As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Cosmas Jimson (Malawi)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author in this book is outlining and explaining that the mind shapes what we are and that the outcome of our thoughts is sooner or later our character. The author is further telling the reader that never will the consequence of good thoughts be evil or bad and that of bad thoughts be good. Bad propagates bad and good propagates good. Man is made or unmade by himself. Every act man partakes originates from his inward being, the mind. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master. There is nothing like fate or favour; everything springs from the power of thought.
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.
a. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.
Everything man is springs forth from the variety of his thought. Character is build up by what a man thinks. Character is thought in action. We may hide whatever we are inside us but the outward thought, the character will reveal to our surroundings the real us. Man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny. When I was at first denied entry into the University of Malawi, I had a feeling and thought that it is not only through the university that I can get what I want and I was able to create other opportunities and got enrolled with the Malawi College of Accountancy. I did not give up, I worked hard because I constantly thought about entering the university and the second time i wrote the university entrance examinations to enter the I was successful and was accepted into the University of Malawi. I think it happen because my mind did not divert my focus. Man holds the key to every situation.
b.Man’s mind is likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth results. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.
Impure thoughts should not be allowed to dwell in my mind and they should not find their way in. Like weeds in the garden they can reduce the yield and compromise the quality of my understanding and thinking. Only pure thoughts should be allowed to grow for they bring forth joy to the heart and nurtures the mind. If man believes that he is engulfed by the forces around him, he ceases to be in control, but if he treats the circumstances as a lesson he grows. Men are always eager and they get busy trying to change circumstances but are unwilling to improve themselves. We shape our circumstances though we do not choose them directly.
c. ‘Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results’.
This suggests that our thoughts will always correspond to the outcome of them. It is also true to say that pure thoughts may not be prone to suffering but those thoughts that are not harmonious with our self will always hurt us. It is the good indicator to those who are suffering and calls them to purify their minds. Good will always be good and bad be bad. The goodness of man comes forth from his stable mind and pure thoughts; all bad things spring from polluted and unstable mind. However, material possessions should not be equated to goodness or blessedness and likewise, wretchedness not equated lack of material possessions. As said in this book the two may be equated if riches are so rightly and wisely used, and when the poor man regards his lot as a burden unjustly imposed.
d. The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed.
As it is, the mind may enslave the body. Enslavement may take different forms; anxiety which lays the body open to the entrance of disease, and impure thoughts shatter the nervous system. Clean life results from pure and clean thoughts, but unclean thoughts contaminate our life and make man ugly and unhealthy. A body is paralyzed if not watched from contamination, if it is not taken care of from within. We may eat good food, have good air and good everything from outside, but if from inside we are rotten, we are a misery. Ugly inside means ugly outside and beauty inside means beauty outside. If you would like to protect your body, guard your mind. If you would like to renew your body, beautify your mind.
e. Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment. They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-pitying, all of which are indications of weakness, which just as surely as deliberately planned sins (though by a different route), lead to failure, unhappiness, and loss, for weakness cannot persist in a power evolving universe.
I should set a legitimate purpose and concentrate my efforts upon it so as to accomplish it. The purpose should be the central point of my thoughts and energy. Life engulfed by fear and worries is surely disturbed. Fears and doubts are disintegrating elements. They break up the straight line of effort, rendering it crooked, ineffectual, and useless. As Allen suggests, “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; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully.” Life without a purpose is like a tree without roots. When wind blows it may be carried away easily. Everything tends to be useless and pointless. Life itself may not carry meaning.
f. A strong man cannot help a weaker unless that weaker is willing to be helped, and even then the weak man must become strong of himself; he must, by his own efforts, develop the strength which he admires in another. None but himself can alter his condition.
To be helped I must realise that I am my own master; that I have the power to transform my life from outside through those who are pure in heart and thought. I need to show willingness that I can make better me. I must believe that I can conquer my weaknesses and set myself free. I need to be able to control my thoughts and must sacrifice anything corresponding to the animalist behavior if I am to succeed. Success requires sacrifices and we should not hesitate to do it. There can be no progress, no achievement without sacrifice, and a man’s worldly success will be in the measure that he sacrifices his confused animal thoughts, and fixes his mind on the development of his plans, and the strengthening of his resolution and self-reliance.
g. Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your Vision is the promise of what you shall be like one day; your Ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.
