At American Income Life Insurance Company, we know how hard you must work and what obstacles you must overcome to capitalize on "Opportunity Unlimited" and enjoy its success. From my perspective, the key is dedication. Because our Agencies do not force a salary, Agents, Managers, and State General Agents alike must "bring it" every day to make a living.

Commission Sales

While those on commission do have increased opportunity at achieving financial prosperity, there are also no guarantees.

Then again, you must be on a commission-paid compensation system in order to capitalize the true financial prosperity you desire. Those who are paid salary or hourly have different goals and ambitions than those who are motivated by money, like us. To us, it would be demotivating to report to work on Monday already knowing how much your paycheck would be on Friday. Commission-based earnings are the unlimited opportunity to bring you financial freedom.

And that’s the heart of the challenge.

Each day is an opportunity to reach a new summit of your Opportunity Unlimited. Want to "bring it" every day? Consider a few things that can help you sort what’s important, increase your productivity, and clear your mind.

1. Manage your time effectively. Remember, it’s your time. You have a mission. As a personal producer at AIL/NILICO, your three primary fundamentals are appointment setting, presentations, and business conservation. If you’re not performing one of those three tasks, the odds at achieving your desired financial prosperity diminish. Review the task at hand, and see if what you’re doing fits into one of those three fundamental categories. If it doesn’t, end it.

2. Accept what you cannot change. I’m sure you’ve read this many times before. It’s very true. If you can’t change what you don’t like, why spend the time and energy trying?

3. Know your limitations. Know the limitations of helping others. Our Company fosters a helping environment, but many of us help by giving, sometimes because we have an inability to say no. While we want to help everyone, it is important to learn to be assertive and say no without upsetting or offending.

4. Find out what causes you stress. If you look at what specifically interferes with productivity, you will learn to avoid those scenarios. Certainly, stress is an obstacle. Normally, stress is caused by too many things to do with too little time to perform them. In this case, it’s not the act as much as the lack of time frame. Consider getting up earlier instead of staying up later; prioritize what’s important, and do not allow outside influences to get in your way.

5. Adopt a healthier lifestyle. I recently started going to the gym regularly. I hadn’t gone to the gym since I stopped coaching high school basketball almost 15 years ago. After five months, while the effects may not be visual (LOL), they certainly are mental. The feeling I have of putting time into myself daily makes me feel good and enables productivity.

6. Try to see things differently. If something is bothering you, make an honest attempt to see things in a new light. Involving someone else from the outside can help give you a fresh perspective. Many times you have a concept of the solution, but collaboration permits beneficial exchanges to your own outlook.

7. Gauge Relativity. I’ve known people who seem to have an internal "stress cylinder" that is constantly filled. These people always have something to worry about. Throughout the day, more stuff gets thrown in the cylinder, and it automatically gets sorted from the least stressful to the most stressful. For example, say your car battery is no good. Your tires also need a little air. Of course, the tires are not the priority; instead, the focus is fixing the battery and getting the car to start. The battery situation is a stressful hassle and ranks at the top of the "stress cylinder". So you get it charged, and get it out of the "stress cylinder". Immediately, the lack of air in the tires floats to the top . . . and its level of stress rises to where the battery situation was . . . because the battery situation no longer exists – a vicious cycle of one stressful incident replacing another. Keep what’s important in perspective. It’s just air. If it wasn’t stressful before the battery was fixed, it shouldn’t be now.

These are just a few things to help you organize your pursuit of Opportunity Unlimited. The possibilities to improve what you do every day are endless. You have a tough job. It’s not easy . . . and it’s not supposed to be. Clearing your mind and reorganizing your approach will help you become more productive and find success.