Last week, I went back to junior high.
Okay, not really but I did take a trip down memory lane to my seventh grade year. I was attending West Monroe Junior High and there were some big events that happened that year. The Challenger Space Shuttle exploded soon after launch killing all seven astronauts. Our entire school was in the auditorium watching the takeoff because for the first time, a non-astronaut was selected to join the team. Christa McAuliffe, a high school teacher was on board when the shuttle blew up due to a booster leak which ignited the fuel. This is also the year a power plant in Chernobyl exploded and released radioactive material over part of Russia. It was not all gloom and doom that year though. This is the year I got my first real kiss. It was amazing.
But there was one event that I truly believe changed the trajectory of my life. My seventh grade year my school adopted Zig Ziglar’s I CAN course which was based on his first book, See You at the Top. This book teaches values and the mindset necessary if you want to reach the top.
He now calls this his Wheel of Life. This is the legacy he has left to his children and the world, which brings me to point of how this relates to my personal brand.
One of the reasons I believe my success has skyrocketed recently is because I have really expanded my knowledge and my mind through books in the last couple of years. I went back and I reread See You at the Top and then I listened to it in Zig’s own voice. Zig is a huge advocate for what he calls Automobile University. This is simply using your time in the car to maximize your learning by listening to Podcasts or audible books. I cannot tell you how inspired and pumped I was to go out and seize the day, using his steps to success.
You are probably wondering how all this relates to my personal journey by this point. Wouldn’t this be a better #bookworm blog? I went back and forth on this one myself but decided to leave these thoughts here as it really does relate to the power of personal branding.
Last week, as part of my personal journey to personal branding, I was amazed and so excited that I had the opportunity to interview Zig Ziglar’s son, Tom Ziglar. This never would have happened if I had not been brave enough to embark on this journey of personal branding. It is amazing the doors that have opened, the people I have been able to meet, and the people I know I will meet in the future. I do not know who you are yet, but I cannot wait to meet you and hug your neck.
I am sure I am will do a #podcastjunkie blog on my own podcast with Tom because he downloaded a fantastic amount of knowledge in a short period of time. I will never have the opportunity to speak to Zig in person as he has passed away, but speaking with Tom was like speaking to his dad. Tom has picked up the baton of the Ziglar legacy and has taken everything he learned from his dad and added to it. I just wanted to pick his brain and continue our conversation for hours.
I want to go back to the Wheel of Life. The spokes of the wheel are physical, spiritual, mental, family, financial, personal, and career. These are not in any particular order. Think of these spokes as having a numerical value of 0 – 10 with 10 being the outer edge of the wheel.
If your career is an eight or nine, but your family is a two that is going to make for a pretty bumpy ride because you are not well rounded. Our goal is to be well rounded in each of these areas and as close to a 10 as possible so our wheel will cover more ground in the journey of life.
See You at the Top began my journey with the Ziglar legacy many, many years ago. I recommend reading Born to Win and Choose to Win, recent books by Tom and Zig Ziglar, which is where the Wheel of Life is explained in detail and how success is a choice.
I would encourage you today to think about what you want in life, set your mind to it with laser focus, and I will SEE YOU AT THE TOP!
For more information on the Ziglar legacy, go here.
