As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Ifezue Chinweze R. (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author is conveying the idea that a man is literally what he thinks his character being the complete sum of all his thought. That what ever we think and encourage, be it Godlike or groveling thoughts, nature through some strong, powerful and accurate principle which knows no such word as error hands us back its equivalent in the form of our character and circumstance which is the sum total of our habits, our personal assortment of virtues and vice, blessedness and wretchedness.in other words garbage in garbage out.
2. What are 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. Thoughts in the mind hath made us what we are.
When i first read those words, i pursed and asked my self the question who am i? and tried my possible best to answer that question in utmost sincerity. when i look back in retrospect and analyze the nature of the thoughts that has occupied my mind through all those years and try to relate it to my present character and condition, the answer was so simple, I am a Mirror Image Of My Thought. Now knowing and understanding the law upon which my being is established, i filter and control my thoughts, tracing their effect upon my life and circumstance and upon others with patient practice and investigation with the view of becoming a better person by the right choice and true application of thought.
ii. Mans mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild
Quote: “Out of every thought-seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind and take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance” It is very important for us to always occupy our mind with right, useful and pure thoughts because if we don’t ill thought will creep in just like weeds in a neglected garden and will continue to produce their own kind. This explains how the thought forces and mind elements operates in the shaping of our character, circumstance and destiny. A mans character and circumstance is determined by the inmost desire, aspirations and thoughts by which he allows himself to be dominated, by always clearing our mind of ill and groveling thoughts we establish total command over the hidden soil and seed of our being out of which each and every of our circumstance grow forth.
iii. Circumstance does not make a man, it reveals him to himself
Quote: “The world is your kaleidoscope, and the varying combination of colors, which at every succeeding moment it presents to you are the exquisitely adjusted pictures of your ever-moving thought” Our present circumstance should always serve as a mirror through which we can see clearly what thoughts we have allowed to dominate our mind knowingly and unknowingly. Our circumstance shows if we are in harmony or out of harmony with our self and with the law of our being. Therefore to maintain a favorable circumstance, we should always make sure that while aiming at a good end, that we encourage thoughts and desire which harmonize with the end. Happiness, health and prosperity are the result of a harmonious adjustment of the inner with the outer, of the man with his surroundings.
iv. Man has but to right himself to find that the universe is right
Man was born together all in one piece. it is the kinds of thought that he encourage to dominate his mind that has torn him apart, thoughts of folly, thoughts of dishonesty, thoughts of fear. With systematic introspection, constant self analysis and adaptation of the mind to the hidden power of thought which regulate our life, let us put our self together by planting and encouraging in our mind thoughts of justice, not injustice, thought of law, not lawlessness, thoughts of righteousness, not corruption. Then and only then will man find happiness and only then will the world be truly right. Quote: “He will then know, looking back upon his past ignorance and blindness, that his life is, and always was justly ordered, and that all his past experiences, good and bad, where the equitable outworking of his evolving, yet unevolved self”
v. The body is the servant of the mind
Quote: “The body is a delicate and plastic instrument which responds readily to the thoughts by which it is impressed, and habits of thought will produce their own effects, good or bad” This idea relates directly to the concept of how the level of our mental hygiene directly affect our physical body, hygiene by definition is a system of principle or rule designed for the promotion of health. Social hygiene we often refers specifically to venereal contagion. When we allow thoughts of malice, envy, disappointment, folly, pride and despondency to dominate our mind, our body sinks rapidly into disease and begins to decay, and through the same process youthfulness and beauty results from strong, clean and beautiful thought. Ignorance of how the level of you mental hygiene directly affects your physical body leads to sin, sickness and death.
vi. Thoughts allied fearlessly to a purpose becomes creative force.
Thoughts strongly allied to a purpose recognize no such word as impossible and accepts no such reality as failure, it instantly reaches the sub-conscious mind where it is changed to its physical equivalent in order words we can say that purpose which i now understand as the emotion or the feeling portion of thoughts is the main factor which gives our thoughts vitality, life and action. When our thoughts are not directly linked to a specific purpose, the result is aimlessness of thought, failure and unhappiness therefore it is very important for everyman who wish to accomplish great things to conceive a legitimate purpose in his heart and rap his thoughts around it, make his purpose his supreme duty and devote himself to its attainment and not allowing his thought wander in aimlessness. All these if properly applied and practiced, will readily hand us what ever desire in life.
vii. A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts.
