Forging your Character by Jim Rohn

Personal success is built on the foundation of character, and character is the result of hundreds and hundreds of choices you may make that gradually turn who you are at any given moment into who you want to be. If that decision-making process is not present, you’ll still be somebody—you’ll still be alive—but you may have a personality rather than a character, and to me that’s something very different.

Character isn’t something you were born with and can’t change, like your fingerprints. It’s something you must take responsibility for forming. You build character by how you respond to what happens in your life, whether it’s winning every game, losing every game, getting rich or dealing with hard times.

You build character from certain qualities that you must create and diligently nurture within yourself, just like you would plant and water a seed or gather wood to build a campfire. You’ve got to look for those things in your heart and in your gut. You’ve got to chisel away in order to find them, just like chiseling away rock to create the sculpture that previously existed only in the imagination.

But the really amazing thing about character is that, if you’re sincerely committed to making yourself into the person you want to be, you’ll not only create those qualities, you’ll strengthen them and re-create them in abundance, even as you’re drawing on them every day of your life. That’s why building your character is vital to becoming all you can be.The article above is excerpted from Jim Rohn’s influential book, Leading an Inspired Life.

Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn is a man who has influenced many. As a philosopher and inspirational speaker, Jim shared his vision for leadership and personal development with countless thousands of people. With his passing away last week, I wanted to compile a list of some of my favorite Jim Rohn quotes. Although he is credited with sharing many inspirational things, these are some of my personal favorites:

“Character isn't something you were born with and can't change, like your fingerprints. It's something you weren't born with and must take responsibility for forming.”

“Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better.”

“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.”

“If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn't need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around.”

“If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

“It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.”

“Miss a meal if you have to, but don't miss a book.”

“Give so much to the improvement of yourself, that you don’t have time to criticize others.”

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”

“The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy.”

“The book you don't read won't help.”

“Time is more value than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.”

“You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight”