A Message from Tom Ziglar

Dear Zig Ziglar Newsletter Subscriber,

Thanksgiving is the time of year when you count your blessings. I want to share with you some amazing blessings that we have received that we never would have asked for.

Zig, my father, is in a struggle right now. A struggle so profound and so real that by sharing it with you I believe you will be filled with hope and encouragement. You see, that is my Dad's gift. God has given him the gift of encouragement and hope to others so that they can rise above whatever circumstance they are in. As Dad has always said, "Getting knocked down in life is a given. Getting up, starting from where you are and moving forward, is a choice." My wish for you this Thanksgiving is that you will count your blessings until your gratitude bucket is full, and if you are in a struggle, take courage and press on, because in the struggle is where God reveals His eternal blessings.

Embrace the Struggle

James Dobson calls it "a suddenly." In March our family experienced "a suddenly." Dad fell down the stairs and experienced a serious concussion. Suddenly, life was very different. Dad at 80 years no longer moved with the energy of a 65-year-old man. Almost overnight he aged 15-plus years and began the struggle to overcome and live with a brain injury.

Suddenly, the Ziglar family joined millions of other families battling this type of struggle. I was out of town when I got "the call." "Dad is in the hospital; he fell down the stairs and has suffered a pretty severe concussion." I went numb as I listened to my sister Cindy's voice on my phone. If you have lived long, and have people you care about, I am sure you have had "the call" as well.

The next weeks were very anxious as we figured out the impact and the possibilities for recovery. The calendar became filled with doctors and more doctors. Life was changing fast. But the amazing thing was that Dad's attitude never changed. I know that he hurt all over from falling down a 21-step staircase onto a marble floor. I could see that his balance was impacted and that his short-term memory was "really short," as he likes to say, but still he was as optimistic and loving as ever. As usual, he was more concerned for us than he was for himself.

"Focus on what you can do, not what you can't do." I have heard Dad say that hundreds of times. The reality for us is we knew he could no longer give the presentations for which he has become so famous. Because of his positional vertigo he could no longer run around the stage -- he just might end up taking another fall into the first row! We decided on an interview format with Dad and his interviewer seated. The response was great, but still we knew something was missing.

We devised a plan. I called my good friend and marketing strategist Dr. Clifton Jolley with the concept of creating a multi-media experience around Dad's presentations at the public seminars. The idea was simple: Introduce Dad on video; interview him and break to video segments of Dad doing his most famous stories. This way the audience would get an even more powerful Zig, as well as a more personal Zig. We tried it, but still the results were not what we had hoped for. I didn't realize it at the time, but God was about to reveal an amazing blessing and another one of Dad's gifts.

"Your dad's greatest message has not been spoken yet." These were the words of Paula Reed, a long-time friend of the family and a brain injury therapist we had engaged to help Dad recover. While the words were words of hope, I didn't know yet or understand how they could be true. I knew Dad was 100% the man he had always been, but I also knew that communicating the way that made him famous, outside of a miracle, was just not going to happen. "Tom," she said, "he will communicate in a different way and in a more powerful way." As I reflected on these words and wondered how they could come true, I turned them over to God.

Several days later we celebrated the wedding of my niece, Katherine Witmeyer (now) Lemons. Uncle Bernie, a term of endearment we call Dad's closest friend for over 40 years, came to the wedding. In a private moment he shared with me his shock and concern for Dad as he saw him for the first time since the fall. He encouraged us to get Dad a personal trainer for an hour for at least six days a week. And then he shared a life-changing story with me.

Uncle Bernie's Story

Uncle Bernie grew up on a farm in Canada. When he was four years old his dad woke him up at 3:00 in the morning. "Cup" his dad said, "get up. We have to go down to the barn." Cup was his father's nickname for Uncle Bernie. In German it means "the head" and in his family it was his father's way of calling Bernie "The Smart One".

When they got to the barn a mare was giving birth to a foal.