This idea invariably implies that all that a man achieve and fail to achieve is as a result of the thoughts with which he is dominated. Any mans achievement be it business, intellectual or spiritual are the products of how high that man is willing to lift his thoughts and this means that We can directly see the level of a mans thought in his achievement. A man who is always dominated with ill thought can never think clearly or plan methodically, he can never develop any of his latent resources and will certainly fail in any endeavor. The higher a man lifts his thoughts the more manly, upright and righteous he becomes, greater still his success will be and his achievements more blessed and enduring. By allowing confused animal thoughts take possession of him, man by the same process descends to failure, wretchedness and self pity.
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?
Quote: “As they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain, they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness” These ideas has made me understand that if i in anyway feel unfulfilled today, it is because my thoughts has been flawed, i now make it a point of duty to always make sure that my mind is always filled with productive thought while at the other hand discouraging the existence of groveling thought in my mind knowing that the strength of effort i put in lifting up my thought will directly reflect its self in my worldly achievements. I now know that with a strong purpose, faith and with a good understanding of the concept of self-control and true concentration of thought, that whatever price i demand of life for having walked this earth, life will willingly pay.
In helping me to create a better world, i am currently working on a program captioned “Salvaging African Youth” which i intend to implement across the whole Africa. As crazy and unattainable as it may sound, i will now be including in the educational component of this program a course on the human thought and how the thought-force and mind element operate in shaping our character, circumstance and destiny. If i can pass this message across to as many African youths as i can get to participate in this program which them in turn will pass on to others, i think this book will have served its purpose.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author madethat particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
Quote: “Every man is where he is by the law of his being, the thought which he has built into his character have brought him there” What ever or who ever we are today is as a result of the kind of thoughts we allow to dominate our mind, our life today, our circumstance are our thoughts completed.
Quote: “Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect is absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things” With this statement i have come to understand that man has a law upon which his being is established and understanding this law is a matter of application, self analysis and patient practice and as soon as we understand and practice this law, we will begin to fully understand how the thought-force and mind element operate in shaping our character, circumstance and destiny.
Quote: “Man is made or unmade by himself” With this i now fully understand that me and only me is responsible for what ever my circumstance today may be and also to ceases to accuse others as the cause of my condition, and builds myself up in strong and noble thoughts and that me and only me has the power to change my circumstance for good.
Quote: “Men imagine that thought can be kept secret but it cannot” This goes a long way to tell us that what ever our thoughts are whether good or bad that we can never hide it, that our thoughts reaches deeper into our being and manifest itself in every word we speak, every action we take and also reflects itself in our face that even the most casual observer can sense the quality of thought that we allow to dominate our mind.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
I totally disagree with the writer where he said that, “Not what a man prays for does he get, but what he justly earns. His wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions” this is totally unacceptable for all have sin and fall short of the glory of God, our being alive today and whether our prayers are answered or not has absolutely nothing to do with our thoughts and actions but for the fact that God is a merciful and gracious God he answers our prayers even when we don’t deserve it.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all the exercises and did you find them helpful?
No the book did not contain any exercise
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten
is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Ifezue Chinweze R. (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author is trying to convey is that no body no matter who you are, what you are or where you are from is limited by his or her own nature. This book also made it clear that when a man desires a thing so deeply that his is willing to stake his entire future like Jonathan Livingston Seagull on a single turn of the wheel in order to archive it, that man is sure to win.
The principle in this book are much more than mere theoretical constructs, they leap off the pages due to their relevance and practicality. Any one can tell you what to do but this book takes you beyond that and shows you the how of stopping to see your self as trapped in a limited body following a continuous process of self discipline and perseverance, with the goal each day being to get a little better, to build on the previous day’s progress.
The book also conveys the idea that we all are creators and we can form today the world we shall be living in tomorrow.
2. What where the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. Self mastery:
No one can produce great things who is not thoroughly sincere in dealing with himself, like Jonathan Livingston Seagull said, I don’t mind being bone and feathers mom. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what i can’t, that’s all. I just want to know. To be able to produce great things first we have to really develop a good understanding of who we are, our strength and weakness. It is a well known fact that when we begin to understand what we really are and begin to practices it, we unlock new possibilities. Every past success and failure should be a source of information and wisdom that teaches us about ourselves and what we are capable of doing with our particular gift and talents and failures should show what kind of wrong assumptions we’ve made and where our method are flawed. Every day of my life i learned lessons about working with people, understanding priorities, developing
myself through personal growth plan, keep finding myself a little more each day and paying the due price of leadership.
ii. Living for something:
The happiest excitement in life is to be convinced that you are fighting for all you are worth on behalf of some clearly seen and deeply felt good, the main purpose of life is a life of purpose, to spend it on something that will outlast it. To succeed in anything you must have a clear knowledge of what you want and a burning desire to achieve it. “Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight – how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything else. Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly” This very idea have fueled my vision and made me to understand that it is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. But that credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat, who strives valiantly, who errs and come short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place will never be with those cold timid souls who knows neither victory or defeat.
