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Assessment by Rose Njihia Mbugua...

As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Rose Njihia Mbugua (Kenya)

Part 1 - Content Review:

As the plant springs from and could not be without seed so every act of man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This reminds me of how sometimes small issues blow up into a mountain and one wonders whether there was anything else other than that small issues, we tend to pile-up small things in our mind and once provoked we blow up. For instance a child may wrong you and you forgive but you don’t forget so next time he wrongs you again you punish him like never before not because of that one error but simply because you had other issues with him.

By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the divine perfection. By the abuse and wrong application of thought he descends below the level of the beast. I remember before I had enrolled myself in college, I use to think that there was no institution that could accept my low grades and so I wasted a lot of time debating and when I finally had the guts to approach one, I was surprised to learn that they admitted students with even lower marks and the marks determined which level one start from. Even though I did this with ease I was more shocked when I realized that the classes were always overbooked with students with similar marks and so I was not the only odd one out. If one does not shake off some doubts then you can remain in darkness forever.

That he is the maker of his character and he molder of his life and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove, if he will watch, control and alter his thoughts tracing their effects upon himself, upon others and upon his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient practice and investigation. It is through soul searching that one is able to tell where you stand and what you can do to mold yourself best. At times one is even forced to leave friends if you think they are not of any benefit to you or they are misleading you but you cannot do this unless you identify yourself and stand firm with your decision.

The outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state. For example lazy people sometimes look unkempt and dark. I have also noticed with myself that when I am not in a good mood in the morning I just pick on any outfit without even thinking twice of the days schedules. This however has disappointed me enough times especially when I am supposed to meet clients outside the office. I will only realize this once I get to the office and check on my diary sometimes I have been forced to go back home and re-dress. Grooming I could say is determined by the way one wakes up or the way I wake up. If in the middle of the day I realize that I m not well dressed and cant go back I long for the day when it will be over so I can go home. And one thing is for sure you cannot smile if you are not comfortable with your physical appearance. Sometimes also when one is dull you don’t need to tell others but it shows from your face.

As a progressive and evolving being, man is where he is that he may learn, that he may grow, and as he learns the spiritual lesson, which any circumstance contains for him, it passes away and gives place to other circumstances. Even though we learn through mistakes sometimes the mistake may be so humiliating that you feel you don’t want to go back again and unless one is really strong enough it can be very challenging, and when you finally succeed you long for more.

Man is buffeted by circumstance so long as he believes in himself to be the creature of outside conditions, but when he realizes that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes the rightful master of himself, and thus gets more confidence to face the world. People who are bold enough I think have more chances of succeeding in life as they don’t shy away of challenges, as long as one is confidences then everything else falls into place.

Good thoughts bears good fruits bad thoughts bears bad fruits, this reminds me when we were small children and our parents used to emphasis on good manners and especially when we visit friends or relative. If one was caught or reported to have misbehaved, thoroughly beating was the order of the day. That helped us to respect others unlike our cousins who were never disciplined and we thought their parents were better than ours but looking back, it helped me to be who I am today. And the same applies to our children like for example me since my parents didn’t give me that opportunity to embarrass them in front of their friends I also don’t expect my children to do the same and thus I instill discipline at all time. I don’t expect my children to be well mannered if I don’t show them how, and even though I might be tough to them now, they will realize the benefits ones they become adults.

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves, they therefore remain bound. This is true and we takes forever to implement change. Like end of last year I had so many things I had promised myself that I will work on before the end of this year but out of about ten items which I had highlighted only two or so I have managed to do without tiring. It’s so easy to note all the shortcomings that one encounters but given a chance to improve them we pull out or postpone. This makes our live to be stagnant and cumbersome. And as time is moving fast and so are the years, if one had intended to save for one year to purchase an item then you end saving for two years or more because the cost of living is going up and the more one waits the higher the price goes. “A stitch in time saves nine”.

The poor man.. attracting to himself a still deeper wretchedness by dwelling in and acting out, indolent, deceptive and unmanly thoughts. This only happens when one concludes that you are poor and there is nothing that can be done to improve the status and the poverty was sent to you in loads. It’s not only in poverty but basically in everything else. What keeps us moving is the urge to keep on trying and standing firm. But when we conclude that something is unmovable so it remains.

An employer who adopts crooked measures to avoid paying he regulation wage, and in the hope of making larger profits, reduces the wages of his work people, when bankrupt he blames circumstances not knowing he is the sole author of his condition. We should not treat other people badly and expect to get away with it, some of the bad things we do to others will hit back strong and in a different version. Its good to be fair and justice to others as one will always be on the safe side. The honest man reaps the good results of his honest thoughts and acts; he also brings upon himself the suffering, which his vices reduce.

Good thought and action can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. This is but saying that nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles. Our children will grow up well depending on how well we bring them up. If we bring them up being as God fearing children when they grow up they will have that in mind and this will however play a role in their future. If we show them respect, obedience and living humbly that’s the way they will grow up to be. Even though they interact with other children from different backgrounds I believe with a firm foundation chance are high that well brought up children will not divert to weird behaviors.

The circumstance which a man encounters with suffering are the result of his own mental in harmony. The circumstance which a man encounters with blessedness are the result of his own mental harmony. What we think determines what one does, one cannot have an evil mind and do good things even though people pretend you can always tell when one is doing something just for the sake of it.

A man is not rightly conditioned until he is a happy, healthy and prosperous being and happiness, health and prosperity are the result of a harmonious adjustment of the inner with the outer of the man with his surroundings. This by appreciating the little that one has and not cursing yourself for not being similar with another person or being wealthy like others. Even though we are all different in this world, in the eyes of God we are all his children and same. We are all gifted and different ways, its up to us to identify ourselves in what ways we do best and how.

Thoughts of fear, doubt, and indecision crystallize into weak, unmanly, and irresolute habits, which solidify into circumstances of failure, indigence, and slavish dependence. We fear when we are not confidence on what we are and what we can do, but if one was to shake off fear and doubts then one could be a better person. Like when one goes for an interview for the first time you get butterflies in the stomach even way before the interview start and so everything else goes hi-wire unless you control yourself.

Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose, as he must until weakness is overcome the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success and his will form a new starting point for future power and triumph. We should count failure as a stepping-stone and so not the end of everything.

As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking. To put away aimlessness and weakness and only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment. The most important thing is for one to identify the weak points or where one went wrong in life and start working from that point. We all make mistakes as we grow and learn from them and so do we make an impact.

A man weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own and not another mans. They are brought about by himself and not by another and they can only be altered by himself, never by another. We are sometimes ignorant of errors we make and instead of looking for solutions we blame nature or other people.

Part 2 - Personal Impact & Practical Value:

Man holds the key to every situation and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills. This reminds me once again of books and reading even though it has not gotten well into my systems but whenever I complete reading a book that’s when I realize how important and helpful the book will be to me. I have also learnt in a hard way that people who do not read are always behind news and rarely participate in any debate whether general knowledge, political or religious. One has to read to know what is going on either regionally or internationally or else you remain a backbencher forever. I have learnt from this that practice and patient are the in thing and are similar to bank savings. I did not know that I was spending more than what I earned until I started asking for advance in the middle of the month, this did not go on well because I got used to the system. At one time my boss had traveled and so I could not get the advance as used, so the remaining fifteen days of that month were a hell but I m glad they taught me a lesson that I will live to tell. I came a cross a finance magazine talking about managing your finances and the key points that I highlighted from the magazine was writing down daily expenses no mater how petty and working out the total expenses at the end of the month. Believe you me my expenses were one and a half times my pay and they was no way I was going to survive with such kind of expenses. Out of the expenses I ticked the regular and unnecessary expenses even though they were cheap they totaled up to consume a lot of my money by the end of month. The next step was to avoid them at all cost and of course it has not been easy but it’s working. The first thing I did was to stop carrying the ATM card and extra cash, I also avoided going places where I could be tempted to abrupt shopping. I have been doing this for the last one year now and my expenses have reduced by almost 70%, which to me its great and I don’t intend to stop there until they drop to at least 90% if not 100. This has not been easy though but it’s working. I have finally managed to take control of my finance and not the other way round, we learn through our own mistakes and not anyone else.

That a man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild. Our mind are like a small baby who will swallow anything its being fed on and the worst it can do is vomit once full or dissatisfied, and so when the baby is malnourished the baby cease to grow healthy but will still grow anyway. The same case applies to our minds that as long as it’s fed on with the right materials then the outcome are overwhelming and brilliant, if otherwise then the results are pathetic. Our mind will remain whether fed or not but the physical body portrays our thinking. Even though we cannot all be the same we need to work on to improve and it’s only through reading and understanding that we can change to the best. Well-weeded minds tells from far and are the kind that leaves people’s mouth opened with shock such are the confidence, negotiations, working skills and devotion. A neglected mind shy away from the crowd and tend to be crawl back slowly and unless pinned down. When one is conscious enough you will like to know where the leaders get information from and thus research through books and other materials to get the answers. As the saying goes that “an idle mind is devils workshop” we should try as much to keep our mind occupied with healthy materials. Mind tends to relax and remain in a similar position for long unless made perform.

Man imagines that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot. One will always spill the bean at some time whether intentionally or not. I remember when we were young we used to visit one of our family friend and even spend a night there. In the process we realized that unlike home, their parents used to keep loose coins near reach and so we started taking a coin and buying sweets, which we could all share. It went on for sometime and we were tempted to take even more and so one day their mother did not have enough money to buy some greens and when she went to check on where they use to keep coins she was shocked to find the tin empty. She came back where we were seated and asked if anyone might have take the coins, and since we had promised ourselves not to ever revile one another when caught no one said anything but the guiltiness on our eyes said it all. She gave us thorough beating and we had to say it all.

Even the man whose sole object is to acquire wealth must be prepared to make great personal sacrifices before he can accomplish his object, and how much more so he who would realize a strong and well poised life. We sacrifice our time on less important things in our life for example when I get home; I tend to pre-plan my evening with various activities before the night falls. Sometimes I accomplish and sometimes I don’t this I have noticed is determined by the program that I will find on the Tv. While I comfort myself that I need just ten minutes to drink my tea and kick off with my activities, I end up seating on for half an hour or more and thus not finishing all that I had planned to do. This is just nothing but a tip on the iceberg and shows just how I am unable to manage and sacrifice my time. I always tell myself that reading is more important and better than watching tv, while the tv will bring ready made and scattered materials, books will provide more enriched information and directly from the author hence more advantageous. I spend more time on tv with lame excuses, such like I m too tired today and that for an extra ten minutes the program will be over and more and more and the day goes like that. If we could stick and work hard to accomplish our plans then the world could be a better place to live.

A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. He ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition and builds himself up in strong noble thoughts, ceases to kick against circumstances but begins to use them as aids to his more rapid progress and as a means of discovering the hidden powers and possibilities within himself. This usually happens especially at teenage when for example parents choose the career for you and you don’t get employment immediately, the teens blames the parents for choosing a career that is not marketable other than looking for ways to add on to the career chosen. One tends to lay the blame wholly on the parent and sit back as if the parents are the ones suffering. At this level the teens will refuse to adhere to anything else that the parents suggest by blaming them of the misfortune and forgetting that since one does not have money you still needs them till you are financially independent. Anyone can make mistake and move on, but at that level one thinks the parents had undermined you hence the reason to choose something without involving you.

Mans prayers and wishes are only gratified and answered when they harmonized with his thoughts and action. Sometimes when we pray and request for something we expect and instant respond from God and so we seat and wait for the miracle to happen even for small things that require our efforts. Like for example one might be praying for a well paying job but other than thinking on how you can improve on your current one by maybe training further while waiting for a greener pasture, we just seat and wait. We keep on checking on the papers and applying for as many jobs vacancies as advertised and to our disappointment what one get are regrets, why because somebody else somewhere had better papers than me and since I don’t want to tire my mind I simply conclude that the job was not meant for me, but if one was to pay more attention on the job requirements maybe you could have noticed the papers required and what you need to acquire them other than just praying and waiting for the day that God will give me a better job,

A stronger man cannot help a weaker unless that weaker is willing to be helped. And even then the weak man must become strong of himself. He must, by his own efforts, develop the strength, which he admires in another. None but himself can alter his condition. There is always someone willing to help out as long as one is interested or I may say, “Curiosity kills the cat”. Another person will not know of my problems unless I tell them. The same case implies to learning institution even though they will advertise the various courses that they offer they cannot force a student to attend classes. So I believe it’s the weaker person who should show some interest in whichever area that is less understood to get more information. We all go to college to learn, materials that we think will be of benefit to our work or living conditions. I remember enrolling myself to bakery classes not because I work in a bakery but because I had tried baking in the house unsuccessfully and the lessons I learnt helped me to know where I went wrong. If one seeks help then you should be ready to meet the challenges in the process.

He who has conquered weakness and has pushed away all selfish thoughts belongs neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free. A man can only rise, conquer and achieve by lifting up his thoughts. He can only remain weak, abject and miserably by refusing to lift up his thoughts. One thought cannot just be lifted without hard work, and so is everything else. This reminds me of how I used to admire people with confidence in discussions or presentations in meetings but unfortunately I never made any effort beyond admiring them, why because I thought they were just lucky and from a well up family. This tends to be the short cut for weak persons to remain weaker. Ignorance also plays a vital role in oneself and unless one thinks twice you can remain standstill forever. It is also hard for one to accept the weakness in oneself. For example those people who do well in schools are related to being from a very bright family and so the lazy gene here concludes that education is genetic and not through hard work and so one does not conquer weakness but rather mold it. I remember when I was learning driving, during my lessons reversing was a problem and especially the T turn and whenever my instructor asked me try it I could suggest something else and so with time I completed my driving lessons even though I could not reverse comfortably. I later learnt how to reverse through a friend’s car and so sometimes even though we want to learn the confidence to say you don’t understand get swallowed in by the fear of being embarrassed or termed as a fool.

There can be no progress nor achievement without sacrifice and a mans worldly success will be by the measure that he sacrifices his confused animal thoughts, and fixes his mind on the development of his plans and the strengthening of his resolution and self reliance. We need to sacrifice our time and energy to realize our dreams. Sometimes we sacrifice our time on un materialistic things like one will opt to watch Tv unlike reading, sleep unlike doing community work or church activities. I have realize that the more you set your mind onto doing easy things the more relaxed it gets and when you try to involve yourself with complex activities that you are not used too then you tire fast. All that we need is to tune our mind to the best and it will adjust accordingly.

Self-control is strength. Right though is mastery. Calmness is power.

Part 3 - Summary:

The book is an eye opener for the sleeping minds, or for people like me who are afraid of failure yet do nothing to improve. To me it will be a bed side book its kind that is so encouraging and will keep one on toes to succeed. I also found it challenging for the weak in heart and mind and the various tactics that one can use to move on. It talks about real life and daily encounters and how they should be tackled. Even though the sentences are a bit too long and thus making it difficult to understand at a glance, I think it’s a book that needs to be read by everybody.

The first time a read through the book I thought it was talking about me and basically advising me on what to do. The various issues discussed in the book are real and most motivating. The serenity chapter left me mouth opened I had nothing to say but to further search my soul and see where I stand. The book for sure has played a major role in me and I treasure it!!


Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.
Assessment by Rose Njihia (Kenya)

PART ONE: Content review

The issue of practicing without tiring is a real challenge given that I am impatient with somethings and tend to tire-up halfway. Like for example I can start doing something with very high spirits but only for one week come the following week I slow down and the third week or so I give up. The book has helped me to know how more patient one is supposed to be to succeed in life, no matter how small something might sound.

I have also learnt that everything is possible with a determined heart whether people support you or not. If Jonathan Seagull had given up when he was brought to the center of shame he could not have become an instructor. Some people like senior staff in an organization will try to bring you down so you don't look more superior than them. Although it's kind of risky to their job one should be given an opportunity to be heard. It is also through hard work that one is able to go up the ladder of success either in community or work place.

