Olgbenga Adebiyi John – Assessments

As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Olgbenga Adebiyi John

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

Man is either the architect of his fortune or his misfortune. The author is trying to pass across the message that as humans whether we succeed or fail depends on our innate thoughts and disposition. A man is not finished until he thinks so. A man is accomplished if he thinks he is and so complements that with action.

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

(i) The power of thought – We determine our destiny by what we think. As the saying goes, ‘a man is what he thinks all day.’ There is also a law of personal positive confession. Where we are today is to product of our thoughts many years ago.. ‘The wind and the sail are always on the side of the ablest navigator’.

(ii) Godly Virtues – This is another good idea I love in this book. If we are to be great in life, we should imbibe Godly virtues. Without goodly virtues, we cannot said to be successful in life. Great people like: Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Churchill, Powel and other great people have the godly virtues. Love, patience, meekness, temperance are indispensable virtues of great people.

(iii) The law of being – We are all human and we have to accept this fact. As human beings, we cannot co-exist without our fellow human being as no man is an island to himself, and a tree cannot make a forest. Being human is our first realization that helps us to know who we are and what power we carries.

(iv) Good thoughts – This is another important idea in the book. Good thoughts have benefits toward our spiritual and secular fulfillment. The Bible commands that ‘we should keep our hearts with all diligence because out of it are the issues of life.’ God bless those who have good thoughts while he punishes those who harbour evil thoughts.

(v) The law of return – There is a belief that you reap what you sow. No man sows sour grape and expect to reap cherries. The fact is that the law of Karma is a reality. In my personal life, I have had a reflection sometimes, and would attribute some punishments/sufferings to my short-comings. I would usually conclude that if I had done the right thing, this would not have been my fate.’

(vi) Discipline and Hard work – There is a prize for discipline. The sluggard will always lack, while the diligent would not lack. Again in my personal life, I have seen the reward of discipline. Ten years ago, I wasn’t where I am today. But by the dint of hard work coupled with discipline, I can say that I have been able to achieve my dreams.

(vii) “As a reaper of his own harvest, man learns both of suffering and bliss” – Every one of our action has results. Hope and Faith – This is the most important idea I love in this book. As humans, we are afraid of the future. We are not sure of what the future brings. We live our lives in expectation of one thing or the other. Without hope and faith, our dreams would be shattered and life would look worthless. Were it not for faith in the almighty God and hope in his word, I wonder what my life would have been. I got my education through university by faith in the almighty God and my career has been through the same. Without faith and hope, man is finished. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way both your daily personal life in helping you to create a better world? If so why?

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 would help me in my daily interpersonal relationship with others and also help me to be a successful person. All these ideas are positive mental attitude which would make one to develop his potentials in everyday life.

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

(i) “A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete being the complete sum of all his thoughts..” – You know someone by his character. The whole essence of man can be summarized by his inward thoughts and the disposition he carry.. Many years ago, I read the book on the “Power of Positive thinking”. After reading it, I wasn’t the same again. I started changing my thought life. All along, I have been having a having a negative thought. I don’ see the reason why I should confidently, while the situation around me is negative.

(ii) A noble and God-like character is not a thing of favour or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished associated with God-like thoughts” – Godly character is got by developing one’s relationship with God, and not by wishful thinking.

(iii) “Man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transformation and regenerative agency by which he may makes himself what he wills.” Man was created with dominion to do the impossible even to turn around a negative situation around him to a positive one by using his God-given power.

(iv) “Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results’ bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results.” Both good and bad thoughts have their rewards.

(v) “A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so directly, yet surely, shape his circumstances”.

No man chooses who becomes his parents, is race or colour, but we can determine our destinies by our actions and thoughts.

(vi) “Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state.” When God created man, He gave him dominion. In the state of man weakness, he feels that he has lost the dominion, so he fails to exercise it. But God has something different whether we exercise it or not, we have the dominion.

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?

Yes.

(i) “Clean thoughts make clean habits” – Our habits are the reflections of our thoughts. “Suffering ceases for him who is pure. “I don’t agree with this saying. I pitched my tent with the bible which says, “Many are the affliction of the righteous”. All the holy men of God passed through one affliction or the other. Job, a perfect man has his own share of the suffering. There is no where in the bible that holy men of God lived a life without one affliction or the other. In our contemporary society, those who are upright and cannot cut corners are often perceived as ‘misfit’. Those who would dine with the devil should have a long spoon. In Politics, which is often perceived as a dirty game, only those who are ready to soil their conscience can make it. In this part of the world, those who are righteous cannot measure up in terms of material acquisition and wealth. It is only those who are wicked and give no place for God that are celebrated. That is why I find it difficult to agree with the postulation that suffering ceases for those who are pure.

(ii) “Man do not attract that which they want, but that which they are” – Our thought have a magnetic price in line with our thought. “The Circumstances which a man encounters with suffering are as a result of his own mental disharmony.” How time is this? There are some people who have mental disharmony but yet rich. Some can think creatively and uprightly, but are poor. So I find a disconnect with these beliefs.

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?

“Change of diet will not help a man who will not help his taught”. Nothing can change or transform man than his thoughts and his actions, not even the clothes we wear or the food we eat. It has nothing to do with weight or size. A man may be fat yet wicked; a man may be slim or skinny on the other hand, yet very good. It doesn’y have to do with complexion too: whether fair, dark, light or any other complexion. A man is what he is inside him and not on the outward. Sometimes, appearance could be very deceptive, but the real person, the real man will always show. In Africa, it is said, that, caharacter is like a smoke; you can’t hide it.

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

Yes.

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

None.

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

A. How interesting was it read? 10
B. How helpful were hew 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 Olugbenga Adebiyi John

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

We can all be perfect no matter our limitations, by practicing.

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) Trial – I learned that by trial, we can become perfect. I remember when I was learning to ride a bicycle. Many times, I would fall down to the extent that I almost gave up riding. But when I took the courage again, I became an expert. I can even ride a bicycle now with my eyes closed. ‘By constant practice, we become perfect.’

(ii) Persistence – Someone once said, “It is good to fail. For when you fail, you will learn something.’ The man who does not fail will not ultimately succeed. Before I made a credit grade in English Language in my school have failed the subject many times to the extent of giving up. But I told myself that I could make it, and I did. Perfection is not achieved by sudden feat. It is by trying and trying. Persistence is the rule of the game for those who will eventually make it. Without tenaciousness and persistence, one is likely to own up and give up.

(iii) Learning and Observation – Another good idea in the book is about learning. We should learn new skills if we are to adapt to our environment and take the lead. More importantly, we should be a good observer of our environment and the people around us. We should learn from others. I have got to a stage in my life that I realized that I need to learn everyday by building new skills, acquiring knowledge and also learning from people. So, I so much count this idea important personally. We meet different people everyday. When we get to a new environment, we should see how we can learn something form that environment and how to adapt. This is what Jonathan did.

(iv) Pursuit of perfection- Someone once said: “This world is a dressing room for eternity”. As we live in this world, we are striving towards perfection. We want to do what we were not able to do yesterday, better than today, to me, this is my desire everyday. Perfection is the ultimate quest of those who want to lead others more importantly those who want to please God. Without perfection, we would not be able to live in the world above.

(v) Knowledge and Sharing – Jonathan experienced a different environment in his quest for perfection in heaven. When he came back, he shared his experience with other birds that they too could soar-fly. This is a leadership spirit – ‘teambuilding’. Jonathan wasn’t selfish with his acquisition of knowledge rather he tried to share what he has learned with his other colleagues.

(vi) Teachability – Anyone who desires to be perfect should be teachable. As a person, I found out that I am not a patient learner. But after some time, I realized that if I want to get the best, I need to be teachable. When I eventually become a teacher, I found out that I need to tolerate the slow learners that everyone does not have the same level of intelligence – some are show, while some are very fast. With this virtue comes humility. Those who want to lead should be teachable. Those who are not teachable will not be able to come to the art of perfection.

(vii) Friendliness – This is another good idea that I cherished so much in this book. ‘We should make more friends than enemies’. We should settle it in our minds that not everyone would love us. Even Jesus Christ, the sinless son of God wasn’t loved by everyone. He had critics – the scribes and the Pharisees. By tolerating everybody and accepting them as they are, we are bringing out our outmost virtue – ‘love’.

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

The ideas would help me to become a better person that everyone would love to associate with. It would also help me to get the competitive edge above others especially when someone is needed to lead a team or be a leader. Inculcating these ideas would make me a person of influence, pride and power.

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.

(i) “We can list ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly.” We can do what we believe we can, we can excel no matter other people’s perception.

(ii) “One school is finished, and the time has come for another to begin.” We should learn everyday. The man who ceases to learn, cease to live.

(iii) The gull sees farthest who flies highest”. Our perception depends on the pedestal we stand.

(iv) “If our friendship depends on things like space and time, then when we finally overcome space and time, we’ve destroyed our own brotherhood”. Love and friendship should be unconditional.

(v) “Break the claims of your thought, and you break the chains of your body too.” The truly liberated man is the man who has liberated his thoughts. The man who has broke himself free from the manacle of impossibilities.

(vi) “We’re free to go where we wish and what we are.” We should believe that we can and we see it coming to manifestation. Freedom is what all living being desires. When God created man, he gave him the freedom to choose. The limit of our freedom is based on what we think. If we think that we are free, then we are free. If we think that we are in bondage, then we are in bondage. It is only our confession that can tell us our present realities and our future realities.

(vii) “Perfection doesn’t have limits”. – We will continue to build our character until we leave this world.

(viii) “The hardest thing in the world is to convince a bird that he is free, and that he can prove it for himself if he’d just spend a little time practicing? “Sometimes it is difficult to convince someone who has a pre-conceived belief that he couldn’t do the impossible. Hard realities are impossible sometimes especially to the negative minded people.

(ix) “It was hardly restful to analyze heaven in the very moment that one flies up to enter it”. Heaven is a wonderful place. Just one glimpse of heaven one would be thrilled of the amazing galaxies of heaven.

(x) “Dreams are the seedlings of reality”. To make it in life, one need to first dream. The man who dream can see the realities of his dreams right before him even before they manifest. So, dreams are the seedlings of realities. Another philosopher one said, “to invent the future, first dream it.” If one can have a vision of the future, then he can have a bright and a fulfilled future.

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?

“Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time”. The scripture says that heaven is a place of rest for the righteous, the pure and home of the saints. It is a place and after time has passed away, there would be the new heaven and the new earth. So, I don’t agree that “heaven is not a place”. The Bible cleary establishes this in the book of Revelation chapter 22 that heaven is a place of rest and an eternal bliss for those who have given their lives to him and lived a righteous life. After this world, there is a place above the earth that we would live eternally, whether heaven or hell.

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

Yes.

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

None

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

A. How interesting was it 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 to it? 9

 

 

Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Olgbenga Adebiyi John (Nigeria)

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

The whole book can be summarized by the author’s quote:

“Whatsoever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve”. There is nothing like “impossible”, “unachievable” or “unattainable in this world. We are only limited by what we believe. If we believe that we can, we would achieve even the seemingly impossible task or venture. The term “impossible” or impossibility” only exists in our minds. On the other hand, if we say “we can’t, it would be according to our belief because every man is limited by the operation of his mind – whether positive thoughts or negative thoughts. Negative means “failure” while positive means “success”. With the right kind of attitude at all time, we can have successful career, good health, wealth and good relationship and good lives both ere and in eternity.

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) Believe you can – No one can achieve anything without believing that he can. We don’t plan to fail. But if we don’t believe in ourselves, then we cannot achieve anything success starts by first believing.

(ii) Do it now – “Procrastination is the thief of time”. Those who have the habit of “I will do it, I will do it later” will never succeed.. This is because they will always be pushing off what they should do for now till when they will have convenient time to do it. And that convenient time will never come. “A stitch in time saves nine”. That is how the English proverb goes. The idea “do it now” has helped me a great deal. When it comes to doing something, I am a very proactive person. I usually do what I am supposed to do and don’t procrastinate. By so doing, I found out what I have a lot of time to do some other task instead of having piles of tasks to attend to.

(iii) You can change your world – By reading the book, I found out that each and everyone of us have been created with unique talents. The world is waiting for the manifestation of everyone of us to explore our world. The earlier we realize this, the better and more profitable for us.

By engaging in imaginative thought we can discover ourselves see what we have and add value to others. All great achievers have realized this – that they have been created for a purpose, they need to be proactive about discovering that purpose and they have the power to change their world.

(iv) Clear the cobweb from your thinking – As human beings, we have many things we fear – fear of the unknown, failure, death and ill-health. All these are cobwebs which would blur our vision of realizing our maximum potentials.

By clearing the cobwebs from our thinking, we can do what we want to do.

(v) Go the extra-mile – By reading the book, I found out that those who failed are not sprinters. They gave up easily – they can’t go the extra-mile. To succeed in life and career, one should not be easily discouraged. By adding extra value, one can succeed.

(vi) Positive Mental Attitude – The whole book is about this important idea. Those who have achieved lasting success and become celebrities today have use the Positive Mental attitude in one way or the other. They have use some or the entire 17 positive mental attitude. The reason why this is so is because success has a correlation with our attitude. “Someone said “attitude is everything”. How we act or react to a particular situation will determine whether we have the wrong attitude or the positive mental attitude. It will ultimately determine who we are and what we are.

(vii) The Master Mind Alliance – I call the Mastermind Alliance, “MMA”. Using the mastermind alliance, the two young ladies this book turned failure to fortune. Their father’s painting business was rebranded and they were able to turn the business to a profitable enterprise. Although their father was poor despite the fact that he was a very good painter. Through the MMA, they re-innovate the dying business into a burgeoning one.

The reason why I value the MMA is that in looking for experts in a particular field, one can talk to a friend or close relative and collaborate together so as to do business together.

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

By using the ideas of: going the extra-mile, believing you can, clear the cobweb from your thinking, you can change your world, do it now and positive mental attitude, I can change my business, impact people’s life and eventually influence my world with these principles. To me these are successful proven-techniques that have helped great people achieved lasting success.