iii. Hardworking:
“He couldn’t be careful enough on that upstroke. Ten times he tried, and all ten times, as he passed through seventy miles per hour, he burst into a churning mass of feathers, out of control, crashing down into the water.” Anything worth having in life is worth working for. There is absolutely nothing like something for nothing, nothing comes by chance, there will be pain, frustration and set backs here and there, without mistakes one can never really figure out how to make things right. Every successful person you see today is as a result of hard work with integrity in a manner that shows real personal regards for the people with whom you work. If we continually invest in developing ourselves, letting our assets compound the inevitable result will be growth over time, by asking for impossible, we obtain the best possible.
iv. Selflessness:
“Jonathan Seagull was born to be an instructor, and his own way of demonstrating love was to give something of the truth that he had seen to a gull who asked only a chance to see truth for himself” In this book i have learn that you will have everything you want in life if you will help other people get what they want. There are 3keys to more abundant living, caring for others, daring for others and sharing with others. When you assign yourself the purpose of making other people happy and successful you in turn make yourself happy and successful.
v. Maintaining a positive attitude:
There is a very little difference in people but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is the attitude and the big difference is whether it is positive or negative. Our attitude goes a long way to determine how far we go in life. Jonathan Livingston Seagull maintained a positive attitude that made the Flock see him as a special, gifted and divine above other birds. The truth is that he is no more that every other bird in the Flock, the only difference was the attitude. No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it, he state of mind must be belief not mere hope or wish.
vi. Consistency:
One can never tell what he or she is capable of till you push your self to the limit. I always ask my self, If i keep doing what i am doing today, where will be ten years from now. This is a very vital and searching question? like Jonathan Livingston Seagull successful men today are so because they have been very consistent in studying their work and learning from their success and failure. They know and understand the rules and technique and how to apply them so well that what they do comes naturally to them.
vii. Definiteness of purpose:
Jonathan Livingston Seagull desire to learn to fly was so definite that it recognized no such word as impossible and accepts no such reality as failure, he figure out what must be done to achieve victory and then go after it with everything at his disposal and this confirms the statement that when a man desires a thing so deeply that his is willing to stake his entire future on a single turn of the wheel in order to archive it, that man is sure to win.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas has helped me to understand that no man can climb out beyond the limitations of his own thought and also that any body can shape his or her own destiny with hard work, continuous practice and a positive mental attitude while remaining focused.
In helping create a better world, this book has helped me learn to see people differently, to believe more in them and love them their flaws notwithstanding. From what i have read i understand it is my responsibility to help the less knowledgeable and the weak around me teach them rise above limitation, to see the good in every one of them and to help them see it in themselves. The world best form of investment is human investment. People have a way of becoming what you encourage them to be, anybody could be the light of the world but no body will know it until the switch is turned 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.
Quote: “You need to keep finding yourself, a little more each day, that real, unlimited Fletcher Seagull. He’s your instructor. You need to understand him and to practice him” it is very important in everyday of ones life to engage in study thinking and planning time. since learning is a life long process, life’s main purpose should be learning and continued search for knowledge.
Quote: “we choose our next world through what we learn in this one. Learn nothing, and the next world is the same as this one, all the same limitations and lead weights to overcome” It is true, a people, a society, a culture holds fast to the fundamental morality it survives. We decide the fate of the next generation with our actions today, we should be very mindful of our actions today for whatever we do today echos in eternity.
Quote: “Your whole body from wingtip to wingtip is nothing more than your thought itself in a form you can see: Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body too” With this statement, the writer is indirectly telling us that every thing we are today are as a result of out thought, That we can be anything we aspire to be and have everything we wish to have the amount is limited only by the person in whose mind the thought is put to action.