Our own family members might also not appreciate us but other people do and recognize us as team leader. Like in some cases after high school parents don't give children an opportunity to choose their career or even discuss it with them. This causes conflict when an adult is forced to do something just to please the parents, in such a case one end up dropping out of college if the issue is not well addressed. I have learnt not to take other people for granted and that one should listen before you make a conclusion. If Jonathan was given an opportunity by the elder to prove his point the whole lot of flocks could have benefited from the word go. It has also shown how difficult it can be to help a person in need when not given an opportunity to express the point.

I have also learnt how hard it is for people to change from their old styled living condition to an improved one and especially when they are being involved in making the changes, they opt to remain in the same situations for life. It also shows how determined one must be to overcome challenges; it requires a lot of devotion, willingness and time for one to change. People fear change because of maybe ignorance, cultural barrier, religious or lack of knowledge.

The book clearly shows how elders in any given community can degrade its members without much of a thought. They can also humiliate members to an extent of making them outcasts which is even more frustrating and embarrassing. Elders in this case don't want other members to institute ideas beyond them. Such kind of leadership destroys developments and decision-making, and especially in cases where the elders' word is final. It has also shown how people go out of their way for the sake of their community or to prove a point to the crowd and how things can be possible with a determined heart.

One also has to believe in oneself for others to believe in you, this is from the confidence to the way you present yourself in the crowd. It also shows one that support from others is not guaranteed even the close family members who you could expect some assistance, unless one is strong enough such frustrations can bring you down to earth.

The books has also shown me that they are better days to come after all the suffering in the earth and that at sometime they are people who will appreciate your effort. All the hard work in the earth will determine your eternal life in heaven and that's why maybe Jonathan Seagull was shocked to find fewer gulls in heaven than expected.

It is also very hard to forgive and forget, those bad feelings about somebody who hurts you so much keeps cropping up every now and then. We tend to carry the grudge throughout our lives and when something similar happens the hatred comes back. Depending on how bad it was it can create bad hatred in any given society. We should learn how to forgive and move on with life. This can be possible by maybe avoiding situations that can lead to such incidents.

Ignorance is one of the shortest way out of avoiding learning or doing something. A friend once told me that if I thought learning was difficult then I should try ignorance. The world is changing and we need to change with it and especially the technologies being invented like the Internet, microwave, mobile phones and such. People want to be spoon fed with ready-made material. I sometimes wished I had worked harder in school because I have come to realize that without education you are a garbage, this from getting a good job, interacting with colleagues, making decisions in our workplace to generally how one lives. Most of the decisions we make in life are highly determined by ones level of intelligence and thatís why we sometimes see other people decisions petty or childish or too brilliant.

Till you can fly past and future, shows how we should live a day at a time and that yesterday is gone forever but tomorrow is forever. We shouldn't cling on the past but rather move on with even more boldness for us to succeed. The past holds us back from moving on and especially if one canít let go and move on, it can make ones life tedious.

PART TWO: Personal impact & practical value.

Change is something that at sometime we fear to implement. I remember when Internet was first introduced in our city, I managed to get a part time job with a cyber cafÈ the job was interesting because I could only work on weekends so I had a way of spending my weekends. However, I did not bother to know why and how people browsed. My work was just to note the time they have signed in and out and charge them accordingly. I had made conclusion down inside me that browsing was a western thing and dirty in our community, and that one had to be really idle to browse. I came to learn more of the Internet two years later after I had stopped working with the cyber cafÈ and I had pay dearly for that ignorance because Internet tuition had demand and very few institutions were offering it at that time. It also became a requirement for one to get a better job and so I had no choice but to enroll myself to a college to learn things which I could have learnt while working part time. Even though I have highlighted this issue of change it sometimes takes forever for me to implement it.

Self-denial, we sometimes think other people are more special than us forgetting that each and every person has a gift and that we cannot all be the same. It's through interest and learning than one can identify the various activities one can perform best. It's also through determination and hard work that bore successful fruits. When I was in high school our teachers used to emphasis hard work and concentration in our work and since I was kind of lazy when it comes to reading then I concluded that all the bright students were gifted and that they did not need to work hard to pass their exams. Now is when I realize the importance of working hard and especially when in school or college it pays back and when one is growing up and meeting challenges in various industries. I know for sure I did not make an effort of reading harder, but I also believe its never too late because when I realized the mess I had done, I knew there was no way out other than working hard. These has its consequences because that time I had all the time to read while now my time is limited and I have to pay for my tuition fees, take care of my family, work and still create time for reading and revision which has not been a smooth running.

Once you know your own rights they set you to freedom; we are free to go where we wish and to be what we are. This relates to when one is growing up and meet with all sorts of friends some who are influential while others are polite, most of the influential friends knows a lot and attract crowd as they act like role models, they also don't care if you are there or not. At times we join friends who have a bad reputation but since one what to be seen with them, one ends up being in the wrong company which can be dangerous because you don't have a mind of your own as the decisions are made by the leaders only. Such decisions may not be beneficial to all members and since you don't want to be rejected from the crowd then you take whatever comes on the way. Its is good for one to think and reason out the kind of the crowd you are moving out with and whether they are of any benefit to you and your life.

The book also reminds me when one is growing up, and the family still recognize you as a child and to some extend the parents decision tends to be final. We all have stages in life and at one time one is a fetus, an infant, child, a teenage and finally an adult. One is treated differently as you grow up but the final level is abit complex and difficult for the parents to acknowledge, this cause a lot of conflict in the house between the parents and the teenagers. I remember even after completing college my mum used to treat me like a primary school girl and we always argued on small things, which could have been avoided. Even when I started working she would still question me, our relationship became better after I was married. It has also proved that at some stage in life one will have to make a decision based on your goals in life. Such decisions tears family apart and especially between the parents and children to an extend of the adult child moving out of the homestead to create peace for both parties.

PART THREE: Summary

I think the book is kind of interesting and especially how one relates with a crowd like in a community. It has also give us the tactics of handling difficult people in our society and especially people like the elders, chairmen etc whose decision is taken by its members as final. This holds on to development, as it is not given a second thought, it can also be humiliating to prove a point to such a crowd.

The book has emphasized more on some qualities of a good leader like for example devotion, confidence, determination, hard work, patience and basically what it takes to achieve. The grammar used is also well understood.



Success Through Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Rose Nihau (Kenya)

Part 1 ~ Content review

Success is achieved by those who try and maintain bit those who keep trying with PMA. I have come to learn that without hard work you cannot move mountain. Working hard all the time can be tiring but I also think with purpose it can be rewarding too. It is the PMA talisman that I could say I luck and so I will always have a negative attitude on almost everything that I start. But I think one has no choice but to keep trying and even trying harder for you to be successful in life.

Failure is experienced by those who when they experience defeat stop trying to find the something more. We only try once and start off on something else we aren’t patient in projects and maybe that’s how we loss opportunities in life. We want to start off and be famous as soon as we set the ball rolling.

We are poor not because of God but because of the altitude we face life with. I count myself luck that I got the basic education I know very well they are thousands of people who cannot even write their names or read. And so we should count our blessings but when things don’t work the way we turn back and start complaining and do nothing. It sounds strange how we count on other people’s blessings but we ignore what we have and what we can do to get better. Sometimes we conclude that we were not born with a silver spoon and so things cannot work no matter how hard we work.

Sometimes we keep our minds on things that we lest require in life and thus end up wasting a lot of valuable time. I think its good for one to be self-disciplined in life no matter how small something might look or sound. Keep your mind on the thing you want and off the thing you don’t want. A scheduled day and evening will save a lot of time I think also idleness as it’s said is devils workshop and can be avoided at all time.

It is the NMA that pulls the other men down from the top when they have reached up. It can also retain one in a similar position for so long and thus becoming a coward to face the challenges. Other than it being personal and highly influenced by the people one associate with and kind of the books you read. PMA on the other hand require continuous practice without tiring no matter how small something may sound. It can be discouraging too and especially when on has failed two or more times. Just like fire it requires refueling.

Personally, I will translate problem into nothing else but problem and will try to work hard to solve it and other than translating problems into advantages. Problems will leave us in a worse position than one would ever like to be. We try to solve them in full blast and hope they were just misfortune, will learn nothing from them but try to avoid any signs that could lead to a similar situation. I personally don’t solve problems from advantageous point of view but will take it negatively and vigorously.

The burden is upon you to doing what is right or wrong and to know what is good and evil under given circumstance and at given time, one of the best ways to learn is to expose yourself with regularity to a religious environment and to seek divine guidance daily. This reminds me of the recent sermon we had in church which I thought was rather challenging, the theme of the sermon was “Whose Song are you dancing to” and this deeply touched me because the preacher emphasized on how most of the time we tend dance other peoples song which I thought it was kind of true. I hence made my motto every time I find myself in a mess or when that negative talisman turns on me I have learnt to ask myself whose song I am dancing to and believe you me it doing wonders in my life.

Study, think and plan these are two very important points from my point of view and I think we don’t use them concurrently thus leading to no where and especially planning, hardly will you find one planning for the day and especially when you are free. One tends to slot in activities, which are less rewarding. For example on a Saturday afternoon when I have nothing to do, I tend think of how I will spend the little money that I have on maybe going to the salon, shopping or just making unnecessary visits. While the church offers an afternoon basketball for ladies at no extra cost I will only participant on very rare occasions.

Seeing is a learned skill but like any other still it must be exercised, it is through seeing that one is able to differentiate the good and the bad. One has to be really attentive to see and learn something from it. One problem with seeing is the temptation of wanting what you have see for example a nice car, outfit, hairstyle or even house. It all depends on how one takes it if one is negative then seeing can provoke jealousy but with a positive mind you may be forced to work harder to afford it.

You can be what you want to be if you’re willing to pay the price, regardless of the past experience, aptitude, IQ or environment you have the power to choose. Maybe it’s the power to choose that one lucks in life everyone one will think that you are making the right decision to be where you are and to move to where you want to be and strange enough one is comfortable with the arrangements and unless something else happens in life then one will not wish to change. Like reading these inspiration books has never crossed my mind and I am sure there are thousands and thousands of people who don’t know this books exist and what they can do to change ones way of living just by the turn of a knob. Even though we are in a third world I think vast majority of us prefer doing other things given the option books. We so much believe in reading for exams and maybe for the church and that’s it. We will also opt for short stories from the magazines and newspaper.

Things keep changing even when I am not changing. I remember for sometimes now the tourism industry have been asking for the IATA Diploma certificate as the major requirement for employment and even though I have lost many opportunities in the industry for luck of the said certificate I never took it beyond the interview room until recently when I made my mind to attempt it. It could have cost less if I did it at the right time

Part two ~ Personal impact & practical value:

Setting high goals in life and working hard towards achieving them is important. We tend to set goals that don’t have time limit and thus making the objectives to be valid for as long as one lives and be there forever and unsuccessful. It is good to have limits of the goals that we set in life; I remember when I was doing tourism for the first time it was so interesting that I promised myself that I will have established my own tour firm and 10yrs down the line and the idea still rings in my head but have not made a move. 10yrs may sound a long time to come by but it has just passed and did not noticed until I read this book and was thinking what had I aimed to do with my life professionally, I counted the years since the last time I was in tour college and even though it sounded like it was just the other day, I did my first exam in March 1995. This is how easily one can sleep over a goal forever, but I am not stopping there only that this time round my timings will have to be less and hopefully more effective. I intend to have a note book based on my goals which I will be reading and updating every other minute. Without these then I don’t see myself achieving any goals even if I live to be 100

NPM repels, this I think is when one makes a wrong decision and sit on it. One tends to luck interest in life and so conclude that that life is just okay the way it is. I remember sometime back when tourism was flailing down, I decided to change career and be someone else which up to date I don’t know what I wanted to change too and so I went back to college and did a bit of management and in the process I thought marketing was better and since we had a chance to change, I changed to Marketing in level 3. And just then tourism started picking again I thought if I could do level II of consultancy with an IATA exams I will be able to get a better job and so that’s what I am doing now till next year March. I am just hoping that I made the right decision.

Greatness comes to those who have a burning desire to achieve high goals. I spend a lot of my valuable time doing less important things and sometimes I will even comfort my self on saying that I just need a quiet moment for myself which I think even though its healthy it can be misused but mine is so bad that I once tried writing down how I spent my day and was so embarrassed to find that almost 50% of my time is spent doing un materialistic things, things which you cannot account for. I am working hard to manage my time and hope that one day I will look back and say from that time in the year 2005 my life started taking a different and successfully diversion and was my best turn around point. Sometimes I think it’s a matter of mental discipline but planning ones day and money its very important and I think too it’s never too late to turn around

Nothing is accomplished without hard work. This once again reminds me of my days in school and especially in college when I started realizing that without working hard the result will be below average, due to my very low glades I had to do a foundation course for 3mths. I thought I was the only one and so I was wondering how the lecturer will take it and was sure he must have known what glades I scored, so when I attended the first class I could not believe what I saw, the class was full to capacity and infact I was the last student to be admitted. This however did not guarantee that you could move to the next level unless you pass your foundation and so I promised myself that I will not sit for the exam twice but once. It was a bit difficult in the beginning but I made it with a pass. In the next level I said I should not be getting a pass but should work harder and get higher glades I a credit in level 2 and 3, when I resume for level 4&5 will work hard for a distinction.

We tend to see the mote on the other persons eye and go to an extend to trying to change the way they live, its very strange that before you can even make you personal move you will have tried to move a thousands other peoples lives and decisions. I sometimes think that if I was in another person’s position I could done so much but I don’t sit to reason what I can do from where I am now. I once admired my friend who lives in a farm and even went ahead to implement on the many things I could do with the farm if I was the one living there. I also tried to sell the idea to her but her she was set on her own ideas this did not go on well as I was insisting on her combing her ideas with mine and at one time I thought she was not as sharp as I am but why couldn’t I get my own farm because I think the place she stays its quiet remote. Are you seeing only the mote in the other fellow’s eye? I could answer yes and not only one person but thousands.

When faced with a problem that involves misunderstandings with other person I must first start with myself. Mostly I will start with the other person and of course blow a mountain out of it. It’s interesting how we led life and the perseverance that one has to go through to create peace with other people. I remember sometimes back I never wanted to be the loser in any argument no matter how silly it might have been, I later came to learn that even though I did not loose I ended up finding myself very unreasonable. I learnt this lesson once when we had argument with my friend and she ended up surrendering and I thought I had own. Later on I met another lady who apparently happened to be a friend to both us. Over the usual chit chat she told me of the incidents that we had with my other friend and how my other friend withdrew from it not because she was at fault but because she thought my argument was not heading anywhere and that it dragging unnecessarily. I sincerely felt so embarrassed and especially that she had told her and I could not tell how many other people she might have told. From that day I learnt that sometimes you could withdraw from a conversation not because you are a loser but because you have seen ahead of the person you are arguing with. From that day I learnt also that you don’t have to talk and especially if you have nothing important to comment on. It is good to have limits and understand yourself first and better.

God is always a good God, but its rather confusing how we relate him with unfortunate incidents. I remember when my dad finally passed on I asked God what he wanted us do now that we had no parents to turn too, and why he had to take my parents of all others. I read in another magazines if your were asked whose parent or child you could have liked to die, and I could not have picked any around my family as I saw we were big enough to take care of ourselves compared to others who were younger than us. I thought I was the only one blaming God about our parents death and when I asked my sister about it she told me that she asked God what she was supposed to do with her Secondary results since both parents had passed and no one was left to praise her if she passed. We were both amused on how weird we sometimes think and act against God. But looking back the years we have survived without parents we can only say there are getting more and more better because we decided to let go and move on.

