Jim Rohn: STOP WASTING ANY MORE TIME (very motivational)
now I want to get busy on the first
couple of subjects for today everybody
that’s okay say I’m okay
[Music]
here’s the first subject that I’ve I
found so interesting I want to share it
with you then I want to talk about
personal development the subject that I
started listening to age 25 that
revolutionized my whole life from my
mentor mr. Earl show here’s an
interesting subject just jot it down oh
it’s called
enlightened self-interest enlightened
self-interest it’s a fascinating study
to study the idea of self-interest but
just make this note all of us you know
have self-interest the key is it for it
to be enlightened so that everybody wins
and no one loses our first interest is
to survive what does it take to survive
our second interest is to succeed what
does it take to succeed what does it
take for me personally to survive and to
succeed can i legitimate ly be
interested enough in the things that
help me both succeed and survive and
here’s what I discovered the answer is
yes it’s possible to exercise
self-interest but to do it in such a way
that no one loses everyone benefits
keyphrase life was not designed to give
us what we need
life was designed to give us what we
deserve we did not reap a harvest in the
fall because we need it we reap a
harvest in the fall because we deserve
it not necessarily from a moral
standpoint of course there are some
moral laws as well spiritual and moral
laws but just the basic laws that simply
say if you wish to reap you must plant
so chop this down reaping is reserved
for the planters and the reason they
reap is because they deserve it they’re
the planters they deserve to reap
interesting Bible phrase it says if you
keep knocking you’ll find open doors
good phrase to jot down if you keep
knocking you’ll find open doors doors of
opportunity doors have a chance to meet
someone doors open for Association doors
open to find someone special doors open
to find a a unique business colleague if
you keep knocking the door the phrase
says doors of opportunity are open to
those who continually knock so we don’t
find open doors of opportunity because
we need that we find them because we
deserve only those who knock deserve to
find an opening but the promise is if
you continually knock you’ll find doors
of opportunity
it says if you search you will find so
make the note it’s good finding is
reserved for the searchers because they
deserve it now at first they may have
needed it but they now know that just
needing it is not sufficient but if they
need it now they must qualify for it the
reason why you’re going to be blessed
with good ideas this weekend is because
you’ve come searching you’ve gotten on
an airplane to come searching got in
your automobile to come searching you
got here searching now you’re ready to
receive and for those who search they
will find answers they will find plans
imagination to stir yourself into action
for future benefit so if you search to
find a good idea you must go looking and
searching you’ve got to go to church
you’ve got to go to class you’ve got to
go to the seminar you’ve got to go to
the library you’ve got to go to the
books if you wish to find rarely does a
good idea interrupt you rarely but if
you will search you will find so we get
not what we need but we get what we
deserve it’s just if you ask someone has
an answer if you keep asking the answers
belong to you because by virtue of
asking you they’ve qualified so we don’t
get what we need we get what we deserve
the mother on welfare should be talked
in some small manner that hopefully she
can begin deserving the welfare check
not getting it because she needs it but
now starting to get it because she
deserves it if the welfare worker says
to Mary Mary
I brought a bucket of paint and a paint
brush and the next time I come if the
door is painted in the fence here in
front is painted I give you the check
for four hundred and fifty dollars not
the painting the door and painting the
fence
worth $450 it’s not worth that much but
it is the beginning of the process so
make that note I want to begin the
process of deserving what would that be
what process should I begin engaging in
to deserve good health to deserve a good
relationship to deserve prosperity to
deserve an enterprise to deserve the
opportunity to build a city what must I
do to begin the process of desert so now
the welfare worker comes back and the
door is painted in the fences pated and
now mary gets the four hundred and fifty
dollars to help take care of her
children not because she needs it but
because she’s beginning to deserve it
then the welfare worker thinks of some
other project she said Mary if these
weeds are gone and this little garden is
cultivated when I come back now that the
door is painted and the fence is painted
if the weeds are gone and this little
garden is cultivated you get two four
hundred and fifty dollars and step by
step a new life is emerging learning the
process of deserving it not just me we
teach our children at home right child
says I need ten dollars so that language
doesn’t work here there’s plenty of
money here and the vaults are full but
to say I need ten dollars is not how you
open the vault so the challenge has what
Wow how can I get that ten dollars that
I need so here’s what they learn to say
how could I earn ten dollars now the
vault opens up now the money starts to
flow how could I earn ten dollars what
could I do to earn the money not to get
the money because you need it with you
maybe you need the money that’s all of
us have needs here the key is to figure
