Enlightened self-interest leads to wealth. Selfish self-preservation leads to poverty. Somebody says, â I canât be concerned about other people, I can only be concerned about myself.â Well then, youâll always have to be concerned about yourself. Somebody says â I canât be concerned about other peopleâs bills, Iâve got enough worries trying to pay my ownâ. Well then, youâll have to worry about them for the rest of your life. The best way to get that monkey off your back is to turn your attention to other people.
Once I understood this perspective, it revolutionized my whole life. Self-interest is necessary, of course. But hereâs what self-interest must be if you truly want to be happy: it must be enlightened. Donât keep your attention only on yourself if you want your life to work out well. All the possibilities of greatness â great wealth, great reputation, great satisfaction â come only if you turn your attention from yourself to others.
In your own self-interest, be enlightened. Truly act in your own self-interest by making an investment in service to others.
If you wish to receive, you must give. Some people say, âif you give, itâs gone.â Thatâs not true if youâre educated. If youâre foolish, yes, itâs gone. But if youâre enlightened, chances are if you give, youâve invested. What do we expect an investment to do? We expect it to return multipliedâŠbigger, better, greater.
When I was young, my father taught me an important lesson. He said, âSon, always do more than what you get paid for.â Some individuals might argue with that. They say âno, youâre going to mess up the whole program.â I know theyâre wrong. In my own self-interest, I did what my father taught me⊠I always did more than I got paid for. Why? To make an investment in my future. And itâs paid off for me.
If youâre wanting that big promotion, you canât go up to your boss and say, âJust give it to me. Iâll work harder if you just give me that promotion.â It doesnât work that way. Youâve got to do more in your current position to get noticed. You need to stand out from everybody else. That way, your boss will say, âYou know, weâve got this position opening up, and I think we should give it to Nancy. She does so much more than we expect. Just imagine what sheâll do if we give her this promotion!â
Youâve got to do more that youâre paid for. Itâs an investment in your future.
Itâs one thing to make a sale. If you make a sale, youâll make a living. If you go beyond making the sale by providing exceptional service â keeping in touch, calling your clients before they call you, writing thank you notes â sales will lead to multiple sales. You can make a fortune if you take good care of the customer. People who are well taken care of will open doors you canât get through by yourself.
All of us have found ways to make a living. What was interesting for me early on was to figure out ways to make a fortune. You may say, âWell, Mr. Rohn, how could I deserve to make a fortune?â Itâs easy. Render fortunes of service. People will do things you cannot believe for those who give them good service.
Hereâs one of the greatest gifts you can give to anybody: the gift of attention. In return, they will do extraordinary things for your career. They will take you by the hand and lead you to more people that you could meet by yourself. Always do more than you get paid for.
You see, life responds to deserving, not need. Life was not designed to give us what we need. Life was designed to give us what we deserve. Once you understand that principle, your life will change.
The ancient law does not say this: âIf you need you will reap.â It doesnât work that way. A lot of people out there are hoping it works that way, but it doesnât. The ancient law says this: that if you sow, if you plant, you will reap. Somebody says, âWell, I really need to reap.â Then you really need to plant. Your own self-interest needs to be educated in how to plant. You must know how to do it so everybody wins, because life just doesnât respond to need.
You canât go to the soil and say, âI need a crop.â The soil just smiles at you and says, âDonât bring me your need, bring me some seed. Bring me some effort. Bring me some discipline. Bring me some interest. Bring me some service. Bring me these things, and Iâll return them to you multiplied.â You canât come with need. Youâve got to come with seed. Youâve got to come with willingness. Youâve got to come with skills.
Youâve got to be willing to learn, to change, to grow, to make an effort. You must be willing to stand up to the bad weather, to pull out weeds, to nurture. Thatâs the only way you serve others. And thatâs the only way you get a return. Everybody wins with enlightened self-interest.