1장
The Power of Choice: Transforming Your Life Through Intentional Living
What if the difference between success and mediocrity wasn't talent or luck, but something entirely within your control? At age 25, Jim Rohn was a struggling young man drowning in debt with a growing family and only $57 a week to show for his hard work. Six years of effort had produced little progress until a chance meeting with entrepreneur Earl Shoaff changed everything. Under Shoaff's mentorship, Rohn discovered principles that would transform his finances and happiness completely. These principles-what he calls the Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness-became the foundation for his remarkable success and the basis for helping thousands achieve similar transformations. Endorsed by personal development legends like Tony Robbins (who began his career working for Rohn) and embraced by entrepreneurs worldwide, Rohn's straightforward philosophy has influenced generations of success-minded individuals. His timeless wisdom continues to resonate decades later, offering a roadmap for anyone seeking to escape mediocrity and design a life of purpose and prosperity.
2장
Unleashing the Power of Goals: Your Blueprint for Success
Two weeks after beginning work with Mr. Shoaff, he asked to review my list of goals. When I admitted I didn't have one, he sighed and said, "Well, young man, looks like this is where we'd better start." Looking directly into my eyes, he added, "If you don't have a list of your goals, I can guess your bank balance within a few hundred dollars." His accurate guess astonished me. When I asked if having goals would change my bank balance, he answered "Drastically."
Our lives are shaped by environment, events, knowledge, and results. But nothing has as much potential power for good as our ability to dream. Dreams are projections of the life we wish to lead, and when well-defined, they unleash a creative force that can overpower all obstacles. People face the future either with anticipation or apprehension-most choose worry because they haven't designed their futures. Those who face the future with anticipation have planned something worth getting excited about.
Dreams alone aren't enough-you need the step-by-step blueprint of goals. Well-defined goals work like magnets, pulling you in their direction. The better you define them, describe them, and work on achieving them, the stronger they pull. Without goals, people merely make a living instead of designing their lives, fighting daily in the economic survival zone and choosing existence over substance.
Different things motivate different people. Beyond financial gain, four great motivators drive people to excel. First is recognition-validation that you matter in an overcrowded world where most feel invisible. Second is the feeling of winning-an exhilarating sensation that drives many successful people to keep working even after becoming wealthy. Third is family-some will do for loved ones what they won't do for themselves. Fourth is benevolence-the desire to share wealth, as demonstrated by Andrew Carnegie who planned to spend the first half of his life accumulating money and the second half giving away his entire fortune.
Sometimes our most powerful motivators are simple, down-to-earth "nitty-gritty reasons." I once had to lie to a Girl Scout selling cookies because I didn't have two dollars to my name. Embarrassed and angry, I vowed never to be broke again. Years later, I encountered two girls selling candy and bought all nine boxes they had, spending $18 and earning the comment, "Mister, you're really something!" The key is to have enough reasons-they come first, answers second. Life camouflages answers so they become apparent only to those inspired enough to look for them.
3장
Creating a Goal System That Works: From Dreams to Reality
Setting goals requires discipline-a lifelong practice that's ever-evolving. To set effective long-range goals, take 15 minutes to write down about fifty items you want within the next one to ten years. Consider what you want to do, be, see, have, where you want to go, and what you'd like to share. Don't worry about details yet-just free-flow your ideas. Then assign each goal a timeframe (1, 3, 5, or 10 years) and ensure you have balance between short and long-term objectives. Choose your top four goals from each timeframe and write a detailed paragraph describing exactly what you want and why you want it. The "why" is crucial-without compelling reasons, what you want loses its motivational power.
Short-term goals take anywhere from a day to a year to achieve and serve as confidence builders that inspire you to continue your journey. These goals must relate to your long-term achievements but have the advantage of being reachable in the foreseeable future. Write them down, organize them by timeframe or as subcategories of your long-term goals, and celebrate when you check them off. But also make losing painful-take responsibility for both positive and negative behavior.
Most people won't persist in setting and refining their goals because it's time-consuming, thought-demanding work. They let their future slide, even while working hard at jobs they don't necessarily like. Don't be part of that majority who goes around hoping things will get better. Without goals, you're not playing a very exciting game. Being sincere and working hard isn't enough-you must be a good planner, a good goal-setter.
