by Jim Rohn
As we all know, our results are only as good as our plan. My mentor, Mr. Shoaff, taught me that it's not what happens that determines the major part of our future, because what happens, happens to us all. Instead, he taught me that the key is what we do about it. If we start the process of change by developing a plan, doing something different in this next year than we did the previous year, it won't matter how small those efforts start.
Start doing different things with the same set of circumstances—the ones we've always had and cannot change—and see what miracles occur. If we start the miracle process and change ourselves, then everything changes. And here's what is interesting: the difference between success and failure is so subtle. Let me explain by giving you my definitions of failure and success. Here it is: Failure is a few errors in judgment repeated every day. The man says, "Well I didn't walk around the block today and it didn't kill me, so it must be okay." No, no, it is that kind of error in judgment that after six years has him out of breath and panting as he walks from his car to his office. You can't make those kinds of mistakes; it will end up costing you.
Now, here is my definition of success: A few simple disciplines practiced every day. Do you see the distinction? A few disciplines. Here's a little phrase we've all heard: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." And my question to you is, "What if that's true?" How simple and easy is that plan?
The fact is, when you look at successful people, you will almost always discover a plan behind their success. They know what they want, they work out a plan that will get them where they want to go, and they work their plan. It is the foundation for success. We as humans have the unique ability to effect change in our lives; it is through our own conscious choice when we engage in the miracle process of personal development that we are able to transform our nature and our lives.
So, what are some good ideas on developing a plan that will work well and take you to the finish line powerfully and in style? Here are some major points to keep in mind:
Develop the Plan for You. Some people are very detail-oriented and they will be able to follow an intricate plan closely. Others are a little more freewheeling and aren't really "detail" people. That is okay too. In all the years of my speaking to audiences worldwide, people have asked the question, "What plan is the right plan?" And my answer: the plan that fits you—your plan, the one you develop that is unique to you and for you. You see, each of us is unique and motivated by different factors, and you've got to develop one that is right for you and fits you. Some plans will not be as intricate as others, but we all must have a plan, along with goals in that plan, to move us along the program. If you are a free spirit type, don't tell yourself you are going to spend two hours a day with a book and tapes and journal. It probably won't happen and you will get discouraged. Whatever your personality, your strengths and your weaknesses, develop the plan around them! This is not a one-plan-fits-all proposition.
Establish Times to Spend Working on the Material. It may be every Sunday night. It may be 20 minutes each morning. It may be in the car listening to the CDs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Whatever it is, set the times and do it. In your step-by-step plan, put down points that you can accomplish every week. They should be specific and achievable. Develop the discipline and take those steps every day, which will move you closer to your goals and where you want to be.
Keep a Journal. Take notes. It may be on paper, it may be on a micro-recorder. Mr. Shoaff taught me not to trust my memory, but to write it down, to find one place to gather the information that effects change. And that advice has served me well all these years. Record the ideas and inspiration that will carry you from where you are to where you want to be. Take notes on the ideas that impact you most. Put down your thoughts and ideas. Brainstorm with yourself on where you are going and what you want to do. Record your dreams and ambitions. Your journals are a gathering place for all the valuable information that you will find. If you are serious about becoming wealthy, powerful, sophisticated, healthy, influential, cultured, unique, if you come across something important, write it down. Two people will listen to the same material and different ideas will come to each one. Use the information you gather and record it for further reflection, for future debate and for weighing the value that it is to you.
Reflect. Create time for reflection—a time to go back over, to study again the things you've learned and the things you've done each day. I call it "running the tapes again" so that the day locks firmly in your memory so that it serves as a tool. As you go through the material in this plan, you will want to spend time reflecting on its significance for you. Regularly set aside time. Here are some good guidelines for times to reflect: At the end of the day. Take a few minutes at the end of each day and go back over the day—who you talked to, who you saw, what they said, what happened and how you felt, what went on. A day is the piece of the mosaic of your life. Next, take a few hours at the end of the week to reflect on the week's activities. I would suggest at least a half hour. Also during that weekly time, take a few minutes to reflect on how this material should be applied to your life and circumstances. Take a half day at the end of the month and a weekend at the end of the year so that you've got it so that it never disappears, to ensure that the past is even more valuable and will serve your future well.
