“Simon got me thinking about what is blocking me from what I need to do. I really like what Simon said, When there is judgment there can be no understanding.”
Ken Dombart
Lincoln Financial

“There are blocks on every level of business no matter where you stand. I liked when Simon spoke about understanding yourself and trying not to overdo things.”
Matt Koppin
Piedmont Insurance Services

“I liked the form on controlling the outcomes i.e. prior planning. I actually found it worthwhile to take notes.”
Chris Alexander
Guardian Life Ins. Co.

“I have a deeper understanding of the importance of business planning and balance to succeeding as an adviser. I gained a better understanding how values and actions express themselves in the success of advisers.”
L. P. Jones
New York Life

”Simon spoke about real-life things that happen in our business, ways to eliminate the bad and starting working on the good. He gave actionable subject and ideas; it wasn’t just a speech. He talked about things that matter and how to take action. It wasn’t just mountain-top inspiration; it was real.”
James Higgins
Thrivent Financial

“Simon identified and discussed how unmet needs impact us and our overall business. I liked that you are willing to send out free templates to help us with our business.”
Sandy Howard
Pippin Insurance

“The presentation had structure and focus. You got out meeting back on time. You delivered the message succinctly. I understand that there is more to achieving balance than just scheduling some time off.”
Phil Smelley
The Complete Insurance Source

“I liked the One Page Business Plan. I understand better how to overcome fear and branch out into new areas.”
Scott Bennett
Modern Woodmen of America

“Simon spoke about how we are the economy; we need to get rid of the stuff.” There is nothing wrong; I just need to understand what I need to do.”
Randall Talley
Tidwell & Talley Insurance

“I understand the value of having a successful business plan. We need to get rid of the stuff.”
Chris Gallman
State Farm

“I enjoyed the comparisons between being and doing. I’m motivated to clear my mind of useless garbage and self-doubt.”
Ross Perloe
My LTC

“Simon explored the real difference between motivation and inspiration. I realize I must have balance in my life, not all work and work. I need to plan my work, I need personal time, and I need to plan the future path of my life professionally and personally.”
Pierce McWaters
McWaters Insurance

“Simon’s high net worth client worthiness concept was dead on. It was mind overload issue resolution. Simon gave many useful ideas to help me now!”
Lisa Hartel
Thrivent Financial

“I enjoyed the graphics and items I had not previously heard about. Simon helped give me awareness of strategic thinking about my business.”
Maurice Jones
The Maurice Jones Agency

“I learned how to use Being to be successful in your business and how to organize your plan and objectives. Simon gave new ways to understand your goals and how to make them work.”
Lucia Jones
The Maurice Jones Agency

“I liked the high-energy delivery method and the graphics. The presentation had thought-provoking concepts that can be applied to my discipline.”
Poppy Finley

“I liked that Simon worked in a fixed behavior foundation and using the feelings make for strength and passion. He gave me more wisdom to do what I do best.”
Mike Koppin
Piedmont Insurance Services

“I liked the score card. It’s either 1 or 10, no in-between. That made sense! Simon helped me identify the ‘stuff’ and eliminate the ‘stuff’”.
Martha Shasteen
Network Insurers

“Simon helped me think about what is holding me back. I had a good look at my self-worth and where I think my self-worth comes from.”
Lynn Henderson
Modern Woodmen of America

”I liked the Ted presentation. It’s nice to know that most of our undoing is self-inflicted. We received a good book recommendation. Quiet.”
Mark Weeks
Principal

”The presentation was full of information and material was efficiently moved through in a ‘building block’ order. I didn’t expect to hear that I was more doing than being, especially in safety but did recognize that I do have some ‘being’ but I want to ‘Be’”.
Kelly Smith
L.R. Johnson & Associates, Inc.

”Simon was very knowledgeable and well prepared. The presentation was very interesting and instruction was excellent! I can get focused on a game plan, ask for great referrals, delegate, and learn from set-backs and move on great sales.”
Bill E. Cooper
AMA

“I enjoyed the simplicity and clarity of the presentation and the empty-my-mind process. I am inspired and motivated with new ideas, remembering to get back to basics with a vision statement and business plan.”
Patti Ruiz
Southern Financial Consultant

“It was practical, how to clear my mental roadblocks. It was a concise, simple plan to implement in my life.”
P.Q. Le
Prudential

“I liked the Reward Scorecard. We received an overview of values and assessments and the One Page Business Plan.”
Robert Rosner
Robert M. Rosner & Associates Inc.

