Welcome to Episode 321 of The Ziglar Show. I’m your proud host, Kevin Miller, and my quote for this show is shared by Zig in our upcoming clip, from Helen Keller, “It’s better to have vision and no sight, than the other way around.” The title of today’s show is “Realize your blindness and get some vision”.
Our show is brought to you today by Audible. A company we love, because...they carry Ziglar audiobooks! And 180,000 others. In audio format and immediately delivered for your listening pleasure. We have a gift for you. Go now to audible.com/ziglar and they’ll let you download any audiobook…for free. Yes, totally free.
This episode has a fair amount of biblical scripture reference regarding some examples and points, right along with marketplace examples. If you’re not fluent in Bible stories, you won’t miss the point. But the Bible was Zig’s reality and the foundation of his life turnaround, beginning at age 45. We’ll talk more about that in coming shows.
In our last show, #320, we focused on the life altering power, for better or worse, of our inner self talk. At the end of the show, I offered Zig’s self-talk cards to everyone. Just a free offering. Well…hundreds of you went and got them, and that is just beautiful. In providing your email to get them, you’ll also be getting weekly emails for four weeks, prompting you a bit. And finally, I’ll be asking for input. You sharing your experience. After I compile your feedback, we’ll do a follow up show on the results.
If you missed it, you can again, go to Ziglar.com/show/selftalk. Again, there is no sale or promo, just an offering of a great resource for you to use and us to walk out together, and to discuss afterwards.
Speaking of together…I’m going to shamelessly keep asking for your help in regarding ratings and reviews in iTunes. This podcast is free, but ratings and reviews bump us further up the charts. I’m not too proud to say…I want us at number one. Now I don’t want what we don’t deserve! I only want 5 star ratings if you believe we deserve it, and great reviews if we warrant it. But I’m asking. You’re busy like I am and unless it’s really important, we probably won’t do it. To give a 5-star rating requires you to login to iTunes if you are a user - go to this link and click 'View in iTunes'. Then it’s simply a single click to give a 5-star review. To leave a review is just typing a quick sentence or two. And for your trouble, I want to offer something. We can’t get any contact info from iTunes when you leave a review. But if you’ll do it, then send me a personal email here, we want to send you a gift in the mail. Literal mail. In your hands to touch and feel. A small thank you gift. So do it, and email me with your iTunes name so I can verify it. And thank you in advance!
With me for today’s show is Ziglar Head Honcho…Tom Ziglar, who just returned from a week in Mexico. Tom, the growing Ziglar company keeps you hopping. How was getting away for a week for a mini work sabbatical?
> > Hear Tom's answer in the Show below
OK, here then is our clip from Zig…listen closely…this is more serious than some of his more humorous messages:
Thank you Zig! OK, now let’s talk plainly about this topic, ‘The importance of having a vision and choosing your life goals.”
Zig started right off with, "Success is not an event, it’s a process."
Now I’m going to stop us right there. That statement is so easy to hear and nod to. But I don’t think it's the way our heads work and our actions bely. Tom, do you see people by far and large, looking at success for their lives as an event? And missing the devotion to the process?
> > Hear Tom's answer in the Show above
Zig then says, "Failure is not a person, it’s an event", and "The picture you have of yourself plays a major role."
We’re back to self-image and the focal point of last week’s show. Again folks, the self-talk cards. Get your’s and join us in this shared experiment. It’s free, no fine print or back of the room sale. Actually, I do take free reign to tell all who register, and promote, the Ziglar Legacy Certification Course. that you can find at ZiglarCertified.com. There are a couple spots open for the July event. The next one is September! But again…go to ziglar.com/show/selftalk and get your cards.
Tom, my perspective is…many people don’t perceive that they think about themselves negatively. They don’t consider themselves losers or failures. They don’t perceive they have negative self-talk. They think they are…neutral maybe?? But is there really a neutral? If you aren’t thinking positively and confidently about yourself, intentionally…can you really be at Top Performance?
> > Hear Tom's answer in the Show above, past where he references Zig's quote, "Your pas is important, but not as much as your future."
Zig talks about the difference between direction and goals. Having a direction for your life is paramount, it’s the rudder. Your goals then align to help achieve that direction. It seems people readily set goals, but do they have a life vision?
