Be the Answer

You can’t depend on some expert or guru to provide you with
the answer you seek. Instead of looking for the answer
outside yourself, choose to be the answer by the way you
think and act.

You are the world’s most knowledgeable expert on your own
life. Put some of that expertise to good use.

Certainly others can give you advice, suggestions,
inspiration and expanded perspective. Yet it is up to you to
choose what is best for your own unique situation.

The most valuable course of action is not to be found by
plugging yourself into someone else’s formula. The success
you will achieve is the success you work to define on your
own terms.

Speak with your own voice, think with your own mind, and act
according to your own vision. The expert advice that will be
most beneficial is the control you exercise over the choices
you make.

Live in such a way as to be the solution to the problems you
face and the answer to the questions you ponder. And be the
fulfilled, successful person you are destined to be.

Ralph Marston

Shake it off

Someone at work sent this to me, it was appropriate for the day i was having

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried
piteously
for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he
decided
the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just
wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed
a
shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey
realized
what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement,
he
quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and
was
astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back,
the
donkey was doing something amazing! He would shake it off and take a
step
up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the
animal,
he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was
amazed
as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to
getting
out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our
troubles
is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not
stopping, never giving up!

Shake it off and take a step up!

Nitty Gritty Reasons – by Jim Rohn

Nitty-Gritty Reasons by Jim Rohn (excerpted from the book Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness)

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be motivated to achievement by such a lofty goal as benevolence? I must confess, however, that in the early years of my struggle to succeed, my motivation was a lot more down-to-earth. My reason for succeeding was more basic. In fact, it fell into the category of what I like to call “nitty-gritty reasons.” A nitty-gritty reason is the kind that any one of us can have — at any time, on any day — and it can cause our lives to change. Let me tell you what happened to me . . .

Shortly before I met Mr. Schoaff, I was lounging at home one day when I heard a knock at the door. It was a timid, hesitant knock. When I opened the door I looked down to see a pair of big brown eyes staring up at me. There stood a frail little girl of about ten. She told me, with all the courage and determination her little heart could muster, that she was selling Girl Scout cookies. It was a masterful presentation — several flavors, a special deal, and only two dollars per box. How could anyone refuse? Finally, with a big smile and ever-so politely, she asked me to buy. And I wanted to. Oh, how I wanted to!

Except for one thing. I didn’t have two dollars! Boy, was I embarrassed! Here I was — a father, had been to college, was gainfully employed — and yet I didn’t have two dollars to my name.

Naturally I couldn’t tell this to the little girl with the big brown eyes. So I did the next best thing. I lied to her. I said, “Thanks, but I’ve already bought Girl Scout cookies this year. And I’ve still got plenty stacked in the house.”

Now that simply wasn’t true. But it was the only thing I could think of to get me off the hook. And it did. The little girl said, “That’s okay, sir. Thank you very much.” And with that she turned around and went on her way.

I stared after her for what seemed like a very long time. Finally, I closed the door behind me and, leaning my back to it, cried out, “I don’t want to live like this anymore. I’ve had it with being broke, and I’ve had it with lying. I’ll never be embarrassed again by not having any money in my pocket.” That day I promised myself to earn enough to always have several hundred dollars in my pocket at all times.

This is what I mean by a nitty-gritty reason. It may not win me any prize for greatness, but it was enough to have a permanent effect on the rest of my life.

My Girl-Scout-cookie story does have a happy ending. Several years later, as I was walking out of my bank where I had just made a hefty deposit and was crossing the street to get into my car, I saw two little girls who were selling candy for some girls’ organization. One of them approached me, saying, “Mister, would you like to buy some candy?”

“I probably would,” I said playfully. “What kind of candy do you have?” “It’s almond roca.” “Almond roca. That’s my favorite. How much is it?” “It’s only two dollars.” Two dollars. It couldn’t be! I was excited. “How many boxes of candy have you got?” “I’ve got five.”

Looking at her friend, I said, “And how many boxes do you have left?”

“I’ve got four.” “That’s nine. Okay, I’ll take them all.”

At this, both girls’ mouths fell open as they exclaimed in unison, “Really?”

“Sure,” I said. “I’ve got some friends that I’ll pass some around to.”

