From your host, Kevin Miller, here are your show notes...or simply scroll down and hit play!
Welcome to Episode 318 of The Ziglar Show. Today’s show is part 2 of “Handling what happens to you.” In our last show we played an incredibly powerful, 13-min clip from Zig that was too rich to cover in one show. If you missed it, go download Show #317 now.
In discussing how hard things happen to people and why some overcome them, we really culminated with them having a strong WHY. A vision for their life and purpose. A goal. A dream. And it’s probably not one thing, but many...some big why’s and some small why’s.
Right now I want to pick up with another point from Zig in that clip, "Trying, learning and failing."
Zig said people who overcome are willing to try and make mistakes and figure it out - fail. Like Zig's story of the Edsel - they took the mistake, learned and capitalized on it.
Frans Johansson, in his book "The Medici Effect", said a trait of successful entrepreneurs was simply, they were willing to try more things.
Yet I believe we are in a culture that is more and more risk averse. Being responsible means one thing…being secure. And fewer people will risk that security and allow themselves to make mistakes like they did with the Edsel, and discover the real gold.
I’ve got to admit I learned most of what I value, by failing, overcoming and learning my limits, strength and truth. Which only comes by…trying.
Let’s talk about the World class leaders Zig mentioned:
- 75% of them were either raised in poverty or had been abused as children or had some serious physical impairment
It makes me wonder if folks who have had a relatively easy life are at a detriment? Is shielding our kids best? Not to abuse them or push trial on them, but should we not make them privy to hardship?
Tom, let's talk about the willingness to try. You are fortunate like I am to have had a Dad that tried. It’s easy to cite what we learned by their successes. But what did you learn, and how did it equip you, to witness your fathers failures?
> Hear Tom's answer in the show below
Now let's talk about "significance". Zig said, 'If there is hope in the future, there is literally power in the present." And the journey of going from survival to stability to success to significance.
Tom, my concern is fewer people are concerned with significance in their lives. We watch it on a screen and revere it, but few pursue it or know anyone who is. How to we get motivated by significance? Legacy? That’s a different payoff than now. But doesn’t leaving a legacy involve doing legendary things…now?
> Hear Tom's answer in the show below
To care about finishing well takes maturity and responsibility, and it involves having purpose. We know people find true purpose by having meaning in someone else's life. Imparting value to others.
Zig also talks about truly 'understanding' what you’re hearing and reading. We think we get benefit just from hearing and reading good things. But it’s those few who study to understand and therefore…apply what they hear and read, that make the difference. Who invest what they learn. We devour content, but do we study and learn?
> Hear Tom's answer in the show
*Photo: Motortrend.com