Money and Finance Jim Rohn s Fourth Pillar of Success: Part Four 290 One-Year Success Plan 2010 Jim Rohn International
Week 17 Welcome to Week 17 of The Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan. We hope you are having a great week and are ready for this week s journey. Last week we touched on the slight edge (SE) principle and Part Three of Pillar Four Investing. In this week s edition, Jim covers Part Four of Finance Giving, and Chris follows up with some additional key points on the subject and reviews CD 12 of the New Millennium Event. I want to reiterate the SE concept again this week. Whether someone is starting over, doing OK or hitting grand slams, the SE principle applies. As stated last week: 1. What small but steady activities can you do today that will lead to big, long-term results over a long period of time? 2. Conversely, are you neglecting any of the easy, very doable basic activities that will make a major difference in your future? These are two great questions to ask every day. Also, I encourage you to celebrate the fact that you are part of a small group of people, percentage-wise, who have actually made a plan, a process, a blueprint and a commitment to inspect and improve their lives. Great health, wealth, relationships and overall success and abundance are upstream. But where else would we want to be or go? Pat yourself on the back for making that decision. Also, continue to be thankful that you are in the place to make such a decision. Look into the future at the person you desire to become. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, making SE decisions that will create compounding results on a daily basis. You are doing great! Kyle Progress, however, of the best kind, is comparatively slow. Great results cannot be achieved at once, and we must be satisfied to advance in life as we walk, step by step. Samuel Smiles 2010 Jim Rohn International One-Year Success Plan 291
Money and Finance Jim Rohn s Fourth Pillar of Success: Money and Finance, Part Four Giving The four pivotal topics we cover this month are: 1. Getting Out of Debt Debt is a killer. It is a killer of dreams and hopes. It is a killer of businesses. It is a killer of financial futures. And, according to statistics, debt plays a prominent role in many failed marriages. So what should we conclude from this? If we are to be successful, we must have a commitment to stay out of debt! You can make $2 million a year, but if you spend $2.5 million, it doesn t matter how much money you made, does it? You will be saddled with debt. We addressed this three weeks ago. 2. Saving One of the key components to long-term wealth building is the discipline of saving money on a regular basis. Two weeks ago, we went through the basics and showed you how a commitment to saving money can revolutionize your financial life and provide the kind of security you desire. One simple difference between the philosophies of the rich and the poor is that the rich save/invest their money and spend what is left, while the poor spend their money and save/ invest what is left. What a simple shift in our thinking for such a revolutionary result. 3. Investing Investing is very different from saving. Investing involves risk calculated risk and the possibility for much more reward. Saving and investing are done for different reasons and with different desired goals and outcomes. By taking a portion of our income and turning it into capital to be invested, we will be actively working toward our goal of financial independence. Last week we covered both the importance and basics of investing. 4. Giving Giving a portion of your resources away is one of the most powerful principles you will ever embrace. It seems counterintuitive, but the truth is that giving will help you achieve the financial freedom you desire. Amazingly, giving makes you bigger than you are. The more you pour out, the more life will be able to pour back in. So giving a percentage of your resources away will help you not only have more money, but enjoy it more as well, and that is the best benefit. The act of giving is very powerful, because sharing makes you bigger than you are. The more you pour out, the more life will be able to pour in. What you give becomes an investment that will return to you multiplied at some point in the future. Becoming a giving person will bring you so much more in your life. You will become the kind of person others look to, respect and appreciate. Giving is about being fully human. It is about making something of ourselves that goes beyond what we merely do for ourselves. It is very important to work for ourselves, to determine our own futures, but a person could do that and still not reach the peak of their human potential. They could be entirely selfish, and while they build an empire or financial independence, they would also be missing something. They would miss the altruistic part of themselves, the generous, human element that wants to help others, to make a difference. When we choose to give, everybody wins. Giving of ourselves, especially financially, can make a big difference for us and in us. Plus, it is relatively easy to do, if we discipline ourselves to do it. My recommendation would be to start this discipline when the amounts are small. It s easy to give 10 cents out of every dollar, but it s much harder to give $100,000 out of a million if you haven t developed the discipline of giving. 292 One-Year Success Plan 2010 Jim Rohn International
So let me give you four ways that giving financially changes you and five steps to becoming a generous giver. Four Ways Giving Financially Changes You 1. Giving keeps money in its proper perspective. Money is a great tool. Money enables you to experience so many different aspects of life that you would be denied if you were without it. But, in the end, money isn t the end! Money for money s sake is a hopeless goal. Money is a tool that helps us do better things, enjoy life and help others. When we give money away, we tell ourselves that money isn t the end all, and it reminds us that money is simply a tool. We gain proper perspective when we give to organizations and people who need it. 2. Giving makes you more aware of others and their needs. If you are going to give away money on a regular basis, then you will most certainly be looking for where to give. Your vision opens up to many new worlds. When the option is open for giving money away, you will soon begin to see the wide spectrum of people and organizations that can really use your help. Your heart will experience a unique transformation as you see all of the good accomplished through these organizations, because there really are many good groups out there doing fantastic things for people who need it. 3. Giving enables you to be a difference maker. At the end of our lives, we want to be able to look back and say that the world is a better place because we were here. We made a difference. People are better off because they met us. Organizations made a bigger impact because we gave generously to help support their purposes. Our businesses had an impact on the lives of our customers. When we generously give of our finances, we become difference makers, either through a donation or through the efforts of the organizations we support. And at the end of our lives, we will have stored up for ourselves many intangible treasures. 4. Giving ignites the principle of sowing and reaping. Ancient scripture says you reap what you sow. When we give financially to others, we are sowing sowing goodness, sowing financially, sowing generosity, sowing a higher purpose. That means we will reap those things, too. We become people with a bigger vision than those who simply work only for themselves. I call this enlightened self-interest. We accomplish many more goals and objectives, and in a way, that makes our world a better place. What an incredible gift we have to offer others, yet, amazingly, it is the giving process that starts the receiving process in our lives. The more we give, the more we open ourselves up to receive to receive the benefits of generosity, the gifts galore of both tangible and intangible things. So start the process today if you haven t already and watch your life take on an exciting new aspect and for the miracles to occur! 2010 Jim Rohn International One-Year Success Plan 293
Five Steps to Becoming a Generous Giver If you have becoming a generous giver as a goal, I would encourage you to work to accomplish it in the same way you would do anything: Think it through, plan it out and execute the plan. Here is a process you can implement immediately to move you toward your goal of becoming a generous giver who makes a difference! 1. Think it through. Who do you want to give to? What causes move you? What groups are doing the work you want to support? Who needs your help? There are many, many groups who need assistance in fact, too many for any one person. This is why it is important to be very clear in your own mind as to what you want your giving dollars to do when you give them. What organizations would be good ground to sow into? There are religious causes, political causes, humanitarian causes and more. Think through and prioritize who and what you want to give to. 2. Budget your giving. If you aren t currently giving, take a look at how to come up with the money and then adjust accordingly. Will it come from your discretionary income or from cutting back on a current expenditure? Budgeting will help you decide. Will it be a fixed amount or a percentage? Historically, millions of people use the concept of tithing. Tithe means tenth. So many people give a tenth of their income to charities of their choice. The important idea is that you budget so that it gets done on a regular basis. 3. Give on a schedule. The easiest thing to do is to give when you get a paycheck. Just as you pay the taxman or the electric bill, give to those organizations you want to support. If you have it in your budget and in your schedule, then it will get done. So when some money comes in, make sure a little goes back out in your giving budget. 4. Be generous. In the end, most people will wish they had given more. They will get to the end of their lives and realize that they were cutting corners on their giving when they could have given more. Be generous. If you can, make the check a little bit bigger. Review from year to year what you are giving, and if your income has gone up, then increase your giving. Will a little extra hurt you? Most likely not, but it will help the groups you give to and give you a mental boost knowing you re doing good things with your resources. Ultimately, the amount you give isn t important; what really matters is what that amount represents in your life. 5. Be spontaneous sometimes. We can t give to everyone who holds out their hand, but it isn t wise to be so rigid that we aren t open to helping people who may cross our paths. Use your intuition and err on the side of being generous. If you have an opportunity to give to someone who crosses your path, weigh it