15 Steps to Cultivate Lifelong Learning

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes." - Marcel Proust

"I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." - Abraham Lincoln

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain

Assuming the public-school system hasn't crushed your soul, learning is a great activity.

It expands your viewpoint. It gives you new knowledge you can use to improve your life. Even if you discount the worldly benefits, the act of learning can be a source of enjoyment.

But in a busy world, it can often be hard to fit in time to learn anything that isn't essential. The only things learned are those that need to be. Everything beyond that is considered frivolous. Even those who do appreciate the practice of lifelong learning can find it difficult to make the effort.

Here are some tips for installing the habit of lifelong learning:

(1) Always have a Book

It doesn't matter if it takes you a year or a week to read a book. Always strive to have a book that you are reading through, and take it with you so you can read it when you have time. Just by shaving off a few minutes in-between activities in my day I can read about a book per week. That's at least fifty each year.

(2) Keep a "To-Learn" List

We all have to-do lists. These are the tasks we need to accomplish. Try to also have a "to-learn" list. On it you can write ideas for new areas of study. Maybe you would like to take up a new language, learn a skill or read the collective works of Shakespeare. Whatever motivates you, write it down.

(3) Get More Intellectual Friends

Start spending more time with people who think. Not just people who are smart, but people who actually invest much of their time in learning new skills. Their habits will rub off on you. Even better, they will probably share some of their knowledge with you.

(4) Guided Thinking

Albert Einstein once said, "Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking." Simply studying the wisdom of others isn't enough; you have to think through ideas yourself. Spend time journaling, meditating or contemplating over ideas you have learned.

(5) Put it Into Practice

Skill based learning is useless if it isn't applied. Reading a book on C++ isn't the same thing as writing a program. Studying painting isn't the same as picking up a brush. If your knowledge can be applied, put it into practice.

(6) Teach Others

You learn what you teach. If you have an outlet for communicating ideas to others, you are more likely to solidify that learning. Start a blog, mentor someone or even discuss ideas with a friend.

(7) Clean Your Input

Some forms of learning are easy to digest, but often lack substance. I make a point of regularly cleaning out my feed reader for blogs I subscribe to. Great blogs can be a powerful source of new ideas. But every few months I realize I'm collecting posts from blogs that I am simply skimming. Every few months, purify your input to save time and focus on what counts.

(8) Learn in Groups

Lifelong learning doesn't mean condemning yourself to a stack of dusty textbooks. Join organizations that teach skills. Workshops and group learning events can make educating yourself a fun, social experience.

(9) Unlearn Assumptions

You can't add water to a full cup. I always try to maintain a distance away from any idea. Too many convictions simply mean too few paths for new ideas. Actively seek out information that contradicts your worldview.

(10) Find Jobs that Encourage Learning

Pick a career that encourages continual learning. If you are in a job that doesn't have much intellectual freedom, consider switching to one that does. Don't spend forty hours of your week in a job that doesn't challenge you.

(11) Start a Project

Set out to do something you don't know how. Forced learning in this way can be fun and challenging. If you don't know anything about computers, try building one. If you consider yourself a horrible artist, try a painting.

(12) Follow Your Intuition

Lifelong learning is like wandering through the wilderness. You can't be sure what to expect and there isn't always an end goal in mind. Letting your intuition guide you can make self-education more enjoyable. Most of our lives have been broken down to completely logical decisions, to the extent that making choices on a whim has almost been stamped out.

(13) The Morning Fifteen

Use the first fifteen minutes of your morning as a period for education. If you find yourself too groggy, you might want to wait a short time. Just don't put it off until later in the day when urgent activities will push it out of the way.

(14) Reap the Rewards

Learn information you can use. Understanding the basics of programming allows me to handle projects that other people would require outside help to accomplish. Meeting a situation that makes use of your educational efforts can be a source of pride.