out how to open the vault how to open
the bank how to open this unbelievable
flow of resources to come our way and
here’s the key to deserve it
you can’t walk out to the field and say
to the field I need a crop here’s what
the field says here’s what the ground
says who is this clown that brings me
his need but brings me no seed so jot
that down take your seed to the
marketplace not your knee don’t disclose
your need to the marketplace only your
willingness we’ll talk about that a
little later today because the
marketplace is not interested in your
need but they are interested in your
seed they’re interested in your
willingness to work they’re interested
in your disciplines they’re interested
in your eagerness they’re interested in
your vitality and your work ethic that’s
what the marketplace is interested in
not your need but your seed we get what
we deserve Old Testament God says if
you’ll move toward me I’ll move toward
you see that’s that’s how you get those
occasions to meet God you must make the
move
God could say you don’t move I don’t
move you say well that’s arbitrary well
when you’re God’s you can make it that
way so the law says if you wish to
receive now let’s talk about enlightened
self-interest if you wish to receive and
we would call the wish to receive
self-interest but if it’s enlightened
self-interest here’s what it says I
understand that in order to receive I
must give receiving is reserved for
those who give receiving is not reserved
for those who need it it’s reserved for
those who deserve it we deserve the
receiving by giving in fact there’s an
extraordinary phrase in this little
context and here’s what it says it’s
better to give than it is to receive now
the uneducated person would find that
difficult to ponder why would it be
better to give than it is to receive so
let me give you one of the better
phrases for the day here it is giving
starts the receiving process so of
course it’s better to give how much
receiving do you wish you must start the
giving process
for me to receive my additional fortunes
for the future not necessarily for the
money because I don’t need them I take
them up I don’t need the man but here’s
what I do need for someone to say a year
from now five years so now mr. Rowan
that seminar helped to change my life
and for whatever reason I was brought
here to this place for this time and
later someone says that see to receive
that kind of thanks it’s unbelievable
here’s what you cannot buy that kind of
things you can’t buy it with money you
have to earn it
now let’s expand a little further now
that it’s called the law of riches and
wealth in our own self-interest if we
wish to be rich and wealthy and
prosperous and healthy and all the
valuable things we can think of for the
human experience how could we get there
it’s understanding the law of
enlightened self-interest and the law of
deserving the question was asked in the
Bible how can we be great what is the
key to greatness great wealth great
return great accolades trophies to put
on the mantle above the fireplace how
can we get great respect great riches
great abundance for ourselves how can we
get that and the answer was given and
here was the answer find a way to serve
find a way to serve the many so I
paraphrase it to read this service to
many leads to greatness service to many
leads to greatness
someone says well about the best I can
do is take care of myself that’s ok
self-care you know has its own reward
but it’s very limited somebody says I
can’t be worried about other people’s
problems I got enough problems of my own
that’s ok self defense is ok
self-preservation is ok but it has a
very limited reward if you wish to
change that into abundance prosperity
and uniqueness then here’s what you must
do help solve other people’s problems
help find answers for someone else not
just for yourself but for someone else
and in that kind of service you now
begin the process of greatness
someone asked the question how can I be
ruler over many how could I manage a lot
of people how could I be the leader of a
vast movement or enterprise here was the
answer nothing wrong with that
wish we call that self-interest of the
highest kind wishing to be the manager
the ruler wishing to be presiding over
many people here was the answer be
faithful when the amounts are small be
faithful when there’s just a few be
disciplined when there’s only a few that
starts to entitle you to some day be
ruler over many you say well if I had a
big organization you know I’d really run
it with a strong hand and I’d be a
fabulous leader but I’ve only got a few
and I don’t know where they are see that
that’s not gonna work if you wish to
preside over riches you must start when
the amounts are small someone says oh if
I had a fortune I’d really take good
care of it but I’ve only got a paycheck
I don’t know where it goes
see not knowing where it goes
disqualifies you now for presiding over
the fortune we’ve all heard that right I
don’t know where it all goes do you hear
that expression Oh we’d love to have you
run the company you don’t know where it
all goes somebody says it just gets away
from me
Oh we’d love to have you run the world
right it just gets away from you
somebody says it’s only pennies and it’s
only a few here’s where you begin to
qualify for abundance and riches and
greatness and respect is to be
disciplined when the amounts are small
someone finds it unique right that this
many people would come here what I’ve
got to say for a whole weekend but this
is not where I started I started with
just a few but I was so on fire with the
few trying to translate for them in my
awkward ways back then what had happened
to me my life got changed my income got
changed my health got changed everything
got changed for the better
and now I’ve lived the most
extraordinary life but it started with
my passion for just a few to translate
for just the few someone says
there’s just a few here you know does
this meeting matter when there’s only a
few and the answer is yes chop this down
you never know who’s in the audience
whether it’s a few or a thousand or
whatever but you got to be faithful when
there’s just a few tell your story when
there’s just a few be just as passionate
about ideas that can change someone’s
life when there’s just a few now you
begin you’re not fully qualified but you
begin the qualification to someday speak
to many someday preside over a vast
crowd someday be the manager or the
leader of millions
it starts in those early days to deserve
it
now shut this down also give yourself a
chance to change some things I held on
to that I thought this was it this was
it
I’m telling you after a while I gave it
up found out it wasn’t it so give
yourself a chance to change refine your
philosophy refine your direction if
you’ll give yourself a chance to do that
here’s what will happen down the road
aways the new door will open that you
haven’t discovered before give yourself
a chance to change
reevaluate
okay so let your library be a
testimonial of your dedicated interest
in accelerated personal development that
you will read whatever you have to read
you will hear whatever you must hear and
you will watch and see whatever you must
see in order to make your life refined
and worthwhile and achieve all of your
purposes that’s what I want this
stopping station to be these three days
just to come here and sit for a while
and listen and ponder and take notes and
work hard and see if you can’t absorb
get all that you possibly can here so
that it will start to refine your life
even before you get on an airplane and
fly back to wherever you came from
before you get in your car and drive
away what we share with you here was
whatever all the rest that you’ve
learned this will be a catalyst to start
a process even before you get home
that’ll start working for you some of
you are gonna set some goals we’re gonna
do the workshop tomorrow designing the
next 10 years hopefully you’ll come up
with some new promises some new
objectives some new ideas and by the
time we’re finished here these two three
days I’m telling you you’ll see yourself
able to accomplish two times three times
five times more than you ever thought it
was possible which will make this cost
of the seminar small price to pay and
hopefully it’ll make the time you spent
here small price to pay compared to
making this an investment in your future
in what will flow in in terms of money
and income and return and reward and
respect and dignity and accolades
trophies all the stuff that can be yours
a marriage that lasts forever a
friendship that nourishes you forever
things that you’ll find that you’ll keep
and treasure for a lifetime hopefully
this is one of those weekends it takes a
lot of effort to learn takes a lot of
effort to grow it takes a lot of effort
to decide and debate but jot this down
it’s all worth the price
whatever stimulates you to think
whatever stimulates you to wonder
whatever stimulates you to react or even
to debate even if you hear something you
say well that’s not right see that’s
still valuable it means you’re awake it
means you’re alert it means you’re alive
it means your mind is ready to take on
something whether it’s agreeable or not
agreeable something right something
wrong who cares what it is we’ve got to
listen to a variety of voices and some
are going to come from the left and some
are gonna come from the right and some
are gonna come from mysterious sources
and some will try to entice you with all
kinds of stuff but that’s okay just so
you’re alive and alert and awake ready
to process anything that comes your way
take the best of it and make it
beneficial for you so that tomorrow you
walk with a stronger step next month you
see a clearer vision and a month from
now the purpose for your life is x two
three five that’s what I want to create
here so now to hurry and get through
because we have so many subjects to
cover let’s cover now some other things
under personal development here’s one
that’s important as you read and as you
listen and as you study and as you grow
and as you take notes and as you fill up
your journal
and then try to work on the ideas to
make yourself valuable in the
marketplace here’s something to remember
under personal development some things I
had to learn first steps to success
first of all you need good ideas just
decide right now you’re going to
accelerate your plan for collecting good
ideas ideas for your life ideas for your
health ideas for your marriage your
relationships ideas that stimulate one
idea sometimes lead to that leads to the
next needs to the next and the four or
five ideas in the future that really
thrust acceleration into your life you
couldn’t have gotten unless you went
through the first one in the second one
in the third one next you need a good
plan so we’re going to talk about time
management game plans
tomorrow need a good health plan
traveling around the world you can
imagine the kind of health plan I have
to have if I didn’t have a superb
extreme got an underline the word
extreme if I didn’t have a superb
extreme health plan do you think I could
travel all over the world people look at
my calendar and say impossible I’m the
only one that can do it everyone else is
