Zig On…

Optimism Helps

 

I’m truly fortunate because I am optimistic by nature.  I might not spend my last two dollars to buy a money belt, but I am very optimistic about the future.  Dr. William Arthur Ward said that “the doors of opportunity are open to the optimist.  Gates of achievement swing wide for the person who sees infinite possibilities in the insignificant.”

Most of us would rather be around a person who sees hope in the future than one who sees nothing but trouble ahead. I’m talking about the kind of optimism which sees a solution in every problem, optimism that looks for the solution instead of concentrating on the problem.  In his 1828 Dictionary, Noah Webster said that optimism is the “opinion or doctrine that everything in nature is ordered for the best, or, the order of things in the universe that is adapted to produce the most good.”  The pessimist and pessimism are not identified by Noah Webster in his dictionary.

Optimism is a valid approach to life because when we encounter difficulties, if we are optimistic we will immediately start thinking about a solution to the difficulty, whereas the pessimist will look at a problem and ask, “I wonder what’s going to happen next?” or say, “There’s nothing I can do.”  The interesting thing is psychologists will tell you those are self-fulfilling prophecies.  That’s the reason I so love what Dr. Ward says about optimism: “Deep optimism is aware of problems, but recognizes the solution; knows about difficulties, but believes they can be overcome; sees the negative, but accentuates the positive; is exposed to the worst, but expects the best; has reason to complain, but prefers to smile.”

I rest my case and encourage you to think optimistically because if you do, I will SEE YOU AT THE TOP! 

Zig Ziglar is a motivator and teacher.  He is the author of 27 books and loved by millions of people world wide for his practical wisdom and his gift of hope.

 

You cannot tailor make the situations in life, but you can tailor make the attitudes to fit those situations before they arise.

Zig Ziglar

 

Words Worth Repeating

By Tom Ziglar

 

As many of you know, Dad had a tough fall and a head injury about two years ago and this has impacted his short-term memory.  He still knows the stories and has all of the wisdom, he just can’t remember what he has just said (check out www.ziglar.com/zigupdate  for the full story), and the result is he will repeat himself and tell you the same thing in a short amount of time.

At first this was hard for me to get used to and was even uncomfortable, especially since many regard him as one of the greatest speakers ever to walk the stage.  It doesn’t seem right that the thing he is most famous for would be impacted the most.

This whole process has taught me an incredible lesson.  Dad may be famous for his speaking ability, but it is WHAT he said that had the life-changing impact on people.  Now, at 82 years, Dad is saying the impactful things more frequently, and if you missed it the first time you will likely get a second chance!

For me this life lesson is summed up in a simple phrase:
The mouth reveals the heart.

Yes, I don’t mind at all when Dad repeats himself now.  His mouth is the window to his heart, and it is an amazing thing indeed.

Tom Ziglar is the proud son of Zig Ziglar and CEO of Ziglar.  This article was taken from his blog, http://www.tomziglar.com/. 

 

Leading Change

By Dr. John C. Maxwell

 

Leadership is about change.  If you need no change, you need no leader.  In times of change, people seek out more and better leaders.  Those successful sought-out leaders embrace the following thought: “The best reformers the world has ever known are those who began with themselves.”

Mahatma Gandhi said, “We must be the change that we envision.”

 

Tolstoy said, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

The following comments are about personal change:

1. One person cannot change another person.

When I started as a young leader, I thought that a leader could change the people; and boy, did I work at it.  I said, “All right, I’m going to give them thoughts, ideas, and principles; and I’m going to change people.”

After several years, I awakened to the thought that the only person who can change himself or herself is himself or herself. You can change yourself, but I cannot change you.  You see, I am responsible to you but I am not responsible for you; and there is a world of difference between those two.  I am responsible for teaching you good leadership, I am responsible for sharing things that can help add value to your life; but you are the only one who can take responsibility to change yourself, and that is what this whole article is about.

2. Most people need to look at the way that they look at change.

How many times have you heard somebody say, “I sure hope things will change.”  The only way things will change for me is when I change.  It has nothing to do with hope.  You can’t just say, “Well, I just hope things will change around me,” and expect results.  The only way that things will change for me is when I change.

I have also heard this before, “I don’t know why I’m this way.”  Well, you are the way you are because that is the way you want to be.  Let’s expose it for what it really is.

3. When you make the right personal changes, other things begin to turn out right.

So when people say, “I’d like things to turn out better for me, I’d like things to turn out right, I’d like things to turn out better in the organization, or in my family,” I say to them, “Start by making personal changes.”

The following are six steps to successful personal change:

1. When you change your thinking you change your beliefs.

2. When you change your beliefs you change your expectations.

3. When you change your expectations you change your attitude.

4. When you change your attitude you change your behavior.

5. When you change your behavior you change your performance.

6. When you change your performance, you change your life!

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. His organizations have trained more than two million leaders worldwide.  To find out more, go to http://www.johnmaxwell.com/

 

This day in history

April 7, 1776, U.S. Navy captures first British warship

 

What’s New at Ziglar?

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Ziglar Recommends

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