The Kevin Miller Podcast

#954: In our last show of 2021 Tom Ziglar and I take to task, goals. It’s time for New Year’s resolutions and goal setting for all the aspiring people of the world. Truth is, the idea of setting goals is a downer for many. It comes with guilt and doubt, and at the root is…what drives us. Or not. Our motive. My intent is to free you from some goals, and amp your motive for others. Naming a goal you have or a problem you want to solve is a beginning. It’s a map in front of you. But the journey is getting into something that will actually transport you there. This is your motive. Do you really want to achieve the goal? Why? What does arriving at it look like? Is it really that important to you? Conversely, what if you don’t make it? Is that ok? If so, maybe it’s not necessary. Are you driven by desire? Or is the better, more true motive, pain and fear? Some of my goals are driven by what I deem a healthy fear. The point is knowing why you have a goal and what is actually driving you and discerning which goals really matter and which you can be free of. If you want to join like minded people and get feedback and support on working out this topic I invite you to join our community of people devoted to making positive change in their life and work, come over to kevinmiller.co and join my Driven To Live Community. Go from listening to this podcast episode on goals and motives and engage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#953: We’re back with Jonathan Fields, host of the top podcast, the Good Life Project. He has a new work focused profile you can take at sparketype.com, just this morning I asked a couple friends to take it, as I wanted them to know if for themselves, and I was curious where they’d land. I really appreciate the profile, and Jonathan uncovers more about it in his new book, Sparked, which I also recommend. In this episode I walk with Jonathan through his personal habits for success, and as you heard in the intro, Jonathan is a deep and intimate thinker, which is what people love about him. I think you’ll be touched and inspired by what he shares. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#952: The sales process is no longer what it used to be. In the past sales people were needed to inform and educate and fully showcase a product or service to people who came in with a desire, but were pretty ignorant. Today nearly all sales happen online with no need for a so-called sales person. With any product or service we can fully research it. Compare it. Get unbiased user reviews. All that’s left is deciding from which person or company we’ll make our purchase from. So how do we all adjust for this new scenario? That’s what Tom Ziglar and I discuss in this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#951: There are key, intrinsic activities and aspects of work that truly make you come alive and within which are your greatest opportunities for top level success, and your greatest fulfillment and joy. But we don’t tend to realize what they are. We attribute them to a specific job or business and the roles we had, the product or service we were involved with, the people included. But nearly every job or business ends or significantly changes and we lose it and try to recreate it based on those external ingredients. And often can’t recreate it. Why? Because those are not the right ingredients. To showcase what the right ingredients are, I have Jonathan Fields back on the show. Jonathan was with me years ago and we talked about his book, How To Live A Good Life. He has a really big podcast called the Good Life Project, and now he’s put together a work profile you can take for free at sparketype.com, and he goes deep into what sparks us in our work, in his new book, Sparked. If you want to go beyond merely listening and join our community of people devoted to making positive change in their life and work, come over to kevinmiller.co and join my Driven To Live Community. Go from listening to this podcast episode with Jonathan Sparks and join us to talk and grapple with and apply the concepts to your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#950: You have problems in your life that need solving. You have goals for your life that require decisions. The greatest minds of all time budgeted specific time in their days to simply…think. To really sit and without input or distraction, think. To use the machine of their brain to crunch the data and consider the options and do what nobody or nothing else could do for them. The great art and ideas we all benefit from and applaud came from someone who took the time to think them up. To fertilize the seeds of their mind, nourish and nurture, and come forth to bear fruit. If we want great solutions and ideas and actions, we must take time to sit and…think. Here is the concern. In his book, 2 Chairs, author Bob Beaudine who I recently had breakfast with, calls us to spend time listening to God. Setting a chair in front of us and trusting God knows what our needs are, then sitting to listen for his direction. What is the primary obstacle here? Trusting you’ll actually hear from God. My concern is when it comes down to it, we doubt that our thinking…our listening to ourselves, will actually result in anything. Instead we clamber to hear from others so they’ll tell us what to do. This isn’t a call for self-sufficiency. Just a budget. We take in input. We take in counsel. And…we think on it all. Deeply and with faith and expectation. Next Tom Ziglar and I have a conversation on this issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#949: Tuesdays with Morrie is the bestselling memoir of all time, selling over 15 million copies. Best-selling author, screenwriter, playwright and nationally-syndicated columnist Mitch Albom has now sold over 40 million of his combined books. In this episode he comes to us to discuss his latest, The Stranger In The Lifeboat. The moment I saw the request to have Mitch with me for a the show I simply replied with a resounding, “Yes! Of course.” I didn’t need anything new from him. That said, this new book and the message within is just…incredible. It’s an enthralling story with a powerful message, which is indicative of Mitch, who gets billed as writing messages where the spiritual and the earthly collide, and they sure did in The Stranger In The Lifeboat. I start us off simply talking about personal transformation. Mitch had his own radical life change that resulted in the Tuesdays With Morrie book and in the 20+ years since then, this has been his devotion. What does it take to transform a life? Our lives? That’s what this episode is about. We got…deep. Into the very tenets of faith and our cultural views of God, and our personal lives. It was a significant discussion, and it’s coming up next. Get Mitch’s new book, The Stranger In The Lifeboat, wherever you get books. And you’ll hear him mention an orphanage in Haiti he literally took over Havefaithhaiti.org. And when you hear some of the significant issues of our lives we cover in this episode, I invite you to join our community where we go…deeper. Into meaningful conversations and how to apply what we hear, to our lives. To our transformation. Find my Driven To Live community at kevinmiller.