Hello, and welcome to Life Insurance Academy podcast, where we believe that any insurance agent with the right training tools and community can be successful. I’m your host, Austin Lopesilvero, and I’ll be taking you into the conversations of top producing life insurance agents, so that you can level up your business, increase your profit, and maximize your impact. To be the first to know about new episodes and announcements, check out liapodcast.org/updates or subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @lifeinsureacad.

Welcome to the Life Insurance Academy podcast. Yes. We had a special guest today. Very excited. We have Ms. Carol Wesley, who is a final expense life insurance genius out there. And she’s been doing it her whole life. Not exactly, but so happy to have you on the-

This is awesome.

… podcast today, Carol.

Long time coming.

Thank you.

We’re excited to have you [inaudible 00:00:56].

Oh.

Thank you.

You’re one of the guests I’ve been looking forward to just because… I mean, talking about before we started the podcast, just the stories in the chit-chat and like, “We don’t need an agenda and we may not even use any of these questions. We may just flow and go through it.”

Well, we have so much fun with Carol. It’s obnoxious.

I’ll make up the answers. Don’t worry.

We’re going to have the time of our lives today, guys.

Yes, we are.

Absolutely.

We’re going to laugh and have a good time.

Your hair is going to be blown back.

Whoo.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Like you’re in a wind tunnel or something or going 70 on those express way with no windshield.

Your bloomers are going to go over your head. The wind’s going to blow them.

Bloomers. Here we go.

Absolutely.

It’s already started.

Well, Carol, how long have we known you, Carol?

Oh, two weeks.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

November, 2017.

November, 2017. So, going on four years, right?

Yes, I’m beginning my-

Going on four years.

… fourth year.

[inaudible 00:01:48]. Yes. So, you have a very fun spirit, very competitive nature. You love to be around people, you love to compete, which is awesome. Now, has it always been like that? And how did that affect your career?

When I was young, I started playing golf at 10. Every sport I began, I was terrible, but my mindset was, is that I was going to be one of the very best. And when I started golf, I played every day. When I got home from school, I carried my little clubs. I didn’t have a bag yet. And my dad would go with me. He was assistant golf pro at Shawnee Golf Course before you two were born. And he would teach me the stance of lining my shoulder up with the hole and how to put my feet. So, if I wanted the ball to dog-leg to the left or dog-leg to the right. And when I started softball, I was in the outfield and I couldn’t judge the distance of a ball. When I played ping pong… I guess here’s the key things, Zach. When I began something, I sought out people who were better than I was. And I knew that was what was going to make me better and become proficient or to achieve to the level that I deserved.

That’s amazing. I’d say that’s the single thing that makes the difference in people that hit that next level. Where do you think that comes from?

It comes from within. Yes, I was raised by competitive parents who they modeled. They wanted to do or be their very best. My dad was a scratch bowler, which means he always bowled 200 or more.

He was a golf pro-

Uh-huh.

… and he was a scratch bowler. I’ve never heard that, but that’s… I’ve never got over 200.

That’s what a scratch bowler is. And he threw a fingertip ball. So, that means literally his fingertips fit in the holes. It wasn’t like we who put down to a knuckle or something, I mean, in a bowling ball. Just competitive. When dad played, he played to win.

That’s awesome. That’s awesome. So, you started in this career after you dominated every sport as a child, but you’re now in insurance and we love that you’re here, but your journey to insurance was probably a little bit different than you would expect. What did you do before this?

Before this, I was in automotive sales. Before that, I was in chemical sales. Before that, I started my career as a banker.

Wow. Okay.

So this is my fourth time.

How many years is that in the sales industry, in general, selling something?

About 40 years. And that’s amazing since I’m only 49. Amazing. I started sales before I started playing golf.

There are going to be some listeners who are good at math and you did give your birth year. Let’s hope they’re not good at math.

What we’re looking for in this industry are thinkers.

That’s right.

So, I hope they’re paying attention.

That’s right.

Little trivia on this podcast.

Yeah.