The real value in setting goals isn't in their achievement but in who you become in the process. The greatest value in becoming a millionaire isn't the million dollars-it's the skills, knowledge, discipline and leadership qualities you develop along the way. Take away wealth from a true millionaire and they'll build a new fortune because they've developed the capacity to do so. That's why you should ask yourself: "What kind of person will I have to become to get all I want?"
When setting goals for the first time, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. But remember: your ability will grow to match your dreams. The more you work on your goals, the more new opportunities will present themselves, each containing solutions to previous problems. Don't let past failure and pain stop you from getting started. You can make startling changes in a short period by drawing on untapped potential and talents you never knew existed.
4장
The Knowledge Quest: Transforming Information into Wisdom
To achieve your aims, you must know what information you need and how to gather it. As my mentor Mr. Shoaff taught me: "If you wish to be successful, study success. If you wish to be happy, study happiness. If you want to make money, study wealth acquisition." Achievement isn't accidental-it requires studying first, practicing second. Yet surprisingly few people make wealth a serious study. Great ideas rarely appear from nowhere-they come when you actively search for knowledge.
Learn to capture what matters before it passes. Use cameras to preserve special moments-these visual records become invaluable over time. Build a personal library of dog-eared, well-marked books with notes in margins that helped shape your philosophy. Include recordings and videos that improved your life. Most importantly, keep a journal to capture all the ideas that come your way-business ideas, social ideas, investment strategies. This collection becomes an incredible treasure, more valuable than any heirloom.
Wisdom comes from two sources: learning from your own life and studying others. Develop the skill of reflection-pondering life's events to learn from them. I call this "rerunning the tapes." Your experiences are invaluable sources of information, so don't merely go through your days-get from your days. Take time at the end of each day, week, month, and year to review what happened. Study both your failures and successes, as failures often teach the most valuable lessons. Remember, it's not what happens to you that matters, but what you do with what happens.
You can gain knowledge vicariously through others' experiences-both successes and failures. All successful people are avid readers-"ALL LEADERS ARE READERS." They constantly seek knowledge through books, audio tapes, and videos. Commit to just thirty minutes daily of reading or listening to educational content-never miss this mental nourishment. Mr. Shoaff taught me that standard education brings standard results; self-education brings exceptional results. Reading just two books weekly for ten years means absorbing knowledge from over one thousand books!
Listening is a powerful way to learn. Try this outrageous idea: take a successful person to dinner and listen. Invest in a meal with someone more accomplished than yourself and ask questions throughout. Two hours of conversation with such a person can provide enough strategies and attitudes to multiply your income and change your life. Watch what successful people do because success leaves clues. Observe their habits, patterns, and behaviors-how they shake hands, ask questions, and manage their lives.
The search for knowledge requires three key investments: money, time, and effort. First, create your own educational fund by setting aside a portion of your income each month to purchase books, recordings, and attend seminars. The money is a small price compared to the unlimited potential you'll unlock. More importantly, you must invest time-there are no shortcuts to learning. Finally, you must invest focused effort. Serious learning requires concentration and mental intensity far beyond casual learning.
5장
Personal Development: The Master Key to Achievement
The third strategy for wealth and happiness centers on personal development-learning how to change yourself rather than your circumstances. This transformative approach recognizes that what you become is far more important than what you get. Personal development is life's most challenging assignment. What you become directly influences what you get-most of what you have today you've attracted by becoming who you are.
The great axiom of life is that to have more than you've got, you must become more than you are. Income rarely exceeds personal development; if someone hands you a million dollars, you'd better hurry and become a millionaire. It's hard to keep what hasn't been obtained through personal development.
The key difference in economic results isn't time-we all have the same 24 hours-but value. You can never create more time, but you can become more valuable. You don't get paid for time; you get paid for the value placed on that time. The secret is to work primarily on yourself. Many claim "ten years' experience" when they really have one year's experience repeated ten times. Success doesn't come from working on your boss, striking for more pay, or using sales tricks-it comes from becoming an above-average person through developing above-average qualities.
