As A Man Thinketh
Assessnebt by Augustine Olabisi Kolade

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.

Let the skeptics have their doubts I prefer to believe that the Bible verse proverbs 23:7-“As he thinketh in his heart, so is he”-is an absolutely undeniable statement of fact. However, the ideas that are personally important to me in this book are numerous, but the following are a few.

THOUGHT AND CHARACTER.
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” is he greatest idea that I see in this book because whatever action I have taken in this world-consciously or otherwise, I seriously believe that it is the premeditation of my through end it has greatly molded my character. Thought in the mind has made us e.g. evil thoughts bring pains, pure thoughts bring joy and happiness. etc. It is a natural how of retribution.

That man is a growth by law and not a creation by artifice. I believe that whatever a man sows he will surely reap. Cause and effect obtain in our lives hence man is made and un-made by himself, in which I am not an exception.

That man is the master of his thought,-e.g. “take charge of your thoughts, you can do what you will with them”-Plato. Hence man is the molder of his character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment and destiny. All these I am trying to do on our to became the man that I wish for myself which I know is totally a mater of time and application, of information knowledge self analysis experience, discipline, patience as well as persistent practice. This is the major reason of my enrolling with this organization.

That man cannot easily be pushed around by circumstances-once he realizes that he is a creative power and that the may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow. That circumstances does not make the man, it reveals him to himself.

That a man may not be able to directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts and so indirectly, yet surely shape his circumstances. My thoughts are mine and mine alone, no one can take that away from me. I strongly believe that everyman is a master of his thoughts. Based on our thoughts we choose to be happy or sad ****

That disease, sickness and health just like circumstances are all rooted in thought. This is so because the body lead to bad habits which leads to sicknesses and disease such as drug addiction, cigarette smoking, alcoholism etc. They are all usually first and fore most thought of before been done

Thought and purpose:
That – Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment. I thought about developing myself before ever coming across this programme. A man should conceive of a Legitimate purpose in his heart, and setout to accomplish it. Thoughts allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative force, that is the force motivating and encouraging me in continue this training.

Thought and Achievement
All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve are the direct results of his own thoughts because what he/or she did not think. Achievement is the crown of effort based on thought like good thinking, good product (Toyota slogan in Nigeria). If one thinks he will fail before attempting any task, I believe that no matter how hard that person tries, he will fail on that task. A man ascends with good thinking and descends with bad thoughts.

Vision and ideals
That our vision is the promise of what we shall one day be; our ideal is the prophecy of what we shall at last unveil.

This idea is very important to me because I have a vision of becoming great-to be known world wide for my work and this idea postulates that the greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream.

Dreams being the seedlings of realities, then I believe I am on the right course my circumstances may be unconducive for now but they shall not remain so as long as I keep taking this programme seriously and strive to do my best. I will not reply on any thing like luck, chance, race or colour.

In all human affairs there are efforts and there are results. The strength of my efforts now are going to be the measure of my results. The vision that I glorify in my mind, the ideal that I enthrone in my heart will build my life, that is what I believe.

Serenity: calmness of mind.
This is the most important now idea I have gained in this whole book. I am not hearing of it for the first time but I am grasping the tenents of the concept for very first time. This I will fully explain in my answer to question (3).

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.

The ideas and concepts in this book are a picture of my life both is terms of strength and of weaknesses.

In my association with people especially personal relationship I am of the believe that thoughts can move, that if I think good about people they will think likewise back to me.

However, this is not always the case.
-There are instances where the very person I always think good about will turn around to hate, or cheat me or even to accuse and attack me physically. As out of the abidance of the heart the mouth speaketh or the man acted.

Also event action must have been thought of that reciprocity that I expect is not always there, but on the average get a fair share of my thoughts back.

I believe that if my world is right the world will be right to me and relatively I have no cause for alarm. In fact my knowing about this programme is a typical example of the concept of man not attracting that which they want, but that which they are. My fancies and attractions are usually thwarted at every step but my innermost thoughts and desires are always been fed-what I want and desire so seriously, if I commit it into prayer think about it and back it up with faith (as a Christian) I always get it-it might not be immediately, but with time, I do surely get it. that glory I will give it to God, but it is not without my concerted effort. Although it might not be easy but I will get it.

