As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Kenneth Ndukaku Omeruo

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 most important ideas I got from this book were:

Our Thought determines our character

A man's dorminant thought is displayed at one point or the other by his character this I got to know from the book. We cannot separate our character from our thought. The entire character we portray in life is as a result of our thought pattern, thus we have absolute control over our mind and what goes on there. We have the ability to change our thinking if we want a change in any aspect of our life be it in business, relationship, our health etc.

Understanding who we are and what we want out of life is a major step, following it leads to great achievement. We cannot expect good characters, morals and values if they are not deliberately cultivated through a conscious search for knowledge and personal development.

Earlier in life, when I was growing up. I never aspired to be great. i didn't just know what greatness is all about. i was living a life of whatever- must- be- must- be. i just wished things just happen then one becomes great.

i accepted my status quo in everything though I was doing well academically but I wasn't at my best at all. This kind of mindset made me waste some years being comfortable as an average student when I was meant to be the best, by the time I realised where I should be some good time has been lost but thank God one day I became restive and went in search of knowledge, I started reading books and acquiring relevant information which changed my thought pattern out of the mediocre level. The transformation I got started from my mind and affected my entire life positively, my values and aspiration changed, I now have a different approach to life. i have come to realise that our acts are as a result of our thought and they determine how happy or sad we will be in life. Good or bad characters are deliberately cultivated by our thought pattern. I set out to deliberately improve myself on a daily bases, my values, belief, ideals have since changed.

We are the Architects of our life

Another important idea I got from this book is that whatever we aspire to become, we can be if we think and act on it continuously. we can't have a different thought about life and expect the outward manifestation to be different. If you think of failure you surely get failure same with success, if you are success minded all the time you will always be faced with success. Where we are today is as a result of our thought which shows physically in our life. We can attend any height in life if we settle that in our mind first, the future we dream of should first be created in our mind before it can manifest physically.

Even our prayers are answered when they agree with what we think or have in mind. Everyone's destiny lies in his or her hands, we all have the ability to be whatever we so wish in life but our thought must be in agreement with it. Man is the master of his thought, the shaper of conditions, environment and destiny.

Personally after facing a lot of challenges that would have made me not to aspire to greater heights, I got to understand that I am the architect of my life. Initially I thought people around me owe me something, this singular thought became a limiting factor to my progress in life. In all I set to do I must seek for people's approval and got a lot of disappoints that made me pause to have a second thought about the way my life was going.

Things didn't just change until I changed that mindset and decided to be totally responsible for my life, I now realised that it is my life and nobody else's. i should cherish my visions, ideals, values and belief, and also make sure I actualise them. i have learnt not to blame anyone for my condition but build myself to discover the hidden potentials in me that will turn my world around. I am the architect of my life.

Recipe for great achievement in life

Everything about man revolves round his thought, even our health. Our body also obeys the operation of the mind, Good and happy thoughts build up the body in vigor and grace which makes for high productivity. Health is wealth they say. No one can go beyond his or her thought, I have learnt from this book some of those recipes we must know, think and do that make for greatness in life.

Great achievements start with a defined and directed thought, until thought is linked with a definite purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment in life. Thought of fear and doubt cannot accomplish anything rather they always lead to failure.

Strength of achievement can be developed by continuous effort and practice, whatever we put our effort always is what we become.

It was this consciousness that gave me the strenght to start out my consultancy company with just an idea. It all started just with a constant, deep thought of what I love doing, it was at first a passion, which later turned to a routine and finally to a career. it wasn't easy at all but having the right information at the right time made things a lot easier, within a short period of starting out I am now regarded as an expert in my field. i got those recipes from reading, attending seminars, workshops etc.

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

The ideas in this book has been practically played out in my life, like I have tried to explain earlier, I grew up in a place where mediocre mentality is being celebrated, nobody dares to be different, everyone accepts life as it comes. I eventaully caught the mediocre mentality which made me feel comfortable with the status quo. I never believed I could go beyond my limits in life. That was my state then.

