Peri-Okonny Elayira Hope – Assessments

As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Elayira Peri-Okonny (Nigeria)

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

The main idea the author is trying to convey in his book is that the mind is a powerful tool or even the most powerful tool in shaping a man’s life. The author highlights the fact that whatever a man continually thinks upon will not only affect his character but the circumstances in his life and finally everything about his life, physically and mentally. The author then advices that every man should learn to control his thoughts and be a master of his thoughts and use his thoughts to create the kind of life he or she desires.

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

Your thoughts build your character

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

I have always wondered why in a family no matter how close the siblings are they all develop different characters. It now is evident that the character of an individual is not totally dependent on his environment but on his thought pattern. This is the reason why in a family even twins though they were brought up by the same parents they may have gone to the same school read the same books their characters will always be different because “ act is the blossom of thought”.

This is so true even in my family. My character is quite different from that of my siblings even though we have always been very close.

Your thoughts affect your circumstances

“Thought and character are one and as character can only manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstances the outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state”

This is very important to understand because it shows that you can create the kind of environment you desire by constantly thinking on the right things. What you constantly think upon will automatically be attracted to you.

Your thoughts affect your health

Your body responds to the nature of your thoughts. A lot of times people blame their ill health on their environment, genetics and food intake .as much as all these things do influence a man’s health, I now know that your thoughts will also affect your body. So even if you spend time in the best environment and eat the right kind of food but you constantly think of sickness and diseases you will eventually fall ill.

Your thoughts affect the accomplishments of your purpose

Everyone was created with a purpose, but not everyone fulfils his purpose. The first task is identifying your purpose then aligning your thoughts to conform to your purpose. This is very important because no matter how noble your purpose is if you continue to think of failing or constantly nurse doubts and fear in your thoughts ,the energy and power to do whatever it is you desire will not be available. In many instances I have had great ideas and projects I wanted to undertake but constantly nursing the idea of failing has lead to my not accomplishing those goals.

Your thought influences your achievement.

A man’s ability to focus his thoughts on a task to fix his mind on the development of his plans will determine if he will achieve his goals. After reading this, I have spent more time focusing my thoughts on the goals I have set and following through the plans I have made.

Visions and ideals

Vision is very important because when there is no vision there cannot be a destination or the determination to achieve. For you to be successful in life you must carry a vision and hold on to it and you will always gravitate towards that vision. I have always had the vision of being a great leader and I guess that’s why I am reading this book and studying in this institute.

Serenity

“Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom”. “he that keepeth his mouth, keepeth his soul from trouble” “be wise as serpents and gentle as a dove”. These are some quotes which communicate the message that it is important for a man seeking true success to learn to control himself. Self control is important in achieving outstanding results. You must learn to be quick to hear and slow to speak. Possess a calmness of mind and you will attract good things towards you , be able to see what others don’t see and so achieve tremendous result

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

The ideas and lessons firstly have helped understand even more that I am the architect of my future and some of the building blocks are my thoughts. So I have learnt to think on the right things and refuse negative thoughts from dominating mu mind. I have also learnt not to ever blame the economy or people around for my failures but to hold myself responsible for my failures. These lessons have also helped me understand how to help people achieve their goals by first changing how they think and what they think on.

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

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

This is very important to me because it means I can build into myself the character I desire and also I can understand why everyone’s character is different and also help others change their character by changing their thought pattern

“Act is the blossom of thought and joy and suffering are its fruits thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry” “Man is made or unmade by himself, in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace”

This lets me know that my actions are connected to my thoughts and if I want to act right I should think right. It also lets me understand that I cannot blame anyone for my failures. My life is like a garden and I am the gardener whatever grows is what I planted. So I am responsible for my life.

“Thought and character are one and as character can only manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstances the outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state”

This is equally important because it lets me understand that the circumstances I face can be related to the thoughts in my mind.

This lets me know that I should not let fear dominate my thoughts because whatever I fear will happen to me. It also lets me understand that I can attract the things I love and want if I constantly think upon them.

