Book Review-7 Strategies for Wealth and Happiness
A timeless classic by Jim Rohn a motivator extraordinaire, that is written in an easy reading style for anyone who has had enough of being average (read beige) and wants a better life.
This includes health, material success and most importantly a deeply satisfying sense of contentment.
Click here to listen Book Review-7 Strategies for Wealth and Happiness
or read on
Jim Rohn’s own journey started when at the age of 25 he met his mentor Earl Schoaff who asked him the uncomfortable question of where his life was headed.
To his credit, Rohn replied with an honest “No where” and that was the start of the years of learning everything he could from his mentor.
He has distilled his years of experience into the seven strategies of goal setting, being a sponge and soaking it up, having the determination to change and forming new habits, staying on top of your spending, making time a priority, seeking out like minded associates and learning the art of living well.
These strategies if faithfully applied are your keys to a magnificent life.
The Secret of Success
The secret is that there is no secret.
Click here to listen to the full 60 minutes Audio of Secret of Success on my program \”Your Money and Your Mindset\”
Below is the synopsis if you can’t wait!
It is a series of sequential steps that anyone can take if they so choose and success will almost be guaranteed.
Step1: write down your goals on a piece of paper. Just thinking about it means that what you desire is still an intangible concept.
The magic starts when your goals take on a physical form.
Use the SMART method as a guide to help you (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timeframe)
Step 2: start moving-literally get off from where you are sitting and start doing (this constitutes activity).
The good thing is that motion will quickly tell you if you are heading in the right direction towards your goals or not.
It is essentially a feedback mechanism that indicates to you in no uncertain terms if you are on the right track.
Step 3: know that there is an art to setting goals. The most efficient way is to divide them into four sections and I have listed some examples in each category i) physical (losing weight or getting fit); ii) mental (attending professional development courses to improve your career prospects); iii) emotional (making time to regularly spend with people who are important in your life) and iv) spiritual (communing with Nature and getting in touch with you, the real person).
Step 4: create a vision board or goal book where on one page you have images and pictures of your goals and on the facing page, write in the present tense what achieving this goal looks, feels, smells and tastes like. Always have a start and finish date, and a reward for when you reach that goal.
Investing the emotional energy into this activity engages your subconscious into putting you in the right spot (sometimes literally) for the opportunities as they present themselves to you.
And here is the real bonus, as you go about on a daily basis achieving small victories in regard to the steps you take towards achieving your goals, you discover your life purpose.
This is the person you were always meant to be.
Yours in health, wealth and happiness
Goal Setting and Goal Getting
Today we are going to have some fun with letters of the alphabet (move over Sesame Street) as a means of understanding the difference between goal setting and goal getting.
Just to be different, we will pick the letter “D” and start with that. The anally retentive amongst us will hyperventilate and blanch, but hey, you only live once, so let’s get edgy.
The D words are design, desire, default, doubt, determinant, due diligence and detachment
The concept I am going to throw out there is to live your life by design rather than by default.
When I design my life, I am stating to the Universe and all who dwell in it that I do not and will not accept an existence by default.
In other words rather than allowing circumstances to influence and impact my future, I am self –directed and definitely self-determinant.
This means that sometimes we go against the trend or the common herd instinct (I can picture in my mind a posse of lemmings marching over the edge of a cliff when I write this).
This means being unpopular and defying the general consensus of opinion.
This means rocking the boat.
When we consciously design our lives, we experience within our soul and spirit an awakening, a very strong desire for “something” that gives meaning to our lives. This may be a Catch 22 situation if you argue that an awakening of our soul and spirit is the impetus for consciously designing our lives, but I digress.
This “something” is intangible but irresistible and goes beyond being a passing whim. I interpret a passing whim as a musing, for example “wouldn’t it be nice if I had a another pair of shoes to go with this new sun dress”.
Let’s take for example wanting to improve our lives and those of our loved ones. With our newly found burning desire for a better life we do our due diligence and that includes exploring the various methods of wealth creation (all moral, ethical and legitimate, of course).
Whether we start a business, or enrol in a stock market trading course (yes, there are socially responsible companies out there) or sign up for college to get the qualifications for a promotion, we require of ourselves persistent application of effort. Just thinking about it won’t cut it. This kind of stuff really requires repeated action.
The burning desire fuels the daily application of productive action that is the perfect antidote for occasions when we are faced with doubt.
Doubt can be insidious, and it certainly gives our self-belief a run for its money. The glum times will come, the feeling that you are pushing the proverbial uphill with only the tip of your nose on a rainy day will rear its ugly head.
Pretending that it doesn’t or won’t happen is asking to be blindsided.
How do we prepare for this?
By practising detachment and yes, I can hear a collective groan when I say this.
I know it isn’t the most natural reaction, and certainly not the easiest thing to do. But when we are so attached to the outcome, it falls into the category of the “try hard and needy” type of behaviour.
Remember your high school days where there were the cool kids and then there were the desperate and dateless (said with tongue firmly in cheek).
The strategy is this: You have to assume the persona of one of the cool kids as opposed to the angst ridden try harder types.
Letting go of the outcome is the secret to this exercise. Rather than chase and stalk your goal, allow what you desire to come to you.
This was the conclusion I came to recently when everything I did felt like I was hitting my head against the sharp edge of a brick wall. It felt really good when I stopped and stilled my spirit.
Yours in health, wealth and happiness
Let’s Play “What if..”
We all know what is best for us to do in order to get where we want to go, and what we want in life.
You don’t have to be Einstein to know that that regular exercise keeps your body fit and healthy. Same deal with what we eat, the double choc chip ice cream with hot fudge sauce sprinkled with toasted peanuts tastes great while we are busily shovelling it down the cake hole but has that helped us with maintaining a healthy weight?
The maxim that Knowledge is Power isn’t quite what it is cracked up to be. Actually, applied knowledge is power. There’s that “A” word again, applied.
Doesn’t matter that you have read up all the theory in the world about swimming in a pool, but if you don’t do it ie the action of moving your arms and legs in a rhythmic fashion to propel you forwards, you’ll sink like a stone.
When I am procrastinating and occupying my time doing things to displace such as answering emails or net surfing, I eventually get to the stage where I have to ask myself “What if I do focus on getting my business plan written like I planned, what is the result of doing this”.
I immediately get a very strong positive feeling (humans are a swarming pool of emotions and feelings, like it or not) and I start to feel the sense of accomplishment that comes with completing a task that moves me one step closer to my personal goals and dreams.
And then, I actually make a start on this project!
Secondly, it gives me momentum to do to the next task that requires my attention without me being distracted by the television, or the latest online “news” about another Hollywood star’s fifth nip and tuck and third relationship in as many years.
So, for the next two days (Thursday and Friday) before we cut loose for the weekend, just take the time to play “What if…” Please comment next week about your experience with this little exercise, because I am all ears!
Yours in health, wealth and happiness