"Cup, what do you see?" his father asked.
"I see a momma horse having a baby," Bernie replied. The mare was in trouble and his father had to reach in and turn the foal.
"Cup, what do you see?" his father asked.
"I see a baby horse coming out."
"Cup what do you see?" he asked again.
"I see a baby horse shivering on the straw."
"Cup, what do you see now?" his father asked.
"I see the baby horse trying to stand up and the momma horse licking it."
"Cup, what do you see?" his father continued to prod.
"I see the baby horse struggling to stay on its feet."
"Cup, what do you see now?" he asked.
"I see the baby horse standing on weak legs and the mother nuzzling it."
"Cup, what does it mean?" he asked.
"Daddy, I don't know."
"Cup, it means that where there is struggle there is life," he answered.

Where There is Struggle There is Life. Those words sunk into me as Uncle Bernie finished the story. The words settled in my soul right next to Paula's words, "Your dad's greatest message has not been spoken yet."

Soon after I met with Clifton Jolley again. We discussed the video project with Dad on stage and how it just wasn't coming together. My sister Julie had now begun traveling with Dad and was doing the interviews with him on stage. When Clifton realized this he said, "Tom, the father/daughter relationship on stage is perfect. You don't need video, you just need a loving family relationship." I knew he was right. In fact, Julie was doing exactly the right thing on stage. The video idea had been designed to mask Dad's fall; instead, Julie was revealing it. She talked about how the fall had impacted Dad and his balance, as well as his short-term memory. The response was awesome, but in a totally different way than anything we had expected.

It took a few days but something finally clicked in me. Dad's next book needs to be about this. His next book needs to be about this time of his life as he takes on his greatest struggle. I called Julie, who in addition to interviewing Dad on stage is his editor, and shared the idea with her. She loved it. We laughed and agreed that neither of us was smart enough to come up with this idea on our own. God's hand was evident.

Several days later I had the chance to sit down with Mom and Dad and share the book idea with them.

"Dad," I said, "I have been praying about something, an idea I would like you to consider. I know you are currently writing a book, but I just don't think it's the best one you could be writing right now. I think you should consider writing a book about this time of your life, about the struggles you have been dealing with since your fall in March. These past months have been full of doctor's visits, therapy sessions, changed schedules, and simple things have become more difficult. You have adapted well, and your attitude is as positive as ever. I know there are millions of families just like ours that are going through the same things." Mom and Dad started to ask me questions, and they were getting excited.

"Dad," I continued, "You are such a positive influence to so many people. In fact, your greatest outreach is to people your age and the generation below, and those are the very people who are going through what we are going through. I believe your greatest message has not been spoken yet. This book can make an incredible difference in countless lives as you encourage people to embrace the struggle."

"What did you just say?" Dad asked.
"What do you mean?" I replied.
"What did you say about the struggle?" Dad asked.
"The book will encourage people to embrace the struggle," I answered.
"That's it!" Dad said. "The title for the book is Embrace the Struggle."

At this point God revealed to me another one of Dad's gifts. The gift of transparency. One of the reasons I believe so many people love Dad is because he is real. There is nothing like the freedom of transparency, of being real. Since that day with Mom and Dad we have gotten our publisher on board with the new book and we are just now starting to write it. We have also changed the title of Dad's big speeches to "Embrace the Struggle," and Julie is leading the interview.

My hope for you is that you reflect on this Thanksgiving message and feel a sense of hope and encouragement. All of us face struggles, but when we face them with our faith and our family, God can use them in an amazing way. Dad is truly having more fun than ever, reaching people in places and in ways he never imagined. God is also using Dad's willingness to be transparent. It really is okay to get back up when you get knocked down and start from where you are. If you know someone who is facing a similar challenge, help get them back in the game of life. So many people who have strokes, or falls, or broken hips, or even dementia of some type, just sit down and watch life go by. I can tell you that by watching Dad during this time that the most beautiful music is still in him. It's not the same song we are all used to him singing. It is different. It is better.

I pray that you get the chance to hear my sister Julie and Dad do an interview. You will be inspired because a man of faith is living a transparent life, not to impress anyone, but only to serve the Lord.

Embrace the Struggle,
Tom Ziglar
Proud Son of Zig Ziglar

P.S. Please read on to see just a few of the responses we have gotten from the seminars that Dad has done recently.