WEEK FORTY-SEVEN Hello and welcome to this week's lesson--week Forty-Seven. This week Jim and Chris focus on three main subjects - A Basic Plan for Lifetime Learning, Tuning Your Mind for Success and How to Win the Battle of Your Thoughts - WOW! Dare I say, that if you and I were to fully take the advice and ideas that Jim and Chris cover this week, that Week 47 could be one of, if not the most important weeks of the entire One-Year Success Plan? Now stay with me here--this is so important. Our topic this week in my opinion, is the ultimate success formula. Classics like James Allen's book, "As a Man Thinketh" (based on a verse found in the book of Proverbs from the Bible), "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill and "The Strangest Secret" by Earl Nightingale all revolve around these same themes. Thoughts are "things" and when you add passion and information they become powerful--so powerful that they create our destinies! So how do you win the battle of the mind? In part, by tuning your mind to success and success ideas. How do you tune your mind to success? By being a student and having a basic plan for lifetime learning, thus the three subjects covered today! Make it a powerful week! Kyle Don t see the mind for more than it is, but don t misread it for all that it can be. - Jim Rohn Copyright Jim Rohn International 2002-2004 685
Copyright Jim Rohn International 2002-2004 686
MEMORY/SPEED READING Jim Rohn's Eleventh Pillar of Success: Memory/Speed Reading, Part Four - Life-Long Learning Hi, Jim Rohn here. This month our focus has been on accelerating our learning processes. Here is an overview of the month. 1. You are a Genius! In week one, we discussed ways to unlock and tap into the incredible powerful potential you have in your mind. We also covered the attitudes of successful learners and showed how your attitude about learning will determine how far you go in your life and career. 2. Six Stages of Learning. Two weeks ago we talked about how to accelerate your learning and discover what your unique learning strengths and weaknesses are. We also covered the topic of finding your particular learning style, and how to best tailor your learning to fit your unique needs. 3. Improve Your Memory. Last week we talked about how the mind and memory works and how to train it to remember more. We will also cover basic speed-reading techniques and show you the importance of reading and how to develop a basic reading plan. 4. Life-long Learning. This week we will discuss the importance and benefits of being a lifetime learner. In addition, we will talk briefly about a basic plan for life-long learning and how to keep your mind tuned for success, as well as how to win the battles of thought that take place in our minds. So let's get started! The Importance of Being a Life-Long Learner I cannot emphasize enough the need to be a learner in every area of your life. Learning is integral to growth and thus, success. As you've heard me say in my seminars, formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune. Because here's what's exciting, if you step up the self-education curve and commit to being a life-long learner, you will come up with more answers than you can use. Having said that, here are some thoughts on the importance of life-long learning: 1. The Mind was Designed to Learn. The Master Planner - the one who created us - gave us an incredible ability to learn. He gave us an almost limitless capacity to learn and store knowledge. He gave us the ability to take that knowledge and then process it rationally. In short, the mind was designed to learn! When we stop learning we stop using the mind that we were given, and then it is not exercised in the way it was meant to be. The basic functions of the mind are to govern our actions and to learn! Copyright Jim Rohn International 2002-2004 687
2. Times Change and We Must Too. We live in a rapidly changing world--changes in technology, information, systems, culture and even the way people relate to each other. So with everything changing, we must be learning constantly. We must constantly be taking in new information, processing it and changing accordingly so that we can adapt and succeed. 3. Your Competition is Learning! This is a given. We live in the most competitive time in history. Individuals, companies and nations compete. Everyone is looking for the edge to win. Friends, I must tell you that the edge is learning. Those who can take in the information and process it quickly and in the correct way (to help people and turn a profit) are the ones who will come out on top. 4. We Must Learn So We can Help Those Who Follow. We should not live our lives selfishly. Instead, we must learn so that we forge new ground for ourselves, yes, but also so that we have the ability to improve the lives and welfare of others. The further we take ourselves, the further we can take those who work for and rely upon us. Everything we learn is for a twofold purpose: first, for us to grow and then to help others. A Basic Plan for Life-Long Learning Plan what you want to learn. If you do not plan to learn, chances are you will not. The life-long learner is a decided learner. They choose to learn. People are different and run their schedules differently, but the point is, no matter how you plan, your learning must be "in your book" as they say. Truly believe in the power of learning. If you don't believe that learning will help you, then you will not grow. I am under the strong assumption that because you are in this One-Year Program you believe in growth and learning. That is good. But