As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Obinna Ezeji (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.

“a man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of his thoughts.” I find this statement by the author very true and indeed profound. If one examines his actions, especially the minute moments preceding every action he takes - even those judged to be spontaneous, he'll agree that the action have already acted out in his thoughts at a flashing speed before it begins in the physical. However this is nothing compared to what the author seeks to expose which is: that our personality, character, core beliefs, psychological make-up and even our views of fashion, all these and more frivolities which we indulge are given birth in the womb of our thoughts. A man stalks a lady snatches her red purse and disappears. Another closes from work and heads straight to the bar, he arrives home very excited, challenges his wife and turns his home to a boxing ring. Elsewhere, another man stalks in the dark near a mall where a teenage girl has gone in to shop. Waiting with the evil intent to harm. All this while, a certain business man is closing a deal that will land him a six digit income and improve the lives of his employees. The man you see is his thoughts you can't see. The inner surely shapes our outer world.

The Garden. As a little boy I used to go with mum to her garden where she grew maize and vegetables. I enjoyed the part where I had to water the plants with a make-shift sprinkler made from an old tin with many tiny perforations beneath. Watering the plants was easy to do and had to be repeated daily without which the plants could die. Weeding though required more effort but if I uprooted soon as I found a weed, then my work was easier than when I left it for days to grow. Interesting to note the weeds were never planted deliberately by anyone and yet all we had to do if we wanted to ruin our vegetables and cover the garden with bushes was to let them be.

In the same way is the mind described by the author and I strongly agree with him. Most importantly, the weed is introduced either willfully or unconsciously. There's no such thing as safe a house or a vacuum and the effective remedy is to daily work at weeding out those thoughts that cloud our judgment and gradually eat up our lofty dreams and ideas. Most
importantly is the fact that you reap only what you had sown some time in the past.

Fighting against circumstance. We all are always wishing and praying for the beautiful things and at the same time nurturing thoughts that revolt against our wishes and prayers. it is imperfect practice that makes perfect. It is the positive thoughts that we sow in our heart, nurture and grow with its roots digging firmly and deeply into our subconscious mind that is eventually made manifest in the physical realm in agreement with our earnest prayers. Someplace there's such a couple, newly married with lofty dreams of raising their child with all the love they wish to summon. Along the way they encounter the storms of matrimony and instead of brazing up to challenge and correct the problems facing their marriage, they opt for the selfish option of splitting. Theirs is hardly mere failures but an institution of cause and effect set in motion and if not redressed would roll on into another generation or two.

Law of attraction “the soul attracts that whish it secretly harbors, that which it loves and also that which it fears.” This law is more than true and is played out in our daily lives most times without our noticing. When the mind holds a thought very strongly and tosses it day and night endlessly, the thought becomes alive goes after that which the mind seeks. “Seek and you shall find.” Very important is the fact that it goes for both good and positive thoughts as-well-as destructive thoughts. The author teaches how good thoughts can attract good health, vigor and grace while anxiety demoralizes the body's resistance to disease. To win the love and respect of others, we must first give love and respect. 'Do
unto others as you will have do unto you' - the Golden Rule.

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.

My relationship. Ten years ago my mum passed-on at a young age of 38. I was then 16 and growing to love and appreciate mum better. I was in a boarding school far away from home and yet every two weeks my mum will embark on the 5 hours journey by road with lots of stuff to see me. Losing a loved one is not something anyone should experience and it takes only little for the bereaved to fall into the pit of self pity. Back then I'd always wallow in self pity and would keep wondering what else is left to do on earth without a mum. At a point I harbored suicidal thoughts and was a little bit withdrawn and angry. The trend continued for more than two years until I suddenly began to see the futility in allowing this singular incidence rule my entire world. I began a gradual shift from a pessimistic and self-destructive mind set to optimism. It change really helped me become a happier and friendly person. It occurred to me that I really owed the world and my generation a duty and not the other way round. A duty to serve and support with love and materials children who are worse off than I was without a single parent. I now used my love for her constructively instead of otherwise. I was once approached in the university with the idea of joining a secret cult and alone in my bed at night I asked myself - how'd she feel if I honored their request. I declined. In line with the teachings of this book, man must decide for himself what course to chat. To succeed we must hold ourselves responsible when we fail.

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

“thought and character are one” this idea that the character of the man is a mirror of his thoughts is entirely new to me. The writer proceeds to tie a man's in direct relation with his circumstance. So the serial killer molded his character as cold murderer from harmoniously related\ thoughts.

circumstance reveals the man to himself this in indeed profound and all my life I have never examined this topic under this unraveling light. When the serial killer eventually gets locked up in jail for life, his circumstance will only be in conformity with the person he has made out of himself. In the same way, we will find ourselves in a circumstance that is rewarding and achieving when we continuously cultivate virtuous aspirations. Man attracts that which he is not that which he wants

the honest and the dishonest the insight gained from this topic strengthens the well-known fact that all humans are tainted with a degree of weakness in certain directions. We can at best improve our character by a daily practice of reinforcing our strengths. Man is not perfect. The honest man may fail in a certain venture as a consequence of an ignoble side of his. He must therefore make extra effort to deny the cravings of the weak flesh which does not disappear regardless of the high moral perception you attract, but can only be subdued by good - “let he that thinks he stands take heed less he falls.” On the other hand, one with a dishonest reputation may attract wealth by certain virtues he processes which are absent in the honest man. I learn therefore not be quick in casting aspersions on the reputation of the man society deems to be dishonest but to weigh the integrity of his actions without bias nor judgment.

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

It has indeed challenged my thinking in so many ways. Foremost is in its teachings that describe all good fortunes as consequence of our deliberate actions and choices. The book does not in anyway lend credence to the theory of luck, instead it promotes the thought that all our good fortunes or misfortunes are manifest only through deliberate actions. This approach to life gives one greater powers to exercise since he chooses to take responsibility of the quality of life he wants to live. If a man must succeed, he must first make goals that keep him focused and then doggedly chat a path that leads him to achieving his goals.

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

One may ask in what way to describe the lot of those born with 'silver spoon' - staggering amount of wealth as inheritance. Or those willed great fortune by a diseased friend or relative in the later part of their shabby life. I cannot help but ask if these scenarios aren't mere good fortunes or luck.

However I'm sure if the persons described above are given to recklessness and do not make concerted effort to manage their inheritance wisely, they will inevitably lose it with time. Nonetheless, they did very little to earn their good fortunes and hence I cannot subscribe to the school of thought that entirely disagrees with the hands of luck in the affairs of men. Some good fortunes I have experienced in my life I believe would not have been without the Almighty's express command to nature to serve me with unmerited favor and good. I do not agree that we imperfect humans can achieve whatever circumstance we desire by deliberate calculation. Sometimes - yes, but not all the time.

How do you describe the fate of those who suffer from the impact of a natural disaster, disease or unprecedented accident they are not responsible for?

We do not have all the answers and some things in life we cannot control. But we can work hard enough at the sphere of things we can control, towards achieving our set targets - then; we might just tickle providence enough to smile heartily at us.

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

Its not really an easy question because every teaching in this book comes with the power to ignite strong positive emotions that strengthens and inspires the mind of the reader. However the part that dwells on the power of vision was indeed profound.

