Fasoranti Damilola – Assessements – International Institute for Global Leadership

As a Man Thinketh

Assessment by Fasoranti Damilola (Nigeria)

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

The effects of our thoughts in defining the experiences we see in every area of our lives.

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

i. Resilience can lead to breakthrough

I never knew that I could write so well for a long time. At other times, I tried to scribble a few lines but no inspiration will flow through my mind. But, in 2015, I decided that I will write daily in the traffic while I am on my way to work. I literally forced inspiration out of myself. At the end of 2015, I didn’t believe that I had written more than 100 posts. Awesome! That’s one of what resilience, patience and continuous practice can achieve.
I have seen resilience work some amazing results for my friends and family. Some of them have failed some courses when we were in school; it was one of the most challenging moments in their lives. But, with courage, resilience and determination, they are high flyers in their fields today.

ii. Circumstances are results of our inner conditions

For the past 4 years, I have a long list of short positive messages that I recite to myself daily. It didn’t feel like I was doing anything meaningful. I didn’t see any physical correlation to the things I was saying. But recently, I started seeing it in reality. It has run deep into my inner world, I am now seeing it in my circumstances. Things I have said many times are beginning to show up in real forms. This is a very important idea for me. I will keep refining the things on my inside to be able to create the things I want to see in reality.

iii. Our physical body responds to thoughts

For more than 7 years, I have the full conviction that sickness is not ideal and that health, vigor and exuberance in my body is the ideal. Nature confirms that. When I communed with God and he told me about the health of my body and how He designed it to function, I knew that I have to believe and think it daily. For more than 6 years. I have not been admitted into the hospital and I haven’t experienced any illness except a few headaches when I begin to think about a day’s stress, I eventually invited an ache. When I found out about the power of my thoughts and my health, I have held on to this truth ever since.

iv. Devotion and focus on a particular goal will make it happen

Resiliently putting one’s heart into a cause is very powerful. We will be able to achieve that which we truly desire. When we have a focused thought on a particular goal, without fail it will happen. I wanted to work with rural youths and young adults in urban communities; it took me more than 3 years to finally get a link into these places. But, I eventually did! The more I thought about the mission, the closer I drew it to myself and then eventually I saw it real.

v. Sacrifice helps us to achieve victories, watchfulness helps us maintain it.

I have to let go of base and uninspiring thoughts. I have to crave and glean positive, elevating and insightful thoughts. I have to sacrifice the worst to gain the lofty heights of success. I also have to sustain this victory by being watchful of what I allow to run in my thought system. I have to selectively and continuously put on awesome thoughts to keep me on track.

vi. Cherish your vision.

Ah, this idea is a major one for me. I have a vision to see many people transform their education into social solutions in their communities. I want to nurture this vision and connect with other great minds everywhere in the world to make this happen. I love that part. ‘cherish the music that stirs in your heart.’ This is a very strong sentence that helps me act as I look on to my passion and my “why” of living.

vii. Speaking to oneself positive and elevating words is powerful.

This idea is closely interlinked to the voices I hear inside of me because of the contents I keep feeding my mind with. Every day, I feed my mind with positive words and soon I began to experience the replay of these words in my head all day long. I began to act out the words that I hear in my head. I realized that the words my friends and parent speak to me also sinks into my mind, so I made sure that I filter the words that I take in. The excellent words that go in there make me a better person and full of new insights. This is a powerful thing and I will keep doing it.

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?

Firstly, these ideas will make me to be able to define and have a glimpse of my circumstances through the kind of thoughts that I think. I will be able to determine how the consequences of what I think will form into my realities. These ideas can also help to foster peace among my friends and in the world. We can decide to think the right thoughts to be able to create positive impacts in the world. These ideas can form the basis on which an organization is formed upon. It will help us to draw other people’s attention to how their thoughts are influencing their lives and how it will keep the work of the organization to be sustained.

Secondly, it will help me to keep keeping on even when I can presently see the results of my investment in my vision. I should know that it will eventually spring up, sooner or later, if I do not relent in my effort. I have to stay committed to my goals, focus on the things I can do daily to improve, learning all the way and making necessary changes on the journey to fulfillment.

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.

“Only by such searching and mining are gold and diamonds obtained…, he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.”

I could remember that in 2015, I desired to study in a foreign country, so I started searching for organizations that offered the kind of knowledge I wanted. I delved into how to search for scholarships on Google. Eventually, I found one that aligned so well to what I desired. I applied and got selected. My lesson is that if you could search long enough using the right methods and strategies, we can find what we truly desire.

“The human will,that force unseen. The offspring of deathless soul; Can hew a way to any goal, Though walls of granite intervene.”

This is a very potent quote. People say that, where there is a will, there is a way! The quote above correlates with that thought. I am seeing this quote as telling me that if there’s anything I desire to achieve all the possibilities in the world will compromise in my favor, so far I have the will to make it happen. It may be hard and it may take several, falling and rising, yet it will happen.

“Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thought.”

This sound untrue but it is very true. Losing weight (especially) has a lot to do with the mindset. I have experts as friends that coach people on sustainable weight loss and they zoom in on the importance of mindset in this endeavor.

“He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.”

There are many things that I can achieve but sometimes, I’ll think “what if it doesn’t work?” This self-limiting belief system has caused more harm to my self esteem until I looked it in the face and overcame. When I stopped doubting the limitless virtues in me and started using it accordingly, a lot of great things began to happen for me.

“A strong cannot help a weaker unless that weaker is willing to be helped.”

I know how frustrating it is to try empowering someone that doesn’t desire empowerment. It is so frustrating to help someone to look beyond their environment to make their life much blissful if they aren’t ready for such journey. This is very true! When the will and desire is there, it becomes much easier to hold someone in the hand and collaboratively move higher to the next level of achievement.

“Calmness of the mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.”

In my meditation class, we learn the power of calming the mind. It helps the ‘flow’ of creative ideas and knowledge. It helps the thought process to align with our deepest positive values.

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, it is explanatory enough.

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

It generally talks about taking in positive thoughts as often as possible. I do this mostly every day. It has transformed my life in a way that words isn’t enough to explain. It has been awesome!

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 will like to say that as we think about our goals and how to achieve it, we must also take daily action that correlate with what we are thinking about. We have to transform intangibility into tangibility to impact our world in the positive way as we want to.
If there were more practical examples (and exercises) in the book, it will be more helpful to read and apply.

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? 7
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Assessment by Fasoranti Damilola (Nigeria)

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

Conquer of our unknown by taking action against all odds. The author is encouraging us to push beyond our limits and our boundaries, to take on projects that seem bigger than us and to conquer our own fear.

i. Defy the norm.

Livingstone Seagull was tagged to have violated the dignity and tradition of the Gull Family. He was centered for shame in the sight of his fellow Gulls. In December 2015, I left my job to create a non-governmental organization in Nigeria that has the vision of ditching the traditional teacher-student approach of education, but introducing open education especially to rural communities to be able to practically transform their knowledge, skills and talents into social solutions. This idea is opposite of the same traditional education that I have passed through. It was a slap on the face of many education experts to see this kind of approach to education. But, in the last 6 months of starting my organization, I have been able to see ingenuity and huge intelligence among school dropouts from rural communities in Nigeria. We recently created a bamboo solar lamp from one of the villages. It is amazing.

ii. Don’t be scared of what people will say

Livingstone Seagull was afraid of the heights and the many temporary failures that confronted him. I can relate with this situation very well. I was tensed when I left my job to start my organization. My questions came from friends and family about how I will be able to sustain myself (especially in terms of finances) and run the organization successfully. At different points, I get scared too, but the fuel and energy of my vision is greater than the weight of the daily challenges.

iii. Ask for help/have an inquisitive mind

All along, Livingstone Seagull kept on asking different questions from the new gulls he met. It made him learn faster and mentored in fruitful direction. I never knew that starting a organization had a lot of responsibilities and a lot of new things to learn in the industry. The more I read from books, conferences and blog posts, the more I found out that I still had to learn to be grounded and rooted firmly in the non-profit sector. I decided to meet up with the friends and people that have gone ahead of me in this industry. The hours I spend listening to them is paying off. The more questions I ask, the better I get a lot of clarity to the line of my work. Mentoring is a key part of personal development and it is important to have listening ears that can lead me towards my desired goals.

iv. Practice/consistency

I have decided many times to do physical exercises everyday to get my body fit and in shape, but I have not disciplined myself to stay true to this decision. For this, I haven’t been able to achieve my desired result in terms of my physical look. I realized that Livingstone Seagull and other high-flying gulls has a habit of practicing flying every day. This probably is what made them to excel more than any other gull that existed. This idea is important for me to cultivate to be able to achieve some of my goals in life.

v. Support others in their life’s journey/show kindness

Although Livingstone Seagull was kicked out by his family on Earth, the practice of kindness made him to go back to support other seagulls that may be having hard time in their search for truth and to live limitless. Eventually, Jonathan Seagull became a mentor to other outcasts kicked out of the family. This idea is very important to me and in fact very crucial in my line of work. I have to master the art and practice of supporting others as they strive in life to be better.

vi. Know what/who you are and begin to practice it

When the Seagulls realized the potentials they had and started trying it out, then they surprised themselves. In 2015, I stopped calling myself an aspiring writer. I knew I could write and yes, I began to write. I began to believe that I have limitless words in my word-bank to use to describe my thoughts. I started to color the canvas of my blog with the generous words that flowed seamlessly from my mind, through my blood veins and finally poured out through my fingers. I love it. This idea is so important to me and I will keep discovering about myself and putting it to work.

vii. Love unconditionally

This idea is very important to me because to love even people that have spite you may be difficult. In my work, there are people I work with in the communities that initially feel my projects are stupid. But, that has always been received as a challenge that I will not have to prove them wrong. I have to love the people to be able to work with them even when they are not so sure if they want to work within our project or when they are skeptical about the results of our projects.

