You Can Have Everything in Life You Want

If You Will Just Help Enough Other People Get What They Want. -Zig Ziglar

I think it's no secret to anyone that Zig Ziglar is my all-time number one hero when it comes to motivational speakers and sales trainers.  My Dad introduced me to Zig when I was in high school, at a time when I was having problems staying focused and motivated on my grades.  I don't know if listening to the tapes(that's what they were back then, it was way pre-iPod) had any affect on my grades but I have carried the lessons of Zig with me ever since.

One of Zig's favorite sayings, and mine as well, is his statement of reciprocity, "You can have everthing in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

Simply said, you can't do it alone.  It's easier when you have help.  The best way to get help is to give help unselfishly.  It always comes back.  It's the golden rule.

So, let me ask you this...what can I help you with today?  I'm not just asking that for the purpose of this post.  I'd really like to find out if there's a way I can help you get what you want.

The spirit of giving is wonderful but you have to prime the pump to get things going.  You may feel like you are doing all of the giving, but if you do it with the heart of a servant and stay the course it will all come back to you sweeter and more abundant.

This video is less than five minutes long.  Watch it now and think about it all week.

Tact, Diplomacy, and Fresh Breath

These three things will get you anywhere you want to go in life.

This is perhaps the earliest axiom I remember learning. It came from my childhood best friend's (Mitch Peters) Step Dad, S. Benson Madison.  Ben was one of those cool Dad's that wanted to be deep into the music business but just didn't quite have the talent for it.  So he lived vicariously through Mitch, myself and our band, The Surjeon Jeneral, and he pushed us in directions that to this day I am thankful for.  Mitch and I began putting our plans together late in our Freshman year of high school on assembling a rock band. Ben was there encouraging us and teaching us the music business along with management and marketing as we began putting the band together and looking for gigs.

Often, after hours of rehearsal, sometimes early into the morning and always after a few Bacardi and Cokes for Ben, he would begin philosophising to Mitch and I.  No subject was out of the question. Girls, school, politics, religion, Yoko Ono, Janice Joplin, you name it, Ben had an opinion and he was very convincing.

The three of us were sitting in The Goose, an RV converted school bus that we used to travel to gigs, where Ben kept his stash of Ezra Brooks Bourbon. I remember that night like it was yesterday and two topics that were covered:  1) To keep an eye on Susanne Thrower, she will turn into a beautiful woman (he was right) and 2) Tact, diplomacy and fresh breath are the three things that will get you anywhere you want to go in life.

It wasn't the first time Ben had preached tact, diplomacy and fresh breath to us, I just remember that time the most.

He was right on that too.

Tact is a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others in order to avoid offense.  It's how you approach things.

Diplomacy, similar to tact has to do with the art and practice of conducting negotiations. The root of the word "diploma", was always pushed by Ben. He always stressed the importance of knowledge to any approached subject and education.

And then there is "fresh breath."  Well, he's right there too.  I mean who wants to deal with anyone with bad breath.  But this third element had more to do with personal hygiene, grooming and appearance.

Now think about it, could you have gotten where you are now without all three of these things?  Now, knowing the secret to life via Ben Madison, can you now get further in life?

Ben, thanks for being there in my life.

What is an Axiom?

Recently I had the chance to attend the Willow Creek Leadership Summit and hear Bill Hybels speak. During his talk he discussed points taken from his then upcoming book, Axiom. It just made sense to me that having a list of proverbs by which to guide your decisions in life would make life easier. I couldn't wait to get a copy of the book. After getting into it I found the book to be everything I expected.

As a result of hearing Mr. Hybels and then reading his book I decided to come up with a list, or I should say document a list of axioms that I use for my different rolls. I've collected these axioms for years and just never thought to write them down. Mr. Hybels gave me a great idea...

Introducing:  

David's Axiom Guide 

(or DAG for short).

I'll be using this blog to document the axioms I use to guide my decision making. Most will not be original but borrowed from others. Having them documented and collected, I think will help me with quicker and more consistent decision making. Feel free to use DAG and share your thoughts.

[Put] DAG on it, get it done.

The following are some definitions of Axiom that I pulled together to set a better feel for what the word really means:

Mathematical Terms and Notions - a statement which is assumed to be true, and is used as a basis for developing a system. Any system of logic starts by saying clearly what axioms it uses.

Human Kinetics - A principle widely accepted for its own merit.

The Logic Classroom - is a first principle or premise.

Wikipedia - In traditional logic, an axiom or postulate is a proposition that is not proved or demonstrated but considered to be self-evident. Therefore, its truth is taken for granted, and serves as a starting point for deducing and inferring other (theory dependent) truths. 

NumberNut - An axiom is a mathematical rule. This basic assumption about a system allows theorems to be developed. For example, the system could be the points and lines in the plane. Then an axiom would be that given any two distinct points in the plane, there is a unique line through them.

Glossary of Bridge Terminology - A self evident principle or fact.

The Free On-line Dictionary - A self-evident principle or one that is accepted as true without proof as the basis for argument; a postulate.

Merriam-Webster On-Line - a maxim widely accepted on its intrinsic merit.

YourDictionary.com - a statement or proposition that needs no proof because its truth is obvious, or one that is accepted as true without proof.

Vocabulary.com - truism, assumption, maxim, adage, aphorism, postulate.