As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea contain or convey by the author of the book “ As A Man Thinketh” is that man is an absolute being, that has total power and authority, not depending on or qualified by anything else.
Furthermore that all events that engulf his thought such as; the character, his vision, dreams and ideals, his state of sanity which are the hallmark of a man’s existence are given birth to from his thought, so as a complete being he determined from his thought how all these circumstance play a role in his life. In other words he is the creator of each of these situations.
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.
These ideas were personally important to me:
A. Absolute nature of thought:
Seeing thought as an absolute nature of man has helped me realize my thought to the God birthed nature in me, it has helped me choose an endeavor I would want to be in life. Understanding my own nature through the power of thought, having the thought of affecting my society positively, solving problems inwardly has manifested outwardly today that is why am building my capacity through personal development, which is the result of my own thought.
B. Thought direct circumstance: It’s how a man thinks from the inside that he reacts to every circumstance surrounding him.
It is very important to me in all ramification of life so far, because I always thought of been selfless to myself and humanity, which can be possible by me been successful first, despite all the challenges that comes with it, the good thought is always more burning in me. Identifying the right thought at every point in time to solve each circumstance or situation I find myself.
C. Good thought, good health and body
This idea has play so many significant role in my life, understanding the important of a right frame of mind has build a large heart that can accommodate issues so I can move ahead with others, that would have take me ahead and always try to console myself with the positive side of situations for a better health.
D. Thought as a panacea to attainment of purpose: Man does not just wake up with purpose one day, it is a continuous aggregate of his thought, and purpose in most cases of every man’s life is a central point of his thought.
I have always looked at the disparity in my society which has brought the thought of bridging the gap between services to humanity and taking from the society through corrupt practices and so on. Conceiving services to humanity as my thought made it to be my purpose.
E. Thought a determinant to achievement
It has helped me lift my attitudes in the spiritual realm and shaped it with the right physical frame of mind not allowing myself to be aided with wrong thoughts, indolence, impurity, corruption and confusion of thought that descends a man. That is why I have resolve to educate and re-educate myself by reading life building books.
F. Thought creates a paradigm shift
This idea like every other is not how we see things in a general sense, but in terms of perceiving, understanding, and interpreting from my inner circle of life. I see paradigm as a direction to a particular destination in line with my purpose, which has help me build myself in that direction
G. Thought as a creator of calm atmosphere
It is important to me because it is my vegetative belt on which good fortunes and character grows. It has helped me see ever more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect. A calm heart ceases to fuss, fume, worry, and grieve. It makes me remain poised, steadfast, and serene in whatever circumstance I find myself.
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?
Having understand am the first creator of myself, that I become what I think, and I give out what I think and have, therefore allowing these ideas to guide me, I shall keep engaging my mind positively through reading and participating in issues pertaining to my vision of a better world which are enterprise and leadership, in other words so that I can build my capacity and give back to the society on those areas which will go a long way in creating 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
The following were my best quotes;
“Act is the blossom of thought, joy and Suffering are its fruit, thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.
It is important to me in the sense, Striving to build an enterprise with all related actions has always been my vision and dream and the fruit of a growing enterprise and leadership ability I am beginning to enjoy little by little.
“He that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
There is always action before reaction. I seek for education as a young man growing up, and got education, then knock at the door of unlimited knowledge that will bring about freedom in doing what I desire and the door of personal development was opened.
“Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.”
It is quite similar with our vegetation ,when you plant beans you get beans nothing short nothing more .This particularly is important to me because I used to have many friends but as I become older and more glue to my ideas, few share in my ideas.
“Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results, bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results; It’s just like an analogy of two parallel lines they have no relationship with each other all moving straight to two different destination.”
Understanding that the two can’t go together, made me to choose good thought and actions so that I will not produce bad result.
“All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thought.”
“All achievement, whether in the business intellectual or spiritual world are the result of definitely directed thought.”
Just like a saying goes “good thinking, good product” and the computer term that say “gabbage-in, gabbage-out” one can direct his thought through the things he allows inside himself. I have always thought of a better world and working towards it.
“In the ocean of life the isles of blessedness are smiling and the sunny shore of idea awaits your coming.”
In life there is always a place of good fortune waiting for us to explore and an empty area that needs our input. I have always understood that the sunny shore of our leadership circle needs my ideas one day.
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?
“By the right choice and time application of thought, man ascends to the divine perfection. By the abuse and wrong application of thought he descends below the level of the beast.” “Animal thought by the aid of animality.”
The terms beast, animal thought and animality as used in the book to me shouldn’t have been used to describe man, because a beast or animality behavior as used cannot be transformed to a man’s behavior since the author is talking about uplifting the thought of men rather I opt for the term “deviation of thought” or “lack of knowledge” or understanding of his real nature.
More so another term which I partly disagree with is that “He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.” I disagree to some extent with this idea, some doubt and fear might be in the right direction. Let’s take a look at the resurrection of Christ and the doubting Thomas as many may choose to call him, he didn’t believe the resurrection of Christ, but Christ came again to show himself to him which made him believe and today St. Thomas as he is called today recorded success in the church of God. So looking at this unprecedented world of ours conscious efforts need to be taken in certain idea which one has less knowledge on instead of being consumed in ignorance of mustering the courage of doubt and fear.
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 exercises.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment
This idea entails with individual people living as a group, society or nation-state and how helpful it could be in creating a better world. Which says? “Law, not confusion, is the dominating principle in the universe, justice, not injustice, is the soul and substance of life, righteousness, not corruption, is the molding and moving force in the spiritual government of the world.”
This idea is very important in our society today. There should be a proper rule or system of rules established by authority which each and every citizen, devoid of the different segregation in our society should abide by and not to be misguided by our own way of thought only. Justice; there should be proper administration of law, build around systems of rules established by authority. Righteousness: there should be strong morally ethics, right or justifiable characters entrench in our growing youths in there early days in school.
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? 9
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea in the book by Richard Bach portray the character of Jonathan Livingstone Seagull is that we as humans and beings are a symbol of an unlimited idea of freedom, an image of any kind of greatness we yearn for, through the kind of thought we allow to come into us.
Furthermore that the nature of our body, environment, and circumstance is nothing more than how we think about them. That all that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thought.
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 following are the ideas important to me:
A. Self-awareness
This idea enables one standout apart. It examines the way we see ourselves different from others, which affects not only our attitudes and behaviors, but also how we see other people. It becomes our direction of the basic nature of mankind
Self-awareness has helped me to know that I am the creative mind of myself that is why immediately after graduation from school I had to stay back in the school to start an enterprise awaiting my National Youth Service Corp scheme. It has helped me to know that away from the normal going to school graduate and maybe find a good, safe and secure job I choose to stand out to coin a better future for myself.
B. Proactive: It involves creating or controlling a situation rather than just responding to it.
That is why Jonathan Livingstone Seagull creates a situation or habit of flying. It is important to me because depending on the situation, condition or tradition which I grow up or find or happen to me as individual, whether good or bad I find myself in, I have the freedom to choose. In my personal life being proactive has really helped me between the periods of my study in school; I have learned the team playing spirit, relationship and association with people due to my proactive nature ahead of time.
C. Passion: Very strong emotion and great enthusiasm.
More than anything else Jonathan Livingstone Seagull love to fly. Let me borrow a quote by Bill Cosby, Comedian “Anyone can dabble, but once you’ve made that commitment, your blood has that particular thing in it and it’s very hard for people to stop you”. It makes you conquer the uncommon.
This idea is important to me because it has been helping me build my own passion for reading and finding new ideas. Practically it made me start a business centre that can produce lecture notes which in turn gradually expose me to reading and discovering of new ideas.
D. Failure: An act that fails, becoming weaker.
It has helped me discover my real desire for success, I believe that what you lose or fail to achieve is lesser than what you will achieve if you keep the failure behind you and move ahead. Practically, we were disallowed from using a particular premise for business, so many folded up and left, but with the extraordinary mind, persistence and rising up again after falling made me get a better place which is the proposed site for business now.
E. Focus/Goal: Concentrated effort or attention on a particular thing.
There was attachment of priority to the course of flying. This idea has practically stood me out among my peers. I had a focus of rounding up my degree in record time so I gave it the necessary attention which I was able to achieve by allowing other things to wait.
F. Teach ability
It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. This idea made me enrolled for International Institute for Global Leadership after graduating from the University, because I understand that there is no limit to what one can learn and achieve, we can only strive for perfection.
G. Generosity
Lightening other branches of light will not off yours either, furthermore your candle looses nothing when it lights another, “Giving is the highest level of living by John C. Maxwell. This idea practically made me to enlightened people around me on the need for education and re-education of us and minds continually.
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?
On an individual bases of the ideas it has help me in creating a better world as follows:
Self-awareness: This idea is making me re-educate myself daily, which will help me grow to a leader I dream of becoming which I can then contribute my quota to the world.
Proactive: It has help me break the tradition of waiting for service to the nation before been eligible for employment or to do something else after school, rather the idea has made me use time judiciously to achieve a developing enterprise ahead. It will help me create a better world by being a sample for others to emulate and building my tenacity that will be important to the world.
Failure: Daily, each time I fail on a particular task in the course of my day, I try again because it is as a result of a mistake on the initial having understand the circumstance behind failure, it will help me build leadership capacity that will create a better world.
Focus/Goal: Am always guided each day by reminding myself of my goal each morning, and the need to focus on it, building me as an individual who is an aggregate of the world.
Teach ability: Opening my mind to learning and positive interactions. It is helping me study in a school of life, which is personal development, and graduating each time to contribute positive ideas to the world.
Generosity: Giving out what I have learned to lighten others positively and in turn lightening the world.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“But Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, unashamed, stretching his wings again in that trembling hard curve-slowing, slowing, and stalling once more was no ordinary bird.”
It is important to me because it portray the extra ordinary character of Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, that greatness is not for the ordinary people, it’s for people who can go the extra mile.
“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.”
It is important to me in the sense that, I never put the daily routine of what is important to us as humans, such as food, clothing, and shelter above my goal and dream of a better world through enterprise and leadership.
“Boats will be few and the surface fish will be swimming deep.”
Though one may lose the basic things of life in the course of striving for our goals and purpose in life, but there will be abundance of those daily needs as you strive for your purpose.
“Who is more responsible than a gull that finds and follows a meaning, a higher purpose for life? For a thousand years we have scrabbled after fish heads, but now we have a reason to live to learn, to discover, to be free! Give me one chance; let me show you what I’ve found.”
It is important to me because I am like a gull who has discover the real purpose of life order than our daily scrabble after food, I now have a better reason why I am living, which is to affect my world positively.
“I’m the new comer here! I’m just beginning! It is I who must learn from you!”
Very, very important to know that, for how much one thinks he knows there is still room and chance to learn more.
“We can start working with time if you wish, Chiang said, “Till you can fly the past and the future. And then you will be ready to begin the most difficult, the most powerful, and the most fun of all. You will be ready to begin to fly up and know the meaning of kindness and of love.”
“Keep working on love.”
The greatest of all achievement here on earth is love on our fellow brothers our fellow brothers and sisters, neighbors and citizenry, because the measure of your success in the long run is how much you have given out in kindness and love which will go a long way in helping others to grow.
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 are this particular idea about “vanished” which are not very clear to me, I shall like to quote them as follows:
“But then the day came that Chiang vanished. He had been talking quietly with them all, exhorting them never to stop their learning and their practicing and their striving to understand more of the perfect invisible principle of all life..
“A moment later Jonathan’s body wavered in the air, shimmering and began to go transparent.”
These two ideas are very unclear to me, could it be that the term “vanished” was used to describe their kind hearted gesture, the height of success and achievement in their world or death which is an inevitable phase of one’s life? It’s unclear to 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?
No exercises.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
These ideas entails with individual people living together as a group, society or nation-state and how together it is helpful in creating a better world.
Jonathan said in reproach, “and don’t be foolish! What are we trying to practice every day? If our friendship depends on things like space and time, then when we finally overcome space and time, we’ve destroyed our own brotherhood! But overcome space, and all we have left is here. Overcome time, and all we have left is now. And in the middle of here and now, don’t you think that we might see each other once or twice?”
This idea is very important in the sense that, our relationship with ourselves as individuals shouldn’t depend on some mere physical factors that can easily fade away by some circumstance of nature; rather it should be purely on the understanding of the perfect invisible principle of all life, which is love and kindness.
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
Psycho-Cybernetics
Assesssment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The idea contain or convey by the author of the book “Psycho-Cybernetics 2000” is essentially about changing habits-habits of belief, habits of attitude and habits of action. More so is how effectively one can formulate his own blueprint for change. Keeping in mind that you don’t need outside help to make you aware of your need for change, to guide you in identifying the beliefs that keep you following negative habits, to teach you how to relax in terms of stress management, to set goals for you or to direct you through the procedures and put you on a self assessment to enable you observe your progress, using your own imaginations and creativity in what he calls “The Theatre of Imagination..”
By applying simple pragmatics program that will help you discover the potential within us.
By expanding your self-image through the human soul, mind or spirit with effective communication and self control from the human brain that creates a self-image that sets the limits for what you can and cannot achieve.
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.
These ideas were personally important to me:
A. Self acceptance; Acknowledging your worth:
It is important to me because the cornerstone of happiness is accepting yourself as a worthy human being. And there is no relief or satisfaction like that that comes when one finally gives up the shams and pretenses and is willing to be himself.
It practically helped me when finally my family moved to the village. At first people around in this new environment see a “quiet and timid personality” in me, which to me was as a result of lack of understanding of my God birthed nature couple with my kind of personality. Really knowing my worth made me regard those comment about me as nothing and
Understand that I’m neither quiet nor timid but only exist on several planes.
B. Self-image, awareness to a desired personality
Having known that self-image about me is not a product of reality but purely on how I program my thought and entirely of the images I carried about myself. Personally it has helped me kill the “destructive instinct” about myself as an average person owing to the nature of my background, seeing success beyond my environment is not possible, to a positive “life-instinct” of a successful personality among my peers and contemporaries. I have always try to conquer that self image with the little form of awareness through what “Psycho-Cybernetics 2000” describe as “willpower”. Haven read incisively I have learnt a more decisive approach to self-image by adopting the step-by-step “how-to” model in my life.
C. Identifying false beliefs and creating a better image about them.
Important to me because it has helped change how I consigned myself to a marginal life due to the nature of my background.
Personally this idea has helped me conquer “shyness and inhibition” as a result of a false believes by my parents as a shy type especially in public speaking. “Psycho-Cybernetics 2000” with the aid of CRAFT program has helped me overcome it as follows:
When I begin to nurse fear on how poor I may present my opinion if I may speak I will say Iji Friday CANCEL, I will REPLACE it immediately with a positive statement as I may be confident enough to speak fine, I AFFIRM to myself, saying “I can do it.” Having it as a goal to achieve, I keep a FOCUS on reading guide post to aid me, TRAIN myself by trying to speak in student congresses.
