To have more, we must first become more
Updated: Apr 8, 2020
Did the title catch your attention? Well, it certainly did for me! We all want a good life, but we forget that fundamentally, we need to become what we need to become to attract what we want.
This quote comes from the book titled ‘The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle’ by Jim Rohn. In his book, he shares how one needs to develop a personal philosophy which lays the foundation of our #attitude. Our attitude then determines our level of activity, which produces proportionate results depending on the quantity and quality of the activity. These results provide the lifestyle we seek. I thought it is an interesting read because he explains how we need to be attentive to each piece. Ignoring any one will affect the entire whole.
He began with the first and foremost piece – personal philosophy; what you think and believe that is important to you and your life.
The formula for success is simple and easy to follow. It is disciplining ourselves to see the future in advance, reframe our thinking, correct our mistakes and make that into our current philosophy. However, because things that are easy to do are also not easy to do. Many choose to neglect, and failure is usually the consequences of neglect.
“Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. We do not fail overnight. Failure is the inevitable result of an accumulation of poor thinking and poor choices.” - Jim Rohn
Personal philosophy lays the foundation of our attitude, and the right attitude is one of the fundamentals of a good life.
A majority of us don’t do well because we follow through the day (guiltily, which includes me at times). We wake up, go to work, come back home, sleep, and then we repeat the same cycle the next day. We did not seize the day, and partly because there always seems to be so much time ahead of us, we unconsciously squander the present moment. Both the poor and the wealthy have the same 24 hours a day. Both Bill Gates and you have the same 24 hours of possibility. Time doesn’t favour anybody. How well we utilise our time is mostly a function of attitude. We must invest our time wisely. Carpe diem! Challenge ourselves to get as much as we can from the day!
“If we are intelligent enough to invest our experiences of the past, and wise enough to “borrow” the excitement and inspiration of the future by clearly seeing that future in the “mind’s eye,” then past experiences and future excitement become today’s servant.” - Jim Rohn
Right up to this point, we have discussed a well-balanced philosophy and a right attitude towards life. However, we still won’t be successful if we don’t take any action. Many of us lack the #discipline to take action. We make excuses, we procrastinate. Because man is blessed with the freedom of choice, it is sometimes a curse more than a gift. Many times, we choose to do far less than we could do. While some may argue that rest is essential, it should not be an objective. We should rest when necessary and prepare ourselves for the next goal, the next discipline. The punishment for excessive rest is mediocrity.
“We will all experience one pain or the other—the pain of discipline or the pain of regret—but the difference is that the pain of discipline weighs only ounces while the pain of regret weighs tons. The major accomplishments in life begin with the mastery of the small disciplines.” - Jim Rohn
The book finishes off discussing how results of the above can be seen in the things that we have in life, both tangible and intangibles, and our lifestyle communicates a clear message about who we are. But some of us still fail to find happiness or to create a unique lifestyle despite their accomplishments. It is because, as the author shared, we have not yet mastered the art of being. We are not mindful. We are not ‘awake.’
What I love about this book is the continued emphasis on time and discipline. As I have studied many successful people, I cannot stress enough that these two traits are requisite. They wake up early full of grit to seize the day. They cultivate self-discipline to go through the day as planned to get the best out of it. There is no secret ingredient to be successful, and the formulate is not complicated. For a good life, we need to become more than we currently are so that we can attract more than we currently have. Check out Jim Rohn book to know more about how these five major pieces of life puzzle gel together with a strong focus on time and discipline. Before I end, I would like to remind you to...
