Living An Exceptional Life
The following contains excerpts from a lecture given by Jim Rohn.
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we believe that music is music more than sound. Rather, it is relationships. When dealing with the subject of relationships, several other subjects come along for the ride. One is Leadership. Another is self-mastery. This is more than “self-help” which comes as a fleeting desire, usually around the turn of the year. Making New Year’s resolutions can be easily done, but making the daily commitment to progress, especially internal progress can be far more challenging. Yet this also has much more far-reaching implications.
The first challenge one must master in learning to lead others is learning how to lead one’s self well. An undisciplined leader will soon fall out of favor with those he or she endeavors to lead. Learning to like oneself, also, is foundational to how one treats others in his charge. If a leader is struggling with self-acceptance, it will be impossible for him to extend since encouragement and empathy to others.
In our music school in Odessa, Texas, we seek to fined the uniqueness hidden within each student, helping them to see it for themselves. Once they see, and appreciate this uniqueness, they will soon be motivated to sacrifice towards its development.
Jim Rohn sets forth several guiding principles for success in our contemporary world.
He states that, “we live in a time of unprecedented opportunities…we now have the technology, transportation is easy.” With that stated, he also asserts that there is keen competition, with everyone having global opportunity through the internet.
He advises that for success in this kind of environment:
- One must have more than one skill. He enumerates some skills of finding good people, organizing (getting people to work together), promotion and recognition (giving other people recognition), communication (training, teaching, learning to inspire)
A student in our music school in Odessa, Texas will learn many life-lessons. Perhaps one of the most important: to communicate effectively. Learning how to present one’s self on the stage, and inter-relationally, in ensembles with other performers, as well as collaborative efforts, deepens the student’s awareness of communication on numerous levels.
- One should learn more than one language
- Learn that we get paid for bringing value to the marketplace (people). First, the value one brings through a product. More importantly, however, is the value one becomes. “Go to work on yourself harder than you work on your job.” “Success is something you attract by becoming a more attractive person.”
At our music school in Odessa, Texas, we help the student identify the value of personal practice and dedicated preparation. Being alone, honing one’s skills in private, trains the student to value this activity in other areas of their life. Learning to be at peace with one’s self, while alone, with no distractions of media, is one of the most important life-skills that can be acquired.
Five ways to increase your value:
- Your personal philosophy (to help you see the dangers, and to see the opportunities). “The game of life is about learning how to minimize the dangers and maximize the opportunities.” “Don’t be lazy in learning.”
- Your attitude (how you feel about the past, learning how to use your past to your benefit; how you feel about the future, discovering what you want in life, setting goals. How you view others: “Each of us needs all of us, all of us need each of us”; how you feel about yourself, doing the things you know you should do.
We endeavor to help students discover their unique path at our music school in Odessa, Texas. Along with that, we try to help them see the value in others. The first step in accepting other people’s uniqueness is to first see it in yourself. When one becomes ‘at peace’ with who they are, they can then risk collaborating with others. On a team, each person plays a certain position in combination with the rest of the group. Teamwork can be a powerful synergistic activity in music and the arts, as well as in life.
- Activity- the labor that produces new life, “Six days of labor and one day of rest. Don’t get the numbers mixed up.” “To turn nothing into something, use imagination. Imagination and faith must be deposited into activity to complete the miracle.”
- Learn to measure progress. Make measurable progress in reasonable time. “Success is a numbers game.” “One of the greatest motivating factors in the world is progress.”
At our music school in Odessa, Texas students learn that mastery of an instrument or a certain skill does not come overnight. In fact, it is a life-long pursuit. Playing the ‘long-game’ is a mind-set that must be cultivated for success in music, as well as in life. When one learns to be satisfied with incremental daily progress, however small, one is on the road to self-mastery in a very profound way.
- Lifestyle, learning to live well: high productivity, good friends (“people who know all about you and still like you.”); keep your heritage alive; your spirituality (study, practice and teach what you believe); take special care of the inner circle (family and friends)
How one defines success determines his approach to life. While it can be satisfying to in the short-term to hold the belief that ‘the end justifies the means,’ in the long-run this kind of attitude wrecks relationships. While a person can gain material wealth, prestige, and independence by essentially shorting others in one way or another, the long-range implications of this kind of lifestyle is ultimately empty. What brings the greatest satisfaction over a lifetime is learning how to invest in one’s self for the purpose of adding value to and investing in others, especially your inner circle.
Giving attention to your family and close friends and adding value to your immediate community can have far-reaching implications. I like John Maxwell’s definition of success: having the admiration and respect of those who are closest to you.
We hope to help our students aspire to this kind of life.