D. Relaxation and the Creative Imagination
It is important, because I am afforded the opportunity to access and re-write; re-evaluate my goals from possible diversion from it, for imagination sets the goal “picture” which my automatic mechanism works on.
It picture out inwardly whatever short term goal that will be beneficial to my long term dream. I have learnt from “Psycho-Cybernetics 2000” to enter “The Theatre of Imagination” in a relax state the same time and in the same place to maintain consistency. So I choose 5:45am to 6:00am every morning. I saw myself in the imagination standing and speaking on a topic of discourse to a group of student during a congress meeting.
E. Sow Seeds and reap success.
Important to me in the sense that whatever a man sows he shall reap. Personally this idea has helped me overcome the anxiety that follows in me during the period of strike on the part of the universities teachers and the federal government due to non implementation of a pact, which really affected my short time goal. I see the Situation as fundamentally neutral, without throwing blame at anyone, Evaluate the situation: Who owns the problem? Shift my Emotions to fit my Evaluation, Do something about the situation, which help me put my Self-esteem on track.
F. Setting priorities and narrowing your focus in goal setting
It gives me a picture of an expected end and makes me train my horse in that direction. Having understand success in terms of self satisfaction in mind, financially and how in my own little way can contribute to this world of ours, starting from my community in particular. I begin to lay priority in the books I read, places I choose to work temporarily and places I choose to attend, because I see these events as the narrow down to my expected end.
G. Stress management
A stress free personality can see ever more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect especially in our world when individuals are faced with fragmented sense of direction which is the number one cause of stress among young people today. Personally I try to manage; changes in sleeping pattern, changes in eating pattern, increased feelings of futility and exhaustion by drawing up a stress prevention list which will help me checklist those petty concerns I need to deal with before they turn into hulking anxiety producing monsters.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas will greatly play a vital role in my personal life and the world around me, practically with the following guidelines to enhance my self-acceptance daily which are; appreciate my creative power, appreciate my body, appreciate my spirituality, challenge negative self thought rigorously, develop character ethics. Leaving me in adopting the step-by-step “how to” model in my life to build a self-image in line with myself acceptance.
Identifying negative tapes on me by other people and applying the CRAFT program. Regularly and at times in bad situation, see those situation as fundamentally neutral, without throwing blame on myself, Evaluate the circumstance or situation critically to Identify ownership of the problem, shift my Emotions to fit my Evaluation, Do something about the situation. Regain my Self-esteem from the above key points which I used to analyze the situation. Understanding what to do at the right time and narrowing my focus frequently and daily in line with my stated goal. Be able to manage my day to day activity and observe red flags such as changes in sleeping pattern, changes in eating pattern and increased feelings of futility and exhaustion to prevent and manage stress effectively.
With this daily and periodic shaping of my life as an individual, it will build my capacity for a better world as “described in my vision of a world that works for everyone” which I say could start from we as individuals. That every success of the world transcend from we as individuals. So I stand as a total and a world changer in the capacity of our leadership, because am in a making of a principle personality.
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.
“Appreciating my own worth and importance and having the characters to be accountable for myself and to act responsibly toward others.”
This idea is important to me in the sense that, it makes me appreciate my God birthed nature and makes me feel accountable to issues responsibly rather than throwing blame to someone else.
“We all possess a built in guidance system that moves us toward the things we think about. If we watch limits instead of destinations, we bump up against those limits. If our self perception is so negative that we allow ourselves no destination at all, we wander all over the road.”
Its important has moved my built-in guidance system towards education, which I see as a means and direction that will lead to my destination, without minding the hardship and frustration throughout my qualitative years of educational attainment.
“You act and feel” Maltz wrote, “not according to what things are really like but according to the image your mind holds of what they are like you have certain mental images of yourself, your world and the people around you, and you behave as though the images were the truth, the reality, rather than the things they represent.”
This idea has helped me picture events especially public ones and I always see myself act and feel positively about myself, with successful people in their own field of endeavor and a clear mental image of success around my world.
“Remember” Maltz wrote “the creative guidance system within you is a goal-striving mechanism and the first requisite for using it is to have a clear-cut goal or target to shoot for. Time and time 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.”
This idea is very important to me that is why immediately I finished my university education I read so many life building books before a friend introduced me to IIGL which is made possible as a measure of my heart, mind, body or spirit.
“Every human being wants and needs love and affection. But the creative, self-reliant person also feels a need to give love. His emphasis is as much or more on the giving as on the getting. He doesn’t expect love to be handed to him on a silver platter. Nor does he have a compulsive need that ‘everybody’ must love him and approve of him.”
This idea has really spurred out my creative mechanism to the need of putting others first before me, as a saying goes whatever a man sows he reap. So I love and give approval to others with which the same can be return to me.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear; everything which I devoted my time on to read clearly was 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?
The book contain so many exercises, questionnaire and simulation approach in really bringing home to point exactly the changes it is intended for in one’s life.
Specifically I completed the following exercises in the book which included:
On page 71, how to identify your false beliefs.
On page 72, exploring where your beliefs come from: A questionnaire. I also compared the answers on page 71-72 to find out if there is any correlation between them which answers were helpful to me.
Considering my irrational fears identified in my answer to question 1 on page 71, applying the four questions on page 79 to these fears right now. This has made me to understand that they are not quite fearful as thought formerly.
On page 85, I worked on losing your false beliefs: A worksheet
Where I consider the false beliefs that have impacted my self-image and how I use reflective relearning to replace them with new positive memories.
On page 165, I worked on taking stock of your set point: A questionnaire.
On page 189, I worked on how to discover why you procrastinate: A questionnaire.
On page 264, I worked on your frustration index: A questionnaire, which has help me recognize frustration and handle them effectively.
On page 282, I worked on the corrective action on negative feedback
On page 323, I worked on answering some exercise which has helped me find my own best self.
All of these were very helpful especially its form of simulation which make the whole exercise practical, and help me in a course correction to a desired habit I had wanted.
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.
Actually nothing but these ideas entails with individual people living as a group, society or nation-state and how helpful it could be for us together in creating a better world, which says:
“Only a person or nation self-confident in the best sense of the word,” he said, “is capable of listening to the voice of others and accepting them as equal to oneself. Let us try to introduce self-confidence into the life of our community and into the conduct of nations.”
Mostly to our leaders: We should accept the cry of our fellow citizenry as if it were us in particular and see how bad it is for some other person to be down in lack of basic things of life.
“Every human being deserves to be recognized as a unique and valuable individual. To see and appreciate the contribution each of us makes to other people and the world, we need to acknowledge that every one of us has unique gifts…and each of us matters… The importance of accepting and appreciating people as they are cannot be exaggerated. This includes accepting each person’s feelings, thought, body, mind, and spirit. It also includes appreciating people’s individual and cultural differences. We must make sure that we do not require others to deny or disown their real selves to earn our approval or love”
We as a people should accept ourselves in spite of our numerous cultural diversity, seeing ourselves as one in the eyes of the almighty.
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
Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author is trying to convey is that you as an individual is the most important living person. That in all the history of the world there was never anyone else exactly like you, and in all the infinity of time to come, there will never be another, because you possess and invisible talisman with the initials PMA emblazoned on one side and NMA on the other.
You are the product of your: heredity, environment, physical body, conscious and subconscious mind, experience, and particular position and direction in time and space and possess powers such as to:
Seek the truth.
Motivate you to take constructive action.
Cause you to strive to achieve the highest ideals you can conceive, consistent with good physical and mental health.
Live intelligently in your society.
Help you abstain from that which will cause unnecessary injury.
Start you from where you are and get you to where you want to be regardless of what you are or what you having been. Or others unknown to an individual.
That man has the power to affect, use, control, or harmonizes with all of them. And you can direct your thoughts, control your emotions, and ordain your destiny with PMA. You are a mind with a body which the powers to confine his thought in a positive mental attitude which consists of such plus characteristics as; faith, hope, charity, optimism, cheer, generosity, tolerance, tact, kindliness, honesty, good finding, initiative, truthfulness, straightforwardness and good common sense which will attract to man all the health, wealth and happiness or any form of success your heart desires in a way that doesn’t violate the laws of God or the rights of your fellow men.
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.
These ideas were personally important to me:
i. Turning the talisman right-side-up and the seed of thought.
This idea is important to me because when my mind is tuned on a positive note by reading motivational self help books like this one, it help me develop positively and bring out thought that are positive, beneficial to people around and shape my vision and dream. Personally having understand that a mind allow to fallow can breed any form of thought, therefore engaging myself in self improvement books like IIGL and other books that will help me greatly.
ii. Identify yourself with a successful image.
It is important to me because as said by Napoleon Hill that “whatever the mind of man can conceive it can achieve” so therefore putting accomplishments of the heart, mind, body or spirit and more so contributing to a developing society like the one am living in now as my own successful image. Personally I have demonstrated this idea with a picture which is like one keenly looking at something in the future, so I post it in all my social media profile to remind me always of my vision, values, goals and dreams. And suggest and communicate the object of my desire directly to my subconscious mind.
iii. Self suggestion and Self motivator.
It is important to me because no one know me like I do, because I am a mind with a body, I understand better who I am than any other person of this world. Personally this idea has made me embrace reading motivational books, so that they will go a long way to build the thoughts we think and thereby playing a role in self suggestion within me.
iv. Study, think and plan.
This idea is important to me because a good percentage of knowledge we acquire comes from the books and things we study, which will give me sources of idea we could think of to better our personality and in turn build on short term and long term goals through planning. Personally enrolling into IIGL had made me understand how to put studying, thinking and planning, into my daily activities, which is in turn building my goals and dreams.
v. Inspirational dissatisfaction and something more.
This idea has helped me to overcome failure and in a course of achieving a specific goal to dare in doing something more that will enable me achieve better result next time. Personally after achieving a goal of a degree I was inspirationally dissatisfied and wanted to add something more in the same year of my service, which made me pick a form for a Postgraduate study in education which will put me in line to my long term goal.
vi. Think with PMA and grow rich.
It’s important to me because, the thought that you think and the statements you make regarding yourself determine your mental attitude, and in making yourself ready for the opportunities that are available to you, you must first develop a PMA. Personally I have employ the PMA principles expressed in this book, principles that will help me achieve wealth and grow rich that doesn’t violate the laws of God or the rights of my fellowmen.
vii. Magnificent obsession.
This idea is important to me because, the hallmark of every living person is to serve God and his fellow human, one don’t have to be rich or powerful to develop a magnificent obsession. Personally during my preliminary year at the university, it occurred to me how poor and setback my nit and kin from my village are in terms of education so that magnificent obsession developed in me to explore ways to guide them on the important of education and how to go about seeking admission.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas as stated above will greatly play a vital role in my personal life and world around, practically haven gradually learned “turning the talisman right-side-up (PMA)” has urge me to use the powers of my conscious and subconscious mind, together with the seed of my thought to set and identify myself with a successful image, and frequently suggest and motivate myself in line with the positive image imagined in my heart.
More so keeping in line with a stated mission and objective, create time daily in my life at least 15 minutes to study, think and plan for changes that will be beneficial to my goal, And the important of going the extra mile (something more) because of the unprecedented nature of our world.
Also learning how to recognize, relate, assimilate and apply universal principle that was taught in this book to achieve any objective including wealth in a way that doesn’t violate the laws of God or the rights of my fellow men and to share myself to affect my world positively from my own stand point. Which on a continual bases will be part of my life and as described in my vision of a world that works for everyone “which I say start from we as individuals.” I stand as an individual with so many who share a principle life alike to contribute to the growth and development of our 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.
“Motivation is like a fire: unless you continue to add fuel, it will go out.”
Like to comment on this by comparing it to a garden which maybe intelligently cultivated by reading motivational book which is likened to a fuel that will keep a fire burning or allowed to run wild by not motivating yourself with reading habits but whether you read motivational books or not, it must, and will bring forth result or fruit.
“It’s impossible for you to conceive how far up is, except for the limitations of your own mind.”
The idea here is that, how far up is, is the pure manifestation of the inmost desires, aspirations, thoughts by which he allows himself to be dominated. So how far a man can go is largely dependent on how far his mind could see.
“If you know what you want, you are more apt to recognize it when you see it. When you read a book for example, you will recognize opportunities to help you get what you want.”
Being apt to success with PMA, with cherished beautiful vision, lofty ideal in my heart, I recognized that achieving it starts from reading motivational books, which is why I heard of IIGL I was eager to enroll.
“Your world will change whether or not you choose to change it, but you have the power to choose its direction.”
Similar to a quote saying “the bad news is that time flies, but the good news is that you are the pilot.”
Our world is unprecedented in nature moving to a place we are not aware, if we don’t care to know, but obvious to people who know where they want to go and place they want to be with each passing time.
“That which you share with others will multiply and that which you withhold will diminish.”
A saying goes that knowledge shared is knowledge gain, I come to understand it more, when I saw the important of sharing the value of education to people around me and in turn I begin to have more quests and desire for more education.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear; everything which I devoted my time on to read clearly was understandable.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
Yes, especially the Success Quotient Analysis it was very helpful to me in gauging necessary parameters attached to success where I compared my answer and discovered I scored Good (Above average).
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.
Actually nothing but these ideas entails with individual people living as a group, society or nation-state and how helpful it could be for us together in creating a better world. Which says?
“Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.”
The bible say seek ye the kingdom of God and every other thing shall be added unto you. Therefore this idea is important to us as individual and collectively for us to imbibe honestly in our ways of life to copy the Christ like life where he preached against the odds mentioned in the quote as above.
“Man was born together-all of one piece. It is the kind of world he has fashioned that has torn him apart. A world of folly! A world of falsehood! A world of fear! With the power of faith, let him put himself together again, Faith in himself, faith in his fellowmen, faith in his destiny, faith in his God. Then and only then will the world be truly together, Then and only then will man find happiness and peace.”
Remember, if the man is right his world will be right. One of the powerful ways a man world could be right is having faith, which give birth to hope of a better world for oneself and his fellowmen together with action in PMA.
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
Keys to Success
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author is trying to convey in the book “Keys to Success” is that there is a formation of philosophy that surrounds success. This philosophy which he puts together as Seventeen essential principles which he call keys to success will spur an individual efforts, steel your strength, and make all worthwhile dreams come true. That these principles of success and their universal appeal are the essence of the action and attitudes of everyone who has ever had a lasting accomplishment, making them your actions and attitudes, you will realize every one of your worthwhile goals in a way that doesn’t violate the laws of God or the rights of your fellow men. With these principles:
You will see how to focus your ideas and enthusiasm into a coherent,
comprehensive plan for prosperity.
The techniques for applying them, the method by which you can
develop them, and the practical insight into their influence on your life.
That it is the nature of the seventeen principles of success that each depends upon the others, especially when you have a direction of where you intend to drive your horse to (definiteness of purpose) and the PMA for adding plus characteristics that will lead you to your goal, you can’t develop one without relying upon and developing others at the same time. A positive mental attitude which means that your actions and thoughts further your ends; which is having a definite purpose is highly dependable, for you cannot get the maximum benefit out of the other principles without understanding and employing PMA.
Finally, the author tells about the 2 percent who succeed that a very few people take the last two steps and then make a plan to get what they want (definiteness of purpose) and carry it out, by applying their faith with positive mental attitudes, accurate thinking depends heavily on several other principles of success; definiteness of purpose, self-discipline, prompt decision making. It also inter-relate with all other principle which will bring even more focus to your efforts toward your definite major purpose. The outstanding leaders and personality in every walk of life belong to the 2 percent club.
They recognize the power of their own minds; they seize that power and direct it toward whatever they choose.
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.
These ideas were personally important to me:
i. Develop Definiteness of Purpose:
This is the starting point of all achievement. It has spur out a burning desire towards worthwhile motives in seeing success from my own lens as accomplishments of the heart, mind, body or spirit which I could relate to the few basic motives toward action as; freedom for mind and body, wealth, love, self-preservation and desire for life after death.
Personally this idea has open my mind to build within me worthwhile knowledge by reading the Holy Bible and books in which desire landed me as a student of IIGL because I seek question on how to have freedom for my mind and body as a being, further action in starting an enterprise that will go a long way to reward me in riches and wealth, show love to others to get love in return for a harmonious relationship with others, protecting myself from things that are not in line with my desired end and finally understanding that all worthwhile goals stands even after death, because it can also further the course of your loved ones still living even at one’s death.
ii. Forming a Mastermind Alliance with Myself and Others
This idea is very important to me because before I think of anything that will require the assistance of others, I cultivate it within me. Therefore, before anyone can do anything for me, I must have do something or start something for myself. That is, I begin to take charge of the efforts of others only when I take complete charge of the power of my own mind. Neither knowing full well that no one mind is complete by itself nor is any one’s education ever complete.
Personally I have align myself to good friends whom we share a definite goal with and more importantly with the entire sum of human knowledge. I am united in the goal of increasing my understanding, books, and magazines, audiotapes of reputable speeches and messages which are all my allies.
iii. Faith in Infinite Intelligence
This idea is important to me especially outside the conventional schooling system; it has given me power to see past worldly obstacles, to envision new solutions and new ideas on our paths to my individual achievement. Also given my brain the vision to encompass all of life’s realities instead of just a few of them.
Personally this idea has put a clear reality of life expectancy in my country, that one need to train and re-train itself in order not to become obsolete, that will largely lead to unemployment of the youths and citizenry. The idea has continually open my mind in search of ideas, even right now that I am serving my country, still re-training myself to avail myself options in order to be on a right track.
iv. Going the Extra Mile
It is inevitable that every seed of useful service you sow will sprout and reward you with an abundant harvest, outside the reward it is a state of mind that gives me satisfaction and enable me to apply my personal initiative to tasks I handle which in turn will add growth to my personality.
Personally this idea has sprout out the burning desire to leave a mark in my place of primary assignment, where am currently doing my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), despite the lukewarm attitude of my colleagues to the aspect of Community Development Service (CDS). Going the extra mile made me join the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) CDS group where I have been sensitizing my immediate community on the eight thematic areas of the MDGs.
v. Controlled Enthusiasm
It stimulates my subconscious mind in much the same way that PMA does. It fills my conscious mind, which impress upon my subconscious mind that my burning obsession and plan for obtaining my worthwhile goals are certain.
Personally as a result of the great enjoyment (enthusiasm), I derive from this unprecedented world of computer age, it has given birth to interest within me on the need to partner with my immediate community school on the need to embark on a befitting Information and Communication Technology centre, which has been part of my sensitization alongside the MDGs thematic areas. And as such increase my intensity of thinking and imagination on how to go about it, spread my enthusiasm to others, and gain self-confidence in endeavors towards achieving it.
vi. Maintaining a Sound Health
It’s important to me because I am a mind-body, the health of my mind and body cannot be separated. Personally this idea has helped me to adopt right health principles in my new environment of service to my father’s land, haven learned to bend and sway with the rhythms of life, not to stand fixed and immobile against them. I immediately adopt ways that will uplift my spirit to avoid boredom, like making a particular colleague whom we share same ideology to be a close friend, following work with play amongst my students, on occasional basis come out to play football in a field opposite my lodge to build my physical health, attaching every sense of humor to the seriousness of my job and at evening go out under a tree to seat for ideas through reading. Finally, accompanying me with good music as the day runs to bed time.
Thinking in terms of physical health (body), went for check up as soon as I discovered reddish nature of my right eye, which was examined and treated with drugs now I feel healthy, happy and terrific.
vii. Using Cosmic Habit force with PMA
As a living creature I am guided by cosmic habit force, and as such it is the law which makes every living creature, every particle of matter subject to the influence of its environment.
Personally haven build PMA within me which is the right, honest, constructive thought, action, or reaction to any person, situation, or set of circumstances that does not violate the laws of God or the right of one’s fellow man. Also recognizing that my thoughts and actions will become as much a part of my nature and that cosmic habit force will always operates. This is why I develop PMA from the book success through Positive Mental Attitude to control and build my habits through self-discipline, definiteness of purpose and PMA which all other seventeen success principles can be build and revolve around.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas as stated above will greatly play a vital role in my personal life and world around me, practically having come to realize more in details of a need to have a direction (definiteness of purpose) which could stand the test of time, that is a purpose which will not only make me happy but that which will affect the lives of my fellow men positively, which has made me understand that no one mind is complete by itself, that we need to build an alliance which is geared towards a definite major aim, building the alliance strongly with myself first before involving another person (mastermind alliance) which made my mind and brain open to all of life’s realities to achieve my purpose instead of few of them (faith in infinite intelligence), these ideas has made it possible for me to apply personal initiatives to my daily tasks especially in my place of primary assignment in the NYSC where am presently serving (going the extra mile) with large sense of happiness and joy in carrying out my daily task.
Finally understanding the importance of health, that only the living could contribute their quota to the world, therefore I always keep my mind healthy and go for checkup for my physical health status. Being guided by the natural law on the universe, I continually seek success in a way that does not violate the laws of God and the rights of my fellow men.
Also learning how to recognize, relate, assimilate and apply universal principle that was taught in this book to achieve any objective including wealth and to share myself to affect my world positively from my own stand point. Which on a continual bases will be part of my life and as described in my vision of a world that works for everyone “which I say start from we as individuals.” I stand as an individual with so many who share a principle life alike to contribute to the growth and development of our 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.
“If you would plant for days, plant flowers. If you would plant for years, plant trees.
If you would plant for eternity, plant ideas!”
“One single idea may have greater weight than the labor of all the men, animals and engines for a century.”
It is also quoted by scholars that ideas rule the world, because it can stand in any circumstance, and can live for all time.
“You will begin to take charge of the efforts of others only when you take complete charge of the powers of your own mind.”
Only a shepherd can take care of the sheep’s, because it is bestowed with the mind-body ability and power to take care of the sheep’s by moving them around from place to place for grazing, this is made possible because the shepherd has the powers to take charge or control itself to be able to control the sheep’s. In other words controlling oneself is the key to control others.
“People who are strong in faith are always humble of heart, and these qualities are always much admired.”
“Faith is your awareness of belief in, and harmonizing with the universal powers.”
As quoted by Richard Bach in the book Jonathan Livingstone Seagull that the higher you go the more you begin to understand the meaning of love and kindness. Therefore, only the strong in faith move ahead and because they understand the essence of life as nothing much than what you can offer back to the society which takes humble personality to recognize and understand.
“Realize that the turning point at which you begin to attain success is usually defined by some form of defeat or failure.”
Anything one thrives for is geared towards a particular motive, knowingly or unknowingly, when there is a setback towards those motive, one with definiteness of purpose having seen a worthy course in it will pick up and see it as a beginning or a stepping stone to his/her definite major purpose.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear; everything which I devoted my time on to read clearly was understandable.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
Yes, particularly the exercises on “A personal inventory” which help me assess how fast the 17 success principles are developing in me.
Also in chapter eighteen with “A fast review” of the seventeen principles of success and making me answer some silent question of my commitment to use these principles in my life. In which I answered of my resolve to practically and in simulation approach to apply them in my life.
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.
Actually nothing but these ideas entails with individual people living as a group, society or nation-state and how helpful it could be for us together in creating a better world. Which says:
“Acknowledge that the space you occupy in this world is in exact ratio to the quantity and quality of the service you render for the benefit of others, plus the mental attitude in which you render it.”
Therefore we as an individual must understand that the God birthed nature, talent gift and so many other good characteristics as human will only be effectively used if others benefit from them, hence let’s live each day as a day of service to humanity.
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
Keys to Success
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author is trying to convey in the book “Keys to Success” is that there is a formation of philosophy that surrounds success. This philosophy which he puts together as Seventeen essential principles which he call keys to success will spur an individual efforts, steel your strength, and make all worthwhile dreams come true. That these principles of success and their universal appeal are the essence of the action and attitudes of everyone who has ever had a lasting accomplishment, making them your actions and attitudes, you will realize every one of your worthwhile goals in a way that doesn’t violate the laws of God or the rights of your fellow men. With these principles:
You will see how to focus your ideas and enthusiasm into a coherent,
comprehensive plan for prosperity.
The techniques for applying them, the method by which you can
develop them, and the practical insight into their influence on your life.
That it is the nature of the seventeen principles of success that each depends upon the others, especially when you have a direction of where you intend to drive your horse to (definiteness of purpose) and the PMA for adding plus characteristics that will lead you to your goal, you can’t develop one without relying upon and developing others at the same time. A positive mental attitude which means that your actions and thoughts further your ends; which is having a definite purpose is highly dependable, for you cannot get the maximum benefit out of the other principles without understanding and employing PMA.
Finally, the author tells about the 2 percent who succeed that a very few people take the last two steps and then make a plan to get what they want (definiteness of purpose) and carry it out, by applying their faith with positive mental attitudes, accurate thinking depends heavily on several other principles of success; definiteness of purpose, self-discipline, prompt decision making. It also inter-relate with all other principle which will bring even more focus to your efforts toward your definite major purpose. The outstanding leaders and personality in every walk of life belong to the 2 percent club.
They recognize the power of their own minds; they seize that power and direct it toward whatever they choose.
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.
These ideas were personally important to me:
i. Develop Definiteness of Purpose:
This is the starting point of all achievement. It has spur out a burning desire towards worthwhile motives in seeing success from my own lens as accomplishments of the heart, mind, body or spirit which I could relate to the few basic motives toward action as; freedom for mind and body, wealth, love, self-preservation and desire for life after death.
Personally this idea has open my mind to build within me worthwhile knowledge by reading the Holy Bible and books in which desire landed me as a student of IIGL because I seek question on how to have freedom for my mind and body as a being, further action in starting an enterprise that will go a long way to reward me in riches and wealth, show love to others to get love in return for a harmonious relationship with others, protecting myself from things that are not in line with my desired end and finally understanding that all worthwhile goals stands even after death, because it can also further the course of your loved ones still living even at one’s death.
ii. Forming a Mastermind Alliance with Myself and Others
This idea is very important to me because before I think of anything that will require the assistance of others, I cultivate it within me. Therefore, before anyone can do anything for me, I must have do something or start something for myself. That is, I begin to take charge of the efforts of others only when I take complete charge of the power of my own mind. Neither knowing full well that no one mind is complete by itself nor is any one’s education ever complete.
Personally I have align myself to good friends whom we share a definite goal with and more importantly with the entire sum of human knowledge. I am united in the goal of increasing my understanding, books, and magazines, audiotapes of reputable speeches and messages which are all my allies.
iii. Faith in Infinite Intelligence
This idea is important to me especially outside the conventional schooling system; it has given me power to see past worldly obstacles, to envision new solutions and new ideas on our paths to my individual achievement. Also given my brain the vision to encompass all of life’s realities instead of just a few of them.
Personally this idea has put a clear reality of life expectancy in my country, that one need to train and re-train itself in order not to become obsolete, that will largely lead to unemployment of the youths and citizenry. The idea has continually open my mind in search of ideas, even right now that I am serving my country, still re-training myself to avail myself options in order to be on a right track.
iv. Going the Extra Mile
It is inevitable that every seed of useful service you sow will sprout and reward you with an abundant harvest, outside the reward it is a state of mind that gives me satisfaction and enable me to apply my personal initiative to tasks I handle which in turn will add growth to my personality.
Personally this idea has sprout out the burning desire to leave a mark in my place of primary assignment, where am currently doing my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), despite the lukewarm attitude of my colleagues to the aspect of Community Development Service (CDS). Going the extra mile made me join the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) CDS group where I have been sensitizing my immediate community on the eight thematic areas of the MDGs.
v. Controlled Enthusiasm
It stimulates my subconscious mind in much the same way that PMA does. It fills my conscious mind, which impress upon my subconscious mind that my burning obsession and plan for obtaining my worthwhile goals are certain.
Personally as a result of the great enjoyment (enthusiasm), I derive from this unprecedented world of computer age, it has given birth to interest within me on the need to partner with my immediate community school on the need to embark on a befitting Information and Communication Technology centre, which has been part of my sensitization alongside the MDGs thematic areas. And as such increase my intensity of thinking and imagination on how to go about it, spread my enthusiasm to others, and gain self-confidence in endeavors towards achieving it.
vi. Maintaining a Sound Health
It’s important to me because I am a mind-body, the health of my mind and body cannot be separated. Personally this idea has helped me to adopt right health principles in my new environment of service to my father’s land, haven learned to bend and sway with the rhythms of life, not to stand fixed and immobile against them. I immediately adopt ways that will uplift my spirit to avoid boredom, like making a particular colleague whom we share same ideology to be a close friend, following work with play amongst my students, on occasional basis come out to play football in a field opposite my lodge to build my physical health, attaching every sense of humor to the seriousness of my job and at evening go out under a tree to seat for ideas through reading. Finally, accompanying me with good music as the day runs to bed time.
Thinking in terms of physical health (body), went for check up as soon as I discovered reddish nature of my right eye, which was examined and treated with drugs now I feel healthy, happy and terrific.
vii. Using Cosmic Habit force with PMA
As a living creature I am guided by cosmic habit force, and as such it is the law which makes every living creature, every particle of matter subject to the influence of its environment.
