My trusty 1828 Noah Webster dictionary defines "free" as "being at liberty; permitted, allowed, open" and "freedom" as "liberty of a personal, civil, political and religious nature." It is "frankness and boldness, as 'he addressed his audience with freedom.'"

Today many people think being free and exercising freedom means they are free to do whatever they want to do, almost regardless of the consequences to themselves or others. From my perspective, freedom means the freedom to be and do the best we're capable of being and doing.

On several occasions, my wife and I have visited some of the most beautiful, scenic parts of America, from New England to California. In each of these places, we have stopped numerous times at overlook points to view spectacular scenery. There is always a guardrail that permits us to walk to the edge of the cliff and gives us the freedom to relax and enjoy what we're seeing. Without that restraining rail, we would have missed part of the spectacular view.

Over the years, many young men and women, as well as teenagers, have shared with me that their parents' restraint gave them a sense of freedom and security. These young people were free to tell their dates that premarital sex would break their parents' hearts and they would not break their promise of abstinence. On many occasions, they explained that they believed that alcohol and drugs were damaging and dangerous and their parents had cautioned them against the dangers. This gave them the freedom to say no with the assurance that they would be respected instead of ridiculed.

Summation: When restraints are imposed, doing the right thing gives you the freedom to be your best self. This means that our trip to the top and permanent accomplishments are far more likely to take place. So enjoy the freedom of restraint, and I'll see you at the top!

You Could Be Wrong

My brother, the late Judge Ziglar, had several passions, and one of them was for chocolate chip cookies. He often said he could resist everything but temptation, and the only way he could handle that was to yield to it.

Many years ago, Judge was making a connection through the old airport in Charlotte, N.C. It was a cold, rainy night, and as he walked into the airport, he smelled the tantalizing fragrance of baking chocolate chip cookies. He was a little hungry — and they were small — so he bought a dozen of them.

There were two empty seats at the departure gate, one of them next to a woman. He put his topcoat, umbrella, briefcase and cookies on the seat beside her and sat down in the next seat over. As he did, he saw her take a chocolate chip cookie. He took a cookie himself, and the woman glared at him. He shrugged it off thinking, "Boy, that's unusual!" When he finished his first cookie, he reached in for a second, and she did the same. The procedure continued until he reached for the last cookie. The woman grabbed the bag, poured the remaining crumbs into her hand, popped them in her mouth and crushed the bag just as her flight was called. She gathered her things and gave my brother a look that would have skinned the hide off a billy goat. When his flight was called, as he slipped on his topcoat and picked up his hat, umbrella and briefcase, there sat his bag of chocolate chip cookies.

This true story contains a significant lesson. My brother believed the woman was rude and greedy because she ate half his cookies and didn't say thank you. He was wrong. Message: When we're certain we're right, maybe there is another side to the story. Maybe instead of that person eating your chocolate chip cookies, you are eating hers. Think about it, and I'll see you at the top!

To find out more about Zig Ziglar and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. Subscribe to Zig Ziglar's free e-mail newsletter through info@zigziglar.com.

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