Set Goals. Your plan is the roadmap for how you are going to get to your goals, so you have to have them. Of all the things that changed my life for the better (and most quickly), it was learning how to set goals. Mastering this unique process can have a powerful effect on your life too. I remember shortly after I met Mr. Shoaff, he asked me if I had a list of my goals, and of course I didn't. He suggested to me that because I lacked a set of clearly defined goals that he could guess my bank balance within a few hundred dollars... and he did! Well, Mr. Shoaff immediately began helping me define my view of the future, my dreams. He taught me to set goals because it is the greatest influence on a person's future and the greatest force that will pull a person in the direction that they want to go. But the future must be planned and well-designed to exert a force that pulls you toward the promise of what can be.
Act. Act on your plan. What separates the successful from the unsuccessful so many times is that the successful simply do it. They take action; they aren't necessarily smarter than others, they just work the plan. And the time to act is when the emotion is strong. Because if you don't, here's what happens: it's called the law of diminishing intent. We intend to act when the idea strikes us, when the emotion is high, but if we delay and we don't translate that into action fairly soon, the intention starts to diminish, and a month from now it's cold and a year from now it can't be found. So set up the discipline when the idea is strong, clear and powerful—that's the time to work the plan. Otherwise the emotion is wasted unless you capture the emotion and put it into disciplined activities and translate it into equity. And here's what is interesting: all disciplines affect each other; everything affects everything. That's why the smallest action is important—because the value and benefits that you receive from that one little action will inspire you to do the next one and the next one.
So step out and take action on your plan, because if the plan is good, then the results can be miraculous
Monday, June 28, 2010
Doing the Remarkable
by Jim Rohn
When it comes to meeting and conquering the negativity in your life, here is a key question: what can you do, starting today, that will make a difference? What can you do during economic chaos? What can you do when everything has gone wrong? What can you do when you've run out of money, when you don't feel well and it's all gone sour? What can you do?
Let me give you the broad answer first. You can do the most remarkable things, no matter what happens. People can do incredible things, unbelievable things, despite the most impossible or disastrous circumstances.
Here is why humans can do remarkable things: because they are remarkable. Humans are different than any other creation. When a dog starts with weeds, he winds up with weeds. And the reason is because he's a dog. But that's not true with human beings. Humans can turn weeds into gardens.
Humans can turn nothing into something, pennies into fortune, and disaster into success. And the reason they can do such remarkable things is because they are remarkable. Try reaching down inside of yourself; you'll come up with some more of those remarkable human gifts. They're there, waiting to be discovered and employed.
With those gifts, you can change anything for yourself that you wish to change. And I challenge you to do that because you can change. If you don't like how something is going for you, change it. If something isn't enough, change it. If something doesn't suit you, change it. If something doesn't please you, change it. You don't ever have to be the same after today. If you don't like your present address, change it—you're not a tree!
If there is one thing to get excited about, it's your ability to make yourself do the necessary things, to get a desired result, to turn the negative into success. That's true excitement.
When it comes to meeting and conquering the negativity in your life, here is a key question: what can you do, starting today, that will make a difference? What can you do during economic chaos? What can you do when everything has gone wrong? What can you do when you've run out of money, when you don't feel well and it's all gone sour? What can you do?
Let me give you the broad answer first. You can do the most remarkable things, no matter what happens. People can do incredible things, unbelievable things, despite the most impossible or disastrous circumstances.
Here is why humans can do remarkable things: because they are remarkable. Humans are different than any other creation. When a dog starts with weeds, he winds up with weeds. And the reason is because he's a dog. But that's not true with human beings. Humans can turn weeds into gardens.
Humans can turn nothing into something, pennies into fortune, and disaster into success. And the reason they can do such remarkable things is because they are remarkable. Try reaching down inside of yourself; you'll come up with some more of those remarkable human gifts. They're there, waiting to be discovered and employed.
