The Royal Path of Reading #LeadersAreReaders March 2022

In the late 1800s, a six hundred pages book entitled, The Royal Path of Life, written by T. L. Haines and L. W. Yaggy, M.S became popular both in the refined East and in the pioneer West (Thank you Pustaka Library for making this book available). It is filled with great maxims, observations, and homespun wisdom. Here are some parts from the chapter entitled Reading:

"There are four classes of readers. The first is like the hourglass; and its reading being on the sand, it runs in and runs out and leaves no vestige behind. A second is like a sponge, which imbibes everything, and returns it in the same state, only a little dirtier. A third is like a jelly bag, allowing all that is pure to pass away, and retaining only the refuse and dregs. The fourth is like the slaves in the diamond mines of Golconda, who, casting aside all that is worthless, obtain only pure gems.

"One's reading is, usually, a fair index of his character... 'A man is known,' it is said, 'by the company he keeps.' It is equally true that a man's character may be, to a great extent, be ascertained by knowing what books he reads.

"Master your reading, and let it never master you. Then it will serve you with ever-increasing fidelity. Only read books aright, and they will charge your mind with the true electric fire. Take them up as among your best friends; and every volume you peruse will join the great company of joyous servitors who will wait around your immortal intellect. Then, too, your daily character will bear the signatures of the great minds you commune with in secret. And, as the years pass on, you will walk in the light of an ever-enlarging multitude of well-chosen, silent, but never-erring guides.

"To read with profit, the books must be of a kind calculated to inform the mind, correct the head, and better the heart. These books should be read with attention, understood, remembered, and their precepts put into practice. It depends less on number than quality. One good book, well understood and remembered, is of more use than to have a superficial knowledge of fifty, equally sound. Books of the right character produce reflection and induce investigation. They are a mirror of the mind, for the mind to look in. Of all the books ever written, no one contains so instructive, so sublime, and so great a variety as the Bible. Resolve to read three chapters each day, for one year, and you will find realities there, more wonderful than any pictures of fiction that have been drawn by the penciling of the most practiced novel writer in the dazzling galaxy of ancient or modern literature."

Here are my sort-of book reviews for this month:

1) The Spirit-Filled Life: Restoring A Biblical Understanding and Experience of the Holy Spirit (1895, 2019) by John MacNeil, CLICK HERE

2) Leadership Language: Using Authentic Communication To Drive Results (2018) by Chris Westfall, CLICK HERE

3) Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of the Life of Christ (1996) by Robert H. Stein, CLICK HERE

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #TheRoyalPathOfLife #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my monthly articles on reading, CLICK HERE  

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

How to Stay Motivated: Developing the Qualities of Success (2008) by Zig Ziglar, Audiobook Review

How to Stay Motivated: Developing the Qualities of Success (2008) by Zig Ziglar, Audiobook

 
Hilary Hinton "Zig" Ziglar (1926-2012), hands down, is one of my favorite personal development and motivational speakers of all time. There were several periods in my life where I did nothing (not literally) but listened to motivational talks for hours, day after day while I'm riding, cycling, walking, hiking, and cooking. I listened to Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Les Brown, Jim Rohn, and other old-school speakers. I always get valuable lessons and inspirational boosts from them but some of their teachings are questionable and straight out New Age. This requires discernment. But two speakers that I can listen to over and over again with confidence are John C. Maxwell and Zig Ziglar. Zig doesn't hide the fact that he is a committed Christian. He, from time to time, inserted Biblical principles in his talks (He is not a Christian speaker but a speaker who is a Christ-follower). At first, I cannot bear his Southern accent but after I'm getting used to his deep and raspy voice, his sense of humor, his storyteller skill, his vast knowledge, and wisdom, I started to like him and his teachings. I can complete his sentences because they are memorable and applicable.

This 7 hours 48 minutes audiobook of How to Stay Motivated (Volume 1) is a collection of Zig Ziglar's recorded live studio audience. I love it! You can hear his passion, audience interactions and imagine as if you're there in the seminars. To be honest, some of the lessons are repetitive but like Ziglar himself said: "Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment." The audiobook includes how to achieve goals, enhance relationships, improve self-image, have a winning mindset, the power of leadership, purpose, attitude, and vision, the joy of service (one of his famous quotes say it all: “You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want"), and more. When asked why we need to stay motivated, his classic response was: “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing - that’s why we recommend it daily.”

I don't listen and read self-help books that much anymore. If I do, I usually go for the classics. The modern-day self-help books can be very shallow, cringe (like TikTok 'preachers'), hype, similar contents, and sometimes give bad and harmful advice. There are some good ones though. Again, this requires discernment. Too much self-help can be self-harm. As you can guess, I recommend Zig Ziglar's books especially See You At The Top, Over The Top, Better Than Good and God's Way Is Still the Best Way :) #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #ZigZiglar #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my previous book reviews (grammatical errors included), CLICK HERE

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Don't Be Distracted by Criticism

As a leader, my Lord Jesus faced a number of criticisms, notable among which was His encounter with His own people in Mark 6:1-6. Having marveled at His wisdom and authority, they began to question His origin and ancestry. They could not believe why a common carpenter should get the kind of attention He was getting. But Jesus ignored their criticism and went about preaching the Word. I believe Jesus was telling you and me, criticism comes with the package of leadership #ServeToLead #GrowingLeader

