The Resilient Mind - Why Not You? Why Not Now? (Original Seminar) - Jim Rohn

Episode Date: July 26, 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 one of the greatest analogies. Life is like the summer. In my leadership series, we go through all four seasons in analogy. But here's one of the best. Life is like the summer. In the summer, we must do two things. One, nourish our values and number two, fight our enemies. We must contend with both the positive possibility and the negative threat.

That's what life's all about. In the summer, we must nourish our values like a mother and give them life. We must fight our enemies like a father. and take life. We must love like a mother, good, hate evil like a father. We must give life like a mother, take life like a father. Any father would say to the enemies of his family, take three more steps toward this family, you'll cease to exist.

I'm father, I kill. Love good like a mother, hate evil like a father. Now of course it's possible to love like a father and hate like a mother. Just so you get both. Just so you get both done. Nothing more dangerous than an angry mother, especially in the animal kingdom.

Mess with mama bears cubs. If you're a threat to them, she'll kill you. It's that mother female instinct. Kill first, talk later. You've got to be like your bloodstream. Here it is. Be like your bloodstream. Red corpuscles to nourish like a mother.

And white corpuscles to fight like a fob. Thank God for why. white corpuscles that think negative all day. White corpuscles say, just show me some infection, I'll kill it. If I don't kill it, what? It kills you. Somebody's going to get killed in this life scenario. Here's what you've got to make sure it is.

Your enemies and not you. Saddam Hussein takes over Kuwait. What should we do? Tyranny now has moved in, threatening liberty. Somebody says, well Kuwait way over there. What do we care about Kuwait? well, what if he wants Saudi Arabia?

You say, well, it's a pile of sand. What do we care? Well, what if he wants Israel? You say, well, it's a little tiny country. What difference does that make to us? Well, what if he wants the rest of the Mediterranean? You say, well, I guess we've got to draw a line somewhere.

Yes, somewhere. And better early. than late. Didn't Hitler teach us? Didn't Mussolini teach us? Didn't Stalin teach us better early than late? World War II, we were late. Early we could have saved probably 50 million lives. So George Bush was right to draw a line in the sand, consult with the allies, and put together a half a million troops and go kick Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. It was right. Hired Chief White Corpussel, General Schwarzkopf. I met the general the general the other day. What a delight.

Had dinner not long ago with Colin Powell before he went to Haiti. Guess what? It had to be done. So the enemies of our liberty are out there and they have to be dealt with. But now let me give you the final analysis. Here it is. Some of our enemies are on the outside, but some are on the insom. Here's what you must not become. A victim of yourself. Hey, forget the thief in the alley that's after your purse.

What about the thief in your mind that's after your purse? What about the thief in your mind that says, oh, you're too short, you're too tall, you're too old, it's past you by. This little book, you'll never find it. If you didn't find it, you're too stupid to understand it. And what gives you any indication that you'll be a success in the future? Look at your past. What is that that whispers in our mind? I'm telling you it's the enemy of our future.

And here's what you must do. Jot this down. Deal harshly with your enemies, even if you find them in yourself. Deal harshly with indifference. the inclination to say, ho-hum, let it all go. I'll just keep my fingers crossed. I'm telling you, that's an enemy.

You've got to deal harshly with that enemy. A body that won't support you and making your dreams come true? I'm telling you, you've got to deal harshly with that body. You've got to make it do the push-ups. You've got to choke the vitamins down its throat. You've got to make sure that it does the whole deal. Why?

You can't go along with a poor support system. And one of these days, you've got to make ultimate demands even if you have to make them on your complaining. Make the ultimate demand. Try to eliminate it from your life. Yes, a valid complaint is okay, but I'm telling you, you can let complaining ruin your life. Nobody would want you as a business partner.

All you got to be is a chronic complainer. Pessimism, I'm telling you, ace you out of all the future. Worry is an enemy. It's like a mad dog loose in the house. If you don't conquer it and put it into a small corner, it'll put you into a small corner. Over caution, timidity. Timmidity is not a virtue.

It's an enemy. And step by step it can be conquered. And some things, yes, you got to sit on them the rest of your life, but so what? If you have to sit on them, you sit on them. If you have to lock them up in a small corner, you lock them up in a small corner. But you don't let it ruin your relationships. You don't let it ruin your health. You don't let it ruin your chance for fortune.

Go after your enemies. There's an Old Testament story that said they returned to rebuild the walls of the temple and the city for their future. And as they built the walls of the city and the temple for their future, they had a trowel in one hand, but they also had a sword. In the other hand, the trowel was for their future, and the sword was for their enemies. So I'm asking you to build with both trowel and sword. Protect like a father, give nourishment like a mother.

