Week 20.pdf

WEEK TWENTY

Welcome to Week Twenty of the Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan. We hope you are

having a great week and are ready for this week's journey.

Jim writes in his Seasons of Life book, spring is a time of resurgence--new beginnings

and new opportunities. Similarly today, regardless of the past, we all have new

opportunities to start being who we desire to be--the husband or wife, the parent, the

employee or employer and also the friend (the focus of today's edition) that is in our heart

and mind to be; the opportunity to experience the health and vitality we deserve; to have

the boldness and clarity to challenge stagnation or mistakes from the past. In essence, we

have the chance to start fresh again today and throughout this year.

It's hard to believe that we are already on Week 20. I trust you are experiencing growth

and shifts in your vision, thinking and actions. If you're behind in the program, that's

okay. Just start today with this week's lesson. Remember, we're looking for the diamond

or one thought or concept each week that is meant uniquely for us and our current

situation. You've already enrolled (made a commitment) and that's 70% of the victory.

Now let each week provide an insight or change that will help take you toward your

desired outcome.

Life is full of opportunities. You are a winner - Go For It!

Enjoy!

Kyle

“Treat your friends as you do your pictures, and place them in their best light.”

-- Jennie Jerome Churchill

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RELATIONSHIPS

Jim Rohn's Fifth Pillar of Success: Relationships, Part Three

– Friendships

Hi, Jim Rohn here. This month we are exploring the secrets of successful relationships,

and are seeking to understand what ingredients make healthy relationships in our lives.

We are looking at four main areas:

1. Basics of Healthy Relationships. There are certain fundamentals that, if mastered,

will take you far down the road of healthy relationships. The key to understanding

relationships is that relationships involve people. And while every person is different,

there are general principles that make most people tick. If we understand these basics or

fundamentals, and operate accordingly, we can make our bad relationships good and our

good relationships great. We covered these basics two week's ago.

2. Family and Spousal Relationships. The primary relationships that most people have

are with their family. Yes, that wonderful enigma we call family. Those deep and

meaningful relationships that can bring the highlights - and the lowlights - of life. That

group of people, many of whom we didn't even get to choose, who will walk through this

life with us. Your family relationships must be cultivated like a garden. Time, effort and

imagination must be summoned constantly to keep any relationship growing and

flourishing. We discussed how to have great family and spousal relationships in last

week's edition.

3. Friendships. Second to family, friends are the most important relationships we have.

Friendships are unique because they are the relationships we have that are almost entirely

voluntary. You don't get to choose your parents or your siblings, but you do get to choose

your friends. And so many times we find that these relationships can provide matchless

dynamics not found in our other relationships. These especially can, in their own special

way, enhance our other relationships. This makes the relationship unique, and we will

take a deeper look into successful friendships in today's edition.

4. Business Relationships. Many people do not understand how powerful relationships

are in business. You've heard me say it before, but you cannot succeed by yourself. It is

hard to find a rich hermit. So many times we underestimate this unique dynamic that has

the potential to take us to new levels in our businesses. We may understand that family

and friends are about relationships, but mistakenly think that "business is business". The

fact is that even in business, relationships rule. Think for a moment about two sales

people, one of whom is a friend and one of whom you have never met before. When it

comes right down to it, you are most likely to buy from the one you know. That is the

foundation of relationships. Next week we will look at how to have great business

relationships.

This week we will be taking a closer look at the importance of friendships.

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As I mentioned above, friendships are the second most important relationships we have in

this life, second only to family relationships. We do well to place a high emphasis on

friendships and their positive role in our lives.

Here are some important thoughts on finding and developing life-long friendships.

Remember that your associations, your friends, have an

affect on you. So choose your friends wisely. The

character flaws that your friends exhibit, if you spend

much time with them, will inevitably begin to work

their way into your life. The old proverb says, “Do not

be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.”

Your friends will be the primary influencers of who y

are. Now understand that there are two parts to

influence: first, influence is powerful; and second,

influence is subtle. You might not let your friends push

you off course, but you might let them nudge you off

course and not even realize it. So pick good ones. It is

also true that if we surround ourselves with good

friends we will see their positive aspects rub off on us

as well, and make us better people because they are in

our lives. So get around people who have something of

value to share with you. The impact can be significant.

Commit time to your friendships. One thing I have noticed is that we tend to go through

stages in life where the pendulum swings too far in one direction. One example of this is

when people get married they tend to spend very little time with their friends as

individuals. Now, of course our families should take priority, but many times we end up

neglecting friendships that could and should be so meaningful for our lives. No matter

what your time commitments, whether work or family, be sure to set aside time on a

regular basis for your friends. If you are married, both of you should give the other ample

time to spend with friends. Your partner will be better off, as will your marriage. You

will also be setting a good example for children who need to see healthy adult

friendships.

Balance fun times with meaningful times. Friendships have a tendency to be centered on

entertainment or fun, especially for men (going to sporting events or doing outdoor

activities). Those times are good, but they need to be balanced out with making sure that

we have good, challenging, and meaningful times too--good discussions and thoughtful

times. This is what rounds out relationships and friendships. Now we know the opposite

is sometimes true with marriage relationships – we get so tied up in the mundane or the

“important” that we often forget to have fun. So keep a monitor on your friendships and

make sure you are getting everything you can from them.

Remain loyal. So many times we let friends come and go too easily. Yet the best

relationships are those that last for long periods of time and remain through both the

tough times and the good times. Too many people today avoid friends who are going

through hard times, but I believe we become better people by remaining loyal. This is

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character building at its finest. Now let me say that sometimes your friends will not be

loyal to you, but you can remain loyal to them because it's not based on their loyalty, it is

simply a decision. And there is something good that happens from sticking it out. Now

obviously, I'm not saying to support harmful or illegal behavior; that is an entirely

different subject and would require different guidelines. But in general, when times are

hard, be loyal. When friends aren’t loyal, be loyal.

Let your friends be resources. Our friends are tremendous resources for us and have so

much to offer us. They have strengths we don’t have. They have insights we don’t. Too

often we have these tremendous resources around us and we fail to get all that we can

from them. Now make sure this is a reciprocal benefit and that you are bringing your best

to the friendship as well. But so often we try to do it on our own when we should have

others help us shoulder the load. Go to your friends and ask for their help and insights.

Let them help you.

Care for your friends. One of the things that has happened in our highly mobile society is

that we have lost our ability to care for those around us. In the past, people lived in the

same neighborhoods for decades and everyone knew each other and cared for each other

and their children. When someone was sick, the neighborhood pitched in and helped out.

This falls to families most of the time, but now many families live thousands of miles

from each other. Therefore, friends are the ones who can do such a great service for one

another by providing that net of care around each other. Life is tough sometimes and we

need good people around us to help out. This is, as the saying goes, what friends are for.

In the next section, Chris is going to give you some thoughts on friendships, as well as

some questions for reflection and actions points.

Until next week, let’s do something remarkable!

Jim Rohn

“The best words for resolving a disagreement are, ‘I could be wrong; I often am.’

It's true.”

-– Brian Tracy

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