“It was a unique presentation on building your business and a pathway to a better life. I received insight into why my career has stalled.”
Roy H. Greene
Ameritas

“Simon stressed the importance of having a business plan. We received information on how to create a business plan and the need to implement it.”
Kevin Ross
Kevin Ross Financial Services

 

Thank you again to Kara Stanley, President Elect of NAIFA New Hampshire, for creating the opportunity to speak alongside Tom Hegna.

I’m awaiting a 2:15 pm flight to Philadelphia connecting to a 5:40 pm flight to Toronto.

Karl Krokosinski’s, President and CEO of Customplan Financial Advisors Inc., 4 Steps To Reading A Book and Integrating What You Have Learned is resonating with me.

I’m just about to finish my second of Karl’s 4 Steps while reading The Shadow Effect – Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self by Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford and Marianne Williamson.

Here are Karl’s Krokosinski’s 4 Steps To Reading A Book and Integrating What You Have Learned.

Step 1) Read the book.

Step 2) Read the book a second time and highlight the best parts of the book that resonate with you.

Step 3) Transcribe / short list / bullet point the best parts of the book that resonate with you.

Step 4) Go out and teach what you have learned.

 

Crafting A Detailed Job Description – Clearly defining the skills and responsibilities relevant to the position is critical to hiring the right assistant by Brent Jolly, The Investment Executive, April 22, 2013.

When looking to recruit the best assistants for their practices, advisors should first take the time to develop a detailed job description in order to identify and define some of the skills and competencies they need to help them grow their business.

“Having a job description when hiring new assistants is absolutely essential,” says Simon Reilly, a business coach and founder of Leading Advisor Inc., based in Parksville, B.C. “It will provide the roadmap for advisors to identify the right kind of person they need for their business.”

Advisors should see job descriptions as accountability documents that are critical towards building an organized practice. For example, a well-written job description should spell out an organization’s structure – such as who reports to whom. It should resemble a contract between the advisor and the assistant that specifies individual responsibilities and duties.

All too often, advisors do not spend enough time outlining the specific qualities they need in new assistants, experts say.

“The biggest mistake advisors make is that they aren’t clear on the values and behaviours that are required for a certain position,” says Reilly. “Instead they just assume the person can do the job.”

Click here to read the entire article; Crafting A Detailed Job Description - Clearly defining the skills and responsibilities relevant to the position is critical to hiring the right assistant by Brent Jolly, The Investment Executive, April 22, 2013.

 

Pictured here are NAIFA Georgia Executive John Weeks, Debby Evans, Sandy Sutton and Don Esposito.

It was great to reconnect with fellow MDRT speaker Tim Richardson. We had a chance after the convention to offer each other some business-building ideas.

It’s 5 pm ET Wednesday, April 24 and I’m 90 minutes into a 150-minute flight from Atlanta to Dallas connecting in Vancouver and then on to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island making for a long creative day.

So to stay inspired I’m practicing what I suggest to my clients which is to make a list of everything that they have to give thanks for from the past week and focus on how that makes you feel versus the always judging / unthankful ego – amygdala, emotional, limbic, lizard brain.

This give-thanks-for list below is from the week of Sunday April 14, to Saturday April 21, which ties into this Organizational Mind Map that I created on Sunday April 15.

You might think it is a sin that I have worked the last three Sundays in row having spoken at TedX Powell River Sunday April 7, flown to London, ON, Sunday April 14, and flown to Atlanta Sunday April 21. I am sure that God understands the investment one makes to deliver The Inspirational Tipping Point while living on the edge of nowhere on Vancouver Island.

Giving Thanks List Sunday April 14 – Saturday April 21

Saturday, April 20

• Slept in Saturday
• Chris Barrow newsletter printed for next week’s reading
• Diane consultant debriefing
• Listed everything to give thanks for week
• Meditation 20, walk 30, cardio 33, yoga 20 minutes

Friday, April 19

• Coaching day
• COI Coaching Infusionsoft and Send Out Cards marketing campaign delegated
• Journal summarized
• NAIFA Georgia PowerPoint edits defined
• Lincoln speaking coaching prospect called for an appointment
• Pat friend conversation
• Projects shortlisted
• Meditation 20, walk 30, cardio 33, massage 75, yoga 20 minutes
• Shadow book received
• What is The Inspirational Tipping Point book ideas
• Realization The Inspirational Tipping Point must be written to corporations
• Unpacked

Thursday, April 18

• Safe flight home from Toronto
• Article summary created
• Bio edits
• Blog and Tweets written for following week
• Clearing process
• COI Coaching Infusionsoft and Send Out Cards marketing campaign draft written
• Facebook client friend list draft
• Saint research for reading completed
• Shadow research
• Ted Vancouver Whistler submission draft
• Home with Laura
• Meditation 20, yoga 60 minutes

Wednesday, April 17

• Outstanding Inspirational Tipping Point / One Page Business Plan speaking presentation to Pro-Seminars Toronto
• Coaching day
• Clearing process
• Client Infusionsoft and Send Out Cards marketing campaign confirmed
• Bob Gignac friend visit
• Website repairs identified
• Meditation 20, cardio 33, yoga 20 minutes

Tuesday, April 16

• Good Inspirational Tipping Point / One Page Business Plan speaking presentation to Pro-Seminars London
• Coaching day
• Clearing process
• Diederik friend debriefing
• Bob Gignac friend visit
• Meditation 20, cardio 45, yoga 25 minutes

Monday, April 15

• Clearing process
• Client Infusionsoft campaign started
• Diederik friend meeting
• Laura meeting
• Let a FMO prospect go
• Meditation 10, cardio 45, yoga 30 minutes

Sunday, April 14

• Safe flight to London
• April newsletter written
• Blog and Tweets written for week and summary list created
• Blog mind map created of projects for week of April 14 – 20
• Clearing process
• Inspirational Tipping Point / One Page Business Plan speaking presentation PowerPoint written
• Laura meeting agenda written for Laura meeting
• Marketing plan updated
• Planner iPad updated
• Projects list updated
• Recognized too tired to write new articles after TedX
• Robin friend letter draft
• Meditation cardio 33, yoga 33 minutes
• Scheduled a weekend get a way for Laura and me for April 27

… and as a result of this giving-thanks process, I am reminded to continue to express joy, happiness, love and peace as we continue our purpose.

 

It’s Time To Do A Team Quarterly Review And Here Is How

 

I truly enjoyed speaking for 18 minutes at TEDX Power River last Sunday.  I’m now looking forward to the luxury of speaking for 60 minutes at Pro-Seminars. I’m also looking forward to having dinner and catching up with my good friend Bob Gignac, author of Rich Is A State Of Mind.

I’m using today’s flights to get organized for the week and using today’s time to invest in the following;

• Mind Mapping / Emptying My Mind for the week
• Pre-writing the Tweets for the week so that I may delegate them to my virtual assistants Deanne and Liz
• Writing the talking points for a Monday telephone meeting with Laura
• Setting the intention for this trip
• Adding The Inspirational Tipping Point that I did for TedX to the One Page Business Plan PowerPoint that I will be doing for Pro-Seminars in London and Toronto
• Updating our Budget Cash Flow / Sales Activity Calculator to reflect that I will be speaking to 1000 financial advisors in the next 90 days
• Writing our April E-Newsletter – Success And Failure Are 90% Why – Most Don’t Know Why

So having created this Mind Map / Empty My Mind, I was wondering what to write about for Monday’s blog.

So here it is!

I hope that you enjoyed it .

 

10 Steps To Get Out Of Overwhelm Now!

 

I was amazed at how speakers from near and far and from every walk of life could congregate to express a common theme while sharing the highs and lows of their personal journey which developed their inspiration and values, vision, mission and purpose.

The theme and spirit of TedX Powell River, Prevernal, “early growth in the Spring” will live on through the hearts and minds of the attendees, organizers and speakers as a result of TedX Powell River which was the best event that I have ever experienced.

A special thank you to Robin Murray, who I met over 20 years ago, who recommended me as a speaker for TedX Powell River. Robin it is great to have rekindled our friendship. You have helped to kindle a new inspiration within me to find ways to speak to universal audiences which I have not done for 20 years.

 

This quarter has been unique in that we have experienced a 5% reduction in sales in comparison to the same quarter last year and missed 3 of 4 speaking presentations due to inclement weather / travel problems. Many thanks to Bob Gignac, author of Rich Is A State Of Mind for filling in for me as a speaker to honor our commitment to the audience.

At first glance, a 5% reduction in sales may seem troubling but on the other hand we have increased profits and reduced debt. We have also reduced overhead as most of the developmental costs of our business systems are bought and paid for.

We have also been blessed with more time off and more time to create new material for clients that includes e-marketing campaigns, leadership, sussession planning, sustainable change and virtual sales management as well as the time to develop the presentation for Ted X Power River that I am delivering on April 7.