Work on your values, but be mindful of your enemies. Whether they're the enemy of your business? In the leadership, we go through the scenario of the shepherd and the sheep and the wolves, where a woman comes in handy. Sometimes women have better instinct on danger than men. In the middle of the night, baby's awake. Mama, or baby cries. Mama is awake.

Papa sleeps. Women have got this built-in since. Men have to work on it harder than women. In the middle of the night, she says, go look, go look. Something isn't right. Go look. He says, no, no, everything's okay.

She says, go look. He says, okay. He gets out of bed, and he stumbles downstairs. The front door's open. Now, how did she know? They just know. I don't know how they know. They just know.

It said there are sheep and there are shepherds and there are wolves. But it also says there are some wolves that are so clever they've learned to dress up like sheep. Now you need a woman. Man says looks like a sheep. Talks like a sheep. Woman says, ain't no sheep. Now, men can develop this sense of danger. But we all have to develop it.

We must have a sense of purpose for our values, but we must have a sense of danger. Let me give you two great words of antiquity. Here they are. The first one is positive, and it says, behold. That's the positive word from antiquity. Behold, but here's the negative word. Beware.

We need this guidance system to help us avoid the dangers and maximize the opportunities. So study this little lesson on negative, positive, see if it'll be helpful. Now, here's the final one. The positive side. Let's wrap it up now with the positive side. I call this little subject the day that turns your life around. And let me give you some emotions that can alter the course of your life in a single day.

Here they are. First one, disgust. Uniquely enough, disgust is a negative emotion, but it can have a very positive effect. Disgust says, I've had it. What a powerful emotion that is. is and what a splendid day that might be. The day when you say enough is enough. I've been sick for the last day. I've been ill for the last time. I've been out of breath for the last time.

I've lacked vitality for the last day. This is the finish. Powerful day when you can say enough is enough. Now, if you can add some disgust, it'll help. Or do something physical. Sometimes that helps. A guy takes a shotgun to his car, blows out every window,

destroys every tire, puts 100 rounds in it. and says, I've driven this embarrassing thing for the last time. And then he saves it. And later when someone says, how did you become rich and powerful? He says, let me show you this car. One day I headed up to here,

and I blew it to smithereens. Powerful day when you can say, enough. Now here's the second one. Decision. What a glorious day that can be when you finally decide. Indecision is the thief of upper. But if you will decide, right or wrong on some things, just decide and try it. Decide and go with it.

If it turns out to be the wrong decision, hey, the experience now will serve you for the future. Decision making is emotional, traumatic sometimes. But just make the decisions and go. Make a list of decisions you ought to be making here pretty soon. Make the easy ones fast. Some are going to take a little longer, but get on with it. Let this be a day that turns your life around. decision making. Here's the next one. Desire, wanting to bad enough. Who knows the mystery of that?

Here's what I do know about desire. Sometimes it waits and sleeps, waiting for something to happen. I know that. And who knows what the happening may be? Here's what we say in the leadership series. Welcome all experiences. You never know which one is going to open up all the desire. Well springs of power. But that trigger may be the next sermon, the next lyrics from the song, dialogue from the movie, a seminar like this today. conversation with a friend who finally levels with you, or the threat of an enemy that finally becomes real, whatever it is that finally wakens up desire. I'm telling you it's a grand and glorious day.

So welcome all experiences. In leadership, here's what we teach. Let life touch you. Don't let it kill you, but let it touch you, because the next touch may open up everything. You'll have enough energy to last for a lifetime. Since I was 25 years old, no one has ever said to me, when are you going to get going?

I've never heard that since I was 25. Guess what I've heard since I was 25? When are you going to slow down? You can't go to that many cities and take on that many enterprises and cover that much territory and do that many things and go, go, go. You're going to have an heart attack and die. I want the same to be said of you. Never from today will anyone say to you,

when are you going to get going? What a grand day. Here's the next one. And the last, resolve. Resolve says, I will. Two of the most powerful words in the language, I will. Benjamin Disraeli said, nothing can resist a human will that will stake its existence on its purpose.

I'll do it or die. Powerful words, powerful occasion, powerful time. And here's the best definition I ever got of the word resolve from a little junior high girl, Foster City, California. Here's what she said. I think resolve means Mr. Rohn, promising yourself you will never give up. Powerful. I couldn't say it more eloquently than that. Promise yourself you will never give up. How many books will you read to be healthy as many as it takes? How many push-ups will you do as many as it takes?

How many disciplines will you take on as many as it takes? To be valuable to home, be valuable to family, be valuable to children, be valuable to the marketplace. As many as it takes, whatever it takes. Until, that's the key word. I ask the kids, how long should a baby try to learn how to walk? How long would you give you the average baby before you shut it all down and say, hey, That's enough. No, any mother would say that's ridiculous. My baby's going to keep trying until. I want you to adopt the word until. I'll read until. I'll take on enough disciplines until. I will order my finances until I build a financial wall around my family. I'll work on this until I've become healthy until I got plenty of vitality and plenty of breath to last me for a lifetime. Power. Now jot these questions down and I'm finished. I've got a few of these and I'm finished.