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

All these lessons will give a huge boost to my social venture. I am at the formative stage of the organization and these are great insights that will give me insightful directions to follow. These will also help in my communication with our supporters and donors to my project. While my organization is facing the initial hard time around financial sustainability, asking for help and working closely with mentors will help us to pull through. I believe that I am limitless and that I have limitless resources at my disposal. This, I will begin to practice it in my life and in my work. This will bring a lot of transformation into my work.

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

“One who has touched excellence in his learning has no need of that kind of (defeating) promise.”

I feel we can’t learn too much. But, this quote by the author made me feel that there is a level to which you learn to that you begin to see the beauty of learning, that you are able to see the tangibility of burning the midnight candles. This quote has boosted my confidence in the things I am presently learning that I haven’t seen the practical results yet. I will keep keeping up and putting out my best work to the world. When I touch the excellence of my learning, I will forget the times that I was tired of not seeing the results of my investments.

“We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly!”

This quote says “we can,” instead of “we may.” It reflects what we are capable of. Al we need to do is to live out that ability that is resident within us. We can find ourselves, though we might have been lost many times. We can attain a high level of intelligence, skill and excellence. It makes me feel that there are huge potentials wrapped up on my inside and I can attain any level of personal development that I desire. I like the last few phrases, “I can be free.” I can embrace freedom from within me and then I can begin to show that freedom on the outside. I can live above limitations that are self-inflicted or externally inflicted and to begin to enjoy a better expression of the awesome treasures within me.

“One school is finished, and the time has come for another to begin.”

I remember when I finished from the university, I was happy that there is not so much to read and study any longer. After all, I now have my certificate. I never knew that another school just began, until I got outside and started looking for job. I had to learn the art of job seeking, preparing my curriculum vitae, learning how to dress to an interview, how to connect with a recruiter and so on. Now, I read far more than I ever read when I was in the university, not because I am in a regular school studying to earn another certificate, but because ‘the time has come for another school to begin’. Day in, day out, there are many more things to learn, to be able to grow and make the world a better place.

“Any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits.”

This quote strikes me. I had written 150+ blog posts in 2015 and I have pride in it so far as having broken my limit. But, this quote is like fire in my bones and it tells me that there is more to what I can achieve than just that numbers. I can keep writing and loose count of the number, but continuously hone my writing prowess till perfection.

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?

Nothing. It was explicit enough to follow through.

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 direct exercises. But, I feel learning about myself, practicing a positive habit, staying committed to a cause and so on looks like exercises to imbibe in my daily life and work. This is a work in progress and I am putting them to work already.

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.

Nothing. I have expressly written out my thoughts through the questions above.

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? 7
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8

PsychoCybernetics

Assessment by Fasoranti Damilola (Nigeria)

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

The idea is that happiness, wealth and success that we seek is not usually in external things, it is deep within us. Our positive mindset and intrinsic motivation can help us achieve any goal, dream and vision in our life and we can choose to become the best version of ourselves every day through our self-image.

i. Understanding the psychology of self determines success or failure.

Five years ago, I began my journey of self discovery and awareness. I was at a conference as a fresh graduate, where a life coach came to speak about understanding self and how to change self-limiting prophecies. As I began to see myself from a new light, things started changing in my life. In 2012, I decided to dream afresh and wrote down the things I will like to achieve before I turn 30 years of age. I have achieved 50% of all these goals already and I still have 4 years ahead. I have to start adding bigger vision into my list now. When I started understanding that my background and negative experiences doesn’t have to determine who I become, I began to have success in most of the things I desire and that will make positive impacts in the lives of others.

ii. I am not just a creature, I am a creator.

I possess creative imagination, actually, every man does. This idea is what makes me to not just live, in terms of providing for my daily physical needs, but to be able to manage my emotions correctly, to be able to carve out words of beautiful sequence on an empty canvas, to decide to learn to paint or learn a new language if I want to, to be able to interact with others peacefully and explore fields that are outside of my academic study. I have so far worked in the fields of technology, agriculture, and social work, though my field of study is Biology Education.

iii. Begin with a goal in mind, an end to be achieved.

Beginning with a goal in mind, looks like, well, it doesn’t matter. It is easy to say, ‘I can achieve anything even if I don’t set a goal.’ Actually, beginning most of my tasks with a goal in mind and what will inform me that my goal has been achieved has kept me up and running till today in most of my daily affairs. In 2015, I decided to take my writing skills a bit more seriously. I decided that I will be creating and publishing a post on my facebook wall 3 days in a week. I believed that it will help me to become a better writer. In just 9 months of stating, I self-published my first book and I got to write a proposal for a stranger from France. I so agree with the idea in this book that, ‘when we set out to find a new idea or the answer to a problem, we must assume that the answer exists already—somewhere, and set out to find it.

iv. Use mental images to from new attitudes.

I have always imagined that someday, I will become a speaker inspiring young people everywhere in the world to act out their dreams and kick their vision to life. I was just 16 years old at that time, when I started desiring this, but I noticed that I was a shy person.

One thing that I remember that I used to do then was that I constantly looked myself in the mirror; I acted how I will like to speak to a large audience and ignite the possibilities in them. I imagined myself in a large hall dishing the word and bringing people into the light of their potentials and how to make it happen. Today, I facilitate different youth session all week, speaking to young people, helping them to nurture their dreams to become it. For me, I feel the mental practicing of the kind of speaker I desire to be is now playing out in my career.

v. Don’t be too careful

In my work in the grassroots, a lot of time, I look at the programs of my organization, we stretch out the master plans of action and we are just too conscious to have the results that we desire. I began to feel that this attitude was killing the creativity and initiative of our participants and facilitators. Then, we switched grounds. What if things don’t go as planned? What if we don’t have to be too bordered about the result, but give attention to the process? What if we can allow the success mechanism in our bloodstream do its job, without struggling? Since, I switched to not being too careful, we have recorded some great results different from what we ever bargained for.

vi. Consciously practice looking and listening

There is a technique in marketing called ‘business sleuthing’; it is a detective way of finding out the pain of a potential customer just by listening and watching their way of life, without asking any question. This is a very bright idea that I picked up again in this book. In my organization, Prikkle Academy, we decided to approach education with the idea of listening more to the participants’ strengths, knowledge, skills and assets rather than just teach them what we feel they don’t know. With this approach, we have been able to establish a more robust social relationship with the participants and they have started initiatives that they never dreamt about. This is a very important lesson.

vii. Have a goal worth working for

I remember when I was working in my last corporate job, as much as there were things to do in the office every day, such as writing proposals, meeting up with clients, fixing internet services and thinking up marketing strategies for more business, I still felt unsatisfied with what I was doing. I felt I was running inside a cubicle without a compelling goal. Then, I began to seek for a change, I found the knowledge I needed to start what I really love to do, I found the tools that will make it easier to follow, I found the people that are eager to support me, then I launched! Today, I wake up with excitement and massive energy to set the ball rolling, because I have a goal worth working for. It is amazing!

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?

Now that it is clear to me the power of working diligently on my self-image, I will not lose sight of it when it is turning the negative path, now I can engage it in the right path instantly. I can now help others to begin to see their self-image as an important component of success.

Since I am a creator, I can do beyond what I have done so far. I have within me the power to imagine it, think it and make it happen. I am convinced that there is no problem too complex or any challenge so weighty, that I can’t apply my creative mind to solve. I have to spread this idea to more people, now that we are so much of consuming than producing in this world; we have to start acting out our power as a creator.

Starting with the ‘WHY,’ a vision and a goal in mind is super important. I have tried it and it works. I am inspired to use this more in my personal and professional life. Many times, there are initiatives I intend to start; there are movements I intend to make happen, but too careful to begin. Now, I am breaking forth out of such, I only need to do my due diligence and launch. Who knows if some of these initiatives are what the world needs to survive?

