What Constitutes a Good Life? by Jim Rohn

The ultimate expression of life is not a paycheck. The ultimate expression of life is not a Mercedes. The ultimate expression of life is not a million dollars or a bank account or a home. Here's the ultimate expression of life in my opinion, and that is living a good life. Here's what we must ask constantly, "What for me would be a good life?" And you have to keep going over and over the list. A list including areas such as spirituality, economics, health, relationships and recreation. What would constitute a good life? I've got a short list.

1) Productivity. You won't be happy if you don't produce. The game of life is not rest. We must rest, but only long enough to gather strength to get back to productivity. What's the reason for the seasons and the seeds, the soil and the sunshine, the rain and the miracle of life? It's to see what you can do with it. To try your hand, other people have tried their hand; here's what they did. You try your hand to see what you can do. So part of life is productivity.

2) Good friends. Friendship is probably the greatest support system in the world. Don't deny yourself the time to develop this support system. Nothing can match it. It's extraordinary in its benefit. Friends are those wonderful people who know all about you and still like you. A few years ago I lost one of my dearest friends. He died at age 53 - heart attack. David is gone, but he was one of my very special friends. I used to say of David that if I was stuck in a foreign jail somewhere accused unduly and if they would allow me one phone call, I would call David. Why? He would come and get me. That's a friend. Somebody who would come and get you. Now we've all got casual friends. And if you called them they would say, "Hey, if you get back, call me we'll have a party." So you've got to have both, real friends and casual friends.

3) Your culture. Your language, your music, the ceremonies, the traditions, the dress. All of that is so vitally important that you must keep it alive. In fact it is the uniqueness of all of us that when blended together brings vitality, energy, power, influence, uniqueness and rightness to the world.

4) Spirituality. It helps to form the foundation of the family that builds the nation. And make sure you study, practice and teach. Don't be careless about the spiritual part of your nature, it's what makes us who we are, different from animal, dogs, cats, birds and mice. Spirituality.

5) Don't miss anything. My parents taught me not to miss anything. Don't miss the game. Don't miss the performance, don't miss the movie, don't miss the show, don't miss the dance. Go to everything you possible can. Buy a ticket to everything you possibly can. Go see everything and experience all you possible can. This has served me so well to this day. Just before my father died at age 93 if you were to call him at 10:30 or 11:00 at night, he wouldn't be home. He was at the rodeo, he was watching the kids play softball, he was listening to the concert, he was at church, he was somewhere every night.

Live a vital life. Here's one of the reasons why. If you live well, you will earn well. If you live well it will show in your face, it will show in the texture of your voice. There will be something unique and magical about you if you live well. It will infuse not only your personal life but also your business life. And it will give you a vitality nothing else can give.

6) Your family and the inner circle. Invest in them and they'll invest in you. Inspire them and they'll inspire you. With your inner circle take care of the details. When my father was still alive, I used to call him when I traveled. He'd have breakfast most every morning with the farmers. Little place called The Decoy Inn out in the country where we lived in Southwest Idaho.

So Papa would go there and have breakfast and I'd call him just to give him a special day. Now if I was in Israel I'd have to get up in the middle of the night, but it only took five minutes, ten minutes. So I'd call Papa and they'd bring him the phone. I'd say, "Papa I'm in Israel." He'd say, "Israel! Son, how are things in Israel?" He'd talk real loud so everybody could hear - my son's calling me from Israel. I'd say, "Papa last night they gave me a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." He'd say, "Son, a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." Now everybody knows the story. It only took 5 - 10 minutes, but what a special day for my father, age 93.

If a father walks out of the house and he can still feel his daughter's kiss on his face all day, he's a powerful man. If a husband walks out of the house and he can still feel the imprint of his wife's arms around his body he's invincible all day. It's the special stuff with the inner circle that makes you strong and powerful and influential. So don't miss that opportunity. Here's the greatest value. The prophet said, "There are many virtues and values, but here's the greatest, one person caring for another." There is no greater value than love. Better to live in a tent on the beach with someone you love than to live in a mansion by yourself. One person caring for another, that's one of life's greatest expressions.

