Pity the person who has a favorite restaurant, but not a favorite
author. That person has picked out a favorite place to feed
his or her body, but doesn't have a favorite place to feed his or
her mind!
Why would this be? Have you heard about the accelerated
learning curve? From birth, up until the time we are about
eighteen, our learning curve is dramatic, and our capacity to
learn during this period is just staggering. We learn a
tremendous amount very fast. We learn language, culture,
history, science, mathematics . . . everything!
For some people, the accelerated learning process will continue
on. But for most, it levels off when they get their first
job. If there are no more exams to take, if there's no
demand to get out paper and pencil, why read any more books?
Of course, you will learn some things through experience.
Just getting out there -- sometimes doing it wrong and sometimes
doing it right -- you will learn.
Can you imagine what would happen if you kept up an accelerated
learning curve all the rest of your life? Can you imagine
what you could learn to do, the skills you could develop, the
capacities you could have? Here's what I'm asking you to
do: be that unusual person who keeps up his learning curve
and develops an appetite for always trying to find good ideas.
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One way to feed your mind and educate your philosophy is through
the writings of influential people. Maybe you can't meet the
person, but you can read his or her books. Churchill is
gone, but we still have his books. Aristotle is gone, but we
still have his ideas. Search libraries for books and
programs. Search magazines. Search
documentaries. They are full of opportunities for
intellectual feasting.
In addition to reading and listening, you also need a chance to do
some talking and sharing. I have some people in my life who
help me with important life questions, who assist me in refining
my own philosophy, weighing my values and pondering questions
about success and lifestyle.
We all need association with people of substance to provide
influence concerning major issues such as society, money,
enterprise, family, government, love, friendship, culture, taste,
opportunity, and community. Philosophy is mostly influenced
by ideas, ideas are mostly influenced by education, and education
is mostly influenced by the people with whom we associate.
One of the great fortunes of my life was to be around Mr. Shoaff
those five years. During that time he shared with me at
dinner, during airline flights, at business conferences, in
private conversations and in groups. He gave me many ideas
that enabled me to make small daily adjustments in my philosophy
and activities. Those daily changes, some very slight, but
very important, soon added up to weighty sums.
A big part of the lesson was having Mr. Shoaff repeat the ideas
over and over. You just can't hear the fundamentals of life
philosophy too often. They are the greatest form of
nutrition, the building blocks for a well-developed mind.
I'm asking that you feed your mind just as you do your body.
Feed it with good ideas, wherever they can be found. Always
be on the lookout for a good idea - - a business idea, a product
idea, a service idea, an idea for personal improvement.
Every new idea will help to refine your philosophy. Your
philosophy will guide your life, and your life will unfold with
distinction and pleasure.
Reproduced
with permission from the Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine. Copyright
Jim Rohn International except where indicated otherwise. All
rights reserved worldwide. jimrohn.com.
An extra
note: Another idea that Jim Rohn presents in one of his
programs is the idea of becoming one of the most well read experts
in your field. Think of how much you would learn about your
field if you were to read one book a week on that field
specifically! By the end of one year, you will have read 52
books on your field, and you'll easily be one of the most well
read persons around! Even if you can read only one book
every two weeks, that's 26 books, more than 99% of your
peers. One book every three weeks? That's 17, still a
great number. So what are you waiting for?
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