(15) Make it a Priority

Few external forces are going to persuade you to learn. The desire has to come from within. Once you decide you want to make lifelong learning a habit, it is up to you to make it a priority in your life.

How to Boost Your Creative Output (2)

The most important way you can boost your output is to get rid of the zero-sum assumption. If you feel that each idea created limits your ability to create new ideas, your output will be only a trickle. The best writers, programmers, designers and idea-generators I know believe that the supply of ideas is endless. You only need to know how to turn on the flow.Here are some tips to get you started:

Churn Without Judgment If you stress about the quality of work you are outputting, then the flow will be cut off. Writers block is a symptom of perfectionism. Churn first, judge later.

Idea Breeding Use past ideas to generate new ideas. I've written close to 500 articles in the past two years. If I ever get stuck, all I need to do is search through past articles. Almost always they leave unanswered questions that can be tackled with a new article.

Creative Input Feed your brain with books. I read about 50-70 books a year. The most creative people I know can read over a 100. By devouring knowledge you add to the variety of ideas you can produce.

Be Patient It can take a while for your brain to get into the right flow. I can write 1500 words in an hour when I'm in the right mental state. But that state often requires working through twenty minutes where I type no more than a sentence. Take the time to accelerate your creative flow.

Use Large Time Chunks Since it takes time to warm up your creative muscles, you can't expect to go fast if you are constantly stopping. Use large chunks of time where you can build up speed and work for a few hours before taking a break.

Publish Garbage If you are starting out in a new pursuit, you have only one goal: boost creative output. This often means publishing junk until you train yourself to do a better job. Feedback from the world (not self-judgement) is the fastest way to hone your creative flow.

Set a Quota Give yourself a certain output criteria for each day, week or month. This will build up a high creative output that can later be refined. Instead of just creating when you feel like it, set a target. Sometimes you'll produce garbage. But you'll also produce a lot more winners than by being a perfectionist.

Hit the Challenge Zone If you set too few standards for quality, you won't improve. But if you set too high standards, your creative output will plummet. The challenge zone is the area where you have enough challenge to improve yourself but not so much that you can't perform.

Aim With Your Challenge Zone There is a tendency to use external factors to define your standards. For example, you want to become a musician, so you decide to set your standards to one of your favorite bands. This is a mistake. By setting the challenge zone to external criteria you kill your creative output or kill your quality. You only need to compete with yourself; don't judge yourself by others' standards.

Nuke Those Assumptions If you assume that your creative output is fixed, it will be. Set yourself a high quota and aim within your challenge zone. You'll probably be surprised at how much more you can produce if you force yourself to. More importantly, you'll probably be surprised that quality doesn't usually suffer when you boost creative output.

How to Boost Your Creative Output (1)

Working productively can be broken down into several key skills: time management, organization and controlling your attention and energy. One of the often neglected but most important factors is your creative output. Successful people tend to have an unusually high creative output and I'd like to offer some tips for how you can boost yours.

What is Creativity?

Creativity is often compared with originality. When you see someone who can come up with unique ideas, you say they are "creative". Picasso was creative because of his unique painting style. J.R.R. Tolkien was creative for writing "The Lord of the Rings" while Linus Torvalds is considered creative for starting Linux.There is another way of viewing creativity. The root word of creativity is create. Creativity can be seen not just on how original your ideas are, but on how many of them you can produce. Creative output is a measure of your ability to churn out creations.Thomas Edison held over a thousand patents in his name. Leonardo da Vinci was an astronomer, painter, engineer, inventor, poet and writer. Although both had unique ideas, their creative output dwarfed most of their colleagues.

Why Does Creative Output Matter?