I've learnt to continuously visualize the fulfillment of my dreams and aspirations through feeding my mind with thoughts and declarations that focuses my mind towards my goals. The simplicity in the manner of language used also paves way for a stronger grasp of the teachings this book portrays.

Am working towards cultivating the attitude of serenity and though it is not easy, I believe with time I'll master it.

I cannot say so and so was least helpful because even lessons I had learnt from other books in the past was elucidated from new dimension.

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

Man is an intelligent being equipped with a mind so powerful that he can rule his circumstances. In the light that the mind can achieve whatever it sets out for with focus and resolve, total failure in life therefore is consciously or otherwise self-designed.

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? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Obinna Ezeji (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.

“he narrowed his eyes in fierce concentration…”
Concentration is key in whatever project we seek to carry-out to fruition. We must learn to focus with our eyes trailed on the task at hand or the goal set to be achieved. Prior to my penultimate year to graduation from the university, I had been unserious with my studies. I had outstanding credit to pass if I wanted to graduate the next year and it was indeed a very challenging situation. I read a book - Goals by Brian Tracey and took time set long and short term goals as prescribed in the book and most importantly, I concentrated on the goal of achieving success in my exams and graduating with my classmates the following year. It paid out.

“Then his feathers ruffled, he stalled and fell.”
-failure. This idea is very important because it is a hard truth we have to live with daily- failure and disappointments will always be part of us. How we deal with it is what makes the big difference. Even though Jonathan failed many times he always picked himself up, dusted the shame and disappointments and tried again. “Ten times he tried, but all ten times…crashing down into the water.” According to Brian Tracey, it is not practice but imperfect practice that makes success. The great inventor Thomas Edison failed many times in his quest to invent the light bulb but he learnt from the positive side of his mistakes and persistently applied what he had learnt to right his wrongs. There is always a lesson to learn from every failure if we can only put aside the fear of failing again and like Jonathan see failure as a learning process and not an end.

Purpose and Passion.
While the rest of the flock set out each day with the purpose of finding food, Jonathan's purpose was to attain mastery of flight. Jonathan was passionate about his purpose and this quality kept him focused even amidst hostilities and failures. Reflecting, I can call-up a good number of great men who wrote their names in history book because they continuously fueled their dreams and purpose with passion, emotion and zeal until they broke all resistance and fulfilled the purpose they set out to achieve. Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, to recount a few are all remembered for the purpose-driven life they lived and the passion with which they followed their dreams.

“…there is a reason to life! We can list ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill.”
If I must succeed then I must see life from the perspective Jonathan saw it- long term fulfillment of value created or gained. Without a long term approach to life we can hardly accomplish most of our lofty dreams because like Rome, they are hardly built in a day.

Learning & Practice.
The zeal and determination with which Jonathan went about learning and practicing is indeed overwhelming. I really do wish I can learn to be this driven in acquiring Knowledge and utilizing the knowledge acquired.

In the bible God said 'My people perish for lack of knowledge.' It simply means that not even providence condone ignorance. We have to keep pushing to learn if we must survive in this highly competitive world of ours. However, it's one thing to learn and the other to put the knowledge acquired into useful venture- this is where I most admire Jon. He kept putting what he had learnt into practice and did not recant after series of failure. Sometime in the past, I heard over the radio that acquiring knowledge can be likened to a man in possession of a gun, the bits of knowledge he has is like the bullet in the gun. Notwithstanding, you are still not regarded as powerful until you can effectively use your loaded gun. A look at the biographies some great men highlights one parallel quality they all possess- thirst and hunger for knowledge; they were readers.

The Price of Success.
Like every good thing success comes with a price and price will always be in direct proportion to the value of goods or services you seek to acquire. Whatever is got for nothing is most likely immaterial or worthless. The parable of the talent in the bible teaches us that onto whom much is given, much is also expected. From the story of Jonathan, I deduced the following prices he had to pay:

time: time and again he had to study and learn how best to fly. In my opinion time is so important that God had to apportion it equally to everyone so we have no excuses to make with it. So many times we shy away from responsibilities because we feel we do not have enough time for it and then we turn around and squander the time we supposedly gained on trivialities. What I learnt from Jonathan is that it takes a substantial investment of time to master any art or skill that is valuable. To attain the expertise and mastery of flight Jonathan had to sacrifice the time he would ordinarily had spent squabbling for food for practice time.

pain: everyone abhors the feeling of pain whether to our body, heart or to our ego. However way it comes, pain isn't enjoyable and yet we will always live with its threat until our last breath. There is such thing as the fear of pain and this can be as dangerous and limiting as pain itself. If for the fear of getting injured I decide not to go out to the field and join my friends in a football game, then I might never be good at the game and consequently will not reap the financial and social gratification that comes with being good at playing football. If the Lander brothers had dwelt hard on the pain that can arise from an airplane crash, they would have abandoned their dream of building an airplane. Same goes for many worthy inventions we enjoy today. Whenever we set out to do a good job worthy of recognition or satisfying customers' expectations of us, then we must be prepared to bear the mental and bodily stress and discomfort that will come along.

In the bible Jesus knew he will be and he was eventually crucified. Martin Luther King was mobbed and imprisoned many times same as many great heroes of the past. No cross, no crown. No pain, no gain.

dejection: while in the University during one of my industrial trainings, I learnt of a network marketing business and joined soon after. I returned to school with so much excitement and enthusiasm and started talking to friends about the business and prospecting for potential down-lines. I had made a wish list of all those I hoped to introduce into the business and another list of those I wanted to market the products (health) to. However I was not prepared for the deluge of scorn and mockery that came from my very friends. After a hard go at selling my products, I gave-up mostly because I wanted to regain acceptance among my peers. I wasn't passionate enough about my business to pay the price of dejection and it cost me the experience if not profit that I had stood to gain.
Jonathan paid the great price of dejection and was banished from his kindred in exchange for the fulfillment of his dreams and is an example I must inculcate if I must succeed in any project.

Friendship and Partnership with positive minds.
“Here were gulls who thought as he thought. For each of them, the most important thing in living was to reach out and touch perfection in that which they most loved to do…” No man exist an island all by himself and iron it is said sharpens iron. Everyday we inter-relate with people around us and are influenced somehow by their actions or inactions. Jonathan was able to remain focused in flying and learn better when he had birds of like minds around him. If we hang around enough with success-conscious individuals, unconsciously our interest to succeed starts to heighten and same goes when it's the other way round.

Mentor.
The sports men in the world have coaches. And I totally agree with this idea. If not for Chiang, it would have cost Jonathan more work and time to understand the teachings on perfection. The sage words or guidance of an experienced person can save us the time we spend making erroneous trials.

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.

Passion: I'm very passionate about living a life that will impart value in the lives of so many Africans living in this continent. I strongly believe some day I'll be called upon to cater for the needs of many motherless children living across Africa and other war thorn areas around the world where children are always the worse hit victims. My continent Africa is wasting with each passing day. Aids has ravished millions of people in Africa; poverty and illiteracy has become synonymous with the continent and our corrupt leaders in their power drunkenness and greed has only battered the situation, eroding the confidence of the masses as well as foreign investors. Nonetheless, I have a dream. A dream that someday Africa will braze up to its challenges and seize to be regarded as a third World continent. A dream that very soon a new crop of Africans will rise up to compete constructively with their peers in Europe, America or Asia in issues of science and technology, business, and wealth creation to promote a mutually beneficial global advancement. I pray to be amongst the men and women that will catalyze this transformation.