Be aggressive also require some gats and like me I will live it for the high headed people and even though I will admire the aggressiveness in them I will not to moved to be like them. In fact most of the time you don’t want to be faced by an aggressive person because you feel he might challenge you and since you have a whole load of negative attitude in you then you will try your best to avoid them. Like for example those people who sell insurance in office are said to be very aggressive and convincing and led one to sign on document way before you make up your mind. I remember the first time I signed and insurance I did it because the lady who was selling turned out to be our neighbor at home and so I did not want to let her down and have a bad reputation. Even though I could have opted for a better policy by getting more info of the various products that she was selling I took what she proposed first without even giving it a second thought. I later came to learn that she had other policies that were better than what I took and after sometime I was forced to abandon that and buy another one thus loosing money since I did not give it time to mature.

Save one dime out of every dollar you earn each six months invest your money, even though I will save through women cooperatives I don’t pay myself as I saw from another inspiring book that you should pay yourself first. I have no idea how much I am worth a month and what I should do with the money. We tend to save verbally and not practically. I still maintain my daily expenses book, which I write all the days expenditure this has helped me reduce my expenses so much and I am trying to sell the idea to my friends as well. Small-unbudgeted items tend to consume a lot of money at the end of the month and if one is able to identify and avoid them then one can surely live within his budget. I have however, not thought of paying myself, which I think will be the next mini project, for now I am still trying to live within my salary

We do not want to use other people’s money {OPM} for fear of loosing and not want to incur the bank charges and such. Approaching a bank for loan I think is one of the hardest thing to do and especially when you are not sure of the interest charges. I remember sometime this year when my sis was going back to school I did not have enough money but was expecting some in a 2wks time or so, I approached the bank for an emergency loan and when I was told of the loan application procedures I thought it was too much for a 2wks debts and even though I got it from a friend I think sometimes we are not prepared to meet the challenges in life and we expect things to be smooth all the way. I later thought I could have gone on and applied for a loan even with my friends help since I could have make my statement for future applications. I thought since the loan was short term then they did not have to ask for so many documentation.

Acquiring wealth through inspirational books, this is no doubt the best way out and thus leading a quiet life and peaceful life. Have learnt that books are really encouraging whether real or fictitious they leave one more enriched than before. Its only that we prefer simple things but I have come to realize there is nothing complex with a determined mind, all the books that one comes across are written by human being and not any special than us its just a matter of interest and concentration that one is able to understand the contents outlined. You will however encounter hard words in the process but there is always a way out since they are dictionaries, which simplify the complex words. I remember when I was in high school even though I used to have a dictionary through out I hardly made use of it. I use to underline the words that were difficult on condition that I will go back and get the meaning of each word which I hardly did since I could have been forced to read the book twice and so most of the time I ended up not knowing the meaning of some words. Nowadays I if I have to get a word defined then I sort it out there and then if possible if not I will do it as soon as I lay my hands on a dictionary. This is however has been made possible because I keep one dictionary in the office and another one at home so I have no reason not to get the definition.

Little knowledge becomes a dangerous thing, one does not know how dangerous it is until you find your self in a situation, which requires quick thinking, and you are stuck. It turns out to be very embarrassing and one wishes the world could swallow you. One of the things that promote little knowledge most of the time is ignorance, events pass us. I remember the last time I went for an interview I could not name all the national parks in our country even though we did them in college and hardly used some in the office I have never made any interest in trying to know if they still exist and what’s attracting there after college. It was very embarrassing no matter how much I wanted to prove that I really experienced. Its good to be broad and wide in knowledge. People with little knowledge think that what they know is the best and can stand firm on it, even thought the world is competitive one just remain old styled.

For now I think my picture has nothing to say about me its completely blank cant even turn on it when in trouble, I will need a lot of input for me stand firm on myself. When things get really bad and don’t know how and who to turn to, I think of my dead mum and wish she could answer me, I turn to her negatively hoping she was alive and I could call her and get all the questions answered. I also think that I tend to bit more than I can chew which is also another problem I need to sort myself out. When I turn to my mum I don’t keep quiet and wait for answers as suggested but I blame her for dying so early and leaving us unattended and yes at our age as in my younger sister is 21yrs old, we want to be attended to the grave. It’s rather unfortunate but its real.

Part three ~ Summary:

Day by day in every way through the grace of God I am getting better and better, and as I read this book I got more and more enriched by the grammar, phrases and the inspirations inside the book I am no longer the same person I was before I read it. I am seeing the world from a different angle from the day I started reading this book. It is such an enriching kind that one cannot part with. It is like a reference book with all the materials that one needs in life. I will get even better because I have discovered new things and learnt where I went wrong in life and since I cannot reverse I will take from the scratch and move on even more stronger and determined.

Adding something more, the something more can be another certificate, dressing code or even a new friend. Adding something that will add some value in once life. But hardly does one think for adding something more we tend to think that whatever we have pumped in is enough and so it should multiply automatically. One has to be really challenged to put in some effort. Its not the quantity of something more but the inspired of quality that counts. The effort we put in count and how often we do it. Engage in thinking, planning and study.

I have also learnt that one has to move and get what you need, and that laying the foundation does not come easily, I had to adjust many thing even in my house to accommodate learning programs for the family. Like watching TV is done at specific times of the day and when necessary or after accomplishing a certain task this applies to my children too and thus encouraging them to read more and do other extra curriculum activities. One has to start from somewhere and even though it has some hiccups here and there I sure at the end of it all we will all benefit from the arrangements. . It is important to introduce independent learning to children when still young sot hey can have it with then as they grow.

The 17 principles of success through PMA are now at the tips of my fingers, it is extremely strange how I have been leading my life, and I have been in complete darkness with no light at all. Not that I have been taking life for granted though but I just did not know where I was heading. And believe you me I have only been applying like just 3% and not that I knew better, I thought I was leading my life to the fullest but this book has helped me to know there is more to life, through a positive approach. I intend to make use of all the 17 principles and I am sure by the end of it all I will have achieved something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Raw deal in life is “a lazy mans proverb” which I did not know till I read it, when things don’t work out the way we want we conclude that the world is the unfair place to live in, and if the first battle was fought for us then the rest should be easy to tackle. If we could identify ourselves with successful image and no self-doubt and defeat in mind then we should be able to move on successfully.

Thinking good thoughts, positive and cheerful thoughts will improve the way you feel. What affects your mind also affects you body. And its all in our minds, before I learnt this from another book I use to think that those people who talk a lot and laugh out were just showing-off. Until later on when I learnt how healthy it is even to laugh out loudly. Somethings are just unique in there own way even though laughing is supposed to be natural its greatly affected by what is in ones mind and you cannot fake it out. People who are jovial are brighter on their faces compared to serious faces. It has been my observation that people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

You require a lot of comforting and encouragement to help you move on strongly with PMA it is true that vast majority of us don’t know about the PMA some because we are ignorance while others believe in their world of their own. I am realizing with time that knowledge is the best tutor in this life and no matter how boring it maybe there is now short cut. If I had not gotten into interest and browse on almost all institution that promote leadership I could still be in darkness it is the thirst to learn that lead me to establish your institution.

Success through Positive Mental Attitude is the best book I have ever read in my life.


Real Magic
Assessment by Rose Njihia Mbugua (Kenya)

1. Discuss the main ideas that you found most important in this book and discuss why they were important to you.

One of the most important things that I have learnt from the book is the non-spiritual and spiritual kind of living. The difference between the two is overwhelming, like the non-spiritual being been limited to five senses, demanding, holding grudges and revenging and being motivated by achievement are some of the things that I could not have drawn a line between compared to spiritual being who believes in guidance, practice meditation, understand God's intuition and live a peaceful life of forgiveness with other people.

Unlocking the door to real magic thinking in life, how I should reserve my judgment and disbelief to myself, learn to learn through knowing and trusting rather than doubting and fearing myself. Basically my mind set plays a major and drastic role in my life, and once one has established a strong inner foundation then the outer way will follow.

That my mind will determine the kind of life that I lead, the kind of relationship that I have with my families, friends and even colleague, and that for me to have a peaceful loving relationship out there I must have a peaceful mindset as well. It is interesting to learn that we are in-charge of my mind and we create all that it inside, be it hatred, negativity or jealousy and that is not an inborne thing. You can choose not to wrap yourself in the cloak of negativity and live peacefully.

Creating your own prosperity and not expecting it to arrive through the efforts of others. You create it, work hard for it and succeed. It can be achieved by anyone, just like plants unlike the weeds they need to be planted, fertilized, weeded and even natured for them to grow and produce something more productive than the single seed that was planted. Atleast one has to start from somewhere to blossom into prosperity.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc.? Explain.

Learning to live without asking for anything from anyone and practice unconditional acceptance. The things that we expect from our partner, families and even colleague are so high and when we don't get then we get really disappointed. I could not believe that you are supposed to give out without expecting anything in return. I have learnt why I get myself so stressed up by putting high expectations like I will expect some surprise gifts or outings from my husband which unfortunately don't come easily and if I knew that I m not supposed to expect anything then I think my life could have been much better, easier and more happier.

Interacting with people who can encourage you to be all that you are capable of being. This is where the classification of friends comes in, and group them accordingly depending on individual character and relationship. But what I realized is that friends who are friends in need are less than friends for fun and joy. I once had a personal problem which I could not tell all my friends because I did not know how they could react on it and so I decided to list my girlfriends in a piece of paper and pick them according to the way we relate in our friendship. And believe you me out of the long list that I had, I could only comfortably trust and talk to 3 who I knew they could understand and advice me well without taking advantage of my situation. Its very important the way we choose our friends and the kind of people we interact with.

The spiritual being has also been a challenge to me and I concluded that all along to some extend I have been a non-spiritual person even though I thought I was. Some things that I do are just strange and maybe sometimes it's because of being ignorant or not knowing, the gap between spiritual and non-spiritual is wide. I need to do a lot of soul searching to know where I stand. The difference between spiritual and non-spiritual being is just overwhelming and even though I am a spiritual being I still have some non-spiritual elements in me, which need to be worked on.

The ability to set others free and each live with own individual life and yet share with each other without demanding, this is one of the most difficult to accept and do. I look for example with my children I have not been able to set them free and I will always be on they back on every move that they make and thus nagging them a lot. I think I need some remedy on this and to let go, because no matter how much I try I have noticed as long as I am around them I don't let them free. I thought if I let them play outside the compound and away from the house then I wont think about them but I always find peeping on the window just to watch them and not that they are so small think it's the insecurity.

Giving up the notion that you are a mistake, or that you got shortchanged in any way. Believing in oneself is a key thing even though it has its merits and demerits if not well thought and depending on how one define oneself, it's the only way out. Even though sometimes I will shy away from challenges and console myself that I can't make it or it's too difficult for me, I have now learnt the tactics and how to convince my soul that I can also make it. This can also be a lazy mans notion and it can be very convincing, one has to work really hard to achieve a goal. The world will not know what you were going through to reach a certain level in life or accomplish something but will only notice once you have succeed and bore fruits.

That feeling of incompleteness without that which I crave, reminds me of the persistence cravings that I sometimes get that are so strong and depressing which leaves me moody and wishing against wishes. It is rather strange how one feels without them like you are incomplete and once you get them they only satisfy you for a short while and leave you wanting even more, these make one to end up in vigorous pursuit for this and that. I thought I was the only one but when I talked with my friends about it there were all going through the same at different intervals, the funniest thing is that even though I shared my problems with them we did not get a solution and so I thought it was a women thing. But now I have learnt its something you can easily train yourself and live even more comfortable and peaceful, one could also save a lot of money

Giving away, you cannot give away what you don't have. This is true and real, sometimes I use to worry what to give out like over Christmas when I have spent all the money on shopping and other things and still find out I had not given out to all, and when I realized that I could still give out for example the old clothes that we were not using to less fortunate community in church. I felt complete that even though we were not using those cloths other people could comfortably use them and appreciated. Another thing is that when you have hatred in your heart you cannot give love to others.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

- Prosperity if you believe you will succeed then you will definitely do, and that ones prosperity is set in your mind and believe, for example if something is possible for other people to succeed why not me.

- Expectations if I can be able to give without expecting anything from other people then I think I will lead the most comfortable life bearing in mind that other people no matter who owes me nothing.

- Have also learnt how to go about meditation something that I did not know, how to present questions and problems for considerations and to prepare myself and my mind that when doing that I am entering a spiritual world.

- Trusting myself in the things I do, I have learnt that if I m able to know that my life is on purpose and that I am not misguided then the more peaceful my life becomes. And that I can decide to choose trust or doubt.

- To live without fear and to know that when I fear I am fighting and fight weakens me makes me impotent and inaccessible.

- That if I want to be confident then I must act, walk and talk with confidence or the way that I believe confident people do.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

The book has challenged me in a lot of different ways that will be very helpful to my family and myself, and especially on my relationship with them. The spiritual being is also a challenge and so is the meditation, believing in oneself and knowing that with God everything is possible.

I am a miracle, by knowing within that I am truly one, and that I can choose what I want and make my life into a grand. The issue of saying that you cannot do this because you were born like that is something that needs to delete from the mind. It is lazy mans short cut and we use it when we don't want to face challenges, defeats or people whom we think are doing better than us. I have also learnt how it can drug ones life such a long time and the early one works on it the better.

Another thing that I found to be important and very interesting to me is meditation. I had no idea how people meditate and why, to be sincere I related meditation with Asian community, and since Christianity is in minority in Asia I concluded it's an Asian thing. Even though I will still need to read more books to equip myself, I think it's the best way of relaxing one soul and mind and to having a quiet moment with God.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

The only one thing that I disagree with, even though it's a fact and sounds real are the expectations from the other person. That mentality of getting something in return has so much being planted into my mind that I don't see any other way out. I still think I should also get something in return. Like for example in marriage relationship I cannot pretend that I don't want to be loved in return, get gifts and surprise trips etc. And since we are human to some extent you will expect something from your partner and if one is not supposed to then one need to work on it and instill that in mind.

6. What did you find most helpful and least helpful in this book?

Most helpful was meditation and I intend to start it immediately and see how it works. I have never done it before but from the look of things I think its very important and healthy thing for one to practice.

I also found believing one self and the various samples given to show that one must believe in oneself before you can even believe on others. Believing in oneself has turned out to be broader than I thought and the impact it plays in ones life is overwhelming.

7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

That ones inner soul determines a lot of things in life that one can change from one set of living to another if you work hard and when you believe and trust yourself. If you give yourself time and meditate you will be able to see things with a different perspective and have a better life.

Please Rate this book 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? 08
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10


Comments - Feel free to share any additional comments about the book or about the ratings:
Real magic is the kind of the book that you cannot read once and understand its contents; you need to read and reread it. It's a good book to refer too when one is not sure what to do with the life, it has some challenging and eye opening situations which are real and have work for different people in the world. It the kind of book that push one to move on with life with a different perspective, its encouraging and the knowledge gotten is just what one need to make an impact in life.


Keys To Success
Assessment by Rose Mbugua (Kenya)

1. What Ideas were personally most important to you in this book? Do not simply list the ideas, but explain or discuss why they were important to you, using personal examples.

No ones education is ever complete. You should also learn from every possible source. I found this to be important, it reminds me of the challenges I encounter before I decided to pick a book and read, even though I still working on it, it has not yet completely been absorbed into my system. Its funny how I give myself reasons not to read and opt to do other things, which sometimes don't make a lot of sense. I hope I will be able to conquer that inner soul as I am realizing the importance and effectiveness of knowledge.

The capacity to listen to criticism without resentment, I always feels insecure and uncomfortable if criticized. I remember once we had the usual staff meeting in the office and after various discussions and issues my boss started pointing on individual and telling them what they need to improve on. I was cornered as I had a habit of under-quoting I think I did not take it kindly and I thought he was getting personal. After some time I came to learn how his statement made me to be more conscious on my work and especially when giving out rates.

