting aside the society value of asking help. Through my years of networking with people from different walks of life, I try my best to ask for help so that I can progress. I learn easily from people who have been before me.

If you are experiencing any difficulty simply sit quietly for a moment and listen to what your heart has to say, instead of your head

I remember some years ago I attended a seminar and the facilitator said something that interested me. She said that most men think with their head while most women think with their heart. (I am not trying to stereotype). The author clearly says that as human beings we are like bicycles in equilibrium, if we lose balance we fall. It is painful to lose balance because it made confused when I experienced that. I tried to listen to my heart but my head was having a field day. I have started to gain balance and that has been because I put my effort to what my heart was saying. My passion lies in the heart and I had to fish it from there so that I could regain balance among others things.

Thought creates emotion, and the combination of thought plus emotion begins to influence our behavior

Our goals start as thought and then we are able to write them down or wish that they come true. I have just realized that intention is powerful when I set goals. If its a strong intention it will definitely affect my emotions and I will thus become passionate about pursuing those goals. Then I start behaving as if I have achieved those goals just like one author who has said “fake it till you achieve it”’.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

Learning is the ability to set and hold a thought that is positive in its intention, so as to develop your conscious desires, rather than your unconscious fears – I love learning new things and especially when am reading. I have been able to achieve this through IIGL. This helps me feed the unconscious part of my brain with workable ideas. Through learning I have discovered so many things especially how I can sabotage my goals without knowing or how I can achieve them if I want to.

Every time you think a thought and make a decision to do something you are setting a goal

I never knew this and its really a surprise to have learnt this. This will help me stop wishful thinking and instead engage in active goal setting even for the smallest things that I want in my life.

Our left brain is generally logical, analytical, mathematical, and thinks by using words; whereas our right brain is emotional, lateral, intuitive, and thinks by using pictures

I remember sometimes last year I was writing down what my strengths were and I wrote down analytical skills. Little did I know that was linked to the left brain!! Now it easy to notice which part of my brain is taking charge when am faced with an issue. I have discovered that to achieve my goals both parts of brain have different roles to play to enable me achieve my goals. The right brain visualizes in pictures and the left brain analysises how to achieve the goal(s).

While goal setting is a natural mental process, developing it into a powerful tool for achievement is a skill, and like all skills it must be learned

Through practice I can be able to better set my goals. Its good to have an ambitious goal, however it mattes how I have broken it down it small achieve sub goals that will contribute to the realization of the major goal.

True commitment is doing the thing that you said you would do, long after the mood in which you said has left you’ – George Zaluki

I find this statement so powerful because it challenges procrastination. Many times I find myself with so many great ideas, later I tend to drop them because I sometimes think I can’t or I don’t have enough motivation to carry them through. The statement is a motivator for me to carry one and purse my goals no matter what happens or how I feel.

Stay focused upon your goals, knowing that they already exist at some level, and that your task is to draw them into physical reality through thought, word and deed

I like the phrase that I have used under personal values that says “fake it till you make it”. I have to act as if I have achieved my goals, I have to be true to my goals and live according to them, people can call it pretending or faking it. However this is the way that I can use to draw my goals to reality.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

Yes, that to be a great goal setter I must visualize the results of achieving my goals, then from there devise ways to make the achieving of my goals possible. In other words the book has challenged me to see the results of my goals first then work towards realizing them.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

None.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

Nothing.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

One major outstanding concept in this book that I find unique is the difference between the right and left brain. I have never thought of it that way. Now I know when I am too analytical am using the left side of my brain! The author throughout the book has made it clear on how to handle these two sides of the brain to get better results. He has therefore started by clearly declaring that Goal mapping is a communication link to our subconscious ‘genie’. It is a way of conveying our intentions with heart, in words and pictures, emotion and logic, so that our subconscious understands clearly what we choose to achieve, and helps us move forward in life.

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10

Law of Attraction
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

The Law of Attraction responds to whatever vibration you are sending by giving you more of it, whether it’s a positive or negative. It simply responds to your vibration – am excited to know that as a person I release an energy/vibration. I therefore understand that I receive what I think whether consciously or unconsciously. If I for instance think about bitterness, the result I get is more bitterness. If it is love, more love. The vibration I send out can affect people I relate with. I have to be always on the look on what I allow to go to mind.

When you make a statement containing the words don’t, not or no, you are actually giving attention and energy to what you don’t want. Simply ask yourself, “So, what do I want?” – I have come to accept that as human we always think of the negative incidences about our life that make us fear to boldly face the future. We easily attract that which we do not want and we end up frustrated and de-motivated. Answering the so what do I want question isn’t an easy task for me. Reason, I have to switch to thinking to get answers on what I want in my life. At times I think the answers are right there, however because of the many years of conditioning it takes time to get the answers to the question.

When you go from what you don’t want to what you do want, the words change. When the words change, the vibration changes, and you can only send out one vibration at a time – I remember a period not so long ago when I was so optimistic and positive about life. I felt like I was virtually flying and the people I mingled with felt that I was influential. That’s the power positive vibration and I know what it feels. Sometimes you loose this vibration for moment and you become fully aware what’s missing in your life.

To know whether you are sending out a positive or negative vibration, simply take a look at the results you’re getting in that area of your life. They are a perfect reflection of what you are vibrating – I was very surprised to learn this, that what I have now or see now is a result of the vibration I have been sending! The secret for me therefore is to send out a positive vibration to everything I do however difficult it seems.

Identify what makes you feel good and do more of it – there is nothing so good for me to do in this world than to do what makes my heart sing. In the Book Goal Mapping by Brian Mayne, he says that when you do what you love, you heart sings and you are life is on purpose. There are times life dictates what we should do, however we will be dragging ourselves to do what comes our way if it not what makes us feel good. I have to spend more time and write down what makes feel good and pick it from there.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Relationships
When you are feeling really good and everything is working out in your life, things come to you easily, and everyone in your life is positive.
Relating to people is a way of life and that’s how I think life was intended. When we relate with people they are “affected” by what we think, stand for or look at life in general. If am a negative person, no one wants to associate with me. Whereas if am a positive person, I attract people who are positive and life then seems worth to live for. I have at times been down, sometimes so deep in adversity, however that doesn’t excuse me. It only calls for boldness to face the fear head on and not let that affect my positive relationship with people.

Beliefs
The best way to remove doubt is to find proof.
There are some beliefs that have limited my thinking; this is because of the results I have gotten so far in my life. Those are the ones that I need to do away with. True beliefs are those that set me free and not restrict me. Then my thinking will be developed to send out vibration that is positive. As a result I get positive outcomes.

Goals
As I review my current life goals, I am aware now of the power of vibration. In order to achieve my goals I need to be positive about them. If I don’t like them then I can change them. Being positive means that the results will be positive, this is because when am positive there is energy am sending forth.

Values
The law of attraction is also affected by some of the values that I have come to accept as being part of me. My challenge is greater for I have to identify those values so that they less affect by positive vibration. It is not a big deal for me to do away with certain values that I find unnecessary.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

The Law of Attraction doesn’t remember what vibration you were sending out five minutes ago, five days ago, five months ago or 50 years ago.
This is so powerful and compels me to action. I am not late in practicing the Law of Attraction in my life. It doesn’t matter what I have been sending for the last 16 months, I can therefore start step by step to use the Law of Attraction and see the results. The power of transforming my life is in my hands and it’s the choice I make that will be vital. I am grateful for this simple life lesson.

I have caught myself being too negative with life. I know where that has come from and it can be changed. When I am down or de-motivated, I can start by identifying the vibration I have been sending. The results I got in the last couple of months have been because of negative vibration. Its time for me now to turn a new chapter of my life by continuously sending forth positive vibration.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

It has challenged my thinking in a simple way. I should be careful in what kind of vibration am sending out. If it is negative, I get negative results. I attract more of what I send out.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

None at all. It was a simple book with very practical suggestions.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

None.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The Law of Attraction is not something strange; it has been with us since existence. It operates through vibrations on energy we send out as we think of something that we want in our life. The vibration can be something or a way we want to feel. The author has advised us to be careful with what kind of vibration we are sending out. For positive results we should be sending out positive results. All this tied with goal setting to me means that we should give our life goals positive vibrations. That way we will be on our way in achieving goals.

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? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Psycho – Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

Self esteem is appreciating my own worth and importance and having the character to be accountable for myself and to act responsibly towards others – I remember as I was growing up and how I worked hard to develop my personal self esteem. No matter what I have to love and nurture myself however disappointing the circumstances look. It is easy to be crushed with life turmoil’s. However it takes courage to restore lost self esteem. For me self esteem is as important as life itself. Without it I can’t stand in front of people and put my points through.

All too often we focus on our failures and disappointments and tend to forget or disregard our successes – this statement is not very far away from the truth! It is so easy for me to focus even right now on the failures and disappointments I have encountered in my life. Maybe I can justify by saying that I have go through many life breaking experiences until I wonder if there is something good out of this life. I am reminded here even as a student of IIGL to use the ‘few’ successes to propel me forward. These successes can inspire me and can serve as personal case studies to enable me become passionate about my life again.

Success is instinctive, but sometimes we block the instinct – this is so amazing and very thoughtful. Sometimes I have never thought about success that way. I am a victim of ignoring instincts and sometimes tend to procrastinate when I have one. It is interesting to know that my instincts can prod me towards success yet am there focused on how my life is stuck!

Your imagination makes your subconscious mind see what you your conscious mind believes – I love using the right brain most of the time and this more so because of its creative nature. Since I have learnt that the subconscious mind does not know if what I am thinking is true or false, I tend to try and focus on what I want. The author has easily made me realize the major difference between the conscious and subconscious mind. She calls the conscious mind the rider and the subconscious mind the horse. I therefore need actively use my conscious mind to control the subconscious mind. That way I control its path by making it see what I want.

Remember, every idea that you have learned can be reevaluated and challenged – I have learnt so many things including beliefs that have failed me. I thought that it was not possible to challenge or question what we have been taught since we were young. Now I find it easily to question issues and change when they do not suit or help me. Sometimes I feel myself resistance to make a few adjustments on what my thinking has been and change to a new one. I am aware that transformation is powerful although it comes with a cost.

If the conscious mind selects a vividly realized image and eliminates conflicting images, the subconscious mind will provide movement toward that change – for me I am challenged to improve my focus here. It is normal for me to have so many things that I want, however it proves a bit difficult to choose one that to focus on. The author has given interesting terms to the subconscious mind (the horse) and the conscious mind (the rider). The rider needs to be able to control the horse so that it can go where he wants. My conscious mind being the rider needs to choose what it wants and how it is going to help me get it. When I develop my goals I should be able to see a picture of my goals realized, then all my energies will be focused there, intentionally to achieve it. By creating a mental picture of the way I wish to be, I eliminate the stumbling blocks placed in my consciousness by my old, destructive self image.

Yet often the only thing that keeps us from breaking of our conforming life patterns is a belief that a chain is holding us back. It doesn’t matter where the belief comes from. Once it’s planted in our subconscious mind we accept it as true and behave in a manner constituent with it – breaking from what I am used to is a task that’s is sometimes so difficult and cumbersome to overcome. As I make progress one step for instance, there are other many reasons that come up and to remind of my old pattern. I have come to this conclusion in life regarding breaking the chain; that this is one of the toughest duties we are called as humans to overcome. The moment we break that chain stopping us, we are on a way to a new life that is purposeful and fulfilled. The author was right by saying, ”in order to learn faster and release our inner potential, we must first overcome limitations in our thinking”.

Relaxation is the key to freeing the mind for creative, holistic, right – brain solving – in life I have come to observe that there are so many pressures that are either discouraging or demanding and therefore deny me the opportunity to exercise creativity. For instance today as I attended a meeting I noticed how my mind easily veered to thinking about September’s rent. Now this denied me a simple opportunity to focus my creativity where its needed at a time. This book has tried as much as possible in detail to emphasis relaxation. I try to get time and relax every day and also focus on the task which is at hand however demanding all the tasks might be.

There is a direct relationship between setting goals and achieving success, no matter what ”success” might mean to you. The goals you establish determine your set point of success – having goals and writing them down is one of the steps that I found as fulfilling. Most of the times it is easy to assume goals or just daydream about them. When I wrote my first goals down some years ago I was amazed at what I was looking at. They compelled me to move forward and achieve them they called me to action. Now I am at a point where am doing serious review of the goals by asking myself if they are really what I want in life.

Life gets better when we know we have made it better – when my life is stuck, am the only one who can intentionally do something about it. I have come to discover that life is about me and no one who can make it for me. I have to contribute positively so that I can share my skills to achieve something. My life is also about others and how I relate to them. Therefore am keen at how I think and what I do because that has a long term effect.

Goals are often elusive, particularly the long range and time consuming ones. The harder you strive, the further away they may seem to slip – most of the first goals I had developed were long range and reaching them felt like a Herculean task. What I have come to learn quickly is that there is need to break long range goals into small bits that can even fit each and every day as I struggle to reach that long range goal. Everyday of my life I have to make sure that I have in one way or another made a step towards fulfilling my goals however small the step.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Relationships
We must make sure that we do not require others to deny or disown their real selves to earn our approval and love.