Winning through failure: paradoxical as it may sound, I strongly believe that inculcating this attitude to life is important if one seeks victory in this uneasy world. Jonathan Seagull persisted through pain, failure, tribulation, and this quality I believe was the driving force that propelled him to achieve his dream. I love Jonathan. I pray to become this purpose driven in spite of barriers and mountains that stand between me and my goals. Winning through failure must start with an attitudinal change in how we interpret failure and its fear. We are all so hard on ourselves when we fail that we fail to see that failure is part of the learning process, sometimes a providential correction and not an end. Serendipity mostly comes our way when we are working persistently in spite of barriers and failures towards attaining a goal.

Stephen Covey advices that we begin with the end in view, this will keep refueling our motivation in crises period, and keep our minds in tune with the broader picture.
During one of my industrial trainings, while I was still in the University, I was attached to an Engineering company for a period of 4 months. One morning, my boss asked me if I could correct the company's catalog which was in PowerPoint format and had gone corrupt in the system. Prior to that time, I had very little knowledge of PowerPoint but opted to embark on it. What followed was at first funny but at last insightful and rewarding. Daily I kept spurning out waste upon waste from the printer since I was supposed to print out correct and well edited copies the company needed to send out for its contract bids. At the end, after I had learnt from various mistakes, I came up with a very good work that was greatly commended by all.

Marie Curie wrote: Life is not easy for any of us, but what of that. We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe we are gifted at something and that that thing at whatever cost must be attained. Perhaps, everything will work out well for us at the moment we least expect it.

“Keeping working on love.” For there to be peace and development in our society today, there must be love. If the international society come together to raise and donate all the money we need to achieve real development and yet there is no love within ourselves, we'll fight and squabble for the money until we end up worse off then we were. Love is selfless and it seeks to satisfy the need of the other man, the reason I choose to believe that great inventions that has added value to earth did not come to being without a measure of love for us all by their inventors.

Mother Theresa devoted herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta. Although she had no funds, she depended on Divine Providence, and started an open-air school for slum children. Soon she was joined by voluntary helpers, and financial support was also forthcoming. This made it possible for her to extend the scope of her work.

200,000 child slaves are sold every year in Africa. There are an estimated 8,000 girl-slaves in West Africa alone. (sources: BBC 5 October, 2001 & Anti-Slavery Society)

About 120,000 African children are participating in armed conflicts. Some are as young as 7 years old. (source: Africa Children's Charter)

Nearly one third of children in Sub-Saharan Africa are underweight. (source: UNICEF)

In sub-Saharan Africa, measles takes the life of a child nearly every minute of every day. An effective measles vaccine costs as little as $1 per child. (source: UNICEF)

Kenya has introduced free primary education, which has brought 1.2 million children back into school;

According to the BBC, in many African countries more money has been spent on buying weapons and training soldiers than helping farmers. It's often difficult for people to find food in areas where there is fighting.

This happened in Sierra Leone, where conflict stopped food getting in.
In Ethiopia in the 1980s, government forces burned fields, spoiled food that was being stored and contaminated water.

This led to loads of refugees searching for safety, food and water.
It is also impossible to grow crops in areas where there are land mines. With less food available, prices go up and poverty increases.

“…of the three: Love; Hope; and Faith, Love is the greatest.” - Apostle Paul

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

Holding firm to my passion in the face of dejection: I have learnt from this book that people will always have their opinions about my projects and some may be divergent to my belief. For this reason, I should always guard against allowing the opinion of others cut short any worthy cause I choose to undertake. Warren Buffet advices young people in these words: Don't do what others say, just listen to them, but do what you feel is good.

Learning & practice is a continuum: there was no end to Jonathan's willingness to learn anywhere in the book. Also the passion with which he sought to learn and practice was exemplary. I learnt from this book to always put on a healthy thirst and quest for opportunities to develop myself. I have learnt to never tire in learning because if I persist… then will the teacher appear. The teacher is attracted by, and in proportion to the force and intensity with which I learn and practice. Practice and learning I have learnt must follow simultaneously if I must attain mastery and deploy knowledge gained in creating value.

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

Perfection is being unlimited. Prior to reading this book, my thought process has never really being stimulated enough to see a light in the idea of attaining perfection. Perfection, like the old seagull Chiang described it- 'is being there'. This idea that there is such thing as the attainment of perfection is very new to me and I'm very interested in learning more about it. I want to believe the words of Chiang echoed the words of Jesus when He said: 'be ye perfect as their father in heaven is perfect.' This verse in the bible had never made sense to me and truth is I had never even given it a second thought. This idea of attaining perfection is profound and I believe possible considering the complexity, ingenuity, intelligence, and power we see exhibited in the physiology of every single part of the human body especially in the brain. Chiang advised: “you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived…” that means that you must start with choosing your destination or point of arrival, and then… arrive there.

I once watched a documentary on how Placebo drugs were used to stimulate the human mind to achieve overwhelming results in medicine and surgery and at the end of the eye-opening documentary the narrator said: “anything is possible if we put our mind to it.” This I believe is the road to perfection- we must focus our mind unwaveringly at the goal we intend to reach, and not at the road that leads to that goal.

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

“Forget about faith!” Chiang said it time and again. I do not agree anyone should forget about faith. Faith is important even as 'little as a mustard seed'. I believe having faith in oneself and in ones dream is invaluable. Faith alone though is insufficient except it's complemented with action and a tenacious drive.

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

The book was easy to read and digest. Also the protagonist- Jonathan was alive; I could see and feel him; I could associate with him and learn from him.

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

In pursuit of any worthy goal in life, focus is primary. There will be roadblocks standing between us and our goals- it could be family roadblocks; society; educational; health. Howbeit, no barrier is insurmountable and every skill can be learned, depending on the strength of our resolve and our 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? 7
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? 10

It has taken me so long to complete this assessment. I had intended to make an excuse, but deep down inside I know my excuse is not valid. I hope to be admitted as one of your students but should you consider otherwise, I want to say thank you for the insight and awakening that reading and assessing these books has brought me. Please, I want to be your student.

Psycho-Cybernetics 2000
Assessment by Obinna Ezeji

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

Psycho-cybernetics 2000 is a tool aimed to address the consequences of a poor self-image by explaining how our self-image ties inextricably to our habits. Our thoughts, actions and reactions will always be consistent with the image we have of ourselves. The word 'always' is the key to reinforcing the consistency of our acts and thoughts with our self-image. Reason is that 'always' is the mother of habit.

Our self-image is not formed from one-off circumstances or instances but from how we act, feel, and behave… always, and 'always' breeds habit. Hence, Psych-Cybernetics is essentially about changing habit- habit of beliefs, habit of attitude and habit of action. The corollary is- the renewal and enhancement of our self-image.

It is our self-image; Maltz explains that prescribes our limits. We cannot become what we cannot see and what we cannot see, we cannot identify with.

The person I am and will become will always be consistent with the picture of the person inside of me. Picturing or imagining becoming that person we love to be is therefore key to enhancing our self-image.