That’s awesome. And so, spending 40 years in the sales industry, what attracted you to move into sales in general?

In the fall of 1994, I was in banking and I decided that no matter how well I was doing, I was never going to make any money. Banking is very good to give prestigious titles, but I make three times what a manager of a bank does.

Yeah.

So, I decided that I needed go into sales. I needed to take a leap of faith because I needed to grow. I needed to make more money. So, I thought one day, “What do I…” I looked at my house and I go, “What do I own here that I really love? That I really believe in.” Because if you believe in something, you can appeal to other people and interest them.

Very good.

And what I really was proud of was my… You’re going to love this. My 1989 Honda Accord Hatchback five-speed. Beautiful blue metallic with blue cloth, interior, comfortable, a radio that-

Cassette. We’re talking cassette?

Oh, I don’t remember about that, but Hondas have outstanding radios or they did. And sporty looking. So, anyway, I called Bob Breedlove, who at the time I purchased the vehicle was the sales manager, but when I called him, he was the GM of the dealership, Sam Swope Honda. And so, I called him up and I said, “Hey, I want to apply for a sales position at your dealership. I believe in Hondas. I love mine and I can sell them. So, I want to schedule an interview.”

I can sell them.

I want to schedule an interview.

I did.

That says it all, man.

If you want something, you have to go get it.

Write it down. Write it down.

So, we scheduled an interview in December of… I mean, 1994 because-

[inaudible 00:07:33].

… I started in January, 1995. Anyway, I was interviewed by eight managers for three hours.

Managers for three hours.

Oh, you know. Automobile-

Good. Nice.

… industry is big time.

Yeah.

So, anyway, I got hired and I started the first Monday in January. The rest is history.

Absolutely. And from knowing you, I assume you got in. You were hungry, you didn’t probably know as much about the deals and the way of work sales, but I promise you that you worked your way up to the top. How long did it take you to be the number one sales person there?

I didn’t try for number one, Zach.

I know, but that was the result, I’m sure of it.

Well, not the first year. The most important thing, our methodical was to study and learn the vehicles. And you are tested on product knowledge as far as performance of a vehicle, engines, transmissions, the luxury aspects, the safety aspects. And most of my knowledge came from men. And I decided that I was going to learn everything from them that I could, and I was going to apply it and beat them on the sales board because I worked with… I was in my 30s and I worked with gentlemen who at their time were in their 50s or 60s, and some in their 70s. And they kind of resented women coming into their arena, and they would flap their jaws a little bit, and the way to shut them up was to beat them on the board. So, that’s what I did.

That’s awesome. That’s awesome. And so, you were in the car sales, top of your game for years.

Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Yep. And then you decided to make a career change.

Yes.

And you moved into the insurance industry. So, what prompted that change and how did that start for you?

What prompted the change, Zach, is that I went back to college in 2008 and graduated in December, 2009. And when I graduated, I had this new found, immeasurable self-confidence that I never had before. And I knew that I could be successful at whatever I chose to do. Got a call. I didn’t know what I was going to do when I grew up, when I graduated from college. The car industry called me back. At the high end, they say, “Carol, we want you back. We need you. You can sell any line you want.” So, I did BMW and Lexus, but to fast forward and to answer your question, I’m a person that likes to continually learn and grow. It makes me feel alive inside. And as long as I’m physically alive, I’m going to continue on that process. And I think it’s important career-wise, I have reinvented myself. This is now the fourth time in my career. I liked that challenge. I think it’s important. I will age in numbers, but I will never age mentally, emotionally. I’ll [inaudible 00:11:09] mature, but to remain young and to remain on the cutting edge of what you do, you have to embrace change and be a continuous learner.

I hope our listeners are hearing this. I know we cover a lot of… We have people who are entering the industry for the first time at all different age levels. And you may be listening and you may be questioning that like, “Man, do I have what it takes in the tank to be able to do this? What about my energy level? What about my cognitive abilities?” And things like that. Carol, I was watching the NBA this weekend with my kids. We’re watching the NBA playoffs, that’s going on right now. And I hear Hubie… Hubie Brown is a sportscaster. And I hear his voice. And I’ve heard his voice since I was a kid. I’m 47 and I’ve heard him since I was little like Isiah Thomas winning a championship [inaudible 00:12:06], right?