4. Quotes

(i) “If you are unhappy with your world and want to change it, the place to start is with yourself.” There is really nothing wrong with the world, I think we are the one who need to change our attitude.

The boy who was given a supposedly quizzical puzzle by his father in the book waste no time in accomplishing the task of fixing the puzzle contrary to his father’s thought that the puzzle would give the boy a hectic time to unravel. By to his father’s chagrin and consternation, the boy unravels the puzzle in no time. When the father asked he was able to do this without much ado, the boy replied: “I just discovered that I can put the man on top of the map, the whole world would be right.” This eventually gave the father the sermon to preach the next day. This change the father’s attitude and he got the message, “If I can get it right, the whole world would be right”.

(ii) “To achieve anything in life, it is imperative that you apply PMA, regardless of what other success principles you employ.” I have found out that the PMA summarizes all the other principles that we might have been used to. You cannot talk of any success principle without relating it to the PMA or in which one out of the 17 success principles is not included.

(iii) “If life hand us a problem, it hands us also the abilities with which to meet the problem”.

No problem has no solution. Every problem is a solution in disguise. We have been tempted to ask most times, “why is there a problem? Because, the solution to that problem is in the problem itself – in your hand. Or ‘why is it that I often confront problems? “Because God knows that you will always have the solution.

Everything problem in life has been created to solve a problem. If there are no problems, there would be no inventions.

(iv) “You are what you think” – Everyman is the product of his thinking. If he thinks that he is successful that is just how he is. If he thinks he is a failure, then he can be nothing else than a failure. This thought me that I should change my thinking and perception. If I think right, them I can get it right..

(v) “The man who develops an idea that can work and follow his action will turn failure into success”. – Idea alone itself doesn’t make any change, but by complementing the idea with action. The bible says “faith without work is dead”.

(vi) “It is in quiet that our best idea occurs to us”. Whenever I want to get the best idea, I usually engage in personal Meditative Hour (PMH). I was introduced to this about ten or fifteen years ago by one of my student leader.

Whenever I observe my PMH, I got a lot of revelations, retrace my steps (if the are wrong), reshape my character, develop innovative idea, and write poems and books. Most times, I usually last for about two hours – undistracted.

This is usually my finest moment and my best time. I found out that whatever I do within this period is very difficult to come by. I believe that it is in the secret that our best ideas occur to us.

(vii) “Nothing will happen in your life that you do not inspire by your initiative” – personal initiative is the secret of health and wealth. No one has the right to determine our future except ourself.

(viii) “Everyday, in everyway, I am getting better and better”. One of the capsules of success is “positive confession”. By saying it, we can have it. We can be healthy by this confession.

(ix) “Tell me how you use your time and how you spend your money, and I will tell you where and what you will be in ten years from now”. – Time and money are the two indispensable things in life we would never have enough. How we use our time and money will determine how successful we are or otherwise.

The man who is not judicious in these life resources would be reaping the reward of the inability to maximize these resources. If we take time by the forelock and prudent in the use of our resources, we would become successful and be happy.

(x) “You are what you are because of your established habits” – Someone said “Habit is the second nature”. Our established habits play a dominant life in influencing our lives either positively or negatively. Even before a man speaks, you can know him by his disposition. When he speaks, you can read the while about him.

(xi) “Any worthless superfluous or harmful habit can be broken and replaced
with a more desirable one of we want it be so”. – I believe that we all can change our harmful or bad habit if we desire to change it.

(xii) “You should have one high, desirable outstanding goal and keep it before you”. – Those who succeed are focused people. Those who pursue many things at the same time hardly succeed. I have found out that as a talented person, I sued to be easily distracted because I have interest in many things. When I follow my inclination, while not remaining focused, I usually don’t succeed.

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?

No.

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

Yes.

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

None.

Please rate the following questions from 1 to 10.

A. How interesting was it 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 to it? 10

 

 

Keys to Success
Assessment by Olgbenga Adebiyi John ( Nigeria)

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

With the right attitude- positive mental attitude (PMA), we can achieve what we desire, even the seemingly impossible task.

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

i. Definiteness of purpose: this is one of the keys of the Positive Mental Attitudes (PMA). Every successful person has this. No man could have said to have been successful without first defining his purpose: what do I want to achieve? When do I want it? Why and how? Life success begins by asking oneself some serious of questions. No one would set out on a journey without first of all deciding where he/she is going. A captain stirring a ship without a compass is definitely heading on a collision course. If we really want something in mind (setting a goal).

I gained so much from this because having a definiteness of purpose has helped me when I was a student, even now as a career person. I wouldn’t say I have achieved anything without first setting them out.

ii. Positive Mental Attitude – the whole book is about PMA-attitude. If you see a successful man, ask him about his attitude. If on the other hand, another man is a failure, ask him about his attitude too. This is because “attitude” plays a great role in determining our success or failure in life.

Through this idea, I have seen how successful people achieved their success with the right PMA-like; faith, going the extra-mile courage, laughter, courtesy, sincerity, flexibility and persistence. In the same vein, those who are negative, lazy and pessimistic have not faith to reap what their attitude gives back to them “failure”.

Something happened last year which made me to value this idea very well. By virtue of my job as an educational consultant, I had met a parent who told me about his son who would like to write a foreign exam. We met after a workshop.

After the workshop, I had called severally, but she told me to be patient, as I would be contacted when I was needed. I needed money desperately, so I was anxious to get started. When she wasn’t forthcoming on our discussion, I deleted her telephone number from my mobile phone, and stopped calling her.

It was months later, when I was at my wits end and cash stashed that my phone rang, and it happened to be the same person I stopped calling. The woman asked me to come immediately to broker the deal.

I couldn’t believe my ears until I got to her house. This was how it all began and I was able to settle my present needs them..

The experience taught me a lot. ‘Be positive at all time;’ ‘be patient with people’. ‘Trust in God even when all hope is lost’. ‘Don’t follow your minds working something (especially when you are trying to get along with people, and you are in a med hurry) because you may be wrong’.

God proves himself to me in this experience. No wonder popular musician says ‘lean on me when you are not strong I’ll be your strength. It’s just good and safe to stay positive and calm at all times. Don’t overreact, don budge, be calm, be cool and stay positive because good thing will come your way.

iii. Budgeting Time and money: Another important idea in this book which I like so much is “budgeting time and money” someone who want to succeed in life should be very prudent in the use of time and money. Time and money are the two scarce and indispensable resources which we are always looking for in life, and which we cannot have enough. The man who can use time very well and is not extra-vigilant will be a successful person.

iv Cosmic Habit Force: as the popular saying goes “ charisma will take you there, but character will sustain you” I learnt that the environment we live in has a direct effect in the molding and shaping our character. We should try to reshape our character in such a way that we programme ourselves for success.

v. Creative vision/imagination: it was Helen Keller that said “pity the man with sight , but without vision”. All great men and inventors were visionaries. They conceptualize their dreams before it became reality. “Where there is no vision the people perish”.

Everyone of us should dream and see our prospects before they materialize. God has given everyone of us mind to dream-if only we could engage the theatre of our imagination for great and astounding ideas that would eventually turn to realities.

No lasting success and successful enterprise today without creative vision and imagination. The power of imagination is so great that we can begin to see ourselves greater and bigger than our present condition. Every imagination is greater than the dreamer and the visionary.

Before starting my education outfit and non-governmental organization, I usually see myself attending conference (either as a speaker or participants). I have seen myself doing my own business- being independent and riding my own car. The fact is that any meaningful and lasting success starts from mind. If you can dream it and believe it, then you can have it.

vi. Faith- What I found out from the book is that all successful people of faith. They may not recognize it, but they have it.

Faith is sine qua non and indispensable to any successful venture. Without faith, no one can succeed.

The Bible describes faith “as the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen”.

The story of the young Fuller in the opening passage amazed me. The young lad had blamed their poverty on their father, but the mother said rather “it is because your father failed to manifest faith to change his circumstances”.

With this, the small boy began to work hard and put his faith to work to achieve substantial result. Before long, he left his menial job and bought a merchandize worthing $100,000.

All successful entrepreneurs had unwavering faith in the almighty God, coupled with faith and prayer for result.

vii Self-discipline: the human nature is inherently lazy and wouldn’t like discipline. To be successful requires a lot of discipline.

Without self-discipline, no lasting success can be attained.

One needs discipline in his habits, spending, management of time and resources and even paying the ultimate price of success- self-discipline.

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

Achieving success is a combination of so many factors like: definiteness of purpose, positive mental attitude, budgeting time and money, cosmic habit force, creative vision and imagination, faith and self-discipline.

No one could have been said to be successful in the real sense of the word without employing all these ideas. In my own experience. I have found out that if your attitude is negative or critical, then you will, fail. If positive, then you will be successful. Applying faith and creative vision also makes a successful person.

4. Quotes

i “Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement, and its lack is the stumbling block for ninety-eight out of every hundred people simply because they never really define their goals and start towards them”.

To start a course or a venture, we need to first of all state where we are going.. Without deciding where we are going, we would be heading for failure.

ii “If you would plant for days, plant flowers. If you would plant for years, plant trees. If you would plant forever, plant ideas”.

The investment of idea is something more lasting than anything we could ever imagined. Organizations like: McDonald, Disneyland, Coca-Cola, Guinness and other great companies began with ideas.

iii. “One single idea may have greater weight than the labour of all men, animals and energies for century”.

Ideas pay than all the years of labour and toil if rightly invested.

iv. If you can see an opportunity as quickly as you can see the faults of others, you will soon succeed”.

We should change our disposition and thought by looking more inwardly rather than picking the fault of other people.

v. “The cheapest and the most profitable quality in the world is courtesy”. Courtesy is cheaper than pride or arrogance. And it has more reward than the lack of it.

vi. “There are two types of people who never amount to anything: those who never do anything except what they are told to do, and those who cannot even do what they are told to do” – Andrew Carnegie.

Self-motivation and innovation is very good. It distinguishes a success from a failure.

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?

No.

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

Yes.

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

None.

Please rate the following questions from 1 to 10.

A. How interesting was it 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 to it? 10

Psycho-Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by Olgbenga adebiyi John (Nigeria)

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

The whole book is about how we can programme our mental capability and redirect it in a systematic manner through a series of principles (cybernetics) to achieve the right result in our everyday life and career. We are exposed to how the mind functions, the brain works – the right brain and the left brain.

“Psycho-cybernetics is essentially about changing habits – habits of beliefs, habits of attitude and habits of action – the procedures any two individuals may follow will closely parallel one another.”

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

(i) Your self image and how it affects you: Everyone of us has an image it portrays. It could be negative or positive. We act according to our image consciously or unconsciously. Our image is very important in everything we do and will ultimately determine who we are and what we are. If we project a negative image, this would mean that everything about us would be negative. If positive, then positive. In my own personal experience, I find out that when I boost a good self image, then I get a good result. When I was having low self-esteem –shy and unconfident about myself, I usually fail to do things confidently because I wasn’t too confident. When I boost a good self image, then I get a good result. When I was having low self-esteem –shy and unconfident about myself. I usually fail to do things confidently because I wasn’t too confident about myself and this affects my performance level. Hardly would a moody, sanguine and melancholic person achieve a substantial result than a lively, enthusiastic and confident person. “Image is everything” as the saying goes.

(ii) How to programme your success mechanism: I learnt that the human brain could be likened to a servomechanism.. How we direct and focus our mind would determine what result we would get.. I also learned that whatever is our habit we can change it using the CRAFT – Cancel, replace, Affirm, Focus and Train. No bad habit cannot be changed if we are willing.

(iii) Fake it, Till You Make It: This is one of the success psycho-cybernetics. Our subconscious mind obeys what the conscious mind tells it. If the conscious mind is fed with a positive confession everyday, it will soon get accustomed to this confessions and the subconscious mind will follow suit. By “faking it till one eventually makes it” we are already programming ourselves for success.

Sometimes, the way one portrays himself will determine the impression he/she would have on people around. I observed that I have been using the fake it until you get make it” mentality to get all what I have got.

I remembered teaching my student in the classroom one day on “Register” and asked them “how many of you have boarded on aeroplane before?” (When I have never boarded it – although I have entered into it, but not travel in it). Whenever I come to the “register on air transportation” I wouldn’t shy away from this experience.

Most times, I had to remind myself that you have never boarded an aeroplane, but you know a lot about the cockpit, the fuselage, boarding pas, the crew, the announcer, run-way, gang way and other terms. When are you going to get on board? I reassured myself that it wouldn’t be long. I would not stop imagining that I have been flying on the airplane on international destinations from one country to another.

At long last, I experienced what air-travel is all about. It was as if I had been flying. I checked in, carry my hand luggage and was immediately air-borne. This idea have really worked for me. And I am still using it now to get what I still need.

(iv) Live by your own script: A successful life starts by setting goals. Not just goals, but SMART goals- Specific, Measurable, Accurate, Realistic and Time bound. It’s no use setting goals and not achieving them. It’s also a self-betrayal living by someone else’s script. This is where the question of career comes in – “what do I want from life?” In the book, the writer narrated an experience which transformed his life. When he was about to finish from high school, he attended a lecture on “Life Planning” – a lecture given by Maltz Maxwell and the burning question was directed at him. “What do you want out of life?”

(v) Goal Setting: I learned so much from goal-setting because it has helped me as a person and as a teacher preparing students to pass exams. I once told my audience in a seminar on “Goal setting” that “you will go nowhere without a goal. But a man with a goal will go places.” After delivering my paper, I gave time for question and answer. I was surprised when a junior student said that what she learned was that for every stage in her life, she ahs to set goals. I have never forgotten that lesson. Setting goals should not only be academic or career goals. Goal setting should be at every stage of our life and it should be time-bound and realistic.

After I failed my senior school certificate examination in my first attempt, I sat up and have the face the reality of failure. I began a self-assessment test and then found a book. “The Secrets of Passing Examination Without Tears”. The book was written by my pastor. In the book, I learned that one of the secret of passing exams is goal-setting. Many students don’t know what they want and they accept anything that they see after the exam. “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. “After discovering this secret, I have been using it to teach and impact my students that they can pass their exams at a sitting without engaging in exam malpractice.

