AgenteNews Insurance Producer's Online Resource
I recently returned from the 2013 NAIFA Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Hosting a booth enabled our team to meet some of NAIFA’s leading insurance and financial advisors—and expand our growing network of industry professionals. Attending tradeshows like NAIFA is often exhausting. Between hosting our exhibit booth for hours each day, attending educational programs, and networking at the evening receptions, our days were extremely long. The time away from my family makes those kinds of days even harder. In the back of my mind, there was one thing that I always tried to ask myself at the end of these days: How did I spend my 86,400?
There is a famous song from the musical Rent entitled “Seasons of Love.” The characters reflect on life as the number of minutes in a year (525,600). In the same vein, I dug even deeper and tried to measure every second of every day. There are 86,400 seconds in a 24-hour day (60 seconds x 60 minutes x 24 hours), and I want to ensure that I am getting the most out of my daily allotment. This is especially important when attending events like NAIFA. With access to like-minded, successful educators and business professionals, I don’t want to let one connection, one introduction or one opportunity slip by. That’s why if you attend an event, you will see that I’m up early and out late every day. As long as there are attendees to meet, you’ll find me out of bed and out of my hotel room.
The same principle applies to my everyday life. I strive to make the most of my 86,400. After all, it’s a gift. I work hard to make sure Innovative Brokerage Network is operating successfully, but I also focus on spending quality time with my family. I manage to squeeze in a little “me time” as well. Every day, I try to spend a little time doing what I can to extend my daily gifts for many years to come. I will gladly offer time today to stay healthy and fit, knowing it will benefit me in the years to come. When I look at life as a ticking clock, it encourages me to push myself personally and professionally.
Do yourself a favor. Make an effort to measure your success, failure and productivity on a daily basis. Don’t wait until Friday to see if you had a valuable Monday. Take a few minutes to reflect on each day. And, celebrate when you have a great day. You earned it.
Additionally, don’t be afraid to confront those days when you were not as productive as you would’ve liked … we’ve all been there. Prioritize your goals for the next day, and focus on actions that help you to realize those goals. If you are honest in your assessment of each and every day, you will likely have greater success at events like NAIFA and stay better in tune with your business. After all, if you don’t take your responsibilities as a business owner seriously, who will?