They never looked like their voice by the way.

No. No, they don’t. So, I was like, “Man, I wonder…” I hear he’s retiring this year. And very sharp on the ball. Knows all the names, all the European names. I can barely say Luka Dončić. I can barely say that name, right? And I look him up, he’s 87 years old. 87 years old. And he’s there. Exactly what you’re talking about.

He studied. He makes sure that he’s at the top of his game.

Yeah. And he’s on it, man. Yeah.

I have some friends at church. They have 12 children and the children will tell me that I’m the only ones of their parents’ friends that know all of their names. I invited them-

I know who you’re talking about and I don’t know all their names.

I do.

I worked with their kids.

I know everyone of their names. I can picture their faces. I know who’s the oldest to the youngest and how I developed that is years ago, I had them over for a cookout before their last son, Samuel, was born. And I put their picture on my refrigerator and I studied those faces and those names because when they came to my house, I wanted to address them by name because a name is important.

Yeah.

Our name and our birthday are uniquely ours.

The attention to detail is incredible.

Yeah.

I mean, you just see it in every aspect of it, which is cool. So, let me ask you this, in your opinion, is it ever too late to change careers?

No.

[inaudible 00:13:43] loaded question [inaudible 00:13:45].

I was age 59 when I decided to go into insurance. I was afraid of insurance when I was younger. I did think about it, but I didn’t think I could pass the test. I don’t know why I thought that, but I’ll tell you why. Lack of self-confidence. And when I graduated from college at age 51, remember, my self-confidence was immeasurable. Sky was the limit then.

Yeah. That’s strong. Let me ask you this. I know we’re going to get into some stuff here, but I have a question. Zach is… I don’t want to embarrass him. This is-

Embarrass me. I’m fine.

This is Zach’s first month in business. And he seems to be struggling with his self-confidence. What would you say to an agent like Zach?

Zach, the first thing is, you may be mentally fearful of something new and the knowledge is overwhelming when you first began. And I understand that because that’s how I felt. Quite frankly, Zach, I was scared to death, but I wrote on my mirror in my bathroom with lip liner, “I believe in me. I can do this”. So, how was I going to accomplish that? So, Zach, here’s what I would advise you. Trust those of us who have come before you, have been through these pains that you are experiencing. Insecurity of something new, lack of confidence in learning this information. Feeling “Can I do it?”. Follow the processes that we teach you because they’ve already been proven to work. Reach out to us. We have gone before you, we will help you, but what we ask of you, Zach, is that, that you will study this material and that you will make up your mind no matter how insecure or how fearful that you are. That you will make up your mind that you’re 100% all in.

And if you have that mindset, that mental toughness, that you are 100% all in, even though you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. That’s how I felt when I first started, but I trusted my mentors 100%. And if you do your part, like I did my part when I first started, and you lean in and trust your mentors and ask for help and take their advice, you cannot fail in insurance.

I’m ready to drive down the expressway at high speeds, listen to loud music with the windows down. I’m ready.

This is cool. Let me ask you this. Here’s another question I have for you. Your lip liner on your mirror. Why did you do it and lip line it?

Because lip liner is, I guess, got grease in it. I don’t know [inaudible 00:16:56]. There’s something in it, so it won’t come off. And so, it stays there. When I take a hot shower, it’s not going to run down the mirror. And what’s interesting, after I achieve one goal, I have to take a straight age razor blade, excuse me, razor blade, and scrape it off because it won’t come off with Windex. And so-

These little things, man. They’re so jammy. I mean, there’s so much into them. Did you wear that lip liner?

Yes I do. I still do.

I love it.

I can imagine her just writing on the window and then just putting it on and go out and…

Dude. I tell you. There is something to it. She’s wearing her goals. She’s putting her goals on like mwah. Give yourself a big kiss in the morning with your goal.

