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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.

The ideas within the book that I found important to me bother mainly on how I can engage the power of my thoughts to create my world, and how to a very large extent I’m responsible for the circumstances that surround me at any point in time.

Also, I ‘ve come to appreciate the fact that the kind of thoughts I dwell upon over time and my perception of the world around me go a long way to influence the different dimensions of my being, and more importantly the extent to which I can achieve my personal goals. As a matter of fact, in my academic work over time I have always found it difficult to picture myself failing any examinations. This thought pattern bolsters my confidence and often affects my approach to my exams and consequently the results are usually good.

Furthermore, I have personally experienced first hand how my personal decision to have pure and lovely thoughts, affect my health status. I consciously had to keep my thoughts in check and this actually resulted in an increase in my weight which without doubt did not just result from my eating habit. Cheerful thoughts and the ability to think well of other people as pointed out by the book no doubt bring me personal peace and joy in whatever I set out to do.

According to James Allen, intelligent accomplishment can be attained when individuals thought are in line with or are linked to his or her purpose. Personally, I believe this require that one has to take out time to discover his or her purpose and the subsequently identify ways to synchronize your thoughts with your define purpose. This may not come easily as individuals are different and there are no hard and fast rules that can be generally applied to all individuals.

Lastly, the idea that the vision of an individual and the way he goes about achieving in depends to a large extent on how real he conceives of it in his mind also interests me. Personally, I often find it easy to take on activities that directly relate to the attainment of my goals. Normally I tend to play it over and over in my mind, and this usually results in success for me.

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 essence and outcome of my relationship with people over time usually results from the kind of premeditated thoughts I have previously had about the person in question.

Personally, I have come to appreciate the fact that every individual to varying levels or degrees has an element of what they could teach me or rather what I could learn from them. This makes it easy for me to be on the lookout for the virtues inherent in people generally, and often-times things eventually turn out right between us.

Also, my ability to be genuinely interested in other individuals has to a large extent influenced how I interact with them, and this has implications on my values as an individual, the kind of goals I set for myself and my decisions and actions towards life in general.

Furthermore, my ability to exercise myself in pure and goodly thoughts in effect enables me to be at peace and to be calm, exercising patience and self control while my goals are continually kept in view. Also the ability to be calm while exercising myself in goodly thoughts of creates the impression on other people that I am a matured individual. This also gives one the time to rationalize and take informed decisions regardless of the circumstance at hand.

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

The new ideas I have picked in this book are contained in the section on serenity. The focus here was on how one attains a level of self mastery. It defines how self control by and individual results in strength to the individual, right thoughts are evident of personal mastery and how power is made available to an individual as he/she learns to be calm and coordinated in different circumstances.

One of the important ideas I have come to appreciate in the book is also about how I am expected to conceive of a legitimate purpose in my heart and set out to accomplish it. This remains an important tool to living the good life. Once this legitimate purpose has been conceived, one can set out to devise the strategies that will be used to achieve the stated purpose. However, from my experience I have been able to learn that an individuals purpose often times is broad and complex, this will inevitably require the breaking down of such legitimate purpose into objectives that can be easily measured and attainable.

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

Prior to my reading “as a man thinketh,” I had the privilege of watching ‘secrets’ – the best motivational movie in the year 2006, and the concepts I picked from that movie were very challenging and were further reinforced by he ideas contained in James Allen’s “as a man thinketh”.

Although I have some reservations based on the absoluteness in the approach as explained in the book, several other concepts tend to have challenged my thinking. This has inevitably led to my resolve to continually ensure that my thoughts are kept in check t enable me to attain my set goals whether in my relational, academic, spiritual or financial life.

Also, the approach adopted in explaining the wrong myth about how good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to virtuous people is another insightful aspect of the book. It gave me a new insight and broadened my perspective as regards why things happen to people differently under different or even similar circumstances.

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

The Idea that I disagree with in the book bothers on the idea that individuals by virtue of their thoughts whether positively inclined or negative is the absolute factor that determines the circumstances or events that tend to surround them.

