Zig a Zig Zig

I was at the orthodontist, finally getting my teeth straightened, after a lifetime of not. One of the orthodontists, the senior one, was telling a story of a guy named Zig Ziglar. I had maybe vaguely known about this guy, or at least, heard his unusual name.

Turns out he was a motivational speaker, from 30-40 years back, probably before the term "motivational speaker" was even used. Most people who, when asked, "How are you?" would say "Good". He said they should say "Great!". This would make other people feel good, and it would make them feel better too.

He was the guy who said "Failure is an event, not a person".

What's interesting about him is that his popularity may have shaped the way Americans view themselves, leading to a current need to make things "extreme". Once you're great, well, that becomes ordinary, so you have to be "awesome" until awesome isn't. Superlatives pile upon superlatives, so that when you meet someone who says "I'm fine", you find it's a bit lacking. What's wrong with them that they aren't better than wonderful?

And all thanks to the motivational talk of one Zig Ziglar.