even so, you can always increase your ability to trust in the process of learning and the power it holds to transform your life. Every time you learn something, root it deeply and tell yourself that you will be better off because of it! Set aside time to learn and grow. Each and every day we should have a planned learning time. The best way to get through a three hundred-page book is a few pages a day. That way it is sure to get done. The best way to listen to a 12 cd series is to listen to one each day. Even if you can only get to your learning every other day or a few days a week, it will be best if you have it written down in the book as planned learning. Build it right into your schedule. Set aside time to read and listen, to participate in small groups of people who want to learn. Feed your inquisitiveness. Always ask questions. Always see if there is something more you can learn. Look for new knowledge on new topics. Expand your base of knowledge by picking up new subjects. Go broad in your knowledge but go deep as well. See if there is another question that can be asked so that your knowledge can go one step deeper and your understanding a bit broader. Copyright Jim Rohn International 2002-2004 688
Master history. A friend of mine once asked a mentor of his whether or not he looked primarily for people with an MBA degree. This mentor was responsible for business development for one of the largest companies in the world. The answer my friend received was surprising. The gentleman said that he actually liked to hire history majors. "They prove that they have an attention to detail and can learn from the past." Brilliant words those are. Study your history. History helps you learn what to do from the best and what not to do from the worst. Keep a journal. This has been a big point for me for many years now. Keeping a journal enables you to log what you are learning, reflect upon it, and go back to it and chart your life. It doesn't have to be filled with long entries, but keeping a journal can help you in your life long journey. Take advantage of resources. The way we live in current times enables us to learn in so many different ways. Here are just a few: In person Small groups Classroom Live experiences Books Video Audio Publications / e-zines Personal coaching / mentors Teleconferences Web seminars Mastermind groups Online communities Quite frankly, there are so many resources, there is no excuse to not learn. Just looking at the list above should give you plenty of ideas for filling out your learning plan. Learning is very important, and it is important to plan for it. Do what you can to put yourself into a life-long learning plan! Next, Chris is going to talk about keeping your mind tuned for success and winning the battle of the mind--your thoughts. Until next week, let's do something remarkable! Jim Rohn Today the greatest single source of wealth is between your ears. -- Brian Tracy Copyright Jim Rohn International 2002-2004 689
Hi there, Chris Widener here. This week I want to talk with you about keeping your mind tuned for success and winning the battles that take place in your thoughts. Keeping Your Mind Tuned for Success As we finish up this month on accelerated learning, let me remind you that absolutely no one can underestimate the power of the mind and its role in our success! It is imperative to keep our minds right and on the right track if we are to achieve balanced success in our career, finances, health, emotions, relationships and spiritual lives. The analogy I want to use here is one of a radio station. For example, there may be a "Success" station. But the only way you can hear a radio station is to be tuned into it. Even a little off and you can't get the full effect. The same is true with our mind and success. If our minds and our thoughts get sidetracked, our success will get sidetracked. As our minds stay tuned to "success" our bodies will then carry out our plan for success and we will begin to experience abundance! So here are some ways to keep "tuned in" to success! Use Your Innate Ability to Decide and Choose. When we constantly flex our muscle of choice, we build it up and it helps keep us on track for success. It is just like working out. The more we do, the stronger we get--the more "fit" we become. Do you want to keep your mind tuned for success? Keep it healthy by making good choices and decisions on a regular basis. For example, do you have a bad habit? Then flex your mind muscle and choose to change--today. If you choose to stay the same (and those are the only two choices) you will have just chosen to tune your mind to a different station other than "success." Put Good Stuff Into Your Brain. There are lots of things that want to work their way into our minds (and eventually work themselves out again in our actions). There is much that we take in just by walking around all day. But what about the things we put in our minds on purpose? We can choose to put good stuff in on a regular basis. Do you take time each day to put good things into your mind, to tune into success? Here are two things to consider when you are choosing what to put into your mind: first, is it positive? Will it build you up or tear you down? Will it make you a better person, or lesser? Will you grow from it or not? Will it tune you to success or not? Secondly, will it move you toward your goals in the areas of your life that you want to see success and abundance in? Keep the Junk Out. Like I mentioned previously, there will always be junk floating around, like a co-worker who complains all the time. But what surprises me is how many people who want success, actually willfully choose to put junk into their minds and then expect to be tuned into success. Here are some thoughts on this: first, evaluate everything that you put into your mind. Evaluate what you read, listen to and watch. We live in a fast-paced world and we have little time. Why then would we spend our precious time putting junk into Copyright Jim Rohn International 2002-2004 690
