 |
KIDS OF CHARACTER 10/19/2009
Helping Others Get What They Want “I believe that you will get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” In a concise sentence Zig Ziglar, America’s premier motivational speaker, is revealing the great success secret of the ages as well as seeding the insight to help a budding kid of character pursue a meaningful life journey. Hidden behind Ziglar’s statement is a challenge to the narcissistic self-absorption that permeates America culture. Daily our society swims in a media sea that sells the Me First Holy Grail. Pick up the business section of your local paper; view a celebrity watch segment on Entertainment Tonight; listen to your favorite sports talk show about player negotiations. The story is the same: Got life? Get it for yourself. Ziglar is saying something different. He’s pointing us to another path. He’s guiding us to explore a different goal. He’s not denying getting. He’s saying we will achieve our desires and dreams as we focus on helping others achieve theirs. Ziglar is showing us that our life expands positively to the degree we connect and serve others. Exploring experiences of cooperation is the character catalyst to learn what Ziglar is revealing: As we encourage the well-being of others, we attract our good. Yes, there is something to be said for the star athlete, who also wants to be a character star, to assist a struggling athlete on the playground rather than simply show off his sports prowess. As a teen I remember experiencing the character lesson of giving yourself away to another. It’s a small story but a meaningful one for me that I learned from Bill Kosky, my golf mentor, when I was fifteen. Bill was a great golfer. But he didn’t dwell on how good he was with a golf club in his hand. He thrilled in teaching me how to hit a golf ball with the precision and skill that he had acquired. He used his talent to help me succeed. So do you want to get? Ziglar might say, “Okay, sounds good. Here’s the new strategy: Give!”
|
 |