What is Your Philosophy?
I grew up in Kenya in the Nyayo era. This was the period in which the then president, my namesake, Daniel arap Moi ruled supreme. Though he sat comfortably on the wrong side of perfection, he had a unique philosophy. Some may call it unique in its simplicity, but nobody said your belief (philosophy) has to be complex. In fact his philosophy was only three words.
The government and the ruling party never tired of reminding Kenyan citizens of the president’s philosophy. Songs and poems were composed about this philosophy. Even school children had to pledge their loyalty to the president and his “Nyayo philosophy” of PEACE, LOVE and UNITY.
Years went by without me having the word “philosophy” drummed into my brain incessantly. Then one day a friend gave me a tape that changed my philosophy and life. When I say changed my life, I mean exactly that. This blog would likely never have been launched without the voice in that tape. The voice belonged to Jim Rohn. A giant on whose everlasting shoulders I now stand.
Why I love Jim Rohn
Just before Christmas last year (2009), I logged on to Facebook and saw someone post a status update “Rest In Peace Jim Rohn”. A cold shiver ran through my spine. I was at that moment in time listening to one of Jim Rohn’s audio programs. I quickly left Facebook and Googled Jim Rohn. Sadly, Jim Rohn had left this world. It was a sad day for me. A few tears freely fell on my desk. I was momentarily in shock that I was crying over someone I had never met. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much of an impact Jim had had on my life. I felt a strong sense of loss. I had lost a friend, a father, a mentor and a source of inspiration.
When I started writing this series, I knew that I was going to write about Jim Rohn. It is with a heavy heart that I write this post. I will not be able to share with you all that I have learned from Jim, but you can be assured that his teachings will continue to find their way in this blog one way or another.
There are two types of people in the world – givers and takers. Jim Rohn was a giver. He gave his best ideas on successful living. He inspired me to give my best on this blog and in life. He can still inspire you even though he is gone.
He left an impressive body of works including 17 books on business and personal development. He inspired the modern generation of personal development mavens including Anthony Robins, Brian Tracy and Jack Canfield.
The Jim Rohn Story
Many people fell in love with the Jim Rohn’s rags to riches story. And he never got tired of telling that inspiring story. It went a little something like this…
Jim started out as a farm boy from Idaho and rose to become on of the most sought after motivational speakers in the world. By the age of 25, he was deeply in debt and with a young family to feed. He did not have much money in the bank and the creditors were calling.
Then he had the good fortune of meeting Earl Shoaf who was a successful entrepreneur with charisma and a great philosophy. Earl Shoaf taught Jim that his life would continue being as it was unless he changed his (Jim’s) philosophy. He started working on himself , reading books on personal development and interacting with successful people. By the age of 31, Jim had made his first million.
He went on to become an acclaimed speaker, author and businessman for four decades. I love his teachings because they focus on the fundamentals of success. In fact, Jim Rohn once said “There are no new fundamentals. Truth is not new, it’s old. You’ve got to be a little suspicious of the guy who says, ‘come over here, I want to show you my manufactured antiques!’ No, you can’t manufacture antiques.”
Classic Jim Rohn Quotes
- “Asking is the beginning of receiving. Make sure you don’t go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won’t laugh at you.”
- “Character isn’t something you were born with and can’t change, like your fingerprints. It’s something you weren’t born with and must take responsibility for forming. “
- “Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don’t fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. “
- “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune. “
- “Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you. “
Learn More About Jim Rohn
As I said at the beginning of this series, I will not spoon feed you with every nugget about these inspiring legends. Do a bit of homework by following the links below to learn more. You will be pleasantly surprised by the good stuff that will come out of the links I am sharing with you.
Jim Rohn on Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Rohn
Jim Rohn’s Official Website – http://www.jimrohn.com/
Quotes By Jim Rohn – http://www.personal-development-training.com/2010/02/jim-rohn-quotes.html
Jim Rohn – How to have Your Best Year Ever (YouTube Videos) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfA-qNWLBHo
Summary
Jim Rohn was a great teacher who encouraged his listeners to change their philosophy. Take a moment to learn more about this great man and think through your life’s philosophy. Change your philosophy, change your life.
I would love to hear from you about this series and especially about Jim Rohn.
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Inspirational!
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Dan, sorry for the loose of your friend and mentor… I studying leadership in class right now and one of the things I learnt is that we each have someone in life that we want to take after… Jim was a leader in making and his life touched you!! You should spread your lessons to someone else.. that is what makes a great leader…. One is too small to make a great achievement (John C Maxwell).. we all need to train others behind us to follow whatever lessons we learn.. It is the best gift you can give him!!!!
All the best!!!
[Reply]
Thanks for this Daniel. Jim is great!
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