What Constitutes a Good Life?

The ultimate expression of life is not a paycheck. The ultimate expression of life is not a Mercedes. The ultimate expression of life is not a million dollars or a bank account or a home. Here's the ultimate expression of life in my opinion, and that is living the good life. Here's what we must ask constantly, "What for me would be a good life?" And you have to keep going over and over the list. A list including areas such as spirituality, economics, health, relationships and recreation. What would constitute a good life? I've got a short list.

1) Number one, productivity.
You won't be happy if you don't produce. The game of life is not rest. We must rest, but only long enough to gather strength to get back to productivity. What's the reason for the seasons and the seeds, the soil and the sunshine, the rain and the miracle of life? It's to see what you can do with it. To try your hand, other people have tried their hand; here's what they did. You try your hand to see what you can do. So part of life is productivity.

2) Next are good friends.
Friendship is probably the greatest support system in the world. Don't deny yourself the time to develop this support system. Nothing can match it. It's extraordinary in its benefit. Friends are those wonderful people who know all about you and still like you. A few years ago I lost one of my dearest friends. He died at age 53 - heart attack. David is gone, but he was one of my very special friends. I used to say of David that if I was stuck in a foreign jail somewhere accused unduly and if they would allow me one phone call, I would call David. Why? He would come and get me. That's a friend. Somebody who would come and get you. Now we've all got casual friends. And if you called them they would say, "Hey, if you get back, call me we'll have a party." So you've got to have both, real friends and casual friends.

3) Next on the list of a good life is your culture.
Your language, your music, the ceremonies, the traditions, the dress. All of that is so vitally important that you must keep it alive. In fact it is the uniqueness of all of us that when blended together brings vitality, energy, power, influence, uniqueness and rightness to the world.

4) Next is your spirituality.
It helps to form the foundation of the family that builds the nation. And make sure you study, practice and teach. Don't be careless about the spiritual part of your nature, it's what makes us who we are, different from animals, dogs, cats, birds and mice. Spirituality.

5) Next - here's what my parents taught me.
Don't miss anything. Don't miss the game. Don't miss the performance, don't miss the movie, don't miss the show, don't miss the dance. Go to everything you possible can. Buy a ticket to everything you possibly can. Go see everything and experience all you possibly can. This has served me so well to this day. Just before my father died at age 93 if you were to call him at 10:30 or 11:00 at night, he wouldn't be home. He was at the rodeo, he was watching the kids play softball, he was listening to the concert, he was at church, he was somewhere every night.

Live a vital life. Here's one of the reasons why. If you live well, you will earn well. If you live well it will show in your face, it will show in the texture of your voice. There will be something unique and magical about you if you live well. It will infuse not only your personal life but also your business life. And it will give you a vitality nothing else can give.

6) Next are your family and the inner circle.
Invest in them and they'll invest in you. Inspire them and they'll inspire you. With your inner circle take care of the details.

When my father was still alive, I used to call him when I traveled. He'd have breakfast most every morning with the farmers. Little place called The Decoy Inn out in the country where we lived in Southwest Idaho. So Papa would go there and have breakfast and I'd call him just to give him a special day. Now if I was in Israel, I'd have to get up in the middle of the night, but it only took five minutes, ten minutes. So I'd call Papa and they'd bring him the phone. I'd say, "Papa I'm in Israel." He'd say, "Israel! Son, how are things in Israel?" He'd talk real loud so everybody could hear - my son's calling me from Israel. I'd say, "Papa last night they gave me a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." He'd say, "Son, a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." Now everybody knows the story. It only took 5 - 10 minutes, but what a special day for my father, age 93.

If a father walks out of the house and he can still feel his daughter's kiss on his face all day, he's a powerful man. If a husband walks out of the house and he can still feel the imprint of his wife's arms around his body he's invincible all day. It's the special stuff with the inner circle that makes you strong and powerful and influential. So don't miss that opportunity.

Here's the greatest value. The prophet said, "There are many virtues and values, but here's the greatest, one person caring for another." There is no greater value than love. Better to live in a tent on the beach with someone you love than to live in a mansion by yourself. One person caring for another, that's one of life's greatest expressions.

So make sure in your busy day to remember the true purpose and the reasons you do what you do. May you truly live the kind of life that will bring the fruit and rewards that you desire.

To Your Success,

Jim Rohn

Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine. Copyright 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide. To subscribe to Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine, go to http://Jim-Rohn.InspiresYOU.com

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Scientific Discovery Reveals How You Can Live Better Forever

If you are not experiencing perfect, harmonious, pressure-free life experiences... Read More

5 Steps to Greater Workplace Productivity

Step 1 ? Learn a powerful key to increase financial... Read More

Just Dont Do It

Sometimes success is found through the things that you don't... Read More

A Simple Idea from a Billionaire

It's simple and powerful.The philosophy of successful people is often... Read More

How To Become Successful

The First step to success is to think and decide... Read More

Psychological Tips For Effective Examination Techniques

One of the inevitabilities of University life is the examination.... Read More

The Secret Weapons of Success

There are two things that will determine your success or... Read More

Are You In It - To Win It?

Have you ever heard this? "It isn't whether you win... Read More

Self-Improvement Secrets

* Perfectionism is a time waster.Strive for excellence on important... Read More

Business Success Secrets: Improving Yourself by 1% Daily

Hey,Josh here from Investor Wealth Academy sitting 29 stories above... Read More

Grow Rich With Your Thought

Our brain is a marvelous creation. It receive and transmit... Read More

Are You an Emerging Champion?

In terms of life success, there are four pretty obvious... Read More

I Don?t Believe in Failures

I prefer to call the challenges, obstacles, side-tracks, and barriers... Read More

The REAL Secret to Success

I used to see a chiropractor who handed out a... Read More

Success Is Everything

(Excerpted From the 2001 Jim Rohn Millennium Weekend Event -... Read More

Is Your Life A Minefield ?

Why everything has to be so hard? What have I... Read More

A Recipe for Living

As a professional speaker, father and business owner I often... Read More

The Clichés of Success

The problem with writing about success is that almost everything... Read More

We Become What We Think About

"A man's life is what his thoughts make of it."-... Read More

How To Deal With Change

It is often said that the only things in life... Read More

3 Basic Steps to Success in Anything

Since belief always precedes action, simply changing your beliefs can... Read More

Using A Weekly Review To Improve My Life And Business

"What a week!" you say at the end of a... Read More

For Meeting Planners: Organizing Your Office for Less Stress and More Profit

If you discovered your speaking career depended on how organized... Read More

To Succeed Greatly, You Must...

(1) Climb up from under the limitations of circum­stances and... Read More

The Characteristics of a Winner

As kind of a hobby I like to watch people.... Read More

STOP Trying Harder

You've been searching for self improvement or personal development. Trying... Read More

Top 10 Traits of Highly Successful People - That You Can Learn!

We have all read about people who are successful briefly.... Read More

Handling Rejection

Everybody suffers rejection at some time or another in their... Read More

More and More and More and More

About six years ago I began to study tai chi.... Read More

Creating Your Own Success Support System

People who are on the same journey tend to band... Read More

The Ultimate Formula for Success

Why is true success so rare?Why does research show that... Read More

More Effective Communication - Weight Loss For Your Mouth

Language constitutes our belief system. What we believe is true... Read More

5 Key Ways to Attract Abundance and Prosperity

When you hear the words "abundance" and "prosperity", what immediately... Read More