Exam malpractice is one serious problem that our educational system is facing in Nigeria. Students don’t read to pass again. Mercenaries do the magic for them. And if this is not the case, they can buy prepared result and answer to maneuver their way through.

With the secret of goal setting and telling the students to work hard, many of them are finding the reality of success.

(vi) Shaping your Personality for Success: We can take specific measures to acquire the elements of a success – type personality: using the SUCCESS acronym: sense of direction, understanding, confidence, charity, esteem, self-confidence and self-acceptance. We can change our negative personality to a positive one by improving our image for success.

(vii) How to avoid failure: The author lists the seven warming signals of failure as: frustration, aggressiveness, insecurity, loneliness, uncertainty, resentment and emptiness. By sowing the SEEDS, our can avoid failure. Failure itself is not something bad, it is rather a challenge if everyone of us can think it so.

3. How would these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way both in your daily life and in helping you create a better world? If so, why?

All the ideas enumerated here: Self-image, success mechanism, fake it till you make it, living by your own script, goal-setting, shaping your personality for success, how to avoid failure are all Psycho-cybernetic principles that would help me to achieve success. First I observed that reshaping my personality would affect my success in life and in my career. Also, I find out that I need to live by my own script. Setting goals would not be meaningful without setting out strategies to achieve those goals.

4. Quotes

(i) “No real behaviour changes could take place unless the self-image was changed”. Our self image has a direct bearing and influence upon our life and character. The better our self image, the better our value and success in life. I believe strongly in this quote.

(ii) “Anyone could start a new and self-fulfilling life by changing his self-image” – Whatever our low self-esteem and our self-image, we can all become better by having a high-self image if we can pay attention to ourselves. I once have a low self-esteem. After some time, I started paying attention to myself and then found out that I needed to change some things about myself to become a person of influence. The first thing I did was a personal evaluation of myself and then getting people’s perception about me-whether positive or negative.

Then I begin reading some motivated books and started attention lectures and taking roles in public speaking. With this, I was able to boost my self-image.

(iii) “All too often we focus on our failures and disappointments and tend to forget or disregard or successes” – Tim Hopkins said: “I am not judged by the number of times I fail but by the number of times I succeed”. If we can have this attitude, we would soon become better and confident.

(iv) “People always feel, act and behave according to what they image to be time about themselves and their circumstances. This is because the subconscious mind can’t tell the differences between a real experience and one that is vividly imagined.”

Our self image is very important and we carry this consciously or unconsciously. Everyman is acting his script out either knowingly and unknowingly. If we play our past well, we are good actor, but if badly, we are not good actors. That is why we need to improve our self –image. I learned a lot from this because I used to have an image problem, but I am overcoming that now.

(v) “Your automatic mechanism can only handle one goal at a time”. Although it is very good to be up and doing, but it is advisable if we don’t bite more than we can chew. Those who are in the habit of taking too many things at the same time will eventually end up achieving nothing this is a very good advise for those who are multitalented – the prodigy (like someone l;’,
ike me ). We can only be successful if we are steady and focused, if we try to take to many things at the same time, we would soon end up failing.

(vi) “A man or woman without a goal is like ship without a rudder. Each will drift and drive. Each will end up on the beaches of despair, defeat and despondency”

A goalless life is surely an aimless life. Just as there is a purpose for every creation, so there should be a purpose for living.

(vii) “If you want to hit a target, you’ve got to have one” those who aim and two
goals will end up achieving nothing. “Aim at all, loose all; aim at nothing get nothing; aim at one, hit it”

(viii) “There aren’t too many victims in the world, there are many volunteers” – I believe in this quote because some people just take what life or their situation gives to them. If they fail, they just accept it like that and start blaming their failure on themselves or their families. That is why life has many volunteers than victims.

(ix) “Those who don’t write down their goals don’t achieve the. If you can’t commit to writing them down, you won’t commit to following through. If you won’t connect to paper, you won’t connect to reality.”

Because the human memory is sometimes porous and oblivious, we need to write down what our goals are. If we don’t we may not remember them. So if we don’t write them down, how will they become a reality?

(x) “You deserve to get what you are striving for” – success is the reward of hard what. It is just the natural law that if we seek, we would find.

(xi) “Everytime you hear yourself berating yourself for failure, remember a time you were successful” – we should be able to console ourselves in adverse situation. Without this, would not be able to rise to our situation.

(xii) “We are not on earth to live up to someone else’s expectation. To make our unique contributions to the world, we each need to prize our individual worth and pursue our dreams” – We all need to live by our own scripts and not another’s.

(xiii) “You have all the tools you need to build a new self-image and an action plan for success”. – When the writer finds out that he was to be a motivation speaker, he didn’t sit down in order to become one. He started attending conferences, lectures and workshops. He heard motivational speakers to their things and then learned from them. The fact is that we have all it takes to improve our self-image if we can look within. It is within our grasps.

(xiv) “The illiterate of the future are not those who can’t read and write, but those that cannot learn, unlearn and re-learn”.

There is no education than self-education. This programme is a self-education on its own and a priceless one. We are in the age of global learning. Leadership in this century would be made up of “those that can learn, unlearn and re-learn”. We need new knowledge, we need to drop our pre-conceived idea and beliefs which are not logical (this is un-learning in order to conform to acceptable knowledge) and we should re-learn (what we know that needed to be re-established or that needed to be confirmed. We need to grow up the knowledge ladder. This is what education and literacy is all about. Without this we would become future illiterates, nincompoops and twenty-first century zombies.

(xiv) “Functionally, a man is somewhat like a bicycle ….. A bicycle maintains its poise and equilibrium so long as it is going towards something”.

When we set our goals, we should stay focused. Or else we would not be able to achieve anything because we would have a lot of distractions.

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?

No.

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

Yes.

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

None.

Please rate the following on a scale from 1 – 10

A. How interesting was it 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 to it? 10

 

 

Goal Mapping
Assessment by Olugbenga Adebiyi John (Nigeria)

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

The Author Brian Mayne talks about Goal Mapping. He told us how to set goal and how to map our goals for realization. The author also talks about prioritizing our goal. This is important because if we do no prioritize our goal, we might be distracted by some other goals which are not important. We should categorize our goals into different segments: most important, important and less important. With this scale of preference, we would be able to know which one to first pursue.

One major critical thing in the book is the idea of GOAL MAPPING which the reader would never miss. The author gave a graphic illustration by drawing a sketch of where he would want to be in the future. He told us to imbibe this as everyone of us can draw although some are better than the other. By goal mapping, we can project our future where we are giving to be and how we want to get there and when. We should put all these in a picture and constantly focus on it and surprisingly, we see ourself getting there.

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) Importance of Goal Setting: The author talks about the importance of goal setting. In the words of Mark Twain, he said: “plan for the future because that is where you are going to spend the rest of your life”. He also said the reasons why some people do not set goals is because: they don’t know why goal setting is important, they fear of rejection and fear of failure. He also said that one can go through university or college without coming in contact with goal setting. Goal setting is important f we are to live a life of purpose and fulfillment.

(ii) Writing our goals down: Agreed some people have their goals written down. The author shared with us about somebody he met who he had to coax before she can come out with the fact that she had to write his goal out. While many people believe that goal setting is important, some do not believe that writing them down is important. Personally, I gained a lot from this because I have some goals in kind which I have not written down. By writing down our goal, our subconscious mind agrees with what we have writing down and then we would be unconsciously following it up until we achieve them.

(iii) Goal Mapping: Goal Mapping is having a sketch of what you want to achieve, why you want to achieve it, when and how you want to achieve it. The author gave a graphic illustration of how one can achieve one’s goal by mapping and drawing. He maintained that everyone can draw although some can draw better than the other. By mapping out our goal, we know exactly where we are going and how to get there.

(iv) Love/Enthusiasm: No one can excel at anything which he/she doesn’t love. This is a stark reality. Enthusiasm comes from within which is called personal motivation. If we do not have the enthusiasm from within us, the love for what we are doing, then we can’t succeed. The lives of successful men and enterprise tell us so. This applies to me as a teacher. I don’t think I am an influential or a successful teacher until my students started telling me so. Sometimes, I would disagree with this fact, but they would so I am shying away from the truth. But the fact is that I love teaching and committed to it. No one gives its best without getting the best or utmost result.

(v) The Power of Vision: Where there is no vision, the people perish. “This is the most often quite wherever we talk about vision. First, we need to have a vision of where we are going. We should first start by asking ourselves. “Where will I be in the next five, ten or fifteen years? Is our vision long-term or short-term? Everything begins by asking ourselves some questions. We should have a mental picture in our mind (this is possible through the left brain or the alpha rhythm). By having this mental picture, or doing a sort of brainstorming, we are set for the task ahead someone said: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will lead you anywhere”.

(vi) Seven Natural Law of Manifestation: The author gave these seven laws as: have belief in yourself, balance your goals, li9ve in the moment, state your goal in the present tense, state your goal in the positive tense state your goals in the personal tense and allow for timing. The first step is to believe in yourself. The “I can’t” spirit must be relinquished. Aristotle said, the greatest victory is the victory over one self. If we can believe in ourself, then we’ve won.

(vii) Back to Square One: To me this is one of the most amazing and yet unbelievable story. The author shares his retrogression with us. His rise to fame and fortune to his fall from grace to grass. Because he wouldn’t learn or was a callow youth, all his fortune crashed like a pack of cards. Initially, he thought he was enjoying life, but he lost everything without a trace of his fortune. Adversity then humbles him. He returned to his father and had to retrace his steps until things started picking up again.

By learning this indispensable lesson about success, education and gaining the Midas touch, he was able to build a sustainable business enterprise that would stand the test of time. Brian Mayne is truly a hero because he whom adversity humble is the true hero. Having lost everything – his sweetheart, his fortune, his business, he was able to regain everything by retracing his steps and learning the hard lesson in a difficult and yet humble way.

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

These lessons are immutable and indispensable. I have started imbibing them now. They would be useful in my daily interaction with people, in my business and in the future.

4. Quotes

“Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of a genius. Love, love, love that is the soul of genius”. – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Genius love what they do. This is the secrets to their greatness. Agreed talent is great and good, but talent alone is not enough. Great geniuses are men of passion.

The path that leads to your goal will feature many obstacles; there will be nuts to scrabble out of, hurdles to climb over, and chasms to clear. Following the seven principles of LIFT is like having a ladder to serve you on your journey”. To achieve success, the author shares with us the LIFT way. By following this path, we should be able to achieve our goals.

“It is time that though all must tread the path of life, so few know whether they are going”. – Dr. Pierre Schmidt

Whether we set goals or not, our goal will definitely lead us somewhere. But it is only those who set goals that can be sure of where they are going.

It is only those who have chart a course for themselves can be sure where the journey of life leads.

“The seven natural laws of manifestation are like seven signposts pointing the way to success. Follow them and you arrive at your desired destination. Ignore them and you will end up lost in one of life’s darkness”. We would be doing ourselves a great harm if we ignore the principle of success. No one would be confident leaning on a collapse wall. So no one can be sure of where he is going if the road would lead no where.

The pathway to success is very instructive to the ultimate goal of our success and benefits.

“Thoughts create feelings which influence actions. Repeated thoughts accepted as true becomes beliefs, feelings become attitudes, actions becomes habits”.

“Plan for the future, because that is where you are going to spend the rest of your life”. – Mark Twain

“You will never know what you can achieve until you try” There are no harm in trial. How can one succeed if he doesn’t try something out.

All success is built on failure”. It is the repeated failures that ultimately become success. Those who don’t dare at all will not succeed. Those who are always burning back will not be defeated by failure.

“Either you learn to set your own goals, or you are destined to spend the rest of your life working for someone who does. “The reality of this saying is that companies which have large numbers of employees have entrepreneurs who are strategists and futurist. Those who have not goals will eventually be employees in that organization. If care is not taken, they might become perpetual employees because they don’t have a dream and would definitely live another man’s dream.

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

No.

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

Yes

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

None.

Please rate the following on a scale from 1- 10

A. How interesting was it read? 10
B. How helpful was the content? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to ot6hers? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give to it? 10

 

 

Goals
Assessment by Olugbenga Adebiyi John (Nigeria)

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

The tile of the book, Goals- How to achieve your goals faster than you have ever imagined, is well crafted by the author. The idea in the book is more than goal and goal setting. The author talks about creativity, value creating, customer relation, how to edge out your competitors, how to become relevant in your own field, personal and self-development, innovation, enterprise, becoming the best who can ever be, personal and career success among other things. This book is worth more than a billion dollars. In this indispensable book, the innovative author, Brian Tracy is trying to say that we have all the endowment to achieve whatever goals we set for our selves. that no goal is unattainable. Limitations only exist in our minds. If we can discipline ourselves, organize ourselves and commit ourselves to achieving our goals, them we can do it.

No goal is unattainable if we can break those goals down into: hours, weeks, months and years. By effective time management, proper planning, prioritizing our goals and objectives, we can achieve our goals. With the natural talents that God has given us, we all can excel in our chosen fields and careers.