Circumstance does not make the man, it reveals him to himself. This is a very good value that I would hold on to. In Nigeria today, it is believed that if you are not a fraudstar, or in government to both you cannot amount to somebody or you cannot be rich. This I fight in my daily, interactions with people, there have been had reason where I have been insulted and accused of been poor due to the kind of values that I hold on to or preach.

There was also an instance where I picked up a stranger’s cell phone on the street, I called the man and returned it is him, I was been called a fool by folks and friends. I do not believe that riches came through stealing! But by hard work and good thinking.

I strongly believe in the laws of growth and adjustment. In cause and effect. In right thinking, right living.

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

They are:
(i) That man is a growth by law and not a creation by artifice.
(ii) Serenity.
(i) One of the most important new idea is the fact that man is a growth by law and not a creation by artifice and that cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things this stimulated my curiously and interest in the whole book more than anything else in the book.

The most import lesson for me have is that; “By the right choice and true application of thoughts, man can ascend to divine perfection and by the abuse and wrong application of thoughts he can descend below the level of the best “I have always wondered why people behave the way they do. If only every man could think RIGHT!!!

(ii) Serenity:
calmness of mind, I have always dreamt about this, prayed about this-but the reasons, importance, advantages, merits, in fact all that it means have never been this glaring to me until now after reading it in this book.

“I need to keep my hands firmly upon the helm of thought. Also now I know that” self-control is strength. Right thought is mastery, calmness is power I will always say into my heart, “PEACE BE STILL”.

However, calmness is usually abused, especially in a country like mine. You can be taken for a fool. There is the believe that the most aggressive person gets what he wants. Jungle Justice seems to obtain where “an eye is for an eye…”

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

This book is a challenge to me and it has greatly changed my thinking. I now know that calmness of mind that man is a growth and not a creation has also influenced my reasoning.

I want to explain here that they are not totally new concepts to me but they are better comprehended with James Allen’s book – “As A Man Thinketh” – that I have just read.

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

No. This is an unexpurgated book.

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

The book is a master piece. The ideas and concepts are all not only helpful, but interwoven in order is drive home a single point – “POWER OF THOUGHT”
So therefore, rating one idea over and above the other would disjoin them. Hence I am unable to do this. Once again it is an excellent book to read.

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

The main idea that the whole book is trying to convey is that man is a thought evolving being. Hs mind and actions are being controlled by his thoughts; so also are his strengths and weaknesses.

Hence man’s visions can be realized through the power of thought by consistent practice and mastery.

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? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Jonathan Livineton Seagull
Assessment by Augustine Olabiki Kolade

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.

(1) That the power that signals success is the power of our mind. How to make life say YES, instead of NO to your dreams/or visions. Jonathan Livingston seagull loved to fly. Most gulls didn’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flights-how to get from shore of food and back again. For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating. However, because Jon has a mind of his own and loved to fly, food for him was secondary. But Jonathan Livingston seagull was no ordinary bird. He kept on, keeping, no matter how hard the going was for him, a lesson I needed to learn before I could succeed in anything.

(2) That to never do or refrain from doing something because I am concerned about what people will say or might think about me. When Jon began sliding in to feet-up landings on the beach, then pacing the length of his slide in the sand, his parents were very much dismayed in deed. This kind of thinking and behaviour, he found, is not the way to make one’s self popular with other birds, but Jonathan Livingston did not stop to pursuer his heart desire-even at the out-right disapproval and dismay of his parents.

(3) That to let inward considering go. Don’t take things personal. Instead of people opinions set your own sails. "Jonathan Livingston seagull, stand to centre! "stand to centre meant only great shame or great honor. This is a bird who after tremendous efforts and practice, ups and downs, thick and thin, thought he has triumphed in terminal velocity believing that when others hear of it, will be wild with joy was asked to "stand to centre for shame in the sight of other fellow gulls". He did not let inward consideration or resentment stop his dream rather this been an outcast helped him. He learned more each day. What he had once hoped for the thick, he now gained for himself alone, he leaned to fly, and was not sorry for the price that he had paid.
(4) Like Jonathan seagull, discovered, I believe that boredom and fear that anger are the reasons that a man’s life (not only gulls) is so short.

(5) That one should always set high standards for himself. This can be achieved any way, only through constant analysis, Learning (knowledge and/or information) and pactice. That there are no limitations the mind except those we acknowledge.

(6) That one can be what one wants to be through the power of thought and practice. Jonathan Livingston seagull didn’t have to go through a thousand or a million lives like Sullivan or Chiang seagull who choose their next world through what they learn in this one. "Learn nothing and the next world is the same as this one, all the same limitations and lead weights to overcome.

