Book notes: How to Stay Motivated by Zig Ziglar

How to Stay Motivated: Developing the Qualities of Success by Zig Ziglar

Synopsis:

“How to Stay Motivated provides you with clear and proven techniques to use to enhance relationships, improve your self-image, set and achieve goals, and so much more! Apply these winning steps from the motivational master himself to build a better, more productive, satisfying life for yourself and your family. Change your picture and change every facet of your life.” -Audible

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Opening thoughts:

I listened to this several years ago and I remembered that I really enjoyed it. From what I remember, Zig Ziglar is hilarious and very entertaining. I feel like this is a great book for where I’m at right now as I feel like I might need some motivation in my life. Ziglar is a fantastic storyteller so this should be a fun listen.

Key notes:

Chapter 1

You are where you’re at because of the series of choices you’ve made
The #1 need we have in our society today is people who will accept responsibility
It’s not the external, it’s the internal that makes a difference
It’s not what happened to you, it’s how you respond and react
Hope in the future is power in the present
A study showed in 100% of the cases that as your vocabulary increases, so does your IQ
Failure is an event, not a person
Character is the ability to carry out a resolution long after the excitement has worn out
If you don’t like your job, give it your best shot and that’s how you get a better one
Finish school and that is easy. Never finish your education, that is hard
Most people who have a problem don’t want to solve it because then they can’t talk and tell everyone about it
People who are the problem never recognize it
- They think denial is a river in Egypt
A lot of people try to find fault like there’s a reward for it
You don’t change people
- You change you and then your world begins to change
People attributed their success not to IQ but their ability to focus
You need the will to win and will to prepare to win
When you’re tough on yourself, life can be tremendously rewarding to you
- When you discipline yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to do them, the day is going to come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them
His wife would say “I love you” and “I believe in you”
Go for quality of life first, then standard of living goes up
You don’t have to be great to start, so you have to start to be great

Chapter 2

Leadership and success starts with your self-talk
Immigrants are 4x as likely to become millionaires
Vision is a clearly articulated picture you intend to create
- A vision and a test is the hope of the world
Silly means happy and prosperous
Andrew Carnegie developed people to create millionaires
Courage is not the absence of fear, it’s going ahead despite it
When people are growing and learning, they become excited
You can get what you want in life if you help others get what they want
What you do off the job determines how far you go on the job
Those who set goals and a plan of action earned significantly more money
People who know where they’re going and how to get there are easier to get along with
You won’t have a leg to stand on if you blame other people and your past
The great truths in life are simple
Discipline, enthusiasm, and persistence is important
Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking
Motivation will get you started but habit will get you there

Chapter 3

People are told what they can’t do but not what they can do
Self-fulfillment vs. self-growth
Words and language are powerful
The most important opinion you have is the one you have of yourself
- The power of words is incredible
- The way you change others is to change yourself
- Your input determines your outlook. Your outlook determines your output. Your output determines your future
  - What goes in your mind is extremely important
Words and attitude make a difference
Use language that really makes a difference in people’s lives

Chapter 4

How do we define success?
The more balanced you are and plan for things, the more income you will have
The opinion you have of yourself and others have of you is important
Servant leadership and learning to follow before you lead
Those success qualities are skills that can be taught
- It’s important to teach people the right qualities
Pleasure is fine, but ask yourself “will this pleasure make you happy indefinitely?“
Build your character on integrity

Chapter 5

If you won’t read then it’s as good as not being able to
You cannot perform in a manner that is inconsistent with how you see yourself
When your attitude changes, everything about your life will change
You are exactly where you want to be
Change your perspective from “got to’s” to “get to’s“
The sign of an immature individual is wanting instant gratification
Always have something to work on when the unexpected happens in order to make a positive situation out of a negative one
Discipline is doing the thing you need to do so that you can do the things you want to do

Reader’s note: He’s talking about how obeying the compass allows for the sailor to have more freedom. This is similar to the idea of “discipline equals freedom” from the book Extreme Ownership by Jocki Willink & Leif Babin.

If you do more than what you’re paid, then someday you’ll get paid more for what you do
Change your thinking – if you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting
Self-centered people are not happy
Invariably when your thoughts are on yourself, you are not a happy, productive individual
- Self-centered people are the most miserable people
Anyone who has accomplished anything has had a lot of people to thank
- When you put that other person first, amazing things happen
Relationships are incredibly important

Reader’s note: This reminds me of the ideas in The One Thing about going short with relationships and bringing everyone with you.

