Zig ZiglarrsquosLit t le Instruct ion
BookInspiration and Wisdom from Americarsquos Top Motivator
Copyright copy1997 by Zig Ziglar
This edition published by Barnes amp Noble Digitalby arrangement with RiverOak Publishing
All rights reserved No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission of the publisher
2002 Barnes amp Noble Digital
ISBN 1-4014-0238-0
Introduction
Success can be defined in many ways That isprecisely why I have filled this Little InstructionBook with definitions and inspirations that havebeen most helpful to me on my journey
I have touched a wide variety of real-life topicsincluding attitude praise self-esteemdetermination time management personalrelationships and many more Why Because Ibelieve you cannot experience true success until itimpacts every area of your life Only then will you trulybecome the very best that you can be
Some of the quotes and anecdotes in this book may befamiliar to you but the motivating message behindthem is always fresh when the mind and heart areprepared to receive truth I believe they will provide justthe right ldquopick-me-uprdquo in the midst of your busy day
I hope you will keep this Little Instruction Bookhandy as you set your goals plan your days and makeyour way through life Remember ldquoIn everything youdo put God first and He will direct you and crownyour efforts with successrdquo (Proverbs 36)
Optimists are people who when they wear out their shoes just figure they are
back on their feet
4
5
I love the way Robert Schullerdifferentiates between the optimist andthe pessimist An optimist calls a halfglass of water ldquohalf fullrdquo a pessimistldquohalf emptyrdquo The reason is simple Theoptimist is putting water in the glassThe pessimist is taking water out of theglass Itrsquos almost a universal truthAnyone taking from society with no realeffort to contribute to society ispessimistic because he fears there wonrsquotbe enough for him The person who isdoing his best and is making acontribution is optimistic and confidentbecause he is personally working on thesolution
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When we do more thanwe are paid to do
eventually we will be paid more for what we do
6
7
As a youngster working in a grocerystore in Yazoo City Mississippi I knew ayoung boy who worked in the store acrossthe street
One day I asked the manager of my storewhy Charlie Scott always ran everywherehe went He replied that Charlie Scott wasworking for a raise and he was going toget one I asked him how he knew He saidthat if the man he was working for didnrsquotgive him one that he would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you turn to God you discover He has been
facing you all the time
8
9
Back in the days of sailing ships ayoung sailor went to sea for the first timeThe ship encountered a heavy storm inthe North Atlantic The young sailor wascommanded to go aloft and trim the sailsAs he started to climb he made a mistakeand looked down He started to lose hisbalance At that moment an older sailorunderneath him shouted ldquoLook up sonlook uprdquo The young sailor looked up andregained his balance
When things seem bad look to see ifyoursquore not facing the wrong directionWhen yoursquore looking at the sun you seeno shadows When the outlook isnrsquotgood try the uplook mdash itrsquos always good
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can get everything inlife you want if you helpenough other people get
what they want
10
11
Aman was given a tour of bothHeaven and Hell At first glance thescene was identical in both places Theinhabitants were seated at a sumptuousbanquet table with forks and knivesstrapped to their hands Nonetheless theinhabitants of hell looked dull and listlessand were literally skin and bones Thenthe man noticed that the forks and kniveshad four foot handles which made itimpossible to eat
However with the same forks and knivesthe inhabitants of Heaven were well fedand in excellent health How could suchsimilar circumstances produce suchdifferent results Each person in Heavenwas feeding the one across the table fromhim By helping one another they helpedthemselves
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
Zig ZiglarrsquosLit t le Instruct ion
BookInspiration and Wisdom from Americarsquos Top Motivator
Copyright copy1997 by Zig Ziglar
This edition published by Barnes amp Noble Digitalby arrangement with RiverOak Publishing
All rights reserved No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission of the publisher
2002 Barnes amp Noble Digital
ISBN 1-4014-0238-0
Introduction
Success can be defined in many ways That isprecisely why I have filled this Little InstructionBook with definitions and inspirations that havebeen most helpful to me on my journey
I have touched a wide variety of real-life topicsincluding attitude praise self-esteemdetermination time management personalrelationships and many more Why Because Ibelieve you cannot experience true success until itimpacts every area of your life Only then will you trulybecome the very best that you can be
Some of the quotes and anecdotes in this book may befamiliar to you but the motivating message behindthem is always fresh when the mind and heart areprepared to receive truth I believe they will provide justthe right ldquopick-me-uprdquo in the midst of your busy day
I hope you will keep this Little Instruction Bookhandy as you set your goals plan your days and makeyour way through life Remember ldquoIn everything youdo put God first and He will direct you and crownyour efforts with successrdquo (Proverbs 36)
Optimists are people who when they wear out their shoes just figure they are
back on their feet
4
5
I love the way Robert Schullerdifferentiates between the optimist andthe pessimist An optimist calls a halfglass of water ldquohalf fullrdquo a pessimistldquohalf emptyrdquo The reason is simple Theoptimist is putting water in the glassThe pessimist is taking water out of theglass Itrsquos almost a universal truthAnyone taking from society with no realeffort to contribute to society ispessimistic because he fears there wonrsquotbe enough for him The person who isdoing his best and is making acontribution is optimistic and confidentbecause he is personally working on thesolution
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When we do more thanwe are paid to do
eventually we will be paid more for what we do
6
7
As a youngster working in a grocerystore in Yazoo City Mississippi I knew ayoung boy who worked in the store acrossthe street
One day I asked the manager of my storewhy Charlie Scott always ran everywherehe went He replied that Charlie Scott wasworking for a raise and he was going toget one I asked him how he knew He saidthat if the man he was working for didnrsquotgive him one that he would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you turn to God you discover He has been
facing you all the time
8
9
Back in the days of sailing ships ayoung sailor went to sea for the first timeThe ship encountered a heavy storm inthe North Atlantic The young sailor wascommanded to go aloft and trim the sailsAs he started to climb he made a mistakeand looked down He started to lose hisbalance At that moment an older sailorunderneath him shouted ldquoLook up sonlook uprdquo The young sailor looked up andregained his balance
When things seem bad look to see ifyoursquore not facing the wrong directionWhen yoursquore looking at the sun you seeno shadows When the outlook isnrsquotgood try the uplook mdash itrsquos always good
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can get everything inlife you want if you helpenough other people get
what they want
10
11
Aman was given a tour of bothHeaven and Hell At first glance thescene was identical in both places Theinhabitants were seated at a sumptuousbanquet table with forks and knivesstrapped to their hands Nonetheless theinhabitants of hell looked dull and listlessand were literally skin and bones Thenthe man noticed that the forks and kniveshad four foot handles which made itimpossible to eat
However with the same forks and knivesthe inhabitants of Heaven were well fedand in excellent health How could suchsimilar circumstances produce suchdifferent results Each person in Heavenwas feeding the one across the table fromhim By helping one another they helpedthemselves
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
Copyright copy1997 by Zig Ziglar
This edition published by Barnes amp Noble Digitalby arrangement with RiverOak Publishing
All rights reserved No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission of the publisher
2002 Barnes amp Noble Digital
ISBN 1-4014-0238-0
Introduction
Success can be defined in many ways That isprecisely why I have filled this Little InstructionBook with definitions and inspirations that havebeen most helpful to me on my journey
I have touched a wide variety of real-life topicsincluding attitude praise self-esteemdetermination time management personalrelationships and many more Why Because Ibelieve you cannot experience true success until itimpacts every area of your life Only then will you trulybecome the very best that you can be
Some of the quotes and anecdotes in this book may befamiliar to you but the motivating message behindthem is always fresh when the mind and heart areprepared to receive truth I believe they will provide justthe right ldquopick-me-uprdquo in the midst of your busy day
I hope you will keep this Little Instruction Bookhandy as you set your goals plan your days and makeyour way through life Remember ldquoIn everything youdo put God first and He will direct you and crownyour efforts with successrdquo (Proverbs 36)
Optimists are people who when they wear out their shoes just figure they are
back on their feet
4
5
I love the way Robert Schullerdifferentiates between the optimist andthe pessimist An optimist calls a halfglass of water ldquohalf fullrdquo a pessimistldquohalf emptyrdquo The reason is simple Theoptimist is putting water in the glassThe pessimist is taking water out of theglass Itrsquos almost a universal truthAnyone taking from society with no realeffort to contribute to society ispessimistic because he fears there wonrsquotbe enough for him The person who isdoing his best and is making acontribution is optimistic and confidentbecause he is personally working on thesolution
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When we do more thanwe are paid to do
eventually we will be paid more for what we do
6
7
As a youngster working in a grocerystore in Yazoo City Mississippi I knew ayoung boy who worked in the store acrossthe street
One day I asked the manager of my storewhy Charlie Scott always ran everywherehe went He replied that Charlie Scott wasworking for a raise and he was going toget one I asked him how he knew He saidthat if the man he was working for didnrsquotgive him one that he would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you turn to God you discover He has been
facing you all the time
8
9
Back in the days of sailing ships ayoung sailor went to sea for the first timeThe ship encountered a heavy storm inthe North Atlantic The young sailor wascommanded to go aloft and trim the sailsAs he started to climb he made a mistakeand looked down He started to lose hisbalance At that moment an older sailorunderneath him shouted ldquoLook up sonlook uprdquo The young sailor looked up andregained his balance
When things seem bad look to see ifyoursquore not facing the wrong directionWhen yoursquore looking at the sun you seeno shadows When the outlook isnrsquotgood try the uplook mdash itrsquos always good