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#948: I asked the Ziglar audience, “To make progress in your work/career/business/vocation; if you had a willing angel investor, what investment or action would you put money toward?” Tom Ziglar and I talked through the listener comments and it was really insightful for us all to consider… where we really feel the priority is, for making progress in our work and businesses. The top three areas cited were Marketing, such as ad copy and social media, physical resources like land and tools, and people, staff and team members. Go beyond just listening to this episode of The Ziglar Show and join me and a group of aspiring people like yourself to dig into the topics and actually apply the messages to your life. Come to kevinmiller.co/community, get my Drive Formula for free, and join the Driven To Live Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#947: We are back with Jon Acuff, the New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including his most recent, Soundtracks, The Surprising Solution To Overthinking, which we had a deep conversation about in episode 945. In this episode we dig into his habits for success, which as you heard in his intro, include keeping queso out of the house, which I completely understand. I have a friend who calls it liquid love and I’m prone to ODing on it as well. This references my friend Ben Hardy’s book, “Willpower Doesn’t Work” and the reality that our willpower is finite and instead of relying on it to not eat all the queso, we set up our environment for success and just not have it available. Listen in as I ask Jon about his primary habits following the Ziglar Wheel of Life, and you can get Jon's new book Soundtracks wherever you get books and connect further with him at acuff.me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#946: “What are the top 3 leadership challenges you see in business, as a business owner or as an employee?” This is the question I posed to our audience. The comments were varied and valuable. Tom Ziglar is becoming a go to expert on what began as a topic of disruption, then recently onto the aspect of “the great resignation” but Tom is rising to acclaim as he looks at it as the “great reimagination.” Here however, with all the responses, you’ll hear most of them coming down to...relationships. The primary leadership challenges point to simply relating to one another with actual care. But as we come to again and again, the workplace so often misses the fact that it’s about people and not business. We take this head on in the following episode. To fully grasp and take advantage of this opportunity in your own leadership...pre-order Tom Ziglar’s new book, 10 Leadership Virtues for Disruptive Times, right now at 10leadershipvirtuesbook.com. Go there now and download a chapter for free. 10leadershipvirtuesbook.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#945: Jon Acuff is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including his most recent, Soundtracks, The Surprising Solution To Overthinking, which is our muse today. This is the second time I've had Jon on The Ziglar Show and he has a knack for bringing profound personal development messages to us in an entertaining and highly digestible perspective. I admire his way to connect with where people are in the reality of their lives. A reality that as you're about to hear, he says we manufacture, and I sincerely agree. In this episode you'll hear us dig into issues such as; We think our memory is a GoPro recording of “reality”, when in fact we're just filtering it through our own cognitive bias, one that has a quick decline in memory consistency. But we base our beliefs on it. Jon asks, “Why is it so easy to repeat negative soundtracks about myself internally and so hard to repeat positive soundtracks about myself externally?” The premise of his new book and message is we are living from soundtracks in our mind we often need to Retire, Replace, then Repeat with the new ones, over and over. Jon discusses with me how our brain builds on overthinking’s habit of negativity by doing three additional things: Lying about your memories, confusing fake trauma with real trauma, and believing what it already believes. And we start in on his insight into no single good event in our life has as much lasting impact as trauma. So...what do we do with it? That is what you're about to hear about. Find Jon's new book Soundtracks wherever you get books and connect further with him at acuff.me. Come join me in my new Driven To Live community at driventolive.co where we go beyond just listening to these podcasts, and we engage with other driven people...to ask questions and have real conversations on how to actually apply the incredible wisdom we hear, to our own lives as we seek to transform ourselves into our full capacity. My guest in this episode is Jon Acuff and you're about to hear what drives him and a message that is worth digging into. Join us to dig in, at driventolive.co. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#944: I like mind games because I think that’s what life primarily is. In this episode I wanted to get us focused on what counsel we most desire if it was critical. I asked the Ziglar audience this question; “You must spend 2 hours with someone for pure Q&A, you ask questions, they give answers. Who do you choose? And why?” People came back with answer such as Adam Grant, Matthew McConaughey, anyone in congress, Caesar Augustus, Ronald Reagan, any former president, Stephen Curry, Jordan Peterson, Elon Musk, Gary Vaynerchuk, Andy Andrews, C.S. Lewis and many others. But for more important than who is...why. To think, like with a genie in a bottle if you were to get one wish, if you could get two hours of counsel with anyone, and I did ask it to be a mortal, even if deceased, who would it be and why, with the why really helping give you focus on what your top priority for help and growth is in your life today. Whether you could truly meet with that person or not, it sheds light on where you now spend your counsel budget. Even if it’s listening to podcasts or reading books, are you giving this area of focus priority? This is our show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#943: How would Zig Ziglar’s kid build a business? What you’re about to hear is a grassroots story from Julie Ziglar Norman, Zig Ziglar’s eldest daughter. If you were fortunate enough to hear one of Zig’s last talks, he was always accompanied by Julie to keep him on the target of his message after his fall that would find him sometimes repeating himself. Following his death and the death of her husband, Julie started a career in real estate. Especially for you fans of Ziglar with a fondness to hear how he inspired not only hundreds of millions of people, but his own family, you will be comforted and inspired by this. Tom Ziglar and I talk with Julie and her business partner Heather Prichard and hear the story of building a business on the Ziglar principles of integrity and ethics, which along with being the right thing to do, is also...the most profitable. This will be confirming for many of you as you can sometimes get the feeling that doing the right thing will be nice but lose money. You can find Julie and Heather at https://www.ziglarrealty.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#942: Which is good news, as that’s a lot of pressure. As you’ll hear in this show, we are all co-creators standing on the shoulders of everyone who we have gleaned from, whether it’s a parent, mentor, coach, or author. The big opportunity is we don’t have to invent something new. And in truth, nobody does. Everything we know, we got from someone. We get to build on it, or just give a different perspective or insight on it, or somethings simply introduce it to others, and get paid for it. Think of the big awards shows such as the Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and Tony Awards . What do the winners do? What is the point of them taking the stage? To recognize everyone who helped them get the win. I start us off with a 2.5 minute message from Zig Ziglar telling the story of two of the winningest college football teams who don’t focus on individual accomplishment, but team accomplishment. Then Tom Ziglar and I discuss how we are all part of a team, even if you are a solopreneur, your team is all those who again, you have and are gleaning from, every day. It’s not all on you, and that’s good news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#941: I’m back with Diana Pavlac Glyer, the award winning writer who spent 40 years studying all things C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien with a special focus on the power of their infamous writer’s group, The Inklings. We’re back for part two as I focus on taking the essence of what propelled these writers to bring monumental works such as Lord of The Rings and Chronicles of Narnia, and discussing how we can emulate them to get our greatest works out of ourselves, by helping get them out of each other. I am taking Diana’s research and counsel to heart and putting structure into place so I can spur and spar with peers and help each other further our respective efforts. I’m banding together with fellow influencers; authors, speakers, podcasters, coaches, consultants, leaders, agents, to help each other increase our influence and expand our reach. You can review it at drivencounsel.com, where you are welcome to inquire for your own interest with me, or if you are looking for a different makeup of a mastermind group. You can dig into Diana’s research on The Inklings in her new book, Bandersnatch, available wherever you get your books. Coming up next...Diana Pavlac Glyer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#940: We have feelings and emotions we can’t control. We might be able to control our reactions and responses, but our thoughts...they often run amuck. In this episode I pulled out a well known quote from Napoleon Hill, which reads, “You have absolute control over just one thing, your thoughts. This divine gift is the sole means by which you may control your destiny. If you fail to control your mind, you will control nothing else.” But Tom Ziglar and I take the quote to task. Having absolute control over your thoughts is not...something most of us feel we have. Whether it’s even possible is highly debatable. It is however, something we can grow towards, every day. I asked some of my members in my community, which you can find at driventolive.co, their thoughts. Tom and I talk through it, and the point is to have compassion for the reality we do not, have absolute control over our thoughts, but there are methods we can be training in to have more and more every day, and doing so is possibly the most powerful asset of our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#939: Mastermind groups are very popular, but so is dissatisfaction with them. The benefit is peers coming together to provide support and counsel to each other and to do so effectively requires trust, structure, and some deft facilitating. Diana Pavlac Glyer has intimately researched one of the most successful and well known mastermind groups of all time, which interestingly did not at all call and maybe didn’t even consider itself as such; The Inklings. The Inklings are an infamous group of authors who came together in the 1930s, headlined by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. At face value they had informal gatherings over 14 years at Magdalen College in Oxford, and a local pub. But as Diana uncovers in her book, Bandersnatch, what you’ll see is these men were intrinsically involved in each other's work and not only spurred each other on, but actually sparred with each other. Diana greatly dispels what she refers to as, “the myth of the solitary genius.” The charge and takeaway from this conversation is the opportunity and great benefit we can derive from investing in other’s pursuits, but not simply for their reciprocity, but what we directly receive from devoting attention to the endeavors of our peers. I was so convicted by Diana’s research and the benefit, I’ve put together my own, new mastermind, called the Driven Counsel, you can find it at drivencounsel.com, and the point is coming together to help each other on what we are most striving to progress in with our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#938: Tom Ziglar recently quipped during a recording, “Do my core beliefs limit or unleash my potential?” It stopped me, as the question itself flips our paradigm. We inherently think our beliefs are simply based on facts. That’s what a belief is, right? And yet what we find in the following conversation is our beliefs can be held in a way that as Tom said, limits us, or unleashes our potential. And it’s not mere semantics, if you are willing to consider our beliefs are not based on proven fact, but on decided choice. That does not negate an absolute truth like gravity, and for those of you who are thinking spiritually, this is why it’s called having a faith, not having a proof. This show has the potential to jack up your doctrine, but elevate your capability. If this episode sparks questions you want to dig in further on and take the topic from hearing to truly learning and applying, come join my new community at driventolive.