Developing definiteness of purpose, I found this to be important because I think I don't have a definite purpose in my life. I am the kind of person who will have thousands of projects cropping up in mind, which sometimes I start, work on for a short while then give up. I have now learnt the importance of having one definite project working on it and spending time on it for it to succeed.

I also learnt about the importance of teamwork, this reminds me of the first time I got a job in a tour firm with no experience and I joined a team of very supportive staff who encouraged me to enroll in a tour college and learn the basics. I did learn a lot from the team way before I had enrolled myself in college and as I was working for the company as company secretary, tourism was a by the way but the way the team worked in that organization made me to get some interests in tourism. When one of the team leaders left everybody felt the impact.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Budgeting time and money. This reminds me of another time my one of my cousins came visiting from US and was like we still have a lot of time to idle around at first I thought he was rude and did not take him serious. But after sometime I started thinking what I actually do with my time and realized the only time I can account for are the 8 _hrs I work during the week and 4hrs on Saturdays. Unless I am attending classes after work then the rest of my free time is spent doing sweet nothings. I intend to do a timetable for things to be doing especially after five.

Any worthless, superfluous or harmful habit can be broken and replaced with a more desirable one if you want to be so. Sometimes we are forced by unexpected to come out of a started habit. I remember sometimes back how I used to like chewing gums and not sugarless but the usual gums with sugar and flavor. I did this for a very long time and it was especially soothing when tired or annoyed. I did not stop think of the consequences until I started having dental problems. And by the time I was visiting a dentist almost half of my remaining teeth needed an urgent fillings. I started the filling session immediately, and did it every other week. What made me not to ever touch a gum was the injection, which I got on the inner and outer side of the gum on every visit.

Controlling your emotions, learn to think before you act. I sometimes wonder why the later always comes first and regret the consequences. I once told my friend how sometimes my children makes me annoyed and I end up punishing them sometimes for no good reason. And she told me to try breathing in and holding my breath for 10mins and that by the time I release it out some of the anger will have dissolved. I have tried several times and even though it works, sometimes I get too annoyed to remember the formula.

Everyone faces defeat; defeat should be accepted merely as a test, which permits you to discover the nature of your thoughts and their relation to your definite major purpose. I don't know what comes into once mind after defeat I really feel bad and unworthy and do not take time to think what the other person could have felt should I have won. I also don't think of what went wrong and if it's something that could have been rectified. Sometimes defeat can make one not to ever attempt such a thing again but have learnt with a positive mind practice makes perfect.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

Promptness of decision is the hardest and yet the simplest thing to do once you make up your mind. It gets hard and even more cumbersome if you are not able to make decision soon. It took me 7yrs to just make a decision on doing IATA exam even though all along I knew it was a mandatory requirement for a qualified travel consultant. I finally enrolled and did the exam in March this year; I felt I have been cheating myself. Dillydallying does not inspire popularity it waste a lot of time and sometimes even money. Some years back when I enquired the IATA exam fees and tuition materials, it was going for approximately US $240 but now, I paid US $530.I have learnt that everything else will change whether I make my decision or not.

It's a bit difficult to avoid keeping up with the joneses, the temptations are just too much. I don't know if the same applies with men but women will do everything to catch up with things like styles. Sometimes you feel left out when you cannot afford something, which your heart desire so badly. I have came to realize that once you have purchased an item that does not become the end but you will get attracted to something else which will drive you even more weird. It requires a lot of self-displine and knowledge to beat that urge of wanting this and that.

Source of your thoughts habits reminds me of my family where we have a lot of alcoholics, which has affected mostly men as in my uncles, brothers and cousins. I once over heard my cousin say when drunk that if they had found my grandfather being a priest they could have all been priests but now that they found alcohol that's why they all drink. The behavior is so contagious in our family and just unbelievable that the numbers of alcoholics outdo the sober men in our family. They always hang out together and even share same drink when they other relative cannot afford.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

The habit of smiling, I have managed to enforce this habit by always looking myself on the mirror and smiling back and sure it has worked well even when I am in a place where I cannot remove the mirror I assume there is a mirror and just find myself smiling. I thought it was funny when I started it but I once had forgotten and just looked myself on the mirror without smiling and believe you me I looked like a ghost, I was just too dull. I also try to think of something funny when I think I am not in my best and I just find myself laughing. It has taken a while to conquer that but I believe my facial expression is getting better and younger.
Penalties of negative mental attitude one of the penalties of my negative mental attitude that I have noticed is that once I make a mistake and maybe somebody notice and corrects me I have this mentality of taking it personal and negatively other than thinking twice about the mistake and correcting myself. Even in the house I don't want to be corrected and sometimes it's leads to collusion with everybody onsite. I am trying to comprehend that no one can hurt my feelings, make me anger, or frighten me without my full cooperation and consent.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

The only thing that I seem to disagree with is “putting all my eggs in one basket and concentrate my attention on protecting that basket and getting it to the market”. I think I a m on the side of not putting all the eggs in the same basket. I look at it this way if for example I am experimenting a small project which I am not sure how it will work out then for sure I will not put all my savings and watch it drain away. To some extend concentrating on the basket make sense but if you think from the financial side of view then it kind of impossible.

6. What did you find most helpful

- Determining purpose in my life
- Selecting members of my alliance
- Positive Mental Attitude
- Habit of going an extra mile
- How to develop Positive Mental Attitude
- Major causes of personal failure

And least helpful in this book? I did not find anything that was least helpful for me.

7. In 50 words or less please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The main idea the book is trying to convey is how one can change his/her own lifestyle for the best. It has also given advice of how to go about the changes what one needs to do and how, and most important with Positive Mental Attitude.

8. 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

9. Comments - Feel free to share any additional comments about the book or about the ratings: it is a 100% important book for any person who needs to make a change in his/her life to read and implement the advice provided.


Psycho-Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by Rose Mbugua (Kenya)

1. What Ideas were personally most important to you in this book? Do not simply list the ideas, but explain or discuss why they were important to you, using personal examples.

How to overcome habits of shyness and self-consciousness, it all about self-confidence, which require continuous effort. I remember the first time I joined a typing college in our home area it was like I had just been blown from a cocoon and I really felt uncomfortable in class because I did not have enough confidence to even interact with fellow students and for about 3mths I suffered quietly not knowing how to make friends, and looking back I just see how much I lost because of luck of confidence.

Where do I start, awareness that something in your life just isn't working. This is what lead me to browsing and learning more about leadership I felt that I was missing something in life did not know how to go about it and I am sure if I had not browsed through the internet I could not be the kind of person I am today. It reminds of a vernacular saying when directly translated can mean, “ The person who want to go for along call is the one who looks for the toilet and not vise versa”.

Write down the goals you could like to achieve even if it seems no more than a dream, I did not have specific goals in life until I joined the leadership learning and sure enough it has taught me to live differently and see the world from a different angle. I used to think broadly and never took any action to implement my broad thinking but now I am more than armed with the right tools and sure to prosper with determination and being positive in life.

Become the person you want to be, first I think one need to know who you are as in the kind of person you are, the personality that you have and the person you want to be in future. From that angle then it will be easier to make effective changes accordingly. A negative self-image can be erased, like a tape recording and replaced with a new positive self-image.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use Personal examples in your explanation.

Early this year I attended parenting classes for 12weeks, Saturdays only and what I learnt from the classes was just amazing, I learnt a lot on achieving a loving relationship, how to develop more effective parenting skills and surprisingly the same has be repeated in this book. There is so much that we take for granted when parenting and child discipline. For example, I did not know how humiliating it is to punish a child in front of the other, how it affects the child morale and confidence. The way we bring up our children is the way they will grow up to be, in other words they are just photocopies of our own selves. I didn't also know that parenting starts from as early as 8mths, and severe beating is not a solution but damages the child even more. The way we were brought up is quite different from present parenting, we could not reason with our parents when it came to punishments but today's children know their rights and sometimes will want to know if they must be beaten or given punishment.

People always feel, act and behave according to what they imagine to be true about themselves and their circumstances. This reminds me of how I used to admire girls with high self-esteem and confidence both in high school and college, and at one time I thought they were just proud and showing-off. Later on in life I learnt it was natural. I also realized that they moved very first in life unlike me who was kind of shy and withdrawn.

To learn to grow to move forward from patterns that have become comfortable and secure requires courage the willingness to take risks to make decisions to take the action needed to translate goals and desires into realities. Most of the comfortable and secure places are jobs no matter how frustrating they are, I will convince myself that as long as I get paid at the end of the month then nothing good come for free. The idea of job searching just makes one to be more perseverance in very most inhuman work places. I once went for an interview halfheartedly and could not just concentrated on the questions I was being asked, I kept thinking supposing I get this job and then I am unable to perform and they sack me I will end up jobless plus its better the devil I know than the saint I don't know. I realized I was not serious on job searching and that I needed to make up my mind for better for worse.

She put a mirror on her desk beside her telephone computer; she made a point of looking into it and smiling every time she took a call until it had become a habit. “You can fake it till you make it”. I have also tried using the mirror and it has surely help to improve my physical appearance and confidence. My friends used to comment that I am always serious and unapproachable and when I read the Real Magic book I started implementing the use of mirror and it has helped me. It reminds oneself that you are still there and beautiful. It also helps one to be conscious of the face and redo it when need be. So its not only helps you to smile often but also to keep your face in order.

Sleep on it, sleeping on it when there is a problem you are trying to solve is not an empty cliché. I did not know you can sleep on a problem until one day I had a problem which I talked over to my friend expecting her to give me an instant solution and when she told me that we sleep on it and give it a thorough thinking I thought she was dreaming as I was looking forward to an answer there and then. I went home a very disappointed person and even started thinking maybe I was a bother to her and that's why she could not help me come up with a conclusive decision immediately, and thus concluded she was not a friend in need anymore. The following day I decided not to call her but to my surprise she came to my office with enough solutions and this just caught me by surprise and it was unbelievable. I had to sincerely tell her how I thought she has changed. She told me the importance of sleeping on a problem, which seems unsolvable and giving yourself time to digest it. I can say I first learnt about this from her, which has been very helpful.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

Be careful what you say to your children. They may agree with you. Before calling a child stupid or clumsy or bad or a disappointment. It is important for a parent to consider the question, is this how I wish my child to experience himself or herself. Sometimes I think parents just snap and regret when the damage is already done. I m trying to get out of the habit of making unnecessary noise, I can say it unnecessary because after its all over I seat down and try to think the purpose of all that and have learnt even though in a hard way that I approached the situation with anger and that not only was I solving that problem but was also trying to fight with my own anger at the same time. I m trying to especially talk softly and composed, every time I find myself shouting at the children I hold my breath for like 10mins and release it slowly. At one time my daughter thought I was not ok when I suddenly kept quiet in the middle of a sentence. I sat her down and tried to explain how bad I feel when I make noise and that they should not make me shout myself out of the house as it gives me a bad headache, had to add that to make her see how bad it is.

I just happened to be the bridge when lightning struck, I am still fine. This reminds me of my former boss, I had written to him enough times on my salary increment without response and so one day I decided to hold the bull by its horns and approached him. What I got from him made me wonder why I had done so in the first place, he told me not only is he unable to increase my pay but we are also closing down due to his financial constraints. It took me awhile to digest that information and almost got me depressed for like 2wks. I did not know what to do till I saw an advert on the newspaper on my career that I came back to my sense that I could get another job. Even though I did not get the one I applied for at that time, I started talking to friends in the same industry and managed to get a job somewhere else. Sometimes you need a tap on your back to move on

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

I have been challenged on especially cancel and Craft and have started making use of both of them and have learnt the difference it is making in my life. If I think something that is disturbing me cannot be solved there and then or the thoughts don't seems to be conclusive then I have learnt how cancel and move on. Sometimes the thoughts are coming back but with repeated cancellations it has been working for me. I have also learnt to take life easy and not to over burden myself with un-reasonable thoughts or things that are just time consuming. I remember one time I was reading and I got interrupted with something which I had not finished in the office and since I had already left and they was nothing I could have done I tried canceling it out enough times just to concentrate on my reading, Later on it just disappeared and noted how easy you can get rid of small things.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

No

6. What did you find most helpful

“Yabbit” someone who wants to get out of rut but kept making excuses not to. I found this to be most helpful to me as I can call myself a Yabbit too. I tend to take long to make decision. I have learnt also that the more time I take trying to make a decision the higher the chances of me not ever deciding. Excuses keeps cropping-up every now and then and other things come and go as I sit on mine. A friend once told me that the sun will still raise and set whether one move and that I couldn't hold others from moving on. Another thing that holds me back from moving on is thinking that I know my limit which is true to some extend but have just learnt how wrong I have been that in fact I have been chained to them. And least helpful in this book? Did not find anything less helpful in the book.

7. In 50 words or less please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The book is trying to give tips on how one can change and become a better person in life. It has also some ways of how to go about it. Giving the reader real life experiences from other people has also helped to prove that one can change from whatever situation one is in to a better person.

]Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10


Giant Steps
Assessment by Rose Mbugua (Kenya)

1. What Ideas were personally most important to you in this book? Do not simply list the ideas, but explain or discuss why they were important to you, using personal examples.

* I should not try to be perfect, but just an excellent example of being human. I have noticed that I waste a lot of time trying to be a perfectionist and especially in the house and with children, I get even more annoyed when I try to force them to do things which sometimes are not real with children; for example making them keep quite during news time or wanting them to eat in a certain way.

* Financial freedom, and the ability to manage my finances. I found this to be most important, as it's the core item in our day-to-day living. Have learned that without budget and saving one cannot even fulfill set goals, as they all require mostly money.

* The sun will still set, I found this concept important because some of the things I do in life I assume that life will standstill until I make up my mind, and as I was going through my certificates I noticed that I did not complete my marketing course which I had started some two years back and as I plan and budget to resume back to college the sun will still set and rise. My personal development goals for this year is to finish marketing course which I left half way, this I am sure will add more skills on selling and customer service, and an outstanding confidence and courage to help me along the way

* Making use of the mirror 7days a week, 5 times daily just grinning this has been helping me to reconstruct my face every now and then. I noticed that even though silent and humble inside me sometimes my face portrays something different, sometimes sad, too oily or even unkempt. So the mirror has been helping me to remain jovial and neat. And somehow slowly it is building up my confidence when talking to people or even walking, as I don't have to worry about my face or lips or even hair.

* Nothing and no one can change what I feel expect me Leaders are readers, reading at least 30mins daily Improving myself in everyway and every single day and not sitting down and expecting a miracle to happen. I have noticed that my body will do what I want it do even though not rewarding in terms of time and money or even knowledge.

* What will I be in 10yrs, what do I need to do to get there, what challenges do I face, how do I handle them. I found this to be important and especially when setting my goals and giving myself limits so I just don't set them.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use Personal examples in your explanation.

* Never spend more than 10% of your time on problem, always spend at least 90% on solution. This is something that I will live by because I think I have been doing the opposite and thus blowing a mountain out of a hill. I can testify that,” An idle mind is a devils workshop” I tend to analyze the problems inside out and sometimes even get personal. I also don't tend to reason out if I could be the problem but wholly take the opponent as the problem. If for example it was a family issue I will think over it during the day and come up with the solution but once I reach home then I start all over again like the problem was fresh and unless we talk over it then I can easily take it to bed and for the next couple of days. I am learning to see the situation as it is and not worse.

* I have discovered numerous positive ways to change my negativity. One of the most common ways I have been using is singing when I get upset or somebody closes my path or just when I feel down and it has really helped me out. I will sing all sorts of songs and repeat the once that I feel are flowing well and especially gospel songs. It has helped me because I m the kind of a person who get carried away by issues for such along time and sometimes making my days/nights even longer than usual.