If there is one place where we try to change others to be like what we want is in relationships. We tend to set up rules or guidelines for them to follow and if they break them or deviate from them then we are frustrated and feel hurt and let down. This way we want to control instead of allowing others especially those we love dearly to be their true selves. And if they realize that we are trying to arm twist them to be what we want them to be, they make it more difficult for us and at times very frustrating. One statement says it all, ”love others the way they are”.

Beliefs
Belief in yourself as a confident, competent human being is the cornerstone for success.

Allow me to say that this is one of the greatest beliefs I have come across this year. Regardless of what I have gone through, what I have achieved, where I have failed, I am still a confident, competent human being. That says it all. That I can’t be pushed aside by what happens to me, I might be temporarily disoriented however am reminded that I am a force to reckon.

Goals
It doesn’t matter how many times you have failed in the past. What matters is the successful attempt, which should be remembered, reinforced, and dwelt upon.

Sometimes in my life I have experienced more failures than successes. Those few successes are sweet and remind me of fond memories. I am aware that I need to dwell on the success lessons that I have built over the years. At times it’s not easy to focus however as a leader I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln story. He is one great example and an icon of hope.

Values
Habits are merely by products of subconscious thinking and repetitious behaviour.

My values of life have come up as a result of the experiences I have gone through. I try as much as possible to allow to my mind what will improve my habits. The values I have act as sieve that allows ideas into my mind. I allow only those successful thoughts and behaviors to occupy my life.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

Dreams and daydreams get a bad rap when it comes to the practicalities of goal setting – I love dreams and sometimes I describe myself as a dreamer. There were times I never used to dream but nowadays my dreams are too much. I can say that dreaming is easy but implementing the dreams is another case all together. I am aware of other successful people who made something out dreams. An example is the Pilgrim Progress. As a Christian, dreams are very important they act as guides and give directions. However we all can have a nice dream and end not accomplishing anything. I agree that the practicalities of goal setting are a challenge because all of us like to actualize goals. We can’t loose anything if we give our dreams wings to fly and try them out.

If you refuse to submit a project until its perfect enough to pass inspection, you lose helpful input from others as well as a lot of sleep – what a true statement? I am currently working on a business plan and after this book I learnt that it helps to seek guidance for my plan however small progress I have made. So what I do is to divide the plan into several parts. After am done with one part I ask for advice. This really helps because I also get a chance to know what others think and also tapping into their success.

Be willing to make a few mistakes, to suffer a little pain to get what you want – it’s not easy to allow oneself to make mistakes. I sometimes wonder how I can allow myself to suffer pain deliberately. However I have discovered something, I have at times felt bad making mistakes. I would find myself complaining as to why I made that mistake especially if it was a ‘foolish’ one. Nowadays I give myself permission to make mistakes, that’s how I learn and see things through. My mistakes are minor compared to the lessons I get out of them. I feel weak when I encounter pain and I have come up with a counter to pain. That as long as I am alive, pain won’t deter me from pursuing what I want. My goals are important than the pain I feel once in a while.

We can decide to do something differently only after we accept who we are, where we are, and that we are capable of change – it normally takes time to realize who we are really are and this at times happens when we are stuck in a certain situation and we are unable to see through the muck. That’s a point where we know who we are by trying to navigate our way out. Most times its not easy to accept where we are especially if it’s a challenging place. Accepting that we are stuck makes it easy for the mind to think of ways to help us get out. By trying something different I have come up to know myself better. Sometimes I am amazed because at times I ignore what my heart tells me. Reason, how it will feel if I didn’t listen to it. And the outcome is interesting.

It is important to know that we are not on earth to live up to someone else’s expectations – this is a good reminder for me especially in this time and age. Most times life seems so boring because most of us me included do things to please others, our parents, friends, girlfriend and even siblings. I am happy that I am me and no one else. I am God’s special son on earth doing things no one could, feeling the way I am and pursuing my life goals that are different from others. The only expectations I have are my own, I don’t even try to impose to others what they should be. I realize no one will be like, even if I had a child s/he will have own expectation.

Risk taking, decision making and action are essential to goal attainment – easy said than done! No one I have ever come across wants to take a risk, yet they all want to be happy. We all want things for free, not striving for them or working to achieve them. I have learnt to take risks and as the business people put it take only calculated risks. One author said, if we don’t take risks we might never know what we might become. Moving on, I have observed for a couple of months now that men find it easy to talk especially about projects, business etc, but one thing that lets them down is that the forget assigning roles or agreeing on action points.

Resentment is an attempt to make our own failure palatable by explaining it in terms of unfair treatment, injustice – it is easy to be resentful about life especially if you have gone through so much and maybe experience the same stuff over and over. It feels like you are rehearsing for something greater which you don’t see or feel. As times goes by I discovered resentment is excess baggage that no one should carry because its too heavy and makes us make excuses. There are times where life seems unfair and confusing. As pain we should try to drop resentment and let it be because it scares us to be what we are called to be. It makes us hate for a reason and by hating we don’t get anywhere. I personally have learnt to say, what is done is done provided I did my best. No one will ever thank me about it or give me a medal and therefore it doesn’t make sense to hold grudges or resentment. I am now making bridges to people I once held resentment and the results are positive. By forgiving those who we feel wronged us we release the burden of hostility that eats at our energy and self esteem.

The sense of empowerment you feel when you take charge of your life may actually contribute to the extension of your life – one of the best things in this world is to be in charge of my life, doing what I love, having the freedom to go where I want and tying things I want. I feel young when I feel doing something and get involved. I didn’t know that can contribute to the extension of my life. I am glad that know I know.

People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us can come to being happy – the inside man is very important because he determines how the outside man is going to be. Having a calm and peaceful spirit is an achievement that is so rare. I have experience struggling to be peaceful inside and it not easy. However when I am able to be clam, I feel better and empowered to solve problems and go on with life.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

It has enabled me to realize that my self image is important and how it all starts in my mind. It has shown me how to be in charge of my life and the situations I go through. Two ideas have greatly challenged my thinking; (a) the conscious mind being the rider and the subconscious mind being the horse. The rider is in charge and so he should be careful how he directs the horse. The horse can go only where the rider has directed it. To me it means that the conscious mind is in charge and I should be careful to observe what it feeds my subconscious mind. (b) I should give myself permission to make mistakes and feel a little pain. This shouldn’t scare me from going for what I want. Mistakes and pain and strong excuses to stop anyone from pursuing goals.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

No.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

Nothing.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

Psycho – Cybernetics is a program for developing a self – image you can live with, one which you can you can feel secure, one that you can be proud to express to others one that leads to self – confidence and success.

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? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Psycho – Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

Self esteem is appreciating my own worth and importance and having the character to be accountable for myself and to act responsibly towards others – I remember as I was growing up and how I worked hard to develop my personal self esteem. No matter what I have to love and nurture myself however disappointing the circumstances look. It is easy to be crushed with life turmoil’s. However it takes courage to restore lost self esteem. For me self esteem is as important as life itself. Without it I can’t stand in front of people and put my points through.

All too often we focus on our failures and disappointments and tend to forget or disregard our successes – this statement is not very far away from the truth! It is so easy for me to focus even right now on the failures and disappointments I have encountered in my life. Maybe I can justify by saying that I have go through many life breaking experiences until I wonder if there is something good out of this life. I am reminded here even as a student of IIGL to use the ‘few’ successes to propel me forward. These successes can inspire me and can serve as personal case studies to enable me become passionate about my life again.

Success is instinctive, but sometimes we block the instinct – this is so amazing and very thoughtful. Sometimes I have never thought about success that way. I am a victim of ignoring instincts and sometimes tend to procrastinate when I have one. It is interesting to know that my instincts can prod me towards success yet am there focused on how my life is stuck!

Your imagination makes your subconscious mind see what you your conscious mind believes – I love using the right brain most of the time and this more so because of its creative nature. Since I have learnt that the subconscious mind does not know if what I am thinking is true or false, I tend to try and focus on what I want. The author has easily made me realize the major difference between the conscious and subconscious mind. She calls the conscious mind the rider and the subconscious mind the horse. I therefore need actively use my conscious mind to control the subconscious mind. That way I control its path by making it see what I want.

Remember, every idea that you have learned can be reevaluated and challenged – I have learnt so many things including beliefs that have failed me. I thought that it was not possible to challenge or question what we have been taught since we were young. Now I find it easily to question issues and change when they do not suit or help me. Sometimes I feel myself resistance to make a few adjustments on what my thinking has been and change to a new one. I am aware that transformation is powerful although it comes with a cost.

If the conscious mind selects a vividly realized image and eliminates conflicting images, the subconscious mind will provide movement toward that change – for me I am challenged to improve my focus here. It is normal for me to have so many things that I want, however it proves a bit difficult to choose one that to focus on. The author has given interesting terms to the subconscious mind (the horse) and the conscious mind (the rider). The rider needs to be able to control the horse so that it can go where he wants. My conscious mind being the rider needs to choose what it wants and how it is going to help me get it. When I develop my goals I should be able to see a picture of my goals realized, then all my energies will be focused there, intentionally to achieve it. By creating a mental picture of the way I wish to be, I eliminate the stumbling blocks placed in my consciousness by my old, destructive self image.

Yet often the only thing that keeps us from breaking of our conforming life patterns is a belief that a chain is holding us back. It doesn’t matter where the belief comes from. Once it’s planted in our subconscious mind we accept it as true and behave in a manner constituent with it – breaking from what I am used to is a task that’s is sometimes so difficult and cumbersome to overcome. As I make progress one step for instance, there are other many reasons that come up and to remind of my old pattern. I have come to this conclusion in life regarding breaking the chain; that this is one of the toughest duties we are called as humans to overcome. The moment we break that chain stopping us, we are on a way to a new life that is purposeful and fulfilled. The author was right by saying, ”in order to learn faster and release our inner potential, we must first overcome limitations in our thinking”.

Relaxation is the key to freeing the mind for creative, holistic, right – brain solving – in life I have come to observe that there are so many pressures that are either discouraging or demanding and therefore deny me the opportunity to exercise creativity. For instance today as I attended a meeting I noticed how my mind easily veered to thinking about September’s rent. Now this denied me a simple opportunity to focus my creativity where its needed at a time. This book has tried as much as possible in detail to emphasis relaxation. I try to get time and relax every day and also focus on the task which is at hand however demanding all the tasks might be.

There is a direct relationship between setting goals and achieving success, no matter what ”success” might mean to you. The goals you establish determine your set point of success – having goals and writing them down is one of the steps that I found as fulfilling. Most of the times it is easy to assume goals or just daydream about them. When I wrote my first goals down some years ago I was amazed at what I was looking at. They compelled me to move forward and achieve them they called me to action. Now I am at a point where am doing serious review of the goals by asking myself if they are really what I want in life.

Life gets better when we know we have made it better – when my life is stuck, am the only one who can intentionally do something about it. I have come to discover that life is about me and no one who can make it for me. I have to contribute positively so that I can share my skills to achieve something. My life is also about others and how I relate to them. Therefore am keen at how I think and what I do because that has a long term effect.

Goals are often elusive, particularly the long range and time consuming ones. The harder you strive, the further away they may seem to slip – most of the first goals I had developed were long range and reaching them felt like a Herculean task. What I have come to learn quickly is that there is need to break long range goals into small bits that can even fit each and every day as I struggle to reach that long range goal. Everyday of my life I have to make sure that I have in one way or another made a step towards fulfilling my goals however small the step.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Relationships
We must make sure that we do not require others to deny or disown their real selves to earn our approval and love.

If there is one place where we try to change others to be like what we want is in relationships. We tend to set up rules or guidelines for them to follow and if they break them or deviate from them then we are frustrated and feel hurt and let down. This way we want to control instead of allowing others especially those we love dearly to be their true selves. And if they realize that we are trying to arm twist them to be what we want them to be, they make it more difficult for us and at times very frustrating. One statement says it all, ”love others the way they are”.

Beliefs
Belief in yourself as a confident, competent human being is the cornerstone for success.

Allow me to say that this is one of the greatest beliefs I have come across this year. Regardless of what I have gone through, what I have achieved, where I have failed, I am still a confident, competent human being. That says it all. That I can’t be pushed aside by what happens to me, I might be temporarily disoriented however am reminded that I am a force to reckon.

Goals
It doesn’t matter how many times you have failed in the past. What matters is the successful attempt, which should be remembered, reinforced, and dwelt upon.

Sometimes in my life I have experienced more failures than successes. Those few successes are sweet and remind me of fond memories. I am aware that I need to dwell on the success lessons that I have built over the years. At times it’s not easy to focus however as a leader I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln story. He is one great example and an icon of hope.

Values
Habits are merely by products of subconscious thinking and repetitious behaviour.