Isn't quality supposed to be more important than quantity? The problem is that with creative output, quality and quantity are completely independent. A few people have gotten the wrong idea about creative output, the myth that having a higher output will somehow reduce the quality of the ideas you create. Having a high quantity of ideas doesn't reduce the quality of ideas; quantity enhances quality. I write for several sites as well as my own. A couple of fellow bloggers disagreed with this strategy. Won't you be giving away your best ideas so other websites will profit from them, they asked? This assumes that each idea I create reduces the total ideas available to write about. But that's ridiculous.Ideas are not zero-sum. Having one idea doesn't reduce the amount of ideas you are able to produce. Boosting your creative output requires changing how you channel attention. It has nothing to do with depleting an imaginary idea-bank inside your brain.

SERENITY

Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control…an indication of ripened experience, and…a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought. 26

A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a thought-evolved being (product of his thought). 26

The calm man, having learned how to govern himself, knows how to adapt himself to others. 26

The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. 26

The strong, calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm. 26

That exquisite poise of character that we call serenity is the last lesson of culture. It is the flowering of life, the fruitage of the soul. 26

How insignificant money-seeking looks in comparison with a serene life… It is a question whether the great majority of people do not ruin their lives and mar their happiness by lack of self-control. 26-27

[Humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is tumultuous with ungoverned grief, is blown about by anxiety and doubt.] Only the wise man, only he whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes the winds and the storms of the soul obey him. 27

Keep your hand firmly upon the helm of thought. In the core of your soul reclines the commanding Master; He does but sleep; wake Him. 27

Self-control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power. Say unto your heart, “Peace. Be still!” 27

VISIONS AND IDEALS

The dreamers are the saviours of the world. 23

As the visible world is sustained by the invisible, so men, through all their trials and sins and sordid vocations, are nourished by the beautiful visions of their solitary dreamers. 23

He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it. 23

Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts. For out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built. 23

To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve. 23

Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil. 23

The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream… Dreams are the seedlings of realities. 24

Your circumstances may be uncongenial (unfriendly), but they shall not remain so if you only perceive an ideal and strive to reach it. YOU CANNOT TRAVEL WITHIN AND STAND STILL WITHOUT (outside). 24

You…will realize the vision [not just the idle wish] of your heart, be it base or beautiful, or a mixture of both; for you will always gravitate toward that which you secretly love most. 24

Into your hands will be placed the exact results of your own thoughts. You will receive that which you earn; no more, no less. 24

Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts – your vision, your ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire, as great as your dominant aspiration. 24

In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results. The strength of the effort is the measure of the result. 25

Gifts, powers, material, intellectual and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort. They are thoughts completed, objectives accomplished, visions realized. 25

The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart – this you will build your life by; this you will become. 25

THE THOUGHT FACTOR IN ACHIEVEMENT

All that a man achieves, and all that he fails to achieve (are) the direct result of his own thoughts. 20

A man’s weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own and not another man’s. They are brought about by himself and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another. 20

His condition is also his own, and not another man’s. His sufferings and happiness are evolved from within. As he thinks, so is he; as he continues to think, so he remains. 20

…Oppressor and slaves are cooperators in ignorance, and, while seeming to afflict the other, are in reality afflicting themselves… He who has conquered weakness and has pushed away all selfish thoughts belong neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free. 20

Before a man can achieve anything, even in worldly things, he must lift his thoughts above slavish animal indulgence. 21

There can be no progress nor achievement without sacrifice, and a man’s worldly success will be by the measure that he sacrifices his confused animals thoughts, and fixes his mind on the development of his plans, and the strengthening of his resolutions and self-reliance. The higher he lifts his thoughts, the greater will be his success, the more blessed and enduring will be his achievements. 21

The universe does not favour the greedy, the dishonest, the vicious, although on the mere surface it sometimes may appear to do so. It helps the honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous. 21

Intellectual achievements are the results of thoughts consecrated to the search for knowledge, or for the beautiful and true in nature. 21

Spiritual achievements are the consummation of holy aspirations. He who lives constantly in the conception of noble and lofty thoughts, who dwells upon all that is pure and selfless will…become wise and noble in character, and rise into a position of influence and blessedness. 21-22

