As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Agabi Osazuwa Enogumwengie (Nigeria)

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

The main idea of Mr. James Allen in this book is to encourage people to be positive in their thought considering the fact that thought is a very important determinant of what our lives may become.

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

The main idea is got from this book can be grouped under the following headings in as much as the ideas are numerous, I am asked to talk about seven. These ideas are personally some of the most important to me. They are;

1. We are the architect of our own destiny.

2. The status of man in life has move to do with his thought than his virtue.

3. The need to understand the natural law of the world that the relationship between good and good as well as bad and bad.

4. The body is a messenger of the mind.

5. Thoughts do greater good or bad to the body than the good we eat.

6. Thought and character are one and as character can only manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstances.

7. Law not confusion, is the dominating principles in the universes, justice, not injustice, is the soul and substance of life.

Most of the time, when we go through life we fail to understand the fact for every action we carry out there is a reaction. Being the author of our own script, I have learnt from this book that most of the problem we see and face in life today and the success we witness are all as a consequences of what we did in the past. My life experience of this idea was when I was looking for a job, I spent most of the time praying and not searching for it aggressively, I however, picked my self up and decided to back my prayers with action and today I have a beautiful career.

Another idea important to me is that which states that the status of the man in life has more to do with his thought than his virtue. This is so because more often than not man does not take cognizance of the power of his thought. I came from a poor background and I wanted to go to the university, I spent all day thinking about it and as each day progressed into months my dream started taking shape funds came from unexpected location and assistance flooded my door step and I was very happy because I could see myself attaining what I pictured.

Also, I like the idea that there should be an understanding of the good and good and between bad and bad. My point here is that there is an attraction between similar things. Even over here in my tribe we believe in it and that is why we have a popular adage which says do unto others what you want them to do for you. As regards myself I have found out that this law works for me because I tend to reap sooner or later anything I sow. For example, there was a day I met a beggar who said he had not eaten or a whole day and I should buy him food. I was reluctant because the money I had on me was my only cash. After begging for a whole day, I decided to let him have it, but believe me before I just walked a couple of blocks when ran into an old friend. We chatted for a while and when I was about to leave he gave three times the cash I gave the beggar.

The body is a messenger of the mind is another idea very important to me I never thought about it this way until I read this book. Most of the time there is always a high relationship between what we think and what we do. The point here is that we plan bulk of our activities in the mind before we carry them out. For example I had this girl in my neighboring who was so fine and I admired a lot. I was not bold enough to talk to her but I always had the picture of her in my mind. The thought I had about this girl pushed me to go to her even when I did not have any thing to say until one day I was able to tell her what I had in mind. The point here is that every thought I made up in my mind regarding this girl my body that my lips, eyes, etc have me execute it.

There is another adage which says rest of mind is the surest root to good health and good health is essential in making money. It is time with this adage that I chose the idea that our thoughts do greater good or bad to our body than meal. For example when I was the marketing and sponsorship director of my club, I had the target of raiding about 280,000 naira for my club. I had plenty of challenges because I was in school and I needed to source the cash from the student on campus. My mind was not at rest I thought about how I could raise the cash 24 hours of the day and as the task seemed more impossible I started loosing weight. I became slim and all the food I was eaten was like a waste because none could bring my size back. This is just a typical example of how thought could de nourish your body.

Also, I like the idea that say thoughts and character are one. Yes truly I person with a bad thought will exhibit a bad character, and a person with a good thought will exhibit a good character. I have some couple of friends, some I can release with others, I can not release with, I found out that the ones who are always talking about liquor and booze hardly have anything meaningful to exhibit in terms of character although there are some exemptions. On the other hand, I have the good guys, the ones that talk about sports, science, academics etc believe me these guys were fun to hang out with and with every meeting we have, I always take something away in terms of knowledge and understanding.

On a final note, I will like to pick that idea which states that law not confusion is the dominating principles in the universe; justice not in justice is the soul and the substance of life. In as much as I do not really have any life experience in this idea I will like to refer to but I will like to explain it a little. You see life balances itself ones gotten away with their wicked act, nemesis catches up with them and the wind of fortune smiles at them. But that is why I agree with the quote that when you plant an acorn always expect an oak no matter how long it takes.

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

Having the power of positive thinking is like having the map to a treasure island. These ideas will help change my mind and ultimately change my attitude and character. Considering the fact that like things attract each other, my positive thought will start attracting positive results and these results will ultimately benefit mankind.