(7) That success or victory is certain when we focus our mind thoughts desires towards it. That there is no such place as "Heaven" (i.e. peak of success or victory). It is not a place and its not time. Victory or success is being perfect an whatever we do. To Jon, it is flying.

(8) "That one can go to any place and to anytime one wishes to go" The trick, according to Chiang was for Jonathan to stop seeing himself as trapped inside a limited body …."I believe that this also applies to humans. This I will keep like Jonathan seagull, fiercely, and make all efforts to achieving that state of perfection.

(9) The greatest idea that I found in this book is the power of love. This happens to be Chiang’s last words to Jonathan seagull-keep working on love". The strength of love need not be over emphasized. It is love that makes the world go round-it was love that made Jon, returned back to help him fellow gulls. In fact love is everything.

(10) The concept of freedom. "We’re free to go where we wish and to be what we are! Our whole body from the crown of out head to the soles of our feet, is nothing more than our thought it self, in a form that we can see. Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body, too……. Said Jonathan Livingston seagull. Each of us is in truth an idea of the great being and unlimited idea of freedom. Everything that limits us where we have to put a side. That we have the freedom to be our self, here and how and nothing can stand in our way. It is the law that is. That freedom is the very nature of our being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form. "The only true law is that which leads to freedom", Jonathan said. " There is no other".

(11) Practice. Everything in life can only be mastered through practice. You don’t live hatred and evil. You have to practice and see the real thing, the good in every one of them, and to help people see it in themselves, if necessary. Don’t believe what you eyes are telling you. All they show is Limitation. Look with your understanding final out what you already know, and you’ll see the way to live or succeed. All these take practice. Our race to learn had first begin.

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.

A ) One of my belief is that I do not like to do what everybody else is doing. This was re-reinforced by this book. Jonathan Livingston seagull seems to be like that. While every gull wants to fly in order to obtain food, Jon loved to fly more than anything else. I will call this adventure. Delving into unknown. Trying what others detail I am like that. It takes someone with a mind of his own.

B) There is joy in forgiveness. Letting inward consideration go as soon as possible. This is a tenent I hold on to tenaciously I don’t bear grudges. I do not keep wrong doing of others in my mind. They can make me sick. That a man should free his mind. This was inculcated into me by my parent as a kid. That I should always forgive. The bible also states that in our Lord’s prayer - "…forgive those who trespass against you, so that God, the almighty can also for give you of your wrong doings". Hence I make forgiveness a point of duty.

C) The power of Giving. Givers never lack. It takes practice to know how to give. Jonathan is a giver. To teach others what you lave learnt through thick and thin, even as an outcast, is a true sense of giving.

D) About Love. There is love in sharing. Jon will share his knowledge.

E) About freedom. The only true law is that of freedom. There is no other law freedom from slavery, oppression, of mind etc. it is only when you have a free soul, that you can actually be what you want to be.

F) Practice makes perfect. Through practice, you learn a lot. That is my believe of a way of acquiring mastery. That is how Jonathan seagull became successful. That obtains is every facet of life. "Like everything else-practice " said Jon to Fletcher.

G) The power of thought. "Your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip "Jonathan would say, to his fellow gulls" nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your thought, and you body, too…" He are free to go where we wish and to be what we are through the power of thought

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

The most import new idea I learned in this book is about determination. Once you have an idea that you believe can work and you love to do it, hold on to it. Jon loved to fly. He held on to it. Was determined. He was successful at it. I love his determination. Also of practice, Practice to master an act to achieve and of love-with love the world goes round.

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

The book has only challenged me but has not changed my thinking because it is inline with my thinking. It has challenged me to
* Be persistence in my beliefs
* To practice in order to become a master - e.g. to study more etc.
* To always forgive
* To give and share of knowledge
* To love.To be free - free from all kind of mental slavery.
* To help my fellow humans whenever I can and Þ To learn always.

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

The ideas in the book are in line with mine, so I do not disagree with any.

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

That you can became whatever you want to be, if you are determined - through the power of thought and practice; is the most helpful idea I found in this book. I also love the spirit of impartation - of teaching what perfection and to love. The least helpful idea is the negative behavious or belief of Sullivan to wards Jonathan when he wanted to returned. "That the gull sees farthest who flies highest… "He lacks love for his fellows and has a negative belief.