Excitedly, they scurried to stack all the boxes together. I reached into my pocket and gave them eighteen dollars. As I was about to leave, the boxes tucked under my arm, one of the girls looked up and said, “Mister, you’re really something!” How about that! Can you imagine spending only eighteen dollars and having someone look you in the face and say, “You’re really something!”

Now you know why I always carry a few hundred dollars on me. I’m not about to miss chances like that ever again.

And to think it all resulted from my own embarrassment, that when properly channeled, acted as a powerful motivator to help me achieve.

How about you? What nitty-gritty reasons do you have waiting to challenging and provoke you into change for the better? Look for them, they are there. Sometimes it can be as simple as a brown-eyed girl selling Girl Scott cookies.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Credit Statement to be included in Reprints:

This article was submitted by Jim Rohn, America’s Foremost Business Philosopher. To subscribe to the Free Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine go to www.jimrohn.com or send a blank email to subscribe@jimrohn.com
Copyright © 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide.

One of Life’s Great Lessons – By Jim Rohn

One of Life’s Great Lessons – Learn to be Thankful for What You Already Have by Jim Rohn (excerpted from the New Jim Rohn Weekend Event DVD/CD series)

Is thankfulness a survival skill? Perhaps most of you would respond with, “No, Jim, thankfulness is not key to survival”, and I would tend to agree with you. Most of us have probably already solved the necessary problems of survival, gone beyond that and are now working to achieve our desires. But let me give you this key phrase, “Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.” I believe one of the greatest and perhaps one of the simplest lessons in life we can learn is to be thankful for what we have already received and accomplished.

Both the years and the experiences have brought me here to where I stand today, but it is the thankfulness that opened the windows of opportunities, of blessings, of unique experiences to flow my way. My gratitude starts with my parents who raised me, gave me an incredible foundation that has lasted me all of these years and continues with the mentors that I’ve met along the way who absolutely changed and revolutionized my life, my income, my bank account, my future. I am also very thankful for the people, the associations, for the ideas, for the chance to work and labor, and to produce results, all of that has brought me to this place, to this weekend. I’m grateful for it all.

What a unique opportunity each one of you here has, so many of us; representing different countries, nations and cultures, to appreciate the uniqueness of our own experiences that has brought us all here, together, for these three days to learn new skills and sharpen old ones. For the countries we represent; we have freedom and liberty. These are extraordinary times, about eleven years ago the walls came tumbling down, in Germany, and it started a wave of democracy and freedom like the world has never seen before. We as a country and as a world have so much to be thankful for. Always start with thanksgiving; be thankful for what you already have and see the miracles that come from this one simple act.

Now thankfulness is just the beginning; next, you’ve got to challenge yourself to produce. Produce more ideas than you need for yourself so you can share and give your ideas away. That is called fruitfulness and abundance. Here’s what I think fruitfulness and abundance mean – to go to work on producing more than you need for yourself so you can begin blessing others, blessing your nation and blessing your enterprise. Once abundance starts to come, once someone becomes incredibly productive, it’s amazing what the numbers turn out to be. But to begin this incredible process of blessing, it often starts with the act of thanksgiving and gratitude, being thankful for what you already have and for what you’ve already done. Begin the act of thanksgiving today and watch the miracles flow your way.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Credit Statement to be included in Reprints:

This article was submitted by Jim Rohn, America’s Foremost Business Philosopher. To subscribe to the Free Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine go to www.jimrohn.com or send a blank email to subscribe@jimrohn.com
Copyright © 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide.

SMART GOALS by Jim Rohn

S.M.A.R.T. Goals by Jim Rohn (excerpted from the Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan)

This week as we approach the close of 2003 and enter into a new year, 2004, what a great time to talk about Goal-Setting. Below is an excerpt taken from Pillar Two: Part 3 of the One-Year Program, entitled S.M.A.R.T. Goals. Enjoy!
JR

Jim Rohn’s Second Pillar of Success: Goal-Setting, Part Three – S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Hi, Jim Rohn here. As you know, we are focused on the Second Pillar of Success this month – Goal-Setting.

We have introduced the four main components of Goal-Setting:

1. Evaluation and Reflection. The only way we can reasonably decide what we want in the future and how we will get there, is to first know where we are right now and secondly, what our level of satisfaction is for where we are in life. As we focus this month on goal-setting, our first order of business and our topic two weeks ago was evaluation and reflection.