Listen, I’ve got a special lip liner for drawing on my mirror.

I love it.

I might not have dusted-

You made my day.

I might not have dusted that mirror in two months. I don’t want that dust on my lip.

That’s right. That’s great.

So, Carol… So, transitioning in the insurance and getting over that initial fear and having some of that mental mindset that you developed as a young girl and carrying in from all your different sales careers, what is something that’s consistent or what were you able to take from those different opportunities in different industries into helping you in the insurance?

The first thing, Zach, is that even though I had been successful in other career fields, the best advantage that I could and did give myself is that I made a commitment to come into this industry with a blank mind. It did not matter what I had already done in previous careers. I knew it would have been a mistake for me to come in with an attitude, “Oh, I’ve already done this. And I’ve already learned that,” and blah, blah, blah, blah. So, I knew I had the people skills and I could build relationships. So, I wasn’t worried about that, but at a young age of 59, and no matter what age we are, it is hard, it is difficult to learn new material, but at the age 59 as we age, it is painful to unlearn and relearn. Mindful in your brain, it’s painful, but I made that commitment because I don’t ever want to retire. And in this industry, you can work as hard as you want, but as you age, you can cut back a little bit.

Now, I’m not in the cutback zone, everybody. I’m 110% at 62, going on 63, October 1st this year. But maybe when I am 70 or 71, I may want to slow down a little bit, but I never have to retire. And I have built a large clientele and I keep in touch with them by sending thank you cards. I developed my own card. I developed my own birthday card. I used to hand write birthday cards, but I’ve got so many, I developed my verse and took it to the printer and had them print that. I send out Christmas cards. So, I came in with a clear mindset to learn new material…

And that’s got to be hard to do. I mean, because you’re basically taking past successes, any competitiveness, any ego, any everything and you’re leaving it at the door, walking into a new industry with fear. And the only thing you have with you is that mindset and knowing like you said, that I can do anything I put my mind to, but it’s easy to say that. It’s really difficult to do that and take away good habits, bad habits or whatever, and start with that clean slate to say, “I’m a student first, and I’m going to trust and follow the way you show me,” or whoever is going to teach you that way. And then you’re going to learn everything they’ve learned and then you’re going to learn beyond them. And then you’re going to add a little work ethic to it and your mindset and all of a sudden, [inaudible 00:21:30], there’s Carol. Way up top in the leaderboard.

The key thing is to be wise. Why should I invent the wheel when the wheel’s already turning?

Absolutely.

I just need to know where to jump on the spoke and start the trip.

Yeah. Absolutely. That’s amazing. It’s been really cool to see how much you put into being a student and perfecting your craft. And you can just hear the way you speak. You’re very methodical. The details, especially, with your clients that you talk about, the cards, the care you pour into everything, there’s no surprise in my mind of why you’ve been successful your whole life doing this, which is really cool.

What I want to say to everybody who’s listening, there’s many key things that are important, but this, in particular. We are all human beings and… I’m going to cry. Everyone has worth and everyone matters. And when we meet with families in the field, we may be and are often the person who comes in with a smile. A person that truly sits down and makes eye contact, which shows respect and that they matter. A person who really listens. And while we’re building that trust, we don’t really know, and we’re not supposed to know what value we have brought them personally. We’re fully aware of what value we can bring to them insurance wise. Helping them cover their families, but you never know. And last year, I sent out over 600 Christmas cards. And when I get that one call or that text that says, “Thank you. It’s the only card I received this year.”

Wow.

That makes those other 654… It was worth sending out all of those because I know I have touched someone’s heart. And that is so important in this industry. People, this is not about writing policies. Anybody can do that. This is about identifying the need and personally connecting with each family one at a time, focusing on the family. And if you focus on the family and understanding and learning their needs and help them accomplish what they want to accomplish, the money will roll in to your bank account, but you have to focus on your families first.

