The Power of Ambition: Awakening the Powerful Force Within You

by Jim Rohn

From America’s leading authority on success comes a book that will help you redefine ambition so that you can use your drive to serve others while creating the fulfilling life you desire.
 
In The Power of Ambition , Jim Rohn debunks the myths and misconceptions about ambition that cause it to hinder, rather than fuel, personal achievement. Genuine ambition is not a self-serving impulse. Quite the opposite—it empowers us to better our lives and the lives of those around us. Rohn details six revolutionary strategies for cultivating legitimate ambition and harnessing it to transform what is going on within and around you.
 
“Motivation can come from anywhere, but ambition is only drawn from within. Access your inner drive to achieve all the things you’ve been working for.” —Jim Rohn
 
Ambition is as much a mindset as it is a lifestyle. As Rohn defines it: “True ambition is disciplined, eager desire.” The Power of Ambition will help you live with intention every moment so that you can enjoy the change you envision for your life. You’ll learn:

Genres: Personal Development, Self Help, Business, Psychology, Personal Growth, Audiobook, Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Emanuel James "Jim" Rohn was an American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. His rags to riches story played a large part in his work, which influenced others in the personal development industry.

Rohn was the recipient of the 1985 National Speakers Association CPAE Award for excellence in speaking.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've gone through a lot of Jim Rohn's programs. Sometimes they are highly repetitive. In this case, it's more like finding an old friend and continuing on from where you left off. You get to know the person and what he stands for. This is not really about ambition. This is more about life in general. Getting things done right and making a better life for yourself. I've seen a lot of self-help crap out there and this is certainly not it. Jim Rohn makes you think and the more something makes you think, the more valuable I think it becomes.

[Terry Koressel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading (and listening) to Jim Rohn since the 1980's. He is truly inspiring. A terrific speaker and writer. I've listened to The Power of Ambition many times as an audio book. The timeless message is just as valuable to me today in my late 50's as it was in my early 20's. Be ready for some tough love also....his message is all about personal responsibility. You are responsible for your own success. If you succeed, you created that success. If you fail, you created that failure. It's your choice....and your choice alone. The book will change your life for the better. Please read.

[Christopher Lewis Kozoriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Make sure your upcoming success is at the service of others, not at the expense of others". ~ Jim Rohn, The Power of Ambition

This is a great program and I had a hard time putting it down, as it contains so much on personal development; however, in a communication style that is down to earth and makes sense.

[Mohammad · Rating 2 out of 5]

حداقل هشتاد درصد مطالب این کتاب جملات امریه. این کار رو بکن. اون کار رو نکن. که خیلی هم ربطی به جاه طلبی ندارن. یک کتابی عمومی در مورد موفقیته که بیشتر انگیزشیه تا آموزشی. تیتر کتاب همه چیز رو نشون می ده.
ارزشش رو نداشت.

[Quinn Spicker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Without Jim Rohn we probably would never have had Tony Robbins. I give him massive credit for this. A lot of the ideas in this book were likely once original -- that being said, for anyone familiar with the Tony Robbins or even the personal development field in general there's not too much new here.

[Seemy · Rating 4 out of 5]

we will all miss this guys work...a great leader who left a beter world behind and this training was no exception to his excellent work that has helped me in many ways

To Our Continued Success!
Seemy
https://Waseem.tv/Blog

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[Scott Wozniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jim Rohn is an old school motivational speaker. I don't mean that as a criticism. He is literally one of the original guys who helped create that genre. And his book reads that way: a series of pithy statements and "4 keys to success". No scientific studies are cited nor are tactical plans laid out. It's motivation, pure and simple.

I read it mostly to get a feel for one of the guys who shaped so many others (for example, I believe Tony Robbins worked for Jim Rohn before he decided to do his own thing). In that, I'm glad I read it. But I don't think I'd recommend it otherwise. It's not bad, there just are so many far better books out there.

[Mark Manderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great advice.
Top takeaways:
We must be happy with what we have while in the pursuit of what we want.
Ask yourself are all your daily engagements you are currently doing taking you to where you want to go?
Today is a direct result of what you did yesterday.

[Jim Loeffler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! So much wisdom, presented in a clear-cut, no BS way. You either choose to take action toward achieving your goals (whatever they may be), or you don't.

