The Best Gift to Give Yourself and Others by Jim Rohn

I’m often asked the question, “How can I best help my children, spouse, family member, staff member, friend, etc., improve/change?” In fact that might be the most frequently asked question I receive, “How can I help change someone else?”

My answer often comes as a surprise and here it is. The key to helping others is to help yourself first. In other words, the best contribution I can make to someone else is my own personal development. If I become 10 times wiser, 10 times stronger, think of what that will do for my adventure as a father… as a grandfather… as a business colleague.

The best gift I can give to you, really, is my ongoing personal development. Getting better, getting stronger, becoming wiser. I think parents should pick this valuable philosophy up. If the parents are okay, the kids have an excellent chance of being okay. Work on your personal development as parents; that’s the best gift you can give to your children.

If you have ever ridden in an airplane, then you might have noticed the oxygen compartment located above every seat. There are explicit instructions that say “In case of an emergency, first secure your own oxygen mask and then if you have children with you then secure their masks.” Take care of yourself first… then assist your children. If we use that same philosophy throughout our whole parental life, it would be so valuable.

If I learn to create happiness for myself, my children now have an excellent chance to be happy. If I create a unique lifestyle for myself and my spouse, that will be a great example to serve my children.

Self-development enables you to serve, to be more valuable to those around you; for your child… your business… your colleague… your community… your church.

That’s why I teach development skills. If you keep refining all the parts of your character, yourself, your health, etc., so that you become an attractive person to the marketplace, you’ll attract opportunity. Opportunity will then begin to seek you out. Your reputation will begin to precede you and people will want to do business with you. All of that possibility is created by adopting and applying the philosophy that success is something you attract by continually working on your own personal development.

Know Where You Are Going

Personal Philosophy Is Like the Set of the Sail by Jim Rohn

In the process of living, the winds of circumstances blow on us all in an unending flow that touches each of our lives.

We have all experienced the blowing winds of disappointment, despair and heartbreak. Why, then, would each of us, in our own individual ship of life, all beginning at the same point, with the same intended destination in mind, arrive at such different places at the end of the journey? Have we not all been blown by the winds of circumstances and buffeted by the turbulent storms of discontent?

What guides us to different destinations in life is determined by the way we have chosen to set our sail. The way that each of us thinks makes the major difference in where each of us arrives. The major difference is the set of the sail.

The same circumstances happen to us all. We have disappointments and challenges. We all have reversals and those moments when, in spite of our best plans and efforts, things just seem to fall apart. Challenging circumstances are not events reserved for the poor, the uneducated or the destitute. The rich and the poor have marital problems. The rich and the poor have the same challenges that can lead to financial ruin and personal despair. In the final analysis, it is not what happens that determines the quality of our lives; it is what we choose to do when we have struggled to set the sail and then discover, after all of our efforts, that the wind has changed directions.

When the winds change, we must change. We must struggle to our feet once more and reset the sail in the manner that will steer us toward the destination of our own deliberate choosing. The set of the sail, how we think and how we respond, has a far greater capacity to destroy our lives than any challenges we face. How quickly and responsibly we react to adversity is far more important than the adversity itself. Once we discipline ourselves to understand this, we will finally and willingly conclude that the great challenge of life is to control the process of our thinking.

Learning to reset the sail with the changing winds rather than permitting ourselves to be blown in directions we did not purposely choose requires the development of a whole new discipline. It involves going to work on establishing a powerful, personal philosophy that will help to influence in a positive way all that we do, think and decide. If we can succeed in this worthy endeavor, the result will be a change in the course of our income, lifestyle and relationships, and in how we feel about the things of value as well as the times of challenge. If we can alter the way we perceive, judge and decide upon the main issues of life, then we can dramatically change our lives.

7 Days to a Healthier You

Don’t put off your health and fitness goals. A week is all it takes to get serious about improving your health. Here’s how:

1. Sunday

Buy a pedometer and aspire to meet the American Heart Association’s standard of walking 3,000 steps per day.

1. Monday

Are you out of breath after taking a couple of flights of stairs? Turn stairwells into your fitness friend by choosing the steps instead of the elevator. Whether it’s two flights or 10, watch how quickly your breathing improves.

1. Tuesday

When you’re trapped at your desk or stuck on a plane, do calf raises. By flexing and pointing—first lifting toes, returning to a flat foot, then lifting your heels and squeezing your calf muscles—you are pumping blood up your legs and improving your circulation.

1. Wednesday

Give up the perfect parking space. Forever. By parking farther from the store, office or gym, you are burning more calories. Little walks add up.

1. Thursday

Eat natural. Take a day to give up processed food filled with preservatives and sodium. Choose food that looks the same as when it was harvested. Stick to the outer perimeter of the grocery store when you shop.

1. Friday

Cool down. Tough week? Take one day to do an activity to soothe your mind. Read a book. Enjoy a sunset. Take a bubble bath. Listen to your iPod.