* I am now able to spend less than what I earn, since I started writing down all my daily expenses it has really helped me to know how much money I spend on what. I have been doing this for the last 2years now and has it not only set me free from financial debts but I have learnt also how to budget and put first things first. Initially it was difficult to account for especially small things but I am now used to it and I have also adopted a way of shopping with a list. I have been strictly shopping on based on the list and if I see something that may need I note it down and tell myself that I will include it in the next shopping. This is another thing that is doing wonders in my life and hope I will stick to it forever, I am no longer buying things just because there are on special offer.

* Focus each day on making the relationship better, I expect my husband to also do the same and maybe that's were we collude. Because if I do something extremely unique for him or family and it goes unnoticed then of course I end up concluding that my effort in our marriage is not noticed. Even though sometimes he will say he had not noticed any changes I will still think he is not keen on our family for him not to notice. Sometimes its just too hard to just give and not get anything in return, I need boosters in my life for me to move on I cannot be the only one giving out and getting nothing in return. It takes patience, love and tolerance for relationships to be stronger and long lasting.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

* A hero is a person who courageously contribute under even the most trying circumstance, live in an attitude of positive expectancy, knowing that everything that happen in life benefits one in some way, also I should not look for heroes but be one. This has challenged me to face life with courageously and broad other than been limited to what I know best.

* Habit is the best of servants or the worst of masters, old habit can change and new habit learnt even though sometimes we get used to old habits and make them part of our lives with determination and positive mental attitude then it is possible to change from one habit to the other.

* Next time I start getting upset with someone I will remember that I m not upset with the person but I am reacting to my rule for the situation. I will ask myself what's more important my rules or our relationship with this person.

* Patience, taking a deep breath holding it for 10mins and releasing it slowly, taking time before reaching to conclusion, being positive in what I do and say. Not personalizing issues, practicing different ways of solving issues and taking time to learn from them. I have noticed that the problem is not the problem that I am experiencing at that moment but the problem is me. If I look at a problem with a negative attitude then it will be even harder for me to solve it with positive mind, I have also learnt to take things lightly and sort them out as they happen. This helps me to be free from stress and unnecessary thinking.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

* It has challenged me to start saving seriously towards my set goals, watch my expenses more keenly, establish my goals and plan how I will accomplish each one of them. I have also learnt that I can divide my goals into portions, which I will tackle easily. Setting deadlines and spending at least 10min daily on my set goals will help me fulfill my goals.

* Decide what I want to do and believe no challenge can keep me from it. Some decisions are easy to make but only when there are not life threatening or so I think. Decisions that can make my life better I tend to take longer or not even making decisions at all compared to petty decisions, which cost time and money.

* Learn more and being open minded, curiosity of a child and being attentive on details. I have noticed that I have not being attentive on news and will only listen to what I think is important, but now I have been challenged not to take things for granted.

* Success and failure are not results of single event; failure is not going an extra mile, success taking initiative, following up persistently. Learning to live positively, learning from previous mistakes and living each day to the fullest

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

* The only thing that I totally disagree with is that relationship being seen as a place to go to give not place that I go to take. I disagree with this because I am also human and expect something in return no matter how small. I have also noticed that if I give and not get anything even a thank you then I will conclude that whatever I did was unappreciated. To me relationship is a two-way traffic where you give and take.

6. What did you find most helpful

Defining myself, this something that I have never thought of and it gave me some clue to know who I am and what's in me. It gave me some thoughts and can now stand or post an advert of myself. I have also learnt that I hold the ultimate power to define who I am and where I want to be. I think for a long time I did not have an identity, and that's why I usually beat around the bush when asked in an interview to tell them about myself, it has not been coming out well but now I have status.

7. In 50 words or less please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The book is trying to convey message about oneself, what I m and what I can be. Defining and knowing oneself inside out. It has also stated how to face situations no matter how difficult, and that everything is possible with a positive mental attitude.

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

Comments
The book is brief and to the point, one has no reason of not reading and understanding it thorough. It's so helpful and one can be reading a page a day for the whole year and become more nourished in life.


The New Dynamics of Winning
Assessment by Rose Mbugua

1. What Ideas were personally most important to you in this book? Do not simply list the ideas, but explain or discuss why they were important to you, using personal examples.

Don’t become so well adapted to a specific set of circumstances that you can’t change when conditions begin to fluctuate. This is common with working people like me who fear change and comfort myself that its better the devil I know than the angle I don’t know. I noticed that if I go for an interview with 50/50 mindset then I’m not keen on interview questions and tend to console myself that after all I am not desperate, even though I m not comfortable financially with the current employer I tend to have the fear of unknown.

My physical well-being is my most precious gift yet is something that many people cant fully appreciated until they lose it. Every time I visit a patient and especially in hospital I just tell myself how lucky I am that I am not bed ridden and that I can breath, cry, eat what I want and even laugh uncontrollably. I appreciate my being alive and healthy, every morning when I wake up I thank God for giving me yet another healthy day and I don’t take it for granted my being healthy given that there are so many people who don’t wake up like I do or if they do then they wake up with some illness

Winners sit up front. From the first row you can interact with the instructor, see and hear from the best vantage point, be noticed when your raise your hand and be in a position to ask more personal questions immediately following the session, I had always been a back bencher and of course not doing well in class as teachers gave less attention to students seated behind. And so when I started developing eyes problem in college I had no choice but to move in front, I got used of sitting in front even in church and can say for sure one get first hand information unlike the person seated behind.

You must believe that you are as worthy of happiness and success as anyone. You are worthy in your own way, regardless of how you may differ from others. I don’t know why one gets that feeling that you are of lesser luck or gene than your friends, neighbors or even relatives. We usually forget that we are special in our own ways and we have different gifts and talent. If we take our time to know ourselves better and what we can and cannot do then we will be even better as we will spend more valuable time doing things that will satisfy us more other than regretting of what we don’t have or cannot reach. Believing and trusting in oneself is the key thing.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

Expect the best, plan for the worst and prepare to be surprised. This the best thing I have learnt from this book because I think most of the time I just sit expecting nothing and un prepared and so when something struck it really hit me hard. I remember sometimes last year I had a house help who was so good with my family and I never thought she could just leave and so when she told me that after her holiday break in April she will not come back I felt like hitting her given that I was expectant, I did not take it kindly as I thought I was the best employer and treated her just like one of us. I concluded she ought to have stayed with me till I get tired of here services and not vise verse. After she had left I realized that I did not even give her a chance to explain herself why she was not coming back or if it was something we could have rectified together. She is gone but I learnt a lesson.

Nothing damages self-esteem as much as being singled out in public. I remember when I was in lower primary school we use to have this radio broadcasting subjects like science, English and even History. We could be combined like 3 classes in same stream to listen to one radio. One day the teacher in charge caught my friend and I making noise and she called us in front, put her hands under our dress and pitched us really HARD. I will never forget that day and the teacher who did this to us; it was the most embarrassing moment in my primary school life. We were really laughed at by other students and become the joke of the class; other students and especially boys started making fun of us. My parents had to interfere as it had started affecting my performance. But up to date whenever I go upcountry and meet with that teacher I feel really bad and wished she had whipped us instead. Things changed when we went to the next class and she changed from being our subject teacher but she still remained in the same school.

I flare to anger quickly and become defensive in situations that call for calmness and reason, most of the time I become a victim of flaring to anger, like for example when my daughter was not feeding well I could really cause on her and get worked up to an extend of myself not eating and with time I started getting tired and wishing that dinner time could just come and pass in my absence. With time I stopped bothering her or pressuring her to finish her food, slowly she changed by herself and became the best in the whole family. Sometimes its good to be observant and get to the roots of why things are happening the way they are. I came to learn later that she was taking a lot of tea after school and so by the time dinner was served, she was already too full to take more and within a stipulated time.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

You need to feel love inside yourself before you can offer it to anyone else and even the bible state that you love your neighbor the way you love yourself, but our culture is different we were not taught how to love or to be loved and like me I grew up knowing that lover is as a forbidden word as sex and was meant only for big people as in adults only. I don’t remember ever in my childhood being told by either of my parents that they loved me. I understand what love is and its importance, I always tell my children that I love them but it does not come out easily and clearly it kind of chokes me as I had a different attitude towards love for such a long long time. I also have problems loving myself, as I tend to think I will be looked at as being greedy and selfish. But I know it’s important to be loved and to love.

How can I make myself aware of procrastination, what are some of the things I tell myself when I m are trying to put something off? I have learnt the importance of knowing what holds me back from moving forward, I think I have dozens of procrastinations. I will tell myself that its impossible to perform a certain task or such a thing requires a genius to perform. I also think laziness contributes a lot. For example when I tell myself that I need time to think about an issue, I have noticed that if its something that I was not into it then I will even delay more and with time I get carried off in making decision.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

The book has challenged me on especially waiting for other people to take me for fishing. Sometimes I tend to rely on other peoples decisions whether good or bad, whether affecting me or not. I have just learnt the importance of being independent and not to just sit and wait for a miracle. I have also learnt that the right time for change is today and now. I can also choose how to spend my day and make it a habit for the rest of my life. I have been challenged to plan my day and especially my free time.

Making an effort to feel good about my physical self, including how I look, how I dress, and how I think. If I don’t feel good about those things then I should take control and make the changes I need to make. I find this to be important because I have noticed with myself that every time I dress in a hurry only later to realize that I did not dress appropriately I end up being withdrawn the whole day and most of the time I will avoid meeting people. I have decided and in fact re-arrange my closet by removing all the clothes, which I think, make me feel uncomfortable so I don’t get tempted to wear them when in a hurry.

Avoid associating with people who have the same unresolved problems or who are frustrated by their lack of achievements. I have realized as I was going through my list of best friends that most of them we sail in the same boat of unresolved achievements and that’s how we have managed to be friends for so a long time as we have so much in common. We have a monthly meeting, and we hardly talk things that could improve our tomorrow, I have been challenged to choose my friends.

I am in charge of causing my results. Don’t put it off. Don’t put success on lay way. Don’t sit staring at the TV screen letting my mind go blank while I repeat the procrastinators’ motto. So far I have managed to put off the TV but getting out of the chair is still a problem and I kind of get into an argument with my inner conscious sometimes saying that I am too tired or need just a few minutes to sort my mind out. I have decided not to be sitting on the coach unless I am watching news or when I have visitors, as I know it cost me precious time.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

The only thing that I disagree with is that as long as what you are saying is reasonable, people appreciated clearly defined rules; schedules and boundaries don’t nag or give unnecessary orders. I think it depends on who you are dealing with some people are just rude and ignorant and it does not really matter whether rules are well defined or not.

6. What did you find most helpful

One of the things that I have found to be most helpful and practical is the breathing technique and I have been practicing it and slowly it’s getting into my system. Whenever I am under pressure I have managed to exercise by taking a few deep breaths and repeating the words easy, easy, easy and telling myself that good feelings are coming into me as I inhale and as I exhale all tension is leaving me. Last week for the first time I went to court as a witness for a case of a laptop that was stolen while under our custody and as the time was getting closer to our case I started getting tensed and sweating until I remembered the breathing technique. At the beginning it didn’t seem to work as I was loosing concentration and especially on counting but after some trial I got carried away and it really helped me to fight some butterflies which were attacking me vigorously.

Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead focus on what to do; winners believe that they have the inner resources to survive any number of setbacks on the way to achieving their goals. I dwell so much on what went wrong and the more I tend to think about it the more I get discouraged and sometimes pity myself of the consequences but now have learnt the importance of focusing on what do and not to cry over split milk.

And least helpful in this book?

7. In 50 words or less please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The main idea the book is trying to convey is how to mould oneself, what to expect and how to prepare yourself for the unexpected. And if there are changes that one needs to make in life the time to make them is today. Its also is trying to dig deep inside ones soul and uproot all unwanted carcass and fear

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

Comments: It has strong encouraging words, which leaves the reader ready to come out of the cocoon and shine.


What To Say When You Talk To Yourself
Assessment by Rose Mbugua (Kenya)

1. What Ideas were personally most important to you in this book? Do not simply list the ideas, but explain or discuss why they were important to you, using personal examples.

No matter what I do I just cant seem to make enough money to make ends meet our subconscious mind says, okay I will do what you are telling me to do, I will make sure you cant make ends meet. When I first started writing down my expenses I started off with high spirits as usual but after sometime I thought it was tedious. I kept on writing down even though sometimes I could intentionally pretend I am busy but come end month and I could tell myself I have nothing to report and still no money. I however managed to convince my inner soul and made it like a rule that the first thing I do when I enter my bedroom is to write down my day expenses which does not even take a minute. This has really helped me to know where most of my money goes and it has also made me conscious whenever I am buying something out of the budget.

Your job or your occupation does a lot more than pay the bills. It gives you the opportunity to excel to expect the best of yourself and to put that expectation into practice. I started working as a copy typist cum receptionist and I have really come from far and if I compare where I am and where I was the gap is amazing and am not ready to stop there. Not only did my first job help me pay for my professional training but it also gave me an exposure, which made me want to be more than just a copy typist.

I have also learnt the importance of new programming and that the results are not as a result of magic, hypnosis, meditation or luck, but that’s the way the mind works, it work because I tell it what to do. I noticed that sometimes when I reach home and immediately sit down for a cup of tea if by the time I finish I don’t have a plan for the evening then I invite trouble, as I will continue debating myself over and over on what to do next until it is bedtime and will console myself that “that was one of those days”

Roadblocks don’t bother me, they just mean that I am alive and running, and I am not going to stand still for anything. I have come to learn all the roadblocks that we encounter in life are psychological as in, it depend on how I tackle it and move on if I think the roadblock is there to stay then let it be, some of them will just use our precious time and live you desperate or disappointed. The way we unblock it is the most important.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use Personal examples in your explanation.

Statements and comments which loving parents have told their children without once realizing that they were creating a self belief in that child that would create failure instead of the happiness and success they were trying to bestow, I noticed even in my house that most of the things I tell my children are the same things that my mum told me and sometimes its hard to say otherwise as that’s the best I know how. What is making it even more difficult with the current generation is that they have guts to question parents while us we did not, sometimes I am forced to sieve what I am saying to avoid shooting myself on my toe.

We are so busy of taking care of first thing first that we have no time, energy or thought left to take care of the one thing that could make all the other things work better. Sometimes I look at the way I spend my time and just petty myself I noticed that if I have something like a launch to attend then I will whole heartedly look forward to attending and even know the outfit that will wear way before that day but come other more important issues and I will drag forever. It is all in our minds what we want to do and how best we want to perform.

If you ever find yourself falling into the habit of finding fault with, complaining about, criticizing or resenting your job, step aside and talk to yourself. There are others who have it fare worse, some to them would love to have the opportunity which you no have. I think it human nature not to get satisfied, not to count our blessings but only seeing what I don’t have. When I gave birth recently my baby weighed 2.4kg since I didn’t go to term, my friends also delivered one week later and her weighed 3.8kg, I silently told myself better her but when another friend gave birth to a 750grams baby I did not have words but just realized how unappreciative I was.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

Have learned about the external motivation and how they wake one up and not keep you awake for long. I remember sometimes back I passed by an auto shop of a friend and immediately had ideas of starting of a similar shop. I got so excited and even arranged with him to meet and get an overhaul of his business. That night I did not sleep as I kept on thinking about spare parts and how I could operate the shop and longed for the time when I will have a seating with him but come the morning and I did not feel as excited and when he called me to postpone the meeting I felt relieved and have never called him again.

