Ok Ziglar fans, ready for an extra long Zig clip today? I’ve got one for you. This is show #337 and the title is “What do you want?!”. And then how to make it happen. We all love step-by-step directions to make something happen. Dot to dot. Paint by numbers.
Zig was the master at doing this for personal development and literally Inspiring True Performance.
But what do you want? Without being clear on this, everything else is…as they say, pissin’ in the wind. Zig was a southerner, I think he’d approve of that slang. I hope.
In a recent show Zig made a comment about how much more work we get done on the last day before going on vacation. In this clip he leads off with the same topic, but drills down much further, which is why I’m queuing it up. Repetition is key. We’d all be better off to cut out 90% of the constant influx of new information we devour, and instead, just get repetition of messages, input and information that will ultimately stick and become a reality. So in today’s show we’re going to drive home a major point of success.
With me for today’s show is Tom Ziglar. Tom, in regards to making desires a reality, I’ve not heard more profound testimonials of success regarding a resource, greater than what people cite who go through the Ziglar Legacy Certification course. So many people desire a level of success and achievement they have not attained, yet those that do, did something big. Folks, you can get full details on the next Ziglar Legacy Certification course this coming November at ZiglarCertified.com. And if you have specific questions, email me personally at [email protected]. But Tom, give us a quick overview!
> > Tom tells us what is coming up in the ZLC course, and we dive into a 19-minute, classic clip from Zig!
Zig leads off with an amazing statistic comparing vocational positions and success with hours of TV watched. It’s a significant study, here are the stats again, using people working at a large factory:
- People working the line on an hourly basis watched an average of 30 hours of TV per week
- The person in charge of that line watched an average of 25 hours
- The foreman watched an average of 20 hours
- The plant superintendent watched an average of 15 hours
- The VP of the plant watched an average of 12-15 hours
- The president of the plant watched an average of 8-12 hours
- The chairman of the board watched an average of 4-8 hours and 50% of the time they were watching training videos
And Zig asks…”Are they a victim of circumstances or victim of inertia?”
Which is a very interesting statement. When did we as a culture, begin spending so much time…idle? We are busier then ever, but the time spent watching screens is at an all time high. And I mean watching outside of productive work. TV shows, movies, videos, social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. How many hours per week of unnecessary, unproductive time is spent by the average person? By you and me?
Tom, most of your time is spent pursuing your own calling, which includes rubbing shoulders daily with other world changers. Who of course are spending very little time if any, idle. But what I want to hear is a story of someone who DID have idle time, and found a calling, a desire big enough to make a commitment, who now has little time or care to pass the time in front of a TV screen.
> > Tom shares and overall trend he's witnessed regarding those who have caught a vision to catch the dream
I’m often amazed to hear people I know, who complain about the overwhelmedness of their lives and the lack of time to do anything beyond mere survival, who are incredibly knowledgable about the latest TV shows, movies, media and news. Unnecessary time is being spent there. Only you know how much you’re giving to this.
But folks, it’s idle time. Entertainment. Some is ok, but how much? When did it become a cultural right to watch X amount of TV per day? It’s just cultural. I have 7 kids and currently 4 extra in my home. We’ve never had TV hooked up at our home. The kids get to watch DVDs or documentaries on the weekends, though often we’re out at the lake or other events and there isn’t time. They don’t care, as it’s not part of THEIR culture.
Hey, we all have our struggles and weaknesses and addictions. Truly. We all do. So I surely haven’t arrived. But I’ll say I’ve got so many things I feel called to, that I average maybe 1-2 hours of unnecessary screen time per week, if that. I love a great movie, but they are few and far between and I hate risking 2 hours of my life to something that just passes time and leaves me with nothing.
I’m not up to date on the latest celebrity gossip or even news that isn’t relevant to my life. I don’t watch sports. Life is too short and precious.
Of course I was raised on Zig! Who in the clip says, “Those who set goals…make a plan of action.” Again, just like you do the day before vacation. You have a goal and a deadline. You ditch the unnecessaries and forgo your favorite show or Facebook wall scanning. You make a list. And you produce!
Zig asks what you would achieve if you acted like this one day every week? Two days? Four days? Would you achieve a level of success that greatly increased your vacation days? You bet you would.
But it begs the question of, “What do you want?” Of course a vacation is great motivation to step it up a gear and forgo the norm. What else would get you to do it more often?
- Money?
- Serving those in need?
- Improving your health and wellness?
- Fame?
- Peace in your life?
- Margin in your finances and time?
- Leaving a legacy?
- Having deep purpose and meaning in your day?
A movie I love and own is ‘The Notebook’. A famous scene…10 seconds, I’ll play for you here (get it here: https://youtu.be/ZmivKyEY1Dk)
What do you want? Until you figure this out, whether it’s one thing or 10 or 20, then there is no reason NOT to be idle. And all the goal planning in the world won’t matter. I think this is why we see so many folks devouring self-help and improvement resources year after year but never doing anything.
What do you want? Tom, there is no silver bullet for finding what you want, but are there some ideas/resources you’d point people to?
> > Tom gives a specific challenge for 10 days, to subtract 15 minutes of screen time with purposefull dream time, and offers his personal email address to give feedback!
Once you find your dream...what you want, you now have the fuel to propel you, but you still need a map, right? What sequential steps will it take to get you there?
Zig said, “People who know where they are going and have a plan to get there are easier to get along with”
He said a New Years resolution is really just a new years confession. But it can be step one.
- Confession
- Decision
- Logical Plan of action you believe in
- I can do it = commitment
If you’ve made a commitment, when you hit the wall, the obstacle, the first thing you think about is how can I solve the problem. If you haven’t made a commitment, then your first thought is, “How can I get out of this deal?”
Accountability is a must. Tell people what you are going to do. Set a deadline, and for me, it must be a deadline with consequences.
Tom, what is your personal key for being accountable to follow through on goals?
> > Tom discusses being a goal achiever, not merely a goal setter
Zig ends by pointing out the need for:
- Enthusiasm
- Discipline
- Persistance
It’s important to notice #1 is enthusiasm. Are you enthusiastic about your life? About a goal. Again, if not, this is your priority task. And we’ll leave you with some inspiration. What do you have for us Tom?
> > Tom leaves us with some pure inspiration!