Achievement of any kind is the crown of effort (and) the diadem of thought. 22

By the aid of self-control, resolution, purity, righteousness, and well-directed thought, a man ascends. By the aid of animality, indolence, impurity, corruption, and confusion of thought, a man descends. 22

A man may rise to high success in the world, even to lofty attitudes in the spiritual realm, and again descend into weakness and wretchedness by allowing arrogant, selfish, and corrupt thoughts to take possession of him. 22

Victories attained by right thought can be maintained only by watchfulness. 22

All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought. 22

He who would accomplish little need sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much. He who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly. 22

THOUGHT AND PURPOSE

Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent achievement. 18

With the majority the bark (light stick) of thought is allowed to “drift” upon the ocean of life…and such…must not continue for him who would steer clear of catastrophe and destruction. 18

Aimlessness is a vice. 18

They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, and self-pityings…which lead…to failure, unhappiness, and loss. 18

To put away aimlessness and weakness and to begin to think with purpose is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment. Who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully. 19

Doubts and fears…are disintegrating elements which break up the straight line of effort, rendering it crooked, ineffectual, useless. 19

Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in. 19

The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of (that) knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step. 19

He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure. 19

Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes a creative force. He who knows this is ready to become something higher and stronger…He who does this has become the conscious and intelligent wielder of his mental powers. 19

EFFECTS OF THOUGHTS ON HEALTH AND BODY

The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed. At the bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad and beautiful thoughts, it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty. 16

Disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in thought. Sickly thoughts will express themselves through a sickly body. 16

The people who live in fear of diseases are the people who get it. Anxiety quickly demoralizes the whole body and lays it open to the entrance of disease. 16

Strong, pure and happy thoughts build up the body in vigour and grace. The body is a delicate and plastic instrument, which responds readily to the thoughts by which it is impressed, and habits of thought will produce their own effects, good or bad, upon it. 16

Men will continue to have impure and poisoned blood, so long as they propagate unclean thoughts. Out of a clean heart come a clean life and a clean body. Out of a defiled mind proceed a defiled life and a defiled body. 16

Thought is the fount (source) of action, life and manifestation; make the fount pure and all will be pure. 16

Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure food… Clean thoughts make clean habits. 16-17

If you want to perfect your body, guard your mind. If you want to renew your body, beautify your mind. Thoughts of malice, envy, disappointment, and despondency rob the mind of its health and grace. 17(paraphrased)

A sour face does not come by chance; it is made by sour thoughts. Wrinkles that mar (the face) are drawn by folly, passion, pride. 17

As you cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode (house) unless you admit the air and sunshine freely into your rooms, so a strong body and a bright, happy, or serene countenance can only result from the free admittance into the body of joy and goodwill and serenity. 17

[On the faces of the age there are wrinkles made by sympathy, others by strong and pure thought, and others are carved by passion…] With those who have lived righteously, age is calm, peaceful, and softly mellowed like the setting sun. 17

There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipating the ills of the body; there is no comforter to compare with goodwill for dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow. 17

To live continually in thought of ill-will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in a self-made prison hole. But to think well of all, to be cheerful with all, to patiently learn to find the good in all – such unselfish thoughts are the very portals (gateways) of heaven. 17

EFFECTS OF THOUGHTS ON CIRCUMSTANCES

A man’s mind can be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind. 8

Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful and pure thoughts. 8

Thought and character are one, and as character can only manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstance, (so will) the outer conditions of a person’s life be always found to be harmoniously related to his inner state. 8

Every man is where he is by the law of his being; the thoughts which he has built into his character have brought him there, and in the arrangement of his life there is no element of chance, but all is the result of a law which cannot err. 8

As a progressive and evolving being, man is where he is that he may learn, that he may grow; and as he learns the spiritual lesson which any circumstance contains for him, it passes away and gives place to other circumstances. 9

Man is buffeted (battered) by circumstances as long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions, but when he realizes that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being [out of which circumstances grow]; he then becomes the rightful master of himself. 9 (paraphrased)

Any man who has for any length of time practised self-control and self-purification knows that circumstances grow out of thought. 9 (paraphrased)

The soul attracts that which it secretly harbours, that which it loves, and also that which it fears. It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations; it falls to the level of its unchastened desires, and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own (harvests). 9

Every thought-seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing fruitage of opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit. 9

The outer world of circumstances shapes itself (in accordance) to the inner world of thought. 9

Man, in the outer conditions of his life, always arrives at the fruition and fulfilment of the inmost desires, the aspirations, and the thoughts he allows himself to be dominated by. 9 (paraphrased)

A man does not come to the alms-house (beggary) or the jail by the tyranny of fate or circumstance, but by the pathway of grovelling thoughts and base desires. Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly into crime by stress (pressure) or any mere external force. The criminal thought had long been fostered in the heart, and the hour of opportunity revealed its gathered power. 9-10

Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself. 10

No such conditions can exist as descending into vice and its attendant sufferings apart from vicious inclinations, or ascending into virtue and its pure happiness, without the continued cultivation of virtuous aspirations. 10

Man, as the lord and master of thought, is the maker of himself and the shaper of and author of (his) environment. 10

Even at birth, the soul comes of its own and through every step of its earthly pilgrimage…attracts those conditions which reveal itself, which are the reflections of its own purity and impurity, its strength and weakness. 10

Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are. Their whims, fancies, and ambitions are thwarted at every step, but their inmost thoughts and desires are fed with their own food, be it foul or clean. 10

Man is manacled (chained) only by himself; thought and action are the jailors of Fate – they imprisoned, when they are base; they are also the angels of Freedom – they liberate, when they are noble. 10 (paraphrased)

Man does not get what he wishes and prays for; he gets what he justly earns (paraphrased). “His wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions.” 10

In the light of this truth, what then is the meaning of “fighting against circumstances?” It means that a man is continually revolting against an outside effect, while all the time he is nourishing and preserving its cause in his heart… And this cause may be a vice or an unconscious weakness; but whatever it is, it is stubbornly retarding the efforts of its owner, and by so doing is calling aloud for urgent remedy. 10 (paraphrased)

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. 10

The man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish an object upon which his heart is set. 10

Man is the causer [though nearly always unconsciously] of his circumstances, and…whilst aiming at the good end, he is continually frustrating its accomplishment by encouraging thoughts and desires which cannot possibly harmonize with that end. 11

The honest man reaps the good results of his honest thoughts and acts; he also brings upon himself the sufferings which his vices produce. The dishonest man likewise garners his own suffering and happiness. 12

“It is pleasing to human vanity to believe that one suffers because of one’s virtue; but not until a man has extirpated every sickly, bitter, and impure thought from his soul, can he be in a position to know and declare that his sufferings are the result of his good, and not of his bad qualities”, and in the process, before he has even reached that supreme perfection of self-knowledge, he would have found working in his mind and life, the great law which is absolutely just, and which cannot give good for evil, nor evil for good. 12 (paraphrased)

Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and action can never produce good results. This is but saying that nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles. Men understand this law in the natural world, and work with it; but few understand it in the mental and moral world, and they, therefore, do not cooperate with it. 12

Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought in some direction. It is an indication that the individual is out of harmony with himself, with the law of his being. The sole and supreme use of suffering is to purify, to burn out all that is useless and impure (in man). 12

There could be no object in burning gold after the dross had been removed, a perfectly pure and enlightened being could not suffer. 12

The circumstances in which a man encounters with suffering are the result of his own mental inharmony. The circumstances which a man encounters blessedness are the result of his mental harmony. 12

Blessedness, not material possessions, is the measure of right thought; wretchedness, not lack of material possessions, is the measure of wrong thought. A man may be cursed and rich; he may be blessed and poor. 12-13

