Being Passive is Robbing Your Potential

Speaker A: What's up and welcome to the Unquit podcast. And whether you're on the verge of quitting life insurance sales or you want the best tips and tricks to win in the industry, you're in the right place. I'm your host, Jim Larson. And sure, I might own one of the largest and fastest growing brokerage life insurance agencies in the entire country. And yeah, I might have built that agency in just three years, but I also started years ago and quit. I quit on myself and my goals and came back two years later, humbled, um, and ready to win. So whether you need to be talked off the ledge or you want advanced leadership content, you're going to find that here. This will be the number one sales and leadership podcast for life insurance agents. Welcome to the Unquit podcast. All right, so I'm gonna have a conversation with you guys this morning that, um, kind of puts me in my wheelhouse. You know, people are good at different things. Um, I love getting people on here that can teach us about sales tips and closing and setting appointments and, you know, I'm competent with that stuff, but that's not my wheelhouse. I'm gonna have a conversation about the human mind today, how it works. And I titled it Beat Me to the Top of the Company. How many of you have followed my story? Um, you know, I, uh, in January of 2020, and then I came back. How long did it take me? When corporate parades me around, how long do they say it took me to get to the top of this company? Pulling up the chat here? 25 months. Dana. Got it. 25 months. 25 months from when I came back in January of 22 to when I hit. I was announced in. I hit in January. I was announced February of 2024. So 25 months it took me to hit 130 in equity partner. I want you to beat me. You're like, I can't. I've already been here longer than that. Now hear me out, because I don't see my timeline as a 25 month timeline. I don't see that. I reject that. I see my timeline as a 10 year timeline. It was 2014 when I was working as a registered nurse and I realized that that trajectory was never going to get me where I wanted to go. And something had to give. That's what I realized that in 2014. So do you want to know? Let's say I found symmetry right away in 2014, it was January. In January of 2014, let's say I found symmetry. Then do you want to know how long it was going to take me and when I would have hit the top of this company, I would have hit in February of 2024. When I did, there was no shortcut. From the time I rejected my hourly rate job and hit the goals that I had, it was necessarily gonna be a 10 year journey. I just happened to do eight years of that journey before I walked into symmetry. So what you guys see was a two year glimpse where people give me all the credit. Like, he did it in two years. Nah, I didn't do it in two years. I capitalized in two years on eight years of building myself and learning. There is a twofold growth curve. You grow yourself and you grow a business. Most people aren't aware of this. We talk about personal development. We talk about the law of the lid. But most people, when they come into this business, they're doing two things. They're having to grow themselves and grow a business at the same time. That's necessarily a slow journey. When I came here, I had spent eight years developing myself. All I had to do was grow a business. Now most people aren't aware that they are the lid to their business. They think, just show me what to do. Just let me go to work. I'm going to do the work. I'm a hard worker. That's cute. I was on the phone with a guy that was like telling me how the system wasn't working. He's like, don't get me wrong. And he's like, I'm a hard worker. I can work hard. You told me this was hard. I'm like, it's not. Not that the work is hard and it doesn't require a hard worker. The heart is in your head because the heart is growing yourself, not growing the business. The business is the overflow of you. But when we get, when we lose sight of that and we say, all I have to do is get good at this business. No, you can't get good at this business if you're not good yourself. Need you to understand this. All goals are personal. All goals are personal. Your goal is not to be an AO. Uh, your goal is not to hit 130. It's not your goal. You didn't know what those things meant before you joined here. You come in here, uh, you think that's your goal. But you only think that because you think by hitting that mean things in your personal life. So all goals are personal. You want AO because you think of it as a reflection and something it's going to mean for Your personal life. You want 130 because of, uh, what that means for your personal life. It's otherwise completely arbitrary. It's otherwise completely arbitrary. That isn't what you want. All goals are personal. And for that personal goal, you need three things. You need a goal, you need the expectation that you'll hit that goal, and you need a consistently executed plan. You need all three of these. Now. People are missing all of them. Some people walk around this world literally not having a goal. Just whatever the next step is in front of them. They just go with the wind and they float. But a lot of people do have goals. You guys came here because you had goals. Not one of you came here because you were rich and bored. You came here because you had goals. So you have a goal. But I want to be really clear with you. The world is not lacking for people who want stuff. The world. There is no shortage of people with goals and people who want stuff. Having goals is not what makes you special. We show up here and we think by nature of having goals, that somehow we're entitled to those goals. We're going to hit those goals. Listen, most people quit, and every one of them that quit had goals. You're like, but I need to hit my goals. Cool. So did they. And they still quit. But I'm, um, desperate for this to work. Cool. Your desperation doesn't make you special either. Your need doesn't make you special. You're wanting it doesn't make you special. The world is full of people who want things, need things that are desperate for things. If you think that is the