Absolutely. And Carol, there’s one thing. I know you personally, and I know you’re always telling me-

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And Carol, there’s one thing. I know you personally, and I know you’re always telling me, “Honey, I got to have something to run for,” right?

Yeah, I do. When I was new.

Oh, you still do it all the time. You called me up last week. “I need something new. I’ve achieved all my goals so far, and now I got to set a new goal.”

I do have some new goals.

How important has goal-setting been for you?

Well, that’s how I thrive. If you don’t set goals, then you’re just wishy-washy and you flounder day to day. Goals are achievable and anybody in sales, when they reach one goal, then they want to go for the next one and the next one because there is a thrill and such accomplishment in reaching a goal. So, you’ve done that one. I never dwell on what I’ve done. I’m already looking to what’s next. And that is the thrill for me as a sales person personally. In my profession, I don’t think about that. My focus is always on my family, but for my personal heartfelt because of my drive and my determination, those trinkets, as I call them. They’re everything to me because it’s how I chart my success. It helps me build momentum. It helps me increase the money I make. It helps me personally that I can achieve things, that I can continue to achieve things. And we should never rest on our laurels. You have to keep going and going. Remember I said, I’m a student. We all need to make the decision in our lives to be a student, remain a student. That’s how you stay wise. That’s how you’re involved in what’s currently going on in the world. And that’s why I’m going to be forever young.

Absolutely.

Love it.

There’s a word I heard you say multiple times in there, which was achievement, achievement, achievement. It’s almost like that spark. It’s that fuel that takes you to your next goal.

It’s a fire.

Exactly. And when you’re setting those goals, it’s so important to have different levels of goals and making sure that they are achievable because you can set, have one goal maybe, and it can be so lofty that you never feel that adrenaline of achievement that propels you to your next one. So, having those different levels of goals, so you’re constantly getting these wins and these achievements that build up to that larger goal [inaudible 00:29:42] crucial.

And one thing that’s very important as a sales person, to be able to visually see your accomplishments because that’s what stokes the fire to go to the next one. If you don’t have goals, how are you going to see what you accomplished or what you didn’t accomplish? So, each rung of the ladder perpetuates the fire that you need to achieve the next one.

[inaudible 00:30:11]. I wrote, whatever you believe, whatever our mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Believe, conceive, achieve.

Another way that I learned to say that is, whatever I think about, I can bring about.

That’s a great way.

I like that.

Absolutely.

That’s a quote right there.

And when I see a disconnect in goals, in some cases, these… Zach, you talk about these high lofty ones. They’re not grounded in a desire. And sometimes they’re grounded in an idea of I’m supposed to have a goal. So, I’m going to throw one on the wall and see if it works, but there has to be this relationship between your head and your heart and it’s believe or your brain conceive, believe. Conceive, believe. Conceive, believe, achieve. Like this driving force. I hear it in your voice, Carol. This driving force. There’s this fire in you to visually see where you are and you’re going to get there. And the other great thing, you know yourself well. You approach this like an athlete. In our conversations when you’re saying, “This is when my energy level’s at its peak. I have to pay attention to this.” This is the run I’m going on because this is my goal. I know I’m going to achieve it. It’s almost like you have a personal trainer and you know exactly how you’re going. It’s not just this idea. You know how you’re going to get there. And does that come with time or is that…

It’s easier for me to achieve this at my age now. When I was younger and started in sales, I knew that I wanted to achieve certain goals, but those goals were visually closer. I didn’t think or dream big when I was younger. And that’s why I had to seek out so many people who were more knowledgeable so that I could learn. And as I looked at these goals in front of my face, then I would look at the next one and see where I needed to be. One thing I want to add about my enthusiasm. When I knock on a client’s door, I have that same enthusiasm when I meet them. They know that I’m glad-

Can we see it? Let’s see it.

They know that I’m glad to be there. They might not be glad I’m there, but I’m glad to see them. And I think that energy and that enthusiasm while we’re meeting with families is the same and is just as important as the enthusiasm of reaching our personal goals.

Absolutely. Absolutely.