carefully and be open to helping. In the end, you may have made a few mistakes, but you will have helped many more people, too. Giving is a very important skill. It s so important, in fact, I made it one of four main areas of discussion for this Pillar of Success. We should be people who live by John Wesley s statement: Earn all you can, save all you can and give all you can. And in doing so, we bring our lives into a perfect tension that keeps us with a proper perspective on financial matters. This week and in the weeks to come give! In the next section, Chris will give you some thoughts on giving, as well as some questions for reflection and actions points on which to follow through. Until next week, let s do something remarkable! Jim Rohn If you haven t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. Bob Hope 294 One-Year Success Plan 2010 Jim Rohn International
Hi there, Chris Widener here. Next are some action points and questions to follow, but first a few thoughts on giving from some of my favorite authors. Two ideas from the following authors have made a significant impact in my life as I have thought about money. Here they are with some thoughts and how I have applied them to my own life. In Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer wrote, It is in a man to possess, yes, always to possess. When it comes to giving, I realize I need to fight that urge within me to always hold on to what I have. Sometimes the best thing I can do for myself and for others is to give money away. Possessing things isn t bad, as long as it doesn t drive me and isn t my highest goal. I keep my urge for possessing in check by giving some away on a regular basis. In The Challenge of the Disciplined Life, Richard Foster says that money has both a light side and a dark side. The dark side will always try to get you to love money above everything else. It will say, Love me, hoard me, collect me, think only about me. The way to keep money in perspective and to stay on the light side of money is to give it away. When we give it away, we essentially say, I like you. You are a good tool for me. But I don t need you. I can give you away. This has been another great perspective for me as I deal with finances. Giving some away keeps it all in perspective and keeps me on the light side. These concepts have been in the back of my mind for years as I have thought about my relationship with money and giving. Perhaps they will give you something to think through this week as well. Chris Widener 2010 Jim Rohn International One-Year Success Plan 295
Week 17 Recap of CD 12: Dreams and purpose drive us to accomplishment. Here is a phrase to remember: It is a small price to pay. Q. What five things have you already accomplished that you are proud of? Q. What do you want in the next 10 years? Q. Give each of these a number number them 1, 3, 5 or 10. Q. Of your one-year goals, which are the four most important? Why? Q. What s got you turned on? Q. What s got you turned off? When you accomplish some goals you need some more. Celebrate when you accomplish a goal. When the why gets stronger, the how gets easier. Ask yourself, What for? Some of your goals should be about the kind of person you want to become. It is what you become that makes you valuable. Q. What kind of person must you become to achieve all that you want? Q. What kind of person must you be to attract all that you want? The key to goals is to put them on the list! Here are two words to remember: First a positive word: behold. Next a negative word: beware. Beware of what you become in pursuit of what you want. Your own self-development and contribution are the best gifts you can give your children not self-sacrifice. Charity never humiliated him who profited from it, nor ever bound him by the chains of gratitude, since it was not to him but to God that the gift was made. Antoine de Saint-Exupery 296 One-Year Success Plan 2010 Jim Rohn International
Questions for Reflection Q. Do you feel like you have a proper perspective on money? Has giving been a part of that? How so? Q. How aware of others are you? How can giving help you specifically become more aware of the needs of others? Q. In what ways are you currently a difference maker with your money? In what specific ways would you like to become a difference maker with your money in the future? Q. Have you thought through your giving? What conclusions have you come to? Q. Do you have giving budgeted into your financial plan? Do you make it a scheduled part of your finances? 2010 Jim Rohn International One-Year Success Plan 297
Action Steps This Week 1. Think through your perspective on giving. What were you taught as a child about giving? What people or organizations would you like to support? What causes? 2. Take a look at your overall budget. If you don t already have one, make a specific plan to give away some money on a regular basis. Even if it is just a small amount, make the commitment. Write the amount and time interval here. 3. Write a check. That s right. Take out your checkbook and make a specific contribution. Even if it is only $10, give the money away to a group that is making a difference in a way you believe in. Of course, if you can give more than $10, by all means do so be as generous as you can! Write comments here. A Look Forward This week there is no listening assignment, so use the week to catch up on workbook assignments, or feel free to go forward with other listening materials. See you next week, Chris Widener 298 One-Year Success Plan 2010 Jim Rohn International