My personal opinion on this issue is that an individual and his or her lot in life are dependent on factor which are particular to that individual as well as those that are external to the to the person.

The implication from the foregoing simply means that man through his thoughts can control some things while other variables or circumstances remain externally determined or uncontrollable. What the individual does in this case is to devise strategies to manage the uncontrollable variables.

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

The most helpful concept in the book remains how one can make the most in life by engaging his or her thought – power, and how an individuals thought can enable them to attain a balance in every other aspect of their life.

Personally I guess I am indifferent to the idea that man creates his environment. Rather, I believe that what a man does is basically to alter his environment or circumstances to suit him or her.

Furthermore, I have also been able to appreciate the importance and satisfaction that one can derive from undertaking any task regardless of its nature or size. Whatever task I have to attend to, I have often found it quite interesting to do and even complete when I approach it with enthusiasm. Often times it results in new learning and an avenue to reinforce what I have previously learnt regarding the task or assignment.

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

Basically, the major theme of the book ‘as a man thinketh’ dwells on how changing your thoughts can change your circumstances and the results you obtain in every aspect of your life.

One has to be able to accept responsibility for the events and circumstances that surround his or her life. The ideas that you conceive, your values, dreams and goals can be attained and sustained if you consciously make the object of your thoughts. Positive thinking is key to successful living.

Lastly, the book covers such issues as how an individuals thought have implications for his or her character, visions, circumstance, health, and achievement.

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

Comments - The book is properly packaged, and its message or theme is explained in a very satisfactory manner. The book focuses on the power of thought. Many issues are covered in the book that tells us that man determines his character by his thoughts. In the scriptures however, man proposes while God disposes. Man only attains a new status or circumstance based on the level to which he/she is exposed to new situations when he has been able to learn and grow in his understanding of the current circumstance that surrounds him or her.

Also, the book and the illustration of the application of the ideas and concepts it portrays no doubt facilitated my understanding of the capabilities of the mind as a tool. This further gave me the reason to appreciate the fact that I am the only person who can determine how far I go as it relates to the attainment of my personal goals and vision.

The rating of the book as I have done above is perhaps evident of the benefit I have gained from reading and reviewing the book in the light of my personal experiences. The concepts applied in the book are detailed, understandable and practical. However there are tools that can only be optimized after one has properly internalized them over a period of time.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Falade Oluwagbenga Segun (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.

I have been able to pick out several ideas and concepts from the story of Jonathan Livingstone seagull some of which include self discovery, self actualization, persistence in the pursuit of my set objectives, perseverance, the inevitability of challenges and how to manage them, engaging the power of understanding in all I Set out to do, appreciating the need to be separated and unique, giving oneself to the service of other people, being open to new learning, embracing change and ultimately operating with the notion that life in itself is in phases requiring your ability to take events and circumstances one at a time.

Personally, I appreciate the need to continually be open to new learning. Thus, overtime I have given myself to the collection of relevant vital information concerning every aspect of my vision and goals and at other times going beyond what I actually need to position myself to be of help to other people who would require my assistance in whatever circumstance.

In my academic work, self actualization is one thing that I have continually worked towards. This enables me to set new and challenging goals that eventually make each moment of my academic study meaningful. Setting personal standards also imply that I would be personally responsible in my approach to issues in general helping m to learn self control and diligence staying focused on my goals.

Furthermore, my success as an individual ought to be of benefit also to the people around me, and thus I have often found joy and fulfillment in teaching or transferring knowledge of what I have learnt to other people.

According to the book, Jonathan seagull had to take out time to be alone and by himself on several occasions. This I believe is essential to my ability to concentrate on generating new ideas and engaging in the process of self discovery. This act gives me room to refresh myself and prepare for new tasks. The law of being separated defines my ability to be able to take out time to consciously create the picture of my future and further reinforce myself as it relates to being focused on my ultimate goal.

The ideas or concepts in this book have to a very large extent had positive implications on my being. However, a lot of the concept in the book as such that, I still have to build on them.

