Moses Baffour Awuah – Assessments

As a Man Thinketh

Assessment by Moses Baffour Awuah (Ghana)

 

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

James Allen book As a man Thinketh, I believe portrays a collection of thoughts on how powerful a man’s thought is, and that a man is literally what he thinks, his character been the complete sum of all his taught.              

A. Every action and feeling is preceded by a thought.

As James Allen wrote everything about life begins with a thought. This idea is important to me because the idea of starting a training program for young people in my country began with a thought. It was from this thought I proceeded to take actions to make sure that it sees the light of the day.


B. Right thinking begins with the words we say to ourselves.

I personally believe that the words we speak to ourselves eventually become’s our thought. I believed I am trained leader but I will never forget the words Solomon Ababio Adjeman spoke to me when I was in Junior High School, he said I was a leader. This I believe has formed my thought pattern for a very long time. I will also not forget the words of my Religious & Moral Education tutor, he entered into our world when all our teachers had given up on us, he encouraged us, told us we could make it in our final exams, taught us inspirational songs to sing when we feel all is lost and we want to give up, showed us strategies we could study to pass our exams and to God be the glory those were the best times in our lives and that was how I performed well in my final exams. The words we say to ourselves and people say to us are very important.

C. Dreamers are the saviors of the world.

Australian millionaire Peter J Daniels asked “what do you do when your dreams begin to fail?” He replies, “Just hang on to one more dream.” This idea is simple and straight forward; if I want to be a savior in this world I must be a dreamer. Dreamers change our world. Dreamers make impact, Dreamers make a difference. There is so much joy in my heart when participants of the leadership program I organized talk about the impact the program had in their lives. I would continue to dream all the time.

D. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.


This book has reminded me again about the importance of my thoughts and what I should allow to enter into my mind. As I read the book I decided to consciously make plans as to what to allow entering into my mind. I have now decided to read my goals to myself often, this I believe would come to form my thoughts so it would occupy my mind than foolish thoughts.

E. Men do not attract what they want, but what they are.

What you are is truly who you are and a simple reflection of yourself, it is one thing wishing for something and the other revealing who you truly are, I have seen how I have attract likeminded people often in my life, but its strange when people have the same mind, desires and goals as you have, it would amaze you as to how you just click together and how you would enjoys each other’s company.

F. Its important to improve yourself.

James Allen speaks of how men are eager to improve on their circumstances and not on themselves. This idea is important to me because, personal development I believe is a key to becoming relevant to your world because when you develop yourself you break your thinking pattern, you desire to do more for humanity and you always want to see to it that others come to discover their purpose. That is the exact reason why I am excited about this program. I believe I am on my road to self improvement.

G. To be careful of what I secretly love and harbor.

James Allen continuous to write about how the soul secretly attracts what it loves and harbor. You know, we can deceive ourselves that we love something but rather in our hearts there are things we really cherish; what is in our heart eventually comes out, not what we make others believe. When my laptop was giving me problems I was really worried but I didn’t tell anyone. In my heart I secretly desired for a new one, one day in a conversation with a good friend, I only made a passing statement, that my laptop was giving me problems. To my amazement, he paused the conversation and immediately decided to offer me a new laptop.

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 above ideas would serve as a useful guide to help me be conscious of my thoughts, the things I secretly harbor, to spend each day improving myself so I can improve on my circumstance and become relevant to my world.  

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

“As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.”

Exercising yourself in right thinking through the reading of books, associating yourself with the right company and joining in meaningful conversations, discussions and debates is a key  to building a strong mind. This makes this quote very important to me.

“Cherish your visions. Cherish your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.”

This quote is so important to me because when the thought of having to start a leadership training programme for high school graduates began in August 2012, it began to be the main focus of my life, I worked at it each passing day. I cherished it, paid the price for it, I would spend several hours planning and strategizing as to how I could make it happen with my limited resource and to God be the Glory it came to pass in June this year.

“Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul.”

It is an undeniable fact that it takes much research to discover something both internally and externally, yet we find so little a time to do so, it was through much search on courses on personal development and leadership, that made me stumble on this site, I never knew it existed.

“Circumstance does not make the man, it reveals him to himself.”

 It is said that give a man power, money and position and you will know his true character. As an evangelism and Hostels coordinator at the university when I was with the Campus Christian Family, many thought that I worked so hard because I wanted to be the president when the current leader at that time handed over. Lots of people were amazed how I didn’t even context for any position in the next badge of leadership. I had one single motive to impact the people and move on, even though many urged me to go for a position, I didn’t allow the position and influence I had at that time to sway me away from my goal.

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 book is clear and that it is understandable to read.

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?

 

I didn’t see any clear exercise to complete in the book.

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

Overall the book was a useful tool to get one to rethink on the things he spends most of his time thinking about.

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

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

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Assessment by Moses Baffour Awuah (Ghana)

 

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

 

I believe the author is trying to talk about the human potential and what one could do if he breaks away from any and everything that limits him.

 

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. I learned not to be afraid to discover my inner strength.

 

It strange how sometimes everything around you can deter you from discovering your inner strength, so was the life of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, as his family discouraged him. Time and time again in my personal life I have seen people try to encourage me to settle for the normal and not try to break the status quo, it’s as though people doing extra ordinary things are for the few privileged in our society.

 

B. Love through forgiveness of self and others is the key to impact the lives of many.

 

If Jonathan Livingston Seagull had not demonstrated this very important virtue he would not have gone back to help the other seagull’s. For me forgiveness is not a forgotten memory, but it is a memory without revenge, yes; I remember what you did to me but I don’t intend to pay you back in that same coin or repay you with evil. Quite a number of times in my own life I have seen how I had given my time, energy, strength and resources to others but they have refused to pay me back with the same kindness i showed to them. Recently just as I was reading this story, I called one of the people I had given the best of myself to, It amazed me how she was so busy that she could not make time to speak to me or return my call, but I remember how I made time for her when she needed me. I sometimes draw strength from those who remember the good I did for them and I have decided not to allow anything to prevent me from helping anyone that comes my way that need help, In fact I have very little expectation of men, I choose to let love lead me.

 

C. Humility is important if ever I would learn new things.

 

The ability to acknowledge that somebody knows more than I know and that someone has discovered something I have not discovered yet. I personally believe that it is hard for proud people to learn new things. I also believe that submitting yourself to a mentor to receive his encouragement, instructions, corrections and rebuke is the greatest sign of humility and that was exactly what Jonathan Livingston Seagull did. That is what I also seek to do.

 

D. Constant practice would help me achieve my ideas just like Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

 

It’s not always easy to keep on practicing one thing over and over again, especially if you are the one that likes variety like I do. It was through constant practice that Jonathan gained speed. One day in an ICT class I saw how my friends had speed in typing and I purposed in my heart to learn how to type faster, I immediately installed Mavis Beacon software on my laptop and I started practicing everyday how to type faster and that was how to I began to type faster.

 

E. From the Story you realize that there is a price to pay for every success.

 

Jonathan had to pay the price of been misunderstood and to be cast out of his own people but that was the price he had to pay to achieve his dream. I realize how some time ago I had to spent several hours, strategizing and planning a Youth Empowerment program in my own country, I spent lots of lonely hours in those times, but that was how I finally birth the training program for young people with the help of my team.

 

F. I learned a very important idea about the choices I make in life and that in this life who and what you become is dependent on the choices we make.

 

When I saw this online program I felt it was the platform I had been waiting for all this while to be empowered to help my generation. It was a great decision I made to commit myself to this programme no matter how busy and demanding my schedule was. Jonathan could have chosen to be like all the other Seagulls but he decided to be different.

 

G. I discovered that been with people of like-mindedness can speed up your growth and help you achieve great things than when you are alone

 

So was the life of Jonathan Livingston his association with Chiang and Sullivan had a great impact on me. I have seen myself grown in the faith anytime I was surrendered with people of the same kind.  

 

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 lessons I stated above would be pillars on which I would use to govern my personal life in pursing my dreams with the understanding that one must pay a price for whatever he wants to achieve, try to find people who are of likeminded like myself, be humble, keep on practicing till i reach perfection, make wise and intelligent choices, love through forgiveness and finally not be afraid to discover my inner strength. I will teach these same lessons and help others discover this truth; this I believe would help me create a better world.

 

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

 

“Why, Jon, why?”” his mother asked. “Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? Why can’t you leave low flying to the pelicans, the alhatross? Why don’t you eat? Son, you’re bone and feathers!” “I don’t mind being bone and feathers mom. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can’t, that’s all. I just want to know.”

 

This quote is an example of how people who are so close to you, would discourage you as you decide to pursue purpose and how it is important to be determine to discover your potentials.

 

“Your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip,” Jonathan would say, other times, “is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body, too.”

 

This quote simply tells us that everything begins with a taught and if one can rise above the limitation of his taught, then he can achieve anything he sets his mind to do. This confirms James Allen’s Saying in his book “As a Man Thinketh”.

 

“We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill.”

 

This quote is so important to me because, in our part of the world, where we have been marginalized for a very long time, people must come to the understanding that everything is possible and they could be creatures of excellence.

