Number One Mentor: Zig Ziglar

Good Friday morning to you. It has been an awesome week featuring true leaders in the coaching and speaking world. I am excited this week to tell about those who helped me to change to a life of self-improvement. Each person I have told about has been such an inspiration that it was a joy to share about them. Today is no different, as every one of my mentors who I talked to was honored to find themselves in a group with this man.

I want to tell you a little about the story of how Zig came into my life. In 2002, I had just left a job of running a truck repair shop in the Dallas area. I was working to help a friend start a home theater installation and design company. Another friend and home builder in the area asked me to go to his church and visit. It was a great Sunday to meet my friend, Bob, and his wife and daughters as we attended Prestonwood Baptist, a mega-church here in the Dallas area. As we were walking out the doors, headed to our cars, I was introduced to this lively older gentleman. Bob said, “Tim, let me introduce you to Zig Ziglar.” The name sounded familiar, but I had never connected the face with the name.

You see, years before I had received a signed copy of See You at the Top, one of Zig’s books. But it was nothing more than a dust collector on my shelf. And while it didn’t mean much to me at the time, I’m sure many of you right now are thinking, “I wish you could have the chance to meet Zig like that.”

At that time in Zig’s life, he was teaching one of the Bible study classes at the church and his fame drew many to the church and to his class to get a product to him or to pass information to him. I have never been that way. If you have read the blogs where I talked about working on the sound system in former Dallas Cowboy Darren Woodson’s home, or the fact that I have been the person making Troy Aikman’s hot chocolate at Starbucks, you know I believe these are real people and when meeting them, I talk to them just like I would talk to you.

I got to know Zig without going over to his office or working an angle to talk to him. I just walked up and said “Hi.” From that time in 2002 to the time I sold my business in 2004 I was able to have one-on-one conversations with him. I never asked for something, but those friendly conversations were where Zig told me how to become a speaker. He also told me he thought I would make a good life coach.

Many years later, I met Zig in the grocery store after not seeing him for some time. He remembered me and the things we had talked about and it was then he told me I should pursue life coaching using this ‘80s Rocker look to my advantage.

So many people get star-struck by people they follow, forgetting the very thing that Zig teaches: if you help enough other people get what they want in life, you will get what you want.

This week I am in Los Angeles with my Number 4 mentor, Craig Duswalt and I am putting the wisdom of Zig’s quote to work. Yes I want to spend personal one-on-one time with Craig, but he has a show to run this week. He is planning a great event, so I’m going to help others while I’m here.

Zig is my biggest mentor; it was not until I met him that I read one of his books. I never attended an event he spoke at until after I shook his hand and was personally introduced to him. I never heard him speak before I was able to see who he was in real life. That is why he is my number one mentor: I watched him live his life, before I became a great follower. This is the reason I am always willing to sit and meet and help others; I want to be known for being real first and a motivator second.

So in this week I hope that you have found great inspiration from the stories of those top people who are my mentors. Thanks for reading. Find mentors in your life and for the right reasons to become the RockStar in your world.

Tim Gillette is the Creator of The Rock’N’Roll Keys to Business Success, using music, motorcycles and mentorship to create Entrepreneurs who lead. To find out more about upcoming webinars sign up here .  Free Online Training that Rocks