If an engineer must start and succeed in a project, then he must utilize the right tools, equipments, and resources required in carrying out that project. The same goes with the process of imagination. To engage our imagination, to paint and internalize the picture of the self we want to radiate outwardly, we must enlist the services of the part of the brain that thinks holistically, spatially, or imaginatively- the right brain. This is the reason why this book describes positive thinking and will power as pit falls that causes frustration because the right brain does not think logically, analytically, or verbally.

Entering my 'Theatre of imagination' as the author describes it or creating 'Mental pictures' of whom I want to become is leveraging the power of the right brain for developing a self-image I can live with, one in which I can feel secure, and one in which I can be proud and confident to express to others.

Psycho-Cybernetics relates the human mind to the science of Cybernetics. The workings of the servomechanism that operates as an automatic guidance system that keeps airplanes and other machines automatically targeted at a specified course most likely mimics the operation of the human mind in terms of goal seeking and goal scoping.

The book reveals that we may be heading for failure or mediocrity unconsciously because we have automatically placed a set point on our achievements by virtue of our self-image.
However good news is, we can reverse the failure trend by consciously challenging our poor habits, replacing them with habits that are consistent with a big and successful self-image.

An image that dwells on our strengths and successes, one that accepts our weaknesses and failures dispassionately as feedbacks and signals intended for correcting our course. Only then can we fully expand the size and scope of the targets our goal-seeking device will aim for, reprogramming our set point for success!

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.

* Self-image defines “the area of the possible.”
* Focus on the destination not the curb
* The CRAFT of reprogramming our self-image
* Imagination- 'Fake it till you make it'.
* Self-esteem
* SMART goals
* SUCCESS and FAILURE

Self-image defines 'the area of the possible'
I believe in this statement 100 percent because I have experienced it. I got into my 400 level Mechanical engineering class in the university with a very arduous task- carrying-over four courses I failed the year before into this new class. After the initial shock and horror of narrowly escaping repeating another year had waned, I quickly set out with a goal of passing all four courses together with the six courses of my immediate class. I came across a book on 'goals' written by Brian Tracey and suddenly something remarkable started to happen. I began to see a new me who believed he could achieve anything and was so sure I would hit my immediate goal of doing very well in all ten courses I enlisted. I began to mix with the upper academic echelon of the class and changed my usual seat position from the back to the front row. I changed my image of not being good enough in certain courses and distanced myself from my former backbench friends without any apologies. Most of my friends at the back rows were not happy with me and even made jest at me. Eventually though, in the middle of the semester and with me having a good grasp in all the subjects, my former friends could not help but run to me for mentoring. My classmates regarded me along with those described as intelligent in class but this did not happen until I had perceived myself as intelligent. At the end of the semester, I came out with very good grades in all ten courses.

Focus on the destination not the curb
Most times as humans, we are so concerned about 'what might go wrong' when we embark on a project. Our concern then grows into a fear of ' that thing going wrong' and eventually that fear catches up with our sense of creativity, cripples it, and leaves us accomplishing what we were focused at all along- failure!

Curbs could come in the form of failure, fear of the unknown, setbacks, illness, laws and regulations, or even death of a loved one. However way they come, they are of best use as a guide and not an end.

If I take them for a guide, then I will always focus at the goal, measuring my position towards the goal relative to the guide. However, if I focus on the curb, I will lose track of the position of my goal and unconsciously turn the curb into my goal.

While in secondary school, my football team was up against a rival team in a stiff competition. We had exhausted the full and extra time for the game and had to go into penalties. My team mates and the rival team where all given out what seemed to me as cheap shots to the goalkeepers until our rivals scored the last of their five kicks and the onus to redeem our team from losing fell on me as the taker of our last penalty kick. As I positioned the ball on the spot, all I kept thinking was “how do I beat this goal keeper who had saved all of our last four kicks. I did not even pick out a spot on the goal to place the ball as I made towards the spot for the kick. When eventually I kicked the ball, I hit it so hard it went straight up like a rocket heading to Mars. I made it to the nearby bushes quickly enough to escape manhandling by my teammates and fans that came chasing after me. Now I have come to understand that my target at that moment was to beat the goalkeeper (curb) and not to score...and I did.

The C.R.A.F.T. of reprogramming our self-image
A very valuable insight I have gained from this book is, knowing that my self-image is a product of the habits I have built over a period. My self-image was shaped over time through subconscious habits and it had nothing at all to do with reality but with my interpretation of reality and reaction to past events.

It had been learned. '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.
I can now better understand what Aristotle meant when he said that ‘Success is not an event but a habit.’ It is a continuous cycle: Habit-Self-image-Limit of goal-seeking device- Success/Failure and back to our habits. Therefore my habits whether good or bad are the fundamental program that supports my self-image which in turn sets the scope and size of target my internal guidance system will aim for.

When I was a young boy growing up, certain circumstances I experienced made me very self-conscious in public and then I tagged myself as 'shy' and so did others, I inhibited my expressions in public to the point where some people saw me as a snob. I was never really an introvert either, in fact I was a bit aggressive and stubborn as a little boy. Moreover, whenever it mattered most I would become very self-conscious and begin to stutter that people even thought it had the vocal defect from birth. As I grew older while in secondary school, I would practice flowing in a conversation with friends, both male and female in my mind. Even before I asked questions in class, I would practice my posture and how I would phrase my question in my mind before I went on to act it in reality.

My awareness that my shy habit was bad was very important and taking the right steps both mentally and physically eventually freed me from most of the grip that bad habit had on me. I even joined a Christian drama wing and starred in many dramas in school before large crowds. In my final year while others where campaigning to become school prefects, I was appointed by the authorities without a single campaign.

It is worthy of note that no matter how bad the habit is, so long as we can reach the state of awareness, we can challenge the bad habit and relearn new habits to replace the bad one. It will not be easy though but with a patient and 'firm tug at our horse', we will eventually change the old path and chat a new one for our horse.

Imagination- 'fake it till you make it'
Like in my previous example, I had to imagine in my mind being in public with friends and making meaningful contributions in discussions without stuttering or shyness before I eventually started to experience my confidence in the physical. Up until now I never new this principle and yet I had practiced it before and it worked! These days, when I am in a conversation with females, some believe I've always had a natural charm and flair. If only they had met me a few years back, they will marvel at the change.

Men, women of old, and present have achieved great discoveries and inventions with little or no formal education but with a keen mind and broad imagination. Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Marie Curie, Mary Kay Ash, Martin Luther King, Bill Gates, and countless great names have all created value in their respective fields not because they knew all the answers, but because they created solutions imagined out of their minds to fill a gap that existed in our world.

“Imagination” to quote Albert Einstein “is more important than knowledge.”

Self-esteem- appreciating my own worth and importance
Most times, we are so critical and unfavorably judgmental of ourselves that we fail to observe this very simple principle of life: “love your neighbor as yourself.” Except I start with loving myself, I will always experience the self-destructive feeling of envy whenever I see the other man progress. When a person does not appreciate himself, he will lack the confidence and the capacity to appreciate the works of other sincerely.