“A man’s wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions”

This lets me understand that when I pray my thoughts and actions have to line up with what I prayed for. So when I pray for something I want, I should think on getting it and act like I have gotten it or will get it.

“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances but are unwilling to improve themselves”

This implies that to improve your circumstances you have to improve yourself. So success starts inside first. If you change your inside you will change your outside circumstances.

“Men imagine that thought can be kept secret but it cannot it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstances”.

This implies that a man’s habits are a result of his thoughts so to change a habit change your thoughts.

“The body is the servant of the mind”

This implies that your mind controls your body and your body will go in the direction your mind instructs it.

“There is no physician like cheerful thoughts for dissipating the ills of the body, there is no comforter to compare with goodwill for dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow”.

This implies that you can speed up your recovery process by dwelling on cheerful thoughts and good things.

“All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve are a result of his own thoughts”.

This implies that in achieving, you must focus your thoughts on the right things because your failure or success is dependent on your thoughts.

“He who cherishes a beautiful vision a lofty idea in his heart will one day realize it”

This makes me know more than ever before to never stop dreaming have a vision of what you want to achieve and hold on to it no matter what ,it will surely come to pass.

“Whatever your present environment may be you will fall, remain or rise with your thoughts,your vision and your ideal. You will become a s small as your controlling desire and as great as your dominant aspiration”

This implies that no matter where I find myself I can pick myself up to a level dependent on my thoughts and vision. So nothing except me can put me down permanently.

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

That man is the causer of all his circumstances seems to me an over exaggerated statement. Yes a man thoughts can attract some circumstances towards him but not all circumstances are caused by man’s thoughts and actions. For instance a child born without legs definitely could not have caused that circumstances or people who died in the entire people who died in the titanic could not all have nursed the idea of death or anything relating to that incident. So I believe our thoughts have a little influence on what happens to us but not entirely. It is our response to those circumstances that is solely based on our thought pattern.

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?

No the book did not contain any exercise

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

No

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

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

 

 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Elayira Peri-Okonny (Nigeria)

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

The main idea the author is trying to convey is that we should not settle for the status quo. Strive for excellence in whatever you do. He’s trying to say you can always be better than you are. Never let limitations stop you.

The author is trying to inspire everyone to pursue excellence and shone mediocrity. He is conveying a message of freedom, Freedom from physical bondage – when you feel limited because of your inabilities. Freedom from mental bondage. The book also teaches on having an adventurous attitude, never allowing people stop you. To be bold and determined enough to achieve anything you want even if people don’t see reasons with you now because one day they will.

The author encourages striving for the extraordinary and refusing to be ordinary. The book conveys the fact that learning is a continuous process there is always something new to learn if you can only apply yourself

2. What where 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 first idea that was important to me is the fact that; life is more than living to eat, but striving for excellence in whatever you do.

I strongly believe that there is more to life than what we see and this book has increased my determination to live life to the fullest, strive for perfection and reject mundanity. When I was a teenager I began asking the question “what is life all about” because I saw everyone following the same routine – go to school, graduate, look for a job, get married, have kids and then retire and die. I felt life was more than that; I wanted to live a life of meaning achieving things beyond my imagination.

I have learnt from this book that I can do all I want, achieve my biggest dreams if I can only believe and pursue it.

ii) I learnt that there will always be persecutions when you begin to strive for excellence.

A majority of people in this world are comfortable with remaining at a particular level “average” and will always fight anyone trying to elevate their status.

iii) I also learnt that when the persecutions come from those around, not to hate or disdain them but to see them differently and try to help them understand and guide them into the light.

iv) I learnt that love is the greatest and to practice working in love, true perfection comes when you have leant how to love everyone even those that antagonize you. Love has been a watch word for me for some years now and I have achieved a lot since I began working to love everyone I meet.

v) I learnt the importance of persistence. To keep at what ever I am doing. ‘Practice makes perfect’. So I should keep practicing all I have learnt and one of the ways of practicing is by teaching others.

vi) I have also learnt that the mind is a powerful tool. Your thoughts can limit you, if you can remove the limitations of your thoughts then you will be free to do whatever you want to do and be anything you want to be.