2. Dreams and Goals. What are your dreams and goals? Not related to the past or what you think you can get, but what you want. Have you ever really sat down and thought through your life values and decided what you really want? This isn’t something that someone else says you should have or what culture tells us successful people do or have. These are the dreams and goals that are born out of your own heart and mind. These are the goals that are unique to you and come from who you were created to be and gifted to become. Last week we showed you exactly how to find out what you want from life.

3. S.M.A.R.T. Goals. S.M.A.R.T. means Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-sensitive.

Specific: Don’t be vague. Exactly what do you want?

Measurable: Quantify your goal. How will you know if you’ve achieved it or not?

Attainable: Be honest with yourself about what you can reasonably accomplish at this point in your life – along with taking into consideration your current responsibilities.

Realistic: It’s got to be do-able, real and practical.

Time: Associate a timeframe with each goal. When should you complete the goal?

We will spend time this week looking at how to apply the S.M.A.R.T. test to your goals to make sure they are as powerful as they can be!

4. Accountability. Think of the word “accountable.” It means to “give an account.” When someone knows what your goals are, they help hold you accountable. Whether it is someone else going through this program with you (have you thought about inviting a friend to join you on this one-year journey?) or just someone you can give the basic idea to, having a person who can hold you accountable will give you another added boost to getting your goals! Next week we will show you how to set up an accountability partner.

This week we will be discussing point 3 – S.M.A.R.T. Goals.

S.M.A.R.T. means Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-sensitive.

I really like this acronym S.M.A.R.T., because we want to be smart when we set our goals. We want to intelligently decide what our goals will be so that we can actually accomplish them. We want to set the goals that our heart conceives, that our mind believes and that our bodies will carry out. Let’s take a closer look at each of the components of S.M.A.R.T. goals:

Specific: Goals are no place to waffle. They are no place to be vague. Ambiguous goals produce ambiguous results. Incomplete goals produce incomplete futures.

When we are specific, we harness the power of our dreams and set forces into action that empower us to achieve our goals. We then know exactly what it is we are shooting for. There is no question. As we establish our priorities and manage our time, we do so for a specific goal to achieve the results we expect. There is no wondering or guessing. The future is locked into our minds and we see it – specifically – and that is powerful! Never underestimate just how important it is to have very specific, concrete goals. They act as magnets that draw you toward them! A S.M.A.R.T. goal is specific.

Measurable: Always set goals that are measurable. I would say “specifically measurable” to take into account our principle of being specific as well. Our goals should be such that we know when we are advancing and by how much. Whether it is by hours, pounds, dollars or whatever, we should be able to see exactly how we are measuring up as we proceed through the journey of life using our goals. Could you imagine if you didn’t measure your goals? You would never know which way you were going or even if you were going anywhere! A S.M.A.R.T. goal is measurable.

Attainable: One of the detrimental things that many people do – and they do it with good intentions – is to set goals that are so high they are unattainable. Yes, it is very important to set big goals that cause your heart to soar with excitement, but it is also imperative to make sure that they are attainable. In the next section we talk about being realistic. So what does it mean to be attainable? An attainable goal is one that is both realistic but also attainable in a shorter period of time than what you have to work with. Now when I say attainable, I don’t mean easy. Our goals should be set so they are just out of our reach; so they will challenge us to grow as we reach forward to achieve them. After the next paragraph, I will give you an example of a goal that is both attainable and realistic. A S.M.A.R.T. goal is attainable.

Realistic: The root word of realistic is “real.” A goal has to be something that we can reasonably make “real” or a “reality” in our lives. There are some goals that simply are not realistic. You have to be able to say, even if it is a tremendously stretching goal, that yes, indeed, it is entirely realistic — that you could make it. You may even have to say that it will take x, y, and z to do it, but if those happen, then it can be done. This is in no way to say it shouldn’t be a big goal, but it must be realistic. This is to a great degree, up to the individual. For one person a goal may be realistic, but for another unrealistic. I would encourage you to be very honest with yourself as you do your planning and evaluation. Perhaps it would be good to get a friend to help you (as long as that friend is by nature an optimist and not a pessimist). This can go a long way toward helping you know what is realistic. A S.M.A.R.T. goal is realistic.

