Today, we’re going to talk about Earl Shoaff. Chances are, you’ve never heard of him before. After reading this post, I hope I will have piqued your interest enough to learn even more about this amazing man.
Not too long ago, I wrote a post entitled Top 40 Jim Rohn Quotes of All Time. Jim was a very wise man, and he has mentored a number of highly successful network marketers, businessmen, entrepreneurs, and world leaders.
Earl Shoaff was Jim Rohn’s mentor. He has an amazing background story and lots of wisdom.
Earl Shoaff’s Background
Earl’s full name was John Earl Shoaff. He was born in 1916. Earl was born with a heart condition, and doctors did not expect him to live. But, he did!
During the Great Depression, Earl was a teenager and he found work at a dry cleaners. He was a hard worker and was promoted to manager. During World War II, Earl volunteered in a medical role with the American Field Service. This damaged his heart even more, but Earl kept moving forward.
After the war, Earl got married and opened a business he knew…a dry cleaning business. After some time in Michigan, Earl and his wife decided to go west. They sold the business and moved to California where Earl attained a job.
This is when, in 1953, Earl was invited to a lecture on success that changed his life. Earl joined the lecturer’s MLM Company, which was called AbundaVita.
It was a nutritional supplement company, and Earl became a natural at it. He also began giving success speeches. This is when Jim Rohn met Earl Shoaff, and Jim signed on the dotted line to become an AbundaVita distributor.
In 1957, Earl left AbundaVita and started the Nutri-Bio Corporation along with Richard Schnackenberg and Harry Ebbert. Through Nutri-Bio Earl Shoaff became a multi-millionaire before he passed away in 1965.
Jim Rohn learned a lot from Earl, and I am going to pass along some of what he learned in today’s post. Here are 13 great lessons and quotes from Earl Shoaff. I will share the quote or lesson, and then my take from it.
Top 13 Earl Shoaff Quotes
# 1: Everything comes through us from us. Everything in this world that happens to us comes from here, not out here.
We are the makers of our destiny. We are the Captain of our own ship. Yes, I believe in God, as do many others, but God has given us a free will, and we have the ability to just sit back and do nothing and let life pass us by, or we can get out and make changes and create success for ourselves. It is within our grasp; we just need to reach out and take it.
# 2: We have laws to success. We have laws of poverty. We have laws of lack, laws of prosperity. We have laws of hate. We have laws of love. We have laws of peace. All of these are basic laws. If we use them rightfully, wonderful things will happen to us. If we use them wrong, then we get ourselves in trouble.
This Earth was built on basic laws and principles. If you want success, you simply follow the basic laws of success to have it, as with poverty. It works with all and in all…there are principles and laws. We can use them for good, or for bad. We have the choice and if someone says they do not have that choice, they are wrong.
# 3: Life never, never withholds anything from anyone. Love, health, wealth, companionship. All these exist in infinite abundance. We alone are the ones that prevent our own good from flowing, simply because we are not aware of nature’s abundance and the tremendous power dormant in each of us. Power, which unfortunately, remains untapped because we don’t know how to release, and set in motion, the activities which function the laws of success.
We do have the ability for success inside us, but it needs to be untapped. We can do this by listening, learning, reading and doing. We have greatness within us, but we must seize it. We must take responsibility for our own lives and go after the things that we really want.
# 4: Success is something you attract by the person you become.
This is my favorite Earl Shoaff quote. The only way to become successful, and keep it, is to change and grow. You must become a success in your mind and heart before it will ever manifest into reality. For things to improve you must improve.
# 5: If you plant a watermelon seed, you are not going to get grapefruit.
What you go after, and whatever you seek, is what you will get. Those who seek little will get little, but those who seek great treasures will find them.
# 6: When you plant a seed in the earth, you must plant it properly.
This is a quote that many network marketers need to listen to carefully. The seeds we plant in our ears and eyes can give us immediate satisfaction, or long-term fulfillment. This can also work in complete reverse too. In addition, you must sow BEFORE you can reap.