This is very important to me because almost every where I go, the world seems to communicate the impossible, the economy is saying you cannot, people are saying you cannot. It seems everything tries to tell you what you cannot do and on one is saying you can. So its important that I begin to think I can and then break free from the you can’t mentality.

vii) Another important lesson I learnt is to put aside everything that tries to limit me. That there are actually no limitations except those you allow. A lot of times I have seen people give reasons for failure blame their physical attributes or the environment or the government for their underachievement but this book has taught me to refuse to give excuses to take the bull by the horn and make myself successful. Though I may fall sometimes but I will get back up and try again.

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

These ideas will help me understand myself and my world better. It has helped me fashion a plan to improve myself by spending more time practicing and striving for excellence in what I do. I now believe in excellence and I deserve excellence and desire to give excellence in all I do.

I have also as a result of what I learnt from this book began to see my self differently. I see myself as an unlimited being that can do anything despite the circumstances surrounding me. I see now that I can attain any height and achieve any goal if I can believe and persistently strive for knowledge, work hard and be bold enough to take risks.

In helping create a better world, this book has helped me learn to see people differently, to believe more in them and love them. To know that it is my responsibility to help the less knowledgeable around me and guide them in achieving their goals in life.

4. Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so,how?

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

It is our responsibility to refuse to walk in ignorance and decide to lift ourselves to a level of intelligence and excellence. Freedom starts in the mind. You will only be truly free when you begin exercising your mind in intelligence and excellence.

“The most important thing in living was to reach out and touch perfection in that which they most loved to do and that was to fly”. “Our purpose for living is to find that perfection and show it forth”.

This is important because it makes me know that striving for perfection in whatever I do will give me satisfaction and joy. It also motivates me to believe in perfection and create a determination in me to be excellent in what I do.

“You must begin by knowing that you have already arrived. “

This teaches me to learn to see the end from the beginning. To see myself having achieved that goal or objective and to know it is possible.

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

This teaches that there are no limitations except the ones you place in your mind. If you can open your mind to see possibilities then you boldly will be free to achieve anything. It teaches that mental limitation is the greatest limitation there is. If you can remove the limitations on your mind then you can achieve anything you desire.

“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitations, look with your understanding, find out what you already know and you’ll see the way to fly”.

This teaches that what you see with your heart is greater and far more important than what you see with your eyes. If you look at situations from an earthly perspective you will always see limitations but if you look at that same situations from your spirit you will see the possibilities.

“You will be ready to begin to fly up and know the meaning of kindness and of love”.

This is important because it implies that kindness and love are very high virtues that a man should imbibe in his character. Walking in love is important because I believe it help you see things and people with a different perspective and enable you see possibilities in every aspect of life.

“Precision flying is a step toward expressing our real nature”

This statement was important to me because it reminded me of my belief. I believe we were created in the image and likeness of God and God is a perfect God so walking in excellence and perfection is simply walking in our true nature.

“You need to keep finding yourself, a little more each day, that real unlimited Fletcher seagull. He’s your instructor”

This lets me know that I should look inside and be led by my spirit not by outside factors and there is always something new to learn.

The only true law is that which leads to freedom.

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 of the exercises and did you find them helpful?

No

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

No

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

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

 

 

Psycho-Cybernectics
Assessment by Elayira Peri-Okonny (Nigeria)

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

The main idea the author is trying to convey is that there is a connection between our mental activities (thoughts, self image) and our actual physical behavior. The author is saying that the way we act or react is related to the way we see ourselves (our self image) and the way our mind has been programmed by past events and circumstances. The author is teaching that we all act and feel in a way consistent with our self image, that in order to change a man’s behavior you will have to change his self image.

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

Your self image determines your personality.
A man’s personality will always determine his/her accomplishments in life. So knowing that it is your self image that actually creates your personality is the first step to success. While growing up I used to be very shy but I remember clearly that I began to be more confident and bold when I started believing in myself and knowing that I had something to offer my world.