too young incredible but I’ve got to be
extremely healthy
I can’t let up at all in terms of diet
and nutrition exercise all that stuff in
order to stay healthy so a good health
plan a good family plan here’s a good
one a good marriage plan some people
just go along married but their fingers
crossed you’ve got to have a better plan
than that
some are whistling in the dark hoping
everything will work out not not a good
plan you need a good plan for how to use
the day we’ll talk about that tomorrow
best-kept secret of the rich how to use
your time a good plan to meet the right
people over the right amount of time to
stimulate your life you need a game plan
for lifestyle we’ll talk about that
later
so to succeed we need good ideas and
good plans here’s the next we have to
learn to handle the passing of time
because all of this takes time to learn
to grow to change getting through the
seasons takes time the spring has a
certain amount of time the summer has
time harvest has time the winter has
time learning to handle the passing of
time duck this down if you’re involved
in business you got to give your project
time you’ve got to give your people time
give people a chance to learn chance to
grow a chance to change one of the great
requirements especially in such an
industrialized busy mad dashing society
and that is to have people patience
first we exercise it with our children
and our family
getting people to work together gotta
have patience even with your family if
you’re involved with independent people
it’s a challenge it’s like herding cats
trying to get them to work together
herding sheep is easy they very quickly
get going the same direction but try
herding cats it’s like you’re children
different ages and different
personalities and different opinions to
get the family all go in the same
direction kind of working together to
make things work I’m telling you it is a
challenge but if you’ll have some
patience you can do it now here’s the
big one to have patience with yourself
give yourself time to learn give
yourself time to understand good ideas
give yourself time to make changes and
then grow into those changes give
yourself time to refine your personality
to fit the business whatever business
you’re engaged and some you may have to
speak up a little stronger and some you
may have to calm down just a little bit
more just learn to refine your
personality and your temperament to suit
all of us can do that but it takes it
takes time have patience with yourself
we had to do that from the beginning
learning to tie the shoe strings of your
shoes if you tried a couple of times and
says I’ll never learn this it’s over
sitting no you can’t go through life
with your shoes untied
come on some people maybe it happens for
them a little quicker than others some
people get the hang of it almost
overnight someone else it takes a little
longer if it takes you a little longer
have patience with yourself because
patience has its own reward patience is
a virtue of the extraordinary kind we
have to have patience with our employers
we have to have patience with government
officials you’ve got to have patience
with IRS you got to have patience with
the army you got to have patience with
the FBI here’s a good thing to remember
while you’re exercising patience usually
enough good people will finally make it
right you just gotta jump that down
usually enough good people will finally
make
right not everyone in the community is
going to toe the line and do the moral
thing but let me tell you what most will
that’s how we create a society that we
can live in most will every teenager
will not obey all the rules and
regulations and live a model life not
everyone will but jot this down most
will enough will when the good Lord
recruited 12 not every disciple not
every one of the twelve but it was
enough of the twelve
to start a movement that’s lasted for
2,000 years
not everyone but enough with there’s
only been a couple of exceptions to that
rule one was the story of Sodom and
Gomorrah God was going to destroy Sodom
and Gomorrah for their evil ways Abraham
had a friend that lived there and
Abraham implored and said God if I can
go to Sodom and Gomorrah and find 50
righteous people will you spare the city
and God said Abraham you’ve been such an
excellent friend of mine yes I’ll spare
the city if you can find 50 so he
searches the city can’t find 50 good
people comes back and says Lord would
you take 40 God says Abraham for you
come on I’ll do it if you can find 40 so
he searches for 40 can’t find 40 and he
comes back and says would you take 30
good Lord says Abraham only for you
well I reduce it to 30 can’t find 30
can’t find 20 Abraham said
this is my last request would you take
ten God said only for you Abraham
so he went searching for ten and you
know the story couldn’t find him
that’s the exception to the rule so he
said Abraham get your friend lot and his
family out of there because the end
let’s go but that’s the exception to the
rule so jot down the general rule most
will in a civilized society most will
will be the rules in government most
will not every senator will but what
enough will to build a stable government
in a future not everyone in the armed
forces will but enough will not everyone
in the community will but enough will
not every teenager in this high school
will but I’m telling you the most will
and that’s how we survive in a civilized
society because most will and that’s a
good feeling to know most will okay so
have patience next under personal
development is learning to solve
problems
by the way having patience with the
