Here's The Skinny

by Jim Rohn

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.

We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.

All disciplines affect each other. Mistakenly the man says, "This is the only area where I let down." Not true. Every let down affects the rest. Not to think so is naive.

Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure.

Discipline has within it the potential for creating future miracles.

The best time to set up a new discipline is when the idea is strong.

One discipline always leads to another discipline.

Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.

You don't have to change that much for it to make a great deal of difference. A few simple disciplines can have a major impact on how your life works out in the next 90 days, let alone in the next 12 months or the next 3 years.

The least lack of discipline starts to erode our self-esteem.

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"A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities." ~William Arthur Ward

by Ron White

His name was Jason Dunham and he was a corporal in the United States Marines. The story picks up with Jason as he was talking with the men in his unit. They wondered whether a person could jump on a grenade and survive by putting it under his helmet. Deep down they all knew that it most likely wouldn't work, yet on the streets of Baghdad all topics of conversation can soon become quickly exhausted and hypothetical solutions to real-life problems can pass the time.

Unfortunately for Jason Dunham, the circumstance that he had hypothesized about arrived just a few weeks later. However, fortunately for his unit, Corporal Jason Dunham was there. In this life and death scenario, there is no time to think. There is only time for fight or flight. Jason chose fight and performed above and beyond the call of duty. He threw his helmet and body over a grenade and gave his life for his friends. Jason was nominated for The Congressional Medal of Honor. He was 20 years old.

Your stance on political matters or world issues is irrelevant in this scenario. Jason did not do this for you. He did not do it for the people of Baghdad. He didn't do it for the U.S. government or a politician. He did it for the men beside him, period.

To give your life for your friends is perhaps the greatest thing one person can do for another. It is also one of the rarest acts of civilization.

In 1981, shots rang out and bullets screamed through the air to pierce the flesh of the 40th President of the United States. No sooner had the gun powder been ignited than secret service agent Tim McCarthy stood up as straight as a board and extended his arms to make himself a large barrier between would-be assassin John Hinckley and President Reagan. While others ran for cover, Agent McCarthy stood looking directly at his potential death with firm resolve. Tim was shot square in the chest and, believe it or not, that was exactly his goal. As he positioned himself spread eagle to take a bullet for a man, an office and a nation, others cowered in trembling fear. Because of amazing grace, agent McCarthy survived.

What causes men and women to lay down their lives for another? It takes a lot. First and foremost, it takes a realization that life isn't about you. It is about making a difference, about making an impact and about giving.

Jason Dunham and Tim McCarthy were able to respond the way they did because:

• They decided how they were going to respond long before the event occurred.
• They were not selfish people – the farthest you could be from selfish, as a matter of fact.
• They realized that life was not about them; it was about making a difference – it was about others.

I hope with all my heart you are never placed in a situation where you have to choose between your life and those around you. Yet, every day you are in situations where you have to make choices. You must decide right now how you will respond.

The lesson to extract from the lives of Corporal Dunham and Agent McCarthy is that of an overall attitude on life. That attitude, simply put, is that it is better to give than receive. It is honorable to view the lives and well-being of others above yourself. If we can take any pearl of wisdom from the extraordinary lives and attitudes of these two men, it is that making an impact on the world is not always about recognition, power, money or personal gain. Sometimes the greatest success is one who gives himself up so others can succeed. That is the mark of the ultimate high achiever.

Decide today how you will respond in your moments of crisis - whether it is financial, personal or life and death. As you plan your actions, remember the selfless lessons of Corporal Dunham and Agent McCarthy.

-- Ron White

by Jim Rohn
(Excerpted from The Power of Ambition series)

What is the origin of true ambition? There exists really only one place to find true ambition and that is within you – in every thought, in every movement, in every motivation. Your ambition is an expression of who you truly are, your own self-expression.

Self-expression. Isn't self-expression really self-direction? How you think, how you move, how you motivate yourself. Ambition is a result of self-direction and self-direction is one of the six key principles necessary for building ambition. Positive self-direction says, "I know who I am and I know where I want to go. I'm accumulating knowledge and experiences and feelings and philosophies that will help prepare me for opportunities that I know will show up without notice or any help on my part." Because you know where you want to go, you have already been working on the parts of your personality that will make you better. Working on your attitude, working on your health, working on your time management skills. Putting it all down on paper. And you constantly see yourself in the place you want to be, going in the direction you want to go.