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. Goals and Its Importance: Brian Tracy talks about goals and its importance. He said a goal is very important because it would make us to have focus. A person who doesn’t set goal would not know where he/she is going and will be side tracked by so many things. In short he/she would not know where he/she is going.

ii. Your Future in your Hand: The one billion dollar secret and brutal fact is that, “we are all responsible for our failure or success.” In short, you are where you are today because of the decision and indecision you took some years back. Every one of us has the future in our hands. The stark reality of life is that we are responsible for our action. Where we are now is as a result of the decision we took many years ago. Our success or failure deepens to a large extent to what we do or what we either failed to do. The author says he quickly realized this early that if he passed the bulk saying that someone else would help him to carry his responsibility, he would be fooling himself. We are all responsibility for our action or inaction. This is also true to me. When I was very young, I used to look up to many extended family for one help or the other. Whenever the help failed to come, I will start complaining. It was after so many years of disappointments that I found out that I had to face the music, “I either take up my own responsibility or else nobody will do it for me”. It was after then that I started working hard and look away from my relative for help. Since then I have been self-reliant.

iii. Clarify Your Value: Reading the history of successful men, I have found out that many of them took time to do a thorough value-clarification.” To do a thorough value clarification, we should ask this question: “What do I want from life?” No one can really be successful in life or business without taking time to do value clarification. We should clarify our values in order of priority. We should list our values from either the ascending or descending order, and then started putting them in priority list: the most important, less important and least important.

iv. Time Management: Milton once said, “With laden foot time creeps along”. The reality is that we can never have enough time to do all that we want to do. If we want to have time, we have to create it. “Procrastination” has been said to be the greatest thief in human history that has not been caught. One outstanding quality of successful people is the ability to manage time effectively. The one who can manage them has been said to have managed his life. Time is the greatest resources that God has given unto us. But the most wasted. I learnt that I have to make optimal use of time by planning and organizing my schedule effectively. My schedule could be prioritized prior to when it would be executed. If one goes on with this habit, our subconscious mind will keep that and the task would be executed before knowing it. One way to overcome procrastination is to cultivate the habit of “do it now” and always say “no” to any procrastination.

v. How to Achieve Your Goal: This is one thing I like about this book. Goal setting is important, but goal-getting is much more important. If there is anything I will take away from this book is how to achieve our goals. I used to be bothered with so many goals that I have itemized my headache used to be how will I achieve them. The author proffer a solution: break them do into weeks, months, years, hours, minutes, etc. with this achieving our goals is no longer an Herculean task.

vi. Becoming an expert in your Field: “You are put on this earth with special talents and abilities that make you unique and different from all other people who have ever lived”.

I was inspired by this quote. As I read this portion on how to discover your talent, it was as if the author was talking to me personally – that he knew who I was and what I have got inside. God by his providence has given each and everyone of us a special talent which could make us distinguish in our field if well nurtured. The author says that no one is better than us. And that we should not think that those who are successful are smarter or more intelligent than we are. He said those people were once like we are before and that we should not have the inferiority complex in ourselves that we cannot do what they have done. The fact is that those people were once a nobody before they become somebody. In a quick response, Brian Tracy spelt out about eight criteria that would make us to discover ourselves. The first is the love to do what we are daily even if we are not paid for it. Another thing is that this thing holds our attention. This is time to me as a person. I find myself attached to teaching and helping people solve their problem. This has been part of me and I enjoy doing it. Another thing is the flair for writing. I have been finding myself writing. It is either doing a story, developing a proposal, composing poem or doing one creative writing or the other.

Another thing that the author point out in the book to make us to be expert in our field is by attending seminars. This has changed my life too! I have met great people I would not ordinarily meet outside at seminars. And through the contacts we exchanged, our relationship have blossomed.

I also learned that I could become an expert by listening to audio tapes. This is another method of learning. Instead of just listening to music while driving, I could be listening to educational audio tapes. Someone once said, if you could spend at least fifteen minutes everyday reading books/listening to tapes in your field, you will soon become an expert.

Another very important thing that I learned is to compile the names of experts in my field, their salary structure and set a goal for myself to be like them and even outrun them.

vii. Associating with the Right People: Someone once said, your success in the future will be determined by three things: the books you read, the friends you keep and what you listen to. The fact is that the environment we live in our association determines our success to a large extent. Success is all about connection – who you know. In Nigeria, success is mentioned by who you know. A man may not have a multi-million naira in his pocket, but he is connected if he knows the’ who is who’ in business and government. Another person said, there are just six people in between the person you are trying to meet. To succeed in life we need the right people. We can meet them in our day-to-day business transaction and interaction.

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

I am using them already. In the future, I hope to create a leadership school that would help you people learn leadership lessons and values with the aim of preparing them for leadership challenges and impact their world.

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

“Success is a goal and all else is commentary”. Success speaks for itself. If we can set our goals, we get our bearings right. By setting our goals, we know exactly where we are going.

“All successful people are intensely goal-oriented”. Successful people are passionate about their goals. They are ambitious and commit themselves to their goals.

“Your ability to set goals is the master key to success”. Anybody who can set goal has completed half of his journey to success.

“Goals unlock your positive mind and release ideas and energy for your goal attainment”. Goal is an like an impetus. When we set them it makes us to unlock our potentials and propel us to greatness.

“You are happy only when you are doing something that is moving you toward something that you want”. What is satisfaction or fulfillment when someone has no plan or purpose? It is as we set goal and we see them fulfilled that we are satisfied.

“Clear goals increase your confidence, develop your competence, and boost your level of motivation”. Goal setting is like a motivator. It makes us satisfied. The author remarks that sometimes, we might not actually achieve our goals, but if we cultivate the habit of setting goals constantly, we become used to it, and we are satisfied if we eventually achieve our goals. Even if we don’t achieve them, by writing them down, we have solved part of our problem.

“Whatever you think about continuously comes into reality”, there is a law of attraction –whatever we think about everyday, and focus our mind continuously on eventually comes our way. The Law of Attraction says, “I attract to my life whatever I focus my attention, energy and attention on- whether positive or negative.”

“Time slips from our hands like grains of sand, never to return again’. How true is this golden words penned down by this legendary poet. “How time flies!” is always the expression whenver we see how time slips away. Those who use time wisely are rewarded with rich productive and satisfying lives”.

“The uncommon man is merely the common man thinking and dreaming of success and a more fruitful areas” – Melvin Powers. The fact is that there is nobody born specially. We are all born with our natural abilities and talents in us. The most unfortunate thing is to go to the graves “with our music still in us.” We can do something with our creative ability and talents. We can create our world by putting our talents to work. We should be dreaming our success in a creative way.

“In our economic system, your income will be determined by three factors: first, what you do; second, how well you do it; and third, the difficulty of replacing you”. This is a competitive and creative economy. If you are not making yourself relevant, you will soon become irrelevant. The author cite a scenario when after putting an ad in the newspaper they were all rejoicing that it was a wonderful one with calls from almost everywhere that it was a superb ad. By they were surprised to see the ad used in the paper the other week or so to project their own idea. The author was shocked to the marrow. The fact is that there is no new idea under the sun. If we are not dynamic in our style and manner of doing business, then we would soon lose out especially in this digital age. Another thing is adding value to ourselves. If you are not adding value to yourself today, you are losing opportunity tomorrow. If you are not placing yourself in the most competitive edge, you will soon be edged out.

“You are put on this earth with special talents and abilities that make you unique and different from all other people who have ever lived”. It is only as we discover ourselves that we can find this fact to be true. As said earlier, everyone of us is born with great talents that makes us to be irreplaceable. The fact is that noboby can be you. Nobody can be exactly as me if I am using my God-given talent in my optimal best, I will be a non pariel. Life is all about discovery. It is only as we discover ourselves that we can fulfill God’s purpose in this earth and we would then be able to bring the best in ourselves to the glory of God and the service of humanity.

“Your whole career will be modified, shaped, molded by your surroundings, by your character of people with whom you come in contact with everyday”. The environment we live in matters a lot. There is nothing bad as a gifted person living in the wrong environment. We have many Nigerian youths like that. The environment appears to contrast with their God-given talents. The leaders are not encouraging them. They are not bringing out the best in them and they lack the motivating and exposure to help them discover their talents.

“The more people you know, and who know you in a positive way, the more successful you will be at anything you attempt”. Life is all about connection. You will get to your destination faster if you meet and know the right people- people who can model, mentor you and lead you to the top of your career.

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

None.

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

Yes.

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

None.

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

A. How interesting was it 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 to it? 10

 

 

The Law of Attraction
Assessment by Olugbenga Adebiyi John (Nigeria)

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

The author is trying to tell us that human being is like a magnet. The magnet has two sides – the positive pole (+) and the negative pole (-).

Consciously or unconsciously, we are attracting something into our lives everyday positive or negative.

Sometimes, we are thinking of somebody, and all of a sudden, the person just appears. This is just the law of attraction at work. But many of us called it: out of the blue, serendipity, coincidence, fate, karma, luck, meant to be and other names like that.

The author tries to explain to us that the law of radio set – we can always switch over the station we don’t want to listen to and turn to another attraction responds to our vibes or our magnetic bubble.

Most importantly, he told us that we can change our negative vibe to a positive one by resetting our vibration. He said our vibration is just the like knob of a station that is our delight.

Whatever it is that is not making us to be satisfied, whether we are not satisfied with our status quo: our health, earning, career, relationship, we can change it if we want to.

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

i. The Law of Attraction: We are attracting something into our life consciously or unconsciously (whether positive or negative) by our attitude, mood or action. Whenever we act in a certain way, we send out a vibe which would then give out a result. We can attract whatever we want by changing our attitude i.e by putting the law of attraction to work.

ii. The Use of Words: Someone once said: ‘Words are servants; they do whatever we ask them to do”. In this book, I have learned how to use the right word. It is amazing to find out what negative effects the words: “Don’t, No, Not” have. Quite unfortunately, we use them everyday. It is doubtful if anyone of us would admit that we wouldn’t use these words. “Don’t put that book there”. “No, I don’t agree with you”. “You may/might not go”. If there are any words to eliminate from my vocabulary, it is these words. The simple way to eliminate them is by asking, “What do I want?” By giving attention to these words, we are indirectly addressing the problem and thus eliminating them from our vocabulary.

iii. Changing what you don’t like: One indispensable and invaluable idea in the book is how to change what you don’t like to what you like. This book would not have been complete without this. Personally, I enjoyed this part very much because it is practical. I have to do a lengthy list of what I don’t like (on one column) and what I like (on the other column). To my amazement, I have written over twenty of them. These are the things that have been affecting me and needed to be attended to urgently, but I don’t just know how to go about it. By reading this book, I have written them down, and I hope to seriously follow them through to address this problem.

iv. Controlling your emotion: Emotion is a very strong thing in man. We can either allow our emotion to control us or control our emotion. By reading this book, I understood why we react the way we do sometimes. If we send the wrong vibe, we are allowing that to control us. If we wake up on the wrong side of the bed, every other thing that day is likely to go awry if we didn’t control our vibe; I learnt that our emotion (vibe) is either positive or negative. From what I have learned in the book, I am becoming more careful with the type of signal I send. Whenever I am at the bus stop waiting for bus to come, if it appears it’s being delayed, I would start becoming irritative. But I have started exercising caution now. Something appears to be telling me: “you are sending the wrong vibe man. Be careful! Control your emotion”.

v. Goal Setting and Goal Getting: Another important idea in the book is goal setting. Initially, I don’t know what correlation the law of attraction has with goal setting. But as I read further, I observed that if we really want to attract what we want, we need to set goals. Goal setting is very important but achieving our goals if every much more important. This is what I learned from the law of attraction. I have written down what I want and when I will achieve them.

vi. Your Vibration Bubble: Each of us has a vibration bubble which responds to how we feel, but not the exact words we use. Our vibration bubble is just like stimuli. Every being responds to stimuli. When it is positive, it means what we mean is true. But if negative, it means false. I learnt that we cannot deceive our feelings (our vibration bubble). But if we are in the process of doing what we intend, then we can make our vibration bubble positive.

vii. Changing your negative vibe to a positive one: Another very important lesson in the book is that no matter how negative our vibes are, we can always change them if we are able to clarify them and determined. Everyone of us can do this to by replacing what we say or what we mean. By doing this, we can change our negative vibe to a positive one.

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

I am using them already. In the future, I hope to create a leadership school that would help you people learn leadership lessons and values with the aim of preparing them for leadership challenges and impact their world.

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

“The law of attraction brings you more of whatever you give your attention, energy and focus to”. This quote brings to me whatever I give my attention, focus and energy to whether positive or negative. Nothing ever happens that has not been imagined. If you are thinking of something, you might not be surprised if you suddenly to that thing. What you think and you focus on, you attract, what you don’t think, you distract.

“Your current vibration is what the law of attraction responds to”. The simple fact is
that our vibration bubble response to what we think.

“You mind is a magnet and attract whatever corresponds to its ruling state”. The magnet only attracts a metallic object or anything that has fields. So is the human mind – whatever we think and focus on, we attract and nothing more or less.

“You area magnet, you attract into your life people, situations, and circumstances that you are in harmony with you dominant thoughts. Whatever you dwell on in the conscious grows in your experiences”. – Brain Tracy.

The law of attraction only works with our preconceived disposition. Nothing more, nothing less. Aristotle one said, a man is what he thinks everyday. Man is the product of his imagination. It is what we feed our minds on that we eventually see coming into manifestation.

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

None.

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

Yes.

7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so please comment. None.

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

A. How interesting was it 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 to it? 10

 

 

Nonviolent Communication
Assessment by Olugbenga Adebiyi John (Nigeria)

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

The author is trying to tell us what compassionate communication is, otherwise called Nonviolent Communication (NVC). The author use ample case studies on what violent communication is and what is NVC.

We were introduced to the NVC process: observe, feel, need and request. The first is to observe what the person is saying before we give our value (moral) judgment, then we should feel. This is called empathy. We need to empathize with people if we are to go the NVC way. By empathy, we mean not being judgmental or critical. Then we need to feel the need of the speaker. The last one is to request. This would them mean how we are going to communicate after observing the response of the speaker.

With NVC we can improve relationship, win the most adamant person, get the most outstanding or impossible result/request and in fact make the world a better place.

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. Observe with Evaluation: The first component of Nonviolent Communication is to observe with evaluation observation has to do with seeing for before giving judgment. I learnt that we are quick to jump into conclusion or to judge first because we have our own preconceived motive.

ii. Value Judgment: Value judgment and moral judgment are not the same. While value judgment is the ability to see and look at something the way it should, the other is to add your own idea or judgment to it. We all have our own moral inclination. “If the boy didn’t do that, then he’s stupid”. If he could react that way, then he’s a fool”. I learnt that Jesus said: “judge not that ye should not be judged”. If we are quick at judging others, then we should expect the same judgment to be meted out to us.

iii. Using Non-Violent Communication: If we could ponder on what is the cause of war in the world today, or what was the cause of war in some countries, where they have experienced such, we would observed that it is because nobody want to agree with each other. Each is always claiming right. “You are wrong”, “You started it”. “The problem is actually from you and not me”. Problem is actually from you and not me”.

