Authentic Legacy - Zig Ziglar

A few of my favorite +Zig Ziglar quotes in celebration of his life, legend and legacy.

• "Your attitude, not your aptitude will determine your altitude."
• "Every choice you make has an end result."
• "If you treat your wife like a thoroughbred, you'll never end up with a nag."
• "If God would have wanted us to live in a permissive society He would have given us Ten Suggestions and not Ten Commandments."
• "It's not what you've got, it's what you use that makes a difference."

Prayers and blessings to the Ziglar family and to all Zig Fans. I am a better man, husband, father, businessman, salesman and leader because of Zig Ziglar and a few other book mentors I discovered early in life and at the beginning of my business career. Zig has joined Og Mandino, Dale Carnegie, W. Clement Stone, Napoleon Hill and Earl Nightengale for a major God Special Universe Tour.

Thank you, Mr. Ziglar (Zig) for the legacy you have created that will make a difference for generations to come. Thank you for showing us all the way.

"...it's what you use that makes a difference."

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing

Legacy "To Infinity and Beyond!"

You gotta love the attitude of Buzz Lightyear, an animated robot, obviously without any means of propulsion, yet believes he can fly "to infinity and beyond." This is one of my favorite quotes of which I have many favorite quotes. Sticking with the cartoon theme, I especially like the final cartoon strip of 'Calvin and Hobbes' when Calvin says, "It's a magical world, Hobbes ol' buddy. Let's go exploring!" 

These type of quotes inspire people who seek to live life large and leave a meaningful legacy. I believe these quotes clearly demonstrate how an authentic servant-leader remains focused on the here-and-now with an internal drive to make a difference. Their day-to-day actions to meet people where they are, believe in the magic and mystery of life and love; and serve them in all the ways they can, as long as they can - yet, the infinity of their impact on the lives and situations of others happens long after their deaths. Now that is a meaningful legacy.

My wife, Cindy, and I took a weekend trip with her parents to the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas. It was the perfect Chamber of Commerce weather for strolling along the River Walk, people watching, a little shopping and fine dining. 

As we strolled along we came upon the local Salvation Army band performing at the Arneson Theater along with a men's choir from Houston. This is a unique theater where the audience sits in an amphitheater on one side of the river with the stage on the other side. The band and choir were performing the classic Christian gospel songs and the crowd was toe tapping, hand clapping and children dancing. 

As I scanned the crowd, the love for people and the joy of service exuded from each member of the Salvation Army, as they expressed their love of Christ through their actions, as opposed to words.  As I observed each uniformed member, I envisioned I was watching the Founders of the Salvation Army in action. The lives of William and Catherine Booth are the epitome of servant-leaders captured by an inspiring moment and putting their faith to work to serve others.

Almost 150 years from the founding of the Salvation Army, it is clear how the simple, God inspired lives of the Booths have achieved "to infinity and beyond." I am struck by the magnitude of how one couple's faith-in-action has changed lives and communities, time and again through the lives of millions. Now, that is what makes this planet a truly magical world. People choosing to love and serve others. This is just another experience that confirms my perspective that I've witnessed infinity once again - and this time on the River Walk. Makes me pause and be really curious about what is beyond.

Live the magic of life,

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing

How Do You Become a Thought-Leader?

Below is the response I gave to a the question "How do you become a thought-leader?" on the IBM Mid-Size Business Discussion Board. Check out some of the other answers after reading my response - thanks!

I did the Wordle because I figured all the key words would make a cool Wordle. What do you think? click here to go to my wordle. Feel welcome to copy my response and make your own Wordle.

My response to the question:   

Thought-leaders have the heart of a disruptive innovator with the abilities to listen, observe and process large amounts of information. They leverage a personal thinking strategy to organize and focus their thoughts into a cohesive communication that creates value for others.

They have deep understanding of the subject matter, which has been gained by direct, personal experience with an intense curiosity to know what they don't know. They are driven by the opportunity to reveal new possibilities to help others think differently about who they are and what they do. They have the hope that untapped potential gets revealed and released to make a difference in ways far beyond even the thought-leader's imaginings.

The most authentic thought-leaders are those who don't even know of the lives and situations transformed because the thought-leader is just doing what they love to do - think and act differently. --end of my response...

ZFactor Group is committed to helping thought-leaders, experts and influencers to publish their works in a manner that creates significant value for others and helps our authors build their legacy. Download our ZFactor Author Process.

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing

Veterans' Day: A Legacy of Service and Honor

A military cap and Bible were placed on the altar of my church, on Veteran's Day 2012. An honorable gesture to all the men and women who have served in the military of the United States of America. 

It was then noted the cap and Bible were from John Griffith, a long time member of Bethany United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas. It was a way to honor the many years of John's service for organizing the Veterans' Day procession at Bethany. 

I'm in the midst of writing this series of blogs about building a legacy and was struck by the simplicity in expressing the legacy of a man who was living vibrantly into his eighties. Sadly, earlier this year, he was struck down by a car that veered off a street and onto the running trail John was on. He left a wonderful family of children, grandchildren and friends.

The rest of this story continues to live itself out each and every day because of John's family and the impact he made on so many others, like myself. John's legacy stands clear and present by how he lived his life day in and day out. He lived a life of service to others, starting with his family and country, growing into serving his church, schools, community and at work.

John is one of the men who I revere and consider a mentor. Bethany is blessed with many men like John. Men who show the way by how consistently they have lived their lives, how they have expressed their love for others by serving in all the ways they can and as often as they can. Of course there are many women who do the same and more. But, it was John's cap and Bible on the altar.

One of my first experiences with John, he was teaching me how to do the behind the scenes activities at our church's annual family retreat and lead others to help. At the time, I'm in my late forties and while I knew how to do all these things, there was clearly something about John that was different. I knew there was much more for me to learn.

Thus, the significance of John's cap and Bible, for me. The cap a clear expression of his servant-leader's heart and the Bible expressing John's belief in the Word to be the hands and feet of Christ. I can now see just how clearly John demonstrated this all to me in his actions and words as we made coffee, at 5:00 AM, for the approaching hundred or more adults waking up at family camp. John was a man willing to do the small things and was highly capable at leading the big stuff.

John organized Bethany to be a drop-off location for clothing to aid the families of New Orleans after Katrina. This drop-off location was the best organized in the city and became a primary hub for clothing from Austin to New Orleans. I called John late one evening because I had received a call from someone who knew me and wanted to find out the logistics to donate. After John heard the situation, he exclaims, "tell me where they are and I'll drive over right now to pick it up." It was 9:00 PM. At the time, John was in his seventies and tireless. 

I am blessed to know many men like John and each of them has modeled "The Way" for me and to many others I know. I pray the cap and Bible on the altar today, stirred the souls of others to understand the significance of a simple cap and Bible to express the living legacy of one man and the difference he made. Then, in that understanding, may you also feel the stir in your soul to seek and understand the significance of Christ when he knelt to wash the feet of his brothers.

What two items would speak volumes for how you lived, served and loved throughout your life? 

Thank you, John for showing me how to live out my legacy each day. Who knows when we will suddenly run out of time.

John William Griffith

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing

How Will Your Legacy Make a Difference?

Who or what life experience made a significant difference for you? Maybe it is someone you know, a parent, teacher, minister, friend, mentor or someone you have read about or it could be a crucible life event. 

• What has been your process to deeply examine how this person or event has impacted your life? 
• How does this experience compel you to think about, seek out and act upon what you sense being called to do?
• With whom do you associate and what are your activities?
• Where are you serving others and what joy does this bring to your life?

These are just a few of the questions to answer on this journey toward the discovery and bringing forth your legacy. In a recent discussion with a young friend on this topic, they declared how they know their destiny, but that could be fifty or more years away. I encouraged them to begin living that legacy today. By doing so, I suspect their legacy will become much more than they ever imagined and impact many thousands more than ever hoped.

How will your legacy make a difference? What are the possibilities? Dreaming required.

Blessings to you for your journey and the difference it will make for those you may never know,

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing

What Will Be Your Legacy?

This past weekend, much time was spent hanging out around a campfire with good buddies. There was engaging conversation and all the while I glanced into the campfire's glowing embers. I kept thinking about legacy. I had scanned this article, How to Build Your Legacy, before the weekend's camp out.