Example of Attainable and Realistic: Knowing that perhaps you could use a bit of help differentiating attainable and realistic, here is an example: You are overweight and have 150 pounds to lose to get to your proper weight. Is that goal attainable? Yes, considering that you also make it realistic. For example, it isn’t realistic to think you can do it in 5 months. 18-24 months would be realistic (with hard work). Thus, losing 150 pounds in 2 years is both attainable and realistic, while losing 150 pounds in 5 months is neither attainable nor realistic.

Time: Every goal should have a timeframe attached to it. I think that life itself is much more productive for us as humans because there is a timeframe connected to it. Could you imagine how much procrastination there would be on earth if people never died? We would never get “around to it.” We could always put it off. One of the powerful aspects of a great goal is that it has an end, a time in which you are shooting to accomplish it. You start working on it because you know there is an end. As time goes by you work because you don’t want to get behind. As it approaches, you work diligently because you want to meet the deadline. You may even have to break down a big goal into different measured parts time frames. That is okay. Set smaller goals and work them out in their own time. A S.M.A.R.T. goal has a timeline.

Be sure to spend some reflection time this week to make sure your goals fit the S.M.A.R.T. parameters. Go through the reflection questions below and the action points associated with them. Doing so will put a real engine in your goals and make them charged with power to help you accomplish your dreams.

Until next week, let’s do something remarkable!
Jim Rohn

Credit Statement to be included in Reprints:

This article was submitted by Jim Rohn, America’s Foremost Business Philosopher. To subscribe to the Free Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine go to www.jimrohn.com or send a blank email to subscribe@jimrohn.com
Copyright © 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide.

Personal Development

I had an extensive personal development blog that I kept for over a year,but didn’t back up and managed to lose it all. After all these years, with blogs and computers I managed not to back it up after losing dozens of blogs and files over the years. So, here we go starting over.

I am a long time fan of self help/personal development books, courses and audios. Can’t say I have used everything I have learned, and although I may not be a shining example that rose from the ashes to become powerful and wealthy, they have had great influence over my life. I am a huge fan of Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn especially, Zig Ziglar and many others. This blog will be filled with book reviews, links (both affiliate and otherwise) discussion and opinions on the personal development genre. In the past I have read all of Anthony Robbins books, and I have completed Personal Power 1 and 2 a couple times throughout my life. I was a pretty angry teenager, due to parents divorce and just your average teen age angst. My mom always said that Personal Power was one of the best investments she ever made as she could really see the difference in me after completing PP1. I have since read all the books and have many of his disk packages including, Lessons in Mastery, the Personal Powers, Awaken the Giant Within and others. While working in my network marketing company I really dove into personal development materials. Even though I did not follow through as I should (am not currently active in that company, although I don’t say or feel didn’t work, I failed to work it as I should ) I do not consider it wasted time or money because of all the fantastic material and authors I came in contact with thru that company. I do plan to become active in MLM again, and it may very well be with that company.

I am a long time fan of self help/personal development books, courses and audios. Can’t say I have used everything I have learned, and although I may not be a shining example that rose from the ashes to become powerful and wealthy, they have had great influence over my life. I am a huge fan of Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn especially, Zig Ziglar and many others. This blog will be filled with book reviews, links (both affiliate and otherwise) discussion and opinions on the personal development genre.

In the past I have read all of Anthony Robbins books, and I have completed Personal Power 1 and 2 a couple times throughout my life. I was a pretty angry teenager, due to parents divorce and just your average teen age angst. My mom always said that Personal Power was one of the best investments she ever made as she could really see the difference in me after completing PP1. I have since read all the books and have many of his disk packages including, Lessons in Mastery, the Personal Powers, Awaken the Giant Within and others.

While working in my network marketing company I really dove into personal development materials. Even though I did not follow through as I should (am not currently active in that company, although I don’t say or feel “it” didn’t work, I failed to “work ” it as I should ) I do not consider it wasted time or money because of all the fantastic material and authors I came in contact with thru that company. I do plan to become active in MLM again, and I am currently evaluating my choices. I will update my blog as I go. One very interesting oportunity can be found here.