Personally haven build PMA within me which is the right, honest, constructive thought, action, or reaction to any person, situation, or set of circumstances that does not violate the laws of God or the right of one’s fellow man. Also recognizing that my thoughts and actions will become as much a part of my nature and that cosmic habit force will always operates. This is why I develop PMA from the book success through Positive Mental Attitude to control and build my habits through self-discipline, definiteness of purpose and PMA which all other seventeen success principles can be build and revolve around.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas as stated above will greatly play a vital role in my personal life and world around me, practically having come to realize more in details of a need to have a direction (definiteness of purpose) which could stand the test of time, that is a purpose which will not only make me happy but that which will affect the lives of my fellow men positively, which has made me understand that no one mind is complete by itself, that we need to build an alliance which is geared towards a definite major aim, building the alliance strongly with myself first before involving another person (mastermind alliance) which made my mind and brain open to all of life’s realities to achieve my purpose instead of few of them (faith in infinite intelligence), these ideas has made it possible for me to apply personal initiatives to my daily tasks especially in my place of primary assignment in the NYSC where am presently serving (going the extra mile) with large sense of happiness and joy in carrying out my daily task.
Finally understanding the importance of health, that only the living could contribute their quota to the world, therefore I always keep my mind healthy and go for checkup for my physical health status. Being guided by the natural law on the universe, I continually seek success in a way that does not violate the laws of God and the rights of my fellow men.
Also learning how to recognize, relate, assimilate and apply universal principle that was taught in this book to achieve any objective including wealth and to share myself to affect my world positively from my own stand point. Which on a continual bases will be part of my life and as described in my vision of a world that works for everyone “which I say start from we as individuals.” I stand as an individual with so many who share a principle life alike to contribute to the growth and development of our 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.
“If you would plant for days, plant flowers. If you would plant for years, plant trees.
If you would plant for eternity, plant ideas!”
“One single idea may have greater weight than the labor of all the men, animals and engines for a century.”
It is also quoted by scholars that ideas rule the world, because it can stand in any circumstance, and can live for all time.
“You will begin to take charge of the efforts of others only when you take complete charge of the powers of your own mind.”
Only a shepherd can take care of the sheep’s, because it is bestowed with the mind-body ability and power to take care of the sheep’s by moving them around from place to place for grazing, this is made possible because the shepherd has the powers to take charge or control itself to be able to control the sheep’s. In other words controlling oneself is the key to control others.
“People who are strong in faith are always humble of heart, and these qualities are always much admired.”
“Faith is your awareness of belief in, and harmonizing with the universal powers.”
As quoted by Richard Bach in the book Jonathan Livingstone Seagull that the higher you go the more you begin to understand the meaning of love and kindness. Therefore, only the strong in faith move ahead and because they understand the essence of life as nothing much than what you can offer back to the society which takes humble personality to recognize and understand.
“Realize that the turning point at which you begin to attain success is usually defined by some form of defeat or failure.”
Anything one thrives for is geared towards a particular motive, knowingly or unknowingly, when there is a setback towards those motive, one with definiteness of purpose having seen a worthy course in it will pick up and see it as a beginning or a stepping stone to his/her definite major purpose.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear; everything which I devoted my time on to read clearly was understandable.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
Yes, particularly the exercises on “A personal inventory” which help me assess how fast the 17 success principles are developing in me.
Also in chapter eighteen with “A fast review” of the seventeen principles of success and making me answer some silent question of my commitment to use these principles in my life. In which I answered of my resolve to practically and in simulation approach to apply them in my life.
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.
Actually nothing but these ideas entails with individual people living as a group, society or nation-state and how helpful it could be for us together in creating a better world. Which says:
“Acknowledge that the space you occupy in this world is in exact ratio to the quantity and quality of the service you render for the benefit of others, plus the mental attitude in which you render it.”
Therefore we as an individual must understand that the God birthed nature, talent gift and so many other good characteristics as human will only be effectively used if others benefit from them, hence let’s live each day as a day of service to humanity.
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 in the Digital Age
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author of the book “How to win friends and influence people in the digital age” is trying to convey is that we live in an era where messaging speed is instantaneous, communication media have multiplied, networks have expanded beyond borders, industries and ideologies are following suit with the modern trend.
Hence, the crowning essence of success lies along a spectrum between authentic human connection and meaningful progressive impact which is a desired soft skill that link hard skills to operational productivity, organizational synergy and commercial relevance because all require sound human commitment. Such of these soft skills as compassion and empathy, sincere interest and honest appreciation drive hard skills we learn from our conventional schools such as programming, operations and design to a rare effectiveness. And it is about guiding the lasting influence that arises toward mutual progress and benefit.
Furthermore in the words of the author, today’s relational successes are not measured on the scale of media, but rather they are measured on the scale of meaning. That when we become meaningful in our interactions and the path to success in any endeavor we desire, is simpler and far more sustainable. Meaning rules the effectiveness of every medium. Winning friends and influencing people today is no small matter. On the continuum of opportunities, it is ones greatest and most constant occasion to make sustainable progress with others. And what success does not begin with relationships? That is why the author outline ways and principles in form of self-help to guide in shaping ones personality in such necessary areas as understanding; Essentials of engagement, six ways to make a lasting impression, how to merit and maintain others’ trust and finally how to lead change without resistance or resentment.
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.
These ideas were personally important to me:
i. Controlling my anger to avoid boomerang effect
This idea is important to me through the first idea in the book as “bury your boomerang” that anger retorted to immediately without opening my mind to a wide reasoning could bounce back to me and in the long run sour a possible collaboration in the future. Personally, this idea has helped me withdraw angry statements with a colleague of mine during the recent world cup matches, as a result of facile knowledge as to when and the reason why African teams are now five in the world cup. In other to avoid argument I told him I know that African representation reached five since the previous world cup before the just concluded one.
ii. Seeing my fellow humans positively and to see the good in them.
This idea is important to me because I love been valued and cherished, and the simple way of getting that is to give that which myself deserve and cherish. More so affirming the good in others will mean reminding me of that very well being that exists in another.
Personally, this idea has change the habit of keeping much silence on my face book wall on comments that could be a basis of influence. It has made me more conspicuous to my wall by reacting to post and affirming the good in the comment and the people that post them.
iii. Smiles send a message I like to receive and further show interest
in others interest.
This idea is important to me because when I smile the people around and my world smile with me. Personally, I got to understand this idea recently during the recent continues voters’ registration exercise ahead of the next year general elections, which I was an ad hoc staff to the electoral body of my country, among the queue of individuals waiting to be attended to, notice the frown on my face and ask what is it the matter with me, which she expose to me while registering her and we both smile to each other, which begin a commitment and show me how important smile play in our world.
iv. Listen longer
An important lesson for me to learn is that to listen and learn. I learn more when I listen.
Personally, this idea has helped me and endeared me to friends both the male and female alike as they cannot resist being around me who suspends my thoughts in order to value theirs before contributing to theirs.
v. Surrender the credit
It is important to me such that it has spur out the unconventional mind that understands success isn’t about attention and accolade, rather it’s about partnership and progress.
Personally, I have demonstrated this idea recently, when some senior friends of mine try to praise me on my successful graduation amongst my contemporaries and also mobilization for the National Youth Service Corp, I simply smile in low tone and give all the credit to God and some few individuals who together we made the journey easy for each other, then suggest we celebrate that in a quiet place.
vi. Appeal to noble motives
This idea is important to me because it help me and others to share high moral qualities around my society and to encourage each other on how to attain them. Personally, this idea has helped me appeal the nobler motive of my Local Inspector in the National Youth Service Corp on my in-service education, which we both share the benefit one stands to gain from such a program and promised to approve ample of time for me to prepare and sit for the exams.
vii. Giving others fine reputation to live up to
This idea is important to me in as I can create a vision for love ones that embodies everything I know they are capable of achieving. Personally, I have envision for my younger brother who is about rounding up his senior secondary school to gain admission to the university to study law and become a barrister in the future. Having that kind of reputation for him in mind, I am gradually introducing him to reading by giving him the book “As a Man Thinketh” to read during the period of his break to improve his acumen.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas which I understood as I read through the book on a daily basis and learn to change course along the ideas which personally appeal to me, in other words practically and on daily basis as I encounter the digital world where the full value of human connection is often traded for transactional proficiency. Understanding that we live in an age where the world can hear our words, where global accountability is a very real possibility, where our communication catastrophes can follow us indefinitely. Also that the degrees to which others can hear me today is best thought of not as a burden or blessing but as a responsibility. Therefore, I choose to accept this responsibility with humility, compassion and a trustworthy zeal which in the simplest way will help improving myself instead of others as; controlling my anger at the spur of its occurrence, because I understand the effect of not burying my boomerangs, seeing my fellow humans in a positive way by seeing the good in them, which has help me understand that man need to be seen in the potential he can attain, rather than treat him as he is. Give smile as a way of sending message which I also like to receive. Listen with empathy to show people around me that I care about them and also that I value them. Finally, internalizing communication with diplomacy and tact has helped me reduce argument during conversation across board. Allowing altruism to take a better part of me to avoid the grudges of who has done the best, by surrendering the credit through a high level of moral qualities, interactions and connections.
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.
“When we treat man as he is, we make him worse than he is when we treat him as if he already were what he potentially could be; we make him what he should be.”
This quote helps me to understand that man has every potential to blossom and it is only good we see them in that direction because the outer world of circumstances shape itself to the inner world of thought.
“It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow men who has the greatest difficulties in life.”
Yes agreed upon in the sense that whoever we are, level of education, occupation and whatever endeavor we find our self on a daily basis, are done because other people live and it is the reason why whatever we do maybe worthwhile if we really get interested in them.
“Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices.”
It is the aggregate of the little things bit by bit on a daily basis that culminate into a wholesome personality.
“Instead of being humble before God and history, moral salvation
could be found through intimate contact with oneself, self-exposure and self-love become ways to win shares in the competition for attention.”
It is the understanding of oneself in the light of self-acceptance, self-image, self-esteem and self-love that is the first guarantee for getting ahead successfully in this unprecedented era of our time.
“Tension and conflict occur when you – and/or those with you –
discard the notion that others also have inner wisdom that ought to be heard.”
We must accept others like one and understand that each are made in the image and likeness of God with an individual mind-body which strive to be heard.
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.”
In our endeavors on a daily basis we perform, if not always certain leadership roles, as such we should first understand the state of things as they actually exist, and learn to serve people and never forget to return thanks on any form of good done to us.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear; everything which I devoted my time on to read clearly was 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?
No exercise.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
These ideas relate to us as individual people living as a group, society or nation-state and how helpful it could be for us together in creating a better world, especially as it affect the state of our nation currently.
“Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land will yet swell the chorus of the union.”
To my fellow citizens, leaders and countrymen, let us not allow our personal emotion lead us to pull or push forcibly the line of unity which has been in existence for nearly 54 years now, therefore, at this point of our trying moment as a nation where men of the underworld with allegation of sponsorship from the ruling class to press home selfish demands as alleged, instead of pursuing the collective interest of we as a nation. Therefore I urge men of goodwill to come out en-mass to condemn this act through purposeful action.
“The great irony of human relations – especially when viewed through the lens of a canine – is that our longing for significance in the lives of others should be so simple to meet, yet we complicate the matter; our biggest struggle is selfishness, the single greatest deterrent to amity.”
It is obvious today that even the nature of individualism today is moving away from “enlighten self-interest” and toward a more altruistic, world-wild view that can only be described as charitable.
Therefore charity and philanthropist gesture should not wait for a time which to the eyes of the individual, thought to his or herself as right, but live each day as a day of service. Also borrowing from the lifestyle of a canine would help build friendly relation between we individual or countries and those friendly nature will spur us to be good to others.
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 Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author of the book “Real Magic” is trying to convey is that we as human being have the powers and potentials to operate on two levels of spiritual and non-spiritual.
He said we can go beyond “believing” in miracles, to a place that I call “knowing.” Knowing in this case is by understanding through your willingness to reach your own highest state of awareness, using that awareness to get your life on purpose, and radiating that awareness to everyone in your life. It is primarily a mental trip so powerful that it can affect the material world with its miraculous magical powers. But we as individual must be willing to go within and discover it for ourselves.
That one can learn to go beyond believing and goal setting to a new place within oneself, the place of knowing. It is in this realm of one’s mind that miracles are produced (spirituality).
This invisible mental trip involves dispelling some powerful misperceptions and arriving at a new set of knowing. Such new awareness will help shift one from;
Knowing you are limited to knowing that ultimate reality and your own potential are unlimited
Knowing you are controlled by heredity, the environment and supernatural forces to knowing you create your own reality and that inborn and divine forces work with you rather than independently of you.
Knowing knowledge and experience are available exclusively through your five senses to knowing that an initiative invisible guidance is available to you when you reach a higher state of awareness.
Knowing human existence is dangerous and evil to knowing all experience is blessed and for a greater good.
Knowing some people are luckier than others to knowing you can create your own luck and that all experience contains a valuable lesson.
Knowing life is chaotic to knowing there is order in chaos and there are no accidents in a universe that is in perfect order.
Therefore the idea in the book is to show how to go about creating this higher level of awareness. It is a form of blueprint written to assist one in developing this awareness and applying it to all aspect of one’s life, including personal relationships and the relationship to the larger world.
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 examplesfrom your own life.
i. Enlightenment through purpose
This idea is important to me because everything in the universe has a purpose, and that, the invisible intelligence that flows through everything in a purposeful fashion is also flowing through me.
Practically and personally the idea has helped me overcome my recent travail of lack of finance immediately I rounded up my Post Graduate studies. It shifted my attention from weak statements as what have I gotten myself into because am not seeing any outcome now. But got an idea from the book that life is chaotic to knowing there is order in chaos and there are no accidents in a universe that is in perfect order. It has further made me envision life as a journey with three ascending paths and not minding what the present hold due to suffering and outcome, but rather realign myself in purpose to my goals and vision in a long run which I have earlier made commitment to with the guide of previous books. I now see all my efforts so far as a road map to my desired end.
ii. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear
This idea is important to me because I now understand that when I am truly determined in my mind to experience real magic and to live each day at purpose, I will be shown how to make it happen. Personally this idea has made me stay open and willing to learn from everyone and anyone with whom I feel I could learn from not minding my status as a degree holder.
iii. Moving away from cause and effect
This idea is important to me in the sense moving away from cause and effect, help me to know that thoughts are not subject to the laws of classical physics, and that it is with our thoughts that we create our reality. Personally this idea has helped me glue more into my thought which has really given me a direction and purpose to a preferred end. It has further isolated me from a pure physical way of seeing success as achievement, performance and acquisitions.
iv. Getting rid of a preoccupation with valueless things and thought
This idea is important to me in the sense that it put my life on purpose, by helping me make informed decision on my daily thought and actions of my life work toward that which matters to me in the truest sense.