Another way I intend improving my life through this idea is to teach other what I have learnt. I will spend the better part of my days practical zing this ideas and showing it as a lesson and example for those within my immediate environment to benefit from. I also intend doing a summary of what I have learnt and translate it a native dialect so that those who can not reach will still leave the privileged of enjoying what positive thought brings with it.

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.

Of all the wonderful quote given to Mr. James Allen, here are a few that got my attention and my comments on them.

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 quote is unique in the sense that it relates to nature and as we know nature can neither be changed nor cheated. So in variable a man’s action is grossly related to his thought. For instance before I took up this program, I had plenty of time to think and plan, and so this action is as a result of my thought.

His wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and action. This is very palatable because once again this quote goes straight to the heart o mankind. He tries to teach us to stop rushing and praying, rather we should think well and act well. Take for instance the story is gave about when I was looking for a job and was praying and wishing for the job. The job however came after “positioned my mind to get the job and then moving round that is the action in order to get the job done.”

Another beautiful quote from Mr. Allen is that good thought and action can never produce bad results, bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. This is similar to the law of nature which was discussed before. It could be liken to the adage that birds of the same feather flock together. When I was in secondary school, I used to hang out with some chaps who specialized in missing classes and breaking school laws, nothing good ever come out of this because the results where very poor and were often now and then bought before other students to discipline us. However, I later changed friends and started entering class, doing my assignment and before long I was in the school with outstanding result as to show. So I quite agree with this quote in all totality.

Finally, I did like to talk of the quote which says that a strong man can not help a weaker unless that weaker is willing. This is another quote that is direct. We often find out that most people are not ready to help themselves and when we meet those kinds of people, we cannot do anything. I had a childhood friend who wanted to learn how to ride a bicycle. But anytime I go to call him for training, he always had one excuse or the other, so I decided to let him be in as much as I got condemnation from my other friends that is his not willing to teach my friend how to ride the bike. But the actual fact remains that he was too weak to learn and thus made out different

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 there is nothing in this book I did not understand and the ideas are true in as much as many of us do not understand or agree with it. Really truly our thoughts make us who we are.

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 exercises which I responded to and if the exercises are useful to me, I will say a very big yes to that. The exercise gave me time to re examine myself as I responded to it. This thus helped me but myself in the right path.

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. most of the questions covered the book is just that the numbers of ideas are much greater than seven so may be a little expansion might be needed.

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

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Agabi Osazuwa Enogumwengie (Nigeria)

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

In this book the author is trying to relate to us the challenges life brings to us and how we should and could handle this challenges. He went further to encourage us to go ahead and do what we are doing as long as it is right and we believe in it. This write up simply put is only encouraging us to think outside the box that is we should not move with the band wagon.

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.

Personally, the seven (7) ideas that where most important to me where:

1. Humility that is we should be humble no matter how much we achieve in life.
2. To be determined no matter the odd.
3. To stay focus at all time and not get easily distracted.
4. The quest to strive to attain knowledge as knowledge is never enough and no sacrifice is too much to pay for knowledge.
5. Practice makes perfect.
6. The thought of negativity we have might just be the spring board needed to succeed.
7. At every level of success attained, there is always room to attain more.

EXPLANATIONS:

The first idea important to me is that of humility. It simply encourages us to be and that is why no matter how much Jonathan Livingston Seagull knew, he was still obedient and respectful to his parents. As it relates to my life, I have learnt that with humility, one can attain a lot in life. For instance the gift I receive from my uncles and aunties is as a result of my humility demonstrated when I go on errand for them.

Secondly, an important idea to me is that of being determined. It is a known fact that determination can conquer any form of obstacles or set back. For instance I was at the third class level until I got to my final year in the university but in my final year I made up my mind to come out with a very good grade and with determination I achieved my target and eventually made a second class lower. And from then on I found out that there is nothing determination can not do. I have also read stories of people who have made it through determination. A popular example is that of Kanu Nwankwo a Nigerian international footballer who the doctor told will not be able to play football again after he did the heart surgery but with determination he is still playing and even better for that matter.

Thirdly is that which talked about staying focus and never getting distracted? The fact remains that there are many people who never see things the way we see them and as such tend to distract us when we try doing some things. This reason was applicable to my life when I was in search for a job, I got a marketing job but my friends and relatives felt the job will be too tedious and they tried to discourage me, they told me to leave but I did not leave because I had a strong believe in the organization and thus want to build a career with them. Although I have not started doing well I know things will change very soon for the best as long as I stay focus.