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

To achieve your aims in life or to realize your vision, you have to be determined, to face all us and above all practice.

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

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

Psycho Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by Augustine Olabisi Kolade (Nigeria)

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

SELF-IMAGE: As the key to personality. That everyone of us always acts, feels and behaves in a way that is consistent with our self-image- regardless of the reality of that image.

This self-image is our own conception of the "sort of person I am". It has been built from our beliefs about ourselves. But most of these beliefs have been formed from our past experiences, our success and our failures… and the way people have reacted to us…once an idea or belief about ourselves goes into this picture it becomes "true' as far as we personally are concerned. We do not question its validity but proceed to act upon it just as if it were true.

It is our self-image that prescribes our limits. And achieving a positive self-image the life instinct, rather than the destructive instinct is within our capabilities.
As a power to create change. I am capable of taking control of my self-image and programming my automatic guidance system for success.

As the key to a better life: I can develop a self-image that will enable me to "add more living to my life" no matter how old happen to be. This I can achieve using maltz's "SUCCESS" principle-
Sense of direction
Understanding
Courage
Charity
Esteem
Self-confidence
Self-acceptance

Our self-image begins with others opinions about us. Our awareness of these opinions form our earliest sense of self. i.e. Our servomechanism's basic program. We then "confirm" this program by acting in accordance with it. So it is with our creative mechanism it always operates according to the way our self-image has programmed it.

Program it with images of success and it operates as a success mechanism
Program it with negative images and limitations and it operates as a failure mechanism. But like any servomechanism, its programming can be changed.
* Anything that has been learned can be reevaluated and challenged
* Anything that has been challenged can be "relearned" with new data to replace the old.

This I learned through what Maltz called "The CRAFT of reprogramming. It is easy to remember these steps when I think of reprogramming my automatic mechanism as a CRAFT
1. C- ancel
2. R- eplace
3. A- ffirm
4. F- ocus
5. T- rain

Cancel old negative data- I use language hoop- say "cancel" (or "stop") or ("forget") etc. instead of thinking negative e.g. if I want to leave the company I work before closing time or not to do my assigned work etc. its double reinforcement. My ears hear my voice giving it orders.

Replace it with new, positive data. Every time the old program popped up, immediately after saying "cancel" I do proceed to re-affirm the new program-like say "I can.." such as "I can do this work" or "I can stay till closing time" etc.
Affirm my new image to myself always sometimes I write them and paste on the wall of my room or office desk.

Focus on an image of a successful me. By "mental pictures" or entering the "theatre of the imagination" - focusing on my day dreams" or "reflective learning" or "act as if"

Train myself for lasting change. Train myself in my new attitudes and behaviour because I believe that practice makes perfect; a lesson a learnt" Jonathan Livingston"
These five steps can be used to any situation in ones life that needs change. Maltz called them the CRAFT of reprogramming: five steps to a New Self-Image.

Change comes about through awareness of a negative self-image, by challenging the bad habits that support this image and by creating a new, positive self-image that allows someone to set and achieve worthwhile goals.

The CRAFT of reprogramming works in accordance with the basic Psychological principles of both the subconscious and conscious mind according to Maltz, which I will state below

The two principles of the subconscious mind:
* The Agreement Principle: The subconscious mind always says "Yes" to everything the conscious mind tells it.
* The Compliance Principle: The subconscious mind always moves in the direction in which the conscious mind points it.

The two principles of the conscious mind:
* The selection Principle: The conscious mind looks at options and makes purposeful choices among them.
* The elimination Principle: Once the conscious mind has made its selection all other possible options are eliminated for that given moment.

When one makes conscious choices, one effectively eliminate others. When the conscious mind sets goal, it eliminates all alternatives. By visualizing oneself as successful, one directs oneself towards something positive and rewarding.
Awareness and Roars on the Destination

New self-image will come about only through repeated practices using CRAFT. Servomechanism works by making errors and responding to them. Any path to success is defined by mistakes and corrections. I do not dwell on my mistakes and I am not afraid of them either. I usually trust my servomechanism to do its job. After a time, my subconscious mind will forget the errors of the past and learn to follow the new path I have created for it. For example, when I initially decided to be going to work early, I usually feel disappointed when I arrive at the company gate an hour before anybody, thinking that I would have been able to stay back at home and get some more sleep but later on I got so used to it that everybody in the company has taken cognizance of it. Now I am used to it and even enjoy it.

