5 Life Lessons You Never Learned in School

'The Jim Rohn Guide Series' explores communication, leadership and more

To the untrained ear, the advice given to Jim Rohn by his mentor Earl Schoaff sounds contradictory.

“Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job,” the late philosopher says with his unique cadence and tone.

But listen to the words from Rohn’s mouth and you know that this man’s advice is anything but contradictory. He’s not saying you shouldn’t work hard at a job you love. The hard work comes naturally when you love what you do. What Rohn is saying is that personal development—the building and strengthening of you—is how you become better at everything else. Communication, time management, goal setting, leadership—these all improve when you do.

SUCCESS has compiled a series of five guides on communication, time management, goal setting, leadership and personal development, based on the transcripts of Rohn’s most popular lectures and writings. Released this month in the SUCCESS Store, The Jim Rohn Guide Series comprises curated, 20-minute infusions of wisdom you’ll not likely find elsewhere.

Here we share the SUCCESS editors’ five favorite lessons from the series:

Lesson 1: Communication

“In order to be effective, your communication should be on purpose. Yes, occasionally you may say something off the top of your head and that can hold weight with others, but this is the exception and not the rule. Know what you want to communicate, when you want to communicate and how you want to communicate.”

    —from The Jim Rohn Guide to Communication

Lesson 2: Personal Development

“The quest for personal development is the solving of problems. Success is simply solving problems. Sure, some things are complicated, but if you take it one piece at a time--solve the problems, put it back together--you can’t believe the enterprise you could build. Take it a piece at a time, master it, and then put it back together to solve it.”

    —from The Jim Rohn Guide to Personal Development

Lesson 3: Goal Setting

“A life best lived is a life by design. Not by accident, and not by just walking through the day careening from wall to wall and managing to survive. That’s okay. But if you can start giving your life dimensions and design and color and objectives and purpose, the results can be staggering.”

    —from The Jim Rohn Guide to Goal Setting

Lesson 4: Leadership

“Be strong but not rude. Be kind but not weak. Be bold but not a bully. Be humble but not timid. Be thoughtful but not lazy. Be proud but not arrogant. Have humor without folly.”

    —from The Jim Rohn Guide to Leadership

Lesson 5: Time Management

“When you work, work. When you play, play. Don’t mix the two.”

    —from The Jim Rohn Guide to Time Management

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How Personal Development Saved My Life

It’s classic: We go about our lives, striving to achieve the next big thing, and the itch to be successful clouds the importance of taking care of our inner self, of nurturing our well-being. Sometimes we have to experience a traumatic event before the alarm bells start screaming in our minds.

Five years ago I experienced that traumatic situation when I was sexually molested and exploited. I fell into a depression, crying myself to sleep every night, eating poorly and losing weight, and I had absolutely no sense of my reality.

Up until that point I had focused solely on getting to the next level in my career as a professional figure skater. And it took a situation that left me mentally paralyzed to wake me up from that on-the-go daze. This adversity pushed me to reanalyze my life and the direction in which I wanted it to go.

I realized I had a choice: I could allow my adversity to negativity affect the rest of my life or view my experience as a way to grow. I decided to take the path of personal growth. I’ve since studied great leaders in the personal development realm—Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Darren Hardy, Brian Tracy and John Maxwell. I’ve learned that one important secret to achieving success—especially in the face of adversity—is being able to nurture your well-being.

I’m sure you’ve experienced setbacks in your life. But no matter where you are right now in life, take the time to listen to what your inner self desperately needs.

As the owner of a lifestyle coaching firm, I’ve gathered valuable information over the years and created a list of four specific ways you can take time for you, to nurture your well-being. Success is important, but so is taking care of yourself, and you can’t have one without the other.

1.  Go out in nature. Spending time in nature is bliss to me. Being outdoors gets your blood flowing and allows you to think more clearly about your life.

2. Unplug from society. My husband and I turn off all technological devices each Saturday. Because we like to plan for our upcoming week on Sundays, Saturdays are our day to spend quality time with each other. Schedule moments to unplug every once in a while and spend your time—undivided attention mandatory—with those you love.

3. Keep a wisdom book. Ever since my experience, I decided to write down all the wisdom that I’ve acquired in my wisdom book. Anything you learn, you must write it down. This is a great way to remember pieces of wise advice, to help integrate them in your life. Once you break open and begin writing in your wisdom book, make sure you also reserve the time to sit quietly and reflect. Take a look at where you currently are and where you want to go.

4. Ask yourself, Why? As you walk through life, one way to nurture your well-being is to make sure you are continuously living in alignment with your values. Ask yourself, Why am I making this decision? If it’s not in alignment with your values, choose another option. At the end of your life, you’ll want to make sure you’ve lived a good life that paralleled what is most meaningful to you.

Life’s too short not to enjoy the journey to success. And success starts with taking care of yourself. We only get one chance at life—why not reach our fullest potential?

Life is filled with adversity. We can be squashed by it, or we can make the best of it. Learn how to respond positively to life's setbacks.

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http://www.success.com/blog/how-personal-development-saved-my-life