Source: ziglar.com

I was sad to hear that Zig Ziglar passed away last week. No, I didn’t know him personally, but in the early 1990s, when I was in my early 20s, I attended one of his conferences.  I was newly married and starting my career in Human Resource Management. Wow, he made an impression on me.

You don’t know Zig Ziglar?  Well, let me tell you a little about him.  He was a Sales person who became a motivational speaker.  He was a Christian who lived his life following the Lord.

He impacted my life in three ways. First he spoke about marriage.

Source: Facebook – Zig Ziglar

The most important thing I remember is that he asked the audience if they thought marriage was 50/50?  Most of the audience raised their hands.  He stunned everyone by telling us that 50/50 wouldn’t do.  That to have a successful, happy marriage, it had to be 100/100.  If you both are not invested in it 100%, it would not be successful.  Wow, I knew then that I was going to recommit to my new marriage.

Second, he spoke of life in general.

Source: Facebook – Zig Ziglar

He thought you must put in good stuff in order to get out good stuff.  Whether that was Bible verses, sales motivation or anything positive, you must make a concerted effort to put good stuff in your mind every day, preferably every morning. He listened to tapes (this was way back when it was cassette tapes), every day.

So if you wanted something different in your life, you started by changing what you were putting into your mind.

Third, he spoke of careers.

Source: Facebook – Zig Ziglar

That any one can be successful in any business with the right attitude and if they were willing to always go the extra mile.  Whether it was your customers, friends, family or even a stranger, go they extra mile.  If you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want.

Zig Ziglar was a pioneer in the motivational speaking area.  If you have never read any of his many books or heard his talks, I strongly recommend you check out one of his books at your local library.  I believe his first book was called See You at the Top. He has something for you…sales motivation, improving your career or online business, improving your marriage, or even improving just your attitude.

Today I am sad that Zig Ziglar is gone from this earth.  He has impacted so many people, it is time for him to rest.

Do you have someone who has impacted your life?