The Resilient Mind - Success Is Something You Attract, Not Something You Pursue - Jim Rohn

Episode Date: June 4, 2026

A timeless message from Jim Rohn®Jim Rohn was a renowned motivational speaker who has been widely regarded as one of the best in his field during his time. He had an incredible ability to inspire and motivate people from all walks of life with his speeches and teachings. One of his most notable achievements was serving as a mentor to Tony Robbins, one of the most successful and well-known motivational speakers in the world today.SUCCESS® presents: Jim Rohn®. To discover more powerful messages and timeless teachings from Jim Rohn, visit: 👉 https://www.success.com/subscriptions/.Licensed for use from https://mindsetdrm.com/.Take action and strengthen your mind with The Resilient Mind Journal. Get your free digital copy today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/Download_JournalExplore tools from past guests of the podcast. Some links below are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you:💓 HeartMath: https://www.heartmath.com/resilient🧠 Muse: https://choosemuse.com/resilientmind🌿 Brain Ritual: https://www.brainritual.com/THERESILIENTMIND🌍 The Resilient Mind Podcast is a proud member of 1% for the Planet — building resilient minds and a resilient planet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here's the big challenge of life. You can have more than you've got because you can become more than you are. That's the challenge. And of course the other side of the coin reads, unless you change how you are, you'll always have what you got. I have found in my experience that income does not far exceed personal development. Now, sometimes income takes a lucky jump, but sure enough, unless you grow out where it is, it'll usually come back where you are. Life has strange ways. If somebody hands you a million dollars, best you become a millionaire quickly. So you get to keep the money.

Otherwise, sure enough, it'll disappear. Somebody once said, if you took all the money in the world, divided it up equally among everybody, it would soon all be back in the same pockets. Incredible. Success is something you attract, not something you pursue. Success is looking for a good place to study. So instead of going after it, you work on yourself, personal developer.

See, the major question to ask on the job is not what are you getting. The major question to ask on the job is, what are you becoming? See, the big question is, not what am I getting paid here? The big question is, what am I becoming here? Because true happiness is not contained in what you get. Happiness is contained in what you have. become. So that's our major subject for tonight, personal development. Of all the assignments Mr. Schof gave me at age 25, this was probably the most difficult. In fact,

I'm still working on this one. I think it's an unending challenge to see what you can become. Philosophy, as I taught the last time I was here, philosophy in my personal opinion is the major determining factor in how your life works out. Philosophy, the major determining factor in how your life works out. Philosophy to form our philosophy, you've got to think, got to use your mind, got to process ideas. And this whole process over a lifetime, starting way back here when we were children, schools that we've attended, our parents, our experiences, all this stuff that we've processed by the thinking process helps to develop our philosophy. And in my opinion, each person's personal

philosophy is the major factor in how your life works out. Here's what I called it in that last presentation when I was here. It's called the set of the sale. Each person's personal philosophy is like the set of the sale. Now, I used to think it was circumstances that ordered my life. If someone who would have asked me at age 25, Mr. One, how come you're not doing well? Penny's in your pocket, creditors calling, nothing in the bank. Behind on your promises to your family, you live in America, 25 years old, got a beautiful family every reason to do well, and things are not going that well for you. What is wrong here? It would not have occurred to me to blame my philosophy. I mean, it would not have occurred to me. They, well, I got this lousy philosophy,

and that's how come I got pennies in my pocket and nothing in the bank and things aren't working well. That would not have occurred to me. I found it much easier to blame the government, much easier to blame the tax problem. I used to say taxes are too high. Pop tax rate when I first started paying taxes, 91%. Back then, when your income reached a certain level, all your income over that, 91%. So I used to say that's too. Hi, now the top tax rate's about 33%,

but people are still saying what, taxes are two? See, but you can't use that anymore. If it's gone from 91 to 33, how could it be too? How I? Come on. I threw all that old excuse stuff away. Some people found it though, and they're, I'm using it these dirt.

