See You at the Top!

A few days ago I was inspired when I saw my daughter’s Instagram post: “Intensely grateful for the role this man (Zig Ziglar) played in my life for so many years. Next to my father, his words, encouragement and life shaped my perspective like no other. I give thanks that he was able to call a blessing upon my son, Payton, who seems to carry a similar ability to inspire us daily with his unique and ever-positive perspective! We’ll see you “over the top”, Pops!” (Daily, Payton posts on Instagram a life message. For example, “Worship gets you through the tough parts of life because it shifts your focus from the problem to the problem solver.”)

I loved that. Often we look in the rear view mirror and think about the mistakes we’ve made and we do a lot of “would-a, should-a, could-a” talking. That does us little good, if any at all. But, how incredibly beneficial it is for us to reminisce about those good people and good situations that molded us and gave us sure footing that stays with us today – in our attitudes, our decision-making, and our overall outlook on life. We know that there were those who left footprints in the sand for us to follow.

Zig was such a vital part of our family's lives for so many years. My children literally "cut their teeth" on Zig's philosophies and the belief that "we were born to win". ("Born to Win" was one of his inspiring books.) His motto "You can have anything you WANT in life if you will help enough other people get what they WANT. His trainings and principles for success in business and life -- and his friendship with our family, sincerely impacted the people we are today -- optimistic, relentless work ethics and audacious determination to succeed at whatever we put our hands and hearts to.

I was thinking about what Zig meant when he said “See You at the Top” (one of his best-selling books). Zig made it to the top in business, family life….and ultimately – in heaven. I figure that he and my husband are conspiring daily and interceding for all of us to continue to live passionately with determination to live our lives with gusto and as role models for others to follow. Here’s some of Zig’s philosophies that help us make sure that we get to the top of our game and our life if we live them. We know we’re at the top when:

• You know that success doesn’t make you and failure doesn’t break you.
• You are filled with faith, hope and love; and live without anger, greed, guilt, envy or thoughts of revenge.
• You are mature enough to delay gratification and shift your focus from your rights to your responsibilities.
• You know that failure to stand for what is morally right is the prelude to being the victim of what is criminally wrong.
• You are secure in who you are, so you are at peace with God and in fellowship with man.
• You have made friends of your adversaries, and have gained the love and respect of those who know you best.
• You understand that others can give you pleasure, but genuine happiness comes when you do things for others.
• You are pleasant to the grouch, courteous to the rude and generous to the needy.
• You love the unlovable, give hope to the hopeless, friendship to the friendless and encouragement to the discouraged.
• You can look back in forgiveness, forward in hope, down in compassion and up with gratitude.
• You know that "he who would be the greatest among you must become the servant of all."
• You recognize, confess, develop and use your God-given physical, mental and spiritual abilities to the glory of God and for the benefit of mankind.
• You stand in front of the Creator of the universe and He says to you, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Looking forward to seeing my sweetheart, Zig and YOU at the TOP!

You Are Who You Hang Around

Day 84 of Photo Inspirations -- You Are Who You Hang Around
#TBT -- I love this photo of Zig Ziglar and his "red head", Jean, as well as the happy couple standing with them.  This was a momentous time of achievement on our part because of our alignment with such greatness, as the Ziglars.

Before we had been introduced to Zig, we were his followers, so much so that we became "little Zigs".  His life philosophies, motivational speaking, his Christan witness and his personal "walk", made him our mentor.  We owned every one of his books and teaching cassettes (that's all they had at the time), and eventually CDs.  What he taught was from his personal walk and living out success principles that worked.  And they worked for us, too!  We raised our kids on those principles and I attribute much of their success to what we spoke into them and lived before them because of what we received from the teachings of Zig.  In fact, my husband traveled to churches and organizations teaching these principles in his own "Born to Win" seminars.  Yes, we were inspired enough to want to see others achieve what we knew were life-changing principles to live by.  He made a difference in our lives, so of course, we wanted to pay-it-forward and make the difference in people's lives too.  "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want." -- Zig Ziglar

Who would know that one day our daughter would be on tour with him in the "Get Motivated" Success Seminars for over 12 years.  Zig became her "Road Dad"  during that season.  In fact, he wrote the Foreword in the "Mission Possible" book that she wrote.

Not long after that, we were given the opportunity to be a part of Zig's training program and became his certified trainers, and the friendship continued to grow.  My husband's expertise in the field of network marketing was a tremendous asset to Zig, especially when he wrote the book "Network Marketing for Dummies", and asked Ron to be the Technical Editor of the book.

My Honey graduated to heaven in 2010, and Zig caught up with him in 2012.  I like to think that they are a part of the "great cloud of witnesses" that are cheering us on to realize we were born to win -- and they are great examples of WINNERS, on this side of heaven and beyond.

Yes, it's important to select our mentors and leaders wisely.  Hanging around eagles causes us to rise higher and be better -- the eagles take us to places we could have never been or even imagined.

It's a Matter of Perspective

It's raining cats and dogs in Tulsa today! Really? Cats and dogs? Well, it really is raining in Tulsa! I say "Hip Hip Hooray -- our lawns need it!" But the people having their custom homes built in my neighborhood, aren't pleased at all! Rain is keeping progress from happening on their home's completion. It's a matter of perspective.
This little baby sees the world upside down! But it's not upside down -- it's a matter of perspective.

Some see the glass half full, while others see it half empty. Two people can look at the same thing or hear the same thing and each processes it differently. Perspective depends on the person -- their age -- their experiences -- their beliefs -- their upbringing -- and where they are in life, right now! Perspective is so important that it becomes FACT in their life -- whether or not it is fact. That’s why it’s so important to try to keep a balanced and optimistic perspective -- to make sure we’re not so tunnel visioned that we miss the forest for the trees. That we’re teachable enough to stop and consider that our perspective may need to be adjusted. To consider that our perspective may be negatively influenced by the wrong people or by our emotions (which are not always reliable) or by our circumstances, etc. It's, typically, quite difficult to get someone to change their perspective. Their perspective is their reality!

We raised our children on, not only the principles in God's Word, but also,on Zig Ziglar's (our dear friend of our family) "Born to Win" book and principles. In fact, at just a young age, Staci would correct anyone who said, "That scared me to death!" Staci would retort -- "Scared you to life!" And as much as we'd like to see others view life from our perspective -- the only one I can really change is ME! When we change the way WE look at things, the things WE look at change. So, let's change our perspective on those "stumbling blocks" that we are encountering -- and make them the "stepping stones" for the great things God has in store for us. Let's quit looking at the world upside down, and start looking at the world rightside UP! When we start looking UP -- seeing the sunshine behind the clouds -- seeing the glass half full -- our PERSPECTIVE -- will become our reality!