Make the decision to do what you choose and your next step will be your own. Sit back and let the outside world take the lead and it will. Decide to determine your own next step and hereby your future and you can. Make decision to make each breath you breathe your own, I think for a long time I have been breathing other peoples breathe and not able to practically make a decision on my own or in a way that will suit me. I have been relaying on others for conclusion

When I first began to talk out loud to myself I felt a little bit foolish and rather embarrassing. I have not been able to talk out loud in public but I do it in my bedroom. I realized its like talking to someone and even though you don’t get response it feel like I have unleashed whatever was holding me back and surprisingly it does not come back and especially if its something annoying. It has become the best way to release stress.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

I feel challenged that whatever I put into my mind in one way or another is what I will get back out in one way or another, and that’s why I think is very hard to pretend unless one is very smart at it. I have always been telling myself that today I feel very annoyed and I don’t expect the day to be better and I noticed that things turns out to be really bad for the rest of the day. When I read this, I just thought I need to get a different approach to make my days better.

Believing that I can’t or if only I could or I wish I could but I cant and so on. I thought this was just me but have learnt that it’s a level one self talk which works against me even though it’s the most frequently used self-talk of all.

I have learnt also that personal responsibility is the bedrock of all individual action and that it does not mean duty or burden. It is not the measure of my liability or my accountability. It is the basis of my individual determination to accept life and to fulfill myself within it.

I have learnt also to State my goals or the result I want to achieve in the present tense, because the subconscious mind does not know what is true and what is not, in time it will accept what I m telling it and act on it. I have been setting goals, which I don’t seem to fulfill or meet, and its important that I have to try a different way.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

No.

6. What did you find most helpful

I should not expect myself to have a smile on my face every moment of the day, but suspect that all of us would fare better at life by working at smiling a litter more maybe a lot more. The best way is to think positively even when the situation does not call for that but it has worked for me several times.

Our daily conversation scripts often sound like they were written by the same editors who design the front page of the morning paper. We live in our poorly programmed unconscious minds in the disquieting shadow world of uncertainty, take the keyboard back-program it for choosing and accept the results with the secure knowledge of having done it for yourself

Since whatever I believe about myself will end up affecting what I do, I can be sure that if I believe that I m not as socially successful as I would like to be, then my believe about myself will turn out to be correct whether it is true or not. All social behavior is conditioned no one is born popular and socially adept.

And least helpful in this book?

Everything that I read was 100% helpful to me.

7. In 50 words or less please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The book emphasizing more on human brain, how it works and takes commands, what it can do and undo for human being. It is also trying to mold the reader to live and think positively.

8. 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

Comments: The book should be kept at the bedside drawer where one can reach it any time. It has so many helpful references that one needs to refer to in day-to-day life. there be peace within you.


Goal Setting 101
Assessment by Rose Mbugua (Kenya)

1. What Ideas were personally most important to you in this book? Do not simply list the ideas, but explain or discuss why they were important to you, using personal examples.

I never used to have timeline- no commitment and I have been challenged especially by the litmus test that “commitment is a clearly understood deadline”. If I am unable or unwilling to establish a deadline for my goals, then I will probably need to examine my commitments. I noticed that I have so many unaccomplished mission hanging around halfway done.

Sometime back I was really interested in pastry to an extent of enrolling myself in a baking institution in a bid of opening a bakery in future but since I had not stipulated the time limit my hope for having a bakery dwindled on and have not being accomplished up-to-date as I no longer have the interest of owing one. I have learnt the importance of setting deadline and how effective they are in goal setting.

Just like chess has its rules so does the game of life, and while knowing a games rules does not guarantee that I will win every match, disregarding the rules makes playing the game difficult and winning impossible. I think I have been leading a miserable life in quotes because I had no idea where I was heading to and now, not only have I known the game of life but have also discovered what I want with my life. I have learnt the importance of making ample use of today and now and not regret of what I did not do yesterday as it is gone and gone forever.

Goals will challenge me to grow, if I never set a goal then how will I move out of my comfort zone. I have realized that the comfort zones are the most dangerous places to be in life unless it's in own business. One can spend the entire life in it, every time I try to negotiate for a change 80% of my reasoning is based on “what if…………” just because my salary can pay my bills then I don't see beyond that. I found this to be extremely dangerous as I tend to be tied around the company even though not comfortable but just because I am not struggling to make ends meet

I have learnt the importance of making an extra effort or going an extra mile. I remember one time I had a client who had called for air fares, I took his number and told him I will get back to him as our booking systems were down and so I had to call the airline to get the fares. I got the fares called the client and gave him various fares with different airlines. He told me that he will get back to me as soon, and so I continued with my work and never to remember him until two weeks later. To my disappointment by the time I was calling him he told me he misplaced my number and bought the tickets directly from the airline, I realized I did not make an extra move to follow-up and it taught me a lesson. I had to plan my work and keep a list of all unconfirmed clients or enquiries for follow-up.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use Personal examples in your explanation.

If I don't let it devastate me, failure can be an opportunity, for learning, for recovery, for the creation and demonstration of character. The worst thing is to think I am a failure. I remember one time before I enrolled my self in a management college I had enquired about the course requirements and gotten all the details but when it came to enrolling I really took such a long time to make up my mind I had this feeling that the tutor will know what I had in my secondary school as I had pretty embarrassing grades. One day I sat down and said to myself for the college to have a foundation class they must be a demand and of course good turn out for it to sustain itself. I swallowed my pride and enrolled myself and to my surprise the class was full to capacity in fact it was too full that some students had to wait till the next semester.

The road to success is often bumpy and constantly under construction but that doesn't mean I cant enjoy the ride. I have come to realize that success is my entire attitude and I tend to have fear of unknown and I will always predict danger even when it's meant to be asafe. Like before I changed jobs I was so comfortable in my previous one and when I made my decision to leave I had sleepless nights and almost became depressed and at one time I thought I was going crazy, I kept wondering what will happen in the next job, how the boss will treat me, if the staff there will like me and whether I am competitive enough etc, to be sincere the two weeks that I had taken off to prepare myself were nothing but total nightmare and did not rest till I started working. I have been challenged to learn that the person who cannot face fear will always be running from it and its better to run toward a goal than away from a fear.

When I have gone just as far as I can go, I can still go a little bit further. This is one of the many problems that I encounter in life, just going an extra mile, I tend do just what is enough and like a medical prescription I don't overdose myself, sometimes I will even stop halfway and start looking for excuses for me not to proceed. I have come to learn all the things that I do in life are psychological and depend on my mind set. If for example I try something for the first time and it fails, I am not able to take it as a stepping-stone but rather “as a no go zone”, I will tell myself that I cannot perform and sometimes it makes me feel like a failure in life. I m however fighting hard with my conscious and attitude to set me free and move on courageously.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

One of the most important things that I have learnt from this book is the definition of a goal, that it is a specific, measurable accomplishment to be achieved within a specific time frame and as I was reading that statement I realized that some of my goals are undefined and are not specific. When I give myself deadline I am able to work towards a certain goal within a specified time and I have found it to be helpful.

I have also learnt the importance of goal setting and that it's the only way that I can improve my self-image today, which will make me feel better for tomorrow. I have a lot of time to do other things, which might not be of much benefit in my life and spend so little time on things that could improve my tomorrow. If I don't give myself targets as by end of this month I should have done something as minor as re-arranging my wardrobe then it will go on unattended and I will complain forever how I am not able to reach out my cloths in time. I have tried to program myself in a way that I will put deadlines.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

Writing down all the goals that I wish to achieve within a given time, I have bought a small note book which I’m carrying in my hand bag and every now and then and especially when seated in a bus I making use of the note book by reading through my goals and noting down what is pending or needs to be attended. This has given me the psychic to always think about my goals as I have read from this book that I should never stop thinking about my goals and that a decision to achieve a goal is never made just once, it happens continuously. And by going through my goals often I have noticed that I'm always getting something to write down and it's keeping my spirit high towards my goals.

I have been challenged to learn that reasonable people can talk themselves out of anything, no matter how great the merit of the goal and if anyone tells me to be reasonable, I will run and not just walk away. Some of the people we seek opinion from play a major role in bringing the goals down like a flag. This reminds me of life after college and when I started working one of my then girlfriends was very aggressive and together we joined and started operating a small café. I remember we used to wake up at 5a.m prepare and leave for the market twice a week buy vegetables and prepare for office. We were doing very well and we were the talk of the village but little did the village know what we were doing with our money. With time we started going down the hill as all our profit went to entertainments. And after like six months we could not even afford rent and so we had to close down.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

No

6. What did you find most helpful

I have put a big sign of “A mission statement is a declaration of who I am, why I exist and what I intend to accomplish” in my bedroom and have taken this as a motto that I will read every so often just to remind myself of who am I, why I exist and what I intend to accomplish in life. Where do I want to be in 5yrs, what will I have accomplished? What am I doing to accomplish the set goals? I believe I have a purpose in life and for me to accomplish my goals I need to define myself and work hard towards achieving them.

Go forward. Move quickly. But go forward and move quickly with all the preparations necessary to ensure an efficient and profitable result- not just a wasteful flurry of action.
Learn to manage failure and setbacks

That goal setting forces me to be specific. It is the first positive obvious step to success.

Keep my plans as simple as possible. Always consider the bolder course

Act in a way that recognizes that any action has potentially momentous consequences, the full import of which will not be immediately apparent. The goal makes boldness a matter of routine

That I cannot skate without being on the ice, I cannot swim if there is no water and the only way to achieve a goal is to lead myself to victory

I cannot plan without knowing my envision for my life, as it could be like starting a trip without determining my destination, purpose of the trip and what I expect to do when I get there.

And least helpful in this book?

7. In 50 words or less please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The book is conveying a message of goal setting; the importance of having time limit and also the importance of making an extra move or going an extra mile

8. 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

9. Comments -The book is unique in its own ways, short and brief to the point and can be kept as a quick reference. I have enjoyed reading it.


Law Of Attraction
Assessment by Rose Mbugua (Kenya)

1. What Ideas were most important to you in this book? Do not simply list the ideas, but explain or discuss why they were important to you, using personal examples.

I attract to my life whatever I give my attention energy and focus to, whether positive or negative. I have noticed that whenever I leave the house when I am not happy then I tend to have the worst day and everything I touch or do tend to give me even more negative venom, and that every single moment I have a mood or a feeling. In this moment right now the mood or feeling I am experiencing is causing me to emit or send out a negative or positive vibration. When a statement is true for me it feels good. When its feels good I am sending a positive vibration which the law of attraction responds to by bringing me more of the same

I have learnt the importance of manifesting my desire and that the speed at which my desires come to me depends on how much I am allowing. I just thought of the many ideas and business plans that I usually have but don't make to implement them thus making my developments move at a snail speed. Recently I have been thinking of selling beauty products but since I have not sat down to outline what I need and where to get them from, then the idea is only coming up only when I see a vacant shop.

I have learnt the importance of observing contrast because it will help me to become clearer about what I want. To help me observe contrast I should be asking myself “so what do I want” I never though I could ask myself questions but have learnt the importance of doing so and even more whether there is anyone currently doing what I want to do or having what I want to do. If so, then how many people have been doing this today? Yesterday? Last week? Last month? Last year? Understanding what I don't want will also help me generate more clarity about what I want.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use Personal examples in your explanation.

When a client cancels most people will complain or worry about the cancellation, spending too much time focusing on the cancellation and giving it negative attention. Sometimes I don't take cancellation easily and tends to take them personally for example last week I had booked one of my frequent clients to Mombasa for one week for a beach holiday. I had difficulties getting rooms since its our high season here and when I finally managed to get the rooms a few days later she told me she will not travel and thus I should cancel her booking. I was disappointed and I felt like she was misusing me but now I have learnt how to I can change the vibration by saying “I have just created a void to attract a new client, or I have just created some more room for another project in my business”

Having a strong desire with just a little bit of doubt means my desire will come though slowly. This is what I have been going through for so many years until I finally managed came out of the cocoon and started the process of registering my own tour company, got quotations from various website makers, choose one that was reasonably priced and now I am doing business cards and other stationeries and soon will be setting up my office. I believe with determination, purpose and handwork I will definitely succeed.

Never expect a thing you do not want, and never desire a thing you do not expect, this not only does it sound funny but it's the truth. I have noticed that for example when I was applying for various jobs I could always have a negative feeling towards getting the job and always had a high feeling that I will get a regret and true to the fact that's what I could end up getting. Recently I had gone to the post office and as I was checking my letters I noticed one from a certain tour firm and as usual I thought it was a regret only to be surprised it was an invitation for an interview. Have been challenged to learn that when I expect something I don't want I attract the undesirable and when I desire a thing that is not expected, I will simply dissipate valuable mental force

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

Positive and negative emotions cannot occupy the mind at the same time. One or the other must dominate. I have learnt that it is my responsibility to make sure that positive emotions constitute the dominating influence of my mind. And that's the only way I can live positively and attract positive vibrations.

I have also learnt that keeping a diary or a book of proof of the law of attraction in my life will help me believe it more, get excited more, more and trust more. Regardless of the size of the manifestation, if its something I desire-log it record my proof and I will raise my vibration

“I am in the process of” I will always remember to use this expression whenever I am focusing on the doubt of not reaching my goals or manifesting my desires, this I have learnt is a way of boosting my vibrational bubbles and having a positive attitude towards my goals and achievements. In the same way having a strong desire is not enough it is only when; my resistance is removed that my desire is manifested. The faster my resistance/doubt is removed the faster my desire can be realized

The moment I identify something in my life that feels like contrast and I spend time complaining about it, talking about it or declaring that I don't want it, this way I am offering a negative vibration. The law of attraction then responds to my negative vibration by giving me more. I have learnt that having strong desire is a positive vibe and having strong doubt is a negative vibe I should cancel each other out and therefore allowing will occur in the absence of doubt.

I have known also that life has different phases and it all depends on how well I am able to define which phase I am currently in, and move on without looking back because if I look back then I will never move as I will keep on living upon wishes, like I wish I had done this or that at that time or place, and as I continue wishing the clock is also ticking

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

The book has challenged me especially on effective and easy tool that will help me reduce and eventually eliminate the use of the words don't, not and no from my vocabulary. Each time I hear myself using these words then I should ask myself “so what do I want”, and by asking myself this question I will able to reason from a different perspective without reaching to conclusion unreasonably.

Simply put to reset my vibration just change the words I am using and thoughts I am thinking. The law of attraction doesn't remember what vibration I was sending out five minutes ago, five days ago or five months ago. It is only responding to the vibration I am sending out right now in this very moment and giving me more of the same.

I will always remember that to manifest my desire I will need to remove the doubt. Doubt is what stops my desire from coming to me and the best way to remove doubt is to find proof.

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

I highly disagree with the statement that I should stop observing what I am NOT attracting and to stop giving it my attention, energy and focus. I think sometimes as a human being it's a bit difficult to tell what and who match my desire list without first tasting the waters.

6. What did you find most helpful

What I found most helpful was having a strong desire that will help me move more faster in whatever way that I wish to work on but when I have strong doubt then my desires will come slowly to me if at all they will.

And least helpful in this book?

7. In 50 words or less please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The importance of knowing what I want, and that I will get more of what I want and it doesn't matter if it's positive or negative.

8. 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

9. Comments - It's a very very interesting book.


Non-Violent Communication
Assessment by Rose Mbugua (Kenya)


1. What Ideas were personally most important to you in this book? Do not simply list the ideas, but explain or discuss why they were important to you, using personal examples.

When we proceed too quickly to what people might be requesting we may not convey our genuine interest in their feelings and needs, instead they may get the impressing that we are in a hurry to either be free of them or to find their problem. Sometimes for someone to open up to you then he/she must really trust you and that you will listen and give the best advice than any one else. I noticed that whenever I open up to my friends, parents or spouse most of the times I will expect a certain respond and when I get something different then we conclude that person was not attentive enough or the respond I got was not helpful.