Four questions. Here's what they're called. Questions to ponder. So I want to send you away with plenty to ponder. Hopefully I've given you a lot to ponder, but let me just wrap it up with this. The first question is why? Good question. It's a philosophical question. Why work? Why try? Why study? Why read? Why grow? Why put yourself through the disciplines? Why take on that many skills? Why take on that much responsibility? Why go for that much? Why try to see it all, do it all, have it all, be it all. Why? Why do all that?

Good question. Now here's what you must do. Come up with enough of your own whys. Here's what we teach in leadership. Purpose is stronger than object. If you want a million dollar home, that's powerful. That's a good goal. But here's the bigger goal.

What for? See, the why is so powerful. So work on the why. I'm not lingering long on it here, but I want you to linger on it longer than I'm lingering on it here. Why? Make your life purposeful. Make your life worthwhile.

Make working worthwhile. Make laboring worthwhile. Make getting up in the morning worthwhile. Make reading and studying and growing worthwhile. Purpose. Stronger than option. But now here's the second question, which is one of the best answers to the first question. Why?

Second question is, why not? Why not see how much you can earn? See how much you can share. See how much you can grow. See how much you can take on. See how many places you're not. you can see, see how many virtues you can collect, see how valuable you can become,

how much influence you can wage. Why not see it all, do it all, have it all? Hey, you got to stay here till you go. I mean, what else are you gonna do? Now here's my third question, and this is personal. I wish I could ask it personal of each individual, but I'll have to ask it collectively, but I want you to take it personal.

Here's my third question, why not you? Hey, boy from the farms of Idaho, If I can find the book, you can find the book. If I can read it, you can read it. If I can understand it, you can understand it. If something can hit me, it can hit you. If I can turn my life around, your life can turn around. If I can go from pennies to fortune, so can you.

If I can see it and do it and have it and enjoy an incredible life view from the top, I'm telling me, there isn't anybody here that can't do it. Why not you? And that's what the American Dream stories are all about. I wish I had a larger parade of testimonials than just my own here tonight to come by. And if they all came by, guess what they would say. Why not you? Right?

Man says, I walked out at the ghetto. Book by book and class by class. Took responsibility. Now I got a thriving business. Why not you? Mother used to be on welfare. Now she runs the huge organization. Guess how she would wind up her story.

Why not you? I started broke. Why not you? I started scared. Why not you? I started on the wrong side. Why not you? I started in debt?

Why not you? I'm telling you, anybody can. Let us pick that up. Why not you? It's not out of anybody's reach, certainly not in this class. And now here's my last one. Why not now? What a good time to get your library together.

What a good time to take on some new classes. What a good time to get busy taking notes. What a good time to review the classics. What a good time to become cultured and sophisticated. What a good time to take on some new skills, getting ready for the new millennium. What a good time to reach out and touch people that you haven't touched people. before, get to know people that you haven't known before. What a good time to gather, spirit, heart, and soul and get ready for the big 2000, the

year 2000. I've set a goal for myself, here it is, one of my goals. To reach the peak of my skills by the year 2000. I got five more years to do that. And then in the next century, see how many of those skills I can invest. in the next century in touching people's lives. That's one of my goals. Where would you like to be by the year 2000?

What position would you like to be in? What reputation would you like to build by then? What a great period of time the next five years getting ready for the year 2000. And I want all of this to happen for you. And now here's my last word. It's personal. And it says, ask for God's help.

If you'll allow me a personal word, that's it. We could all use a little help. But remember, you've got to play your part, and that's what my whole seminar has been about, the part of the miracle that you play. Remember the story about the man who took a rock pile, and in a few years turned it into a fabulous garden. One day someone came by and saw it and said to the gardener, remember, Mr. Gardner, you and the good Lord together have this beautiful garden here.

And the gardener said, hey, I understand that. If it wasn't for the sunshine and the rain, and the gardener, in the rain and the miracle of the seed and the soil and the seasons. You know, there would certainly be no garden here. But he said, you know, you should have seen this place a few years ago when God had it all by himself. And I like that part. A part of the miracle has been reserved for us to play. And that's what I've labored with here today.

And I've searched for the language. I've wished for the vocabulary to make it as clear as possible the things that so transformed my life because I would like to have the same thing happen for all of you here. And if I've said something that's brought value or has touched you in some way, I'm thankful for being invited to come by and share with you today. Thank you very much. Thank you for listening. Continue strengthening your mind by subscribing and listening to our other episodes.