Chapter 1


CHARACTERISTICS OF GREAT SCIENTISTS,
INVENTORS AND ACHIEVERS

By
The Man Who Saw God Face To Face
Raphael Okechukwu Nweze

• The findings show how little the students know about success and how to achieve it.
• Formal education teaches the students what other people have discovered, invented, or accomplished. But, unfortunately, it does not teach the students how the great and successful people were able to make their achievements.
• The very factors that are indispensable to success were those rated low or zero by the students because the students do not know the importance of those factors.
• The 0 mark given to the 'Use of Silence' explains the reason why people spend enormous time in useless chatter, gossip, joke, mockery and conversation. They do not know that great things do fashion themselves into wonderful realities, in the silent minds of the achievers.
• The 2 points given to 'Thinking' indicate that the many students do not perform very well, due to their inability to exert themselves to think enough. They see “Thinking” as a mere thing, whereas it is the major activity of man and a major determinant of other activities.
• The 0 given to 'Inspiration' clearly shows that the students do not know that God, Angels and nature speak in whispers to the minds of men.
• The 0 point given to 'Talent' confirms the fact that schools do not identify, encourage and develop the talents of children. Contrarily, the great and successful have been those who were able to discover their natural talents and develop them.
• The 0 point given to 'Desire' proves that people do not know that desire is a key to attainment. The great and successful became so by initially desiring, earnestly, to become so. How can a person work very hard for something that is not important to him?
• The 2 points given to 'Practice' indicate that though the students hear the aphorism, “Practice makes perfect,” from time to time, they have not understood the significance of that statement. This is reflected in the study habit of the students. They hardly take their studies serious. Instead, they prefer to waste time, in trivial things.
• The zero given to 'Sense of Responsibility' confirms that students are usually indifferent and nonchalant, unless they are strictly guided to become responsible.
• The 1 point given to God is the worst show. This is because God created the universe, made man in His own image and likeness, placed the potentials of success in man, co-works with man and makes success possible. It makes clear why many students hardly say their prayers with devotion.
• The 22 points given to 'Hard work' prove that students know the importance of diligence. But, many of them are not hardworking in their studies and other assignments.
• The 22 points given to 'Education' points out that students know the importance of education. But many people do not engage in self-education.
• In the study, money and wealth were rated very high. But these are means, which cannot use themselves.

1. The successful study and explain natural happenings.
   The unsuccessful do not study and explain natural happenings. Instead, they make false assumptions, which include superstition.
2. The successful have the habit of patient thinking.
   The unsuccessful hardly think enough. Their mind is parochial.
3. The successful introduce new ideas, develop better systems and discover more facts.
   In most cases, the unsuccessful do not care to make changes or improvements.
4. The successful end up being great, successful, or distinguished.
   The unsuccessful are the mediocre that concentrate more on trivial matters.
5. The successful observe periods of silence, solitude and meditation.
   The unsuccessful do not value silence, solitude and meditation. And if they do, they do not practice them well.
6. The successful talk less and do more.
   The unsuccessful are garrulous beings (talkatives), who do litle or nothing.
7. The successful identify the problems of mankind and set themselves to find solutions, without being told to do so.
   The unsuccessful do not care to solve the seemingly hard problems of mankind.
8. The successful have self-confidence. They trust themselves and believe that they can succeed.
   The unsuccessful have little or no self-confidence, and therefore would not attempt great things.
9. The successful avoid distractions from their set goals, and so accomplish prodigious works.
   The unsuccessful allow or even enjoy distractions from their set goals, and so achieve little or nothing.
10. The successful persist until they succeed.
    The unsuccessful try and give up.
11. The successful consider ideas to be very important, though the idea may seem insignificant.
    Often, the unsuccessful consider new ideas insignificant or impossibilities.
12. The successful make things to happen.
    The unsuccessful wait for things to happen.
13. The successful meet and discuss ideas, problems and solutions.
    The unsuccessful meet and discuss people, gossip and busy themselves with the frivolities of life.
14. The successful make the world wonderful and beautiful.
    The unsuccessful mainly enjoy what others have produced.
15. The successful may spend a part off their night working.
    The unsuccessful usually sleep all through the night.
16. Often, the successful are not satisfied with daily routine.
    Usually, the unsuccessful are satisfied with daily routine, unless better developments are made for them to emulate.
17. Great things challenge the successful to become successful achievers.
    Great things baffle the unsuccessful, such that they refrain from attempting.
18. The successful identify and develop their talents.
    The unsuccessful may neglect their talent or care not to improve on them.
19. The successful adopt right attitudes and correct approaches.
    The unsuccessful adopt bad attitudes and incorrect approaches.
20. The successful are constructively optimistic.
    The unsuccessful are more or less destructively pessimistic.
21. The successful delight in their work.
    The unsuccessful like to avoid work, unless where they will have immediate gain.
22. The successful do not wait to be told.
    The unsuccessful wait to be told, persuaded, reminded, or compelled.
23. The successful educate themselves more.
    The unsuccessful do not care to educate themselves more.
24. The successful become leaders, organizers and pacesetters that teach others.
    The unsuccessful follow the footsteps of the successful and learn from them.
25. The successful desire earnestly to become great and successful. Hence, they insist on becoming so.
    The unsuccessful do not desire enough to become successful.
26. The successful choose to make themselves great and successful.
    The unsuccessful leave themselves in the hands of fate.

