The Kevin Miller Podcast

I have a double Habits episode for you. What are the habits of one of the top 20 wealthiest people on planet earth, and the CEO that runs multiple foundations for him? As of this recording Charles Koch is worth $50 billion dollars and ranked as the 15th wealthiest person on the planet. Brian Hooks is CEO and President of three of Charle’s philanthropic organizations. I had them on together in episode 855 to discuss their co authored book, Believe In People. This is my habits show and I walk through the seven spokes on the Ziglar Wheel of Life and let them tag team on their answers. It was Brian talking about his spiritual habits who said he strives to emulate the attribute of being entitled to nothing and grateful for everything. Charle’s had lots of insight to share and ended by divulging he’s a big Bob Dillon fan! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Ziglar Show we talk about customer service. And here is the crux; delivering your product or service perfectly and expertly, is...not...enough. That will not win you customer loyalty and referrals. You’ll continually be frustrated at losing clients to competitors. You won’t get the referrals from customers that you’d expect. Delivering your product perfectly is simply meeting the initial hopes and expectations the customer had. Even if nobody else on the planet delivers as perfectly as you do, doesn’t matter. The only way to get your customers to come back to you time and time again and refer others to you is if you over deliver. Nobody does it, but it’s not hard. I asked the audience, “What do you do to create customer or client loyalty? What do other businesses do that earn YOUR customer loyalty?” I’m going to give you a 3.5 minute clip from Zig Ziglar where he explains going beyond customer service to customer satisfaction then Tom Ziglar and I talk through many of the comments to the question and lead a class on how to own your customer for life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you succeed in business? The current corporate culture showcases power and control from the top to manage down to the bottom, and it influences even how small businesses structure themselves. It’s not working. Charles Koch is chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, one of the largest privately held American companies and who Forbes cites as the 15th wealthiest man in the U.S.. Koch Industries has over 130,000 employees. It’s safe to say he has more experience than most of us in this area. Charles is an influential philanthropist focused on developing effective solutions to social problems. He founded a non-profit organization called Stand Together for just this purpose and its CEO is Brian Hooks. Brian is also president of the Charles Koch Foundation and Charles Koch Institute. They have written a book together called BELIEVE IN PEOPLE: BOTTOM-UP SOLUTIONS FOR A TOP-DOWN WORLD, a message of inclusion and empowerment. They show how every single one of us has a gift we can use to find fulfillment and build a better society. And they show that by coming together, we can tackle our country’s biggest problems and help every person rise. Find Charles and Brian at standtogether.org and find their book, Believe In People wherever you get your books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one listening to this show is unaware of the concept of personal discipline. We tend to think of ourselves and others as either disciplined, or not. When in truth it’s a fallacy. Nearly everyone is disciplined in various areas of their lives, though maybe not the areas that gain the main spotlight and glory. Tom Ziglar and I talk through a lot of the comments as it helped give different perspectives to the concept of discipline. As you will hear however, I give much focus to the danger of believing yourself to not be disciplined, and again, question whether this is actually true. We also cover at length the errancy in relying on our self discipline when we are far better served to create environments where we do not need to rely on our self discipline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The mere claim to have a formula for any aspect of success initially strikes me wrong, but to a degree, anything can be boiled down to the core ingredients. The difference in my opinion is this formula is less like a cooking recipe you just easily mix and bake and is more like an intense formulaic math equation you must work out. But Steven Kotler does in fact do a masterful job of deducing peak performance down into its essence and from it you can see where you need to give focus and attention and...work. Steven is a New York Times-bestselling author, an award-winning journalist and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. He is literally one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. He’s authored nine bestsellers out of thirteen books total, The Future is Faster Than You Think, Stealing Fire, The Rise of Superman, and Bold and Abundance. His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes and translated into over 40 languages. His new book is The Art of Impossible and as of the initial publication of this episode there are eight days to go before it’s available and it’s already in the top 5,000 books in Amazon. You can go preorder now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I kick us off with a one and a half minute clip from Zig Ziglar where he zeroes in on the myth that we should all just love everything about our work. In truth this is a tremendously frustrating issue for many people and a very real question is...just what I posted to my listeners. I asked, “If you have any frustrations with your work, do you feel you need to change the circumstances or just need to change your attitude?” Zig Ziglar was the king of adjusting your attitude to the positive because it makes everything better. But it does not mean that it’s all you should do. There are times when the circumstances themselves are limiting to you being fulfilled in our work and able to bring all you can to the table. So we talked in and around this issue and I believe it will give you great food for thought in regards to your own challenging work circumstances and whether and attitude change is in order, or you really would be best to change the circumstances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of this episode, Matthew thanked me as many of my guests do, for giving focus to this incredibly important, foundational aspect of overall success...the personal habits, and in the last 30 seconds of the show said, "I think personal strategy is so much more important than business strategy, and it's the reason why most people fail in business and life or end up successful and have lost their family along the way.” Which is an understatement to say the least. But it is exactly why I started doing these Habits shows with guests years ago. It reminds me of how so often in the action adventure movies I watch with my kids, a main character ends up hanging by their fingertips on a ledge at a climactic point. And I always point out as I take my parental teaching moment, “To be able to do that, they must be doing their pull ups, every day!” But that is the point. When you see someone respond in a healthy, strong fashion instead of reacting in an unhealthy fashion, it’s not happenstance, but