Staying Up, Up, Up in a Down, Down World: Daily Hope for the Daily Grind
By Zig Ziglar
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Zig Ziglar
Zig Ziglar was one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the United States, and his messages offer humor, hope and enthusiasm for audiences around the world. Many of the books he authored have become worldwide bestsellers.
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Reviews for Staying Up, Up, Up in a Down, Down World
8 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Super positive with real examples and instructions of what to do and not do. Very helpful while my Mom is battling cancer.
Book preview
Staying Up, Up, Up in a Down, Down World - Zig Ziglar
You, _____________ , can have legitimate hope
because you hold in your hands the keys to Staying
Up, Up, Up in a Down, Down World.
SAMPLE PAGE
Teaching by Parable
THE PARABLE has always been my favorite method of teaching. The reason is simple. People remember the story, and when they remember the story, they remember the lesson the story provided. For example, the greatest storyteller of all time, the Carpenter from Galilee, told parable after parable. Incidentally two-thirds of them had to do with our physical and financial well-being.
One of my favorite parables is that told by Dr. Dale E. Turner titled The Lamplighter:
I am my neighbor’s Bible:
He reads me when we meet,
Today he reads me in my house,
Tomorrow in the street;
He may be relative or friend,
Or slight acquaintance be;
He may not even know my name,
Yet he is reading me.
—ANONYMOUS
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts—and we’re never ever the same.
Sir Harry Lauder, the Scottish humorist and singer, loved to tell about an old lamplighter in the village where he lived as a boy. Each evening as dusk came, the old man would make his rounds with his ladder and his light. He would put the ladder against the lamppost, climb up and light the lamp, step back down, pick up the ladder, and proceed to the next lamp.
After awhile,
said Sir Harry, he would be down the street and out of sight. But I could always tell which way he had gone from the lamps he had lighted and the glow he left behind.
Life’s highest tribute would be to live in such a way as to deserve the words, I could always tell which way he went by the light he left behind.
Like the lamplighter, each one of us leaves a trail wherever we go. Our responsibility—and surely our objective—is to leave a trail we would be willing for our sons and daughters to follow and, in the process, make our parents proud of the trail they left for us. Leave a good trail, and not only will your life be good, but so will the lives of those who follow.
I am secure underneath the protecting shadow of God’s Wings and His strong right arm. (Ps. 63:7-8)
So far, you’re doing well at following the suggestions. Now read pages 1-2, which explain how to get the most out of this book.
Zig Ziglar
1sStaying_Up_sc_conv_FINAL_0005_001Copyright © 2000 by The Zig Ziglar Corporation
All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Scripture quotations noted NKJV are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.
Scripture quotations noted KJV are from the KING JAMES VERSION.
Scripture quotations noted NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture extracts at the end of each chapter entry are author’s paraphrase of the New Living translation.
The poem by Mary Korzan entitled When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking,
is used by permission with the following credit: This poem was inspired by my mother, Blanche Elizabeth Montgomery Schilke, and dedicated to her on June 14, 1980.
Library of Congress Control Number: 00-091231
ISBN 0-7852-7077-9 (hc)
ISBN 0-7852-6123-0 (sc)
Printed in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 PHX 07 06 05 04 03
To the memory of John R. Anderson
My first male nonfamily role model
who taught and lived with integrity.
He became my surrogate father
and treated me like a son.
Other books by Zig Ziglar
Over the Top
Confessions of a Grieving Christian
Something to Smile About
Something Else to Smile About
Contents
Preface
Using Staying Up, Up, Up in a Down, Down World
Week One
Who’s Who in America
Those Dull Sermons
Persistence Pays
Don’t Be a Puritan Basher
Alligators and People
Week Two
It’s Ironic
Needed: A Moral Compass
The Land of Opportunity
Not to Change Is Stressful
Example Is Still the Best Teacher
Week Three
Gratitude Is Possible
They’re Not All Bad
Those Statistical Lies
Personality
Serving Is His Calling
Week Four
Unlearning What We Learned
Trouble Might Be a Good Thing
God Doesn’t Disagree with Himself
Fan or Fanatic?
Friendly People
Week Five
Beyond Closed Doors
Yes—You Can Be Happy
Choice—Laugh About It or Cry About It
No Matter What
Hugging at Home and at Work
Week Six
A Rainy Day Story
Laugh, Cry, or Do Something
Sensitivity Can Make a Huge Difference
It Ain’t Funny
Leadership with Integrity
Week Seven
A Cup of Yogurt
You Transfer Your Feelings
The Way We Reveal Ourselves
Never Too Old
Public Speaking Tips
Week Eight
What Good Does It Do?
