Zig Ziglar's Talk to Yourself exercise

Step #1-Get a cassette recorder and in the first-person, present tense, record with passion and enthusiasm paragraphs A, B, C and D. For thirty days listen to this recording first thing in the morning and last nothing at night. If no recorder is available, stand up straight in front of a mirror, square your shoulders, look yourself in the eye and read outloud paragraphs A, B, C. D.

A. "I, ___________________, am an honest, intelligent, organized, responsible, committed, teachable person who is sober, loyal, and clearly understands that regardless of who signs my paycheck I am self-employed. I am an optimistic, punctual, enthusiastic, goal-setting, smart working, self starter who is disciplined, focused, dependable, persistent, positive thinker. I am an energetic team player who appreciates the opportunity my company and the free enterprise system offers me. I am thrifty with the company's resources and apply common sense to my daily tasks. I take honest pride in my competence and appearance and am motivated to be and do my best so that my healthy self-image will remain on solid ground. These are the qualities which enable me to manage myself and help give me employment security in a no-job-security world.

B. I, ___________________, am a compassionate, respectful, encourager who is a considerate, generous, gentle, patient, caring, sensitive, personable, attentive, fun-loving person. I am supportive, giving and forgiving, clean, kind, unselfish, affectionate, loving, family-oriented human being and I am sincere and open-minded good listener and good finder who is trustworthy. These are the qualities which enable me to build good relationships with my associates, neighbors, mate and family.

C. "I am a person of integrity , with the faith and wisdom to know what I should do and the courage and convictions to follow through. I have the vision to manage myself and to lead others. I am authoritative, confident, and humbly grateful for the opportunity life offers me. I am fair, flexible, resourceful, creative, knowledgeable, decisive and an extra-miler with a servant's attitude who communcicates well with others. I am a consistent, pragmatic teacher with character and a finely-tuned sense of humor. I am an honorable person and am balanced in my personal, family and business life, have a passion for being, doing and learning more today so I can be and do more tomorrow.

D. "These are the qualities of the winner I was born to be and I am fully committed to developing these marvelous qualities with which I have been entrusted. Tonight I'm going to sleep wonderfully well. I will dream powerful, positive dreams. I will awaken energized and refreshed; tomorrow's going to be magnificent and my future is unlimited. Recognizing, claiming and developing these qualities which I already have gives me a legitimate chance to be happier, healthier, more prosperous, more secure, have more friends, greater peace of mind, better family relationships and legitimate hope that the future will be even better." Repeat the process the next morning and close by saying, "These are the qualities of the winner I was born to be and I will develop and use these qualities to achieve my worthy objectives. Today is a brand-new day and it's mine to use in marvelously productive way." After 30 days, add the next step: Choose your strongest quality and the one you feel needs the most work. Example: Strongest-honest. needs mote work-organized. On a separate 3x5 card, print "I, _____________, am a completely honest person and every day I am getting better and better organized." Keep this 3/x5 card handy and read it out loud if possible at every opportunity for one week.

Repeat the process with the second strongest quality and the second one which needs the most work. Do this until you've completed the entire list. Periodically look yourself in the eye as you read this card or listen to the recording. After thirty days of the following this procedure, re-record the message on the card. You will be stunned at the change in your voice which will reflect the changes in your life. Use this self-talk procedure as long as you want to get more of the things money will buy and all the thing money won't buy.

NOTE: Because of some painful experience in the past (betrayal, abuse, etc.), there might be a word or two which brings back unpleasant memories (example: discipline). Eliminate the word or substitute another word.