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can get everything inlife you want if you helpenough other people get
what they want
10
11
Aman was given a tour of bothHeaven and Hell At first glance thescene was identical in both places Theinhabitants were seated at a sumptuousbanquet table with forks and knivesstrapped to their hands Nonetheless theinhabitants of hell looked dull and listlessand were literally skin and bones Thenthe man noticed that the forks and kniveshad four foot handles which made itimpossible to eat
However with the same forks and knivesthe inhabitants of Heaven were well fedand in excellent health How could suchsimilar circumstances produce suchdifferent results Each person in Heavenwas feeding the one across the table fromhim By helping one another they helpedthemselves
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
Introduction
Success can be defined in many ways That isprecisely why I have filled this Little InstructionBook with definitions and inspirations that havebeen most helpful to me on my journey
I have touched a wide variety of real-life topicsincluding attitude praise self-esteemdetermination time management personalrelationships and many more Why Because Ibelieve you cannot experience true success until itimpacts every area of your life Only then will you trulybecome the very best that you can be
Some of the quotes and anecdotes in this book may befamiliar to you but the motivating message behindthem is always fresh when the mind and heart areprepared to receive truth I believe they will provide justthe right ldquopick-me-uprdquo in the midst of your busy day
I hope you will keep this Little Instruction Bookhandy as you set your goals plan your days and makeyour way through life Remember ldquoIn everything youdo put God first and He will direct you and crownyour efforts with successrdquo (Proverbs 36)
Optimists are people who when they wear out their shoes just figure they are
back on their feet
4
5
I love the way Robert Schullerdifferentiates between the optimist andthe pessimist An optimist calls a halfglass of water ldquohalf fullrdquo a pessimistldquohalf emptyrdquo The reason is simple Theoptimist is putting water in the glassThe pessimist is taking water out of theglass Itrsquos almost a universal truthAnyone taking from society with no realeffort to contribute to society ispessimistic because he fears there wonrsquotbe enough for him The person who isdoing his best and is making acontribution is optimistic and confidentbecause he is personally working on thesolution
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When we do more thanwe are paid to do
eventually we will be paid more for what we do
6
7
As a youngster working in a grocerystore in Yazoo City Mississippi I knew ayoung boy who worked in the store acrossthe street
One day I asked the manager of my storewhy Charlie Scott always ran everywherehe went He replied that Charlie Scott wasworking for a raise and he was going toget one I asked him how he knew He saidthat if the man he was working for didnrsquotgive him one that he would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you turn to God you discover He has been
facing you all the time
8
9
Back in the days of sailing ships ayoung sailor went to sea for the first timeThe ship encountered a heavy storm inthe North Atlantic The young sailor wascommanded to go aloft and trim the sailsAs he started to climb he made a mistakeand looked down He started to lose hisbalance At that moment an older sailorunderneath him shouted ldquoLook up sonlook uprdquo The young sailor looked up andregained his balance
When things seem bad look to see ifyoursquore not facing the wrong directionWhen yoursquore looking at the sun you seeno shadows When the outlook isnrsquotgood try the uplook mdash itrsquos always good
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can get everything inlife you want if you helpenough other people get
what they want
10
11
Aman was given a tour of bothHeaven and Hell At first glance thescene was identical in both places Theinhabitants were seated at a sumptuousbanquet table with forks and knivesstrapped to their hands Nonetheless theinhabitants of hell looked dull and listlessand were literally skin and bones Thenthe man noticed that the forks and kniveshad four foot handles which made itimpossible to eat
However with the same forks and knivesthe inhabitants of Heaven were well fedand in excellent health How could suchsimilar circumstances produce suchdifferent results Each person in Heavenwas feeding the one across the table fromhim By helping one another they helpedthemselves
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
Optimists are people who when they wear out their shoes just figure they are
back on their feet
4
5
I love the way Robert Schullerdifferentiates between the optimist andthe pessimist An optimist calls a halfglass of water ldquohalf fullrdquo a pessimistldquohalf emptyrdquo The reason is simple Theoptimist is putting water in the glassThe pessimist is taking water out of theglass Itrsquos almost a universal truthAnyone taking from society with no realeffort to contribute to society ispessimistic because he fears there wonrsquotbe enough for him The person who isdoing his best and is making acontribution is optimistic and confidentbecause he is personally working on thesolution
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When we do more thanwe are paid to do
eventually we will be paid more for what we do
6
7
As a youngster working in a grocerystore in Yazoo City Mississippi I knew ayoung boy who worked in the store acrossthe street
One day I asked the manager of my storewhy Charlie Scott always ran everywherehe went He replied that Charlie Scott wasworking for a raise and he was going toget one I asked him how he knew He saidthat if the man he was working for didnrsquotgive him one that he would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you turn to God you discover He has been
facing you all the time
8
9
Back in the days of sailing ships ayoung sailor went to sea for the first timeThe ship encountered a heavy storm inthe North Atlantic The young sailor wascommanded to go aloft and trim the sailsAs he started to climb he made a mistakeand looked down He started to lose hisbalance At that moment an older sailorunderneath him shouted ldquoLook up sonlook uprdquo The young sailor looked up andregained his balance
When things seem bad look to see ifyoursquore not facing the wrong directionWhen yoursquore looking at the sun you seeno shadows When the outlook isnrsquotgood try the uplook mdash itrsquos always good
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can get everything inlife you want if you helpenough other people get
what they want
10
11
Aman was given a tour of bothHeaven and Hell At first glance thescene was identical in both places Theinhabitants were seated at a sumptuousbanquet table with forks and knivesstrapped to their hands Nonetheless theinhabitants of hell looked dull and listlessand were literally skin and bones Thenthe man noticed that the forks and kniveshad four foot handles which made itimpossible to eat
However with the same forks and knivesthe inhabitants of Heaven were well fedand in excellent health How could suchsimilar circumstances produce suchdifferent results Each person in Heavenwas feeding the one across the table fromhim By helping one another they helpedthemselves
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
5
I love the way Robert Schullerdifferentiates between the optimist andthe pessimist An optimist calls a halfglass of water ldquohalf fullrdquo a pessimistldquohalf emptyrdquo The reason is simple Theoptimist is putting water in the glassThe pessimist is taking water out of theglass Itrsquos almost a universal truthAnyone taking from society with no realeffort to contribute to society ispessimistic because he fears there wonrsquotbe enough for him The person who isdoing his best and is making acontribution is optimistic and confidentbecause he is personally working on thesolution
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When we do more thanwe are paid to do
eventually we will be paid more for what we do
6
7
As a youngster working in a grocerystore in Yazoo City Mississippi I knew ayoung boy who worked in the store acrossthe street
One day I asked the manager of my storewhy Charlie Scott always ran everywherehe went He replied that Charlie Scott wasworking for a raise and he was going toget one I asked him how he knew He saidthat if the man he was working for didnrsquotgive him one that he would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you turn to God you discover He has been
facing you all the time
8
9
Back in the days of sailing ships ayoung sailor went to sea for the first timeThe ship encountered a heavy storm inthe North Atlantic The young sailor wascommanded to go aloft and trim the sailsAs he started to climb he made a mistakeand looked down He started to lose hisbalance At that moment an older sailorunderneath him shouted ldquoLook up sonlook uprdquo The young sailor looked up andregained his balance
When things seem bad look to see ifyoursquore not facing the wrong directionWhen yoursquore looking at the sun you seeno shadows When the outlook isnrsquotgood try the uplook mdash itrsquos always good
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can get everything inlife you want if you helpenough other people get
what they want
10
11
Aman was given a tour of bothHeaven and Hell At first glance thescene was identical in both places Theinhabitants were seated at a sumptuousbanquet table with forks and knivesstrapped to their hands Nonetheless theinhabitants of hell looked dull and listlessand were literally skin and bones Thenthe man noticed that the forks and kniveshad four foot handles which made itimpossible to eat
However with the same forks and knivesthe inhabitants of Heaven were well fedand in excellent health How could suchsimilar circumstances produce suchdifferent results Each person in Heavenwas feeding the one across the table fromhim By helping one another they helpedthemselves
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
When we do more thanwe are paid to do
eventually we will be paid more for what we do
6
7
As a youngster working in a grocerystore in Yazoo City Mississippi I knew ayoung boy who worked in the store acrossthe street
One day I asked the manager of my storewhy Charlie Scott always ran everywherehe went He replied that Charlie Scott wasworking for a raise and he was going toget one I asked him how he knew He saidthat if the man he was working for didnrsquotgive him one that he would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you turn to God you discover He has been
facing you all the time
8
9
Back in the days of sailing ships ayoung sailor went to sea for the first timeThe ship encountered a heavy storm inthe North Atlantic The young sailor wascommanded to go aloft and trim the sailsAs he started to climb he made a mistakeand looked down He started to lose hisbalance At that moment an older sailorunderneath him shouted ldquoLook up sonlook uprdquo The young sailor looked up andregained his balance
When things seem bad look to see ifyoursquore not facing the wrong directionWhen yoursquore looking at the sun you seeno shadows When the outlook isnrsquotgood try the uplook mdash itrsquos always good
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can get everything inlife you want if you helpenough other people get
what they want
10
11