thing that makes you special, you're on the. You're barking up the wrong tree. That is not. The world is full. This call is full. This company is full of people who want things. That doesn't mean you're going to get the things you want. So if having a goal isn't what makes you special, the people who actually hit their goals, it's not just because they had one. They had an expectation that they were going to hit, and they had a consistently executed plan. And it works like a feedback loop. When you expect to hit, you show up for the plan consistently, which builds your expectation that you'll hit. Because you're making progress, you're doing the work, which then leads to more execution. And you follow this feedback loop. This is the feedback loop that successful people follow. So you're going to ask me, what is the plan? Then, Jim, give me the plan. I will. I will give you the plan. It's four keys to a successful week. Resources, activity, system and schedule. You he here is your plan. You wanted a plan. Your goals don't make you special. The feedback loop of expectation and consistency is what makes you special. So you're like, what is the plan? I'm giving it to you. Resources, activity, system and schedule. I didn't make this up. This is right in hq. Resources. New leads every week. That is the plan. New leads Every week. Activity. 100 dial days are a minimum. Any less than that, hear me clearly. Any less than that is you telling the boss, I'm ducking out early today, boss. You do 70 dials in a day. I'm ducking out early today, boss. 40 dials in it. Ducking out early today, boss. Do that once or twice, no big deal. You start stacking that boss gonna have an issue. That's activity, schedule. Your schedule needs to be blocked and intentional. You cannot wait for this to be convenient. You have to prioritize it. System. We have a system here. And the system's built on the four cornerstones. Believe in what you sell, Massive action, constant correction, ferocious self improvement and association. This is our system. Believe in what you sell. Do massive action, constant correction, consistently self improve and associate. Now remember, all goals are personal. You aren't working for symmetry. You aren't working for me. You are working for your goals. They're personal. Now you have these goals. You have a plan. But do you have the expectation that you're going to hit? Because if you expect to hit and you're going to roll this plan, these four keys to a successful week all of a sudden become non negotiable. Resources, activity, system and schedule. These are now non negotiable. I need you to see that it's no longer, can I afford to buy leads? Buying leads is happening. You just have to figure out how. That's already settled. You said you want this goal. You said I want this. Okay, cool. Then a consistently executed plan is what gets you there. So it's not, can I afford leads? That's the wrong question. It's how do I afford leads? Because buying leads is happening. Because you're not going to get your goal without it. It's no longer, can I find time to make 500 dials this week? Dialing is happening. That's settled. That's resolved. You just have to figure out how. It's no longer is association being in the virtual office or Mac room, getting the conference, being on the accountability call, Is that really necessary? No, that's not the question. Those things are happening, period. You just have to figure out how. The human brain is phenomenally good at one thing. Pattern recognition. For the purpose of self preservation. That is what your brain does. The hunter gatherer in us. The hunter gatherer hears a rustle in the grass. It might be a lion, it might just be the wind. If he thinks. If that human being thinks it's a lion and he runs, he's gonna live. Even if he was wrong, even if it was just the wind, he was wrong. He lives to see another day. If he thinks it's the wind and he stays there. If he's wrong, he's gonna die. The stakes aren't worth it. So the brain says, run away. Even if it's not threat, run away and stay safe. This is what your brain is constantly thinking. So your fear, I can't dial, I can't afford leads, I can't make it to conference. Isn't there to help you thrive. It's designed to keep you in a pattern of survival. You are literally here to break the pattern of survival. You're trying not to just survive, you're trying to thrive, but you're trying to use your brain to do it. And your brain ain't designed to do it. Keith Spencer asked me this question the other day. He's like, man, I'm so in my head in fear of dialing and fear of incompetence. I'm so in my head, how do I get out of my head? What are the mindset tricks to get out of my head? And I'm like, there are no mindset tricks to get out of your head. Because if you're trying to get out of your head and you're playing mindset tricks to talk you out, you're playing in your head to get out of your head. And you're playing in your head sandbox. You can't do that. The only way out of your head is activity. You gotta bypass your brain sandbox altogether and just go, do. You don't talk yourself into dialing. You just go dial. Regardless of the fear factor, you don't. You just go, do you have to get out of your head in order to get into action? You don't talk yourself out of your head. You don't think yourself out of your head. Because by nature of, uh, even thinking, you're staying in your head. You'll never get out of your head by playing in your head. Need you to understand that the only way out of your head is to act. Your brain's goal is not to thrive. Your brain's goal is just to survive. That's your brain's goal. And your goal, your personal goal, is dependent on your ability to consistently execute a plan. Even when, I would argue, especially when it feels impossible. That is what your goal depends on. Your ability to consistently execute a plan, even when, and especially when it feels impossible. Every single time you show, um, up the right way, you tell your brain, this is no longer negotiable. We're going to figure this out. Every time you say, I'm buying leads, that is committed, that is settled. I'm doing that every week. You're telling your