Jim Rohn was born in Yakima, Washington State, in 1930. His parents then moved to a farm in Idaho, which is where the young Jim grew up. His first job was with the prestigious department store Sears, where he worked as a human resources manager. In 1955 he left Sears to join a direct selling business owned by John Earl Shoaff. Shoaff then became a mentor to the young Rohn.
In 1957, Rohn switched to another Shoaff company rising to be a vice-president. He became one of the most successful direct selling agents in the company. His determination to make his fortune came because Shoaff set him a challenge. This challenge was simple – become a millionaire. Shoaff died at 49 five years after first meeting Rohn. One year later, Rohn achieved millionaire status.
Rohn passionately believed that anyone could achieve success. He used his story as the basis of the philosophy that he developed and promoted through the remainder of his life. This philosophy taught that people need to control how they think. He suggested that no-one would succeed without developing positive thinking as a skill to be used in every situation.
He strongly recommended that anyone aspiring to great things should study the lives of successful people and try to do as they did. He also said that failures must also be studied, as there is much to learn from failure.
Rohn set great store in reading. In particular, reading the works of the most inspiring successful people. They have taken time to put their experiences and the lessons they have learned into print. Go to them and learn.
Rohn stressed the need to keep a journal. Record daily everything that has happened. The very act of writing down an account of the day’s events will make you think about them. Writing allows you to consider what has happened and comment candidly about those events. Refer to your journal frequently when making decisions.
Observation is an important skill to develop, according to Rohn. Watch. Listen and pay attention to what is happening around you. This could lead to your spotting opportunities or avoiding mistakes.
In order to make wise decisions, it is necessary to be mentally disciplined. Rohn suggests that successful people have greater mental discipline and that this leads to them making better decisions. Single-mindedness is needed to achieve success.
Rohn also cautions against neglect. Don’t neglect opportunities. More importantly, don’t neglect yourself, as you are the most valuable tool that you have.
Rohn died in 2009, but his influence has far outlived him. Today many people continue to benefit from the wisdom to be found in his books and other inspirational materials. His life story is inspirational. He showed steadfast determination to succeed. He tackled problems with flair and intelligence, and never stopped believing in himself.
Jim Rohn Quotes
If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around.
Jim Rohn
Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.
Jim Rohn
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
Jim Rohn
The only way it gets better for you is when you get better. Better is not something you wish, it’s something you become.
Jim Rohn
Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him, now you have a motivated idiot.
Jim Rohn
For things to change, you have to change.
Jim Rohn
If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.
Jim Rohn
Don’t let your learning lead to knowledge. Let your learning lead to action.
Jim Rohn
Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person you become.
Jim Rohn
Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day.
Jim Rohn
Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.
Jim Rohn
When you know what you want, and you want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.
Jim Rohn
The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch.
Jim Rohn
Success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.
Jim Rohn
Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.
Jim Rohn
Success is steady progress toward one’s personal goals.
Jim Rohn
Formal education will make you a living, self-education will make you a fortune.
Jim Rohn
Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don’t fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgement, repeated every day.
Jim Rohn
You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
Jim Rohn
Failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.
Jim Rohn
Life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.
Jim Rohn
If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.
Jim Rohn
All leaders are readers.
Jim Rohn
Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.
Jim Rohn
Don’t shortchange yourself when it comes to investing in your own better future.
Jim Rohn
Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.
Jim Rohn
Start reading, and especially read the kinds of books that will help you unleash your inner potential.
Jim Rohn
You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.
Jim Rohn
What you become is far more important than what you get.
Jim Rohn
We get paid for bringing value to the market place.
Jim Rohn
I used to blame everything outside of me for my lack of progress until I found that my problem was inside.
Jim Rohn
The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get.
Jim Rohn
If you will be faithful to a few things, you will someday become the ruler over many things.
Jim Rohn
Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.
Jim Rohn
Poor people spend their money and save what’s left, rich people save their money and spend what’s left.
Jim Rohn
Profits are better than wages. Wages make you a living; profits make you a fortune.
Jim Rohn
Take interest and even delight in doing the small things well.
Jim Rohn
Make measurable progress in reasonable time.
Jim Rohn
Living life in style also means living a life of balance.
Jim Rohn
Money is usually attracted, not pursued.
Jim Rohn
Few key things that make a difference, once identified, spend major time on these things.
Jim Rohn
To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, who could I ask?
Jim Rohn
Life is not just the passing of time. Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity.
Jim Rohn
Don’t just read the easy stuff. You may be entertained by it, but you will never grow from it.
Jim Rohn
You cannot change your destination overnight but you can change your direction overnight.
Jim Rohn
The book you don’t read won’t help.
Jim Rohn
Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do.
Jim Rohn
It isn’t what the book costs; it’s what it will cost you if you don’t read it.
Jim Rohn
Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.
Jim Rohn
When you know what you want, and want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.
Jim Rohn
Be fascinated instead of frustrated.
Jim Rohn
If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.
Jim Rohn
Unless you change how you are, you will always have what you got.
Jim Rohn
Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.
Jim Rohn
Either you run the day or the day runs you.
Jim Rohn
You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.
Jim Rohn
We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.
Jim Rohn
Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.
Jim Rohn
Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.
Jim Rohn
Don’t join an easy crowd; you won’t grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform are high.
Jim Rohn
Finding is reserved for those who search.
Jim Rohn
A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.
Jim Rohn
Finding is reserved for those who search.
Jim Rohn
For things to change, you have to change.
Jim Rohn
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
Jim Rohn
Life and business is like the changing seasons. You cannot change the seasons, but you can change yourself. Therein lies the opportunity to live an extraordinary life–the opportunity to change yourself.
Jim Rohn
Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.
Jim Rohn
Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.
Jim Rohn
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.
Jim Rohn
Either you run the day or the day runs you.
Jim Rohn
Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.
Jim Rohn
Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret.
Jim Rohn
Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.
Jim Rohn
The more you care, the stronger you can be.
Jim Rohn
Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people.
Jim Rohn
If you don’t sow, you don’t reap. You don’t even have a chance.
Jim Rohn
Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.
Jim Rohn
To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, who could I ask?
Jim Rohn
Maturity is the ability to reap without apology and not complain when things don’t go well.
Jim Rohn
A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.
Jim Rohn
You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.
Jim Rohn
You must be careful not to let your current appetites steal away any chance we might have for a future feast.
Jim Rohn
You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.
Jim Rohn
If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan, and guess what they have planned for you? Not much.
Jim Rohn
If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree.
Jim Rohn
The major key to your better future is you.
Jim Rohn
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.
Jim Rohn
If you are not willing to risk the usual you will have to settle for the ordinary.
Jim Rohn
The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch.
Jim Rohn
The worst thing one can do is not to try, to be aware of what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent hurt wondering if something could have materialized.
Jim Rohn
The more you know the less you need to say.
Jim Rohn
If you grow, everything grows for you.
Jim Rohn
The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become.
Jim Rohn
For every disciplined effort, there is a multiple reward.
Jim Rohn
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.
Jim Rohn
Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.
Jim Rohn
Millions of people saw Jim Rohn speak during his lifetime, and many of those have since paid tribute to him and recognized the influence his words had on them. The Jim Rohn quotes here have already made a difference to thousands of lives. Let them make a difference to yours, too.