Aman was given a tour of bothHeaven and Hell At first glance thescene was identical in both places Theinhabitants were seated at a sumptuousbanquet table with forks and knivesstrapped to their hands Nonetheless theinhabitants of hell looked dull and listlessand were literally skin and bones Thenthe man noticed that the forks and kniveshad four foot handles which made itimpossible to eat
However with the same forks and knivesthe inhabitants of Heaven were well fedand in excellent health How could suchsimilar circumstances produce suchdifferent results Each person in Heavenwas feeding the one across the table fromhim By helping one another they helpedthemselves
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
7
As a youngster working in a grocerystore in Yazoo City Mississippi I knew ayoung boy who worked in the store acrossthe street
One day I asked the manager of my storewhy Charlie Scott always ran everywherehe went He replied that Charlie Scott wasworking for a raise and he was going toget one I asked him how he knew He saidthat if the man he was working for didnrsquotgive him one that he would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you turn to God you discover He has been
facing you all the time
8
9
Back in the days of sailing ships ayoung sailor went to sea for the first timeThe ship encountered a heavy storm inthe North Atlantic The young sailor wascommanded to go aloft and trim the sailsAs he started to climb he made a mistakeand looked down He started to lose hisbalance At that moment an older sailorunderneath him shouted ldquoLook up sonlook uprdquo The young sailor looked up andregained his balance
When things seem bad look to see ifyoursquore not facing the wrong directionWhen yoursquore looking at the sun you seeno shadows When the outlook isnrsquotgood try the uplook mdash itrsquos always good
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can get everything inlife you want if you helpenough other people get
what they want
10
11
Aman was given a tour of bothHeaven and Hell At first glance thescene was identical in both places Theinhabitants were seated at a sumptuousbanquet table with forks and knivesstrapped to their hands Nonetheless theinhabitants of hell looked dull and listlessand were literally skin and bones Thenthe man noticed that the forks and kniveshad four foot handles which made itimpossible to eat
However with the same forks and knivesthe inhabitants of Heaven were well fedand in excellent health How could suchsimilar circumstances produce suchdifferent results Each person in Heavenwas feeding the one across the table fromhim By helping one another they helpedthemselves
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
When you turn to God you discover He has been
facing you all the time
8
9
Back in the days of sailing ships ayoung sailor went to sea for the first timeThe ship encountered a heavy storm inthe North Atlantic The young sailor wascommanded to go aloft and trim the sailsAs he started to climb he made a mistakeand looked down He started to lose hisbalance At that moment an older sailorunderneath him shouted ldquoLook up sonlook uprdquo The young sailor looked up andregained his balance
When things seem bad look to see ifyoursquore not facing the wrong directionWhen yoursquore looking at the sun you seeno shadows When the outlook isnrsquotgood try the uplook mdash itrsquos always good
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can get everything inlife you want if you helpenough other people get
what they want
10
11
Aman was given a tour of bothHeaven and Hell At first glance thescene was identical in both places Theinhabitants were seated at a sumptuousbanquet table with forks and knivesstrapped to their hands Nonetheless theinhabitants of hell looked dull and listlessand were literally skin and bones Thenthe man noticed that the forks and kniveshad four foot handles which made itimpossible to eat
However with the same forks and knivesthe inhabitants of Heaven were well fedand in excellent health How could suchsimilar circumstances produce suchdifferent results Each person in Heavenwas feeding the one across the table fromhim By helping one another they helpedthemselves
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
9
Back in the days of sailing ships ayoung sailor went to sea for the first timeThe ship encountered a heavy storm inthe North Atlantic The young sailor wascommanded to go aloft and trim the sailsAs he started to climb he made a mistakeand looked down He started to lose hisbalance At that moment an older sailorunderneath him shouted ldquoLook up sonlook uprdquo The young sailor looked up andregained his balance
When things seem bad look to see ifyoursquore not facing the wrong directionWhen yoursquore looking at the sun you seeno shadows When the outlook isnrsquotgood try the uplook mdash itrsquos always good
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can get everything inlife you want if you helpenough other people get
what they want
10
11
Aman was given a tour of bothHeaven and Hell At first glance thescene was identical in both places Theinhabitants were seated at a sumptuousbanquet table with forks and knivesstrapped to their hands Nonetheless theinhabitants of hell looked dull and listlessand were literally skin and bones Thenthe man noticed that the forks and kniveshad four foot handles which made itimpossible to eat
However with the same forks and knivesthe inhabitants of Heaven were well fedand in excellent health How could suchsimilar circumstances produce suchdifferent results Each person in Heavenwas feeding the one across the table fromhim By helping one another they helpedthemselves
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
You can get everything inlife you want if you helpenough other people get
what they want
10
11
Aman was given a tour of bothHeaven and Hell At first glance thescene was identical in both places Theinhabitants were seated at a sumptuousbanquet table with forks and knivesstrapped to their hands Nonetheless theinhabitants of hell looked dull and listlessand were literally skin and bones Thenthe man noticed that the forks and kniveshad four foot handles which made itimpossible to eat
However with the same forks and knivesthe inhabitants of Heaven were well fedand in excellent health How could suchsimilar circumstances produce suchdifferent results Each person in Heavenwas feeding the one across the table fromhim By helping one another they helpedthemselves
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
11
Aman was given a tour of bothHeaven and Hell At first glance thescene was identical in both places Theinhabitants were seated at a sumptuousbanquet table with forks and knivesstrapped to their hands Nonetheless theinhabitants of hell looked dull and listlessand were literally skin and bones Thenthe man noticed that the forks and kniveshad four foot handles which made itimpossible to eat
However with the same forks and knivesthe inhabitants of Heaven were well fedand in excellent health How could suchsimilar circumstances produce suchdifferent results Each person in Heavenwas feeding the one across the table fromhim By helping one another they helpedthemselves
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
Men of genius are admired Men of wealth
are envied Men of powerare feared but only menof character are trusted
mdash Arthur Friedman
12
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
13
Several years ago I was speaking at atrade school in Tulsa Oklahoma Earlyon only about one-third of the studentswere attentively listening The localtelevision station had gotten word that Iwas there and sent a camera crew to getsome shots When they walked on thestage behind me spotlight glaring 100percent of the students sat up straightand listened attentively
In many ways the spotlight is always on allof us as far as our morals ethics andresponsibilities are concerned Byconducting our lives as if the camera ison we will be living with integrity whichmeans we wonrsquot have to apologize for orexplain tomorrow what we did todayThis really is a character issue
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
God loves you mdash whetheryou like it or not
14
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
15
The Holy Bible tells us that man wascreated in Godrsquos own image Jesus Christsaid ldquoWhat I have done ye can do alsoand even greater worksrdquo He put nosuperficial qualifications as a requirementto attainment He didnrsquot leave you out
Look at it this way If you are a parent howdo you feel when one of your children saysdegrading things about himself or herselfHow do you think our Heavenly Fatherfeels when we say ugly deprecating thingsabout ourselves In reality we have noright to belittle ourselves
God would be pleased if you were to takeone last look in the mirror before youstart your day and say ldquoGod loves you mdashand so do Irdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
Make failure your teachernot your undertaker
16
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
17
What makes us so afraid of failureItrsquos worry about what people think ldquoWhatwill they sayrdquo we ask We assume thatbecause wersquove made a mistake wersquorefailures and therefore forever disgracedWhat a ridiculous assumption How manypeople are completely successful in everydepartment of life Not one
A failure means yoursquove put forth someeffort Thatrsquos good Failure gives you anopportunity to learn a better way to do itThatrsquos positive A failure teaches yousomething and adds to your experienceThatrsquos very helpful Failure is an eventnever a person an attitude not anoutcome a temporary inconvenience astepping-stone Our response to itdetermines just how helpful it can be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
Where you start is not as important as
where you finish
18
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
19
Astudy of three hundred world-classleaders including Franklin D RooseveltSir Winston Churchill Helen KellerMother Teresa Dr Albert Schweitzer andMartin Luther King Jr revealed that 25percent of them had serious physicaldisabilities and an additional 50 percenthad been abused as children or wereraised in poverty These leaders respondedinstead of reacted to what happened tothem
Neil Rudenstienrsquos father was a prisonguard and his mother a part-timewaitress Today Dr Neil Rudenstien ispresident of Harvard University He sayshe learned very early in life that there is adirect correlation between performanceand reward
Rudenstien and the three hundredworld-class leaders personally learnedthat itrsquos not where you start mdash itrsquos whereyou finish that counts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
These ten littletwo-letter words
mdash If it is to be it is up to me
mdash are absolutely validThe solution is to
do it now
20
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
21
I believe fear (which is faith in reverse)is a major reason for not using ourtalents Many people donrsquot understandthat failure is an event and not a personso they decide to play it safe and not doanything at all Then they will not havefailed because they never tried
Some of the saddest words yoursquoll everhear are ldquowhat might have beenrdquoSpeaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a uniqueand different way when she asks ldquoWillyou look back on life and say lsquoI wish Ihadrsquo or lsquoIrsquom glad I didrsquordquo Following thesesuccess principles will make it possiblefor you to look back one day and sayldquoIrsquom glad I didrdquo You do have a choice
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