If everybody is claiming right, then who would be right? Using a compassionate or non-violent communication would have made the faction to sheathe their sword and make peace.

In the book, the author shared his experience how during a seminar, he was accused that the Americans are not fair to the Jews because they are responsible for their plight. The first reaction was to attack or be self-defensive. But he didn’t do this, rather he engaged the opposer in a series of dialogue which eventually made him to invite him to a feast for Ramadan. With non-violent communication, we can build broken walls, mend fences and even make enemies to feast together on the same table.

iv. Empathize with People: Another process in one NVC is empathy is a respectful understanding and what others sometimes what are experiencing.

Sometimes what people needs is not advice, but empathy. People want us to share with them hold they feel and emphasize with them. The Buddhist saying say: Don’t just do something, stand there”.

The author relates to us when his daughter looked at herself in this mirror and said “I’m as ugly as a pig”. But the father reassured that she is the most beautiful creature on earth. The daughter wasn’t still satisfied. What she needed at that time is not reassurance but empathy.

v. How Not React: We are all guilty of anger. Somebody once described anger as a small madness. In this person’s view, before realizing it, one would have destroyed a lot of things before coming to his senses. He therefore cautioned that one should desist from anger. One thing I am learning from NVC is how not react to issues. If we are looking at our own view, we would be on the defensive claiming that we are right and we would justify ourselves by getting angry. But the fact is that two wrongs don’t make a right. As one process to the NVC, we should try to avoid being pity. We should evaluate things first before reacting.

vi. Question before Punishing: I learnt that there are two types of punishments: protective and punitive punishment. If a punishment did not achieve its desired result, then it becomes useless. Before punishing, we should first ask. What do I want to punish this person will punishing this person charge the person or make him to learn from what he has done? If we can get this right, then we can go ahead to punish. It the punishment should be commensurate to the offence committed. It should not be out of humiliation. I remembered punishing a student when I still teaching in a college. I asked the student to stool down. When my proprietress saw this, she wasn’t happy. I was quickly corrected that the student might be bleeding from the nose. I quickly stopped this and since then I vowed not to punish any student this way.

vii. Love/Compassion: One great lesson I learnt in the NVC is love. The author narrated how a stranger came to his grandma’s house and begged for food. Incidentally, that man was Jesus. According to him, grandma’s house him for seven years (the seven years symbolize perfection “of love”).In Jesus earthly ministry, one major subject matter that any of his hearers could not miss is “love”. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have loved one to another”. His style and manner of living was in contrast to that of the Pharisees. When they brought a woman who was caught in adultery “in the very act” to Jesus”, the Pharisees, who were doctors of the law thought it was time to deal with the woman prove to them whether Jesus was actually living to his preaching. But Jesus challenged anyone who had not engaged in such a shameful act to first cast the first stone.

They all vanished out of sight from the least to the eldest. Jesus approach to NVC is that of compassion. Although he was the Christ – spotless, sunless and spirit filled. He would not condemn anyone. He wasn’t judgmental like the scribes and the Pharisees. Before leaving the world, he told his disciples to be apostles of “love”. That this would be the only distinguishing mark of time discipleship. Sometimes we may never know when we would receive an angelic visitation. That is why it is good to be filled with love and compassion. The Bible counsels: “Be not be careful to entertain strangers. For even so Abraham entertained angels unawares. “Love is the key to NVC.

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

I am already applying what I have learnt from this book and it is helping me in a practical way. For example, the way I communicate is different now. I know the language that would engender violence and I avoid them. I know the language that would foster them and I use them more often. In my youths NGO, I planning to train my students on this course. I have already contacted Dr Ruddenberg on a course on NVC, and I am planning going more indept on this course.

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

“Observing without evaluating is the highest form of human intelligence”. – Krish namurti

Our power of observation is very important. The more we know how to use this , the better.

“Don’t just do something, stand there”. – Buddhist saying. Some people are satisfied with the saying, “at least I gave him some money, and that is all he needs.” Offering help might not be enough, we have to something to help people out of their trouble or predicament.

The more faithfully you listen to the voice, within you, the better you will hear what is happening outside” – Day Hammarskjold (From UN Se. Gen.). God has blessed each and everyone of us with the inner mind. There is a still small voice always speaking to us each time we are about to take the wrong action, or at a crossroads. The more we listen to this voice, the better and safer we are.

Let us become the change we seek in the world – Mahatma Gandhi. This is one of my favorite quotes in youths work. Instead of looking for change makers, we should be one. Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Lao Tsu, J. F Kennedy all changed their world for good. The fact is that God need us to do something for our generation, and if we fail to do what we are supposed to do, our maker will not be happy with us. We would not have said to live a fulfilled life if we don’t do this thing.

“The more people hear blame and judgment, the more defensive and aggressive they become and the less they will care about our needs in the future”. All human beings have this defensive nature in him. We all seek to protect ourselves even if we are wrong.

“When we settle our attention on other people’s feelings and needs, we experience our common humanity”.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure”. This is the ultimate power we possess in ourselves. It is not the feeling of inadequacies that we feel, but the power that we have within us, which is beyond measure.

“It is our light, not our darkness that frightens.” How true is this saying, I remember when I was a child. I used to dread the night. I would not go inside a dark room for the fear of what evil might be lurking in there. I remember seeing a young boy recently who was afraid to stay in the room because it was dark. This boy had to wait until the mother returned. I wanted to chide him why he left the door opened. I quickly remembered my childhood experience and had to empathize with him. So it is not the light that we fear, but darkness.

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

No.

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

Yes

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

None.

Please rate the following on a scale from 1- 10

A. How interesting was it read? 10
B. How helpful was the content? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to ot6hers? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give to it? 10

Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins
Assessment by Olugbenga Adebiyi John (Nigeria)

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

The author, Anthony Robbins through this inspiring and motivational book tells us that there is nothing impossible to that we believe that they can. The power to do the impossible resides in everyone of us. We just need to tap it by exercising a small amount of faith. The author demonstrates practically how his life changed from being a small fry to a person of influence. How was able to make great wealth by his passion to be great.

The testimonies in the book are astounding. Nothing can be more motivational than when someone shares his life with us. How someone begins from a scratch to a great force to be reckoned with.

He not only shares success with us in this book, but other things that would make life enjoyable like good health, nutrition, power of effective communication, values, motivation, goal setting, how to use the right brain and the left brain. Anthony Robbins book is an invaluable book and resource for success and living. It is a book that should not be missed in any shelf and to be read over and over again in order not to miss some valuable lessons. The lessons there are invaluable.

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). The Commodity of Kings: In the medieval and industrial age, wealth used to be the commodity of Kings. Those who are wealthy had large estates and power. In this scientific age, it is no longer wealth but knowledge. Someone once said, “Information is the currency of the modern age”. We are amazed how knowledge has transformed everything we have in this age. From the skyscraper to the palm talk and the interest, we have seen a great transformation and advancement in human knowledge and living.

(ii). Belief: Looking at the lives of great people and achievers, it would be doubtful if they would have achieved anything substantial without belief. Whether we know it or not, everyone of us, has “belief” in something. Sometimes, we just find out that we did something anyhow and we may not be able to explain how we did it. This is faith or belief. In many circumstances in my life, I have found myself in situations that I just have to exercise faith. At this moment, this is usually the last result. And guess what happens: it works”.

(iii). Key to Good Health: Another thing that is very interesting in the book is the science of health. The author talks about takings good breath, exercising, aerobics, what type of food to eat and what not to eat. Talking about this, he talked about a scientist who celebrated his hundredth year and pointed to taking care of himself. I learnt specifically that eating water-rich food is very good as eighty percent of our body contains water. Jokingly, he said that if we look at the vulture, the bird looks haggard and emaciated because it is always feeding on meat, while herbivores looks robust and live longer, carnivores do not. He also talks about how he was able to improve this weight by eating the right food. I want to take this step personally and boost my health in order to live longer and look healthier.

(iv). Taking the Bull by the Horn: Another important idea shared in the book which is pivotal is taking the bull by the horn. Here, the author challenged us to confront any limitation that would hinder us from achieving success. First, we should ask ourselves, “What do I really want from life?” How desperately did I need this, and when?”

He said we should start by writing these goods down and then taking the bold steps to achieving them. This is why the book is aptly entitled “Unlimited Power”. Anything we want from good health, wealth, success, influence, longetivity is possible.

(v). Unlimited Power: From the book one can get anything one wants. The author shared with the reader how he was living in a small apartment but now lives in the house of his dream. He was weighing some few pounds before, but now weights about 250 pounds and looking more attractive than before. He got all this through the power of imagination. He imagined his dream house, his dream car, his dream status and everything good for himself and got it. With this power at our disposal, we can do all things.

(vi). Effective Communication: Anthony Robbins is an effective communicator. He shares with us what visual, auditing, kinesthetic and other communication entails. He said the quality of our life is the quality of our communication. If we can communicate effectively, we might not be able to get the results we desired.

(vii). Values: Values is simply your own private, personal and individual beliefs about what is mot important to you. Our values stem ultimately determines who we are and where we would be in the future. Value is rooted on belief.

Values are so powerful and integral because it is the matter key to unleashing the magic within. Values are the overriding factor that causes help us to motivate people to do something or not to get things.

The author talks about a woman who value herself so much and promises to change her smoking habit by writing to five public figures in the world promising never to smoke again. Though many times she had been tempted to pick up the habit again, but because of the respect she had for these people and the value (pride) she placed on herself, it was difficult for her to go back to smoking. This is how important value is. Our value will always determine who we are and where we are.

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?

Unlimited power is an indispensable tool for everyday success, whether one is looking for success in life or career. The principles taught in the book are so invaluable and comprehensive that one has to read it over and over again so as to become part of one. So, what I am doing in order to make this idea ingrained in me is to make a referral to it everyday, look into some of the quotes in the book, imbibe the one that applies to me, read the book over again, and continually make reference to this book. Unlimited Power is one of the books that have transformed my life. It is one of the motivational books that I have read that I have to tell God in prayer that I have failed him. The portion of the book that has so much impact in my life is: ‘be doers’. The author remarks that the book would do no good if all what I have read have not been applied. Quickly my mind went to the sermons that I have been hearing in the church. I realized that I have heard much, but obeyed little. So, in prayer, I told god that I am sorry for all the was that I have failed him and will never disappoint him anymore. I have never read books that have so great charm and power than this book. I have been telling my friends about the book while also compelling them to take the leadership course with IIGL. One of my plans is to start a leadership and business school for unemployed graduates. It is the motivation that I DERIVE FROM THIS BOOK THAT MAKES THIS POSSIBLE. The time to start is NOW.

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

“If a man hasn’t discovered something that he is fit to die for, he isn’t fit to live” – Martin Luther king Jr. The first question to a life of great achievement is this: What am I living for? Why am I living for this? If one can successfully answer this question, then, his life is set on course.

“Man is not the creature of circumstances. Circumstances are the creatures of men” – Benjamin Disraeli.

“Life will pay you whatever you ask of it”. Man is either the architect of his own fortune or misfortune. It is what you give life that it gives back to you.

“What we do with the things we have makes the biggest difference in the quality of life.

“Unlimited power doesn’t mean you always succeed or that you never fail. Unlimited power just means you learn from every human experience and make every experience work for you in some way. It is unlimited power to change your perceptions, to change your actions, to change the results you are creating. It’s your unlimited power to care and love that can make the biggest difference in the quality of your life”.

To me, success is the ongoing process of striving to become more. It is the opportunity to continually grow emotionally, socially, spiritually, physiologically, intellectually, and financially while contributing in some positive way to others. The road to success is always under construction. It is a progressive course, not an end to be reached”. – Anthony Robbins.

“The power to magically transform our lives into our great at dreams lies waiting within us all”.

Power is the ability to change your life, to shape your perceptions, to make things work for you and not against you”.

“It is not what happen to us that separates failures from successes. It is how we perceive it and what we do about what happens that makes the difference”.

“There is no such thing as failure. There are only results”

“People who fear failure make internal representations of what might not work in advance”.

“People who believe in failure are almost guaranteed a mediocre existence”.

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the goal we off might win by fearing to attempt” – William Shakespeare.

“The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation. – Mark Twain.

“The quality of your life is the quality of your communication”

“The road to success is always under construction”.

“If you don’t have your own plan, someone else is going to make you fit into their plan”.
“One of the reasons most people don’t do well in life is because success is usually disguised behind hard work”.

“If your life is worth living, it is worth recording”

“The greatest tragedy in education is that most teachers know their subjects, but they don’t know their students” – Anthony Robbins.

“The question of the quality of life is answered by how we spent it”.

Life first begins by setting out some question for ourselves. What we want to be, where we want to be at certain age, what we want to achieve and when? If we have set these questions for questions for ourselves, then the stage is set. Anything we see we are able to achieve is as a result of the goal and target we set for ourselves. That is why I angry with the quote that the quality of our life is answered by how we spent it.

5. Is there anything in the book that you don’t understand or that you are unclear about?

None

6. Did the book contains exercises for the reader to complete? If so did you complete the exercises and did you find them helpful?

Yes

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

None

Please rate the following on a scale from 1-10

1. How interesting was it to read? 10
2. How helpful was the content? 10
3. How easy was it to understand? 10
4. Would you recommend it to others 10
5. What is the overall rating you would give to it? 10

 

 

Real Magic
Assessment by Olugbenga Adebiyi John

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

“The book is about miracles. It is not a book about other people’s miracles, but about you, the reader and how you can create miracles for your own self in your own life”.

The author exposes us to what real magic is. Not the type of magic performed by magicians – abracadabra. It is not mystical power or other science. But, the magic of making impossible situation possible through the power of the mind; the power of positive confession and making everyday a miracle.

The ‘magic’ is our beliefs in even the seemingly impossible situations. The ‘magicians’ is me and other readers. This book is all about magic. Magic of health, wealth, happiness, solution, marital bliss, paradise and what is more fulfillment and satisfaction. This is the real magic.

