As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Mbizo Chirasha (Zimbabwe)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
James Allen is a thought provoking writer, with thought provoking themes, the main ideas in this book are unique and require celebration. The author commands us to use our thoughts and mind for the best our lives. He says what we are today is made by our thoughts , which means our thinking shapes us and that our thoughts command our actions as such our actions lead us into trouble and goodness, but then all comes from the mind.
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. Value of right thinking
The writer excels right thinking as the greatest tool in personal development and i believe thus. In my community a lot of people and even family members have lost lives due to wrong thinking and decisions. Some have even killed others resulting into their own deaths. Some have left homes for streets in search of vanity and some have decided to become political thugs, beating and violating societal rights today as we speak they are regretting. So I have learnt that sober thoughts bring sober results and a bad thought brings grave results.
ii. We are made by our thoughts
This idea applies correctly in my life, because 17 years ago, I thought to be a writer. I worked tirelessly using my mind to be known and published. I didn’t agree to the thought of complacency and laziness and refused the thoughts of becoming a doctor, a nurse, a politician and mugger. I am what I am today because of my thoughts and these thoughts grew into my being, my lifestyle and my personal ideology.
iii. Results of good thoughts
Good thoughts fertilize and cultivate vision, and vision is the promise of self. In my whole life I have acquired much knowledge, intellectuality, hope and wisdom through good thinking. My mind tells me to remain determinant and patient as well as hardworking that one day my visions will be fulfilled, when our visions are fulfilled all around realize and emulate our profound genuine efforts
iv. Results of bad thoughts
The author expressed that bad thoughts brings quandary and suffering while good thoughts brings plenty and hope. In my youth i would think that boozing and gambling brings life. I found that all these will bring problems, squandering of resources, running street battles, sickness, redundancy and hopelessness. So this idea is mostly valuable in growing I and my peers.
v. Good Destiny
James Allen reveals that a good destiny is brought by best thoughts and he continues to say ignorance and problems are not obstacles but life lessons, such statements are vital for my leadership trains. I now believe that all that I am facing now and that I have faced in my life are angels of doom but are devils of life. That such lead me to be a tried and tasted leader and those wipe fear from me and prepare me for the best to come , now i know ignorance is a step that pushes me to seek for knowledge and problems are a challenge to realize my mistakes and how I can sleeve up my arms for the best. That all i call obstacles are a route to that fruitful and rewarding destiny, tribulations are a journey to that required destiny.
vi. Rules of Success
James Allen never ceases to amaze me with his wise manifestations , he continues to brace the reader and give the reader a weapon to success, he says successful man are not corrupt , not confused and not unjust but analytical , self revised and are introverts. This is a powerful intervention of my life, because with poverty and a trend economic meltdown in Zimbabwe most young people have inherited the habit of stealing . Among every person in any transaction they is a bribe, extortion and corrupt deal. I bribed and I also extorted at some point, sometimes willy nilly, sometimes forced by circumstances of life. This idea by James Allen is telling me to shrug off all these for success. The other thing that has brought our country down is corruption that has become a cancer in our nation and nothing is really functioning.
vii. Serenity and calmness
I am told by my mentor James Allen in As a Man Thinketh that serenity is an indication of maturity, exposure and growth, he hastens to say that it is a beautiful jewel of wisdom. He continues to say real human remains steadfast, resolute and cool and that serenity is the last lesson of culture. What a mouthful. After reading James Allen and especially this chapter seven, I realized the importance of this text. I got home and found that the son of my next door had hit my last born son with a stone during playing and my sisters had taken my son to the surgery for his medication. They didn’t say anything the perpetrator. When told I went to my neighbor quietly. The wife of my neighbor is used to wars and shouts, She said you should have told me earlier because I am a nurse and how much is the medication. I answered her calmly that the reason for seeing her was to make sure that children play well with others not for money, she shied away and proposed to come and see my hurt son. I went to her calmly and i diplomatically taught her calmness, now we are good neighbors and we greet each other every time and I meet a lot of things in my travelling and my duties but the serenity idea have grown me up.
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 grown to be a leader, I am a parent, I am a teacher, I run few projects and programs in my community. I have realized these tools by James Allen are vital to build my community and I will greatly use them to change my community and peer perceptions as well as my perceptions. These tools are very much vital and they help stop aggression, wars, hatred and wrong doing. They prepare us for the best destiny and always to work our lives as agents of change as well as visionaries. I will use these in all my greater space that others will emulate my deeds that will emanating from my good thoughts , so in the end we can celebrate life together
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.
“Mind is the Master-power that molds and makes,
And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes
The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:–
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass.”
This quote is an empowering one, it tells us that our thinking is the only tool that shapes of lives, our destinies and create situations that are suitable and good for us.
“The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in
the acorn; the bird waits in the egg. And in the highest vision of a soul a waking
angle stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.”
A powerful, poetic statement that made me realize my purpose in life and the need for well thought goals , the power of patience and waiting. The statement also brings that dreams or imaginations are powerful.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
The text is clear and open, very unique in its presentation.
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?
Everything in the book is unique, teaching and life examining tool.
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 at all, it was all summarily revealed.