My old list. I used to blame the traffic, the weather, used to blame circumstances, right? People say I'm too tall, I'm too short, I'm too old, I was raised in obscurity, raised on a farmer, and parents of modest means, all the stuff. If you were to ask me, how come you find yourself here, Mr. O'ne,

age 25, living in America, land of abundance and opportunity, pennies, zero in the bank, not doing well, creditors calling. It would not have occurred to me to blame my philosophy. I found it easier to blame the company, company policy. I used to say, if this is all they pay, how do they expect you to do well? So I figured that, you know, my future was going to be tied to what everybody else was arranging the economy and, right, interest rates. I used to say things cost too.

But that was my whole explanation, not my philosophy until my teacher caught me better that this is where the problem was, my own personal philosophy, Here's what's exciting about each person's personal philosophy. That's what makes us different than dogs and animals and birds and cats and spiders and alligators. That's what makes us different than all other life form. The ability to think, the ability to use your mind, the ability to process ideas, and not just operate by instinct. In the winter, I'm telling you, the goose can only fly south. What if South doesn't look too good? Tough luck. It can only fly south.

But the human beings are not like a goose. It can only fly south. I mean, you can turn around, go north. You can go east. You can go west. You can order the entire process of your own life. And we do that by the way we think. We do that by exercising our mind.

We do that by processing ideas and come up with a better philosophy, a better strategy for our life. Goals for the future. Okay? Plans to achieve those goals. All this comes. from developing our philosophy. Philosophy helps us to process. What's available?

Well, when we get here, we got seed and we got soil and we got some rain and we've got some what? Sunshine and we've got some seasons. And what? The miracle of life. Now the key is, what do you do with all this stuff?

How do you turn all this stuff that's available here into X? and promise and lifestyle and dream and future possibilities. All of this that's possible now with human being, how do you take all this stuff and turn it into this equities and values? Well, it starts with philosophy. What is the seed? What is the soil?

What is the sunshine? What is the rain? Is it possible to take some of each of all the stuff that's available and turn it into food and turn it into value and turn it into nourishment, turn it into something spectacular and unique that no other life form can do, and the answer is yes. But you cannot deal with all this stuff and what to do with it unless you start refining your philosophy.

Think, use your mind, come up with ideas, and strengthen your philosophy. So the seed and the soil and the rain and the sunshine, this is called, you know, the economy and the banks and the money and the schools and everything that's available out there, processing, information, what to do with all that, and turn it into equity and value. That is the major challenge of life, my personal opinion. So each person's personal philosophy now is going to determine

what you're going to do with seed and soil and sunshine and rain, miracle, the change of season. That's it. My personal opinion, each person's personal philosophy is like the set of the same. That's what this seminar is for today. help you to trim a better sale. You don't need a better economy. You don't need better seed and soil.

In fact, when it comes to seed and soil and rain and sunshine and seasons and the miracle of life, that's all you got. Now, what if you blame this stuff? Then you're blaming all you got. If you blame the economy and you blame the schools and you blame the teachers and you blame the sermons and the preachers and you blame, you know, the marketplace

and you blame the company and company policy, what else is there? When some people get through with their blame list, there isn't nothing else. That's all there is. And if you blame the only thing you've got to work with, I'm telling you, it's called mistake colossal. And not understanding that that's all you've got to work with.

And if this is all you've got to work with, then you don't change the seed and you don't change the soil and you don't change the rain and you don't change the sun sign. You don't change the seasons, right? Guys says, I'll take three springs, four summers, nine falls, no winters, saying, no, you can't fool with this stuff. You've got to take it like it comes. Then what do you change to make your life work well?

You got to start with your philosophy. Guess what I had to do at age 25 in order to change my own future. I had to change my mind. I had to change my thinking. I had to change my philosophy. I was messed up on what was causing my problem. And once I got that straightened out that all the stuff I blamed, the government and taxes

and the marketplace and the economy and things cost too much, negative relatives, cynical neighbors, once I got rid of that and started going for where the real problem was, which was me, I'm telling you, my life exploded into change. My bank account changed immediately. My income changed immediately.