[Jeff]

Jim Rohn has some amazing ideas! Worth a revist and will have to revisit in the future to refresh those ideas

[T. Laane · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars! :) The book was pragmatic, ambitious, and a bit philosophical about growth, discipline, and contribution. I resonated with the message on both achievement and inner fulfillment, made me reflect on practical ways to apply it, especially around discipline, self-image, networking, and defining my own success. The tone is action-oriented, candid. I found a lot of resonance with the book’s philosophy, blending ambition with humility, practical wisdom, and a refusal to settle for either mediocrity or greed. There’s a real emphasis on enjoying the process, developing yourself, and making every encounter and effort count.
***
AMBITION & SERVICE. The right path to achievement always leads through serving others, never at their expense. Before seeking wealth, you have to master the art of giving. Ambition isn’t just about wishing for things - like a great relationship or family - but having an eager, active desire and working for them every day. Real ambition is a minute-to-minute mentality, not just grand plans.
INTERNAL VS EXTERNAL SUCCESS. If success or great relationships were easy, more people would have them; the truth is, those who enjoy lasting success are the ones who build it every day. Most people gripe about their lack of results but spend no time tending the garden of their dreams. The unsuccessful see effort and sacrifice as obstacles, the successful see these merely as details to handle on their way to an already vivid dream.
DISCIPLINE AND POSITIVITY. Your dream has to pull you - make it vivid and tangible. Dreaming is a skill, most people don’t do it actively and don’t work on defining their dreams well. If what you do daily isn’t satisfying or meaningful, you’re not successful - happiness is part of the measure. Success is in the little things: greet with joy at the office, hug at home, do daily acts that lift others.
GRATITUDE & TEAMWORK. No win is ever truly solo: even if you landed a mega-client or nailed a project, remember all the people who made the space for it possible - those who held the fort at home, covered other tasks, or gave you quiet to work. Practicing gratitude and sending thank-you notes builds deeper success.
SOWING & REAPING. Prosperity is not just thriving in wealth, but also in health and relationships. Don’t settle for just making a living - aim to make a fortune, in every sense. Life doesn’t give you what you need, it gives what you deserve: you reap what you sow, not what you wish for. Seek to work with others who deserve it, not just those who need it - work with the seekers, not just the wishers.
DISCIPLINE, INTEGRITY & GROWTH. All disciplines connect - if you’re lazy in one part of life, it leaks everywhere else. You can trick the world, but not yourself: if you’re not heading where you claim, you know it deep down. Progress comes from doing things wrong at first - just start, adjust, and you’ll figure it out. After all, “if you fall off the horse seven times, you’re a real cowboy.” Don’t berate yourself for mistakes - celebrate figuring things out. No other creature holds back on its growth; be the tree that grows as tall as possible.
LIVING WITH INTENTION. Other people’s demands will always eat your time unless yours for yourself are stronger. Discipline is full-time: it’s the constant awareness of what needs doing and the conscious choice to keep focusing on it. Don’t even begin a day, week, or month until you’ve finished it on paper with a plan.
SELF-IMAGE & DISCIPLINE. Doing less than you can damages the mind and slowly eats away at your self-image - it becomes a habit, infects every area, and makes you believe your own low standards. Affirmations shouldn’t be pure fantasy; it’s sometimes good to admit your real situation like “I’m broke” if it gives you a kick to act. When you’ve lost everything, admit it - and then use whatever faith and hope you still have to get up again.
PLANNING & PROBLEM SOLVING. Real solutions come when you put the problem on paper and brainstorm: what can I do, what can I read, who can I ask? Choose the most effective option. In a group, brainstorm freely - let the craziest ideas surface, as the best ideas might be in the mix. Doodle, flowchart, and play - your brain will wake up and see fresh angles. Don’t let doubt or worry corner you - corner them! Fear loses power when you face it head-on.
KINDNESS & RELATIONSHIPS. Be as kind as humanly possible, to everyone. You never know when someone really needs a kind word or a listening ear. Sensitivity means you notice others’ real needs - ask layered questions, peel back the onion, and earn trust slowly. Good conversation means having something worth saying, saying it well (authentic, brief, practiced, in your own style), and always reading your audience - know when to pivot, when to explain more, or when to wrap up. Observe body language and feel the mood. Feedback is your friend, even if it stings.
EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK & NETWORKING. Never lash out at your people - lash out at the problem. Correct with care: always make it clear you value the person, it’s just the action that was off. Networking means keep in touch, give before you ask, send helpful articles, meet up occasionally, and give thanks with notes or gifts. If a relationship no longer works, gently let go; if it’s toxic, cut it off. Only keep mutually beneficial networks alive, and focus on those who deserve your time.
SUCCESS & UNIQUENESS. Success isn’t about fame, money, or external rewards - it’s your own steady progress towards your chosen goals, day by day. Maybe your dream is to quit chasing millions and go feed squirrels in a hut - if you do it, that’s massive success. Ignore stereotypes: there’s no one path, only yours. Read widely to stumble into new perspectives and never get stuck in a rut. Take others’ knowledge, but don’t worship it - real value comes from your own conclusions after reflection.
GROWTH & INTEGRITY. Be a student, not a follower. Take advice but don’t take orders. If you don’t have time for your kids or spouse, you need to slow down or change direction - get out of whatever grind you’re stuck in.
TIME, PRIORITY & MASTERY. Either you run your time and business, or they’ll run you. Regularly pause to check: who’s in charge - you, or your obligations? Don’t confuse endless motion with achievement - if you come home exhausted from “going going going,” but can’t name what you achieved, you’ve just been circling, not progressing. Focus on results, not busyness. Do less, but better. Do less, get more.
ENJOYING THE JOURNEY. Enjoy the plateau - the stretches between big leaps matter. Don’t push constantly; savor natural growth. Profound: “The road to heaven is heaven.” If your journey is nothing but suffering, you’re probably not walking the right path. And when your family does make sacrifices for your work, pay them back in emotional dividends.
HEALTH, HABITS & MODERATION. The best exercise or diet is the one you’ll actually stick with.
LEADERSHIP & FAMILY. If you want quality people around you, become a quality person yourself. Be strong, not rude; kind, not weak; bold, not a bully; humble, not timid; proud, not arrogant. Humor - yes, but don’t goof around so much that it turns into folly. Always deal in reality, and help everyone around you feel heard. Real leadership at home or work means communication, shared experiences, time together, and letting everyone contribute.
PROSPERITY & INTEGRITY. Leave every space (a car, apartment, company, relationship) better than you found it. If you get rich, some old friends might get weird or jealous - don’t be surprised. Most people don’t want to be pulled out of mediocrity. Invest your time and kindness where it returns mutual results.
SUCCESS, FAILURE & NUMBERS. The only true failure is not taking action. The most successful people fear failure the least. Track your progress - books read, investments made, skills built. Teaching and helping others also helps you climb out of your own holes - sometimes you hear your own best wisdom when giving it away.
SELF-DEVELOPMENT & ATTRACTIVENESS. Success isn’t something you force, it’s something you attract by becoming the right kind of person. Self-investment is the most respectable use of your resources: become skillful, healthy, powerful, unique, reliable, and you’ll pull the right people and opportunities towards you. If for a time your income grows faster than you do, it’ll shrink to match your mindset. Persistence isn’t enough; patience is just as crucial.
INTEGRITY & VALUE. Don’t chase “cheap” - getting things below their true value cheapens yourself. Pay fairly and value others’ profits, not just your own. Leave behind a legacy of having “fought the good fight,” regardless of whether you win every battle.