 

“You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.”

 

Sometimes numbers have a way of limiting us and sometimes it as though we can never achieve a certain goal but when you fix your mind on being perfect at something, continuous practice and learning would help you get there and sometimes at the initial stage you would not realize you are there.

 

“Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with those gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed.”

 

The fear of the unknown has a way of preventing us from pursuing our dream. I believe that life should be adventurous, full of trying of new things, pursuing purpose and breaking every boredom in our lives. I personally believe it is better to try something and fail than not to try at all.

 

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 idea the story is trying to carry is clear and understandable.

 

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

 

 

I didn’t find any clear exercises to complete in the book.

 

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

 

 

The book is a helpful guide that empowers people to break from the chains of their limitation and discover and fulfill their potential.

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

A. How interesting was it to read?                             7
B. How helpful were the contents?                            7
C. How easy was it to understand?                            8
D. Would you recommend it to others?                     8
E.  What is the overall rating you would give it?       7

The New Dynamics of Winning

 Assessment by Moses Baffour Awuah (Ghana)

 

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

 

Denis Waitley is trying to convey to his readers that Life’s most important revelation is that it’s the journey that counts, not the destination and that Life is not a treasure hunt but life itself is the treasure.

 

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 seven ideas which were personally most important to me were:

 

Sometimes we are tempted to show others what we know and this causes us to talk instead of listening. The thing about listening is that, it gives us the opportunity to know what others think and know. It is said that even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent. The unfortunate thing is that, sometimes we even want to prove to experts that we know more that they do. Gradually, I am beginning to develop the discipline of listening to others before voicing out my opinion.

 

ii. It was important to have favorite quotes. So I would have a collection of quotes that would inspire me to success.

 

A quote has the power to inspire and challenge one to move on in the face of adversity. I have always love quotes but through reading this book, I have decided to consciously gather at least five top quotes that would serve as an inspiration to what I do.

 

iii. Harvey Mackay secret was that he actively seeks out and allows himself to be coached by champions.

 

He explains “You don’t have to know everything, as long as you know a person who knows the things you don’t. There is a lot that I don’t know, so i shamelessly seek for advice.” This idea has moved me from the state on overloading myself with lots of work and delegating some to people I can trust.

 

Most coachable people I know carry a journal with them at all times. They put a date at the top of each daily page in a book lined paper and fill it in day by day. In this way they have a running account of important notes and thoughts before, during after meetings, and throughout the day. On my birthday I bought a diary for myself, the purpose was to document everything about my life on a day to day basis, though it has not been easy but from reading this book and other several inspirational books, I realized that most great people kept a journal of their life.

 

v. The reader’s edge, the idea I picked was to read fictional stories monthly to sharpen my creative skills, enhances my vocabulary, and opens up my mind to new points of view.

 

I love to read but fictional stories, is not the type of books I would often spend time reading. It is rare thing to find me reading a fictional story but after reading Denis Waitley New Dynamics for Winning, I have seen the importance of reading fictional books, right after reading that part, I called a friend who was into fictional stories to recommend some good fictional stories for me and she recommended books by Mary Jane Clarke to me.

 

vi. Another very important idea I picked from the book was that it was one thing to speak the words, and it’s another thing to have donated your entire life to living them.

 

Sometimes I find my myself questioning the wisdom of dedicating my life to the cause of helping others, especially when I am stabbed in the back, but I have come to accept this faith that it is better to dedicate my life to the many, whose life would be impacted than the very few who would dash my hopes.

 

The four most important words are: “what is your opinion?” Three most important words are: “if you please.” The two most important words are: “Thank you.”

 

And the most important single word of all is: “You!”

 


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

 

The above stated ideas would serve as guiding principles on which I would make decisions. I have resolved to listen more than I talk, have a collection of favorite quotes, always submit myself to be coached, keep a journal around me all the time, read fictional stories and to dedicate my entire life on living the cause I believe in instead of just speaking about it .

 

 

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. 

 

“What will it take for me to succeed? Hard work, of Course. Careful decision-making. Technical expertise. The support of friends and family.”

 

Those are all part of it, but what’s most important is your ability to access the inner resource of strength and commitment and those are defining characteristics of a champion in any field. Sometimes we are tempted to look outside for things to make us succeed but Denis Waitley reiterates something that has been my strength all this while and that is my inner resource. When everything on the outside is not going well I tend to draw strength from within.                                                                                                            

 

“Its 10 percent talent and 90 percent guts and determination.”

 

If one is naturally talented at something it is very good but through personal observation over the years in the life of others and in my own life, I have realized that guts and determination send people far than talents not developed. At least I can attest to this truth with my personal life.

 

“It appears overwhelming for us to invest in ourselves the amount of time and effort required for peak performance.”

 

Too often we believe our own physical and environment limitations are unique and much greater than those gifted champions.There is always the temptation to think that we have peculiar problems, over the years as a counselor, I have seen how young people see their situations as peculiar and that nothing or very little could be done about their situation. This has always served as a hindrance to the abilities of young people.

 

“People today, especially young people, need far fewer critics and far better role models.”

 

It seems as though it is always easier to see the wrong in people than the right, it seems to me that the older generation has a lot of problems with the younger generation but what they are refusing to realize is that there are far fewer role models and people who would dedicate considerable amount of their time to mentorship, especially in my part of the world (Africa), we pay lip service to the need for us to encourage mentorship but we don’t do the practicality of what we say.

 

“Talk is never enough, even when you are speaking the truth.”

 

A friend made a comment sometime ago when a senior colleague was giving some serious instructions. She said talk is cheap, when she said that, I felt this young person was been rude and disrespectful, so I questioned her on that matter, she replied to me by saying Moses, almost every year this person says the same thing and we don’t see him putting into actions the things he says. After careful observation though I realized there was an element of truth in what she said, I still felt that this young lady was rude but that is what happens when we don’t put our words into action.

 

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 book was clear and there was nothing I strongly disagreed to.

 


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

 

Yes the book contained a number of exercises, I completed a number of them but I am still on the Twenty one days plan. The exercises have really been 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.

 

The book has been very helpfully especially chapter 8 and 9, the “Coachability Factor” and The Quality of Leadership.

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

 

A. How interesting was it to read?                             7
B. How helpful were the contents?                            9
C. How easy was it to understand?                            9
D. Would you recommend it to others?                     10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it?        9

Keys to Success

Assessment by Moses Baffour Awuah (Ghana)

 

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

 

Napoleon Hill is trying to say that having definiteness of purpose, going the extra mile, using applied faith, having your mastermind alliance and self discipline with a positive mental attitude would be the key for your success.

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

 

 

The seven ideas that were most important to me were:

 

i. Only by finding my own burning desire would I achieve success.

 

Napoleon Hill explained that the difference between wish and desire was crucial. Everyone wants the better things in life he wrote – money, fame, respect – but most people never go beyond wishing for them. This is important to me because it confirms the old adage that states that if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride. This suggest to me that it is useless to wish for things if I am not ready to turn it into a burning desire and follow an action plan that would bring it to pass. So was my burning desire to affect the lives of young people in my country(Ghana), with little resources we were able to start a leadership training program for High school graduates last year and we had the second edition this year.

 

ii. Having definiteness of purpose

 

Napoleon stated that definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement, and its lack is the stumbling block for ninety – eight out of hundred people simply because they never define their goals and start towards them. This is important to me because if I really understand why I do the things I do, it would cause me to invest all my energy into it and I believe that is what generates the burning desire. As Napoleon stated most people do not have defined goals. I personally believe that my major purpose is to touch the lives of people and bring them to the understanding of their purpose and this book would be a great tool to help me in this task.

 

iii. Promptness of decision

 

Napoleon stated that successful people reach decisions definitely and quickly. He further stated that opportunity was everywhere, but it is fleet of foot. Even if you had a fast vision to recognize it, without a fast decision on your part, it will be gone. This is important to me because I realize that i have had a little challenge in making decisions at cross roads of my life, I realize it was easier to make other choices after I had made that one big decision. It took me about a week to finally decide whether I wanted to do my service with a private firm or at the public sector, even though I knew what I wanted in my heart. As Jim Rohn said it was easier to pay the price if you see the promise.

 

iv. Nature abhors vacuum and idleness

 

Your brain and your life would become subject to every passing influence, unable to resist them or to act positively- unless you fix your mind on the object of your desire and create and act upon a plan for attaining it. Recently a friend sent me a piece on why one should get busy all the time, he wrote that even the word business was derived from the word busyness, hence challenges readers of his piece to get busy all the time. I believe that getting busy with a definite major purpose would yield great results and drive idleness from our lives.

 

v. Going the extra mile

 

Napoleon stated that it was a state of mind that must develop, so that it is part of everything we do. He further stated that the best recommendation we give ourselves is the rendering superior service in the right mental attitude. As a prayer leader in my church few years ago I only did not teach my people how to pray, I was interested in their academics; I taught them when they were preparing for their Basic Education Certificate Examination. They all came out with good grades and they were excited. I realize that I only go extra mile on the things I am interested in, which can sometimes be dangerous.