brain, oh, I guess he really means this time. I, um, mean, there's. There's been a lot of things in his life he said he was going to do, and he did it until it got uncomfortable. And then the minute he got uncomfortable, he backed off. Can I side note here? Those of you that, that deal with, you know, maybe, I don't know, a spouse being not really supportive of your time here. So often when spouses aren't supportive, it's. It's not that they don't support you. It's that they've watched you start and quit things so many times, they no longer believe this is real. They no longer believe you. And you're hoping they support you because you don't even expect your goals. You've started and quit so many things, you no long expect to win. So you're leaning on your spouse, you're leaning on your partner to provide the strength of belief that you yourself are lacking. And you're like, why don't they believe in my goal? And I'm like, why are you so desperate for them, too? You're desperate for them, too, because you don't. Can't do that. It's an unfair. It's an unfair ask. You need to show up the right way to show your brain this is no longer negotiable. Every time you negotiate yourself out of the plan, Every time you negotiate yourself out of making at least 100 dials, you negotiate yourself out of going to conference. You negotiate yourself out of showing up for the call. Every single time you negotiate yourself out of the plan, you are telling your brain, I'm not really serious about this, and I want you to hear the importance of that. Because when you're sitting there and you're like, are 50 dials really going to get me closer to my goal? I could dial today, but is it really going to get me close? Has nothing to do with whether those 50 dials on that day are Getting you closer to your goal. It has everything to do with staying consistent, to give your brain the data points to show it, that you mean business this time, that you're committed this time. That all the other times you tried to do something and you failed it, that it's different if I'm. That the importance of showing up, uh, is the consistency that you're going to necessarily build, which tells your brain you're serious, which puts your brain into action to go to work for you instead of fight against you. Every time you negotiate yourself out of the plan, you decrease your own expectation that you're going to hit. So this feedback loop, I expect I'm going to hit, so I execute a plan. So I more expect, so I execute. Every time you negotiate yourself out of the plan. Plan. You are decreasing your own expectation that you're gonna hit. You no longer expect it because you are no longer serious about your own goal. You are no longer executing the plan, so your brain doesn't take it seriously, so it doesn't expect you're gonna hit. It's watching you negotiate yourself out of your goal, out of the plan. Every single day. It watches you negotiate yourself out. So it stops expecting. You can't hit a goal that you don't expect to hit and aren't consistently executing. And every time you negotiate yourself out of it, you decrease your own expectation that you're going to hit. So what are you left with? If you decrease your expectation and you negotiate yourself out of a plan, you are left with just a goal and you are just one more person, Just another person who wants big things. And there is nothing special about that person. You don't want to be just one more person with big goals, no expectation to hit, and no consistently executed plan. This is what personal growth actually is. We confuse personal growth with just reading books. What personal growth are you doing? Well, I'm reading this book. Yeah. Are you implementing any of it? Is it actually doing anything? Because personal growth is a matter of rewiring what your brain is committed to proving. That's what personal growth actually is. It is rewiring. Is your brain committed to proving that you can't? Some of you are arguing for your limitations. I can't do it because of this. This. This. Okay, cool. Your brain is committed to proving you can't. And you're right. Personal growth is about rewiring what your brain is committed to proving. This is why it's not fast. This is why it took me 10 years to achieve my goals. And it's why it was going to take me 10 years. No matter. When I came to symmetry, that was an irrelevant piece of this puzzle for me. That was just. That was a step along a long journey. But it was 10 years because I had to rewire my brain and what I expected of myself. And the only way you rewire is by consistently showing up for the plan, even when. Especially when that plan seems impossible. So you're going to tell me Jim going to conference is imposs. Good. That's exactly why you have to go buying leads. I can't. I can't commit to that. That's exactly why you have to. But. But. But I can't. I just. I, uh. I have so much going on this week. I mean, I. I stubbed my toe in everything in the car. Car tire got flat. I just. I don't know when I'm gonna make these dials. That's why you have to. Because you have got to give your brain evidence to believe that it has changed. Go beat me. Beat me to the top of this company because of what it's going to mean for your family and the options you have. But recognize you're only going to get there if you figure out how to be more committed to your goals than your fear is to keeping you safe. You're only going to get to your goals if you figure out how to be more committed to those goals than your fear is to keeping you safe. I've given you the blueprint. I've, uh, given you the framework. It's on you to figure out how to play it. Good luck. We're here for it. Literally every day, we're here for it. Hey, thanks so much for tuning in. Every single week, we are going to be delivering real, raw, impactful content. So you can not only grow a business, but grow yourself. The best way to connect with me is on Instagram. Eat. Uh, Jim Larson. Just spell my last name right. That is L, A, R, S, E, N. I cannot wait for some upcoming announcements. And thank you for your support and your help in making this the number one sales and leadership podcast asked for life insurance agents.