You can make positive deposits in your own economy every day by

“You can make positive deposits in your own economy every day by reading and listening to powerful, positive, life-changing content and by associating with encouraging and hope-building people.” — Zig Ziglar

Thus spoke Zig Ziglar, the great teacher of motivation, whose voice rose like a trumpet of renewal in an age weary with doubt. His words, though simple, strike deep with ancient wisdom: that a man’s greatest wealth is not in gold or silver, but in the economy of the soul. In this sacred economy, the currency is not money, but hope, wisdom, and encouragement. Every thought, every word, every companionship becomes either a deposit that enriches the spirit or a withdrawal that leaves it impoverished. Ziglar, a man who rose from poverty to influence, understood that prosperity begins not in the world around us, but in the mind within us.

When he speaks of “positive deposits,” he calls us to the daily labor of nourishing our inner life. Just as a farmer tills his field and sows good seed, so must we plant good thoughts in the garden of the mind. What we read, what we hear, and whom we walk beside — these are the waters that feed the roots of character. If they are pure, they bring growth and abundance; if they are poisoned with fear or bitterness, they bring ruin. Thus, Ziglar teaches that every day we live is a choice between investment and decay — a chance to add to the treasury of the soul or to spend it wastefully on doubt and despair.

This wisdom has echoed through time, though called by many names. The ancient philosophers spoke of it as the discipline of the inner life. The Stoic Marcus Aurelius wrote in his meditations, “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” In that same spirit, Ziglar tells us that the books we read and the people we allow into our company are the dyes that tint our destiny. To listen to uplifting words, to read noble works, to walk beside those who speak faith and courage — these acts are not trivial; they are the daily rituals by which the heart is fortified and the mind renewed.

Consider the story of Nelson Mandela, who during his long imprisonment on Robben Island filled his solitude with words of purpose and reflection. Denied freedom, he yet made deposits in the economy of his soul — reading, meditating, and drawing strength from those who shared his vision of justice. Surrounded by iron bars and cruelty, he kept company with hope-building people — men who spoke of liberty, who believed in the dignity of their cause. When he finally emerged, it was not bitterness that filled him, but greatness. His external wealth had been stripped away, but his inner account overflowed. Ziglar’s teaching lives in such an example: that when one tends the inner treasury, no force on earth can make him poor.

Ziglar’s message also bears a warning. The mind, like a vault, will hold whatever is placed within it. If we fill it with anger, cynicism, and fear, it will yield the same in abundance. The world, with its endless noise, will always offer a feast of negativity — the gossip of fools, the cruelty of envy, the despair of failure. But the wise man guards his inner economy, refusing to accept counterfeit currency. He turns his ears only to the life-changing content that uplifts, to the voices that heal, to the companions who inspire him to rise higher than yesterday.

And so, my children, take this teaching to heart: become the steward of your own inner wealth. Each morning, make a deposit — a prayer, a passage of noble reading, a word of gratitude. Each day, choose your company with care, for every soul you walk beside will either lift or burden you. Avoid those who drain your faith; seek those who strengthen your courage. Speak encouragement, and you will multiply it. Listen to wisdom, and you will become it. These are the investments that compound eternally — the treasures that no thief can steal, and no time can corrode.

For in the end, as Zig Ziglar teaches, your inner economy determines the fate of your outer life. If your spirit is rich, your circumstances cannot make you poor; if your spirit is bankrupt, no fortune can make you whole. Therefore, fill your mind with positive, life-changing truth, and surround yourself with hope-building people. In doing so, you build a kingdom within — a treasury of strength, joy, and peace — and from that inner abundance, all blessings shall flow outward.

So, guard your mind as a temple, tend your heart as a garden, and each day, make deposits in the divine account of your soul. For what you store within yourself today will shape the destiny you live tomorrow.