our minds? Do the things that you read, listen to and watch move you toward your goals or away from them? It is a simple question, really. Eleven years ago, my wife suggested we give away our television. I was shocked to say the least, but decided to give it a try. Now I am the anti-tv fanatic in our house! I have more time than anyone I know and I don't have to spend a lot of energy filtering my mind to tune it to success. Just a thought. Eat Right and Exercise. That's right. The way we eat and the amount of exercise we get goes a long way toward our mind's ability to tune in to success. Put the right foods into your body and the brain responds. Exercise on a regular basis and the body releases chemicals that literally ignite your brain for success! Put these key principles into practice and soon you'll be dialed into success and abundance. Winning the Thought Battle If you have read my articles or heard me speak, you know that I always hone in on action. We need to act if we are going to be successful! Yet, our success starts long before our actions. In fact, our success begins in our thoughts. The process is that thoughts become actions and actions produce results. So the equation starts with the thoughts. The key to success is to start with and control our thoughts. Good thoughts become good actions, which become good results. But there is this predicament we have as humans. It is this ongoing "battle" we have with our thoughts. Thoughts of depression, negative thoughts, and thoughts of fear constantly creep into our minds and cause us to act in certain ways that are going to produce the opposite kind of thoughts we need to produce success. So what can we do to win the battle of our thoughts? Here are a few key points. Apply these immediately and then consistently, and you will be on your way to winning the thought battle. 1. Guard Your Mind. Pretend that behind that forehead of yours is a very precious thing - your mind - because it is precious. If you had a storehouse of gold on your property, you would hire an armed guard to stand watch and keep all the bad guys out. Yet, many of us let any old thing come into our minds. We need to keep the bad thoughts, the negative thoughts O-U-T! Now when I say this, I mean both the ones that start in our heads and the ones that come from external sources. Copyright Jim Rohn International 2002-2004 691
2. Proactively Place Good Thoughts in Your Head. Just like a garden, where you weed (pull the bad stuff out) and plant (put the good stuff in), we do the same thing with our thoughts. Buy audio programs and music that will produce good, happy thoughts! Watch TV programs and videos that put good thoughts in your mind! 3. Avoid the Naysayers. They are all around you. You work with them, you live near them - some are even in your family! Whatever you do, do not let them affect you with their negative thoughts and words. Spend as little time as you can with them (unless it is your spouse or kids - then you might consider getting some counseling!) 4. Act on the Positive Thoughts that You Do Have. When a positive thought comes into your mind, act on it! This will begin to produce a "bridge" between what you think and how you act! This will help make that transition even easier as time goes by! In review, here are the four key ideas to win the thought battle: Guard your mind. Proactively place good thoughts in your head. Avoid the naysayers. Act on the positive thoughts that you do have. Go Forth and Win the Battle! Have a great week! Chris Widener As a rule, he or she who has the most information will have the greatest success in life. -- Benjamin Disraeli Copyright Jim Rohn International 2002-2004 692
Questtiions fforr Reffllecttiion: : Q. Would you call yourself a life-long learner? Q. Do you have a plan for learning? What is it? Q. What kinds of resources do you take advantage of in your learning? Q. What have been the best learning experiences in your life? How can you replicate them? Copyright Jim Rohn International 2002-2004 693
Acttiion Stteps Thiis Week: : 1. Take some time this week to develop a detailed learning plan. Write comments here. 2. Specifically choose at least four different kinds of resources that you can draw from to put in your plan. A. B. C. D. 3. To keep your mind tuned for success this week, be very aware of what you are putting into your mind. Be proactive to put good things in and work to catch yourself every time you are going to allow something in there that could be detrimental! What kinds of things did you allow into your mind over the past two days? Copyright Jim Rohn International 2002-2004 694
Review of Brian Tracy's CD Fourteen 21 qualities of self-made millionaires Dream big dreams Do what you love to do Commit to excellence Your unique talents and abilities Refuse to consider failure Develop resilience Speed and dependability A Look Forrwarrd: : This week s edition is designed to give you a week off from listening to a CD (a catch-up week if needed). Of course, feel free to skip ahead in your listening assignments or get caught up on a previous conference call. See you next week, Chris Widener Copyright Jim Rohn International 2002-2004 695