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) Learning From Our Mistakes and Trials: Here the author explained different methods of learning: learning through suffering, learning through outcome, learning through purpose. The author maintained that unless we learn from our mistakes and failures, we are bound to repeat them. Every trial has a purpose. If we can learn from this, we would go on to the next phase of our life. But if we fail, we would repeat the ‘exam’ until we pass it.

In my own personal experience, I have come in contact with some recurring situations. It is an indication that I did not pass this ‘course’ very well, and have to do a re-sit. It is only the wise the learned from an experience or failure. Fools don’t learn. Cicero said, “to stumble over the same stone twice is a proverbial disgrace”.

(ii) We are the Miracle: As I read the book, I was surprised to find out that the book is directed at me. No book s been written so pointedly and personal. And that is what I enjoyed so much from the book. From the preface to the introduction all through the whole chapter of the book, the writer wants the reader (me) to have a personal experience. He makes no bone about it that ‘I am the miracle? What can be more personal pivotal than this?

(iii) Becoming A Spiritual Being – This is the fact and one important think I took from this book. After reading this book, I have to redirect my thought to be a more spiritual person. Yes, being a spiritual person is more than going to church. It is more than being religious. I go to church and I read my Bible too. I was stupedified by how Dr. Dyer explores all spiritism – from Lao Tzu, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, Judaism, the author amazes me with his knowledge on this subject. My thought while going through this teaching was that, if I know the Bible so much, “why is it that I am not a spiritual person?”. Why should I still be taught? I had to own up because it confounded all my beliefs.

Lesson: The non-spiritual being is filled with hatred, anger, suspicion, greed, revenge, retaliation, etc. He feels no sense of responsibility towards the universe. On the other hand, the spiritual being does.

Spiritual being does not order their lives against any other being. The spiritual being behaves as if God in all life matters and he feels a sense of responsibility towards the universe.

The spiritual being knows that these are simply not empty words to recite in a ritual before bedtime. Like: “forgive them father for their trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. The spiritual being feels connected to all humanity. My conclusion is that why am I not a spiritual person?

(iv) Attitude: Our attitude matters a lot because it will determine who and what we will be. If we are the resentful and unhappy person, we have no choice than to reap such at the end of the day. A happy person sees life in the right view whether things turn out positive or negative is bound to be successful in life. Apart from this, he would earn the respect, love and admiration of people around him wherever he goes.

I learned that I should embrace the right attitude of love, admiration, happiness and excitement. People with this attitude are the real people. They are the happy people and they have the real magic to unlock any impossibilities of life.

(v) Dehypnotize Yourself: We are all born with certain beliefs. “This is not possible”, “You cannot achieve that”, “Only boys do that”, that and that cannot be done. “You can only do this at certain age, not now”. These are our preconceived beliefs and we are often limited by them.

Dr Dyer said until we dehypnotize our belief system, some dreams would still be beyond our reach. Who said you cannot be a professor at thirty? That you cannot your degree at Harvard even it your parents are poor? These are some bold challenges the author is posing to us as we come in contact with the reality of real magic in dehypnotizing our mind from “impossibility”. Yes you can. Who say you cannot.

(vi) The Power of the Mind: The mind is one of the greatest endowment God has given unto man. Success starts from the mind, so does failure. The mind of man is bigger and greater than his physical possession and accumulation. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

(viii) The Power of Intelligence & Vision: The whole world exists in imagination. Without imagination, the world would not be. Dr Dyer was able to project into year 2088 to talk to that generation- challenging them that they should not be like 1988 generation. It is a century gap into his projection. His assumption was that they lived better lives that his own generation. As such they should utilize and maximize all at their disposal for its good. If not for then power of intelligence and engaging the mind, Dr Dyer would not have been able to dream that big. This is the power of intelligence and imagination – vision. We all know that where there is no vision the people perish. We need men like Dr Dyer who would have a long time vision and can project into the future in order to make a contingency/ sustainable plan for that generation.

3. How would these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way both in your daily life and in helping you create a better world? If so Why?

The whole ideas in this book are nuggets for anyone who desires to live a successful life. I intend to apply these to my daily living with the aim of achieving outstanding success.

4. Quotes

(i) “It is the reality of your mind that miracles are produced”. The mind is very powerful in producing anything we could ever dream of achieving.

(ii) “Life gives exams and unless you learn from your mistakes you are doomed to repeat them”.

We should learn from our mistakes if we don’t want to repeat them.

(iii) “When the student is ready the teacher will appear” When we are ready to do anything, help would definitely come from nowhere.

(iv) “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and the tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life, you will be all of these” – George Washington Carver

(v) “Circumstances do not make a man, they reveal him.” – James Allen

(vi) “Possession of material riches, without inner peace is like dying of thirst while bathing in a lake. If material poverty is to be avoided, spiritual poverty is to be abhorred! For it is spiritual poverty, not material lack, that lies at the core of all human suffering”. It is only true Christians who have Christ as their saviour that can experience uninterrupted joy even when life appears to be unfriendly.

(vii) “Those who think that the world is a dark place are blind to the light that might illuminate their lives. Those who see the light of the world view the dark spits as merely potential light”. It is good to be an optimist rather than a pessimist. I personally attempt to remove myself from the bad news that is thrust at me in a thousand different ways. I want to be part of the situation, not part of the problem.

(viii) “A new idea is first condemned as ridiculous and then discussed as trivial, until finally it becomes what everybody knows”. Nobody would buy into your dream until you make it.

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

No.

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

Yes.

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

None.

Please rate the following on a scale from 1-10.

A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful was 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 to it? 10

 

 

How to Win Friends & Influence People
Assessment Olugbenga Adebiyi John

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

The whole idea is about human relation. Before the author compiles this book, it is a course on human relations and communication for some adult learners.

But what brought about this book was a research conducted long ago about the need assessment of some people in the United States. The top priority is about satisfaction, security and how they would get along with people.

Unfortunately, there was no book written on human relation. To meet this widening gap, the author carried out a research that lasted thirty years or more talking to the who is who in America, business men, state-men and others to bring about the idea of this book. For many years after it was completed, it has sold millions of copies and it is still in high demand.

The author points out that if there is any price to be paid on human relation (in order to get along with people) he would pay that price.

2. What were the seven ideas which were personally important to you and why? List these seven ideas.

IDEAS IN THE BOOK

i. Human Relations: Dealing with human beings is one of the most complex thing anybody could face. There is so much problem in the world today because there is the one singular problem of understanding people and how to relate with them. The author in writing this book found out this invaluable book is in dire need. Before the author, Dale Carnegie set to write this book, a research had been conducted by the University of Chicago and the University of Y.M.C.A to ascertain the most pressing needs of people. A survey questions of 156 was distributed and the most outstanding of all this needs is ‘how to understand and get along with people.’ After this someone asked if a book about human relations had been written, but none was in print and the author puts this down.

The fact is that if we could get to know people, understand people and get along with them, the world will be a better place.

He most popular singer Michael Jackson was hymned “make a better place for you and for me and …..there are many people dying without a hope for living. Make the world a better place for you and for me” This is it: nothing more, nothing less.

ii. Appreciation: Another idea in the book is about appreciation. As a teacher I need to encourage my students to clap for a student who tried to answer a question. By so doing, he/she would be encouraged sometimes, we fail to appreciate little things like saying ‘thank you’ or saying some appreciative words. I happened to have a very principled father. We were taught to appreciate any little thing we were given.

My father can deprive you of what he had given you if you fail to say ‘thank you daddy’ the next day. It’s as serious as that. He always reminded us that ‘bi omode ba dupe ore ana a ri imiran gba (whenever a child shows appreciation for what he has been given, he would get more).

iii. Be a good Listener: One of the sure ways of success is to be a good listener. The author was a good listener so also other really successful people. This is one of the sure ways of influencing people. If we want to get along with people, we should not be forward to express ourselves, but to listen to them.

iv. If you’re wrong, admit it: There is no use arguing or trying to play smart in argument. When we find out that we are wrong, we should quickly admit it.

v. Control your temper: “Two wrongs don’t make a right”. “As it is often said,. When dealing with people, we should control our temper if we would not lose out.

vi. Courtesy: Another way vital idea in the book is courtesy. It is doubtful that one would be very successful if one lacks courtesy. All great people like: Benjamin Franklin, Aesop, Disraeli, Abraham Lincoln and other are courteous people – they are not rude. I learned a great deal from this because I often say it with any discretion when proving people wrong. There is a better way to say it, which I am leaving here without offending people.

vii. Praise: Give the slightest praise every improvement.

3. How would these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way both in your daily life and in helping you create a better world? If so Why?

The whole ideas in this book are nuggets for anyone who desires to live a successful life. I intend to apply these to my daily living with the aim of achieving outstanding success.

4. Quotes

(i) “It was easier to make a million dollars than to put a phrase into the English Language. – Dale Carnegic is more of a businessman than a writer.

(ii) “The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee. And I will pay for that ability than any other under the sun.”

(iii) “Education is the ability to meet life’s situation” The ultimate goal of education is not knowledge, but action.

(iv) “My popularity, my happiness and sense of worth depend to no small extent upon my skill in dealing with people.”

(v) “Only knowledge that is used stick in the mind”. What would be the use of education/ knowledge without the practical application of it to meet man needs or to achieve result?

(vi) “It is frequently easier to find fault than to find praise; it is more natural to talk about what you want than to talk about what other person wants”. We shall not be critics. It pays to praise than to criticize.

(vii) “People who can put themselves in the place of other people, people who can understand the workings of their minds, need never worry about what the future has in store for them.” Good people will surely be rewarded.

(viii) Don’t be afraid of enemies who attack you. Be afraid of the friends who flatter you”. We should not try to avoid criticism or critics, but we should try to see what good lies in there.

(ix) “I shall pass this way but once; any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it. For I shall not pass this way again”. We should be patriotic to our fellowmen.

(x) “One of the most neglected virtues of our daily existence is appreciation”. We should show appreciate at all times.

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?

No.

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

Yes.

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

None.

Please rate the following on a scale from 1-10.

A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful was 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 to it? 10

 

 

Giant Steps
Assessment by Olugbenga Adebiyi John

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

We all can live the whole year – 365 days with joy, satisfaction, miracle and breakthrough. The author is trying to tell us that with a nugget for each day, with a quote for each day, with a ‘capsule’ for each day, we can see our dreams becoming a reality not minding the circumstances or the situation that we might find ourselves. That with the ‘daily multivitamin capsule’ taken, we are sure to win everyday no matter the circumstances.

The book is a powerful faith builder that can work magic in every life.

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) How to Get What You Really Want: The author states: “To get what you really want, you must discover what’s preventing you from taking action.”

We all often feel incapacitated that we cannot achieve our dreams when we look at our limited resources – human and material. We easily own up that our dreams are far from reality. But the author wants us to really look inward that we can all achieve our dreams if we can take a bold step. One is by dealing with procrastination and giving our best, we can really get what we really want.

(ii) Beliefs: The author gives a poser at the beginning of this chapter: “What is the force that determines what we try or fail to try to accomplish in our lives? He gave the answer before trying to answer it ourselves, “it is our beliefs”.

In this chapter, Anthony Robbins talked about Roger Bannister who broke the record of 3:59 mile. “How did he do it? He queried. “In his mind’s eye, he repeatedly visualized his triumph so repeatedly that his certainty gave an unquestioned commend to his nervous system, and he achieved mental physical results to match his mental picture”. From the achievement of great men, I have learned that there is nothing impossible. The word “impossibility” can only be found in the dictionaries of the ‘doubters’ and the ‘indolent’. If we can believe it, then we can achieve it.

(iii) The Power of Questions: The author begins with another poser again: “What’s the primary difference between people who are successful and those who aren’t? Before answering again, he answered it himself: “Quite simply, successful people are those who have asked better questions and, as a result gotten better answers”. How realistic this fact is! Albert Einstein said “God gave us brains so that we can ask questions”.

Quite often the type of questions we ask will determine the result we would achieve. And the questions will fail to ask will determine our level of achievement.

When Thomas Edison first failed to produce the incandescent lamp, he must have paused to ask himself series of questions before getting his outstanding result of producing the lamp. If he had given up at the 1,900 experiment, definitely, he would not have broken astounding result of his ingenuity,

There is no gain saying the fact that the reason why most of us fail in some situations (or most situations) is that we fail to ask questions.

(iv) The Success Vocabulary: It’s amazing the know the fact that successful people have a vocabulary – a mantra which they quote everyday, which their subconscious mind is used to. Those who are not successful too have negative vocabulary which is constantly making them to remain in their misfit.

Hear the author: “People with impoverished vocabularies live emotionally impoverished lives. People with rich vocabularies have a multi-hued palette of colors with which to pain their life’s experience, not only for others, but for themselves as well.”

I learnt so much from this because it is my daily confession that would determine whether I will be successful or not. I learnt that to be successful, I just have to change my vocabulary.

(v) The Mental Challenge: “Every successful person I know has the capacity to remain centred, clear and powerful in the midst of emotional “storms” How? “Never spend more than 10 percent of your time on the problem, and always spend at least 90 percent of your time on the solution”.

The author shares with us how we can control our thoughts, refocus it and programme it for success. He gave a ten-day mental challenge to re-align our thoughts and achieve super-result.

(vi) Key to Expanded Life: Here is a quote from Bruce Barton: “Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstances.”

“If we want the deepest fulfillment, we can achieve it only one way: by deciding what we desire most in life – what our greatest values are – then committing to live by our own decision every single day.”

The author identifies identify and references’ as the key to expended life. We should do a value clarification, ranked then on scale 1 – 10, see which is our priority list and by so doing we would begin to live the life we so desire.

(vii) The Ultimate Gift – contribution: Let me share with you the author’s experience from the book: “For more than a decade, I’ve had the unique honour of working with people from virtually all walks of life, from the privileged to the impoverished. One thing stands clear: Regardless of stature, only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life’s deepest joy – true fulfillment”.

No man is created for himself or herself. The joy of existence is contributing our quota to better the lot of other. Putting smile on another person’s face, by lighting another man’s candle from your own candle, the world would be illuminated. Those who want to live a secluded life without caring about other dies in misery. The greatest life that any man could live is the life in the service of other. Mother Theresa.

