On a recent walk, I saw a penny and thought, "It's just a penny," but nevertheless, I picked it up. As I resumed my walk, I remembered that as a small boy in Yazoo City, Miss., I sold 5-cent bags of peanuts on the street and received a 1-cent commission on each sale. I also remembered that 87 of those pennies bought a lightweight jacket that I badly wanted, so it wasn't just a penny. It was part of a prized possession for me.

Too many times we discount the importance of little things. When my son was a teenager, he once walked into the bathroom while I was shaving. He looked at my hair and said, "Dad, what happened to your hair?" I explained that in transferring the shampoo I used (and bought by the gallon) into a small container for handy use, I had spilled some in the sink and had put that shampoo on my hair because I would be showering in a few moments. My son laughed and said, "Dad, no one will ever accuse you of being wasteful."

It is my conviction that parents should take advantage of everyday situations to teach their children certain principles. This was a teaching opportunity. I smiled at my son and said, "Son, your nice little used Ford Thunderbird sitting in our driveway was bought because Mom and Dad take care of 'little things.'"

A hole in the ground is nothing at all, but if you step in it, you can fall and break your leg. Careless comments, snide remarks, hurtful statements or thoughtless acts on our part may seem insignificant at the time but can cause irreparable damage in the lives of others. Message: Be thoughtful in the little things in life, and you will build a solid foundation for enjoying the bigger, better things in life — including good relationships with friends, family and neighbors. Take that approach, and I'll see you at the top!

Showing Respect

The word "respect" is an interesting one. Years ago, respect was spoken of only in a positive manner, and children were taught to respect their parents and authority. In our society today, when a youngster who is a member of a gang feels he has not been shown respect, he frequently attacks and even kills his perceived offender.

A number of years ago, Woody Hayes and Paul "Bear" Bryant both were speaking at a coaching clinic. At that time, the two men represented some of the best thinking in collegiate football. Hayes was the successful head coach at Ohio State, and Bryant led Alabama's Crimson Tide. After these two men had addressed the gathering, the floor was opened for questions. A high-school coach asked, "What is the highest priority in your recruiting of young men to come play at your university?" Then the high-school coach attempted to answer his own question by speculating that it was probably the size, speed, strength or intelligence of the athletes. However, all of his answers were wrong.

Both Hayes and Bryant already had proved themselves with multiple national titles, so their answer to this one question was worth the entire clinic. These two great coaches looked at each other as though they knew the question was coming, and then Coach Bryant gave an answer that surprised everyone: "What I want to know is how does that young man feel about his mama and his daddy, because if he respects and honors them, then he will respect others and will become an effective part of a winning team. Respect is an attribute that always must supersede talent and ability."

From my perspective, respect is the foundation upon which we can fully utilize the talent, ability and training that the athlete has received. Message: Show proper respect. Build on that as a foundation, 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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