Noah Abdul Mansaray – Assessments

As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Abdul Noah Mansaray (Sierra Leone/Turkey)

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

The message that the author is trying to convey is that there is a correlation between the inner and outer conditions of a person’s life and his or her thoughts. Basically, the state of our lives is not a coincident but rather a result of our thought process. The message was affirmed with an illustration of how thoughts affect our character, circumstance, achievement, health and body, purpose, achievement, vision and ideals, and serenity.
With regards to how thoughts affect the character, he mentions that a person’s character is the grand total of all his thoughts. Also, one that possesses a virtuous character is not by chance, but it results that ensue from right thinking and the impact of pure thoughts.

An example of a garden is used to convey how thoughts affect circumstance; in this case our minds being the garden and the fruits being our conditions in life, we must replace futile, erroneous, and impure, thoughts with useful, correct and pure thoughts in order to harvest fresh fruits, as in good character, serenity, good health etc. Good thoughts bear good fruits, bad thoughts bad fruits. The effect of thought on a person’s health is a key message of the author. He states that our body works for our mind. It obeys the operations of the mind. Hence, impure thoughts lead the body into a disease, and good thoughts youthfulness and beauty. In order to realize any accomplishment, thought and purpose must be linked. A person should set out his purpose in life and make it the centralizing point of his thoughts. In a nutshell, a man is but a product of he thinks, and what you think you become.

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 is important to you?

To be honest, I could relate to all the ideas of the author, however, since the requirement is to list seven, the following ideas below are of paramount importance to me are as follow:

i. Rightful thoughts

Apparently, the overall message of the book is the result of thought on a person’s life, be it good or bad. It is an eye-opener to the consequences of the way we think in our lives. As a young leader, it is really important to have learned the impact of thoughts on my character, purpose, health and body, ideals and vision, and serenity. This will help me in making my self a better person and in decision-making. It is stated in the book that joy and suffering are the fruits of thought, thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry. Good thoughts lead to good results and bad thoughts bad outcome. So, we must mind our thoughts. Clearly, we have chosen to make; this book has helped me to direct my thoughts in a positive manner henceforth.

ii. Our conditions and destiny are in our hands

Coming from a third world country, we are faced with enormous challenges on a daily basis. We make strides to over these challenges, but when we fall short, we tend to blame people for our shortcomings. As a young leader, it is important for me to realize that humans are master of thought, the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of conditions, environment, and destiny. We as young people should engage in rightful thinking that would lead to the positive actions and hence positive results which will in turn help shape ourselves and society as a whole.

iii. Having a purpose in life

Finding your true purpose is one of the biggest challenges in life. It is stated in the book that a man should conceive a legitimate purpose in his heart and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts. This applies to me both on a personal and professional level. On both levels, I set out tasks on a regular basis and sometimes I tend to be distracted based on doubts and fear. I have learned that failure is one of the pathways to attainment, to make conditions serve me, and to think strongly, attempt fearlessly and accomplish masterfully.

iv. Importance of vision and Ideal

I have learned of having a dream, as dreamers are the saviors of the world. They see things beforehand. Having a vision is a key attribute of a leader, setting a clear path and walking towards that path despite the hurdles that you may face is very important. Our thoughts process helps us to navigate our visions and ideals.

v. A Healthy mind, A healthy man

The importance of health cannot be overemphasized. With a healthy body, all that man sets before him is achievable. A healthy mind, which is powered by rightful thoughts leads to a healthy body. Rightful thinking will save you from lot diseases like depression, anxiety.

vi. Peace of Mind

Having pure thoughts reduces worries, fears, and self-pitying will in turn to leas to a peaceful mind. Calmness is a fruit of wisdom. When you know better, you do better. Serenity helps a man to be successful, influential and powerful for good. Anger and temper ruin all that is beautiful and sweet. This is something that I take personally, as I encounter people on a daily basis, some of whom have negative energy, but my serenity helps me to handle every situation with calmness.

vii. Our Character reveal our true self

The character of a person reveals who the person is truly is. Your character tells us your thoughts. If you have rightful thoughts it will reflect on how you carry yourself. As a person who wants to maintain a gentle character, I must maintain pure and correct thoughts.

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, why?

As I mentioned earlier, all of the points raised in this books are absolutely indispensable to my life, both on a personal and professional level. Having a good character and its effects on your personality, pure thoughts that results to a good outcome, having a sound mind in a sound body, being calm in every situation, establish your purpose in life and working towards it, having visions and dreaming big. All of these are essential in making me a better person that will contribute to the betterment of his country and the world at a large.

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?

There are many quotes in the book that is a truism. However, there is one particular one that caught my attention the most. ”He who has conquered fear and doubt has conquered failure.”

This particular statement I found very true. In our day-to-day activities, we have dreams, take up new tasks, set new goals, the ultimate killer of all of these is doubt and fear. They most of the time kill these plans before we even attempt to attain them. Mostly, we afraid of failure, and trying. The people who achieved great things in the past had they had doubted or feared they wouldn’t have achieved anything. They believed in themselves and their dreams and worked fearlessly to achieve them. As a young leader, I take this personally, as I have a lot of things that I want to achieve, however, due to inherent insecurities and fear of failing and doubts that people will share my vision usually sets me back with my plans. With this statement, I find it energizing and motivating, as I will carry on my tasks with no iota of fear or doubt.

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

No.

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

No.

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

I think the questions covered everything. This book covers a very important and complex topic. Even though some examples are given in the book to further explain the points raised, I would like that further examples are given to simplify the messages being conveyed. By this way, the message will be well digested by readers. I would just like to state that, I totally subscribe to the notion that “A man is but the product of his thoughts,” what you think you become.