The few months that I have started listening more and looking intentionally, rather than doing blind researching and talking all the time, it has been rewarding. I must explore this path even more in the coming months and years. I will also get more people onboard in the idea of intentional listening and looking.

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.

“To really live, that is to find life reasonably satisfying; you must have an adequate and realistic self image that you can live with.”

People can tell me all the beautiful things about myself and how glamorous my life is, but until I can internalize these truths, I will not be able to move my life forward. There was a time, when I was young, every time I eat an egg, I must vomit. For many years, I convinced myself that I have allergies for egg and some other foods, though everyone in my family could eat it without vomiting. Until, I convinced myself again a few years ago that every good food is good for my body and I can’t have allergies for food was when I began to eat egg again. Till today, my self-image about eating egg has changed and it has changed my body system reaction to it. I got soaked in the idea that I must know myself—both my strengths and my weaknesses and be honest with myself concerning both, not higher or lesser.

“You can imagine your future.”

This is closely related to the explanations I gave above. In 2012, I decided to write down the kind of life I desired in the nearest future. I wanted to work for myself before I become 30, I wanted to have a kind of work that is not confined to a location, time or specific salary, I wanted to have freedom with my time, family and wealth. I imagined it and wrote it down. I wrote down the kind of house I desire to live in, the kind of spouse and children I desire to have and a whole lot of other things. Just 3 years after, I left my job at the age of 25 and I started my organization 1 week later, I am already walking in the path of my dream. I imagined it and it’s already happening. I have to daily imagine the kind of future I want to have, because surely, it will come to pass. Nobody need to convince me that imagination become real, I have imagined, it’s happening and I will continue on this path.

“You must have a clear mental picture of the correct thing before you can do it successfully.”

Clarity is a very important tool in anything we` are trying to achieve. It helps me know the exact thing I want to achieve. I remember that whenever I desire to make an international trip, all I have to do is to create a mental image of the kind of thing I want to achieve from the trip, the kind of people I will like to meet, the kind of lessons I desire to get and so on. Then, I will be selected to participate in a conference or program that matches my desire.

“Consider the risks before the wheel starts turning.”

Does it not make sense to do all the diligent research before setting out on a trip, launching an enterprise, leaving a job, having a family or any activity whatsoever? I have made certain decisions, especially leaving my job and setting up of my enterprise, not very sure how it is going to turn out. I made sure that I spent 7 intensive months getting an education that will help me run it successfully. Now, I am in it, there is nothing to worry about. I will just allow my success mechanism to play its role. I will keep walking the path and free up my nerves from any form of worry. I am sure things will work out for the best!

“Men are disturbed, not by things that happen, but by their opinion of the things that happen.”

When my money get lost, for any reason, it isn’t the fact that my money got lost that makes me sad, it is usually the feeling of the fact that I was so careless to lose money, that I did not hold it so firmly and many more other reason. I agree with Epictetus on this quote. It is a fact that I lost money; it is only my opinion that I was careless. Anything can happen to money any time. I don’t have to eat a piece of unhappiness about it.

“Everyone has succeeded sometime in something”

There are many things I have applied for in the past and didn’t get a way through; it came back with letter and emails of rejection. For several months, I stopped applying for any opportunity, because I was dwelling on all the failures. At some point, I decided to summon courage to try again, reflecting on some of the opportunities in the past that I have been selected for, behold, I was selected as a delegate for 2016 African Peace Summit, in Kenya. This happened just by changing my thoughts and reflecting on the successes that I had in the past instead of the failures.

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

There was nothing that I disagree with in the book. It was an eye-opener and I learnt a whole lot of things in it that confirmed some of the thoughts I been checking the validity for a while.

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

Yes, there were exercises. Yes, the exercises helped me to act and confirm the validity of the ideas presented in this book. I enjoyed the four relaxation exercises; it was good to master it alongside my peace training at Peace Revolution.

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

It covered all the major aspects of life that I would have loved to comment on. Great!

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? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Keys to Success

Assessment by Fasoranti Damilola (Nigeria)

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

He expanded on the 17 crucial ingredients or principles that are surefire ways to lead a successful life in any area of human endeavor. These are principles that if mastered can transform individuals, communities and nations.

i. To be successful, you must have a definite purpose

I have worked in a few organizations in 3 countries around the world on different projects, ranging from education, health, leadership, peace building, technology and so on. In all of these, I don’t feel I have wasted time moving from one field to another. It has been a part of my life goals to be able to have an organization in the future where anyone from anywhere in the world can thrive in the field they choose. All the opportunities that has come for me since I made this decision has aligned with this single purpose of desiring to learn about as many fields as possible, then create my organization based on this background knowledge. More connections, resources and opportunities keep showing up every day for me to expand this purpose, almost spontaneously. It is as if the universe has a way of cooperating with my purpose and attracting every resource to make it happen.

ii. I must create a mastermind alliance with myself

When I started out my journey as a social entrepreneur, I couldn’t find anyone around me that could point me in the right direction. I knew of many people in business including my mother and sister at different times of their lives, but I wanted something different. I wanted to create social solutions and build wealth later on. My family members have been very instrumental in helping me with this vision. So, I also began to daily convince myself, even while I was in corporate employment, that I am a social entrepreneur. I began to wake up in the night to write out action plans and imagine myself as a social entrepreneur. I began to zoom in on why I want to become it, how the world will be better and how nations can develop in this regard. I am gradually becoming what I envisioned and I am glad about it. I am not waiting for some kind of luck or sitting still that the opportunities aren’t available; I am going all out with my convictions, imaginations, commitment and strategies to make this happen. Now, I am beginning to find people that are in my kind of journey that we can build alliance together to make this happens.

iii. Positive mental attitude open doors

I remember in 2014, when I was being recruited for the role of Business Development Executive in an IT firm. The CEO of the company asked if I had any background in marketing or business development. I said, “Yes.” Then, he demanded that I give him a practical example of when I used the skill. Although, I have never involved myself in any these skills in a formal setting, I explained to him how I have been using social media to promote the impact of a Non-governmental Organization that I had volunteered with. I was saying it so confidently without mincing words. I had told myself before the interview that I was going to get the job, no matter the questions asked and no matter how I performed. Long story, cut short, I got the job! That’s my positive mental attitude opening the door of employment.

iv. Build an atmosphere of support around yourself

The more I read new books every week and month, the better my mind is expanding. The more I decide on a project, the more I see the power of building this project around people that have a mind to be part of it. This has been an outstanding way of getting things done and it has been helpful in my life goals. The conferences I attend, the discussions I join, the information I read and the friends I select have been a great support to my dreams.

v. Controlled attention is powerful when you understand its work in action

I can so relate with the example of the threat of oncoming car that is about to hit one’s child and the fear for his safety as one thought, then the deep love for him, is combined to generate a focused attention of pulling him away from the accident. This is very insightful. I know that as an individual, I want to create meaning in the lives of grassroots youths. I want to inspire others to do the things that inspire them, for this, I created a website where I can share my thoughts and dish out the help. I created a Facebook group for this same purpose, I become more intentional about my use of social media. I began to be intentional about the things I say, do and read. Controlled attention is powerful and it can drive our intrinsic motivation on the right path.

vi. Never eat while angry, frightened or worried

This makes a lot of sense. When I have a long day and quite tired, I find it a bit difficult digesting the food I eat late in the night. So, I decided that I will only take water or not so much of food any time I am in these conditions. It has paid off very well in the way my body has had very good health in the past 8 to 9 years.

vii. Doers engage in labors of love

It is so exciting when we choose the work we love. I know the difference between when I was on a paid employment that wasn’t in sync with my education or my passion. I was comfortable but I wasn’t fulfilled. I went to the office to fulfill my daily task, without my heart in full swing to being fulfilled from the work. But now, I am on the field, I can see the practicality of my education and my passion, it is exciting, I don’t have to be paid to get my feet running every day. I agree that doers won’t complain about the long hours, but that the hours aren’t enough to accomplish their tasks.

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?

After I have determined my Why for any particular thing, it is enough boost to get my energy and resources to be invested to make that thing happen. I must be clear with what or how I want to achieve what I want and this is a major key to success. Every week, I must seek out like minds that are eager to support my dream and are open to be supported in their journey. For this lesson, I have opened up a blog that will help people based on their interest to get like minds to work with them in making their dreams come true.

No matter what obstacles I face, I must keep a positive mindset. I must understand that I attract what I think and feel about. It is important that I am attracting the best and the beauty that I desire. I have to keep sowing my talent, skill, education and ideas in the places that give me utmost joy. I must engage my heart, mind and body in the work that aligns with my gifts, therein is my biggest satisfaction and happiness.

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.

“If you can see an opportunity as quickly as you see the faults of others, you will soon succeed.”

