Life is Art

 by Jim Rohn

( This post shows how remarkable Jim Rohn's wisdom is. He was able to transform some of the most complex ideas and make it easily understood by ordinary men like us. About accumulation of wealth and living life analogy with life and art is simply genius. My take away is the getting rich is an exact science while living a wonderful life is like coming up with a painting on a blank canvass...it is up to you and that's the beauty of it. Now, live a remarkable life! Would want to see the masterpiece that you will make of it! )

In my years teaching people to be successful, I have seen that basically people break their lives down into two major parts: wealth- building and the rest of their lives. Having done a lot of reflection on these two topics—wealth and life—I am coming to some new conclusions about how to perceive the two.

Until recently I thought that there was a significant difference in how we should tackle the two areas. In fact, I thought that the two topics should be addressed in almost opposite fashion.

You see, wealth-building is just math. While life—Life is art.

Think back with me to high school. Most of us were required to take math and most of us probably took art as well.

Now, think about your final exams in the two areas. Your math paper was graded on hard facts:

Ten times ten is always one-hundred.

Thirty divided by three is always ten.

Seven plus seven is always fourteen.

Fifty minus twenty-five is always twenty-five.

   

There is always just one answer in math. The answers are hard fact, set in stone. Math is a science. It is formulaic. You can know the outcome before it happens, every time.

But what about your final art project? Art is much more subjective. "Beauty," they say, "is in the eye of the beholder." There is no one right answer.

Think of the different styles of the famous artists:

Renoir. Monet. Picasso. Rockwell. Warhol.

Different people find different styles beautiful, and that is what makes art, art.

So how does this fit with wealth-building and life? Wealth-building is like math:

If you add $1,000 to your retirement account each month and gain 7 percent interest over 20 years, you can know now how much you will have then. It is math. If you buy a rental property for $200,000 now and it increases in value by 3 percent a year, you know exactly how much you will be able to sell it for in 10 years. The beauty of math is in the knowing. You can work the system, set it on auto-pilot and the math does the work for you, and you know the outcome.

But life? Life is art. And that is the beauty of life. You do not know how it is going to turn out. Life, like art, is always changing. Different people provide different colors. When you make a mistake, you can go back, erase it or even paint right over it. You can change the scenery. Life, like art, is ever evolving, and what looks good to one person is of no interest to another. And that is what makes life beautiful.

Another lesson I think we can draw is that in life we should do our math, of course, but life isn't made up of just wealth-building. Wealth-building should serve our ability to live our lives. Jesus, the master teacher, said that our lives are not made up of the abundance of our possessions. He didn't mean that possessions aren't good, just that wealth isn't what life is all about.

So let me ask you: Are you spending more time on your math or your art? Do your math. Everybody should do their very best at their wealth-building plan so they can take care of themselves and their families. 

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Dare to Soar Series - Passion for Excellence

Taking a Leap of Faith

Practice unconditional love.

Nothing can tame a flaming heart.

Don‟t get caught in the downdraft of doubt.

Don‟t leave this world without giving it your all.

Give back more than you take.

“ When you stop giving, when you stop offering something, its time to turn off the lights.” -George Burns

Exercise energizes the mind.

Go for the gold.

The path to least resistance often yields the least amount of success.

Don't start to quit.

Blaming others is a waste of energy.

The ultimate goal: To achieve the maximum potential out of life.

Motivation is a fire. You must add fuel.

Every oak tree began as a tiny acorn.

Powerful combination: Vision of an eagle, heart of a lion.

Live life like a two-minute drill.

Life is like a finish line. What are you doing to get there first?

Venture into the “ uncomfortable zone.”

To succeed in this world, you have to change all the time.

Want it so bad that you can taste it.

Winners do the little things exceptionally well.

Winning, like losing, is a choice.

Belief yourself far outweighs the doubts of others.

The sky is full of opportunity –

“Dare to Soar”

What's popular isn't always right, and what's right isn't popular.

Those who have vision most often share in the victory.

Vision: the ability to see what others only dream.

Dreaming is the first step to achieving.

You won‟t achieve it unless you are passionate about it.

Choose peak over partial performance.

We must risk failure to achieve success.

When you march to the beat of a different drummer, you'll be out of step with the people around you.

Remember, for all things there is a season.

The “ Thrill of Victory” often comes right after the “Agony of Defeat”.

Quit thinking about thinking to quit.

Eighty percent give up after the first try. Be the twenty percenter.

Moat people talk but few people do.

Great achievers are great dreamers.

The quest for success is not always a comfortable journey.

Like an eagle uses its talons, we must grasp opportunity before it disappears.

Turbulence is a necessary part of the journey.

Potential is your gift. Don't waste it.

Life is like a bank account; we must make the deposits before withdrawals can be made.

Get out of neutral and put your life into overdrive.

Mediocrity is blind to opportunity.

In every thought and action, think excellence.

You don't drown by falling into water, but by staying there.