Quote: “Keep working on love” Whenever i read these sentence, the only question that comes to mind is, what can i do for somebody, somewhere who have no opportunity of paying me back and with this i understand happiness is an elusive and transitory thing, he more you search for it, the more you find it evasive. But if you try to bring happiness to someone else, it comes and settles on your shoulder.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
No
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
No the book did not contain exercises for the reader to complete
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
No
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten
is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 7
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 7
Psycho Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by Ifezue Chinweze R. (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author in this book is trying to tell us that man like a machine consists of a goal-striving “servo-mechanism”, which is made up of the brain and nervous system and is used and directed by the mind. He also explained that this goal-striving mechanism which can be compared to a built in automatic guidance system can work for us or against us either as a success mechanism or failure mechanism depending on how we as individuals us it and the goals we set for it to accomplish. He further explained various ideas on how we can control this goal-striving mechanism and make it work for us rather than against us in developing an adequate and realistic self-image which the author described as our mental and spiritual concept or picture of us, which is the main key to human personality and human behavior. The author further noted that when we develop an adequate, realistic self-image, it avails us with new capabilities, new talents and often turns failure into success.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
[a] The discovery of our real self means the difference between success and failure , freedom and compulsion of conformity:
I AM – the two most powerful words in the world, whatever we put after them becomes our reality. The author in chapter one made us understand that each and every one of us carries about with us a mental blue print or picture of ourselves which often is ill defined or even consciously unrecognizable. This self image is our own conception of who we are which was built up from our own beliefs about ourselves. Since we always acts, feels and behaves in a way that is consistent with our self-image, it means that the self-image then is the foundation upon which our entire personality, behavior and circumstance are built. This means that with a simple change in self-definition, we can easily change failure to success. If we conceive ourselves to be failure, we will always find a way to fail in spite of our honest efforts and good-will. But if we conceive ourselves to be successful backed up with a burning desire, controlled attention and organized effort, we will always find a way to succeed against all odds.
[b] We act or fail to act, not because of will, but because of imagination:
We human being often feel and act according to what we believe or imagine to be true about ourselves and environment, it is a basic and fundamental law of the human mind. Destructive imagination will readily set up an automatic, negative, failure mechanism within us just as creative imagination will set up an automatic positive, success mechanism within us when we learn to apply it. Since our nervous system cannot tell the difference between imagined experience and a real experience and if we can behave differently because we think and believe differently, this mean that we can always choose to apply creative imagination rather than destructive imagination like Dr Marston said, we are always acting out some role in life. why not select the right role, the role of a successful person, imagine, rehearse it and act it out.
[c] The minute that we change our mind and stop giving power to the past, the past with its mistakes loses power over us:
Just like the author said, the unhappiest of mortals is that man who insists upon reliving the past over and over in imagination, continually criticizing himself for past mistakes and continually condemning himself for past sin. It will be easy for us to forget our past mistakes and move on if we understand that our past errors, mistakes, failures and humiliation where very necessary steps in the learning process and that they are meant to be means to an end and not an end in themselves and also that when they have served their purpose, they should be forgotten. But when we unconsciously dwell upon past failure or consciously feel guilty about it and keep berating ourselves because of it, then the failure itself becomes the goal which is consciously held in imagination and memory. Simply ignore past failures and move on, it allows you experience the present, free of contamination from the past. Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can’t build on it; it’s only for wallowing in. The better a man is, the more mistakes he will make, for the more new things he will try. I would never promote to a top-level job a man who was not making mistakes…otherwise he is sure to be mediocre.
[d] The relevance of relaxation to success
When we learn to manage our emotions, stress, worry and anxiety well enough to stop and shift our attention to the quieter message of the heart, we can gain a wider perspective on any situation, often saving ourselves from hurt, frustration and pain. Eliminate anxiety, lift depression and create security in your life, our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us. We can let go of the unconscious belief that being anxious about the past or the future will somehow protect us and instead reprogram our cells with new ways of responding. When you slow down, step back a moment and put things in perspective, you can then move on with more efficiency. It only takes a moment to adapt and control how you respond. It is very important every now and then to go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer; since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose your power of judgment. Go some distance away because the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and a lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen. Give up the feeling of responsibility, let go your hold, resign the care of your destiny to higher powers by genuinely indifferent as to what becomes of it all, it will only be but giving your private convulsive self a break and finding that a greater self is there.
[e] Doing one thing at a time:
Trying to do so many things at the same time always leads to confusion and the resultant feeling of nervousness, hurry and anxiety. One of the main causes of breakdown, worry and many other personal problems is this bad mental habit of trying to do many things at the same time which often leaves us feeling hurried and harried. The truth is that we can only do one thing at a giving time; we can only concentrate all our awareness and responsiveness on one problem at a time. When we learn to work with this attitude, we are more relaxed, free from the feeling of hurry and anxiety and we are able to concentrate and think at our best.
[f] Stop letting things push you around:
To often we react to petty annoyances, frustration and the like with grumpiness dissatisfaction, resentment and irritability purely out of habit. In other words, we allow outward events and other people dictate to us how we shall feel and how we shall react. Since it is said that men are disturbed not by the things that happen, but by their opinion of the things that happened, the best way to deal with this problem then will be always not to add resentment and self-pity to your misfortune knowing that between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lays our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom. This idea has made me understand that, our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results.