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#937: I’m back with neuroscientist Dr Amishi Jha who schooled us on the power of our attention and what we give it to, in episode 935. This time we talk through her personal habits for success. As you heard in the intro from her, we got into meta awareness, which to me brought me back to something comedian Michael Jr said to me in our recent show together, where he referenced “thinking about what he’s thinking about.” Being aware. Being present in the moment but realizing our reality is moment by moment and not to get so hung up on any one point. It speaks to me of holding things lightly, which is a current focal point of mine. You’ll find this and other powerful nuggets in this short episode. Find Amishi’s book, Peak Mind, wherever you get your books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#936: I asked the Ziglar audience this question, “If I asked you to tell me the positive attributes of someone in your life whom you like and respect, you'd easily do it. However, if I asked you to rattle off the positive attributes of yourself, how does it initially feel? Can you readily conceive of it or does it set you back a bit?” The responses were compelling. Almost everyone said it caused them to pause. Tom Ziglar and I talked through the comments and I feel the episode turns things upside down with how we view humility and egotism. Following the recording of this show we talked about this issue of why we struggle to speak to our own attributes in my Driven To Live community, which you haven’t heard about yet because I haven’t publicly launched it… But what occurred to me is we spend our lives being quote, humble, so as to not seem egotistical. We generally go further and make a habit of minimizing ourselves and we can’t even take a compliment. But when it’s time to get a job or start a business and appeal to a bank or investor, or try to sell ourselves as a coach, we are flush with long lists of our accomplishments and attributes. But aside from that, we diminish and deny what we know we are good at. Why? I’m going to que up a :50 second clip from Zig Ziglar on the issue, then Tom Ziglar and I will walk you through the convicting comments. We’d love your comments as well, just find me on Facebook at agentkmiller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#935: Dr. Amish Jha is a professor of psychology at the University of Miami. She serves as the Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative. Dr. Jha’s work has been featured at NATO, the World Economic Forum, The Dalai Lama's Vision Summit, and The Pentagon. She has received coverage in The New York Times, NPR, TIME, Forbes and more. She is the author of Peak Mind, which we discuss in this show. She has spent the last 25 years researching the science of attention through extensive work with the US Military, medical professionals, elite sports teams, and more to answer this question. Her TED Talk on "How to Tame Your Wandering Mind" has over 5 million views Here’s the deal...think of the world of business and marketing, but then the role of parents and teachers, and you readily hear the phrase of, “How can I get their attention?!” Today we spend everyday tuned in to screens whose sole purpose is to get our attention, to the degree we now must make a focus on, “How do I get my own attention?” Our attention is in many ways, the only power we have. The only thing we have an influence and impact on, the only thing we can help or find success in or enjoy, is what we give out attention to. We all know the concept of budgeting our money, and our time. Now we’re faced with budgeting our attention, and if we can’t control our attention, all hope is lost toward much progress in our lives. Find Amishi’s book, Peak Mind, wherever you get your books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#943: Zig shares with us that while earthquakes and hurricanes get all the press, much more damage is done overall by termites, who take such small bites we can’t even detect it with the human eye. But take enough over time and they can completely destroy a home. Now take that on a positive spin and it’s the small, consistent, and sometimes seemingly innocuous things we do everyday that lead to our greatest successes. As a past pro cyclist you will benefit far more from spreading your allotted training time over the week and do some every day, than to do one or two monster sessions on the weekends. I asked the Ziglar audience, “What is a tiny step or deposit you take nearly every day that pays great dividends in the long term?” Tom Ziglar and I talked through the comments to shed light on what small, daily steps people like you and me are doing to revolutionize their lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#933: I bring you the habits of former Chipotle co-CEO, Monty Moran. As you hear in the intro, he provides a significant perspective on the concept of what we’d say is doing the right thing, but relating it to our very tangible self interest. If flies in the face of authoritative leadership and management principles the corporate world was originally based on. Which of course is why his story of taking Chipotle from its humble beginnings to it’s meteoric success is so intriguing. Also in this episode you’ll hear him discuss his habits for mental health. He said he often wakes, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders, and like a failure. Which is interesting for a guy who seems so successful, don’t you think? Would you feel like a failure if you were worth three or four hundred million dollars? Monty shares how he strives to practice compassion on himself. He says he tries to make friends with his feelings, and when he wakes with foreboding, to, “Hold my own troubles in a kind and accepting way.” Here is an offering from Monty, if you go to loveisfree.com you can buy his book, Love Is Free, Guac Is Extra,” and he’ll write whatever you want in it and send it to you. Coming up next...I bring you Monty Moran. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#932: Look at all the people you follow and let influence you. They are known for something specific, but so often in our business and personal pursuits, we miss this point. It doesn’t mean that thing is all you can offer, but it gives people a needed reference point if you’re to stand out from the crowd at all. Examples from guests on my podcasts: - Dave Ramsey is known for guidance to financial peace and health - James Clear for developing good Habits - Dan Miller, for finding work you love - Pete Vargas, for mastering and leveraging the stage - John O’Leary, for overcoming adversity I asked the Ziglar audience, “Vocationally, what area(s) of expertise would you like to be known for?” It is a powerful exercise and Tom Ziglar and I read through comments and discussed this important topic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#931: In this episode I’m joined by Monty Moran, former Co-CEO of Chipotle. He joined them when they had 8 stores and left after there were over 2,500 and their valuation grew from a few million to $23 billion over his decade with the company. What is interesting is what he cites as the key to the success, and it came from one-on-one conversations with employees, and connecting the company mission, to theirs. He did this 20,000 times. It sounds altruistic, but look at Chipotle’s ridiculous success. In our businesses we are told to have a mission. A “why” as Simon Sinek teaches. Then communicate it to the employees. But do they really care? They care about their personal mission, and that is what Monty connected to. And this is what we discuss in this episode. It’s the crux of his book, with one of my favorite titles ever, “Love Is Free, Guac Is Extra,” which, this is cool, go to Loveisfree.com and buy the book and he’ll write whatever you want in it and send it to you. Monty lives up in Boulder Colorado and a few weeks ago while I was in Leadville on a getaway, he flew over and we had a 3.5 hour breakfast talking about ideas to change the world. He’s just a quality, enthusiastic, insightful guy and I’m so glad to bring his message to you right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#930: Even with the best intent we often find ourselves “telling and selling” to influence others. Whether it's to get someone interested in our product or service, trying to express our opinion and perspective on social media, or striving to get employees, coworkers, or our kids to do something. We convince and convince and convince and get frustrated with our lack of influence. In this episode I play a clip from Zig Ziglar where he schools us on giving up the convincing and instead, persuading. And how do you best persuade? By asking questions that help the listener lead themselves to the desired conclusion. This gives them ownership. I asked our audience, “What is a primary question you can ask people that lets them, and you, know if they are a relevant candidate for your product or service?” Tom Ziglar and I talk through the comments to further unveil the power of asking relevant questions to serve both you and whoever you are looking to...persuade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#929: I’m back with Jeff Brown who was with me in episode 927 to talk about the message of his podcast and book, both titled, “Read To Lead”, where our focus was the power of reading and specifically reading to learn, for our daily opportunity to learn and grow and increase our ability and opportunity. This is my habits episode and we talk and walk through Jeff’s daily habits for success. As you heard in the intro clip I lead the show off with, Jeff gave a big testimony to the power of mastermind groups in his life. Which is interesting timing. If you’ll venture to my newly revised website at kevinmiller.co you’ll see some new options to engage, one of which is, the Driven Counsel. A select, small group of people to achieve just what Jeff testified to. Encouragement, shared wisdom, accountability, and more. OK, next I give you Jeff Brown and his successful habits for life and work. Connect with Jeff at readtoleadbook.com and get the first chapter of the book for free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#928: In this clip from Zig, he surely does not negate making and having money. He was always outspoken about his joy of nice things. A nice house with a big pool, nice cars, nice clothes and vacations. But in this clip he balances those things with... if they came at the cost of his health or relationships, especially being a devoted father to his kids, he would have been a broken hearted man. But we do all need money, and are best served to have an abundance. Do we know what our financial goals are? I asked the Ziglar audience this question, “If your income tripled right now, what would change in your life and/or work?” I was fishing to find how many people felt lack of money was holding them back, and how motivated they are to make more money, and then the question is... at what cost? Again, not to diminish the pursuit of making money, at all. Just to be honest with what we might inadvertently sacrifice for its sake. We got a boat load of responses and categorized them, and next Tom Ziglar and I talk through the results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#927: Voracious reading is going to benefit you by exposure alone. But ultimately the point, or at least the opportunity, is to learn. We all have the access, every day, to life changing books where we can learn from the life lessons and wisdom of the world’s most successful people. Reading however is not by proxy learning and growing. We can read and not ingest. And are we reading the information relevant for us? Harry S. Truman famously said, “'Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Jeff Brown has made this his focus. To study reading and while it can be the most powerful tool in our life-growth arsenal, it’s not as simple as just exposure to words on a page. So he takes us through the details and nuances of reading to showcase what actually fosters true digestion of the messages and them taking root in a way that incites us to action and the real change we want. Jeff has a podcast called Read to Lead he started in 2013 where he’s interviewed nearly 400 of the world’s most successful and inspiring authors. From the massive insight these interviews provide him, and his own reading of a book