As many of you know, I consider myself enthusiastic about self-improvement. Perhaps the father of modern-day motivational speaking and the best known champion of positive thinking, Zig Ziglar will turn 80 on November 6. His birthday celebration will take place Saturday.

Zig has become an important figure in my life even though I have never met him. His message of motivation encourages me in every aspect of life including my puppetry.

To celebrate Zig, here are two of my favorite quotes which I hope will inspire you to think about their message:

You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as who you become (by achieving your goals).