Good morning my fellow Rotarians. Today I’m honoring a man who motivated
millions around the world. Zig Ziglar died
this past Wednesday at the age of 86.
Many consider Zig Ziglar one
of the most inspirational people of our time. He was a legendary motivational speaker and
business consultant with a 40-year speaking career where he consulted with Fortune
500 companies and advised American presidents and other world leaders for
decades.
When he returned from
World War II, he landed a job selling pots and pans door to door. And the stories he told about his days in
sales were humorous and instructional.
Once he was stopped for speeding and ended up going to the officer’s
house to sell his wife a set of pans for their daughter’s upcoming wedding.
Few people knew of the famous Ziglar back then,
yet it was during those early years when he developed a curiosity about human
nature and he turned that interest into a thriving career as a motivational
speaker and author. He wrote nearly 30
books – my favorite was “See You at the Top.”
As a motivational
speaker, author, businessman, father, husband and devout Christian he would
often ask his audiences, “Of all these positions I carry, which one do you
think matters the most to me today?”
Zig and his wife Jean,
just celebrated their 66th anniversary four days ago, November 26th. He always called his wife “the red
head.”
Two of Zig’s
thought-provoking quotes include, “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”
and, “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” His most famous re-quoted quote was, “You
can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough people
get what they want.”
And he said, “The chief
cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you
want right now.” And he would go on to
ask the pointed question, “What are you trading in today?”
To my dad, Zig was his
all time favorite “sales guy.” I
remember as a kid how he would get excited and share ideas he had learned from Zig. In 1998 I had the privilege to meet Zig for
the first time at a Zig Rally in Omaha, NE.
We talked few minutes and I had his undivided attention even though hundreds
were waiting to talk with him. He was
genuine, sincere and encouraged people whenever he spoke.
And finally, I leave you
with this Zig quote… “Even in tragedy,
God through His word offers hope for those who seek and believe. It starts with
the promise of a better tomorrow, of life everlasting, of eternal peace. It’s
called faith, and it offers hope where none existed.”
Zig Ziglar, a man whose words will live on and continue to inspire. And that is the Bottom of our News on this Friday, November 30, 2012. ###
