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Staying Up, Up, Up, In a Down, Down World

Written by: Zig Ziglar

Article Overview: Parts I and II

Staying Up, Up, Up, In a Down, Down World

Part I:
You get back what you send out. I am a very "up" person and people frequently ask me how I maintain my enthusiasm. I do several things, including reading an average of three hours each day for the past 26 years. One of the fun things I do is to give people my special greeting. Whether it's eight o'clock in the morning or eight o'clock at night, I always try to greet others before they have a chance to speak to me.

My greeting is always the same, whether I'm in Auckland, New Zealand, or Augusta, Maine. I use an enthusiastic "Good Morning!" Interestingly enough, 85% of those who respond will respond by saying "Good Morning." - even if it's eight o'clock at night . Many of them cut it short before they finish the word "morning," and then say, "It's not morning!" And I respond, "Then, why did you say, 'Good Morning'?" They tell me it's because I said "Good morning."

The point I make is significant. If you go out in life looking for friends they're hard to find; but if you go out in life to be a friend, you will find them everywhere. What you send out is exactly what you get back. You send out a "good morning," and in most cases you'll get back a "good morning." Send out a cheerful, positive greeting and most of the time you will get back a cheerful, positive greeting. It's also true that if you send out a negative greeting you will, in most cases, get back a negative greeting.

Part II

Cheerful, Upbeat People Reproduce Cheerful, Upbeat People

In the last issue, we explored the benefits of greeting people with an enthusiastic "Good Morning!", even when it's 8:00 p.m. The reason is simple: The best way for me to feel upbeat and optimistic is for me to make an effort to make others feel upbeat and optimistic. Admittedly, on rare occasions I get back a less than chipper reply, but from my perspective that's their problem and not mine. For each stinking thinking reply I get, I get back a hundred positive ones. The other reason I say "good morning" is that I always believe the best part of the day is still in front of me. As far as I'm concerned, the use of the word "morning" is legitimate.

When someone beats me to the draw and says something like, "Good morning, how are you?" I always respond in one of two ways. I will either say, "Better than good, and that's an understatement," or "Super good, but I'm getting better!" Almost without exception after an interchange like that the other person is smiling. When I cause someone else to smile I leave them slightly better than I found them, which makes me feel better.

Phase two of this approach to life is what I say when I part company with an individual.
Instead of the usual "Have a good day," I say, "I'll see you over the top!" which also brings a smile. Just in case you're wondering if that is the "real world," my answer is, "You bet it is!" One of the interesting psychological truths is that logic will not change an emotion, but action will. This approach is initiating a physical action which will, in fact, make me feel better while also making the other person feel better. This validates the concept that you can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.

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Article Tags: auckland new zealand, augusta maine, fun things, o clock, perspective, rare occasions, reply, stinking thinking



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