As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by M. Modibo Dembele (Mali/USA)
1. What the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
In this book, James Allen describes precisely that man, as a being power and intelligence has the ability to take control of his mind, virtual headquarter of his actions. Therefore, all his actions, which are the complete sum or results of those thoughts can be planned and implemented effectively and efficiently if he want to do so. In short, we are the master of our destiny because accomplished actions are the outcome of a very well mentally planned thinking process, be it good or bad. At this stage, any person by the power of the right thinking and a critical scrutiny decision making process, can impact his life positively in order to achieve his goals.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
* The Mind: A tool to build character:
By making good choices and a true implementation of the analytical reasoning, man as the lord of his own thoughts build up strong foundations of ethics, moral and good character. Taking time to look up and think is a good thing. Thinking helps separate the mundane things in your life from the significant. It can help to clarify your direction and purpose. For instance, I think about ways I can be a better father, husband, or friend. Thinking will teach us to behave in new ways, new manners.
* Effect of thought on circumstances:
The main idea behind this concept is that mans behavior and actions are influenced by the power of his mind set, and where he is the sole author of his thoughts. In the light of this evidence, man takes control over his life and begins to lead his life, by having a good thinking, rather than letting life lead him when he picked up bad ideas. For example you can’t control how much talent you have in a given area. But you can control how much effort you expend to develop the talent that you were born with. You can’t control your IQ But you can control how well and how hard you think.
* Correlation between the state of mind and the health condition:
There is no doubt that your mind state could make a positive or negative repercussion on your body health. Thoughts preside over your actions, behavior, therefore, man as a creative being of actions can conceive good mental picture over the body. Evidence shows us that you can’t control your looks; they are, for the most part, determined genetically. But you can take control of your appearance. Thinking adversely might be a stressful factor for the body and a potential reason to lessen or cause health issues.
* Thought and purpose:
As the true master of his own life, man should decide what he wants to accomplish and think also through what he needs to achieve his goals. Some of those ingredients are time, expertise and the support of others. A man should have a legitimate purpose in his heart and set out to accomplish it, wrote the author. To stay focused, you need an agenda, which is what you hope to accomplish. Anyone who cherished scientific research and work hard to attain this purpose has a greater chance to achieve it. Albert Einstein, Mendeleev, Galilee are evocative. Personally, my highest goal is to become an agent of change worldwide.
* Thought factor in achievement:
Any person who aspires to succeed must have a strong willingness to think at the right time in the right way to achieve the expected goals. Achievement refers mainly to the determination and the willingness to get succeed. He who is seeking for a match between thought and accomplishment should move beyond the perpetual distractions he is facing daily and focus on what really matters. To achieve well, we would rather distance ourselves from irrelevant stuff through our strong commitment to get succeed. For instance, in this wired world most of people procrastinate on daily basis with their assignment, or even become addicted to cell phones, internet; therefore postponing what there are supposed to accomplish.
* Vision and Ideals:
To take control over our lives and reach our vision, we cannot rely on random events to help us achieve our goals. As a result, we should have vision and deal which means planning to do things of importance and impact, and then strategically pursue them. The key here is to be efficient and effective on the vision and ideals. It require to see the grand view of the future and being able to articulate that vision eloquently to inspire those below your hierarchy ladder. For instance, creating a daily list of things to do is only the first step of this approach. Knowing what is the most important on that list, and choosing to complete it first, is the other crucial step.
* Serenity:
Good intent along with good actions, but without wisdom is chimera. A well known CEO wrote: A bad decision well implemented is better than a brilliant decision not well implemented. Exquisite poise of character is vital when man is gathering new information and thinking critically to handle those one. It requires trust and influence on others. Those so-called religious prophets such as Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohamed made tremendous impact on millions of peoples lifestyle because of their calmness. To accomplish any significant goal requires the support and cooperation of others, to get that part, trust is vital in mans behavior.
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 moral behind those ideas is that good thought along with focus and determination win always. It also show that, man as a being of intelligence, does not have to be smarter or better educated to succeed. His power relies on his abilities to focus on doing what is important, and work hard to achieve it. So, to get rich you need to work hard to get it as the only master of your destiny. In summary, critical thinking allow man as a creative of power to focus on whats right and to overcome whats wrong.
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 man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts Page 7 Ũ 1st Paragraph
Man’s actions and character are the result of his mind set because it’s the first place where actions and circumstances are conceived virtually prior to any implementation. Therefore, the moral is that man is the sole author of his destiny.
* A man may be cursed and rich, he may be blessed and poor. Page 20,1st paragraph
This aphorism just describes that good character does not mean necessarily success. On the other hand, evil people can be successful. Social status and character are not linked symmetrically.
* Calmness of mind is one the beautiful jewels of wisdom. Page 42, 1st Paragraph
This is one of the key ingredients conducive to any king of betterment. It’s the signal of self-mastery and genuine leadership. No matter how hard can be a task, this poise of character transforms rocks into soft and vice versa. Motivation leans on 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?
The truth is that oppressor and slave are co-operators in ignorance, and while seeming to afflict each other, are in reality afflicting themselves. Page 34 last paragraph
I set aside this truth because oppressor and slave are not in fact coauthors in ignorance. In the name of personal interests, oppressor decided to close their mind into any discussion, while slave has only one option: just to comply with order because no other option was available.
The dreamers are the saviors of the world. Page 39,1st paragraph
This is debatable statement because I am asking myself how can a single social entity be the savior of the world with the exclusion of others. To me, cooperation and networking among social entities are the key concept for any progress.
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?
Of course, I did all the required exercises in this book. I found this assessment formula excellent. It is a mean to stimulate critical and analytical reasoning among student.
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 author fails to take into consideration that the cultural difference may be a huge factor contradicting with this theory. So, we can then say, that it’s one of the key element among others parameters such as the culture.
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? 08
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 09
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 09
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by M. Modibo Dembele (Mali/USA)
1. What the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author is trying to show that anyone through hard work, dedication, self-imposed discipline, ingenuity, perseverance and courage could overcome, modify or shape the trend of its lifetime in accordance with his goals. In short, he demonstrated that man, as a being of power, of intelligence and love; is the master of his destiny even when he is facing taboo or superstitious beliefs.
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.
* Impact of the environmental factors such as culture, tradition, customs, beliefs and values on the Jonathan Gulls clan social conscience:
The above mentioned factors have shaped the Gulls perception, view and ambition by creating a routine or monotonous life making difficult a room for progress, creativity and ingenuity. The most illustrative example is the concepts of conflict of generations raised about the role of women in public decision making process either you live in a village or in an African city. Some may argue that they should stay home and take care of the family while others would suggest that they are as equal as men.
* Resistance to change:
It refers to the unwillingness to improve or adapt to another lifestyle because of the psychological impact of the routine as well as the fear of failure. Evidence shows that usually people tend to be resistant and reluctant to new ideas, new perspectives. No matter how much information you collect, success is never a sure thing. The fact is, people who act as leaders fail more than others do, because they try more things and take more risks like did Jonathan. Failure in the pursuit of a worthy cause is the price leaders pay for ultimate success. In the light of this statement, Pasteur was attacked when he declared that microorganisms (germs) exist around us and are the main cause of fermentation.
* Pursuit of fundamental rights: freedom, happiness and education
Anyone from anywhere and anytime has the right to pursue happiness, freedom, the search for knowledge for better living conditions. For instance, African-Americans civil rights movement has been a wake up call for African countries fight for their independence.
* Outcome of self-empowerment: triumph of the analytical and critical reasoning:
Throughout determination, perseverance and courage, Jonathan was able to overthrow superstition and ignoramus state in profit of the critical thinking. Numerous beliefs, considered taboo in the past such as the earth is center of the universe have been cleansed in the light of critical reasoning.
* Search for knowledge:
The author pinpointed that man, as a being of power, of love and intelligence should commit himself in the search of knowledge in order to tame the nature and share it with his fellow citizen who did not chance to acquire it. Scientific discoveries drastically improved medicine, mathematics, biology. The French scholar Louis Pasteur developed the so complex field of microbiology.
* Concept of forgiveness:
Derivative of the self empowerment, anyone who is unjustly accused or punished for an infraction, should forgive the perpetrator because of his ignorance. Pope John Paul II forgave the Turkish man who tried to assassinate him in 1981.
* Concept of motivation:
The author describes the effort that Seagull is doing to strive to make better the lives of his fellow countrymen for success, and to motivate them to improve their living conditions. I was able to attain most of my goals because I prompted myself everyday for that purpose.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
The main concept that the author is trying to convey is that anyone can change or modify the trend line of its life as long as you stand up for it firmly. This fact can be an effective motivation factor to strive your own life as well the lives of millions of people for a better working and living conditions. It will spread out tolerance, freedom, two main concepts necessary to the betterment of the mankind. On top of that, the search of knowledge and the spirit of intellectual curiosity could lead to some crucial fields improvement such as medicine, arts, and applied sciences to accomplish major progress. In the peace making area, for instance, all nations across the world would gain if they strove themselves to preserve the key concepts of democracy.