I’ll divulge a little personal laundry on that one. I was a pro cyclist and have been a lifetime athlete. I’m 44 today and fit and well. I have a vision. I have 7 kids. I see myself as an old, gray haired man at 88, hiking and running and amazing my grandkids by my ability to do life fully with them! I love this vision and it helps dictate my daily choices today…only halfway there. That’s vision!
However…I’ve never had a vision financially. I actually sabotaged my finances for many years because I viewed a lot of successful men as putting money before relationship, ethics and heart. I wanted to be all heart. So if I had any vision, it was only to prove I was about heart and not money. So no matter how much I made, I seldom had any stability or abundance to show for it.
I mentioned Audible earlier in the show. Let’s get you some confidence boosting material now. Take action. Audible carries Ziglar audiobooks, including Zig’s renowned book, “See You at the Top”, and the book he and Tom wrote together, “Born To Win”. You can get one of those books, or any book they have in their 180,000 titles…right now, for free, instantly. Go to audible.com/ziglar. It includes a 30-day trial, no strings attached. If you already have those Ziglar titles and want to get another motivational powerhouse, Tom, any awesome audiobooks you’d recommend that they can get at Audible?
> > Tom references "The Power of Who" by Bob Beaudine. Get it now, for free at audible.com/ziglar
Tom, in your work with so many people, how does that play out? How do you experience people having sight, but not vision?
> > Hear Tom's answer in the Show above
Zig’s next statement was, “To be the winner you were meant to be, there has GOT to be a game plan to go along with it.”
He said, and I paraphrase, we get caught up in small goals…stuff. Zig names cars, vacations, country clubs. If you heard that and thought…not me, then let’s talk about some other stuff. How many of us are just going through the motions and the grind and looking forward to:
- A new smart phone?
- A new movie to go see?
- The next episode in our favorite TV show?
- The next sports game?
- A holiday weekend?
- Padding our retirement fund?
- The next gadget or deal or sale where we can buy something?
So many small things that keep us occupied and away from true success?
Or maybe we’re doing lots of ‘good’ things?
- Volunteering at church or some humanitarian effort?
- Coaching our kid’s sports team?
- Helping friends or family?
- Or simply keeping your nose clean, keeping your job and making sure nothing jeopardizes the little kingdom or comfy shack you’ve managed to build on earth?
Good things! But do they keep you from great things? What is mastering us? Our vision, or duties and stuff?
Tom, give us your personal experience of letting good things keep you from great things.
> > Hear Tom's answer in the Show above
Zig gets on a soapbox about formal education, which is timely in our era right now where more people than ever are going to college, racking up more debt than ever, and are having a harder and harder time getting work. And especially finding work that pays well enough to pay for all that formal education debt.
Zig goes on about the necessity, for success, of always being educated. But let’s look at that. What does it mean to educate ourselves.
I looked up the definition of EDUCATE. Here are a couple:
- To develop the faculties and powers of (a person) by teaching, instruction, or schooling
- To develop the mental, moral, or social capabilities of
Develop…is the key word.
With the information age we’re in, we have one of the most knowledgable cultures ever. Lots of knowledge may help you win gameshows or trivial pursuit, but it most surely is not…developing your mind. So let’s put that question out there. How many of us are truly, daily or even weekly, working to educate ourselves? To develop ourselves today above what we were tomorrow? That doesn’t just happen.
If the point is having a vision for who and where we want to be, then we should be doing the daily work to educate ourselves to that place.
Tom, I’m sure you’ve noticed, but it’s interesting to me...often the most voracious consumers of personal and business development resources, whether books, audios, seminars, conferences or personal coaching and consulting…are the very people who provide those same things! Authors, speakers and the leaders we all follow.
So if you want to educate others…commit to fervently educating yourself.
Tom, it seems to me, people think of those people on top as having arrived, and they give information and wisdom OUT. They don’t view them as being constant students of taking teaching and counsel…IN. What’s your experience?
> > Hear Tom's answer in the Show above
Folks thanks for tuning in. Again, go now, get your free book from Audible at Audible.com/ziglar.
See you in the next show!