For a number of years, one of the most popular shows on television was "Bonanza." Many of us remember "Hoss" and "Little Joe" Cartwright very fondly. They were "good guys," even heroes, with their unsophisticated, yet direct and compassionate approach to life. I mention that only to say that the word "bonanza" has a special meaning for me.

Many years ago, when I was just beginning as a husband and salesman, times were extremely difficult. I was working on a commission basis, and we were struggling financially. We lived from day to day and moved from feast to famine in reasonably short order. During one of the "feast" days, I set aside a little cash reserve for emergencies. A few weeks later, we were in one of the "famine" periods, and while going through my chest of drawers, I discovered two $20 bills and one $10 bill beneath some of my items of clothing. I responded to the find with a squeal of joy. With that $50, I was able to put gas in the tank, food on the table and have operating funds for several days. (Remember, this was back in 1948, so $50 was a significant amount of money.)

Over the years, I've thought about that incident and how so little could mean so much. I tell the story to suggest that if all of us would look around, we could find a lot of bonanzas. Perhaps not in the form of much-needed cash, but in the form of numerous reminders of what we do have for which we can be truly grateful. With this in mind, I encourage you to take a stroll through your neighborhood, office or school and silently ponder the things you have and, even more importantly, the privileges and opportunities that are yours. I believe if you get in the "bonanza business" of counting all the bonanzas you have, you'll have more bonanzas to count. Give it a try, and I'll see you at the top!

Cancel the Day

I have flown more than 4 million miles and have missed some flights, had some flights canceled and had many others delayed. I enjoy observing the way some travelers handle all of these circumstances. They range from furious to saying, "It's no big deal."

On Jan. 23, 1981, I arrived at the Kansas City Airport an hour early, only to be told my flight had been canceled. I responded, "Fantastic!" and explained that there are only three reasons flights are canceled: Something is wrong with the plane, something is wrong with the person flying the plane, or something is wrong with the weather. I commented that if any of those were the case, I wanted to be firmly on the ground! To this, the agent responded, "Yes, but the next flight doesn't leave until 6:05," which was four hours later.

I again responded, "Fantastic!" and explained that I was 54 years old (at that time) and had never before had an opportunity to spend four hours in the airport in Kansas City. I pointed out that there were millions of people who were both cold and hungry, and here I was in a wonderful facility with food to eat and where I would be quite comfortable. Besides, I had work to do and could get it done during the four-hour delay.

Factually, I didn't really feel that way. I was tired, had been gone all week and wanted to get home, but I felt that just because my flight had been canceled was no reason to let anybody cancel my day. Unfortunately, many times we permit others to cancel a day — or even a week — and I know some people who've permitted others to cancel most of their lives.

Message: Respond to disappointments and frustrations; that's positive. Don't react; that's negative. When you react, it means you're giving others the power to control your thoughts, actions and feelings. Don't let them cancel your day, 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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