With a storied career as a successful public speaker, Zig Ziglar has a lot of advice to give for people who are looking for success. These four rules are ones Ziglar kept close to mind in order to avoid destroying his career, a thought that many people overlook when they are seeking success. It is important to remember how to stay on track when you become successful, because it is when you are at the top that it becomes the easiest to stray.

Ziglar speaks to John Hayes about these rules in Hayes’ book Successful Persuasion Through Public Speaking when he says, “There are some serious dangers in being public speakers.” However, these rules apply to any and all business professionals. “There are temptations, and they can easily kill” a career. To combat these four temptations are four rules all professionals should follow to avoid destroying their careers:

1) Don’t always believe what you hear

When you are at the top, everyone notices and everyone tells you. The first of Ziglar’s four temptations in a career is “believing what you hear.” He explains this notion by asserting, “After a few people say, ‘You were wonderful,’ if you begin to believe that, your career has already started downhill.” Constant vigilance is required to avoid destroying your career. You must always remain alert and focused on your goals and on reaching your own successes; otherwise, you will begin to cut the corners that helped you get to where you are today.

2) Remain faithful

Although a personal temptation, it is incredibly important for people who are successful to remember to stay faithful. “The second danger is lack of faithfulness to their mates if they are married.” Especially for a public speaker, whose life is presented on a stage, the fact remains that in any career, “nothing destroys the career faster” than infidelity. This is “because what happens on the home front has great bearing on what happens on the platform,” or on the sales floor or in the classroom. If your mind is not straight, neither will be the rest of your life.

Third, to become successful and to avoid destroying your career once you are the person on top is to always “be wide awake, sharp.” Ziglar iterates, “You can’t do all that consistently if you’re using booze and drugs.” This is for obvious reasons that alcohol and drugs impair your judgment. To remain sharp and avoid destroying your career, avoid or stay off of them.

4) Remain trustworthy

Finally, Ziglar emphasizes the importance of “the trust factor.” He wants people to realize, “When people trust the speaker they will take the action that I spoke about earlier.” This applies to all business scenarios. Trust is important in getting your employees to believe what you are telling them is really what is best for them and the company, just as much as it is important for your audience to trust what you are saying. “If they don’t trust the speaker they won’t take action. Once the trust factor is destroyed, the career is destroyed.”

Keep your career alive. “Being the right kind of person takes ongoing commitment.” Stay committed to your career and to your life and you will avoid destroying all that you have worked for. Ziglar reminds people, “The height of our career is determined by the depth of the foundation on which we build. I found out quickly that God’s possibilities are much greater than man’s permissibles.” Learn from his discovery and keep yourself on track with these four rules.