Love does not holdgrudges and will hardlyeven notice when others
do it wrongmdash 1 Corinthians 135
22
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
23
The True Love Daily Checklist
1 Did I speak words of love to my matetoday
2 Was I patient with my mate today3 Was I kind to my mate today4 Was I jealous or envious of my mate
today5 Was I selfish with or rude to my mate
today6 Did I demand my own way with my
mate today7 Did I hold on to grudges against my
mate today8 Was I loyal to my mate today9 Did I use my strengths for my mate
today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
Do you know a hard-working man
He shall be successfuland stand before kings
mdash Proverbs 2229
24
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
25
The profile of a wealthy person is thishard work perseverance and most of allself-discipline The average wealthyperson has lived all his adult life in thesame town Hersquos been married once andis still married He lives in a middle-classneighborhood next to people with afraction of his wealth Hersquos a compulsivesaver and investor and hersquos made hismoney on his own Eighty percent ofAmericarsquos millionaires are first-generation rich (Doesnrsquot sound likeopportunity is dead to me)
Put all your excuses aside and rememberthis You are capable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
Inject people with hope
26
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
27
I almost failed as a salesman I hadstruggled for 2-12 years I was on alosing streak but I never saw myself as aloser I still had the fear of rejection Ididnrsquot understand that prospects werenrsquotrejecting me they were only rejecting theoffer I was making them
If it wasnrsquot for some words ofencouragement from my companypresident PC Merrell I would haveprobably found another job Merrell saidldquoZiglar you have real ability yoursquorechampion caliber Irsquom looking at you as afuture officer of this companyrdquo Thosewords inspired me to become the numbertwo salesman in a company of 7000 inone year
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties
If a child lives with praise he learns
to appreciatemdash Dorothy Nolte
28
29
Children Live What They Learnby Dorothy Law Nolte
If a child lives with criticismHe learns to condemnIf a child lives with hostilityHe learns violenceIf a child lives with ridiculeHe learns to be shyIf a child lives with shameHe learns to feel guiltyIf a child lives with encouragementHe learns confidence
If a child lives with praiseHe learns to appreciateIf a child lives with fairnessHe learns justiceIf a child lives with securityHe learns faithIf a child lives with approvalHe learns to like himselfIf a child lives with acceptance andfriendshipHe learns to love the world
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The difference between abig shot and a little shotis that a big shotrsquos just a
little shot that kept on shooting
30
31
While being questioned by a youngreporter about an invention he had beenworking on for a long time ThomasEdison revealed one of the secrets of hisgreatness The young reporter askedldquoMr Edison how does it feel to havefailed 10000 times in your presentventurerdquo Edison replied ldquoYoung man Iwill give you a thought that shouldbenefit you in the future I have notfailed anything 10000 times I havesuccessfully found 10000 ways that willnot workrdquo
Edison estimated that he actuallyperformed over 14000 experiments inthe process of inventing and perfectingthe incandescent light He successfullyfound a lot of ways that wouldnrsquot workbut he kept at it until he found one waythat would
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Hard work means prosperity only a foolidles away his time
mdash Proverbs 1211
32
33
I canrsquot believe that failure is caused bylack of opportunity because Americaoffers many unique opportunities Forexample several years ago a wealthyprisoner was released from the FederalPrison in Atlanta Georgia He had abuilt-in Loserrsquos Limp Nevertheless heaccumulated a small fortune by operatinga tailor shop in prison After his bigmistake had landed him in prison he wasdetermined not to make a bigger one byldquoserving timerdquo He made time serve him
In a real sense you have the same choiceChoose to make time your servant notyour master
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Failure is the line ofleast persistence
34
35
There was once a young man who wasinvolved in an oil venture and ran out ofmoney so he sold his interest to hispartners who stuck with it After muchtime and effort they got their break andhit a gusher The company later becameCities Service and we know it today asCITGO The young man who withdrewlater got involved in the clothing businessand fared even worse than he had in theoil business As a matter of fact he wentbroke Still he wasnrsquot discouraged Lateron he got into politics
Historians have many kind things to sayabout Harry S Truman the two-timefailure who kept getting back up until hebecame President of the United States
You are not a failure until you quit trying
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is not what happens toyou that determines how
far you go in life it iswhat you do with what
happens to you
36
37
One of the most remarkable men Irsquoveever known is Charlie Wedemeyer fromLos Gatos California Charlie coachedthe Los Gatos high school football teamto the only state championship theyrsquoveever won
The amazing thing is that the only partsof his body he can move are his eyes andmouth Charlie Wedemeyer suffers fromLou Gehrigrsquos disease Charliersquos exampleof commitment and courage whilemaintaining his upbeat attitude towardlife is an inspiration to literally millionsof people
When you see Charlie and talk with himyou realize that his very life is aninspiration and it makes you want to domore with what you have Wherever hegoes people from all walks of life agreethat Charlie Wedemeyerrsquos life makes aprofound statement Does yours
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You will make a lousyanybody else but you are the best ldquoyourdquo in
existence You are theonly one who can use
your ability It is an awesome responsibility
38
39
Irsquove become completely convinced overthe years that the overwhelming majorityof people in our great country have apicture of themselves that is so narrowand shallow that it bears little or noresemblance to who they are or what theycan do
Far too many people have no idea ofwhat they can do because all they havebeen told is what they canrsquot doUnfortunately too many people see howsuccess and the good life would beavailable for everybody else but theyprotest ldquoFor me No wayrdquo
Just having ability and intelligence is notthe key mdash itrsquos recognizing that abilityconfessing it appreciating it developingit and then using it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The parent who truly has a good self-image
understands that real lovedemands they do what is
best for the child
40
41
There are going to be many instances asyou raise your kids when it would be easierand less hassle to simply give in to theirdemands On many occasions it will beeasier to plop the kids in front of thetelevision set or let them eat the junk food
Later it will be easier to allow them tostay up until ten instead of having toexplain why they need to be in bed bynine Still later it will be easier to letthem start dating early and stay out toolate so they can be ldquolike all the otherkidsrdquo However real love demands you dowhat is best for your children and notnecessarily what they want you to do
You love your kids Decide today to keeptheir best in mind at all times
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
For a child love isspelled T-I-M-E
42
43
Ayoung man was to be sentenced tothe penitentiary The judge had knownhim from childhood and was wellacquainted with his father a famous legalscholar ldquoDo you remember your fatherrdquoasked the magistrate ldquoI remember himwell your honorrdquo came the reply Thenthe judge asked ldquoAs you are about to besentenced and as you think of yourwonderful dad what do you remembermost clearly about himrdquo
There was a pause Then the judgereceived an unexpected answer ldquoIremember when I went to him foradvice he looked at me from the bookhe was writing and said lsquoRun along boyIrsquom busyrsquo Your honor you rememberhim as a great lawyer I remember himas a lost friendrdquo
Our children need our time more thananything else not just quality butquantity
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The real opportunity forsuccess lies within the
person and not in the jobyou can best get to the
top by getting to the bottom of things
44
45
Iwish it were possible for me tointroduce to you the scores of verytalented people I have met who aregenerally just one step ahead of the billcollector and often just two steps aheadof the law They are always looking for aldquodealrdquo and the ldquofast buckrdquo They neverbuild very much or very high becausethey have no foundation to build onOthers with the right foundation end upliving in the basement or building achicken shack on that foundation Theydonrsquot take all the steps to use the talentthey have to get the richer life
Success and happiness are not matters ofchance but choice You literally choosewhat you want in life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Irsquove got to say no to thegood so I can say yes to
the best
46
47
About every five or six years at thebeginning of the year I engage in a littleprocess that is meaningful to me The lasttime I did this I let my imagination dwellon anything and everything I wanted todo during the new year
I tried to evaluate how much time wouldbe required each week to do all of thethings I wrote down and counting 7hours of sleep per night it came to atotal of over 300 hours a week Sincethere are only 168 hours in the week Irealized something very significant I hadto eliminate much of the good so I couldchoose the best Thatrsquos what Irsquomencouraging you to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
We deplete naturersquos natural resources byusing them up We
deplete manrsquos naturalresources by failing to
use them
48
49
For a long time I thought the mosttragic thing that could happen to manwould be to discover an oil well on hisproperty as he lay on his deathbed Now Iknow that it is infinitely worse to neverdiscover the vastly greater wealth that lieswithin the individual As a good friendsays ldquoA dime and a $20 gold piece havethe same value if they are corroding atthe bottom of the oceanrdquo The differencein value is manifested only when you liftthose coins up and use them as they wereintended to be used
Your value becomes real and marketablewhen you learn to reach within yourselfand utilize the enormous potential that isthere
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It seems universally truethat people who have
direction in their lives gofarther and faster and get
more done in all areas of their lives
50
51
David G Jensen from the UCLASchool of Medicine surveyed the peoplewho attend public seminars I conductHe divided them into two groups Thosewho set goals and developed a plan ofaction to reach them and those whotook no specific action to set their goals
The goal setters earned an average oftwice as much per month as thenonaction group Not surprisingly theaction group tended to be moreenthusiastic more satisfied with life andwork happier in marriage and theiroverall health was better