All of a sudden I became so uncomfortable with my state and sort for ways to do things differently, knowledge that will first of all liberate my mind, this lead me to understanding my true self and why I was created, for ones I now have a purpose for living which made life more interesting. I got to know now that I live for something and not just anything. I have a focus now, this has also determined the kind of friends I keep around me, the kind of places I go to, the kind of books I read, even the kind of programmes I watch on the TV. My situation has actually changed, it all started from my mind, though it wasn't really easy. It was this same quest to improve my state of mind that brought me to this great study.

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

The most important ideas that I learnt from this book are that where I am today is as a result of the thought that has gone through my mind. i also got to understand that I cannot go beyond my most dominant thought, so if I want to soar great heights in life I should have a great mind, I should dream big and think big. My situation can only be improved if I can improve my thought and act on it continuously. I now see that all great achievements in life are results of definitely directed thoughts. i also learnt that fear is a major killer of great dreams.Thoughts of fear cannot accomplish anything, it brings with it failure.

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

This book has actually changed my thinking in the area of knowing that it has been the fears I harbour in my mind that has limited me nothing else. My fears has actually limited my productivity, I still have not erased totally the fear of failure but during the course of reading this book I identified that and have since dealt with fear.
I also have developed a stronger affinity for my visions, I have a better focus as to what I want to achieve in life and how to achieve them. This book has also given me a sense of duty to know that my thought can impart firstly on my life and on the life of people around me so for one who wants to change his world,it all begins by having a clear picture of the end in my mind and making a conscious effort to achieve them. Nothing can be impossible for a determined heart.

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

I share in all the ideas being treated in this book.


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

What I find most helpful is the fact that our thought affects everything about our life,from our character,to our circumstances,health,our dreams and what we become in life.They are the product of the thought that goes through our mind. Every idea in this book has been helpful.


7. In 50 words or less, please describe the main idea the whole book is trying to convey.
The book conveys a clear message that it is our thought that determines everything about our life.We can improve our situation in life by first improving our thought.Its about our mind,as a man thinketh so is he.

Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
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? 9

Comments
Having gone through the book and with real life challenges that are peculiar to my society, I personally feel the book should have gone a bit further by showing us Practical ways one can influence his or her thought pattern, How to develop thoughts that make for high productivity, where to get great thoughts, practical examples of people who through their thought changed their situation and the world around them.

Being pragmatic, I don't think it is enough to say that our thought determines our life and not say how one can transmute his thought into things in a real life situation. Another important aspect I found missing in this book is the role of certain factors like ones environment, eye gate factor, the ear gate factor and other factors that can affect ones thought in our society. The eye gate, ear gate are simply the fact that what we see and hear go into our mind, they form part of our dorminant thought ,our ears and the eyes are gates to our mind where the thinking goes on.

Take for instance, a young man who has no job and no food to eat, not because he is indolent or something but the economic situation makes for unemployment which is what we see here, how can such a person think rightly? i need say here that there are a lot of things that affect what goes through our mind even when you didn't bargain for that. In a world full of negative things, we are easily disposed to bad thoughts, it becomes difficult to change your thought to good just by mere thinking, that's where personal development, persistence, hardwork and other things come to play. I feel to a large extent that ones environment is a major determinate of what goes through ones mind and which in turn shows what we become. I am saying this because a lot of young people here are looking for practical ways to change their life for good, if those ways are not made available for them, they take to things that are bad which is always available most times against their wish.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Kenneth Ndukaku Omeruo

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 most important ideas I got from the book are

How to go beyond my limitation and daring to be different in life makes one a master.

