The Breathing Prosperity blog

Jim Rohn…just the name inspires a smile and feelings of affection in me. Jim, mentor to thousands - more likely millions - left us this month, and the world is certainly poorer without him. He will be missed greatly, and he most certainly fulfilled his fondest wish, which was to touch many hearts and lives during his time here with us. Although Jim is gone physically, our planet and our collective psyche are vastly richer for his having been here and shared so generously with us.

Jim Rohn
September 17, 1930 – December 5, 2009

As is human nature, I did not realize quite how much Jim meant to me until I heard of his death and spent the day reflecting on it (I had no choice – I couldn’t get it out of my mind), and on how much his words and wisdom are a part of my psyche. I know I felt a deep sense of loss and cried my own private tears, and I can only imagine how his family and close friends must feel.

Jim’s passion for sharing his knowledge and helping others improve their lives inspired countless audience members to not only improve themselves but also to turn around and help others do the same. So many people have graduated from Jim’s seminars and subsequently passed along his wisdom in different ways, and hundreds of thousands more have absorbed Jim’s words while listening to his audio programs…in their cars, while they worked, while they exercised. An entire company – Herbalife – and its reps all over the globe have enjoyed Jim’s mentorship, and audiences all over the world have been fortunate to have spent time with him while he shared some of himself and his thoughts in seminars.

I have written of Jim often on this site and others, as readers will know, and I am one of many, many people in the personal and professional development fields who have incorporated Jim’s wisdom into their own words and thoughts…we can’t help it! Jim’s words and philosophy have affected so many people on so many levels it would be difficult to find someone in this genre who hasn’t benefited, whether they realize it or not. Jim spoke of business philosophy, but of course it was personal growth and development at its core. I felt Jim’s compassion in every word he said, and he was one of a very short list of people I’ve known of who truly walked his talk. By all accounts, he was humble, gracious, generous and kind, while also being wise, curious and full of zest for life.

I would like to thank Jim from the bottom of my heart for all he meant to me, and for being a shining example of mentorship. Sites of mine such as IncreasingVelocity.com and Live-With-Power.com are my attempts to share what has been of value to me, with the knowledge that improvement in one area of our lives affects everything else in a positive way. I now realize that it was Jim who first, and most deeply, instilled this philosophy in me and I am grateful.

The memorial wall which has been set up to honor Jim has received an outpouring of love, gratitude and grief from around the world. The thousands of messages are added to every day by people who loved Jim, from close and from afar, whose lives he touched. Jim’s spark for improvement and living with passion became our spark, and the flame burns brightly in us and will be passed on. Click here for the Jim Rohn memorial wall.

For more about Jim and the legacy he left via his products, see JimRohn.com. It’s never too late to begin on your own personal path of growth and development, and reap the immense rewards. Nothing would make Jim – and me – happier!

First, a question: do you even know what your dreams are anymore?

I’ll bet you had lots of them when you were a kid. We all did…and then, somewhere along the way, we let go of them because we learned (read: were told by silly other people) that they had no value, were impossible or impractical, or that we had to do other, more important things with our lives. But what could be more important than our dreams? What is life without dreams?

Just to be clear, by dreams I mean those activities and pursuits that call to your heart, that make you smile when you think about them and some of which may even scare you a little – in a good way – because they are so big.

The beautiful thing about dreams is that they are unique to each of us, and if you think about it even for a moment, you may agree that this world would be an amazingly creative and diverse place if everyone followed their unique dreams. If we all followed our hearts and talents and expressed ourselves creatively by giving life to our grandest dreams and ambitions, what a magical place this would be!

Of course, it’s already magical, but isn’t it people who passionately pursued their dreams that gave us some of our more memorable books and art, man made landmarks, programs and companies, and so much more? How about putting people on the moon, or building libraries, incredible buildings, bridges and universities, or being the first black  president of the United States? Don’t these feats inspire us, bring us pleasure or help out many fellow humans?

I am currently attending personal development blogger Steve Pavlina’s first live workshop, and I’m enjoying every moment of it. The trip itself is fulfilling many of my personal dreams, including the intention to always work on refining and achieving my dreams themselves.

Here is a small snippet I shared yesterday with a law of attraction group I am part of:

May I say first that I have already made many, MANY of my dreams come true, and that is super-exciting for me. As a tiny example in my larger picture, a few years ago I was in Las Vegas walking around the Studio Walk at the MGM Grand…my honey and I got to this ’secret passageway’ that had a key entry and when some people came out we peeked in curiously and saw a moving walkway leading…somewhere. We were not part of that crowd, so to speak — didn’t and couldn’t get past that door. I felt…longing. Longing to be part of that secret and to be someone who warranted ‘belonging’ behind that door. I later found out that it was the Signature section of the MGM, a condo and hotel in behind that is a little more exclusive and is quiet, elegant and has its own gated entry, concierge, valet parking, etc.. Right up my alley, but at the time I allowed that to make me feel less than – like I wasn’t good enough, or rich enough, to get in and be a part of that world.

I am thrilled to say that I am writing this from my beautiful suite in the Signature, overlooking the strip and the MGM Grand proper, and enjoying every moment of it. I have a gorgeous bathroom with jacuzzi, every amenity I could ask for and 24 hour room service – just my style. The suite is absolutely perfect for me in every way, in every touch of the décor. Last night my honey drove me here from LA, we enjoyed the valet parking and private check-in, and most of all, we enjoyed walking later from the MGM Grand through that door and into the private walkway. It made my week – nay, my decade. A small symbol of how far I’ve come in a few short years and I’m thrilled – thrilled! – to be here.

I don’t think there is a single person in this workshop who hasn’t changed the fabric of their lives in significant ways already, and who will not be inspired to further pursue/create their personal, unique dreams when this is through.

It’s fantastic to be in a room with so many articulate, intelligent, conscious and thoughtful people…for me, it’s like drinking a huge glass of fresh sweet water. I will be sorry when it’s over, but at the same time the connections and ideas flowing are part of the process of defining, refining and achieving one’s dreams, and this is the subject I’m passionate about.

YOU can do this too, and it’s never too late. Today, give some thought to what your dreams may look like, and remember that you can refine them as you go, but that won’t work if you don’t start somewhere.

P.S. I just posted a new video that gels nicely with this – you can see it under ‘JOY-LOVE-PEACE’ on the Inspiring Videos page. Enjoy!