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?
* 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. Page 4, 2nd paragraph
Any person can shape its own destiny if you work hard to do so. As a result, you dignify yourself through the new state of empowerment offered in term of learning opportunities to make life much better for anyone and free of ignoramus.
* Life is the unknown and the unknowable, except that we are put into this world to eat, to stay alive as long as we possibly can. Page 4, 9th paragraph. In this paragraph, the author highlights the concept of conformity that the Gulls were exercising by just looking for the basics necessities or the routine. It appears to be an obstacle for improvement in his later development, thats why man, as a creative being should work to enhance his living conditions.
* We choose our next world through what we learn in this one. Page 6, 7th paragraph
It means literally that you harvest what you sow as outcome of your actions. It is scholarly well stated by the following maxim. He who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind because life is an everlasting challenge as illustrated by the below poem
Life is….
A challenge … Meet it,
An Adventure… Dare it,
A Sorrow…. Overcome it,
A Tragedy… Face it,
A Duty… Perform it,
A Game… Play it,
A Mystery… Unfold it”
* You can go to any place and to anytime that you wish to go
This statement emphasizes the importance of freedom in the pursuit of happiness and the search of knowledge.
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 disagree with the disappearance theory of the instructors (Sullivan, Chiang and Jonathan) in the Gulls society. This might be a factor creating gap between generations in terms of learning, training and transmission of knowledge into younger generations. No matter how faster can be the process; there would be place for misunderstanding or mismanagement of the skills because they have not been well assimilated by the newly appointed instructors.
On the other hand, I gave to the author credit when he highlights that loneliness and determination can lead to the triumph if you dedicate yourself to do so like did Jonathan Seagull.
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 contains exercises which I performed throughout the above assessment format. It was helpful because it increased the critical reasoning in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. Rationalism is and will be always, then the slogan when dealing with issues.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
The telepathy theory displayed when the author wrote: Where is everybody, Sullivan? he asked silently, quite at home now with the easy telepathy that these gulls used instead of screes and gracks, as a mean to enhance the transmission of skills, seems to be much better than the mean of learning of Jonathan tribal Gulls. It shows the endless possibilities gained through the power of thought.
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? 08
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 08
E. What is the overall rating you give it? 08
Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Modibo Dembele (Mali / USA)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone teamed up to show that anyone through optimistic thought processes could achieve his personal goals. This is one of the psychological key elements in the philosophy of success because it supersedes over the body whose components are the conscious and the sub-conscious states. A positive attitude will naturally attract the good and the beautiful whereas negative attitude will rob you of all that makes life worth living.
Your success, health, happiness, and wealth depend on how you make up your mind. Anyone who succeeds does so, not because of his intellectual abilities, but because he used the hidden power within himself to drive himself up to the top, where he is free from any negative thoughts.
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. Clear the cobwebs from your thinking :
To be successful, it is imperative to clear your mind from the nuisance factor or negative attitude due to the fact it might be a blockade for your personal achievement. Then, it creates fear, intrigue and a lack of confidence. The instable relationship in the Korean Peninsula is as a cobweb of espionage and intrigue between the South and the Stalinist North Regime.
b. Planning Can Change Your Life:
The magic sentence is: It takes only one idea, followed by action, to succeed when others fail. As I sated earlier, this step requires a good mental attitude that enables you first to overcome any cobwebs. Therefore, you are better equipped to motivate others in your surroundings environment and beyond. Bill Gates, Michael Dell, all of them met their financial freedom because of a self-disciplined financial planning along with a strong PMA.
c. The secret of getting things done:
This statement from Kenneth Harmon, Success must be continually practiced, or it will take away and fly is the cornerstone of this chapter. Action in a timely manner is the only mean to overcome procrastination and inertia, and then you can attain your assigned goals.
d. If You Don’t Have Money Use OPM:
Another way to get rich is using Other People Money but on the highest ethical standards such as integrity, honor, honesty, loyalty, consent, and the Golden Rule. A concept that refers to investment requires a mutually advantageous deal for the parties involved. For instance, you get a loan from your bank that expects to have an interest along with the principal capital. Entrepreneurship is the surest way to create wealth and pass on upon generations.
e. You can enjoy Good Health and live Longer:
Anyone who has the will and motivation could get better at leading, once he understands the importance of having a PMA. The physical health is one of the pillar or core values of the arena of life because it affects straightforward your wellbeing. For example, physical activity has an impact on health it improves the quality of life. It seems healthy, mentally and physically, and helps with personal challenges, shared experiences and social meeting places in safe and good growing environment.
f. Can you attract happiness?
The economic hardship is not a barrier to the happiness. Happiness begins at home. To reach happiness, it is very important to have strong communication skills in addressing issues of quality to get a better life. Wal-Mart was able to raise its sale volume due to its sophisticated concept of fundamental organizational communication. This concept of happiness supersedes over anything because the financial freedom does not mean all the time a better quality of life in term of happiness.
g. Get ready to succeed?
Changing habit is hard work. What affects you mind also affects your body. Anyone who aspires to be successful should raise the right mental attitude. Therefore, he kicks out the nuisance factors. The idea reinforces the importance of education in physical, mental, and social hygiene, and ignoring those concepts lead to sin, sickness, and even death.
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?
Throughout a good PMA, partners can form cooperation for mutual benefit. It is important to nurture this relationship beyond business. In short, this book seems spreading one magic idea, a positive and optimistic attitude followed by action lead to physical, mental, and social hygiene necessary to the personal achievement. This concept highlighted in the Economist edition of March 27, 2010 through the following poem, is edifying.
Few things possess more power than a thought, because a thought has the potential to become something significant, To solve something meaningful and to inspire us to achieve great things. What makes a thought so powerful is that it can be created by anybody at anytime, from anywhere.
That is why thinking should be encouraged and nurtured in all its forms. No matter how small or how impossibly grand because wherever thinking happens big ideas follow, minds become enlightened. Knowledge grows and people discover new ways to unlock their potential.
So start thinking.
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.
* PMA, that enables some men to climb to the top and to stay there. It is the second that keeps other men at the bottom all their lives. It is NMA that pulls other men down from the top when they have reached it. Page 3 second Paragraph:
Anyone can increase personal achievement through optimistic thought processes whereas anyone with nuisance factors or negative mental attitude attracts or creates conditions for its own failure. Evidence shows us that ambitious people who do not give up become successful most of the time. In this context, authors wrote you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying. Success is achieved and maintained by those who keep trying with PMA.
A little knowledge may be dangerous – page 76 last paragraph
Lack of knowledge, as it can be expected, is a very conducive element to the turmoil such as pretentiousness; dictatorship; selfishness and envy. Conversely, it will appear as a barriers for outside ideas supposedly credited to improve the condition.
Everyone has problems. This is because you and everything in the universe are in constant process of change – page 95 third paragraph.
The metamorphosis state of the mankind as a living entity, is a universal law that causes challenges into mankinds goals attainment as well powerful achievement if you rely on the perseverance and consistency. Therefore, problems may not be an excuse to make you give up your goals for which you fight; on the contrary, they raise your energy level of personal achievement to get things done.
* God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Page 258 fifth paragraph
Wisdom is a key component for anyone who aspires to look for change in your life trend, and the best way to acquire it is with the divine guidance. For example, Thomas Edison uses one this principle to achieve his amazing discovery.
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 chapter thirteen titled If You Don’t Have Money- Use OPM. Personally, I think that acquiring wealth takes planning, a good sense of timing and undoubtedly, some luck. The sooner the planning process begins, the greater the likelihood that you will build your saving, and of course I agree that using OPM, can be a better way to attain this goal. However with the raise of financial meltdown worldwide, I am sort of skeptical about the abilities of tenants to operate accordingly to the highest ethical standards of integrity, honor, honesty, loyalty, consent, and the Golden Rule not because they don want but due to the inabilities to fulfill their financial commitment. The real state foreclosure and the freeze of the credit are tangible proof of this crisis. Such kind of situation is usually unpredictable; therefore, anyone is not quite well prepared to overcome it. Then, I suggest that a stable or growing economy should be one the required safeguard or prerequisite to allow people to acquire wealth by using OPM.
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. They were helpful because you are free from the nuisance factors and teach a better way to set up your personal development plan in order to achieve your goals with PMA.
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.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 09
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 09
Psycho-Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by M. Modibo Dembele (Mali/USA)
1. What the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea portrayed within this book, is about self-image over one’s life and the psychological incidence created by a good or bad over a mind set. The author actively demonstrated through tremendous means how a good self-image can positively impact one’s life whereas a poor self-image generates resentment, anger, loneliness, in short, a stressful mental state as a daily routine. Good thoughts are factors that lead to the achievement of personal goals because they set up the one’s mental state in a way to overcome issues such as the stress, cobwebs, uncertainty, insecurity…. This fact is an auto-corrective tool which presides over vices forever as long as, one’s as living entity is able to empower himself with this whole concept.