a week over the past 10 years, he’s just published his first book, amply titled, Read To Lead. In this episode we break down the root issues around not just reading, but reading to learn, grow, and find the success and fulfillment we desire. Connect with Jeff at readtoleadbook.com and get the first chapter of the book for free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#926: The only thing that makes us any different throughout our lives is the new information we are exposed to and whether it inspires us to take action on it. In this episode I share a story from Zig Ziglar about a very mediocre guy who literally, accidentally stumbled upon a personal development resource that then led to a radical, fairytale life change. From this I asked Ziglar listeners, “If you’ve gone from, “not much”, to a place you are proud of, what gave you hope and belief you could do it?” Incredible sharings from the audience. If you want to join these discussions just find and friend me on facebook at agentkmiller. Stay tuned and Tom Ziglar and I will read through listener comments and showcase the primary catalysts that result in us actually changing our lives for the better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#925: I’m back with Stephen Scoggins, whose rags to riches story I shared in episode 923, and this time we are talking through his personal habits. He shares a lot of heartfelt lessons that resulted in habits which pulled him from homelessness to $100 million dollar businesses, such as the clip I led off with in the intro. You’ll hear multiple concepts on habits that will give you ideas for yourself. Such as, Steven strives to address all the spokes of his life during a given day, but he gives proactive focus to one specific spoke. That concept alone was worth the episode, but there was far more that grabbed my attention. You can connect with Stepghen at StephenScoggins.com and check out his Transform U event coming up Oct. 21-23. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#924: Whose work is better today than it was pre COVID? And why? This is the question I posed to our audience. Tom Ziglar and I talked through the comments and of interest you’ll hear, what business did well, and why. Of more importance however you’ll hear Tom talk about what the uncertainty of the past 18 months has done for businesses and how we must all respond, across the board, as with things shaping up as they are, the uncertainty of the marketplace looks to continue. Shoring up our businesses to successfully weather uncertain times is simply wise and we spend a lot of this episode discussing ways to do so. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#923: Stephen Scoggins has a great story of rags to riches that you're about to hear. He had a humble beginning in construction. He was given a chance by a mentor and turned it into success and money at age 21. Then he squandered it all. He betrayed trust. He ended up homeless and almost took his life. He asked his mentor for a second chance, and it was given. Stephen credits his mentor for saving his life with two pieces of advice, which he took and built businesses with over $100 million in revenue. This episode is not about how he built his businesses but what he became personally that enabled him too. The key for me that we led off with was this; we don't need to hit rock bottom and react to the pain. We just need an awakening moment. Find him at StephenScoggins.com and check out his Transform U event coming up Oct. 21-23. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#922: Tragedy, trauma, a setback, a challenge. A lack. A break. Those things will never happen to you, right? I often go about life with that perspective, but I know better. I've experienced such things and it's not pessimistic to think something hard will likely happen. So what am I doing now to prepare to weather the storm? I have a clip from Zig Ziglar telling a story of overcoming, made possible by the preparations before tragedy every struck. Then I asked the Ziglar audience, "At any moment you could encounter a life altering, tragic change to your life. What are you doing to beat the odds of it overcoming you?" The answers fell into three categories, but in truth, under one umbrella. You'll find out in just a moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#921: “I would like to be measured by what the people who learned from me taught other people.” Seth Godin is one of the premier voices of business in our generation. He’s known for his innovative thinking and insight into what I’d cite as business and vocational reform. He’s a true leader in that he’s attracted a massive following of the business world who look to him daily for commentary on what’s most relevant for successful business practices and ethics we can all benefit most from. He was one of the first people Tom Ziglar and I tapped to join us on the Ziglar Show after I became host and revived the show, because he’s one of Zig Ziglar’s greatest fans. The point is not to glorify Zig, but to hear Seth talk about why the core tenants of morals, values and personal relationships that Zig upheld are still what is most important for our success in today’s marketplace. A marketplace that changes daily, but principles that do not. So coming up is Seth Godin and why he sees his legacy as...you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#920: Hey everyone, welcome. For the first time, I'm going to repost a blast from the past from Zig Ziglar, the man Seth Godin cites as the grandfather of motivation and speaking on stage that made it possible for everyone else. I’ve been encouraged to share some of our best episodes, and it’s great timing as I’m over a week of my voice being totally shot! Here’s the setup...in July of 2010 I spent a day with Zig and conducted one of his last interviews. Ever. He was 84 years old and passed away just two years later. My premise was self-employment but in a short 7-minutes Zig hits on some specific pillars of his overall message that has touched and influenced over 250 million people worldwide. So coming up next I'm going to queue up my short interview with Zig. I’ll then follow it and draw your attention to some very key things he said and alluded to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#919: I’m back with Doug Paul, my expert on innovation from episode 917, and we’re talking about his habits. What intrigued me most was what I felt was exceptional wisdom, as I tend to do just what he alludes to, have an all or nothing approach to all of my habits. I either do an awesome 60-minute workout, or things get in the way and I do nothing. I have glorious devotion time in the morning or...life happens and nothing. Doug talks about this and says his “peacetime” plan only happens about 20% of the time, so when it doesn’t he relies on his wartime plan, so instead of 75 minutes of a perfect morning ritual, he may only do 5-10. But at least he makes a deposit. Brilliant. He shares other insights such as his ruthlessness regarding family sabbath and his joy of watching sports and what he calls, “edu-tainment”. You can find Doug at dougpaul.org and check out his book, Ready or Not: Kingdom Innovation for a Brave New World. Stay tuned for...Doug Paul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#918: I asked listeners, “If you had to spend $3,000 on coaching, consulting, or counseling...today, under penalty of death, what area of your life would you pay to get help with? Health/Wellness, Personal development, or Business/Work/Career?” 40% said business, 33% personal development and 25% health and wellness. Tom Ziglar and I spent the bulk of our time talking through the comments. But here is a curious point of interest. I asked a follow up question, “If you could get a coaching/consulting/counseling package for the 10 people closest to you, and you had to pick the same for all, what area would you choose for all of them? 80% chose personal development and 20% health. Zero business. Why would this be? We’ll discuss it in just a moment. If you find yourself thinking more seriously about getting help for an area of your life I’d be honored to leverage my golden rolodex and recommend providers. Email me at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#917: Innovation is our focus today and what you heard at the top of the show was Doug Paul, author of Ready or Not: Kingdom Innovation for a Brave New World. Doug is a Managing Partner and Innovation Strategist of Catapult, an organization that helps leaders build successful ministries that scale. You heard him talking about churches today as we discussed their necessary need for massive innovation, but so far they seem to be looking at it poorly. In our opinion. The point of the show however, is for you. I take aim at innovation being counterintuitive. We work and strive so hard to find what drives success in our lives and businesses and want to say, “Yes! We got it!” Then reap the rewards. Which we can and do, for a time. But in today’s world, especially for business, things will change. Others will innovate and threaten what we provide and we risk being eclipsed and even being made obsolete. Even in our personal lives what we find produces success will often plateau or wane. This is our discussion. Find Doug at dougpaul.org and check out his book, Ready or Not: Kingdom Innovation for a Brave New World. Next...Doug Paul and drilling in on innovation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#916: If you haven’t heard it, you will want to. This story has reached hundreds of millions of people for a reason. It’s an analogy of our propensity to give up too soon. We may be more at risk for this today than ever. And if you have a business, you need a pump story and icon. Tune in for more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#915: I had Nedra Glover Tawwab on the show a month ago to talk about boundaries but due to the release of her new book, Set Boundaries, Find Peace, and subsequent media rush for her, we couldn’t get our schedules together to record a habits show. A lot of new authors claim bestseller status which can be achieved by selling even 30-50 books in a given day on amazon to get to the top of a sub chart, but Nedra’s book actually landed her on the actual New York Times bestseller list. Here we walk through her personal habits which invariably get us on the topic of...boundaries. And how she works to implement them into her own life. Find Nedra’s book anywhere you buy books and connect with her at nedratawwab.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#914: I want to buy you. Or I don’t. And the product or service you are selling hangs in the balance. Actually, anything you want to offer me is in the balance. Your idea, your message, your influence and taking any of my time. I could be your prospect, coworker, employer or employee, spouse or kid. This is the point. We always think we are offering a thing and we habitually miss the reality we are first and foremost selling ourselves. In this episode I polled our audience, asking, “In your job or business, how much do you feel you are selling your product or service, vs how much you are simply selling yourself?” Tom Ziglar and I talked through a number of comments to give us all a big reminder of how much of our efforts are made or broken by our ability to sell ourselves. Unless you are selling a commodity product in volume and merely competing for price, such as on Amazon, then you are selling a premium product or service. You simply can’t claim you have the best, as nobody believes it. And to a great degree you can’t claim the most unique or exclusive or nearly anything. What you can and must do is attract your prospect to you personally. This is our show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#913: I’m back with Kate Eckman, my guest in Ziglar Show episode 911 where we discussed working out your spirit, mindset and mental health to be fit and resilient just as you workout your body. This is my habits episode and what I did here was have Kate share how her habits changed and evolved since her big wake up call. That wake up call was two very close friends committing suicide with a handful of months of each other that brought Kate’s life to a screeching halt and ultimate redirection into her vocational devotion today. She previously had habits in her life that helped her achieve success as an elite swimmer, model, TV anchor and broadcast journalist. So how did Kate’s habits change from those areas of external success to today where, while she still has success as a sought after executive coach, speaker and author, she is having success internally with inner peace and fulfillment? That is our episode. You can find Kate at kateeckman.tv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have a book deal with the sixth largest publisher in the world. I truly believe the book will help many people, and be a great boost to my professional life. I have kids ages eight to 27 and believe the best thing I can do with them is invest time into them. These are the great works and opportunities in front of me. Yet the days go by and I find myself dealing with the more urgent demands of daily