This is gold.

Oh, man. And Carol, I want to dive a little bit in your mindset here.

Okay.

Okay. So, what advice would you give somebody that is maybe mid in their career or they’ve tried other careers, maybe they were successful, maybe they weren’t, but they’re battling that fear and an anxiety of potentially starting fresh, or maybe they’re used to making this certain amount of money, or maybe they’re in another sales industry where it’s not the best culture or they feel like they’re limited or they’re feel like there’s other variables that’s keeping them from being happy or reaching their goals that they really want for their family. What advice would you give them about maybe making a transition?

Take a chance on yourself. Who is going to believe in you more than you do? Looking at this career, say in a middle age capacity, our middle age is 62. So, if you’re in your 40s and your 50s, you’re young whippersnappers to me.

Young whippersnappers.

Zach’s a toddler then.

When you’re thinking about possibly transitioning and addressing a self-confidence or self doubt issue, I’ve thought about this last night and I want to share this because this is very crucial. Oftentimes in our lives, we see ourselves as others with their words or their body language have projected into us. And those assessments made by other people, may not be true, but we just take them on, whether it was by our parents, by our siblings. Also, I’m going to speak very personal in this one particular area, especially if you are a divorced or single person, the people who can criticize you the most are your ex-husband or wife or your children. “It’s all your fault. You didn’t do good enough.” And emotionally, we buy into that.

And what I encourage you is, is to take a chance on yourself and discover and explore who you are. You decide who you are. You decide what attribute you have. And if you would have the courage to look at life this way, transition over and take a chance on yourself, come be with us at Advance Team Partners. You will grow personally. At the end of my first year, I look back and I went, “Wow.” I could see my personal growth and development first before my professional growth and development. This is a life changing opportunity. You may have listened to other podcasts and you may have heard that, but it’s been life-changing for me. So, I made the transition. So, I was willing to explore… Please explore in your life. Find out who you are, recognize your attributes. Don’t let somebody else tell you who you are or what your attributes are, but in addition, there’s no ceiling here. That’s why I originally moved into sales. I control by how hard I work. How much money I’m going to make. I don’t like constraints on my knowledge, my money, or how I can serve others because I want you to understand something. We are put here on this Earth, not to be selfish or self-centered.

We are designed by nature to serve and help others. And that is one of the key mindsets of Advance Team Partners. And we are the best kept secret. You heard that I have… This is my fourth career where I’ve redefined myself. The sky’s the here. This is a core value among many that are so impactful. Can be so impactful in your life. And if your life’s impacted, your children’s lives can be impacted. And you’re setting an example for them that they don’t have to work for $10 an hour or $22 an hour, they can make six figures.

Carol, that’s powerful. That’s powerful. And I hear you because you’re constantly coaching and mentoring people, which I absolutely love because that’s who you are as a person. And I hear you whenever you meet somebody brand new, whether they be 21 years old, 23, and looking at this opportunity. What would a young Carol Wesley walking into this opportunity… Knowing what you know now, how would that affect you? How would that affect your life? How would you embrace this opportunity?

As a young person coming in, I would personally know that I didn’t know a whole lot, but I could see with the people that I would associate with and meet in my new career that I can learn a great deal and I would need to have the mindset to be coachable and to learn and to study. And I want to share one thing about financial freedom. I have a goal. And keep in mind, I began this… Took my test in 2017, and began truthfully in January, 2018. So, I started late in life. I have a goal and I will achieve it that I will have $1 million in the bank by the time I’m 71 or 72.

Now, young people, please listen. If you would start and commit to this young, and I’ll be honest, a lot of young people, I don’t want to be disrespectful, but they’re lazy. They want the big money and they want to put in little effort. And your first year, you’re building your business. You have to set the foundation and the groundwork and it’s painful, but it’s worth it, but I promise you this. If you come in and start young and stick with it, there’s no reason why you can’t have two, $3 million in the bank by the time you retire because you’ll have 40 years to do it. Ms. Carol has about 12 years to do it, but she’s going to do it because I’m disciplined and I’m committed. And I believe in me.