Dreams are the seedlings of realities. We are the prophets of our own life. Dreams are a projection of what we shall become in the future; the projection of what we want our lives to be in the years to come. A dream well nurtured will turn into a reality. Dreams and visions open the window of possibilities. Success begins with dreams. In my case, I always longed for the opportunity to go to college. As this was running through my mind I worked hard so that the dream materializes and in the end it happened.
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?
There are many lessons I have learnt from this book but most of all that from the mind comes a wide range of characters. This has helped me to know that I have to be responsible of my own actions which stem from my thoughts. It has also helped me to tender and cultivate good thoughts so as to be a healthy man. The understanding of the book would also give me the picture as to how others think and why they think like that by looking at their actions. My understanding of their actions would also help me know some of their thoughts. I can help those with lame mind through the knowledge I have gained from this book. This would help in shaping the world in a better way.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
a. “The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and also that which it fears; it reaches the height of its cherished aspirations; it falls to the level of its unchastened desires,–and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.”
The soul is very powerful. It cannot entertain that to which it has no interest but it may accommodate that which it fears for safety reasons. This helps know that sometimes my actions may be influenced by what my soul secretly harbors. I may do something unconsciously because of what is in my soul.
b. “Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in.”
Doubt and fear diverts our power and energy and make them crooked. i should be courageous and strong and never allow to be conquered by fear, as fear will make me lose direction and purpose.
c. “He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.
What we benefit comes from the magnitude of the sacrifices we make. I have to sacrifice more if I want to achieve more in life. Major risks would give me huge benefit, and if I am masked by fear and if I want to always operate in risk-free, which in reality do not exist, then i would not be able to maximize my benefits.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
The concepts are well explained although it somehow required much concentration to grasp the ideas.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
The book did not contain any exercises but it requests constant reading effort for me to gain maximum benefit.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No comment but this is a very powerful book. It has already shaped my thinking.
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? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Cosmas Jimson (Malawi)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
In this book the author is trying to help us understand the nature of leadership; that it is not always that we should not do this or that because we have never done it before but instead to be flexible and allow constructive views; to always be adventurous and ambitious and not limited by circumstances around us or what the majority or the community think but to work towards perfection.
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.
a. Seagulls, as you know, never falter, never stall. To stall in the air is for them disgrace and it is dishonor.
Some things we do or decisions we make may look disgraceful or embarrassing but we should never be ashamed because some view them as such but with a sense of direction, dedication, and most of all vision, we always accelerate and achieve what we are determined to achieve.
b. Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight – how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything else. Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly.
Be extra-ordinary and not confine yourself to simple things everybody does without thinking. As human beings we should always give ourselves to the voice within and to always have the courage of pursuing ideas that will always shape us and the world around us.
c. “I don’t mind being bone and feathers mom. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can’t, that’s all. I just want to know.”
It is worth experimenting in trying to find out good ideas or practice to improve conditions around us even though this may make us unpopular. As long as we are confident and press ourselves to fulfill our vision, we will neither fail nor fall.
d. The same rule holds for us now, of course: 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.”
It is better to know your abilities and limitations at each point in time and why there are limitations and work to find a way of turning those limitations into your abilities. We choose our next destination by conquering our present world; by breaking that which limits our capabilities. We can never progress unless we succeed in our present situation. This is the same with an education system. First of all, you are required to fulfill the requirements of the stage you are in and demonstrate that you have learnt what was required of you and then you are allowed to progress to the next level.
e. Find as many reasons as to why some things are done and find ways to make each activity enjoyable and worth repeating again and again to gain maximum benefit from it.
Sometimes we follow things rigidly and confine our thinking to daily routines; work up, take a bath, eat, sleep, without allowing our minds to explore other things or ideas and or ask why we always do this or that. There are things that we can modify or find better ways of doing them so we gain maximum satisfaction out of them.
f. “It always works, when you know what you’re doing.