Life and commerce operate like seasons-you cannot change the seasons, but you can change yourself. Winters bring economic hardships, health problems, and personal disappointments. Mature people use winters for personal development-they get stronger, wiser, better. Don't wish it were easier; wish you were better. Spring always follows winter-opportunity follows difficulty. This is the time to plant seeds for future harvest. We must either excel at planting in spring or learn to beg in fall. Summer teaches two crucial lessons: first, all good will be attacked by "insects and weeds" that try to destroy what you've created; second, all values must be actively defended. Fall is when we reap the results of our springs and summers. Maturity means taking full responsibility for your harvest, whether bountiful or meager.
To be successful, we must eliminate three self-imposed limitations. First is procrastination, which accumulates-small delays pile up into disastrous years. Second is blame, which protects our ego but prevents growth. As Mr. Shoaff told me, "It's not that it costs too much. The problem is that you can't afford it." Third are excuses-people create millions rather than face responsibility.
Habits begin to change when we change our perceptions. Most transformation isn't cataclysmic but an evolutionary process of small, imperceptible changes that accumulate into major life improvements. Personal development involves three key areas: spiritual development that builds ethical foundations; physical development including appearance and fitness; and mental development-continuing to learn throughout life rather than plateauing after finding a job.
The key to discipline is starting with small challenges and stringing them together. Take on one small challenge, then another-gradually, mastering many small disciplines leads to mastering big ones. Want to lose weight? Start by eating bread unbuttered. Want to go to Europe? Set aside twenty dollars weekly. Every discipline affects every other discipline, and doing less than you're capable of creates lack of self-esteem-the greatest deterrent to success.
6장
Financial Mastery: Building Wealth Through Intelligent Planning
Money evokes emotional and conflicting responses. While we desire financial security, we often fear wealth will corrupt us. But the question remains: if you could do better financially, shouldn't you? Our greatest satisfaction comes from doing our best with what we have. As creatures of enterprise, we're challenged to harness our potential in all areas-including wealth creation.
Money reveals our philosophy, attitude, knowledge and character. Everything in life is symptomatic-either of something right or something wrong. Your lifestyle relative to income serves as an early warning system. Are you spending more than you earn, committing slow financial suicide? As Mr. Shoaff taught me, "If you had a better plan, you would have more money." It's not the amount that counts, but the plan.
Real-life economics is a glaring omission in our educational system. Even well-educated professionals often lack understanding of everyday economics-how to become financially independent on a steady, predictable basis. After paying taxes, learn to live on 70% of your after-tax income. The remaining 30% should be allocated carefully for wealth-building.
One-third of your 30% (or 10% of total after-tax income) should go to charity-giving back to the community that has supported you. The 10% allocated for capital investment should be used to create wealth through buying, fixing, manufacturing, or selling. Everyone should engage in capitalism, even part-time. There are many ways to create wealth: leveraging work skills or hobbies into profitable enterprises, buying wholesale and selling retail, improving property, or investing in stocks. The final 10% should go to savings, providing peace of mind for life's "winters" and accumulating wealth through compound interest and tax-free retirement programs.
Teaching capitalism starts when children discover they can earn money by being useful. Beyond allowances, kids should learn enterprise-like having two bicycles, one to ride and one to rent. Children must learn to preserve capital (the original investment), pay taxes, give to charity, reinvest for growth, and save. The key lesson: poor people spend money and save what's left; rich people save first and spend what's left-same income, different philosophy that creates dramatic differences over time.
Creating a financial statement-listing assets on one side and liabilities on the other-is essential to know exactly where you stand financially. It doesn't matter how good or bad it looks initially; what matters is that you do it. Keep detailed records of income and expenses so you never have to say "I don't know where it all goes." Making good money isn't enough if you spend more than you make. Mastering what you have demonstrates you can be trusted with abundance.
I used to complain about paying taxes until Mr. Shoaff showed me a better way. He challenged my negative attitudes about money, suggesting I could choose to "love to" rather than "hate to" pay taxes, bills, and car payments. This shift in perspective transformed my financial outlook. Financial independence is achievable through discipline and the 70/30 rule, regardless of age.