With those gifts, you can change anything for yourself that you wish to change. And I challenge you to do that because you can change. If you don't like how something is going for you, change it. If something isn't enough, change it. If something doesn't suit you, change it. If something doesn't please you, change it. You don't ever have to be the same after today. If you don't like your present address, change it—you're not a tree!
If there is one thing to get excited about, it's your ability to make yourself do the necessary things, to get a desired result, to turn the negative into success. That's true excitement.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Look in the Mirror-That Is Your Problem and That Is Your Solution
by William E. Bailey
One of my favorite people, Winston Churchill, once said, “The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but in the end there it is.” Now I’ll give you the Bill Bailey hillbilly version. “You might as well start with the truth; you are going to end with it.”
The words I believe, the words I think, the words I feel, may or may not be true. The words I experience are true. Where you are today is the sum total of every experience you have had in your life. And you had the opportunity to say “yes” or to say “no.” Whatever good happened to you, you ought to take credit. And whatever blame happened to you, you get that too. Because you could have said “yes” or said “no.” Wherever you are is okay, because you are here. And if everything hadn’t happened exactly the way it did in your life, you would not be here. You might have not survived.
Your direction is critical. Because one thing I will assure you of, in your life after seventy years of watching it, It Will Change! All positions are temporary. Take a look behind you. As Shakespeare said, “Straight satisfy yourself as the truth of it.” And again I’ll remind you. Whether you like it or not, you look in the mirror; that is your problem and that is your solution.
When I was very young I learned my first lesson in motivation: The absence of options will create a very quick and powerful decision. I was born and raised in the hills of Kentucky, what you all call Appalachia. We called it just plain poor.
There were eleven kids in the family. We had six flat acres, the rest of them were on the hills. We plowed with mules. I was born in 1930; we didn’t have paved roads until I was 15. We had electricity when I was 16. We never had indoor plumbing. So we were a family, but we walked to church together and we walked back together. We had a very unusual community feeling.
So one day when I was 15 years old, I was plowing corn. The last time you plow a field is in August, and in August, it’s very hot, it’s very humid. Well, I was plowing about three o’clock, back in a place called the Dorsey Holler. And I, like most young people, decided I was not going to plow anymore, so I spent about five minutes thinking up a nice lie I was gonna tell my father if he asked. So I backed up under this big beach tree, sat down, tied the plow lines of the mule up to the plow handles, lit a cigarette. About that time I heard a voice say, “What in the h__ do you think you are doing?” And there stood my father looking like a rain cloud about to burst. I quickly whipped out my best lie and said, “Well, the ground was hard and the mule didn’t want to pull the plow.” He asked, “Did you hit it?” I said, “No.” He said, “Well son you can hit the mule or I am hitting you.” I HIT THE MULE!
Here is the next statement for you. It is a shame that we wait for something outside us to cause us to do what we ought to do ourselves. Why did I wait for someone to force me to do what I should have been doing? We should all be truly excited about the rest of our lives because we have the greatest single tool in the world: the human brain.
"There is nothing wrong with affirmations, provided what you are affirming is the truth. If you are broke, for example, the best thing to affirm is, 'I'm broke!'" —Jim Rohn
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly Newsletter. To subscribe, go to http://list.jimrohn.com/t/14566888/40429807/610768/0/ All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
One of my favorite people, Winston Churchill, once said, “The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but in the end there it is.” Now I’ll give you the Bill Bailey hillbilly version. “You might as well start with the truth; you are going to end with it.”
The words I believe, the words I think, the words I feel, may or may not be true. The words I experience are true. Where you are today is the sum total of every experience you have had in your life. And you had the opportunity to say “yes” or to say “no.” Whatever good happened to you, you ought to take credit. And whatever blame happened to you, you get that too. Because you could have said “yes” or said “no.” Wherever you are is okay, because you are here. And if everything hadn’t happened exactly the way it did in your life, you would not be here. You might have not survived.
Your direction is critical. Because one thing I will assure you of, in your life after seventy years of watching it, It Will Change! All positions are temporary. Take a look behind you. As Shakespeare said, “Straight satisfy yourself as the truth of it.” And again I’ll remind you. Whether you like it or not, you look in the mirror; that is your problem and that is your solution.
