The impact of maintaining a positive attitude

We have all heard it, and it is so true: Attitude is 98% of the battle. Whether you are managing a difficult account or are on mile 36 of a 50-mile race, it is all mental. In juggling all of my different responsibilities, I work at keeping a positive attitude and count my blessings each and every day. I never wake up in the morning without this being the first thought in my head, and I never leave the office at the end of the week without identifying the small successes that all add up and lead to wins.

I like to correlate my running to my career as an agent. In a race, there are many points where you don’t feel great, and it would be easy to walk off the course. My experience is that once you get that negative thought going through your head, it is like a cancer, and it will eat you up. During the difficult parts of the race (even when I am in pain), I force myself to smile, and I say to myself, “Run happy.” I recognize that there are so many people out there who want to run and cannot. So many more people are out there fighting for their lives, and I am complaining about a little pain in my knee!

I think this is the same for our work. We need to “work happy” and not let negativity take over. We are blessed to have the opportunity and the privilege of protecting lives each and every day. We are blessed to be able to have the tools to solve the problems and attack the challenges. If it were easy, anyone would do it!

And lastly, my most important role is as a mother. Never get fired from your No. 1 job! My No. 1 job is raising and loving my three beautiful children. No matter what deal comes across my desk or what client needs to see me immediately, I keep in mind my No. 1 job. You see, as the MDRT Whole Person concept taught us, you can’t be a really great advisor if you aren’t well-balanced in all areas of your life. When I start to feel unbalanced, I go back to my basics, my fundamentals, my kids. And by remembering this, it brings everything back in the line of balance.

Hear more in the new episode of MDRT Presents: