By Zig Ziglar

I remember the media coverage which accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary’s feat of being the first person to scale Mt. Everest.  He became an instant celebrity, even though he had failed in his first effort and left five of his guides dead on the mountainside.  England recognized Sid Edmund Hillary’s tremendous effort by giving him the highest honor awarded a foreigner.  Years later he was back in the headlines when his son climbed to the peak of Mt. Everest and a radio-phone conversation was held between father and son.

Today, according to the government of Nepal, it’s very common for climbers to reach the peak of Mt. Everest.  As a matter of fact, a one-day record of 37 people reaching the summit of Mt. Everest has been reported.  Seven teams arrived within a half-hour period and created a climber’s traffic jam.  Yes, yesterday’s impossibles often become tomorrow’s standards.

On September 6, 1995, one of the world’s “unbreakable” records was broken.  I speak of the “Iron Man” stunt of Lou Gehrig, who played in 2,130 consecutive baseball games.  Gehrig’s record was thought to be unbreakable, but Cal Ripken broke that record and extended that streak to make it even more “impossible.”  Another record considered unbreakable was the number of hits Ty Cobb had gotten, but several years ago Pete Rose broke that “unbreakable” record.  Today 12-year-old girls are swimming faster than Johnny Weismuller swam when he was the Olympic Gold Medal winner.

Most of us get excited when we read about super-human achievements, but something that is much more important is when we break our own personal best records for accomplishments.  Achieving better grades, a better work record, a better record of “being nice,” and a host of other records will make you a better person in the most important game of all – the game of life.

Think about it – give it your best shot – break your own personal records and you will be AT THE TOP!

Zig Ziglar was known as America’s Motivator.  He authored 32 books and produced numerous training programs.  He will be remembered as a man who lived out his faith daily.