Blessedness and riches are only joined together when the riches are rightly and wisely used. And the poor man only descends into wretchedness when he regards his lot (in life) as a burden unjustly imposed. 13

Indigence and indulgence are the two extremes of wretchedness. They are both equally unnatural and the result of mental disorder. 13

A man is not rightly conditioned until he is a happy, healthy, and prosperous being; and happiness, health, and prosperity are the result of a harmonious adjustment of the inner with the outer of the man with his surroundings. 13

A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. 13

Law, not confusion, is the dominating principle in the universe; justice, not injustice, is the soul and substance of life. Righteousness, not corruption, is the moulding and moving force in the spiritual government of the world. 13

A man has but to right himself to find that the universe is right. And during the process of putting himself right, he will find that as he alters his thoughts towards things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him. 13

Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life. 13

Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot. It rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstances… A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character and the circumstances (of the man). 13-14

A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances… Nature helps every man to gratification of the thoughts which he most encourages. 14

The world is your kaleidoscope, and the varying combination of colours which at every succeeding moment it presents to you are the exquisitely adjusted pictures of your ever-moving thoughts. 14

Though walls of granite intervene, the human will can hew a way to any goal. 15 (paraphrased)

EXTRACTS FROM AS A MAN THINKETH

Of all the books I have read ever since I was blessed with the gift of literacy, one book that stands out in thought-provocation and economy of words is a long-lost 27-paged classic by James Allen entitled AS A MAN THINKETH.

Characteristically, I have often shared this book with friends, but most of them dont get to read it to the end because of its "rugged" language. And they therefore dont get blessed by the priceless wisdoms Mr Allen grafted in the book.

What I have therefore chosen to do in order to get as many of my friends to benefit from the book is to share some extracts of the book in digestable bits. I believe this will be easier to comprehend and even create a thirst to read the book itself in everyone. Where Mr Allen's language was more complex for easy understanding, I have paraphrased for easy understanding without compromising his semantic and his depth.

Below are the excerpts from the first chapter of the book. 

Enjoy!

THOUGHT AND CHARACTER

A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum (total results) of all his thoughts. 5

As the plant springs from…the seed, so every act of man springs from the hidden seeds of thought…This applies equally to those acts called “spontaneous” as to those which are deliberately executed. 5

Act is the blossom (manifestation) of thought…joy and suffering are its fruitage (fruits); thus…a man garner in (reaps) the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry. 5

We are wrought (constructed) and built by thought. 5 (paraphrased)

Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice. 5

Cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. 5

A noble and God-like character is not a thing of favour or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, (as well as) the effect of long-cherished association with God-like thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character…is the result of the continued harbouring of grovelling thoughts. 5

Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armoury of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. 6

By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to…divine perfection. By the abuse and wrong application of thought he descends below the level of the beasts. [Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master]. 6

Man is the master of thought, the moulder of (his own) character, and the maker and shaper of (his) condition, environment, and destiny. 6

As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills. 6

Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state. But in his weakness and degradation he is a foolish master who misgoverns his “household” (i.e. his life). When he begins to reflect upon his condition and search diligently for the law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. 6

Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being, if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul. 6

A man may truly prove that he is the maker of his character, the moulder of his life, and the builder of his destiny if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts; tracing their effects upon himself, upon others and upon his life and circumstances; linking cause and effect by patient practice and investigation. And utilizing his every experience (even the most trivial, everyday occurrence) as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself which is understanding, wisdom and power. 6 (paraphrased)

Only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity (tireless persistence) can a man enter the door of the temple of (self-) knowledge. 7

FORMULA FOR FAILURE AND SUCCESS

The Formula for Failure and Success by Jim Rohn 

Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. We do not fail overnight. Failure is the inevitable result of an accumulation of poor thinking and poor choices. To put it more simply, failure is nothing more than a few errors in judgment repeated every day. Now why would someone make an error in judgment and then be so foolish as to repeat it every day? The answer is because he or she does not think that it matters. On their own, our daily acts do not seem that important.

