Giant quotes from a Giant of a Man

Early on in my recovery I began reading motivational books. I was introduced to several speakers and authors that had great insight into taking charge of the day. They also deepened my understanding of seeing through the emotion of events. I began looking for the practical and positive side of it. I have come to learn that regardless how negative something appears, there is a positive and powerful life lesson I can extract from it. Zig Ziglar was one at the top of the list of those who have influenced me. I am going to look at 6 of his quotes and apply them to recovery. I hope you see the connection and value. Mr. Ziglar passed away several years ago. His material is available and still very relevant. I suggest you go to www.ziglar.com to learn more of this “Giant of a Man”.

1. “You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want”.

At the height of my addiction and even early on in recovery I was very selfish and self-centered. People were a necessary component of me getting what I wanted for me. I was then directed to understand that the things I accomplished for me was for the benefit of someone else. Achieving my goals allowed me to be a better version of me to help others become their own better version.

• “If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere”.

This is so true in my life. When others know that you care for them in a genuine sense, they are more apt to trust and want to get closer. Once they get closer they will begin to see us as the caring person you are. We will also see them for who they are and the friendship can go from a casual meeting to a deep and rewarding personal experience.

• “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily”.

Newton’s Law of Motion states that “things in motion stay in motion and things at rest stay at rest”. Sometimes I find myself being negative or missing the mark in how I approach my daily living. It is then I know I need to recommit myself to personal motivation. Sometimes I need to remember what it was like before my recovery. I never want to go back to that way of thinking and living. “If I want to keep what I have, I need to do the same things (and more) to keep them. Staying motivated helps make that happen.

• “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will”.

Self-fulfilling prophesy states that something positive or something negative will happen depending on my view of it. My view of it most often determines what I do or don’t do. There is always something to be positive about. If that is not true it only means I am viewing my circumstance or situation in a selfish was. It is more challenging to view something negative than it is positive. Other positive people positively like to be around other positive people. Be known as a person who sees the positive.

• “Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful”.

I love the adage, “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it”. How true this is. Adversity forces me to see the positive and become creative in overcoming the adversity. Sometimes I become resourceful in how to work through it, while other times I have learned to work around it. Adversity is ONLY bad when it stops me from achieving my stated desire or goal. “If it doesn’t kill you it will only make you stronger”.

• “The way you see people is the way you treat them”.

How true this is. Let’s take it even deeper. How I see me is how I will treat me. How I treat me will likely determine how I treat you. I went from having a very negative self-image to a person of confidence and accomplishment. I used to refer to myself as an “almost”. Now I find myself as a “person of value”. Zig Ziglar said “we go from a wandering generality, to a meaningful specific”. Water seeks its own level. As my image moves to that of a positive image others who have one or want to have one will be attracted to me. I am then more able to fulfill my commitment to others.

I hope these have helped. These are things I think and act on daily. I always want my recovery to be a journey and not a destination. I never arrive.