This is a very important Idea I got from the book. i have learnt not to accept my status quo in life, there are several reasons why one should not dare to be different but those reasons are not enough to limit a willing and determined mind. When I wanted to follow my dream of becoming a motivational speaker and an internet marketing consultant, I was faced with a lot of challenges from different quarters. This was against the course I studied in the university and what people around me wanted me to be. I followed my dream and passion against all odds. Those limitations were not easy to surmount but at the end of the day they became stepping stone to a life of fulfillment. i got to understand fully that there are no true limitations in life only the ones we see, perceive and accept stay with us. if one can go beyond those limitations, several forces will be attracted to him/her to help achieve ones dream in life.

The power of learning,understanding and practicing

During the course of reading this book, I got to understand the power of self discovery, the place of learning and practicing a skill or body of knowledge. Greatness starts with first understanding ones uniqueness, inherent abilities and potentials. There is power in learning new things everyday, it can be maximised by practicing. Practise really makes perfect in life, perfection is what we should aspire and in the process greatness is achieved.

This idea was examplified in my life when I found out that I could write ,it was initially a passion, then with constant practice I got to perfect my skills and ability in it, that also made me discover several ways to trade with it, all were possible because I practiced and learnt new skills everyday to improve my writing prowess.

How to handle rejection in life

Every great achievement in life even the great inventions we enjoy today were opposed at one time or the other.i got to realise that the bigger your dream the bigger the kind of rejection and opposition you are bound to face,I learnt not to be afraid of rejections but to reject my rejection.
After my graduation from the university,I set out to look for a job.it was very difficult for me to secure a job of my choice,I was rejected severally not because I was academically incompetent,but the reason of several rejections was something I couldn't comprehend.i felt so bad about the constant rejections I see,it was then that I had to look inwards and discovering the potentials I have ,I decided not to look for any job but to create my own job,that single decision led to a career am having now as a business/motivational speaker,Internet Marketing consultant and an author.I turned my rejection into direction.

The place of love in Life

Another great idea I found very important is the aspect of love where Jonathan despite the rejection he faced came back to his people to help them discover themselves too. The love for a fellow human, the love for your people, country and society.I like the Americans for the love they have for their country, they live and die for America, its worth emulating, even what this programme is doing is an act of love to the world.

Coming from a culture where most people only think of themselves, it is usually not easy to see young people with great talents succeed, this is because the people that should assist them achieve their dreams are selfish. They will hardly help others succeed like themselves so that you won't be greater than them, that is the kind of mentality our people have. That is why in a town of several people you see only very few people succeeding in life. In my quest to change my society, I realised that true success comes from helping more people become successful in life, I imbibed a culture of helping anyone I come across with in life no matter how little the assistance might be. My intention is to leave a good and lasting impression on people around me, that to me is true love. I have been offering my services to young people to help them discover their place in destiny. This is the place of love.

Paying the Price for Greatness

I found out from this book that there is always a price to pay for greatness in life, Jonathan Seagull did pay such price like leaving the comfort of his people, the demands of learning new skills, persistence,hardwork etc. It is not enough to aspire to be great, there are several challenges and hurdles to overcome on the road to greatness. There is always a price to pay for the prize you demand. Though it is not easy to follow ones dream of becoming great, starting out against all odds is very important. When I set out to follow my dream one of the prices I paid was that I was lonely, my friends and everyone around me practically didn't want to associate with me, I enjoyed that so much that I got companion from books and that changed me for good.

Our thought affects everything about us.

Our thinking affects our performance in life, we can't go beyond our thought, we are what we think .Some years back I saw myself develop some thoughts as to become an Information technology expert in my country but it didn't materialise then until about 4 years later unknowingly to me I now found myself teaching people legitimate ways to make money on the internet, I actually had that taught in my subconscious which later found expression. Our thought will always find expression no matter the time it will take.

Success will always be celebrated.

When one has overcomed all the hurdles to become great, people will love to identify and associate with such a person. Jonathan was celebrated and respected after he achieved success in his chosen field. People won't come when you have not succeeded in life, that is why the saying that success has many children but failure is an orphan, is true.