[Temesgen Feseha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has generally good life lessons. I especially like the lessons on Discipline and the interataction with people.

[Emma Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good stuff!! I love that he talked about how important religion/faith is throughout the book also!

[Desiree Finkbeiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Success and failure is more closely linked to ambition than any other 'emotion'. The power of will IS ambition. I CAN and I WILL are very important affirmative statements. Those who are not afraid to fail will do whatever it takes to continue trying, passing through many failures on the way to success. Rhon says that 'making measurable progress in reasonable time' is the way to keep ambition alive. Some of the ways he suggests measuring progress is by: list-making, journal-keeping, self-inventory... Firstly, when a list is made, goals are on paper where they are easier to keep in the line of sight. As things get marked off, progress can be seen on paper. This visual cue excites ambition! Journal-keeping is a great way to go back and see how far one has come.
Rhon also touches on the obvious: EDUCATION. Without furthering one's learning in every way to achieve results, ambition will die. Read books, attend seminars, pick people's brains etc. Educated people are ambitious people- learning new things are the billows that stoke the fires of ambition. MANY other topics not mentioned by this reviewer really light some mental sparks, among them: relationships, integrity, communication, productivity ...
So many wonderful examples. statistics and studies are used throughout this book to illustrate Rhon's points. 5 Stars!

[Tarek Omran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pragmatic actionable & to the point.

I was skeptical about this book for the somewhat cliche title and specially that I thought I am quite driven and don’t need any ambition at the moment.

I WAS WRONG!…I realised that there is a lot more that I was able to take and use. This book is NOT your average motivational “YOU CAN DO IT!” kinda book.


My key take aways:
-First things first, create a GAME PLAN. Create a long, medium, and short term plan. (Tip use pen and paper before digitalising)

-DISCIPLINE goes a long way when it comes to challenging tasks. Take a task and go at it consistently, day in and day out until it’s finished.