Master your abilities and be good at them. It is good to give yourself in to be transformed for the better. We always work from known to unknown but we first of all perfect what we know before going further otherwise our future may turn into a nightmare.
g. “You have less fear of learning than any gull I’ve seen in ten thousand years.”
Take risks worth taking in decision making and do not be fearful of failure but think of sweetness of success. We need to understand things if we are to prevail in them. Fear limits us but freedom helps us conquer everything and we can be able to communicate with our past and future. With freedom we can go where we wish and to be what we are.
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?
As human beings we face a lot of challenges in one way or the other. These, to most people are the basis of argument as to why they cannot do a, b, c d. I am of a different view with those who argue in this line because as portrayed by this book, some simple things we always have can transform us and the world around us. This may be so if we allow ourselves to look beyond the things themselves and develop the best possible ways we can apply to turn around little and simple things into meaningful development. We should not be limited by the fact that things we have are few, little or minimal to influence change but ideas, attitudes, confidence, courage, the drive for success, vision, can help us achieve and succeed. With freedom we can do what we like, go where we want to go and be what we want to be. If we give room to transformation then we will be transformed but resistance would not take us anywhere. We should never give up on ourselves but be confident that with determination and constant practice we break everything that stands in our way limitation. If we are able to transform ourselves, it is relatively easy to transform the world around us. Our freedom may help set other people free as well through the ideas of freedom and our love, joy and kindness may be theirs too.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
a. “We’re free to go where we wish and to be what we are,”
This has helped me know that it does not matter what other people think about something or a certain idea, but as long as i have conviction that the idea is good ,its better to go for it, even if others look at it as deviance. Freedom is a beautiful thing. It helps us to live free of fear, allows us to contribute meanifully to developmental activities of our society. Free mind reason well and hence to everything that happens to a free mind or society, there is mostly a good reason attached. A free mind has a wide range of choices, nothing is imposed on it. Freedom helps us to be what we are and what we want to be.
b. “To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is,” he said, “you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived…”
For me to achieve something i have to have courage belief, i shuold picture my self as already being where i want to be.For me to be what i want to be tomorrow, i must first of all know what i am today. If this is not done or if am not able to know who i am then i may not be able to know where i am going. This may be my downfall.
c. “No, Jonathan, there is no such place. Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect.”
Time and place should not limit me. Sometimes we consume our thoughts with things that do not matter at all. For example, some may say, “time for me to do this is long gone or the place I am cannot allow me do such a thing.” This tells me that it is not my age or where i am that matters but rather the potential and capability i have to do something perfectly. We are all destined for perfection if we fullfil what is required to attain it.
d. “I don’t mind being bone and feathers mom. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can’t, that’s all. I just want to know.”
Sometimes we are concerned with things that do not matter at all. Our power to transform and make things right is what matters. Some of our worries are inferior to the things that give us maximum enjoyment and benefit. This has shown me that i have to forego or sacrifice some gratifications in order to achieve something big. And also that i have to explore my capabilities and discover what is it that i can manage to or not do.
e. “See here Jonathan” said his father not unkindly. “Winter isn’t far away. Boats will be few and the surface fish will be swimming deep. If you must study, then study food, and how to get it. This flying business is all very well, but you can’t eat a glide, you know. Don’t you forget that the reason you fly is to eat.”
I have learnt from this that in life , others may discourage me not do something, just because it is diverting from the original reason of why people did the same. But sometimes i have to try and look for other benefits that may come out of the same thing. I should not direct my energy and focus on the ordinary way of doing things but rather i should be flexible and look in other directions. My courage should discourage those who discourage me.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Everything is perfectly explained. The concepts are well articulated and easy to understand. I understood very much and I am definitely moved with its content and how an author can link this to our daily situation.
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 as such but the obligation to read it more and more so that I gain the maximum benefit from it.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No comment on the questions but that as human beings we should always strive not to be limited by nature or anything. We should use our minds to get things done not emotions.
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? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others? 7
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 7
Keys to Success
Assessment by Cosmas Jimson (Malawi)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The book is mainly working to challenging the minds of readers to the realisation of the power they have in pursuing every dream. It is giving helping instilling in the reader the confidence that power lies in what we believe in and what we hope for and it indeed comes to be. The book is further outlining the hurdles we face in our day to day undertakings and the possible ways of tackling each problem that frustrates or limits our potential hence making our future uncertain. It is showing the readers what success is and how it can be attained. It is calling on the readers to make the seventeen principles their actions and attitudes to realise their every one of their worthwhile goals.