When I was very young I learned my first lesson in motivation: The absence of options will create a very quick and powerful decision. I was born and raised in the hills of Kentucky, what you all call Appalachia. We called it just plain poor.
There were eleven kids in the family. We had six flat acres, the rest of them were on the hills. We plowed with mules. I was born in 1930; we didn’t have paved roads until I was 15. We had electricity when I was 16. We never had indoor plumbing. So we were a family, but we walked to church together and we walked back together. We had a very unusual community feeling.
So one day when I was 15 years old, I was plowing corn. The last time you plow a field is in August, and in August, it’s very hot, it’s very humid. Well, I was plowing about three o’clock, back in a place called the Dorsey Holler. And I, like most young people, decided I was not going to plow anymore, so I spent about five minutes thinking up a nice lie I was gonna tell my father if he asked. So I backed up under this big beach tree, sat down, tied the plow lines of the mule up to the plow handles, lit a cigarette. About that time I heard a voice say, “What in the h__ do you think you are doing?” And there stood my father looking like a rain cloud about to burst. I quickly whipped out my best lie and said, “Well, the ground was hard and the mule didn’t want to pull the plow.” He asked, “Did you hit it?” I said, “No.” He said, “Well son you can hit the mule or I am hitting you.” I HIT THE MULE!
Here is the next statement for you. It is a shame that we wait for something outside us to cause us to do what we ought to do ourselves. Why did I wait for someone to force me to do what I should have been doing? We should all be truly excited about the rest of our lives because we have the greatest single tool in the world: the human brain.
"There is nothing wrong with affirmations, provided what you are affirming is the truth. If you are broke, for example, the best thing to affirm is, 'I'm broke!'" —Jim Rohn
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly Newsletter. To subscribe, go to http://list.jimrohn.com/t/14566888/40429807/610768/0/ All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
Change Begins with Choice
by Jim Rohn
Any day we wish, we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish, we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish, we can start a new activity. Any day we wish, we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.
We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, “The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves.” We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today. Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth. They need the whole truth. And they need nothing but the truth.
We cannot allow our errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead us down the wrong path. We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out. And then we must make the very choices that will bring life, happiness and joy into our daily lives.
And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life: If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life. And it all begins with your very own power of choice.
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly Newsletter. To subscribe, go to www.JimRohn.com All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
Any day we wish, we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish, we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish, we can start a new activity. Any day we wish, we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.
We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, “The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves.” We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today. Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth. They need the whole truth. And they need nothing but the truth.
We cannot allow our errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead us down the wrong path. We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out. And then we must make the very choices that will bring life, happiness and joy into our daily lives.
And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life: If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life. And it all begins with your very own power of choice.
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly Newsletter. To subscribe, go to www.JimRohn.com All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
Responding, Not Reacting, to Life
by Zig Ziglar
When you respond to life, that’s positive; when you react to life, that’s negative. Example: You get sick and go to the doctor. Chances are good that after an examination, she would give you a prescription with instructions to return in several days.
If, when you walk back in the door, the doctor starts shaking her head and says, “It looks like your body is reacting to the medicine; we’re going to have to change it,” you probably would get a little nervous.
However, if the doctor smiles and says, “You’re looking great! Your body is responding to the medication,” you would feel relieved. Yes, responding to life is good.
A few years ago, there was much turmoil in the U.S. job market. People were losing their jobs through downsizing, mergers, and takeovers. This created some unusual opportunities for many people. For example, the Wall Street Journal reported that in a five-year period, more than 15 million new businesses were created, well over half of them by women. Very few of the women had any marketable skills, and all of them had great financial need.
Most of the new businesses were “trust” businesses, meaning that the women collected the money before they delivered the goods or services. Many, possibly most, of those new businesses would never have been started had not an unfortunate event occurred in the people’s lives. When those events did occur, and needs became obvious, the women chose to respond, and there is little doubt that many of them are better off now than they were before.
The message is clear: If you respond to life instead of react to it, then you’ve got a much better chance of achieving success.
