A quote from Zig Ziglar to get your Monday going!

“It is not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you handle what happens to you.”

The quote is from Zig Ziglar’s Little Book of Big Quotes

I have read about Zig Zigler over the years and I have always admired his positive outlook and ability as a motivational speaker but what did I really know about him? Not much, so I went surfing and ended up at Amazon.com reading about his autobiography called simply Zig.

From Publishers Weekly

This rags-to-riches memoir by one of America’s most popular faith-based motivational speakers details Ziglar’s life from his poor childhood during the Depression, through his up-and-down career as a direct salesman, to his entry into the upper echelons of corporate America, to sitting on the platform during the inauguration of President George W. Bush. The death of his father when Zig was only five had a profound effect on this 10th child of 12. The family was forced to move to Mississippi, where his mother worked tirelessly to feed and clothe her brood and give them a firm foundation of love, faith and responsibility. Throughout the book, Ziglar is generous in his praise of those who guided his life, from his mother to the man he worked for in a grocery store as a youngster, to his business and religious mentors and role models, including Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. And through the good and the bad, his wife (whom he affectionately calls the “Redhead”) stuck by him, even when they came to the brink of financial disaster because of his foolish business decisions. Readers who aren’t familiar with Ziglar’s business philosophy and motivational books might find the grandfatherly memoir tedious. But those who have followed his career and whose lives have been influenced positively by it through the years will discover here an ordinary and honest man who never quit and who credits Jesus Christ for his success.

Wow. Even his book review is motivational. I especially like the last line. I like the words “ordinary and honest.” It sounds dignified and honorable. I like the fact that he never quit, there are too many people who give up too easily. But most of all I like the fact that he gives Jesus the glory.

Now back to the question we started with, how do you handle what happens to you?

I have been thinking about it often since last Tuesday and I have come to the same conclusion Solomon did (and he was a very smart guy). My job here on earth is to fear God and keep his commandments. I am also to tell others about Jesus and his power to save us from our sins. After that the rest is in God’s hands. Remember the song Trust and Obey? There’s just no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.