Some of us have camped and traveled together over the past thirty years. The organizers of this annual camp out, Debbie and Dr. Chip, gather an interesting group of folks, including an emergency department physician, critical care nurse for end-of-life organ donors, a rocket scientist, nuclear engineer, ob gyn physician, employee advocate and a couple of entrepreneurs. All Glowing Embers with amazing life stories.

Check out the article on legacy to have some background for a few of my future posts. I'll be exploring the process, opportunities and possibilities for making a difference beyond our lifetime. Here's some of the working blog titles:

• Patience - Predictability - and Pickles
• How Will Your Legacy Make a Difference?
• Put Some Thought into It - Your Legacy Can Last Forever

Keep on Glowing,

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing

Glowing Embers - A Little Idea Sets Off a Roaring Fire

I love to play with a good campfire. I love everything about getting the campfire started - that's probably why I've done so many start-ups and love working with folks making something new happen.

I've got some great stories about building campfires in all sorts of weather conditions, but the absolute best memories are all the friendships made and deepened around a good campfire. I'm an Eagle Scout, my two sons are Eagles, as is an older brother and many other friends - all Eagle Scouts. So, between Scouts and all the other camping trips I've done as an adult, I've built a fair number of campfires. And, will be doing that this weekend as we head out for a campout with good friends. Some gourmet cooking, great wine and a good campfire to get warm and cozy.

A well built campfire starts with good dry bits of kindling. I've seen many novices take a little paper, add some big pieces of wood on top and set a match to the paper. When the paper quickly burns out they look for more paper or lighter fluid and give it another go. The best method is to start tiny, then a couple of small twigs and then little bit bigger twigs. As a flame gets going, add a bit bigger twigs and then some small sticks - until you hear the snap and crackle of the sticks. You've now got a fire to begin building. Just like anything else, you always have to start small, first.

There's something magical about a good campfire. People are drawn into the campfire, especially as it burns down to the glowing embers. My wife loves to imagine herself being small and walking through an ember forest. A good campfire left undisturbed overnight, will be ready to fire up in the morning. Initially the embers are covered with a light gray ash, yet with a little kindling and a few puffs on the glowing embers, a bit of smoke appears and then a flame. I love to watch small children and even some older adults as they see a new fire be born, with just a little bit of effort.

So, it goes with Glowing Embers. They may be covered with a little ash, but give them a kindling of an idea and a little bit of breeze and they can burst into a raging campfire, once again. Get those fires a'ragin'.

God Bless,

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing

Glowing Ember Sets Off a Firestorm

You gotta love it. An innocent posting of a photograph goes viral in moments. Check out this photo taken during Sandy (the storm) and the article. Brian Morrissey has some thought-provoking ponders about the picture going viral. His hit counter must have been whirling - something serious bloggers, tweeters, posters dream for.

No matter how we refer to these sort of happenings, whether a fad, 15 minutes of fame or go-viral - I recognize the same key ingredients in all of these situations. My favorite definition of "luck" is "where preparation and opportunity meet."

Ansel Adams sums up the most important ingredient. "Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter." ~ Ansel Adams

The other key ingredients:

• you have to keep doing it and be willing to change
• you have to keep learning and refining all along the way
• and, when it hits (goes viral) be ready to capitalize on it.

Thank you for my loyal and growing base of Glowing Embers. I will continue to find great examples of Glowing Embers happening. It's a big world and there is much to make happen and it's time for Glowing Embers to recognize one another, come together and make stuff happen. 

As Brian comments about how the line has blurred between social media and traditional news media, it makes me remember the "Rodney King" video. That was an awakening. Imagine what will be possible in a few short years for all us bloggers, tweeters and posters - and the difference being made in people's lives whom you nor I will ever know.

The times, they are a'changin ~ Bob Dylan

Best of LUCK to you "a-changin" Glowing Embers,

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing

Rethink Motivation (Blanchard) - Change for the better...

Are you a Glowing Ember fading or growing ever brighter? Successful people think and act differently. This is the basic premise in all ZFactor books. 

"If we don't change, we will end up with the same behaviors and conversations we've been having for decades. At some point we have to ask, 'If we keep doing things the way we've been doing them for the past 40 years, why would we expect anything to get better?'  ~ Dr. David Facer

Read the complete article on the Blanchard Insight website.

~ Alan Goldsberry, Author and CEO of ZFactor Group Publishing