My values of life have come up as a result of the experiences I have gone through. I try as much as possible to allow to my mind what will improve my habits. The values I have act as sieve that allows ideas into my mind. I allow only those successful thoughts and behaviors to occupy my life.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

Dreams and daydreams get a bad rap when it comes to the practicalities of goal setting – I love dreams and sometimes I describe myself as a dreamer. There were times I never used to dream but nowadays my dreams are too much. I can say that dreaming is easy but implementing the dreams is another case all together. I am aware of other successful people who made something out dreams. An example is the Pilgrim Progress. As a Christian, dreams are very important they act as guides and give directions. However we all can have a nice dream and end not accomplishing anything. I agree that the practicalities of goal setting are a challenge because all of us like to actualize goals. We can’t loose anything if we give our dreams wings to fly and try them out.

If you refuse to submit a project until its perfect enough to pass inspection, you lose helpful input from others as well as a lot of sleep – what a true statement? I am currently working on a business plan and after this book I learnt that it helps to seek guidance for my plan however small progress I have made. So what I do is to divide the plan into several parts. After am done with one part I ask for advice. This really helps because I also get a chance to know what others think and also tapping into their success.

Be willing to make a few mistakes, to suffer a little pain to get what you want – it’s not easy to allow oneself to make mistakes. I sometimes wonder how I can allow myself to suffer pain deliberately. However I have discovered something, I have at times felt bad making mistakes. I would find myself complaining as to why I made that mistake especially if it was a ‘foolish’ one. Nowadays I give myself permission to make mistakes, that’s how I learn and see things through. My mistakes are minor compared to the lessons I get out of them. I feel weak when I encounter pain and I have come up with a counter to pain. That as long as I am alive, pain won’t deter me from pursuing what I want. My goals are important than the pain I feel once in a while.

We can decide to do something differently only after we accept who we are, where we are, and that we are capable of change – it normally takes time to realize who we are really are and this at times happens when we are stuck in a certain situation and we are unable to see through the muck. That’s a point where we know who we are by trying to navigate our way out. Most times its not easy to accept where we are especially if it’s a challenging place. Accepting that we are stuck makes it easy for the mind to think of ways to help us get out. By trying something different I have come up to know myself better. Sometimes I am amazed because at times I ignore what my heart tells me. Reason, how it will feel if I didn’t listen to it. And the outcome is interesting.

It is important to know that we are not on earth to live up to someone else’s expectations – this is a good reminder for me especially in this time and age. Most times life seems so boring because most of us me included do things to please others, our parents, friends, girlfriend and even siblings. I am happy that I am me and no one else. I am God’s special son on earth doing things no one could, feeling the way I am and pursuing my life goals that are different from others. The only expectations I have are my own, I don’t even try to impose to others what they should be. I realize no one will be like, even if I had a child s/he will have own expectation.

Risk taking, decision making and action are essential to goal attainment – easy said than done! No one I have ever come across wants to take a risk, yet they all want to be happy. We all want things for free, not striving for them or working to achieve them. I have learnt to take risks and as the business people put it take only calculated risks. One author said, if we don’t take risks we might never know what we might become. Moving on, I have observed for a couple of months now that men find it easy to talk especially about projects, business etc, but one thing that lets them down is that the forget assigning roles or agreeing on action points.

Resentment is an attempt to make our own failure palatable by explaining it in terms of unfair treatment, injustice – it is easy to be resentful about life especially if you have gone through so much and maybe experience the same stuff over and over. It feels like you are rehearsing for something greater which you don’t see or feel. As times goes by I discovered resentment is excess baggage that no one should carry because its too heavy and makes us make excuses. There are times where life seems unfair and confusing. As pain we should try to drop resentment and let it be because it scares us to be what we are called to be. It makes us hate for a reason and by hating we don’t get anywhere. I personally have learnt to say, what is done is done provided I did my best. No one will ever thank me about it or give me a medal and therefore it doesn’t make sense to hold grudges or resentment. I am now making bridges to people I once held resentment and the results are positive. By forgiving those who we feel wronged us we release the burden of hostility that eats at our energy and self esteem.

The sense of empowerment you feel when you take charge of your life may actually contribute to the extension of your life – one of the best things in this world is to be in charge of my life, doing what I love, having the freedom to go where I want and tying things I want. I feel young when I feel doing something and get involved. I didn’t know that can contribute to the extension of my life. I am glad that know I know.

People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us can come to being happy – the inside man is very important because he determines how the outside man is going to be. Having a calm and peaceful spirit is an achievement that is so rare. I have experience struggling to be peaceful inside and it not easy. However when I am able to be clam, I feel better and empowered to solve problems and go on with life.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

It has enabled me to realize that my self image is important and how it all starts in my mind. It has shown me how to be in charge of my life and the situations I go through. Two ideas have greatly challenged my thinking; (a) the conscious mind being the rider and the subconscious mind being the horse. The rider is in charge and so he should be careful how he directs the horse. The horse can go only where the rider has directed it. To me it means that the conscious mind is in charge and I should be careful to observe what it feeds my subconscious mind. (b) I should give myself permission to make mistakes and feel a little pain. This shouldn’t scare me from going for what I want. Mistakes and pain and strong excuses to stop anyone from pursuing goals.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

No.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

Nothing.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

Psycho – Cybernetics is a program for developing a self – image you can live with, one which you can you can feel secure, one that you can be proud to express to others one that leads to self – confidence and success.

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? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

What to Say When You Talk to Your Self
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

Most of what seems to happen to you, happens because of you – something you created, directed, influenced, or allowed to happen – everyday of my life out of the realization of this statement, I try so much to watch my thoughts, my feelings. Sometimes in life I encounter pressure that disturbs the peace within me. Once in a while I try to be peace inside so that I can project it outside; I focus on the richness that exists inside so that I can counter my outside world. One example is sometimes when I used to remember the past; I used to curse because I felt bitter. This didn’t help since I started using those cursing words in my physical life. I noticed and I was very shocked. Immediately I changed because I knew the danger I was about to get into.

How you manage yourself, what you do, how you act, each and every moment, ever word you speak, motion you make, and action you take, or do not take will determine how well anything in your life works for you – self talk has helped me notice that I do speak to myself a lot. That is not a bad thing, however when we start to talk to ourselves we can either make or break ourselves. That’s how we start creating beliefs and values that influences our lives. I was taken aback when I observed myself how to talk to myself, how I treat myself and how I allow or deny myself some things. I noticed how well or worse or well I treat myself and that was an interesting exercise. At times I noticed telling myself its not worth to try again, that I was wasting my time. Then I noticed what I was doing to myself and the effects it already had. I then decided to change there and there. The more successful I become inside, the more successes I will automatically create on the outside.

How we feel about something will always determine or affect what we do and how well we do it – I want to call this passion. Personally I don’t do anything that needs to be done. I do stuff according to how I feel. Take the example of how I do assessments, after reading a book I write down the main points. Later when I feel inspired is the time I work on the assessment. I have discovered that if I do what I don’t feel like, I tend to force myself and the results are disastrous.

Most of us have a combination of attitudes, some good, some not so good – the author almost said that we are a combination of bad and good! I want to believe that all of us were born with good attitudes. The challenge comes when we are under pressure from the outside world and more so when we relate with other people. I need to be able to control my attitudes but sometimes they get so messed up in a normal day and am left wondering what happened. Recently I was attending a Bible Study group meeting and we were sharing how a previous week had been. One of us started us off by taking about how some drivers have perfected the idea of cutting in front in traffic. He shared how frustrated he becomes and it so easy to curse. I therefore understood that as long as my attitudes are controlled by what I see or encounter, they are not going to be good attitudes. In order to possess the kinds of feelings which work for us, we’ve got to have the right attitude to start with –

Every social grace, skill, and comfort level that we have, successful or unsuccessful is based on what we believe about ourselves – talking to myself is one thing that I have taken for granted for a long time. This is where I might say where my failure starts, I tell myself things that are sometimes discouraging or hurtful and funny enough I swallow that without resistance. If we ever recorded what we said to ourselves we would be shocked. This is a great impediment that’s disables me to move forward at times. The human body is very interesting, it keeps fighting with the spirit within and eventually it is the body wins. The spirit is the best form for us to be, but our bodies are driven by ego and short term gains. Our personal responsibility is the bedrock of all individual action. There are times life when all of us feel compelled to put up with a bad situation and through this I remind myself that it alright sometimes to make mistakes. For me guilt makes me feel so bad but as I have learned am growing each and everyday. Some lessons are sweet while others are bitter.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Relationships
The first relationship that I think needs redress is when we talk to ourselves. I personally struggle with myself; there is a fighting that takes place within myself. Sometimes I want to go this way, yet there is part of me that wants to pull in a different direction. I have learnt to listen to my spirit although it has not been an easy exercise. One thing is that when I do what or go where my spirit leads, I feel confident and at peace. By understanding this I am careful on how relate with others. I am very social but that does not mean I need to relate for the sake of it. It has to be on purpose and for the highest good for both of us.

Beliefs
Belief does not require that something be they way we see it to be. Belief does not require something to be true. It only requires us to believe that its true.
This is a powerful way of seeing things because it challenges my outside world. However I didn’t quite understand what the author meant here. I personally relish challenging beliefs especially those that hold me captive and confine me. Although there are beliefs that are empowering, then are the one which we should believe to be true.

Goals
Goals create challenges – and challenges create goals.
I used to shy away from creating goals because I would be forced to be accountable or to take action in order to achieve them. I have come to accept that goals move us away from our comfort zones where we do things without drive, just for the sake of it. Yes creating goals is one major challenge in life and it doesn’t end there. The developed goals haunt us (challenge us) to do something about them. When I wrote m first goals, I used to visualize and think about them. I almost became ‘crazy’ about my goals.

Values
My values have to come from inside. Why? For the simple reason that I value myself and treat myself with care because no one will. I watch over my talk, my purpose and health among other things. When I fight within myself it affects my values in one way and denies me the opportunity to grow trusting that all is well within. My attitudes express themselves through moods, temperament, willingness, and hesitations. At the end they affect my values.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

Each of us has three “resources” which allow us to get through any given day. These resources are our time, our energy and our mind – I have noticed never this, I usually thought we have nothing as we start a day. Or better put, I thought what we have is so little in a day to make a small change. I guess we are too busy staying alive to figure out how to live and that’s why the resources at times do not matter.

But always remember that some of the greatest minds, some of the greatest achievers which this earth has ever known, achieved their greatness with only three overriding attributes: spirit, conviction and hard work – I can confidently squeeze myself in between some of these greatest minds! One of the things that I cannot do without in this life is conviction. If am not convinced about something I definitely wont try it our in the first place. I avoid doing things for the sake of doing just as I avoid relating for the sake of it. While am aware that the spirit is the greatest of all, conviction is the driving force of the spirit. Why? Because once the spirit convicts you, the rest of the journey is interesting and am able to see things broadly.

True leaders have their own selves firmly in control; they are in command of their actions, their feelings, their attitudes, and their perspectives – one of the beautiful things in this world is to be balanced and to be at peace. If I miss this, I feel lost and rejected in the world. Apart from it being a beautiful thing this is a difficult situation to be always. I look at one of the greatest man who lived in the name Abraham Lincoln. How many times his balance was shaken and a many times his peace was disrupted. The result was that he tried again to gain his balance so as to leave us with one of the greatest histories. Self management is the difference between living a life of fulfillment and purpose, and living out our years frustrated and incomplete, contained by the short sighted limitations of our own self disbelief

Give life to your dreams, give strength to your visions, give light to your path. Grant your journey the assurance of a safe arrival. Set your goals, work at achieving them, and talk to yourself everyday along the way – This is what I call intention! I used to think that setting goals was enough and that they will work themselves out. I hadn’t learnt about intention and the great wonders it can do. I love visualizing what I want to do and so the same is what I do with the goals I create. I love giving what I do my energy, my power, my ability. The goals I set are me being manifested in a different form and show the contribution I have brought to the world. When we set our sights on our great aspirations, we should never fail to recognize the little goals which get us there – the goals which we set almost unconsciously, day after day, which help us survive, endure, overcome, maintain, and achieve -each day, step by step. They are our wants, our needs, our smallest expectations of ourselves. These are some of the most important goals of all; they are the goals of everyday living

Some problems represent potential opportunities, but not all of them – the author has clarified one simple problem I encounter in many books, that all problems are good since they make us become creative. I agree that no al problems are good because I have encountered life threatening problems and believe me, that’s somewhere I don’t want to be.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

In a simple way it has. I never realized that self talk can be dangerous and can deny us and opportunity to be better people who can live on purpose. I just did a few exercises and I noticed that what I tell myself at times is what blocks me from achieving what I want. Sometimes I discourage myself, at other times I punish myself. All this has an effect on my life and I am more careful to what I tell myself first before I tell others. This person ‘Me’ is important and needs to be treated well and inspired whatever the circumstances.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

No.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

Self management for me was very powerful because it talked about balancing oneself to live a life of fulfillment.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

Self – Talk is a way to override our past negative programming by erasing or replacing it with conscious, positive new directions. It is a way of building ourselves from the inside so that we can project it into the outside world. The book talks about removing all the unhelpful fears we have in us but harmoniously relating to the spirit live a purposeful life.

