I, Julie Ziglar Norman, am the youngest daughter of a man often referred to as the icon for motivation and inspiration, world renowned author and speaker Zig Ziglar and his beloved wife Jean (the Redhead) Ziglar.  To me they’re just “Mama” and “Daddy.”

When I meet someone new it might be weeks, months or in some cases, even years, before the topic of what I do and who my father is comes up.  When someone who happens to know who Dad is finds out that I’m his daughter, they invariably exclaim “Why didn’t you tell me Zig Ziglar was your father?  I can’t believe I’ve known you all this time and you didn’t tell me!”  I always respond “You didn’t tell me who your father is or what he does, either!”  Then they say, “Yeah, but he’s not Zig Ziglar!”  Then comes the next question; “What on earth was it like growing up with a dad like Zig Ziglar?”  The answer is too long to cover quickly and that is the reason for this blog.

I often say Dad is the poster child for “doing life right” and I am the poster child for “doing life wrong.”  Between the two of us, our experiences cover the spectrum so completely that if you read Dad and you read me we’ll get just about every life-challenging topic covered – from problem to solution and then some.  However, in this introduction to my blog, Growing Up Ziglar, I’m just going to lay the foundation and go from there.

Our family moved to Dallas in 1968 to further Dad’s speaking career.  Unfortunately, it proved to be a difficult transition for me.  I had just turned thirteen and had to leave behind my beloved horse, a spot on the student council, and every friend I’d ever made.  My attempts to be accepted at my new school led me down a painful path and at the age of 18, against my parents’ wishes, I married a man twice my age. The relationship ended in divorce and I found myself joining the ranks of broke, single mothers.

Mom and Dad let me live with them while I journeyed through the pain and grief of divorce and learned how to be a new mother at all once.  My daughter was only three months old when I arrived back on my parents’ doorstep and I had to find a job, buy a car, save money and find a way to make a home for my fatherless family.  Fifteen months later I was able to move into an apartment run by the management company I went to work for.

I experienced a steady increase in income with each new job I took, and financially I was quite stable.  Otherwise, I was everything but stable.  The seven years between my divorce and remarriage saw some of the worst decision-making of my life.  I can tell you first hand what happens if you choose NOT to live by the principles my father teaches.

I remarried in 1983 and was immediately introduced to the world of step-parenting.  With the exception of being gone during college semesters, my nineteen-year-old step-daughter and her twelve-year-old twin brother and sister lived with us full time.  It was a crash course in blending families.  The marriage was put to the test. Alcoholism, mine and my husband’s, had to be overcome and parenting skills that worked for teenagers had to be learned on the fly. A full year was spent on marriage reconciliation after all the children left home, but with a lot of love and hard work on everyone’s part our family blended completely.  From here on out you’ll only hear me refer to my children as my children.  Long ago we made the big “step” and accepted each other completely.

I became my father’s editor as a result of having won a place at the Guideposts Writer’s Workshop that is held bi-annually to develop new talent for their magazine. John and Elizabeth Sherrill, long-time roving editors for Guideposts, noted that I was a natural at editing. Sixteen years and twenty-one books later, Dad and I are still writing away.

After Dad suffered a head injury in 2007 that resulted in short-term memory loss, it was eventually determined that I would be the best choice to interview him on stage, not only because I was his daughter but because of my intimate knowledge of his material. Since taking on that role, Dad and I have presented his inspiring philosophies to over three-hundred thousand people in audiences all across America.  I have also had the privilege of assisting Dad on numerous radio broadcasts, print and corporate interviews, and, most recently, webinars. Embrace the Struggle, a book that was inspired by Dad’s accident and how he and others deal with living life on life’s terms, is my first co-author venture with Dad.  It will be published by Simon & Schuster’s Christian imprint, Howard Books, on October, 27, 2009.

My own speaking career has evolved naturally as a result of my time onstage with Dad.  My speeches are inspirational.  They deliver encouragement and hope and are an intertwining of my father’s winning philosophies and my own experience of living life on life’s terms. I believe God has charged me to be transparent about my unfortunate choices and the consequences I suffered on my journey toward physical, emotional and spiritual healing.   I’m grateful to have parents who support me in being open and honest about issues that families kept hidden and private when they were growing up.

Being raised by America’s Motivator has given me a perspective on life that keeps audiences laughing, crying, listening and learning right alongside me.  Sharing what life has been like with Dad is an honor and a privilege, but I spent the first half of my life with shame, guilt and remorse gnawing me very nearly into a state of nothingness.  Consequently, it is with a great deal of excitement and positive anticipation that I share with you how the motivator’s daughter was finally inspired to take a new and very different path.

Before we move on I want you to know that I am the overly proud mother and grandmother of one son, three daughters, and twelve grandchildren.  I live in Alvord, Texas, with my husband of twenty-six years, Jim Norman; three horses, three rescued dogs and three rescued cats, and I am currently writing my first solo book to be published by Brown Books in 2010.