Self-esteem also involves me being 'accountable for my self and acting responsibly towards others.' Personal accountability is very important if I must take charge and control of my life. Blaming others for our problems takes away our power to recognize negative feedbacks and retrace our course; it locks up our creative mind leaving us very dependent on the actions others for our survival.

Moreover, self-esteem is not only a character for us to exhibit or portray- we must learn especially to pass it across to people around us. “Business leaders have come increasingly to recognize that while capital and technology are important resources, it is people that make or break a company.” How do I treat the cleaners and janitors working in the office? Do I regard them with disdain such that they feel lowly about themselves after an encounter with me or do I reinforce the positive in them and greet them with the respect deserved of a human being? This ingredient -self-esteem should be fostered in all our relationships whether it is between parent/child; husband/wife; management/employees or whether it is between friends.

Any relationship that erodes the self-esteem of its stakeholders stands to fail eventually unless we reverse the trend.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Very recently, my boss where I work had to travel to our companies head office in the US for an assignment that lasted for about three weeks. He called me into his office asked me to write down what I will be busy doing while he was away. I went back to my office wondering why he would not just propose an assignment for to me work on. After a long thought, I came up with a list of nine important assignments I wanted to start and complete before he was back. Amongst my self-proposed responsibilities were issues only my boss seemed capable to deal with, e.g. corresponding with supervisors far high and above my level as-well-as engaging them to provide data from their respective departments that I'll work it. In addition, I set out to start and complete a computer-based Knowledge management training and apply the knowledge gained in delivering better services in my job.

After my boss left, I regretted why I had given myself so much to do, fearing I might not be able to accomplish all of them given the time. However, I began to tackle each assignment one after the other. I allotted the time I wanted to spend in completing each of my task and worked with that time frame in mind. By the time my boss was back in the country, I had completed all of the nine assignments. He was very impressed and my confidence in myself soared right to the top.

The factors I believe helped me were:
* I wrote down my goals;
* I placed it on my desk and referred to it daily;
* I could measure my progress at each of my assignment;
* I worked with two time frames: Long term- when I intended to complete the entire assignment, and Short term- when I intended to complete each of the integral assignments.

SUCCESS and FAILURE
I should see SUCCESS as a continuous journey towards my goal and the person I want to become and FAILURE as feedbacks to help me retrace my course towards my target when I am off track.

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?

About a week ago, I had a brush with a colleague of mine in the office. In an attempt to make peace with him the following day, I extended a handshake to him in greeting, and he snubbed me outright before everyone. I was very embarrassed and I resolved within me to play the game according to his rules, which was, stay far away from me! However, I noticed I was not happy whenever he was a few meters from me. Even though I feigned oblivious of his presence, my systems knew better that I was better without the grudge I bore for him in my heart.

Psycho-Cybernetics 2000 principles made me understand that I had given the control of my life to another person. I learnt from this book that it was my reaction and interpretation of an event that mattered and not the event in itself. I came to understand better that not only am I to radiate self-esteem; I should reinforce self-esteem in others around me.

According to Maltz, “old emotional scars cannot be doctored or medicated, they must be 'cut out' given up entirely, eradicated.” This I resolved to do- 'cut out and eradicate entirely'. I walked up to my colleague the following morning and trust my hand forward. It was as though he had been praying for this moment. We shook hands and in about half a minute, we had freed our hearts of the weight we carried about for more than a week. I guess my heart will be happier pumping blood free of adrenaline.

Moreover, since I began entering my 'theatre of imagination' you cannot imagine how my confidence and esteem has soared. I go out every morning feeling like a success. I have no reason to doubt that I am designed for success- “growing in my own direction and capable of making competent and responsible progress as I learn”. In fact, I now see a successful me, a me that will add value on earth.

4. Quotes: Are there brief quotes from the book which really got your attention? If so, please list and comment on them.

“We are not on earth to live up to someone else's expectations. To make our unique contributions to the world, we each need to prize our individual worth and pursue our dreams. (pg. 233)

Every human is unique in his own rights. The fact that our DNA's are different further proves our individual peculiarity.”

“You are responsible for the thoughts 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 and behaviors originate in the way you choose to think.”- Wayne Dyer, Ph.D. The Sky's The Limit

While our actions are the harvest, our thoughts are the seeds we sow.

“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, 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 solution”. (pg. 95 -- Maxwell Maltz

“Develop a nostalgia for the future. When you're not goal-striving, not looking forward, you're not really living.” (pg. 235”) -- Maxwell Maltz

I believe the mind is automatically programmed to target goals. I noticed that whenever my mind is inactive and idle, I feel more exhausted both physically and emotionally than when I am tackling an immense task.

“The illiterate of the future are not those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” (pg. 244) -- Alvin Toffler

Learning is a continuum and not an end. Looking at the history of the universe it is obvious that even God in his infinite wisdom has been dynamic in his processes of creation.

“We can grow, solve problems, and discover the potential within ourselves only by developing the courage to explore new thoughts, behavior, and possibilities, to take appropriate risks, and to venture out across 'safe boundaries.' (pg. 244)” -California Task Force to promote Self-Esteem, Personal, and Social Responsibility

Of all the traps and pitfalls in life, self-disesteem is the deadliest, and the hardest to overcome; for it is a pit designed and dug by our own hands, summed up in the phrase, 'it's no use- I can't do it.' (pg. 249) - Maxwell Maltz

When we believe we are not good enough or that we are incapable of acquiring the requisite knowledge for success in a given venture, our subconscious mind complies with this believe and brings it to reality.

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 learn. It is important to know that we're not on earth to live up to someone else's expectations.” (pg. 256) -California Task Force to promote Self-Esteem.

This underscores the words of Aristotle when he said that Success in not a circumstance but a habit.

“I am not judged by the number of times I fail but by the number of times I succeed, and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying. (pg. 274)” -Tom Hopkins

This underscores the words of Brian Tracey: “It is not practice that makes perfect but imperfect practice makes perfect.”

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 easily warmed into the central theme of this book without any issues or bias.


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, it contained exercises. I found them useful though initially I found the exercises too engaging but I understand if I have to deal with deeply engrained habits I had to engage my mind to thoroughly challenge the roots of the habit.

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

Success through a Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Obinna Ezeji

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

Man can achieve anything he desires so fervently if sets out to achieve it with a positive mental attitude. As long as his definite goal or desire does not contravene the laws of God or the rights of his fellow man, he can keep trying with perseverance in the face of adversity and setbacks until he eventually achieves his major definite goal.

A man with PMA thinks and works in the following way:
a. He sets goals and hence knows what he wants and believes he can achieve it.
b. He engages his mind in thinking and exploring all avenues to achieve his goal.
c. He does not take failure personally but learns his lessons and corrects his course towards the goal.
d. He knows that his body and mind are his greatest assets and hence will nourish them with physical and spiritual vitamins, exercise, and rest.
e. His daily pursuit is guided by the principles of love: Love for his God; Love for himself; Love for his fellowman and country.

This book aims at keeping the reader highly motivated for motivation is the fire that fuels our passions and like every fire, it will burn out if coal is not replenished. Like the authors rightly states, 'a motive is the inner urge that incites us to action'. The strength of our motive therefore sets the threshold of how much we can withstand the temporary setbacks and failures that precedes all true and worthy accomplishment.