 

vi. Inspiring teamwork

 

Napoleon writes that teamwork cost so little in time and effort and it pays huge dividends. He further stated that when teamwork sometimes appears among people who are forced by necessity to work together, but it is undependable and never last. The United States and the Soviet Union were allies against Hitler he stated but the alliance evaporated as soon as he was vanquished. This is so important to me because I have personally experienced time and time again how we have had difficulty when our team was divided on a matter and how we have surmounted all the challenges when we worked as a team. With all the challenges we had in organizing an essay and drama event to commemorate the world day against child labor, we were able to organize a successful program because we had a united team that was not ready to give up.

 

vii. Maintaining sound health

 

Napoleon explained that anything that affects the soundness of your mind would affect your body and anything that affect your body would affect your mind. This idea is important because its helps us understand that the soundness of my health plays a major role in achieving my definiteness of purpose and that it was imperative to take good care of my health.

 

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

 

These lessons would serve as a guide for achieving my definiteness of purpose and this book would serve as a tool that I would use to teach many young people, thereby helping to create a better world

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

 

“Close the door of fear behind you, and you would quickly see the door of faith open before you.”

 

This statement is important to me because it teaches me that as long as I am able to dismiss fear from my life there is nothing I cannot achieve.

 

“Success attracts success and failure attracts more failure.”

 

This statement is important to me because anytime I set my mind to do something despite the challenges that come my way i would be successful.

 

“Whatever you think today becomes what you are tomorrow.”

 

This statement is important to me because it buttresses James Allen words in his book As a Man Thinketh. So I must be cautious of the things I am thinking about today

 

“We all must become bridge builders not only for the present generation but for generations yet unborn.”

 

I see no profit in burning bridges, how would you cross over to the other side when you have destroyed the bridge. Building healthy relationship would always be a key to great achievement. There is great truth in the old adage that says that the people you meet when climbing up are the same people you meet when coming down.

 

“Nothing will happen in your life that you do not inspire by your own initiative. Creative vision is the power which inspires the development of that personal initiative.”

 

It is important to avoid the temptation of waiting for opportunities, it is always important to go in for what you want. In doing so you realize the number of things that you can accomplish.

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?

 

Napoleon tells us to forget about the old saying “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”  I have a little challenge with that. In this competitive world you are tempted to believe that you must be skilled in number of areas and try many things.

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

 

 

Yes it contained a number of exercises; I am still working on some of them.

 


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

 

 

No, nothing further.

 


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

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

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Assessment by Moses Baffour Awuah (Ghana)

 

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

 

 

The main idea Dale Carnegie was trying to convey was to get people to be more human, sensitive to one another’s feelings and to be able to relate and work with one another.

 

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. It is frequently easier to find fault than to find praise; it was more natural to talk about what the other person wants; and so on.

 

When I was growing up, most of the things my parents complained about were the faults and mistakes they saw in me, friends and people around could make a great issue out of little mistakes and make me feel bad but rarely comment on the good I did. I sometimes find myself in that situation, but as I read through the pages of the book and stumbled on this idea, i began to carefully observe my comments when people go wrong on an issue than to be quick to pass judgment.

 

ii. The second idea that was important to me was that “Criticism was futile because it puts a person on the defensive and usually makes him, strive to justify himself. Criticism was dangerous because it wounds a person’s precious pride, hurt his sense of importance, and arouses resentment.”

 

This idea was important to me because i realize how people had reasons for everything they did whether right or wrong. It was even sometimes interesting how people could defend the indefensible, because they did not want anyone to look down on them. I have been defensive before, especially when I knew that the person passing judgment on me has never said the right things I did but only the wrong.

 

iii. The next idea that was important to me was the fact that “When dealing with people, we should remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity.”

 

From my dealings with people i realize that people are generally inclined to their emotions rather to reasoning logically, including men. I also realized base on experience that people take lots of decisions based on their emotions, especially those who are not matured and even sometimes matured people allow their emotions to guide their decision. As a youth leader, i have learnt to say nothing when my emotions take the better part of me; i have also learnt to be extra careful when dealing with people, acknowledging that they are creatures of emotions instead of logic.

 

iv. Another idea that was important to me was what Williams James said that: “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.”

 

This was one of the greatest truths i learnt as a result of dealing with people. People want to be appreciated, they want you to recognize that they contributed to the success of events, projects and etc and one of the only ways they would stay with you for a very long time is when you appreciate their efforts. I have always found a way to appreciate the efforts of my team members, one of the things I normally do was to always try to remember their birthdays and special anniversaries and to celebrate them during those occasions, with that they know that i have them in mind and I appreciate the role they play in our organization.

 

v. The other idea that was important to me was the statement by “Henry Ford that If there was any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other persons point of view and see things from that persons angle as well as from your own.”

 

It’s very easy to be selfish and think from your own point of view, to consider your own feelings rather than others, especially when it hurts but considering other peoples point of views would often help you get a better picture of why they did the things they did and might even help you in your response to their attitude or sayings. I dare say that we would better appreciate other people when we make the effort to understand why they did the things they did, than to only think of our view point. Many years ago, when I was in Senior High school, I use to mentor this young lady who was in Junior High School, I spoke with her often on purpose, values, ethics and spirituality, one day she announced to me that her cousin had come to stay with their family and also wanted to learn the things I thought her directly from me, as one that believed in mentorship, I accepted to mentor this cousin of hers not knowing she was the same person with two characters that had managed to change her voice and convince me to talk to her and her supposed cousin(which was herself), when I discovered this truth I felt deceived and discontinued my mentoring relationship with her, she explained to me that  she was benefiting so much from what I was teaching her and that she wanted to hear more of  what I taught but I wouldn’t accept that reason, after sometime I realized the truth in what she said and reconnected to her but it was only after understanding her point of view. 

 

vi. Another idea I got from Dale Carnegie book on How to Win Friends and Influence people was the statement made by The legendary French aviation pioneer and author Antoine de Saint – Exupery  that: “he had no right to say or do anything that diminishes a man in his own eyes. What happens is not what I think of him, but what he thinks of himself. Hurting a man in his dignity is a crime.”

 

 I didn’t create man so why should I try to diminish the dignity of a person; it amazes me how people find pleasure in looking down on their fellow human beings. Sometimes others do that unknowingly. I believe we must learn to see the uniqueness in people.

 

vii. The last but not the least idea, I picked from the book was that abilities wither under criticism; they blossom under encouragement.

 

We were organizing a program recently and i decided to apply this idea, it will interest you to know one of our team members increased her performance on the job, just by encouraging her abilities.

 


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 from this book will serve as guiding principles in my dealings with people, it would help me become a better leader, by so doing treating others better than before and making this world a better place for mankind.

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.

 

“First arouse in other person an eager want. He who can do this has the whole world with him. He who cannot walks a lonely way.”

 

Your ability to get others to  desire and love to do what you tell them to do would be a defining factor as to whether they would follow you or not.

 

“There is only one way under high heaven to get out the best out of an argument – and that is to avoid it.”

 

This quote is important to me because this act would avoid quarrelling and unnecessary tension and would help bring the best in an issue.

 

‘If you argue and rankle and contradict, you may achieve a victory sometimes; but it would be an empty victory because you will never get your opponents good will.”

 

I dare say that the only thing you get out of an argument is that, the winning side may sometimes feel happy and exonerated but the other party’s feeling would be hurt and you might lose that person forever.

 

“In talking with people, don’t begin by discussing the things on which you differ. Begin by emphasizing – the things on which you agree.”

 

It’s interesting how sometimes the things that bind us together are more than the things that separate us but we tend to drift towards the things that set us apart. In any discussion beginning with the things we agree on, helps us find common grounds and this will help us in whatever things we might be discussing.

 


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

 

 

There was no idea I disagreed with or was unclear about

 


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

 

Yes there were useful exercises in the book and i am still working on some of them.

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

No.

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

A. How interesting was it to read?                                                9
B. How helpful were the contents?                                               10
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

Giant Steps
Assessment by Moses Baffour Awuah (Ghana)

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

The main idea Anthony Robins was trying to convey was to get people to be more human, sensitive to one another’s feelings and to be able to relate and work with one another.

 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. I should remember that, it was not the questions i ask, but the questions i fail to ask, that shape my destiny.

I learned from Mike Murdock that questions creates relationship and gives answers and that you will not receive answers till you ask questions. Tony Robin’s in his book Giants Steps is not only talking about the questions you ask but is also talking about the questions you fail to ask. This further explains the importance of asking questions and it is imperative that I ask all the questions I have to ask now to receive the right answers to enable me shape my destiny properly.

ii. The secret of unleashing your true power was setting goals that were exciting enough that they truly inspire your creativity and ignite your passion.

This idea was important to me because it told me that it was not enough setting goals and that the goals I set should have three important elements; should be exciting, inspire creativity and ignite passion. This year we have a goal in our organization to register 1500 high school graduates for our annual leadership training workshop. This goal has got each team member coming up with innovative ways to achieve this goal.
 
iii. The understanding of Venerable comedian George Burns statement about the importance of having something to look forward to. Summing up his life philosophy he said “You have to have something to get you out of bed. I can’t do anything in bed anyway. The most important thing is to have a point, a direction you are headed.”