You can program yourself for success.
Our self image is acquired through subconscious habits. It also begins with others opinion about us, but no matter what the self image is, it was something learned and anything that is learned can be relearned and changed. Our subconscious mind always follows after the training the conscious mind gives it. So since the subconscious mind ultimately creates our self image, if we retrain our subconscious mind consciously we can ultimately change our self image. To change our self image, the author gave a principle called CRAFT. C –cancel R –replace A –affirm F –focus T –train.

Cancel—whenever old negative data reminding us of failures or inadequacies pops up in our minds we are to say the word cancel out loud and this makes you conscious of the negative beliefs and creates a habit of challenging them.

Replace — after cancelling negative data, it’s important to replace it with positive data by saying what it is want to see about yourself.

Affirm — it’s important to affirm this new image you are trying to create.

Focus — focusing on an image of the successful you, actually being the person you want to be helps give your subconscious mind a destination and anything vividly imagined becomes real to the subconscious mind.

Train — you must train yourself in line with the new image you intend to create.

With these steps I have learnt how to reprogram my self- image which will ultimately guide me towards success. This is important to me for several reasons but one particular one is that growing up my entire family never believed in taking risks financially I was brought to believe that the only way to be successful was to get a good paying job and never to engage in business endeavors because I will definitely fail. So I have always been very weary of taking risks financially or investing. Through the CRAFT process I am changing that perception about myself.

Imagining your way to success
Your imagination can guide you towards success. This is very important to me because it helps me understand that to change any belief or behavior, you first have to see that image of it inside, believe it is real, then act as if it is real then it will become real. I have learnt that the subconscious mind will always move towards the picture the conscious mind gives it. So if I can use my imagination to create the picture of what I want to see or achieve and consistently act as if it is real my subconscious mind would eventually believe it is real and gravitate towards that picture.

Getting rid of false beliefs
Your self- image may be conditioned and your capabilities constrained by false and negative beliefs about yourself based on subconscious memories of childhood experiences. This is very important because everyone has had a childhood experience that could have a negative effect on our lives. So it’s important to identify those false beliefs and use reflective relearning to challenge and eliminate them. This will enable us begin the journey towards success.

Learning to relax
Only when you relax the forcing, demanding aspects of your thought can your insightful intuitive self emerge. Only when your conscious mind frees itself from worrying, fretting, stewing and awfulizing situations is your subconscious mind susceptible to reprogramming. The author also pointed out many cases were people produce exceptional results when in a relaxed state. I can also attest to this, many times I have found out that whenever I face an issue that the solution seems evasive if I spend some time to relax or sleep on it I always wake up with the solution to the problem. I also have found out that I am most productive after waking up from sleep.

De- stressing yourself
You can learn to avoid stress by developing the habit of consciously examining events from a different perspective. The author highlighted five steps to resolving stress. See the situation as fundamentally neutral. Evaluate the situation: who owns the problem? Shift your Emotions to fit your evaluation. Do something about the situation. Self esteem will follow. This is very important because I get stressed up some times but through the use of SEEDS I have learnt how to resolve my stress by seeing the situation differently and not allowing myself be stressed out by people or situations

Setting goals the smart way
There is a direct relationship between setting goals and achieving success. The goals you set determine your set point for success. The author admonishes that to attain true success we must have specific goals. He suggests that human beings are generally goal-seeking agents. So when we do not have goals we tend to go around in circles achieving nothing. He outlines a practical guide for effective goal setting. The author teaches that setting goals that are fulfilling and achievable requires a SMART approach. SMART being an acronym for S-specific, M–measurable, A-action oriented, R–realistic, T–time conscious.

This is very important to me because from this I have learnt the importance of goal setting and to be more specific in setting my goals because specific goals present a clearer target for my automatic mechanism.

There have been times when I had set goals that were not specific or realistic and when I did not achieve it the feeling of failure almost makes me depressed, but from this idea I now know how to set realistic, measurable goals and how to follow through in achieving the goals.