So make sure in your busy day to remember the true purpose and the reasons you do what you do. May you truly live the kind of life that will bring the fruit and rewards that you desire.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Reproduced with permission from the Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine - http://www.jimrohn.com

How to Handle 1,000 Things at Once by Don Aslett - review

"How to Handle 1,000 Things at Once" by Don Aslett is an enjoyable book full of practical strategies and suggestions for personal management skills. This book will help you handle yourself and your domestic responsibilities. Aslett writes that "the biggest management challenges in life are not in the boardroom, but the living room. Yes, at home, where we have to deal with and juggle family and friends, near and far, schoolwork, shopping, cleaning, home maintenance, car maintenance, yard care, finances, health, grooming, community and church activities, and service. Even pursuing our own and our children's favorite sports and hobbies, taking a hassle free vacation, and pet care - it's all management."

Aslett contends that it is at home and in personal life where 90% of management is needed. In this book, he sets out to help the reader manage this real business, the business of home, self, family, and friends. And I believe that anyone who reads this book and implements some if not all of Aslett's strategies and suggestions will undoubtedly find they are handling more things at once, maybe even 1,000 or more.

If you are familiar with Aslett's style, you will know that his is a blend of humor, cartoon illustrations, and direct no nonsense get to it advice for being productive. I personally have enjoyed every one of his books I've read, and think he is right on with most of his suggestions. I say most, because I still wear button down collars at times, and I remember in his book "How to Have a 48 Hour Day" also published as "Done" (great book by the way) he suggested not wearing button down collar shirts to save time. J

Anyway, as I said, I have really enjoyed all of the books of his that I have read, and I plan on picking up a couple others this year to read too. And hopefully he will continue writing a lot more.

This book has 12 chapters, each full of practical advice for getting more done and managing the home life:

1. Meet the Manager - You!
2. On Target - YOUR Target
3. Tackling the "To-Do's"
4. When? A Word to the Wise!
5. Every Manager Needs a Crystal Ball
6. Secrets of Master Managers
7. Mastering Those "Home Matters"
8. The Big Three: Junk, Help, & Money
9. The Only Time Expert - You
10. TOOLS - Bigger? Better? Or Bummers?
11. Common Mistakes of Home Managers
12. Staying Out of Problems

The reality is we each have 24 hours a day. No more, no less. If you don't have the money to hire people to manage the daily necessities we all must have done, you will have more time for the productive and enjoyable things in life if you manage the daily tasks with more efficiency. (and even if you do have the money to hire people to do some of your daily chores, you will still be left with many personal and home things to manage) So, the best thing to achieve time to do the fun things or the special things you want to accomplish is to handle the 1,000 things that need to be done in the most practical and efficient way possible. Reading this book will give you a lot of doable strategies to help you with your home and personal management and the motivation to fuel your productivity into overdrive.

"How to Handle 1,000 Things At Once" is humorous and informative, and the advice might just spill over into your work life and make you more productive and successful there too.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author, speaker
Hard-Won Wisdom From The School of Hard Knocks, Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, and The Lock On Joint Locking series, and articles including a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer

The Miracle of Personal Development by Jim Rohn

Some great advice from Jim Rohn - Alain



The Miracle of Personal Development by Jim Rohn

One day Mr. Shoaff said, "Jim, if you want to be wealthy and happy, learn this lesson well: Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job."

Since that time I've been working on my own personal development. And I must admit that this has been the most challenging assignment of all. This business of personal development lasts a lifetime.

You see, what you become is far more important than what you get. The important question to ask on the job is not, "What am I getting?" Instead, you should ask, "What am I becoming?" Getting and becoming are like Siamese twins: What you become directly influences what you get. Think of it this way: Most of what you have today you have attracted by becoming the person you are today.

I've also found that income rarely exceeds personal development. Sometimes income takes a lucky jump, but unless you learn to handle the responsibilities that come with it, it will usually shrink back to the amount you can handle.

If someone hands you a million dollars, you'd better hurry up and become a millionaire. A very rich man once said, "If you took all the money in the world and divided it equally among everybody, it would soon be back in the same pockets it was before."

It is hard to keep that which has not been obtained through personal development.

So here's the great axiom of life:

--TO HAVE MORE THAN YOU'VE GOT, BECOME MORE THAN YOU ARE--

This is where you should focus most of your attention. Otherwise, you just might have to contend with the axiom of not changing, which is:

--UNLESS YOU CHANGE HOW YOU ARE, YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE WHAT YOU'VE GOT--

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Reproduced with permission from the Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine - http://www.jimrohn.com