Bet your bottom dollar, you’re going to do it. That’s for sure, Carol.

No question. It’s in lipstick.

On the bathroom mirror.

Absolutely.

That’s right.

All right, Carol. We may have somebody in the car right now.

All right.

And it’s mid-week. They’re kind of struggling. Their morale’s a little bit down. They don’t have a confidence, which is the memory of success to really lean on, but right now they’re listening to this podcast and you’re speaking the truth to them. They need a little Carol Wesley little pep talk. How can they finish this week out strong?

I believe that when you keep bringing your past into your present, it messes up your future.

I need to write that down, man.

So, if you…

Pull over and write that down. Pull over and write that down.

[inaudible 00:41:08].

It’s like, slam on the brakes. Say that again, Carol. Say it like you mean it.

If you continue to bring your past into your present, it will mess up your future, both personally and professionally. But I’m going to speak to professionally. If you’ve had a bad Monday or Tuesday, and you’re still sulking and whining about it on Wednesday, it’s most likely that you’re going to have a poor Wednesday and Thursday, but if you will recognize that Wednesday’s a brand new day, doesn’t matter what happened on Monday and Tuesday, I would have hoped that you would had reflected upon it, and picked up a [inaudible 00:41:56]. So, what? You messed up on Monday and Tuesday. Everything looks fresh in the morning. Go back to the basics that you’ve been taught. Relax, smile, enjoy yourself. I always tell them. So, what would you do if you’re with your friends when you kick back and shoot the bull? Well, kick back on the family’s couch or the chairs. If you sit back, they’ll sit back. If you sit forward, they sit forward.

And just say, “Hey, are you from this city? Were you born here? Tell me about your family. I see some pictures on the wall. I see over here that you’ve got your rifle in this picture and you’ve got your hunting gear on.” And when you’re asking these questions, share things about yourself. And I tell young people, when you meet with veterans, you may not have served, but maybe someone in your family served or maybe one of your friend’s dad served in the military. It’s hard. I think, Zach, one of the most difficult things is for young people to find a way to connect relational because they haven’t had as many life experiences yet.

Right.

But I kind of got off track here. So, go back to the basics. Forget about Monday and Tuesday. This is Wednesday. Put a smile on your face and go out there and kick butt.

Love it. Very good.

That’s absolutely gold.

I think we buried a lead here and I want to make sure we get this out there. Carol, what is your top year or what is a high point for you in personal production?

Well, you can look at it two ways. In 2019, I was at 172,000 issue paid.

Yes.

Because of COVID, we didn’t have our annual sales conference. Our calendar year used to run from September 1st to August 31st, but things change. And so, how the numbers were figured, I got to count some of my year in from 2019 and my 2020. So, I top 200,000 issue paid.

So, somewhere between 180 to 200,000.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

That’s not too shabby.

It’s not too bad for a rookie.

No. Absolutely. And back to what you were saying as far as agents struggling and forgetting Monday, forget Tuesday, we’re going out Wednesday. I know you’ve had some monster days in the field.

I’ve had some monster days and I’ve had some-

Days that were monsters.

Days that were monsters. I’ve had days, even four years into this, where I got up and was afraid I couldn’t do it today. I’ve had days… Here’s the funny. I have self-talk and you’re going to love this one. It was about two to three weeks ago, I was struggling. I didn’t feel especially well, and I was kind of feeding into that mentally. And so, I had to pull over and have a talk. And here’s what I said. You’re going to love it. You’re going to be 63 this year. You’re new at this age group, so let’s just look at it. You may have more bad days as far as feeling tired and you may have aches and pains, but get over it. You got to get out there and help your families. You just got to adjust. These families reach out for help and we have a responsibility to help them take care of their families. You can’t give into… I feel bad today.