This is important to me because having something to look forward to, gives you a certain energy and zeal for life, it keeps you going and helps you do more. For example I knew I have to finish my assessment and email it so I moved out of the house to a solitary place where I could concentrate and make sure I finish my assessment.

iv. I must clearly adopt the concept of continuous improvement as a daily principle rather than as a goal to be pursued only occasionally.

This statement is important to me because personal development is my philosophy of life, so making it a daily principle will solidify this philosophy. I have a goal of reading 100 biographies of great leaders, businessmen, entrepreneurs and men that affected our world positively before the year end.

v. Cultivate feelings of excitement and passion. These can turn any challenge into a tremendous opportunity, giving us unbridled power to move our lives forward at a faster tempo than before.

Last year when we were organizing our Dramafest event to commemorate the world day against child labor we faced a lot of challenges, our executives felt along the way that we should discontinue with the event due to budgetary constraint, however the organizing team felt otherwise, they believed this event could see the light of the day. Amidst the financial challenges, little experience and exposure with excitement and passion, the team organized an excellent Dramafest event. That is why this idea is important to me.
 
vi. The habit Tony Robins got hooked up on many years ago that has turned out to be one of the most valuable of his life: reading at least 30 minutes a day. Jim Rohn, one of his teachers, told him that reading something of substance, something of value, something that was nourishing, something that taught him new distinctions, was more important than eating. “Miss a meal” he said “but don’t miss your reading.”

This idea is important to me because, a lot has been said about reading but Jim Rohn advice to Anthony Robins practically gives me the key as to how to practically make reading a daily habit.  As I read this statement I pledged in my heart to finish reading at least one book each month.

vii. The statement that Anthony Robins made that he believes that everyone have the inmate capacity to be heroic, to take daring courageous, noble, and steps to make life better of others, when in the short term it seems to be at our own expense.

This statement is important to me because it tells me that everybody can do something great, all it takes is hard work.

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?

This ideas will help me to achieve my goal of becoming a personal development coach. I will practice these ideas myself and teach others the valuable ideas in these book.

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.

“Live with an attitude of gratitude.”

Gratitude is the seed for more, you are not qualified to ask for more if you do not show gratitude for what you have at the moment. Everybody feels appreciated when they are shown gratitude for the things they have done. i also believe that there is joy in living a life of gratitude.

“Leaders are readers.”

As I earlier said a lot has been said about the importance of reading. The thing I realized about reading was that it increases your stock of knowledge, takes you from the place of ignorance and causes you to venture into new things. I think the reason why readers have been said to be leaders is that, very few people are habitual readers, a lot of people pay lip service to the importance of reading but very few are really consistent with reading. So what happens is that the few that are consistent with their reading life finds themselves a step ahead of their peers, and this automatically makes them leaders with time.

“Our everyday decision will shape the world we pass on to future generations. “

Decisions are everything, even deciding not to do anything is a decision you have made. The results of everything we do is as a results of the decisions we made. So understanding the consequences of the decisions we make is important because it will help us make wise and intelligent decisions. Typing my assessment right now is even a decision, I could have chosen to do any other thing but I decided that it was time to write and type my assessment.
 
“Remember, too, that small efforts can add up to giants results.”

The little things we do really counts and have great effects on our future and what we become, sometimes the things we consider as small and insignificant are the very things that will make or unmake us.

“Don’t try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of human being.”

Becoming a model should be our primary focus instead of trying to be perfect, because you realize that the more you try to be perfect, the more you realize that you have a lot of work to do, being the best you can be and setting positive examples is the key.

“Remember whatever you consistently think about and focus upon, you move towards.”

It is believed that your direction in life is dependent on what you continuously think about and you end up becoming what you think about.

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

There was no idea i disagreed with or was unclear about

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

 Yes, the book contained lots of useful exercises to complete. Some of those I exercises I did them, some of them I didn’t try at all and others I wrote them down to do later.

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

 No.

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

A. How interesting was it to read?                                            9
B. How helpful were the contents?                                           10
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

Success through a Positive Mental Attitude

 Assessment by Moses Baffour Awuah (Ghana)

 

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

 

 

Success through a Positive Mental Attitude shows how to use a Positive Mental Attitude to rid your mind of cobwebs – how to set your sight on a goal and attain it through persistent thinking and positive action.

 

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. “You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying. Success is gained and maintained by those who keep trying with a positive mental attitude.”

 

This idea is important to me because, it keeps me going when everything else seems to fail around me. As a growing up boy in Junior High School a friend of mine will usually say in class “there is no harm in trying” and even if you fail the experience you gain is worth more than not trying at all.

 

ii. Man’s greatest power lies in the power of prayer.

 

This idea is important to me because I have always known and taught the importance of prayer to people, I personally spend considerable amount of time in prayer all the time but however as I read how the author of this book writes on the power of prayer, it has really urged me to pray the more. As i read the book i found many instance where different people prayed and sought for guidance. So the big question I ask myself is, if these men that have seen the greater things of life spend time in prayer then how about me. I must say my prayer power has increase after reading the book Success through a Positive Mental Attitude.

 

 iii. It was a well-known fact that the power of the Bible has been instrumental in changing even the attitudes of human derelict from negative to positive. And because of the special power in this written word they were inspired to clear the cobwebs from their thinking.

 

After reading the statement I decided to embark on reading the whole Bible before the year ends, as I type my assessment I have finish reading the book of Genesis and I have started reading the book of Exodus. I want to experience the transformational power in reading the Bible at a higher level in my life.

 

iv. When you read aloud daily the written statement of your desire for money with emotion and concentrated attention, and you see and feel yourself already in possession of the money, you communicate the object of your desire directly to your subconscious mind. Through repetition of this procedure, you voluntarily create thought habits which are favorable to your efforts to transmute desire into monetary equivalent.

 

This idea is important to me because I want to be a billionaire to help humanity and spread the gospel. So I have started practicing speaking aloud my desire to be rich to affect my world positively.

 

v. Motivation is that which induces action or determines choice.

 

I really understood the importance of this idea when one of my team members organizing our annual leadership training program said to me unconsciously that she was really determined that we meet the target of people we want to register for this year workshop because I had promise them an amount of money which she intends using it to buy a laptop. I understood why she was making those sacrifices. Motivation indeed induces action or determines choice.

 

  

 

vi. When you are fatigued, your usually positive, desirable feelings, emotions, thoughts, and actions have a tendency to turn negative. When you are rested and in good health, the direction is changed back to positive.

 

This idea made me to remember my experience at a remote village in the western part of my country called Ahenkofi. I was the mission director for the Campus Christian Family when I was in level 200, as young student, I was supposed to coordinate the missions.  I was supposed to assign roles to people in level 300 and 400 and to give them instructions. It was not an easy task for me at all. I had to stamp my feet on the ground and make sure that things are done the right way, I had to make sure that instruction were obeyed, I had to oversee all the affairs of the missions, I had to motivate my people. By evening I will be very tired and discourage, not because the work was tedious but because of the 300’s and 400’s were sometimes reluctant in obeying instruction. I will feel like throwing in the towel, then we will all retire to bed. I was personally shocked as to how I will wake up strong and full of energy the following morning, cheer them up, encourage and motivate them and get them to go and evangelize. After the missions some of the level 300’s and 400’s came to me and told me there were surprise how I coordinated the missions successfully and that I had done very well. The secret I believe was grace and resting to recharge my battery. I have learnt after reading this statement to take a nap when I feel really tired, then continue working. My new term for resting is recharging my battery.

 

vii. The statement made by Mike Benedum, that he was asked how he keeps going at his age. My formula he said was to keep busy so that the years go by unnoticed. To despise nothing except selfishness, meanness, and corruption. To fear nothing except cowardice, disloyalty, and indifference. To covet nothing that is his neighbors except his kindness of heart and his gentleness of spirit. To think many, many times of his friends and, if possible, seldom of his enemies. As he sees it age was not a question of http://years.it/“>years, it was a state of mind. You are as young as your faith, and today he think he has in his fellow man, in his country, and in his God than I have ever had.

 

This statement is important to me because it has a lot of deep truth in it. This is part of the statement I have typed boldly to print out and paste in my room.

 


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 from this book will serve as guiding principles of my life. I have typed sections of it to print out so I can meditate on them. In my quest to make it a part of my life, I have decided to pick one of my mentees so I can send him or her through the whole book, I believe by the time I finish teaching the whole book, it will become a part of me.

 


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.
 

 

“Work long hours at a labor of love. It will keep you busy, occupy your thoughts and use up your surplus.”

 

This quote is important to me because, I learnt long ago as a growing up child that when you are engaged in useful activities you will have no time for other unprofitable things.

 

“If the man is right his world will be right.”

