Born to Win by Zig Ziglar and Tom Ziglar – Book Review
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Synopsis of Content:
This is the latest book by the late master salesman and motivational speaker and writer Zig Ziglar and his son Tom Ziglar. Tom is now the CEO of the empire his father built over the past four decades.
Born to Win is divided into three parts: Planning to Win, Preparing to Win, and Expecting to Win.
In Part 1 Planning to Win there is a thorough discussion of developing your vision for where you want to go or what you want to accomplish and then how to set realistic and useful goals and how to implement them. Ziglar focuses on the importance of our Desire to accomplish our goals. He echoes the work of Napoleon Hill and others who have written about the critical importance of having vision and desire. He also discusses the six qualities he finds essential to winning: honesty, character, faith, integrity, love and loyalty.
In Part 2 Preparing to Win is about preparing yourself to win. It is about acquiring the knowledge, skills and experience you need to succeed. Included in this is the development of the disciplines needed to win and the need to associate with the right kinds of people who will help you and inspire you.
In Part 3 Expecting to Win you learn how worry is a fruitless and destructive emotion that we must defeat. Here you see the logical extension of the work done in Parts 1 and 2 to condition your mind with the correct attitudes and expectations. Here you learn the self-defeating thinking that you must banish from your mind.
Like all good success literature you will not find anything magical or “new” in this book. It is a distillation of the best of what has been written about success but presented through the unique lens of both author’s experience and reflection. Through their own life experience and that of others they have worked with they have seen what works and how it works and share that with the reader.
Balance
Ziglar emphasizes throughout the book the importance of achieving balance in our lives. This includes paying sufficient attention to our spiritual, physical and emotional needs. He deeply values family and friends and teaches that success is meaningless without spending time and effort in these areas. As he observes, there is nothing more pitiful than a rich man with no family or friends.
Ziglar gives more emphasis on spiritual development than many success writers do. He is a devout Christian and discusses how his faith changed his life and the vital role it plays in winning. He does not suggest you must be a Christian but rather whatever you believe you must feed that spiritual need to thrive.
Motivation
The book discusses motivation. He observes that motivation is as essential as food. People criticize motivational speakers like Ziglar because they say that motivational works only have a short term effect. Ziglar points out that a meal only as a short term effect. Just as we must eat every day to remain healthy we must seek motivation every day to remain motivated and on the road to winning. I have never seen a better explanation for the importance of continual motivation to feed our spirit.
For Zig and his son Tom success in life must be holistic and a work in progress. No one ever reaches the top really, they just keep getting closer. For the Ziegler’s “winning” is realizing fulfillment and success in this process.
Usefulness:
This book is very useful to anyone who seeks to succeed in life, in business or in any other worthy cause. You will learn from it and be motivated by it. Each time you re-read it you will get a further boost.
Readability/Writing Quality:
It is very well written. It is well organized and written in a style that is easy to follow. They use good illustrations and examples to show the principles they teach.
Notes on Authors:
Zig Ziglar is a master motivator who has spoken to millions of people worldwide, published 29 books and numerous digital products. He has worked with six US Presidents, world leaders and many Fortune 500 corporations.
Tom Ziglar, Zig’s son, is the CEO of Ziglar, Inc. and has worked for many years to carry his father’s message to people. He has worked especially hard to carry this message to third world nations.
Three Great Ideas You Can Use:
1. “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want”. – Zig Ziglar. This has been Mr. Ziglar’s mission and mantra for decades. He has through his own experience proven it to be true.
2. Remember the formula by Frank Outlaw: Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; for it becomes your destiny.
3. “Being born to win is about planning, preparing and expecting to win. It is also about being the best you can be, no matter your job or profession”.
Publication Information:
Born to Win by Zig Ziglar and Tom Ziglar
Copyright 2012 Zig Ziglar
Available as a Kindle book.