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly Newsletter. To subscribe, go to www.JimRohn.com All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
When you respond to life, that’s positive; when you react to life, that’s negative. Example: You get sick and go to the doctor. Chances are good that after an examination, she would give you a prescription with instructions to return in several days.
If, when you walk back in the door, the doctor starts shaking her head and says, “It looks like your body is reacting to the medicine; we’re going to have to change it,” you probably would get a little nervous.
However, if the doctor smiles and says, “You’re looking great! Your body is responding to the medication,” you would feel relieved. Yes, responding to life is good.
A few years ago, there was much turmoil in the U.S. job market. People were losing their jobs through downsizing, mergers, and takeovers. This created some unusual opportunities for many people. For example, the Wall Street Journal reported that in a five-year period, more than 15 million new businesses were created, well over half of them by women. Very few of the women had any marketable skills, and all of them had great financial need.
Most of the new businesses were “trust” businesses, meaning that the women collected the money before they delivered the goods or services. Many, possibly most, of those new businesses would never have been started had not an unfortunate event occurred in the people’s lives. When those events did occur, and needs became obvious, the women chose to respond, and there is little doubt that many of them are better off now than they were before.
The message is clear: If you respond to life instead of react to it, then you’ve got a much better chance of achieving success.
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly Newsletter. To subscribe, go to www.JimRohn.com All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
Skills Make Labor More Valuable
by Jim Rohn
As you know by now, if you have been a longtime subscriber to our weekly newsletter, I’m a very big proponent of activity, labor and discipline. In fact I devoted one of the five major pieces to the life puzzle (in my book under the same name) to the subject of activity and labor. But now let me add another key word to the labor equation:
skillful. Yes, skillful labor.
We need the skills to help build our family’s dreams, the skills to stir up an enterprise and make it successful. We need skills to build equities for the future. We need skills of all kinds.
How about this: skillful language. If you just talk to your family you can hold them all together, but if you skillfully talk to your children you can help them build dreams for the future. That is why I spend so much time at the Weekend Seminar on communication—how to affect others with words. You can’t be lazy in language; it costs too much. What if you meant to say “what’s troubling you?” and instead you said “what’s wrong with you?” Wow, that’s too big a mistake. And sure you could have made that mistake 10 years ago, but not now. You should have gotten much better by now in language and communication.
Skills multiply labors by two, by five, by 10, by 50, by 100 times. Hey, you can chop a tree down with a hammer but it takes about 30 days, called labor. But if you trade the hammer in for an ax, you can chop the tree down in about 30 minutes. What’s the difference between 30 days and 30 minutes? Skills. Skills made the difference.
So do what you can—labor. But also do the best that you can do—improved skills. And you will find that the labor combined with skills will start producing miracles. Miracles with your money. Miracles with your family. And miracles in every part of your life.
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly Newsletter. To subscribe, go to www.JimRohn.com All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
As you know by now, if you have been a longtime subscriber to our weekly newsletter, I’m a very big proponent of activity, labor and discipline. In fact I devoted one of the five major pieces to the life puzzle (in my book under the same name) to the subject of activity and labor. But now let me add another key word to the labor equation:
skillful. Yes, skillful labor.
We need the skills to help build our family’s dreams, the skills to stir up an enterprise and make it successful. We need skills to build equities for the future. We need skills of all kinds.
How about this: skillful language. If you just talk to your family you can hold them all together, but if you skillfully talk to your children you can help them build dreams for the future. That is why I spend so much time at the Weekend Seminar on communication—how to affect others with words. You can’t be lazy in language; it costs too much. What if you meant to say “what’s troubling you?” and instead you said “what’s wrong with you?” Wow, that’s too big a mistake. And sure you could have made that mistake 10 years ago, but not now. You should have gotten much better by now in language and communication.
Skills multiply labors by two, by five, by 10, by 50, by 100 times. Hey, you can chop a tree down with a hammer but it takes about 30 days, called labor. But if you trade the hammer in for an ax, you can chop the tree down in about 30 minutes. What’s the difference between 30 days and 30 minutes? Skills. Skills made the difference.
