Over the years I’ve had the privilege of being able to either license or train literally thousands of adjusters. Here’s something I’ve always found it fascinating; I’ll teach the very same class to two folks – both with similar experience, education, intelligence, etc. – and one will hit a home-run while the other never does anything with their license or the knowledge they’ve learned! What’s the difference? It’s not age, sex, education, ethnicity, physical ability, intelligence, birthplace or looks. It’s something inside, and completely separate from all the external differences.
Here’s a life axiom that means a lot to me:
It’s impossible to consistently act in a way that is inconsistent with the way you see yourself.
It’s a fact that most folks who win the lottery, regardless of how big the winning is, return to their previous financial state within a short period of time. Conversely, self-made millionaires who lose it all typically bounce back in a short period of time.
You’d think a lottery winner would want to hold on to their winnings, but nope. Really deep down they are uncomfortable. They don’t see themselves as wealthy, so they subconsciously find ways of getting rid of the money to bring themselves back to how they see themselves, i.e. their comfort level. The same type of discomfort drives the self-made millionaire to return to his/her level of comfort.
Let’s take a core issue; responsibility. There are two distinct ways people see themselves in the area of responsibility:
a) I’m responsible for the results in my life or;
b) I’m a victim of life and things happen to me
Adjusters, this makes all the difference. You see, my observation is that folks who see themselves as victims do indeed seem to be victimized. Those who see themselves as dependent on others for success are dependent (but are not successful). On the other hand, those who see themselves as responsible for their life tend to create the results they want in life. The way they see themselves permeates their thoughts, feelings, attitude and actions, and therefore the results they get.
Most folks try to change their actions when they want different results in their life. Although changing what we do is important, it’s not enough. Like the lottery winner, we can’t just act our way into success if we see ourselves as failures. In a short time, we’ll be back to our old actions. This is all because It’s impossible to consistently act in a way that is inconsistent with the way you see yourself.
The good news is that it really is possible to change the way you see yourself. How do I know? I’ve done it!
If you are not getting the results you want in life, perhaps it’s time to look at how you see yourself. Some folks scoff at people who invest time, energy and resources in personal growth, but in truth, it’s the best investment you can make in your career. Invest in yourself. Root out non-empowering ways of seeing yourself. More than any skill, degree or “qualification”, this is what will make you one of the folks that takes adjusting and turns it into a home run!
Please contact us and let us know how we can support your career. Thanks for reading!