Fourthly, my next idea is that which talk about the quest to attain knowledge. Jonathan Livingston Seagull knew that there was no limit as far as knowledge acquisition was concerned. He wanted to learn more even when he knew he was better than the entire seagull in the flock. His quest for knowledge took him to another world. Similarly, I believe in knowledge and I know knowledge is power. That is one of the reason I have embarked on this program. I am equally involved in other programs which I believe will aid my quest to attain knowledge. The acquisitions of knowledge as paid me in various areas of my life and that is why I can not to searching for it. Also in the book I noticed that Jonathan Livingston Seagull was prepared to go any extent in his search for knowledge even if it took his life, and that is the extent I believe any individual should go to attain this knowledge. Also I found out that attitude towards knowledge can take you from one world to another. It might not necessarily be spiritual but also physical and otherwise. Also as far as knowledge is concern no single individual has a monopoly of it. We all strive to achieve it and no matter how much we may attain there is always room to attain more.

Fifthly, another reason I will like to talk about is that which states practice makes perfect. Let it be known that Rome was not built in a day. So for any one to strive towards perfection and succeed in what ever he or she is doing them that person must be ready to practice all the time anything he or she is into. Practice is applicable in every area of life from science experiment to academic research; from music to sport etc. we never over emphasize the importance of practice. Take for instance my case, when I was in the university, I studied mathematics and economics and both courses required high level of calculation, and I knew the only way I could do well was to practice all the time, I did practice at seven hours a day and believe me it helped me a great deal. Although I can not say I am perfect in calculations yet I still practice and I know one day I will be very good in calculations.

The sixth reason I am about to talk about is the most important to me and my favorite. This idea states that the thought of negativity we have might just be the spring board needed by us to succeed. In the book it was at the moment that Jonathan Livingston Seagull thought of impossibility that he made his break through. Yes in life we are easily discouraged and we always give up on things because we believe in our mind it is impossible. I had the believe that calculations in engineering were very difficult and I did not did not want to read engineering, but the fear of calculations in engineering that eventually push me to study mathematics but today I am glad I studied mathematics because it the bed rock of all sciences and I can easily change discipline when I deem it fit. This idea is really important to me because life has really shown me that the negativity you have in your thought might just be that break.

The seventh idea I took is close to that of the fourth. Here it states that at every level of success attain, there is always room to attain more. From this idea one can see that there is no limit to how much one can attain in life. In my own case for example, after I succeeded in my primary school I went to the secondary school and after I succeeded in the secondary school, I progressed to the university and after I did that and succeeded, I moved on to some information technology course and I am still doing more program here and there. All this are in quest of knowledge but the fact remains that as soon as one level is done we should move on to the next level because there is always room to achieve more.

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 have further broadened my mind and thinking as to the importance of things I usually disregard. In as much as I have exhibited this reasons and idea knowingly and unknowingly, it is very important for me to say here that I never took these ideas very seriously. After reading this book I have decided to take them very serious and embrace all this attribute listed above and try to make my daily life a profitable one. As my life is constantly being affected by these wonderful ideas, I will in turn touch the life of the people around me there by making the life a better place for us all.

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.

Some of the quotes which the author made that caught my attention and my comments are as follows:

1. seagull never fly at dark, this quote captured my attention because I believe apart from owl and bat no other bird flies in the dark so why did the author make reference to the seagull, but then I realize that the quote as it refers to the book simply imply that we should be prepared to do the impossible as the case of Jonathan Livingston Seagull he did what others could not do because he put his mind to it. I did some thing like this in school and it worked for me.

2. Another interesting quote is that which states that boredom, fear and anger are the reason seagull life is short. This also applicable to man in the sense that many of us go through life not really doing those things we want in life as a result of one limitation or the other. This lack of self satisfaction often leads men to their early graves. So the case of this seagull is not different from that of man. When I was jobless, I knew the evil thought that came into my mind even that of suicide.

3. Another exiting quote is that we choose our next world, this comment is spiritual but believe me it’s a fact. For someone who does not pass in the graded level, he can not move to the high school and when you don’t pass the high school, you can not move to the college etc. so the main point in the quote is that we kind of determine what the next stage of our life will be like. In my quest to gain more knowledge, I have simply decided what I want in my next world.