In order to climb the ladder of mental and physical happiness, the author suggested several exercises and techniques which strengthen the individual, mental, and psychological skills by deleting any negative “old tapes”. On the other hand, he demonstrates that a horrible handling of the mental abilities by stereotyping one’s life with pessimistic idea, is for sure a warranty toward perdition. Therefore, it is crucial for anyone who aspires to a complete happiness to empower himself with a strong and positive self-image creating ipso facto a positive environment where uncertainty does not have room.
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.
* Your self-image and how it affects you:
This “social vaccine” is the most powerful element that can tighten anyone’s part or whole mental and physical components if he empowers himself as a subject of his life instead of an object. This means that a good self-image positively impacts mankind’s life as a vaccine that prevents your body physically and psychologically against harm. Example: Recent workshop and seminars on AIDS empower patients from developing countries to fight back against the stigma of the disease. As a result, a lot of them publicly came out to implement the public awareness against this pandemic worldwide pestilence.
* How to program your success mechanism:
In this subchapter, the author shows us that anyone who aspires to be successful, needs to switch over “old tapes rhetoric” by developing a strong mental attitude. For instance, in spite of the tremendous effort put into his work, as a plastic surgeon, Dr Maltz came to realize that most of his patients, were not still happy with their “new body”. Consequently, he switched career by targeting new goals, reprogramming his mind by helping people to get rid of their emotional scars.
* Free yourself from false beliefs:
The scope of this paragraph relies on the following statement: “What you believe conditions what you can do”. To move forward, it is important that anyone gets rid of irrelevant item in order to be more effective and more efficient in lifestyle. The Great scientist Galileo frees himself from the “accepted theory of his time” by declaring that “the Earth and all the other planets revolved around the sun.” and writing this famous statement: “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same god who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.”
* Learn to relax or the stress management techniques:
As the author wrote, “the stress is the private enemy number one to deal with”. However, through relaxation techniques, your body can reach a state of stress free. Then, this becomes conducive to your thinking process capabilities as well as your general performance as a whole. Evidence demonstrated that the practice of any sport endows its practitioners with a strong mental attitude in term of stress management and career development plan.
* How to choose and set goals?
“Plan your work before you work your plan” is the cornerstone idea of this chapter. Anyone who want tangible results, has to strategize, plan, organize, and manage his ideas before any implementation or any decision making process. Ancient Egyptians knew a lot about mathematics, astronomies than we imagined because of their goals setting and planning skills.
* How to avoid failure?
Erasing the ingredients of the old stories is the best way to avoid crunching into frustration, emptiness, aggressiveness… An objective and complete self-assessment is a key step to deter those issues that are major cause of the failure. Politicians nowadays implement this technique to better assess constituents and to score in the campaign trail.
* How a healthy self-image can add years to your life?
It means that that a healthy self-image and longevity are symmetrical in the sense one impacts in another. A classical example: “The residents of Andorra, a tiny mountain nation in the Pyrenees between France and Spain, are expected to live to the ripe old age of 83.5” because of the healthy self-image they portrayed themselves.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
As Francis Bacon wrote: “A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds”. Getting this wisdom requires a clean and powerful mental state. The ownership of the above ideas means that you master yourself by acquiring the right intellectual, mental, social, and economical ingredients to run slowly but surely your life toward success.
In short they teach you self-reliance, self discipline, courage, perseverance, patience by awaking one’s mind against stress and frustration.
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?
* “Networking: it’s a key to your action plan whether your goal is a new job, someone to love or a new hobby” 3rd Paragraph Page 177.
As you may already know, this concept is crucial in today global market arena in terms of jobs search, gathering intelligence for global issues.
* “It may be that the people most hostile to your goal are your family or closest friends. Your goal may be in conflict with theirs. They may be jealous of your goals or fearful of changes in your relationship. It’s not always possible to avoid negative people if they are family”. Page 175 4th paragraph
This statement retains my attention because most of us dealt or are dealing with such kind of issue. However, perseverance, patience, self-sacrifice, courage are what you need to overcome such situation because “Efficiency is doing things rights” while “Effectiveness is doing the rights things” said Peter Drucker.
* “I am not judged by the number of times I fail but by the number of times I succeed”
(Tom Hopkins). Page 274 2nd paragraphs
Success is hard to gain entrance, but when it does happen, it always triumphs over failure, therefore it is important to be willing taking risk all times.
* “If you always do what you’ve done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. Page 180 last sentence 3rd paragraph
Life is about planning and setting goals, any time you decide to act in that way, you will have what you were looking for. That’s why this well known scholarly proverb:” success is not an
* “The illiterates of the future”, Alvin Toffler tells us, “are not those who can’t read and write but those that cannot learn, unlearn, and re-learn”. Page 244 1st Paragraph Courage: Prerequisite for creating change
Being unable to adjust and change you according to the evolution of the society in term of time and space is synonym of failure. “Learn to manage change so that change doesn’t manage you” affirms the author.
* “It’s our self image that prescribes our limits”. Page 4 3rd paragraph
Only the “sky is the limit”, if not, there is no boundaries except the one your own mind sets up for you.
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 don’t really buy the concept of the” right and left brain inter action”. Instead, I will say it’s due to the impact of the environment on the subject mind. Psychologically, it might be the case, but I think that the society itself affects or prescribe your view about the world than one side of your brain fighting the other one.
If that “pre-monitored internal fighting between the brain’s sides” is true, therefore it would be very difficult how someone can free himself from the domination of the issues created by such factor.
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?
Exercises were very helpful
7. Was there anything you read in the book that would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
I just would like to say that it is important to pursuit happiness. However, sometimes even though you plan, organize; set goals, unexpected event might strike down your vision. Failure here the one excepted are always learning’s steps because both carry out keys lessons about the truth that in life there is no more important stuff than the balance of challenge and patience and courage.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you give it? 9
Giant Steps
Assessment by Modibo Dembele (Mali)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
In this book the author is trying to conveying that anyone can improve its living condition by focusing on your expectations and goals by putting your mind “off” from cob web. Through very short and powerful maxims and metaphors, he demonstrates that our mind, our willingness to be successful are the best tools to defeat fear, low self-esteem, anxiety, stress, anger or any roadblock barriers to our fulfillment. Our commitment to focus our mind and body into action will lead to a tremendous improvement of our quality of life. Therefore, the man as a living entity would be empowered to win life’s challenges and counter attack any fear, or resentment trying to disempowering him from achieving his goals and wishes.
2. What are the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. Setting goals and a strong mental state empower us to achieve what we really want.
Experience indicates that most of women and men who efficiently and effectively endow themselves with a strong mental state and goals setting attitude, achieve up to 90% their wishes and want. Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Mother Theresa touched the hearts of millions individuals worldwide because of the vitality of their non violent techniques very conducive to shape lives.
ii. Our beliefs determine life quality: “ the power to create, the power to destroy”
Belief is defined” as an acceptance of, or confidence in, an alleged fact or body of facts as true or right without positive knowledge or proof”. As such, believing in belief can positively or negatively impact one’s life. It has the power to condition the mental state to static level about facts that might not be accurate, thus downgrading your daily performance about attaining your personal goals. You can choose to work hard or lay down because of this “unchecked acceptance of the facts or set of facts”. For instance, many people failed in achieving what they want because they down grade their own capabilities even before implementing their actions. So, they destroy their lives following the negative conditioning of their mental state.
iii. Questions are the answer
Life is an everlasting cycle, therefore questioning yourself help you to answer to the numerous challenges dressed upfront as road blocks. More you question one’s; it means you challenge your senses to scrutinize through their own filter the “apparent unexplained representation of the facts or set of facts”. By applying such fact, you condition or accustom yourself to rational thinking, critical reasoning which make no space for fatality. But they create self improvement and progress. This paragraph is well illustrated in sciences and technology where rational thinking helped the mankind to get rid of numerous erroneous conceptions in sciences such as “the sun, the earth, and the moon are statics celestial elements. The same principle leads the French scientist Pasteur to improve biology. Student move to the next level each semester by using the technique of questioning which will definitely become the answers to their questions”.
iv. The vocabulary of success:
This part refers to the commitment that anyone is intended to perform in order to transform your personality to accomplish your goals. This change has to be mental and physical, so your mind and body would be affected at the same time. It means a self dedication and commitment to fulfill what is really important to you. This metaphor will cover all aspects of your life in order to be effective. For instance, Michael Jackson since his childhood noticed his ability to be a great singer. Thus, he dedicated himself in order to attain this goal. He then became one of the best entertainers that the world has ever known. The author wrote:” If you feel frustrated, it means that you believe things could be better, and they ‘re not.” Change your behavior in order to compete successfully and fix things that you would want to happen the way you want.
v. The mental challenge:
This is a key area of the change process, therefore it is crucial that the subject disciplined himself to get rid of any preconceived idea or though affecting the personal development plan. For example, abandon the defeating behavior stating that I‘m anyway a looser no matter what I will undertake. By acting so, you condition the most sophisticated computer, your brain. Although “ the greatest computer ever built is less than seven inches long and weighs less than three pounds”, it is able to affect drastically the master system evaluation and the mental state.
vi. Your personal compass:
“Decision is nothing but value clarification”. This chapter deals with the values and rules that anyone is grading in the decision making process. To attain your ultimate destiny goals, you need to shape those values and rules in a positive way impacting your daily actions. For instance to earn a good GPA, student need to display an excellent work ethics in terms of academic integrity, courage, honesty, success…
vii. Putting it all together:
Your health, your finances, your relations, and your code of conduct should be in symbiosis with your highest standards of priorities. This equilibrium would generate a physical and financial wealth of the subject. A well balanced individual with those ingredients is endowed with the mental resources to challenge any financial or physical constraints he might be facing.