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? 8
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

The Power of Intention
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari

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

“Having lost hope of ever returning to the source of everything, the average man seeks solace in his selfshiness.” For me, personally, I attempt to return to the source of everything on a daily basis, and I refuse to be the “the average man” – if there is one thing that has come out loudest from this book is the word ‘average man’. I remember when I was growing up and in school; I used to prepare for exams. And when the results came no matter how hard I tried the results would indicate that am an average student. I therefore grew up knowing that no matter what I did, I was an average student who led and average life and who aimed at average goals. I also remember that once asked by my favorite teacher how I would like my future life to look like – I answered straight to her eyes and much to her surprise that I would like to lead and average life. I am now tired of being an average person. Why? For the simple reason that this allows me to embrace my comfort zones, it allows me to be complacent. It gives me excuses of why I shouldn’t try. Yes that how an average person feels. No ambition, avoids pain, avoids goal setting and hope that life will get better.

Trust in intention. It exists for you. Stay alert, and be willing to accept any guidance that comes your way. Stay in vibrational harmony with the all providing Source – the Law of Vibration and the Power of Intention are closely related. The pressures of life and heartbreaks that come with it can break down even the toughest guy. We then become hard instead of soft and ignore the guidance that is available fro us. I have noticed personally where I once asked, ‘what is the use of all this? Its getting difficult to get what I want. I want out’. This is the time when I lost hope on intention because I allowed my ego to take the lead in analyzing how unfair life was and why I should have everything that I want. It took me time to notice that I wasn’t balanced and therefore ignorant of the guidance that existed out there about my situation.

By banishing doubt and trusting your intuitive feelings, you clear a space for the power of intention to flow through – one of the main challenges in life is the ability to remove doubt out of my life. It so happens that even when I want to try something new that doubt sets in. Then my ego helps me to come up with so many reasons of why I will not succeed in what am doing. Doubt of course sets in and I abandon what I wanted to do. I give myself excuses that there is no need of putting so much effort into something and later feeling pain because it failed. I sometimes miss leading a balanced life. That’s the only way that I can be able to be at peace with myself and trust my intuitive feelings. All this is because of the mindset that I have allowed through out in my life. However I have discovered that by choosing to hang on to one’s corner of freedom even in the worst situations, we can process our world with the energy of appreciation and beauty, and create an opportunity to transcend our circumstances.

The secret to manifesting anything that you desire is your willingness and ability to realign yourself so that your inner world is in harmony with the power of intention – I have noticed that I miss my targets for the simple reason that I easily lose inner balance. This becomes hard when there is a battle inside me, when my body fights with my spirit. Eventually my body wins and unfortunately that doesn’t long. I try to cherish moments of silence to meditate or dream about what I want. This helps me be in touch with the real me – the spiritual me. This is where I look for the best of me and others. If I feel unstable inside I know that this will affect my outside world.

By all means, have an aim in life and be full of determination, but rid yourself of the illusion that you are the one who is going to manifest your heart’s desire through you will. It’s your imagination that I want you to focus on – I once read somewhere that we should pray as if everything depends on God and then do it as if it depends on us. I am not sure if I have paraphrased that well. However this can be easily taken to mean that everything in life depends entirely on us and not the Source. If this is true then it explains why we are pained if we fail. Why? We haven’t learnt the secret of letting go or detachment. We are so fixed on the results and the way we want it to be that we forget that the Source has a way of doing things. Life is bigger that me and if am not in harmony with God there is very little I can manifest in my life. It is not about me, it’s about God expressing Himself through me to accomplish something.

In imagination, dwell on the end, fully confident that it’s there in the material world and you can use the ingredients of the all creative Source to make it tangible. Through imagination, God imagines everything into reality. This is your new strategy as well – I have always loved imagining things and other times dreaming. In fact one of my mentors used to call me a dreamer. I still love to be associated with the word dreamer. I therefore love looking at something be it an idea or people and seeing beyond. I imagine beyond the person or idea and am amazed at what I see. Imagination for is like what one person defined vision to be, he said ‘vision is the picture you see at the end of a story’. I can say the same of imagination! Someone can start telling me a story or explaining something and I start seeing pictures form. I think this is powerful since it enables me to pursue what is I see and feel.

If you are experiencing scarcity, anguish, depression, an absence of love, or any inability to attract what you desire, seriously look at how you have been attracting these circumstances in your life – being out of harmony with the Source is a very frustrating experience. Since life has been an up and down journey for me, I have noticed that the best status is when am balanced. I found this to be the richest gift in this human experience. When one is balanced physically, emotionally, spiritually and physically, s/he is able to achieve more. However there are so many pressures of life that deny us access to the balanced experience. Everyday there are disturbing events, disappointing incidences and the like. The secret for me is to struggle to return to the balanced person who is inside.

Chose to be in close proximity to people who are empowering, who appeal to your sense of connection to intention, who see the greatness in you, who feel connected to God, and who live a life that gives evidence that Spirit has found celebration through them – choosing friends is something I never took seriously in my teenage years and early adult life. I was a social being and mixed with everyone so easily that at incidences it used to create conflict with my parents and some of my friends who wanted me for themselves. However I came to find out that carefully deciding the types of friends to hand out with or socialize was so important. I have had friends who tried to drug me into the mess, or to be like them in thought and action. And if I didn’t do that I was found to be shy and afraid of trying to ‘some’ things. In the process I lost so many friends and at first I felt so bad but later saw that it was worth it. I came to learn friends have so much influence in someone’s life. Their opinions are so important that if you don’t do as they advice you will feel out of place. Most of my friends especially the ones I used to have thought that I was a rebel because I used to chose to do things as I feel. When it comes to goal setting, most of the books I have read advice readers not to share their goals or plans with any one. Instead they advise that we only confide our intentions or goals with people who believe in us, who can give is a push and not discourage us.

You’ll feel most on purpose when you’re giving your life away by serving others. When you are giving to others, to your planet, and your Source, you’re being purposeful. Whatever it is that you choose to do, if you’re motivated to be of service to others while being authentically detached from the outcome, you’ll feel on purpose, regardless of how much abundance flows back to you – I have loved serving and helping others so much that I have been accused of ignoring myself. To some extent this is true although I have tried my best to reduce my service to others. This has been difficult and I have realized that it is hard to change what I love to do. I feel more on purpose when I serve others, when I show them love, when I lend them and ear and so forth. It reached a point when I need to be served by others and this didn’t happen. I became so mad and thought that all I had done was a waste. I was so attached to the results of what I did. If I helped someone, consciously or unconsciously I wanted the favour back in the future. To my surprise this didn’t happen and I was so agitated and questioned by passion of serving. I had learnt about detachment and it didn’t mean so much to me then. It was an additional concept for me. However as I was evaluating this situation I made a conclusion that it didn’t matter if I received all not, I should continue to serve others because when I do it I feel good, I feel on purpose. Slowly I started to internalize the concept of detachement. When I feel inspired, what appeared to be risky becomes a path I feel compelled to follow.

The greatest danger for us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. Expand your reality to the point where you persue what you love doing and excel at it – it is so easy in this life of bones and flesh to be a conformist. Yes there are so many times I conform to what is happening around me although I don’t realize it. Conformity is boring that it can kill a man. I have tried so many times to aim high and I have hit the ground so hard. When this used to happen I used to take a long break and then try again. If I failed several times, I would ask myself what is the use. Then later with time I would quit. I then started setting or aiming at small goals because I feared to fail. I just didn’t have the patience of some of the great inventors. The secret for me is to do what I love and then scale it up. Sometimes reaching a goal doesn’t mean that I should achieve all the steps to that goal. I feel happy at times by just having a goal or challenge. When its over I feel bad because I think I didn’t give my best shot. The truth is, by just having a goal that enough challenge. It was just yesterday I was telling a colleague of mine why I love challenging jobs. “The moment the job or task is almost complete I feel like I need another challenge to pick on. I have no time to be somewhere where everything is working and smooth. I want a place where my impact will be felt. I was so shocked to realize what I had said”.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Relationships
Remember at all times that what you think and what you do affects other people.

Sometimes life is about me and yet other times it is not. This looks a contradiction! I need to think about myself as much as I want to think about others. All this stems from inside of me. When I have low energies I will definitely affect those around me. My energy levels need to be higher than those I relate to so that I can influence their low energies to be high. The same applies to me – I should avoid company of people who are always negative or who seem to influence me to have low energies.

Beliefs
To believe your own thoughts, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men – that is genius.

Everyday we are influenced with all kinds of ideas or opinions in our work place, in school and in our social life. We are bombarded by what other people think is right for us without question. Some people tend to give us their life experience in order to make it our own. I believe my own thoughts since that’s freedom for me. It doesn’t matter what my family say or friends about an issue, I always believe my heart. Sometimes I give myself permission to do something opposite to what my heart feels or guides. I do this at times so that I can learn and know how far I can stretch myself.

Goals
If you are not doing what you love and loving what you do, your power of intention is weakened.

There is nothing frustrating as doing a job you don’t love or being in a relationship that you don’t enjoy. The solution will be to either cultivate love for what you do or change jobs or the relationship. It is inspiring to be on purpose by doing what you love, what makes you heart sing with joy because you give everything your very best. It was once said that, ‘do what you love and money will come.’ I find that statement to be a great guide as I develop my goals. I shouldn’t look for the material benefits of a goal; instead I should focus on what joy it gives me when I accomplish it. I need to ask myself, will I be on purpose if I pursue this goal? Does the goal come from my will or ego? How does it balance me? That why I will be able to develop goals that have far reaching effects.

Values
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.

I find this statement to be very unique and radical in this sense; most of us have been challenged to die for a cause just like Jesus Christ. However I believe that I shouldn’t end up like him since he will be disappointed by me. I would rather see what I believe come to pass since I have intended it into reality. It is like the life goals I have, if I died without anything about them, then it was a waste to have them in the first place. My challenge is to make sure that the goals are realized. I love comparing goals to the parable of talents in the New Testament. We are all give goals to persue and that’s our life’s work.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

When life appears to work against you, when your luck is down, when the supposedly wrong people show up, or when you slip up and return to old, self-defeating habits, recognize the signs that you are out of harmony with intention. You can and will reconnect in a way that will bring you into alignment with your own purpose – this one of the new things that captured my attention. I have experienced severally where life seemed to be against me no matter what I tried. I was so frustrated and full of complains and at times would curse. I wasn’t aware that I was out of harmony with intention or Spirit. I used to think that it’s a face I life when darkness surrounds me and then disappears. I have learnt that in can reconnect with the Spirit of intention if I listen to my heart, my feelings and if am detached from the results I intend to create.

Feelings are clues about your destiny and potential, and they are seeking the full expression of life through you – I used to know that feelings where either good or bad and that you could buy or force them to come to you. I once argued with my mother that feelings make a relationship. I wasn’t aware that they are clues to my destiny or potential. I only thought that its what makes us feel human and serve others. The way I walk, conduct myself or speak has a deep reflection of how I value or feel towards myself. Feelings can be measuring tools that gauge how you’re doing in the manifestation process. Strong emotions such as passion and bliss are indications that you’re connected to the Spirit, or inspired.

You are not your work, your accomplishments, your possessions, your home, your family…. your anything. You’re an aspect of the power of intention, dressed in a physical human body intended to experience and enjoy life on earth – I am reminded here that I am a spirit having a human experience. I should therefore avoid defining myself with what I have and instead focus on what I mean. That way I can enjoy life. I sometimes easily carried away by looking for what other people have and comparing it with what I have and sadness comes to my eyes. That discourages me from enjoying life. However I need to peruse life by enjoying every moment of it whether I have or not. The important character is to enjoy. The moments of my life, which I spend being happy and joyful and allowing myself to be fully alive and on purpose, are the times when I am aligned with the all creating universal mind of intention.

Your desires, goals, hopes, and dreams will never be finished – ever! – I was trying to figure out the real meaning of this statement and I remembered that the author kept on insisting that I am an infinite being or a spiritual being for that matter. The moment one desire or goal is accomplished another one springs, there is no end. As infinite beings we are not limited, we like working and as soon as a particular quest ends, we run to another one. It is like a man who is thirsty, the moment he takes a glass of cool water to quench his thirst another kind of thirst develops!

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

I was intended and that’s how I came to being. I am a product of intention and without that I would have never been materialized in the world of bones and flesh. Everything in my life is intended from what I have to what I want to have. I never knew how all this operated but know I am aware that the Power of Intention is real and it is backed by the Spirit of God. In order for me to tap in that power I need to be in harmony with God. Almost two years ago I developed goals and I failed in realizing them. I was never aware that there existed the power of intention and law of attraction. These are tools that are going to help me redevelop my goals.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

NO.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

Nothing

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

Intention is a strong purpose or aim, accompanied by a determination to produce a desired result. Intention is something that I can feel, connect with, know, and trust. I tend to find a close connection between intention and faith.

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? 8
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

Nonviolent Communication – A Language of Life
Assesssment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

Introduction
I wish to start my assessment by sharing the difficult political situation that we have faced here in Kenya since 30th December 2007. Kenya gained independence from Britain in 1963 and thereafter became a republic. The country is a multiparty state where there is an opposition and government. Every five years we elect council leaders (councilors), members of parliament and the president all at the same time.