the result of working out that ability...every day. Being Superman and leaping tall buildings in a single bound comes from taking a few steps every day. You can get the first chapter of Matthew Pollard’s new book, The Introvert’s Edge To Networking, at theintrovertsedge.com/networking Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are few leaders and influencers in the personal development, self-help, and health and wellness space who don’t cite journaling as a daily habit for success. From this I know a lot of people who try to journal because they think they should, but aren’t finding much value in it. I wanted to draw this out with the question I posted, then have someone give us insight. I started journaling around age 18 but simply wrote down the day's events every night. I went many years not journaling at all before resuming it and using it as somewhat of a prayer tool, and today do a lot of thoughts and feelings. Which should YOU do? Of course the answer is...it depends. Jess Ekstrom was my recent guest in episodes 845 and 847. She’s the renowned founder of Headbands of Hope but recently launched Bright Pages, an online, guided journaling platform. Of course we talk about Bright Pages and if you go to brightpages.com and sign up using code ZIGLAR she’s giving us all a free month, but the meat of the show is me throwing questions from you listeners to her and letting her address them so you can understand how to get true value from your journaling efforts, or possibly get inspired to start! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matthew Pollard first wrote "The Introvert's Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone," as it was his life story, an introvert who initially failed miserably at sales. He taught himself to succeed and he did so to a dramatic degree. But it wasn’t by becoming something he was not, but by leveraging his natural strengths. I was sent his second book that is coming out currently, "The Introvert’s Edge To Networking: Work The Room, Leverage Social Media, and Develop Powerful Connections." It caught my attention because I am an absolutely introvert, and I do not...like traditional “networking”. In this discussion you’ll hear why introverts don’t just have a chance to shine with sales and networking, but we actually have an edge, and not by becoming extroverts. I brought Matthew on because I think this is sorely needed information that will empower so, so many of you. And yes, extroverts will do well to listen to this episode. They will actually do well to do just that...listen. More. You can get the first chapter of The Introvert’s Edge To Networking at theintrovertsedge.com/networking Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Of course as the New Year is upon us we have many people making resolutions and thinking of goals, but this was a simple question to discern what is most on our hearts to make better in our life. As Tom Ziglar has shared, far more people relate to solving a problem rather than having a goal, which points to a reality of behavioral psychology, that we react and respond more readily to pain than desire. Hearing the variety of submissions I think will help raise your own awareness of what is most on your heart to make better in your life and open your eyes, ears, and heart to feelings you may not be fully cognizant of. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess Ekstrom is the renowned founder of Headbands of Hope and was my guest in episode 845 where we talked about the strategy of optimism. This is my habits show she began by citing coffee as her first priority habit of the day which will endear her to many of you as it did me! But then she hit on something very close to home for me, in saying she’s come to realize the value of seeking calm and clarity before she lets her day get rolling. She often wakes with anxiety and angst in the morning with so many thoughts swimming in her head and used to try and address it by doing things, but knows that doesn't calm her. So even unplugging for 10 minutes to focus on breathing, then making sense of her thoughts by writing them down because then they don't seem so scary. She shares how long she went with her goal to get to zero, cross everything off the to do list and be calm, but says, “I've never been at zero." I'll always be getting there, there's never an arrival. I think right there, so many of you will resonate as I did and will want to hear more from Jess. On the note of morning writing, I highly encourage you to visit brightpages.com, her new online, guided journal. Sign up and use code ZIGLAR and she’s giving us all a free month. Her book, Chasing The Bright Side - Embrace Optimism, Activate Your Purpose, and Write Your Own Story was the muse of our first show together and you can find it wherever you get books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I know a lot of you would love to have great counsel and personal guidance, for your businesses and business ideas, but time and money and who to trust is an issue. Again, I asked, “If you were given $10,000 to spend on business coaching, what are the top one to three issues you would want wise counsel on?” Tom Ziglar joined me to talk through your comments and it was really insightful to hear the areas people wanted help with most. We gave a good bit our guidance and resources and as business coaching is a key service Tom and Ziglar provide, we sourced that, but as you’ll soon hear, the main offering was to help you find the best solution, whether Ziglar provides it or not. Tom even gave out his email address! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Optimism isn’t a mood, it’s a strategy,” quipped Jess Ekstrom in our talk. This is a very candid walk through an amazing amount of mistakes and corrections that led Jess to found the wildly successful company, Headbands of Hope. A favorite part of the discussion for me was Jess sharing how some of her earlier business endeavors were easier to embark on because she didn’t have the “wisdom” to think about it too much, and today as the successful and aware business woman she’s more prone to analyze and question too much, something I believe is a pitfall of aware and intelligent people. This show will massively bolster your confidence in trying things, and will, as the title says, give you a strategy of optimism as a primary methodology. Jess has recently launched an online, guided journal that I’m excited about, at brightpages.com. Sign up and use code ZIGLAR for a free month. Her book, “Chasing The Bright Side” is an inspiring romp through her story of ups and downs and purpose and success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I listened to a clip from Zig Ziglar about how he works at his goals and it got me to thinking about where we do and don’t generally work at personal growth. We may set goals but do we really work on them daily, like a task? If I want to get faster on my mountain bike, I work out. I go on rides, short, long, slow, hard. I am consistent. I track my progress. Am I this diligent with my goals? With what I say is most important in my life? So I posted this question on Facebook, “If I snooped through your home, office, and car, what evidence would I find of you pursuing personal growth?” And honestly I had it in mind to wonder, is there enough evidence to convict you of? I just posted the question moments ago and I see Facebook notifications dinging my computer. I think it will be an interesting show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

