As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Daniel Machuki (Kenya)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author in the book As a Man Thinketh, conveys a message specifically on the way we think and reason, our brain is the engine of everything, so the way we think, reflects the way we act, so from our thinking we become who we are, if we think in the right way we become more better people, and if we think in the wrong way we become more bad people in the society.
The only way we can tell on how you think it is the way you behave, and action on issues, many a times we do things which we were not supposed to do and later on we ask ourselves, “what were we thinking”, we have done a lot of mistakes in the world because of poor decision and not taking time to reflect on different issues, we have made our lives miserable because of making wrong decision and not taking time to examine the situation.
Most of the people who are in prison right away, will confess that they did a silly mistake without thinking twice maybe that is why they killed someone or had to steal, or fight, when they come back to their senses it is too late to amend the mistake, the damage is already done, and that is why the author categorically says “As A Man Thinketh”, a very crucial word and statement in our lives.
Anything good that we see today it was through thinking in a positive way, someone thought it is good to make the vehicle so that movement can be easy and it happened, all this things we see in the world it started just from thinking and asking questions what if we do this and what will be the benefits, so we are the master of our brain and thinking, we have the power to control our mind and do what is right.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. What we think makes us what we are
If you want to know someone, it is through how he or she thinks, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, we cannot expect good result from someone who thinks negatively, we see the outcome of your thoughts through how you behave, how you relate with people, how you speak to your elders or juniors, and when you are alone who you conduct yourself, this is enough to tell us who you are and how people can trust you.
ii. We hold the key to every situation
It is only in our brain we have full control to ourselves, what you think nobody can tell until the action is taken, we have many people who have died with very brilliant ideas to help our society, greatest mind that have been buried in the soil because they didn’t take action and do something on what their thoughts could achieve in this world. Those who think and are more creative are the ones who are achieving their goals and aspiration, nothing good can happen until the action is done, you want to have a good life, you need to start creating that good life in your thoughts and finally walk the talk, it won’t be an easy journey but with time you will master the skills and you will be proud about your thinking.
iii. Our mind is like a garden
When you have a garden you can decide to cultivate or not the same with our mind we can decide to nurture it or just leave it like that, the more books we read the more our brain develop, that is how to feed our brain, through books, attending workshops and seminars it makes us have good reasoning and be good people in the society.
iv. We are the makers of our condition
We are the sole author of our condition, any condition we are in it is our making, we define who we are and what we do, nobody will determine your life other than you alone, so the blame game should end whereby some people say if it wasn’t thing government or so and so i could be far, it is your life and you decide to be what you want to be no apology no excuse.
v. It is our choice to be where we are
We are where we are by the law of our being, it is our choice to be where we are, we do make decision that affect our lives positively or negatively, we do not blame anybody of what happens in our life, this is very true, here in the slum we have people who are well of and are able to live a good life outside the slum, in fact they have rental apartments but decide to live in those cities, so it is about our choices not circumstances, what we decide to do with our lives it is our own decision.
vi. We are the makers of ourselves
The way we think, the way we act makes us or destroys our destiny, that is why it is important from the word go we be keen on what we feed our children, what behaviour we empower them with, if we teach them being dishonest they will grow being dishonest and we will spoil their lives, we need to associate ourselves with people who think like us and we can grow together.
vii. The body is the servant of the mind.
Our body obeys the operation of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed. When we make bad decisions, what suffers is the body, you abuse someone using your mouth from what your brain thought about the body suffers a big blow, you steal and you are caught with mob justice and killed because of your bad thinking and action.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas will help me know that my brain is powerful and should be very much careful on what I feed it, because my actions will reflect on who i think and can affect me positively or negatively.
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 soul attracts that which it secretly harbors that which it loves and which it fears.”
“Until thoughts are linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment.”
“Strong pure and happy thoughts build up the body in vigor and grace.”
“Clean thoughts make clean habits.”
“Circumstance does not make a man it reveals him to himself.”
“The so-called saint who does not wash his body is not a saint.”
“The people who live in fear of diseases are the people who get it. Anxiety quickly demoralize the whole body and lays it open to the entrance of diseases.”
“If you could protect your body, guard your mind, if you would renew your body, beautify your mind.”
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 books are well elaborated and easy to understand.
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 deals directly with us because the way we think makes us who we are. This is a life time process and exercise.
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.
The book is very clear and well understood.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is your overall rating you would give it? 10
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Daniel Machuki (Kenya)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author uses animation features to convey a very powerful information about our lives, this is the skills he is introducing to us, that whatever we want to do we can do it no matter what it takes, also he points out the people we keep, like the seagull, some people will never encourage us to reach our target or goal, some will pull you down and others will discourage you, all call you names and eventually they can disassociate with you, that is why we see him being labeled an outcast, we are supposed not to worry when we are being disowned by doing the right thing, at the end of the day they will be surprised with our determination, when we achieve what they saw as impossible, we are capable of doing anything in this world if only we move out of our comfort zone then we can achieve, whatever our heart desire.