In 2002. Kenya was hailed in the world since it held successful elections which were termed as democratic, free and fair. The country during that time also embraced a coalition government which had never happened before. Our future as a country looked bright until we went to the polls last year December.

What happened is history now. Over 1000 people have lost their lives and approximately 500,000 people have been displaced from their homes. We now have people in Kenya who are ‘refugees’, who are afraid of what will happen next. This is because of the post election violence that has been described to be as a result of a flawed electoral process. Most of the observer groups locally and abroad have cast doubt on the elections that were held.

The most painful part is that the violence that has rocked some parts of the country has taken a tribal dimension. Kenya has 42 tribes and it isn’t safe to say your tribe nowadays for fear of being attacked. It is not safe to live in areas that are not cosmopolitan. There is despair and anxiety in this country right now.

Currently we have mediation efforts taking place right now headed by the former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan and two other imminent persons – former president of Tanzania Benjamin Mkapa and Graca Machel, wife to Nelson Mandela. Both the government and the opposition have representatives in the Annan committee. These two parties have been arguing and pushing for their position about what is the best way to solve the political process in Kenya. I have been following keenly on this process and I came to this conclusion, if the leaders involved in the committee do not embrace Non Violent Communication (NVC) they will only solve the problem halfway. This book is timely since it explores possibilities of reaching at win – win situation. This is yet to be seen.

On my part and other Kenya IIGL students we are thinking of sharing our knowledge and perspective of leadership with young people to embrace healing and reconciliation. We are proposing to be part of rewriting our Kenyan history. We are looking for support to make this possible. We need to travel to the affected areas and show that building leadership in our youth is the way for society transformation.

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

The author is candidly talking about communication which is devoid of any kind of judgment that is practically lacking in the world. Communication is key to meeting both our needs and others. However this has been made impossible since everyone we relate to others through violent forms of communication. He observes that most of the problems we have are communication related. The author has given examples of prisoners, gang groups and even the current situation between Israel and Palestine. By communicating violently we are unable to get our feelings understood, our needs met. The same applies to the other party.

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

Communicating our desires as demands is another form of language that blocks compassion – one of the powerful ways of relating with other beings in the world is through communication. Most times we are awful at communicating and this makes it so difficult to get through to others and get what we want. For a long time I have been trying to better understand the words compassion and empathy. In instances where I talk I have come to observe that these words miss when I converse. When I talk I rarely consider others, what they feel and what they would want. I have understood that communication is about me and the person I am conversing with. When it’s only about me, I won’t get what I want and the same goes to the other party.

I believe it is in everyone’s interest that people change, not in order to avoid punishment, but because they see the change as benefiting them – when raising children or young adults at times its difficult to draw the line between the mistake and correction. I have seen most parents disciplining their children without telling them why they are being punished and how they can better children. Punishment seems to override the betterment of the children where they end up feeling bitter instead of gaining valuable education in their upbringing. I remember as a child we used to be punished whether we admitted a mistake or not. So I used to wonder what was the point of being honest.

When someone gives us a negative message, whether verbally or non verbally, we have four options on how to receive it; blaming ourselves, blaming others, sensing our own feelings and needs, sensing others feelings and needs – it easy for me to respond negatively to a negative message. At times I ask myself why I should be the good guy. I don’t need to think about it, it just snaps up. There are times I used to be silent when someone talked to me negatively or violently. This worked well for just a short period of time. I liked this idea of sensing our needs and others needs because communication is more than talking. If someone reacted negatively to me know, I will try to empathise with him first before I quickly respond.

Speakers prefer that listeners interrupt rather than pretend to listen – I found this to be the most funny and crazy ideas that the author has offered for NVC. I have attended politician meetings and sermons and all of them have one common thing. The speakers want to go on and on without caring if people are listening or not, if people keen or not. I am yet to come across speakers who interrupt their audiences to gauge if they are listening! It’s only in school where I saw the teacher interrupting student. Our Kenyan experience of political rallies is interesting. Last year we held elections which have been condemned as unfair by the international community. The point I want to illustrate here is that the politicians during the campaigns talked about so many issues. Unfortunately we don’t have a culture in Kenya where the public can question the politician on how s/he is going to achieve this. However as a leader I should embrace this idea of making sure that my listeners hear and understand what am saying. If not I should be very sensitive to the way the process the information am passing to them.

The most powerful way to communicate that we are making a genuine request is to empathise with people when they don’t respond to the request – empathy is a respectful understanding of what others are experiencing. While typing this, I was joking with my fiancée that it has taken me 30 years to understand the word empathy! It was easy to understand sympathy I don’t why. Maybe it’s because we were taught to feel sorry for others, to pretend that we understood what they were going through. I find empathy to be a very powerful tool of communication. If someone is having a bad day and I greet them and they retort back, I don’t retort back. I calmly tell myself they are having a bad day and I can be in such a situation. I try to feel what others are going through when they don’t behave or act as u want them to. That way am non judgmental and I can influence their actions.

Observing without evaluating is the highest form of human intelligence – for most of us it is difficult to make observations that are free of judgment. I have been trying to wonder how can this be possible? I personally judge things or people in seconds. I am very sensitive about this. If when I choose friends in a crowd, I scan so quickly and decide who is social and who is not. I have tried once to relate without judging and it isn’t easy. I guess with practice this is possible and I will be able to see the world in a different perspective.

Focus on what we want to do rather than what went wrong – right now in Kenya after the post election violence we are still focused on what went wrong. We are still basing our discussions on the rigged elections. Very few people including our political leaders are focusing on what we want to do as a country. Personally I want to change a bit the idea of the author by adding that we need to accept what is done and forge ahead to avoid such kind of mistake. In my many relationships with people, the most painful part comes where there is conflict. It is very difficult for either side to accept responsibility about what happened. We spend a considerable amount of time saying so and so did this. Instead of saying OK, whats done is done, how can we avoid this in future? Most relationships are broken because there is a lack of focus on the future.

3. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, please explain.

Right now in Kenya we are faced with a challenge that requires healing and reconciliation. This is after the post election violence where over 1000 people have lost their lives and another 500,000 are displaced from their homes. I find this book handy in the initiatives that are currently going on in the country. Everyone is looking for a solution that will see that we don’t go back to the violence that was witnessed. I personally propose to write an article about embracing non violence communication to be highlighted in the local newspapers.

4. 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 whatsoever.

5. How have the ideas in this book influenced your daily life, including your response to situations in your relationship with others or your relationship with yourself, such as your beliefs, goals, etc? Please use personal examples.

In a big way yes since I noticed that most the way I communicate is one sided. That I only look after my interest first then others come second. This didn’t mean that all my demands were met. However all this can change by empathizing with people I relate with when they don’t respond to the request I am making. I wish to underline the word empathy here since it has been ingrained in my mind through this book.

The other area is when I conflict with my colleagues; I used to focus on what went wrong rather than what we want to do. This has been common even in my upbringing, for example when someone did wrong; we would repeat the mistake on an on. This was instead of helping them focus on how to better address feature mistakes. I have learnt that it’s a waste of effort to dwell on past mistakes. I should be more focused past the mistake and that’s how we can ease tension and heal wounds. This still applies to the political crisis in Kenya. There is so much talk on what went wrong instead of how we avoid this situation from recurring in future.

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.

7. Do you see yourself being able to use this information in a practical way the future and, if so, how?

As pointed out in question 3, I would like to write an article about non violence and how it can be used in one to bring healing in Kenya. The other proposal is to practice NVC in my daily life, when talking to friends, colleagues at work and family.

8. How can the information in this book be used in creating a better world?

No single human being can exist in isolation; s/he has to co-exist with others. We exist on this plane as relational beings and therefore that’s our nature we shouldn’t shy away from. Unfortunately over the years people have been so individualistic. I remember a quote I read from a book titled “Purpose Driven Life” by Dick Warren which says that God first created forgiveness before man. If further went on to say that He knew that human beings would be in conflict all the times.

A better world has been possible since time immemorial, I think the ingredient that is missing and been given less focus is on building relationship based on non violent communication. We don’t need to force our demands down the throats of others. What is needed is a win – win situation where both needs and demands are taken into account. It will take time to notice this taking place, however as leaders its our responsibility to usher in this kind of communication within our family, work places and learning institutions. Transformation begins with an individual and then it influences the world. Look at Jesus Christ who sought to live his life differently by relating with people and meeting them on the level of their needs. Right majority of the world population wants to be associated to him and he has been a role model for billions of people worldwide.

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

“Let’s shine the light of consciousness on places where we can hope to find what we are seeking”

This is the only quote that got my attention. Looking at it from different perspectives it can have various meanings. However it simply challenges me to focus my energy and my good will to others who I relate with. It calls for empathy investment on those who feel vulnerable just like me and would want to be understood and not judged. Everyone wants to invest where there is particular return be it joy, fulfillment or purpose.

10. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous quesitons? If so, please create your own question and answer it.

No.

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

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

The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

This book simply put is about Gandhi. More importantly it is a life collection of Gandhi’s writings throughout his life. It shares his thoughts on politics, spirituality, poverty, suffering, love, non violence, civil disobedience and personal life. In a way it captures the life of one of the world heroes. The main spine of this book encourages us to embrace life without fear as embodied in the life of Gandhi. He went through a lot in his life but he didn’t lose his personal conviction about issues and what he wanted. Through Gandhi’s life we see how an individual can transform the world by starting that journey through self.

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

Where the leader himself becomes a servant, there are no claimants for leadership – I used to think that leadership means being in front or on top of others. I further believed that being great leaders were born and if I was in the ‘wrong’ family lineage, then I would never be a leader. Little did I know that leadership is about serving as illustrated by Jesus of Nazareth. I came to discover later that leadership is a heavy responsibility that we bear as human beings. If I make decisions, then I am a leader. If others expect my assistance in any form, then I am a leader. No one can claim that s/he is a leader while others are not. By taking action for the betterment of the world, we are becoming responsible leaders.

We must acquire greater mastery over ourselves and secure an atmosphere of perfect calm, peace and good will – for me the greatest achievement in life is to master myself. I am aware that this requires great effort and I may not achieve this before I die. Reading through this book, I was able to come across challenges that face human beings like sex, money and power. I was very surprised that someone like Gandhi admitted these three areas were a constant struggle. This not withstanding he still pursued what he deemed necessary for himself and his people. He wasn’t super human, he was just like me and he embraced self mastery. I personally have faced a lot of challenges that sometimes look like strikes of bad luck. However by looking at Gandhi, his works and challenges I am therefore able to find inspiration to master my life.

Even a single lamp dispels the deepest darkness – the question most common on everyone lips when there is challenge is, “what can I do? I am alone”. This is the situation we faced here in Kenya occasioned by the post election violence. I remember Jesus of Nazareth challenging his disciples to be the light of the world. Most people (me included) think that even when alone there is no contribution they can make to the world. Having been continuously challenged in my life, I disagree with this statement. I do not need to wait for everyone to join me to be of service. I take the initiative and run with it. That way I am able to inspire others to work with me.

Love never claims, it ever gives. Love ever suffers, never resents, never revenges itself – the subject of love elicits a lot of emotions when talked about. I doubt if there is any topic in the world that has been talked or written about more than he topic of love. What I see lacking is genuineness about love. We easily talk about love but we are slow to sacrifice. We ‘love’ and serve others with expectations that they will give in return. This is what I personally experienced in over 28 years of my life. I served with a lot of expectations, I loved helping out with hope that I will reap. The truth is confounding. Gandhi has talked about serving without expectations, that way we are experiencing genuine love.

We need not force of arms, but force of will – this book concentrates more on the struggle for independence for India. I want to draw on what has been happening in Kenya since December 30th 2007. So many people in Kenya died as a result of controversial elections results. People were ejected from their land, while others from their homes. Those who suffered were by their ‘simple’ mistake which was voting. What their perpetrators did not understand however ‘justified’ they were is that you can’t force the will of another person to do what you want. I have come to notice that when I fight (talking badly, forcing my way etc) with someone, I end up loosing. This has offered me a great life lesson. There is no where you can force people and succeed. Yes you can succeed for a short time. However this is not worth. We all need long term effects that are positive that even if am not around, my would be able to enjoy the fruits. Our personal will is the power we have to make the world a better place. This is what I practice to bring out everyday especially now that tribalism is a being issue here in Kenya. I practice in my thoughts, words and deeds not to address others by the tribe they come from but from their existence as human beings just like me.

Expansion of the mind will come from hard experience, not necessarily in the college or the school room – it is normally said that experience is a great teacher and Gandhi has emphasised this here. The limit of a classroom limits us to what we can do. We are taught to think and act as a certain way. I have only learnt recently that education was introduced during colonial rule in Africa and other colonies to ‘civilise’ people, so that they could be able to relate the way their masters wanted. Recently I encountered some adults who were engaged in a learning exercise and to my surprise they were fearful that they were going to make a mistake. Maybe they thought they would be punished if they didn’t do the exercise well! I have gained experience through giving myself permission to fail and start again. I have learnt in through observing and trying different things out. I have discovered that what we learn in school is ten percent. What we learn in the world makes the difference.

