Message for Daily Living - Column by Zig Ziglar

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Bread Upon the Water

Zig Ziglar

Many years ago, a young drifter in Australia named Tom Ellis picked up an old, discarded newspaper and read an ad about a correspondence course in electricity. Tom had no money, and the correspondence school was in America. However, he wrote directly to Fenton Howard, the man in charge of the school, seeking enrollment. Howard permitted Ellis to enroll in the course. It was an act of kindness on the part of Fenton Howard. He was trying to help someone along life's way who was trying to help himself.

Through the correspondence course, Tom Ellis learned a trade and stayed with the course for several years before World War II broke out. At that point, he enlisted in the Australian navy. During that war, Fenton Howard was wounded while serving in the Pacific. The ship on which he served as a naval electrician had been disabled, and an electrician was needed desperately to do some repair work on the ship. Otherwise, Fenton Howard's chances for survival would be ever so slim. An SOS was sent out, asking for help for the damaged ship. An Australian ship that was nearby came to the rescue. The electrician from the Australian ship came on board and repaired the damaged generator, making it possible for the ship carrying Fenton Howard to sail back to America.

The act of repairing the generator saved Fenton Howard's life. As you probably have surmised already, the electrician's name was Tom Ellis. That little act of kindness of investing in a fellow human being many years earlier had saved Fenton Howard's life. As is often the case, a good deed done today brings some surprising rewards tomorrow. Action: Adopt Fenton Howard's helpful and generous attitude, and I'll see you at the top!

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We Are in a Hurry, Aren't We?

In 1955, my family and I moved to New York City to work with the Long Island franchise of the Dale Carnegie Institute. I remember my first day of training well. We were in downtown Manhattan, and I saw a number of people running toward the corner. I asked my associate what was happening. He explained they were going to catch the subway, which ran every five minutes. I thought it was weird that people were in such a hurry they couldn't wait five more minutes. Three weeks later, guess who else was running to catch the subway?!

We hurry too much and are influenced by what goes on around us. This is a far cry from the circumstances of early America. If a man missed a stagecoach, he just said: "So what? Another one will be along in a couple of weeks." Now if a man misses even one section of a revolving door in a bank building, he is impatient. We need to slow down and let our spirits catch up with our bodies.

It's my conviction that we need to settle somewhere between the two above paragraphs. If we took the "waiting-on-the-stagecoach" approach, we never would be able to compete or provide for our families and ourselves. On the other hand, if we always are running to save that five minutes for the next event or subway train, we eliminate any chance of serious reflection or problem solving.

Leonardo da Vinci suggested that we go away for a little relaxation every now and then, for when we come back to our work after relaxing, our judgment is surer. He said remaining constantly at work causes us to lose the power of judgment. Patience and sound thinking should prevail. Take that approach, and I'll see you at the top!

To find out more about Zig Ziglar and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. Subscribe to Zig Ziglar's free e-mail newsletter through info@zigziglar.com.

Copyright 2008 Creators Syndicate Inc.

This news arrived on: 09/01/2008

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