7장
Time Management: Your Most Precious Resource
Time is our most precious and miraculous resource-equally distributed to all, impossible to steal, borrow, or save. How we manage these daily 24 hours profoundly shapes our lives and happiness. We can neither draw from tomorrow nor get into debt with time; we can only use or waste the passing moment. The effective use of this resource is urgent and directly connected to our happiness and fulfillment.
There are four distinct approaches to managing time, each creating a different lifestyle. The drifter ignores structure entirely, letting life meander aimlessly. The nine-to-five manager maintains moderate stress levels and values free time, sometimes avoiding greater responsibilities to preserve balance. The workaholic pursues endless tasks at the cost of relationships and health, often being more task-oriented than results-oriented. The enlightened time manager-the ideal approach-borrows from all three, scheduling time for work, play, and even doing nothing, while focusing on productivity per hour rather than hours worked.
Mastering time means deciding to be in charge rather than relinquishing control. The most effective time-management word is "no"-learning to decline commitments politely prevents wasting time on obligations we shouldn't have accepted. Another crucial principle is separating work and play completely; mixing them cheats you both ways, preventing both the satisfaction of accomplishment and the release of pure enjoyment. The key is total commitment to whatever you're doing in the moment.
Effective time management requires understanding your unique biological rhythms and working habits. Schedule your most demanding tasks during your peak energy periods. Equally important is recognizing your weaknesses and delegating accordingly. There's nothing shameful about admitting you aren't good at everything, as long as you're wise enough not to let your weaknesses stop you from accomplishing your goals.
The telephone is both a remarkable tool and a potential time-waster. Take control by screening calls through a secretary or answering machine. Return calls at your convenience, not others'. During family time, avoid answering by using an answering service or simply unplugging the phone. For outgoing calls, always prepare an agenda beforehand-write down key points to cover.
One of the greatest tools for successful time management is thinking on paper. Building a successful enterprise is like building a house-visualize ideas, document them, then execute. In my company we say: OPERATE FROM DOCUMENT NOT FROM THOUGHT. There are four essential methods for planning your life: your journal to capture ideas and wisdom; a project book to organize multiple projects and relationships; a comprehensive calendar system; and a game plan that outlines your daily, weekly and monthly activities.
The most important rule: DON'T START YOUR DAY UNTIL YOU HAVE IT FINISHED. Plan each day before you begin. Once mastered, graduate to weekly planning: DON'T START THE WEEK UNTIL YOU HAVE IT FINISHED. Then move to monthly planning: DON'T START YOUR MONTH UNTIL IT'S FINISHED. This progressive approach helps coordinate daily actions with long-term goals. Creating game plans requires discipline but offers tremendous rewards-the satisfaction of seeing dreams and plans turn into reality.
8장
The Power of Association: Choosing Your Life's Influences
One of the major influences shaping who you become is your association with others-the people you allow into your life. As Mr. Shoaff taught me, "Never underestimate the power of influence." This influence works so subtly and gradually that we often don't realize its effect. If you're around spendthrifts, you'll likely become one too. If you're around people who cut corners, you might start doing the same. The company you keep powerfully shapes your habits, ambitions, and ultimately your destiny.
To evaluate your associations, ask yourself three questions: With whom do I spend time? What are they doing to me? Is this association okay with me? Consider what they've got you doing, listening to, reading, thinking, and saying. Are your present associations helping you grow toward your goals?
When negative influences threaten your vision, you have two options. First, disassociation-separating yourself from those destructive to your well-being. Second, limited association-minimizing time with those you cannot fully avoid. Remember, sophisticated people spend their major time on major things with major people, not squandering time on "good-time Charleys."
If you discover weeds in your garden of association, you must take action. First, separate yourself from people destructive to your well-being-those who take pleasure in pecking away at your dreams and goals. This is difficult, especially with family members, but may be necessary to preserve your life's quality. When complete disassociation isn't possible with unpleasant coworkers or business associates, practice limited association. Even seemingly pleasant relationships can have long-term negative effects if they pull you off course.
The law of expanded association is simple: spend more time with the right people. Look for people of substance and culture-those who reflect on life's meaning and accomplish great things through discipline. Creating new associations isn't difficult. Join community organizations like the chamber of commerce, serve on committees, and you'll soon find yourself among influential people. Take successful people to lunch-most love sharing their knowledge.