95% of the time I ask an influencer what their most valued daily routine is, they answer with the morning. In this show my guest from episode 841, Jonathan Milligan, does the same. However he goes further than devotions and exercise to further safeguard his morning time for creative work, leaving the afternoon and lesser energy for creativity for admin work. Jonathan is the author of “Your Message Matters” which made for a powerful show. He shares the concept here of Maker Mornings and Manager Afternoons. As with any guidance there are of course exceptions. You may find yourself doing creative work late at night or other times, but by far and large we do find the brain is well prepped for creative thinking earlier in our days. Jonathan shares a lot of behind the scenes info on how he runs his growing business and keeps himself where he needs to be with healthy habits and routines. Find Jonathan and his incredible book, “Your Message Matters,” at yourmessagemattersbook.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you know? I asked The Ziglar Audience and received over 400 comments. Real comments. And they fell into seven categories. To discuss it, Tom Ziglar and I brought in Ziglar’s Spiritual Director, Janie Seltzer. Janie is a very frequent personality on the Ziglar Facebook page which has over 5.5 million followers. Her Facebook lives are extremely popular as she brings true hope and inspiration to everyone. This is a timely show as our current culture is experiencing more fear, anxiety, and uncertainty than possibly ever in most of our lifetimes. I want to give a special call out to you creative minds out there. Those moved by beauty and lyrics and poetry. Janie Seltzer has a new book titled Even If - The Transforming Power of Perfect Love, and it’s far from your normal inspirational book. Take the profound counsel from Zig Ziglar and marry it with art and poetry and you find the messages flowing in from other perspectives of your brain. In this show you’ll hear some tremendous hope and inspiration from Janie, and you can connect with her more and get her book, Even If, at janieseltzer.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special insert - No intro, outro, or ads. Just a brief, solo message from Kevin Miller about a very important missing piece of personal development he’s learned after hosting The Ziglar Show for the past six years and hearing from over 150 of today’s greatest influencers and leaders. Why are they so successful and fulfilled? Why are you not? It’s the platform for a new podcast, Motive. Kevin’s new platform from this important message is at kevinmiller.co. The punchline, the missing piece is at minute 12. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Who are you to think you have something worthy to offer anyone?” This is perhaps the unspoken yet primary enemy of personal development. We want to be of value to people. We want to help them. We want to take some lessons we’ve learned and lift others up. But the biggest hurdle is our own self doubt. We as humans are far more prone to see our faults than our gifts. Which is why I have a tremendous show for you today. I’ve known Jonathan Milligan for many years and witnessed him help a tremendous amount of people discover the message they have to offer and effectively get it into the market. His success in doing so did not go unnoticed and he was courted to write a book. Which he did, it’s called, “Your Message Matters: How to Rise Above the Noise and Get Paid for What You Know. The book starts off with believing you truly have a message, then leads you into defining it and finally to marketing it. Jonathan Milligan is an author, blogger, speaker, and online business coach and has spent the last decade guiding and directing creative professionals on how to pursue meaningful work. Jonathan has a tremendous story of leaving his high school teaching position and finding his way over seven plus years to 2009 when he started his own portable lifestyle business online. Today he teaches others how to build a business with their passion, story, or message. Find Jonathan and this profound book at yourmessagemattersbook.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I asked the Ziglar audience, “What are you grateful for, right now. First thought. And why?” We got 50 comments in less than three hours and they quickly fell into some specific categories, with two far outstanding. Tom Ziglar and I start off with the miscellaneous one offs that were really interesting and insightful, as we led up to the two main categories which you’ll hear about 20 minutes into the show. My focus however was this, here are the main things we say we are grateful for. Do our daily and ongoing priorities line up with what we say we most value? As I’ll divulge this, the two greatest areas of gratitude are two of the most neglected if we look at the culture. Nobody cited gratitude for their smartphone or TV which undoubtedly gets so much of our attention. Only one person said their work, though we all generally spend more time devoted to our work than anything else. This episode then became a significant audit and exercise for us all to consider. Is what we are most grateful for where we most invest our time and resources? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m back with John Bevere to talk about the healthy habits and routines he relies on to support his life. His work. His calling. His new book is titled X: Multiply Your God-Given Potential and this was much the focus of our talk, how John personally strives to multiply his own God-given potential through the day to day goings on of life. If you didn’t catch my talk with John in episode 837, just yesterday on Facebook Eric Michael Cap shared the show and tagged me, his post said about the episode with John, “Kevin, I loved It! I’m convicted & Inspired. One of the best Episodes of any Podcast I've listened to all Year. Thank You for the Great Guests & Discussions on TheZiglarShow & Best Wishes re your new Motive podcast. Cheers!” There is my sales pitch to check out episode 837, and to listen now as I’m back with John as he leads off with his morning routine and health and wellness and his quote I titled the show with, a perspective he perceives of God saying to him, “Your Body's My Temple, Take Care Of It”. You can find John at johnbevere.com and his new book, X: Multiply Your God Given Potential wherever you get your books! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You have a product or service that can help someone. You are talking with them about it right now, you know it would benefit them and you know what you have is the best there is. But, they decline. They say no. Zig Ziglar gives us a three and a half minute message at the top of this show with an important reality. They will not change their mind. Hear that. You are not supposed to convince them they are wrong. They made a decision about what you are offering and said no and Zig says it’s hopeless to try and change their mind. However, what he reveals is they said no to one issue regarding your product and as you’ll hear Tom Ziglar discuss in this show, it’s for one of five reasons. Which means you have four other reasons to discuss with them. Four other reasons why they can still say yes. I asked the Ziglar audience this question, “With what you have to sell, what is the most common objection or challenge you deal with?” We used this as a guide to fully unpack the issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most everyone had a parent or someone who told them they were special as a child. Someone who told them they were capable of so much. If not, you have undoubtedly read or heard someone claim you have greatness in you. However my experience is, very few of us actually believe it. At least not to a great level. Sure, we may have a knack for some things, but it’s not really that big of a deal. My guest today challenges all of this on the issue. John Bevere’s latest book is titled, X: Multiply Your God Given Potential. The point is our responsibility to multiply our inherent talents, gifts, and abilities, though that assumes we are aware of what those are. We spent a good while talking about just that, discovering and clarifying what talents are within us and the reality that we do in fact have them. Then, how and why do we multiply them. John’s belief is that multiplying our talents is actually one of the key aspects of true faithfulness. But you won’t find simple or pithy discussion here, we get into the nitty gritty of what this really looks and feels like in the real world. John Bevere is an international speaker and best-selling author, he and his wife Lisa Bevere are the founders of Messenger International. They have incredibly large followings due to their fervent and uncompromising messages for us all to multiply our God-given gifts. Find John at johnbevere.com and his new book, X: Multiply Your God Given Potential wherever you get your books! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What you want is often not what you truly want. It is based on a cultural or even personal expectation but in truth is not a core desire you have for yourself. Many of our goals we take on just because. Just because they are the norm. You are expected to buy a home, have a nice car, live a certain style. Work a certain type of job or start a business. In today’s social media culture we get indoctrinated with the expectations of our culture like never before. So when you audit your goals, are they truly yours? Or the cultures? Or your parents or spouse or family’s or friend’s? I play a one minute clip from Zig Ziglar where he asks us this question. Then I posted this question to the Ziglar audience, “Have you ever pursued anything for the wrong reasons?” Tom Ziglar and I talked through the comments, with most who replied being those who had in fact, pursued goals that were not really theirs. This topic right here is a foundation of my new podcast which I officially launch right here and right now. The Motive podcast. The focus is just that, Motives. We discern what we truly want by clarifying our motives for wanting it. Our reasons. Find the Motive podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. You can also find all my shows at kevinmiller.co, including the videos! You can also go to youtube and find me at kevinmiller.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If that sounds elementary as it does when I look at it, I encourage you to really think about it. Do you lead as a spouse, parent, employee, employer or in any capacity? Is this the primary spirit you lead from? Or do you lead from experience, authority, your inherent position and role, seniority, or even simply niceness? You can lead from all these aspects and be leading from or truly providing value to the intended recipient. This is my habits show and I’m back with my guest from episode 833, author and speaker Kary Oberbrunner. I led off with interest about his habits and routines that help him be Unhackable, the title of his new book. Kary shares a lot from his lessons and insight, from being an unfulfilled pastor of 12 years to feeling tied to social media for his business, but it was his line about leading from value that stuck out to me. If you haven’t visited unhackablebook.com where you can check out Kary’s book and free unhackability assessment to find out where you are getting hacked, I encourage you to go now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you vote for a presidential candidate? Did you vote in spite of the candidates with focus on policies and platforms? In this show we reveal that you are voting every day in ways far more powerful than your official ballot. The contents for this show came from two strategic questions I asked the Ziglar audience. First I asked, “If your weekly purchases were audited to discern what you truly value, would you be proud of what was found?” Which I then followed with, “If you had to choose, what political policy are you most concerned about?” Tom Ziglar and I first read through comments citing what purchases people were proud of and which they weren’t. Then tied it into the policies and platforms listeners cited as their greatest values. Ultimately asking if our daily decisions and purchases lined up with what we say we value. The point was not to criticise or critique but bring us all to more awareness that we can make the most powerful votes in our daily decisions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Corporate America’s number one product is you. Your attention is today’s most viable commodity. They can’t get it if you don’t offer it, but the temptation is possibly the most enticing and addictive draw of any drug ever invented. The antidote? Purpose. The consequence of going with the flow? Purpose. Author and speaker Kary Oberbrunner brings us a message from his book and platform, Unhackable, showcasing we are all being hacked and the result is us losing our ideas, dreams, and our very purpose. Conversely the greatest antidote for fighting the pull of social media, news, email, and every outreach calling from our devices is our intentional devotion to a goal. A calling. A purpose. As you will hear in this discussion, I feel Kary has brought a profound insight that provides far more than just pointing out the problem of our beckoning screens, but brilliantly reveals the consequence which doubles as the only viable solution. At unhackablebook.com you can get the book, and a free unhackability assessment to find out where you are getting hacked. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You attempt to sell yourself everyday. To your spouse, your kids, your coworkers or employees, your boss or investors, and for some of you, to an actual customer. What is your process? When do you actually ask for the sale, or do you? I play a four minute clip from Zig Ziglar that is pure sales training. And of course I asked the Ziglar audience a question, “How or when do you ask people to buy your product or service?” and got many responses. Tom Ziglar and I definitely talk business and professional selling here, but we also make this personal. Selling is caring. Selling is influencing. Selling is sometimes convincing somebody of something. And selling is a skill just as much as making somebody feel truly loved is a skill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are all paid for what we produce, to varying degrees. But with a full time writer it is very tangible and acute. Renowned fiction author Charles Martin was my guest in episode 829 and his livelihood is 100% connected to his thoughts, ideas, and creativity and what he can get from his brain, out his fingers and typed onto a screen. In this Habits episode we walk through how he manages himself, his time and his energy to get the required output from himself. He shares some health issues he’s dealing with that have caused his energy and output to be less, and how he’s managing this to still stay on track with his aggressive writing goals, including getting more of his books on the big movie screens. I think you’ll relate much to the behind the scenes realities of life Charles’ shares. You can find Charle’s books and movie ventures at charlesmartinbooks.com or just search for him wherever you find his books, which I just can’t recommend enough. He has quickly become one of my family's most favored authors. I’m already disappointed at the thought I’ll ultimately read all his books and be left waiting for the next! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should you keep your goals and aspirations secret? Should you share them with anyone? Everyone? In this episode I play a two minute clip from Zig Ziglar where he gives us two types of goals and who we will be best served to share them with, and why. Then I posted this question to the Ziglar audience, “Do you share your goals and aspirations with anyone? Why and why not? And if you do, who?” Loads of responses that of course ranged from “everybody” to “nobody” and why. This is an important issue, as there is great value in sharing our goals and aspirations and Tom Ziglar and I will address why, but also cause to be judicious in who, and we cover that as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A masterful weaver of provocative stories that will move you. You will experience excitement, anticipation, inspiration and you’ll likely cry. And get angry. He’s had readers send hate mail when his stories took a drastic turn and they didn’t stick to read the redemption. Charles Martin has written 14 fiction books, two non-fiction books and has one turned into a major motion picture, “The Mountain Between Us” and another is in the works for a movie. His story of going from full time insurance agent to full time author is humbling, and inspiring. His insight into life, humanity, and faith is why he is on this show. That and the fact I am a fervent fan of his books! My whole family is now reading through all his books. Incredible stories that will entertain you at the highest level, while also hitting the chords of hope and life like nothing else. If you love fiction, look no further. If you haven’t read fiction in a while, I strongly encourage you to try one of Charles books. This is a very in depth and thoughtful conversation with a man devoted to changing the world one story at a time. Find all his books at charlesmartinbooks.com or type charles martin into amazon and you’ll find them all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the world of personal development, self-help, inspiration, and motivation, the point is to have BHAGs, right? “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals!” Then why would Zig Ziglar, the king of BHAGs himself talk about negativity in goals and cite that often people are unrealistic? How can that be? It’s a very important question as we balance belief in and not limiting oneself, with some valid questions we need to consider. In this show you’ll hear a three and a half minute message from Zig Ziglar on the issue, then I asked the Ziglar audience this question, SURVEY: For those of you with a really big goal: Do you feel it is realistic? Is it within your field of study and basic interest? Do you believe luck is a determining factor in reaching the goal? Tom Ziglar and I talked through the issue and some of your comments for a show I think you’ll find comfort in and confirmation regarding your own big goals. And maybe some inspiration! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some people struggle with having ambition in the world and being devoted to God, yet Deborah Smith Pegues holds these both with peace and joy. In episode 825 we heard Deborah’s profound story of having every right to be a victim and be minimized, but instead she went from a difficult upbringing and being a southern maid to being VP of a Fortune 500 Company. This is my Habits show and we get to hear first hand the habits, routines and values that give Deborah such a rich and vibrant life and successful career. She is jointly full of laughter while not pulling any punches about what she believes, what she struggles with, and how she addresses it all in her daily life. I believe you’ll find yourself smiling and convicted as you listen to this episode. You can find Deborah and all she has to offer at https://www.confrontingissues.com/ and you can find her new book, Lead Like a Woman anywhere you buy books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First doesn’t mean most, but it is a relevant sequence. Here is a simple and easy analogy that you will get, but it will be an effort to truly...get. Before a busy week of caring for your family and running them around everywhere, you fill up your car with gas. I bet you don’t drive until you run out and end up stranded with your family, right? And you don’t get out and push and have one of the kids steer for a few days, right. You get gas before you are empty, possibly every week or more. You also change the oil, put washer fluid in, get new brakes and tires and more. What about yourself? We often don’t treat ourselves with the wisdom and necessity of our car. We run ourselves to empty and spend untold days, weeks, months, maybe years, running on empty. Slow and sluggish or hectic and frantic, and the people we care about are not getting the best ride. It’s a cultural error. In this episode I play a clip from Zig Ziglar where he talks about balance and having us look at where we are out of balance. I then posted this question to the Ziglar audience; Right now, which area below gets most of your focus and interest, and which gets the least? 1 Health & Wellness 2 Relationships 3 Mental 4 Finances 5 Spiritual 6 Career 7 Personal Tom Ziglar and I talked through the responses. You’ll be interested to hear where people said they were giving the most focus, and this wasn’t where they thought they should be giving more and less focus, but where they actually are. The punchline I’ve made obvious though, the place people most cited giving the least focus to was, themselves. Their own personal care. So of course Tom and I address this in the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Everything works together for my good; I’m never a victim.” Deborah Smith Pegues had every reason to be a victim but ultimately didn’t see the value in it. She was poor, underprivileged, black, she’d been molested, yet figured out how to get an education and went from southern maid to Fortune 500 V.P. and then on to become an international speaker and award winning author of 17 books including her book, 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue which has sold over one million copies worldwide. But don’t expect some hard charging war horse here, that’s what intrigued me. Deborah was all smiles and laughter as she gave light hearted but profound answers to my inquiries. At one point as I pressed her on the