My whole life took on a whole new look and color immediately. And the early results I got, from making these philosophical changes tasted so good. I've never stopped the process from that day until this. And I'm telling you with a little consideration of the refinement of your sale by setting a better sale refining your philosophy. Your whole life can start to change from the day on. You don't have to wait till tomorrow. You don't have to wait till next month. You don't have to wait till spring. Don't have to wait till 93. You can start this whole process immediately. I recommend it. Now some people do so little thinking. They don't even even

have their sale up. I mean, you can imagine where they're going to wind up at the end of this week, at the end of this month, at the end of this year. Now is the chance to change, process all this information. So number one is philosophy. And we dealt with all that, where we get ideas from personal experience, from other people's experiences. I don't want to get into all those details because we covered that the last time I was here. But philosophy, that's number one, my personal opinion, each person's personal philosophy. Now, here's what I teach kids. Profits are better than wages. Wages are okay, but wages help you make a living. Profits help you make a fortune. The key is to just understand philosophically. A little simple economic scenario. And there's all kinds of ways to

make a profit. I'm working on a new book. Here's what it's called. I think it's going to be called. Of course, kids should pay taxes. It's going to be an interesting book. In California where I live, kids do pay taxes. If an 8-year-old walks into 7-11, buy something that costs a dollar, the proprietor makes him cough up seven more pennies. Eight-year-old says, what's these seven pennies? The proprietor says, that taxes. That's taxes. Kid says, well, I'm only 8.

Propriter says, congratulations, you're my youngest taxpayer. So in California, kids do pay taxes. Now the question is, should they? Now, the title of my book is, Of course, kids should pay taxes. You got it. Right? The disciple went and caught a fish,

found the miracle coins, and paid his taxes and Jesus taxes. So way back then, Jesus did pay taxes. Now, the question is, should he? And the answer, my little book says, Of course, Jesus and kids should pay taxes. Of course, course. If an eight-year-old wants to ride his bicycle on the sidewalk,

instead of in the mud, you have to pay taxes. Things cost money. Now, active capital means try your best to show a profit. Now, there's many ways to show a profit, not just money. Touch something, leave it better than you found it. That's a profit. Some profits are intangible. Some profits are tangible.

Long before Earth Day, for all sophisticated people, it was very proper when you left your hotel room to turn out the lights. All educated people. Why? Leave a profit. It's so easy to flip the switch and leave a profit. So as well the hotel gets the profit. What do you care? All you need to become is a person who leaves a profit.

I talk to a man who runs a whole string of apartments. He said, guess what? Most people, when they were in an apartment. Leave it? What? Trashed worse than they found it. What kind of a reputation would that mean? Whatever you touched terms to trash. Whatever you touch gets dirty.

Nothing you touch gets better. See, that's a poor philosopher. No wonder leads to poverty. Small lives. As one writer said, living lives of quiet desperation. This is where it all begins. Failure to leave a profit when you can.

Turn out the lights. Doesn't matter what it is. Become profit-minded. Prophets are better than wages, because profit has the potential to make a fortune. Wages has the potential to make a living. So I teach kids, take part of your wages. If you earn the money, take part of it for charity

and part of it to see if you can't make a profit. And there's all kinds of ways. My book's going to be full of all kinds of ways kids can make money. I teach kids how to have two bicycles, one to ride and one to rent. You know, it doesn't take long to get into business. You don't have to be a genius. Halfway bright, you can start showing a profit. Let me just quickly give you a list of four emotions

that can change your life in one day. emotions are powerful. Sometimes it doesn't take much to alter your whole life direction. Okay, here they are. Number one, disgust, powerful emotion. Disgust says, I have had it. See, that could be the day. The day you can say, I've had it.

And whether you've had it with something small or something major, the day you can say I've had it. May not be the day it ends. But the day begin. That's what I said when that little Girl Scout left my door when I'm 25. I give her the big lie. She leaves. I say, I don't want to live like this anymore.