No matter how loud we express our want for a goal if our motive is weak, so will be our willingness to pay the price for that goal in the face of adversity. Success through a Positive Mental Attitude therefore is a book written to keep us motivated and programmed for success with PMA and to teach us how to motivate others towards attaining a collective goal.

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.

1) The role proper parenting in molding a child
2) OPM!
3) Anything in life worth having is worth working for
4) … And something more
5) Auto suggestion
6) Inspirational Dissatisfaction
7) The burden of learning is on the person who wants to learn.

The role of proper parenting in molding a child

S.B. Fuller was greatly inspired and motivated by his mother in the midst of poverty to the point where he developed a burning desire to become rich. Out of the thought seed sown by his mother- “we are poor not because of God” -he eventually overcame the circumstances around him to become rich.

Tom Dempsey was born without half a right foot and with only a stub of a right arm. He had a burning desire to play football and his parents supported his desire by having an artificial foot made for him. I would like to think that his parents tremendously influenced and nurtured his desire for they unconsciously or otherwise played down his limitations and emphasized the power within his mind. He not only fulfilled his desire but also kicked a record-breaking goal with his wooden foot.

Henry Kaiser under the tutelage of his mother learnt and acquired what he called the priceless gift: 'the joy of work'. More also, he learnt the greatest value in life: 'Loving people and serving them'. He applied these principles in creating enormous wealth and I will say he indirectly helped mitigate the losses of the World War with the ships he manufactured at great speed to help fight the World's common enemy at the time.

Thomas Edison wrote this of his mother: “She cast over me an influence which has lasted all my life. The good effect of her early training I can never lose. My mother was always kind, always sympathetic, and she never misunderstood or misjudged me.” Once branded a “dunce” by teachers and schoolmates, Edison, under the positive influence of his mother grew to become one of the greatest inventors of all time.

OPM!

Other People's Money -that is business. Most of the time bright ideas die because of the seemingly lack of money. OPM emphasizes the fact that 'wisdom is the principal thing'. If we develop an idea that is good enough to meet and satisfy the needs of others, then we should confidently approach investors and financiers. However, the basic unwritten premise in using OPM must be underlined in all of our dealings with people - integrity; honor; honesty; loyalty; consent; and the Golden rule must never be compromised if we are to become and remain successful in using OPM. I usually shy away from asking people for money but a lesson I hope to take away from this topic is that every millionaire is also a heavy borrower.

Anything in life worth having is worth working for

Success in any worthy venture comes at a price. Work is one of the prices we must pay from time to time. A common denominator in successful people is the energy, time, and effort they invest in mastering their trade and being ahead of the competition. If we seek for extraordinary achievements then we must back up our desires with such zeal and effort that is well above the ordinary. “As a man perfecteth himself in his calling, his craft or vocation” to quote from Clason's book 'The Richest Man in Babylon', “even so doth his ability to earn increase… more interest in my work, more concentration upon my task, more persistence in my effort, and behold, few men, very few could carve more tablet in a day than I.”

One great benefit I have derived from reading great books such as this as well as biographies of great men is cultivating the culture of never shirking from work. I am better influenced by such books not only to enjoying my work but also to always seek out ways of improving the quality of my work. Research now shows that natural talent does not guarantee greatness. Practice, Practice, Practice whether in sports, music, business or science is one of the attributes that separates masters from the rest of the lot. To drive this home with Edison's definition of success: 2% inspiration and 98% perspiration!

… And something more

More effort, more practice, more learning, more dreaming, more praying, more giving, whatever it is I do I should always keep in mind that there is room for improvement. 'Failure is experienced by those who, when they experience defeat, stop trying to find the something more.' Likewise, success is not an end but a continuous effort to develop and improve whatever it is we are successful at doing. Change is the only constant that exists in nature. A keen and questioning mind is the fertile soil from which new ideas and creativity sprouts. Rudyard Kipling wrote, “I kept six honest serving men. They taught me all I knew. Their names are: What and Why and When and Where and How and Who.” Most great discoveries would never have seen the light of day until someone was curious and courageous enough to question the status quo, or stretched the limits of popular perception.

To stand out successfully in this competitive world one must always seek out ways of adding the extra value that the competition lacks. I made sure to note from this book that it is not the quantity but the 'inspired quality' of the something more that counts. Therefore, instead of waiting to make the big and radical improvements that usually attracts a great dose of procrastination, we should seek out the little improvements to add which will keep us growing in the right direction and at the same time steadily fuel our confidence with each little success attained.

Autosuggestion

I will describe this as the programming of our mind to automatically stay aimed at the target we have selected. The motivation to pursue any goal does not stem from our conscious mind but from within. For me this principle is very true and very similar to entering the Theatre of Imagination which I learnt to do after reading Psycho Cybernetics 2000. Each time I have stated aloud to myself my goals, I feel a release of energy and heightening of my confidence in myself in achieving that goal. The quality of my work has not only improved but since I began practicing this principle, I have become more focused and hungry for success.

Inspirational Dissatisfaction

We cannot truly consolidate our success while remaining in the comfort zone. Inspirational dissatisfaction is one formula that champions in all fields of life exploit to achieve record-breaking feats over and over again. As he musters all of his mental and physical fortitude for that last lounge towards the finish line to come first amongst other competitors, the fans jumping off their seats with cheers and screams that pierces into the quiet havens in adoration of their hero, the champion dotting his gold medal gets home satisfied. Soon after, the euphoria wanes and he longs for that greater satisfaction that comes from conquering his own victory. This describes the life of the champions we all adore.

The burden of learning is on the person who wants to learn

There's a story about Socrates in which a proud young man supposedly asked, 'Oh great Socrates, I came to you for knowledge.' Socrates led him down to the sea into waist-deep water. 'Tell me again what you want,' he said. 'Knowledge.' Socrates pushed him down under water, holding him there for 30 seconds. 'Now what do you want?' The young man sputtered, 'Wisdom, oh great Socrates.' Again, the philosopher pushed him under. When he let him up again he asked, 'What do you want?' 'Knowledge, oh wise and…' he managed spit out when Socrates pushed him under again, this time holding him down even longer. 'What do you want?' repeated Socrates. The young man coughed and gasped. 'Air!' he shouted, 'I want air!' Socrates replied, 'when you want knowledge as much as you want air, you'll get knowledge.' Then the old man returned to the shore. This is a lesson for me.

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?

Enthusiasm, optimism, a keen spirit, integrity these are attitudes I would love to shape my character and my daily lifestyle, because not only will it open me up to see potential opportunities around me, but also because such attitudes are contagious and inspiring to those I will meet with daily. Just like the first time I read this book, reading this book again has made me hungrier to make a difference with my God-giving talents.

4. Quotes: Are there brief quotes from the book which really got your attention? If so, please list and comment on them.

To be enthusiastic, ACT enthusiastic. (p.167)
-Frank Bettger

Action is the key to doing things that we have a natural propensity not to do. It is ACTION that breathes life into our beliefs and resolves. “For faith without works is dead.”

“I knew what I wanted, but I didn't know how to get it… If you know what you want, you're more apt to recognize it when you see it.” (p.6)
-S.B. Fuller

Before houses are built, they are first drawn on paper, and even before they get to the paper, they are first built in the imaginations of our mind. Therefore, the starting point is knowing exactly what we want to accomplish in out mind.