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.
a) Development of definiteness of purpose will drive most of your activities because what you want to do will actually determine what you want to achieve in the end. Any achievement requires the harmonisation of the conscious and subconscious. You should be able to retrieve from the subconscious the right information corresponding to your definite purpose. Definiteness of purpose develops self-reliance, personal initiative, imagination, enthusiasm, self-discipline, and concentrated effort. It brings a number of advantages which are specialisation, budgeting time and money, alertness to opportunities, decision making capability, cooperation, faith, and success conscious. Having the definiteness of purpose simulates one to make a careful plan to oversee the achievement of that purpose.
b) There are a number of aspects that reinforces a Positive Mental Attitude. Among several other aspects is flexibility, sincerity of purpose, promptness of decision, courtesy, tact and tolerance. A positive mental attitude is the right mental attitude in any given situation. One must have a positive mental attitude to make life pay off on your terms. Nothing will make sense without PMA. To create PMA it is vital to close the door of your mind on all failures from your past. Your mind need to be clear from all interference and influences which does not support a positive mental attitude. The mind should at all times be occupied with ideas that support the PMA. It is wise to choose your associations and to believe in them. It is also more important to be yourself and refrain from disappointing your PMA.
c) Offering oneself more than what you are required to be available to perform extra-ordinarily what others are not willing to do. This distinguishes one from the multitude of the ordinary men. By doing more than what you are paid for is what makes one different and it very rewarding. Its benefits range from external rewards to internal rewards. It is like an investment of some sort that each little input yields the desirable output because of the enormous energy you invest through personal initiative. An ability to do for your employers or employees what nobody else can do for them makes you indispensable which brings with it opportunities, gaining you favourable attention, favourable contrast, builds your self-confidence, develop a pleasing attitude, and yield self-improvement. Opportunities are rare in life. You can open yourself windows of opportunities by offering yourself to the world of extra-ordinary by willing to go extra mile in performance of tasks assigned to you. Many people sit down worrying if their contract will be renewed or when the company announce that it is going to lay off some of its employees. This is so with the people who are not reliable, and those who only wait to be told what to do. By going extra mile you are always covered, your position at work is secure.
d) Decision making is a vital process if one wants to succeed in life. Decision are made now and then, but are they worth? Can they drive us towards the desired outcome? Good decisions allow one to be stable, confident, and motivated in executing a plan to definite purpose. In decided what course of action to take one may take risks. It is important to stick to your plan and to never allow external forces drive you the other road you did not intend to take, it is being indecisive and it may cost you a fortune. Be confident that you are doing the right thing. Decision need to be prompt and genuine. As soon as all the facts are available the decision can be made. Decision you make need not to compromise or conflict with your major definitive purpose but be in harmony. Genuine decisions are never changed anyhow. They are a backbone to the fulfilment of your definite major purpose.
e) Faith as defined is an awareness of, belief in, and harmonising with the universal powers. Through active faith one can achieve a lasting success. The ability of believing that you can do and practising that which you believe in removes the fear of failing. To those who have and know how to use faith, failure does not exist. When you let yourself believe in what you do and admitting that you are the master of your own life, you drive your burning desire with your might to earn what is desirable. An important part of opening your mind to faith is ridding your mind of the fears which limit your belief. Fear and anxiety produce inharmonious, irritated restlessness in your mind that leads to serious mental maladjustment and produces its counterpart in the body in the form of serious disease, even death. Fear makes one feel inferior and deceives one to believe that all is lost and there is nothing they can do. We may be subject to more than one fear in the sea of fears. The grandfather of all fears, death, spoils the able mind to nothing. It grounds you and makes you believe that there is nothing worthy living for. Fear of death can stop you in your tracks much sooner than the actual event. Overwhelmed by the possibility of the end of your existence, you may feel that action is futile and effort is meaningless. This ignores the fact that every moment of your life is valuable, that the world rolls on about you, and that your own actions can have a positive effect far beyond your own situation. You have an obligation to act for the common good.