So do what you can—labor. But also do the best that you can do—improved skills. And you will find that the labor combined with skills will start producing miracles. Miracles with your money. Miracles with your family. And miracles in every part of your life.
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly Newsletter. To subscribe, go to www.JimRohn.com All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Don’t Sink Your Success by Ignoring Relationships
John Paul Jones is regarded as The Father of the American Navy, and rightly so given his heroic courage in battle and his devotion to America's struggle for independence. Yet sadly, Jones alienated himself from the country he loved, dying penniless and alone in France at the age of 45. Why did the war hero's story end so dismally? The answer is simple: John Paul Jones never valued relationships.
Talent and Temper
John Paul Jones was born in Scotland under the given name of John Paul. He achieved notoriety as a 21-year old sailor when he safely piloted a ship back to port after its captain and first mate had succumbed to yellow fever. The feat won him the respect of the ship's owners, who made him the vessel's captain and gave him a commission on its profits.
John Paul's success in Scotland was short-lived, though. Soon after being named as captain, he became enraged with a sailor and demanded that the man be whipped. The flogging ordered by John Paul was so severe that the man later died from his wounds. Although he avoided criminal charges and kept his command, John Paul's reputation never recovered, nor did he learn his lesson.
A few years later, John Paul slaughtered a mutinous shipmate after a dispute over wages. Rather than stand trail for his actions, he fled to America, changing his name to John Paul Jones. Thus began a familiar trend, Jones' spectacular skill and talent would gain him renown, but then his relational incompetence would undermine the success.
A Fresh Start Runs Afoul
John Paul Jones arrived in America at the dawn of the Revolutionary War. He enlisted in the American Navy and distinguished himself as a privateer captain, preying upon British commercial ships. Duly promoted, he then led a daring mission all the way to mainland Great Britain, raiding a coastal town and capturing a warship. His gallantry brought much needed credibility to the American cause abroad, and gained him popularity at home.
However, after returning to American shores, John Paul Jones did not receive the official recognition that he felt he deserved. Feeling slighted, he launched scathing criticisms at the politicians by whom he felt overlooked. Although he had vanquished his enemies in combat, John Paul Jones' disrespect and arrogance turned his would-be friends into adversaries.
Fame without Fortune
John Paul Jones next military adventure brought him to the pinnacle of his fame. In a battle on the high seas, two of his primary cannons malfunctioned and left him outgunned and outmanned against a British warship, the Serapis. Repeatedly battered by the guns of his opponent, Jones' ship, the Bonhomme Richard, caught fire and began to go down. Sensing victory, the British commander asked if Jones was ready to surrender, receiving the famous reply, "I have not yet begun to fight!"
Jones rallied his crew and rammed his sinking vessel into the side of the Serapis. Then, his men tied together the two warships with grappling hooks, hopped aboard the Serapis, and engaged in intense hand-to-hand combat. By the time the skirmish ended, the Americans had won control of the Serapis and had forced the British to surrender.
Elevated to celebrity status after the improbable victory, John Paul Jones nonetheless managed to estrange himself after returning home. First, he took all of the credit for his military triumph, discounting the bravery of his men. Then, he wrote several self-aggrandizing accounts of the battle and sent them to newspapers in America and Europe. His blatant and excessive self-promotion rankled politicians and further alienated him from those in power. Next, he sailed out to sea, only to be embarrassed when his crew mutinied and left him stranded in France. Finally, after returning home, he lobbied tirelessly to be named First Admiral of the United States Navy. Denied his request and having worn out his welcome, John Paul Jones left America for good and spent the remainder of his days vainly chasing personal glory in the service of foreign governments.
Summary
The life of John Paul Jones is indicative of a leader with loads of talent but no regard for relationships. Prickly, self-focused, and egotistical, such leaders sabotage their success by pushing away everyone in their lives. Regardless of their accomplishments, leaders never attain fulfillment until they learn to win with people.
Talent and Temper
John Paul Jones was born in Scotland under the given name of John Paul. He achieved notoriety as a 21-year old sailor when he safely piloted a ship back to port after its captain and first mate had succumbed to yellow fever. The feat won him the respect of the ship's owners, who made him the vessel's captain and gave him a commission on its profits.