I have never seen a stupid kid, I have seen a kid who sometimes did things I didn’t understand or things in ways I hadn’t planned. I have seen a kid who hadn’t seen the same places where I had been but he was not a stupid kid, before you call him stupid think was he a stupid kid or did he just know different things than you did. I found this to be important because some of the things we tell our children its not because they are misbehaving but because we are frustrated or disappointed in other ways and so the only way to relieve our stress, is out of an innocent child. And when for example I say a bad word to my child out of frustrations I tend to regret it even though I cannot reverse statements, so need to be more careful on what I say and how.

I hate cooking I hate it with a passion, but I have been doing it every day for twenty years, even when I have been sick as a dog, because its one of those things you just have to do. I thought I was the only one who hates doing things, which I don’t have a passion on, and especially when everyone else is looking down on you to do it. Recently I went down with a bad cold and it got worse while at work and had to go home for two days, I suspected it was due to fatigue and so the first sick off day I did not wake up as usual and stayed in bed just listening to my body, coincidently my children were on midterm too so we were all at home and as much as I wanted to remain in bed I had to wake up and sort out a few issues on breakfast which they did not like and so I had to do a quick supplement, deep inside myself I said I wish there was a way out that I could sleep without having to worry what the children will eat. I just realized that I don’t have time for my own until late at night when everyone else is asleep and I am also tired longing for the time I will fall asleep. I am always ahead of the clock trying to catch up with house chaos or work, which for sure is tiring and involving.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use personal examples in your explanation.

I really have do something about exercising more, I keep saying what I must do and I have learnt that I keep resisting doing it because human beings were not meant to be slaves. I still don’t understand why I resist doing something that is more productive to my life and hang-on to things, which have little or no value to me. I had told myself that when my baby gets to 9 months I will kick off to the gym and resume my body structure, and true to my word I started off with high spirits, and the first two weeks it was so interesting and vibrant. Come the third week and what was meant to be thrice a week became twice. The following month I thought I needed to re-arrange my schedule, which I did and was left with two days free for gym and for a few weeks I continued with two weeks comfortably. Then I thought since I will not be attending frequently then its not economical to be paying monthly and so I opted for daily payments and went on for a few more weeks but when I reduced to one day per week everything else came scrambling down, I also thought I could be doing the same exercise at home for FREE which was a big mistake as its not consistence and for now I need a refresher button.

Since I want whatever I do to lead to the enrichment of life, its critical to know how to evaluate events and conditions in ways that help me learn and make ongoing choices, been trained to evaluate myself often promotes more self hatred than learning. I usually have a hard time learning from mistake and I take it negatively rather than a stepping-stone. Once in a while I will do marketing and when I approach a new client or company and for some reasons they don’t look promising or interested in my services then I tend to conclude that I am not good enough to sell the products which I think is a negative attitude.

When I am entangled in critical, blaming, or angry thoughts it is difficult to establish a healthy internal environment for myself, I have learnt the importance of setting myself free which I have become fond of. For example most of the time I m the one who prepare dinner and when I get a negative comment on my food I don’t take it positively and I expect the family to enjoy my meal and consider the time I have taken to prepare it given that I am from an office. So any negative comment about my food is not taken kindly. I will also not take kindly options for food at dinner time at one time during dinner my daughter said she wished I had made mashed potatoes other than what we were eating. Out of anger I told her she was rude and un appreciative of what God has given us and that they are many children out there without a meal, I felt sorry later on as I thought about it and for sure I have been so strict as I realized that I don’t give them opportunity to express themselves when it comes to food. I also thought maybe they don’t always enjoy what I prepare which is possible anyway but they eat so as not to offend me because what I look at is the time and energy which I spend but not the food which I prepare. I have however loosened up and I m trying to take comments more positively so can get the message.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

I have learnt the importance of complimenting other people like my workmates and even my own children as they work harder or study harder. Compliments boost my spirits too and it doesn’t even matter how petty a compliment might be it just makes my blood run a little bit fast. I have noticed also with my children if I compliment one then other one will work even harder so can get the same. Its also importance to be careful on what you compliments children on and why because I remember when we were small the compliments which I got from my parents ‘you are a good girl, beautiful, bright etc..’ made me behave like a princess and thought I was the most privileged child in the whole family, I turned out to be the family reporter or my parents private eye. I could report to them on anything that my elder brothers did or could have attempted to do, this however could sometimes led to punishment which created hatred between my brothers and myself especially during school holidays. With time my brothers started avoiding me but later on my sister came along and got all the attention.

I have also learnt that conversations that are lifeless for the listener are equally so for the speaker. I did not know or maybe I have not been conscious enough on my speech. I have also been noticing especially during weddings or burial ceremonies some people tend to give long and boring speech to an extend of being whispered off something by the Master of Ceremony. And it did not occur to me that you can actually tell the speaker something that will change his speech, the worst thing however is that some people even after being approached they will still continue with their speech even though boring.

Judgments, criticism diagnoses and interpretations of others are all alienated expression of our own needs and values, when others hear criticism they tend to invest their energy in self defense or counterattack. The more directly we can connect our feelings to our needs the easier it is for others to respond compassionately. I think one need to think really fast before you respond to any form of criticism sometimes I will only think twice when I am already in the mix and attacking back.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

The theory that we get depressed because we are not getting what we want and we are not getting what we want because we have never been taught to get what we want. Instead we have been taught to be good little boys and girls and good mothers and fathers, and that’s what even today I work hard to be a good responsible mother but have now been challenged that if I want to be one of those good things then I better get used to being depressed.

Never to put ‘but’ in the face of an angry person. Empathize rather than to put your “but” in the face of an angry person. I am still trying to implement this but I had no idea the impact it has until it happened me in the office. Its worth avoiding it.

Our ability to offer empathy can allow us to stay vulnerable defuse potential violence, help us hear the words now without taking it as a rejection, revive a lifeless conversation and even hear the feelings and needs expressed through silence. We are dangerous when we are not conscious of our responsibility for how we behave, think and feel

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

If readers have a sincere desire to make life miserable for themselves they might learn to compare themselves to other people. I think to some extend comparison can sometimes trigger a sleeping or lazy mind, I remember one time while in upper primary school we went with debate club to a private school for competition. The school was private and more modern with children speaking English fluently or so I thought, I told myself I wish I could talk like them with confidence. I started getting interested in English and reading storybooks with an aim of communicating effectively like them. So to me comparison was a wake up call.

6. What did you find most helpful

The most helpful thing that I have found in this book is that in spite of all similarities every living situation has like a newborn child, a new face that has never been before and will never come again. It demands of me a reaction that cannot be prepared beforehand. It demands nothing of what is past, it demands presence, responsibility, and it demands me.

And least helpful in this book?


7. In 50 words or less please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The main idea that the book is trying to convey is importance of being yourself, listening to your conscious, being responsible and doing what is right for you.

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

9. Comments - Feel free to share any additional comments about the book or about the ratings: Non-violent communication is a book that one needs to refer often.


Goal Mapping
Assessment by Rose Mbugua (Kenya)



1. What Ideas were personally most important to you in this book? Do not simply list the ideas, but explain or discuss why they were important to you, using personal examples.

I have learnt that my low self is the opposite of my high self and has negative character traits such as procrastination, apathy, blame, defeatism, self-doubt and insecurity. My low self represents me at my worst and the characteristics result invariably in some form of failure, even in the light of success. I found this to be important because I realized that I have an option of choosing how I want my day to be and so I have made it a habit to tell myself the first thing in the morning before I even talk to anyone that my today will be the best regardless of the unknown ahead of me. This helps me to take things positively and to prepare myself for any eventualities.

Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness and the word happiness would lose it’s meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. This reminds me of the many times that I go through some sad moments and at that minute I will wish I did not even exist only for that incident to come and go. Like when I lost my mum I thought that was the end of the world but I have discovered that death is part of us and there is no shortcut or favors. It made me even stronger and more courageous to face the world knowing that my time will also come.

Thinking about what I want not what I fear. This reminds me of the many times I deeply engaged in serious thoughts of unknown fear and it can really be destructive, I could say its not even healthy. But with constantly reading different books and talking to people I have learnt how to avoid thinking of something that I don’t know. I have also learnt that if I change the way that I think about everything then everything about me will change. Every thought I think is taken as a command by my subconscious, but it’s my strongest thoughts that become true goals.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use Personal examples in your explanation.

Regardless of what I do on a daily basis and irrespective of my qualifications the chances are that I have amassed a high level of specific knowledge that enables me to achieve results in my regular activities to the extent that if someone else was asked to take over my duties for the day he could probably be lost until have gained some of the technical knowledge and skills. This reminds me of a recent incident before I left the office and the secretary could not report to work and since it was something unplanned I had a rough time trying to sort out things in the office and I had to keep on calling her to ask what was where.

I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship. This is really encouraging to me at this moment and I have learnt how to see things as they really are and not as I imagine they are. I lost my job in a very funny way, one I was not prepared for it and two I was not given notice as I could not work on the conditions that were being given thus leaving me with no option but to leave immediately. We were to report the following day for payments and documents and it had not hit me till I was given the letter stating that I was no longer working with them. I courageously took my package and as I walking to the bus stop I thought I needed to sit down somewhere and think about it. And when I got a place I sat quietly alone felt like crying and screaming at the same time, I took one soda for a whole one-hour. On my way I started thinking positively all the good things that I have like my family, my friends, and small things that I have been taking for granted like shelter, health and knowledge. I have known that I have complete control of my thinking and attitude.

Thirteen day mental challenge – think, feel, and act positively for thirteen days. Only thirteen days in a row will do. If I break even one day even at number eleven or twelve I must start back at day one again. I have learnt how to make use of the 13 days mental challenge and its has not been easy. I had promised myself way before I read about the 13 days that I will be reading something {note not specified} at least before I go to bed. This I have been doing without problems even if it meant reading a line or a chapter of mostly the bible. I felt that I had achieved one of my goals and so when I learnt about the thirteen days then I decided to put a time that I should at least read for 30 mins before I sleep. The first few days were ok and I felt wow….the pain came when I missed on the 7th day and I had to start all over again. 13 days may sound little and less than two weeks but when on condition they looks like months. After the thirteen days challenge I can now do more than 30 mins without feeling obliged.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen. These are some to the things that I have learnt hard way, I have realized that every time I go to town without a purpose or written notes on to where and what I intend to do then I end up wasting a lot of time and backtracking. I have made use of writing down things that I intend to accomplish by the end of the day and even if I don’t get to finish them all then they will be the first priority for the following day. It’s also very easy to do follow-ups when things are written down.

I have learnt that I was born with a purpose and a reason for being something I can excel at. When I am on purpose I will find my passion, my power, my flow and it will feel as if life is working with me.

I have also learnt that a man is made of his belief. As I believe so am I. My belief in myself is like a valve that turns my ability on and off. I should live a balanced life – learn some and think some, draw, paint, sing, dance, play and work every day some. One of the things that I like doing is knitting and I will knit almost everything that comes into my mind. I was thinking of doing some voluntary classes with a neighboring church college that offers knitting classes for girls.

Learn to be happy with whatever I have in my life in the moment of now, creating the right energy of gratitude to help me achieve my goals. Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all I need not more.

Look for what’s right in myself and I will boost my self-esteem and build myself-confidence. Look for what is in my life and I will sport opportunities and find solutions. Look for what’s is right in other people and I will rate harmony, peace and synergy

Time is my most valuable asset, yet I tend to waste it, kill it, and spend it rather than invest it. The other day I pop-in to my friends office and I got the first dose of my wasted time we spend the whole afternoon talking sweet nothing. And later when I was going home I thought onto myself that her day will be paid for but I have not earned. I am taking precautions on who I am spending my time with and why.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

That my prime purpose is always to be my best. This is the purpose that all life is born with. By seeking to be my best person, I naturally do my best work, and invariably have my best results. Be-do-have is the syntax or sequence for success. I have learnt how to think and work to my best, very challenging but real.

Everyone has the ability to create more positive results in their life, regardless of past experience or current circumstances, simply by choosing to approach life from their high self. Ability is what I am capable of doing. Motivation determines what I do. Attitude determines how well I do it.

Change has a bad reputation in our society. But it isn’t all bad, not by any means. In fact, change is necessary in life, to keep us moving, to keep us growing, to keep us interested. Imagine life without change. It world be static, boring, dull. The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found but made. And the activity of making them changes both the maker and their destination. I must become the change I wish to see in the world

The real trouble with blame is that its always out there” outside of yourself and always somebody else’s fault – which means you have little influence over it. It’s so easy to blame the other person, nature or even myself and get away with it and feel nothing.

A winner never quits, a quitter never wins

5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

No

6. What did you find most helpful

The most helpful thing I have found is that when I make a mistake I shouldn’t look back at it long. I should take the reason of the thing into my mind and then look forward. And those mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in my power and that failure is not failure if I learn from the experience and have another go.

Another helpful thing I have learnt from this book is that a difficult time can be more readily endured if I retain the conviction that my existence holds a purpose – cause to pursue, a person to love and a goal to achieve

And least helpful in this book?

7. In 50 words or less please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

The main idea that the book is trying to convey is that my future is an adventure or a crossword or a puzzle that lasts a lifetime and for me to get good out of my future the I will need to map my best journey.

8. 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

9. Comments - Anybody who has read this book has no reasons not to succeed in life, it’s like a course on goal setting teaching from A-Z.


Unlimited Power
Assessment by Rose Mbugua (Kenya)


1. What Ideas were personally most important to you in this book? Do not simply list the ideas, but explain or discuss why they were important to you, using personal examples.

That I can control my brain the same way the king has the ability to direct his kingdom, my kingdom is my brain, just as the king can run his kingdom I can run mine -if I begin to take control of how I represent my experience of life. I can control my brain; it doesn't have to control me. It is the mind that make good or ill, that make wretch or happy, rich or poor. Nothing has any power over me other than that which I give it through my conscious thoughts. There is nothing either good or bad but thinking make it so.

I must learn how to handle frustration. If I want to become all I can become, do all I can do, hear all I can hear, see all I can see I have got to learn how to handle frustrations. Frustration can kill dreams, it is especially bad when one is frustrated by a boss or supervisor and since you don't have a choice then one has to bear with it. Have learnt that frustrations can change positive attitude into a negative one, an empowering state into a crippling one it all depend on how I take it.

All human problems are behavioral problems. Destroying each other's land does not support the creation of a larger food supply. This reminds me of the recent clashes that we had and now we are paying dearly as the price of food is going up every day. It is important for us to be conscious of what we are placing in our minds and make sure it is supporting our desired outcomes

A recipe is nothing but a strategy, a specific plan of what resources to use and how to use them to produce a specific result. If I believe that we all have the same neurology then I believe we all have same potential resources-that determine the results we produce. Sometimes as I visit some of my friends offices who have tour companies its giving me more hope that if they have made it I can also make it

Its critical that we look at any pattern of communication and ask ourselves regularly, if I continue to represent things to myself this way what will likely be the final result in my life. What direction is my present behavior taking me and is that where I want to go? To effectively communicate, I must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to my communication with others.

It takes only a little discipline - not too much, because once I break my old habits, I will never go back. For every disciplined effort there is multiple reward. So if I like what I see I should do it. Starting today and it will change my life forever; one of the things that I have managed to change in my life is my reading habit. Initially I used to read from my bed and I could hardly finish a chapter and since I decided to be reading from study desk I am a better person now and always look forward to reading even more.

2. Can you relate the ideas or concepts in this book to your personal circumstances in life such as your relationships, your beliefs, your goals, your values, etc? Please use Personal examples in your explanation.

