Everything I’ve Learned

Balance is key, today matters, be generous and passionate, and always set goals.

By Juli McNeely

Over the eight years that I have been in the financial services industry, my definition of success has changed and grown as a result of what I have learned. These are the things I have learned:

Balance is the key to my happiness. As Robert Fulghum, author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things, says: “Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.” If one area of my life takes over or becomes my only or primary focus, the other things in my life suffer and so do I. This industry can turn anyone into a workaholic. But family, friends, church and volunteer work all make me who I am. If I am not true to myself and am not continually renewing my mind, body and spirit outside work, I am nothing to my clients and I am not who I really want to be. Success is making it all work for the good of the whole person.

Today matters. In his book, Today Matters, John Maxwell writes: “People create success in their lives by focusing on today … It’s too late for yesterday. And you can’t depend on tomorrow.” Every day is a new day to improve yourself, your surroundings and your business. Make the most of each day and start today.

We need to prepare for success. Set goals and priorities for your day, month, year and lifetime and monitor them along the way. This is your chance to evaluate how you are doing at being you. What would you like to change, learn, try or obtain? These are not just sales goals and priorities but goals and priorities in all areas of your life as well. As Maxwell wrote: “To be successful, you can’t just run on the fast track; run on your track.”

Money is not the only way to be paid for my time. Although earning a nice income is a side effect of becoming successful in this business, it is not the only compensation we receive. The satisfaction of helping our clients through tough times (delivering a claim check) and through happy times (reaching retirement with an adequate nest egg) is sometimes difficult but very rewarding. Our rewards go beyond the money we make.

Be generous with my time, talents and resources—it will always come back to me. Give generously to your friends and families, your communities, your clients and the industry. We really do work in a tremendous industry and need to make sure that it is around 50 years from now. We need to give back by supporting NAIFA with our membership and by volunteering, by recruiting a new agent into the business, by mentoring a struggling agent, by sharing what we know or by supporting our political action committee. I have received more than I have given from NAIFA. Generous giving forces us to focus on others and not ourselves. As Andrew Carnegie said, “No man becomes rich unless he enriches others.” Do your part to enrich those around you and you will also be enriched.

Be passionate about what I do and have fun! If you do not believe in what you are doing and are not having fun, rethink your strategy. Life is too short to be trapped in a position you really don’t want to be in.

The secret of success
My idea of success may be different from yours. The trick is to find what makes you happy and hold on to it—make it a part of each day. I recently had the privilege of hearing John R. Wooden, head basketball coach emeritus at UCLA, speak. He summed up success very nicely: “Success is peace of mind that is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”

Juli McNeely, LUTCF, is vice president/treasurer of McNeely Financial Services, immediate past president of NAIFA-Central Wisconsin, past chair of NAIFA’s Young Advisors Team and current chair of NAIFA’s Committee on Associations. Contact her at juli@mcneelyfinancial.com.