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

I found the story of Jonathan Seagull very interesting and educative, It was just like my story. Growing up in life, my parents thought I was going to be a medical doctor, I ended up studying Microbiologyin the university, after my graduation I found out that I was not comfortable with the course I studied, I wasn't wired to be in the medical field. i had to change my focus to the things I have passion for, it didn't get the support of people around me, even my friends then deserted me, they thought I was going out of my mind to choose a profession that is not popular in my city. it was a bold step for me. i faced several challenges like rejections, nobody around me believed in my dream. There were no support, i started developing my mind through reading, attending seminars, trainings and the likes, the urge to be different started growing more and more to the extent I couldn't give up my dream for anything else. Along the line because I didn't give up several opportunities came that encouraged me, I now have a focus of where my life is going, People around me have started identifying and accepting me because they can see clearly where I am going to. I have always wanted to be different in life, I didn't want to do what many people were doing as it were. The values in my society are such that you hardly succeed without cutting corners, corruption has eaten deep into the fabrics of the society, it has made it difficult for people with good intentions to make it here. Persistence and focus has also proved them wrong.

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

The concepts and ideas I saw in this book were not entirely new to me, but they have also helped to affirm my focus in life and give my dream a good direction. The place of learning new skills and continuous practice is one that I find very important. There is no skill I cannot learn in life if I put my mind to it. Our mind is the true limit to whatever we set to achieve. After reading the book, I now see the need for a daily improvement in my career, there is always a room to be better in life. I also learnt that where I am today is not the best place I can be ,there is a place called ' up there' which I should aspire to be.

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

This book has challenged and equally changed my life. i got to understand that it pays to dare to be different. i have also learnt not to acccept status quo, it can limit ones dream and aspiration in life. It also opened my mind to the fact that there are challenges, hurdles to pass on the road to greatness, they are the prices to pay to succeed in life. I have also seen what it takes to make a great impart in ones society. The power to persist has also been imparted in me no doubt about that. Before now, I thought I have good reasons to accept where I am today as the best for me but all that thinking have changed, knowing that there is always a place for improvement and greater achievements, I should be a high flyer!

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

I enjoyed every aspect of the book.

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

What I found most helpful was the aspect of one not accepting his/her limitations in life, daring to go beyond those limits to achieve greatness might not be easy at first but persistence will make it happen in no distant time. What I actually found least helpful was the context in which heaven was mentioned, to me it was not apt and practicable though it was a story.

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

The main idea in this book is that we should not accept our limitations in life , they actually not exist, one has to make a deliberate effort to discover oneself by learning and also helping others discover themselves. That is the true esssence of living.

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

A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 8
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

Comments -
It is a great book which every young person should read. It is also good for beginners be it in Business, Career development, Education just any field of human endeavour. The book helps one to understand the power we have to break away from every perceived limitation in order to achieve great success, which will be celebrated by all.

Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude
Assessment by Omeruo Ndukaku Kenneth

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.

Having read the book for the second time within this period of assessment, I stand to give account of the great things I have benefited from it. Am actually telling my story as an encounter with this great work.

Success in every aspect of ones life be it health wise, wealth, achievement of any sort and otherwise can be attained with a positive Mental Attitude. In this book by the legendary Napoleon Hill and Millionaire CEO, W.Clement Stone, I found the following ideas not only important to me but was ideas I have seen at work in my life even within this period of reading the book:

How to be Successful in Every Aspect of Life.
I have been able to understand from this book how to be successful in life. The different stories of people who became successful in their chosen endeavor with the right attitude were to me an encouragement and motivation. Success has been redefined as something anyone can achieve no matter ones environment, age, past, health etc. It is not the condition one finds himself that matters; it is having the right frame of mind. It starts from ones mind. In our mind lie the potentials to either succeed or fail. The force that propels one to success is the Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) while the Negative Mental attitude leads to failure.