Fake It Till You Make It
Imaging Your Way To Success: Realizing that our actions, feelings, and behaviour are the result of your own images and beliefs gives us the level that psychology has always needed for changing personality. (Maxwell Maltz 1960)

"Believing Is Seeing". Our imagination makes our subconscious mind see what our conscious mind believes.

Anything I imagine to be true is accepted to be true by my subconscious mind like not closing before the day job resuming at work an hour earlier. An imagined experience in perceived and acted on by our subconscious mind exactly the same way as the real experience. My behaviour follows what I believe to be true.
My behaviour changes in the direction of my beliefs. I started faking my closing late and resuming early till it is now true.

Freeing Ourselves From False Beliefs
If we have accepted an idea from ourselves, our teachers, our parents, friends, advertisements etc. or from any other source and further, if we are firmly convinced that idea is true, it has the same pioneer over us as (a) hypnotists' words over the hypnotists subject.

By challenging our false beliefs and using our imagination to create new ones new memories in effect- we can change our attitudes and behaviour and discover new abilities within ourselves.

The first step towards challenging our false and limiting belief systems is to understand that we are human beings who deserve better than to be constrained by unreasonable fears, expectations of failure and feelings of unworthiness.
The second step is to remember that false beliefs are nothing more than habits that you have learned and so can be changed by creating new memories. Remembering that the subconscious mind can't evaluate the information it gets. It merely agrees and complies with what the conscious mind tells it. So all I do is to erase the old beliefs (of failure) and replace them with new convincing ones.

The Power of Relaxation
Creative ideas are not consciously thought out…but come out automatically, spontaneously and somewhat like a bolt from the blue, when the conscious mind has let go of the problem. After (a person) has defined the problem, sees in his imagination the desired end result, secured all the information and facts that he can, then additional struggling, fretting and worrying over it does not help, but seems to hinder the situation (Maxwell Maltz 1960)

Dr. (Geogi) Lozanor discovered something… in his years of studying people of supernormal abilities….At the moment these people performed astonishing mental feats, their bodies were in a state of rest.

They did not strain, will or coerce the mind to function. It happens effortlessly. It actually seemed to happen because physical and mental effort were not involved.
"Physical relaxation" Maltz wrote and I have practiced it and have found it to be true in my relationship with friends, at work and even in my family "plays a key role in the dehypnotization process. Our currently held beliefs…were formed without effort, with no sense of strain… our habits, whether way. It follows that we must employ the same way or process in forming in forming new beliefs, or new habits that is in a relaxed condition.

When I am so tensed up and things choice my brain and I get home to meet a serious problem or even at work I just do nothing at the time or go to sleep, some how the problem soon solve itself.

Conscious efforts inhibits and jams the automatics creative mechanisms "Maltz wrote "(S) Jowe people….are painfully conscious of every move they make. We speak of such people as inhibited. But it would be more true…to say that the "person" is not inhibited; but that the person has "inhibited" his own creative mechanism.
If we all could "let go", stop trying, and not care and give no thought to the matter of our behaviour, we could act creatively spontaneously and be ourselves. Even the Bible reinforces this fact. That is where I actually got this believed.
Just Say Yes: De-Stress Ourselves with Drug-Free Tranquilizers

Our disturbing feelings -anger , hostility anxiety in security, are caused by our own responses- not by externals…..this relaxation is natures own tranquilizer which erects a psychic serene…between us and the disturbing stimulus - Maltz.
Our stress comes not from any event but from our responses to it and response is nothing but a habit we can replace. In order to engage our imagination we need to relax. And if we are feeling "stressed out" by definition we are not relaxed.
We can learn to avoid stress by developing the habit of consciously examining events from a different perspective by sowing SEEDS i.e.

S-ituation - View the event as a fundamentally neutral
E-valuate the problem. See it as nobody's problem
E-motionlaize the situation of suit our evaluation .
Do what is necessary to confront the situation.
S-elf Esteem. Feel our self-esteem increasing as a result of our action. The only way people, events, situations etc. can push our buttons (stress us) if we let it happen.
'Doing nothing' is the proper response to an unreal problem. In addition we can go along way to prevent stress from interfering with our life by practicing the following techniques.