A minor oversight, a poor decision, or a wasted hour generally doesn't result in an instant and measurable impact. More often than not, we escape from any immediate consequences of our deeds. If we have not bothered to read a single book in the past ninety days, this lack of discipline does not seem to have any immediate impact on our lives. And since nothing drastic happened to us after the first ninety days, we repeat this error in judgment for another ninety days, and on and on it goes. Why? Because it doesn't seem to matter. And herein lies the great danger. Far worse than not reading the books is not even realizing that it matters! Those who eat too many of the wrong foods are contributing to a future health problem, but the joy of the moment overshadows the consequence of the future. It does not seem to matter. Those who smoke too much or drink too much go on making these poor choices year after year after year... because it doesn't seem to matter. But the pain and regret of these errors in judgment have only been delayed for a future time. Consequences are seldom instant; instead, they accumulate until the inevitable day of reckoning finally arrives and the price must be paid for our poor choices - choices that didn't seem to matter. Failure's most dangerous attribute is its subtlety. In the short term those little errors don't seem to make any difference. We do not seem to be failing. In fact, sometimes these accumulated errors in judgment occur throughout a period of great joy and prosperity in our lives. Since nothing terrible happens to us, since there are no instant consequences to capture our attention, we simply drift from one day to the next, repeating the errors, thinking the wrong thoughts, listening to the wrong voices and making the wrong choices. The sky did not fall in on us yesterday;

Therefore, the act was probably harmless. Since it seemed to have no measurable consequence, it is probably safe to repeat. But we must become better educated than that! If at the end of the day when we made our first error in judgment the sky had fallen in on us, we undoubtedly would have taken immediate steps to ensure that the act would never be repeated again. Like the child who places his hand on a hot burner despite his parents' warnings, we would have had an instantaneous experience accompanying our error in judgment. Unfortunately, failure does not shout out its warnings as our parents once did. This is why it is imperative to refine our philosophy in order to be able to make better choices. With a powerful, personal philosophy guiding our every step, we become more aware of our errors in judgment and more aware that each error really does matter. Now here is the great news. Just like the formula for failure, the formula for success is easy to follow: It's a few simple disciplines practiced every day. Now here is an interesting question worth pondering: How can we change the errors in the formula for failure into the disciplines required in the formula for success? The answer is by making the future an important part of our current philosophy. Both success and failure involve future consequences, namely the inevitable rewards or unavoidable regrets resulting from past activities. If this is true, why don't more people take time to ponder the future? The answer is simple: They are so caught up in the current moment that it doesn't seem to matter. The problems and the rewards of today are so absorbing to some human beings that they never pause long enough to think about tomorrow. But what if we did develop a new discipline to take just a few minutes every day to look a little further down the road? We would then be able to foresee the impending consequences of our current conduct. Armed with that valuable information, we would be able to take the necessary action to change our errors into new success-oriented disciplines. In other words, by disciplining ourselves to see the future in advance, we would be able to change our thinking, amend our errors and develop new habits to replace the old. One of the exciting things about the formula for success - a few simple disciplines practiced every day - is that the results are almost immediate. As we voluntarily change daily errors into daily disciplines, we experience positive results in a very short period of time. When we change our diet, our health improves noticeably in just a few weeks. When we start exercising, we feel a new vitality almost immediately. When we begin reading, we experience a growing awareness and a new level of self-confidence. Whatever new discipline we begin to practice daily will produce exciting results that will drive us to become even better at developing new disciplines. The real magic of new disciplines is that they will cause us to amend our thinking. If we were to start today to read the books, keep a journal, attend the classes, listen more and observe more, then today would be the first day of a new life leading to a better future. If we were to start today to try harder, and in every way make a conscious and consistent effort to change subtle and deadly errors into constructive and rewarding disciplines, we would never again settle for a life of existence - not once we have tasted the fruits of a life of substance!