There is a technique that I share with the participants in my organization. The technique has to do with the path of finding the problems that people are angry about and that they desire for a change or solution to. It helps them to detect the frustrations in people’s voices and actions and then be able to proffer social solutions to it. Through this method, one of our participants recently started converting ‘food waste’ into organic manure. Many households are confused of what to do with these wastes and now the solution is at their doorsteps. Great!

“A smiling face defeats the cruelest of antagonists.”

Oh yes, in many horrible situations, it’s been a gentle spark of smile that saved the situation. In 2015, I had to present a business idea on behalf of a team of 4 to a whole class. I had prepared for only a few minutes to the presentation. I went to the stage and delivered what I could. At the end of the assessment, my group wasn’t the first. This got one of my group members to be very angry. She didn’t know when she said, “Fash, you made a bullshit delivery.” Everyone in the class was stunned and thought I will react violently, but I simply smiles and there was no trouble. The lady came back to apologize and our friendship continued like nothing turbulent happened.

“Faith exists only so long as it is used. You can’t develop muscles by not using them. You can’t increase your capital without investing in it.”

This is obviously true. It is not correct to harvest on a land that you didn’t sow on. When I believe something, I have to use, show and act that believe it is required. This is just how it works.

“Teamwork costs so little in time and effort, and it pays huge dividends.”

While this looks untrue, I have seen the damage that non-cooperation can cause. It is far more expensive in consequence than teamwork. When two minds brainstorm a project or plan, there is an opportunity to reach quicker clarity and the support to make it happen is strong compared to just an individual.

“When a man makes up his mind to solve any problem, he may at first meet opposition; but if he holds on and keeps on searching, he will be sure to find some sort of solution.”

I wanted to start my coaching business since 2015, but one way or the other; I have been afraid and unsure of how to start. When, I finally decided to start, all the money I had to set up a few structure were all gone, but I kept faith alive and decided to take the little steps towards this goal. In 2016, I finally had some new clients that enrolled for my coaching. It’s beginning to work and I am excited about the huge possibilities ahead.

“Fear, self-limitation and the acceptance of your defeat as final will cause you to be bound in shallows and in miseries.”

This is closely related to the example I gave above. I just knew that I had to keep keeping on. I shouldn’t allow my little defeat or fear paralyze the ingenuity that I owe the world

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. It was written in simple and very clear languages and word formation.

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

Yes, there were a few exercises that are to be completed. Yes, I completed the exercises and they were good to conform some of the practices that I engage in even before reading this book. Super!

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

It covered a whole lot of interesting points. It will take a few years down the line to fully understand and act out all the ideas shared in this book. I specifically like the sentence about paying attention to new information about nutritional requirements for the body (but, that we shouldn’t be swept along by fads).

Please rate following questions on a scale of 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? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 7
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8

Success through Positive Mental Attitude

Assessment by Fasoranti Damilola (Nigeria)

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

The author explored the power of mental attitude of an individual either negative or positive – and how it will eventually happen in physical or tangible realities accordingly. He stressed on how to develop positive mental attitude and how to apply it in career, home, and enterprise or as an individual.

i. The priceless gift, the joy of work

It is very true that anything worth having in life is worth working for. I have been spending a lot of time recently researching innovation in education; this aligns with my work in my organization. I have been joining online and offline conversations that deal with creating a sustainable and relevant education for individuals and communities. I have been adapting some of the ideas generated from such meeting into my work. While it didn’t look like I was learning a lot, I applied recently to a program in Nigeria that selects 20 social innovators per year. I was selected. It looked strange to me that an organization that I created in less than 10 months is getting some recognition as being innovative. For me, I can see work playing its role in my career. It is a priceless gift.

ii. Loving people and serving them, is the greatest value in life

I started out my organization on the premise that lots of young people and adults are not aware of the limitless gifts in them and how to share these gifts with the world in a meaningful way. It was born out of the desire to see that students are inspired to do the things that inspire them creating and innovating to solve real problems. Before I set up my organization, I have had the opportunity to volunteer with other organizations and I have seen how the lives of people got transformed by just interfacing with them for a few hours per day. In my life, I can see that to serve people, you have to love them first and desire to see that they live their best lives. All the things I have been blessed with today have an attachment to loving and serving people. What will our lives become without love and service? Miserable!

iii. Identify yourself with a successful image

Since 2012, I started taking the reading of the bible and self-help books seriously. I began to understand a lot more about myself, the people around me, the thoughts I make, the imaginations in my head and why I do what I do. By 2015, I have realized that the human mind and brain is so vast and is limitless. It had dawn on me that there is no impossibility so far I can dream it and stay through to the course of achieving it. So, I decided to come up with a slogan for myself that will keep me and my audience in track. It is #YouAreLimitless. I included it as a signature to my posts on facebook, to articles on my website and to comments in the online groups that I belong. It began to show up in my verbal communications and people started saying it to themselves too. By keeping this image in my mind and including it in almost all the things I do daily, the results I am seeing in my life has been amazing and beyond my head.

iv. When you receive a flash of inspiration, write it down!

I got a hold of this insight a few years ago and it has remained with me a very long time. I saw it again in this book and I can’t but scream aloud for its truth and efficacy. I have written more than 300 articles and thousands of words for publication and on behalf of organizations in the last 2 years. Most of the insights that I have shared in all these articles has been from a spark of insight flash. They come when I am in the toilet, on the noisy street, during the cry of a baby in the church, while speaking at an event, while travelling dead in the night or in a few hours to being awake in the morning. It comes at anytime, like a flash and runs away. I get hold of it by being aware and keep notepads (both digital and traditional) handy. I have written things that I read again and couldn’t believe I wrote it. I have become more aware that there is a divine mind that works in my mind to produce these insights. I call mine, the Holy Spirit.

v. Select environment that will develop you best towards your objectives

I now live, mostly, in the grassroots (rural) communities in Nigeria. As you can imagine, or know, the life in the city is different compared to the grassroots. Many of the people in the grassroots are not highly educated in formal settings, so it could be hard to flow along in many instances if you lived mostly through a formal education. In this kind of physical environment, it is very easy to lose sight of wanting to further your formal education or pursue some goals, since you might be feeling you are far ahead of most of them. What do I do instead? I began to learn about the people, most of the knowledge that they have are missing in the city. Most of the beautiful insight they have are not in the curriculum in the universities, yet they have survived based on all these wisdom. I have developed a virtual way (using the internet) to mostly catch up with friends around the world, to keep my lifelong learning and education intact. I can now enjoy both rural and urban knowledge and wisdom – both environments is teaching me to be balanced in my social work and in my thought pattern.

vi. What we see is always the interpretation of the mind

There is a statement that ‘we see the world as we are, not as it is.’ This is so true. When I started thinking about how to create a different approach to education in Nigeria – looking at the assets, strengths and ingenuity of a participant rather than the needs, lack and weakness – it looked like a crazy idea. Everyone could see that the education in Nigeria is broken and needs to be fixed, I was seeing that the education in Nigeria and in many other places around the word has a scent of hope that we can thrive from. We are looking at the same educational problem, but our approach to making it work was different. Then, I realized that it isn’t just about what we see, it is about the interpretation that our mind gives to it.

vii. To listen imply attention and application

I have read a lot of books for pleasure and to also boast among my friends that I have read such-and-such books. Later, it dawned on me that all these reasons for reading a book is nonsense, if it doesn’t add to the outputs and outcomes in my life. Now, I switched my idea of reading into noting the details in books, in facebook posts and online forums. I am always writing out a line, phrase and sentences or bookmarking a whole page to analyze and find what to apply through the words. I realized that the more I applied the knowledge I get, the better opportunities I get, the easier it is to network and to run my enterprise. Now, it is fine if I only read 1 or 2 books in a month and apply all the lessons accordingly than boast of reading 10 books in a month without any changes happening 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 must keep working and doing it in smart ways. It has a huge reward and I must never take work with levity. As I launch new projects and embark on new programs, I must embrace work as a priceless gift and use my energy and strengths to do work that matter to my growth and the development of others.

I know that I can’t love too much. I can always improve on the sincerity of my love for myself and for others. I must find all ways to express through my actions, that I am a love being. With friends, co-workers, strangers and everyone I meet, I must radiate the true essence of love. I must be in the service of others and use my gifts and talents to bless. The world is in dire need of love and service of great minds, I must step out of my corner to fill these needs.

For every beautiful thing that I want to see in my life, I must find a means of attaching it to a beautiful image that I can see often that will remind me of what I want to achieve. I will be using the idea of vision board often in the coming years, as I heard it helps a lot, although, my journal does this job for now. I will also be identifying people and nations that have been successful in what I desire and attach my vision to some of their exploits.

I will continuously be writing down every flash of inspiration that comes to my mind, it doesn’t matter how little or big, it must be scribbled. I have enjoyed a lot of progress doing this and I will continue this exercise. It is highly rewarding.