Just Nice Folks
The Price Is Right
Dennis the Menace
The Integrity Approach
Week Nine
Just Add a Zero
You Said It
Rejection Produces Creativity
Easy Street
The Wind Has to Blow
Week Ten
It’s Smart to Be Nice
Wednesday’s Child
And the Winner Is . . .
Here’s a Role Model
Communicating with Your Mate
Week Eleven
The Immigrant’s Attitude
Eating for Success
Virginity Is In
Movement or Gravity?
Dads Are Important
Week Twelve
Now What Do You Say?
Taking Off the Makeup
Compassion Is Good Business
Bruce and the Banana
Looking Through Love’s Eyes
Week Thirteen
Self-Talk for Employment
Chance Has No Memory
Fascinating—But Wrong
The Most Desirable Employees
Women Are Dependable
Week Fourteen
It Don’t Matter
The If-Only’s of Life
Turn It Off
Causing Good Things to Happen
Go Lights, Warms, and Strong Ends
Week Fifteen
Backing Up to Go Forward
Maybe You Should Travel
Exciting Things Are Happening
A Formula for Success
People Are Important
Week Sixteen
There Are Some Moral Absolutes
The Rich Are Different from the Poor
The Splendid Splinter
The Want-to-Do’s vs. The Got-to-Do’s
If I Had to Do It All Over Again . . .
Week Seventeen
Go-Givers Get More
Scouting Teaches Valuable Lessons
Progress
An Unlikely Story
A Father’s Love
Week Eighteen
That’s Not Fair
The Cause of Stress
This Makes Sense
English Is a Tough Language
Frustrated Housewife + Impatient Husband = Successful Business
Week Nineteen
One Hundred Years Young and Still Going Strong
Work Is No Joke
If He Can, You Can
It’s the Economy, Stupid!
What’s Going On?
Week Twenty
Against All Odds
This, Too, Shall Pass
Good News—You Can Change!
Quarterback Is the Glamour
Position
Service Is the Key
Week Twenty-One
Too Much of a Good Thing
A Sense of Humor Helps
Manners Matter
Advice from Helen
Wisdom’s Rewards
Week Twenty-Two
Why I Will Succeed
We Do It If We Justify It
Home, Sweet Home
Crime and Illiteracy
Disability or Different Ability?
Week Twenty-Three
What About Loyalty?
Decisions in Giving
Persistence, Faith, and Hard Work Pay
525,600
Music, Movies, and TV Influences
Week Twenty-Four
Slow Down for Better Results
Those Neurotransmitters
Slow Down, Preacher
Success in Spite Of . . .
Questions Are the Answer
Week Twenty-Five
When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking
Message from an Olympian
A Teamwork Dilemma
George Was a Hero
Example: The Best Teacher
Week Twenty-Six
He Didn’t Forget
It Takes Time
Life Is an Attitude
This Way to a Promotion
The Way to a Woman’s Heart
About the Author
Preface
PSYCHIATRIST ALFRED ADLER said that hope is the foundational quality of all change. It is also the great activator. People with hope take action to realize their dreams. People without hope are often so discouraged, they feel incapable of doing anything significant. Good news: hope and help are available—that’s what this book is about.
Somebody once remarked, Life is so ‘daily.’
The implication is clear: there are so many obstacles to overcome that the daily grind of life has a tendency to be a hope killer. Staying Up, Up,
Up in a Down, Down World is designed to give you hope, direction, and encouragement every day. Since each day is a part of every lifetime, you will have a hope-filled and, hence, a happier, more productive life when you put all your hope-filled days together. No, that doesn’t mean life will be trouble-free, but it does mean you will handle problems (opportunities) in a different and more effective manner. This approach is simple, but it’s not simplistic. It’s based on the power of God and an understanding of advanced mathematics: you + God = enough.
Question: When do you need hope? Answer: Every day. Since encouragement is the fuel on which hope runs, this book is designed to give you hope and encouragement every day.
In every vignette of Staying Up, Up, Up in a Down, Down
World I will conclude the message with scripture that I’ve personalized and put into the first person, present tense (much like the Twenty-third Psalm). Some will deal with God’s promises, some with our responsibilities.
