Those Huge “Life Difference-Makers”

There are certain wise teachings, learned over the years, that have stayed with me and added significantly to my life. They’ve also provided me with hope and strength when most needed.

Just one example is Jim Rohn’s (1930-2009) famous, “They just do” and his follow-up phrase, “one of the mysteries of life.” This comes in very handy when upset over the negative actions of certain people.

For example, you find out someone with whom you’ve done a business transaction lied to you. You are understandably very upset and even begin personalizing it.

You might even ask yourself, “why did he do that to me?” This typically leads to the big question…”why do people like him lie?”

Mr. Rohn’s answer was, “they just do.” “He’s a liar. Liars lie. He’s simply doing what liars do.” He would then add, “It’s one of the mysteries of life.”

Reframing a situation from something personal — or something you must analytically figure out — to “they just do” and “it’s one of the mysteries of life” can save a ton of headache, heartache, self-doubt, and mental torture that will lead to nowhere productive.

Don’t Misconstrue This with Passivity

Please don’t confuse this with not taking action to protect yourself from people who do bad things or, if/when appropriate, rectifying the situation after it’s happened. Not at all.

However, the major lesson I received from Mr. Rohn is to not let certain mysteries of life drive me insane trying to find a reason for something that is beyond my comprehension.

As a coach, you have clients who simply don’t do what you know (and THEY know) they need to do, even though it’s obvious that not doing it is extremely counter-productive to both their business and sense of happiness. Why don’t they do it then? Who knows? They just don’t. It’s one of the mysteries of life.