Thanks for letting me share our good fortune which would not have been fully realized if we had not stopped to do a written summary of everything that we have to give thanks for in the first quarter of 2013.

Planning

• 16 days off from December 22 at home on Christmas break
• 9 days off from February 22 in Ucluelet
• acknowledged values and vision followed from 1995 – 2013
• celebrating the miracle that we are doing what we are doing while living on Vancouver Island
• eliminated 7 AM client appointments
• emptied mind using Evernote
• established three buffer days per week on second and fourth weeks of the month
• implemented biweekly meetings with Laura
• implemented Infusionsoft reports
• implemented Monday only blogging
• implemented Planner Pad
• improved listening for ways to be of service
• improved sales activity calculator
• increasing vision
• managed energy in advance of birthday to have a strong start in our birth year
• understanding that our business is allowing us to create content in first quarter and then speak and prospect in the second quarter
• understanding to trust that there always has been enough and that there will be enough

Administration

• emptied storage
• started nexus application, and live appointments booked

Computers

• improved understanding of Infusionsoft
• learned Smart Draw
• purchased printer with scanner
• repaired DVD drive
• researched change to Internet connection over from Shaw

Financial

• created debt reduction plan
• decreased sales 5% lower than same time 2012, while sales for 2012 in total were 18% higher than 2011
• increased existing client work enabling us to create improved products and services
• intention to attract an extra $40,000
• maintained and update budget cash flow
• paid HST
• reduced credit card debt
• reduced overhead
• reduced spending
• updated coaching terms and eliminated unqualified refunds for clients who do not show up for appointments that they have scheduled and for not completing assignments as per agreement

Marketing

• completed best articles list draft
• completed center of influence speaking Infusionsoft and Send Out Cards marketing campaign
• completed financial advisor survey
• completed one page business plan and values discovery process PowerPoint
• created a sketch note versus powerpoint
• created new speaking opening
• developed TedX Powell River components; bio, audio, overview, qualifying article, sketch note, transcript, video
• invited to write NAIFA Iowa magazine article
• missed 3 out of 4 speaking presentations due to inclement weather and subsequent cancelled flights
• produced videos
• received Redfern written testimonial
• researched creating sustainable change and draft article created
• researched leadership
• researched succession planning and blog and presentation completed
• started writing center of influence coaching Infusionsoft and Send Out Cards marketing
• summarized best articles
• updated LinkedIn speaking bio

Speaking

• booked NAIFA Georgia, Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina
• booked NAIFA San Antonio exhibiting and speaking
• booked NAIFA Washington State
• booked Pro-seminars Las Vegas
• booked Pro-seminars in London, Saint Catherine’s, Saskatoon and Toronto
• booked TedX Powell River
• booked The Co-operators in Waskesiu, SK
• booked WFG appointment in Chicago
• completed Pro-seminars Toronto
• received and in conversation with 13 speaking inquiries to date
• turned down Kuwait speaking opportunity

Product

• associated unmet needs to assessment values
• developed new applications for Values Discovery Process
• improved Clear Your Roadblocks and Leading Advisor Coaching Steps to include; creating e-marketing campaigns, hiring associates for clients, virtual sales management and team coaching
• improved speaking opening
• improved understanding of The Inspirational Tipping Point

Team

• received and appreciated help from; Chris, Deanne, Debra, Diane, Jama, Laura, Liz and Pat

Training

• participated in the virtual Deepak Chopra meditation
• attended Oprah Live in Vancouver ( Laura )
• attended Simon Sinek Live in Nanaimo
• attended storytelling webinar
• learned about ambiverts
• researched values and behaviors analyst certification
• started reading Quiet
• started reading Start With Why
• watched Susan Cain video and debriefed

Personal

• added vitamin B12
• attended Chilliwack Senior Secondary Reunion
• attended Valdy concert
• celebrated Laura’s birthday
• committed to Compassion to travel to Ecuador
• completed cardio three – five times per week with 45 – 90 minute sessions
• declared I am in shape
• eliminated headaches
• improved home environment with; cleaned patios, installed fountain, purchased glass art frame, purchased lantern, installed window film
• learned fire breath
• practice yoga three time per week with 75 minute sessions
• purchased new Nike runners
• reduced blood pressure
• reduced weight from 265 to 237 pounds
• joined The Island Soul Choir
• stopped use of caffeine
• stopped eating popcorn