If we are to make progress we must not repeat history but make new history – I read somewhere that history by dreams. I am impatient when it comes to making new progress. It works my emotions when am told that something is impossible yet it is so much possible. Our country at this moment requires new history. On February 28th 2008, new history was made in Kenya when a peace deal was signed. However the role of youth has been lacking in playing a leading role in promoting peace. I want to be part of history and this is a lot of responsibility. If am able to do one thing at a time however small it is, then am on the road to making new history possible.

3. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, please explain.

In a simple way it has shown me that to realize dreams or goals takes time and I have to be flexible. The life of Mahatma Gandhi is not different from any other human being. He faced the same challenges like any of us. However he chose to do something different about his situation. Alone we can do nothing, but as he says that we can be the change we want to see in the world. To me this means that we need to believe in our purpose and consistently pursue it.

4. 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.

5. How have the ideas in this book influenced your daily life, including your response to situations in your relationship with others or your relationship with yourself, such as your beliefs, goals, etc? Please use personal examples. (Minimum 200 words)

Life may not always be a smooth ride and in most cases it doesn’t offer anything on a sliver platter. In any cases there are a lot of people in the world who are struggling to master themselves. The difference between them and Gandhi was his ability to try out what he believed was true and was in line with his values. The world is filled with people who are mediocre who are afraid of the extraordinary. They are afraid of the reception they will receive from others when they speak up or share their insight. The result thus becomes a society that is complacent and that fails to raise above the impending challenges.

There have been many times that I have always believed that I am an average person. Society has trained me to believe that and as a result I thought that was true because I tried so much but always ended up performing dismally. I have however drawn a great lesson from Gandhi that no matter what is happening around me, I need to remain true to my purpose even if I will never see the realization of it. Gandhi was a resilient character determined to achieve what he dreamt about. It doesn’t matter what’s was going on around him, that was only a distraction. He cared about others so much. I have found myself in the situation where I care about others so much. One great lesson though I have discovered is to balance between myself and others. Without that am going to loose it.

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?

None.

7. Do you see yourself being able to use this information in a practical way the future and, if so, how?

Kenya right now is coming out of the post election violence. Everything in this country at this moment is focused on peace, healing and reconciliation. There is a lot of mistrust among Kenyans because of what happened in the disputed presidential elections. We need to acknowledge that healing will take time. We can’t rush it and the best we can do is to give peace a chance.

Gandhi’s life and words and echoing into the Kenyan situation. He didn’t provoke his oppressors but instead engaged them into dialogue to find a just settlement for his concerns. We need to accept that we will be aggrieved most of the times as we live in this world. What will make us stand out from the crowd will be our ability to engage others who seem to oppose our ideas to be empathetic to our course. Not through force of arms but as Gandhi rightly put it, the force of wills. Non violence is one of the ways that he suggested for peace engagements. In the world we are living right now violence has no place in our homes, communities and even at any level.

There exists opportunities right now in Kenya to teach the youth non violent methods of expressing themselves without destroying property, killing or maiming people, hurling insults and a load of other violent means.

8. How can the information in this book be used in creating a better world?

It can be used to improve peace initiatives that are taking place in Kenya, Sudan, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other parts of the world. The education curriculum also can incorporate the peace lessons so that as youth grow up, the embrace peaceful co-existence with others. Gandhi is a hero not only to the leaders of the world but most importantly to the young people who constitute the majority of the world’s population.

At the grassroots level, the youth groups can seek to emulate Gandhi’s life which was filled with servant hood, humility, perseverance and resilience. Through this he was able to achieve much. The advantage this has to the youth is that they can start early to develop their leadership skills that are desperately needed at this time.

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

I came across two wonderful quotes.

“He is steadfast who rises above joy and sorrow – both heaven and hell are within us”

I understand this to mean that throughout our lives we will face ups and downs. We will be masters if we are able to rise above any situation that we face whether good or bad if we only conquer our inner selves.

“Action is duty, fruit is the right”

I once read somewhere that our in-action has caused more suffering in the world more than we have ever imagined. The quote calls us to be vigilant to take action whenever there is adversary that seeks to make us average people. We must be ready to question that which will affect our lives one way or another.

10. 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 create your own question and answer it.

No

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

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

Educating for Human Greatness
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

This is the most revolutionary book about education that I have ever come across. The author, a retired teacher, shares his experience about the American system of education and its shortcomings. One of the major challenges he poses is the availability of an educational system that doesn’t place the student at the centre of education. He shares three important dimensions of human greatness; Identity, Interaction, Inquiry. It is important to note that the problems listed in his book are not only faced in the American system of education but also the Kenyan system. I bet that most countries of the world face similar educational challenges.

In the book, The Essential Gandhi edited by Louis Fischer, Mahatma Gandhi once commented on the British system that had been imposed in India. He said,” [The British Government school] has made us what were intended to become – clerks and interpreters..” Most Indians believed this as true that they could not be anything else as was proscribed by the colonial masters. While education is key to holistic human growth, the same cannot be said of the current curriculum being implemented.

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

Curriculum should no longer be viewed as the goal of education but as a means to help students grow in Identity, Interaction and Inquiry.

Every year in Kenya all government schools receive an annual curriculum that needs to be followed by teachers while educating children. There is a way I have seen the curriculum being given top priority than the students’ needs or requirements in education. The matter is made even worse since our education system is heavily funded by the World Bank and IMF loans. Here the government has less say when it comes to curriculum improvement. Our Kenyan education system is not very different from the one that was imposed in India by the British colonial masters during Gandhi’s time. What we have now are more mechanics as compared to innovators, more computer users than computer scientists! This is a saddening scenario. I have been in the opinion that if this situation is not urgently addressed, then we as a country may import expatriates

When I was in college, my class used to be interesting because we used to engage our lecturers in lively discussions about education. I remember during one of the exams we did and the lecturer had marked that I should answer questions by writing exactly what the books of reference provided. I was at loss with words. If I said exactly what the reference book said it meant that I didn’t understand a thing.

We must truly believe that it’s better to nurture to diversity than to engage in the impossible task of nurturing sameness.

When I was reading this statement I was shocked to understand what it meant. I have never viewed the current education this way although I had my own reservations. Through out my school life we were conditioned to think the same. We were almost made to speak the same. Diversity is a strange thing even now because I visit a community school every day and the truth this statement stares at my face. The author used one simple powerful illustration that shows we can never be the same. He drew a squiggle and asked his students to draw anything out of it. All the students made a different drawing from the squiggle. This is the simplest way to show that we are all different and school curriculums should take this into account.

I remember in my school years when our teachers used to encourage us to try our careers in engineering, law, health among others because they paid good salaries. As we grew up we believed in them and what they told us. Now we are faced with a crisis because there is an influx in these prestigious careers which were told to pursue. Yet there are so many career choices that are in critical need of staff right now. I guess the teachers should have put more emphasis on the likes or interests of a child before rushing to give them a narrow perspective of careers.

It is the discovery and development of one’s assets, one’s latent potential that opens the door to an acceptance of one’s deficits and a desire to do something about them

Honestly its through IIGL that challenged me to take stock of my strengths, weaknesses and skills that I posses. I sometimes wish I had done this in my early days in school. Just like the author I believe that every one of us is been with potential. School serves the purpose in discovery and advancement of the potential. I am afraid that our education system makes sure that we accept things as they are and do nothing about them. Its either we accept the status quo or we will miss it in life. Our individuality doesn’t matter and who are we to challenge what had been there and never challenged before by others! I recently heard and interesting comment recently and I think it fits into this discussion. It says, “Evil thrives when good people do nothing about it”.

It takes insight and sensitive perception to coax the best from another person. When insight and perception are activated with love, genuine, unconditional love, the more likely we are to provide the right amount of control and encouragement for children in their efforts to fly.

One ‘strange’ thing I came across in this book is when the author combined love and education. Why? Because most teachers I have come across teach not because they love it but because they have to do it to earn a salary. They teach because it’s the only choice that’s available to them during this challenging times. However that’s beside the point. What I have learnt here is every person is special and unique. To bring out their best isn’t an easy task because the teacher has to be patient as s/he seeks to understand the student and impart knowledge that will make the student a resourceful person.

Imposed learning is shallow and temporary; while learning gained from personal inquiry is deep and enduring (the number one tool for inquiry is the power to ask good questions)

Learning is full of fun especially when you are young and you are willing to explore the world to understand all the questions you have. This is how I remember my education in primary school. It was so exciting and I used to have all the time in the world to do that. I had so many questions that if my parents or teachers didn’t answer, I would do my own research. This changed drastically when I joined high school. We learnt to believe what the text books used to say by being told never to question.

I am happy that now I have learnt to ask questions not for the sake of it but to in order to know more. Not only asking questions but good questions as well that can lead me discover more. I personally think that children should be encouraged to ask good questions and to be supported to explore new things. I patiently wait for my son to grow so that I can guide him because I believe that it’s only in education that we can transform the world.

There are unique gifts, talents, and abilities lying dormant in millions of children and adults waiting to be awakened and developed for the benefit of humankind. (We have greater artists, politicians, leaders than the ones we have right now)

I doubt if there are people who believe in this statement. And if they are there they must be very few. We have never accepted our individuality; we all think that we all possess the same skills or talents because of being humans. I think this is where we go wrong. The author talked in length about the education system trying to make all students the same. There are so many exercises and exams that focus more on making us similar. Yet there are virtually non existent strategies that exist apart from talent shows that strive to show our differences!

When I look at people or deal with them, I try to look beyond the outer parts. I try to understand them as individuals in the human race. That way I am able to appreciate what the universe has provided at this time and the reasons behind it. If we only understood that every one of us has a unique role to play in this world.

Evaluation is an important part of the learning process. This means that students should evaluate their own work and make revisions accordingly

The author has avoided the word exams because it doesn’t bring the best out of students. Evaluation is a word we normally use in NGO circles whereby at a certain point we have to assess where we have come from and where we are going. At the moment I doubt if the government can allow for evaluation to take the place of exams. However we should be able to take caution seriously of the various research and articles that have called for the overhaul of the education system. Students need to know if they are making progress or not. They need to know if the instructions they are receiving is helping them or not. They need to have a choice in the development of the education content and as the author has rightly pointed out, the purpose of education should focus on the student.

3. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, please explain.

In a great and yet simple way it has. I have been a critic of the current education system in Kenya for some time now. I have been worried about the future of this country and this book came in handy. I was personally shocked to understand that the US also faces the challenge of education. I and other Kenyans have always thought that the US education system is the best in the world. Every young Kenyan dreams of studying in US colleges because they guarantee getting a job anywhere in the world. I can say a better informed and I would love to learn more about the US education system.

4. 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.

5. How have the ideas in this book influenced your daily life, including your response to situations in your relationship with others or your relationship with yourself, such as your beliefs, goals, etc? Please use personal examples.

Our society desperately clings to tradition. We love the status quo! We don’t want to change or we are afraid to change to something new. Every morning I have hot tea for breakfast and at times I am afraid of what will happen if I changed that routine. The way I understand our existence as human beings we are supposed to be flexible and dynamic. We need to constantly push forward and we should do away with what doesn’t work for us or our children. We need to take risks that will expand our perspective of live and discover the abilities we possess.

I have learnt the art of focusing on clear goals because when I do that my human brain begins to create, even while I sleep, strategies for accomplishing these goals. I struggle to aim for goals that can be kept constantly in mind and make subject matter content work for me. When I do this it not only benefits me but also those around me. In the larger context I will have an effect on my country’s quest for innovative education. I am not only concerned about me but also my posterity. I want to leave a better place for others. Everything I do is not about me only but also for others who hold the same believe.

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?

None.

7. Do you see yourself being able to use this information in a practical way the future and, if so, how?

Since I discovered my purpose in life is to teach, I intend to contribute to the revising of the Kenyan education system however small my contribution. In everything I do I see myself as guide and also as a catalyst. I see myself enlightening others to see things through a different perspective, to question things. Not because of just questioning but for them to learn things they never knew before. Apart from being a teacher, I also see myself as a student. I can’t be a great teacher if I can’t be a great student.

8. How can the information in this book be used in creating a better world?

The book requests us to challenge the status quo on the kind of education system that they are providing. We should be in the fore front of suggesting methods that appreciate our uniqueness and seek to advance the same. It challenges us to write and write on best ways we think can improve the education children are getting.

It also calls us where we especially if we are working to be keen in developing our colleagues or staff to unlock their potential. We should design training programmes that interesting and embrace the concept of Identity, Interaction and Inquiry. I think this is the simplest way to start challenging the world’s education.

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

“The purpose of education is to develop great human beings who are contributors to society”

All of us have a unique role we need to play in this world. We are so different and that makes things better. We there can’t see thing going wrong and we watch. We need to be vigilant always to bring transformation in our communities, our countries and the world.

10. 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 create your own question and answer it.