As Mr Jensen stated ldquoThese results alsoconfirm the academic literature on goalsthat over the past 20 years have shownunequivocally that those who set goalsperform better in a variety of tasksrdquoSetting goals works
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you break goalsinto increments and start
controlling your timethings begin to happen
52
53
Frequently the difference between thegreat and the ldquonearrdquo great is therealization that if you expect to make itbig you must work toward yourobjectives every day The weight lifterknows that if he is going to accomplish abig objective he must strengthen andexpand his muscles every day Theparents who would raise a disciplinedloving child know that character andfaith are built by daily injections ofteaching-by-example
Daily objectives are the best indicators ofcharacter This is where dedicationdiscipline and determination enter thepicture Here we take the glamour of thebig long-range goal and get right downto the nitty-gritty of foundation buildingthat will help make certain that yourdream becomes your destiny
How do you eat an elephant Yes onebite at a time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
By the mile itrsquos a trial butby the inch itrsquos a cinch
54
55
My first book See You at the Top has384 pages After completing theresearch I wrote the book in ten monthsThat boils down to writing an average of126 pages per day
You raise positive kids in a negative worldby giving daily injections of time loveand attention to your children You builda beautiful marriage by the dailyapplication of kindness considerationrespect faithfulness thoughtfulness andattentiveness to your mate You build asuccessful career regardless of your fieldof endeavor by the dozens of little thingsyou do on and off the job
You reach those significant goals bybreaking them into small segments
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Some people find fault like there was a
reward for it
56
57
For years I have been encouragingindividuals who are unhappy to changefrom being faultfinders to being good-finders I suggest they make a list of allthe things they like admire or appreciateabout their job mate or city Then Iencourage them to enthusiasticallyverbalize those things in front of a mirroreach morning and evening
Recently in a presentation in Dallas Isuggested that audience members listthings they liked about their jobs Twoweeks later a woman told me shefollowed through on my suggestion andin less than a week her supervisor wascomplimenting her on her new attitudeand the improvement in herperformance
The more you recognize and expressgratitude for the things you have themore things you will have to expressgratitude for
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Direction literallycreates time
58
59
Perhaps the greatest advantage ofhaving a goals program is the freedomthat goes with having direction in yourlife When your goals are clearly definedand intelligently set you have in essencetaken a major step toward programmingyour left brain That frees our right brainto be its creative best
The best analogy I can give you is thesuperbly conditioned and gifted athletewho is so disciplined and committed tothe fundamentals of the game that he orshe is free to be at their creative bestWhen unique situations arise where theathlete must improvise to make the bigplay coaches of gifted athletes willtypically say ldquoYou canrsquot coach thatrdquo
Direction creates time and frees thebrain to think creatively and innovativelyWhere are you going today
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When a job is loved workmakes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
60
61
Several years ago when I was on aspeaking tour of Australia I met a youngman named John Nevin who had theright mental attitude He was in love withlife his family and with his job He notonly had a ldquojobrdquo selling the World BookEncyclopedia but the job had himwhich meant that his progress was fastand inevitable He moved from being aldquopart timerrdquo just fourteen years ago toManaging Director of Field Enterprisesfor Australia Then John became thesecond non-American to be elected tothe board of Field Enterprises USA Heis financially secure and grateful for thefact that he is living and working in acountry that believes in the freeenterprise system
Sometimes the difference betweenloving your job and hating your job is allin your attitude
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Children pay more attention to what you do
than what you saymdash Mamma Ziglar
62
63
Asolid foundation for childreninvolves a solid moral base Parents whoteach their children honesty but fail topractice it themselves create realproblems
For example suppose parents repeatedlytell their children to be truthful butwhen the telephone rings they call out tothe child whorsquos answering it ldquoTell themIrsquom not homerdquo The message to the childis clear If children are taught to lie forparents they are taught to lie to parents
As another example suppose parentslecture their children on the importanceof obeying the law yet install a radardetector in the car to avoid beingstopped for speeding The message againis clear If yoursquore going to break the lawdonrsquot get caught
Good values are easier caught than taught
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The Success Family haswork as the father andintegrity as the mother
64
65
Work is the foundation of allbusiness the source of all prosperity andthe parent of genius
Work can do more to advance youth thanhis own parents be they ever so wealthy
It is represented in the humblest savingsand has laid the foundation of everyfortune
It is the salt that gives life its savor butit must be loved before it can bestow itsgreatest blessing and achieve itsgreatest ends
When loved work makes life sweetpurposeful and fruitful
mdash Anonymous
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
It is far more important to be the right kind of
person than it is to marrythe right kind of person
66
67
Once while traveling I noticed thefellow next to me had his wedding bandon the index finger of his right hand Icommented ldquoFriend yoursquove got yourwedding band on the wrong fingerrdquo Heresponded ldquoYeah I married the wrongwomanrdquo
Many people have wrong ideas aboutmarriage You may very well have marriedthe wrong person However if you treatthe wrong person like the right personyou could end up having married theright person after all On the other handif you marry the right person and treatthem wrong you certainly will end upwith the wrong person
In short whether you married the rightor wrong person is primarily up to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You are the way you arebecause thatrsquos the wayyou want to be If you
really wanted to be anydifferent you would be inthe process of changing
right nowmdash Fred Smith
68
69
The difference between me and manyothers who want to be speakers is that Inever let go of my dream or the willingnessto work toward achieving it Most peoplewho fail in their dream fail not from lackof ability but from lack of commitmentCommitment produces consistententhusiastic effort that inevitably producesgreater and greater rewards
You develop the qualities of success andbring them to full maturity in much thesame way I brought my speaking careerto a full-time occupation I made thedecision to ldquodordquo
Unless you decide to ldquodordquo whatever ittakes to acquire the qualities necessaryfor success you might end up neverrealizing what you could have been
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The best thing a parentcan do for a child is tolove his or her spouse
70
71
This reality was brought home to mewhen my son was about fifteen years oldWe were taking a walk and I asked himldquoSon if anyone should ask you what youliked best about your dad what wouldyou sayrdquo
He said ldquoIrsquod say that the thing I like bestabout my dad is that he loves my momrdquoNaturally I asked ldquoSon why would yousay thatrdquo He replied ldquoI know becauseyou love Mom yoursquore going to treat herright and as long as you treat her rightwe will always be a family because I knowhow much Mom loves you That meansDad that I will never have to choosebetween you and Momrdquo
ldquoHusbands show the same kind of love toyour wives as Christ showed to theChurchrdquo (Ephesians 525)
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Caring is more thancompromise and morethan mutual agreementnot to hurt each other Itis a tacit agreement to
help each othermdash Anonymous
72
73
When I was in the cookware businessI one day found that I had made moreappointments than I could keep I askedmy assistant Gerry Arrowood who did allthe work while I did all the talking todeliver six sets of cookware for me Sinceshe wasnrsquot accustomed to talking tocustomers she did not want to do it butfinally said she would
The next night I got one of the mostexciting phone calls Irsquove ever receivedGerry said ldquoI donrsquot ever rememberhaving this much fun or feeling so goodabout myself Irsquoll be glad to do this foryou anytime you want me tordquo Herpicture [of herself] had just undergone adramatic change
By helping others you help yourself
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Donrsquot wait until you feellike taking a positive
action Take the actionand then you willfeel like doing it
74
75
Remember Gerry After taking thatfirst step she became highly motivatedand her self-image improveddramatically Her confidence started tosoar and she became more assertive Shestarted setting bigger goals her optimismrose she became more positive Theresults speak for themselves
Let me point out that Gerry started withonly courage compassion pride andhumility she was conscientiousabsolutely dependable and a very hardworker She developed the other qualitiesof successful people as a direct result ofusing what she already had
Thatrsquos a tremendous lesson for you tolearn about motivation Donrsquot miss amajor major point The motivation cameafter she took action
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A sincere compliment isone of the most effective
teaching and motivationalmethods in existence
76
77
As a young salesman I read a storythat made a lasting impression A womanwho had once had a tremendous careeras a singer had been so discouraged bythe criticism of her teacher sheeventually quit singing altogether
Her talent lay dormant until anexuberant salesman began courting herOn occasion when she would hum alittle tune or a melody would burst forthhe would marvel at the beauty of hervoice ldquoSing some more Honey You havethe most beautiful voice in all the worldrdquohe would say He showered her withpraise Not too surprisingly herconfidence returned and she began toreceive invitations to sing again Sheeventually married the ldquogood-finderrdquo andwent on to a successful career
A sincere compliment can producesensational results
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You cannot receive a sincere compliment
without feeling better and just as important you
cannot give a sincerecompliment without
feeling better yourself
78
79
Part of our hesitancy in sharingcompliments comes from the fear ofbeing misunderstood If a man greets anattractive lady at a business or socialoccasion with ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful dressrdquoshe might wonder about his motive Ifyou compliment a male acquaintancewith ldquoThatrsquos a great looking watch youhave onrdquo he might well think yoursquoretrying to set him up for a future favor oreven a small loan Even though bothcompliments would be sincere we oftendonrsquot share them because of the fear ofbeing misunderstood This results in twopeople losing
A sincere compliment makes both thegiver and the receiver feel good Sharingthe compliment results in a double winDonrsquot be afraid mdash go for it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Efficiency is doing thingsright Effectiveness isdoing the right things
mdash Thomas K Connellan
80
81
The proper utilization of our time andresources involves some truths which areso simple and basic that many peoplemiss them completely First we need tounderstand that there is no point indoing well that which you should not bedoing at all When you take on a task youshould ask yourself if this is somethingyou should be doing or is it somethingsomeone else should be doing
According to research 10-15 percent ofthe tasks managers are personallyhandling should be delegated and 10-15percent should be eliminated What taskscan you eliminate today What tasks canyou delegate to someone else Focus oneffective use of time rather than justefficient use of time
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
LOST ndash Somewherebetween sunrise and
sunset ndash one golden hourencrusted with sixty silver minutes each studded with sixty
diamond seconds Noreward is offered They
are lost and gone foreverndash Anonymous
82
83
Everyone gets twenty-four hours a dayndash sixty minutes for every hour and sixtyseconds for every minute No one can getmore no one can get less You canrsquot builda bigger time pipeline and say ldquoI wantmorerdquo No one can live more than onesecond at a time In this sense everyoneis truly equal Now this one fact alonemakes time the most precious of allcommodities This factor forces us to aninescapable conclusion Wersquove got tomake our time work for us ndash itrsquos the mostperishable and nonnegotiable possessionwe have We have to get production outof every second
Time is the only commodity we deal withwhich cannot be counterfeited stolen orplaced in inventory Remember time isirreplaceable
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
What you do off the jobplays a major role in howfar you go on the job Howmany good books do you
read each year How oftendo you attend workshopsWho do you spend most of
your time with
84
85
Aclassic example of someone whohasnrsquot finished her education is LaurieMagers my administrative assistant Shecame to work with less than a high-schooleducation but she clearly understoodthat she could continue her educationShersquos an avid reader and a good studentof vocabulary She attends lectures andseminars on a regular basis and has formany years
When we conducted a comprehensiveevaluation for the key people in ourcompany Laurie scored slightly higherthan the masterrsquos level of educationaverage To me that says a great dealBecause Laurie continued her educationon and off the job she has not only jobsecurity at our company but employmentsecurity should something happen to ourcompany
Work to have employment securityinstead of just job security
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
As the earth revolvesaround the sun so should
our lives also revolvearound the Son
86
87
On July 41972 I declared mycomplete dependence on Jesus Christ anevent which completely changed my lifeHowever even though I claim July 4th asmy ldquoborn againrdquo day Irsquom not certain thatit actually happened that day For methere was no clanging of bells or flashingof lights But there was a warm solidfeeling of complete confidence that Godsaw my heart heard my confession of sinand welcomed me into His Kingdom Itrsquosimportant that you understand thisbecause many people never have an earth-shattering moment of ecstasy If you donrsquotor didnrsquot donrsquot be concerned You are notsaved by a feeling but by trusting God andaccepting Jesus Christ as your Savior
Have you celebrated your ldquoDependenceDayrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You can no more do Godrsquoswork without God than
you could have sunshinewithout the sun
88
89
Not long after I turned my life over tothe Lord a man I met noticed my ldquofishand sevenrdquo pin He said ldquoI know what thefish means but what does the lsquosevenrsquomeanrdquo I explained that there are sevendays in the week and they all belong tothe Lord I explained that I had recentlyturned my life entirely over to the Lordand that it had made a dramaticdifference
He said ldquoI know exactly what you meanrdquoHe went on to say that for over fifteenyears he had served as a choir director inone of the local churches but had notknown Jesus Christ personally untilrecently
Many people profess Christ but do notpossess Him
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The price of success ismuch lower than the
price of failure
90
91
This little story Charles Getts tells inGuideposts emphasizes the attitude ofldquoenjoyingrdquo the price
In old age Pierre Auguste Renoir thegreat French painter suffered fromarthritis which twisted and cramped hishand Henri Matisse his artist friendwatched sadly while Renoir grasping abrush with only his fingertips continuedto paint even though each movementcaused stabbing pain
One day Matisse asked Renoir why hepersisted in painting at the expense ofsuch torture
Renoir replied ldquoThe pain passes but thebeauty remainsrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Man was designed for accomplishment
engineered for successand endowed with the
seeds of greatness
92
93
From my vantage point the trulyldquobeautiful peoplerdquo come from every walkof life Irsquove seen people who havesucceeded sometimes because of andmany times in spite of almostunbelievable handicaps They refused toaccept a Loserrsquos Limp and became quitesuccessful happy and well-adjustedindividuals in the process Their storiesare the most beautiful stories we canencounter
Without exception these people believethis last quote When you adopt thisbelief you will discover that there will beno need to blame anyone for anyproblem In short you will be on yourway because you will have discovered thatyou can always find a capable helpinghand at the end of your own sleeve
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
There is little you canlearn from doing nothing
94
95
Easily the most puzzling incident inthe sportrsquos world occurs in baseball whena batter steps up to the plate and lets thepitcher throw three strikes without takinga single cut at the ball He has threeopportunities and he never moves thebat from his shoulder He ldquosawrdquo himselfstriking out He left his bat on hisshoulder hoping for a ldquowalkrdquo mdash a free rideto first base
Even more disappointing is to see aperson in the ball game of life step up tothe plate and never really take a cut atthe ball He is the biggest failure of allbecause he doesnrsquot try
If you try and lose you can learn fromlosing mdash which greatly reduces the loss
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Take what you have anduse it and your talent will
be increased
96
97
Surely you remember the story of thetalents in the Bible One man had oneanother had two still another had fiveWhen their lord returned from his travelshe asked them what they had done withthe talents The man with five investedhis and had five more The man with twomultiplied his The man who was givenone went and buried it
The lord said ldquoThou wicked and slothfulservantrdquo And He took the one talent andgave it to the one who had ten Since thattime the cry-babies of the world havebeen saying ldquoThe rich get richer and thepoor get poorerrdquo The Bible says ldquoTo himwho hath the more shall be givenrdquo
We must not bury our talents but investthem spend them pour them out Thenwe will have even more
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Life is an echo What yousend out ndash comes back
98
99
Once a little boy in a fit of angershouted to his mother that he hated herFearing punishment he ran out of thehouse to the hillside and shouted intothe valley ldquoI hate you I hate you I hateyourdquo The valley echoed back ldquoI hateyou I hate you I hate yourdquo Startled theboy ran back and told his mother therewas a little boy in the valley saying hehated him His mother told him toreturn and shout ldquoI love you I love yourdquoThe little boy did and this time hediscovered there was a nice little boy inthe valley saying ldquoI love you I love yourdquo
Remember what you say comes backto you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The way you see yourselftoday will affect yourperformance today
100
101
Right pictures and wrong pictures canbe painted with one sentence Theperson who says ldquoI hope I donrsquot forgetrdquoor ldquoDonrsquot let me forgetrdquo has just givenhimself the wrong instructions Itrsquos farbetter for him to say ldquoIrsquom going toremember that I placed the keys in mytop desk drawerrdquo
The list can be endless I encourage youto take a notepad and each time youcatch yourself saying something thatpaints a negative picture write downwhat yoursquove just said and then rephrase itto paint a positive picture
The most influential person who will talkto you all day is you so you should bevery careful about what you say to you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
A lot of people have gonefurther than they thought
they could becausesomeone else thought
they could
102
103
ANew York businessman dropped adollar into the cup of a man sellingpencils and stepped aboard the subwaytrain Then he stepped back off the trainand took several pencils from the cupHe explained he had neglected to pickup his pencils ldquoAfter allrdquo he said ldquoyouare a businessman just like myself Youhave merchandise to sell and itrsquos fairlypricedrdquo
A few months later a neatly-dressedsalesman stepped up to the man andintroduced himself ldquoYou probably donrsquotremember me but I will never forget youYou are the man who gave me back myself-respect I was a lsquobeggarrsquo sellingpencils until you came along and told meI was a businessmanrdquo
You never know what one word ofencouragement can do for someonetoday Donrsquot hesitate to give it
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Men and women are limited not by the place of
their birth not by thecolor of their skin but by
the size of their hopendash John Johnson
104
105
John Johnson was raised in Arkansas
City Arkansas the geographical center ofthe world You can start there and goanywhere in the world you want to go mdashand never go more than twelve thousandmiles Mr Johnson went less than twothousand miles from the tin-roofedshotgun house where he was born butfar enough to live on Chicagorsquos GoldCoast and next door to Bob Hope inPalm Springs California He has beenlisted as one of the four hundredwealthiest men in America
You too are fortunate becauseregardless of where you live you are inthe geographical center of the world Youcan go from where you are to anywhereyou want to go
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Important Until you commit your goals to
paper you have intentions that are seeds without soil
ndash Anonymous
106
107
Goal setting is demanding which isone of the reasons only 3 percent of ushave a goals program This is also onereason the rewards for those who have aprogram are so great
The thought of investing the timenecessary might be overwhelming andyou might feel you simply donrsquot have thetime right now
If you donrsquot have time to invest inestablishing a goals program is itpossible that you donrsquot have time becauseyou donrsquot have a goals program In allprobability lack of time always has beenand always will be the problem