Develop immunity to stress through exercises
Reduce stress through altered states of consciousness (i.e. Don't medicate, but meditate") such as
(a) Meditation
(b) Day dreaming
(c) Internal scanning- engaging both sides of the brain e.g. before sleep or in the morning or both.
(d) Dreaming- programs our dream through internal scanning pay attention to it.
There is a huge power in laughter

Stress prevention lists: Three on-the-spot stress-reducers from the Doctor's First Aid kit are
i. Delay the response
ii. Build a psychic umbrella through relaxation
iii. Take a little vacation everyday.

Setting Goals
A man or woman without a goal is like a ship without a rudder. Each will drift and not drive. Each will end up on the beaches of despair, defeat and dependency- Zig Ziglar.

It doesn't matter what our goals are, it only matters that we know what they are. Everything I have done so far in my life has been the realization of goals whether or not I've recognized them as such. It is important to write down goals setting goals that are fulfilling and achievable, requires a SMART approach
S-pecific
M-easurable
A-ction oriented
R-ealistic
T-ime -conscious

If one set goals that are sincere and follow a specific action plan, one will deserve the success and happiness one will get.

Moving Ahead: From Goal-Setting to Goal Getting
Functionally, a man is somewhat like a bicycle… A bicycle maintains its poise and equilibrium only so long as it is going forward towards something- Maxwell Maltz (1960)

Hence goals are a process not a place to be. Our…goals are like orchards: the more energy we put into them, the more they bear fruits. We need goals that are appropriate and attainable…setting our own goals reflects our self-esteem.
I want to grow in my own direction and I am capable of making competent and responsible progress as I learnt. It is important to know that we are not on earth to live up to some one else's expectation.

Making The Most Of Psycho-cybernetics: Being Alive Vs Living
i. Do things for reasons other than furthering my own needs. Develop an attitude of love, because love erases the imaginary boundaries between self, other and the world
ii. Don't wait to be happy. There is only one right time to make my move to happiness: NOW
iii. I can make happiness a habit through conscious repeated practices until it has become a subconscious act.
iv. "Fake-It-Till-I-Make-It". Act an through myself image is exactly the way I want it to be, as through the success I desire has already been achieved.

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.

Programming myself for success is achieved using the six steps to success:
Step 1: Central to Psycho-cybernetic is Maltz's idea of the human brain as an automatic guidance system. This human servomechanism can be either a success mechanism or a failure mechanism.
Step 2: Imagine my way to success-creative imagination.
Step 3: Relax and turn stress into success
Step 4: Setting Goals. A prerequisite to success.
Step 5: use negative feedback to point toward success
Step 6: Disinhibit my personality and fuel success.
Step 1: The creative mechanism with me is impersonal. It will work automatically and impersonally to achieve goals of success and happiness, or unhappiness and failure depending on the goals which I set for it.

Thus, I always put the acronym SUCCESS or FAILURE into use/practice as Maltz taught in his book in Psycho-cybernetics:
S-ense of direction F-rustration
U-nderstanding A-ggressiveness
C-harity I-nsecurity
C-ourage L-oneliness
E-steem U-ncertainty
S-elf-confidence R-esentment
S-elf acceptance E-mptiness

Step 2: The word imagination is related to the world image. "that which is seen" I follow Maltz principle of "Believing is Seeing" to always guide me toward success in whatever I do. My imagination makes my subconscious mind see what my conscious mind believes. Anything I imagine to be true is accepted as true by my subconscious mind.

Am imagined experience is perceived and acted only my subconscious mind exactly the same way as the real experience. My behaviour follows what I believe to be true. My behaviour changes in the direction of my beliefs.

Mental practice helps me to improve on these concepts daily I use my creative imagination to select positive images for myself and eliminates the false, destructive images my subconscious mind may be acting on as it they were true.

I always remember and know that every idea that I have learned can be re-evaluated and challenged. Every idea that has been re-evaluated can be re-learned with new data to replace the old. When I focus my imagination on the way I wish to be, my conscious mind directs my subconscious mind to accept these new mages. And since my subconscious mind will agree and comply my subconscious mind will agree and comply with the images my conscious mind creates "acting as if" it were true will eventually to effect make it true

Step 3: Relaxation is an aid to health and problem solving as well as necessary condition for the work of reprogramming our internal guidance system. There are numerous effective procedures recommended by Maltz for achieving this- such as Zen breathing, progressive relaxation etc. I always practice the Zen breathing by focusing on an object. I also take a little vacation everyday to relax and laugh often.
Stress results from the way we respond to outside events not from the events themselves. There are several techniques I usually use to avoid stressful over responses in the same way I practice new habits. For example: I practice non-stressful responses by using reflective relearning. Build a decompression chamber

Review the steps of SEEDS
Regularly to maximize my chances of an immediate positive response to a stress full event like when my wife offend me or when my colleague at work do things wrongly.
I do take better care of myself emotionally always aware of my negative feeling and saying CANCLE a lot.