life and these initiatives often stay on the backburner. Do I need to stop some activities? Delegate some? Or just get more focused and work smarter? This is our discussion today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#911: Kate Eckman looked to be doing it right. She’d succeeded as a competitive swimmer, model, tv anchor and broadcast journalist. Then in a short span of time, two very close relationships in her life committed suicide and Kate found herself in tears at the pharmacy counter grasping for antianxiety meds and knew things were just not right. This began a significantly new trajectory of her life with a focus on our spirit. If you want a fit, strong and resilient body you nourish it, exercise it and allow it time to recover. How about your spirit? Your mindset, emotions and very soul? Are you working it out daily in order to keep it fit and resilient? Kate recently published a book titled, The Full Spirit Workout: A Ten-Step System to Shed Your Self-Doubt, Strengthen Your Spiritual Core, and Create a Fun and Fulfilling Life. In this episode I walk with her through the pitfalls we all encounter in being strong and at peace with our self worth, confidence , self doubt, comparing ourselves to others and the struggle between our external and internal life. As you’ll hear, Kate has much wisdom to offer, but in a very raw, compassionate and raw...spirit. We hit some profound points and laughed...and cried. You can find Kate at kateeckman.tv. and www.thefullspiritworkout.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#910: Do you have an opportunity in your work to open the doors in your mind for significant creativity and innovation that would really catapult your success? The legendary basketball player, Michael Jordan, was known for putting unprecedented time into the basics, practicing such drills as dribbling, free throw shots, and layups for hours per day, his entire career. As Zig Ziglar points out in a short clip I play, this allowed Michael to play much of a game with reflexive movements he didn’t even have to think about. In doing so he freed up his brain to make spontaneous, creative moves that gave him his legendary success. So to us. Are we pursuing mastery in our work and roles in order to free up and allow for creativity that leads to innovation? This is our discussion today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

909: It’s one thing to hear what a high achiever’s habits are today. But what were their habits before they were a high achiever? I’m revising these habits shows for a while going forward in this manner, and today I bring you my guest from episode 907 where we discussed work and whether it must be so meaningful. Dan Miller. Renowned career coach and author of 48 Days To The Work You Love. And also, my father! He champions successful habits his audience and in this episode walks us through the habits he developed coming from an ultra conservative upbringing on the farm with Amish roots, to the best selling author who drives a tricked out Corvette today. What was his evolution out of the mentality from then to now, as his next birthday will ring him in at 75 years old. I think this format of “habits evolution” will give you more insight into the development of your own habits, then merely hearing what people have grown to today in their relative success! Find Dan’s podcast, just search for 48 Days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So you’re going along in your life. Today, tomorrow or before long, something is going to change. Something you can’t control is going to happen and force change. What happens to you and in you? And also, as you are listening to this podcast I can assume you are the type of person who is working on proactively making change in your life. Again, what happens to you and in you during this process? This is our focus today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In July, Tom Ziglar sent a message out, charging us all to claim our freedom from, Bad Habits, Negative Self Talk, Limiting Beliefs, Poor Diet & Exercise, Wrong Priorities, and Settling for Second Best. He said these are some of the only things we can control. I agreed, but also realize the tremendous challenge in changing these things in our life, and that is what we address in this episode. A compassionate look at what it really requires from us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

907 - What began as a discussion on whether our work must really be so important ultimately came to our need to know ourselves and what really fulfills us individually. And while yes, having meaningful work is profound to the joy of our lives, it’s also not meant to be the end all to our purpose and calling, but a tool. I brought in Dan Miller, celebrated career leader and author of the now classic tome on work, 48 Days To The Work You Love. We had a conversation at a high, but deep level, regarding how we all perceive the value and importance of our work. I wanted to speak specifically to those who may be feeling stress and anxiety about finding the ultimate work opportunity. The “holy grail” and culmination of their life’s purpose and calling. That can be so daunting and in this episode I feel we did justice in taking some of the pressure off the work and putting the impetus on us having a bigger view of our overall life focus. Find Dan’s “48 Days” podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#906: We generally have two measurements for our work; do we like it and does it provide for us well. But in looking at the most successful and fulfilled people they have another measurement that eclipses those. Do I feel like the end product or service I help provide is something of worth and value to people? Not by the world’s measurements but by my own? In this episode I play a clip from Zig Ziglar where he shares a story about seeing a play. What struck him was out there on the stage, the people were truly giving it their all. They were fully committed to giving an incredible and near flawless performance to the audience. The point being for us to consider, not necessarily just how hard are we working, but what is our goal in the final delivery? So I polled my audience with this question, “Do you feel your work is necessary? Honorable? Worthy? And please help me by sharing if you do not.” The contribution you make with your work, in your own eyes, matters greatly. Not just to your fulfillment but to your overall level of success. Tom Ziglar and I talk through the comments and come to some significant discoveries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices