By Jim Rohn
(excerpted from the Jim Rohn One-Year Success
Plan - Week Two)
Hi, Jim Rohn here and welcome to
Week Two. Again, what an exciting opportunity to be able to take
this next step together on our one-year journey.
Last week we discussed the fact
that this is indeed a journey, a
process, a destination and an adventure that we are taking
together.
We also introduced our first
pillar of success, Personal Development, and the four main
components that are our focus this month:
1. The Invitation -
We looked at the possibilities and I
challenged you to accept the invitation to join me on this
unique journey of self-development and discovery where you'll
set and reach higher goals, go for your dreams, change certain
unpleasant things about yourself and make a significant
difference in the lives of others.
2. The Plan -
This week we'll talk about the plan. All good
things in life are upstream, but the natural flow of life is
that downward, negative pull. To combat that downward pull, you
need a plan, a map to help you reach your desired destination.
We'll talk about the plan and break down the keys to creating
and following a successful plan.
3. Association and Influence -
We are affected by everything around
us, including what we read, what we watch, who we talk with and
who we spend time with. It all plays a part in how we view our
world, our relationships, our opportunities but mostly
ourselves. Next week we'll discuss the importance of our
associations and the influence they have.
4. Learning and Education -
All 12 Pillars of Success we'll be studying over the next year
will involve personal development, becoming a student and
learning. This is the foundation -- one of the basics or
fundamentals to becoming more, to having more and to doing more,
and we'll cover this key aspect in two weeks.
Bonus Point -
Personal Development is about having a
Celebration; creating your own unique,
only-you-deserve-it-because-you-did-it, one-of-a-kind
celebration!
We will cover each of these 4
points in depth this month. Last week we discussed the
invitation, and now this week I congratulate you on accepting
this invitation to be, do and have more in your life. The Bible
says if you search you will find, and that is what you and I are
in the process of doing. We have accepted the invitation to be
seekers so that we can now be finders of the better things that
life so openly offers to those who choose to partake in the
process. This next year, let's see what we can do with the soil,
seed, sunshine, rain and the miracle of possibilities to turn
what we have into a life filled with the equities of treasure,
family relationships, enterprise, gifts galore and everything
that you want.
Now let's move on to this
week's topic - The Plan.
As we all know, our results are
only as good as our plan. Mr. Schoaff taught me that it's not
what happens that determines the major part of our future,
because what happens, happens to us all. Instead, he taught me
that the key is what we do about it. If we start the process of
change by developing a plan, doing something different in this
next year than we did the previous year, it won't matter how
small those efforts start. Start doing different things with the
same set of circumstances - the ones we've always had and cannot
change - and see what miracles occur. If we start the miracle
process and change ourselves, then everything changes. And
here's what is interesting, the difference between success and
failure is so subtle. Let me explain by giving you my
definitions of failure and success. Here it is: Failure is a few
Errors in judgment repeated everyday. The man says, "Well I
didn't walk around the block today and it didn't kill me, so it
must be okay." No, no, it is that kind of error in judgment, t
Now, here is my definition of
success: A few simple Disciplines practiced every day. Do you
see the distinction? A few disciplines... Here's a little phrase
we've all heard, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." And my
question to you is, "What if that's true?" How simple and easy
is that plan?
The fact is, when you look at
successful people, you will almost always discover a plan behind
their success. They know what they want, they work out a plan
that will get them where they want to go, and they work their
plan. It is the foundation for success. We as humans have the
unique ability to affect change in our lives; it is through our
own conscious choice when we engage in the miracle process of
personal development that we are able to transform our nature
and our lives.
We want this first year in our
program to be a success for you - a smashing success - and we
know that means you will need to have a plan, and then
methodically work that plan. It is the combination of the
materials and your open attitude towards learning, driven by the
diligent following of a plan that is right for you, that will
make this year the kind of success we know you want it to be. So
let me challenge you to be no less sincere, be no less committed
to the advancement of your philosophy, the set of your sail,
your plan.
So, what are some good ideas on
developing a plan that will work well and take you to the finish
line powerfully and in style? Here are some major points to keep
in mind (Chris will give you the action steps at the end):
Develop the Plan for You. Some
people are very detail oriented and they will be able to follow
an intricate plan closely. Others are a little more
"free-wheeling" and not really "detail" people. That is okay
too. In all the years of my speaking to audiences worldwide,
people have asked the question, "what plan is the right plan?"