Motivation is the high octane fuel that drives you to maximum achievement.

Failure is normally a choice.

Like a farmer, we get out of life what we put into it. No more, no less.

We must risk failure to capture success.

Keep your face toward the sun and you won't see the shadows.

Winners focus on “ When they will” not “If they can.”

What you think about is what you will ultimately become.

Goals are like the stars: they are always there. Adversity is like the clouds: they are temporary and will move on. Keep your eyes on the stars.

Pride: Personal Responsibility in Developing Excellence.

The one consistent trait of successful people-they continue to place one foot in front of the other.

In all that you do, give it all you have.Refuse to tiptoe through life.

The true character of an individual is what they think, say or do when no one else is present.

Be an “explorer” in life.

The 5 keys to success in life: what you watch,what you listen to, what you read ,what you think about, who you associated with.

Wealth is within reach.

If an eagle waited for perfect conditions, it would never soar.

Many start, but few finish the race of life.

Winners have an unquenched thirst for success.

Self-motivation is the “turbocharger” of life.

Success is just a little effort away.

Wisdom is much more powerful than knowledge.

Success normally follows an intense commitment to excellence.

Lean from failure-Babe Ruth struck out almost twice as many times as he hit home runs.

One must leave the security of the nest to achieve greatness.

Individuals “ wishing they could” are certain to be passed by those “ thinking they can”.

Those committed to mediocrity will always occupy a subservient role.

Excellence is always available to all who are willing to make the commitment.

Winning habits will separate you from the “pack” of mediocrity.

Just being on the right track is not good enough. If you don‟t move, you will probably get run over.

Due to a serious shortage of excellence, it is in great demand.

The grave is a terrible place to waste potential.

Mozart was 7 when he publish his first musical composition. 

George Bernard Shaw produced an award-winning play when he was 94 years old.

At 10, Yehudi Menuhin was the youngest artist to solo at Carnegie Hall.

Benjamin Franklin helped frame the constitution of the United States when he was 81 years old.

Brent Vogle was 4 when he ran in and completed a sanctioned 26.2 mile marathon.

"How old would you be would you be if you didn't know how old you were?" -Satchel Page

The fact is, it doesn‟t matter when you do something great. Age has a very little to do with ability.


To your success!

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Dare to Soar Series - On Taking Risks and Failing to Succeed

"Your attitude determines your altitude"

The Power of One

One Action, One thought, One Idea that can empower and encourage

One catalyst that can push us to realize the potential that resides in all of us

We must have the courage to bet our Dreams

To take the calculated risk and leave behind forever

the Internal forces that holds us down.

He failed in business in 31

He was defeated for state legislator in 32

He tried another business in 33. It failed

His wife died in 35

He had nervous breakdown in 36.

In 43 he ran in congress and was defeated

He tried again in 48 and was defeated again.

He tried running for senate in 55. He lost.

The next year he ran for vice president and lost.

In 58 he ran for senate again and was defeated again.

Finally, in 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States

Failure  is only absolute when you give up.

Everyone gets knocked down; the question is, will you get up?

Why walk when you can soar? The only limits are self-imposed.

Humans are like airplanes. If we not move forward, we will not

create aerodynamics momentum required to soar.

Expect  excellence.

When confronted with turbulence, rise above it.

Opportunity is as big as the sky -grab it!

Accept the risk and expect the rewards.

Like the eagle, we have to move our wings to soar.

If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.

You are as young as your last new idea.

Adversity tempers the spirit.

To your Success! 

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Are you a Chicken or is acting like one?

Last week, I attended the graduation rites ceremony at the school where my kids in grade school received special awards for their outstanding performance for the school year. I could not help but become proud of their achievements thus far.

In this post, I will not dwell on what are the significance of Graduation or Recognition day but rather on the message delivered by the guest speaker on that occasion...it is The Chicken-Eagle Story. It's original source may have been "The Eagles Who Thought They Were Chickens" by Mychal Wynn, but the story has been passed on in various versions and his was similar to this one. I cannot let this one slip away and not share this story told a million times because this one is what self-development is all about. Here it goes:
"There's an old fable that talks about a man who found an eagle's egg and put it in a nest of a barnyard hen. The eagle hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them. All his life, the eagle did what the barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken.
He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet in the air.
Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty among powerful wind currents, with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings. The old eagle looked up in awe. 'Who's that?' he asked.
'That's the eagle, the king of the birds,' said his neighbor. 'He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth—we're chickens.'
So the eagle lived and died a chicken, for that's what he thought he was. "

With that, this quote comes to mind:

" If you say you can,you can! If you say you cannot, you cannot! On both cases, you are absolutely right! "

I'm pretty sure you are an Eagle! You'll definitely fly and soar high...

coz that's what our Creator intended us to do.

Let me end by greeting...

Happy Graduation Day to all the 2009 Graduates!

Let's soar and enjoy the view from the top!

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