1. To make the differences clear.
2. For you to understand that successfulness is self-bestowed, while mediocrity is self-imposed. The difference shows that any person can make himself great and successful, if he will make the necessary sacrifice or effort.
3. To emphasis right attitudes and correct approaches.
4. For you to understand that many of the essentials to success are innate qualities or virtues, which should be developed and utilized by everyone.
5. For you to understand that the sky is not your limit, but could be your base point.

1. They have sense of initiative.
• Able to see what should be done.
• Start doing it.
• Without being told, persuaded, forced or rewarded.
2. They have sense of responsibility.
• Able to work conscientiously.
• Without being supervised.
3. They believe in omnipotence.
• Every problem has a solution.
• They make the impossible possible.
4. They are problem-solving.
• They identify problems in the society or environment.
• They set themselves to solve the problems without being told to do so.
Unlike the developing countries, who have so many problems and lack problem-solving mentality. Therefore, their problems tend to remain with them.
5. They have power of independent thinking.
• Able to think on their own.
• They do not just believe or accept whatever they hear.
• They study and analyze issues and events.
6. They are persevering.
• They try, try and try again.
• E.g. Edison repeated an experiment 5000 times for electric bulb.
7. They are resourceful.
• They start with nothing.
• They make best of what is available.
• They do not despise their small beginning.
• They do not need the whole world to succeed.
• They think big, but start small.
8. They ask 6 basic research questions.
• What is happening? Why…? How…? When….? Where? What materials to use?
• How can it be applied to solve problem?
9. They are observant.
• They do not take things for granted.
• E.g. Isaac Newton observed falling leaves, which were overlooked by everybody, to define the laws of gravitation.
10. They use divine inspiration.
• They call divine inspiration Illumination.
• They first work hard; easy solution comes to them latter.
• Holy Spirit inspires them.
• Angel Scientists and Engineers assist them.
• E.g. Archimedes received inspiration about the law of floatation while taking bath. He had to shout 'Eureka', which means 'I have found it'.
11. They are great thinkers.
• They have the habit of patient thinking.
• E.gs. Isaac Newton and Bill Gates.
12. They have Foresight.
• They foresee future needs and start providing for them.
13. They have Insight.
• They are able to understand difficult situations.
14. They have Innovative spirit.
• They have new ideas.
• They develop better methods.
• They introduce faster ways.
15. They are creative.
• As image of God, they create like God did at creation. (Of all that God created, it is only man that can create.)
16. They are Inventive.
• They make new discoveries.
17. Many of them were children of poor parents.
• Some lived in villages.
• Some suffered lack and hunger.
• Some were not educated.
• Yet, they were able to succeed.
18. Some of them were educational misfits (school dropouts).