Last week, sales/motivational speaking legend Zig Ziglar passed away at the age of 86.

Maybe you’ve never heard of him or read any of his books, but chances are the inspiring lessons he taught for the last four decades have somehow influenced your life without you even realizing it.

I had the opportunity of seeing Zig in person when he spoke at an event in Green Bay back in August of 2008. As luck would have it, Zig’s event and the NMC Regional Meeting were scheduled in Green Bay on the very same day. But since they were located only a few miles away from each other, I was able to attend both.

Before going to watch him perform at the Resch Center that day, I didn’t realize that Zig was no longer his usual self. It turns out that in 2007, Zig fell down the stairs and was still recovering from a serious head injury that affected his short-term memory.

With his loving daughter by his side performing in an “interview format”, Zig struggled on stage, forgetting and repeating his lines. But in his struggle, I couldn’t help to learn a different lesson from him that day. Although he was no longer the energetic speaker that he used to be, Zig showed up and went out on stage. In front of thousands of his long-time admirers, he revealed that his life wasn’t much different than anyone else’s. Sure, we weren’t world-famous authors and public speakers like he was. But, he too faced many of life’s difficult challenges and surprises just like everybody else. And on that day in Green Bay, he demonstrated to thousands of people what it meant to be human… vulnerable and courageous.

Now I’m not sure why Zig continued to do his cross-country speaking tour after his accident. He was 82 and financially secure. He clearly didn’t need to keep “preaching”. But it turns out that he still had a lot to teach, and there were still a lot people who wanted to learn. Except this time, it turns out his lesson didn’t come from his words, but rather his actions.

I think Zig Ziglar kept going because he wanted his “students” to see that everyone gets dealt some tough cards… what truly matters is how you choose to play them. I think he truly believed in the lessons he taught because he lived them every day. I’m pretty sure he knew that he was no longer 100% of who he used to be, but he still went on stage and gave 100% of who he was. Zig Ziglar didn’t just preach about having a positive attitude and overcoming life’s challenges, he practiced it.

Thank you Zig Ziglar for sharing the wisdom and example of your life. The world is a better place because of you.