 

This quote buttress the quote made by Rumi of the 13th century poet said that “Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change my world but today I am wise, so I am changing myself”. Getting my mind-set and attitude of people right is the key to change my world.                                                              

 

“Never underestimate the power of a book. Books are tools, providing inspiration which can launch you onto a bold new program and which can also light the dark days that any such program entails.”

 

Dr. Benjamin Carson life buttress this point. Reading books have changed the way I think and have given me suggestions as to how I should run my personal development lessons.

 

“Many unhappiness is caused in homes because the children do not appreciate and understand their parents.”

 

This quote is very important to me because, we live in a world where lots of children do not appreciate the efforts of parents, they always want more but I believe children should be taught the need to appreciate what their parents do for them. This will bring peace and harmony in the family.

 

“Your day has 1,440 minutes in it. Invest one per cent of that time in a study, thinking, and planning session. And you will be astounded at what those fourteen minutes do for you.”

 

In 2013 my spiritual father told me that I needed implementers in my life, so I could do lots of thinking and planning. I didn’t understand the reality of this truth till in 2014, when the activities in our organization increased. I had to personally get myself involve in most of the things we were doing because lots of our volunteers were inexperience and under training. Engaging in studying, thinking, planning and implementation was very stressful. So I adopted the strategy of putting all our volunteers in teams, organizing capacity building training program for them to be able to empower them so they can work well, then I will spend time doing the studying, thinking and planning  because if you fail to plan well then you plan to fail. That is why this quote is important to me.

 

“The test of faith is whether you apply it when you are not in difficulty, as well as at the time of your greatest need.”

 

This quote caught my attention because it is easier to display your faith when all is going well, however the test of your faith is in your greatest need.

 

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

 

 

There were no ideas I disagreed with or was unclear about. The book was clear, simple to understand and straight to the point

 


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

 

Yes there were useful exercises in the book and i am working on them. This is the book I have done most, if not all the exercise that were in it. i have adopted Benjamin Franklin virtues as mine own and I have typed the Oath and Law of the boys club so  I personalize it as my own as I acknowledge the source.

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

 


I believe Success through a Positive Mental Attitude helps you to better understand the Napoleon Hills 17 principles of success. I realized in the book that it was Andrew Carnegie idea that Napoleon Hill should study the life of America’s great philosophers.

 


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

 

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

Real Magic

Assessment by Moses Baffour Awuah (Ghana)

 

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

 

The main idea the author is trying to convey is that you become what you think about all day and those days become your life time. He also tries to get readers to understand that we are first spiritual beings having a physical experience than vice versa.

 

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

 

i. Nothing was more likely to help a person overcome or endure troubles then the consciousness of having a task in life.”

 

This first idea was most important to me. This consciousness of having a task in life keeps you going and makes you blind to situations people call challenges. I personally believe that having a task in life could be equated to discovering one’s purpose and fulfilling it.

 

ii. “the being a student meant that you have room for new inputs. When you are green you grow, when you are ripe you rot. By staying green you will avoid the curse of staying an expert.”

 

I always tell my peers that I prefer to be a protégé than be a mentor, because in being a protégé I make up your mind to learn all the time and from every situation. I have learnt from this idea that the temptation of being ripe was that you rot and the glory of staying green was that you learn and grow.

 

iii. “There was always a way to teach young people without making them feel wrong. Keep in mind that no one wants to be proved wrong, especially in public.”

 

I had encounter with a superior I was working with on a project, an event happened that made her accuse me on things that were not true, initially I decided to speak out and correct her misjudgment, I immediately remembered that no one wants to be proved wrong. I quickly apologize and accepted that I was on the wrong side, I was surprise about how calm she was after that statement and how we work peacefully after my apology. I have come to the realization that if you try to prove people wrong, you create an avoidable tension and dislike.

 

iv. “Expect no appreciation and allow those i meet be what they need to be.”

 

From experience, I realize that the danger in having your expectations met is that you become hurt and get you get offended. It makes you feel that those you helped were not grateful to you. Based on these I have developed a motto to have zero expectation of people.  Just before our 2015 Easter Hope and Charity Project, we had confirmed all our volunteers who will be joining us to put smiles on the faces of the inmates of Shelter for Abuse children, when I called one of our volunteers I was expecting that day, she told me she was off to a different program and that she was sorry she could not make it, I was simply amazed. Just a day before the project she was excited about it. What changed?

 

v. “Individuals will enter and exit your life and much like the characters in a play. Some will have minor roles to play and others will have starring roles for a while, and still others will help you co direct and co-produce your life. Always they will be important to the overall play itself. Always they deserve your inner love. You will learn not to judge those who move in and out of your play, only to honor their appearance, even if they play their roles badly.”

 

This idea helps me appreciate everybody that comes into my life, whether their contribution were positive or negative. It also helps me understand that life is about times and seasons and that at every season of my life different people will join the drama of my life and this helps make me a better person

 

vi. “Total emphasis needs to be on serving, forgetting about how convenient or inconvenient it was for the servers.”

 

Many years ago when I was a boy, even before I became a teenager, I use to clean the church every Sunday morning, I will wake up before 6:00am and rushed to the church premises, which was about 15mins walk from my house. When I was a boy I feared dogs a lot and there were a lot on the way as I walked to church to help clean up the place for service. But the joy of serving did not deter me from going to help clean up the place and the risk of any misfortune that could happen walking during those early hours of the day did not come to mind. Others found it inconvenient for their wards to wake up that early in the morning to join the clean-up but I found joy in doing so. Today I find lots of joy in coordinating and organizing events, I don’t see them as an inconvenience and when everybody has a reason why something cannot be done, I have none. That is the joy of serving.

 

vii. “The more you give away and do everything that you do in the service of others, the more that see them to come back.”

 

This is a deep truth that everybody must experience it for themselves, the purpose is not to expect something back, but the inevitable of receiving back occurs when you give your time, energy, resources to help people and to worthy projects. I honestly do not really lack anything because everything I want comes to me and my joy is full when I put a smile on the faces of people by giving them my best.

 

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

 

These ideas will further strengthen my beliefs, convictions and principles as to how life should be lived by so doing my life will be a model for others to follow, making this world a better place to live.

 

 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. 

 

“My purpose is to give, to serve, to promote peace and prosperity and to become totally unconditionally loving to all people.”

 

This quote caught my attention because that is one of my major goals in life.

 

Michael de Montaigne said: “the great and masterpiece of man is to live with purpose.”

 

Purpose simply means to an original intent, so the person living with purpose is living a fulfilled life.

 

An ancient Zen proverbs says, “When the student is ready the teacher will appear.”

 

This is a very deep and true quote, when I was thirsty to develop and grow myself, I was researching on some stuffs on the net when I stumbled unto this wonderful website that is assisting me in my journey to become better person

 

Ralph Waldo Emerson reminded us that “the ancestor to every action is a thought.”

 

Looking back in my life and being conscious of my taught I found the truth in this saying, everything that I have done was as a results of divine thoughts that came to mind, that is why this quote caught my attention

 

Will Rogers reminded us all: “So live that you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.”

 

This is a very deep quote because it encourages me to clear all the skeletons in our cupboard and I should be careful the way I live my life, so that when the tape of my life is played back to me, I will have little or no regrets.

 

“How far you go in life is depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.”

 

This is a powerful quote that caught my attention.

 5.  Is there anything in the book that you were unclear about and or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so why? 

 

I agree with most of the statement Wayne W. Dyer made especially the fact that man is a spiritual person having a physical experience, I also agree with the relevance of meditation however I have a little challenge with  his proposed way of meditation, i will not challenge or contest his way though.

 

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

 

Yes, there were useful exercises in the book. I have not completed all of them

 

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

 

 

No.

 

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

A. How interesting was it to read?                             7
B. How helpful were the contents?                            8
C. How easy was it to understand?                            8
D. Would you recommend it to others?                     8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it?        8

PsychoCybernetics
Assessment by Moses Baffour Awuah (Ghana)

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

The fundamental idea of Psycho-Cybernetics is that every human being has been literally “engineered for success” by the creator and that every human being has access to a power greater than himself or herself.    
 
2  What were the seven ideas that were most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples of your own life.

a. “Begin collecting scrape books on persons, past or present, who exhibit both the qualities of character and personality and the life achievements to which I aspire. Select a different representative for each characteristic, each aspiration. I should become a reigning expert in these people’s lives by collecting and reading their biographies, autobiographies, articles about them, speeches made by them and others analyses about them.”

This idea became important of me when I first read about the biography of Australian billionaire Peter J. Daniel, his recommendation on the need to read the biography of great people, set me on course to begin my journey on reading lots of biographies. Reading biographies has literally change my mindset, the way I view life and the way I see things. Reading biographies have shown me that I can still become a great person despites my challenges, failures and background. If Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill could become a great leader after failing to pass his exams twice, then it’s not impossible for me to fail. I can say a lot about biography reading, after learning this truth from Peter J. Daniel and encouraging others to do same, a mentee told me that she has printed a number of biography of great people and anytime she is sad, she just reads them and it revives her. Biography reading is the most important idea I learnt from this book.
 
b. “The feeling of inferiority comes about for just one reason: we judge ourselves and measure ourselves not against our own norms or par but against some others individual norms. When we do this, we always without exception, comes out second best. But because we think, and believe and assume that we should measure up to some other person’s norm, we feel miserable and second – rate, and conclude that there is something wrong with us.”