4. on a final note, the other quote I like is that which states that ‘break the chain of your thought and you break the chain of your body’. This quote is very relevant because most of us tend to kill the ideas we have while it’s still in our mind before we even attempt them. For instance in my case when I had the idea of being a student union leader, I would have made a very good one but my thought kept telling me that I would not make a good leader, that I could not speak well nor command enough respect but at the end of the day, I found out that I was far better than the guy who eventually won the elections all because my thought prevented me from contesting..

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

There wasn’t any thing in the book I did not understand; it was straight forward and precise.

However, I had issue with the idea that Jonathan seagull left the world and went to heaven and later came back to earth, because I believe one can only go to heaven when the person is dead and once you are dead you can not come back to live.

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

Yes, the book contains exercises that were geared towards seeking my idea about the book I read as it relate to my real life experience. The exercises where very helpful because it reminded me of the things I had done without knowing and those I can still do and ways how I could done better and hence start doing the right things

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 the fact that we can be whatever we want to be no matter the obstacles. We can succeed where others have failed as long as we continue to try and there is never any limit to learning.


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

A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 7
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? 8

Psycho-Cybernetic 2000
Assessment by Agabi Osaquwa Enogumwegie (Nigeria)

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

After carefully reading this master piece by Dr. Maxwell Maltz and doing a little bit of practical, I came to the conclusion that the main idea of the author is to purge me of my negativity, disappointment, dissatisfaction, failure, etc and thus inspire me to be positive, satisfied, successful etc through the careful reorientation of my thought and my actions. This thought are further meant to metamorphose into myself image which ultimately affects the way I live and the way I do things. Another idea the author has in mind is that I can be what ever I want to be, all I need is the right thought to light up the right actions in me and subsequently attain it.

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.

As I read through the book many ideas came to my mind that I will regard as being important to me but in line with the questions, I took the following seven ideas:

1. False beliefs is an invisible wall.
2. The craft of reprogramming.
3. Fake it till you make it.
4. Live life by your own scripts.
5. Your built in mechanism moves you towards the things you think about.
6. Heeding the danger signals.
7. Plan your work before you work your plan.

I considered this first idea as important to me in the sense it took away the African traditional belief that has been imbeded in me since I was a toddler. It revealed to me that those things I see as against my tradition or belief might just be those things needed for me to achieve my heart desires. This idea made it clear to me that these false beliefs are mere scripts written in my head. The idea also show to me why me and people are backward technologically and scientifically. We can simply achieve great things if we learn to ignore our false belief and concentrate on our goals.

Secondly, another idea important to me is the acronomyn known as craft for re-programming our thoughts and actions for anew self image. This idea is important to me because it revealed to me the step by step means of living a new and worthy life. Initially it was like a child’s play but when I applied it to my most pressing problems I found out that it was a master-piece. I felt much better and could resolve series of issues and to be candid with you I’m going to make it part of me so I can confront my everyday worries.

Thirdly, another idea considered most important to me is that which says fake it till you make it. In this idea, you will see that there is a relationship between your thought, actions and what you eventually achieve in life. This idea is also important because if properly practiced, you will find out that you are always prepared and ready. Take for instance, if I decide to fake working in an oil company and all I do is talk about oil exploration, drilling, marketing and so on ,and I even go the extent of dressing like them by the time I eventually get that appointment I will behave like someone that has been working there for a while ,this is because I had faked it before I made it. It is a wonderful means of teleguiding yourself towards your heart desire.

The fourth important idea to me is living your life by your own script. I like this particular idea and I find it important because it is like an advice. This idea comes handy during this era when your parents and friends try to influence you to become what they want you to be even when you are neither interested nor qualified for that particular goal. I used this idea even before I read about it. I remembered when my dad wanted me to be an accountant ,but I personally liked meeting people, yes I was good in calculation but wasn’t cut out for any form of auditing or balancing any account book so I told him I wanted to be a marketer ,he did not agree and we had to quarrel it out. Today, I am a graduate of mathematics and economics but my career line now is marketing. The idea made me realized that if I had done accounting I would have lived my father’s script and not my script and only God knows what the consequence would have been. I equally liked the idea because it showed me how to achieve my future goals without regards to what people say or think.

