By Lou Cassara, CLU, ChFC
Why is it that only a select few, or five out of every hundred people, effectively get to the age of sixty-five and are able to call themselves successful. There continues to be such a large disparity in what people intend to do, and what they actually accomplish.
In this section, we will focus on the essence of commitment. It is very simple to understand, but much more difficult to accomplish. The essence of commitment is simply to get a commitment one must make a commitment. I observe that far too many people have the attitude of entitlement versus opportunity. They want people to do things for them without necessarily adding value in their work or relationships. These are essentially the majority of people who have no clue why they get up in the morning, what they can do, or how they can serve others. They are stuck in the have-do-be mentality and cannot see the forest from the trees.
To effectively build to an authentic mindset you must be willing to take the position that you will make the first commitment to others before expecting them to make one in return. In your personal life, in order to have a friend, you must be a friend first. You must have an attitude of willing versus wanting in your life. Being willing is simply the power to say "yes" even in the midst of doubts, worries, fears and dislikes. Being willing is your ticket to a life of creativity, power and fulfillment. It will change the course of your life.
Most people are anxious to improve their circumstances, but unwilling to improve themselves.
The moment of truth before you is to achieve clarity of what has to be done in your life personally and professionally. It is time for all of us to stop talking so much about the quality of our products, services and financial statements and start talking more about the quality of our relationships, communication and the promises we make to each other.
In order for you to make an effective quantum leap in your business, you will have to be willing to make certain adjustments. If you want to know if something is true for you, ask yourself how you feel about it. Ask yourself the following question: "If the process you were using to engage relationships were to be the process that all the rest of us had to follow, would you change anything?" The second question, "If the way you were acting were to be the model for all the rest of us to follow, would you act differently?" Ask yourself these tough questions because you will never be able to change any action in your life without first examining your underlying beliefs about something. This is easier said than done, but the results can be significant. There are far too many books on the market that tell you how to do something, but very few that tell you how to be something. Take the time to work on yourself and your business. Build your success from the inside out.
Remember, to get a commitment from someone, you must make a commitment to someone first. Be clear on articulating who you are, what you do and how that will serve someone. Be confident in your ability to connect by understanding and activating the deep emotions in yourself and other people. Be capable of making a commitment first to yourself, so that the information that follows in this section will be more impacting to you and the people that you serve. Pay attention to why you would do something. It is the why in your life that empowers you, not the how.
There is one significant point I want to leave you with. Pay attention to the fact that everything you have ever done in your life that was worthwhile was accomplished by you going into your discomfort. If you want something you have never had you will have to do something you have never done.
Louis J. Cassara, CEO and Founder of The Cassara Clinic® LLC and Cassara Associates, has been inspiring people to “realize their true potential” for more than twenty years. As an industry sales coach and consultant, Lou has coached and developed thousands of business professionals and entrepreneurs to create significant relationships with their clients. The powerful principles and strategies he teaches challenge participants in his professional development programs to build better relationships and communicate with impact.
Lou Cassara’s impressive career as a Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Life Underwriter has placed him in the top 1% of his peers. He is an eleven –time qualifier for the Top of the Table and a life and qualifying Member of the Million Dollar Round Table. His accomplishments include $800M of life insurance in force on $12M of life premium on 3500 lives. His career production ranks him as the 12th all time leading producer with Northwestern Mutual. In addition, Lou is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and teacher on communications and client relationships. His book, From Selling to Serving, The Essence of Client Creation is a business books best seller. You can learn more about Lou Cassara by visiting his website www.cassaraclinic.com
2007, Copyright, The Cassara Clinic LLC, All Rights Reserved, Any Duplication of this article must be expressly approved by The Cassara Clinic LLC. Please contact us at 888-848-6818 or lou@cassaraclinic.com
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