My personal development hero was the late Jim Rohn. I remembertelling a friend, “I'm going to become a personal developmentauthor/speaker after my insurance career.”

“Why?” my friend asked. “Jim has already said it all.” Touché mygood man; touché.

I own Jim's entire collection and recommend him to everyone Imeet. In fact, I consider it my obligation as a parent to instillin my boys a love for three things: faith, the Great AmericanSongbook and the teaching of Jim Rohn.

One of Jim's great quotes is, “Success is something you attractby the person you become.” He further pointed out that you can'tpursue success; saying that whatever you pursue eludes you, liketrying to catch butterflies.

As we start 2016 and everyone is talking about resolutions andlosing that 10 pounds and smoking that last cigarette, I'll jointhe fray by asking, “What are you becoming?”

Maybe my radar is sensitive because I have a son in college andthere's been much written the last few months about how collegecampuses seem to be teaching ideas that I simply can't get my headaround, but this is a question that all of us would do well toanswer clearly for ourselves.

I believe we attract whatever we become—success and failure,good and bad.

Once we unmistakably know who we're becoming, we can stopblaming the economy, the Republicans and Democrats, the commissionstructure and all the other crap we find to blame. We can simplysay, “I attracted that because I became something that attractsthat.” In short, you own it. Personal responsibility—ah, that'srefreshing!

There's a freedom in it, isn't there? You aren't a victim of thesystem anymore. The deck isn't stacked against you, not matter whatthe idiots on television tell you. You simply attract the thingsthat find you attractive.

For example, most of my married male friends say they “marriedup.” They can tell you all about how they had to take more showersand even use mouthwash that one time because they wanted to be thekind of guy a certain young woman found attractive. Some of themread books and watched movies they wouldn't have on their ownbecause they knew she would find it attractive. They gave uphabits. They acquired new ones. In short, they became attractive tothe person they wanted to attract.

My hope for you is that 2016 becomes the most successful yearyou've had because you become the kind of person that attracts thatkind of success. While you ponder all that, I'm off to listen toFrank fly me to the moon…