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Legendary personal-development philosopher Jim Rohn passed away Dec. 5, 2009, after an 18-month battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Rohn was laid to rest Dec. 12 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif., at a private service attended by family and close friends.
For more than 45 years, Rohn inspired millions through his seminars, books, articles and CDs, and, upon the news of his passing, millions worldwide paused to remember this legend who continues to inspire us. John Fleming, Direct Selling News Publisher and Editor in Chief, says he owes much of his success in the direct selling industry to lessons he learned from Rohn. “If I have ever attributed any one thing to any successes I’ve experienced in direct selling, or in any business, it is the wisdom gained from those years of attending many Jim Rohn seminars, and the personal association with Jim and his teachings,” he says.
“For Jim, it was always about people: helping people to best understand, to change and to believe in their growth potential.”—John Fleming, Publisher and Editor in Chief, Direct Selling News |
Rohn’s philosophy embraces the responsibility of personal growth and teaches people why and how to reach for a bigger, better, more vital life. To do so is as much for our own benefit as it is for those we are able to impact with our abundance. Rohn’s positive influence on individuals around the world—particularly those connected to direct selling—as well as on the personal-development industry as a whole, stands as a clear testament to that truth.
Rohn’s life story and tremendous impact are magnified by the knowledge that he was raised in obscurity on a farm in Idaho. His loving but ordinary upbringing gave him no special advantages over those who sat in his audiences or listened to or read his materials during the past four and a half decades. In fact, though his humble upbringing supplied him with a strong work ethic, it left him with a deficiency of applicable ambition. As is the case across the country today, he was taught facts and figures in high school, but wasn’t taught how to design a life. He went to college but quit after a single year. “One year of college, and I thought I was thoroughly educated,” Rohn told his audiences. He was convinced he would be better off taking a salaried job to support his family. Rohn plodded along for several years, but by age 25, he realized that instead of building a life, he was living in a rut, in debt, and, as he often said, “with pennies in my pocket and nothing in the bank.”
A Legend Among Legends“Jim Rohn was one of those people who was always encouraging people to be their best. He liked to encourage them to do the right thing in the right way. As a result, he was the one who benefitted the most. I’ve always believed the more you do for others, the more you do for yourself.” Jim Rohn in His Own Words“Success is something you attract by the person you become.” |
A chance meeting with the “millionaire maker,” Earl Shoaff, changed Rohn’s life forever. Shoaff led a direct selling organization in the mid-1950s, and Rohn was invited by a friend to hear Shoaff speak. While listening to Shoaff talk about a life philosophy rooted in personal development, Rohn knew he wanted what the speaker had—not only the wealth, but the lifestyle of abundance and gratitude. Until Shoaff’s death five years later, he was a powerful mentor in Rohn’s life. Pursuing personal growth became a way of life for Rohn. He learned that anyone could have the life they desired, if they had the right philosophy and were disciplined in following it with action. Under Shoaff’s mentorship, he learned the tools and developed the skills to craft the life he desired. Six short years after that first meeting, Rohn achieved financial independence.
Countless people were influenced by Rohn’s teachings, including SUCCESS magazine Publisher Darren Hardy. “Jim cemented my philosophical foundation and nourished my mind with ideas and ambitions never before imagined,” Hardy says. “He chiseled my character seminar by seminar, tape by tape, book by book, then CD by CD, hour by hour.”
Through his unique style, word choice and delivery, Rohn influenced the thinking of millions. And, like so many other great philosophers of years past, his words will most certainly continue to impact those who hear and read them. His speaking career began in the early ’60s. And while he was referred to as an outstanding speaker, his career was actually one of teaching and enabling. “Jim taught us that success is simple and is the result of sticking to the basic, but mostly missed, fundamentals,” Hardy says. “The philosophies he taught were true 200 years ago and will be true 200 years from now.”
His first major seminar, Adventures in Achievement, was delivered on college and high-school campuses as well as for businesses and service club meetings. The Nightingale-Conant Corporation, the leading personal-development company of the ’60s and ’70s, recognized the phenomenal talent of Jim Rohn, and once he was included in the Conant stable of outstanding speakers, he became one of the most sought-after speakers in the country.
Rohn’s message also resonated with members of the direct selling community. “Very early in my direct selling career, I was personally touched by Jim Rohn,” Fleming says. “In those early days of trying to adjust from the rigid, fact-based processes of design so critical to becoming an architect, I found through Jim the wisdom, leadership style, understanding, principles and philosophies so critical to becoming successful in direct selling.”