This idea is important to me because when I was the prayer secretary for Scripture Union in High School, I wondered what I could achieve and do with my life, since I felt that my predecessors where better than I was. I saw I huge gap between myself and themselves, so I decided that I will take my eyes off them and do what I believe I can and was right, to my amazement taking my eyes off them and doing what I believe was within my power brought great results. I believe God in his own way used me to be a great blessing to his own people. I have walked with this mentality afterwards throughout life, I only draw inspiration from great men and live my life one day at time, seeking to fulfill my God given purpose. This is why this idea is so important to me.

c. “The truth about myself was that: I am not “Inferior”, I am not “superior,” I are simply “me.”

This idea has now become a new credo for my life. I say it often and it has helped me change my philosophy of how I see life and people. I have changed the “you” to unique, with the understanding that I have my own uniqueness. I have also shared this truth with the people around me.

d. “Time and again, I have seen confused and unhappy people straighten themselves out when they were given a goal to shoot for and a straight course to follow.”

I can’t imagine how life would have been like without a goal to achieve. That is what keeps me going and that is what makes me do the things that I would not naturally have done. this idea made me remember how the Lord has used me to bless the lives of many, time and time again when I step into the lives of young people I see them excited and desire to achieve their dreams, they later always tell me that they use to live a boring life till I stepped into their lives.

e. “Get interested in some project that will help my fellow man, not out of some sense of duty, but because I want to.”

This statement is important to me because I believe it is the reason for living, helping your fellow man, putting smiles on the faces of people, helping people find purpose. This is what drives me in life, the fact that I can help humanity not because I am under compulsion to but because I want to do that. That is the reason why our organization runs charity project each year.

f. “We simply must get it through our heads that holding a low self-image about ourselves is not a virtue but a vice.”

This idea is very important to  me because I use to really have a low self-image and limiting belief about my life, when I was in Junior High School, I was fairly an above average student but I was not sure if I will pass my final exams because one of our teachers use to talk down us, lash us all the time, threaten us and expressed lots of doubts about on our ability to pass our final exams, till a time came when we got a new tutor for Religious and Moral Education, he motivated us, encourage us raise our self-image and almost everybody in my class passed their final exams, I did so well in that exams. From that time onwards I refused to see impossibilities and to hold a low self-image about myself, in fact to me with God all things are possible. I have also realize that how far you go in life will be determined by the kind of self-image you carry about yourself.

g. “True forgiveness comes only when we are able to see, and emotionally accept, that there is and was nothing to forgive. We should not have condemned or hated the other person in the first place.”

Having this idea at the back of our mind and making it a guiding principle for our lives will help us to live at peace with all men and will remove grudges from our heart.
 
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping to create a better world? If so, how?

These ideas will further strengthen my beliefs, convictions and principles as to how I carry myself as an individual bearing in mind that I am no superior, I am not inferior but I am unique, this will help me in my dealing with people. I will also share this knowledge with others. As I began reading this book we started our annual leadership program for high school graduates, I decided to speak on Self Image as my first topic on the personal development session. Honestly I believe that session was one of the most eye opening and impactful sessions for the workshop because of how participants responded to that session. I will continue to share this truth to help make this world a better place.

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.

“In humans the goal to leave means more than mere survival.”

This quote caught my attention because it reminds us that there is more to living than just survival. Finding and fulfilling purpose is the key.

“Imagination rules the world,” said Napoleon.

This quote caught my attention because as I read the book I remembered Ben Carson’s book on Gifted Hands, how her mother helped him imagine that the impossible could be made possible and how he finally became a missionary doctor.

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

This quote also caught my attention because it tells means us how we are concerned about the opinion of others than what really happened to us.

You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow, where your thoughts take. – James Allen. The quote caught my attention because anytime I read about James Allen’s quotes I get excited because everything starts with the mind.

“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” Elbert Hubbard.

This caught my attention because the only time people may not criticize you is when you refuse to do something, it also means that you may not make a difference in your world because you were concerned about the criticisms of people.

“Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find a way.” Abraham Lincoln.

This quote caught my attention because it reminded me of the saying that goes that necessity was the mother of all invention.  

“Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside was superior to circumstance.” Bruce Barton.

This was a powerful quote that caught my attention.

5. Is there anything in the book that you were unclear about and or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so why?

I agree with most of the statement Maxwell Maltz wrote about. I personally believe that this is a must read book for everyone, for majority of the challenges we face today has a connection with our self-image.     

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

Yes, there were useful exercises in the book. I have not completed all of them.

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

No.

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

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

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Assessment by Moses Baffour Awuah (Ghana)

 

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

 

The main idea the author is trying to convey in this book is that the foundation of success rest upon character ethics instead of personality ethics and that we can choose the scripts by which we live our lives.

 

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

 

a. “Interdependence is a far more mature, more advanced concept.”

 

“If I am physically interdependent, I am self-reliant and capable, but I also realize that you and I working together can accomplish far more than, even at my best, I could accomplish alone. If I am emotionally interdependent, I derive a great sense of worth within myself, but I also recognize the need for love, for giving, and for receiving love from others. If I am intellectually interdependent, I realize that I need the best of thinking of other people to join with my own.” This idea is important to me because it literally explains why we need each other and the importance of inviting the right people in our teams and the project we engage in. on the 24th October, 2015, our organization organized a choreography competition and children’s funfair, a week to the event I realized that I needed a strong personality to join the current team that was organizing the event. The initial team was doing well but I still felt I needed another brain as the program draws near. I invited this senior colleague of mine three days to the event and he did a marvelous work. He worked as though he had been with the team all these while and assisted in the overall success of the program. With him around I knew I could push some of the pressures of the day to him for him to handle. Time and time again, I have seen how working together with like-minded people has helped our organization achieved great success.

 

b. “It was incredibly easy to get caught up in an activity trap, in the busyness of life, to work harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success only to discover its leaning on the wrong wall. It is possible to be busy – very busy – without being effective.”

 

This idea is important to me because in the middle of May this year one of my senior men approached me to join a business that was about starting in Ghana, he informed me that his partners were from the USA and were determined to start their business in Ghana. He informed me of the benefits of joining the business at the early stage, I had the opportunity to speak with his US partner in anticipation that we were about to start something big in Ghana, we invested our resources, our energies and time to this business, however there basic things that our foreign partners had to help us with including Foods and Drugs Authority (FDA) Certification which was not forthcoming. Later in September we pulled out of the business and learnt painful lessons from that incidence. In our busyness and quest to make sure that these business was a success, we should have insisted that our foreign partners come down to engage in feasibility study, get FDA certification on their products and open an office for us. We were busy climbing the ladder of success but on a wrong wall. My senior partner told me after we pulled out that it was a learning curve.

 

c. “The most effective way I know to begin with the end in mind is to develop a personal mission statement or philosophy or creed . It focuses on what you want to be (character) and to do (contributions) and achievement and on the values or principles upon which being or doing are based.”

 

Personally, the reason why this idea is important to me is that my personal mission statement helps me start thinking about purpose and answer the big question Why Am I Here on Earth? Anytime I think through my personal mission statement it put me on the right track and it serves as a guide and check on me. The dimension Stephen Covey introduces is also excellent, the fact that your personal mission statement help you focus on your character and contribution. I love the character aspect.

 

d. “The way I spend my time is as a results of the way i see my time and the way i really see my priorities.”

 

As I grow I am very careful where I go, the things I engage in and the things that take my time because I understand that even if I will leave to be a 100 years I don’t have all the time in the world so I quickly check all the time whether the things I do are connected to what I believe to be my purpose on earth is or not.

 

e. “Let people learn from my mistake or the mistakes of others. Point out the potential failure paths, what not to do, but I shouldn’t tell them what to do.”

 

This idea is important to me because over the years I have seen the danger in telling people what to do rather than guiding them on the direction to take. It’s interesting that people want to be told what to be done but if you the things you tell them don’t go as expected they will turn to blame you. I have learnt to think through issues with people and leave them to make their decision, when they own their decision, they become responsible for consequences of those decision whether good or bad.

 

f. “The essence of synergy is to value difference – respect them, build on strengths, to compensate weaknesses.”

 

Synergy is a key to success. My organization wanted to organize a funfair and choreography competition for Junior High School Graduates however we realized that we were a fairly young organization and we needed to combine forces with a more matured organization. The synergy we had with our partners made a difference in the success of the event.

 

g. “The spiritual dimension of my life is a very private area of life and supremely important one. Its draws upon the sources that inspire and uplift me and tie me to the timeless truths of all humanity.

 

This idea gives assertion to the fact that we are spiritual beings having a human experience and by engaging in these all important exercise we renew and refresh ourselves for our assignments.

 

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

 

These ideas will further strengthen my beliefs, convictions and principles as to how life should be lived by so doing my life will be a model for others to follow, making this world a better place to live.