To Your Success, Jim Rohn 

SOME 22 FACTS ABOUT YOUR LIFE PURPOSE

1. It is the key to your greatness
2. It is not determined by your past or present location
3. It has nothing to do with your family background or standing in the society
4. It may have nothing to do with your present career or the job you are doing now
5. It helps you to set your priorities in life and identify what is really important and what isn’t
6. It helps you to apportion and make use of time more productively
7. God will require an account of stewardship from you on what you do with it
8. It takes an accountability system to continually live and fulfil it maximally
9. It is what you will do with joy and look forward to doing everyday
10. It will bring you great contentment in life and give you a sense of fulfilment
11. It helps you to identify your destiny partners: e.g. who to marry, who to be friendly with, who to go into business with, who to hire as workers, who to submit to etc
12. In the field of your purpose, you are a king and a celebrity
13. It is in the Word of God
14. It takes God and His resources to fulfil it
15. You are not really successful if you are not fulfilling or living it
16. It guides you to make the right choices and decisions in life
17. It is not something you learn in school, seminars, workshops, or conferences
18. It has been in/with you all along, merely awaiting discovery
19. You might have been fulfilling it without knowing
20. You don’t have to leave your present job or career to start fulfilling it
21. You can make a career out of it
22. It can be commercialised to fetch you money and make you very rich

WHAT IS ENTREPRENEURSHIP?

Entrepreneurship is the act of mixing and turning personal skills as well as all factors of production into a profitable business venture that will offer goods or services to an identified market in need of it.

WHO IS AN ENTREPRENEUR? Someone who organizes a business venture and assumes the risk for it. – Word Web Someone who starts a company and arranges business deals. - Longman Active Dictionary Businessperson: somebody who sets up and finances new commercial enterprises to make a profit. - Microsoft® Encarta®

WHO IS A CHRISTIAN ENTREPRENEUR? A Christian Entrepreneur is a disciple of Jesus Christ who has chosen to “express himself” or fulfil his stewardship by setting up a business venture to provide essential products or services that will meet the need of, as well as add value to, an identified market (people) in the society.

WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF A CHRISTIAN ENTREPRENEUR? ¡ He is a steward 1 Corinthians 4:2: Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful ¡ He is a Non-compromiser ¡ He is a Non-conformist with the popular conventions of business practice ¡ He is a Faithful Servant Matthew 24:45-47: Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods. ¡ He is a Treasurer ¡ He is a Minister/Evangelist in the marketplace Acts 1:8: But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. ¡ He personifies Love in his offerings and dealings The integrative principle that must guide Christians in the marketplace is that of love. ¡ Love compels Christians to put their faith into action and to live what they believe. ¡ Love will motivate Christians in the marketplace to follow the example of Christ in the incarnation. ¡ It will move them to identify with those who are lost and alone in a dark world. ¡ It will allow them to share in the sufferings of those they care for and by bringing the presence of Christ into the marketplace also bring transformation and hope.

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL QUESTIONS 

1. What do I have the resources, ability, interest and contacts to do? 

2. Do I have the necessary commitment needed to succeed in a business undertaking? 

3. Am I prepared to work extremely hard, to devote long hours of labor to my business? 

4. Do I have the mental stamina and concentration to meet the demands my project will impose on me? 

5. Do I accept new ideas easily? Do I treat other people with respect? Am I able to make decisions right away? 6. How do I deal with problem solving: Am I prepared to spend time analyzing a problem and find a solution? Or am I the type who just closes his eyes and hope for the best? 

7. Am I ready to commit to the long term, knowing that a company’s success is never an overnight miracle? 

8. What back-up resources do I have? Will my family members or friends invest in my company or tide me over during a rough patch? 

9. Am I good at concentrating on details? 

10. Am I ready to sit down and write a careful analysis of my business prospects? 

11. Am I by nature an optimist? Knowing that mistakes and setbacks are bound to occur, am I able to learn from my mistakes without getting derailed or discouraged?