“We were created for meaningful work, and one of life’s greatest pleasures is the satisfaction of a job well done.”
-John C. Maxwell
The First Sip
Hey Sunday Brewers!
Q1 is almost in the books…discover a hack for reducing stress…a goal setting framework for insurance and financial advisors…PLUS market updates and the week’s best posts from the Advisorist FB Group.
But first…I have to tell you about an amazing horse who has a knack for comforting those who need it most.
I ran across this story and it made me think of you.
It’s a story of a horse named Peyo and his trainer Hassen.
Once mainstays at equestrian shows, the pair now spends their time walking the halls of hospitals and cancer treatment centers.
Peyo…who is this gorgeous 15-year-old stallion…seems to have a unique knack for understanding human suffering.
When he senses it, he raises his leg to indicate to Hassen that he wants to stop.
And based on where he comes to rest, the doctors say Peyo is capable of detecting when humans have cancer and tumors.
Can you say, “Wow!” 🤯
“I accompany him, but I let him do what he wants. He’s the one who decides,” Hassen says.
Peyo’s knack for being a comforter was first discovered when he was taking part in those equestrian shows.
After the shows would end, he’d survey the crowd and approach certain people – and they always seemed to be people who were weak or hurting.
Realizing that there’s more to life than an arena, Peyo and Hassen now spend their days doing more meaningful work.
“When he decides, I cannot hold him back, it’s a need, it’s visceral, it is in him, he needs to go and cling onto the specific person he has chosen.”
Sometimes comfort comes in the most unlikely packages.
Let’s think about how we can be a comfort to others this week…
1 Caffeinated Neurohack
Eating at your desk is a necessity on certain days, but research suggests we may be better off getting up and moving around.
In one study, office workers who took a quick walk on their lunch breaks benefited from
✅ Improved enthusiasm
✅ Greater relaxation
✅ Lower stress levels
To understand why, you have to first understand what stress is.
Quick Neuro Lesson:
⓵ Your body’s innate stress response system kicks into gear when your brain perceives some sort of emotional or physical threat.
⓶ Too much daily stress hurts your performance and health.
⓷ Anxiety emerges when there’s an over-activation of adrenaline and cortisol pumping through your system.
Solution:
Want to defeat stress/anxiety? Lower these levels.
A quick walk is a great way to RESET the brain…
The combination of new scenery and physical exercise actually creates a physiological change in your body and brings you back down to a stable state.
Willing to give it a try this week?
☕ TL;DR: Stop eating lunch at your desk and use a midday break to go for a walk. Research shows the change in scenery and physical exercise creates a measurable change in your brain/body and reduces stress.
Marketing Psychology Quick Hit
The average “Joe” thinks April 1 is April Fool’s Day.
But as a growth-conscious insurance or financial advisor, I bet you’re not too focused on April Fool’s Day.
If you’re anything like us, you’re cool cancelling April Fool’s Day and focusing on bigger and better things.
Because April 1 means only one thing:
The start of Q2.
And a new quarter brings with it new targets, new goals, and more opportunities to LEVEL 🔼
It reminds me of a conversation I had on the very last Virtual Advisor Power Hour of 2020.
As we looked ahead to a brand new year, my friend (and best-selling author) Brian Moran told us:
“There’s nothing wrong with annual goals, but the problem is that people get too far behind and there’s no sense of urgency.
“If you aren’t on track to meet your goals at the end of March, you say, ‘No worries…I have 11 more months.’
Then things slip even further from there. And before you realize it, you’re way off track.”
Well, here we are at the end of March…
If you aren’t careful, you might lose momentum.
But if you have the right framework, you know this is just the beginning.
Brian has a goal-setting system that he bases this framework on the athletic training concept of “Periodization,” (which is the process of using intensity and urgency to prepare for a marathon or athletic competition).
And when you apply Periodization to your business, it has the ability to transform how you view your goals and progress.
It FLIPS a mental switch in your brain 💡
So instead of thinking, “I have 9 months to go this year….”
You think, “I’m about to start a 3-month sprint…let’s go!”
Now’s the time to consider what went well in Q1 and what didn’t.
Based on those insights…plus any important changes that have occurred over the first three months of this year…you should set 2 or 3 NEW goals.
(Resist the urge to set 10+ goals. The entire point of Periodization is to concentrate your efforts and maximize intensity.)
The first goal could be a marketing goal.
The second goal might be a prospecting goal.
And the third goal might be a sales goal.
While you can’t control outcomes, you can control actions…
…so create goals that help you take action this quarter!
☕ TL;DR: Q2 is almost here, which means it’s time to level UP ⬆️ … leverage the power of Periodization to create more effective goals this quarter.
Weekly Industry Catch-Up
☕ The Scoop: The stock market zigged and zagged this week, yet again – with big tech stocks sliding a bit and the Nasdaq Composite posting a losing week.
Many analysts believe stock valuations are still too high and that a serious correction is inevitable. But guesswork has been a fool’s game this past year, so might we suggest holding tight before jumping to conclusions.
Here’s a look at some other noteworthy happenings this week:
🔹 ‘Where’s my check? Have clients and friends asking where their ‘mailbox money’ is? The IRS says it’s sent out 127 million of them so far – totalling $325 billion. Millions more will come this week.
How much is $325 billion? Let’s put it this way: It’s more than the entire GDP of New Zealand, Costa Rica, and Bulgaria…combined! (Will somebody check on the Fed’s printers…they may be overheating 🔥)
🔹 Back in action? With the number of cases continuing to decline (and the number of vaccinated individuals on the rise), is life about to resume to some sense of normalcy?
One good measuring stick is travel. This time last year, average domestic airline tickets hit $135 (-32%); average hotel rates bottomed out at $80 (-40%); and oil prices hit $0 per barrel (👀).
Today’s numbers are much better: average airline ticket $187 (+28%); average daily hotel rate $103 (+22%); average gas price $2.88 (+44%).
Not saying we’re back…but it’s progress, folks.
🔹 Weekly Technoking update. Would it be a market update without news from the Technoking, Elon Musk?
You know how much Elon loves Bitcoin – recently buying $1.5 B worth – but he’s taking things one step further. The automaker recently announced that you can now buy a Tesla with Bitcoin.
One interesting note: Tesla says it reserves the right to pay customers back in U.S. dollars, should they seek a refund. (Kinda feels like Elon is playing chess while we’re all fiddling around with checkers…🤔)
What’s New With Advisorist
[✏️] Discover a simple framework for creating HIGH-converting quiz landing pages that generate LEADS
Facebook Group Roundup
The exclusive Advisorist Facebook Group is the place to BE! We have over 2k+ insurance and financial advisors sharing ideas and insights.
Here’s a sample of what’s happening in the group right now!
[👀] I think you all liked my SWIPE…grab your free PDF while we’re still dishing ‘em out!
[🤫 ] Discover a new app that silences background noise for Zoom calls
[🎉] Pam did ONE simple thing and landed $150,000 in AUM…discover her secret!
Keep learning,
Jeremiah