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

The lessons I have learnt from this book have enabled me understand the reasons people act the way they do and has made me more patient with people. It has also helped me understand the importance of self image and how it is formed and how it affects the personality of the individual. With this knowledge I have began improving myself and rebuilding my self image which will ultimately make me a better more successful person. The lessons I have learnt will make me a better leader and I will be able to direct others to be successful and help them overcome the challenges they may face. I believe one of the greatest problems in the world today is the lack of self esteem so with the knowledge of psycho-cybernetics I will be able to build the self esteem of those around me and ultimately make the world around me a better place

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

“its our self image that prescribes our limits’’

By understanding that it is the way I see myself that limits me I can begin to remove the limitations by changing the mental pictures I have of myself.

“The winner is the man or woman who does not personalize poor results. Such a person can be disappointed without feeling like a failure.”

Separating poor results from your personality is the key to failing and getting up.

“we maintain our balance only when we are moving forward toward something”.

This lets me know that I must always have a goal and be active in pursuing that goal.

“If we watch limits instead of destinations we bump up against those limits”

This teaches me to be possibility conscious and not problem conscious. It teaches me to focus on my goals and not the limitations.

“ A man or a woman without a goal is like a ship without a rudder. Each will drift and not drive. Each will end up on the beaches of despair, defeat and despondency.”

This also reinforces the idea that I must always be goal oriented.

“If it is not challenging enough to keep you thinking about it, it is not challenging enough”.

This is important in goal setting, it helps me know how to set goals and when to readjust my set point upwards

5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there any 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 I completed the exercises and they were extremely helpful.

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

No

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

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

 

 

Success Through Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Elayira Peri-Okonny (Nigeria)

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

The main idea the author is trying to convey in this book is that the mind is a powerful tool and if you use it rightly you can achieve anything. The author is conveying the idea that with a positive mental attitude anything is possible. The author through study of many successful people has been able to isolate the common factor that all successful people possess which is a positive mental attitude. So the author is teaching that success always starts in the mind.

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

Every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.

The statement is very profound because it buttresses the scripture in the bible that says “all things work together for good to them that love God”. It communicates the importance of always knowing that you can never be disadvantage no matter what circumstances you face. If you look closer you will find a way for that circumstance to profit you. It teaches to always look at things for the standpoint of a victor and believe that no matter what you face it will work together for your benefit. So never give up.

Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement.

This is important to me because it implies that i must be certain of what i want to achieve. Have a clear picture of my aspiration. The author listed some advantages of having a definite purpose and one of them was that the subconscious mind begins to work under a universal law; “what the mind of man can conceive the mind of man can achieve with a positive mental attitude”. So when I can visualize a clear picture of what I want to achieve my subconscious mind begins to gravitate towards that picture and helps me stay focused.

When you are faced with a problem that involves a misunderstanding with the other persons you must first start with yourself.

This is very important to me because it teaches me conflict resolution. It helps me understand that I should not be quick to pass out blames. I should give the other person the benefit of the doubt and correct myself first before trying to correct others.

Self affirmations repeated with frequency, rapidity and emotionally affect the subconscious mind and cause it to react.

This is important to me because now i know how to help others through auto-suggestion and how to focus my subconscious mind on my desired goals. I have used this for awhile before reading this is book but did not understand how important it was. Now i understand the principle and will obviously use it more often and with better direction.

So you’ve got a problem? That’s good! why? Because every time you meet a problem and tackle and conquer it with a positive mental attitude, you become a better, bigger and more successful person.

This is very important to me because it taught me never to be worried, dismayed or discouraged when i face a challenge. It taught me to always look for the good in the problem and to search how to turn adversity into a seed of equivalent or greater benefit. Shortly after reading this I had a series of accidents with my car and being my first car I could have felt despondent but I remember always saying to myself it will work out together for my good all through the ordeal I felt calm and relaxed, no anxiety or worries.

