Jim Rohn: Why Not You, Why Not Now

I want you to ponder these four questions. Here's the first one, and that's why: Why pay the price? Why work this hard?

Why go this far? Why try to learn this much? Why try to do it all?

Why try to see it all? Why try to have it all? Why do it?

Why learn it? Why study? Why put yourself out?

Why try to take on this much responsibility? Why develop yourself to the full? Why try to become all that you can possibly become?

Why try to earn as much as you can earn? Share as much as you can share. Develop every skill you possibly can.

See every human you possibly can. Go to every class you possibly can. Touch everybody you possibly can.

Why do that much? Why go that far? Why share that much?

Why give that much away? Why try to see everything? Why try to do everything?

Why try to become everything? That's a good question. Why?

And you're the only one personally that can answer that question for yourself. You've got to have your own list of whys. Here's what I want you to do: when you go home after you've left this extravaganza, work on your list of whys.

One of the big thrusts for success is to come up with a strong enough why. In leadership training, here's what we learn: if the why is powerful, the how is easy. But if the why isn't strong, if your goals aren't powerful, if the vision isn't clear, the old prophet said, "Without a vision, we die; without a vision, we perish; without a dream, we're nothing.

" From the movie "The Professionals," I listened to Bill Heron give his testimony yesterday. From the movie "The Professionals," it is said, "We joined because we believed; we stayed because we were committed; we left because we were disillusioned. But we came back because we were lost.

Without a dream, we are nothing. " [Applause] I'm asking you to sit down with your family and develop a dream strategy. I'm asking you to make a list of what you want.

What kind of health do you want? What kind of skills do you want? Herbalife has got the ability to make it all come true, but you've got to decide: what do you want?

What kind of income do you want? What kind of gifts do you wish to bestow? What kind of power would you like to have?

What kind of influence would you like to have? I'm asking you to go home and work on the why. Spend some time as you fly over the clouds and over the ocean, back to where you came from.

I'm asking you to have a vision by the time you reach home of why you want Herbalife to work for you, why you want this kind of income, why you want this kind of recognition, and why you want these kinds of skills. I'm asking you to develop your own list of why because if you can come up with a strong enough list of why, Herbalife can furnish the how. Now, here's number two: the first question to ponder when you go home is why.

Here's another good answer to why; it's the second question: why not? Why not see how much you can earn? Why not see how much you can learn?

Why not see how many skills you can develop? Why not see what kind of person you can become? Why not see what kind of influence you can have?

Why not see how many people you can rescue from oblivion? Why not see how many people you can reach? I shared one of my goals with a group just last night.

Here it is: one of my goals is to reach the peak of my skills by the year 2000. So, I've got some work to do by the year 2000, the turn of the century, the turn of the millennium. I want to reach the peak of my skills by the year 2000 and then, come the next century, I want to utilize those skills in touching every human I can possibly touch for the rest of my life.

Those are some of my goals. I want you to establish some of your goals. I want you to give thoughtful consideration to your goals.

And why not? If a farm boy can wander out of Idaho and finally arrive at this extravaganza, why not you? If Mark Hughes can walk away from the tough side of town, find a few people, and make a dream come true, why not you?

If we've got good health for many, why not the rest? If it's happened for you, why not others? And why not you?

I want you to take that personal why not. You've got to stay here till you go. I mean, what else are you going to do?

Why not see how much you can do, how far you can go? Now here's number three: why not you? I wish I could say that to each of you individually, but it would take a couple of lifetimes to sit down and talk with each of you individually.

But I would rather do that. I'd rather sit down and talk with you and your family with a fire burning in the living room than to be standing on this platform. That's my true desire.

I'd love to talk to you and your children face to face; that's what I'd really like to do. I'd love to spend a couple of days with each of you personally and pour out my heart, my soul, what's going on in my head, what's going on with me. See if we couldn't connect and find something valuable.

But time doesn't permit for us to have those intimate conversations and get to know each other that well, so I've got to do it. From up here, I want you to take it personal. My personal question to you is, why not you?

You've got the brains; you can make decisions; you can study the plan, and you can change your life. You can grow immensely in the next few years; you can make your dreams come true; you can build a financial wall around your family—nothing can get through. You can become healthy; you can become powerful.

Why not you? I'm here to say that I'm ready to pledge my support to make your personal dreams come true. I ask the question, "Why not you?

" but I'm not going to ask it and just walk away. I'm going to ask it and walk with you on this journey as we take Herbalife around the world. And now, here's my last question, my very last question on the questions to ponder: Why not now?

There never was a better time. Mark has brought Herbalife to an incredible mountaintop; he's brought Herbalife, with the help of others, who have brought it here. It has been brought to a special moment.

Barcelona was special, and Orlando was outrageous, but I'm telling you this Extravaganza has been the most awesome thing I have ever seen. All of your cooperation, the way you have learned, listened, and worked hard to get it all—I congratulate you for that. But Mark brought us here, and what a time now for us to take this dream and not let it die.

Take this dream and give it life; take this dream and breathe into it your own personal spirit until finally, it becomes a flame that burns around the whole world. Let's go do it now!