1. Saturday

Let your dog think you’re indecisive. Take your dog for a 10-minute walk, then jog for two minutes. Try a new route. Walk down a different street. Play at a new park.

(Taken from Seeds of Success Newsletter.  Sign up here).

Facing the Enemies Within by Jim Rohn

We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you’ve read in the papers. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o’clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won’t need to live in fear of it.

Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us.

Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within. The first enemy that you’ve got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is. “Ho-hum, let it slide. I’ll just drift along.” Here’s one problem with drifting: you can’t drift your way to the top of the mountain.

The second enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy.

The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there’s room for healthy skepticism. You can’t believe everything. But you also can’t let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities. Worst of all, they doubt themselves. I’m telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it.

The fourth enemy within is worry. We’ve all got to worry some. Just don’t let it conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you’ve got to worry. But you can’t let worry loose like a mad dog that drives you into a small corner. Here’s what you’ve got to do with your worries: drive them into a small corner. Whatever is out to get you, you’ve got to get it. Whatever is pushing on you, you’ve got to push back.

The fifth interior enemy is over-caution. It is the timid approach to life. Timidity is not a virtue; it’s an illness. If you let it go, it’ll conquer you. Timid people don’t get promoted. They don’t advance and grow and become powerful in the marketplace. You’ve got to avoid over-caution.

Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears. Build your courage to fight what’s holding you back, what’s keeping you from your goals and dreams. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become.

Flex Your Brain Muscles

It’s a common myth that we use only 10 percent of our brains. Actually, we use all of it. But just like your body, you can improve your mental fitness to increase your brain power and keep it healthy as you age.

Perfect your posture. Try solving a problem while slouching versus sitting upright and see how it impacts your mental clarity. Now sit up straight.

Use trapped downtime. Plan ahead with an MP3 or iPod loaded with a good book or advice from a personal-development expert for when you’re stuck in traffic, in line or in a waiting room.

Tell a good story. Sharing experiences in a compelling and fun way sharpens your mental recall.

Mix up your routine. Take a different route to work, or eat your salad after the main course. Changing your typical way of doing things tells your brain to wake up and pay attention.

Write. Writing notes, poetry, stories or in a journal helps your memory, clarifies your thinking and engages your creativity.

Work on your intuition. Every time you follow through on a hunch or listen to your inner dialogue, you are working your intuitive muscle.

Walk. The rhythmic pace of walking gets you breathing and limbered up, creating a physical and mental state conducive for clear thinking.

Laugh. Endorphins released when you laugh lower your stress and can help your long-term health. Ever notice you feel better after a big laugh?

Read more about Maximizing Your Brain Power on SUCCESS.com.

Doing the Remarkable by Jim Rohn

When it comes to meeting and conquering the negativity in your life, here is a key question: What can you do, starting today, that will make a difference? What can you do during economic chaos? What can you do when everything has gone wrong? What can you do when you’ve run out of money, when you don’t feel well and it’s all gone sour? What can you do?

Let me give you the broad answer first. You can do the most remarkable things, no matter what happens. People can do incredible things, unbelievable things, despite the most impossible or disastrous circumstances.

Here is why humans can do remarkable things: because they are remarkable. Humans are different than any other creation. When a dog starts with weeds, he winds up with weeds. And the reason is because he’s a dog. But that’s not true with human beings. Humans can turn weeds into gardens.

Humans can turn nothing into something, pennies into fortune, and disaster into success. And the reason they can do such remarkable things is because they are remarkable. Try reaching down inside of yourself; you’ll come up with some more of those remarkable human gifts. They’re there, waiting to be discovered and employed.

With those gifts, you can change anything for yourself that you wish to change. And I challenge you to do that because you can change. If you don’t like how something is going for you, change it. If something isn’t enough, change it. If something doesn’t suit you; change it. If something doesn’t please you, change it. You don’t ever have to be the same after today. If you don’t like your present address, change it—you’re not a tree!

If there is one thing to get excited about, it’s your ability to make yourself do the necessary things, to get a desired result, to turn the negative into success. That’s true excitement.

Perfection and Complete Knowledge Are Not Required

How can we hold back information from people who need it?

People who need help?

Just because we don’t have “all our ducks in a row”?

Or because we aren’t perfect?

It’s not fair to them!

We are being selfish with our knowledge because we judge that we aren’t good enough or deserving enough to possess this knowledge so therefore…

we don’t share it!  This is ridiculous!

We disqualify ourselves because we aren’t perfect,

or we don’t have all the answers,

or we have fear,

so… we share NOTHING!

Do we truly believe in what we know?!  If so…

NOTHING should stop us from sharing with everyone we know and meet!

Perfection and complete knowledge are not required in order to share the gift we’ve been given.

But!… A passion and belief with all our heart is ALL that is required…

And… That’s good enough.