In our duty of work we have been suppressed to a point that we cannot share our views for the company to prosper we are only given instruction and do what we are asked to do but not to bring in new changes and new ideas, same applies to the seagull their work was to fly and get food, the purpose was to fly and get food no more no less, but only if they knew that flying higher could open doors for new avenues and opportunities they could learn it, until we see something started we fear to start it.
Once you accomplish something successfully that is when you will get many people ready to follow you and learn from you but when you are struggling they watch from a distance and wait to see your failure to confirm their allegation and fear of not supporting you, but once you succeed they will also be in fore front to thump chest your success and want to be part of the journey, nobody wants to associate themselves with failures, even failures themselves.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. Limitation is in our thoughts
We sometimes demean ourselves and do not see the power we have, “ i am a seagull, i am limited by my nature”, we have all to blame ourselves, not to succeed, we look in to our weakness and forget that we can do more than we thought, usually we look at excuses to do something, i don’t have this or that to be able to achieve some goals, however if we can be determined without putting barriers to ourselves we could do better and achieve anything in life.
ii. Set your standards
The seagull had to set his standards Jonathan had set a world speed record for the seagull, once you set your standard in whatever you do, you will achieve it, we usually watch when athletics do run, you will see someone leading by far but still will increase the pace not because he wants to lead but he wants to set his or her own standards.so in life do not compete by people but by yourself and you will reach or go far in life, nothing is impossible when we are determined to do so we can go far once our mind is set.
iii. Do what you like
There are good reasons to do what you like even if you do not succeed as long as you love what you do better to try doing what you love than doing what you don’t love, seagull never gave up, he tried many times failing but he didn’t give up until he achieved new skills, nothing comes easy to us without trying it our level best, we have to keep on pushing until we get what we want.
iv. Be unique
In life we have to be unique in order to be different from others, not every time we have to do what others want us to do, we need to do it in our own style, and uniqueness we might be the same but we are different in all aspects, practically when the seagull wanted to learn more and more in flying they discouraged him and wanted him to be a simple seagull and flying to them was for food nothing else, they didn’t know joy and pleasure of flying higher breathing fresh air, until we dream big we will not get what we want, and nothing comes easy, as the saying goes easy come easy go, so if you want to get it right work hard and be focused be your own maker in whatever you do.
v. Results makes us proud
In anything we do in life we feel good when we have good results, we are happy when our children also excel, when we accomplish a task at work and when also we achieve our lifetime, goals we feel so proud about it, we celebrate our results and that is why we put more effort on whatever we do in life.
vi. Knowing what you want
Once we understand what we want and what we have to do then we are on the right path. Jonathan Seagull understood what he wanted and worked hard to achieve it. It wasn’t easy but at the end of the day I got what he wanted and even started training others about it. The moment you know what you want it will be even easier to convince people to follow you and ready to listen to you when advising them, however human nature wants to see results first.
vii. Always be focused in whatever you do
Spare no time to do what you love to do, the Seagull never spared time but flew on the past of sunset, he discovered the loop, the slow rall, the more we keep on learning we learn more skills, and achieve more in our daily life, learning is a process and not something achieved instantly, with time we get it right.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas are very helpful and they will help me be more determined in my life to achieve anything i want by being focused.
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.
“That it is right for a gull to fly, that freedom is the very nature of his being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form.”
“Set aside, came a voice from the multitude, even if it be the Law of the Flock? The only true law is that which leads to freedom,” Jonathan said. There is no other.”
“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.”
“Instead of our drab slogging forth and back to the fishing boats, there’s reason to live! We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can learn to be free! we can learn to fly!”
“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding. Find out what you already know and you will see the way to fly.”
“You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way.”
“You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.”
“The price of being misunderstood, he thought. They call you devil or they call you god.”
“Overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now.”
“Your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip, is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body, too.”
“Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect. And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.”
“Why, Jon, why?” his mother asked. “Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? Why can’t you leave low flying to the pelicans, the alhatross? Why don’t you eat? Son, you’re bone and feathers!” “I don’t mind being a 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.”
“Sully, for shame! Don’t be foolish! What are we trying to practise everyday? If our friendship depends on things like space and time, we’ve destroyed our own brotherhood! But overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now. And in the middle of Here and Now, don’t you think that we might see each other once or twice?”
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 books is well elaborated and easy to understand
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 gives out lifetime skills that can be learned everyday in life.
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.
The book is very clear and well understood.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is your overall rating you would give it? 10