 

  

 

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 Lord works from inside out. The world works from the outside in. the world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.”

 

This statement got my attention because true change comes from within instead of without. I wish the governments of our world would understand these truth.

 

“Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things I am tempted to think there are no little things.”

 

This statement teaches us to be extra careful in all I do and to understand that there is nothing like little things. Everything we do counts.

 

“If you don’t have confidence in the diagnosis, you won’t have confidence in the prescription.”

 

This statement tells me that I will only be confident in the recommendations if I accept the problem upon which recommendations are being given.

 

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”

 

This statement is Important to me because I have fallen in this trap myself before and this statement teaches me to get to understand others point of view first.

 

“If you put good people in bad systems, you get bad results. You have to water the flowers you want to grow.”

 

The statement encourages me to create the right system because no matter how good a person is if he is not in the right system it will affect his level of productivity

 

“Win/win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions.”

 

After reading this book I now walk with the mindset of ensuring that every transaction I engage in becomes mutually beneficial to both parties that is why the statement is important to me.

 

“If you want something done give it to a busy person.”

 

This is a very powerful statement the author made, it’s amazing how busy people tend to make time to finish all their assignments while lazy people have a thousand reason why they cannot get something done.

 

5. Is there anything in the book that you were unclear about and or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so why? 

 I agree with almost everything Stephen R. Covey sought to propagate. This are timeless principles that will go a long way to benefit me.

 

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 exercises in this book were very helpful, I haven’t completed all of them but will work on as many as I can. I will also continually refine my personal mission statement.

 

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

 

No. The book has really been helpful.

 

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

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

Maximum Achievement

Assessment by Moses Baffour Awuah (Ghana)


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

 

The author tries to bring together unique synthesis of ideas, methods and techniques that will help you live a successful life if followed.

 

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

 

  1. The first idea that was most important to me was that “All great achievement begins with you deciding what it is you really want and dedicating yourself wholeheartedly to attaining it.”

 

This idea was the most important idea for me because whiles I was reading this part of the book, I was reassessing my life and the things I had been doing over the years, in that state the best answer I received was deciding on what I really wanted to do and dedicating myself to do it. And to confess, deciding on what one really wants to do can be a huge challenge.

  

  1. The second idea that was important to me was that “You act in a manner consistent with what you are thinking most of the time. You eventually become what you think about. And if you change your thinking, you change your life.”

 

This idea was important to me because after you have finally decided on what to do, you must communicate it to your sub conscious mind, and you do this by constantly thinking about it over and over again, when you do this it eventually becomes a part of you and that is how you can achieve greatness.

  

  1. The third idea that was important to me was that “Nothing happens by chance. Everything happens as a result of definite laws and principles, even if you don’t know what they are.”

 

Again this idea was important to me because it connects with the second idea that was important to me, nothing will happen by chance it will always be as a results definite laws and principles. Thinking about something most of the time is the law of concentration and this law has the power of eventually leading you to achieve great things.

 

  1. The fourth idea that was important to me was that “If you want things to change then you must change first. Your thinking determines your attitude, your conduct and your behavior, and they in turn largely determine your success or failures.”

 

This idea also connects with the above stated ideas that were important to me. It reemphasis on the need to be cautious of the things we think about because they will eventually determine whether we become successful or not.

  

  1. The fifth idea that was important to me was that “Forgiveness is a perfectly selfish act: it has nothing to do with the other person, it has only to do with your peace of mind, your own happiness, your own success and your own future.”

 

This idea is important to me because I have carefully observed how people who are unforgiving are bitter in life. This takes away the beauty in them and makes people draw away from them. I learnt long ago in life never to harbor bitterness in my heart, I realized that people that we sometimes hold grudges against them are not even aware of the challenge we have with them.

 

  1. The sixth idea that was important to me was that “Remember you never learn anything while your mouth is opened. When you are speaking, all you can say is what you already know. But when you are listening, it’s possible for you to learn something new.”

 

This idea is important to me because this has been one of my greatest principles in life, to be a learner. In as much as I love to mentor; I love to be a protégé most of the time. A protégé is a learner and one that is in receipt of mentorship, anytime I meet people who are older than me or know more than I know, I rarely speak, even if I know what they are talking about, I am still quiet to see if there could be something new I could learn. Sometime ago I was walking with my protégé and she was telling me how she stays in touch with busy and influential people. She told me that she doesn’t call such people, all she does is to send them an email and to build her relationship with them via email before she starts calling them, honestly these was one of the important things I have learnt in dealing with busy and influential people and I learnt these from my protégé. The emphasis the need to learn to listen and be receptive to things that people already know.

  

g.The last but not the least idea that was personally important to me was that “The happiest of all men and women are those who continually look for ways to show love, kindness and affection towards the people around them.”

 

I personally believe that this is the key to life, showing and demonstrating love to people around you. This brings a sort of fulfillment in one’s life. I feel fulfilled when I help people and I am constantly looking for ways to help people. Fulfilling purpose and putting smiles on the faces of people is my utmost goal in life 

 

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

 

These ideas are influencing the things I believe in and they way I act, it is eventually changing my mindset and when I change inwardly my world would change because I would become a better person.

 

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 German philosopher Goethe said “one must be something to be able to do something.”

 

This quote is important to me because you cannot help someone if you have nothing to offer. This shows the importance of personal development. The best gift one can give to his world is to develop and refine himself.

 

William James wrote, “the greatest revolution of my life is the discovery that individuals can change the outer aspects of their lives by changing the inner attitudes of their minds.”

 

This quote is important to me because everything start with the mind and that if one can change his mind from things that set him/her back then he can change his world. The mind is so powerful that when it is utilized well and negative thoughts are prevented from dominating ones thinking, then one can do great stuffs. We are indeed a reflection of our thoughts. Finally this quote buttress what James Allen writes in his classical book “As a Man Thinketh.”

  

“Your comfort zone is the great enemy of human potential.”

 

This quote is very important to me because nothing great has ever been achieved in ones comfort zone. We had to make lots of sacrifices as an organization (Youth Arise Organization) to be able to achieve and get some of the results we now have. In the beginning of these year I had to travel to remote town (Techiman) about six hours drive from the capital of my country Ghana to speak on Total Life Conditioning, when I visited that town I realized how young people in that town needed help, they had low self image about themselves and the town had the highest teenage pregnancy rate in my country. Nobody paid for my trip and no one gave me honorarium but I went there to be a blessing to the people.

   

“The decision to become a goal-setting, goal achieving, future focused person gives you a tremendous sense of control.”

 

This quote is important to me because it buttress the statement that Abraham Lincoln made that the only way to predict the future is to create it and how do you create it? You do that through goal setting.

 

Henry Ford said, “Failure is just another opportunity to more intelligently begin again.”

 

The quote is important to me because it shows that failure is not the end of life and that failure is just an event and a teacher that shows you how you can do things well when you start again after learning from your failure.

 

5. Is there anything in the book that you were unclear about and or are there any ideas which you disagree with and if so why?

 

No there was no ideas I was unclear about

 

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

 

Yes there were useful exercises in the book to complete and I am still on them.

 

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

 

No, there was nothing like that.

 

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B.  How helpful were the contents?                           10

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

Goals

 Assessment by Moses Baffour (Ghana)

 

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

The main idea the author is trying to convey in this book is that setting of Goals can help one get everything he wants faster than he ever thought possible.

 

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

 

  1. Negative emotions

 

 

The first idea that was important to me was about negative emotions.  “From the beginning of time, have done more harm to individuals and societies than all the plaques of history.” This idea is important to me because negative emotions draws ones strength and robs one of his ability to achieve something positive. The thing about negative emotions is that it makes you depress and affects everyone and everything around you. Over the years in my organization I have seen how negative people have affected the success of our work. In 2015 we were trying to establish a youth network to spearhead Africa’s Agricultural Transformation, I remember how the process had started out very well and everyone in the team were ready work till it was opened up to a lot more people to be part, this new entrants felt they were better than those who had been working on the formation of the network, their negative attitude and utterances divided our ranks and prevented us from working as a team till the foundation members stood up to push the vision forward despite the negative attitude and emotions.

 

  1. Thinking about your goals

 

The second idea that was important to me was that; “The very act of thinking of your goals makes you more positive and purposeful again.” This idea is important to me because positive thinking puts you in the right frame of mind and gives you hope to keep on keeping on. Thinking of your goals gives you a reason for living and gives you a direction to focus your life thus making you purposeful. As the days fade I see how I am crowded to lots of activities and work to accomplish thus living me little time to be an avid reader as I would love to be but my goal of being a renowned personal development trainer and being abreast with the times I live forces me to make time to read inspirational books and relevant magazines. This act is making me more positive and purposeful again.

 

 

iii. Develop a reputation for getting tasks done quickly, well and on schedule.