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?
Setting up highest standards of living and code of conduct lead to the highest level of the personal development plan. The main impact would be your ability to carry out yourself decently and the power of your transformational vocabulary to motivate your fellow citizens.
4. Are there any statements which the author made that particularly go your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
i. “The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure to your advantage”.
Each of us has the power to draw a useful lesson from a pain in order to move forward the events in our favor and make the pain an adorable experience. The Arab world awakening caused many civilian casualties, as well as a chance to overthrow dictators who have been in power for decades.
ii. “But usually if you delay taking action, you only create more pain for yourself later on”.
More you procrastinate, more you increase the chance to miss opportunities to fix the issues you are facing. Over time and space, those issues will increase in a way that you have to display a lot of resources and energy to resolve them.
iii. “Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy”.
Beliefs are an “acceptance of a fact or set of facts without a logical proof”. They can propel the individual’s living standards to the highest or the lowest level. It is commonly believed that the African voodoo has to power to send curse.
iv. “Achievers usually see problems as transitory, while those who fail usually see even the smallest problems as everlasting”.
The difference between doers and followers is that the first one understood that problems shaped lifestyle traits by creating or strengthening perseverance, endurance whereas the followers lack patience when facing adversity.
v. “Success is the result of good judgment, good judgment is the result of experience, and experience is often the result of bad judgment!”
Success came out not only through logical and critical thinking, but came out via mistakes which invigorate experience or the learning process.
vi. “…all decisions have consequences. Even making no decision at all is a decision in its own way.”
Taking your responsibility by making the appropriate decision is much better than following the course of uncontrolled events.
vii. “Never spend more than 10 percent of your time on the problem, and always spend at least 90 percent of your time on the solution.”
It is worthy to spend more time to resolve an issue than to theorize over the issue.
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 the exercises and did you find them useful?
Yes, I find them very useful.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions?
None.
Ratings:
1. How interesting was it to read? 9
2. How helpful were the contents? 9
3. How easy was it to understand? 9
4. Would you recommend it to others? 9
5. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
The New Dynamics of Winners
Assessment by M.Modibo Dembele (Mali)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author is trying to demonstrate the power of the “mental strategies” of achievers.
His “21 days training program “session is an outstanding occasion to strengthen the mental capabilities in order to achieve personal goals. It will provide training and empowers the individual with the moral, psychological and mental resources necessary to attain your goals. The authors use illustrations from the business and sporting event’s characters to distill his message.
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. The drive to win:
In this part, he demonstrates that motivation or “motive in action “leads to success. Therefore the “fear of catastrophic danger, the fear of change, fear of success, and the fear of failure or rejection” could be overcome because of the” three most important traits of a winner” such as: “common sense, mastering your field, and self-reliance”. Then, the management of the individual goals becomes much easier because of the planning, organizing, leading aspects of the decision making process. That’s why some argue that” it’s 10 percent talent and 90 percent guts and determination”.
Anyone who aspires to be successful should be driven by the desire to win. Therefore, obstacles and barriers are easily overcome. For instance, my blatantly desire to succeed help me overcome many physical and mental hurdles from my life journey.
ii. Paying the price:
Commitment is a required ingredient in the” mind of a champion”. Thus, will follow action or achievement which should abide to some effective golden rules, and recognize too your “moment of truth” or seizing the right opportunity to be at the top of ladder of success.
Success requires sacrifices which simultaneously build up experience and expertise to tackle future challenges. “Anytime how paying the price prepares you for success”. Example: The author shows through his numerous illustrations in business or sporting event, that a well trained competitor has a higher chance of winning an award than a weaker one.
iii. Visualization of victory:
This technique empowers the individual with self confidence which internalizes your own success through mental picture. The power of the belief system generates the achievement of the most challenging and difficult life expectations and goals in the real world. Example: Madison’s belief system power is the very foundation of most of his amazing achievements.
iv. Self confidence and self transformation:
People need to get rid of the “peak performance’s misconception”, such as “you much always bear down and try your hardest to win” and ‘true spontaneity which is a learned behavior”. The power of self transformation will unblock any mental blocks through its acting process.
Those values allow the individual to adapt his behavior and cultural traits through confidence, and then vanish into another person or environment because of the willingness and the desire to be successful. Example: The power of simulation makes actor look like the real person portrayed.
v. Strength through mental toughness:
Developing a mental toughness requires learning or mastering from the experts of the field. Their feedbacks provide fascinating insights in terms of expertise and experience. The absence of negative simulation generates “a positive psychological programming to help the individual peak at the ideal moment”. So, the person will master his area of specialization through mental rehearsal, therefore he can keep his calmness even when he is dealing with the most stressful situations. The mind is already trained for “unexpected outcomes” as part of the life enterprise sometimes. The following saying summarizes the main idea of this topic. “Expect the best, plan for the worst, and be prepared for a surprise”. Although you might be facing an imminent danger, the real secret of mental toughness is contingent planning. It increases the physical and spiritual toughness to stay calm even facing danger or pressure. This is a general trait common to most great achievers.
vi. The coachability factor:
The authors listed three major qualities in order to become great leaders: “the quality of being coachable, the ability to accept guidance from others, and a high tolerance for order and organization”. In addition to those qualities, the performer should be opened to criticism and suggestion from the genuine authority which is presiding over in his field. They increase humility and represent a tremendous opportunity for deciphering your strengths and weaknesses.
This is linked to the concept of discipline and compliance to the coach or mentor’s instructions. Example: The success stories of the most competitive armed forces around the world rely on the coachibility factor.
vii. The quality of leadership:
In “Tao-te Ching” leaders are described as follow:
“The master has no mind of her own.
She works with the mind of the people.
She is good to people who are good.
She is good to people who are not good…
She trusts people who are trustworthy.
She also trusts people who are not trustworthy…”
Through this poem in verses, leadership can be defined as “the use of noncoercive influence to shape the group or organization’s goals, motivate behavior toward the achievement of those goals, and help define group or organizational culture”. Honesty, integrity, intelligence, communication skills, self-confidence are some major traits of leaders.
Those qualities are really excellent prerequisites for an effective and effecient leadership style. Example: Having goods listening skills along with decision making skills are tremendous advantages in leadership. Another illustration is when “new products that customers want, new approaches to labor relations that help make a firm more competitive. Furthermore, politicians are all too often elected on the basis of personal appearance, speaking ability, or an aura of self-confidence”
3. How will these ideas on lessons help you in a practical way, both in tour daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so how?
Those ideas generates critical thinking along with analytical reasoning which kick out from the brain any cobweb, and empowers psychologically to achieve more. So, the mental ability is strengthened while there is no room for procrastination or low self esteem.
4. Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why were important to you.
i. “We flare to anger quickly and become defensive in situations that call for calmness and reason”.
Sometimes instinctive emotions prevail over our cognitive emotions. Example: People tend to be defensive in situations where dialog and reasonableness are required.
ii. “Our belief system is so powerful that thoughts can actually cause things to happen in the physical world.
Strong belief system strikes down senses’ hallucinatory suggestions. Examples: Nightmare or hallucination is side effect of an unhealthy belief system.
iii. “Expect the best, plan for the worst, and be prepared for a surprise”.
Planning or expecting the unexpected improve and strengthens the mental ability to stand calm and poised when facing life pressure situations or danger. The copious message is that a champion should train himself for unpredictable situations where the rate for surviving is very slim for non-trained and novices.
iv. “Happiness is the natural experience of winning your own self respect as well as the respect of others”.
It grants all kind of privileges such as financial, social, economic and politic freedom, therefore society will respect you. The wealthiest of this world are entitled to all privileges although their concept of happiness is questionable.
v. “What you show to the world on the outside is a reflection of how you feel on the inside”
The ways an individual’s mind pictures the environment determine his actions.
vi. “Loser let it happen, winners make it happen”
Positive achievement always pays well while laziness leads to loss.
vii. “It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you‘re not”
Negative thoughts impact the individual’s achievement.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about? 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?