hardships she faced, she just said, “Well what were the options? Let it all take me down, or just go succeed?” It left me feeling silly for minimizing myself or letting any circumstance get me down and handicap me. She has a new book called, “Lead Like A Woman” but I’ll tell you her message spoke to me as much as any I’ve heard in a long time. What we discussed regarding gender and race and opportunity was powerful. As a black person she never tried to be white and as a woman she never tried to be a man. However she recognized how the cards were stacked and simply did what needed to be done. She knew she’d have to work twice as hard to get half the credit, which she again, simply accepted and did it, realizing complaining about it or letting it hold her back gained her nothing, it just diminished her and her opportunity. What she is today is a wildly successful and joyfully fulfilled human and it was a pure delight to hear her wisdom. I think you’ll find the same thing. Find Deborah and all she has to offer at https://www.confrontingissues.com/ and you can find her new book, Lead Like a Woman anywhere you buy books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We often talk about the things we would do if we had more time. In this episode we kick off with a two minute clip from Zig Ziglar about the power of focusing in on one goal because we can’t address every goal all the time. From this message I asked the Ziglar audience this question, “If you were given time to double your focus on improving one area of your life or progressing toward any one specific goal...where would it be?” Great conversation reading through the comments with Tom Ziglar. Many of the comments talked about business goals but the majority were addressing themselves, which shines light on the reality of how we often shortchange our own care, which leaves us unable to serve others and our goals at full capacity. You’ll get much from this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andy Andrews cites George Washington Carver saying he was up before birds and would promptly go outside and get his marching orders for the day. Andy prescribes to this as well as he shares some of his most valued routines here in my Habits show. If you didn’t hear episode 819 where I talked with Andy about his new book, Just Jones, please...go listen to it. You’ll hear some of his personal story of both parents dying while he was a child, ending up living under a pier and ultimately being befriended by an older man named, Jones. To come from this lifestyle and seeming lack to being a renowned, best selling author and influencer to influencers requires some healthy habits and routines that differ from the norm. Here in this episode you’ll hear some. But you’ll also hear us go on a tangent of parenting and some counsel Andy gave me years ago that stuck. As a teaser I’ll just ask you this, “Is your goal to raise good kids, or good adults?” It’s a paradigm shift. So if you want a serious and significant dive into core issues of parenting, you’ll find it here. And check this out...I encourage you to again, listen to episode 819 with Andy and me, and if you bless yourself and buy Andy’s new book, “Just Jones” from Amazon or anywhere and send him a receipt or screenshot to [email protected], you’ll gain access to his 4 hour audio program, “Becoming a Noticer.” And we all want to be noticers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We buy what we buy for the benefit it gives us, in the form of fulfilling a desire or solving a problem. Sometimes we aren’t even aware of why we buy what we do, but there is almost always a specific reason. The exercise of this show is to get us thinking about benefits from the products and services we buy, so as to help us better conceptualize how we need to showcase the products and services we offer. Even if you are an employee, you are paid for a result, not simply to take up space. Are you aware of the specific benefits you provide? I start this show off with a three minute clip from Zig Ziglar, from his direct sales training, not a stage with all his humor. He talks about the three aspects of anything we offer, features, functions and benefits. With the core value being of course, benefits. From this clip I asked the Ziglar audience this question, “Please recommend a few of your favorite products and services and WHY...what is the benefit you get from them?” What came out was a great overview of just what Zig outlined, features, functions and benefits. Tom Ziglar and I had a really interesting conversation dissecting this triad as we talked through many of the comments. This will really help you conceptualize just what benefit you, your product or service is providing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you get a mentor? What does a good mentor look like? That’s how we kick off this show. I’m with Mark Timm. Mark is a seriously successful businessman who can I just say...has done very well. But he wanted to do better, in business, and as a dad. So he got a mentor. Not just any mentor mind you, but Kevin Harrington, the original shark on the blockbuster Shark Tank TV show. Inventor of the infomercial and if you’ve ever heard, “Wait, there’s more,” that’s from Kevin. The two met through the Ziglar corporation and family and I’ve been blessed to spend time with both guys. They have now written a book together, Mentor To Millions, which you can get at getmtm.com. But what you’ll find in the book, we cover in this show, and it’s literally, a “Wait, there’s more!” episode. As I said, we start off with what everyone wants to hear most, how do you find a mentor? Here is what’s interesting though, Mark talks so much about the mentoring he got and gets from Kevin, even now as they are business partners. And folks, the book is along with everything else, a complete playbook on the business methods of Kevin Harrington. But Mark not only applies the lessons to his businesses, but his family, as a primary focus for Mark, as you’ll hear, is nurturing and growing his family. So everything he learns and applies to business, he applies to his family. He showcases that not only do you not have to sacrifice your family to be successful in your work or business, but you can actually benefit your family by bringing them into your work. It’s really an intriguing message and show. Again, you can get Mentor To Millions which has just come out and already hit the bestsellers list, at getmtm.com. Show them a receipt from buying the book and they are offering 30 days of mentorship, for your business and family! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You have a product or service to provide. You love for people to experience it. But alas, you also need income from the time and money you spend developing and delivering your product or service. Which means, not just sales, but the ultimate setting of a price and asking to be paid. This is not a fun aspect for many. In fact, it’s often a place of severe dread with multiple negative feelings attached to it. This show is for you and it’s packed with paradigm shifting perspective changers you can take action on right now. I kick the show off with a 3.5 minute clip from Zig Ziglar where he shares a time when he was kindly chastised for selling his books, tapes, and resources from the stage where he was presenting and told it took away his credibility. How did he respond? In a way you need to hear, and you will in just a moment. From Zig’s message I asked the Ziglar audience this question, “For those of you with a product, service, or message you truly believe in, how do you feel about the task of actually selling it and asking others to pay?” I know I always say we get great comments, but friends, this turned into possibly one of the most valuable shows on how we can perceive what we provide and charge for it with peace, joy, and confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wonderful movies and stories of our time are made from people who achieved something which seemed impossible, either for themselves or for anyone at all. The best stories are the ones which are actually true. History is littered with such feats. How about you? Have you done something you or others once thought was impossible? Or do you dream of achieving something you feel is impossible and unreasonable for you? This show is for you. Andy Andrews is my guest. Andy is author of more than 25 books, several of which are New York Times bestsellers including The Traveler's Gift and The Noticer. ABC's Good Morning America named The Traveler’s Gift one of the “Five Books You Must Read In Your Lifetime.” Andy has spoken at the request of four different presidents of the United States. He's coached our nation’s Special Operations Command for eight years and has been a part of nine College Football National Championship teams in a row. He works as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and sometimes, entire communities who hire him to create a starting point for extraordinary results. His newest book—Just Jones - Sometimes a thing is impossible until it is actually done—released September 8, 2020. A New York Times reporter recently wrote, “Andy Andrews has quietly become one of the most influential people in America.” To me, Andy is an incredible guy with an incredible story and he writes incredibly intriguing fiction...with a point. Such as the point of this latest book of his, Just Jones, about doing something that seems impossible, until it’s actually done. A key point we discuss in this show together is Andy stating, “What most folks lack...is perspective. A broader view.” I find it true for myself and others, we so often have such a narrow view of what is and what is not possible. This is why Andy is cited by some of the world’s elite as a Professional Noticer. He believes we can all become such. Matter of fact, buy Andy’s new book, “Just Jones” from Amazon or anywhere and send him a receipt or screenshot and send it to [email protected] and you’ll gain access to his 4 hour audio program, “Becoming a Noticer.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How many of you are incredible with helping clients, but it’s other areas of your business where you struggle? I asked the Ziglar audience just that, “COACHES/CONSULTANTS/COUNSELORS - What area of your business is the greatest challenge for you?” Tom Ziglar and I read through the comments and gave counsel primarily to the business of coaching, consulting and counseling. Ziglar is in the business of helping grow these kinds of businesses, it’s what Tom Ziglar specializes in with his Choose To Win Coaching program which you can see at ziglarshow.com/ctw. This however is our best counsel to the questions asked, free for the taking. A heads up, the most popular question was in regards to marketing and lead generation which we saved as the last issue to cover. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let me clarify the title of this episode, that it’s from a place of peace and abundance. It’s not from an exasperated place of “Well, what more can I do?!” But it’s brought to us from a place of care and love, and to use that word again, abundance. Wouldn’t you like to be at a place of wholeness and gratitude where you can readily and eagerly ask, “What more can I do?” John O’Leary is not just back for my Habits show, this is in many ways a Part Two from our initial conversation in episode 815 where we discussed the childlike qualities John shares in his new book, IN AWE: Rediscover Your Childlike Wonder to Unleash Inspiration, Meaning + Joy.” This is my Habits episode with John and he shares his gratitude and joy in asking just that, “What more can I do!” You will be inspired, not burdened. I also take us into an issue I meant to in our previous episode. Something deep many of you will want to hear. At age nine John was horrifically burned and had third degree burns on more than 87% of his body. After examining him a doctor bluntly told his parents, “If John were a horse, I’d shoot him.” John was sitting right there. Can you imagine being given this prognosis and devaluation of your life? But what you’ll want to hear is...what happened next. It’s in this episode. You can get John’s new book, IN AWE: Rediscover Your Childlike Wonder to Unleash Inspiration, Meaning + Joy” wherever you buy books, and connect with all John has for you at Johnolearyinspires.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t you wish you could remember important quotes and inspiration and scripture as well as you remember songs on the radio decades ago? In moments of importance when I’d like to pull up wisdom from the ages I’m often at a loss, but ask me to recite lyrics and melodies from the 1980s top 40 and I’m remarkable. Music sticks in our minds and goes in through an open door to our emotions. To our memory. So I have a special show for you. Tom Ziglar brings us Roy Smoothe. Roy is a branding expert who is putting inspirational messages to...music. Jim Rohn said, "Roy created the most powerful communication tool of the 21st Century. His service is outstanding. His creativity is tremendous.” Roy’s “Smoothe Mixes” have now tallied up over 30 million streams in a short time. In this show we announce the release of the “Zig Ziglar Smoothe Mix” which hits Amazon on Sept. 4, 2020. Why do you care? If you know Zig Ziglar you know his paramount quote, You are what you are and you are where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You change what you are and you change where you are by changing what goes into your mind.” This is your chance to put life changing content in your mind and make it stick and take root like never before. Roy has literally put the best of Zig to catchy, motivating music. You can go to Amazon now to find the Zig Ziglar Smoothe Mix. As you’ll hear in this show, I am advocating using the mix to start your morning and end your day. Listen in for the psychology of why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This show was just convicting for me. When did I leave childlike qualities of questioning the so-called norm and just trying things without worrying what anyone thought? And how have I shortchanged myself in the process? In studying the most successful people of our time John O’Leary cites five key, childlike traits they embody. Traits most of us have left behind. John O’Leary is one of the world’s premier inspirational people. Why? Because his story is just ridiculous and his perspective is infectious. At nine years old he basically blew himself up and got 3rd degree burns over 87% of his body. Nobody should survive that. He did and today is grateful for it. Literally. This is the second time I’ve had John on the show and we cover a good bit of ground talking about his business amidst covid, his faith, and the message of his new book, “In Awe” where he give an incredible look at child like qualities the most successful people have retained, and the freedom and success we can find if we embrace them. Note, it’s not childishness. It’s wize and mature and aware...and childLIKE. Big difference and I now, strongly believe one we need to all understand and consider. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You have a goal you are working towards. If it has any true value there will be challenges on the way and adjustments will be necessary. Or when things don't go as planned you’ll ultimately throw in the towel. It sounds elementary but it gets to the heart of all our pursuits. I start this episode off with a two and a half minute message from Zig Ziglar where he drives this point home in the way only he can, then I asked Ziglar listeners this question, "What goal did you achieve even though you had to make big changes to HOW you achieved it, or the path to it wasn't what you expected?" Tom Ziglar joins me to talk through some of the replies I’ll give you a punchline, he gets us talking on the root issue of knowing clearly WHY you are doing after whatever it is you’re going after. This show I believe will really give you freedom in your desire to go after or stay after a big goal or desire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m back with Dr Saundra Dalton Smith who in episode #811 led us in eight key areas we need rest, in order to be at our best. This is my Habits show and no surprise Saundra is very clear and specific in her habits and routines, with rest in multiple areas being paramount. One of her morning routines I really admire is asking herself how she wants her life to affect others, today . I also took advantage of Saundra being a practicing doctor to ask what habits she finds herself recommending mpost to patients. She cited a primary issue with patients is them being sedentary and her prescribing...movement. And also the benefit in enjoying food in its natural form. This and much more in this episode. I highly encourage you to take Saundra’s rest quiz, check out her new book, and see all she has to help you with, by going to ichoosemybestlife.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Goals so big they scare you part 2! In episode 810 Tom Ziglar and I responded to comments to the question, “Who has a big goal? Maybe bigger than you honestly feel capable of? Maybe big enough you are not even comfortable sharing publicly?” Since we received feedback from listeners about how great the show was and we had so many more comments we didn’t get to, we decided to continue on. Some highlights, Nicole's parents' home was lost to fire in January and her big goal is to save up $20k to give them this Christmas. Tarz has a big idea he's confident in but is afraid to share it for fear of the idea being stolen. Renee wants to leave regular real estate for flipping homes and wants to find a relationship leading to marriage. Beffry wants to teach business to children from her homeland in Kenya where they are so often oppressed and a good many more. You’ll of course be inspired but I think this show will do more and truly incite you to embrace your big goals with far more confidence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A drug is “a substance that causes a change in one's physiology or psychology.” I’m taking liberty in calling “rest” a substance, but there is nothing stronger for positively changing your physiology or psychology for the better. If you want an athlete to kill it at a competition you have them rest the day before, you don’t run them ragged. When you want to perform well on a given day, how do you treat yourself the day before? The week before? In the workplace we treat ourselves more like indentured servants who slog out each day rather than highly prized performers. Thus the purpose of this episode. I'm bringing you a doctor. A board certified internal medicine physician. She's a work-life integration researcher, a TEDx speaker, best-selling author and international wellness expert. She's been on the Dr OZ show and a guest with all the big names. Her focus? Getting you rested and recovered physically AND mentally, so that you can actually have top performance and output. This show will make you want to rest, and rest in all the right ways. Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith is my guest and friends, I went after her to get this message on the show. Her new book is Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity. I just took a weekend following her counsel, to get myself on track for better performance. You are going to greatly appreciate this show. I highly encourage you to take Saundra’s rest quiz, check out her new book, and see all she has to help you with, by going to ichoosemybestlife.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us have dreams, desires, and goals we are uncomfortable with. We may have a hard time admitting we want them. We may be ashamed to share them. Or we may desire to have big goals but can’t tap into what we really want or care about. This show is about these issues. I kick us off with a clip from Zig Ziglar realistic expectations and the need to have big goals, which will seem at odds to many, which is why I encourage you to listen to what Zig has to say. From this I posted this question to the Ziglar Show audience, “Who has a big goal? Maybe bigger than you honestly feel capable of? Maybe big enough you are not even comfortable sharing publicly?” We got so many great responses that Tom Ziglar and I only got through about half. It’s so inspiring and informative to not only hear people admit their goals but to admit their quandary in how to go after these goals. A powerful show, to say the least. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is what Sam Collier believes, that we are literally wired to function off of joy. This is a significant statement from anyone but to me is more intriguing coming from a pastor. I didn’t grow up hearing this message or witnessing such a spirit in the multitude of churches I frequented. Hearing the way Sam puts it is infectious, however. This is my Habit’s episode and Sam shares from the profound, to the interesting, as we get into his love of movies and music which I share and asked him to give us some specifics. But my focus was his focus on the importance of recreation, fun, and laughter and his own medicine of laughing his way out of pain. He says, "The best leaders have fun and enjoy themselves. When they don't have fun they get stuck in a serious world. People who don't have fun have a hard time having hope when things get rough." This struck a cord in me as you'll hear, because it's a tendency of mine to be serious and production oriented and not giving any attention to fun and play and joy. "Every decision you make every day determines your destiny. Choose wisely. Don't underestimate the power of having a good time." You can connect with Sam and all he has to offer you at agreaterstory.org and find his podcast by the same name wherever you get your podcasts! Thanks to FOCL and their “Plant powered wellness” for supporting this episode, connect with them at http://go.thoughtleaders.io/1898420200810 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices