by Nick Williams | Jun 20, 2019 | Articles For You
What is the cost of success? For some, it is not a question they ask, it’s simply a bell they answer. For others a puzzle, for which they have no clue how to answer.
Let’s compare the typical insurance agent to an Olympic athlete. Sound ridiculous to you? It shouldn’t. These are people that have dreams to be successful. Same as the typical insurance agent. They want to leave their mark and be the best, again same as the typical insurance agent.
Here’s the difference maker, Olympians are sacrificing on a daily basis. They are making their craft the ultimate priority. Nothing is more important to the Olympian than victory. Sounds like the typical insurance agent, right? Perhaps not.
The Spartans from Ancient Greece were perhaps the greatest fighters this world has ever known. They trained so hard that it is written by Plutarch, a Greek historian “For the Spartans, actual war was a holiday compared to their tough training”. This might be excessive for an insurance agent, but it does show the capacity humans have to prepare for challenges in life.
I pose that the only requirement to be a very good agent is to invest a solid 40 hours in your craft each week. What is “very good”? 40 hours should result in a good living. This means an above average income (the average income for an insurance agent is $48,000) accompanied by a comfortable lifestyle. Unfortunately, the typical insurance agent fails at this minimal test. In order to excel and become a star in this business requires a whole lot more.
A young man or woman simply needs to invest more hours. This would include a qualifier that their off hours are not destructive. Alcohol, nightlife, and many other activities popular with the young could dramatically affect the ability to be successful. As we age, it requires a lot more. Sleep, diet, exercise, and hours should be considered for older agents. You need to be on your game! Can you train like an Olympian? I don’t know. Can you afford to not make that effort?
There are two categories of agents I referred to in the previous paragraph. As for the young, you have an opportunity to invest a couple of years now to set yourself up for a great future. You need to do this now. Don’t worry about what you may be missing. Say goodbye to your friends. Tell them you’ll get back to them two years from now. You’ll see that not much will have changed for many of them. You, however, will have made great strides and created an unlimited opportunity for yourself.
As for the older category. This is going to require you to make what is perhaps a second, third, fourth or fifth charge. Whatever the number, you’ve got to do it. The alternative is unacceptable.
To sum it up, the price of success is measured in hard work. Words such as dedication, sacrifice, standards, strength and more will be ingrained in the successful person. Several points should be made. First, there will typically be a handful of years invested in starting a successful career followed by many decades reaping the rewards of those years. Second, it is much easier to live successfully than to live with failure!!! Last and possibly the most important to understand; life is not fair and often is accompanied by suffering. It may be very possible that everything you’ve created, all of the benefits from your hard work could disappear in the blink of an eye. It is very possible you will have to fight this fight more than a couple of times in your life. But fight you must!
Again, the alternative is unacceptable.
by Nick Williams | Jun 20, 2019 | Articles For You
What is the cost of success? For some, it is not a question they ask, it’s simply a bell they answer. For others a puzzle, for which they have no clue how to answer.
Let’s compare the typical insurance agent to an Olympic athlete. Sound ridiculous to you? It shouldn’t. These are people that have dreams to be successful. Same as the typical insurance agent. They want to leave their mark and be the best, again same as the typical insurance agent.
Here’s the difference maker, Olympians are sacrificing on a daily basis. They are making their craft the ultimate priority. Nothing is more important to the Olympian than victory. Sounds like the typical insurance agent, right? Perhaps not.
The Spartans from Ancient Greece were perhaps the greatest fighters this world has ever known. They trained so hard that it is written by Plutarch, a Greek historian “For the Spartans, actual war was a holiday compared to their tough training”. This might be excessive for an insurance agent, but it does show the capacity humans have to prepare for challenges in life.
I pose that the only requirement to be a very good agent is to invest a solid 40 hours in your craft each week. What is “very good”? 40 hours should result in a good living. This means an above average income (the average income for an insurance agent is $48,000) accompanied by a comfortable lifestyle. Unfortunately, the typical insurance agent fails at this minimal test. In order to excel and become a star in this business requires a whole lot more.
A young man or woman simply needs to invest more hours. This would include a qualifier that their off hours are not destructive. Alcohol, nightlife, and many other activities popular with the young could dramatically affect the ability to be successful. As we age, it requires a lot more. Sleep, diet, exercise, and hours should be considered for older agents. You need to be on your game! Can you train like an Olympian? I don’t know. Can you afford to not make that effort?
There are two categories of agents I referred to in the previous paragraph. As for the young, you have an opportunity to invest a couple of years now to set yourself up for a great future. You need to do this now. Don’t worry about what you may be missing. Say goodbye to your friends. Tell them you’ll get back to them two years from now. You’ll see that not much will have changed for many of them. You, however, will have made great strides and created an unlimited opportunity for yourself.
As for the older category. This is going to require you to make what is perhaps a second, third, fourth or fifth charge. Whatever the number, you’ve got to do it. The alternative is unacceptable.
To sum it up, the price of success is measured in hard work. Words such as dedication, sacrifice, standards, strength and more will be ingrained in the successful person. Several points should be made. First, there will typically be a handful of years invested in starting a successful career followed by many decades reaping the rewards of those years. Second, it is much easier to live successfully than to live with failure!!! Last and possibly the most important to understand; life is not fair and often is accompanied by suffering. It may be very possible that everything you’ve created, all of the benefits from your hard work could disappear in the blink of an eye. It is very possible you will have to fight this fight more than a couple of times in your life. But fight you must!
Again, the alternative is unacceptable.
203 Roper Mountain Rd. Ext.
Greenville, SC 29615
Mon-Fri: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST
Closed on Saturdays and Sundays
Also closed on all Major Holidays
203 Roper Mountain Rd. Ext.
Greenville, SC 29615
Mon-Fri: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST
Closed on Saturdays and Sundays
Also closed on all Major Holidays