Yes! Very good simulation for effective and efficient leadership coursework.
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? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
Real Magic
Assessment by Modibo Dembele (Mali)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea that caught my attention is the concept of “a spiritual being”. “It is focused on personal empowerment while the non spiritual being is focused on external power”. As a spiritual being, the option of being multi-sensory” strengthens “the inner transformation” in order to achieve and see the social being first as “a soul with body” instead of a” body with soul”. The “dimensionless, formless “of the soul are tremendous tools that can reshape your physical perception of the universe or your personal goals. Because of the immensity of the soul and other attributes, anyone can reach its own inner transformation as long as you follow that thumb rule that requires “assuming formlessness”. Being able to reach this level, then will grant access to a state of “ real magic” to the social and living being that is “ man”, who starts realizing that the tremendous power of his soul over his body.
2. What were the seven most important ideas you learnt from the book? 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. Becoming a spiritual being:
In this chapter, the author is trying to demonstrate that a spiritual being status will allow the “social being” to transform its inner soul. In fact, it has the possibility to go to the “extra mile” by using other senses than the traditional five ones. A simple illustration is the power of our mind to think, analyze and come out with ideas that could be the foundation of technological and industrial revolution. Any major invention starts up first at the state of “thought” before taking place in the physical world.
ii. Creating a miracle mindset:
In order that miracles happen in your life, it is important to have a strong mind set for that purpose. “As a no limit person”, you should take advantage of the endless status of your intuition and your intent to achieve your goals. For instance, most miracle makers have a positive mental attitude toward themselves and their respective communities. Mother Theresa touches the lives of millions people worldwide because of the power of her mindset who was a miracle maker.
iii. Real magic and your relationships:
“Our relationship reflects how we relate to ourselves”. The aim is to create a very conducive companionship in order to create “real magic status” in your life. Therefore, love is a crucial ingredient because you intent to “give away without any expectation of receiving something in return”. A leader who solemnly commits himself to serve his countrymen is building up a relationship based on trust, respect and love of others and himself.
iv Real magic and your prosperity:
“Rethinking your beliefs taught is the key message given to secure an active prosperity”. So you need to erase “the old tape of scarcity, the concept of lack in order to be successful and get your life on purpose”. The man as a social being should take advantage of the tremendous opportunities offered to him through his mind which is formless and endless. Then, the author reminds us of the “five essentials for prosperity consciousness”:
“You don’t need anything else to experience prosperity”,
“You cannot create prosperity if you believe in lacks”,
“You are not separated into categories”,
“You cannot experience prosperity if you believe that you deserve it”,
“Rejoice in the prosperity of others”.
v. Real magic and your personal identity:
“You can choose your own personality through your invisible spiritual self”. As a result, the individual could escape from “any cultural misconception” and performed its goals through the following factors: its personality, talent, intelligence, habits and customs and the state of aging its body”. “ “Perfect Health wrote that if you take your mind to a level of functioning that is beyond age, then your body will begin to be touched by the same quality”. In short our way of thinking shapes our identity, our personality.
vi. Real magic and your physical health:
“You become what you think about all day and those days become your lifetime”. The “physical limitation” is the outcome of the message sent by your surrounding environment either medical or family. The “body as the physical package of your soul” cannot unilaterally portray your wellbeing without consulting your spiritual side which presides over it. For instance, it is important to condition yourself positively and psychologically in order to be able to overcome any physical limitations.
vii. Real magic and the spiritual revolution:
“Your thoughts create your physical reality”. The mind that an individual sets up, impacts his life and makes him or not ready for future challenges.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a p practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
Courage, patience, perseverance, optimism, and independence are some of the key lessons distilled within this book. It puts a special emphasis on the importance of our soul, which as a formless and endless entity can perform anything the mind can conceive. The endless possibilities of our mind over our body can be used to overcome most of our lifetime obstacles or limitations.
Instead of the body dictates its authority to the soul, the “invisible spiritual self” should govern and run the show. Thus, from seeing things under a physical aspect, you use the “option of multi sensory” to better plan, organize, and make decision concerning issues.
Misbeliefs, limitations are clearly “incorrect representation or description done by the body” in order to lower the mind attributes. Those ideas should encourage anyone to fight for your goals, and never give up; although challenges and road blocks might render the journey tougher.
4. Quotes; Are there brief quotes from the book which really got your attention? If so, please list and comment on them.
“When a person feels separate from all others he became more self-centered and much less concerned about the problems of others”. Being individualistic can lead to isolation and less interest toward other people concerns. Human rights violations worldwide on the contrary raised a lot of public awareness while isolation politic raised few or no awareness.
“You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger”. Bitterness hurts first its owner prior to anybody else. It is within your soul and your body, then as “a no limit entity”, your entire mindset is scratched by this “killer venom” not conducible for positive achievement at all. Resentment, anger, fear, envy, jealousy are some manifestations of this type of behavior. One of the first outcomes of this type of behavior is failure and jealousy toward your fellow citizens who work hard to achieve their goals and wishes.
“If you conceive it in your mind, then it can be brought into the physical world” stands for the endless power of the mind and its endless capabilities to achieve anything it want to be done. Steve Job as many others greats scientists conceive mentally their discoveries prior “to bring them into the physical form”.
“You create your thoughts, your thoughts create your intentions, and your intentions create your reality” Your mind can create its own physical world described in the “invisible spiritual self”. Good mental attitude can positively change one’s life forever no matter how difficult can be life.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge” emphasizes on the fact that “power of the mind is endless”. Knowledge as a light, lights up life road map while imagination is the source of that light.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagrees with and if so, why?
I am reassured and more convinced about the power of the “invisible spiritual self”. Endowed with its core principles, the book displays key lessons and antidote against laziness, poverty, fatality, and envy. It strives you to fight for your cause, and to trust your mental and spiritual side because of their power.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete them?
No exercises
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous question? 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? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
In fact, the author taught us exceptional moral lessons that are commendable for anyone who aspire to a successful career. I personally encourage everybody to read it in order to get rid of “those cob web or limitations” creating” man made failure in one’s life”
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People/ Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
Assessment by Modibo Dembele (Mali)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
In this book, the author demonstrates that anyone can solve” personal and professional issues” through the magic wording called “habits” defined as “knowledge, skill and desire”. According to his view, habits create, strengthen and breed “personal empowerment”. To reach this level of achievement, he draws gigantic steps than can propel anyone from the bottom of “social ladder” to the top. In his general description of the different aspects of the personal empowerment, he observed that “self-mastery” leads to independence which nests the seeds of “effective interdependence”. As a connector among actors who are seeking effectiveness and efficiency, effective interdependence is the corner stone ingredient necessary for the development of interpersonal skills such as “cooperation, teamwork, communication”. It is critical that the last habit play this role of the “habit of improvement”. The relentlessly willingness for searching to improve one’ skills, knowledge and desire, is a constant and continuous source of improving talents, and expertise in any given field. The perpetual questioning and search for the latest “piece of wisdom and knowledge” leads to the “self mastery and personal empowerment”. Even attempts to fulfill those needs and requests would considerably improve the social, political, economical environment, and could cause to get rid off of any idea not matching with the concept of progress, personal development.
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. The authors emphasizes on the idea of being proactive. It means that “self awareness” or the” ability to think about your very thought process”. Those principles of personal vision empower the individual who is looking for successful alternatives and to assess its environment before making decision which might impacts its life. The ability to be aware of one’s thought and its impacts on your daily life activities makes this idea “a life compass” in term of decision making and leadership in general in general. For instance, the extra mile skill for most leaders is their proactively side. Bill Gates’ passion for electronic and creativity entitle him to come out with what he accomplished.
ii. Begin with end in mind: It states that leadership causes and engenders advancement because it scrutinizes issues since the roots which make it easier to grasp and to deal with it.
iii. Personal management or “organize and execute around priorities” draws a concise and clear boundary between the concepts of “urgent and important”. Mismanaging those two concepts can lead to an extreme state of procrastination and unnecessary delay in sensitive life projects. One of my favorite secret in regard of good performance derives from my personal management skills. It allows multi tasking, self discipline, commitment toward important and urgent agenda in well and balanced ways.
iv. Interpersonal leadership is a crucial topic in this field. Therefore, “the win-win alternative” is one of the best options that can be putted in application in term of handling issues. Interdependence reality represents a secure networking opportunity for people who aspire to improve their skills and to learn from one to another. Nelson Mandela was able to reunify the “rainy bow nation” mostly because of his talents and leaderships skills.
v. Effective communication is essential in any human relations development. It is conducive for “dialogue bridge” among us so we can resolve our differences through a constructive and opened discussion. Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Junior, Gandhi are some the great scholars who used effective communication to resolve critical issues.
vi. To maximize the strength of the society, there is an absolute necessity to implement the principles of creative cooperation among its members. The world as a global society, needs a” synergetic communication tools” between actors. It has the benefit to shorten discrepancies and distance between them. Furthermore, this is a chance to alleviate the differences in views and also to create synergy among leaders or decisions makers in the process of tackling the problems of their respective constituencies. Most small businesses own their successes because of the implementation of the concept of creative cooperation between employees, middle management, upper management to deliver an excellent customer service to customers.
vii. It is important to maintain a “balanced self renewal” which boots the “upward spiral” because of its continuous renewal status. This fact creates a “well mixture and balanced state” between all activities either mental or physical.