“Henry, nothing is ever accomplished without work. If I leave you nothing else but the will to work, I will have left you the priceless gift: the joy of work.” (p.9)
¬-Mary Kaiser

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

None.

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

The exercises were helpful I completed most of 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

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? 7
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 7

The New Dynamics of Winning
Assessment by Obinna Ezeji (Nigeria)

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

Developing the winner's character that lies dormant in most men and women is what this book seeks to achieve. At the onset of any prospect towards any achievement is the drive to win. Largely, the drive to win determines when; and if we will ever achieve what goal we have set out to attain. Hence, this book starts with fanning the heat that generates this drive in the mind of all winners. Call it unquenchable thirst, or hunger, or 'fire in the belly', or inspirational dissatisfaction (as in the book: Success through a Positive Mental Attitude), or you may even call it the fuel. However, by all means, this drive towards success must remain in us and be of greater intensity than all of our fears if we must win our set goal in any pursuit in life- be it in business, in sport, or in any given career.

Nonetheless, the book does not elude the supreme fact that success of any true kind comes at a price. Moreover, that the price must be in direct proportion to the quality of success we desire. You cannot go to a Mercedes sales garage with a check for a 2004 C-class model and drive home a 2007 chrome-black, full option G-class SUV. That is, 'you get what you pay for.' Commitment must complement the conquest!

In summary, this book teaches the need of always be adaptable to changes that will confront us in our journey towards success. A straight line, being the shortest distance between two points is the ideal route towards winning. However, in reality of attaining success in business, career, sports, or any worthy endeavor, there is no such route as a straight line. Toughness therefore cannot be overemphasized, being malleable as we acquire skills and adaptable to the challenges we confront, as we remain focused on the ultimate prize and less focused on the undulating path.

From the start and through to the end, whether he achieves the ultimate prize or not, a winner remains a winner first from within. The 'inner winner' is what distinguishes the winner from the loser whose perceptions and responses programs him for failure.
“The secret of wearing the gold medal around your neck in the external world is that first you must be an Inner Winner. You must recognize that you're already an Olympian within.”

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.

1) Champions are propelled by desire, not compelled by fear
2) Champions embrace change
3) Maximum success is built upon minigoals
4) Total commitment - the entry fee of success
5) Believing is seing
6) Self-worth and Self-trust
7) You are your own most important judge

Champions are propelled by desire, not compelled by fear:
Necessity they say is the mother of all great inventions, and I will like to add that fear is a killer of many dreams. Bill Gates of Microsoft once had a desire to have a computer placed on a table in every home. To many back then, that desire must have sounded very ludicrous, not anymore today. How about the means of transportation we call the Airplane? Today we can rush to an airport to board a plane that will fly us across oceans and over 1000 feet above the earth. However, if the inventors of the airplane had dwelt on the fear of falling from such sheer heights, and had judged that the dangers outweighed the potentials, one can only imagine how far apart the World would have been today. I read about Dr. Michael Debakey who passed away recently at the age of 99. He is renowned as the world-famous Heart surgeon who pioneered such now-common procedures as bypass surgery and invented a host of devices that has helped heart patients. If his fear of seeing a patient die under his knife had kept him away from the fragile work of repairing the invaluable engine of life - the heart, imagine the negative impact that fear would have had on the field of cardiovascular medicine, and how many more people would died as a result. Fear, however, must always be present. For it is the check the Creator in His infinite wisdom has programmed into our nervous system to keep us safe from danger and even ourselves. I would say champions use fear as a driver uses his side and rear mirrors, and his windshield wiper. While most others pour fear into their fuel tank and run their engines on it until eventually, and inevitably, Knock occurs.

Champions embrace change:
This area truly distinguishes champions from the rest of the bunch. How? Champions don't rest on their laurels. They keep seeking out areas of opportunities and growth no matter how accomplished others may perceive them to be. They are dynamic in whatever field they find themselves, always seeking out ways to do their work better, faster, or cheaper. As they seek out ways to increase value or growth, they may make losses, or seem to be backtracking, but never do they just fold their hands and do nothing. Champions epitomize the meaning of the word change, and that is because everyday they are changing positions in the main areas of their lives. They are adding to their knowledge base, practicing more to better master their skills, striving towards their targets, making and correcting mistakes, setting new goals, breaking their old records, challenging popular thoughts, and creating change. In their own small worlds, champions are constantly seeking out what new formula there is to attaining excellence. It is no wonder therefore why they are better prepared when the capricious wind of change befalls an entire populace. Whereas everyone might have seen the change coming, champions are better prepared to harness the hidden opportunities that always accompany change.

Maximum success is built upon minigoals:
I just imagined myself holding up a full plate of rice and chicken, and with my mouth wide open, I try to empty the entire food into my mouth and down my gullet at one go. Even if my life depended on the food, attempting eating it at one go would definitely be the stupidest thing I ever did and might even get me raced into an ICU, and if per chance I accomplished the absurdity, I would have lost all of the fun and enjoyment. But it just occurred to me that this might be exactly what I do with some of my projects that fail almost as soon as they start. I try to rush success. This might explain why huge multinational corporations have simple one-sentence vision statement, and at best a one-page mission statement.

Total commitment - the entry fee for success:
Is there is any formula for success that cannot be substituted or allowed to dwindle? I'm not sure but my guess will be this one - total commitment. I once started a business with a friend who had this great idea with good prospects. It took me some time to understand the technical side of the business and when I did, I became excited just like him and we began meeting prospective clients and investors. Everyone we met thought we had a great idea and this was encouraging. The part we were ill prepared for was the fact that people were not going to willingly thrust their money in the hands of two young men with a novel idea that would require a great deal of capital for startup and maintenance but with little experience. After a few sales calls and presentations without any head start, we gradually began to chicken out. We began to spend less time talking of our business, we could no more find time to brainstorm on how to overcome the challenges we faced. Instead, we took to our regular jobs, which were the bread and butter we could see. Whenever I look back, I see so many areas where we lacked commitment starkly. We never went about the business like our life depended on it and so when came disappointments and challenges; we quickly opted for plan B - the easy way out. Total commitment must be there at every stage, right from the start, and through to the finish line. It sets the limits on many other factors - how long you are willing to prepare, how much time you are willing to pay, how much of comfort and even relationships you are willing to shed, all for the attainment of your goal.

Believing is seeing:
I think the act of envisioning success long before ever it becomes reality is one great edge that champions have over the cheering spectators. I love Maxwell Maltz elaborate teaching on this topic in the book Psychocybernetics 2000. Practicing the act of entering my 'Theatre of Dreams' has helped drop a habit I really had fought to overcome. I had to start visioning a new me that mirrored the person I wanted to become, which actually was me but without that old habit. Today I live without that old feeling of regret and disesteem that accompanied that old habit of mine. It wasn't easy overcoming that habit especially at the earlier stage of practicing this principles but today, the price of the discipline I paid and still pay is far cheaper than the price of regret and the feeling of helplessness. The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors”, writes James Allen in his book As a man thinketh, “that which it loves and that which it fears.” Planting the right seeds, or painting the right picture for the soul 'to secretly harbor' must therefore be the goal of anyone who seeks to be a champion. Years ago, I watched a medical documentary that showed how doctors were achieving excellent results using Placebo drugs and even carrying out surgeries that were as good as farce. The remarkable recoveries recorded by the patients underscores the servo-mechanism-goal-seeking powers of the mind if only we can step aside with all of our negative emotions to allow the mind operate in that mode. “Anything is possible,” said the documentary narrator at the end “if we put our mind to it.”

