Over The Top by Zig Ziglar

Here are a few personal takeaways I had gleaned from reading Over The Top by Zig Ziglar.

1) Hope is the result of planning your future, and is driven along by encouragement.

2) The building blocks of success are skills, attitude, and character.

3) You influence tomorrow by what you do today.

4) If you want your life to change, then change the plan for your life.

5) Achieving a goal comes from committing to it, and building the discipline to work at it.

6) The best leaders learn by following.

7) Your world is a reflection of your mindset.

8) A small step in the right direction is still progress.

9) Setbacks are an opportunity to get creative in achieving a goal.

10) More people are fired over personality conflicts than over incompetence.

11) The best dividends are from investing in yourself.

12) Money is not inherently evil. Prioritizing it over God and others leads to all kinds of trouble.

13) Sometimes, receiving the best means bypassing the good.

14) Every goal starts with knowing where you are.

15) Be selective with you share your goals with.

16) Those who live lives of giving appreciation are usually have an amazing quality of life.

17) A life of freedom results from a life of discipline.

18) You cannot really succeed on your own.

If you're new to personal development, the classic by the master motivator, Zig Ziglar, is a great starting point!

Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney

This book has given me several insights on making my walk with Christ a more fruitful one. (Note: I didn't start journaling my thoughts until about 3 weeks ago, so many of the disciplines from earlier in the book are not mentioned)

1) See the time I've been given as a resource God wants a good return on. Often we hear about being a good manager of the money God has given us. Why don't we view time in a similar fashion?

2) My generosity with money is a key indicator of the extent to which the gospel is impacting my life.

3) Fasting must be spiritually motivated. It's not just abstaining from food. It's about using our normal meal times to focus on God.

4) Silence & solitude are needed to shut out all distractions to focus on God. It is a time of expectation to hear from God.

5) Journaling is a way to understand who we really are, as well as a written record of how God has worked in my life.

6) A learning Christian is a growing Christian. In an age where intellectualism is looked down on the church, continual learning is a vital discipline to work on.

7) Apart from the Holy Spirit working in my life, the disciplines are no different than the empty deeds of the religious leaders of the first century.

My pastor recommended this book over a year ago. I pass on his recommendation to you to grow.