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?
Being proactive leads to effectiveness and tremendous positive outcome either on professional or personal level. Leadership and personal management are tools necessary in order to implement an effective strategic planning. This requires an excellent communication skills and a very “well balanced mindset”. In short those ideas shape one’s mind to be more pragmatic, dense in critical thinking and reasoning. As a result, the individual is empowered and could challenge “events that cause heavy gravity” in individual or collective life. The empowerment enables the individual to take responsibility concerning the issues and problems surrounding or threatening its social, political and economical entity. He is endowed with the skills and expertise to change and make change happened in one’s life easier and quicker.
4. 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.
i. “Blaming everyone and everything else for our problems and challenges may be the norm and may provide temporary relief from the pain, but it also chains us to these very problems”
It is common and always easy to finger point to someone for our own mistakes while this scenario does not fit at all with any relief setting, but it is a way to link us to this particular moral turpitude. It creates conflicts and makes them very difficult to be resolved mainly because of the querulous mental state it engenders.
ii. “Remember to learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know”. Knowledge without implementation and follow up does not help or serve society. Learning is an obligation while not learning is causing harm to one’ self.
iii. “The way we see things is the source of the way we think and the way we act”
Our environment affects our senses and thought to the extent it even impacts our actions as well. For instance, each social group in any given country is the product of the dominant cultural reality. Perception is different from countries to countries due to the difference to the cultural norms.
iv.” Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least” Goethe. Always prioritize your goals by putting “first things first”. This principle increase maturity and wisdom in terms of personal management.
v. “If you put good people in bad systems, you get bad results” Bad mental state along with mismanagement generate bad outcome no matter how smart were the founders.
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?
Personally I disagree with the above quotation. I think that it is not accurate to admit that good people will fail when they are into a bad system. It might increase challenges for the leadership, but I don’t think that can lead only to failure. Management means controlling, planning before making any decision, so they could assess the environment and provide a better living condition. It depends on how those scholars will analyze in their decision making process. Therefore, failure is not necessarily the result when they is a randomly chemistry between a man and an ugly location.
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 useful?
I have done all the exercises.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions?
Good performance does not necessarily derive from an organized world. It can come from an unexpected and unorganized environment where leaders and the civil society team up together to tackle the concerns of the populations. Ghana and Rwanda in Africa are very good illustration in term of sustainable development although the political environment shakes sometimes.
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? 8
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
The Law of Attraction
Assessment by Modibo Dembele (Mali)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author made it clear and loud that anybody and anywhere successfully can attract what you do want and reject what you don’t want. In order to meet this expectation, it is necessary to have an efficient and effective communication platform assorted with a personal development plan action. This tool is a prerequisite for personal empowerment because it provides a rational and organized pathway for victory and progressive change into one’s life. Endowed with personal empowerment, the individual could shape its own life while he is bringing positive change into the life of its fellow citizens. You attract more of what it is wanted by implementing the right strategy in the right context and with the right technique. As a result, the individual will be able to avoiding things or situations causing disarray and attracting the ones creating opportunities.
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. Understanding the significance of your words: Communication is the process of transmitting information from one person to another. It is a central aspect in human relationship. Words generate language or thoughts, which leads to feelings. Communication skills refer to the leader’s ability both to convey ideas and information effectively to others and to receive ideas and information effectively from others. Effective communication is the process of sending a message in such a way that the message received is as close in meaning as possible to the message intended. In effective communication, the meaning is transmitted in such a way that the receiving person understands. Depending on how the words are used or understood, they can engender positive or negative vibrations. Feedback, feed forward, and influence are crucial at this point. So, the individual has to be clear, specific in its expectation. A typical illustration describes a man driving down a mountain road in a jeep. Coming down the mountain in the other lane is woman in a jeep. As she passes, she leans out and yells, “Pig!” The man is offended! Why is that woman calling him a name and making a judgment on his character? As he looks back in his rearview mirror at the woman behind him, he smashes into a hog that is standing in the middle of the road. The woman was not criticizing him, but rather warning him of what lay ahead. But the feedback was limited by time. (Sanborn, “You don’t need a title to be a leader” p.64).
The same author highlights how good communication skills increase leadership and management:
Others tell. Leaders sell
Others impress. Leaders influence
Others try to be heard. Leaders strive to be understood.
Others explain. Leaders energize.
Others inform. Leaders inspire
Others relay only facts. Leaders tell stories. (p. 67-68)
ii. The three steps formula for deliberate attraction: Identify your desire, give it attention and allow it scholarly summarize the step needed to empower one’ self.
iii. Required tools for law of attraction: The author highlights the need to “mentally condition yourself for change”, resetting your mind about your “real goals”. A combination of these tools will implement the law of attraction on your advantage.
iv. The relation and the vibration are very sensitive subject matter. To easily reach your goals, it is important to mingle with people who are sharing the same life mission and statement. Thus, the actor can even lifelessly “shut down” the negativity” or “negativity-nelly”.
v. The society could teach the law of attraction to the children by relating it to their own life, visual aids (light switch poster) games assorted with rewards.
vi. The desire statement is a concrete illustration to formulate with a positive vibe your professional and social expectations. It is useful because you feed yourself with positive vibration about real things you “are in the process of having”
vii. Family or group meeting: Formal gathering are excellent ways of handling issues and disputes settlement. The arena offers a chance to everyone to discuss and settle disputes.
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?
They help the individual to be more organized, goals oriented and also get rid of “negative vibe” or “old tape stories” blocking you for major accomplishments. The logical and effective implementation tools that they provide resist to any “cob web” which is making difficult or delaying the application of the personal development plan. The interpersonal skills and the talents that they generate will propel the individual to a very successful level of the wall of fame.
4. 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.
i.”Never expect a thing you do not want, and never desire a thing you do not want” It describes how you can avoid wasting “valuable mental force” and focus your mind on “desirable ruling state” more conducive for personal progress.
ii. “The faster your resistance/doubt is removed, the faster your desire can be realized”: Reaching personal success depends on the individual ability to remove barriers from its mental ruling state.
iii. “When you change your observation from what you don’t want to what you do want, the vibration changes” Monitoring your thought toward a positive mental attitude leads to a good feeling. Having an optimistic state is a good for the human being’s physical and mental status.
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 is not enough to merely identify your desire; you must also give it positive attention. Giving it positive attention ensures that you are including the vibration of your desire in your current vibration”: Despite the fact you provide a positive attitude cannot absolutely guarantee “the vibration of your desire”, which I assume might change accordingly to the situation. The vibration changes no matter how you have added all the required ingredients. Thus, it would be preferable to stay firm and mentally strong before you achieve your life mission statement. In short, “the ups and down alternation scenario” is a natural process that can be overcome only with a strong “extra mile” attitude. Your “desire vibration” does not and cannot prevent the individual from those fluctuation and alternation. Required desired along with positive mental attitude can still be affected and your vibration can either be positive or negative depending how it will evolve. Key suggestion is to have all of them and do not give up and try hard as much you can to keep the positive attitude leading to good feeling, but also the bad one providing sometimes some very good lessons.
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 useful?
I have done all the exercises.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions?
Regarding the words significance, to attract what you want you need, leaders and managers have to understand several kinds of communication that are common in today organizations. These include interpersonal communication, communication in networks and teams, organizational communication, and electronic communication.
Numerous barriers can disrupt effective communication. They may be divided into two classes: individual barriers and organizational barriers. Conflicting or inconsistent signals, credibility about the subject, reluctance to communicate, poor listening skills, and the predispositions about the subject are common individual barriers. Organizational barriers are semantics, status or power differences, and different perceptions.
Because power of persuasive communication is so important, leaders have developed several methods of overcoming to barriers to effective communication. Some of these methods involve individual skills, whereas others are based on organizational skills. Developing good listening skills, encouraging two-way communication, being aware of language and meaning, maintaining credibility, being sensitive to the receiver’s perspective, and being sensitive to the sender’s perspective, are some samples of individual skills. Organizational skills involve follow up, regulation of information flow, and understanding the richness of media.
Since Maslow states that people are born motivated to become what they are born to be, or self-actualized, it follows that a leader is one who provides situations and environments in which people can fulfill their authentic needs for meaning.