[g] You make mistakes, mistakes don’t make you:
Often, we shy away from healthy self-acceptance simply because we insist upon identifying ourselves with our mistakes. I may not be expressing myself properly, but that does not mean that I am no good, I may have made a mistake in the past, but that does not mean that I am a mistake. It is always necessary to intellectually recognize our shortcomings but very disastrous to hate our selves because of them. I may not be perfect, I may have faults and weaknesses, I might have gotten off the track, I may have a long way to go but I am something and I will make the most out of that something.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
these ideas has equipped me with the necessary knowledge that I needed in developing and maintaining an adequate self image, which is the main key to human personality and human behavior and set the boundaries of individual accomplishment and defines what we can and cannot do. The most interesting part of it all is knowing that I can easily use experiencing as a direct and controlled method of changing my self image for the better. It has also made me understand how to program my inbuilt goal striving mechanism to work for me as a success mechanism rather than against me as a failure mechanism by learning, practicing and experiencing new habits of thinking, imagining, remembering and acting out new action patterns. These ideas have also furnished me with a total new understanding of myself and how i react to my environment. i have also learned to be more assertive with friends, family members and difficult coworkers and show to live with them with little on no frictions
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
{a} “The way to make a good impression on other people is, never consciously try to make a good impression on them” Whenever you become too consciously concerned about what other think or say about you and your actions, whenever you become too sensitive to the real or imagined disapproval of other people, whenever you become too carefully to consciously try to please other people around you, you become inhibited and self-conscious. You become too careful to make a good impression and in so doing you choke off, restrain and inhibit your creative self and end up making a rather poor impression.
{b} “True forgiveness comes only when we are able to see and emotionally accept that there is and was nothing to forgive” This is absolutely the meaning of true forgiveness. When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free and the kind of forgiveness we are talking about here is not the misguided act of condoning irresponsible, hurtful behavior. Nor is it a superficial turning of the other cheek that leaves us feeling victimized and martyred. Rather it is the finishing of old business that allows us to experience the present, free of contamination from the past.
{c} “Nothing can work me damage except me” This quote explains that we are injured and hurt emotionally not so much by other people or what they say or don’t say but by our own attitude and our own response. In other words, when we feel hurt or feel offended, the feeling is entirely a matter of our own response. In fact the feeling is our response. These quotes have made me understand that it is our own response that we have to be concerned about and not other people. We can choose to tighten up, become angry, anxious or resentful and feel hurt or we can make no response, remain relaxed and feel no hurt. The totality of it all is that, when you live in reaction, you give your power away. Then you get to experience what you gave your power to.
{d} “The answer to aggression is not to eradicate it, but to understand it, and provide proper and appropriate channels for its expression” The saying don’t lash out blindly, concentrate your fire sums up the whole idea contained in this quote. Providing a proper outlet for aggression is as important, if not more important than providing for love and tenderness. The understanding of the mechanism involved here helps us to handle the frustration aggression cycle; the best channel of all aggression is to use it up as it is intended to be used in a constructive, positive way. Whenever you feel like snapping at someone, stop and ask yourself, is this merely my own frustration? What has frustrated me? when you see that your response is inappropriate, then you have gone a long way towards controlling it.
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?
Just the technical terms this eventually became clearer and more understandable.
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 the book contains a number of practice exercises at the end of almost every chapter. At the ending of each chapter, a number of review points and action points are asked. I found these to be useful as they helped me to remember the important concepts in each topic.
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? 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? 8
Success through a Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Ifezue Chinweze R. (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author is trying to convey is that each and every one of us carries an invisible talisman with the initials PMA which has the power of attracting everything good on one side and NMA which also has the power of robbing one of everything that makes life worth living. He also outlined the 17 success principles amongst which there is this principle of PMA that appears to be the most powerful amongst the 17 success principles which if mastered will in turn attract the other principles.
The author in this book made me understand that with a positive approach in everything I do the word impossible will eventually become obsolete. He also took us on a step by step method on how to develop a positive mental attitude with which we can achieve anything no matter how big and unattainable the idea may be as long as it does not violate the laws of God or that of the society.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
(a) Every adversity has the seed of a greater benefit: This idea has totally changed my view of the problems i encounter in my day to day efforts to succeed. It made me understand that by simply changing my attitude from negative to positive that I can succeed where others fail. it has also helped me to understand that, with each victory over my problems, i grow in wisdom, stature and experience. Each of my everyday problems i now see as an aptitude test to text my maturity and worthiness of having whatever it is i am seeking.