Associate with purpose: find successful people for your success plan, healthy people for your fitness goals, and those who know how to live well for lifestyle guidance. Successful people seek out those they admire, understanding that inspiration comes from the right associations. Thanks to modern technology, we can also associate across time and space through books and recordings. Churchill, Aristotle, and Lincoln may be gone, but their words still inspire and instruct.
9장
The Art of Living Well: Crafting a Life of Quality
The art of living well means being happy with what you have while pursuing what you want. It's not about the amount of money but about style, awareness, values, education, and disciplined taste. Even people with modest means can experience a sophisticated lifestyle by saving up for quality experiences rather than spending money a quarter at a time.
The essence of living well isn't about spending more, but spending differently. Don't spend all your money a quarter at a time-save for something special that provides lasting value or rich memories. Lifestyle is about awareness, values, education and disciplined taste. It's style over amount-something money alone can't buy. It means appreciating culture and choosing higher tastes over lower ones. It's about rewarding excellence wherever you find it, like when I bought a milkshake for an exceptional gas station attendant or a single rose for my lady friend in Carmel-both simple $2 gestures that created disproportionate joy.
Living life in style means maintaining balance, with love being the most essential ingredient. One person caring for another represents life at its most abundant. We must protect love fiercely, never letting anything stand in its way. Though there are many treasures, love remains the greatest. It's better to live in a tent on the beach with love than in a mansion alone. Like a garden, love requires constant time, effort, and imagination to flourish.
Next to love, friendship is most valuable. True friends know everything about you and still like you; they come in when everyone else leaves. Make friends who'll support you during life's inevitable downs. A real friend is someone who would rescue you from a foreign jail without hesitation, regardless of cost or time. We must distinguish these precious relationships from casual acquaintances who serve different functions in our lives.
The good life isn't measured by wealth but by attitude, discovery, and a lifestyle that brings constant joy. What is wealth without character, industry without art, quantity without quality, or possessions without joy? You can become a person of culture who enriches society and leaves a legacy for future generations.
10장
The Day That Changes Everything: Turning Knowledge Into Action
While you may now understand the principles of wealth and happiness, knowledge alone isn't enough. In the free enterprise system, only applied knowledge counts. The bridge between knowledge and action is our emotions-the most powerful forces inside us. Emotions are the fuel while the mind is the pilot that together propel progress.
Though not typically associated with positive action, properly channeled disgust can transform a person's life. It represents a point of no return when someone declares "I've had it!" This is what happened after my humiliating experience with the Girl Scout cookies-I'd had enough of being broke and embarrassed. Productive disgust emerges when someone truly reaches their limit with mediocrity and failure. This "I've had it" day, this "never again" moment, carries tremendous power.
Most people need to be pushed to their limits before making significant decisions. Once at this point, we face conflicting emotions-internal civil war between armies of emotions, each with its own arsenal of reasons. The key advice: don't camp at the fork in the road. Decide. It's better to make a wrong decision than none at all.
Desire comes from within but can be triggered by outside forces. Almost anything can spark it-a song, sermon, movie, conversation, confrontation, or even a book. The key is to welcome positive experiences into your life and not build walls that keep out both disappointment and enrichment. Let life touch you-the next touch could be the one that turns everything around.
Resolve says, "I will"-two of the most potent words in language. As Disraeli noted, "Nothing can resist a human will that will stake even its existence on the extent of its purpose." True resolve means promising yourself you'll never give up, like a baby learning to walk. The question isn't whether you'll succeed, but how long you'll work to make your dreams come true. The answer should be: "As long as it takes."
Knowledge fueled by emotion equals action-the ingredient that ensures results. Only action causes reaction, and only positive action causes positive reaction. The world rewards those who make things happen. While affirmations can be useful tools to create action, faith without action serves no purpose. Affirmations without action lead to self-delusion.
Four essential questions to ponder: Why should you try? The answer: Why not? What else will you do with your life? Why not see how far you can go? Why not you? Some people with limited backgrounds have done incredible things-why shouldn't you experience the world's wonders? And finally: Why not now? Don't postpone a better future. Start today with new books, detailed goals, productive habits, and belief in yourself.