Make a commitment to establish a goalsprogram now and you will have moretime in the future to do what you need todo and want to do
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
You get the best out ofothers when you give the
best of yourselfndash Harvey Firestone
108
109
When General Schwarzkopf wasinterviewed by Barbara Walters she askedhim for his definition of leadership Hereflected for a moment and said ldquoItrsquoscompetence More important itrsquoscharacter Itrsquos taking action Itrsquos doing theright [ethical] thingrdquo These fourqualities are critical for success in thebusiness world
Later Barbara asked him what he wantedon his tombstone With just the hint of atear in his eye he said ldquoI want it to saylsquoHe loved his family and he loved histroops mdash and they loved himrsquordquo
Having the ability to walk in the shoes ofanother is of paramount importanceWhen you truly know how the otherperson feels you can communicate withhim or her more easily and lead moreeffectively
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Money will buy all kindsof things for my family
but it wonrsquot buy their love
110
111
Iconfess that I was once like the youngman who equated security with money andmoney with success I was able to help himsee where his perspective was off becauselife had taught me that true contentmentand total success come from the thingsmoney canrsquot buy Donrsquot misunderstand Ilike the things money can buy and Irsquoll betyou do too I like nice clothes a beautifulresidence big comfortable cars and soon However I love the things moneywonrsquot buy It will buy me a house but not ahome a bed but not a good nightrsquos sleeppleasure but not happiness a good timebut not peace of mind and a companionbut not a friend
Success is not equal to money Truesuccess involves every area of your life
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Kids go where therersquosexcitement They stay
where therersquos love
112
113
I challenge you next time the phonerings and one of your children is near toanswer it with an enthusiastic ldquoGoodmorning this is Mollyrsquos proud momrdquo orldquoGood morning this is Paulrsquos proudpoppardquo Yoursquoll be amazed at what willhappen the first few times you do it Yourfourteen-year-old may shrug hisshoulders and say ldquoAw Dadrdquo but I canguarantee you the next time the phonerings he will wait for you to answer it inthe hopes yoursquoll answer it in the sameway The reason is simple You arestroking him by verbalizing your love forhim and his importance to you At thesame time yoursquore visibly demonstratingthat enthusiasm is important
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
One definition of insanityis to believe that you can
keep on doing whatyoursquove been doing andget different results
114
115
Let me ask you a couple of questionswhich are primarily designed to give youcomfort and encouragement Is there apossibility that yoursquore not as far along inlife as you would like to be Is it becauseyou donrsquot have the ability or it is far morelikely that you have everything it takesbut you have been following the wrongplan of action for your life
Now yoursquore faced with a choice You canchoose to keep on doing (following thesame blueprint) what yoursquove been doingwhich means yoursquoll keep on getting whatyoursquove been getting or you can choose toaccept that you do have what it takes(and you do) but yoursquove been followingthe wrong blueprint
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When you choose to bepleasant and positive inthe way you treat othersyou have also chosen inmost cases how you are
going to be treated by others
116
117
One day my son Tom and I wereheaded home after playing in a golftournament We walked to the gate tocatch our flight and there were roughly1121 irate passengers waiting to get theirboarding passes
As my son and I stepped up Ienthusiastically greeted the ticket agentldquoGood morning How ya doinrsquordquo
The young man looked at me andreplied ldquoCompared to whomrdquo
ldquoCompared to the individual who doesnrsquothave a job who doesnrsquot have warmclothes to wear How ya doinrsquordquo Hereplied ldquoIrsquom doing much better mdash thankyou very much for reminding merdquo
We were bumped to first class and theticket agent greeted the remainingpassengers with enthusiasm and courtesy
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Motivation fuels that attitude that builds the
confidence necessary tosustain the persistence
118
119
One football team is dominatinganother when a big break suddenlyoccurs for the losing team and everyathlete on the team instantly feels a senseof excitement fueled by hope that turnsto belief that they can mdash and will mdash winthe game They feel victory and thatfeeling is reinforced by the look in theeyes of the opposing players
Life is that way When we sense thatsomething positive is going to happenwersquore energized When we fear wersquoregoing to lose we are de-energized Thatrsquoswhy motivation is important
Thatrsquos the reason a person who wants tomaximize life will deliberately scheduleregular motivational input just as surelyas he will schedule putting food into hisstomach
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Check the records There has never been
an undisciplined personwho was a champion
Regardless of the field ofendeavor yoursquoll find this
to be true
120
121
Discipline according to thedictionary means ldquoto instruct or educateto inform the mind to prepare byinstructing in correct principles andhabits to advance and prepare byinstructionrdquo Author Sybil Stanton saystrue discipline isnrsquot on your backneedling you with imperatives It is atyour side nudging you with incentivesThese are better pictures because theybuild hope for the future
The great violinist Isaac Stern was askedldquoIs talent bornrdquo He responded yes talentis born but musicians are made It takesan incredible amount of discipline hardwork and talent to become a greatmusician
No matter how great the talent or thefield of endeavor unless the individual ispersonally disciplined much of thepotential will remain just that mdash potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Yoursquore not old until you have lost all of your marvels
mdash Anonymous
122
123
When Bismarck was chancellor ofGermany in the 1870rsquos he observed thatvirtually all of his powerful enemies weremen who were 65 years old or older Hepersuaded the German legislature to passlegislation making 65 the mandatory agefor retirement It had nothing whateverto do with a decline in their mentalfaculties or a drop-off in productivity Forsome strange reason other countries inEurope followed suit and the policy waseventually adopted in America
What an absolute tragedy to encouragepeople to quit when they are at the verypeak of their intellect wisdom andexperience Could that be the reasonthat the only time the Bible mentionsretirement it is as a punishment
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Therersquos harmony andinner peace to be found
in following a moral compass that points in
the same directionregardless of fashion
or trendmdash Ted Koppel
124
125
For twenty-three years KatherinePower was a fugitive She had driven thegetaway car in a bank robbery that endedin the death of a policeman Extremedepression and the realization that shecould not would not get better withouttaking responsibility for her part in theheinous crime led her to surrender
Physically she surrendered to the FBIemotionally she surrendered to surviveThe self-imposed prison she had beenliving in was much worse than the physicalbuilding she would ultimately occupy
Serenity relief and hope etchedKatherine Powerrsquos face when the judgehanded down her sentence of eight totwelve years She was smiling the smile ofsomeone who has been set free afteryears of unfathomable torture andsolitary confinement Confession is goodfor the soul
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Outstanding people have one thing in
common an absolutesense of mission
126
127
If we had to drive from Dallas to Bostonwith no directions maps or signs wewould have a degree of fear Withdirections good maps and clear roadsigns that fear would largely disappearActually very few of us would attempt thattrip without directions and mapsUnfortunately very few people areequipped with specific directions of howto navigate the highways of life Nowonder the overwhelming majority ofpeople end up at the end of lifersquos journeywith just a fraction of what life has to offer
Dr Karl A Menninger said ldquoFears areeducated into us and can if we wish beeducated outrdquo James Allen stated ldquoHewho has conquered doubt and fear hasconquered failurerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
No one can make you feel inferior without
your consentmdash Eleanor Roosevelt
128
129
Years ago I read that a Rembrandtpainting had sold for over one milliondollars As I read I thought to myselfldquoWhat in the world would make somepaint on a canvas worth so muchmoneyrdquo Then a couple of thoughtsoccurred to me First this was obviously aunique painting Its rarity gave it valueSecond Rembrandt was a genius
Then I started thinking about you Thereare several billion people on earth todaybut you are a rare exclusive differentand unique being on the face of thisearth These qualities give you enormousvalue The same God who createdRembrandt created you and you are asprecious in Godrsquos sight as Rembrandt oranyone else
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Confrontation doesnrsquotalways bring a solution tothe problem but until you
confront the problemthere will be no solution
mdash James Baldwin
130
131
Therersquos strength in admitting aweakness Most of us are vulnerable incertain areas of our lives and those whoare wise and ambitious will admit theirweaknesses and vulnerability
For example I have a friend who becameaddicted to pornography and has brokenthe habit Recognizing that weakness heis careful not to have even the slightestexposure to anything of a pornographicnature If hersquos in a place where thetelevision set is on and therersquos suggestivelanguage or behavior that is of a lustfulor seductive nature he immediatelyleaves the scene Thatrsquos smart
If you have a weakness be strong enoughto admit it and get some help in whateverarea that might be
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Today be aware of howyou are spending your
1440 beautiful momentsand spend them wisely
132
133
You will never realize more than a smallfraction of your potential as a wanderinggenerality You must become a meaningfulspecific Unfortunately most people haveonly a vague idea of what they want andvery few people consistently act on vagueideas The typical person goes to workevery day because thatrsquos what he didyesterday If thatrsquos the only reason forgoing to work today the odds are longthat he will be no more effective todaythan he was yesterday
Harry Emerson Fosdick said it best ldquoNosteam or gas ever drives anything until itis confined No Niagara is ever turnedinto light and power until it is tunneledNo life ever grows until it is focuseddedicated disciplinedrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Denial is not a river inEgypt denial is ignoring
the obvious
134
135
Irsquom absolutely convinced that mostpeople kid themselves when they sayldquoThis member of the opposite sex and Iare lsquojustrsquo friendsrdquo That might well betrue in the beginning of somerelationships But in far too many casesthis ldquofriendshiprdquo with the opposite sexover a period of time because of mutualrespect for the intellect or professionalcapabilities of the other changes intosomething more than friendship