In conclusion, we applied Losier’s notion of the law of attraction to the nature versus nurture debate, career advancement, and the power of giving, communication & transformational leadership. Through this application we were able to validate his assessments. While over-simplified, Losier’s book inspires leadership through a desire to lead
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? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
Nonviolent Communication
Assessment by Modibo Dembele (Mali)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author identifies four ingredients for an effective Non Violent Communication such as observation, feeling, needing and the request associated to their fulfillment. “NVC enhances inner communication by helping us translate positive internal message into feeling and needs”. “Life -alienating communication, moralistic judgments, comparisons, communicating our desires, needs or wants” affects our own perception by reinforcing a very subjective view about things. He scholarly advised to separate observation from the evaluation in order to avoid people’s feeling or creating subjective idea or personalized concept about rational things. For instance, he wrote those magic sentences” Hanks Smith has not scored a goal in twenty games”, “rather than Hank Smith is a poor player”.
As a second component of the NVC, feeling entails a clear, concise vocabulary to express our emotions and to connect with the environment. The third step which is the implementation acknowledgement of the needs behind our feelings generates four options when facing judgments or negative emotions: a. blame ourselves, b. blame others, c. sense our own feelings and needs, d. sense the feelings and needs hidden in the negative emotions.
He demonstrates in the fourth component “what we would like to request of each other to enrich each our lives”. A clear message is an effective tool to make a request appeared not as a demand and received emphatically. “He pinpoints that “empathy, however calls upon us to empty our mind and listen to others with our whole being”. This process generates a non violent dialogue and defuses potential violence.
In order to fulfill unmet dreams and needs, the subject has to apply “the NVC mourning and self-forgiveness” instead of “moralistic self-judgments”. He suggests afterward four crucial steps to manage anger: stop and breathe, identify our judgmental thoughts, connect with our needs and express our feelings and unmet needs. He proposes to use the concept of “protective use of force” in case of imminent danger with no possibility of communication.
In short “NVC improves inner communication by focusing on what we want instead of what is wrong with others or ourselves”. This results to a peaceful state of mind vital in dispute settlement and conflict resolution techniques.
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. Communication that blocks compassion: Through scholarly conceived characters and examples, he depicts that several learned forms of life alienating communication like moralistic judgments, comparison, and denial of responsibility block or negatively affect ourselves or others and the understanding of the issues challenging our lives. Most of the issues related to racism derived from preconceived judgments or subtle opinion about others. It automatically creates or increases a communication gap between the social groups. Because the power of persuasive communication is so important, leaders have developed several methods of overcoming to barriers to effective communication. Some of these methods involve individual skills, whereas others are based on organizational skills. Developing good listening skills, encouraging two-way communication, being aware of language and meaning, maintaining credibility, being sensitive to the receiver’s perspective, and being sensitive to the sender’s perspective, are some samples of individual skills. Organizational skills involve follow up, regulation of information flow, and understanding the richness of media.
ii. Observing without evaluating: It might appear contradictory, however both words can team up together if only if you remember that “ NVC is a process that discourages static generalizations”. Objectivity is a key role in this field to avoid being biased or making inaccurate interpretations.
iii. Expressing our feeling is a powerful tool to meet our needs. However, the individual has to have a strong panorama about how to voice his feelings in order to avoid any misrepresentation of the thoughts. Scientists agreed that this technique is an effective way to defuse conflicts.
iv. Taking responsibility for our own feelings has an important golden stage called “emotional liberation, in which we accept full responsibility for our own feelings but not the feelings of others, while being aware that we can never meet our own needs at the expense of others”. Racial profiling against some ethnics groups is one the consequence of breaking this concept.
v. Empathy is an efficient technique which may be used to heal issues. It offers the possibility to “hear the feelings and needs expressed through silence” until “people transcend the paralyzing effects of psychological pain “and then the crisis is defused. Anyone with an excellent listening skills and non argumentative behavior could have empathy.
vi. Instead of “blaming or punishing others “, we should fully express our anger by following the four steps recommended by the author. In short, we should analyze objective the reasons of the failure and put in place the appropriate course of action to fix it instead of any judgmental thoughts toward anyone. Many unhappy individuals blame others for theirs failure in life.
vii. NVC offers an ideal arena for mental prosperity when it comes to free ourselves and counsel others by creating “a peaceful state of mind”. For instance, this explains why “professional in counseling and psychotherapy use it to engender mutual and authentic relationship with their clients”.
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?
Effective and efficient communication is a powerful mean no matter what is your area of expertise. It will endow you with the appropriate and required tools and techniques to convey your ideas or though toward your target audience. David Messick, in his leader/follower exchange theory, states that “leaders and followers become linked in a mutually beneficial relationship through the exchange of benefits” along five dimensions that corresponds generally to Maslow’s five need levels (Messick, 2005, p. 82, 94). His theory states that leaders and followers are engaged in roles adopted when the conditions are auspicious, and that transformational leaders want group goals, act out of benevolence, and allow followers to enter into the relationship; the leader provides the “direction, goals, and vision that is needed for the followers to be effective” in an effective and efficient communication style. (Messick, 2005, p. 93). With confidence, eloquence and professionalism, you enhance your interpersonal and communication skills, so that you easily attain your goals.
4. 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.
i. “The more people hear blame and judgment, the more defensive and aggressive they become and the less they will care about our needs in the future” Judgmental opinion causes communication gap between individuals. It might affect or hurt people’s feeling or emotions. For instance, blaming or punishing other for our mistake cause conflict or resentment among people.
ii. “Violence comes from the belief that other people cause our pain and therefore deserve punishment”. It is important to observe without offering a subjective evaluation of the arena. Instead of defusing violence, it has a huge a potential of raising rivalry between social groups because of the “illegitimacy stigma or generalizations made without any objective basis”. For instance the “Radio Aux Milles Collines” in Rwanda’s propaganda exponentially increases enmity between Hutu and Tutsi during the genocide war between the two main tribes.
iii. “The ability to hear our own feelings and needs and empathize with them can free us from depression”. Assessing our own needs and wants may alleviate us from stress, and therefore we could easily achieve our personal goals.
iv. “Let us become the change we seek in the world” Everyone should be the role model you are seeking, so followers could emulate you. Mandela, Ghandi, Martin Luther King became famous because of their respective personal set of values and beliefs for which they stand for. “If there’s anything you can say for sure about leaders, it’s that they don’t emerge fully formed from any kind of formal training or education” (Lee, 1989 p. 24).
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 strongly disagree with the concept of “Protective use of force”. It may endanger the concept of legality when the mandate is not properly used. Furthermore, it could weaken the foundation of democratic institutions especially in case the opposing party leaders are not representative enough to discuss about the future of the entity. This would be in a big picture spectrum a threat to the global peace and security.
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 useful?
Yes, I did.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions?
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? 8
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? 9
Goals!
Assessment by Modibo Dembele (Mali)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
This book is a “comprehensive book on goal setting”. The author demonstrates that goal setting is a key tool which can transform your life from poverty to prosperity. The ability to master the skill of planning and completing multitask jobs is a really conducive for implementing the goals. Time management increases self discipline, self mastery and self control. For instance, through personal examples, he shows that anyone might “move from frustration to fulfillment, from underachievement to success and satisfaction” in you set in timely manner objective goals for yourself. Goal setting leads as well to responsibility. More you accept to carry out more liabilities in your shoulder; this causes a drastic growth into your social skills. As a result, the individual became well aware of the numerous challenges of its environment and well suited in the meantime to properly handle them. Any deficiency or lack of vision about what you would like to accomplish, has a tremendous impact on the roadmap. The author identifies major obstacles in the implementation of this task: self-limiting beliefs and self-imposed limitations seriously affect the individual’s capabilities to achieve its goals and to use its potential in its fullest extent. He pointed out that vision makes great leader while. To accurately achieve what you want, he remarks that the goal has to be “specific, concrete, tangible and something that you can clearly visualize and imagine in your mind.” Being alert increases your chance to decipher and what is happening in your environment and to succeed and to achieve faster than you think your goals. “Improving your family life and your relationship, optimizing your health and wellness, becoming an expert in your field, measure your progress, remove the road blocks, associating with the right people, making an action plan. Financial independence is a corner stone in the goal setting process that is feasible only by the individual.
To achieve your goal, you need to increase your knowledge in your area of expertise. A strong physical condition is a secure tramway to implement all the above stated actions. It can be acquired through regular fitness exercises imposed on you and lead to a strong health status. You should network with the right people in order to achieve faster and surely your action plan. The triumph of persistence, determination and goal visualization are also necessary ingredients leading to the achievement of your goals in the best of your skills. The author breaks down those ideas to make to make the daily implementation easier and effective.
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. Take charge of your life.
It pinpoints that anyone should be responsible for successes
as well as failures of its timeline. “You are where you are and what you are because of your own choices and decisions”. The Golden rule of this concept is that everyone should take full control and responsibility of your life course action because the outcome is based on what you invest in.
ii. Create your own future or plan your perfect calendar.