Take care of myself physically
I do not whip myself for giving into my vices, recognizing that I am in a temporary crisis and therefore allowed to slip a bit.

Step 4: Everything I have done so far in my life has been the realization of goals, whether or not I have recognized them as such. I practice having clear, positive goal to strive for and exercise my CRAFT regularly. It is important to write down goals. In setting goals that are fulfilling and achievable, I practice the SMART approach of psycho-cybernetics. They are:
S-pecific
M-easurable
A-ction oriented
R-ealistic
T-ime conscious

I am becoming a sales person who will meet and exceed my company's target of a 25% DSD (Direct Sales Distribution) increase in sales volume this year (2007). I believe that if I set goals that are sincere and follow a specific action plan, I will deserve the success and happiness that I will get.

Step 5: No one is immune to negative feelings and attitudes… the important thing is to recognize them for what they are, and take positive actions to correct course. Maltz (1960). Since I know that my automatic mechanism moves me toward the things I think about I always sow SEEDS whenever I experience setback in anything I do, so in that way I believe I use my negative feedback to point toward success.

That "I" make mistakes - mistakes do not make "me", there is nothing I can do about my past mistakes. Forgiving myself for these is the only way I can avoid letting them negatively impact on my present and or my future. I do not let myself to be controlled by my mistakes because I appreciate myself as a spiritual being.

Step 6: I do my worrying before I place my bet, not after the wheel stars turning. "the time to worry about decision is before you make it" once made accept responsibility.
I have formed the habit of consciously responding to the present moment. I try to do only one thing at a time, sleep on it and relax while at work. Glitches can form in our personality as the result of emotion wounds or excessive negative feedback. Forgiveness is the key to freeing our self from the "scar tissue" caused by emotional wounds in the past. We can free our personality form inhibition by learning to respond correctively to criticism.

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

Yes, it has actually challenged and even greatly changed my thinking mainly in the area of building a new self image. That developing a new self-image does not happen over night. Its cumulative. That the most important thing is for me to stay focused and behave as though I have already achieved it and using rational thinking to challenge or change false beliefs.

Psycho-cybernetics taught me that is creating a new image I have to choose to do the same thing at the same time each day for my mental practice and make sure there is no interruptions. Accept all positive images as valid and helpful.
To change "What if?" into "so what if?" and adding "Next time", every time I shift my subconscious mind away from anxiety and toward control.

To turn my mistake into steps on the Road to success, and plan my work before I work my plan.

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

I quite disagree with Maltz's concept of "Avoiding the "Willpower' Trap".
That 'willpower and "positive thinking" have never changed anyone's behaviour. This is not true because it has changed mine. It was with willpower (what I can call determination) and positive thinking that made me enrolled into IIGL in the first instance.

"That if the way you act and think is intimately bound up with your self-image, you are not going to change it by attacking the problem with the part of your brain that deals in words". I totally disagree with this concept because I know that, out of the abundance of the mind the mouth speaketh, so someone or I cannot say or you cannot say what you do not image.

According to Maltz's psycho-cybernetics that trying to change your behaviour through your left brain taps you in a cycle of frustration and despair I believe that both sides of the brain work together not in isolation therefore both positive thinking (words) and image (pictures) are one and the same thing. It is even easier to image something's and don't say it than saying something's that you have not imaged.

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

The most important lesson is that life is fragile hence we are all subject to its slings and arrows, so we should live life by our own script and learn to accept them without thinking of them as permanent condition of our life, without convincing ourselves they will destroy us, without blaming ourselves or resenting others.

The least helpful concept to me in this book is the Right Brain/Left Brain switch. The idea of allowing or not permitting images (Right Brain thoughts) to enter the Left Brains conscious awareness is more of controlled experiment than real life situation.

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

That I do not need outside help to make me aware of my need for change, to guide me in identifying the beliefs that keep me following negative habits, to teach me how to relax , to set goals for me or to direct me though the procedures. All I need is the willingness to change and the patience to allow psycho-cybernetics to take effect

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? 7
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others 10
E. What is the over all rating you would give it? 8