f) Self-discipline does well to those who practise it. It is the process that ties all efforts together for you. Self-discipline is not a stand-alone principle but needs backing from other principles such as self-knowledge, as the other principles requires it. Self-discipline ensures that every action is preceded with a through thinking process. It allows use the effective control of our emotions both positive and negative. Negative emotions can be dangerous if they are not mastered. Positive emotions can also be destructive if they are not organised and released without conscious control. Inherent in the emotions is enormous power. They provide your driving power, the activating force which enables you to put your decisions into action. PMA and self-discipline can remove harmful effects of negative emotions and make them serve constructive purpose. Self-discipline also useful in control of appetite, effective use of PMA, use of time, and ensure that you have definite purpose.
g) Every defeat and adversity should be the learning point. Failure and pain are part of nature but need not to be embraced. The turning point at which you begin to attain success is usually defined by some form of defeat or failure. The first time I wrote university entrance examinations and not being selected to the university I felt the pain and wanted to prove that I am not a failure. I enrolled for an Accounting diploma and I did well. I did not stop there. The following year I sat for the university entrance examinations for the second time and I was selected to go to university to pursue Bachelors of Education. This I consider it to be my turning point. I learned that defeat is a test which permits one to discover the nature of their thoughts and their relation to their definite major purpose.
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 believe we have tremendous power to move things around and make them go our way. No man would be able to exploit all the opportunities that are at our disposal because they are numerous. It would actually take one to discover something every second if may be that would be enough to realize all the potentials we have. Laziness of the mind and, not being able to put to use all the senses cost us a lot every day. We let opportunities pass by because of our inability to grab them. Poor imagination actually amounts to failure because of the fear that limits the minds of those who are not aware of the major purpose of life. Maximizing our power of imagination puts us ahead of our problems and open more doors. It may be confusing if you have more doors opened for you but creating and knowing your definite major purpose will give you a sense of a good decision.
Success is a sweet thing. The value of the wealth that comes with success is that it carries with it the lessons you have learned in acquiring it. You will learn in achieving wealth that success comes about only because you are willing to assume great responsibility and to deliver unfailingly goods and services which you are truly valuable.
If you lose yourself in an obsessional desire to make yourself to others, you will find yourself useful to others, you will find yourself through the recognition of the good you are doing. If you forget that you must make yourself to others, you will stray from the path to success, no matter how long you have already walked it.
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.
The “free advice” you will get on every hand from colleagues and “friends” will be worth exactly what it costs you: nothing. Sometimes we are weakened by what others advise us. Instead of strengthening us we are brought down to the ground. It is therefore to be thoughtful of everything we hear before executing it. It is advisable to take expert views than any other view that comes to us.
“Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” The mind is a source of every success. It is of paramount importance to be able to guard your mind from contamination so that it performs wonders for you.
“Win without boasting, lose without squealing, and others will soon respect you”. Self-discipline is important. It cultivates the spirit of trust and friendship. It is uncalled for to look down at others because you have achieved something or you have something they do not have. Likewise those who have lost something deserve respect. Respecting others ensures will gain you favorable attention and respect.
“One single idea may have greater weight than the labor of all the men, animals and engines for a century”. Idea are first to be built and therefore they are the ones that orders action. An idea may turn around things within a very short period of time but labor may take very long time to complete or to appreciate its impact.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
The ideas were well clarified.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
The exercises were there and they are useful to follow up your improvement after reading the book. It is easy to see if you have understood the concepts through the structure of exercises. However, some exercise can only be done as long term commitment as the concepts and principles are applied in the day to day life tasks to improve from one stage to the other.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No one mind is complete by itself. All truly great minds have been reinforced through contact with others that allowed them to grow and expand. No one’s education is ever complete. You may rely on the specialised knowledge of others, but you should also learn from every possible source. The spirit of tolerance opens one’s mind to the external knowledge. It is hard to limit oneself to the knowledge of self. Exposure of mind to the environment you find yourself in offers more experience to different situations thereby become equipped to deal with those conditions that are adverse amicably and promptly.
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? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9