I was told a long time ago, and this might be a little harsh, but when I was in the automotive industry, and we all have family problems, but my manager came around the corner to my desk and he said, “I’m going to tell you one thing. We all have personal issues, but when you open up that door and come in this building, you leave them outside.” And what I encourage you is, don’t bring your family stuff to work. You got to have mental toughness. You have to separate it. If you want to be successful, you can pick up those family issues as soon as you are driving home.

They’ll be waiting for you.

Yeah, buddy.

All right, Carol. One more question for you, all right?

All right.

Everybody in LIA land out there, everybody listening, I want you to get… You have the floor for 30 seconds. I don’t know if you’d be able to keep it into 30 seconds here. Okay. But I want to give you 30 seconds to tell the people what they want.

What they need to hear. What they need to hear today.

Okay. I believe in this, ponder it. Early bird gets the worm. Second mouse gets the cheese. Early bird gets the worm, second mouse gets the cheese. Every day I show up physically, mentally, and emotionally. I am all in to do my job every day. And I will tell you since I started this, I haven’t worked a day in my life. I love it. Thirdly, we are not here to serve ourselves, but to serve each other. And that is one of the core values of Advance Team Partners. We serve each other. We are invested in each other’s successes. We shoulder up when we have difficult days. We have cried with each other. We are a family. Come join us. I promise you the best kept secret. And we’re trying to get it out there. We are inviting you to invest into yourself for personal, professional growth, and financial freedom. I love you guys. Come on.

Absolutely. I tell you, this is one of those episodes, Chris, that you need to mark down, you need to star it, you need to favorite it. This may be one of those that…

[inaudible 00:48:22].

Exactly. And we all go through it. Even sometimes I’m out there in the field and it’s like one of them days. Sometimes you might need to click play button-

[inaudible 00:48:32].

… like Carol just kind of get into you a little bit.

I’m guessing when you’re feeling down, you just have to change your emotion battery that you keep in your car because I believe it’s on batteries. I don’t believe they’re real motions.

You say that Chris, but everybody has emotions. They just may show them in different ways.

I’m just teasing.

Right?

My goal is to make you cry by the end of the month.

Let me say something-

[inaudible 00:48:53].

… if I may.

You may not achieve that. my man. You may not.

Dude, it’s on lipstick on my mirror.

I bet it is. You got to wear it on your lips too. It’s not real till you wear it on your lips.

That’s right.

Emotions are fleeting. They’re up and down every day. Emotions are not truthful, but the truth is the truth. Dig within yourself for the truth. What is real? If you give into those emotions that ebb and flow throughout the day, you’re going to have a difficult time. But if you search, if you seek, and you find the truth, and you follow it, you can’t help it be successful.

Yeah, that is so good.

I got a feeling that everybody after listening to this podcast is going to finish the week strong and next week’s going to be their best week in their career. And if it is, please let us know.

Yeah, we’d love to know.

Please let us know.

Well, thank you guys so much. Carol, thank you for being here and I’ll tell you what, I’m sitting here listening, and it’s hard to keep my jaw closed, my mouth closed because you talked about growth. Man, I have seen so much… You have grown so much. You owned that microphone today. Don’t rip it off because we need it, please. But you owned that microphone today. Thank you so much. Your voice was invaluable. And I hope that people understand what they got today. There was so much gold. They’re going to write more apps because of your conversation.

Absolutely.

Thank you so much.

And if it’s okay with you, we would love to have you back again, for sure.

Well, thank you. And I’m humbled.

You’ll have a good day. Go kick butts today.

That’s a wrap for today’s episode. As always, thanks so much for listening to Life Insurance Academy podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast, make sure to subscribe wherever you’re listening. Rate us five stars and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @lifeinsureacad. We also have our YouTube channel. Subscribe on that YouTube channel, Life Insurance Academy, and you’ll get all of our new videos, including the video version of this podcast and new training videos. The Life Insurance Academy podcast is hosted, edited and mixed by me, Austin Lopesilvero. This episode was produced by Roger Short, Chris Ball, Zach McElwain, and myself. Our theme song is by Flashing Lights. We’ll catch you in another episode. Until then, stay safe, and go be a difference maker.