To attempt to please everyone is a surefire formula for misery and lack of success in life. As a speaker and author, I communicate a considerable amount of information. It is my conviction that I must give people information to put them in better position to make good decisions. It is not my place to tell them which decisions to make.
As an example, according to Dr. Josh McDowell, parents who permit their twelve-year-old daughter (we have no data on boys) to date have just given her odds of nine-to-one that she will be sexually active before she finishes high school. If they choose to let her wait until she’s sixteen to start dating, they’ve given her odds of four-to-one that she will not be sexually active before she finishes high school.
Regardless of moral or religious convictions, most will agree that sexual activity precedes pregnancy. Most will also agree that teenage mothers and their children have a high failure rate in virtually every phase of life. With this in mind, I recently shared this information with an audience, expecting – at the very least – appreciation.
What I got was a fax from a very angry man. He was livid that I had had the audacity to tell him when to let his daughter start dating! There’s always the possibility that he simply was not listening, but if he was serious and resented getting the suggestion on proper dating age, then I am dumbfounded. I will be more careful in the future to let the audience know that I’m giving the information so they will be in a better position to make a wise decision on behalf of their daughters. I believe it offers a logical approach to help solve a monumental problem in our society. Think about it. You cannot please everyone, but if you’re convinced that your position is morally sound, stand by it and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!
This article is an excerpt from Over the Top. You can buy the whole book now! Zig Ziglar is known as America’s motivator. He is the author of 29 books and numerous audio and video recordings. See him in action!
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