"Removing relativity from your life is a great defense against stress."

A thought by Zig Zigler, from his book, Better Than Good (p. 39). Thomas Nelson, Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

That is so true.

Zig explains, "By that I mean some things in life are absolutely right and some things are absolutely wrong. There is black and white in life, and as soon as you agree with that you can relieve yourself of the stress that comes from trying to decide right and wrong every time a new situation arises. Our society today is buying into the idea that there are no universal truths—that what is right for me may not be right for you. That may be true when it comes to picking out the color shirt we’re going to wear or car we’re going to buy, but it’s not true when it comes to honesty and integrity."

He goes on, "To point out the fallacy of relativism and its disastrous results, in public seminars I always ask this question: 'How many of you would hire an accountant or a treasurer who admitted that he or she was just relatively honest?' Thus far I’ve never seen a business owner hold up his or her hand and admit, 'Yeah, I’d be happy to hire a relatively honest accountant or treasurer.' "

He continues, "I’ve been happily married to The Redhead for fifty-nine years. We’ve celebrated fifty-nine honeymoons and are having more fun today than ever. In all the years I’ve been traveling and speaking, I’ve been away from home many nights. Not once when I’ve returned home has The Redhead asked me if I have been relatively faithful to her while I was gone. Nor do I ever expect her to. There are some things—like faithfulness—that are black-and-white issues.

"In addition to integrity and relativity, when you grasp what Ralph Waldo Emerson said many years ago, that 'ability without honor has no value,' it gives you reason to pause and think. Not only that, he said, 'If you would lift me up you must be on higher ground.' This implies that if you are going to be in a position to help others get what they want in life you must have honor and integrity in your life. He capped it off by saying, 'What lies behind you and what lies before you are tiny matters compared to what lies within you."

Zig then says, "It’s amazing how much stress you avoid when you play it straight. Do things with integrity, know what is wrong, practice what is right, and make your decisions accordingly. Your conscience will remain crystal clear, you’ll live without regrets, and, as a result, your passion will remain alive and well."

And that is what we want, isn't it?

Yes, yes!

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