Over the span of his career, Rohn was involved with several direct selling companies as a speaker and trainer, speaking exclusively for Herbalife for many years. After meeting Herbalife Founder Mark Hughes in the early 1980s, Jim began to teach, motivate and further the lives of thousands of distributors around the world each year. With his soft but direct voice and simple examples, such as learning how to handle the four seasons of life, Jim showed Herbalife distributors around the globe how they, too, could find success and move beyond their self-imposed limits. “Jim occupies a unique and special place in Herbalife,” says Michael O. Johnson, Herbalife Chairman and CEO. “His impact on our distributors and the spirit of our company will live forever.”
With the encouragement of Rohn’s family, the Herbalife Family Foundation (HFF) opened a special tribute fund to honor Rohn’s longtime association with the company. Donations to HFF may be made in Rohn’s name at http://www.HerbalifeFamilyFoundation.org.
Direct sellers have always sought inspiration and wisdom from personal-development teachers and motivators. Whether companies hired Rohn as a speaker or not, chances are, a significant segment within every sales organization owns a Jim Rohn book or has listened to his messages on tapes and CDs. His single CD, Building Your Network Marketing Business, is an industry top-seller—a double-platinum audio with more than 2 million copies sold—and is used by numerous companies and distributors for both recruiting and training.
“When you think of the greatest influencers in our lifetime and in the networking industry, Jim Rohn is at the top of the list,” says BK Boreyko, Vemma Founder and CEO. “The lives his words of wisdom have shaped are far too many to count, yet they all count when it comes to carrying on Jim’s lessons on life. My dad once said, ‘You measure a man not by what he accumulates, but by what he leaves behind.’ Jim has left a legacy that will last for generations to come.”
Rohn may have touched the lives of more people than any other single business philosopher in the history of direct selling. “It’s been said that leadership is influence,” says Greg Provenzano, ACN President and Co-Founder. “Assuming that statement is true, that would make Jim Rohn the ultimate leader—a leader’s leader. His influence has crossed cultures and generations, making him more than just America’s foremost business philosopher—making him America’s foremost philosopher on living the best life you can. Though he will be missed, the Jim Rohn legacy is really only beginning, as his memory will continue to live on in his books, teachings and personal philosophies for many generations to come.”
Stuart Johnson, VideoPlus CEO, was first introduced to the philosophies and teachings of Jim Rohn almost 25 years ago. “Jim made an immediate impression on me,” Johnson says. “I was amazed by how this modest and unassuming man could communicate such an extraordinarily powerful message in simple and straightforward terms. In person, one on one, he was as humble and down-to-earth as he was in front of an audience of thousands. I will treasure my personal memories of Jim and know that I will forever benefit from the wisdom of this remarkable man.”
Because of his passion for personal development, Johnson took steps to ensure that future generations would continue to benefit from Rohn’s philosophies. In October 2007, Johnson’s SUCCESS Media acquired Jim Rohn International. Johnson is committed to helping spread Rohn’s life-changing philosophies and will continue to make available all of Rohn’s books and video and audio programs at http://www.JimRohn.com, including classics like The Art of Exceptional Living, the best-selling CD program The Challenge to Succeed, and many other life-changing books, CDs and DVDs.
Rohn’s most lasting legacy, says DSN’s John Fleming, will live on in work and deeds of the countless people he changed, simply be leading the way. “If Plato is remembered as one of the most influential of all philosophers, and Aristotle as his most exceptional student, and Descartes for challenging the work of Aristotle, Jim will be remembered for the millions of lives he touched and the students he developed,” Fleming says. “Henry Miller said it this way: ‘The real leader has no need to lead…. He is content to point the way.’ Jim Rohn stands tall among those who serve and support what he believed in most: people!”
Indeed, the legacy Jim Rohn built in life will continue to positively impact future generations. For all those who were lucky enough to enjoy seeing him at a live seminar, millions more have benefited from listening to the countless hours of audio and video presentations he produced or by reading his books. “I talk about things that matter to people who care,” Rohn said.
“For Jim, it was always about people: helping people to best understand, to change and to believe in their growth potential,” Fleming says. “And, for all of those lessons, I will be eternally grateful.”
And because mentorship requires only a receptive mind and a worthy message, Rohn will continue to teach and inspire those who want to improve their lives
Visit http://www.JimRohn.com to view the Jim Rohn Tribute Video created in loving memory of this industry giant. To date, the video has been viewed more than 100,000 times, and more than 7,000 people have posted personal memories of Rohn on the http://www.JimRohn.com Memorial Wall and Facebook.
Contributing to this article were: Erin Casey, Nancy Laichas, Rebecca Larson, Lisa Ocker and Hilary Overpeck