The secret of getting things done is to act; DO IT NOW

The author taught that in order for us to get things done we should act immediately. Whenever you say to yourself DO IT NOW, whether in word or thought follow through with desirable action. This will help you develop the habit of a reflex response so powerful that in times of emergency or when opportunity presents itself you will act. This is important to me because procrastination has robbed me of a lot of things and ever since I started applying this principle I found out that I accomplish things faster and quicker and have a lot of spare time to do other things.

To be happy, make others happy.

One of the surest ways to find happiness for yourself is to devote your energies toward making someone else happy. This is profoundly important because everyone desires to live a happy life. And this teaches that all you have to do is to make someone else happy. Whatever you desire to see in your life, make it happen for someone else. Whatever you make happen for others God will make it happen for you. I decided after reading this to do something daily to make someone else happy.

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

These ideas are indeed wonderful. I have length even more, that my success is in my hands. It’s my responsibility through a positive mental attitude to make my way prosperous. These lessons have taught me how to take control of my emotions, organise my time eliminating procrastination, giving me a unique passion to help others and helped me learn to understand people and deal with them wisely. With the lessons from this book i have been able to motivate myself and the people working with me and already we have been achieving better results in our responsibilities.

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

“If your feelings are frequently hurt because of what people say or how they say it, it is quite likely that you yourself are guilty of offending others by what you say or how you say it”.

This implies that i should not be quick to judge others. I should see differently and learn not to do to others what i don’t want done to me.

“Don’t blame God for your lack of success.”

This can also be stated as don’t blame anyone for your lack of success. Success is my responsibility and i have decided that no one (including myself) will stop me from being and achieving all i desire.

“A positive mental attitude and definiteness of purpose is the starting point toward all worthwhile achievement”.

So for me to achieve anything worthwhile i have to have a clear , definite purpose and develop a positive mental attitude towards life. This buttresses the fact that success is my responsibility.

“Direct your thoughts control your emotions and ordain your destiny”.

If you can direct your thoughts on the right things and control your emotions you can become whatever you desire.

“Self affirmations repeated with frequency, rapidity and emotion affect the sub-conscious and cause it to react”.

So to direct my subconscious mind all i have to do is daily as often as possible say to me those things i desire to see in my life. This is important to me because it is easy to set a goal but following through may be challenging, this idea helps in conditioning your mind in the direction of your goal.

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive – it can achieve”.

This is one of the most intriguing statements in this book. If I can only conceive an idea, believe it then i can achieve it. So nothing is impossible to me if i can use the power of my mind. There is no room for failure. I think success daily.

“One good idea followed by action can change failure in to success”.

So it’s not good enough to have an idea you have to get to work. Action is needed on my part if I am going to take that idea and make it a tangible blessing.

5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there any 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 I completed the exercises and they were extremely helpful.

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

No

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

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

 

 

Keys To Success
Assessment Elayira Peri-Okonny (Nigeria)

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

The main idea the author is trying to convey in this book is that success is achievable if only we all apply the principles that all the various successful people in history and present have used that made them successful. The author is teaching that if we can master the 17 principles we can achieve success at any level.

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

Definiteness of purpose.

Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. This is very important to me because it reaffirms the fact that without a specific goal to aim at I cannot achieve anything worthwhile. I have to have a major purpose and develop a plan to achieve it.

The power of the subconscious.

My subconscious if properly and consistently fed with the right image of my definite purpose will automatically attract the ideas and opportunity needed to achieve and attain that major purpose. This is important because it teaches me to consistently think upon, create the image of my definite purpose and meditate upon it regularly.

Establishing a mastermind alliance.

This is very important to me because from it I have learnt that if I am going to achieve great results I have to have some people working with me. I have to share the vision accurately with them and carry them along. I also learnt I have to choose those to work with me and not just select people that are my friends but people that can do the job. The fact is no one achieved greatness by himself even Jesus Christ had to have a mastermind alliance so who am I to think I can do it all by myself.

Controlling your enthusiasm.

This is important because a lot of times I get so excited about an idea and before the resources and circumstances needed to carry out the idea is available I rush into it only to be disappointed after failing. I also learnt to boost my enthusiasm by completing a can-do task and acting enthusiastically when I want to be enthusiastic.