-Being ENTERPRISING, “is to keep your eyes open and your mind active. It's to be skilled enough, confident enough, creative enough and disciplined enough to seize opportunities that present themselves…regardless of the economy.” I believe this is a golden ticket for people who are tired of complaining. This is your way to success.


Quotes that resonated:
- How long should you try? Until.
- I only want something at the service of others. Not the expense of others, but at the service of others.
- Don’t say, ‘If I could, I would.’ Say, ‘If I can, I will.
- Discipline has within it the potential for creating future miracles.

[Jimmy Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Jim Rohn. His approach on ambition and life is unique and inspiring. One take away that I got from this is that success is the steady progress towards your own goals. There is no one definition of success. Success is not necessarily monetary, but it's living the kind of life you want to live, having the relationships you want to have, having the experiences that are important to you.

So success is the steady progress towards your own personal goals. So in order to really be a success I need to identify what my goals are, what is important to me in my life above and beyond money. Only then can I know if I am on track and a success

My favorite line from this is "Everything matters. Everything affects everything. There is nothing that doesn't matter." All the little decisions I make matter. The little decisions to do something right, or better all impact my character.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love listening to an audiobook that is read by the author. This is a great book, but having listened to his gathered audio talks, "The Art of Exceptional Living" shortly before I listened to this one, I found that I enjoyed the audio presentation of "Exceptional Living" more, because it was presented before live audiences, and you could hear the enthusiasm in his voice that the live audience brought to him. Even so, he read this book, "The Power of Ambition" admirably, and gets the message across loud and clear. I have made several positive modifications to my daily life plan because of having read this book.

[Paul Farnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased the audiobook version of this classic and boy, was I surprised how much good stuff is packed into it. Jim Rohn gets right to the point of getting you to take action on your goals. This isn't a fluffy, feel-good approach to discovering your secret path. Nope. All the steps are laid out in a clearly defined, step-by-step system. Be prepared to take notes, take action and see immediate results. The book was written many years ago but you might be surprised just how relevant and timeless Jim's advice is. This book is a treasure!

[Jeff Birk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fond memories of working with Jim Rohn years ago while I was with Excellence in Action. He truly was the master of much. The latter part of this recording dealt mostly with stuff I'm either currently doing well or things that don't pertain to where I'm at in my life (trying to make a fortune, how to save money, etc). But the first two thirds were applicable and I took down some good ideas in my Evernote notebook. I even used one of his ideas in my speech this week to a group in Niagara Falls, ON. He sure has a lot of good stuff tied to gospel principles and even quotes the Bible a few times.

[Wiet Vande Velde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE Jim Rohn. I really do, although he's passed away, his legend lives on and I catch myself rereading, relistening his stuff over and over again. This guy was an amazing person and has been a huge inspiration for me. If you are stuck, if you need a little push, tap into this guy's mind. Love it!

[Abutharique · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm absolutely speechless about this book. The author explains how to achieve greater things by nurturing your ambition. It also teaches you, not to become a person who pursue success, rather become a person who can attract success. This was the most important lesson that I learned from this book. I would definitely recommend this book and planning to read it again.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a little too much boot camp in the book, and a little too much talking down. But this was balanced by the bits of wisdom and the good intentions. I liked the emphasis on self-discipline and continuous learning.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second reading of this. An excellent audiobook.
Really why listen to anything else.
All you need is Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy and Tony Robbins on repeat. They can't not have a profound impact on your daily achievement which all compounds over time.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to it. I liked it. He was a little annoying in reading it but the content was great. I found it very interesting that many of the points he brought out about being ambitious were right in line with my religious views. I recommend it.

[حمود السديري · Rating 5 out of 5]

ليت كتب جيم رون تترجم الى العربية
عقلية رائعة تؤصل للنجاح والمثابرة والطموح والنمو في الحياة
بدون ترهات الثراء السريع وتخاريف التحول الطارئ
هذا الكتاب مليئ بالحكم استمتعت به صوتيا
ومن الكتب التي تعيدها كل سنة

[Stanley Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I can improve on several of the reviews I've previously read, this work was like finding an old friend and catching up on everything...

[Bryce Dickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timeless wisdom.

[Jose Amezcua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Jim Rohn's materials. He knew a lot of things that works in business and in life.

[Jason Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Rohn is amazing. I realized, after listening to this, that I need to up my ambition game. That's a good thing. We can't fix that which we are in denial of needing a fixing.

[Charis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal advice from cover to cover. Not a wasted word.