Man is what he believes, if I believe in failure those messages will tend to lead me to experience that as well. Have also learnt that whether I say I can do something or I say I cant I am right. Both kinds of believes have great power. The question is what kinds of beliefs are best to have and how do I develop them. The surest way to create a belief that I can do something is to do it once, just once. If I succeed once its far easier to form the belief that I will succeed again. When I first took my poncho sample I was not 50/50 but I think 90/10 and when I got the first order I was like I can really make it. And every time I pass by the shops which I supply poncho too I feel great and tell myself that, that was my initiative. I have learnt that a positive belief can make me a master while a negative belief can make me a loser

Good timber does not grow with ease the stronger the wind the stronger the trees, this has taught me not to expect smooth sailing, I have already gotten a competitor in the poncho industry who is charging slightly lower than me so when one of the shops told me that they will not be buying from me since my price is higher it told them to give me time and see if can give them same with my competitor. I sat down and thought how I could cut down my cost and the first thing that came to my mind was to source for cheaper wool which unfortunately I did not get option two was to talk with the ladies whom we make ponchos with. I explained to them what was happening in our new industry and since I could not get a lower supplier then the only other way out was to cut on the labor cost which after some negotiation we settled on a lower price. And so we are still on and strong.

Learn to judge myself by my goals instead of what my peers seem to be doing. I tend to do the opposite and will highly concentrate on who is doing what and have attained what from where other than paying attention to my own goals. I have also learnt that I have got to be willing to plant the seed and nurture its growth. If I plant the seed, take care of it, water it, till the soil, fertilize it, protect it and nurture it will bore fruit- and the same thing applies to life exactly. Need to plant a project today to harvest tomorrow.

Don't sweat the small stuff, remember its all small stuff I think I dwell so much on small stuff and have learnt that little things affect little minds and I shouldn't major in minor things. I am the kind that will blow a mountain out of a hill regardless of what and sometimes I do things, which later turns out to be very embarrassing. I may have great difficulty coping with life because I feel every little thing, and life isn't always fun or easy or exciting. Have learnt also that a person who is fully associated with everything in life is extremely vulnerable an will usually take things too personally and if I see what is small as it sees itself and accept what is weak for what strength it has and use what is dim for the light it gives then all will go well.

3. What are the most important new ideas or concepts you learned from this book? Please Explain.

I have learnt that “BUT” can be one of the most destructive words in my language, that it create resistance and can be substituted with word “AND” I think to me but has been coming out automatically and especially when I disagree with someone which I think makes the argument even more tense. I have been to trying to use and instead but it depends on the situation. I have also learnt that listening plays a major role in communication, as I listen sometimes am forced to swallow words, which could have worsened the situation.

Whether I believe I can do something or I believe I cant I am right, to a certain extent it's true for when I don't believe I can do something am sending my nervous system consistent messages that limit or eliminate my ability to produce that very result. I have learned that success or failure begins with belief. Even if I have the skills and resources to do something, once I tell myself I cant, I shut down the neurological pathways that can make it possible.

There is no bidding success without commitment. It's the quality of commitment that separates good from great. Whatever It Takes W.I.T. successful people are willing to take whatever it takes to succeed; if I am committed to success I will create it. Have learnt that people are not lazy they simply have important goals - that is goals that do not inspire them. Success is simple first I decide what I want specifically, and second I decide I am willing to pay the prices to make it happen…… and then pay that price.

4. Has this book challenged or changed your thinking in any way? If so, explain how?

To learn how to handle rejection, it has taught me that real salesmen are those who are rejected the most. They are the ones who can take any “no” and use it as a prod to go onto the next “yes”. To succeed I must learn how to cope with rejection, learn how to strip that rejection of all its power. The more rejection I get the better I will be, the more I have learned the closer I am to my outcome and that next time somebody rejects me, I might give him a hug. That will change his physiology turn ”Nos” into hugs. If I can handle rejection I will learn to get everything I want

There are seven digits in a phone number but I have to dial them in the right order to reach the person I want. The same is true in reaching the part of my brain and nervous system that could most effectively help me get the outcome I desire. What ever I intend to do with my life I must have the right combination to succeed.

Putting together a jigsaw puzzle without having seen the picture of what it represent is what happens when I try to put my life together without knowing my outcomes. When I know my outcome I give my brain a clear picture of which kinds of information being received by the nervous system need high priority. I give it the clear messages it needs to be effective
Handling financial pressure means knowing how to get and knowing how to give, knowing how to earn and knowing how to save. This has challenged me on especially knowing how to earn and giving sometimes I think I am too mean even to myself and I fear that if I give out the little that I have I may go on the street begging. Have also learnt that I should always give more than I expect to receive and that the secret of living is giving


5. Are there ideas in the book that you totally disagree with? If so, why?

No.

6. What did you find most helpful

The most helpful thing that I found in the book was that there is no such thing like failure. There are only results and that belief in failure is a way of poisoning the mind. When I store negative emotions, I affect my physiology, my thinking process and my state. One of the greatest limitations is fear of failure. Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt

Action is what unites every great success. Action is what produces results. Knowledge is only potential power until it comes into the hands of someone who knows how to get himself to take effective action

The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water and breeds reptiles of the mind. The man who never alters his communication patterns find himself in the same dangerous ooze

Do what you can with what you have and where you are, every journey start with a single step, and as I freelance and get to know what other business people do and how they started off I realized that one has to start from somewhere. If I do what I have always done I will get what I have always gotten

The road to success is always under construction

And least helpful in this book? Nothing.

7. In 50 words or less please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.

That my outcome must be initiated and maintained by me and I should not be dependent upon other people having to change themselves for me to be happy. I should also make sure my outcome reflects things that I can affect directly and one way to overcome the limitations is to know exactly what they are

8. 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? 08
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 09
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10


The Power of Intention
Assessment by Rose Njihia Mbugua (Kenya)


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

The main idea here is that I am what I portray to be and every action and move that I make is what I am, If I focus on what is ugly I will attract more ugliness into my thoughts and then into my emotions and ultimately into my life. And by choosing to hang on to one corner of freedom even in the worst situation I can process my world with energy of appreciation and beauty and create an opportunity to transcend my circumstances.

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.

* Looking into a mirror, making an eye connection with myself and saying, I love me as many times as possible during the day. I found this to be very important to me because most of the time I rarely appreciate my looks and I will only look into the mirror when I am making my face and after that mirror and me no more. I think it is really important to first love myself before I can even extend the same to others and its only after knowing how much I love myself that I will be able to love others.

* As frequently as possible, to hold thoughts of forgiveness in your mind. In muscle testing when I hold a thought of revenge I will go weak, while a thought of forgiveness keeps me strong. Forgiveness doesn't come easily but for sure when you forgive and especially forget then one tends to become a free person. I had an aunt whom I had grudge with for a long time after making a comment in a family gathering which I didn't like. I told myself that I had forgiven her but deep down I could still feel some hatred and especially when I see her. She noticed they was a wedge between us and she confronted me, we had a nasty and ugly confrontation forcing my mum to intervene. I felt relived later on, as I was able to unleash all that has been bugging me and completely forgave her, without talking it over I think I couldn't have fully forgiven her. Have also learnt that forgiveness offers a quietness that cannot be disturbed, a gentleness that can never be hurt, a deep abiding comfort, and a rest so perfect it can never be upset.

* Every thought I have has an energy that will either strengthen or weaken me. It's obviously a good idea to eliminate the thoughts that weaken me, since these thoughts are obstacles to creating a winning match with the universal supreme source of intention. Stop being offended. The behavior of others isn't a reason to be immobilized. That which offends me only weakens me. If I am looking for occasions to be offended, I will find them at every turn; this is my ego at work convincing me that the worlds shouldn't be the way it is. But I can become an appreciator of life and match up with the universal spirit of creation.

* The quickest method for understanding and living my purpose is to ask myself if I am thinking in loving ways. Do my thoughts flow from a source of love within me? Am I acting on those loving thoughts? If the answers are yes then I am on purpose. I think it all depend on myself because for me when I am really annoyed I don't seem to reason out or even think in a loving way I only tend to see the negative side of the issue which sometimes gives me a hard time and I will take so long to digest something or even take it easy. But with time and as I continue to read from different writers then I m sure I have become a very different and better person. For example I have learnt that I didn't come into a world where everyone is going to have the same identical experience, and by feeling good and by being uplifted I will help eradicate some of the suffering. Feeling bad wont change the scenario, I trust that love will return to my life if I m in harmony with the loving source. I choose to feel good right now and focus on what I have rather than what's missing.

* So long as I believe in my heart of hearts that my capacity is limited and I grow anxious and unhappy, I m lacking in faith. This is one of the greatest challenges that I encounter in life and sometimes I am not able to control leading to very hard times while trying to reconcile with my soul but have now learnt that one who truly trusts in God has no right to be anxious about anything and that in any moment in which I find myself thinking low energy thoughts of fear, despair, worry, sadness, anxiety and guilt and I should stop for a moment and consider whether this makes any sense from the perspective of the active side of infinity.

* I can't create life anymore because things haven't worked for me in the past. There have been so many mistakes into the past and I can't stop thinking about them even though I will use them as stepping stones so I don't repeat mistake and thus make this moment peaceful, I will only think about the one thing I am doing. I will have peaceful thoughts. I will feel good not because the world is right, but my world is right because I feel good.

* I am a divine creation, capable of thinking like my creator. I intend to substitute love and kindness for feelings of inadequacy it's my choice. Discontinue judging myself or others for being too fat, too tall too ugly too anything! Just as the power of intention accepts and reflects me without judgment or attachment I will try to be the same with what appears in my life.

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

The ideas that I have read in this book have helped me to see the world from a different perspective and to respect people and appreciate them no matter how small one is. I have also learnt that if I want to see changes in the world as in my community, province and even country then change must start with me.

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

I am not my body. I am not my accumulation. I am not my achievement. I am not my reputation. I am whole and perfect as I was created; I am different and special in my own ways.

We must be the change that we want to see in the world; sometimes I expect changes even in places where I am the one to effect change.

What you think of me is none of my business. I think I cannot satisfy everyone 100% but can do my best to make others happy.

If you bring forth what is inside you, what your bring forth will save you. If you don't bring forth what is inside you, what you don't bring forth will destroy you.

Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change, I think one should not blow a mountain out of a hill, should take things easily and live a day at a time and also count ones blessings

Alone we can do nothing, but together our minds fuse into something. Here we say “one finger cannot kill flies” {this a direct translation}

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?

I disagree or will feel cheated if I go by the idea of extending acts of kindness and asking for nothing in return. Not even a thank you. I think at least I should get a thank you, as extending kindness is one thing but expecting nothing in return is another thing altogether.

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

Yes the book contained some exercise which I did complete and were very helpful

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

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


Leadership of Dummies
Assessment by Rose Njihia Mbugua (Kenya)

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

One of the main ideas that the author is conveying is that in order for one to elicit cooperation, listen well and place the needs of others above your own; have some emotional maturity, wisdom and humility. If one does not make listening a critical skill you can never be a leader and not only outside but also in a simple and small set up like a home. One also needs to be realistic about the goal you set, if you set them too high and don't reach them you will be seen as a failure. If you set them lower and then exceed your goals people will look at you as a hero but I should also not set them too low or people will think I am too timid. Ninety percent of success is simply “showing up” meaning in order to reach my goal I have to attack it consistently.

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

a. Empathy is the ability to understand other people's emotional makeup, and the skill of treating people according to their emotional reactions. It hinges on both the ability to listen and the ability to put someone else's needs above my own. I find this as a reminder because most of the time I will put my needs first which I think is a mind of a self centered person.

b. The best place to find out about situational leadership - the right people in the right place at the right time - is to read a daily newspaper. The news reports are full of people who responded. For a long time I have been on and off on how I read newspaper and not because I don't have access but because I don't find it necessary or I don't create time to read one. Have once again learnt the importance of reading newspaper and that knowledge is power.

c. One of the most interesting questions about leadership is. When do I get started, and how, I have learnt a very important answers that as long as I am old enough to understand the words in this book, then I am old enough to begin to apply its lessons to become a leader and for me to prepare myself, there are three things that I need to do

1. Figure out how to ask for and listen to explanations,
2. Purge the word tomorrow from your vocabulary as anything to put next to the word do.
3. Never say “I can't” but instead say “I will keep trying and see what I learn”

d. S.W.O.T: Strength and Weakness, Opportunities and Threats this is a powerful tool for assessing my mission.

e. A vision is a doable dream - a distant goal that's worth pursuing because it involves growth and success and provides the binding energy to bring a group together to accomplish great things. If I think of leadership as the point of an arrow, then the vision is the target to be hit. This part explains to me what vision is, whey vision is necessary, how to develop a vision and how to implement my vision. Have also learnt that the drive to succeed is composed of aggressiveness, self-confidence and the ability to communicate. All present, balanced and focused on the problem at hand.

f. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want; if they can't find them, make them to circumstances at exactly the right time to fulfill a leadership role this goes hand in hand with the meaning of CHANGE that the action I take “Can Have A New Great Effect”

g. Living by K.I.S.S which means “Keep It Simple Stupid” everything I do as a leader should be oriented toward finding simpler clear more direct ways of doing things, not just clear to me but clearer to anyone who is going to be executing the plan.

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 have learnt from the book that self awareness will enhance my ability to recognize and understand my moods, emotions and drives, as well as their effect on others. I am a very moody person and I will only realize after causing the damage on the other person, I didn't realize that silence is as dangerous as exchange of words, until somebody decided to give me a cold war.

Have also learnt that motivation is the passion for what I’m doing that goes beyond money, power or status. It is marked by tendency to pursue goals with energy and persistence, motivated people drive themselves to achieve beyond their own or anyone else's expectations and that leadership sets the style and tone for achieving a vision and motivates people to sacrifice for the attainment of the vision.

I have learnt that I have to be prepared to err, err and err again but less and less and less few, important skills are mastered easily, must take patience repetition and learning from endless mistakes, there is nothing that comes easily even though sometimes I will go for quick-fix which end up disappointing me, I have learnt the importance of being patient in whatever new that I am learning and not to shy off from mistakes, practice makes perfect and failure can be a stepping stone to success at a later time, if I handle the failure well and learn from my mistakes

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

Leaders aren't born, they are made. Leadership is a happy joining of someone who has the desire, training and circumstances to lead with a group of people that requires leadership. I have all the time assumed that leaders were born and only certain families produce leaders. I have learnt that for me to be an effective leader I will need to seek the truth and adjust my sight according to what I learn. I must know how to listen to the meanings of words rather than simply to the words themselves and to extract additional information from between the lines. Leading is about decision making and one of the most important decisions I can make is to let my team make decisions.

Nobody can know everything and nobody can do everything. Every person is special and gifted in his/her own ways and contributes to the society in a different way. Even though sometimes it takes long to know exactly what one is good at we are all special in the eyes of God.

Fortune favors the brave, meaning you not only need to be smart enough to adapt to new information with flexibility, but you also have to have the courage to seize opportunities when they present themselves.

A grade is an estimate of ability not a hammer to bash myself with. If I gave myself a D on anything, acknowledge that I have identified an area that needs more work but don't flunk myself out; this quote is very important to me and as I was reading this book I noticed I have some areas that need to work on.

The first thing I need to know about coaching little league starting with my children, is that it takes patience, understanding their limitations and allowing them to feel like they are participating and that's just the parents. It takes courage and strength to implement this but slowly its working for my family and I have realized just how I used to get worked up for not understanding my children limitations in everything from the way they eat, do their homework, play, shower and list is endless, and with proper and reasonable adjustments we can be a wonderful team in the family

The future is now and whoever first said it probably had vision in mind, a vision that is a bridge between the present and the 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?

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 and especially the one which was testing my leadership IQ, and I still have some question in me that I ask myself every so often like when in a fix I will ask myself if I m responding to the situations very flexibly, if I take advantage of fortuitous circumstance and make sense out of ambiguous or contradictory messages. I am also practicing to draw a distinction between situations despite similarities that may link them

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

No

8. Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10.

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





 

 

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