Why not, as a requirement for graduation, expect each student to prepare a comprehensive presentation to show his or her qualifications and plans for making a contribution to the world? The candidate for graduation would show courses taken, skills attained, services rendered, and, most of all, a plan to use one’s gifts, knowledge, and talents to be a contributor

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

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

Creating Learning Communities
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

The book talks about the current challenges of education in the USA. He points out that most of what is taught in public schools is not interesting to students and doesn’t stir up their curiosity. Because of this, several individuals decided to start home schooling as a platform of enabling people to learn what and when they want regardless of age. A future where learning can be a life long.

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.

Modernity is a form of culture, a dominant worldview that emphasizes rapid progress and growth over tradition and stability, material wealth over spiritual depth, individual success over communal solidarity, and technological mastery over organic process –

When I was growing up I used to believe that education is power and the teachers used to hammer home this message always. We used to be informed that with education, it was possible to unlock any door in our lives. As I finished high school I was told that the World Bank controls the kind of education that takes place in our country. I was so disappointed since the bank already influenced a lot of policies including the famous Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) of the 80s. To add salt to the injury, we live in a capitalist world and this where there is more destruction of world resources. I then wonder why education is not assisting create a better and sustainable world.

Kenya has more educated people than twenty years ago and yet we are not in a better place than before. We have alarmingly destroyed our forests and abused our natural resources to the extent that if we continue like this our children will inherit a desert. At the moment we are grappling with the encroachment on one of the largest forests that provides water to the whole country. Our politicians are divided on this since there are people who are settled there. This shows greediness of people who are educated but do not think about the future.

Modern education equips individuals to compete for success in a system that only cares about their skills and credentials, while traditional cultures inducted young people into a social fabric where they had identities that gave their lives meaning

The aim of most education systems in the world is to be able to gain employment. Unfortunately the other side of this system is the unemployment situation being experienced. Room for creativity has been killed and people have been forced to join casual labourers.

After college I struggled to get a job and this didn’t improve until I decided to engage myself in community development. I was educated to work in a law firm but here I was in an unfamiliar territory.

The crisis in education – the school’s purpose, for well over a century, has been to prepare workers for an industrial culture

In Kenya right we are having an education crisis. There have been numerous school strikes and some schools have been burnt by the students as a result. There are a lot of excuses that have been suggested ranging from drug abuse by students, DVDs in school buses, indiscipline, single parenthood and the abolishment of caning in schools. It was even suggested that the students were influenced by the post election violence that occurred earlier in the year (2007).

However the real issue that has not be addressed up to now are the high school final results that were tampered with. This is where one is supposed to know whether s/he is going to university and if the results are not fair, then that’s the end of one’s career. Therefore students decided to revolt because of this unfair tampering of the results. Some of those I talked with were bitter that after putting so much effort in school, they were then deliberately failed. They were concerned also about the unemployment levels in the country and to them education was a waste of time.

After high school I was interviewed by a government education commission. The commission was set up to review our current system of education. In Kenya, a student spends 8 years in primary school, 4 years in high school and 4 years in university. This system is christened 8 – 4 -4. The recommendations of this report have never been implemented. It proposed radical changes to the current system of education. I felt used and betrayed. Parents, policy makers and students felt like they were taken for a ride.

Conventional schools restrict their individual’s natural curiosity and desire to learn .

Based on our current system of education above, the priority in education is given on implementing the given curriculum. So little time is spent in doing practical stuff and answering students’ curious questions.

I remember in primary school we had so many questions about science and how it affected life. Our exams had choices where it was difficult to argue ones case on a tested question. Instead of sharpening curiosity we started revising past exam papers to know how exams were prepared and what to expect. In summary I felt like we went to school to learn what had been prepared without addressing our curiosity.

Learning is an act of self volition. It is a self actuated process of creating skills, discovering knowledge and satisfying one’s own natural curiosity.

I find this to be a bold statement that should be embraced by all learning institutions. Right now as it is education is mandatory and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) one clearly states it.

I don’t remember anywhere education was a personal wish. School was the key to employment and that’s why I ended up in school and the reason my parents supported that. Communities some 15 years ago could sacrifice for a bright student to go school. They would sell cattle and land to raise enough money for the student to pursue a prestigious course. Nowadays I hear parents complain as to why they put so much effort to see their children through education for the same children to come and depend on their parents once they graduate.

Every time I visit my mother, she comments on how I went to school and yet I have never been able to get a permanent job. Her sentiments are shared by many people nowadays. I have to come to conclude that we have been denied the opportunity to discover who we are really are and what we can do. It’s like we are living in what someone termed a rat race life.

The task of the school and the teacher is to offer inspiration to children through the teacher’s own passion and know how, to support their individual genius or daemon, to provide as much space as possible for experimentation and practice with their future adult roles, and to support and protect children from the adults who have been assigned the job of indoctrinating them with the mores of the culture.

There was a time teachers were so much respected and everything they said was deemed to be true. In a sense teachers were the one who were shaping the destiny of a nation. However this is not true anymore and there are so many reasons to support this. In Kenya for instance, teachers are the worst paid employees yet they spend most times teaching children who can be better citizens in the future. Secondly the teachers have very little say in the kind of content or curriculum to be developed.

Based on these two reasons, the big question here is how can this teacher afford the students the attention needed if s/he can’t afford to put food on the table and cannot suggest how the curriculum will look like? Policy makers in this country fail to grasp that the teacher is an icon, a sign of hope, an inspiration that a student can look up to. I personally used to admire teachers especially when they I asked questions and they would gently answer me, they would also suggest without realizing careers I could pursue. I was sure this was not part of their training but a part of who they were and they wanted to bring it out. One contradiction though stood out and that was the teachers live and they kind of live they wanted to live once they were though school. I noticed a teacher could say what s/he didn’t really believe because s/he wanted to give the student hope. We were made to believe that the teacher knew everything and that’s why s/he was teaching. So for instance we would wonder why a teacher was living a miserable live and at the same time giving one hope for a better world.

Some parents have therefore decided to enroll their students in private schools which offer the IGSCE system of education. Institutions that offer this system are designed to convince the students that they will be come successful once they graduate. Teachers in these schools are facilitated to drive cars and students are allowed to undergo 30% practical work. This lie has infiltrated possible employers who have been made that students who undergo through this system are the best.

The Heart of Relational Approach; teachers as listeners, time for interaction, trust, a sense of belonging, responsibilities and the “real world”, the co-creation of knowledge and resistance to authority

I found this to be a creative approach that can work well in Kenya to help students tap into their abilities through their teachers assistance. We need teachers who guide students to express their true self, who are curios to learn new things and at the same time ask questions that can enable them discover what they don’t know.

There is a school here that is a bit unique and parents including me are considering for our children. The schools are models of what is called Christian Accelerated Program. The children here are taught basic subjects that can help their lives and also are taught leadership development skills. They don’t sit for exams instead they are given assessments that are calculated to give me them graduation certificates. The children also learn virtues like honesty and trust among others.

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 interested in education and I have been working on a strategy that can benefit students who undergo the normal education system. This strategy plans to utilize the e-learning plat form that is being enhanced currently. My desire is to see children and youth learn personal development skills as a way to assist them not loose that curios part of their lives.

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

What makes skills scarce on the present educational market is the institutional requirement that those who can demonstrate they may not do so unless they are given public trust, through a certificate – Ivan Illich

Our abilities and potential are only valid when we receive recognition through exams. I bet that’s what Ivan is trying to say. We have so many people out there who have the power to create new business or solve a conflict but they have convinced themselves that without a certificate they cannot achieve it.

I feel like am talking to myself. I know of countless days I look at the newspapers and see job advertisements and the qualifications they require. I do not attempt to apply since I have convinced myself that am not worthy. I think I have learnt this lesson again as I prepare to complete this assessment. The major reason is that am always looking for employment especially now since am jobless. It’s interesting because when I get employed I feel that am supposed to be pursuing something different. And when am jobless I feel that I should be employed. Deep down inside me I know that I can create something. What I lack is a strong personal will and determination.

Public schools were not designed to assist young people in their intellectual, moral and spiritual development, but to mould them into complaint citizens, employees and consumers – John Taylor Gatoo

How true of this quote. I sometimes feel that we are educated to fit into society in a particular way. In the process we loose meaning of who we are and instead focus on things that are not important in our lives. I personally am in the phase where am trying to rediscover myself. I sometimes feel that my last thirty years have been focused on chasing a mirage. I now feel an inch of freedom because am in a path less treaded.

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?

There were no exercises to complete.

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

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? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 7
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 7

True Prosperity – How To Have Everything
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

The author talks of a different perspective of life that he challenges the reader with. He boldly states life is a business and each of us is a boss of our life. We therefore have no one to blame but ourselves when we are unable to tap into our hidden potential and use it for good. He has gone further to introduce Kaballah that means true prosperity and how e can use the tools of Kaballah for total fulfillment. In his book he introduces the Ultimate Competitor otherwise known as Satan who is bound to make us fail. He has helped readers to identify the competitor and how to beat him at his own game.

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.

True fulfillment is working for something (fulfillment has to be earned)
There are times in my life where I wanted to win a lottery or stumble into million of dollars in my walk. What a shock after I read this book!! Even if I won a lottery, I will never be truly fulfilled because I didn’t earn the money. It has re-awakened a part of me that has been dead for sometime now. And that is in order to be totally fulfilled I have to work for it. No matter how small or bigger the reward, I have to work. In essence there is nothing for free and this is a very powerful statement that has been brought. The author has rightly pointed out that we are here to find our own fulfillment and it depends entirely on us.

EGO: Everyone’s Got One. It stands for an illusion, a fake self. At work when we have an inflated view of self also at work when you have a deflated view of yourself. Turn the power of the ego into good
This year (2008) one of my greatest lesson is the study of the ego. I have to admit that I haven’t really understood the ego and it effects! Since 2006 I have been struggling to be balanced mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. This has not been easy especially because I felt empty inside and needed to be filled with something. Then I started reviewing my assessment on PsychoCybernetics 2000 by Bobbe Sommer who powerfully stated that a feeling of emptiness is a low view of self. There was an answer that I had struggled to find. At first it was a shock to discover this since I had been working tirelessly to improve my self esteem. It reminded me of the losses I made and my ego went into defensive mode by accepting that I cannot achieve anything. I am surprised that was the ego talking. I think somewhere in my life I have left the ego control a part of me.

Goals are more like the net in a tennis match. They force you to make a great shot, but the game isn’t about the net. It’s about the tennis itself. Set long and short term goals, but don’t get lost in them. Be ready to change them because when you are the boss in your life, you put your trust in the Light
One thing that was clearer to me about goals here is that I should set them for a higher purpose. They shouldn’t be just for me as I have continuously stated. My goals need to have an effect on other people lives. Back in 2004 I set my life goals and later in 2006 I felt they didn’t represent me anymore. I was so disappointed by the outcome because I didn’t achieve even a single goal. I learnt two lessons from that experience; one my goals need to be flexible by taking into account the happenings around me. In other words my goals are not cast on stone they can be changed any time. This brings me to my second point; I am the boss of my life and I can change my goals whenever I feel like to suit the situation I am getting myself into. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have trust in the Light, to the contrary, it means that I am connected to the Light and bending my goals to where the Light shines in my life.

Use stress as a surfboard, an agent of cleansing
When I started reading this part I become very alert. Reason being I couldn’t imagine that stress is a good thing!! Quickly my mind flashed back to eight years ago when I attended a leadership course and there was this topic on stress management. To be frank I didn’t understand a thing about how to manage stress. What I did after that course was to avoid stress at all costs. In fact I used an interesting strategy to counter stress, and that I called suspension. When I used to get stress, I suspended it so that it couldn’t affect what I wanted to do. This was popular until this book. I am agreeing with Yehuda that stress is a gift that comes to show us the dark parts of our lives that need Light to be transformed. This is very refreshing for me and I want to practice how to use stress to my advantage.

Fear is a wall in our minds. It doesn’t really exist, it’s simply there to show us there is something that needs to be fixed
A week ago I went into a sports training workshop and the trainer told us that fear is one of the things that drives us to achieve in life. From my IIGL lessons I learnt that fear of failure is popularly discussed and fear of success is hugely ignored. When I raised this, one participant was very shocked. She couldn’t understand how that was possible. It was a bit difficult task for me to convince her. Through experience I have seen people who are ill prepared for success and when it comes they get into trouble. Fear of success has sometimes made me convince myself that am an average person. So I hide behind people or things so that no one can notice I have potential. This is not a healthy trait of a leader but present and opportunity for me to overcome this fear.

Time is the gap between cause and effect; it’s like a rubber band that can be stretched. Time is the most precious non renewable resource given to us
Once we were talking about time management and we never come to an agreement. Reason being that no one can manage time. Time is equally given to each person and no one has more time than another. One message was clear though, that the best thing to do is to manage oneself. Without that we will never reach our goals or get where we are going. The author has wisely advised that time is like a rubber band and can be stretched or let to remain its original state depending on what we want to achieve. Life is about cause and effect, however for us to shorten the time between cause and effect we need to be continuously aware of our surroundings and the happenings. The answers we seek can be around us but we are unable to see. This reminds me of a Bible story in Exodus when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. This story says that God intended the Israelites to take forty days to the promised land instead they took forty years because of complaints and excuses.

