"If you will change, everything will change for you"
I met Jim in the fall of 1993, the year I got my investment and life licence. I attended his presenation in Ottawa at the Congress Centre, decided to sign up for his weekend study, took lots of notes, got me thinking, inspired, got me journalling, turned my life around. I studied his teachings , his recordings, and attended and met him in future seminars. I considered him my mentor. I enjoy listening to him to this very day, I circle back for a refresher at least once a year. I hope his lessons can help you as well. ~ TLR
“Don’t say, ‘If I could, I would.’ Say, ‘If I can, I will.’”
“Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.”
“Either you run the day or the day runs you.”
“Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.”
“If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree.”
“How long should you try? Until.”
“Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.”
1. “Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.”
2. “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”
3. “Start from wherever you are and with whatever you’ve got.”
4. “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
5. “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.”
6. “Either you run the day or the day runs you.”
7. “We must all wage an intense, lifelong battle against the constant downward pull. If we relax, the bugs and weeds of negativity will move into the garden and take away everything of value.”
8. “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
9. “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”
10. “To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, who could I ask?”
11. “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”
12. “If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.”
13. “Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him, now you have a motivated idiot.”
14. “It isn’t what the book costs; it’s what it will cost you if you don’t read it.”
15. “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.”
16. “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”
17. “Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don’t fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgement, repeated every day.”
18. “Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.”
19. “You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.”
20. “You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.”
21. “Don’t just read the easy stuff. You may be entertained by it, but you will never grow from it.”
22. “Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.”
23. “We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.”
24. “Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.”
25. “Life and business is like the changing seasons. You cannot change the seasons, but you can change yourself. Therein lies the opportunity to live an extraordinary life–the opportunity to change yourself.”
26. “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment”
27. “Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people.”
28. “If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree.”
29. “Days are expensive. When you spend a day you have one less day to spend. So make sure you spend each one wisely.”
30. “Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention.”
31. “Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.”
32. “You cannot make progress without making decisions.”
33. “Don’t say, ‘If I could, I would.’ Say, ‘If I can, I will.’”
34. “No one else ‘makes us angry.’ We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude.”
35. “Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out.”
36. “The big challenge is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You cannot believe what it does to the human spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit.”
37. “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.”
38. “The more you care, the stronger you can be.”
39. “Character is a quality that embodies many important traits, such as integrity, courage, perseverance, confidence and wisdom. Unlike your fingerprints that you are born with and can’t change, character is something that you create within yourself and must take responsibility for changing.”
40. “How long should you try? Until.”
"The beauty of being in business is that your business engages all aspects of your mind, I think that is why you become successful, business challenges you to be more than you are, and that is where the miracle takes place." Timothy Ross, May 2004
“Don’t say, ‘If I could, I would.’ Say, ‘If I can, I will.’”
“Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.”
“Either you run the day or the day runs you.”
“Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.”
“If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree.”
“How long should you try? Until.”
“Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.”
1. “Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.”
2. “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”
3. “Start from wherever you are and with whatever you’ve got.”
4. “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
5. “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.”
6. “Either you run the day or the day runs you.”
7. “We must all wage an intense, lifelong battle against the constant downward pull. If we relax, the bugs and weeds of negativity will move into the garden and take away everything of value.”
8. “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
9. “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”
10. “To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, who could I ask?”
11. “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”
12. “If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.”
13. “Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him, now you have a motivated idiot.”
14. “It isn’t what the book costs; it’s what it will cost you if you don’t read it.”
15. “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.”
16. “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”
17. “Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don’t fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgement, repeated every day.”
18. “Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.”
19. “You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.”
20. “You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.”
21. “Don’t just read the easy stuff. You may be entertained by it, but you will never grow from it.”
22. “Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.”
23. “We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.”
24. “Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.”
25. “Life and business is like the changing seasons. You cannot change the seasons, but you can change yourself. Therein lies the opportunity to live an extraordinary life–the opportunity to change yourself.”
26. “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment”
27. “Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people.”
28. “If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree.”
29. “Days are expensive. When you spend a day you have one less day to spend. So make sure you spend each one wisely.”
30. “Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention.”
31. “Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.”
32. “You cannot make progress without making decisions.”
33. “Don’t say, ‘If I could, I would.’ Say, ‘If I can, I will.’”
34. “No one else ‘makes us angry.’ We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude.”
35. “Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out.”
36. “The big challenge is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You cannot believe what it does to the human spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit.”
37. “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.”
38. “The more you care, the stronger you can be.”
39. “Character is a quality that embodies many important traits, such as integrity, courage, perseverance, confidence and wisdom. Unlike your fingerprints that you are born with and can’t change, character is something that you create within yourself and must take responsibility for changing.”
40. “How long should you try? Until.”
"The beauty of being in business is that your business engages all aspects of your mind, I think that is why you become successful, business challenges you to be more than you are, and that is where the miracle takes place." Timothy Ross, May 2004