Direction determines destination. So here is a question you must ask yourself, "Are all the disciplines that I'm currently engaged in taking me where I want to go?" What an important question to ask yourself at the beginning of the month, the beginning of the week, the beginning of the day. Because here is what you don't ever want to do - kid yourself. Kid your neighbor, kid me and kid the marketplace, but don't kid yourself - fingers crossed - hoping you will arrive at a good destination when you're not even headed that way. You have to ask yourself often, Am I? Am I doing the disciplines that are taking me in the direction I want to go? Don't neglect to ask these important questions, questions that help determine your direction, the set of your sail, your destination.

Is this the direction I want for my life?
Is this someone else's direction?
Is this a goal I have been ingrained with since my childhood?
Is this goal my parent's, my spouse's, my boss', my children's or is it Mine?

Ask yourself these questions and then debate them. After you have answered these questions within yourself, then take it one step further and ask, "What am I doing that is working or not working?" Debate it all. Work with your mind to figure out the best possible direction for you - your self-direction. And then ambitiously pursue your own self-direction. Let the power of your own ambition take you where you want to go, to do what you want to do, to create the life you want to live!

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Credit Statement to be included in Reprints:

This article was submitted by Jim Rohn, America's Foremost Business Philosopher. To subscribe to the Free Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine go to www.jimrohn.com Copyright © Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved worldwide.

"Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune." ~Jim Rohn

Did you Know?

Kentucky  (KY, Ken., US-KY)  Approximately $6 billion worth gold is kept at the Fort Knox Gold Depository in Kentucky. The building is made of granite, steel, and concrete. The vault door weighs 20 tons. No visitors are permitted in the building.

The Kentucky Derby is the oldest continuously held horse race in the country. It is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville on the first Saturday in May.

Kentucky was a popular hunting ground for the Shawnee and Cherokee Indian nations prior to being settled by white settlers.

Cheeseburgers were first served in 1934 at Kaolin's restaurant in Louisville.

Chevrolet Corvettes are manufactured in Bowling Green.

Mammoth Cave is the world's longest cave and was first promoted in 1816, making it the second oldest tourist attraction in the United States. Niagara Falls, New York is first.

The first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant owned and operated by Colonel Sanders is located in Corbin.

Fleming County is recognized as the Covered Bridge Capital of Kentucky.

Thunder Over Louisville is the opening ceremony for the Kentucky Derby Festival and is the world's largest fireworks display.

The song "Happy Birthday to You" was the creation of two Louisville sisters in 1893.

Teacher Mary S. Wilson held the first observance of Mother's Day in Henderson in 1887. It was made a national holiday in 1916.

Post-It Notes are manufactured exclusively in Cynthiana. The exact number made annually of these popular notes is a trade secret.

The public saw an electric light for the first time in Louisville. Thomas Edison introduced his incandescent light bulb to crowds at the Southern Exposition in 1883.

The world's largest free-swinging bell known as the World Peace Bell is on permanent display in Newport.

Kentucky Origin of Name:  Kentucky is from the Iroquois Indian word “Ken-tah-ten,” which means “land of tomorrow.”

Kentucky Motto:  “United we stand, divided we fall”

Kentucky Nickname:   Bluegrass State

Capital City:   Frankfort

State Area:   40,411 square miles

State Population:   4,269,245 (est. 2008)

Admission to Statehood:  June 1, 1792, 15^th state

Major Industries:  Agriculture (tobacco, corn, peanuts, wheat), mining (anthracite coal), horse-raising, whiskey manufacturing, automobile and truck manufacturing, chemical manufacturing

State Environments:  Mountains

State Bird:   Cardinal

State Tree:   Tulip Tree

State Flower:   Goldenrod

State Gemstone:  Freshwater Pearl

State Horse:  Thoroughbred

State Song:   My Old Kentucky Home, by Stephen Foster

Elevation: Highest Point – Black Mountain 4,145 feet above sea level
Lowest Point – Mississippi River 257 feet above sea level 

Time Zone:  Easter half: Eastern UTC -5/DST-4
The Western half of Kentucky: Central UTC-6/DST-5

Average Annual Rainfall:   43.56 inches

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."  ~Winston Churchill