The Test of Time

The month of December brings a lot of thought about time. We set resolutions that usually don’t make it through January. We think about getting things accomplished before the end of the year. We also set strategies about having a fast start and a good 2016. The thought for me ending this year has been “the test of time.”

Over the years I’ve seen a lot of fast starts and few, whether in business, church, or school that stand ”the test of time.” Many start with best of intentions but for whatever reason don’t follow through and complete what they start. For every Miguel Cabrera there are many, many baseball players who only have a one or two, or at best a few good years. For every Peyton Manning there are many quarterbacks that have short careers. The same is true in our day to day lives.

In the months surrounding the start of my insurance career half a dozen young agents were hired. We all took the same training from the same trainers but achieved far differing results. Most of them were more productive that I was in those early days. However, one- by-one they went on to other pursuits and eventually I was the only person of the group to end up with a long insurance career.

So then, the question becomes what are the attributes that yield results that stand “the test of time?” These attribute would be true whatever the area of endeavor. Certainly an important attribute would be that of focus. Knowing what we want to do. My manager Paul Hutsey often said that making the decision what we want was often more difficult than accomplishing the task.

My former partner Russ Larsen used to talk about the importance of “staying hitched” or staying with what we start. Life offers so many opportunities and some other venture often looks better (the grass always looks better on the other side of the fence). So the need is to re-focus and stay on the track. Success in any venture is accomplished by those who try and keep trying!

When we have focused and determined to stay with the course it becomes important to have a long term vision of where we want to go with our life or career choice. Often when things don’t go our way right away we lose our focus. So much of the time short term failure causes many to change their course. We avoid this by continuing growth towards our goals. Training, continuing education, and experiences move us towards greater proficiency and sustainability. Those who stand “the test of time” keep their eyes on the prize!