Book Summary – Over the Top

One of my favorite quotes comes from Tom Ziglar:

• We are all on a journey. From survival to stability. From stability to success. From success to significance.

It’s clear that Tom borrowed heavily from his Dad – Zig Ziglar – who has produced a wonderful book in Over the Top. Ziglar walks the reader through a number of stories and ideas to describe what he sees “The Top” as. “The Top” is how he defines significance. I can’t begin to do the book justice, but I do think that his summary of when you are at the top speaks very well to the topic:

You are at the top when . . .

1. You clearly understand that failure is an event, not a person; that yesterday ended last night; and today is your brand-new day.
2. You have made friends with your past, are focused on the present, and are optimistic about your future.
3. You know that success (a win) doesn’t make you, and failure (a loss) doesn’t break you.
4. You are filled with faith, hope, and love; and you live without anger, greed, envy or thoughts of revenge.
5. You are mature enough to delay gratification and shift your focus from your rights to your responsibilities.
6. You know that failure to stand for what is morally right is the prelude to being the victim of what is criminally wrong.
7. You are secure in who you are, so you are at peace with God and in fellowship with humanity.
8. You have made friends with your adversaries, and you have gained the love and respect of those who know you best.
9. You understand that others can give you pleasure, but genuine happiness comes when you do things for.
10. You are pleasant to the grouch, courteous to the rude, and generous to the needy.
11. You love the unlovable, give hope to the hopeless, friendship to the friendless, and encouragement to the discouraged.
12. You can look back in forgiveness, forward in hope, down in compassion, and up with gratitude.
13. You know that “he who would be the greatest among you must become the servant of all.”
14. You recognize, confess, develop, and use your God-given physical, mental and spiritual abilities to the glory of God and for the benefit of mankind.
15. You stand in front of the Creator of the universe, and He says to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

It is VERY clear from reading the book that Ziglar is as close to Christ, as that comes through in his philosophies and approach. While those that have a strong relationship with Christ may take away a bit more from the book, anyone will gain by investing a few hours of their time to read this wonderful book. If you would like to download a PDF copy of this book summary you can do so by clicking here.

 

Some other posts that you might enjoy:

• Book Summary - The Miracle Morning
• Book Summary - Think and Grow Rich
• How Families Can Calculate Retirement Income Wants Versus Needs
• Book Summary - The War of Art
• Why CNBC Is Bad For Your Investments