Chapter 6

Treat others with courtesy and respect
Our relationships and input has a huge effect on us
Those who are closest to you will determine you level of success
Emotional intelligence is the ability to know what you and those around you are feeling, and to handle those feelings accordingly
Hope is to the spirit as oxygen is to the brain
- Hope is thinking about your goals and how to achieve them
- Hope is negative if it is at the expense of others
Those who learn so that they can teach others is happier and more fulfilled
Change is sometimes painful, but then so is unemployment and bankruptcy
- People change when it’s to their advantage
- They change when they believe they can, when they have a plan of action, when they can really see the possibilities and benefits for the future
The healthiest of all human emotions is gratitude
The more gratitude you express, the more you will have to be grateful for
The number one objective of any business is to make a profit
- And the number one priority should be to make the world a better place
With integrity, you have nothing to fear because you have nothing to hide
It’s not what you get at the destination, it’s what you become that really matters and is valuable
Attitude is more important than many things
It takes time to claim the qualities of success
You have to do it and the motivation will follow

Chapter 7

If you go out in life to find a friend and they’ll be scarce. But if you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere
It takes a whole village to raise a child
Success is what you do compared to what you’re capable of doing
Laughing will get you out of the “blahs”
If you don’t plan for the future, it’s a pretty good indication you’re not interested in it
Utilize 2-fers: listen to audios in your car and read while you’re in line to be productive
You can have enthusiasm but you still need to learn your craft and gain the knowledge
Humor and playfulness are characteristics of a strong family
Health (sleep and nutrition) are most important
Some things in life are absolutes, not relative
80% of American millionaires are first generation
When the opportunity comes, will you be ready?

Main ideas / Themes:

Things to Prioritize

Health (sleep & nutrition, physical & mental)
Relationships (family & friends)
Gratitude – the healthiest of all human emotions

Hope

Hope in the future is power in the present

Success & Happiness

You can get what you want in life if you help others get what they want
- Self-centered people are the most miserable people
Those who learn so that they can teach others is happier and more fulfilled
It’s not what you get at the destination, it’s what you become that really matters and is valuable

Self-talk & Attitude

Leadership and success start with self-talk
Attitude is more important than many things
Change your perspective from “got to’s” to “get to’s“
It’s not what happened to you, it’s how you respond and react
Failure is an event, not a person
The most important opinion you have is the one you have of yourself
You don’t change people. You change yourself and then your world begins to change
- Your input determines your outlook. Your outlook determines your output. Your output determines your future

Discipline

When you’re tough on yourself, life can be tremendously rewarding to you
Discipline is doing the thing you need to do so that you can do the things you want to do

Integrity

Character is the ability to carry out a resolution long after the excitement has worn out
With integrity, you have nothing to fear because you have nothing to hide

Closing thoughts:

As expected, I still really enjoy this audio series by Zig Ziglar. He’s very insightful, but he’s also wildly captivating and entertaining in his delivery. He’s what you would expect a master speaker to sound like who has spent decades on his craft. He makes it seem so easy, it’s awe-inspiring.

The way the audio is broken up, there are a few different recordings in each chapter. He references a lot of the same ideas in subsequent recordings, but that was intentional. He frequently says that his audio series is something you should listen to over and over so that it has a higher chance of settling into your brain. I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment, which is why I’m going back and listening to some books I haven’t listened to in several years.

Although he repeats some of his points several times in the audio, I only wrote down the point once (or removed duplicates when I compiled my notes), but he does a great job hammering home the point he’s trying to make.

Overall, I think this is a really great book for anyone interested in success, motivation, personal development, etc. It has a strong focus on mindset/attitude/self-talk, which I think should always be the first thing to work on when going on a personal-growth journey. Therefore, Zig Ziglar is a great starting point for anyone who feels like they’ve been going in the wrong direction and wants to jumpstart their life and start moving in the right direction.

One Takeaway / Putting into practice:

While many of the ideas are valuable, pretty much all of them are review for me as I come across these themes in countless other books I’ve read. However, I think my one personal takeaway I want to highlight from this book is:

Those who learn so that they can teach others is happier and more fulfilled

This is a huge reminder to me that as I take my Yolocruz Book Club / Book Notes to the next level, as well as launch my upcoming podcast, that when I focus on learning to teach others, I’ll also find happiness and fulfillment. Ultimately, I think being a teacher is one of my purposes in life.

Nutshell:

Zig Ziglar teaches us the qualities of success and how to stay motivated. If you want to make a significant change in your life, this is one of the best places to start.

Similar books:

Rating:

4/5

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Book notes: How to Stay Motivated by Zig Ziglar

Synopsis:

Opening thoughts: