Five habits that could be killing your productionArticle added by Paul Mallett on October 30, 2012
Paul M Mallett

Paul Mallett

Defiance, OH

Joined: September 27, 2012
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Make an honest assessment of your own routine. Do any of these bad habits sound familiar? If so, pinpoint the root causes behind that habit and go on the attack.

Our habits, good or bad, have incredible power over our lives. Worst case, they can drive us to a life of disappointment and failure. Best case, we can harness them and use them as a tool to achieve success. Here are a few bad habits that could be standing between you and the career of your dreams:

1. Wasting precious time – Time is the one commodity we can’t make more of. It’s precious. Are you treating it that way? What time is your first client meeting today? How much of your precious time each day is spent in front of a client or prospect? Chances are, it’s not enough. Track your activities for a week. Take an honest look at the actual percentage of your time spent on the things that really drive your business. Set a goal to increase that by a minimum of 25 percent. Plan your day in advance to meet that goal, and check again after 30 days. There is a direct correlation between what you spend your time on, and how successful you are.

2. Allowing negative thoughts to rule – Negative thoughts surround us every day. News accounts of terrorism, the weak economy, wars and yes, political ads come at us from every direction. We all have a downer friend or two that sees the negative in everything. They tell us things like, “The deck is stacked against the little guy.” “You can’t win in this economy.” Enough already! Don’t buy it, and more importantly, don’t perpetuate this junk. No one controls your destiny but you. Find creative ways to eliminate negative influences from your environment. Develop your ability to recognize negative energy immediately and replace it with positive affirmations. The world is not a horrible place and it is possible to succeed. Decide today to drive negativity out of the space around you. Your life and business will improve immediately.

3. Giving up too soon – Persistence is a critical factor to success. You never really lose until you give up trying. Recent studies have shown most producers give up on a lead after one try. One try! Are you kidding? Then they complain the leads are no good. If you’re going to invest in a lead, at least put some effort into converting it. The same studies show the chances for a sale go up dramatically with each contact. Be persistent. Don’t quit. You could be three feet from gold and not even know it. Pick a number (greater than one), and really commit to contacting a prospect at least that many times before giving up. 4. Not taking care of your health – No list of keys to success is complete without a reference to your health, but it’s critical. Get seven or eight hours of sleep per night. Drink more water. Maintain a healthy weight. Renowned brain expert Dr. Daniel Amen tells us the fatter we get, the smaller our brains are. Yikes! That should scare all of us out of obesity. As a financial/risk management professional, your brain is the tool of your trade. Treat it and the rest of your body like it is your most valuable business asset — because it is.

5. Getting complacent – This is the worst of the list. Business expert Jim Collins famously said, “Good is the enemy of great.” It’s absolutely true. Many people achieve a certain level of success and then stop trying. They get comfortable. They reach a self-created ceiling of success and then stop doing the things that got them there. Don’t do that to yourself. You deserve better. Your potential is limited only by you. You may be living the good life, but you could be living the great life. Make an honest assessment of your own routine. Do any of these bad habits sound familiar? If so, pinpoint the root causes behind that habit and go on the attack. The best way to drop a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. Wasting time? Set aside 15 minutes a day to plan and prioritize your day. Gotten a little too complacent? Commit to a seminar that will improve a key skill. Whatever it is, just do something. You are capable of so much more than you think.
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