“Everything builds on everything else.”

A thought by Zig Ziglar (2003-01-01) from his book, Zig Ziglar's Life Lifters (p. 175). B&H Publishing. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Do you understand what that thought means?

Zig says, “The words you say, the actions you take, the attitudes you develop, your friendliness, your spirit of cooperation and team play—all add up to putting you in a great position to continue to make progress in all areas of your life, or could take you out of the game.”

He then gives some examples.  One, “The things you say to one person today will either put you in position to be friends with that person or lose him or her as a friend, depending on your tone of voice and what you say.”

Two, “The attitude you bring to your job today will either put you in position to climb the ladder, or it will put you in position to be heading for the door.”

Another one, “The foundation a youngster builds in his educational drive in those early years positions him or her for higher education and a successful career in business.”

He then says, “It works in your personal life, as well. The relationships you have with your family will put you in a position to have either a great attitude when you leave the house and prepare you for effectiveness on the job, or it could give you a lousy attitude and you might arrive in a bad mood. That takes you out of position to do your best work that day.”

Zig says, “The thought should be, What effect will this have on others? When you think about it just for a moment, you can get in the habit of being the right kind of person—which puts you in position to do the right thing, which enables you to get more of the things life has to offer. Every step or move you make has an impact on your future. That's why you should weigh each step like the chess masters do—by carefully considering what will happen down the road as a result of your next move.”

So how is your day going?