And I have seen that I have absolute control over which side I choose to apply in any given condition or circumstances. This has given me a clear picture that success is actually a thing of the mind, it is a choice I can only make for myself. I have no reason whatsoever to fail in any endeavor again. Ever since I realized this, my life has moved in a good and positive direction. My business has grown beyond my imagination just with PMA. This PMA thing works as I will give a detailed account during the course of this assessment.

I have seen that the difference between succeeding and failing lies in the attitude of the individual, the state of his or her mind whether he thinks he can succeed or not, I have always heard that ones attitude more than his aptitude determines his altitude; this saying became real to me through this book.

Positive Mental Attitude is the key to success in life.

“Every Adversity Has the Seed of an Equivalent or Greater Benefit’’
When I first came across this statement in THINK AND GROW RICH it didn’t quite sink into my mind until I read it again in this book. I had to stop for a while to think of some of the events that has happened in my life. Where I am now is far better than where I was even when I joined this institute.

After my graduation from the university, I was faced with a lot of rejections from places I went to seek for employment; I didn’t know the cause of that, though I wasn’t a dull person by any standard. I still couldn’t find a job. This gave me concern until I read THINK AND GROW RICH and decided to create my own job. Though it has not being easy but that single decision is the best decision I have ever made in my life, it is yielding great benefits for me, and I now enjoy what I do. The things I thought were stumbling blocks have become stepping – stones to my greatness.

This has proved to me that every situation can be turned to the best situation with a positive mental attitude.

The story of Tom Dempsey-a disabled boy who finally became a football legend taught me the following:

* That greatness comes to those who develop a burning desire to achieve high goals.

* That I can achieve and maintain success by trying and also keep on trying with positive mental attitude

* I have seen the role of practice in life, it makes one a sort-after expert. This has been practically played out in my life, I have become a syndicated columnist in my country in less than one year of my writing career, and it is a feat which came just by practicing and believing I can do it. I must also give God Almighty the credit because He is the source of my inspiration. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him.

* The fourth thing I learnt from this young boy’s story was that effort and work can become fun when one establishes a clear cut goal to pursue.

* I was very happy when I saw that prayers were mentioned as man’s greatest power and weapon. This is actually true because it works in my life. I don’t talk to people about my problems, I only talk to God through prayers and He uses people to deliver my answers to me.

Prayer becomes very effective when God sees that He is the only one you depend on in that situation. He likes to be GOD in our life. This particular mention of prayers in this book has reinforced by believe in the efficacy of prayers.

The Concept of Inspirational Dissatisfaction
I have known what it is to be inspirationally dissatisfied about ones situation. This has propelled different people to the highest level of achievement in their chosen endeavour. Personally I have seen this at work in my life, for me it is a resolution not to give up no matter what may come my way, I must pursue my goal to the point of success.

Let me just give you some examples here, when I started my online business, I had no money to design my own website, I had to use a popular online forum which is owned by a young Nigerian, I made a comprehensive post on that forum of the benefits of legitimate online business to Nigerians and to my greatest surprise that single post brought a lot of responses and business to me, I started making money from people who wanted me to show them how to start online business. Not quite long, the owner of the forum saw that my post was so popular he deleted that particular post from the forum, I was totally dissatisfied about that and I decided to start my own board which I actually started at www.gsmusersforum.com

And now I never regretted why he deleted my post, it was a blessing in disguise for me. Another example was when I started out as a syndicated columnist, I wrote several articles that were rejected because I wasn’t popular, I got a bit discouraged at the time but I didn’t give up instead I persisted and was sending more articles to the newspapers until they started publishing my articles, even the ones they rejected before I had to send them back and behold they were published.

I realized that sometimes life will need a little persistence on our side to pay us all we demand of it. I have also being inspired more by what Ford told his engineers “Go to work, and stay on the job until you succeed no matter how much time is required.”

