Zig Ziglar - Changing the Picture: How to Stay Motivated Book 3

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Copyright 2020 Zig Ziglar

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data

Ziglar, Zig

Changing the Picture: How to Stay Motivated Book 3

p. cm.

LCCN: 2020940767

ISBN: 978-1-61339-746-6 (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-64146-542-7 (Audiobook)

ISBN: 978-1-64146-541-0 (eBook)

Printed in the United States of America

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Throughout this book, I will talk a great deal about the importance of what I like to call changing your picture. Positive thinking wont work unless you have a good, solid picture of yourself. Therefore, you need to begin to build a healthy self-image to make a difference in your life. In this first chapter, youre going to learn how to get along with yourself, which is key to getting along with others. We will look at the causes of poor self-image, the manifestations of that poor self-image, and, most importantly, what you can do about it.

Us fellas, we frequently kid the ladies about gossiping. As I walked into the office building this morning, however, I saw a couple of guys talking. I heard one of them say, I cant tell you any more. Ive already told you more than I heard!

This gossip-like conversation seems to be a trend, unfortunately.

As I continued into work, a couple of ladies were talking. As I walked past, one of them exclaimed, Theres Zig!

The other one said, Yeah! You know, Id rather hear that guy talk than eat.

The other one replied, Me too. Ive heard him eat!

The question I want to start with is this: Do you respond to life, or do you react to life?

Doctors say that to respond is positive, while to react is negative. For example, when you get sick, you go to the doctor. She gives you a prescription and says, See me tomorrow. When you walk in the next day, she will do one of two things. She might shake her head and say, Uh-oh. Your body is reacting to the medicine; we have to change the prescription. Alternately, if she smiles and says, Hey! Its working! Your body is responding to the treatment! You know that everythings gonna be okay. The difference between responding and reacting is enormously important.

The choice to have a great attitude is something nobody or no circumstance can take from you.

Now, Ill give you an example of when I responded rather than reacted. On January 23rd, 1981, I was in Kansas City, Missouri. It was my final stop after a long week. Throughout the week, I had been doing four-hour seminars in the North, South, East, West, from border to border, and from coast to coast. When I do four-hour seminars, I expend an incredible amount of energy. On this particular day, we were recording. When you record, you turn it up a notch because you dont have your body to communicate withits got to be all voice and inflection and excitementso I did just that.

Our recording gear back in 1981 was bulky. One of our recording boxes weighed over a hundred and forty pounds. My son-in-law, Chad Witmeyer, was helping me record. We had a three oclock flight back to Dallas. The airline had said, Hey, you gotta be here at least an hour early so we can stow the gear. So, the minute I finished, we started assembling, packing up as quickly as was humanly possible. We made the mad dash to the airport, and we got there at two oclock.

When I walked into the airport, there were two long lines of people. We chose what I thought was the shortest line and prepared to wait. Almost immediately, I noticed a vacant spot down at the counter with a sign that said: Position Closed. I also noticed a lady walking around behind the counter. I knew in my mind that in a matter of minutes, Position Closed would be turned over to Position Open. I got ready. Sure enough, the lady walked down, flipped the sign over, looked at the two long lines of people and announced, Those of you who have a seat on the three oclock flight to Dallas, come over here.

Quick as a flash, I was over there. I mean, I got to the new line before anybody else had even left the old line. The lady smiled at me ever-so-pleasantly and said, The three oclock flight to Dallas has been canceled.

I said, Faaaan-tastic!

She looked at me strangely and said, Whaddya mean, fantastic? I just told you your flight has been canceled.

I answered, Maam, its very simple. There are only three reasons on earth why anybody would ever cancel a flight to Dallas, Texas. Number one: something is wrong with that airplane. Number two: something is wrong with the person whos going to fly that airplane. Number three: something is wrong way up there! Now, maam, if any one of those three situations exists, I dont want to be up there. I want to be right down here! Fantastic.

Now, have you ever noticed that some people cant wait to give you bad news? Aw, Sally, I hate to tell you this. It just kills me to tell you this! They cant wait to get the bad news out. The woman at the airline counter put her hands on her hips and retorted, Yeah. But the next flight doesnt leave until six!

I said, Fannnn-tastic!

By now, the other long lines of people were looking over at me as if to say, Who is that nut that says everything is fantastic?

It brought the gate agent to a dead stop. She looked at me and she said, Now, look. I just told you that youve got a four-hour wait here in the Kansas City airport. You said fantastic! Now, why on earth would you say a thing like that?

Maam, its very simple. Im fifty-four years old, and in my lifetime, I have never before had an opportunity to spend four hours in the airport in Kansas City, Missouri. Do you realize at this precise moment, there are literally tens of millions of people on the face of this earth who are not only cold but also hungry? Although it is awfully cold on the outside, here I am in a marvelously warm building. Theres a nice little coffee shop down the way. Im going to go down there, get myself a cup of coffee, and relax for a minute. Then, Ive got some extremely important work Ive got to do. Here I am in one of the most beautiful buildings in the Kansas City area, with four hours of rent-free space, and I am really excited about it!

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, Ziglar, Ive heard about these positive thinkers, but man, thats kind of way out! Are you telling me the truth? Are you absolutely sure thats exactly what you saidScouts honor?

That is exactly what I said, and my son-in-law will validate that statement.

Okay, okay! You said it! But now, tell me the truth, Ziglar. Is that the way you really felt?

Why, of course not! Id been gone all week. I was tired. I wanted to be headed home. But you see, there are some things we absolutely are not going to change in our lives. Here, I had a choice. I didnt know that lady. I did, however, know that she could cancel my flightbut she couldnt cancel my day.