Risk & Business Magazine JGS Insurance Magazine Spring 2019 | Page 27

WHO YOU ARE
Take Periodically As Needed:
Everything You Do Is A
Reflection Of Who You Are
W
e’ve all heard the adage
“Actions speak louder
than words” or “We are
what we do, not what
we say.” Any way you say
it, the intent is the same. The point here
is that although our vocalized intent to
be a certain type of person may paint one
picture, the actual daily brushstrokes that
make up our character may look entirely
different. Sometimes, our reflection
is difficult to look at or even accept, so
we find ourselves making excuses or
becoming overwhelmed with the gap
between who we want to be and who we
actually are.
The first step to address this is to find a
way to look at yourself from a third-party
perspective. This is by far the hardest step
in reducing the gap between our intention
and actuality. Self-awareness is paramount
if we want to become who we say we want
to be, so step one cannot be taken lightly.
It could involve candid conversations
with family, coworkers, bosses, or anyone
else with whom you have consistent
interaction. Preface the conversation
with a disclaimer that you won’t react
negatively no matter what their version of
you turns out to be. You’re not allowed to
disagree with their perspective.
Now here’s the cold water. The big huge
family or work events for which you
actually showed up and performed for
may not be the events that are defining
who you are to your world. The fact may
very well be that it’s the small everyday
items that are inconsistent with who
you’re trying to portray. In other words,
everything you do is a reflection of who
you are.
Something I learned at a very young age
that has created some of my most deeply
rooted habits is that being fastidious in
the small things opens up room in your
mind and on the clock for more important
bigger items that need to be accomplished.
When I was growing up, no matter what
our living situation may have been, my
mother maintained an incredible amount
of consistency in the everyday small stuff.
Our diets were full of uncompromisingly
healthy foods, such as carob chips instead
of M&Ms or fruit leathers instead of Fruit
Roll-Ups. None of which were cheap at
a time when my father was building a
business. Our family car was a work van,
my car seat was a milk crate with a blanket
in it and our house was a 750-square-foot
one-bedroom bungalow. My mother kept
a “junk drawer” that was more organized
than the stationery section of Staples,
literally separating rubber bands by size
and sometimes even color.
OK, I admit that it may have been a tad
obsessive, but what that focus on diet,
health, cleanliness and organization
showed me was strength and safety. At
a time when a young (extremely young)
couple was raising three kids while trying
to start a business with limited-to-no
funds, I felt happy, safe, and loved always.
I felt that way because everything she did
was a reflection of who we were.
My mother put focus and hard work
into everything she did no matter how
big or small. She didn’t have control of
the success of the new business, but she
certainly had control of our family’s
growth. Always pushing me to be the best
version of who I could be in the details
built a great foundation for me to build
on. It wasn’t until later in life that I truly
gave credit where credit was due. It wasn’t
until I focused on being self-aware that I
realized the importance of what I learned
at such a young age. Once I realized this,
I was able to more purposefully work
toward making my intended self match my
desired self.
Intentionally working to plan each detail
of your day allows you to live on purpose.
It allows you to work on purpose. It allows
you to be the person you intend to be on
purpose, because whether you like it or
not, everything you do is a reflection of
who you are. Make sure you’re planning
properly. We only get one shot at this.
BY: RYAN FLEMING
DIRECTOR - HABITATIONAL GROUP
JGS INSURANCE
Ryan Fleming offers an understanding
and a refreshing change of perspective.
His 14 years of experience in the
insurance industry has allowed him
to understand business from many
different angles and in turn, provide
solutions to improve productivity.
Ryan has been speaking for almost
10 years on various topics, focusing
mainly on improving, staff mindsets,
industry
understanding
and
controlling loss.
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