You are what you think about -by zig ziglar

The above heading has been kicked around for a long time. One enthusiastic young man said he knew it wasn’t true because if he was what he thought about, he’d be a girl. There is a great deal of truth in that statement, and it leaves us with the question: What influences our thinking?

I believe that what goes into our minds and the people we associate with influence our thinking. Our thinking influences our actions. Our actions influence our performance. Our performance plays a major role in how successful and happy our future will be.

Have you ever gone to a movie and laughed? Have you ever gone to a movie and cried? Do you really think they put something in the seats that caused you to either laugh or cry? Naturally, you know better. It was what you saw on the screen that made you react with laughter or tears.

The question is, if input can make us laugh or cry, can it also make us helpful or hurtful to others? Two examples say yes. In one episode of “Happy Days,” Henry Winkler as “The Fonz” took out a library card. The American Library Association reported that after that show aired, more than 100,000 teenagers across America took out library cards. On an “Oprah” show, The Gap ladies apparel chain had a fashion show featuring their new line of jeans. This was not a paid commercial; it was simply a showing of new fashions. Within seventy-two hours The Gap sold out of those jeans nationwide. In the words of Senator Paul Simon, “If 30 seconds sells soap and 30 seconds sells a car, then 25 minutes of glamorized violence sells violence.”

by zig ziglar