John Paul's success in Scotland was short-lived, though. Soon after being named as captain, he became enraged with a sailor and demanded that the man be whipped. The flogging ordered by John Paul was so severe that the man later died from his wounds. Although he avoided criminal charges and kept his command, John Paul's reputation never recovered, nor did he learn his lesson.
A few years later, John Paul slaughtered a mutinous shipmate after a dispute over wages. Rather than stand trail for his actions, he fled to America, changing his name to John Paul Jones. Thus began a familiar trend, Jones' spectacular skill and talent would gain him renown, but then his relational incompetence would undermine the success.
A Fresh Start Runs Afoul
John Paul Jones arrived in America at the dawn of the Revolutionary War. He enlisted in the American Navy and distinguished himself as a privateer captain, preying upon British commercial ships. Duly promoted, he then led a daring mission all the way to mainland Great Britain, raiding a coastal town and capturing a warship. His gallantry brought much needed credibility to the American cause abroad, and gained him popularity at home.
However, after returning to American shores, John Paul Jones did not receive the official recognition that he felt he deserved. Feeling slighted, he launched scathing criticisms at the politicians by whom he felt overlooked. Although he had vanquished his enemies in combat, John Paul Jones' disrespect and arrogance turned his would-be friends into adversaries.
Fame without Fortune
John Paul Jones next military adventure brought him to the pinnacle of his fame. In a battle on the high seas, two of his primary cannons malfunctioned and left him outgunned and outmanned against a British warship, the Serapis. Repeatedly battered by the guns of his opponent, Jones' ship, the Bonhomme Richard, caught fire and began to go down. Sensing victory, the British commander asked if Jones was ready to surrender, receiving the famous reply, "I have not yet begun to fight!"
Jones rallied his crew and rammed his sinking vessel into the side of the Serapis. Then, his men tied together the two warships with grappling hooks, hopped aboard the Serapis, and engaged in intense hand-to-hand combat. By the time the skirmish ended, the Americans had won control of the Serapis and had forced the British to surrender.
Elevated to celebrity status after the improbable victory, John Paul Jones nonetheless managed to estrange himself after returning home. First, he took all of the credit for his military triumph, discounting the bravery of his men. Then, he wrote several self-aggrandizing accounts of the battle and sent them to newspapers in America and Europe. His blatant and excessive self-promotion rankled politicians and further alienated him from those in power. Next, he sailed out to sea, only to be embarrassed when his crew mutinied and left him stranded in France. Finally, after returning home, he lobbied tirelessly to be named First Admiral of the United States Navy. Denied his request and having worn out his welcome, John Paul Jones left America for good and spent the remainder of his days vainly chasing personal glory in the service of foreign governments.
Summary
The life of John Paul Jones is indicative of a leader with loads of talent but no regard for relationships. Prickly, self-focused, and egotistical, such leaders sabotage their success by pushing away everyone in their lives. Regardless of their accomplishments, leaders never attain fulfillment until they learn to win with people.
Big Mo Comes to Those Who Know…and Do
By John C. Maxwell
How do leaders generate positive momentum? It's very simple: by learning and then applying what they have learned. In the knowledge economy, leaders are distinguished by their ability to process information and put it to use.
There are three ways in which leaders interact with information, and each impacts momentum.
1) Ignorance
The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: Be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge. ~ Elbert Hubbard
What you don't know can hurt you. Just ask Circuit City. In March 2007, the company chose to lay off its highest-paid, most knowledgeable employees in favor of cheaper labor. The result? Customer service nightmares. Complaints skyrocketed as inexperienced workers replaced seasoned salespeople. By the end of 2008, the electronics superstore had filed for bankruptcy.
Whenever a company ceases to learn or reduces its storehouse of knowledge, decline swiftly follows. In today's climate, change happens too quickly for businesses to forego learning. Unless leaders make a concerted effort to gather information and re-educate themselves, their organizations will suffer the negative momentum of ignorance.
