To Win Big You Must Plan Big

By Zig Ziglar

Dennis Scott of Punta Gorda, Florida, is an avid walker and almost daily crosses the Peace River. One day during his walk he noticed a fisherman using very large crab, four or five inches across, as bait. As he continued his walk he noticed another fisherman using tiny shrimp for bait. As he made the return trip he first saw the fisherman using the shrimp bait pulling in a small trout of less than one pound. Dennis asked how his fishing was going and he enthusiastically replied, "Just great! Look in the bucket!" The bucket contained about twenty small trout.

As Dennis continued his walk the crab bait fisherman called out to him to help him with his catch. The catch turned out to be about a 50-pound "drum." As he walked away from the two fisherman the thought occurred to Dennis that both men were fishing in the same river and both men were getting out of that river about what they expected.

That story is certainly applicable to all of our lives. Many people complain about lost opportunities, dead-end jobs or businesses that are in trouble. There's no doubt that those situations do exist and I'll agree that all opportunities are not equal. However, I am repeatedly reminded of the number of people who do well in one type of business while down the street a similar business is closing its doors. The same is true of builders, plumbers, salespeople, physicians, etc. Expectations do play a part because our expectations determine our plans and our plans determine our results.

As a parent, I can assure you that parental expectations have a direct bearing on children's performance. As an employer and educator, I can also assure you that my expectations have a bearing on the performance of my employees and students.

Think about it, expect a lot, and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Zig Ziglar is a motivator and teacher. He is the author of 27 books and loved by millions of people world wide for his practical wisdom and his gift of hope.