# 7: Be naive enough to believe what I say for just thirty days and you will be on your way to a new life.
We all have preconceived notions. Sometimes we think things are too good to be true. If you want to change your life, you should have blind faith, even just for a month or two. This will force you to step out of your comfort zone and begin a new path!
# 8: Too many people stop their dreams because they start thinking about that thing that is not necessary in order to have it.
It all comes down to focusing on the dream and the way to achieve it. If we do not focus on the obstacles, but on the final result, we will maintain the course on gaining the prize. In other words, focus on what you want, not what you don’t want.
# 9: Don’t just have one seed planted folks – plant many seeds – any great desire you have in your life – a tangible object or intangible object.
The more seeds we plant, the more harvest we can reap. Farmers plant many seeds BEFORE they expect a harvest. Some of those seeds die. Some are eaten by birds. Some are dried out by the exposed sun. Some seeds grow into a little plant and then die. Other seeds grow and multiply 100 fold. This is how sowing and reaping works.
# 10: When you visualize something, this is the thing you are going to bring into your life, if the visualization is strong enough.
I believe Earl spoke this before psychologists proved this theory to be true. We can visualize and attain what we see. So what is your dream? What are you visualizing for your future? All it takes is a picture, and you can get it. This is also the main thesis of the book “The Secret” which talks about the Law of Attraction.
# 11: Expect wonderful things. Be a creator of ideas. Let’s not be moons, the reflector of ideas. Let’s be suns, let’s be the creator of the light; let’s be the creator of the ideas, because we all have a capacity — that guardian of the gate, as the conscious mind.
Be true to yourself. Be the best you possible. Focus on what you want in your life, not what you don’t want. Think positively. Doing these things will attract positive things into your life.
# 12: If you don’t want to think about oranges, change the thought and think about bananas, if you want. If you don’t want to think about lack, change the thought and think about prosperity. If you don’t want to think about hate, think about love. If you don’t want to think of anything negative, put a positive idea in your head.
Thoughts are things. We control our own thoughts. We attract what we think about. We all have the choice to manage our thoughts and emotions. I encourage you to spend more time focusing on positive things. Focus on what you want, not what you don’t want. Focus on what is working, rather than what isn’t working.
# 13: People like negative things. They seem to vibrate with them. For some strange reason, they don’t want things that are negative in their life, but they keep insisting on talking about them.
Spend any amount of time on social media, reading the newspaper, or watching the news and you will quickly discover that 95% or more of what you see is negative. Why? Negative sells. People love to gossip and focus on the bad, or what isn’t working their life. Remember, what you focus on is what you attract. If you constantly focus on the negative, you will attract more negative into your life. And if you focus on the positive, you will attract more positive.
Final Thoughts
No wonder Jim Rohn was so successful. He followed Earl Shoaff’s example. John Earl Shoaf had a lot of wisdom, and his knowledge will live on forever.
I hope that you learned some great lessons from Earl Shoaff today. I know that I did. I highly suggest you read John Earl Shoaff’s book: How to Become a Millionaire.
If you have any comments, suggestions or questions, feel free to post them below in the comments area. Thank you.
You can check out his book by clicking on the image you see below.
Other Posts You Might Enjoy:
- Jim Rohn Quotes
- Top Og Mandino Quotes
- Recommended Reading List
- Book Yourself Solid Book Review
- The Greatest Networker in the World Book Review
Chuck Holmes
20+ Year Network Marketing Professional
Top Earner & Top Recruiter
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
P.S. Learn how to grow a successful network marketing business. Secret tips, training, and practical ideas. Free training delivered by email.
Interesting read Greg! I love Jim Rohn but I had never thought about who mentored him. No wonder he was so successful!! I will check out his book for sure. Thanks for sharing this!
The funny thing is, both Jim and Earl were network marketers!