Personally this idea has helped me get rid of the fear about what the future holds for me especially as it regards a true friend and lasting relationship. It has brought my life back on purpose by not allowing the thinking about her and my commitment to her strain me down from my purpose, rather we have given our relationship a definition to allow for growth on either side and allow our purpose to take its course.
v. The growing of authentic power and influence in me
This idea has helped me create what seems impossible when totally aligned with my five senses. Personally this idea authentic empowerment has made people around me believe in my purpose by trusting my actions. Recently during the enrolment to serve as ad-hoc staff to the electoral body I try to involve people I know will be of help to the commission by making them disbelieve the old idea that it is those that are connected that will be picked and try to convince them of new possibilities in our coming world and because of the trust they have in me they all believed and registered as I told them.
vi. Substitute knowing and trusting for doubting and fearing
This idea has helped me understand that “the knower’s are out there making a difference in their lives.” Personally knowing and trusting has given me edge recently during an online recruitment which many doubt and fear about due to the fact that it may not see the light of the day. But my knowing and trusting put me on the edge together with the few people I was able to influence along.
vii. Putting in mind each day that you can never get enough of what you don’t want.
This idea has helped me understand that when I chase what I do want, I don’t operate from scarcity. Personally the idea has put me on a more spiritual note all f my period immediately after service to my nation, when it seems like I have done the wrong thing to invest in my education which is exactly what I want rather than chasing the physical which is full of scarcity.
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 idea which I enumerated from 1-7 where ideas which I discovered where developing in me on a daily basis within the over three months of me studying the book. Hence, practically in my daily personal life am growing to a state of authentic empowerment by getting myself enlightened through purpose, understanding that whenever am ready for any course and put my whole mind on it, divine assistance will always show up in my way, looking far beyond cause and effect, getting myself into the things I really want and developing a better knowing and trusting in my own secret that seats in the centre and knows.
In helping me to create a better world, the ideas developed within me personally will put me in this spiritual revolution where I now understand that there is a new awareness and application of ideas such that instead of being against terrorism and war, I am shifting my thoughts to being for peace and cooperation. And as stated in my view of a world that works for everyone, I stand as a transformed being ready to apply ideas learnt in line with the spiritual revolution to better 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.
“Where there is great love there are always miracles. Miracles rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing powers coming to us from afar off, but on our perceptions being made finer, so that for a moment our eyes can see and our ears can hear what is there about us always.”
It is important to me in the sense that love and happiness are how we perceive them from our heart. Therefore depending on any circumstance I found myself, it is largely dependent on me to be able harbor and give away love.
“The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action. Religion has nothing to do with compassion, it is our love for God that is the main thing because we have all been created for the sole purpose to love and be loved.”
This idea play a lot of understanding in the sense that God who is the almighty creator has given us love in his word in the holy bible in the book of John 3:16, hence it is beckoned on us to return and replicate it amongst us as individuals living together in the society.
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his own dreams, and endeavors’ to live the life which he has imagined he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
Personally though I have not get to where I described as my own success, but through my confident advancement so far, it is coming in common hours.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear; everything which I devoted
my time on to read clearly was 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?
No exercises.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
These ideas relate to us as individual people living as a group, society or nation-state and how helpful it could be for us together in creating a better world, especially as it affect the state of our nation currently.
“The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them,” especially at this point of our nationhood where militancy and insurgency have taken over our streets. Therefore we cannot go on thinking in divisive ways if we want to bring about unity in our planet. We cannot go on thinking in militant ways if we want to bring peace to our world. We cannot go on thinking in hateful ways if we want to bring love to our world.
Hence, each thought that develops into a helping, purposeful, loving act is your contribution to solve our contemporary problems.
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
The New Dynamics of Winning
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author of the book “The New Dynamics of Winning” is trying to convey is there are issues of life one must know to be a true champion, when looking at it from the endeavors of our life’s which are largely centered on sports, business and the general overview of life.
That we already have the talent, intelligence and more than enough of any other necessary resource to achieve virtually anything one could possibly want in both our daily and personal life endeavors, but because we live in a global village, where competition, change and complexity are increasing at unprecedented speed. The unexpected is occurring on a daily basis. The opportunities are still there, certainly, but you are going to have to prepare yourself differently, train more thoroughly, act more intelligently and proactively and anticipate future trends if our motive for success and achievement is built on worthwhile goals that can live beyond the arena. That at the world class level in any field; it truly is mind over muscle, mind over competition, and mind over everything. The mind is the seed where desire is given birth to, in addition to action (physically), will produce the necessary motivation that will lead you to be a champion.
The author has given guide on practical mental skills to be followed to achieve peak performance in any setting you choose. Some of the major points he covered include:
The most important traits of a champion
The five most prevalent self-destructive beliefs
How to focus your mind for peak performance, anywhere, anytime
The important relationship between integrity and success
The secrets of mental toughness, and how to overcome setbacks
The components of effective leadership and the importance of coach ability
How “paying the price” prepares you for success
How to use stress to your advantage
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. Where there is no past and no future
This idea is important to me because only the exhilaration of the moment, of going all out is worth living for, personally this idea has made me forget about what I think of as a mistake of the past and fear of future anticipation to full concentration on authentic empowerment as learnt from previous books. It has made me concentrate on reading to empower myself and also share my own view of empowerment in helping people get empowered about the positive nature the events of things would take, especially as elections has come and gone.
ii. Why working hard isn’t enough
This idea has shown me that commitment is probably even more important in work and career, also in other numerous fields of one’s endeavor. Personally, this idea has reduce the urge of me travelling out of my present location just in search of job, and has made me understand that I need more of strategic thinking and mastermind alliance that will give me a smart job in line with my stated goal, also further my future aspirations.
iii. To defeat abstract negative thinking, acknowledge it, but don’t buy into it
This idea is important to me because I am a champion and champions are discipline thinkers. Personally, while I was discussing my plans of travelling to my dad telling him of my plans ahead, at a point during our conversation I mention “even if it is a menial job for the main time”, I immediately acknowledge it as abstract negative thinking, instantaneously I rebuked it and affirm that menial jobs are not part of my goals.
iv. Contingency planning
This idea has made me expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised.
Personally when I lost some of my plans due to government inadequacy to pay salaries owed workers, which I was, expecting money owed me by my brother who is a Local government staff, which really affected plans I had for the period of a goal set to be achieved. With the idea learnt above I now know how to plan for the worst and prepare to be surprised.
v. Being an authentic leader to my younger ones
So that they themselves in turn can grow up to be real leaders in society. Personally, on occasions where I find them deviating from good principles of life, I try to advice he my younger one who is a graduate now before he travelled, that he should look more inward than ever before, he should think responsibly so as to affect his younger ones in turn too, that my effort alone might not be enough.
vi. For love, not for money
This idea is important to me in the sense that the value of what is loved, can never be quantify with price of money. Personally, when I went for a teaching interview in my neighborhood, I simply told the proprietor I will want to do this job for the love though he chooses to offer below my expectation which I was about accepting through a little tap into my core value at least for a PG holder. But he plays down on me thinking I was for money. To prove my point in the end I decide to leave the school and waited for something else in line with my passion and value which I was pay less, but was happy and justified.
vii. An American original
This idea is important to me because An American original, embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and epitomizes the American dream. Personally, before the just concluded general elections in my country where I participated as an ad-hoc staff I demand from my colleagues when given the opportunity to speak, integrity to ensure a credible election, respect for others during the elections, and hard work amongst ourselves, because the value we uphold today will go a long way to shape the future for ourselves and those around us.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas have created a lot practical effect in my life as they occur to me differently during the intermittent period I devoted studying the book. On daily basis these ideas helped me solve challenging situations of my life where I borrowed the above ideas in helping me solve the problems. On one of the periods when I was challenged with the frustration from my past and the challenges of the future, the idea no past and no future came handy to overcome the period, also why working hard isn’t enough, to defeat abstract negative thinking, having a contingency plan, authentic leadership, for love, not for money and an American original where all ideas practically of benefit to me. Therefore in creating a better world especially as regards the lesson drawn from An American Original which practically I tried to pass the message of integrity, respect for others and hard work, which through spiritual revolution, people of like minds shared the same idea that usher in peaceful and credible election that produce a leader with high record of proven integrity which will in the long run affect our world positively.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“Thinking of success as a process that you want to continue, not as a status that you reach once and for all.”
This idea is important to me because it has made me understand that success is not a point, it is how one conceive it in his mind. Practically after attaining a good level of educational attainment, my contemporaries around already see success in their own way in me, but I tend to put up attitude that looks like I have just started my journey to a preferred place.
“It’s one thing to speak the words, and it’s another thing to have devoted your entire life to living them.”
This idea could also be related to integrity; practically I have always tried to be cautious in words that come out of my leaps, because I understand the power of words especially as it relate to my position on issues that affect the society, recently I demonstrated such action and advice a group of contemporaries on issues of governance, stressing integrity as a big basis for quality leadership which in turn within me I hold on to on a high esteem.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are
unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so,
why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear; everything which I devoted
my time on to read clearly was 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 completed the twenty one (21) day plan one personal and one professional goal in my life. I achieved effective communication with my friend whom I always have a second thought of her motive in some of her actions showed towards me, return every love showed to me as well the best way I could. While on a professional level, though have not find myself really in any professional field, but intend to find an authentic leader who I can become his protégé.
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.
These ideas relate to us as individual people living as a group, society or nation-state and how helpful it could be for us together in creating a better world, especially as it affect the state of our nation currently.
“When you create love in a house, you will have a home
When you add pride to a city, you have a community
Bring learning to a pile of bricks, and you have a school
Find religion in the most modest structure, and you have a sanctuary
Foster Justice in all human endeavors and you have a civilization
Put them all together; add your own hopes and your unique gifts and you have a future lit with the radiant flame of the Olympic torch. Pass this torch along to everyone you meet. In it burns the soul and spirit of a champion.”
We as individuals have our own unique role to play or contribute to the benefit of our global entity especially as regards our geo-political enclave with several institutions which will affect humans directly or indirectly. Therefore as a father or mother, as one who engage in activity that will return pride to her community, as a school administrator, as a religious leader, as a legal luminary. Putting all these endeavors together with each playing her own part with every high sense of integrity makes all involve as champions, also in the long run building our world to be a better place.
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
Giant Steps
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author of the book is trying to convey is that first, to inspire an individual, secondly to funnel that energy into measurable results by getting you to consistently take simple actions. Together, these daily inspirations and small actions will lead to giant steps forward in the quality of my life.The philosophies, strategies and techniques offered will lead you from the simple power of decision to a fundamental step in making any change in your life to the more specific, precise tools that can define the quality of your relationships, your finances, your health and your emotions. He also show and guide on how to get maximum results with a minimum investment of time in our daily and professional part of our lives.
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. My aspiration and decision
This idea is important to me as I realize the power of a single decision acted upon immediately and with utter conviction can change the course of ones direction in life. Personally with the aftermath of the general elections in my country I moved out to the city to get myself engaged in line with my long term goals, at first I was with some group of childhood friends but discovered a wide disparity between our goals. I then decided to move to my uncle’s place, who is an entrepreneur, where I am learning both direct and indirect skills on what it takes to own, manage and grow small enterprise.
ii. Laughing at it now
It makes me feel like I am little more in charge of the situation. Personally the enterprise in which am attached to for now speak less about me, especially with the level of semi-skilled co-workers around sometimes make me rethink of my decision. Coming across this idea encourages me the more not only to laugh at the situation alone but created an atmosphere for all of us to be equal so that we all can laugh at it now.
iii. What new, positive expectations can I set for myself and others?
This idea is important to me as it helps me to reassess and create a new empowering belief that have positively shape my life. Personally during the period of break embarked upon by schools in other to usher in a new academic year. I thought it wise to create a time to go round about ten schools to submit my resume, this thought has shaped my expectation towards a glaring future ahead which has save me all the thought on how to better my future with various experiences that will shape me in the future.
iv. What so-called realistic beliefs should you shun?
This idea usher me into exciting, new, unrealistic but entirely possible expectations I can embrace. Personally, having somebody in a place or being connected as a means of getting something done in my country has always being my realistic beliefs. But the day I came across this idea it changed me immediately of my mindset towards hitting the ground for good and better opportunities without minding my so-called realistic beliefs.
v. Small but steady improvements
This idea is important to me, in between a large goal expected to be achieved, there are small but steady improvements that could make us achieve them faster. Personally, I begin to understand the small but steady improvements in me as I join my Uncle on marketing/business trip with him I learn firsthand what the world outside our comfort zone is really all about. He also site example and quotes relating to every challenge we might have encountered with each passing day and encourage me to be discipline, hardworking and never mind others in what they do , that everybody knows where he/she is going.
vi. By sharing what I know:
Gives me true fulfillment of making another man’s and the world in general better. Personally, during my conversation with a co-worker in my uncle’s enterprise I tried to let him see reasons why he himself is the inhibiting factor to his own life. Contributing further I told him as someone who can sew plain materials already why not reciprocate this gesture and opportunity in your future to become a fashion designer by enrolling in at least in a six month internship on it.
Vii. Metaphors can provide hope
This idea helps me to know that when you use a metaphor, you are not describing your actual experience, but how it’s like something else. Personally, it’s obvious to many that once you are in a big city you just look for anything called job and start doing, but really since I came in a sort of real mind empowering thought on how to build my capacity as an entrepreneur and not just working out all my life to achieve somebody else goals, then trying to rebuff the pressure of the much anticipation on me by simply saying that “am on internship”. With this I have helped reduce pressure.
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 idea as explained in (2) above will practically help me to get new form of inspiration that I have not learnt before or inspiration that are peculiar to my present situation in life.
This inspirations have continually add small but steady improvement into my life, I have understood that I am not standing and not moving faster as well, rather moving to a right direction.
Practically this idea has funneled my energy into measurable results by getting me to consistently take simple actions and steps. Together, these daily inspirations and small actions will lead me to giant steps forward in the quality of my life. Improving my life has removed a percentage of burdens to our world due to my little way, which has empowered me and a small fraction of people around me through my voice learnt to them on their end.
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.
“You and I can make our lives one of these legendary inspirations, as well, simply by having courage and the awareness that we can control whatever happens in our lives.”
Although we cannot always control the events in our lives, we can always control our response to them, and the actions we take as a result. Personally because I did not find a paying job did not made me feel bad, rather as a way of controlling it I move to a place where I am getting authentic empowerment to match with the present reality, to prepare me for the future.
“Quite simply, successful people are those who have asked better questions and, as a result gotten better answers.”
Allowing my imagination to run wild for some time, seeing how organizations, institution came to be, and to the extent of needing other personnel’s to assist in its growth. I discovered at some point in time an individual or group came together with such an idea in which as it grows are in need of personnel’s called workers. So the question come calling on me following the growing unprecedented nature of our world, what idea I can put on ground to be beneficial to my world and in turn profit me financially.
“Understanding the components of your decision-making system can help you not only understand your own behavior, but anticipate what you will be repelled from and pulled toward”.