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

 

 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Abdul Noah Mansaray (Sierra Leone)

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

There are three key messages that the author is trying to convey in the book. Firstly, settling for the status quo is not always a good idea as they are a lot of things that would be discovered if we experimented a bit more. Most times we tend to settle in our comfort zone, thinking all is fine and there is no need to try something new. This makes us myopic and loses out on a lot of opportunities. Jonathan Livingston Seagull wanted to do more than what his folks were used to. He wanted to try something new. Thinking outside the box and trying things out of your comfort zone is worthwhile.

Secondly, believing in yourself is key to achieving your dreams. Most times, we don’t get the support of the people around us (family, friends) to pursue our dreams in life, but that’s less important if we believe in ourselves. It won’t be an easy ride as there are always naysayers and dream killers, but if you believe and put your mind to it, you’ll surely achieve whatever you’ve set in front of you. Jonathan did not have the support of his family and other members of his society, but he didn’t relent, he continued to pursue his goals and eventually succeeded

Lastly, success is not measured by how far we’ve climbed but by the number of people we brought with us. Giving back and helping others is essential in life. We must always try to help others to achieve higher heights by constantly motivating them. Jonathan achieved his goals but didn’t feel satisfied because he felt the need to help his people. He found a way to return home and help those who were willing to learn. Helping others might be difficult as some people are not willing to receive help. As members of society, we shouldn’t give up on them. We must lead by example and eventually, they will eventually realize the good in you and follow suit.

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 is important to you?

The points raised in the book are all vital, especially in today’s world. The seven top most that are important to me are highlighted below:

i. Aspire to be great

Most times we are caught up in our present state, and we think everything is perfect, hence we don’t have to aspire to achieve greater things. We are too comfortable in our present states and become myopic about what the other side of life could provide. The seagull only didn’t want to get out of their comfort zone. They had accepted that their lives are just limited to flying at low levels in an effort to find food. Jonathan aspired to fly higher than what their community is used to. When you aspire to be the greater version of yourself and put in the required work and effort you will surely achieve your goals.

ii. Think outside of the box

Thinking outside of time, community, time and environment is worthwhile. Think of things that are non-existence and that deem impossible to attain. When Jonathan was practicing to fly at higher heights, his family, friends and community members thought he was crazy and they turned their backs on him. However, he kept a thought and worked harder regardless. Because of his thoughts, he achieves what was deemed unachievable.

iii. Be resolute and firm in your beliefs

This point is important to me as a young person coming from a society where dreams are considered unattainable due to the limited resources and opportunities that are our disposal. Nonetheless, if you are determined and focused, and hardworking nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams. Even if people consider you to be a maverick or outlaw, be steadfast and make strides to achieve your goals. Jonathan was considered to be against the norms of his community, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing what he believed in.

iv. Self-confidence

Self-confidence is important in almost every aspect of our lives. People who lack self-confidence can find it difficult to become successful. Confident people inspire confidence in others: their audience, their peers, their community, and their friends. And gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways in which a self-confident person finds success. Jonathan demonstrated self-confidence throughout his journey and eventually succeeded. This is important to me because to effectively serve my country and the world at large.

v. Never give up attitude

Real success is the struggle, pain, overcoming fears and obstacles throughout life. The story tells us that the body, both physically and mentally, can be taken to great depths. This hits home and we begin to believe amazing things can happen if you don’t give up. The reality and sad truth are we, at some point, give up because our belief systems have diminished for some reason as we embark on our journey.
How do you impulsively develop the never give up attitude? One word that personifies a never give up attitude is responsibility. I am the one responsible for creating the reality that I visualized in my thought processes. If I truly want it, then I must get up because it is now or never.

vi. Patience

Patience is an invaluable virtue as it makes us better people. Patience is essential to daily life and might be key to a happy one. Having patience means being able to wait calmly in the face of frustration or adversity, so anywhere there is frustration or adversity. Jonathan success can be attributed to his patience level.

vii. Love your brother as thy self

Loving and respecting others is a symptom of a degree of enlightenment. Enlightenment is an incremental process. It slides in like sunlight through the window at dawn and effects us all in unique ways. The benefits are that you can love and respect others. That is a diamond cut off the human jewel. Precious, valuable, brilliant in the light. As well, offering love and respect to any aspect of life is a great blessing to the universe. It is the truest act of devotion. It is a healing gift to this world and all of life. It is the tender caress of life’s soul to each of its own, through one clear enough to be an instrument of it. In the story, Jonathan demonstrated his love for his people by returning back and helping them realize the beauty of doing the unknown.

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, why?

These ideas will help me to overcome my fear and doubts. As it is shown that with fear and doubt nothing can be achieved. It has shaped my thoughts on the importance of thinking outside of the box and not settling in your comfort zone. There’s more I could achieve if I take to set a goal and work hard toward achieving it. I have also learned to care for my community no matter if they support me in my journey to success. Even though, friends, peers, and family might not always support you in pursuing your dreams. It is good to make effort to show them the good in what you are doing. Lead by example, set goals, work towards them, if you fail to stand up and try again, at the end of the day you will be successful and people will be motivated by your resilience and charisma.

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 author expressed some interesting quotes, but I am fascinated by one that says ´´that freedom is the very nature of our being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form´´.

This is important to young creatives, as there are limitations to their freedom in creating their realities. Superstitions and societal expectation tend to get in the way and hence limit our freedom in achieving what we have set in front of us.

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

I actually understood everything in the book. But for readers whose English level is low, it would be cumbersome to comprehend the underlying messages in the book. I would recommend one to a good level of English proficiency before reading this book. Otherwise, the comparisons and allusions would be difficult to completely understand.

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?

Not really.

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

No, there’s nothing actually.

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? 6.5
B. How helpful were the contents? 7.5
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 6
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 7