I've had it with lying and being broke. Powerful day. The man's finally had it with mediocrity. He's had it with being a loser. He's finally had it with those awful sick feelings inside, knowing his wife is at the grocery store, looking at two cans of beans, one mark 37 cents, one mark 39 cents, and the guy's sick inside knows. His wife's going to buy the 37 cent can, and she doesn't even like the brand. Do you know why she's going to buy the 37 cent can? To save two cents. The guy sick inside finally says, I've had it. Being on my knees in the dust looking for pennies?

We're not living like this, Andy. Moe. Could be the day that turns your life around. The day you can say, I've had it. He walks into his closet and rips everything in it to shreds and says, I've worn this embarrassing stuff for the last. And not only will I never wear it again, no one else. We'll ever wear it again.

Commit an act that says, I've had it. Powerful. Here's the next one. Decision. And decision making is powerful. And it's emotional. That's those knots in the pite of your stomach, right?

Waking up in the middle of the night and a cold sweat trying to decide. We sometimes call it inner civil lure. What shall I do? Well, for progress, you must decide. The best advice I can give you came from a wealthy friend of mine who said, If it's easy, do it easy. If it's hard, do it hard. Just get it done. If you went home tonight and in the next few days cleaned up a whole list of decisions, that might furnish enough inspiration for the next ten years.

I found this out many times after you've decided getting on with it is easier than deciding sometimes decision is the toughest part. Here's the next emotion, desire wanting to bad enough and I don't know how to tell you to want to. That's something you've got to come up with. There's two things I know about desire. Number one, it comes from inside, not outside. You don't send off for it. Number two, I know desire can be triggered by something. Who knows what it might be? Sometimes desire waits and sleeps for something to happen.

Maybe it's a book, maybe it's a song, maybe it's a sermon, maybe it's a lecture, a seminar, maybe it's the conversation of a friend, a happening, an event. Who knows? The best advice I can give you is what I give my staff. It goes like this, welcome every human experience. You never know which one is going to turn it all aren't. Even the bad experience. Sometimes from the bitterest experience comes the greatest awakening. So let down the barriers, take down the walls. The same wall that keeps out disappointment, keeps out happiness.

Let life touch you. Don't let it kill you, but let it touch you. Here's the last one. This one's powerful. Resolve. Resolve says I will. Two of the most powerful words in the language, I will. Benjamin Disraeli once said, nothing can resist a human will. That will stake even its existence on the extent of its purpose.

Shortly put, I'll do it for die. See, that's powerful. That could be the day that turns your life around. The world has a strange way of stepping aside when somebody says, I'll do it or die. or die. The man says I will climb the mountain. They've told me it's too high, it's too far, it's too rocky, it's too difficult, it's never been done before, but it's my mountain I will climb it. Pretty soon you'll see me waving from the top. Or dead on the side, because I ain't coming back. The best definition I ever got from the word resolve came from a little junior high girl in Foster City, California up north. I'm talking to the junior high kids one day. I love to ask

kids definitions. They come up with beauties. I got to the word resolve and I asked, who can tell me what resolve means? And I got several hands and they were all pretty good, but the last one was the best. Little girl, Vaux three wrote back, held up her head. She said, Mr. O, Mr. Oum. I think I know what resolve means. I said, darling, what do you think it means? She said, I think it means promising yourself, you will never give up. I said, That's it. Webster, stand aside. That is the definition.

Promise yourself, you will never give up. I ask the kids, how long should a baby try to learn how to walk? How long? How long would you give your average baby before you shut them off? How long? See, any mother in the world would say, you're crazy. My baby's going to keep trying until it learns how to walk. What a magic formula.

Now let me show you what triggers all emotions into activity that brings results. And results is the name of the game. Here it is. Action. Finally, you must do something about how you feel. Jesus the master teacher said, don't just be listeners. Be do-works. The world admires the do-words.

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