3. How would these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way both in your daily life and in helping you create a better world? If so Why?

The whole ideas in this book are nuggets for anyone who desire to live a successful life. I intend to apply these to my daily living with the aim of achieving outstanding success.

4. Quotes

(i) Each of us is endowed with innate resources that enable us to achieve all we’ve ever dreamed of – and more”.

God by his providence has endowed us with resources to achieve our dreams”.

(ii) “Although we cannot always control the events of our lives, we can always control our response to them, and actions we take as a result”. We cannot determine what would happen to us, but we can always control the situation or challenges life brings our way.

(iii) “We must commit to learning from our mistakes instead of agonizing over them, or we’ve destined to repeat our errors in the future”. We should learn from our mistakes if we don’t want to repeat them.

(iv) “To get what you want, you must discover what’s preventing you from taking action”. If we want to achieve anything, we should take decisive action, avoid procrastination and the ‘I’ ll – do –it – later’ attitude.

(v) “Often when we see greatness in others, we assume they are just more fortunate, blessed with special gifts”. God by his providence has blessed us with at least one gift. No man is without a gift or ability. We can do what we want to do if we look inward.

(vi) “Optimists see failures as learning experiences, as challenges to modify their approach. Pessimists take failure personally, interpreting them as evidence of some deep-seated character flaw”. It is not good to be pessimist.

(vii) “Courage unused diminishes; commitment unexercised wanes; passion inexperienced dissipates”. Whatever we don’t use, we lose; whatever we use, we gain”.

(viii) “Words have power to start wars to create peace, destroy relationships or strengthen them”. We should be very careful of the words we use. If we use the right word, we would get the best, but if negative, we would sure reap the consequence.

(ix) “If you really want to grow in your lifetime, learn to be as inquisitive as a child. Curious people are never bored, and for them life becomes an unending study of joy”. When we are now is as a result of the question which we have asked and the answer we receive.

(x) “Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstances”. Faith is sine qua non to a life of achievement.

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?

No.

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

Yes.

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

None.

Please rate the following on a scale from 1-10.

A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful was 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 to it? 10

 

 

The New Dynamics of Winning
Assessment by Olugbenga Adebiyi John (Nigeria)

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

We can be what we want to be achieve what we want to achieve. We don’t need any extra talent to be super. All what we need is inside us. All what we need is a little bit of coaching and monitoring. With this, we are on our way to winning.

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) What it takes to be a Champion is already in you: The peaks commercials in Nigeria featuring Austin Jay Jay Okocha has this slogan, “it‘s in you”. In the commercials, Jay Jay Okocha, the star footballer challenged his son that he could show his dexterious skill in football. The boy was reluctant at first, but later did.

We are all born with one unique talent or the other to excel in any field we choose. If we can dispel all fears – fear of catastrophe, fear of change, fear of failure, fear of success, we can make it.

The fact is that we don’t need any special talent to become what we really want to be. (All that we need has been given to us by God’s providence). We just need a little training or mentoring coupled with the ‘I can’ spirit to bring out the best in us.

(ii) Self-Esteem: Self-trust and self-worth are the core value of self-esteem. According to the author, “self-esteem is the root of all behavior whether positive or negative”. Some people have a feeling of low Self-esteem and they commit suicide. Others too feel that no matter their parent situation or problem, there is still hope, and they overcome the situation.

As a young pupil in primary school, I was the shy type. I hate to be made the cynosure of the eye. I detest public presentation like plague although I love participating in debating. When I got to secondary school, this low self-esteem has eaten deeper than I realized it. I find it very difficult to face the crowd until when I started thinking about this problem. Now, I have been able to boost my self-esteem to a high level, although not totally, but better than what it used to be. That why I strongly believe that our success or failure depends on high self-esteem.

(ii) Traits of Genuine Leader: There is so much misconception about who a leader is. A leader is not only someone who leads or occupies a leadership position. A leader is someone who lives an exemplary life for others to follow. In other words, he blaze the trail. A leader is someone who is conscious of his behaviour and action because someone is watching. As the author said, we should be our own ‘investigative reporter’. We should carry our mind with us wherever we go.

We have see a lot of catastrophes among presumed public figures or celebrities. Their private lines are shameful while they project enviable public lives. But the fact is that we cannot separate our public life from our private life. It is still the same person living both lives. It is better to be a shinning star than to be a shooting star.

(iv) Associate with Successful People: We are all familiar with the saying “show me your friend, and I’ll tell you who you are”. There is a law of attraction that works in life. We are what we continually see. And sometimes (or most times) our focus determines our lifestyle. If we continue to associate or join with individuals who have already achieved their dreams, we would eventually be like them.

(v) Have a coach/Mentor: I have discovered that all successful people have a coach or mentor. They usually attribute their success to somebody who mentor them. Apart from this, one should have a driving principle or quote. This is also time of all successful people. I have never seen or never real of any successful person without a guiding quote. We all have at least one person who we value so much, who we look up to, who we want to be like: whether living or dead.

I have some heroes who I like so much. One is my pastor; another person is Pat Utomi, a notable scholar and Philip Emeagwali.

(vi) Passion for Living: The world is a beautiful place. Only those who love life and have hope for living will live life to the fullest. We should welcome each day like Christmas. The passion to see a new day, to enjoy life to the fullest, the zest to face the day and the joy and excitement of living should well in us as we see the new day. It is only those who love life that lives life to the fullest. We should see each day as opportunity for greatness, achievement, success, miracles, new dawn and excitement. If we see life as this, we are sure to enjoy the best of life.

(vii) The Olympiad Within: Every successful winner imagined themselves winning even before they win in reality. Scott Hamilton, Mary Martin Weaver, Toomley, Magic Johnson, Mohammed Ali and others have dreamed of their laurels even before seeing it. To this people, “seeing isn’t believing”, but “you have to believe before you see”.

To make it everyone of us should first believe that “we can” and we would be amazed to see that coming to reality. The power of positive confession and belief is very important if we are all to be champions we dream to be.

3. How would these ideas or lesson help you in a practical way both in your daily life and in helping you create a better world? If so Why?

The whole ideas in this book are nuggets for anyone who desires to live a successful life. I intend to apply these to my daily living with the aim of achieving outstanding success.

4. Quotes

(i) “Being a champion means thinking like a champion”. Every champion has this confession, “I will win that cup”. “I will make it to the world cup”. “I will receive a gold medal”. What distinguish a champion from a loser is their confession and their belief

(ii) “You already have the potentials to live your dreams”. God has created us in a unique and wonderful way. The Bible says that “we are wonderfully and marvelously created”. If we can look inward, we can live our dreams.

(iii) “You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called life. Each day in this school, you will have the opportunity to learn new lessons. Some of which you may enjoy a great deal – and some you may enjoy not at all. But see to it that these learning experiences never end”.

How true this is that everyone of us is consciously enrolled in an informal school’ called life. When life gives it bult, we should take it calmly. On the other hand, when we are fortunate to have the good things of life, we should just thank God. The reality is that we are taking a course everyday – consciously or unconsciously. How we react to the challenges we face will determine whether we are a good student or not.

(iv) “There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons”. It is only those who embrace life like this that will learn. When Thomas Edison was confronted on why he did not give up after performing 1,999 experiments on how to make the incandescent lamp, he retorted “I have learned 1,999 ways on how not to make the incandescent lamp”. What a lesson!

(v) Mistakes are painful when they happen ….but years later, a collection of mistakes are called experience”. Experience is not sold in the store, they are got by doing. And “there is no wise man without experience”

(vi) “No matter how much wealth or recognition the world lays at your feet, don’t allow your personal integrity to be contradicted by your behaviour in any area of your life”.

Only fools will trade their character with all the mundane things of this world. Real champions/leaders would not for billions of diamonds.

(vii) “You cannot separate your personal life from your professional life”. Those who are still living in the make-belief or illusion that their private life is different from their public life should ask: Mike Tyson, Ben Johnson, Bill Clinton and other great leaders. I think they would be good teachers.

(viii) “Nothing in the world can take the place of determination. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent, and unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelict. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and will solve the problem of the human race”. – President Calvin Coolidge.

Yes, talent is not enough. Agreed talent is something. But determination everything. Einstein once said, “Genius is 90% inspiration and 10% perspiration”

(ix) “Champions are disciplined thinkers”. All champions control their thoughts. The moment their fail to do so, they start failing.

(x) “When you are in the presence of a genuine authority in your industry, think less about listening. And when you hear something directed at you, take it seriously and act upon it”. There is wisdom in listening than talking.

(xi) “If you have to fail, fail big”. We should try to attempt something. Those who did not attempt should not be afraid of losing anything.

(xii) “Loser let it happen, winners make it happen”. Winners are the merrymakers, the partymakers, the stormy-petrel, the losers are just spectators.” It is more honourable to be watched, than to watch.

(xiii) “A real leader appreciates the differences among individuals and finds value in their differences that enhances all their lives”. A leader creates value out of living.

(xiv) “Winners are naturally action-oriented people”. Winners take action.

(xv) “Winners believe that they have the inner resources to survive any number of setbacks on the way to achieving their goals. They don’t waste time studying the damage they may have sustained after encountering a disappointment”.

Winners have a big shock-absorber to take all challenges.

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?

No.

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

Yes.

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

None.

Please rate the following on a scale from 1-10.

A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful was 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 give to it? 10

 

 

The Power of Intention
Assessment by Olugbenga Adebiyi John (Nigeria)

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

Through the power of intention by Dr. Wayne Dyer, the author goes to another realm exploring spirituality, and metaphysics that the greatest thing that God has given to us is the power of the mind – power of intention. He tells us that we emanates from the higher realm (since we are divine) and this makes us unlimited in anything whether we want to live long, be wealthy, be healthy, be successful in life and career or whatever.

Delving into metaphysics he says: “Activating intention means rejoining your sources and becoming a modern-day sorcerer. Being a sorcerer means attaining the level of awareness where previously inconceivable things are available …Intention is a power that’s present everywhere as a filed of energy; it isn’t limited to physical development. It’s the source of non physical development too”.

Often the author refers to our power of intention as our “source”. We can make that power of intention potent by communicating with it. Our source is where we draw our energy, our connection source to the infinite one –the Almighty God.

The greatest lesson I learnt in this book is that we share the attribute and nature of the omnipotent one. He is eternal and everlasting – we are too.

Even if we die, we would resurrect one day. That death should not be a threat. We can confront death. The author shares with us those who at the point of death embrace death as a joyous thing. Gandhi was one of them. Paul the Apostle said: “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. Stephen at his death proclaimed: “I saw the son of man sitting at the right hand of God”.

Another nature of God is perfection. Didn’t Christ during his earthly ministry command his disciples to be perfect? The author talks about perfection is all that is limiting us to be all our best –to explore all our potentials, to live healthy and variant life; to do all we want to do without limitation. What is more? That we are born genius if we don’t allowing the process of living to de-genius us. We have the key to the impossible in our mind – the power of intervention.

2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important 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. Receptivity: To allow the power of intention to work, to fully grasp the power of intention at work, we should be receptive we should open the door of our mind – allow this power to work, talk to us fill us until we are completely overwhelmed. The fact is that God is in all creation. In the whistling breeze, the storm, the rain, the beautiful flowers, the stream and all that we can ever imagined at all. If we could open our mind and allow our perception to work, we could see God in a wonderful way.

ii. Fulfillment: The power of intention is the power to expand and increase all aspect of your life. We expecting it is the nature of intention to be in a state of increased expression. When God created man he said “have dominion or the fishes of the sea, the bird if the air he also told man to “be fruitful and multiply” so the whole essence of the creation is fulfillment, so it is the power of intention.

iii. The power of creation: We have to put the power of creation to work in us. God needs the creative word when he wanted to create the world. Through the power of imagination we can create and bring into existence whatever we want. The bible said, “Ye are God” that is exactly what we are. God is not limited, so are you. The whole essence of creation is the ability to realize what position God occupies and what we the product of his creation should be. Are we fulfilling that purpose? If we are not, then that means there is a part of God that we are not fulfilling in us. The author gives this poser, “imagine God saying that there is no oxygen? How would that be? God creates so should we. The bible says: as he is, so are we in the world. What a marvel! The power of creation is at work in us. We are not limited. Why should we be? We can create whatever we imagined into existence through the power of intention.

“You cannot know the meaning of life until you are connected to the power that created you”. “You cannot remedy anything by condemning it”.

iv. Operating At A Higher Energy – One wonderful idea in this book is operating at a higher energy. This means showing a sense of maturity in all dealings and relationship. I learnt that if you act negatively just because somebody offends you, then you are operating at a lower energy and impacting all these who enter that field. By operating at a higher energy means showing a sense of understanding, not reacting the same way they have reacted to you, but showing maturity. Higher and faster energies mollify and convert/slower energies, not the reverse.

v. Connection to the Infinite Source:

We have an infinite personality who dwells in us. If we could take time in personal
meditation to discover the great one, the almighty and infinite God, then, we would live our lives with out any limitation at all. One thing I have learnt is that those who come up with bright ideas spend time in secret communicating with the divine one. The communication could be in form of prayer, meditation and observation. Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King and other great figures are able to change their world because they know what power resides within them. In my personal experience, I have discovered that when I spent time in secret with the almighty, it used to be a wonderful moment as I discovered hidden things which ordinarily would not have been possible during the day time when I am very busy, we all have the stole small voice within us waiting to talk to us, guide us, direct us if only we could take time to get acquainted with him.

Again, those who know the power they have are not afraid of any situation – sinister or otherwise. The author Wayne Dyer in the book says that there is no use mooting about the subject of death cause he is from the divine. No wonder Paul queried “O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy spoil? A song writer once penned, “Where is now thy victory o boasting grave? Death is vanquished tell it with joy ye faithful. Jesus live no longer thy portals are cheerless.”