2) Negligence
"Negligence is the rust of the soul, that corrodes through all her best resolves"~ Owen Falham
Executives at Philip Morris clearly knew the health hazards of smoking, yet they chose not to warn customers about the harmful effects of their products. When the truth about tobacco became widely known, the public was outraged at the company's negligence. Scads of lawsuits were filed against Philip Morris, alleging that it deliberately withheld information from customers. To date, the company has paid out millions of dollars in court-ordered settlements, and is on the hook for millions more.
When companies refuse to act on important information-either due to apathy or wicked intentions-then they are said to be negligent. Philip Morris failed to respond properly to the information at its disposal, namely that its products fostered addiction and had adverse health effects. In the end, the company paid dearly in financial penalties and lost significant momentum.
3) Action
An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage. ~ Jack Welch
Big business doesn't always equal heartlessness. In 1987, Merck realized it had a drug that could counteract river blindness, a disease endemic to impoverished regions. At great expense to its pocketbook, Merck agreed to provide the drug to all who needed it, as long as they needed it. In the 20+ years since making that commitment, the company has provided over 600 million treatments.
Merck's public image was boosted exponentially as a result of its generosity. The best and brightest minds in the pharmaceutical industry flocked to Merck to associate themselves with an organization that genuinely seemed to care. By putting its knowledge to work in such a benevolent way, Merck enjoyed a surge of momentum.
Summary
If you're looking for a surefire source of momentum, then make every effort to learn-and to turn what you learn into action. Yes, learning can be a costly endeavor. You may have to open your wallet to purchase resources and provide training opportunities for your people. However, at the end of the day, you cannot afford to neglect the pursuit of knowledge.
How do leaders generate positive momentum? It's very simple: by learning and then applying what they have learned. In the knowledge economy, leaders are distinguished by their ability to process information and put it to use.
There are three ways in which leaders interact with information, and each impacts momentum.
1) Ignorance
The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: Be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge. ~ Elbert Hubbard
What you don't know can hurt you. Just ask Circuit City. In March 2007, the company chose to lay off its highest-paid, most knowledgeable employees in favor of cheaper labor. The result? Customer service nightmares. Complaints skyrocketed as inexperienced workers replaced seasoned salespeople. By the end of 2008, the electronics superstore had filed for bankruptcy.
Whenever a company ceases to learn or reduces its storehouse of knowledge, decline swiftly follows. In today's climate, change happens too quickly for businesses to forego learning. Unless leaders make a concerted effort to gather information and re-educate themselves, their organizations will suffer the negative momentum of ignorance.
2) Negligence
"Negligence is the rust of the soul, that corrodes through all her best resolves"~ Owen Falham
Executives at Philip Morris clearly knew the health hazards of smoking, yet they chose not to warn customers about the harmful effects of their products. When the truth about tobacco became widely known, the public was outraged at the company's negligence. Scads of lawsuits were filed against Philip Morris, alleging that it deliberately withheld information from customers. To date, the company has paid out millions of dollars in court-ordered settlements, and is on the hook for millions more.
When companies refuse to act on important information-either due to apathy or wicked intentions-then they are said to be negligent. Philip Morris failed to respond properly to the information at its disposal, namely that its products fostered addiction and had adverse health effects. In the end, the company paid dearly in financial penalties and lost significant momentum.
3) Action
An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage. ~ Jack Welch
Big business doesn't always equal heartlessness. In 1987, Merck realized it had a drug that could counteract river blindness, a disease endemic to impoverished regions. At great expense to its pocketbook, Merck agreed to provide the drug to all who needed it, as long as they needed it. In the 20+ years since making that commitment, the company has provided over 600 million treatments.
Merck's public image was boosted exponentially as a result of its generosity. The best and brightest minds in the pharmaceutical industry flocked to Merck to associate themselves with an organization that genuinely seemed to care. By putting its knowledge to work in such a benevolent way, Merck enjoyed a surge of momentum.
Summary
If you're looking for a surefire source of momentum, then make every effort to learn-and to turn what you learn into action. Yes, learning can be a costly endeavor. You may have to open your wallet to purchase resources and provide training opportunities for your people. However, at the end of the day, you cannot afford to neglect the pursuit of knowledge.
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