I have decided that I will travel and network with new people more in the years ahead of me starting from next month, January 2017. I will expand my network and horizon. I will visit beautiful places to appreciate nature and infuse beauty into my mind. I will meet people with excellent minds, attend high-level events. The more I feast with the royalty, the more I will express the royalty within me.

I will go into what I call “ruthless execution” in the coming years. I have many lessons that I have learned without applying the lessons anywhere. I have attended many events without using the gems of knowledge that I gleaned. I have made up my mind to select knowledge that is relevant for me now and in the future, learn it really well, apply it, then move to the next thing. I will stop overwhelming myself with the idea of reading all the books I lay my hand on.

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.

“If you know what you want, you are more apt to recognize it when you see it.”

I accepted a connection request from my Linkedin account in October 2016, I sent across a welcome message to the new connection, like I always do. I asked to know more about him and his work. His reply was astonishing. There was something he had been looking for – he had a lot of ideas that can solve community problems, he wanted to volunteer with a grassroots organization to implement the solutions. As we exchanged conversation and I intimated him about what my organization is into, everything within him clicked. He has travelled down to my organization for feasibility study and he will be volunteering to share some super insights with our participants. He knew what he was looking for and he recognized it as I shared along that path in our conversation. Likewise, we are always looking out for such facilitators and when I heard what he does, everything we have been looking for was found in him.

“The victory within us does not assert itself until we are ready.”

After my graduation from the university, I was at home for almost 4 months looking for job. As a graduate of Education, I didn’t want to teach in a school, I wanted to move into the Human Resource field and though I didn’t have a certificate to prove my competence neither did I have any practical experience in this career path. I was getting so angry after 3 months of searching and waiting for a miracle to happen. Then, it suddenly hit me that I should find an organization to volunteer with, while I learn the Human Resource ropes. In just 2 weeks of changing my mind, I got a placement in an International non-governmental organization that led to me being in a team of young people recruiting and helping people to be effective on their job – Human Resource. The victory of what I wanted was waiting to happen, it only needed me to look a bit in a different direction to achieving it and it happened.

“For every result, there is a cause.”

I have seen this practically in setting goals and program management. When I set in the required tools and resources to make an action happen, I see the results. When I put together the right team to implement a work, I see the sparkling effect of their expertise on the result. When my body gets tired due to work, I know that all I have to do is to feed it with the right amount of rest and it will kick back into action. The idea of cause and effect happens in many areas of our lives when we look at it very well. The more we apply this, the better we are able to make success work for us.

“Keep your mind on the things you want and off the things you don’t want.”

The power of focus can’t be underestimated. But, focus on the things that matter is the best. I know that I have strengths and weakness; I guess every human being have this. But, the more I focused on killing my weaknesses; I realized that my strengths waned. So, I was losing in the area of my strengths while the area of my weakness isn’t getting better as fast as I thought. The same way, I realized that nations and communities that never talk about the gifts and strengths that they have and how to mobilize it into action, are always backward, compared to others that do otherwise.

“You have a tendency to see what you want to see.”

This is so connected to the point above point. We have to train our mind to interpret what we see and it is what we desire that, when it comes, we will recognize it. If I like a particular color, anywhere I see that color on a material I want to buy, I will choose it over others. It is not because all the others are bad, but I tend to choose what I want. So, I tend to see what I want to see as well.

“Knowledge doesn’t make you successful, but the application of the knowledge will.”

This can’t be overemphasized. There are many graduates today that carry certificates everywhere looking for jobs, while the country is waiting on them to create the solutions that the world desire. They have huge store of knowledge in their head, but how to apply it is a major challenge for them. That is why, sometimes, there are people who don’t have the opportunity for the best kind of education or a lot of experience, but they are more successful compared to those that had all the privileges, why? Because, some apply the little they know in the right way, while others are confused of how to use the knowledge that they have.

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

-I feel I will have to explore other reading resources about extrasensory perception (awareness of or response to an external event or influence not apprehended by sensory means) and psycho-kinesis (the effect of the mind on an object). I got the idea, but then I have to dig in a little bit to see the application and relevance in everyday life. I picked up a book (Mind Power – How to use and control your unlimited potential) by Anthony Robbins as I got to this part of the book. It gave me some clearer ideas about the use of the mind in different life activities and how to apply this to lead successful lives.

I will be studying more on the cycles that affect a nation and an industry. Recession isn’t a new term. At a time like this, that Nigeria is considered to be in recession, it will make a great study. Then, I have only run my organization for 1 year, there are many years ahead, it will be important for me to learn more about how to infuse in the system new life, new blood, new ideas and new activities for it to stand no matter the downward or upward spiral in my industry. I have decided to pick up William Duggan’s book, The Art of What Works: How Success Really Happen to learn more about this.

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

Yes, I completed the exercises. They were useful. The exercises aren’t just something to be completed and forgotten. They are exercises that are to be infused into my daily activities and life journey.

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

No.

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

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

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Assessment by Fasoranti Damilola (Nigeria)

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

There are basic human traits and desires, that when we understand it and learn to dance to it, celebrate it and feed it, it will be so much easier to influence others and get others to own their change.

i. To correct people, allow them to find out why they need correction first of all.

I have a close friend that shared with me about someone she was trying to correct about her behaviors (especially nagging and keeping malice with family and friends). She sincerely wanted to help this lady to become a better person and to be able to live peacefully with others. That lady, in the process, stopped speaking to my friend. My friend was shocked about that reaction. Then, I explained to her about this idea that we all resent condemnation, we love approvals instead. So, I advised that it is far better to allow people to first understand why they should change before they are able to really change from within.

ii. Arouse in others an eager want.

I remember that I wrote a piece about this topic in March, 2017. I was talking about inspirational and aspirational advertising. I realized that the major reasons that people click on an advert, open the pages of a newspaper, choose to eat in a specific restaurant, or buy the video course of a preacher, is tied to arousing the eager want in people. It is more about showing them something they have been craving for. In fact, in the basic experiences I have had in sales and marketing, I spend more time taking about the benefits of a service to my prospective customers than I mention the basic features of my services. This approach works every time.

iii. Admire people, no matter what.

In 2016, I was looking for ways to get the word out there for my organization, Prikkle Academy, to be listed as running one of the 450+ education innovation program on Center for Education Innovation website. I live in Nigeria and I haven’t been to the US, so, how do we make this happen? I began to tweet about our work. When we run session and create exciting projects, as always, I tweet it and mention how their organization is a trigger to our work. In a space of 5 months, they contacted us to list Prikkle Academy on their website. I have seen that admiring people and sharing with them how what they do or say has influenced our lives positively has a way of improving their self-esteem.

iv. Help people to find their own truth rather than force your truth on them.

One of the things that got me confused about the school system in Nigeria was the idea of religiously following rules and regulations. The system allowed for little or no creativity, you can’t ask certain types of questions from the authority, you can’t bring fresh perspectives of answer to a question; it must be exactly the ones the teachers consider as the right answers. This situation makes many students die inside with their gifts waiting to be expressed; it makes talents lost and learning very difficult. I knew that I had to do something about the situation. I did. I started an Academy, where they students are free to find their own potentials, talents and gifts. The exercise they are daily introduced to helps each person to find their own interests and how they will like to use these gifts to change the world positively. Since we started, more than 6 innovative projects have been completed in less than 1 year, yet most of these participants have gone to school for more than 14 years without finishing a single project. When we allow people to find themselves, instead of shoving our truth down their throat, people are able to produce and create optimally.

v. Admit it, if you are wrong

This used to be very difficult for me to do. I like it when people keep to time for an appointment. I make it an unwritten rule with anyone I worked with, to respect themselves and be sure to arrive for meetings at the time we mutually agreed on. Whenever there is a defaulter, I raise eye brows on this. But, I began to realize that when I default, I don’t see it as anything wrong, mention it or apologize. Then, a friend mentioned it in a meeting I attended and I arrived late. It dawned on me, that an apology will go a long way to pacify other participants’ anger at the late coming. I did apologize and it worked. I don’t ever want to stop taking responsibilities for any wrong thing I do and to say it to the parties concerned.

vi. Emphasize similarities instead of differences when you begin

When I started working in the rural communities of Nigeria, one of the factors that helped me to be accepted in their communities as if I grew up among them, is because I live and eat with them and accept them the way they are. I made them feel that the challenges they were facing was been faced in the city as well, in fact a lot of them started sharing their untold stories of unity, peace and progress many years ago in their communities. This experience made me to understand that when other people can see how you are part of them, or that you have a lot in common, they instantly connect with you.

vii. Infuse drama into your ideas

Nine months ago, I was having a session with some youths at the grassroots community of Afon, Kwara State, Nigeria. We wanted to celebrate the birthday of one of the participants. We didn’t have so much money to put up a party, yet, we wanted it to be remarkable. Then, we decided to buy a packet of biscuits, not just to share it with well-wishers, but to some amazing with it. We gave each well-wisher a tiny piece of biscuit and I instructed them to use the tiny piece to create something that will connote their wish to the celebrant. In 5 minutes, some broke the biscuits into smaller pieces, some ground it into fine substance and they drew words and crafted out diagrams that mean “Happy Birthday” to the celebrant. The celebrant was jumping everywhere and so excited about the fun and the drama we infused into celebrating here day. It was the first-ever innovative way of celebrating her birthday.