The 17 Success Principles
The 17 success principles as mentioned in this book are: a positive mental attitude, definiteness of purpose, going the extra mile, accurate thinking,self-discipline,master mind, applied faith, a pleasing personality, personal initiative,enthusiasm,controlled attention,teamwork,learning from defeat, creative vision, Budgeting time and money, maintaining sound physical and mental health, using cosmic habit force (universal law). I have been able to study closely how all of these can guarantee my success.

I found out through the Success Quotient Analysis that I performed above average that made me realize that I might not be far from achieving the success I desire in life. It was also an avenue to emphasize on those principles that I have been applying and learn more about the ones that I lack which is necessary for my success.

In addition, the Success quotient analysis made me become more focused; I used it to understand the practicality of the 17 success principles. It showed me that there is always room for improvement and ‘Something more’

Definiteness of Purpose is the Starting Point of all Achievement
I have always known the importance of one setting goals in life and achieving those goals. Here I learnt that definiteness of purpose with PMA is the starting point of all worthwhile achievement. All one needs to do is to make clear goal with PMA, there is natural tendency and forces that will propel one to action and attract the needed resources to actualize such goals when one is on course. I have observed this in my life, after I made a clear goal about where I want to be and what I want to achieve within a set period, at that point I didn’t have the resources to actualize my goals, but somehow because of my determination and a clear picture of what I want, I saw things falling in place for me to help me achieve my set goal.

“You’ve got a Problem? That’s Good”
I found this idea of problems being necessary in our life to move us up if we handle them with PMA, important.

“Repeated victories over these problems are the rungs of ones ladder to success” With each victory over problems, one grows in wisdom, stature and experience to become a better, bigger and more successful person with PMA.

To tackle my problems I have learnt to Ask God for divine guidance to help me find the right solution to the problem. I also spend time in constructive thinking about solutions to the problem with the mind that every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit if handled with a PMA. I do a thorough analysis of the problem.
I keep on searching till I find the right solution to it.

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.

Every idea and concept that I have outlined in the first question above and others in this book have influenced my life in one way or the other. My attitude towards life generally has changed for better. I believe I can attain to any height in my business, relationship and career. I have learnt how to motivate myself and everyone that comes in contact with me to success with PMA. I must say here that all the ideas and concepts in this book I have practically experimented and they worked and are working for me.

In my writing career, PMA gave me the strength to continue writing even when my articles were not accepted and published. I developed inspirational dissatisfaction and decided to write more articles than I use to write; today it has become very easy for me to collect those articles and get them published into a book.

In my online business, before I read this book the first time, I have been looking for someone or organizationto partner with me to drive my business ideas. After several efforts none was coming, I was worried. Then I started reading this book and my attitude changed, I defined my purpose of getting into the business and what I wanted within a month period, employed the success principles with PMA, amazingly things changed dramatically for me, I began to see opportunities in everything I embarked on and just within that same period I got someone I never knew before, who lives in another state to partner with me. She read my article online and decided to join my business; to me it was a surprise. I give all Glory to God and this book.
I have also found the use of self-motivators very helpful. They work for me when I say them with the right emotions and attitude of mind. Each day I wake up I say things like,
I have the mind of Jesus, therefore I cannot fail, I am a winner and not a loser, I am a solution to my generation and the whole world is waiting earnestly for my manifestation….

Through this book, I have also learnt how to motivate others by giving them this book to read. That has also strengthened my relationship with people.

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

The ideas in this book are very important to me, though they are not entirely new to me, they are things I have been doing but without a conscious effort at them, this book has helped me improve on them.

One interesting thing I have always neglected that I found in this book was The Secret of Getting Things done - DO IT NOW! I didn’t know how powerful this was until I read it in this book and put that into practice. Each time I am prompted to do something now I don’t hesitate or procrastinate any longer. With this I have written the best articles, got best business contacts by just doing it now!

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

This book not only challenged me, it has also motivated me to success in every area of my life. Reading the stories of ordinary people who were successful with PMA leaves me with no option than to succeed myself. They were people who wouldn’t have been successful considering their environment, experience, background, education, health etc but they came through against all odds, that’s motivation for me.

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

None.

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

I find it most helpful that the Bible is being mentioned as the best motivational book because it is inspired by God. Here in my country most Christians think that reading motivational or self-help books is not necessary since you have the Bible, but some of these self-help books can make you appreciate the Bible more like this one. Another thing that interests me is the efficacy of prayers being mentioned in this book. I find them helpful.

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

The main idea of this book is to motivate people to be successful in every aspect of their lives with a Positive Mental Attitude. The principles that will drive home this success are powerfully embedded in the practical stories of others who used them to succeed in business, career, personal life, relationship etc.

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

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


Comments
Wow! What else do I need to add to this legendary work, this is a great book. The principles in it are universal. It is a great work from great men. Thanks for sending it my way; I must say it is a book to live on!

Psycho-Cybernetics
Assessment by Kenneth Omeruo Ndukaku (Nigeria)

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

In this book, the author, having identified that our self-image is responsible for our actions,feelings,behaviours and even the success we can achieve, has offered a step by step guide for developing a self-image that enables one to achieve success in life. The book is a mind-reengineering series for self–confidence and 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.

How our self-image sets the limit for what we can and cannot achieve in life.
As I picked up this book to read, I already had a certain way I see myself, there are certain limitations I see even when they don’t exist. I had a certain picture of myself. After reading this book and beginning to assess the impact of the book on my life, I see myself in entirely different light now. A positive self –image. I realized that something has changed about the way I do things, my relationship with people and the growth of my business. The book explains that everyone sees himself or herself in a particular way and that determines how far the person achieves success in life.

Personally, I have always had the innate gift of writing, but I never believed my works could be published in national newspapers. Even when my articles where rejected it only affirmed what my beliefs were about my ability. I have also heard that I can only get published if I know the editors or the ‘big’ people that matter in that firm. That made me not to write new articles. I had wanted to quit writing but one day something happened, one of my articles was published, not only that, it was published on the same page where a renown pastor and author-Pastor Sam Adeyemi’s article was also published. A lot of people read my piece and commended me for that and I got businesses through that.

Everything about my attitude towards writing changed from that day, I said to myself, if my article could be published along side this great man’s, then I have something to offer the world through my writing. I started having a high self-esteem about my writing prowess and that has helped me a lot. Most Nigerian newspapers now publish my articles the very week I send them, it is really amazing. I now appreciate my worth and importance. I overcame that limit just with the right self–image nothing more, no additional skills.

Understanding the fact that I can reprogram my negative self- image at will
“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. A negative self-image can be erased like a tape recording” It is quite interesting to know this; several negative images that I have accumulated over the years from people’s opinion about me, my environment and my family background have actually affected me negatively. I now know that I can change them at will through the process outlined in this book as CRAFT.

Each time am faced with such negative feeling I cancel them immediately, replace them with what I want to feel, I will go further to affirm what I want, getting more focused about my success and training myself to assume my present state. It is an idea that has worked for me. I have used that severally to attract the type of businesses I want.

How to imagine my way to success-The success pathway
Imagination rules the world. Every successful invention or venture was first created in ones mind. We cannot grow beyond our imagination. If you imagine the curb, you will soon hit it. It is just a matter of time. The book explained this fact in a concise manner. It is amazing how our imagination can guide us to success. If you imagine success, the conscious mind will get that picture and send the same to the subconscious who obeys without asking questions. The subconscious will automatically work out the plans to achieve the success imagined. This is what I call the Success Pathway. Having known about this, I always imagine success and each time I get nothing less than I imagined.

How to Relax
Learning how to relax is one of the great ideas I got from this book. Before now the only way I know to relax is when am sleeping and that’s mostly in the night. I live in a city where you will hardly relax; it is all hustle and bustle from morning till night time. I have seen the importance of relaxation as it affects my success and health. I now practice relaxation techniques I found in this book and it is impacting on my daily affairs. With this, ideas flow automatically to me even when I am not thinking of them. I overcome problems and stress by relaxation. My creative insight has improved too.