(b) Motivating your self to desirable action: Napoleon in this book describes motivation as that which induces action or determines choice. He further explains Motive to be the inner urge only within the individual which incites him to action, such as an idea, emotion, desire or impulse. He argues that every act in which we voluntarily engage can be traced back to some definite or combination of motives. This idea has lead me to the understanding of the ten basic motives which inspire all thought and voluntary actions and how I can use them with a positive mental attitude to motivate my self to desirable action.
(c) Using other peoples money: it is so true that it is the lack of a satisfactory credit system within a country that keeps backward nations back like here in Nigeria, everyday i come in contact with lots of young men that has good ideas but lack the capital to make it a reality which also applies to me. This idea made me understand that i can use other peoples money to realize any of my ideas but i must have the good common sense not to abuse credit privileges and be willing to operate on the highest ethical standards such as integrity, honor, honesty, loyalty and the golden rule, the dishonest man is not entitled to credit. The story about W. Clement Stone and how he bought $1,600,000 company with the seller’s own money show the applicability and workability of this idea.
(d)Attracting happiness: Happiness like butterfly is of a very elusive and transitory nature, the more you chase it the more it eludes you but the moment you try to bring happiness to others it comes and settles on your shoulder. This idea has helped me to understand that for me to be happy, I must try in everything I do to bring happiness to others which without i can never be truly happy on the other hand if I share misery and unhappiness i will attract same to myself.
(e) Training the mind to interpret what we see: in this book the author argued that seeing is a learned process and that most of the process of seeing is not done by the eyes at all. This was also confirmed by Mr A.E Cumley and Mr L.I staked claims on the crystal mountain in Montana. Often we go through life beholding things without really seeing them, receiving physical impression without really grasping their meaning and when this happens we grope around in a haze of false concepts bumping and hurting ourselves and others unnecessarily. With this idea, i have learnt to always have my mental vision checked by asking question and taking a closer look when i see things i don’t understand.
(f) Developing Inspirational dissatisfaction: The author in this book stressed the importance of developing an inspirational dissatisfaction which can motivate us from failure to success, defeat to victory and misery to happiness. it is amazing what the act of simply being inspirationally dissatisfied with a particular situation in your life with a positive mental attitude can produce. This is one lesson for which i will be eternally grateful to IIGL.
(g) Where there is nothing to lose by trying and everything to gain if successful, by all means try. Do it now: This idea went a long way in motivating me to take prompt necessary actions which normally I would have procrastinated. I now use this idea as a personal self-motivator to motivate myself into action whenever I am faced with a situation that requires immediate action and it has greatly reduced my putting off for tomorrow things that i could have done today.
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?
The author in this book has drawn my attention to some of the basic principles of life that I have been neglecting out of ignorant. An example of this is the power of self motivation which i have been neglecting until now. Now i know of this principle, i will be applying it in my day to day experience with a positive mental attitude followed with action. I also know now that having a positive mental attitude and applying the success secrets can help me realize even the most unattainable idea my mind can conceive. The book has also thought me how to develop inspirational dissatisfaction when ever i meet defeat.
In helping me create a better world this book has further fueled my magnificent obsession to bring the whole African youths in the world together under one umbrella to tackle the problems facing the common African youth like, illiteracy, Unemployment, Hunger, bad governance etc with a collective effort through a platform I call the World African Youth Organization. This is a need I perceived some years back and since then I have been building this organization against all odds and currently sending out branches all over the world.
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.
“Thinking is not creative unless followed through with action.” This Quote goes a long way to validate the saying that nothing is ever accomplished without work. We must always back up our ideas with action to produce desired result.
“What the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” There is no limit to what one can achieve in this world be it financial, health and moral success. We can achieve every thing our mind can conceive and believe all we need do is to follow up with appropriate action towards the realization of that goal.
“We are poor- not because of God. We are poor because father has never developed a desire to become rich.” If we feel unfulfilled today, it is not because God has not fulfilled his promise, it is as a result of our own attitude, it is because of our lack of a burning desire to be wealthy, Healthy, Happy etc.
“If you know what you want, you are more apt to recognize it when you see it” This is so true because when you don’t know what you want, you can hardly recognize an opportunity which will directly lead to the actualization of that thing. But when you really know what you want you can recognize it even in the darkness of the darkest night.
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 is nothing in the book that i do not understand and there are no ideas that I disagree with.
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 the book contains a number of very reflective and helpful exercises and i found these to be useful as they helped to fully understand the massage of the book.