Your built in guidance system moves you towards the things you think about is another idea I cherish very much. This idea is important to me in the sense that it taught me to always think positive. Having this idea in mind has taught me that if I think negative all the time, I should expect nothing less than negative situations and if I think positive all the time, I should expect positivism around me. And since everything all men want is positivism, it is proper I think of only those things that will make me happy. This idea is simply another version for the saying what you sow you shall reap.

The sixth idea, is precise in the sense that it aims at warning us to watch out for the negative sides of life and to avoid it as much as possible. The idea is aimed at alerting me when I start to fail, the causes of the failure, the signs of the failure and the possible solution to those failure.

The seventh idea I considered important is that which says Plan your work before you work your plan is another important idea to me because it teaches me to be a good planner and not jump into any exercise or programme but rather I should have done all the necessary research and the feasibility study before I embark on the work. The good thing about this idea is that it helps to prevent future frustration and lack of continuity in what we do. This idea is also important in the sense that it teaches me how to go about proper planning and execution.

3. How will this idea or lesson help you is a practical way, both in your daily life and helping you to create a better world.

All the above mentioned ideas are unique and important to me. Um a practical way, I have learnt to avoid anything false believe that can stand in the way of my break through and progress, I have decided to disregard all my traditional beliefs especially those once that are capable of hindering my physical growth and development. And in the area of helping those around me, I have decided to share my knowledge with them and help purge them of the false believe there by given them a new direction in life, this I believe is an essential ingredient in making the life a better place.

Similarly, my constant use of the reprogramming craft technique will sharpen my life for the best and I know people around me will want to know the secret, I will enlighten them and teach them how to make use of the technique. I believe in learning and thus I will not spare any chance to teach people. By the time we all decide to use craft, I am sure we should be able to all get what we want and thus make the life a better place.

In the same vain, I intend to imbed and practice all the rest ideas in my day to day life and try as much as possible to ensure that the light which the idea will shine in me will be bright enough to to light the way for the rest of mankind to follow and ultimately influence them so that we can make the world a better place.

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

There were several quotes and statement made in the book that I would have like to comment on but let me just comment on the few below. They are:

a) Every one of us always acts, feels and behave in a way that is consistent with our self image. This statement caught my attention because it is something I did not know existed until, I read this book and tried it out. I now know that the way I see and carry myself will ultimately affect my actions and behavior. I have learnt to keep a positive image no matter how negative the situations.

b) We human s are like bicycle, we maintain our balance only while we are moving forward towards something. The interesting thing about this statement is the similarity man and a bicycle, and if a bicycle can only go forward it simply mean that man should aim to always go forward so that we do not have to fall by the way side. I will like you to also note from this statement that a bicycle if not properly controlled can crash, so similarly as we proceed in life, we should strive to have good control of it.

c) Any path to success is defined by mistakes and corrections. I took interest in this quote because I understand the fact that too much mistake might just be too large for man to handle. And if every path to success has to be filled with mistakes many people might not just have the patience to continue. Also making mistakes where you do not have the chance for a second might just end ones goal towards success. In as much as it impossible, it would have been a good thing if life could be without mistakes.

d) You are responsible for the thought you have in your head at any given time. You have the capacity to think whatever you choose and virtually all your self defeating attitudes are behavior originated in the way we choose to think. The amazing thing about this statement by Dr. Wayne Dyner is that it states categorically how important your thoughts are as regards your behaviors and your actions. This statement also imply that you can always think positive if you see it necessary in every situation you find yourself in order to take control of that situation. I equally believe that one can enjoy a happy life as long as one keeps a positive thought and the person is engrossed in that thought.

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?

The book was precise and direct and most things were clear and understood apart from the mandala on page 1209. I studied it but I could not figure how I could use it to aid my relaxation. If it is possible, I will like a more intensive explanation of that figure. As regards disagreeing with any thing in the book, I will say no as most things are correct and true.

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 plenty of exercises and I completed all of them because it was fun and practically based. The exercises where very practical and I had to take my time to practice all of them and carry the task out.

Yes the exercises where very helpful to me because of the fact that they where practical and I could see the effect of the test immediately. The fulfilled the purpose for which they where designed. A very good example is that of stress tranquilizers, it was very handy in handling stress when I practiced it.

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.

The only thing I will like to comment on is applicable to me. In the cause of my reading the book, I felt the book had the solution to all my problems so I was looking up to a chapter that will handle depression. It is important to me in the sense that as I read the book I got very interested hoping it will help bring solution to one of my greatest problem in life. So if you can you can help recommend as book for that purpose even if it is outside the programme.

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