I read in the paper today that Zig Ziegler died. You may be wondering who Zig is and why I would be writing about such an obscure person. Or maybe you are more savvy than I am, but I had never heard of him. He wrote several books I had never heard of either.
However, without realizing it, I had been coining a phrase attributed to him for years. I used to tell my students who said they couldn't do something that that was "stinking thinking". I had never thought about where I had picked it up, but that spoke to me and it became kind of my mantra, if you will.
Not that I can say that I always succeeded, but I think that generally speaking I try to apply that phrase to my thinking about life. I think that is why I don't give up an idea or ambition easily or at all. I just know that if I keep at it things will work out just fine.
I figure you might as well go about life with a positive attitude since you have to go that route anyway.
So why not think about the things you do like about your job, rather than the things that pull you down? Maybe those downers will have less pull over time.
Those antics of your children that drive you crazy, maybe just being thankful that they actually have the energy and good health that so many other kids don't have, may change how you react in the moment. Kids can be a challenge, but don't you just love watching them sleep?
How about the little things that drive you crazy that your mate does everyday. Focusing on the things that drew you to that person in the first place may help get rid of that "stinking thinking". Bet you will think about those good things if you were alone after he/she is "gone".
Being reminded about "stinking thinking" today gave me pause to reexamine some of my own points of view, too. I don't know how you impacted the lives of others, Zig, but you didn't need to leave me with anything more. God speed, Zig.
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