Jim Rohn International - The Official Site of America's Foremost Business Philosopher

1. Article - The Formula for Failure and Success by Jim Rohn
2. Vitamins for the Mind - Desire/Motivation by Jim Rohn
3. How To Squeeze The Most Out Of Your Time by Brian Tracy
4. The Five Day Seminar Package With Jim Rohn and Brian Tracy
5. Jim Rohn Testimonials - January 28 - February 4, 2002
6. More Information

1. THE FORMULA FOR FAILURE AND SUCCESS by Jim Rohn
(Excepted from the book The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle 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!

2. Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn

Humans have the remarkable ability to get exactly what they must have. But there is a difference between a "must" and a "want."

The best motivation is self-motivation. The guy says, "I wish someone would come by and turn me on."  What if they don't show up? You've got to have a better plan for your life.

When you know what you want, and you want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.

Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him, now you have a motivated idiot.

Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.

Vitamins for the Mind is a weekly sampling of original quotes, on a specific topic, taken from The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn (TTOQ). TTOQ, a beautiful, burgundy hardbound book with gold foil lettering, is a collection of over 365 quotes on 60 topics gathered from Jim's personal journals, seminars and books spanning over 37 years. To order or to get more information on TTOQ by Jim Rohn or Excerpts from TTOQ by Jim Rohn or Brian Tracy, please click on Monthly Specials.

3. HOW TO SQUEEZE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR TIME by Brian Tracy

How do you start your day? Years ago I started planning mine by writing everything down I would have to do, the night before. I found that drawing up your list the night before prompts your subconscious to work on your plans and goals while you sleep. When you wake up, you feel ready to tackle your challenges.

When prioritizing and planning your time, consider the following points:

• Key questions.
What is the highest value-added action I can do? What can I and only I do that I've done well before to make a difference? Why am I on the payroll? The answers to these questions help identify all that needs to be done and in what order. That, in turn, will bolster personal productivity.

• Values.
Decide what's important to you, and in what order. Make sure your values don't conflict with work. Energy spent worrying diminishes your abilities.

• Consequences.
Every action has consequences - good and bad. Consider what rewards you'd reap by completing a task. Then, compare those rewards with the consequences of putting it aside. This process makes it easier to see which goals have a higher value.

• The Pareto Principle.
Vilfredo Pareto, a 19th-century engineer, argued that 20% of what you do accounts for 80% of the value. When considering the importance of a task, ask yourself whether it's among the 20% that creates the most value.

• Urgency vs. Importance.
An unexpected phone call or a drop-in visitor may be urgent, but the consequences of dealing with either may not be important in the long run.  The urgent is other-oriented, it's caused by someone else. Important things are self-directed and have the greatest value for you.

• The Limiting Step.
Standing between you and what you want to achieve is the limiting step.  That's the bottleneck that determines how quickly you can reach your goal. It's important to identify that step and focus single-mindedly on getting that one thing done.

• A Written Plan.
Lists of goals, tasks and objectives are of no help unless they're written.  Putting your plans on paper makes a seemingly elusive goal more concrete. There's a connection that takes place between the brain and the hand. When you don't write it down, it's fuzzy, but as you write it and revise it, it becomes clear.

• Visualization.
See yourself doing what you need to get done. Visualization trains the subconscious to focus on completing tasks. Say, for example, that you want to begin each morning by exercising. Visualizing yourself doing sit-ups and push-ups the night before conditions the mind to do those the next day. When you prime you mind, it wakes you up even before the alarm clock goes off.

Remember you are a winner and preparation goes a long way in helping you achieve all your goals.

To receive more information about Brian Tracy and his books, audios and seminars including the Psychology of Achievement, The Psychology of Selling and the Success Mastery Academy click Other Speakers and save 20-40%.

4. Jim Rohn Testimonials -January 28 - February 4, 2002

Here are some of the dozens of testimonials and comments we received over the past week from E-zine subscribers.  

Thank you for the always refreshing insights; they never grow old do they??
--LARRY HASSAN

I've been studying motivation and self-improvement for 30 years and have seen, heard, and read most of the great ones, except have not seen Jim Rohn, but he is the best.  My first exposure was a speech he did called "Do Well Regardless".  Jim sums it all up in three short sentences.
1.  Talk to lots of people every day
2.  Be nice
3.  Give good service
And, that's pretty much all you have to do to be SUCCESSFUL!  I have read "Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness" and have just ordered two of his tapes.  I look forward to the e-zine every week.  Keep up the good work.
-- Carl Capps

I just wanted to let you know that I think that your weekly reports are the greatest.  I find them completely indispensable.
--Steve Leslie

We attended one of your seminars in Omaha in 1981 and we all remember the effects that you had on our family. Thanks again.
-- Dave RX

Thank you very much - I'm having a challenging time here in London, UK. Jim's quotes and teachings are inspirational and MOTIVATING.
--Danny

I really like J. Rohn's cassettes!  I bought several items from J Rohn Int'l and LOVE them all!
--Steven Karowe

DEEP stuff. I keep going back to it so it will stick in my mind.
--Steve Marsh

It was excellent.  I heard about Jim some years back and was loaned his tapes.  I have been a big fan ever since.
--Randy Lee Talley

The philosophies of Jim do really appeal to me! I'm gonna keep a journal and I'll buy every month the money I can afford to invest in myself!
Excellent
-- Ken Natzke

Jim Rohn's "Treasury of Quotes" and "The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle" have truly been instrumental in changing my outlook and has inspired me to stretch myself to the limits and beyond in the journey of becoming a better person in all areas of my life and touching the lives of others.
--Keith Juergens

Jim Rohn's teachings have given me the tools to advance to incredible places in my life and career.  I am grateful that he chose to apply the teachings of his Mentor and then pass them on.  I am doing the same.
--Jimmie H Southerland

I did go to the Jim Rohn conference in Denver, Colorado. It was great.
--Jerry Ochsner

They are among the best materials that I have in my growing library.
--Jerry Armistice Allen

I own all of Jim's books and audios other than his most recent ones. My husband and I give away numerous copies of the Seasons of Life.  What an incredible philosophy.  I've been unable to secure this book from Canadian bookstores in the past few months. Thrilled to find you on the web!
--Esther Kafka

I love the Jim Rohn products I have invested in.
--Corey Bocking

LOVE THEM ALL!!
--Christen Ann Schuh

Thank you E-zine readers, for the sincere and kind words of encouragement and appreciation you sent us this week! -- JRI

"We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation."  Jim Rohn

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