seasons takes time to develop the crop
you can’t plant the seed dig around it
in a few days saying where is it where
is it and you can’t really help all you
can do as a nourish some people plant in
the spring leave in the summer just
haven’t got the patience to last so next
comes solving problems business problems
family problems personal problems
financial problems emotional problems
there’s all kinds here’s a good idea I
found in solving problems every once in
a while you’ve got to I can just
describe it for you take a piece of
paper put a line down the center of the
paper and on the left side describe the
problem so just jot that down a piece of
paper in half on the left side describe
the problem sometimes it’s a good idea
to take a problem out of your head and
put it on paper we’ll talk a little bit
more tomorrow about how to think on
paper this is one of the ways to think
on paper our mind usually is too busy
sometimes to sort things out so if you
take it out of your mind put it on paper
what is the problem and you describe to
the best of your ability what the
problem is and then ask this question is
that all of it because if you’re going
to prescribe something for the problem
you need to know what all of it is when
you’ve got it all listed on the other
side now of the papers called answers
and solutions the problem on one side
answers and solutions on the other side
and now let me give you three questions
three questions that can help solve most
any problem here are those questions
number one what could I do
so just jot that down what could I do
then you start developing what we call
working papers and the working papers
consists of making a list of the things
you could do to solve this problem
number one and you say well number one
would take too long I can see that right
now let’s go to number two maybe that’s
the answer number three no that isn’t it
and let’s say you’ve got several points
now and you’ve done your best to try to
solve the problem yourself and you can’t
solve it yourself here’s the second
question
what could I read maybe somebody spent a
lifetime researching the problem you’ve
got
got some excellent answers from a
lifetime of research maybe in your own
journal you’ve taken notes before on
something you say hey I remember a class
I took seems like there were some
answers there so you go back do a little
research so under number two is research
and if you search what you will find if
you research you will find search and
research now research as soon as
possible because of the problem is
severe you don’t want to wait till too
late my friend Kenny comes to me and
says he just lost a beautiful lady
fabulous lady they got a divorce she was
really something then after his divorce
he comes to me and says you know it’s
over
but he says you know something strange
he said I found a book in my own library
that I think would have saved my
marriage if I had read it before my
divorce and it was a book entitled how
to live with another person he said I
should have read that book a long time
ago he finally read it but it was a
little late it’s like reading a book on
nutrition after you’ve had a heart
attack write to me that’s good that is
good but gosh it’s so much better to
read it before spare yourself the agony
and the lost time and maybe the loss of
your life now if you if you tried to
solve it yourself and you can’t solve it
and you’ve researched and it doesn’t
seem like you’ve got the answer here’s
number three the third question is who
could I ask is there someone around me
that might have the answer to my problem
now under that put here put this don’t
ask first now try to solve it yourself
develop some working papers what you
think you might do that still isn’t it
here’s some books I’ve read this guy’s
crazy this guy no answers haven’t got it
now I ask but if you now can show your
working papers to who you ask you can’t
believe how swift the answer will come
all of us have heard this but let’s
remind ourselves one more time and put
it in your notes we all love to help
people who first of all try to help
themselves back to the philosophy of
deserve I’ve tried to work it out
haven’t got the answer maybe you can
help me somebody is very willing to help
you if they know you’ve tried first to
help yourself it works that way with our
children right
my daughter Linda before she got married
used to travel a lot she comes to me and
say daddy I’m headed for Thailand I said
wonderful she said I’ve saved up my
money I said fantastic she said I’ve got
a thousand dollars
I said wonderful she said the kids
wanted to go here wanted to go there I
didn’t go they wanted to buy this one to
buy that I didn’t buy I got my money put
aside thousand dollars I said Linda
unbelievable you must be my daughter
that’s fantastic now she said to make
the trip I only need a couple of
thousand more an easy 2000 right but she
knew she couldn’t get the whole three
but she knew that if she worked hard to
the best of her ability and put that
first thousand together then next two
was easy right okay
so develop your working papers do your
best to solve problems here’s why you
try to solve it on your own first you
need the mental and emotional muscle you
need the discipline if you just quickly
go to the answer some of this got it now
you’re not developing the muscle you’re
not developing the discipline to solve
your own problems because there may come
a day when there’s no one else to ask so
you need the rhythm of learning the
rhythm of trying the rhythm of seeing if
you can do it first to build the
emotional mental muscle