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 have learned that I can’t change people by disapproving of their behavior or actions. I should first of all tap into the knowledge of where they are coming from, their mindset and then help them through that path to be able to change in their own way and at their own pace. I must find a way to first understand the circumstance that people are into, before I convince them without their volition to my own way of reasoning.

One thing I decided to start learning since 2016, is how to make compelling copywriting. I have seen that sometimes I have written very beautiful blog content, yet people don’t jump in there to read it. Until, I began t understand that arousing in people an eager want is the way to go. It is making them take actions that are relevant to their initial desires and craving. I will keep working on getting better and become a super copywriter in my writing and marketing career.

Whoever it is, I am determined to admire them. I once heard of a story of somebody looking for a job, he had all the requirements to get the job, but he did a simple mistake that cost him not to get the job. He behaved in an ugly manner to the gatekeeper, yet left the interview feeling great that he already got the job. Later in the week, the organization sent him an email that they can’t absorb him into their firm because he may spread his arrogant character that he showed their gatekeeper to every other person in the organization.

I have decided that I will continue on this path of helping people find their own passion, truth and motivation to change the own lives and the life of others. I have seen that the things I do, because I have an inner intention to make it happen, eventually happens more easily and I am always super excited about it. In helping other live out their awesome dreams, I will keep looking for ways to help them discover their own treasure and together explore how they can use it to positively influence themselves and others.

In recent times, I sense a feeling of guilt, whenever I haven’t admitted my wrongs and make an apology to the parties involved. I consider this is a good feeling; It will help me not to delay to admit and correct my wrongs. It may just be what the other person is waiting for before they take a brutal action, I will always look out for ways to include “I am sorry” phrase in my conversation wherever relevant.

I attended the Second International Conference of IIGL in Lagos, May, 2017. There was a young lady called Nkechi. She gave a few minutes speech of who she is and what her work is about. She works with the rural communities too in the field of literacy and numeracy. After the conference that day, I met her, firstly because she mentioned that she works in the rural communities (our point of similarity) and secondly, because I love to connect with others when I go for an event. Based on this single similarity, we spoke with each other for almost 60 minutes and we kept on sharing and sharing. I won’t stop this.

I can see the power of using images, picture, symbols and real examples to describe a concept to my participants in my organization’s programs. I can see that the power of drama to explain a difficult topic can’t be overestimated. I will keep learning more about creative ways of sharing my ideas.

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.

“As much as we thirst for approval, we dread condemnation.”

I have been working with young people for a few years now, I have observed that many youths will reach out more often to adults that tend to welcome their ideas and give them kudos for a job done very well. They run away from adults that condemn their actions, they seem to enjoy the goodness that comes with being accepted that rejected. This quote is very true.

“I will speak ill of no man, and speak all the good I know of everybody.”

In 2015, I found out about an approach called Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), it has an underlining ideology that empowerment and development ought to stem out of people’s gifts, talents, stories of success and community resources, instead of needs, failures and negative. Since I have adopted this approach to my work, we have seen amazing results. People have described how empowered they have become by this approach. We consider this powerful because, it helps individuals, even living in rural communities, to begin to see the goodness and greatness of their communities rather than the ills. This quote makes it even easier to start seeing the goodness in others as well instead of all the ills and negatives.

“Talk to people about themselves and they will listen for hours.”

I will add to this quote that, “ask about the things that people like admire about themselves and they will speak for hours without a break”

I stumbled on a technique called Appreciative Inquiry at the end of 2015 and it has been a great time learning how to use this in my coaching enterprise. In 2016, I was having a personal coaching session with one of my clients and I began to ask him to share with me all the things he has done in his life that he is proud of. Initially, he felt, there wasn’t so much he has done in his life. Before the coaching session started, he had complained about how confused he was, he had a job, but there were unfulfilled hunger within him to express his gifts to the world. As I kept drilling him with questions that will help him see the things he has accomplished in his life, beautiful conversation began to open up within him. The first session was to take 40 minutes, the story began to flow from within him till we reached 90 minutes, non-stop. This quote is very true.

“By fighting, you never get enough, but by yielding you get more than you expected.”

Usually, to get anything from the government, it is always difficult and takes a long time to accomplish. In the middle of 2016, my organization wanted to get an approval from the local government to use an abandoned building in community as a makerspace. We began to think of ways to go around making this request. Some suggested that it is better than we just go ahead and start using the premises; so far it has been abandoned for more than 2 years. Afterall, we also know that it will take more years to get such approval.

At the end, we decided that instead of taking laws into our hands, fighting the system for abandoning several buildings worth millions of naira, we should go ahead and have a dialogue with the local government chairperson. We did and after 5 months, we finally got the approval. It was tough getting the approval, but it would have been tougher fighting against the government to just go ahead using the premises.

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?

The book is an ongoing practice of the ideas shared, I am already putting these things to work in my life and I can see it working.

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? 9
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

Real Magic
Assessment by Fasoranti Damilola (Nigeria)

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

The author explained the capacity that every human being has to achieve perfect equilibrium of the mind. He draws the reader’s attention to commit to the inner transformation. The author shared that deep within every person is a unified field of limitless possibilities and that when one is competent at going to that wondrous place, one will discover an entirely new realm of human experience where all things are possible.

i. Introduction of magic into my life through purpose

In trying to put myself to unite with the incarnate order of the world, I need to envision my life’s journey in the line of purpose. There should be something I am living for, and perhaps, something I am willing to die for. I need to be awake to the realities of the question, ‘what is my why?’ As I gradually unravel my why in life and in each situations of my life experiences, the dots of true living and magic begins to connect.Everything in the universe has a purpose. Every experience I cause or that happens in my life has a reason and I must be able to quiet myself down and learn from the purpose of any situation. When I left the city and moved to the rural communities to be empowering young people through their gifts and talents, my parents were in doubt about how I will be able to survive.
It’s been 3 years of working in those communities and I have been housed, cloth, fed and welcomed by total strangers. It is amazing how things have been falling in good soil and I have been experiencing true magic in my life.

ii. Living the life of service bring real magic and miracles

It is important to behave in ways consistent with love, harmony and to not be profusely attached in any way to the fruits of your labor. We have to be consistently aware of the need to serve God and to serve others in any way and all of our actions, because this is the way of the miracle worker.
I am always delighted when I get an opportunity to volunteer for a cause that I believe in. I tell people if I have a need in my life, but go out there to bless someone in need, it’s almost like automatic, my needs are sorted out. I still do not understand how this works and I really don’t want to bother finding out I just want to believe it to be the magic and miracle that is created in my life, as I serve others and serve God.

iii. When I am ready, all that I need will show up

When I started dating, I didn’t have a job at that time. I was just a fresh graduate that isn’t sure the direction I will go in my career, but I knew that I had found the woman that I wanted in my life. I approached her and she agreed. While it looked as bleak and confusing as the night clouds, not sure of how we were going to survive in the relationship, what we envisaged didn’t happen. Yes, we had difficult times and seasons, just like any other person, but in all, we always have our needs met.

iv. I can create miracles by using my invisible self to influence my physical reality.

Our soul, our spiritual being, doesn’t die nor is it born, but is eternal and formless as a beam of light. Imagination is more important than knowledge and our imagination is the inner formless self. Becoming spiritual involves being able to touch that invisible self — secret to becoming a miracle worker.
6 years ago, I thought about my life for the next 8 years and wrote down some more things for 50 years. I imagined everything I wanted in those numbers of years. I wrote it down and at different time, I looked through it. Today, I haven’t achieved some things on that list, but I have surpassed my imagination in so many other ways. I thought about those things at that time (in the formless spiritual state), but today it has transformed to the tangible physical state.

v. Don’t fight against what you hate.

I look at the world today and I see something that is shocking. I remember the hatred that several Americans had for President Trump and I see that he eventually won the election. I see that the Government in Nigeria always talking about fighting against corruption, but everyday the news carries it that there is a new case of corruption even within the Government officials. When I started my organization, I founded it on the fact that whoever (noting how they have assumed themselves to be poor in rural communities) we are going to work with, we will not work directly on their needs, but on their gifts, strengths, and talent. We are not helping rural communities to fight against poverty or illiteracy. We are working for abundance, we are working for literacy, we are working to provide employment, we are igniting possibilities, we are creating massive opportunities for children and youths to be able to enjoy and live the happy life that they desire. This approach has worked beautifully and in so many awesome ways.

vi. Learn to act as if the life you visualize were already here

This may start out like self-deception, like Dyer noted, but in one instant of acting as if your miracles were here, you have created it for yourself. I have decided a long while ago to keep saying, writing down and acting in the directions I want to see happen in my life. It looked like I was faking it at the initial stage, but today, I am reaping the fruits of imagining, writing and professing what I want in my life.

vii. Ask nothing of anyone and practice unconditional acceptance

This was tough to learn. It is tough for anyone. We are in a world where we somewhat have a sense of entitlement. We expect the government to do certain things for us, we expect our parents and teachers to do certain things to us, we expect our siblings and relatives to do certain things for us. When they don’t do these things, as this happens a lot, we have stress in the relationship and we are not able to enjoy them to the fullest. At every opportunity, we are judging and expecting some form of reward from what we have done to them. We are expecting them to behave in a particular way, say particular things and act in the ways that we require only. I have a friend that we got close about 6 months ago. I realized that I am always judging even before she speaks. I sometimes get worried about why she expresses herself in a specific way instead of the way I am expecting. I feel, I need to always correct her to think and act in the way I believe and that she agreed that is the best. I had to get to this point now that I know that she doesn’t owe me anything and I don’t owe her anything either, except to love, to cheer on and to accept her.
This is powerful and I need to keep reminding myself this all over again.

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 now know and agree that purpose is a cornerstone for achieving magic. In my work and interaction with others, I will look through the reasons I am doing whatever I am doing and focus on it all through. I want to see more miracles in my life and in the life of others

I have dedicated my life to the service of others and of God and I am not looking back on this. Recently, I was nominated for the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award by Dalai Lama Fellows; I was surprised to see that nomination. All I want to do is to keep serving and don’t bother about the reward that comes with it.

For my work in rural communities, there is always some kind of needs. I have realized that whenever I am ready with my team to proceed on a project that we have thought about, something and somebody always shows up to help us. Also, for a while I haven’t written my IIGL assessment. I have read the books and I will feel lazy and busy to write my assessment. As I decided today to write this, all I needed to put my assessment together was made available and all that was stopping me miraculously vanished.

I will give myself to my visualization and meditation; I have not been in tune with this for a while. It is time to get it back and use this in my life, as I have always used it previously. I will keep acting out the things that I imagine in my life into reality. I am unstoppable and I am limitless.

I am in love with the things I love and I do not have to hate and fight against the things that I hate. I am in alignment with the things that I want to change and give myself the opportunity to imagine how the world will look like when I achieve that. I will work from that perspective rather than the perspective of hate and hatred.

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.

“Where there is great love, there are always miracles.”

My father lost his job about 10 years ago, life was tough in my family and at that time I was about entering the University. My 2 older siblings were in the University at that time. But for the love, encouragement and hope that we all shared in the family, we were able to scale through that period of despair and the story is different today.

“When you are green you grow, when you are ripe you rot.”

I love the idea of lifelong learning. My parents are always asking when I will go for my Masters’ Degree, but I am always saying that I read, study and learn everyday far more than I will do if I was in a school doing a course or trying to get a Degree. I am fascinated by this 21st century that we are in, knowledge and the opportunity to grow is limitless and I won’t waste any time. I will keep learning, taking action and blessing nations with my knowledge.

“As we take advantage of what is, we should recognize the usefulness of what is not.”

I agree that the vase, the room, the music, the cars, the phones, the gadgets and the things that makes life easy or possible to live in, has some form of empty space and nothingness. Without the empty space they can’t exist. This makes a lot of sense.

“When you seek it, you can’t find it.”

This is about being free from the insanity of vigorously pursuing that which you don’t want and that which is, in some way, damaging you.
I am to surrender, trust, turn away from outer accumulation and achievement and allow myself to be purposeful and guided.

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?

There was an exercise about giving oneself a quiet time alone daily for one week. This is a very refreshing exercise, although I do this from time to time, but I find it nourishing to take it more serious after reading it in this book. I see that the more thoughtful I am about “my why” of doing things, the better the quality of my life and experiences.

There was another exercise about reading about the lives of successful people. I read two books on the life of Muhammad Ali and I was blown away. I was able to see the deep spiritual path in his life and how that positively influenced his life, career and relationships. I have learned the power of thought in a new dimension through this exercise.

There are suggested affirmations for implementing an open mindset. I find this useful too. It helps my mind to stay stable and firm on my belief for limitless possibilities.

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

Giant Steps
Assessment by Fasoranti Damilola (Nigeria)

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

He shared daily success and self-mastery tips for a complete 365-day year. He highlighted short and small changes that I can take that will eventually make a big difference in my life. Some of the days have a question at the end that asks and zoom in into what change you can make for that particular day. Interestingly, if followed with commitment, a huge turnaround will happen in your life.

i. Every upset that we have is merely a rule upset

This is a huge lesson. It made it clear that nobody can make anyone angry. We are only angry because we are reacting to one of our own rules for the situation. This is true. I was travelling about two weeks ago on a bus and based on my rules, the driver wasn’t reckless. He was running, yet very careful. The other passengers on the bus were angry with him all through the trip, because to them he was breaking the ‘safety rules’ that they have.

ii. Tap into your ability to create, maintain, master, protect and enjoy your wealth

Becoming better, learning what needs to be learned to be able to add more value is very crucial. The ability to add value or solve problems is linked to the amount of wealth we can create. The Influence and impact that we need to make on the world will be difficult to make without having the necessary wealth. In the sequence highlighted above, for the past few years, I am always thinking up new streams of income. I have also started investment and I need to learn the others.

ii. Questions can shape our lives

One of the things I enjoy now about working with children and young adults is their curiosity. I have always heard the phrase, that ‘curiosity kills the cat’. While it may be true, I am not sure that that phrase has considered another perspective that “curiosity can also save the cat.” Two years ago, I attended a conference organized by some University Students. There was a panelist section, about educational system, employment and empowerment of youth. After the session, the floor was open for questions.
I rose up and asked a fine question that made the panelist stumble. After the event, a few guys walked up to me and said they were inspired by the type of questions I asked. We connected immediately and we have been able to do several amazing things together since then. A question led to a connection and led to working together for the good of the nation.
iii. Live with an attitude of gratitude

There was a time I was cash strapped, and there were some project and travels that I had ahead of me. I was also making a monthly financial contribution with some friends. It was running to the time that I needed to send in my contribution. My salary was not forthcoming and all the people that owed me were begging and complaining that they didn’t have money. I decided that I will not grumble but I will keep thanking God for what he has done for me in the past and what he has the power to do in the future. By a mysterious way, one of my debtors that had refused to pick my calls for several weeks suddenly sent me a message and asked for my bank account. She paid in some money.
That was how I was able to scale through that period.

iv. Adopt an attitude of Flexibility

This was hard for me. For example, when I was growing up, like every other child, there are rules and guidelines at home, in the school and in the church that I was given to follow. There are certain ways of doing things and turning away from it is huge disrespect to the authority. Based on this, it was hard for me to be flexible in the ways I thought, in the way I sleep, in the types of work I do, in the way I accept r reject things.
Until I traveled to India in 2015 on a leadership course for 7 months, things began to change in my though pattern and in the ways that I thought about things. This flexibility has helped me to figure out different ways of solving problems and interacting with people and it struck me again while reading this book.

v. Spend a lot more time on the solutions.

I noticed that when I get to a new location in my community development work, within the first 1 hour of my interaction with people, they would have talked mostly about many of the problems that are in their community. When I am travelling on a bus, I noticed that people talk mostly of problems of the nation, and their personal struggles. It is only on a few times that I find people talking about solutions. Isn’t it evident that this is the reason we have more problems in the world, compared to solutions? I was struck by this idea that I need to focus more on solutions most of the times, since most other people will only focus on problems.

vi. Challenges aren’t permanent.

I remember when I was preparing to make a dream speech in Kerala, in 2015. The speech was going to be for 10 minutes, and it will be on U-tube forever. I had coaches and mentors flown from different countries into the institute to hold us in the hand professionally for a great delivery. The preparation was for about 4 weeks, but it looked like forever. The drill for excellence was tough and it was sleepless nights of rehearsing to put my story out in the best way. It’s been nearly 3 years since this experience and I feel great every time I watch the video. It was challenging at that time of preparation and delivery, but today, I feel joyful.

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?

Now, I know that nobody can make me angry unless I admit it. I need to be sure that I am not setting up unrealistic rules that don’t serve me for healthy relationship building. I know of people that get angry on almost everything, because they have set up different kind of rules. I will be thoughtful about the rules that I have and to use it in the best way possible.

Wealth, looks like something that will suddenly jump at me. I felt that all I needed to do was to work, earn and wealth will be a standard, but based on the insight in this book about wealth, I am now aware that creating wealth isn’t enough; I need to maintain, protect, enjoy and master wealth. This is an amazing revelation.

I will maintain the stand that curiosity is a brilliant virtue. In relationships, each person likes to know that the other person want to know what is happening to them. They are alive, when the partner is constantly checking in to be sure that they are doing well and having a great day. Sometimes, the same questions are asked, yet the answers come differently based on situation. Questioning is a powerful tool to uncover the deep thought and feeling of people.

No matter what I am going through now, I maintain a mindset of thanksgiving and attitude of gratitude. I am aware that the more I am thankful for who I am and what I am becoming, the better I can attract all the great things of life.

There is a common idea that makes people to want to continue to do things the way they have always being doing it. I think it is like this, because it has become easy doing that thing and they are lazy to see any changes. Flexibility will help me to unlock the gifts in me that I never considered that I had. Flexibility will help me to learn, unlearn and relearn things that I would have thought I had mastered.

I am learning everyday and reading about solutions. Since I was born, I have been hearing about almost the same set of problems. I have been seeing the same set of troubles, yet it seems there are no solutions to these things. Now, I am intentional to read about people, places and things that are more about solutions

Anytime that I find myself in a situation that is challenging, this will help me to stay focused and tune off the pain. I am reminded by this idea that challenges aren’t permanent. I will continuously look at the lessons that are coming through the challenge and look forward to the beautiful days ahead.

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.

“You are the master designer of your life, if you realize it or not.”
Every action that I take everyday is a thread that forms the fabric through which I experience the world. It is important that I design my life with intentional. It is crucial that I live everyday deliberately and with consciousness that I want to add the best form of thread to the fabrics of my life.

“The most important thing is to have a point, a direction you are headed.”

A life without direction is meaningless. Going on a trip without a direction is foolish, because you are not sure when you have gotten to your destination or if you are making any progress. Everyday, I wake up with a goal in mind – something worth achieving even if it is just to smile to someone or help solve a little problem. This mindset helps me to know that I am making progress and that I am a blessing unto someone. A football match, without a goal post is only an exercise and not a competition.

“Small leaks sink the ship.”

Little things make a big difference. When I started writing everyday, I was able to write about 100 words at the start, then it increased to 500 and on and on. Today, I don’t feel any struggle writing 10,000 words, because it is now fun and part of my system.

“Kill the monster while it’s little.”

This is almost similar to the point above, the same way, there are habits that aren’t too good, that stated just as a little thing. It is important to curtail whatever behaviors as early as possible.

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

I agree with all the points raised in the book. At my first reading, I saw a few things that I couldn’t believe, but as I read through the second and third time, I began to see that my world view is what had clouded my acceptance of those points.

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

Yes, there are many exercises in the book, I will highlight a few that resonated with me; for example:

Transformational vocabularies: I was not even aware that this was a big deal. A few years ago, I decided to find out a few words in the dictionary, such as, ‘elated, terrific, fantastic etc. When anyone ask me, ‘how was my day?’ these were the words that come through. While I was reading this book and got to this exercise, I was filled with excitement and I am happy to remain in this standard state of positivity in my vocabularies.

The morning and evening power questions: I like the questions here. I am mostly a happy person and it helped me to look deeply into the reasons for my happiness and I realized that it was a choice; it wasn’t because of something in particular.

Listening to the ten emotions of power: I was able to relearn the emotions of power, such as cheerfulness, contribution, flexibility, confidence and so on. It was a good exercise to recite and to share it with other people around me.

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

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? 9
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

Maximum Achievement
Assessment by Fasoranti Damilola (Nigeria)

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

It captures a number of ideas on how to make success happen through beliefs and actions. It shares important tools, thoughts, and principles that have helped many people to achieve great success and how we can model those principles into our own lives and achieve success too.

i. Everything worthwhile takes time

There are no shortcuts to success. You have to go through the thick and thin moments, to get a way through. Using a shortcut now will later backfire and you will still have to go through the whole journey all over again.

ii. Peace of Mind

This is essential for success: this is so true. I have seen myself in moments when I am under pressure or I am hiding from something – I am not always at my best. On the other hand, when I set a time for myself to get things done, I am able to deliver, because I am working with so much peace and confidence that I can get it done.

iii. Health is wealth

There is a lot of different diseases today that make people unable to deliver to their highest level of potential. The more health – absence of pain, illness or disease – we have the better the level of our productivity.

iv. Laughter

When a relationship is happy, people laugh when they are together. This is obvious, but it seems we don’t pay attention to this. There is a way continuous frowning shows that something is wrong in a relationship – personal, family, business, etc. I am nothing this and I want to create more moments of happiness and joy within my circle of influence.

v. Money is important

I used to shy away from this and say something like, ‘money isn’t so important, just do good and you will be just fine’. I have realized that this is a myopic view because there is a lot that lack of money will prevent you from doing’ and there is a lot of illnesses, pain, and troubles that will easily be avoided when you have money.

vi. It is up to me

If I need to change my situation, if there is something I don’t like, I am to get up and fix it. I have the ability to learn what I need to change my situation. I have within my power to bring about the necessary growth that I desire. I love the part that says, ‘you have to become the conductor of your own orchestra’

vii. Expectations are powerful

There are times we know what we want, but our expectations are completely different. We think and feel differently from what we say we want. Yet, it is the things we firmly believe that we will see in our lives.

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

For the past one year, we haven’t been keen on applying for grants for our project at Prikkle Academy as we are learning and taking action at generating funds within our program to fund any other thing we are trying to do. It has made a number of things become slow, yet we are excited about the progress we have made. I am happy that we are going through this phase that is preparing a way for us to run in a sustainable way in the future.

Peace of mind is one important value that I look out for in any of my dealing with people. When I have peace within me and I am not unnecessary agitated about a situation, things turn out the best way. I remember, there was a time I was going to Kenya, I had spoken to my friend that will pick me up and host me. A few days to my trip, I began to sense a bit of communication gaps and I didn’t feel that peace that will give me a go-ahead. I had to reach out to another friend that later hosted me. The previous friend didn’t even reach out to me all through my trip and stay.

You need to have great Health: When I was on bed rest for 6 weeks, after I had a near-death accident, it distorted my plans and I couldn’t speak so well. My productivity reduced and I had to halt many of my plans. The same thing, when I haven’t slept enough, I also feel less productive, unless I have given my body its necessary rest.

When laughter goes away: I didn’t realize this so clearly until I hit it in this book. I noticed that whenever there is someone in my life that it is hard to smile with them, then the relationship is gradually tearing apart. When I have forgiven a friend for doing something wrong, but I find it hard to laugh or find their actions interesting, it is a sign that the relationship is no longer growing. Going forward, I can also start measuring if a friend is happy with me or not, by their countenance of smile or sadness.

I have decided to take up skills that are highly valued in the marketplace, since the beginning of 2019. This decision has helped me to travel 6 times out of Nigeria within 8 months – this has never happened earlier because I didn’t have the financial capacity to do that. I have been able to help a lot more people and inspire them into action because I have the financial capacity to do that.

I live in a country where it is easy to blame the Government, the Economy and different form of limitations as the reason for being backward and being a failure, but I know that within the same country, there are people that are succeeding and making great strides. Why don’t I join in that statistics of people making things happen? I see now that I have in my hand, what it takes to grow and step up the game.

There was a time I was unable to show up at work for my boss and I have a lot of challenges that I couldn’t communicate my absence. My boss was furious and I felt bad about the whole situation. Suddenly, she wouldn’t talk with me and instantly revoked my access to the office files. Without any form of communication, I began to feel that I had lost the job. A part of me felt like it is the end of employment for me, another part of me (and stronger) was like, ‘’You can never be unemployed, dust it off and pout out your skills’’ Within 1 week, I was already on another job that gave more flexibility and freedom to grow. Since then, my value and the way I see myself has improved.

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.

“You can’t help the poor by becoming one of them.”

Abraham Lincoln (This is true, to help someone that is drowning, you need to be able to swim, not drowning too. To help others out of their misery, it means you should have helped yourself out of your own misery.

“I used to think people were an important part of any business. Then, I learned a great truth; people are the business.”

I have had the great opportunity of working with amazing people that bring great value and discipline into work, they have shown that if every other thing fails, they are the power force behind making the organizations run).

“Man, know thyself.”

This isn’t the first time I am coming across this quote, but it resonates with me differently reading it again. We are engaged in so many activities and trying to change others, yet we barely know ourselves. I am more convinced than ever that I have to pay a lot more attention to my self-development and growth.

“Nobody can make you inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt

It is interesting to note that we have accepted and given consent to many people to make us feel good or bad. We have chosen to give away the freedom our heart and mind is supposed to enjoy because we have boxed ourselves to the opinion of others.

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?

It resonated with many of the materials I have picked up over the years.

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

Yes, it contains exercises at the end of each part. Yes, I enjoyed the exercises and some of them are ongoing exercises and some of them have to be reviewed from time to time.

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.

Nothing.

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? 9