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
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Mbizo Chirasha (Zimbabwe)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
This short book is vibrant with empowering information and gives outstanding hope to people of all spheres of lives. The subject matter brought forward is quite touching and useful for human growth and development. Richard Bach is an optimist who encourages society and its people on rising up, determination, patience, the quest for knowledge, steadfastness, positivity and total excellence it whatever we touch with our hands, our thoughts. With such precision the results are worth looking at and celebrating.
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. Breaking chains of traditions
Seagull didn’t listen to “doubting thomases” during his journey to the fruitful destiny, when I decided to start taking writing and creative arts as a career, a lot of people including family members blamed and disowned me. I suffered a lot in trying to convince them, later I decided to break the chains, I proceeded with all my determination until sometime they believed in my progress and my chosen profession, because of the efforts and the strength I had put into this career.
ii. Determination
In my tender age I found and discovered a lot of experiences of life through obstacles that I met, they made me strong and I grew into a brave, well thought and determined character. Seagull was made strong by difficulties and problems. Problems and difficulties are a ladder to the intended destiny.
iii. Vision
Seagull had vision to achieve; this is a very big lesson to and suits my life experiences for without vision people perish. Life have taught me to look forward to fight for the best , to plan and see what is best for me and realize the results through steadfastness. My vision of becoming a celebrated poet, leader and teacher brought many smiles. Seagull cultivated his vision up to the fruitful destiny, as a student of seagull am not tiring but am running the race and one day I will reach the crest of my vision.
iv. Result oriented
This is a strong rope to clutch on, Seagull fought tirelessly for results. In 1998 I decided to take arts and creative writing as full time career. I needed results and I had to work for the results. I took 3 years in the library fighting with family members because they needed me to work and put food on the table, I remained determined. After 3 years of excessive reading of several literature and fiction texts. I began writing poetry and sending those to local journals and magazines. I started performing at different platforms including radio and television, later went into the capital city, I began to be recognized, locally and internationally. Now my works and profiles are all over around the world in a number journals, collections, books, websites, blogs, newspapers and i have become a force to reckon on in my country and abroad. I have acquired for myself new important and hard working friends.
v. Quest for knowledge
In my whole life, I have learned that self learning and the insatiable search for knowledge is the greatest pillar of any living being. You happen to get blessings that sharpen your thinking , your lifestyle , your career and this idea of knowledge seeking result into growing your wisdom and gives you leadership traits and your abilities are improvised. Many corrections and ignorance are to be corrected through vast acquiring of fruitful and hidden knowledge and you become more informed and information is strength, while knowledge is power. Any person who fails to seek knowledge can not progress any further.
vi. Quest for Change
In our family I never heard on anyone who thought to make a living through arts and creative projects. It took my bold decision for the need for change. Most of my brothers went into convectional way of life, some even worked in various industrial platforms. Among my elders no one was once profiled in any press or journal or has travelled the world getting much cultural exposure. I thought to break the rules and I will continue changing the rules for the best and better for the generations to come and present. Change if executed well is sweet and it becomes bitter if it’s not positive and constructive change.
vii. Creativity
Seagull my teacher is a master of creativity, with mesmerizing artistry. Creativity is the anchor of most lifestyle qualities. How we achieve knowledge , how we use that acquired knowledge , how we perfect and sharpen the knowledge, that art of bringing unique results, the art of changing thought , the art of bringing awareness. I used the same vein of how I create my writings into my everyday life , i applied that in my life processes . I swear that as much as I call myself an artist and creative person , i will never fall down , I will fight and use my creativity for my survival . You can’t be creative and seriously live a piteous lifestyle of a drunkard, pauper , wonderer and squatter. Through creativity I have managed to organize helpful events in my community and also have been able to make my community realize the strength of creativity and solving issues and problems in creative ways. Community that lacks creativity is as good as dead. I am rightly empowered by this idea to realize the my purpose in life and that without creativity purposes are greatly doomed .
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?
“Each of us is in truth an idea of the Great Gull, an unlimited idea of freedom,” Jonathan would say in the evenings on the beach, “and precision flying is a step toward expressing our real nature. Everything that limits us we have to put aside. That’s why all this high-speed practice, and low speed, and aerobatics.”
This statement is highly powerful it requires us to put all hindrances aside , brush them off , shrug off negativity ,pull ourselves up and work for the best of our lives . Looking forward to the future and for the fruitful destinies. Many people always trouble themselves with negative things and thus making them failing to move, to create, to develop and to realize their potentials. We need to be steadfast, realize our potentials and use them for the best. We have all the space to do so. It only requires us to rise up and take what is ours.
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 at all the book to me is a wisdom and thought provoking dynamite that i need to carry as my handbook for best of my life and at most. The story of Seagull is the epitome of my life, leadership and success.
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?
All what I read from the text is wonderful as an examination, that will send every reader not to go to bed without introspecting and examining themselves about their lifestyle and the need to change.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
The issue of Sharing, Seagull was taught by his master/teacher to share and he was told sharing is growth. It is giving others what you were given, it is volunteering. I believe in makes life easier of all generations in all sides of life and it is mature cycle in our lives. Sharing is one of the greatest of tool of leadership. People need to share, let’s share.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 7
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D.Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it 8