Self-Worth and Self-Trust:
“Love your neighbor as thyself”, I believe this principle is one that cuts across many religions and faiths of different fundamental beliefs. You cannot claim you truly love your neighbor if you do not love yourself enough. Can a man share with his friend water from his empty well? I will say self-worth is feeling good and appreciate about oneself. When you feel good about yourself, people will feel good being around you. People, who are overly critical and conscious about themselves, tend to be overly critical about others, and that is no recipe for a healthy relationship. Self-worth does not mean denying our areas of weakness, it is acknowledging that we have weaknesses but loving ourselves notwithstanding. And this is where Self-trust comes in, we have to believe in our repertoire of God-giving talents and areas of strength, and also believe that our strengths far outweighs our weaknesses. I believe this two are major ingredients in achieving success, and they have to be cultivated and fostered everyday of our lives. Self-worth and Self-trust does not deny that we live in a tough world; it is to love and believing in ourselves in spite of the reality of the World around us. Our level of self-confidence and self-esteem is rooted in these two, and total accountability of maintaining how we feel about ourselves on the inside lies in our hands. To quote Mahatma Gandhi, “they cannot take away our self-respect unless we give it to them.” Self-trust does not mean deluding oneself to pursue goals without requisite training and practice. It is identifying areas where we fall short and working towards making necessary corrections. It is like the Leopard that stoops low to the ground, lurking noiselessly and sneaking behind the bushes towards the Deer it preys. It acknowledges its lack of stamina for a long wide chase but relies on its strength and power to overwhelm the Deer in a burst of surprise.

You are your own most important judge:
Like the saying goes, “it is he who wears the shoes that knows where exactly it pinches.” We can deceive everyone else but ourselves. The spectators only cheer or jeer at champions at the stadiums, but for the rest of the days we are our own spectators. How we cheer or jeer at ourselves in our daily practice, as we lay out goals to attain, and as we work with the rest of the team is what really counts.

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 now understand that setting out and achieving mini-goals is the simplest way to achieving the big goals I have. I plan to help provide education, food and an enabling environment for a great number of less privileged children of Africa in a large scale. At the moment, I am involved in doing small volunteer work in teaching secondary school students in an orphanage home. I believe if I work at it well enough to better the education of this children, then I would have moved a step towards the big goal.

4. Quotes: Are there brief quotes from the book which really got your attention? If so, please list and comment on them.

'At the world-class level in any field, it truly is mind over muscle, mind over competition, mind over everything.' p.21 - Dennis Waitley

We all have a large reserve of strength, energy, creativity, and power hidden in the depths of our mind. However, we have to make the effort to access these hidden and innate reserves of our mind in a systematic and repetitive way and hence channel these extraordinary resources towards overcoming seemingly impossible challenges that confront us.

'First and foremost, champions in every sport and in every industry are driven by a burning desire to succeed. Lee Iacocca called it “fire in the belly.” It is the internal force that drives you to peak performance.' p.22 - Dennis Waitley

If we are passionate with any cause we embark upon, we are more inclined to persist a little more in the face of challenges than if we were dispirited or lukewarm.

“I needed someone pushing me, I needed some other girls around who were shooting for the same goal I was.” p.39 - Mary Lou Retton (Olympic champion)

As the saying goes, iron sharpens iron. We should surround ourselves with positive and success-minded individuals in our field of work and outside but who are hungry as or even hungrier for success than we are. That way we always get that mental and psychological push especially when our steam begins to burn out as well as leverage other people's knowledge, experience, and mistakes in straightening our learning curve.

“Mistakes are painful when they happen… but years later a collection of mistakes is called experience.” p.46 - Ray Kroc

There's no denying it, mistakes can be very painful and some very costly but the difference between a Ray Kroc and millions of other business men is not the absence of mistakes but the absence of perseverance, it is not the presence of failure but the presence of an unhealthy fear of failure.

“There is no question that thoughts give birth to action, for better or for worse.” p.61
-Dr. Bruce Ogilvie

The saying 'as a man thinketh in his heart, so he is', complements the above quote and I believe it wholly. For it is our thoughts that give birth to our habits, and habits begets character, and character is like a computer program encoded into a chip, or like a compass that inclines all of our actions to our goals.

“Success in developing any skill requires a basic trust in your ability that should never be allowed to waver. True confidence doesn't precede this trust, but is built upon it. p.67
- Scot Hamilton (Olympic gold medalist in figure skating)

I remember a quote I picked up from a movie by Robert Deniro, “if you love someone” he said, “you've got to trust them, or what's the point loving.” In the same vain if we love ourselves enough to pursue and attain any cause we deem worthy, we must trust in ourselves and never stop trusting in the powers we already possess in our mind and in our capacity to break all of our past records and to acquire necessary trainings.

“You truly cannot separate your personal life from your professional life. You bring the same person to your place of business and home again. Integrity in nonsituational, and it is absolute.”p.76 - Dennis Waitley

Except we are starring in a movie or diagnosed suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder, then living a life of double standards will always get us into trouble with the law and with our fellow man. Integrity is not mere living by the law; it's also keeping with the spirit of the law. It is treating oneself as well as others with high esteem and respect at all times.

“High expectations are the key to everything.” p.80 - Sam Walton

Without high expectations, man would never have landed on the moon; we would never have conquered even the immediate space above us with the invention of the airplane. Without high expectations, electricity would never have been born. Polio, small pox, malaria, and countless other diseases would have continued to ravage lives and economies of nations if it were not for the courage and persistence of men and women who demanded nothing of themselves but the very best.

“Nothing in the world can take the place of determination. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent, and unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” p.104 - President Calvin Coolidge

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. We cannot afford to substitute or relegate these two to the background in the pursuit of any worthy endeavor. Where other factors have been found wanting, these two have been known to defy just about anything - horrible weather; climatic changes; natural disasters; gravity; and even death, to produce outstanding victories.

“Bend with the wind and you'll still be around when the hurricane passes and the good weather returns… the paradox of toughness is that what appears aggressive and hard is in fact easily broken. What appears soft and patient is really strong. p.118 - Earl Nightingale

This wisdom is profound. And I will have to reflect on it even more to determine its strength. However, if one considers the lives of men and women of ancient past whose names and philosophies has remained ageless and fresh as daylight, you'll see they are mostly people who did not resort to force nor dictation but who relied on patience and toughness in purpose. Neither Jesus, nor the prophet Mohammed nor the great philosopher Gautama - founder of Buddism were renowned as great warriors. Yet their countless discipleship from centuries past has inspired the entire world to be a better place. On the contrary, the Hitlers, the Napoleons and all the great emperors of old Rome have all been consumed in the heat of their own fury. Though great men in every right, they have been blown apart and away together with their disciples and fellow dictators while in contest with the hurricane of nature.

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

None

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

I didn't complete the exercise at the end of the book but I hope to do that at the right time.

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