As an insurance agent, it’s easy to get overloaded. After all, agents have a lot to do in the span of a regular day, and the stress can get overwhelming at times. The rewards of hard work are not always immediately seen, so it can be easy to lose sight of the end goal. Sometimes commissions aren’t earned for a while, or prospects decide at the last minute they don’t want to move forward with purchasing insurance. Results can be disheartening at times and threaten your motivation.
Adopting a few strategies to keep your motivation high can help you get through the more difficult times of being an insurance agent. Staying motivated takes practice, so remember it may take some consistent application to master these steps.
#1: Set “micro” goals
Everyone has “been there, done that” when it comes to setting goals. Many people tend to fall short when setting large and ambitious goals. It’s not that you can’t set your eye on the prize, but take some time to break that large goal into “micro” goals that are more realistic.
If your ambition is to make $25,000 more than last year, you could break that up into much smaller steps. For example, start with making 2 extra phone calls per day and two additional appointments per week. This can be easily accomplished for most people. Evaluate if you are getting results based on these changes. If not, then readjust. Small changes can yield enormous results!
#2: Change your environment
When you get home each day, what does that look like? Do you immediately reach for the remote and watch TV for a couple of hours to forget about work stress? Your environment could be keeping you in the “dumps.” Try altering your normal routine and see if it has a positive effect on you mentally. Take inventory of what you do each day and what your thoughts are like during these activities.
Instead of heading for the TV, perhaps an hour at the gym mulling over positive ideas in your head would help you avoid that negative slump at the end of the day. See what routine needs to change in your day and adjust it.
#3: Choose a power phrase
Do you have a mantra you like to live by? What gives you encouragement and confidence? Design a mantra that you can look at throughout your day. Set it as your phone background, laptop background, and write it on your mirror. When things get difficult, recite this mantra to yourself to stay motivated and inspired.
#4: Work to become an optimist
Optimism is a way of interpreting the world around you in a positive way. It’s the way you think of yourself and your potential. Optimism has endless health benefits. In fact, a study published in 2019 found that optimists have up to 15% longer life spans than the average person.
Start making a conscious effort to look at all situations in a positive light. Soon you’ll hopefully find that you have more resilience and less stress. Once you’ve been making the effort for a while, it will become second nature.
Staying motivated is definitely a subjective process, but by committing to these four steps we are confident you’ll see an improvement in your motivation levels in no time. Being an insurance agent is hard work, so take care of yourself!
Interested in becoming an agent with us? Aspen Insurance Coaches provides top-notch training and support for our agents. We are dedicated to your success.
Contact us today for more information!
