Chapter 2 | Developing a Personal Philosophy
(Part 1 out of 2)
In this chapter I'll discuss your personal philosophy:
* Who or what influences your life?
* The role of personal philosophy in your life.
* Definitions of failure and success and how to tailor your personal philosophy accordingly.
Developing a powerful personal philosophy:
Philosophy is the main thing in life.
Our philosophy of life develops right from our childhood - by our parents, in school, people we meet with, etc...
In one of his lectures, Jim Rohn states:
I was certain circumstances were what influenced my life...
If anyone had asked me at age 25: "Mr. Rohn, how come you're not successful?
You have little money in your pockets, you have nothing in the bank, you haven't fulfilled any promises to your family yet, you live in America and have every reason to succeed, nevertheless nothing goes well for you?" - It wouldn't occur to me to blame my personal philosophy!
I found it much easier to blame the government / state!
It's much easier to blame tax collection - I'd always say: "taxes are way high!
At that time tax rate was 91%. Then it dropped to around 33% but people still said: "taxes are way high!"
But you see, you can't say that anymore... If the rate dropped from 91 to 33, how can it still be high?...
I would blame traffic jam, the weather, the circumstances...
People say: I'm too tall / too short / too old / I grew up in the country / I grew up in the city...
I would blame my job / the company policy...
I would say: "If that's all they pay, how do they expect me to manage?"
I thought my future would be related to all these things until I met my mentor who showed me the problem was my life philosophy.
Our life philosophy is what distinguishes us from dogs, birds, cats and other animals...
The ability to think and use a thought, to elaborate ideas and not to act on instinct.
Geese always fly south in the winter.
What if there's nothing 'special' in the south? Well, too bad for them! But people are not geese...
People, in this case, can go north, east, west. Any direction they choose to.
Developing a powerful life philosophy enables us to reach new ideas, to fulfill our goals.
Life philosophy allows us to assess what is available to us - we have seeds, soil, rain, sun and the four seasons.
Now the question is what you do with all that? How do we transform all this to success, promise, a new lifestyle, a dream and a better future? - It all begins with philosophy.
Is it possible to take from everything around us and invert it to food, values, to an amazing creation no animal can create? The answer is - yes!
You don't need a better economy, you don't need better soil and seeds.
In fact when it comes to seeds, soil, sun and the miracle of life - that's all you got! And if you blame them - you blame everything you have...
If you blame the economy and the schools and the government and the market (seeds, soil, rain, etc.) - what have you got left?
That's all you have to work with and it can't be changed. It's not as if you can have two summers, three springs, one autumn and no winter - it doesn't work that way, you take it how it comes.
What then, do you change in order for your life to be better? - Start with your life philosophy.
At the age of 25 Rohn had to change his life philosophy and his way of thinking, so he could improve his future.
As soon as he got rid of his way of thinking that his country, the taxes, market, and economy were to blame, and instead turned to a new way of thinking by addressing the real problem - he himself, his life began to change.
His income grew, his bank account grew, his life took a new shape and color.
The initial results he got as a result of changing his current life philosophy, were so pleasant and good, he never stopped the process.
Changing a life philosophy doesn't have to wait for tomorrow, next month or the following spring - it may start now.
Definition of success and failure:
Definition of failure:
Several judgment errors repeated daily.
For example eating an apple every day, it's probably healthy.
So what's the problem? The problem is: it's easier not to do it, it's easier not to see it as your personal philosophy.
Eating chocolate every day... No, it's not healthy and you should be smarter than that... And if you make the mistake of eating chocolate every day - the results can be disastrous.
The first year, you might say: "I'm still healthy, what does it matter?" But think about it, just because disaster didn't occur immediately - doesn't mean it won't occur at all.
Ask yourself: "how much will the current judgement errors in my personal philosophy, cost me in the future?
How much will it cost me in a month or two? In a year or two?" Because money has a price, health has a price and
success has a price.
At the age of 25, after six years on the job, without a penny in his pocket, no money in the bank and with promises to his family not yet fulfilled, Rohn felt flustered and realized there is a serious problem here.
He was sure the problem was the community, the government, his home country, the current regime, the economy, that all these were to blame.
He then discovered the problem wasn't all of the above and that he is criticizing the only thing he can work with - he understood that the problem was his life philosophy.
Over a period of six years, his personal judgment errors in his life philosophy led him to be without a penny in the bank, attempting to explain why he isn't successful.
It doesn't matter if it's your health or your financial condition - in both cases if you make the wrong decisions repeatedly, eventually the results will be disastrous even if in the first month or year nothing will happen to indicate that.
Making the same judgment error repeatedly is insane.
Albert Einstein defined insanity as "doing one thing, again and again, expecting different results each time...".
Don't repeat your judgment errors because the result won't change.
The price you'll pay for these errors on the other hand, will only increase each time.
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Continue to Chapter 2 | Developing a Personal Philosophy - Part 2
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* Chapter 1 | The Basics - Part 2