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Angelus' Quote: Without Integrity, You Will Never Be a Leader

Without integrity, it is impossible to respect a leader. You can’t expect others to respect you and be honest when you lack integrity yourself. An honest leader succeeds when they stick to their word, live by their core values, led by example, and follow-through (I've broken most of these in the past). Respect is earned but integrity is learned. Integrity is the cornerstone of all other leadership qualities 🤜🤛 #ServeToLead #GrowingLeader

Here are some ways leaders show integrity:

> Apologizing for mistakes

> Be a model for your team and ethical behavior

> Be a risk-taker and stand up for what you believe in

> Communicating honestly

> Keeping your word

> Give credit where its due

_____________

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Angelus' Quote: Serve and You'll Become Rich!

Most of the time, near the elevator (this is for the psychological purpose, I assumed), when you walked at any of the shopping malls, you'll smell delicious cookies. That's Famous Amos cookies! These handmade cookies are expensive but no doubt, superbly delicious! When I read the concise history of Famous Amos at the back of the pack, I was very encouraged (this, I also assumed, is part of the psychological purposes). Here's how the cookies became famous:

"Originally, Wally Amos, a true cookies lover, baked his cookies to share with his friends. Once he perfected the ultimate chocolate chip cookies, he started using them as his calling card and as thank-you gifts. As Wally made his rounds in his entertainment business, more and more of his friends and clients asked for another bag of Wally Amos Cookies. Finally, with the backing of several Hollywood personalities, Wally launched The Famous Amos Company in 1975."

When I read about Wally Amos' story, I remember one of Zig Ziglar's famous quotes (oh, I used to listen to See You at the Top audiobook every day!): "You will get all you want in life, if you help enough people get what they want." That mean, first, you want to serve others! Wally initially baked cookies to share with his friends and clients. He wants to serve them. Soon, people want more of his cookies - he delivered what people want - and so he became the channel of blessing to others and himself (automatically) were blessed. From the desire to serve/share with others, he built his company and inevitably became rich! By serving and giving, he already a rich man in his heart and soul.

Do you want to be rich? (Famous, I'm not sure). Then, first – SERVE.

Instagram ---> Richard_Angelus

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Embrace the Struggle: Living Life on Life's Terms

“Late Zig Ziglar is one of my favorite-most-dear motivational speaker and writer since the day I love to read. His book ‘See You at the Top’; and audiobooks such as ‘Better than Life’, ‘Biscuits Fleas and Pump Handles’ and ‘Confessions of a Grieving Christian’ had been (still is) a great help for me to keep on motivated and spiritually passionate about the things that I love to do most in my life” (Richard Angelus, blogger, Words Speaks Today)

“Zig Ziglar gives me different perspectives about success. 1) Focus on people first. Those around you; 2) Actions pay off than your words; and 3) God’s way is still the best way…these are the principles that I learned from him which I applied for business and for my own self-fulfillment” (Albert R. Macewell, senior property executive, Borneo Real Estate)

From a highly successful career in motivational speaking to a daily struggle overcoming the effects of a head injury, Zig Ziglar’s life changed drastically in just minutes when he suffered a traumatic fall down the stairs one fateful night. After years of speaking and writing about the value of having a positive attitude and being thankful, Zig was challenged to put his own words into practice. Below I quoted most of his introduction to the book Embrace the Struggle: Living Life on Life’s Terms:

I’m convinced that in the last year the overwhelming majority of people have been struggling with some kind of concern – personal, family, business, health, relationships – you name it. I know I certainly have! It seems that struggles just happen over the course of time. The question is how do you handle them?

Through the years I’ve spoken about and written often on how to overcome negative situations, but as a motivational/inspirational speaker and author, I personally have spent the majority of my time focused on how to accomplish the next positive achievement. In the past I believe I have given an honest and realistic picture of how to address struggles, but as you know, what we know is a result of what we’re learned. And the things we learn firsthand have a much greater impact on us and better position us to help others deal with similar circumstances. In fact, the Bible tells us this is so: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NKJV)

…I know without a doubt that the personal struggle I’ve been going through since my fall has given me insight that I could not have had otherwise…

My personal struggle is health related, but this book deals with not only struggles that physical limitations create but also financial, spiritual, family, and relationship struggles. This book is about living life on life’s terms. It is about knowing what you can change and what you can’t change and learning how to live your life with an enthusiastic expectation for what is yet to come. Where there is a struggle, there is life. For that we can be grateful!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Month of July 2014 Give-Away!

This month, I’m giving away for FREE ONLY 3 BOOKS of Zig Ziglar and Julie Ziglar Norman’s Embrace the Struggle: Living Life on Life’s Terms (Hard cover). You are welcome to get a copy of this book for yourself by simply do these 2 things:

1. First, comment below “Rich, give me one copy (Your name). I hope that through this book I can… [Not less than 10 words]”
2. Then, E-mail me at Motivates4life@hotmail.com or send message to my Facebook account your real name, phone no. and your postal address. Thank you.