The science to the way I evaluate my life situation and opportunities is by and large linked to my desire end/goals. It has made me understand myself and behavior which has changed me from behaviors not in line with my desired end.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear; everything which I devoted my time on to read clearly was understandable.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
Yes I find the following exercise helpful and completed them as well:
Guidelines for goal setting (programming your RAS); The morning power questions
The evening power questions; NAC; Action signal
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.
These ideas relate to us as individual people living as a group society or nation-state and how helpful it could be for us together in creating a better world, especially as it affect the state of our nation currently. Large solutions start with individuals who take small but consistent actions that build into worldwide change.
This idea is important to me as it will go a long way to better our world, especially in my country where such things as corruption, lawlessness and impunity are the order of the day. But with the voting in of an administration that has shown the will to change from the above, hence the need to save our collective future and dream by supporting them and ensure our criticism are constructive to shape their actions in order to chart a new course for our nation.
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
Goals
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author of the book is trying to convey is that, the path from frustration to fulfillment has already been discovered, by following through essential principles, you need to know to make your dreams come true.
The author presents a simple, powerful, and effective system for setting and achieving goals- a method that has been used by more than one million people to achieve extraordinary things. He has also take cognizance in areas which goals can be the most rewarding but also the toughest to set and keep: finances, family and health.
Using the twenty-one strategies outlines, one will be able to accomplish any goals you set for yourself no matter how big you will discover how to determine your own strengths, what you truly value in life, and what you really want to accomplish in the years ahead. showing how to prepare yourself in such manner as to build your self-esteem and self-confidence, approach every problem or obstacle effectively, overcome difficulties, respond to challenges, and continue forward toward your goals, no matter what happens.
Most importantly, you’ll learn a system for achievement that you will use for the rest of your life. Finally, your time and life are precious. The biggest waste of time and life is to spend years accomplishing something that you could have achieved in only a few months. By following the proven processes of goal setting and goal achieving laid out in this book, you will accomplish vastly more in a shorter period than you ever imagined before.
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. Stop Justifying
This idea is important to me and has made me understand that I can be negative only as long as I can justify to myself and others that I am entitled to be angry or upset for some reason. Personally, the idea has changed my perception about how I feel about the people around me, I had always have the feeling that they don’t want me to move forward or grow into something better, I always see there side of action towards me which has been justifying the negative feelings I had. I now see there side of action as an inspiration to think better ways to enhance my life from the idea learn.
b. Making New Choices, New Decisions
As I am in charge of my life, it is up to me to determine the talents, skills, abilities and core competencies I desire. Personally, after deep search from within, looking at the economic situation of my country, especially with the continuous drop in oil price in the global market, I have decided to be part of the solution by looking at possible opportunities in line with my long time goal. Intend to start developing my writing skills on the social media by contributing interesting topics.
c. Refuse to Compromise my Dreams
This idea has helped me pre-pave my perfect future, and has made me decide what I really want before I come back to the present moment to deal with what is possible for me within my current situation.
Personally, after due learning from my Uncle, I set a goal to start working to enable me save for my higher goals beginning from this new year. In line with my desire I got what I need for the time, accompanied with several discouragement from close associates on why I shouldn’t begin the job. From the idea learned, I refuse to compromise my dreams due to anyone’s belief about what the job entails, rather I see it as a situation of the moment and had to deal with it using the available possible means.
d. Achieving a financial status
These reasons makes this idea important to me: To be able to live my dreams and purpose. To help others achieve theirs. To affect my world positively with my growth.
Personally, after the show of strong desire to achieve this goal in the present year, I suddenly begin to notice all kinds of opportunities and possibilities around me. I attended two interview, the third gave me my present job to kick start my goal of ending this year on a positive financial status.
e. Start where you are
This idea has helped me build on my goal of achieving a specific financial status by 31st December, 2016. by helping me understand clearly my present status, using the awareness as a starting point has made me build a day to day plans for the future based on it. Personally, as the nature of my job is more on advisory capacity of client with an insurance organization whereby am entitled to be paid based on commission which is unlimited, I have set up a plan to improve my sale of policy by talking to at least ten prospective client everyday which will afford me a large client base that might be interested thereby increasing my sale.
f. Identify my key result areas
It is important to me as I understand the fact that my weakest key skill sets the height of my income and determines how fast and how far you go in your career. Personally, the nature of my present job is similar to a sales person which is an area am not too good in, but identifying the key result areas of a sales person which begins with prospecting, I have notice a little deficiency on which I am developing myself on the job and assessing myself with the prospective leads I have generated so far on the job.
g. Be prepared to make necessary changes
It is important to me because as goal setting beings, there must be time to reflect on our journeys and make necessary changes where need be. Personally, I have always cherished my long time goals, but it is necessary I gain requisite skills and knowledge to enable me stand the test of time to achieve such. So therefore I have only short time plan for my present job, as am having at the back of my mind to make a necessary change to an educational field when the time is ripe as I believe it is in this area I can develop and create the impact my world desire.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas and lessons will help me, by practicing these rules and principles, from time to time with each passing day, I can accomplish more in the coming months and years than most people accomplish in a lifetime. I have understand that the most important quality I can develop for lifelong success is the habit of taking action on my stated plans, goals, ideas and insights. The more often I try, the sooner I will triumph. There is a direct relationship between the number of things I attempt and my accomplishments in life. In my personal life and how it will help me to create a better world leading me to create my own future thinking about no limitations on what I can do, be, or have in the months and years ahead. I have plan my future as if I had all the resources I needed to create any life I desire. I have take charge of my life-making me completely responsible for everything I become from this moment forward. I have refuse to make excuses or to blame others. Instead, making progress toward my goals everyday.
By determining my exact situation today and been both honest and realistic about what I want to accomplish in the future. Understanding that I have within me, right now, the ability to be one of the very best at what I do, to join the top 10 percent in my field.
In my daily personal life, this ideas will keep shaping me to my desired end, bringing each to my daily activity where I can appropriately apply them. This will help me in creating a better world, building and pre-paving a life of fulfillment and never ending joy, I would be able to give out same to the world around me in the form of vibration.
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.
“At exactly the right time and in exactly the right place, you and the goal will meet.”
.
After a long wait to build my personality professionally with a job, I got one at the right time of my intent, with roles similar to a sales person and customer relationship technique. This justify part of my goal for the beginning of the year, in line with meeting new people everyday, which invariably is helping me expand my network as an individual that will help me better my entrepreneurship drive in the years to come.
“Be sure that as you scramble up the ladder of success, it is leaning against the right building.”
I had an opportunity to scramble for success by any means, but choose the wall in which my ladder to which I see success lean on, first I lean my ladder on my Uncle whom I learn a lot that open the door to my present job in which am now leaning the ladder on the responsible network am going to build from it.
“Anything worth doing well is worth doing poorly at first.”
My first day presentation was very poor when I was posted to the bank to begin my job, though it was understood that I was not a professional in that discipline of finance/insurance. But learn that anything worth doing well is worth doing poorly at first, I have resolve to keep developing myself everyday by reading often about insurance.
“For every problem under the sun, there is a solution or there is none. If there is a solution, go and find it. If there isn’t, never mind it.”
Starting a job with an insurance firm was termed by many as the most difficult business one could ever engage in, but I always believe that people still patronize it that is why the companies are still around. I see solution and believe it can be profitable under our planet earth.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Nothing to my understanding is unclear; everything which I devoted my time on to read clearly was understood.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
An exercise using the twelve step process to develop a financial plan for this year was helpful as follows using the process:
Have a desire: This goal is important to me that with a good financial plan/process at mind in the near future, I can be living my dream completely.
Believe: My beliefs become my realities. I believe it is achievable because I possess the right talents, abilities, and discipline.
Write it down: I have drawn the plan in two phases that in the first phase I shall complete a project by July 31st 2016. I shall worth 500 000 naira. Using the proceed of the project, with other income I shall worth 1 000 000 by 31st of December in both assets and cash.
Analyzing my starting point: The job I have at hand is my starting point toward achieving my goal. To develop a pool of at least 10 people a day and 3 corporate a week which will increase my lead generation.
Decide why I want the goal: The reason I want to achieve this goal is that it will afford me the opportunity to quickly shift my attention from the lack of money and put my attention on higher goals.
Set a deadline: My deadline is stated as I write my goal down with a lot of courage and hope of achieving it with the strategies I have stated.
Determine the obstacles that you will have to overcome: I have been able to identify certain obstacles as uncertainty in bringing business in order to earn high commission and the present nature of the economy.
Determine the knowledge and skills you will require: The major skill for now is to improve on my relationship approach in the direction of a sales person by identifying business opportunity and building my relationship around such.
Determine the people, groups, and organizations whose cooperation you will require: I have identify the staffs of the bank and the surrounding government agencies around as my first group to be able to get business.
Make a plan: The two phase plan will be my track to run on.
Visualize: Create a clear mental picture of your goal as already achieved. I have started demonstrating the clear picture of my goal through my actions and words to the effect as if am already living my goal for the year.
Back everything you do with unshakable persistence: Because I have understand that difficulties come not to obstruct but to instruct, I have resolve to go all the way out.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
Nothing.
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
The Law of Attraction
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author is trying to convey in this book referred to as the groundbreaking philosophy of practical spirituality is that, Law of attraction is real, is effective and produces physical outcomes in the real world. in it one will unfold, see how all things, wanted and unwanted, are brought to you by this most powerful law of the universe. That everything you need to know about life and how to make it work. Here they are: all the rules of the road for this extraordinary journey. all the tools with which to create the experiences you’ve always wanted. Understanding how to make them work to your advantage. The knowledge to be gained from here will take all the guess work out of daily living. You’ll finally understand just about everything that happening in your own life, as well as the lives of those you’re interacting with. The ideas conveyed will help one joyously be, do, or have anything that one desire.
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. Bringing what I like to my workshop
It is nice to know that if I see one who is prosperous, but sick, I do not need to bring the whole package into my workshop, just the part that I like. Personally, I have come to appreciate the growth in my Uncle’s business and how fast am learning from it, taking a large package of the day to day running of the business, from the production to marketing and distribution where I am getting to know, at same time learning the challenges that accompanies the day to day running of it. But have reservations about the leadership and organizational plan for the business, which is a package I would not like to take along or learn from.
ii. I decided to improve my life
This idea has clearly shown me that many have experienced the discomfort of really wanting something and working very hard to try to achieve it, only to continue to hold it away because they were offering thoughts of the lack of it more predominantly than thoughts of the receiving of it. Personally, this idea has make me look more inwardly to resolve the challenges and set a new goal for myself this coming year, having understand that I need money to pursue my goals and just getting money now will entail me to work for some time to enable me build on my long time financial independence, but have not gotten any. I have decided to improve my life and from the space around me which is my uncle business, I have decided to put myself into learning how to drive myself into areas within the business I could learn from as we enter this new year.
iii. Understanding selfishness
Selfishness is the sense of self. It is the picture that you hold of yourself. The boarder idea about the term makes it important to me. I used to look at the term in a very narrow way before coming across it. Personally, I have come to know that unless am selfish enough to care about how I feel, and therefore direct my thoughts in such a way that am allowing a true connection to my inner being. The idea has made me to look into myself very thoroughly to certify my happiness, financial obligations and my commitments to others. I have now learned from the idea above that it is only when I have within that I can give outwardly.
iv. Justifying worthiness
My physical existence here is proof of my worthiness, or deservedness, to be, do, or have whatever I desire. Practically, when my level two books came for me to pick them, I request from my uncle to give me some money to enable me transport myself and pay for them, but to my greatest shock he was trying to convince me of my decision to go for them giving me excuses to discourage me from a course I have started since 2013, a course I ever dream of, a course I desire so much. There was no point trying to discuss it further because am worthy of my dreams. So I politely refused.
v. Being patient enough to improve the content of my vibration
This idea has helped me looked far enough to something that matches my desire.
Practically, it has made me look at all the difficulties in the day to day running of business with my uncle, with so many other subtle challenges that it has caused me on my own part. I have learned more to be patient so as to improve the content of my vibration which will in the long run match with my desire.
vi. Allowing injustices I witness
It is important to me because I understand how I pre-paved what I have today.
Practically, rather than trying to control the experiences of all others around me which I perceived not pleasant to me, I have instead, intend to control my own participation within those experiences. And I have set forth a clear image of the life I want to live.
vii. I uplift through my examples of well-being
It is important to me that to be something different I could uplift others. Personally, I have try to encourage my uncle son into changing his rude behavior by showing him example of what is expected of him on a day to day basis through accountability, trustworthiness etc.
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 which are part of the rule of life that I have learn, I am now destined to have a wonderful experience, the ideas have help me to be in creative control of my own physical experience.
From the ideas I learned from the powerful law of attraction I will no longer misunderstand how it is that things are happening to me or to any other I may be observing. And as I practice and become proficient at directing my own thoughts toward those things that I desire, my understanding of the science of Deliberate Creation will take me anywhere I decide to go.
Giving timeline by arranging my activities segment by segment I will prepave my entire life experience, sending powerful thoughts into my future to make it ready for my joyful arrival. And from the ideas on paying attention to the way I feel, I will learn to guide my thoughts into alignment with my inner being and who I am now as I have developed myself into an Allower. I am therefore born to be destined to a life of fulfillment and never ending joy. In my daily personal life this ideas will keep shaping me to my desired end, bringing each to my daily activity where I can appropriately apply them
In helping me creating a better world, building and pre-paving a life of fulfillment and never ending joy, I would be able to give out same to the world around in the form of vibration.
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.
“Rather than trying to monitor your thoughts, we encourage you to simply pay attention to how you are feeling.”
Recently the thought of not getting the respect I deserve from the people around me owing to some thought I create myself about their reason, thus creating a bad feeling in me. Reading this statement help me change my feeling to the broader, older, wiser, loving inner being.
“Truly, the perfect role model for you, regarding any subject, does not exist – you are the creator of that.”
Before now I do see my Uncle as a perfect example of a kind of life I want to live. But coming close to him I now see myself as the perfect role model for myself. That I can deduce from his experience and add to myself to build the perfect life that agrees with my inner being.
“In this unlimited universe, there need be no competition for resources, for the resources are unlimited. you may deprive yourself of receiving them, and therefore perceive a shortage, but it is really of your own making.”
In a time like this when people around you want to hear from you basically for them to really compare themselves with you to know how well you are doing. I have learn not to perceive any shortage in the unlimited resources owing to their exploit or failure, rather I see it as my own making to harness the resources around using my own ideas and perseverance.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear; everything which I devoted
my time on to read clearly was 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?
An exercise to assist in deliberate creation was very helpful to me. It helped me to deliberately pre-pave a future for myself in this coming year.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
Nothing.
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
Nonviolent Communication
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author of the book Nonviolent Communication is trying to convey is that most of us have been educated from birth to compete, judge, demand, and diagnose to think and communicate in terms of what is ”right” and ”wrong” with people. At best, communicating and thinking this way can create misunderstanding and frustration. At its worst, it can lead to anger, depression, and even emotional or physical violence.Using stories, role-plays and real world examples to introduce the Nonviolent Communication process. Far more than simple techniques, one will learn to transform the thinking, language, and moralistic judgments that prevent the quality of relationships one have always wanted. That we could start to more easily resolve conflicts, get what we want without demands, hear the needs of others, strengthen the personal and professional relationships, and live to the fullest potential.
In the words of the author, with Nonviolent Communication, we could learn to:
Significantly improve our relationships with family, friends and co-workers
Stay peaceful in the face of judgment, criticism, and anger
Speak, think, and listen in ways that inspire compassion and understanding
Break patterns of thinking that lead to stress, depression, guilt, and shame
Discover common ground with anyone, anytime, anywhere.
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. A way to focus attention
It help replaces my old patterns of defending, withdrawing, or attacking in the face of judgment and criticism, I’ve come to perceive myself and others, as well as my intentions and relationships, in a new light. Personally, this idea has help me focus attention on the need of a colleague of ours who was not paid his previous month salary owing to some discrepancies, I raised the issue to our team leader, but to my shock I receive judgment and criticism on my show of concern, terming it as gossip. I replied it in a Nonviolent communication manner simply as; I think my need to ensure our colleague is paid was not a bad idea, but to encourage our service as a team to the organization.
b. Expressing our vulnerability
It is important to me because expressing our vulnerability can help resolve conflicts and interrogation in the course of communication. Personally, when I resumed to start my work in a bank branch, I was called upon to introduce myself to the staffs available. So I stood up, did a brief introduction without details of my function. Then asked by a staff “that does that mean when we have customers that needs insurance services, we shouldn’t inform them?” I retorted by saying “I feel a bit nervous at first especially not familiar with any of you, so I intend to start by building relationship with you all before we can talk of business.”
c. Emotional liberation
It has made me understand how I could be involved stating clearly what I need in a way that communicate my intention of equally concerned that the needs of others be fulfilled.
Personally, this idea has liberated my way of thinking as a man with responsibility to my female friend, she called me needing some amount to aid her meet some set demand, and I responded in the manner that was cool by giving the little I could afford and explaining my actions of trying to sort myself out on some more private issues. Nonviolent communication gave me the support in relating at this level, showing my own level of concern.
d. Asking for a reflection
To make sure the message I sent is the message that’s received. Personally, I was discussing with a client I met a week ago, we agree that I should call him to further our discussion. Our conversation went as thus”
Me: Hello sir I called with respect to our previous meeting, have you find time to study the document I gave to you?
The man: Yes, but will pick up the policy at the end of the month.
Asking for a reflection to be sure we both are clear of the timeline.
Me: will it be fine by you if I call you 25th of the month as a reminder.
The man: No problem.
e. Listening for feelings and needs:
All criticism, attack, insults, and judgments vanish when we focus attention on hearing the feelings and needs behind a message. Personally I went on a visit to my dear friend, it was a road I was not clear about. I called to inform her am very close that she should come and pick me, but didn’t hear her clearly at the initial time, so I called again after I gamble my way to move closely to the house but told me she was bathing. I end the call immediately because I was a bit upset. When I saw her, she explained that her Uncle’s baby excreted on her so she has to take her bath unplanned. I understood that really that is the feeling and need she required at that point in time.
f. Empathy in hearing someone’s ”No”
If we take them personally, we may feel hurt without understanding what’s actually going on within the other person. Personally the nature of my work gives me the opportunity to meet new individual on a daily basis, advising them on the need and importance of what we offer. There was this particular man I met as I was approaching him he kept mute at me. I then shine the light of consciousness on the feelings and needs on something else, that he might be concentrating for an exam or something else because he held a manuscript on his hand.
g. Mourning in NVC
It help me fully connecting with unmet needs and the feelings that are generated when we have been less than perfect. Personally, during our weekly meeting, it was time for appraisal of our work done so far, I was disappointed when our team lead make me and others had a feeling of not doing anything. Though, felt a bit of regret, but a regret that help me learn from what I have done without blaming or hating my strategies, rather my consciousness was focused on what I need, which has naturally stimulate me toward creative possibilities for how to get that need met.
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 and lessons which are important to me as I apply them daily and practically in the job I do especially as it regards helping people by examining the unmet needs behind their action and inaction. Personally NVC has help me reach beneath the surface and discover what is alive and vital within me and how all of my actions are based on human needs that I am seeking to meet with each passing day of my life. On a daily basis the ideas is helping me to learn to develop a vocabulary of feelings and needs that helps me more clearly express what is going on in me at any given moment. The ideas has made me understand that when we acknowledge our needs as a people, we develop a shared foundation for much more satisfying relationships. In helping me create a better world, the principles learn from NVC will be instrumental in creating an extraordinary and fulfilling quality of life within me. The compassionate and inspiring message will help me cut right to the heart of successful communication, the heartfelt message and genuine love for human kind would be inspiring, and the strategies shall hold the power, not only to change lives around me, but 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.
“Yet the world we try to symbolize with this language is a world of process, change, differences, dimensions, functions, relationships, growths, interactions, developing, learning, coping, complexity. And the mismatch of our ever-changing world and our relatively static language forms is part of our problem.”
This quote is important to me because it has help me know that as humans trying to explain or describe situations, we should not use language that qualify event of the past to completely define the present and what the future might look like, using such languages will definitely fail, rather we should have at the back of our mind of the numerous qualities about our world outlined in the above quote.
“The right way to think. As defined by those who held positions of rank and authority. We are trained to be ”other-directed” rather than to be in contact with ourselves. We learn to be up in our head wondering ”what is it that others think is right for me to say and do?”
I finished from school that taught me what is right or wrong, grew in a society that wants to foist rule on what they think is right or wrong, yet we are still faced with different societal ills steering in our eyes on a daily basis. It is rather not enough to be directed by others, we should be convinced by others in a way that agrees with our own inner most values rather than purely wondering on “what is it that others think is right for me to say and do.”
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so,why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear.
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 find the following exercise helpful while I complete the following in the book;
Exercise 1 – Observation or Evaluation: I learn that such phrases as “for no reason,” “good man,” “too much,” “aggressive,” “often,” and “complains” are forms of evaluation which I could not clearly differentiate formerly.
Exercise 2 – Expressing feelings: I learn that when words “I feel” are followed by the words I, you, he, she, they, it, that, like, or as if, what follows is generally not what I would consider to be a feeling.
Exercise 3 – Acknowledging needs: I learn more how to understand the needs of people as we communicate
Exercise 4 – Expressing requests: I learn how to put my request in a compassionate manner
Exercise 5 – Receiving Empathy versus non-empathy: I learn how to receive and give compassionately.
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 have thought for a long time now that if, someday, the increasing efficiency for the technique of destruction finally causes our species to disappear from the earth, it will not be cruelty that will be responsible for our extinction and still less, of course, the indignation that cruelty awakens and the reprisals and vengeance that it brings upon itself… but the docility, the lack of responsibility of the modern man, his base subservient acceptance of every common decree. The horrors that we have seen, the still greater horrors we shall presently see, are not signs, that rebels, insubordinate, untamable men are increasing in number throughout the world, but rather that there is a constant increase in the number of obedient, docile men.”
Looking deeply into the insurgency that have in recent time plague the North East part of our country, it is very clear that men and women who have lost their own consciousness to kings, czars, nobles and so forth have been trained to look outside authorities instead of in harmony and in contact with their feelings and needs.
Our educational system has fallen short of the same menace where citizenry study for the purpose of achieving grades that tell them what are right and wrong with less attention to the character and consciousness, In the spirit of truth to oneself as individuals living in this entity call Nigeria and all others elsewhere whose challenges are similar to ours. we should look towards building a system that will help graduate individuals with values that are in tandem with their soul where there is no room for cruelty and destruction against there fellow man. In that same level of consciousness among men, the hope of a better world is close in sight.
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
Leadership for Dummies
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author of the book ”Leadership for Dummies” is trying to convey is that Leadership tend to fall in the opportunity group, because we believe that many potential leaders are not there, just waiting for a chance. We also believe that becoming a leader is not as complex a process as people make it. Successful leadership really requires that one take responsibility on three things; elicit the cooperation of others, listen, and put others before yourself. The purpose of these three practices should be to achieve a goal.
In the book, the author shows how to add leadership skills to your arsenal of personal traits and explains how doing so helps you to achieve more happiness and contentment in all areas of your life.
Leadership for dummies can help one get more out of life by helping one gain;
Greater respect
Greater success
Greater recognition for the job you do
Greater cooperation from your friends and family
Greater and more effective direction in your life and the ability to make a greater contribution to the world around you.
In the words of the author, leaders are trained by experience, by their successes, and most often, by their failures. Every great leader has had to overcome significant obstacles: This all goes to show one that your expertise in leadership doesn’t matter when you start. Leadership and the people skills associated with leading can all be gained through practice. The author has organized the book in part guiding one into the different phases and areas in which leadership can be demonstrated such as:
What it takes to be a leader; Leadership is a process; The art of leadership; Leadership in everyday life; Leadership and vision; Team building; The part of tens
Which will help one discover how to; Build and flex leadership muscles, see opportunity amid change and crisis, lead with communication, encouragement and promotion, assemble and maintain a top-notch team and recognize the ten tell-tale behaviors of true leaders.
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 from your own life.
a. Leadership begins with the willingness to embrace responsibility
The reasons that leaders emerge out of circumstance is that leaders embrace the idea of accepting responsibility. Personally, after speaking up for my colleague who was not paid his salary, a similar issue occur with the team, I was asked to collate the data about each of us and send, soon again we had a recurrence and each team member ran to me with their mail telling me the situation they had found themselves, after due probing and empathizing with them, I put a mail forward urging each to add his or her view. Soon before and after the last issue I had already earn the name spokesperson for my team.
b. Developing a sense of urgency
Generally, business visions are born of a change in the marketplace that suddenly creates an opportunity. Personally, my vision to develop my own startup in this era where I must not build an edifice before I could startup something, more so owing to the change in the market place that has suddenly creates an opportunity for one with idea to thrive, my sense of urgency is making me attend conferences and workshops to enable get first hand knowing which will enable me add to the available information.
c. The “Type O” personality
They do not rise to the bait and fight with their enemies; rather, they seek to find common ground with their foes, knowing that a well-considered compromise can benefit both sides. Personally as a new staff to the bank branch I was posted to, I started building relationships on a personal level with each and every one even to the one’s I find there character disheartened. I absolve harsh comments from them seeking for assistance, rather go the extreme to help them achieve their own little task. And soon I am a trusted friend and colleague to them all, eliciting their cooperation to achieve my own goal.
d. Use information to build Team spirit
It is important to me as information is valuable not for what it can do for me alone, but for what it can do for others. Personally, I always seek information about the welfare of my colleagues and to issue that affect their work and personal life by sending birthday messages, exit messages stating their different contribution and how well we have all interacted so far. Recently I got an information that will help boost our business for the month, I send the team members the message as it concerns them and copying our team leader.
e. Team members gain Ownership
A way of describing acceptance of responsibility, and with it go both the benefits of success and the penalties of failure. Personally, I was informed by our team leader a day before the meeting the next day that I will anchor the meeting which made each and every one of the team members as being owner in part of our day to day endeavors, also it done on me to talk about the principle of networking to enhance our business fortune with my emphasis on taking ownership of our business and applying the entrepreneurship process.
f. Work on our Preparation
This is important to me because you can’t be too prepared. Leaders are constantly looking for new and better sources of information, better planning tools, and better methods of inspiring the people they lead. Personally, my team leader gave me a book on networking, I gladly collected it and read without minding my knowledge on such area before, just as I about rounding it up I was told by him one evening that the next day I will brief the team on behalf of himself, I gladly accepted because I was working on my preparation through my current study book and the one he gave me.
g. Cooperate with the world around you
This is important such that modern leadership is built on teamwork, and teamwork is built on cooperation-with the people above you, with your team members and with the outside world. Personally as a member of a sales team, this idea has helped me built a cordial relationship among all my colleagues at work place such that my opinion is always being sort for to guide them on decision making. Have also extended my cooperation to my host, the staffs and everyone around because I understand that they are the world around me that I need to achieve my goals and vision.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas will help me in numerous way as a member of a team hoping to become a team leader myself one day. The ideas learned has so far bring forward to my consciousness that yes anyone can be a leader, but all leadership is temporary. The ideas has made me assume the responsibility and accountability to my fellow team members, it has made me accept the willingness to embrace responsibility and have demonstrated the spirit of I have to be the one who steps forward and says “I want to do that.”
Further develop in me the urgency towards my business as a staff of the organization. Developing the type ”O” personality in me where by I find common ground to work with staff and members of my immediate organization and beyond. These ideas have made me become the information seeker, it has improve my dynamic approach to my day to day activity, it has made me become someone the rest of the team members could rely on to guide and listen to their genuine concern. Personally, these ideas has improve my entrepreneurship approach to my job which will avail me the necessary experience in the nearby future to manage my own project and business, a project that will better the lots of other people and making people around me understand that there is always hope at the end of the tunnel in as much as one could tap into the potentials that underlay within him and leveraging on his environment. These will make me add my quota to the betterment of our world as I will in turn affect others.
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.
“If you’re the type of person who looks outward for an excuse instead of inward for a reason, you’ll have a hard time earning the trust of others.”
Recently this idea has put me open to the reality that I have to manage the affair of my business as if it where my own, initially my strategies to succeed was hinge on the direct principle which my job entails and with that it has made me give out excuses and reasons why things are not really working, but with the in debt knowledge about this idea I have tried to solve challenges inwardly.
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ”I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.”
You must do the thing you cannot do. Personally my job as a sales person in an industry that is still coming up in my country gives a lot of attention to fear in me, but before this idea which is encouraging me the more, I have stopped to look fear in the face. I have been able to count my blessing and thanking God for this rear privilege and opportunity to add to my experience.
“Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.”
Personally despite the difficulty in each passing day I encounter to sell policies, this quote has made me embrace my work with love on a daily basis, because I now understand how my best will come along when am working with joy.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear.
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 find no specific exercise.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
There is nothing that was not covered, but as a clarion call to further help our world as a group of people as to “Why organize your Community.” Like I used to think about initially before reading up this idea, the first response when people think about community organization is, “that’s what I have elected officials for.” That 80 to 90% of community problem is supposed to be solved by them, but as Hans Morganthau, a political science professor puts it that if somebody sticks your hand in the fire, it takes that person a little while longer to react to and register your pain, and pull your hand away. If there is somebody in a distant place who is giving the order for someone to stick your hand in the fire, that person won’t hear your pain at all, and may not listen until the cries of thousands have been heard. Narrowing it further down to our nation today especially in this period of harsh economic reality it beckons on us all to begin to organize ourselves to enable us solve and act locally to our local problems, we should engage the use of the internet positively to ensure a well-organized community action that will fast track our growth and development.
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
Unlimited Power
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author of the book; “Unlimited Power” is trying to convey is that if you have dreamed of a better life, it will show you how to achieve the extraordinary quality of life you desire and deserve, and how to master your personal and professional life, that by harnessing the power of the mind you can do, have, achieve, and create anything you want for your life. With unlimited power, he passionately and eloquently reveals the science of personal achievement and teaches you:
How to find out what you really want
The seven lies of success
How to reprogram your mind in minutes to eliminate fears and phobias
The secret of creating instant rapport with anyone you meet
How to duplicate the success of others
The five keys to wealth and happiness.
Practically, it will show you step by step, how to perform at your peak while gaining emotional and financial freedom, attaining leadership and self-confidence, and winning the cooperation of others. Which will give you the knowledge and the courage to remake yourself and your world. Finally the author refers to his ideas as a guide to superior performance in an age of 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
why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. Mastery of Communication:
Those who have mastered its effective use can change their own experience of the world and the world’s experience of them. Personally, when I assisted my uncle connect to a business deal that will provide a continuous stream of income I had a different thought of the kind of reward I should expect from him, but to my dismay not even a reinforcement to encourage my effort. I simply picture a feeling within internally to see the good side of his action and express my words, tonalities, facial expressions, body postures and physical actions to communicate his action to myself and with the world positively.
ii. Excellent Belief through knowledge
No matter how grim your world is, if you can read about the accomplishments of others, you can create the beliefs that will allow you to succeed. Personally, I was following the details of the recently concluded elections in the US, I built a new set of belief that one should not always respond to anger immediately, and believing in oneself is the ultimate weapon necessary in any encounter of life.
iii. People are my greatest resource
There is no long-lasting success without rapport among people, that the way to succeed is to form a successful team that’s working together.
Personally, having understand this, I immediately find a common ground with some set of new graduate trainee sent to my branch, and soon as the rapport get intense, I discover that she is from my state of origin which later makes the bond affinity closer and made us explore business and personal relationship among-st our-self
iv. Knowing the love strategy
It can be of the most powerful understandings you develop in supporting your relationship. Personally, this idea has helped me understand the love language of my friend, I used to keep a large part of the happenings around me with myself alone and whenever she asked if all is alright from my mood at times, I will tell her am fine which she knew I wasn’t telling her my mind. Then one day she told me I am not carrying her along in my doings and that she is not happy. Since then I now learn from her love strategy to be communicative always.
v. Effective food combination
It is important to me as different types of foods require different types of digestive juices, and not all digestive juices are compatible. Personally, this idea has given me the greatest shock and awareness on food combination, I have learn how to limit the combination of different sets of food in other to save me reasonable amount of energy, before this idea my food combination was very poor, after learning from this idea; I retreat from that and rather choose good and better combination.
vi. Reframing
It is important to me as one of the most effective tools for personal change is learning how to put the best frames on any experience. Personally, after the scenario with my uncle on the business brought in and claim that I didn’t made my intention known well enough, I begin to put a new look to how I feel about what has happened, I now know better instead of seeing a monster, an arrow pointing down, and so on. I describe to myself and learn a better lesson on business that will shape my decision tomorrow. With reference to 6-step reframe which guide me better.
vii. Anchoring myself to achievement
It is important to me as it is a way to ensure that I always have access to my greatest resources. Personally, as my organization is building strategic plan towards next year in a meeting with the Managing Director of the organization, he was making reference to our previous sales figure and was openly drawing analysis from the highest commission earners among my colleagues, immediately I made the experience permanent in my heart as I look forward to fall among the top earners before the year winds up.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas and lessons learned which are peculiar to how I feel on the inside, has guided me to a new and unique way of understanding and looking at things from a different perspective. Practically and personally as explained in each of the lessons, I will continually demonstrate these lessons in my day to day activities by communicating to myself both internally and externally, the lessons has made me understand the need to pursue excellent believe in my quest to make life meaningful to myself and others, understanding the fact that people are my greatest assets has made me resolve to place each and every person I encounter on a daily basis by putting them on a level important as myself because I now understand that they are my greatest resources. Personally I will employ the love strategy, improve my health condition through effective and correct food combination to save me of depleting my energy. Reframe help put myself in the mood of positive attitude and anchoring myself in a state of excitement and faith on my activity.
These ideas will help me affect my part of the world positively by teaching close friends principles which I learned from the book and try to correct certain things they see as normal in other to set them on a positive note, carrying these attribute personal to me enable me persuade others and gradually leading the change in our immediate environment thereby working towards creating 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.
”Money is what fueled the industrial society. But in the informational society, the fuel, the power, is knowledge. One has now come to see a new class structure divided by those who have information and those who must function out of ignorance. This new class has its power not from money, not from land but from knowledge.”
This idea have immensely helped in shaping my thought as regards my day to day endeavor on how to better my lot through effective information seeking. It has help me separate myself from ignorance thereby giving a good percentage of my time to seek information before taking action.
“People who succeed in life are those who have learned how to take any challenge that life gives them and communicate the experience to themselves in a way that causes them to successfully change things.”
Having understood the nature of success I desire upon my life, and adequately aware that every road to it comes with different challenges I have learned from the authors statement to learn how to take any challenge that life bring before me in the course of defining the journey to my end.
“No matter how grim your world is, if you can read about the accomplishments of others, you can create the beliefs that will allow you succeed.”
This idea have given me hope and faith that one day I will get to that point in my life where I will tell myself that yes I succeeded. Specifically when I read a brief portion about Abraham Lincoln in this book I reignite the belief in me that I can do it too. The idea in simple term is learning from other people’s experience.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear.
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 contain exercise in Chapter IV: The birth of Excellence: Belief, Page 62 where I wrote out five key beliefs that have limited me in the past. Talking about the present as well, a list of at least five positive beliefs that can now serve to support me in achieving my highest goals. I find these new sets of belief top among the ones listed as to do the right thing in line with the principle I uphold. This particular idea is important to me as it frees my conscience of glitches. The exercise in Chapter XVI: Reframing: The power of perspective page 290-293 where it says a signal has meaning only in the frame or context in which we perceive it. Looking at figure A, B and C it confirms to me that I saw the three figures in my own perspective before getting to read what the three figures entails.
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.
There is nothing that was not covered, but as a call to further help our world share in a common value as a group of people living together.
“Values have primacy for societies as well as for individual.” The history of the United States over the past twenty years is a wrenching study in the importance and variability of values. What was the upheaval of the sixties but a cataclysmic example of values in conflict? Suddenly, a huge and vocal segment of society was professing values that clashed radically with those of society as a whole. Many of our country’s most cherished values – Patriotism, family, marriage, the work ethic-were suddenly being questioned. The result was a period of societal incongruity and turmoil.
In our own case as a country, there has been no significant difference in terms of using our difference in background and ethnicity to foster a robust unity, rather with the advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which is supposed to be used as a willing and important tool to enhance on our family, marriage, work ethics and to show patriotism to our nation, we had lost in oblivion our values to the trend in a negative way.
We must have to rethink our nation out of the dreaded sect who are professing hate message against the western method of education, rethinking our unity as a design by God and accepting each others way of worship in the light of truth to oneself and a conscious heart of service to humanity. Finally heartily having our motto in our consciousness as Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress as a hallmark of our value cannot be overemphasized in this trying time of our nationhood. God bless Nigeria.
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
Goal Setting 101
Assessment by Ogbaka Iji Friday (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author is trying to convey in the book “Goal Setting 101” is that achievements and accomplishments do not happen accidentally. They are the result of clearly defined goals acted upon until completion. Goals determine what you will or will not become or accomplish. To be or not to be is directly related to your ability to set or not to set a goal. Careful planning, thoughtful strategy and faithful execution are the factors that led to success. Success happens only when a clear, definable target has been established. Before taking action, you need a goal and not to say ready, aim fire for nothing. The author emphasized that the primary interest in establishing a goal is to move yourself from where you are to where you want to be and to accomplish more than you thought possible. The aim is to try to offer goal setting methods, insights and suggestions to those seeking their signature path to success. Finally, the author advice that it takes study and practice to produce good results. But the efforts required will prove to be minor when measured against the payoffs.
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. Goal Setting gives you confidence
It remove frustration immediately out of one’s life, personally I set a goal to attend Next Leaders Initiative for Sustainability (NELIS) Summit in Lagos on 2nd December, 2017. After sharing this goal with my Boss he sounds indifferent towards my goal, but because it was my own goal with which my heart was open to I could confidently explain why am attending with all confidence, explaining to him with all level of maturity and enthusiasm about my goal.
ii. Goal Setting Improves your Self-Image
It improves me today and makes me feel better for tomorrow. Personally after coming back from the conference I was filled with joy on sustainable paths my life could take, I got lessons on how I could improve myself today which gives me hope and makes me feel better for tomorrow.
iii. Make Everything Count
Self-knowledge grows as you subject your life to examination. Personally before my trip to the conference, listening to my own speech, reflecting on my own thoughts regarding the two responses I got about the trip, looking at my own action. They all form the processes by which I am mastering myself. It helps shape my philosophies and by observing and striving to understand the events of each moment of my life.
iv. Practice Spontaneity
It helps me establish a delicate balance between planning and improvisation. Practically this idea has helped me moved faster in self-actualization and achieving the goal of getting myself an accommodation immediately I had problem with the initial one I was staying. The plan was to achieve this with someone else, but find myself achieving this feat all alone.
v. Practice Speed, Simplicity and Boldness
It is important as a plan or course of action driven by speed, simplicity and boldness is difficult to fault. The statements of mission and vision was simple as to rekindle my leadership goals, so when the time came for me to take the final decision on my journey to Lagos for the NELIS Summit I acted with speed by informing the people in concern a week before the trip, making the purpose look very simple and explaining my objective with a high level of boldness when I was getting negative feedbacks.
vi. Watch your language
It is important as it will inspire confidence. Personally during our weekly performance meeting, I was asked what is expected of me in the coming week, I simply say I will deliver according to my target, then came a colleague complaining of how difficult it has been for her and I advise that we can get started with our family and friends, subsequently that word inspired each of us into committed action.
vii. Be unreasonable
It has made me discover new levels of performance, recently in a meeting within the office discussing on administration which is under my purview, I stood up expressing myself in the truly important matters, which I do not hesitate to ask for a great deal from myself and from the people around me, telling them the importance of applying the entrepreneurial process through all we have to do here in our work place on a daily basis.
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?
Personally and practically, I now understand that the winning attitude is one of movement and progress, not digging in and holding ground. Defensive postures are illusions. Digging in May make you feel safe, but in reality, you have transformed yourself into a stationary target. In any competitive enterprise, action is preferable to inaction.
As the cliché goes “the best defense is a good offence;” Go forward; be aggressive, don’t give your fears or competition a chance to pin you down. Trepidation and loss of confidence come with a defensive posture. With my goal setting in five years plan I summoned every courage to attend the NELIS network last year in preparation for a direction in the coming year, which has made me feel better about my dealings today and a hope for a better tomorrow, making everything count in my journey to this noble attainment has made me understand that in this journey, there would be need for improvisation so as to have a plan of action driven by speed, simplicity and boldness which I know will be difficult to fault. Finally I try to be courteous even if that was the last thing I have within me to inspire confidence in me and my fellow colleagues, finding an unreasonable ground which has given me a new levels of performance.
Building all these attributes and capacity in myself on a daily basis has made me understand life in its most simplest form like the NELIS vision of “One world in harmony”, building all these attributes, my contribution to a larger course of humanity as an individual would help in creating a better world by helping them see life from my perspective.
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 truth will prevail one way or another and usually sooner rather than later. It is better to face facts at the planning phase, and to convince others to do the same. This is not for the sake of building character or maintaining mortality. It is a matter of survival. Whether or not you face it, truth will create consequences.”
Reality moves you toward your goals, denial moves you away, and personally recently in my office there was a display of self-imposed deception, convenient cover by one of the staff in which an arrangement was made for him to succeed the Head Business Development, with all manner of deception at display. The quote rekindle my confidence of truth coming up in a nearby future.
“Everything counts!” is a philosophy for living. Its meaning is simple, yet powerful. Every thought, decision and action moves you closer to or further from your goals.”
Self-knowledge grows as you subject your life to examination. Listening to your own speech, reflecting on your own thoughts, looking at your own actions. These are the processes by which you master yourself.
Personally this idea became clearer to me sometimes ago when I was in discussion with a group of customer who had apply for a facility with the Bank. While cushioning them on the essence of certain things they need to do, I particularly request an information about a woman away then lo and behold she oblige saying it was same woman she had gone to ask questions about few minutes ago.
“Nothing of any lasting value was ever created by someone who was reasonable, it is the unreasonable people, those discontented with the status quo, the dreamers and visionaries who nevertheless have their feet planted firmly on solid ground who improve people’s lives and advance society.”
Successful people do what unsuccessful people simply won’t or can’t do. And in so doing them frequently achieve the impossible. Personally this idea have made me challenge status quo of what many people will see as normal to life, like getting married, give birth to children, live in a comfortable house and so on to an unreasonable mindset of having others in mind by helping them reach out to their own potential, thereby improving their lives and in the long run advance society.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
Nothing to my own understanding is unclear.
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?
Exercise #1: Identify the Goals
It has made me understand properly the specific, measurable and time bound criteria of a goal as learnt in my earlier studies on GOALS. With me setting a goal of registering a business organization by 30th November 2018.
Exercise #2: Having identify this goal from #1
Strengths is that I already have it ongoing around my previous location, an uncompleted building which I intend to complete by the above stated time and be used as office temporarily.
Weakness: there is limited time for me to go and handle it myself, therefore I may decide to arrange its completion through correspondence or wait for a longer leave period.
Opportunities: Since it is a school premises the building is located, it could serve different purpose which could generate income.
Threats: Should I not act quickly, I may suffer procrastination and thereby losing the premises in its entirety.
Exercise #3: Traits and Characteristics
Likes: Doing what I love doing anytime, any day if I have my financial freedom.
Dislikes: Too much often, waiting for order’s to carry out initiatives or effectively using my time.
Strengths: Time freedom to choose.
Weaknesses: Easily bored with other people’s ways which are not time effective
Exercise #4: Top Ten Goals
1. Complete another source of income by September 30th 2018
2. Complete a higher degree or skills by December 30th 2019
3. To get myself a plot of land for building purpose by December 30th 2018
4. To get a better apartment by March 30th 2019
5. To be part of a leading initiative that supports community towards action by March 30th 2019.
6. To be married by December 30th 2020
7. To register a corporate limited liability company by March 30th 2019
8. To move up to level 4 in my IIGL studies by June 30th 2019
9. To own my car by December 30th 2019
10. To be financially free by December 20th 2022
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.
To my very best, everything was well covered.
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