The Major Key Is You
by Jim Rohn

Of all the things that can have an effect on your future, I believe personal growth is the greatest. We can talk about sales growth, profit growth, asset growth, but all of this probably will not happen without personal growth. It's really the open door to having it all... In fact I'd like to have you memorize a most important phrase. Here it is, "The major key to your better future is you!"

Let me repeat that: "The major key to your better future is you." Put that someplace you can see it everyday—in the bathroom, in the kitchen, at the office—anywhere you can see it everyday. "The major key to your better future is you." Try to remember that every day you live and think about it often. Because the major key is you...

Now, there are many things that will help you create a better future. If you belong to a strong, dynamic, and progressive company, that would help. If the company has good products, and/or good services you are proud of, that would certainly help. If there were good sales aids, that would help, good training would certainly help. If there is strong leadership that will certainly help too...

If your car doesn't break down, that will help. If the kids don't get sick, that will help. If the neighbors stay half way civil, that will help. If your relatives don't bug you, that will help. If it isn't too cold, if it isn't too hot, all those things will help you build a better future. And if prices don't go much higher, and if taxes don't get much heavier, that will help. We could go on and on with the list; but remember this, the list of things that I've just covered and many more—all put together—play only a minor role in your better future.

Because, "The major key to your better future is you." Lock your mind onto that. This is a very important point to remember. The major key is you. When asked, "How do you develop an above average income?" My mentor Mr. Shoaff always answered by saying, "Simple, become an above average person. Work on you." Mr. Shoaff would say, "Develop an above average handshake." He would say, "A lot of people want to be successful, and they don't even work on their handshake. As easy as that would be to start, they let it slide. They don't understand." Mr. Shoaff would say, "Develop an above average smile. Develop an above average excitement. Develop an above average dedication. Develop an above average interest in other people." He would say, "To have more, you've got to become more."

Strangely enough, if you take two different people representing the same company, one may earn an extra $500 a month, and the other may earn a $5,000. What could possibly be the difference? If the products were the same, if the training was the same, if they both had the same literature, the same tools. If they both had the same teacher, the same compensation plan, if they both attended the same meetings, why would one person earn the $500 per month and the other person earn the $5,000? The difference is inside, not outside...

It's true... The real difference is inside you. In fact, the difference is you. The magic is not in the products. The magic is not in the literature. The magic is not in the DVD. There isn't a magic meeting... The magic that makes things better is inside you, and personal growth makes this magic work for you.

The magic is in believing. The magic is in daring. The magic is in trying. The real magic is in persevering. The magic is in accepting. It's in working. The magic is in thinking.

There is magic in a handshake. There is magic in a smile. There is magic in excitement and determination. There is real magic in compassion and caring and sharing. There is unusual magic in strong feeling and you see, all that comes from inside, not outside. So, the difference is inside you. Because the real difference is you... You are the major key to your better future!

To Your Success,

Jim Rohn

P.S. If you're ready to build a BIG business so you can create a better future and you're not exactly sure where to begin, start here: Total Success Pack.

© 2008 by Jim Rohn International. All Rights Reserved.

Jim Rohn is considered to be America's Foremost Business Philosopher, with a career that has spanned over 37 years and touched the lives of over three million people worldwide. He has been internationally hailed over the years as one of the most influential thinkers of our time and has helped motivate an entire generation of personal development trainers as well as hundreds of executives from America's top corporations. He's been described as everything from a master motivator, to a modern day Will Rogers, to a legend!