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Zig Ziglar Quotes
"What feeds your mind determines your appetite."
"Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."
"Miserable people focus on the things they hate about their life. Happy people focus on the things they love about their life."
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Grooves
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The revered motivator, Zig Ziglar, said, "Before we even know we have our habits, our habits have us." Habits dictate our schedule and agenda from the very start of each day. Did you notice that you usually follow more or less the same routine every morning? I can smell the coffee as we speak.
From the most quotidian habits like brushing our teeth, to occasional acute stress-related responses, most of us draw upon habits grooved deep in the brain. This is especially true of our responses to the powerful emotions around sex. I recently noticed a new book in the field of neuroscience, Hooked: How Casual Sex is Affecting Our Children, which explains the scientific evidence of the impact of sexual activity releasing chemicals in the brain that become addictive. Because of the chemically patterned response in the pre-frontal cortex, sexual habits have a powerful force especially upon young people under 20. Hormones and chemicals in the body make it extremely difficult to become "unhooked from the bonds of a sexual relationship," and usually with serious consequences. Norman Doidge's book, The Brain that Changes Itself demonstrates that we really are able to change and that the brain is extremely malleable. "Doidge goes into detail as to why internet porn addiction has become an epidemic in the US and why watching internet porn quickly becomes addictive by high-jacking your normal dopamine release. The more we repeat a behavior, the deeper the grooves in the record become." But with work, change can be made. NPR is an informational trove on habits, how they are formed, what they do to us, and how to break free. As we know from the spiritual life, freedom from toxic habits - detachment - is one of the primary goals of spiritual growth. Formal programs such as "Tools for the Spiritual Life," Chapter 4 of the Rule of Benedict, and also the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola offer guides for transformation. 
With work, the change can be done. Grooved in my brain are the positive thinking images of Zig Ziglar. Did you ever see him using the hand pump as he illustrated his maxim, "If you pump long enough, hard enough, and enthusiastically enough, sooner or later the effort will bring forth the reward." I wonder where that hand pump is. Is there a Zig Ziglar section in the Smithsonian? --by Jan
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Those Never So Little Scars
My habits get evaluated regularly, usually four times a month. I scored 100% on the most recent evaluation; 92.59% on the one before that.
No, I am not talking about Jan scoring my table manners or politeness. (Thanks be to God!) I am talking about my work as a Customer Service Representative, where "your calls may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance purposes." Indeed they are.
Four times a month or more, someone listens to one of my calls (while watching the recording of my computer screen), comments on my work, and gives me a score. My most common reason for being marked down: Failure to utilize the Billing Calculator on all billing calls.
It's true: I sometimes skip the Billing Calculator. That's because the Billing Calculator is of no help whatsoever for about 30% of billing calls! For maybe another 40-50% of billing calls, it only confirms the obvious. But for the balance of billing calls, using the Billing Calculator is essential for providing accurate information to the customer. Failure to use the Billing Calculator on those calls could result in significant harm to either the customer or the company.
Hence the rule: The Billing Calculator must be used on all billing calls. Without exception. Even when it serves no purpose. The aim of the rule is to inculcate a habit. By learning to use the calculator on all calls, there is little chance of forgetting to use it when it truly is needed.
Efficient customer service depends on good habits and practiced skills. So do other tasks, such as driving a car, or hitting a golf ball - or praying. We've all heard the saying, "Practice makes perfect," but as one of my high school teachers used to say, only perfect practice makes perfect. Sloppy practice reinforces sloppy habits.
As William James put it, "Even the smallest stroke of virtue or of vice leaves its never so little scar."
--by Bill
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Copyright (c) 2012 Soul Windows Ministries
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