One reason I love gospel music and the beautiful old hymns is that they verbalize—in the first person, present tense—God’s promises and emphasize His love for me. Because His presence is assured, His greatness is extolled, and His love is expressed, His comforting presence and peace of mind become integral parts of my life. I hope His comforting presence and peace of mind become integral parts of your life as well.
Using Staying Up, Up, Up
in a Down, Down World
MANY GOOD STUDENTS are not good thinkers. For maximum benefit from this book, read one story each day, then think about—and, if possible, talk about—what you read. Each parable has a purpose. When you combine reading, thinking, and talking about the parables included here, you will find balance because I deal with the physical, mental, and spiritual. I involve the personal, family, career, and financial aspects of life.
All are important.
Patience, discipline, and focus are the keys. Study one message— and one message only—each day. It takes about three minutes to read and print on a three-by-five-inch card the biblical self-talk at the end of each one. Start your day with one vignette. Read the biblical self-talk aloud, and quietly read it again several times during the day. At the end of the day, read the story again, and stand before a mirror, look yourself in the eye, and read the self-talk out loud.
Think about it. If you start the day properly, end the day properly, and include the family in between, doesn’t it make sense that everybody’s day will be better?
Some messages are excellent to use in five- to ten-minute staff meetings or to share with the family after a meal. Read the story aloud, then discuss it for a few minutes. For most families, doing this every day will be impossible, but benefits will be excellent if you manage to do this once or twice each week.
Psychologists say our first encounter of the day has significant impact on the rest of our day. We also know that the last thing we put into our minds at night will be the thing we will dwell on, even as we sleep. This procedure will make your day more joyful and your night more restful.
I’m convinced that if you follow this procedure each week, by the time you have finished the book you will have made serious progress toward a better future because you are staying up, up, up in a down, down world.
Week One
Who’s Who in America
SEVERAL YEARS AGO the people listed in Who’s Who in America were analyzed. Researchers discovered that it took 25,000 laboring families to produce 1 child who would be listed in Who’s Who. It required 10,000 families in which the father was a skilled craftsman, 6,000 Baptist preachers, 5,000 lawyers, 5,000 Presbyterian preachers, 2,500 dentists, and 1,200 Episcopalian priests to produce someone listed in Who’s Who.
However, every 7 Christian missionary families produced a member of Who’s Who. I can only speculate on the reasons for the remarkable difference. Surely most of the preachers from the various denominations were men and women of faith, but I believe the missionaries, in most cases, demonstrated a stronger commitment. Their example demonstrated their faith and courage to their children. Also, they probably did not have many things to give to their children, but the mother and father, with fewer distractions such as daily newspapers and television, were probably spending an unusual amount of time with them. The kids had a day-to-day example and a chance to study what real success was all about. Needless to say, the parents were teaching and preaching the Bible every day and felt a unique relationship with God through the person of Jesus Christ. Undoubtedly the role modeling and demonstration of their faith played a significant part in the development of the children.
God’s Word is an enemy for depression,
an escape from temptation,
the promise of the future, as well as a guide,
hope and inspiration for now and always.
—AL AND BRENDA TAYLOR
All of us have heard that we teach what we know, but we reproduce what we are, which is exactly what God tells us in Luke 6:40 (NKJV): A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.
My mother repeatedly said to me as a young father, Son, your children pay more attention to what you do than to what you say.
In many cases, the missionary family had to learn to communicate in a different language from their native language and get along with people of different cultures, which brought about a maturing of the youngsters. Then when the kids returned to America to live, they had a chance to view the difference in the opportunities in America, and they capitalized on those opportunities.
I am becoming wise because I have taken the first step, which is to
trust and reverence the Lord. I also have listened to my father and
mother, and honors are coming my way. (Prov. 1:7-9)
Those Dull Sermons
SINCE CHILDHOOD I’ve heard countless little funnies and many criticisms of the dull sermons some preachers deliver on a regular basis to their congregations. It’s more than just a cliché to say that some of them really will put you to sleep! As one person described it: Preaching is the art of talking in someone else’s sleep,
or We start at eleven o’clock sharp and end at twelve o’clock dull.
On September 11, 1777, the
Continental Congress approved the
outlay of $300,000 to buy Bibles,
which were then distributed throughout
the thirteen colonies.
One pastor said, "When my deacons fall asleep while I’m preaching, I just see it as a vote of confidence that