Planning, organizing and making decision in your life like there is no roadblock on your trip to success. Once this done, find the keys steps you need to make “this perfect calendar content” a reality. For instance, making a plan to make a $50,000 in two months assorted with an objective roadmap is a tangible illustration.
iii. Determine your true goals.
Decide what it is that you really desire. You need to decipher the set of goals, belief, skill, important person, largest single obstacle or difficulty in order what you truly looking for. Setting clear, objective and feasible goals leads to great achievements and success. In practice, generally people don’t have written goals.
iv. Become an expert in your field:
It refers to the “keys results areas of your subject matter, the things you “absolutely, positively” have to know to be brilliant in your area. Famous scholars in law, geography, science, chemistry master in their field because they either wrote books, articles or taught it to younger generation. Through this process they symmetrically share knowledge and power among them.
v. Measure your progress.
Find out the most important area of the teaser and the minimum set of specific and blasé to assess and reassess your decisions. This practice requires an accurate and objective self assessment, so you could use those critics to put your back on tracks.
vi. Associate with the right people.
This is an important ideal that the author is conveying in term of having a unique and clear “personal mission statement”. Bad companionship has an impact on your personal progress while good companionship offers a great networking opportunity. LinkedIn which is the greatest professional social networking media has been put in place in order to fulfill this desire.
vii. Make a plan of action.
This is the foundation of any successful story. It has to be organized by topic, item and per priority. In term of effectiveness and efficiency, it is an important tool. My immediate plan of action is to bring peace in Mali by all means possible.
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?
Taking charge leads to responsibility and social conscientiousness about your life’s events. Action will preside over passion in the decision making process. It helps fighting blame and laziness.
Mastering in your in your field requires that you have to be very knowledgeable in your subject matter. Most scholars gained an international recognition due to the fact that they master in their fields. It creates respect, prestige and a good reputation.
4. 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 where you are and what you are because of your own choices and decisions.”
Everyone is the product and the direct result of its actions. Man is the architect or the actor of its life. Most of the unsuccessful people like blaming others for their failure while great leaders acknowledge it and try to fix it.
“ Whatever the mind of a man can conceive and believe, it can achieve;” by Napoleon.
Your set of belief has a huge impact on decisions making and achievements capabilities. Thinking is sky rocking therefore is always a place to upgrade the information.
“You should expect to fail and fall short many times before you achieve your goals.”
Failure is part of the game on the road map of the pursuit of happiness.
“Ignorance causes us to fear change, to fear the unknown, and to avoid trying new or
different.”
Most people are resistant to change specially when there is a lack of information about the subject .
“It is not practice that makes perfect, it is imperfect practice that eventually makes
Perfect.”
This is called paying the “price of success” before mastering a specific topic. For instance, you master the driving today although your first driving class was terrible.
“To achieve something that you have never never achieved before, you must become
someone you have never been before. You must develop qualities, traits, and abilities that you may have never had before; ”
Excellence requires that you go to the “extra mile.”
“The future belongs to the risks takers, not to the security seekers.”
Perseverance, a clear mental picture is key ingredients necessary to overcome setbacks and achieve incredible goals. Michael Dell, Bill Gates became successful because of their respective risks taking capabilities.
“Anything that you practice over and over eventually becomes a new habit.”
“Practice makes permanent.”
More you are involved, more you increased the chance to master the area field taught or requested.
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 useful?
Yes, and I have done all of the exercises.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions?
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? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8
Maximum Achievement
Assessment by Modibo Dembele (Mali)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
Brian Tracy in this wonderful explains that “success and personal achievement” is possible as long you set high expectations for yourself. This is why he illustrated his numerous concepts, theories of personal achievement through “high achieving people’s personal life experience”. For instance most of the great achievement from the Ancient Egyptians derived from their wisdom and tremendous knowledge about science, which leaded to the development of history, geography, astronomy, physic, mathematics.
“Personal greatness” ‘key is taking personal responsibility about what you are supposed to do first. Once this done, “the personal performance” is enhanced because the individual is no longer procrastinating with himself or any assignment that was supposed to be done. Then he came up with strategies and techniques that will unlock your potential forever.
Once the individual understands that it is the main architect of all majors’ achievements, it should envision implementing the master setting goals plan in order to succeed. Unfortunately, only those who would live to emulate” high achieving individual” such as Abraham Lincoln, Newton, and Albert Einstein live by those principles.
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 found the following seven ideas to be very interesting:
A. The seven ingredients of success:
Brian Tracy listed seven items for personal success such as the peace of mind, health and energy, loving relationship, financial freedom, worthy goals and ideals, self-knowledge and self-awareness, personal fulfillment. These seven ingredients are necessary items conducive to any personal performance if implemented to the fullest extent of the given instructions. Brian Tracy, the author personal life experience is a living illustration of those stated principles. From nothing, he became one of the most respected public speaker of this world.
B. The master program
You are the product of your thought. As the main architect of your life, you should take full control of your life major decision if not you will attempted to follow events instead of engaging them. From the status of actor, the individual, then became or felt as a victim. For instance, more you are optimistic; the chance to overcome issues is greater. Most people who failed in life have a tendency to blame other people for their misfortune and mistakes.
C. The master skill
“The ability to set goals and to make plans for their accomplishment is the master skill of success.” Most high achieving people have a powerful master skill. This is one of the most important steps in decision making and personal strategic management. Anyone who is able to effectively and efficiently manage this part of its plan will automatically be able to achieve his master goals.
D. The master decision
“The master decision is the key to personal liberation, happiness and high achievement”. Personal responsibility is the corner stone in this step. Any good thought is not worthy unless you implement it in your life. Action is the core word here. Any plan should followed by the right implementation, so that you built up
E. The master goal
“It is the achievement of peace of mind, the ultimate aim of all your efforts.” It is the one which will unlocks all the individual interpersonal skills.
F. Mastering human relationship
It is “the ability to get along well with other people.” This step is a key aspect in the networking you might need for professional career development plan. Networking matters is the backbone into the new work force. Most people assumed that job seekers from great school have greater chance to have a job than those who does not bother to do it.
G. Mastering personal relationships
“The choice of a mate, and the quality of your home and family life, determines your success as a human being as much more than any other factor”. In simple word, an individual is the product of its environment.
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 listed above can help an individual to create a better world for the following reasons:
The primary teaching that they are spreading out is to strengthen the mental aptitudes so the subject is empowered to envision and set reasonable and attainable goals which when implemented it will make his life better.
In term of strategic management, efficiency and effectiveness became adamant in your managerial alphabet, because the reason rises over any other non-objective factors.
In practice then, most of issues such corruption, unemployment, envy, jealousy can be easily cured when the individual appropriately implement those personal achievement. It develops creativity, perseverance, courage and admiration when you are pursuing your dreams goals.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
The following quotations are relevant to me:
Theodore Roosevelt wrote: “Do what you can, with what you have; right where you are it simply urges to take action with the available sober means that you have in order to achieve successfully.”
“Whatever you believe, with feeling becomes your reality.”
Perception has a huge impact on the individual performance.
“It is not what you say, or what you intend, or what you wish or hope or pray for, but only what you do that counts.”
Only an individual can unlock success and secure individual satisfaction.
“Non-responsible people feel that they are controlled by external forces and by other people.”
Feeling of irresponsibility triggers irrelevant accusations toward others.
“Everything that is today is a result of your habitual ways of thinking.”
You behavior and attitude are things that you learned during your interaction with your immediate environment.
“If you change your ways of thinking, you change your life.”
This quote refers to the positive mental attitude which may unlock tremendous amount of individual performance.
“The power of positive expectation alone can change your whole personality, and your life as well.”
Positive mental attitude is a good pathway to activate a perfect health and wellness into the individual and mental fields. For instance, “it takes only 13 muscles to smile and 112 muscles to frown.”
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 disagree with the opposites attract in the six rules for successful relationship because numerous relationship work perfectly well although there is major discrepancies in parties respective personalities. This concept of opposite attract cannot or should not be set as a universal principle because of the cultural difference and cultural preferences. For instance, eye contact and open up discussion in most western culture might be seen as a major sign of relationship matching sign. However, the same type of behavior is some other traditions can be seen as frivolous or provocative. For example, in Dogon culture women’s role in the society is strictly defined and known to everybody, so there are areas where it is against the moral to expect them behaving in a certain type of way.
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 contains very captivating exercises about individual performance and excellence that were helpful.
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.
“If you treat your child with kindness, patience, love, respect and approval, your child will grow up to be a fully functioning, self-actualizing human being.”
I think the author should put more emphasis on the impact of the psychological harm on children so parents would easily see the damage that they could have done to their son or daughters. That point was left over. The different factors of negative emotions such as justification; the identification or taking things personally; the lack of consideration, blaming May also cause temporary and permanent negative emotions depending on how the subject will handle his emotions. That difference between the negative emotions should have been made so the reader to find out thorough cognitive reasoning that not all those four component cause “permanent “negative emotions. They can be temporary ones as well.
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? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9