Tragically most attractions are denied inthe beginning with catastrophic resultsWhen this happens rather than pretendthat it didnrsquot happen (a) honestlyacknowledge what has happened (b)remember your commitment to yourmate and (c) remind yourself of theproven fact that there are no ldquoharmlessrdquoflirtations
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
When obstacles arisechange your direction toreach your goal not the
decision to get there
136
137
Once when I took a flight from LosAngeles to Dallas our scheduleddeparture was for 515 PM but due tounavoidable delays we didnrsquot leave until603 PM When we left the Los Angelesairport we headed for Dallas but within20 minutes the situation had changedThe crosswinds were slightly differentfrom those predicted before takeoff so wewere slightly off course The captain madea slight adjustment and we were againheaded for Dallas My point is this whenwe were a little off our course the captaindidnrsquot turn the plane around and returnto Los Angeles to make a fresh start
Even so as you head toward your goalsbe prepared to make some slightadjustments in your course
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Your mind acts on whatyou feed it
138
139
Itrsquos like the story of the woman who hada serious kidney infection An operationwas scheduled to remove one of herkidneys After they put her to sleep theyran the final test and discovered that theoperation was not necessary They didnrsquotremove the kidney but when she awokethe first thing she said was ldquoOh my backOh I hurt Oh I feel so bad Oh ithurtsrdquo When she was told they had notperformed the operation she was slightlyembarrassed Obviously she went to sleepexpecting to wake up hurting and that isexactly what she did In her mind herpains were just as real as if the operationhad been performed
Your mind doesnrsquot know the differencebetween reality and fantasy Feed it goodthoughts
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Education and intelligence are not the
same thing
140
141
Three of the most intelligent andsuccessful people I know finished the3rd 5th and 8th grades Henry Fordquit school at 14 and Thomas J Watsonfounder of IBM went from a $600weeksalesman to Chairman of the Board Alimited ldquoformalrdquo education is no excuseand certainly no reason to have a poorself-image Obviously education isimportant but dedication is even moreimportant Get rid of your excuses forfailure find reasons and methods tosucceed and dedicate yourself toutilizing the potential you possess andyour education or lack thereof will noteven be an issue
Unfortunately many ldquoeducatedrdquo peoplenever succeed in life because they are notldquomotivatedrdquo to put their imagination towork to utilize their knowledge Thatrsquosone less excuse
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The most destitute personin the world is the one
without a smile
142
143
Join the smile and compliment club
When you smile at someone and theysmile back you automatically feel bettereven if they donrsquot smile back Youimmediately become richer by giving thatperson your smile Ditto for thecompliment When you sincerelycompliment a person or extend him acourtesy he is going to receive a directbenefit and like himself better It isimpossible for you to make someone feelbetter and not feel better yourself
One of the best ways to make anyone elsefeel better is to spread optimism andgood cheer Irsquom convinced that everyoneincluding you just naturally feels betterwhen exposed to a cheerful optimisticindividual almost regardless of the natureor length of the contact So smile mdash withyour face and with your heart
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
The chains of habit aretoo weak to be felt until
they are too strong to be broken
144
145
This is evidenced by the number ofpeople who have nicotine ldquofitsrdquo from thetime they run out of cigarettes until theycan buy beg borrow or steal anotherIrsquove seen an otherwise healthy 200-poundman reduced to a quivering mass by acraving for a cigarette that weighed lessthan 110th of an ounce It almostmakes me wish we were creatures of logicinstead of creatures of emotion
Yes habits are funny things Whatrsquosfunny or rather tragic is that bad habitsare so predictable and avoidable Despitethis there are people by the millions whoinsist on acquiring habits that are badexpensive and create problems Thehabit they werenrsquot going to get got them
Choose good habits and the bad onescanrsquot sneak up on you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
If you learn from a defeatyou havenrsquot really lost
146
147
My friend Cavett Robert takes aphilosophical refreshing and common-sense approach to a journey intoNegativeville as he observes ldquoNobodyfails by falling down or gettingdespondent They only fail if they staydown or negativerdquo Cavett stresses thatyou should be like a leaky tire A defeatshould take something out of you anddeflate you a bit If it didnrsquot it would be astrong indication you not only didnrsquotmind losing but you werenrsquot emotionallyinvolved in wanting to win
Irsquom talking about your internal reactionto defeat Obviously I donrsquot feel youshould pout or throw a tantrum Begracious and mature and the chances aregood you will enter the winnerrsquos circleafter the next encounter
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Go as far as you can seeand when you get there
you will always be able tosee farther
148
149
Without long-range goals you arelikely to be overcome by short-rangefrustrations The reason is simpleEverybody is not as interested in yoursuccess as you are You might occasionallyfeel that some people are standing in theway and deliberately slowing yourprogress but in reality the biggest personstanding in your way is you
Occasionally circumstances arise that arebeyond your control If you donrsquot havelong-range goals then temporaryobstacles can be needlessly frustrating Asetback can be a stepping-stone and not astumbling block When you have thatlong-range goal itrsquos easier
If you wait until all the lights are ldquogreenrdquobefore you leave home yoursquoll never getstarted on your trip to the top
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Success occurs whenopportunity meets
preparation
150
151
Many times it is just over the hill oraround the corner Sometimes it takesthat extra push to climb that hill orround that curve The wit was right whenhe said ldquoIf you have enough push youdonrsquot have to worry about pullrdquo
President Calvin Coolidge wroteldquoNothing in the world can take the placeof persistence Talent will not Nothing ismore common than unsuccessful menwith talent Genius will not Unrewardedgenius is almost a proverb Education willnot The world is full of educatedderelicts Persistence determination andhard work make the differencerdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Wouldnrsquot it be wonderfulif our mind growled likeour stomach does when
it is hungry
152
153
From the neck down very few peopleare worth more than $10000 a weekFrom the neck up there is no limit towhat an individual is worth So what dowe do We feed our stomachs the$10000 part below our necks every dayHow often do we feed our minds thepart that has no limit to its value earningand happiness potential Most of us feedit accidentally and occasionally if itrsquosconvenient The excuse we often give isour lack of time This is ridiculous If youhave ldquotimerdquo to feed the $10000 part ofyou every day doesnrsquot it make sense youshould take time to feed the part whichhas no ceiling to its potential
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
Happiness is like a kissIn order to get any good
out of it you have to giveit to someone else
154
155
Many people honestly believe theywill be happy when they get into a homeof their own they will be happy whenthey get all of the little things thatfrequently convert a house into a home mdashbut they wonrsquot Then theyrsquoll be happywhen they get the mortgage paid mdash butthey wonrsquot Then they will be happy whenthey get their second home down at thelake or up on the mountainside mdash butthey wonrsquot
The reason is simple It makes nodifference where you go there you areAnd it makes no difference what youhave therersquos always more to want Untilyou are happy with who you are you willnever be happy because of what you have
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
156
You are at the top when 1 Yoursquove made friends with the past are
focused on the present and optimisticabout your future
2 You have made friends of your adversariesand have gained the love and respect ofthose who know you best
3 You are filled with faith hope and loveand live without anger greed guilt envyor thoughts of revenge
4 You know that failure to stand for what ismorally right is the prelude to being thevictim of what is criminally wrong
5 You are mature enough to delaygratification and shift your focus fromyour rights to your responsibilities
6 You love the unlovable and give hope tothe hopeless friendship to the friendlessand encouragement to the discouraged
7 You know that success doesnrsquot make youand failure doesnrsquot break you
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
157
8 You are at peace with God and man
9 You clearly understand that failure isan event not a person that yesterdayended last night and today is yourbrand-new day
10 You know that ldquohe who would be thegreatest among you must becomethe servant of allrdquo
11 You are pleasant to the grouchcourteous to the rude and generousto the needy because you know thelong-term benefits of receiving
12 You recognize confess develop anduse your God-given physical mentaland spiritual abilities to the glory ofGod and for the benefit of mankind
13 You stand in front of the Creator ofthe universe and He says to youldquoWell done thou good and faithfulservantrdquo
ZIG ZIGLARrsquoS L i t t le Instruct ion Book
About the AuthorZIG ZIGLAR one of the mostpopular communicators of hisday is known as the ldquoMotivatorsrsquoMotivatorrdquo More than threemillion people have attendedZigrsquos live presentations andmillions of others have been inspired by histraining tapes and videos A prolific authorZigrsquos books have sold more than four millioncopies worldwide and his syndicated columnZig Ziglarrsquos Encouraging Word now appears innewspapers nationwide His long list of awardsincludes ldquoCommunicator of the Yearrdquo by theSales and Marketing Executives InternationalBut what makes Zig most proud is being happilymarried to his wife of 49 years Jean whom helovingly calls ldquoSugar Babyrdquo
For additional information on seminarsscheduling speaking engagements or towrite the author please address yourcorrespondence to
Zig Ziglar3330 Earhart Suite 204
Carrollton TX 75006-5026
other books by
zig ziglar
Confessions of a Happy Christian
Network Marketing for Dummies
Over the Top Moving from Survival to Stability fromStability to Success from Success to Significance
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World
See You at the Top Daily Motivational Thoughts from Zig Ziglar
Success for Dummies
Top Performance How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others
You Can Reach The Top
Zig Ziglarrsquos Little Instruction Book
Zig Ziglarrsquos Secrets of Closing the Sale
Ziglar on Selling The Ultimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional of the Nineties