Criticizing without destroying enthusiasm

This is very important to me because I have found myself being criticized and afterwards not wanting to ever contribute or display my enthusiasm about the project. So I have learnt how to criticize without destroying the person’s enthusiasm.

Enforcing self discipline

This idea is very important to me because I have learnt to discipline myself in relation to handling my time. As quoted “wasting time is sinful”. So I am giving more attention to how I use my time, disciplining myself to use my time effectively. I have also learnt the importance of controlling my emotions. Subjecting my emotions to the examinations of my reason before releasing them because I have learnt that emotion without reason is a dreadful enemy.

Thinking accurately

Learning to subject every idea, opinions or hearsay to proper reasoning and analysing things accurately is very important for anyone seeking success. I have learnt to separate facts from opinions, fictions, unproved hypotheses and hearsay. I have also learnt to separate the important facts from the unimportant. The author also taught that it is important to repeatedly expose your subconscious to the image of your definite major purpose in other to bring the image to fruition by inspiring you through your imagination with ideas and plans for attaining your purpose.

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

The author has been very instructive on imbibing these principles into your life in other to achieve success. I have personally started working on developing myself and applying these principles in my life. I am already building a mastermind alliance, am more organized in handling my time. And I have also began to teach others the principles I have learn’t and I believe if everyone can understand these principles then this world will be a better place. And this brings me to a question I have. Can I print out portions of this book and distribute? Will it be against any copyright laws?

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.

“One single idea has greater weight than the labour of all the men and animals and engines for a century.”

This is important to me because it emphasises the importance of ideas. I have decided to learn to take every idea I get from people seriously and learn to always jot down ideas when I get them.

“Definiteness of purpose will act as a magnet to attract to you the specialized knowledge necessary for success.”

This emphasises the importance of having a definite purpose in life.

“The intensity with which you impress your subconscious with a picture of your plan directly affects the speed with which the subconscious will go to work to attract the pictures physical counterpart by inspiring you to take the right steps.”

This suggests that I regularly and consistently focus on the image of my definite major purpose. Think on it regularly and see myself achieving it.

“Co-operation like love and friendship is something you get by giving”

This teaches to learn to help others achieve their goals and you will have people help you achieve your goals.

“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 10 years time.”

This important to me because it shows that I can determine what my future will be if I can use my time and money wisely. So my success is my responsibility.

“You don’t always get what you expect unless you inspect with a positive mental attitude. “

This is important to me because I have had great expectations for some projects only to be disappointed so I have learnt to inspect my expectations properly

“A person without enthusiasm is like a watch a watch without a main string”.

This is important to me because it emphasises the importance of enthusiasm in my life and also in those that work with me. Enthusiasm is important to anyone desiring to live an efficient successful life, because it helps you among other things to overcome mental and physical fatigue easily.

“If you don’t control your thoughts, you do not control your deeds”.

This reiterates the fact that thoughts lead to actions. This is important to me because I have learnt from this to control and direct my thoughts on that which I desire which would automatically produce the required actions.

“Defeat may be a stepping stone or a stumbling block according to your mental attitude and how you relate it to yourself”.

This emphasizes the fact that defeat or failure are not entirely bad depending on how you view the situation. If you carefully analyze any defeat or failure you would find something that will be helpful to you.

“The worst thing that happens to you maybe the best thing that can happen to you if you don’t let it get the best of you”.

This reiterates the importance of viewing defeats and failure with a positive mental attitude.

“When you act as soon as you must the habit of procrastination dies from not being fed, and no one laments its passing”.

This emphasizes the importance of responding immediately to a situation and doing what’s needed to be done as at when it is required in other to deal with the habit of procrastination. This is important to me because it has helped me overcome procrastination to an extent.

“Contempt prior to examination is a trap that will limit your opportunity, applied faith, enthusiasm and creativity”.

This teaches the importance of accurate thinking. This is important to me because it teaches me to always analyse a situation before placing a judgement and not disbelieve anything I don’t understand.

5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there any 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?

No

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

No

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

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