And my answer, the plan that fits you. Your plan, the one you
develop that is unique to you and for you. You see, each of us
is unique and motivated by different factors and you've got to
develop one that is right for you and fits you. Some plans will
not be as intricate as others but we all must have a plan, along
with goals in that plan, to move us along the program. If you
are a free spirit type, don't tell yourself you are going to
spend 2 hours a day with a book and tapes and journal. It
probably won't happen and you will get discouraged! Whatever
your personality, your strengths and your weaknesses, develop
the plan around them! This is not a one-plan-fits-all
proposition.
Establish Times to Spend Working
on the Material. It may be every Sunday night. It may be 20
minutes each morning. It may be in the car listening to the CD's
every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Whatever it is, set the
times and do it. In your step-by-step plan, put down points that
you can accomplish every week. They should be specific and
achievable. Develop the discipline and take those steps
everyday, which will move you closer to your goals and where you
want to be.
Keep a Journal. Take notes. It
may be on paper, it may be on a micro-recorder. Mr. Schoaff
taught me not to trust my memory, but to write it down, to find
one place to gather the information that affects change. And
that advice has served me well all these years. Record the ideas
and inspiration that will carry you from where you are to where
you want to be. Take notes on the ideas that impact you most.
Put down your thoughts and ideas. Brainstorm with yourself on
where you are going and what you want to do. Record your dreams
and ambitions. Your journals are a gathering place for all the
valuable information that you will find. If you are serious
about becoming wealthy, powerful, sophisticated, healthy,
influential, cultured, unique, if you come across something
important write it down. Two people will listen to the same
material and different ideas will come to each one. Use the
information you gather and record it for further reflection, for
future debate and for weighing the value that it is to you.
Reflect. Create time for
reflection -- a time to go back over, to study again the things
you've learned and the things you've done each day. I call it
"running the tapes again" so that the day locks firmly in your
memory so that it serves as a tool. As you go through the
material in this plan, you will want to spend time reflecting on
its significance for you. Regularly set aside time - here are
some good guidelines for times to reflect: At the end of the
day. Take a few minutes at the end of each day and go back over
the day - who'd you talk to, who'd you see, what did they say,
what happened and how'd you feel, what went on. A day is the
piece of the mosaic of your life. Next, take a few hours at the
end of the week to reflect on the week's activities - I would
suggest at least one half-hour. Also during that weekly time,
take a few minutes to reflect on how this material should be
applied to your life and circumstances. Take a half day at the
end of the month and a weekend at the end of the year so that y
Set Goals. While we are going to
cover this soon enough in upcoming weeks, let's just remember
that your plan is the roadmap for how you are going to get to
your goals, so you have to have them. Of all the things that
changed my life for the better (and most quickly), it was
learning how to set goals. Mastering this unique process can
have a powerful affect on your life too. I remember shortly
after I met Mr. Schoaff, he asked me if I had a list of my
goals, and of course I didn't. He suggested to me that because I
lacked a set of clearly defined goals that he could guess my
bank balance within a few hundred dollars... and he did! Well,
Mr. Schoaff immediately began helping me define my view of the
future, my dreams. He taught me to set goals because it is the
greatest influence on a person's future and the greatest force
that will pull a person in the direction that they want to go.
But the future must be planned, well designed to exert a force
that pulls you towards the promise of what can be.
Act. Act on your plan. What
separates the successful from the unsuccessful so many times is
that the successful simply do it. They take action, they aren't
necessarily smarter than others; they just work the plan. And
the time to act is when the emotion is strong. Because if you
don't, here's what happens - it's called the law of diminishing
intent. We intend to act when the idea strikes us, when the
emotion is high, but if we delay and we don't translate that
into action fairly soon, the intention starts to diminish,
diminish and a month from now it's cold and a year from now it
can't be found. So set up the discipline when the idea is
strong, clear and powerful - that's the time to work the plan.
Otherwise the emotion is wasted unless you capture the emotion
and put it into disciplined activities and translate it into
equity. And here's what is interesting: all disciplines affect
each other; everything affects everything. That's why the
smallest action is important -- because the value and benefits
that yo
Like we said last week, we are at
the beginning of a fantastic journey that is going to help us
become all that we want to - so let's get going!
To
Your Success,
Jim Rohn
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
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