I just finished reading 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness, by Jim Rohn and I have to say it’s one of the best books about personal success that I’ve read.  I really recommend this book to anyone that is looking for ways to improve their lives.  It has so many great points, laid out in a way that anyone can understand and get excited about.

Jim Rohn was one of the leading motivational speakers of our time.  He recently passed away, but he left a legacy of inspiration and coaching that will not be forgotten.

You’ll often hear Tony Robbins talk about Jim Rohn, one of his early mentors to which he credits much of his success.  Some others that have been influenced by Jim include Brian Tracy, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and T.  Harv Eker.

In 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness, Rohn lays out seven strategies that you can use to achieve the success you desire.  He draws on his life’s experience, and the lessons learned from his mentor Earl Shoaff, an Entrepreneur that Rohn went to work for at the age of 25.  He refers to the day he met Shoaff as “The Day that Turned My Life Around.”

Jim Rohn proceeds to show you how he learned these lessons, and how he was able to change his attitude to apply these in his life and make the drastic changes necessary to reach the high goals he set for himself.

The 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness are:

1. Unleash the power of goals
2. Seek knowledge
3. Learn how to change
4. Control your finances
5. Master time
6. Surround yourself with winners
7. Learn the art of living well

Rohn teaches these strategies using conversations he had with his mentor to talk about the mistakes he made in his life, and the lessons learned to become a millionaire at the age of 31.  He doesn’t talk only about being financially successful, but as the title states he teaches how to be Wealthy AND Happy.

Personal Highlights:

You must have goals:

Most successful people will tell you that goal setting is one of the most important things you can do to achieve the level of success you desire.  Rohn spends three chapters talking about how important goals are, how to set goals and how to achieve them.  He talks about the four motivators – recognition, the feeling of winning, family, and benevolence – and how to use them in your goal setting.

Study first and practice second:

One key point to seeking knowledge is to set aside a portion of your income each month and invest it in your search for knowledge.  We must continue to study areas that we want to become successful in, and we must invest in ourselves.

Accept Responsibility:

Under strategy three, Learn how to change, Rohn talks about a time where his mentor asked him ‘why haven’t you done well up to now?”  Rohn went through a list of excuses that he written on a piece of paper and carried with him.  After listening to Rohn go through his list of excuses, Shoaff looked at his list and said, “There’s only one thing wrong with your list…You ain’t on it.”

Afterward, Rohn tore up his list, got a new piece of paper out and wrote across the top, “Me.”  We have to be responsible for our failures, instead of blaming everyone else!

You must have a financial plan:

In order to achieve financial success, you must have a financial plan and stick to it.  Rohn says to Shoaff, “If I had more money I would have a better plan,” to which Shoaff replied, “if you had a better plan you would have more money.”  And as so many financial advisors have insisted, you must save at least 10% of your income – you must pay yourself first.  Rohn also recommends a book called “The Richest Man in Bablyon” by George Clayson (I’m currently reading this book) which talks about this concept.

Surround Yourself with Winners:

It’s a difficult area for many of us, but it’s so important that we look at the various relationships in our lives, and examine the effect they have on us.  At some point, we may have to limit our negative associations.  It’s also so important to EXPAND our associations so that we can spend time with those that encourage and teach us, those that are successful in areas we want to be successful in, those that we admire.

Be Happy With What You Have While Pursuing What You Want:

We must learn to be happy with what we have and try to enjoy our lives NOW, because life is so short!  We are reminded of just how short life is every day.  This doesn’t mean that we have to settle for a mediocre life, and as mentioned earlier, we should set goals and work hard to have the life we want.

These are just some of the highlights for me, but the entire book is filled with a wealth of information, inspiration, and education.  I really recommend reading this book…actually, studying this book and putting these strategies into practice in your life so that you can achieve the success you desire!

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7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness is 11 chapters and 156 pages.