There are three basic steps in the acquisition of the things people want. First, you think, see or hear about a piece of property, a beautiful diamond, an attractive person of the opposite sex, a degree from a prestigious university, etc. This causes you to want, cherish or covet it — and that's the second step. The last step, depending on the motive, will make you happy and successful or will bring you untold grief. Step No. 3, you acquire the object of your covetousness.

If you acquire a mate who you have courted with integrity, we're off to a wonderful start. If, however, the object of your desire is already married, it brings grief and can also be expensive. (One woman was awarded a million-dollar settlement because another woman had "stolen" her husband.) If you work hard, save your money and legitimately acquire that beautiful property or home, you will experience happiness. However, if you rob a bank, embezzle money or acquire something through dishonest means, you ultimately lose, big-time.

For those people who fulfill the third step with a lack of integrity, step No. 4 takes place. They try to hide what they have done. They plead their innocence, claim they've been "misunderstood" and that "the press is out to get me." The case goes through the courts, and years later you find out they have been sentenced to several years in prison.

When Joe Louis, the former boxing heavyweight champion, was told his next opponent was fast and that he planned to run until Joe grew weary, he responded, "He can run, but he can't hide." Wrongdoers can run, but they can never escape themselves. Message: Play it straight, and I'll see you at the top!

Saying A Lot Without Saying a Word

In addition to the spoken and written word, we communicate with our smile, frown, expressions and body language in a dozen different ways. When we shuffle papers on our desks while an associate or employee is telling us something, we're communicating that what we're doing is more important than what they're saying.

When, as managers, we keep our doors closed, we're communicating that we do not want to be bothered by anyone. When the factory superintendent has his office at the back door next to the parking lot and leaves the door open, he's communicating to the workers that he's open to them and interested in what they have to say. When his office is up front and the door closed, he's communicating an entirely different message.

When a parent puts his or her child to bed during a TV commercial, he or she is communicating that it's important for the child to go to bed and do it quickly, so Mom or Dad can get back to the program. When parents turn the TV set off and put the child to bed casually, sharing events of the day, they communicate just how important that child is to them. When you look a person in the eye and nod or shake your head as the person talks to you, you communicate that you are listening intently and that what they're saying is meaningful to you.

Actions, as well as verbal and facial expressions, communicate volumes. People who are consistently late communicate that they believe their time is more important than the time of the one having to wait. While most of us forgive an occasional slip, the one who is perennially late loses friends and influence in the process. Consider what your actions and expressions communicate, make the necessary changes, 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 [email protected].