As a writer I used to have writer’s block always and that usually take me days to recover sometimes I don’t get back to that particular work but now I relax well with little or no writer’s block. Relaxation is now a way of life or me.

Stress management
You can’t leave in Lagos, Nigeria and not be stressed up everyday. Just everything here is enough to make someone pack up, from the over- population to the traffic jam to lack of basic amenities (especially light and water).Here is stress-full. Everybody needs to hear about how to manage stress, I got so interested learning how to avoid and manage stress. I don’t think stress can be totally removed rather it can be managed.

The concepts outlined to de-stress oneself is good. I have used them to reduce my stress load to the minimal though I still feel stressed here. The concept of SEEDS is great. I found the stress evaluation test very useful, I do it always and the result I get is great. I have also learnt to de-stress myself through laughter, taking regular vacation, doing exercises. They have made me become healthier and more successful.

Goal- setting simplified
This book simplified how to set goals and achieve the set goal. Goal is defined as a set point and also a target point. If one consciously establishes a set point, the automatic mechanism has the tendency to adjust towards the target. With this, one has to set a target always.

The SMART way of setting goals is quite easy to grasp and apply. Last year I did set an unrealistic goal which I struggled to achieve but never did, with the SMART process I have set my goals with the understanding that it is a process and not a destination. I achieve my goals in part and I am more focused now than ever.

How to use psycho-cybernetics for longer life
Everyone needs to live in order to achieve set goals. Having gone through the entire book and the program of psycho-cybernetics, I have learnt that ones life can be worth the while if the entire program is followed.

A healthy self-image removes stress which can cause diseases and subsequently death. Goal- setting gives one the vigor to live and see your dream achieved. I have renewed vigor each day I wake up knowing that I am in the right direction of achieving success in life. With this God is also compelled to make me achieve what I have purposed in my heart. A person who doesn’t have a reason to live is dead. Psycho-cybernetics can really help in prolonging ones life span.

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?

The ideas as I have discussed them above are really important to my personal life, my business and the change I want in the world. Before I read this book, I didn’t know what self-esteem really means. I didn’t know how low self-esteem can affect everything about me.

I was born into an average family and my social status was average too. These belief placed limits to what I can achieve then. I never believed in my abilities, I always thought I can’t do it.
This book has really explained that my low self esteem was my limiting factor and not my family background, color or social status. Coming to this realization, the sky is just the starting point of what I can achieve in this life; I am so sure that my name will be known all over the world. I have no doubt about that, that is the new picture I got from reading this book and it is so real that I can feel it.

I do things differently now, my relationship with people is better now, I do business better these days and the result is wonderful. I see no curb in my life anymore.

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

Yes. The quotes are:

“Everyone of us always acts, feels, and behaves in a way that is consistent with our self-image-regardless of the reality of that image”

When I read this read, I stopped for a while to think about the veracity of the statement in my life. I found out that it is a real statement of fact. Everything that has happened to me has been because of my self-image the way I see myself. I changed my bad impression and things changed positively for me. This statement is real and that’s why it got my attention.

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

This quote explains the process of changing ones self-image from negative to positive. It went further to affirm the fact that every bad habit or negative self-image can be change. Though the process of change is not an easy one but it requires constant practice and following the process of effective change.

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

No, there are 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?

Yes, there are exercises in the book which I completed and I found them very helpful.

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

None.

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? 6
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
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:
Feel free to share any additional comments about the book or about the rating:

This book is a very good book to read. It exposes the fact that the way we see ourselves which is our self-image, determines how we react to situations. Our success also depends on our self-image. Looking at the title of this book, I was a bit discouraged about it but when I read through, It made an interesting reading. If I were to give this book another title, I will say HOW TO RE-ENGINEER YOUR MIND FOR SUCCESS.