Ask for help
This is the simplest yet powerful lessons out of this book. I remember once I was in crisis and I decided to spend time by myself not wanting anybody advice or comfort. Later I felt secluded and wanted to run away so far to worry about my problems. Unfortunately this is what the world today is teaching us, that our problems are ours and we are the ones who need to solve them. The other people friends, family or colleagues don’t have time to address our problems. To some point this is true although we need to cry out for help, without which we can not achieve much. I like a story the author gives about contentment, he says that most of us are content with what we. This makes us complain and complain about where we are instead of asking for help. The problem with contentment is that we when we ask for help we don’t want to loose what we already have to wait for what we don’t know.

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 of all I needed to be connected to the Light and that means I have to be soul conscious. I need to look in my soul and ignore the ego that short sighted and look at what is pure and what makes me fulfilled. This means that I have to be alert at what happens in my life because I am the boss of my life and no one is accountable but me. I also need to be a good giver because I need to be part of the flow of energy around the world. I learnt that I am made of ten parts and I need to give one part to the betterment of the universe. This can be through giving my money or my time.

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.

None.

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?

None.

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 recommend this book to students who are developing their goals. Reason being that I find this book very useful for people who are developing or are in the process of developing their life goals

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? 8
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 Grip of Death
A Study of modern money, debt slavery and destructive economics
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

This a very complex book to understand that talks about how the monetary system in the world works (actually in the UK based on the case studies offered). The book further talks about debts including Third World Debt, mortgages and creation of debt. However there is more emphasis on mortgages hence the title The Grip of Death.

I thought this book was relevant at this time when the world economy is facing recession. Instead the author captures vividly the history of economics dating back to 1963 which in itself is not a bad thing. To be honest the book is difficult to understand and requires one to do more background research on how economies function and how they affect people. As a leader I need to better grasp money/economics issues and I need not to make excuses on the subject.

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.

Money is trusted. Monetary statistics are trusted – the financial system is Kenya is shrouded with a lot of secrecy. We as citizens trust what we are told by the Minister of Finance if when he says that there is no money to fund an important far reaching project. Statistics analysed by private economic organizations often contradict with the government. Unfortunately even members of parliament do not understand how the government budgeting operates. There has been a campaign to have citizens included in the budgeting process to reflect the realities on the ground in order to fund relevant projects.

The origin of debt – the author has brought about an important aspect about debt. He says that modern money is created in parallel with debt. I always thought that when we borrow from a bank, we are borrowing other people’s money. According to the book, banks and building societies create new money in order to offer loans. I think this is one of the confounding statement in the entire book. In Kenya, according to government and non government sources most the debts are brought about by borrowing from international financial institutions which include the World Bank and IMF. This then literally means that the money we get does not exist and instead is created. The issues of debt affect the universal principles of human rights by creating modern slavery. 35% of our revenues goes towards servicing international debts. It is said that every Kenyan owes the World Bank/IMF approximately $300 and this is a painful fact because we cant see what they money has done. So in reality we are slaves that need to be freed from these debts.

The gap between the rich and poor – early in 2008 inflation rose to high levels of 12% monthly and as a result it was difficult for most people to put food on the table. The high food costs were not unique to Kenya or Africa only but to the whole world. This has made consumers used to borrowing-to-buy. They know that asking for an increase in salaries leads to raise of goods & services and threatens their companies they work for. It funny how the economy works in this world. For instance oil prices are at this moment selling for approximately $ 40 a barrel yet oil is sold here the same price it was when a barrel went for $120. There is something wrong in all this. Inflation has continued to rise yet the wages remain the same and therefore pushing more and more people towards debt and poverty. Essential services have become too expensive and now people in Kenya are living by what we call, ‘The grace of God’.

Transport systems – the author points out that transport crisis is just one aspect of a general disorganization of the economy in line with the financial pressures and economic trends generated by debt finance. The transport aspect in our city in Nairobi poses a real challenge to both the local and central government. We have a very bad transport system that is so frustrating and time wasting. For instance it takes 2 hours to get to town in the peak hours of the morning and the same time in the evening. Yet the distance between where I stay to town is 15 kilometres which is a 10 minutes drive. The private sector has generated good ideas to improve this situation but instead the government only shelves these plans. As a result we have lost our good engineers to countries in South Africa such as Botswana and Namibia. This situation has a major effect on the economy since a lot of man hours and fuel are lost in unnecessary traffic jams.

Farming debt – our government with its agreement with the international financial institutions does not subsidize farmers’ inputs while in Europe and the US farmers are subsidized. As a result there is unfair competition between these two types of farmers. Our farmers are then forced to be more mechanized to compete better and this leads them to apply for loans to achieve this without realizing that they are in being lured into a trap. To make matters more worse their products are scrutinized to meet ‘international standards’ while their counterparts in the west are not subjected to this. The best quality that meets this standards is shipped abroad while we are forced to buy what doesn’t meet that same standard. In the end we produce good food products but not meant for the local market. This is ‘necessary’ because the government needs foreign exchange to service it debts.

Focus on foreign investment as opposed to local investments – China is leading the modern scramble for Africa but offering cheaper products than the ones manufactured locally. Another country is Libya which is following Chinas footsteps by buying government businesses at throw away prices. This has brought about an unhealthy competition in the business sector. Unfortunately the government seems hell bent into making these foreign businesses succeed as opposed to local ones. Foreign businesses are offered a wide range of incentives at times called ‘tax holidays’ while local businesses are harassed to pay taxes and meet stringent government regulations. This kills local entrepreneur spirit and there is no support whatsoever. Take for instance if I want to start my own business its going to take me a long process for the simple reason that my investment is less compared to foreign business. Then I will require a loan to finance the business and its easier for the government to accept to receive than to give. This strategy kills a lot of creativity and puts to waste all the skills that have been developed by our young people.

Multinational exploitations – back in 2005 I attended the Kenya Social Forum, a local chapter of the World Social Forum. There was a big fight in the forum when some guest came with sodas from Coca Cola. Local reformists are against mulitinationals such as these because they tend to take away all the profits to their mother countries. During the same time there was a campaign not to buy juice products of a multinational company called Del Monte. It was discovered that this company paid it staff less, they had bad working conditions especially for pregnant women and never contributed to the local development. As much as this international companies create employment and pay taxes, we as a country benefit less since a small fraction of their profit is ploughed back to local development. After pressure from various quarters including the human rights movement which I was part , the juice making multinational built a school, a small hospital and piped water to the village that provided their labour force.

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?

What this book challenges me is to research more about world economies preferably starting with my country. This way I will be better acquainted with rest of the world economics and the whole issue of money creation. I will especially need to understand why the world is current on recession and what led us to this place. And since this is not the first time for the world to undergo this, we need to understand that which we do to contribute to this.

I am concerned even here in Kenya, there is so much destruction and waste of meager resources. Forests are fast disappearing with little regard to the environment and posterity, we have a parliament that passes bills that serve the immediate selfish needs, we have an education system that wastes the potential of this nation and we have a myriad of other problems that are affecting us. Yet we little understand that this ultimately affects our lives at this moment and the future generations. Personally I bet this is one reason that there is an economic slump.

Ideas have been suggested now and then but that doesn’t mean that I can’t offer mine through writing and making commentaries. I also have a huge task of educating others to learn what I have leant so I can also be part of creating leaders.

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.

None.

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?

As I have mentioned above, the book is complex to understand since it focuses more on debt financing as one aspect of economic challenges faced.

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

No.

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

I wouldn’t recommend this book highly maybe give a 3 because of two reasons:

* Any reader must be first acquainted with basic economic books in order to fully grasp the serious issues this book is raising and

* At this time based on where the global economy is, there is need for people to understand reasons as to what led them here.

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? 3
B. How helpful were the contents? 3
C. How easy was it to understand? 4
D. Would you recommend it to others? 3
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 3
Matrix Energetics
Assessment by Bikundo Onyari (Kenya)

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

He is reminding us that we are co-creators with God of what we see in life and what we want to project. We affect our live either knowingly or unconsciously. He goes ahead and offer case studies/examples of how he healed his clients using quantum physics and insists that it’s not him but God who heals. The author is able to offer his clients this healing method because he understands that we are not our flesh but instead we are light and information.

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.

Look at all your solutions – there are moments in my life where I have been confronted that forced me to make a decision I liked or didn’t like. As always when am in this situation I have two choices to make and it depends on the pressure I am in to make a decision. Yes there are many solutions but when I have analyzed them, they come down to two. I have learnt throughout these studies that there is no wrong decision because either way we are led to some place. But what’s important is leaving my options open since which means I am flexible to whatever happens. It does take me long to decide at times especially when I have for example several good offers on the table and I need to pick on one.

The power of made up reality – we need to develop a set of beliefs and values that fully express who we are before we try to teach others to do the same. Of course we need to relearn what we have been taught in our upbringing. In my interactions and work, I provide advice of something I have tried before and I remind my colleagues that those are my experiences and opinions and they can choose something similar or different. As I do this I am reminded to utilize that part of my soul that is focused on uplifting mankind, wishing everyone well and sending positive energy. Also as leaders there is one mistake that we make and that is to provide all the answers. For me I think at times its takes great courage and leadership to accept that you don’t have all the answers.

I am what I think – this is a simple but powerful reminder of what I think. At times I beat myself; I treat myself badly as if this body doesn’t belong to me. The author calls this a matrix or grid. This awakens me because it teaches me to be vigilant of what I think, how I relate to those thoughts and how I express them. The greatest lesson here like I have mentioned above is to accept I don’t know and that opens doors to other possibilities of learning something new. I am reminded of the book, What to Say When You Talk To Yourself by Shad Helmstetter who challenges us to say positive things about ourselves, to treat our bodies with respect and to guide them to help us achieve what our purpose on earth is.

Asking good questions – I learnt questions are powerful when of communication back in 2007 when I went for a workshop in the Netherlands. Before that I didn’t like people asking questions and as a matter of fact I avoided such people. Later did I come to understand that questions enable us to be clear about many things like our intentions, our approaches, our decisions and so forth. So without asking the right questions we can never find the answers we are looking for. Nowadays I have to develop an interesting style in my work since am more involved in the development world. If I want to develop a proposal or do marketing of my idea, I do a research of the company or person I am approaching and book an appointment. Then I try to have an informal meeting with them to do what I call ‘picking of their minds’. This is really beneficial since am able to get what I would not have found out in a different way like in the brochures or websites.

Try different strategies – in this life there are more than four ways of looking at challenges and this is by trying different ways to get a desired result. This can enable a person learn so much about herself because we are unfortunately set up to follow other people way of doing things. This of course needs us to be fully responsible of our decisions and choices. There are times I used to hate myself for failing or doing something that didn’t make me satisfied. I used to blame God, my peers or parents. Freedom came when I started taking responsibilities of what I experience be it failure or success. Nowadays am enjoying even some part of my past which I hated. I look back and smile because it has taught me so much. I can either choose the same experience or choose a different one. I now feel liberated and able to enjoy life which some years back looked so unbearable.

Expectations can limit you – I remember during the days I used to attend church, we were taught that we were to have expectations especially when it came to giving. We were farther told that it’s a sin not to expect God not to bless you because of the offering you have offered. This I came to realize in a painful experience I went through that it was a false teaching. Having expectations is a bad focus because it fails people so badly. There are no expectations that are good either high or low. I learnt to just be, whether I received or not. It’s like loving someone who doesn’t love back; by focusing more on expecting them to love back we are blocking other possibilities from happening in our lives. It’s always wise to expect the unexpected which reminds me of my school days. I used to tell myself after sitting for exams that either outcome will be OK with me. This wasn’t easy but it helped me avoid anxiety.

Transformation – this is one aspect this book is bringing out more loudly than healing. In this life I have learnt to be transformed always and it is always exciting learning one new thing everyday since it enriches my life in such a way that makes me wiser. I am not the same as I was yesterday and I wouldn’t be the same come 4 years from now. I try my best to move towards something that makes me a better person inside since it affects my outside. I know without taking care of my soul wishes I am nothing and can achieve only destructive abilities. In a small way am changing the world even when it seems so impossible. I am not afraid to speak my mind and question things. The most of all I like when I learn something ‘strange’ like spirituality since this where I need to be purely refined. Through transformation I can be able to heal and rid myself of non beneficial things in my life.

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

I am who I am and this is expressed by what I do and speak. If I don’t like who I am current expressing I can choose a different part of me that I like and that makes me happy. One practical thing I will carry from this book is reassessing my thoughts and writings. I especially go through my previous dairies and look at the thoughts and things I did that way I can assess whether am growing or not. I also review my assessments since each assessment tells me something or reminds me of some issues and how I sorted them out.

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.

None.

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?

No.

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

None.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 5
B. How helpful were the contents? 5
C. How easy was it to understand? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others? 4
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 5