What Jim Rohn Taught Me About Network Marketing by David Ledoux
I went for a walk with Jim Rohn this morning.
Not the living, breathing business philosopher.
But the next best thing. Jim Rohn live on audiocassette.
If you have never listened to Jim Rohn, it's time. Jim Rohn is America's
Foremost personal development coach. He helped struggling kids like Anthony
Robbins and Mark Victor Hansen in their early years, long before they became
superstars. Vic Conant (of Nightingale Conant fame) calls Jim Rohn 'a national
treasure'. If he's an old favorite of yours, you'll resonate with this little
story.
I woke up at 6:30 a.m., put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, an old hat, my
sneakers, my sunglasses and grabbed the walkman. I pulled out the Randy Gage
tape in there, and grabbed the first tape from my bookshelf. It was still in the
plastic wrap, a single tape entitled "Jim Rohn Sampler". It had come
as a free bonus with a recent order.
I started to walk. I'm at my country home this week, and summer has finally
come. The air this early is a pleasant temperature, perhaps 23 Celsius with just
enough crispness to make you enjoy every breath. I did my special yoga
Breathwalk for 7 minutes as I ease into the walk. Jim Rohn's voice echoes
through my head, and in a heartbeat I'm back to 1988.
I had the privilege to meet Jim Rohn in May of 1988. I was just 20 years old,
and 2 months into my "year off" from med school. I was a distributor
for a herbal weight-loss company and Mr. Rohn was the guest speaker at their
Canadian convention.
I was broke. And not just financially. I had lousy time management skills, no
confidence, poor listening and communication skills, and I was TERRIBLE with
money. My little MLM business was floundering because I was floundering.
Back then I really had no idea who Jim Rohn was. I sat in a crowd of 3000
people and was mesmerized. He was the best speaker I had ever listened to.
Although he was incredible motivating, he was not a typical 'motivational
speaker'. He was more like all of my favorite high school teachers rolled into
one. Jim Rohn spoke with passion, clarity and most importantly, with
significance. His topics were relevant to me, even with my limited life
experience at that time.
After the big convention, my sponsor, who was the #2 income earner in the
country at that time, took me backstage. I got to shake hands with Jim Rohn and
he paid me a compliment that I never forgot. He said, "David, I see a lot
of potential in you. You're going to have to work harder on yourself than any
other aspect of the business. You must strive to become a millionaire. Not for
the money, but of who you will become in the process."
Today, listening to Jim Rohn's voice 15 years later, all I can tell you is
that he was right. Absolutely 100% bang on. In order to become successful I had
to learn to attract success. I had to learn to create something out of nothing
by using the power of my subconscious imagination. I had to learn to turn
imagination into action. I had to master the art of discipline. And the list
goes on. And the lessons go on.
Meeting Jim Rohn was one of those "defining moments" for me
personally that we get a few times in our life. He was the first person of
significant authority, who believed more in me than I did in myself. It would
take me 6 more years after that fateful meeting to begin to manifest any real
semblance of success in my life. But I never quit working on myself. And little
by little things began to happen.
What did Jim Rohn teach me about network marketing?
"You will have to work harder on yourself, than any other aspect of the
business."
I appreciate and believe in you!
David Ledoux
