Tag Archives: books

Why you should read ‘7 Strategies for wealth & happiness’ by Jim Rohn

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Power ideas from America’s foremost business philosopher is what the cover of the book announces and I’d have to agree!

I’ve never read a Jim Rohn book but after finishing the 7 Strategies I think I’ll load a few more up on my Kindle.

Nothing in the book was rocket science and most of what I read I’ve heard before…however the way that Mr Rohn conveys the concepts seemed to have seeped into my brain quite easily.  As I read the book I could hear an older gentleman’s voice that genuinely wanted me to gain from its contents.

Jim Rohn’s definition of happiness is fantastic.  You could take each sentence and use it as a stand-alone quote.  As I’m often trying to define what ‘enjoying the journey’ really means, these two passages stood out for me:

“But happiness is more than a general feeling.  It is also a method of thinking that organises feelings, activities, and lifestyle.  In other words, it’s a way of interpreting the world and its events.”

And

“Happiness is activity with purpose.”

The author also has some great things to say about success:  “Success is an elusive notion, a paradox.  After all, it is both a journey and a destination, isn’t it?”

And

“Success is an awareness of value and the cultivation of worthwhile values through discipline.”

Just one more…

“Success is making your life what you want it to be”

As you can imagine, I could go on and on with Jim Rohn quotes.  The book offers strategies such as how to set goals, seek knowledge, learn how to change, control your finances, master time, surround yourself with winners and learning the art of living well.

The book is very well-rounded.  It’s not just about getting rich – it’s about getting rich in a way that empowers you to live the best life you can live.  I highly recommend it.

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Enjoying the journey requires you to educate yourself

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Since the age of 18 I decided that there must be a better way. My life was terrible – I barely made it out of school. I was raised in a suburban family where everything look fine from the outside, but at home there were drugs, alcohol, affairs, the discovery of an illegitimate brother…it wasn’t nice.

After a long stint of depression and feeling sorry for myself I started to read books.  I read every self-help book I could get my hands on…and then I stared to write in a journal each day.  The books and my daily writing didn’t solve my issues or help me to become a happier person overnight.  They did, however, help me to feel better while I was reading them so I found refuge for a ½ hour every day…but then real life would hit me between the eyes.

I often thought…when is all this education going to kick in?  When will I finally be ‘fixed’?

Looking back, I’ve realised that all the books I’ve read and the time I invested in helping myself to feel better/be better have really paid off but it took quite a bit of time.  I’ll never be perfect and I’m not sure I believe in Maslow’s self-actualisation stage…but I’m a million times better off than I was when I was younger.  In fact, I can honestly say that each year I feel more confident, happier, healthier, wealthier and more successful than the year before.

And I’ve finally realised that I’ll never be ‘fixed’ because I’m not broken in the first place!  Being human is all about ups and downs, success and failures, ebb and flow…

Saying all this…if you want to enjoy your journey more, you need to invest time in learning how to become a better/happier/healthier/wealthier person.  To learn you can read, listen to audio books and there even DVD’s out there!  There are also loads of classes and seminars.

The important thing is to realise that your journey won’t improve until you do something about it.  Why not decide what it is you want most in life and go order a book to find out how to get it?

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Do self-help books help people to enjoy the journey more?

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I’ve recently read, “Blissology – the art & science of happiness,” by Andy Baggott.   The back cover explains that the book will help you to ‘create the life of your dreams’ with ‘four simple steps to true happiness’.  The steps include: understanding happiness, practicing happiness, living happiness and sharing happiness.

I think the book is good – I smiled and felt happier as I read it, but I can’t say that my happiness level has increased overall.  Yes, the steps are simple to grasp but not simple to do day in and day out.  There’s thousands of great books out there all saying similar things: live in the now, show gratitude, meditate, try yoga, breathe deeply, know you have a choice on how you react, visualise a better life, you attract what you focus on, be authentic, be kind and give…

I don’t know if I’m the only person like this but when I read a self-help or spiritual type book, I tend to feel good, put to practice the suggestions, and feel more fulfilled.  Then the book ends and my feelings return to where they were before the book began.  To get back on the path towards enlightenment I have to find and read yet another book.

Am I just a self-help book junkie?

I think the answer is yes and no.  I’m definitely happier now than I ever have been.  If you compared me now against me when I was 18 I’d say I’m at least 25% happier now. I was one messed up kid!

I wonder though if I’m happier now because I’ve read so many books and they’ve sunken in?  I think so.  I definitely have a much happier outlook on life and I truly believe that I’m responsible for enjoying my journey. I wouldn’t have those beliefs if it wasn’t for all the books I’ve consumed.

But, part of me reads these books and thinks that the authors must be perfect.  After all…how can you write about creating the life of your dreams if you haven’t actually created the life of your dreams?

Wouldn’t it be nice to read a self-help book where the author says, ‘I’m not perfect and I don’t have all the answers.  I have good days and bad days.  But…I’ve found that if I do XYZ it helps me to enjoy life more.’

At least I wouldn’t feel so bad between my self-help book fixes…

Like I’ve said in previous posts, enjoying the journey isn’t just about being happy.  I just wish that I could capture how I feel when I read a good self-help book and keep that feeling with me.  I seem to function on a higher level and it feels great.  Or am I asking for too much?

 

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