This concept applies to my relational life, my academic life, social life, and even in my finances. As regards my relationship with people, I have always found reason to be peaceable and to give myself to assisting other people. Because I have given myself to personal development, I have been equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to add value to other people and myself inclusive.

In my academics, teaching and personal development studies as given me an edge in my examinations and continuous assessment. I tend to have less need to engage in last minute rush study techniques. This is another benefit that accrues from helping other people.

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

I appreciate the fact that I have learnt how pertinent it is for me to be able to often be on the look out to see the good in other people, and to use it as a means to nurturing my relationship with them. Furthermore, I have also learnt that my perception and the kind of thoughts I dwell upon over a period of time can become the tools with which I would be able to change my world or the circumstances around me.

I have also learnt that for most people, life tends to be short. This result from boredom, fear and anger which characterize peoples thought pattern. In other words, this implies that for one to attain long life, boredom, fear and anger should be done away with or better still forgotten.

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

Like I pointed out earlier on, this book essentially has several concepts and ideas that that are challenging. However, applying these concepts require self discipline and commitment to get results from them. More importantly, is the fact that I have been challenged on different levels to just go ahead and do what I was created to do. The need for me to focus on one thing per time, and being able to give it the due attention and paying close attention to the importance attached to working with details.

I also find it challenging to discover in the course of reading the book that the next world, phase, or status that one attains will no doubt remain the same until we give ourselves to learning as much as possible from the current phase of life that we find ourselves.

Prior to my reading this book, I was of the opinion that perfection was not necessary in my endeavour in life and that all I had to do was just do what was required to stay above an average individual. However, this book has changed my thinking and I have come to realize that the cost of discovering the idea that our purpose for living is to find perfection and to show it forth.

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

This book is pretty good, I have found it difficult to identify concepts that I disagree with. I guess I just appreciate the down-to-earth applicability of the concepts within the book.

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

The concepts that I have found most helpful include the need for me to continually strive to be different or unique. I do no have to just accept the status quo or the traditional way of doing things. The desire to be unique is fueled by my ability to embark on the journey of self discovery.

I also appreciate the lessons on love and kindness, and the role they play in our quest to discover ourselves. These are virtues that enable use to live peaceably with other people in the society that we find ourselves.

Courage and perseverance in the face of opposition in our quest to discover and work towards the attainment of our purpose in life is another concept that I have found to be very valuable in the book. It remains a fact that there will always be challenges and difficulties on the way to self actualization. However, one must continually remind and encourage himself or herself that the future hold greater reward that are not in anyway comparable to the price to be paid today.

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

The main idea of the book dwells on the need to continually seek out new horizons. According to Abraham Maslow, this can be described as the need for self actualization which involves becoming more and more what you have chosen to be. Career wise, one seeks to be the very best at what he/she does, and further seeks opportunities to mentor newcomers in the profession.

Self actualization fuels the need for you to continually want to give yourself to new learning. It also ignites the urge for you to desire giving a helping hand to other people.

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? 8
C. How easy was it to understand? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8

Comments
Personally I would say this book is very insightful, it brings several concepts and ideas together and illustrates how they all interact to ensure that one can actually integrate and adapt them to the circumstance at hand. Also, the book places emphasis on the need for people to be able to accept healthy change. It poses a challenge to the reader that he or she can actually attain whatever ideas they can conceive and even greater.

Furthermore, beyond being a mentor, the text point out the need for one to still be on the lookout for people to mentor them. Learning is continual process in life that determine the growth status of individuals. Growth in itself is a characteristic of life as a whole, thus one cannot afford to ignore the need for personal growth and learning. To do this effectively, people have to ensure that they allow themselves to be open to new learning and to have a teachable spirit.

Lastly, the book brings to light the fact that the most important thing in living is for one to reach out and touch perfection in that which they love to do. Perhaps this better explains Abraham Maslow’s need for self transcendence which defines a state of being or existence above and beyond the limits of material experience that is beyond the 5 level hierarchy of need.