 

 The third idea that was important to me was that “Nothing will get you paid more and promoted faster than to develop a reputation for getting your tasks done quickly, well and on schedule.” As a leader and a manager I appreciate the relevance of this idea, first let me share my experience when I was working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Report writing was an exercise that most assistant directors will not like to do, our director then will make sure that every report you write represent what actually went on at the meeting, she will not only do that, she will also see to it that we will use the right grammar in our report, because of these it normally took some time for coordinators of meeting to submit their report. I recollect how my director was amazed how I produced a very good report of a meeting we had less than an hour after the meeting. I came to appreciate how her wish to get jobs done properly and promptly, this made me win favor in her sight and anything she wanted something to be quickly she will always call me. In my current organization I have to notice how I am incline and love to work with those who are always giving me results quickly. This is the natural feeling of every leader.

 

  1. The more you give of yourself with no expectation of return.

 

 The next idea that was important to me was the fact that “The more you give of yourself with no expectation of return, the more that will come back to you from the most unexpected sources.” This idea is important to me because I have seen the fruit of this statement time and time again in my life. In 2013 I attended an end of year cocktail party by one of the partner organization of the organization I was working with then, there I met my junior in Senior High school who introduced himself to me that he knew me, I had forgotten about him and I didn’t not even recognize him, he informed me that he remember that I use to preach on campus and help people and he was inspired by the way I lived my life, after his introduction we exchanged numbers and stayed in touch. This junior of mine who I didn’t help at any time during my Senior High school days became a great blessing to me by designing my organization materials for me for free because he said he was touched by my act of kindness to others. I was amazed by that gesture.

 

  1. Top 10 percent of your field

 

Another idea that was important to me was that “Your ability to think, plan, organize and initiate action towards your goal will eventually put you in the top 10 percent of your field. But it takes time.” This is idea is important to me because this skill will eventually determine your success or failure in life however this skill comes with time and efforts must be made continuously to harness this skill. I learnt this skill at an early age of 13 when I served under Mr. Fred Osei my Junior High School teacher who was an event organizer.

 

  1. Improvements in your mental picture

 

The sixth idea that was important to me was that; “All improvement in your life begins with an improvement in your mental pictures.” This idea is important to me because what you see in your mind’s eye is eventually what you will work towards and see to it does it comes to pass. Most of the project I have embarked on was as a result of my mental pictures. At the beginning of the year I envisioned bring policy makers together to define a pragmatic approach in implementing Ghana’s Youth policy on Agriculture, by May this year, these mental pictures had seen the light of the day.

 

vii. Riches and Rewards 

 

The last but not the least idea that was most important to me was that “In the final analysis, as a member of society, as a player in our economic system, your riches and rewards will come from your ability to serve other people better than your competitors do.” Better and relevant service guarantees customers staying with your organization than your competitors. Anytime people attend our leadership workshops, they stay connected to our organization for a very long time because staffs are taught to always make sure that our trainees have the best and are treated very well. A participant once approached me and asked why they are handled so well and I said in my service, excellence and diligence has permeated the fabric of our team.

 

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

 

These ideas will further strengthen my beliefs, convictions and principles of the need to set goals, plan and strategize, this will eventually make this world a better place to live.

 

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 only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible.” 

 

This quote is important to me because this is the fuel the causes men and women to chart on unfamiliar paths and to break new grounds.

 

“You have the ability with yourself, right now, to accomplish almost any goal you can set for yourself if you are willing to work long enough and hard enough to achieve it.”

 

The challenge normally is our inability to stay through our dreams for long. That is why this quote is important to me.

 

“If you want to fly with the eagles, you can’t continue to scratch with the turkeys.”

 

This quote reveals the importance of those you associate with and the kind of people one should associate when he wants to go high.

 

“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”

 

This is a very important quote to me because it encourages me to guard my dreams and vision and work at them.

 

5.Is there anything in the book that you were unclear about and or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so why?

 

I agree with almost everything Brain Tracy states.

 

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 exercises in this book were very helpful, I am still working on some of the exercises in the books

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

 

No. The book has really been helpful

 

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

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

The Law of Attraction

Assessment by Moses Baffour (Ghana)

 

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

 

The main idea the author is trying to convey in this book was that we are human magnet, and that our only work is to magnetize, to attract only the good, only the magnificent and only that which we truly deserve. It also teaches us that our thoughts rule the world and that our environment and financial condition are the perfect reflection of our habitual thinking.

 

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

 

  1. “The most important life lesson you will learn, is perhaps the discovery that your dominant thoughts control your dominant direction of your life.”

 

I have personally seen myself yielding to the direction of my thoughts; I find it interesting to realize how I sometimes head towards the direction of my dominant thought. When I was growing up I always saw how big events at prestigious venues are hosted and organized only by the elderly in our society. I asked myself, could a young person in his early twenties also not organize this same programs at our conference centers and national parks. With this I thought and came up with a number of programs and even though we had budgetary constraints my team and myself was able to organize different programs at Ghana’s International conference center, children park and other prestigious hotels

 

  1. “When you show appreciation and gratitude, you demonstrate to the universe that you are happy and content right now. You demonstrate that you know that happiness is in the journey and not the destination.”

 

Appreciation and being content is a key in this journey of life, for me appreciation is simply making a statement that you did get to where you are only by your efforts and that there are others who have played key roles in your life. Being content is also being grateful for where you are. Some people don’t believe that being content is good; they claim you will not be inspired to do more. Even though there might be a truth in this statement, the thing about being content is that it frees you from worries, anxieties and sorrow, wishing you were better than someone or you should have been at a better place. I believe you can be content and still pursue your dreams.

 

iii. “Oftentimes in solitude you will be given just the right ideas and insights from your subconscious mind that are so profound and powerful that when followed can change your personal life.  It will only cost you a few hours to try it a few times and you can see for yourself.”

 

Most of my best ideas have often come in times of solitude, in moments when I was mediating, reflecting and relaxing. I personal enjoy working at the early works and late hours of the day during that time I am free from distractions and the heated activities of the day. Solitude and focus meditation refreshes us and reminds us the most important things of life.

 

  1. “That there was not enough time left on earth to figure it all out for yourself. If you want to be successful, you must find out who is already enjoying that kind of success you desire and then learn what they learned, do what they do and keep doing it until you get the same results.”  

 

That has been one of my greatest secrets in life, the seminars, conferences and workshop I organized are as a result of the things I learned from others who are doing the same thing. When I see someone doing something I like and I find useful, I quickly try to earn her secrets and do the same thing.  I remember the first time I coordinated a High Level Youth Policy Dialogue on the Implementation of Ghana’s Youth Policy on Agriculture, I literally coordinated it the way I did it when I helped the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection of my country organized it inaugural High Level Gender Dialogue. What I did was not actually different from what was done at the Ministry. There was no time try out new things; I only repeated what was done at the Ministry with a different organization.

 

  1. “Not waste hours, weeks, months, and even years of your life trying to blaze a new trail. Instead, read the books, listen to the audio programs and attend the courses given by people who have started from nothing and achieved financial success. Learn and master the same skills that enabled them to be successful.”

 

When I wanted to build a great youth organization, I looked around to see someone who was doing the same time and I am at the moment learning his truth to build a great youth organization.  When I also wanted to become financially successful I began reading and learning from Australian billionaire, Peter J. Daniels.

 

  1. “By having money you become a more positive and optimistic person.”

 

It’s really interesting how money can increase your confidence and make you more enthusiastic, when I don’t have money I sometimes don’t feel like going out. The thing about having money is that it awakens your dreams and serves as a tool to achieve all your big dreams and visions.

 

vii. “The lack of forgiveness locks up your heart. It keeps you stuck in a quagmire of bitterness and holds you hostage in a prison of resentment.”

 

I have learned that as long as we live in this body people will offend us and that lack of forgiveness was like drinking a poison and expecting that the person who offended you will die.

 

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

 

These ideas will further strengthen my beliefs, convictions and principles as to how life should be lived by so doing my life will be a model for others to follow, making this world a better place to live.

 

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 choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence.”

 

“The choices are ours to make.”

 

 This quote caught my attention because whatever we decide should happen to us is what will happen to us. The choice is ours.

 

Henry Ford’s old axiom was “whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.”

 

This quote also talks about choices and that whatever we become is as a results of our thought.

 

Albert Schweitzer wrote “Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light.”

 

This quote is evidential in my life as I have seen in my life wonderful men and women lighten up the candle of my life.

 

“Whenever you are genuinely thrilled by someone else’s success, that means you are right on the track of your own success.”

 

This quote is important to me because whenever you are genuinely thrilled of someone’s success its shows you have been able to get rid of selfishness and jealousy and you are poised to achieve your own dreams as you help others achieve theirs.

 

“When the tide goes out there is a watermark where the water was. When the waters of life recede from the shore of my being and my heart pumps for the last time, my desire is that there will be a mark where I stood. My aim is that the mark will say, for some decades a man occupied this space who saw others more important than himself and afforded to leave the world a better place for them and those yet to come.”

 

This is the most powerful quote that caught my attention. I want my life to exactly like this quote.

 

5. Is there anything in the book that you were unclear about and or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so why?

 

I agree with some of the deep truths Richard Carswell sought to teach.

 

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 exercises in this book were very helpful, however I haven’t completed all of them.

 

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

 

No. The book has really been helpful

 

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

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