They are Fixin’ to Rise

Zig Ziglar "See You at The Top"

Pat Zaby "Master Your Marketing"

The Bounce - Are You Ready?

My friend Pat Zaby and I love to remember Zig Ziglar stories.  Including the one about Zig preparing biscuits with his nanny back in his Southern home.  Story goes that the nanny was preparing biscuits.  Zig asked if it was time to put the rolled out biscuits in the oven. “No, honey.  They are fixin’ to rise!”  That means they needed a little time to rise before baking.  Zig wondered what would happen if they were cooked right away.  So they slid a few into the oven and they turned out like crackers, or poker-chips, not like big fluffy biscuits. “What happened?” asked little Zig.  “Honey, they was cooked in the squat.  Yup, they were in the squat and fixin’ to rise!”

Now you have to be a big Zig Ziglar fan to remember that story by heart.  But I do.  And the punchline is really “cooked in the squat.”  But that wouldn’t mean much without the context, would it?

Last week I heard Zig live and in person.  He’s 83!  He’s a shadow of his former self.  Zig took a tumble inside his house and has some memory issues. Even as he was helped to the stage by his daughter,  I could remember his greatest days.  And his video clips showed him at full strength.  Zig’s motto: “If you’ll help enough other people get what you want, you will surely get what you want!”

Sometimes Zig can’t remember what he just said. So he repeats himself. When a member of the audience objected that he had “already said that a minute ago” he promptly responded “I know, I know.  But I didn’t thing YOU GOT IT–THE FIRST TIME!”

After the video clips of Zig in his element over 40 years ran out, the lights came up, and he was gone.  I fear the loss of Zig Ziglar.  But I have his mantra, and my memories.

I know one thing for sure, real estate markets and the economy are “fixin’ to rise!”  Even the negative naysayers see hope, currently clouded by Euro worries, International economic and political uncertainty, and continued high unemployment.  The numbers will get better when we do!

So, do something great for yourself and quit watching the oil spill, the BP press conferences, and the hand-wringing.  It’s a tragedy of cosmic proportions, yes.  But what would be even worse is if your thinking were to become polluted by the spill and you were to give up on your aspirations for a better day, a better week, a better life for you and your family.

What ONE THING can you do in the next 30 minutes to improve your outlook and your results?  Clean up your desk, get up and call someone, or go for a walk to clear your mind.  Stop cold where you are an re-organize to eliminate STINKIN’ THINKING!  Zig used to call it Psycho Sclerosis — or Hardening of the Attitudes.

I’m looking UP!  I’m organizing, sending 5 notes, and packing for a busy trip of agent interviews, sunshine, golf, and writing for the new book “THE BOUNCE: How to Prepare for the Real Estate Recovery.”  Look for more information on this ebook to be released on July 4, 2010!

Please let me know what you’re doing to find your path, and to move forward, won’t you?