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? 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? 10
Keys to Success
Assessment by Ifezue Chinweze R. (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author in this book outlined and explained the various basic principles of success with examples of various people that have succeeded in life using the same principles. He further broke down the principles into seventeen success principles with a detailed description of each principle with action steps and examples that shows how we can apply these principles in our day to day life.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
{a} Definiteness of purpose:
Definiteness of purpose is the necessary ingredient to success because when you know what you want you are apt to recognize it when you see it. Without a definite purpose and a burning desire to achieve it man often become unproductive, but with a definite purpose backed up with a burning desire to achieve it and organized effort there is nothing man can not do.
{b} Establishing the Mastermind Alliance:
A mastermind alliance simply means a situation where two or more minds are working together in perfect harmony toward a common objective. In this kind of alliance, the energy level in the group is made available to each and every mind in the group making them to work efficiently. it is also important to note that when choosing your mastermind, one have to be very careful while considering the ability, skill-set and the level of willingness the members of your master mind brings to the table. and it is also important to note that of all the principles guiding the establishment of a master mind group, Trust, confidence, understanding fairness and courage are of most important
{c} Accurate thinking:
Accurate thinking as i understand is the ability to separate facts from opinions, fictions, unproved hypothesis and hearsay from real facets in other to make a well informed decisions. Successful people take responsibility for their own thoughts, decisions and actions. If we make it a point of duty to apply this principle in our everyday life I believe there will be less regrets and a lot more success.
{d} Learning from defeat:
This idea teaches us to always look out for the good side of every bad situation,
Our ability to see the good side in a situation no matter how apparently disastrous or bad it may be is determined by whether our attitude is positive or negative. To see the good in the bad you need to have PMA. The moment we start to see adversity as a stepping stone and not a stumbling block, new things and situations are born. Hence there is the need to see every single defeat as a propeller to greater heights and to keep working at it until you are able to turn it in to good.
{e} Budgeting time and money:
The essence of this two resources to humankind can not be overemphasized, each of the two compliments the other and the proper management of both of them is a very important factor in achieving success. Time and money therefore very important tools to success and one can never attain success without a good knowledge and the proper management of both. Proper management of time emphasizes one’s sense of purpose and eliminates unnecessary stress. Budgeting money with a strong and growing saving is an important weapon in the fight against the fear of poverty and a good source of social security. It is also important to note how our habits influence our time and spending pattern and how necessary it is to budget both and make adjustment where necessary
{f} Going the extra mile:
Another important principle in this book is the one that implores us to go the extra mile. The author made us to understand that this is a state of mind that we must develop and make sure it remains an integral part of our lives. Going the extra mile can be a very beneficial thing to do in the sense that it helps us to gain favorable attention, become indispensable, self-improvement, opportunity, favorable contrast, pleasing attitude, personal initiative, self confidence and overcoming procrastination. And the again there is law of increasing returns, which states that the quality of extra service rendered will come back greatly multiplied, the other is the law of compensation which ensures that everything we do will bring us some sort of result of the same kind.
{g} Controlled Attention:
Controlled attention can be defined as simply the act of coordinating all the faculties of the mind and directing their combined power to a given end. Concentrating our definite major purpose to one direction is vital for it increase our chances of focusing our attention on that particular direction. That is deciding on what one wants, creating a plan for it, and strictly following the plan with faith, positive mental attitude going the extra mile and the mastermind alliance. Whit a well developed controlled attention it is always difficult to be distracted by the unimportant things of 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?
These ideas have given me an indebt insight on how I can achieve success in all that I do. I can now with consistency, deliberately and methodically move in the direction that will lead me to a life of fulfillment in all my endeavors. And also with the knowledge i have gained from reading this book, I can easily manage people of different background working towards a common definite objective with much more ease than before. The book is more like a fundamental guideline by which living successfully becomes easy irrespective of the environment and who we have been in the past.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
{a} “Any dominating idea, plan or purpose held in your conscious mind through repeated effort and emotionalized by a burning desire for its realization is taken over by the subconscious and acted upon through whatever natural and logical means may be available” This quote has been very helpful in making me understand how important it is to always be mindful of the kind of thought I allow to take root in my mind, because I now know that any thought I hold in my mind through natural means will eventually come to manifestation in my life.
{b} “Our real wealth is the intangible power of thought”, “Our most precious resource is not our mineral deposits or our beautiful forests. It is in the mental attitude and the imagination of the people of every generation who have mixed experience with education to deliver goods and services… around the world” This quote has said it all, every thing we call civilization today is as a result of the imagination of every generation and the positive attitude with which they followed up.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
No everything in the book was well understood and has really been interesting reading.
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 the book contained a number of exercises to be completed which where altogether very helpful and enlightening.
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? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Assessment by Ifezue Chinweze R. (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The most difficult thing to learn in life is how to really get along with people and this book have shed so much light on human relation and the necessary skills on how to avoid a lot of unnecessary problems and argument in our day to day relationship with people which is an indispensable tool in our everyday life and effective leadership. It goes a long way to explain the very simple way to deal with people that will guarantees the best result if applied diligently and honestly both in business and personal life.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
a. “You Can’t win an Argument because if you lose it, you lose and if you win it, you lose it.”
I find this to be so true as I have a friend of mine that I lived with for almost 2 years and we hardly agreed on anything and he never agrees that he is wrong even when all the evidence is against him. Just like the author said in this book, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. You may be dead right as you speed along in your argument but as far as changing another mind is concerned, you will probably be just as futile as if you where wrong” Naturally I am a very argumentative person and I like to drive my point home which have resulted in strained relationship with some of my
acquaintance. Now I focus more on finding a common ground on which we can agree while exploring the possibilities of finding a common ground on the topics we do not agree on. Just like it was said in the book, anyone that takes the time to argue with you is interested in the same thing just like you.
b. “If you are wrong admit it quickly and emphatically.”
Admitting that you are wrong when you are makes it much easier on the part of the person who is wronged and inspires the wiliness to overlook the mistakes made be it in both private and business life when mistakes are made, don’t deny them or try to make excuses, simply admit it and apologize or explain. In my life experience I learned that apologies are one of the tools that work in almost any situation. When we honestly admit our wrong doings and are ready to correct and learn from them it disarms our opponent and we engender trust. Admitting that we are wrong will change the way others relate to us, and help build stronger character that will in turn make us stronger leaders.
c. “When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion.”
If we really want to be persuasive, we have to hit the gut before we get anywhere near the brain. Human naturally is a creature that thinks in symbols. Logic is about one kind of symbol, Emotion is about another. The emotional symbol is the part that decides “ok I will have that” and the logic symbol is the part that follows along afterwards and ok the decision, but if it doesn’t work emotionally, logic will never get a chance to weigh in. In other to get the best of result in our daily dealing with others, we must be very fluid in our approach and make use of the emotional benefits before we follow up with logic.
d. “Be genuinely interested in other people.”
Showing honest interest in others builds great connections and opens up new opportunities. The author in this book listed genuine interest as one of the most important aspects of a good relationship, just like he said in his own words; “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you” Showing genuine interest in people would love to talk to you and also make them feel at ease and open with you and from
this I have learned that by always trying to find something genuinely interesting about somebody else, we builds a greater connection and a successful social and business life.
e. “Giving Sincere praise and Appreciation.”
The deepest principle of human nature is a craving to be appreciated. we all want and need to feel valued for who we are and recognized for our contributions and accomplishments. Naturally, when we feel appreciated and respected, we are more motivated than when think our efforts go unnoticed. If a person takes the time to express their heart-felt appreciation for something we have done, it boosts our spirit, passion, and purpose. It builds our self-confidence, self-esteem and our entire self-image. It gives us energy and motivation to work harder and do more and the same goes for When we express our approval or gratitude for something someone have done, we will not only enhance their lives, but we will enrich ours as well.
f: “Learn to listen first without interrupting and understand.”
Listening is one of the most important skills we can acquire in life. How well we listen have a major impact on our effectiveness as a leaders, and on the quality of our relationships with others. In this book I have learned 4 basic skills that will help me so much in life to become a better listener which are: Paying attention, Showing that I am listening, Providing Feedback and deferring Judgment. By becoming a better listener, I will improve my productivity, as well as my ability to influence, persuade and negotiate. Also avoid conflict and misunderstandings.
g. “If you want to gather Honey, Don’t Kick over the Beehive.”
This sounds more like a very simple law of nature. If you want something from people, or if you want to get along well with people, maybe it’s better not to stir up bad feelings. If you do, you won’t achieve your aim. Treat people as you would want to be treated and what you will get in return will be a lot of good will and cooperation. One can only be as nice as you let them be with you. If you kick over a beehive, the bees will attack you.
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?
The ideas in this book provides a very simple and efficient solution to our everyday human relationship problems and mastering these ideas will help me in a very big way both in my private and business life to increasing productivity and fostering creativity and lasting relationship and goodwill both in my private and business life.
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.
“Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.”
Talking about our own mistake to others helps in a lot of ways notwithstanding that It’s not always easy to admit to mistakes that we’ve made, but most of the time it’s the easiest way of getting someone to see your point of view and by doing that honestly you get people’s attention, you open the door for people to be more willing to accept their own errors and it also keeps you humble.
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 and all the recommendations where perfectly understood.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
None.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
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? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8