One of the most powerful books I've ever read that made a huge impact on my life, apart from the Bible, is Stephen R. Covey's "The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People." The subtitle, "Powerful Lessons in Personal Change" could not be more accurate. No matter what your career field, Stephen's recommendations on how to operate personally and professionally have the power to change your life. Reading this book was a small investment in time, but more importantly a colossal investment in my personal transformation.
Due to space and time constraints, I can't use this post to talk about the entire book, however I want to point out one of my favorite parts. It just happens to be Habit 1: Be Proactive. Stephen says:
"Highly
proactive people recognize responsibility. They do not blame
circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their
behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather
than a product of their conditions, based on feeling."That one quote is how I choose to live my life and how I have chosen to operate professionally. It's one of the main reasons I do this blog.
With all of that aside, it got me to thinking how can I relate this to what you do as an insurance agent. I have decided to come up with what I think are the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Insurance Agents. Ideally I have come up with seven habits I want to recommend you adopt into your professional life. They are:
Habit 1: Prioritization.
Habit 2: Clutter Free
Habit 3: Work now/Play later Mentality
Habit 4: Questioning/Risk Placement
Habit 5: Follow up
Habit 6: Marketing
Habit 7: Continuing Education
Over my next seven posts I will expound on each habit and open your mind to its benefits. For now I suggest writing these down or printing them out. Keep them in a highly visible place, and refer to them daily. I think that you will find they can provide a strong foundation in your evolution into the next generation.
