Photo Courtesy of Josep Ma. Rosell

Lose 37 Pounds & Write a Book

Who the heck is Zig Ziglar? Oh, just your everyday author, salesperson and motivational speaker with an emphasis on Christian values. Now keep an open mind even if you’re not into evangelistic-like performances.

A friend shared this 3-part Youtube video with me of Ziglar talking about the importance of setting goals to realize your own potential. He uses two examples: losing weight and writing a book.

I can imagine that the notion of losing weight means something, or has meant something, to a lot of us living in the Western world. Indeed it has meant something to me. Anyways, Ziglar says in one of the clips, “I have never accidentally ever eaten anything. It’s always been deliberate and when I choose to eat too much today, I have chosen to weigh too much tomorrow.”

Makes pretty good sense to me, we may not realize why we eat the way we do, but it’s certainly a deliberate action. And, whatever it is we choose to consume, it catches up with us in one way or another.

Ziglar then uses the example of writing a book to emphasize how people procrastinate with a million excuses. Waiting for something to happen in order to get busy, waiting for something or someone else to change in order to get started, having to get organized first and/or waiting until the weather clears up. The line, “a book doesn’t write itself,” comes to mind. Seems appropriate.

It certainly seems easier to wait for changes to take place externally in the world around us before we start to change what is within. Having a reason to wait gives us the best excuse to put things off, although I think it takes even more effort resisting it.

So, how do you lose 37 pounds and write a book? According to Zig Ziglar, you set goals. He says that we can choose to set goals and realize our potential, or we can choose not to set goals and the consequences further down the line will not be good.

I tend to agree with Ziglar’s thoughts (although I do not recommend listening to the Youtube clips repetitively within a short period of time on full volume). I think his formula for setting goals is pretty applicable to nearly everything, and a good way to get started. Hey, why not?!

My favorite line that Ziglar quotes: “Logic will not change an emotion, but action will.” Amen.

A summary of Ziglar’s formula for setting goals:
1. Write down what you want to achieve.
2. Date it.
3. List the obstacles you will have to face.
4. Identify the groups or people you will need to work with, and from whom you will need support.
5. Devise a plan of action.
6. Set a time limit.
7. Identify all the benefits of what’s in it for you.
8. Make it a reality!

Part One of Three

Part Two of Three

Part Three of Three