It is amazing to know what power we have within us. The English poet, John Donne once wrote his poem, Death be not proud poem:

“Death be not proud
Through thou has killed the mortals
Death be not proud…

How amazing that we mortals can confront death, sickness, and even walk in the shadow of death that none of these can have power over us because we are from the divine, we share the divinity and are connected to him! How amazing this is!

vi A life of purpose: Someone once said the purpose of life, is a life of purpose. What use will intention be if the mind is not tended towards achieving a goal? Intention itself come from the word “intend” “aim” “aspire” so with this definition, it means that we are all aiming towards something. Discovering one’s purpose in life is the first thing. The almighty question comes: “what am I here for? Or ‘why am I created? As we discover this purpose we would see that it will enable us to live a happy fulfilling life. Life is more important than chasing shadows. Those who have not discover there purpose in life would want to do some many things at the same time with out finding fulfillment. But as we get down with the power of intention, do a value clarification about ourselves, we would soon discover our purpose and go ahead to fulfill it.

vii. The power of Attraction: Through the power of intention, we put the power of attraction to work. We are what we think everyday. If we are constantly thinking about having our dream car, suddenly it shows up. If we want an ideal life partner, and we are needed this desperately, it would not surprise us that we would soon meet that person. The author shared with us how he met a reputable publisher some thirty years ago. He had been putting the law of attraction to work. When he met this person, because he was positive in his thought, he was able to broker a deal with him, which make him celebrated today.

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

I am using them already. I would like to spend more time in the closest the more. Meditate more and be a person that has developed his full potentials using the power of the mind. I have discovered that there is great power in meditation. I hope to use the power of intention in terms of being purposeful, using the law of attraction and other ideas learned in the book to become a better person. In the future, I hope to create a leadership school that would help you people learn leadership lessons and values with the aim of preparing them for leadership challenges and impact their world.

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

“You cannot know the meaning of life until you are connected to the power that created you”. How true this is? There is a great power in meditation; it is only when we started meditating that we know the power that God has given to us.

“You cannot remedy anything by condemning it”. It has often been said, two wrong can’t make a right. If we want to correct anything, the first approach is not condemning it, but looking at the situation logically and seeing how to correct that thing.

“Meditation allows you to make conscious contact with your source and regain the power of intention by assisting you in cultivating a receptivity that matches up with the force of creation”. One of the most powerful device that God has given to us is the mind. It is more powerful than the computer. Through the mind, we connect to the divine, we understand ourselves and we can know the n\mind of God.

“The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die for nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one”.

Certainly, we brought nothing to this world, and it is very sure that we will leave this world with nothing. Those who have understood life from this perspective would not want to hold anything grudgingly. The mark of those people’s life is simplicity. It would not be in their pursuit to amass wealth or to die for the things of this world, but seek the things that would outlive their existence.

“You must be that which you desire” A man is all what he thinks all day. Ford is synonymous with automobile, Edison with the incandescent lamp, Faraday with electricity. So, you are the sum total of all your desire. Or what do you think?

“The spiritual journey does not consist in arriving at a new destination where a person gains what he did not have or becomes what he is not. It consists in the dissipation of one’s own ignorance concerning one’s self and life, and the gradual growth if that understanding which begins the spiritual awakening. The finding of God is a coming to one’s self”. It has been often said, the higher it goes, the cooler it becomes. The more spiritual we are, the more of God, we want. Paul says, “I press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let as many as desired to be perfect be thus minded.”

Paul was the learned of the apostle, a doctor of the law, yet the most humble. He said, “I am the least of all the apostles because I persecuted the church of Christ. Despite his spiritual attainment, he said his ultimate goal is to press toward the mark of Christ. Well finding a new height would be very great, but, becoming Christ-minded is his sole desire. What would life be without peace with God without finding spiritual satisfaction? This is what great men seek after and desire/

“Intention is a power that’s present everywhere as a filed of energy; it isn’t limited to physical development. It’s the source of non-physical development too”. Intention is present within us. We know it when we have this drive and zest. It is all around and visible too.

“Activating intention means rejoining your source and becoming a modern-day sorcerer. Being a sorcerer means attaining the level of awareness where previously inconceivable things are achievable”.

“Everyone of us is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses us all” The potential to be a genius is in everyone of us. At least God has created us with these genius potentials. The problem is the inability to belive in ourselves and discovers our potentials to become the genius we all want to be.

This is what real intention is and nothing more.

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

None.

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

Yes.

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

None.

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

A. How interesting was it 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 to it? 10

 

 

Leadership for Dummies
Assessment by Olugbenga Adebiyi John

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

The book leadership for Dummies (A Reference for the Rest of us) is a course on leadership in an informal classroom setting. The book is written in a simplified English with ample examples, anecdotes, illustrations and case studies on this all – important subject: leadership. It’s about becoming a good leader and a good manager. The authors first of us clear the air about the myth of leadership, what some schools of thoughts have said about it and then what leadership is.

For close to ten years now, I have been searching for a book on leadership. This book which I eventually find is an indispensable resource on leadership. I doubt if there is any book written as this. No wonder the authors include:

“A reference for the Rest of Us” as part of the title.

We have a lot of misconception that leadership is all about charisma, aura and the ability to exercise control over others. This book opens our eyes that leadership is far from this. People like: Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler and some other popular leaders are examples of leadership, but they are not good leaders.

Leadership is different from management as the authors clearly show us the difference between the two. To help the readers have a full grasp of leadership, the authors explores: situational leadership, transformational leadership, hierarchical leadership and transitional leadership. They told us that leadership is not permanent, but transient. They have a word of caution: “Remember, they are not electing you dictator for life”.

Having established this, they tell us the ideals of a good leaders like: good communication, good listener, vision, passion and motivation, empathy, high intelligence, ability to elicit cooperation among a group, relentless search for the truth, sincerity, fixing the problem rather than the blame, innovation, ability to communicate clearly without ambiguity, forming a kitchen cabinet, developing a sense of urgency.

The book is a leadership course on its own. I doubt if the subject of leadership with be taught so comprehensively and explicity even in Howard Business school.

The authors are trying to tell us that everyone of us is a leader. Leadership begins with responsibility. If we cultivate the attitude that: “the bulk stops here” like Harry Trumen, then we have succeeded in discovering the leadership potential in us. Leadership all begins when we take responsibility and stop passing, it will eventually stop someone and the onus lives on that person to take up responsibility.

Again, the authors are trying to clarify some myths about leadership – leadership are born not made; leadership need no training because it is inborn; leadership is all about leading even when nobody is following.

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) What Leadership is not: “Hundreds of books have been written on the subject of leadership, and many gifted thinkers have tried to define what it takes to be a leader. Many of the people who write about leadership see a leadership crisis, a shortage of leadership in a world that desperately needs them. Other sees not crisis but opportunity; if you can identify leaders early or become a leader yourself, then your future is assured”.

“Although many books have wrestled with the problems of leadership, few have bothered to define the skills you need to become a leader.

Leadership is not all about leading even when nobody is following you. Someone once said, “if you are leading and nobody is following you, then you are just taking a walk” Leadership is not all about exercising control over a group of people. Leadership is not permanent, but transient.

A leader is different from a manager. How? “A manager manages things, but leader lead people; manager do things right, but leaders do the right things”. A leader is not someone who know everything and cannot learn from the people he leads. This is far from it. A leader is not someone who is always right all the time or fails to admit he doesn’t know something so as not to display his ignorance.

The theory that leaders are born not made should be thrown to the trashbin”. John Fitzgerald Kenedy once said: “Leadership and learning are indispensable”.

(ii) Qualities of a Good Leader: If leadership isn’t all these, what is leadership? Or how would one know a good leader if one sees one? First, is responsibility. If you see anyone who says he is responsible and not someone else, then that is a leader in the making. Another thing is vision. “Where there is no vision, the people perish,” A leader should have vision. Apart from this a leader should be able to communicate his vision to his subordinates or the people he leads. Good communication, charisma and aura are essential for good leaders. A leader who cannot communicate effectively cannot lead effectively. Besides, a good leader should be highly intelligence. He should know more than the people he leads. If he doesn’t, he is not fit to lead them. A leader should also have the ability to motivate people – to get things done. He should be personally motivated himself.

Again, a good leader should show empathy. He should have compassion for the people he lead. He should lead and not drive them. A good leader should also be a good team player. He should be able to elicit cooperation among the people he lead. Lastly, a good leader should lead by example. “Examples are better than precepts. A good leader is not one who says “do as I say, and not as I do”. The leader should know that people reads his life more than his sermons/precepts. As such, he/she should be ready and conscious to practice what he/she preaches.

(iii) Training: The old myth is that “leaders are born and not made”. Experience and reality have told us that this is erroneous. Those in this old school, school of thought believes that you need to go to school before you can be a leader. “Leadership is the most easiest task on earth “they’ll tell you. But reality and everyday experience have told us that even if you have the inkling for leadership, you still need to get trained. Be prepared for the task ahead so that when you get there you will not fumble so as not to wobble like a pack of cards.

There is always time for everything even when you know you have all the ability to launch out for what you have to do. Moses made this mistake before he was called to lead the Israelites. When he saw the Egyptians dealing harsh with his kinsmen, he vents his spleen – he killed the other fellow. To him that was the way. He was about doing the same thing when another situation arose. But he was quickly spotted. “Will you kill me as you kill my brother yesterday?” Then, Moses fled. It was when Moses was at Midian that God called him. That was the right time to lead the children of Israel, and he did that successfully for eighty years.

(iv) Becoming A World-Class Manager: If there is another important thing to learn from this book, it is how to become a world-class manager or corporate executive. Through the book, we are introduced to world class managers like: Harry Truman, Sam Walton, Malcom Forbes, Chrysler and a host of others. Learning about the role of a manager like: Chief Strategist, Chief Marketing Officer, and playing the role of a saviour in an organization is very instructive.

A good leader should be able to do a SWOT analysis of himself before picking up an appointment. The SWOT is strength, weakness, opportunities, Threats. Another sterling quality of a good manager or chief executive officer is the ability to make a negative effect – C.H.A.N.G.E.

A good manager should be able to use his discretion in achieving result for the organization which he work. Above all, a good manager should be able to drive the vision of the organization by putting the right people in place to actualize it.

“Sometimes the way to break out doesn’t involve doing something better. It involves doing something that isn’t being done at all.” Many successful executives begin to move up the corporate ladder when they stop trying to undo their peers in their assigned responsibilities. They accept that everybody is doing his or her job well, and that it may be difficult to do one’s job so much better than one’s peers than one would stand out from the pack. So (while continuing to do their own jobs well), they looked for something else that needed to be done”.

(v) How to Set-Up and Run a Successful Enterprise: I thought this book is on leadership. I don’t know how the authors linked leadership to business. Are they related? Anybody reading this book will have two strings to a bow: leadership skills and business skills. It’s amazing to learn that one can learn about how to write a good business plan, how to start a business and run it successfully reading this book. The authors shared with us that Hewlett and Packard, Fred Smit, Walt Disney and some other great people have written the business plan for their business long ago before they ventured into it and they are successful. When I was taking a class on entrepreneurship, I was introduced to how to write business plan and also how to run a viable business. When I write my business plan, I had to write it over and over again, until my supervisor cleared me. Today, I am the better for it. We were told then that 90% of business fail because there is no clearly-written business plan. Reading about business enterprise and how to start-up is good so that one would not fail one launches out.

(vi) Being A Good Parent: I thought Leadership for Dummies is only about leading on organization or a group. But, I was mistaken. The authors unravel leadership in an extensive manner far beyond my preconceived belief. Leadership at home is very critical. Research has shown that most people who are successful business executive or good leaders of organization are most times not good leaders at home. Even in Christendom. Eli failed in his parental responsibility of chastening his two sons – Hopni and Phineas we see this example in the lives of great public figures whose children fail to live up to expectations.

Recently, I visited an older friend of mine who has an older daughter. I tried studying the trend of communication at home, but found out that this man hardly communicate with his family. Though a successful man in his career, but the home lives much to be desired. One great lesson I learned from this book is that our success in whatever role we play outside is not complete if we fail to replace that at home with our family. Playing leadership role also mean training our children early (catching them young) by preparing them for leadership position. We should begin by giving them basic leadership principles, displaying this role to them through our exemplary life and allowing them to see us as models.

(vii) Taking the Lead: Who is a leader? Someone who knows that the onus lies on him to lead at any situation. Someone who need not want before taking the lead? Why lead at all? Because situation demands it and your sense of vision tells you so. Taking the lead could be in any situation as I have seem from this book. It could be in form of volunteerism: head, heart and hearth. It could be by playing a community role. The fact is that if you don’t do it, someone will have it do it just anyhow and somehow.

Taking the lead involves understanding the situation at hand and giving your service at that time on what you can do about it. if you know you can’t remedy the situation, you can offer an advice and ask somebody to lead and not you.

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

These are vital lessons to be memorized over and over again so that one would not forget them. In other words they should be ingrained rather than memorized. Sincerely, I want to see how these vital lesson would be part of me in my daily living. Most of the lessons are food for thought. First, I want to see how I would walk the talk before talking the work. In essence preach the sermon of an effective leader through my life before teaching it. If I say I have learn to apply all these indispensable lessons I would be a great liar. I want to start leading first by learning – a sort of ‘physician heal thyself first’.

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

(i) “Experience has shown that everyman is the architect of his own future” – gains Sallistus Crispus.

(ii) “The genius of a good leader is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the trace of genius, can deal with successfully”. Another word for leadership is “simplicity”. A leader should be able to communicate without ambiguity. His leadership style should be devoid of rhetorics or rigmarole. His method of giving instruction should be simple, clear and understandable.

(iii) “Sometimes the way to break out doesn’t involve doing something better, it involves doing something that isn’t done at all”. Leadership requires ingenuity and innovation. Sometimes a leader wants to break limits and innovate new idea in order to break fresh ground.

(iv) “The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they cant find them, make them” – George Bernard Show. This is the essence and ideal of a good leader.

(v) Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other” – John F. Kennedy

It might not be compulsory for a leader to learn in a formal situation like attending school or college. Learning can be psychology, learning from failure, etc. Anyone who is not ready to learn is not fit to lead.

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

None.

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

Yes.

7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so please comment. None.

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

A. How interesting was it 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 to it? 10