How To Deal with Life and Career ?

[The_Scholar]

With your personal life issues and career?

It seems like I cant ever get this career to start off at all. The moment I found traction, there's always family issues that needs my attention, and if I don't deal with it then it'll be catastrophe. When I do then I lose traction in this career.

Issues such as:

Parent are going to get divorce, and everyone needs you to step in to prevent it.
Siblings are not getting along and needs you to mediate them.
A grandparent passed away and needs you to arranged funerals, called on insurance providers, and then deal with the mess they left behind.
Sibling got shot in a different state, and family wants you to be there to go through the process.

I just want some peace and quiet, so I can start my insurance career. I think I found the right market, has the right idea, the right carrier, but just can't do it due to all of these.

Note: We're a minority group, so family is placed above all.

 

[iowaagent]

Re: How Do You Deal...

With your personal life issues and career?

It seems like I cant ever get this career to start off at all. The moment I found traction, there's always family issues that needs my attention, and if I don't deal with it then it'll be catastrophe. When I do then I lose traction in this career.

Issues such as:

Parent are going to get divorce, and everyone needs you to step in to prevent it.
Siblings are not getting along and needs you to mediate them.
A grandparent passed away and needs you to arranged funerals, called on insurance providers, and then deal with the mess they left behind.
Sibling got shot in a different state, and family wants you to be there to go through the process.

I just want some peace and quiet, so I can start my insurance career. I think I found the right market, has the right idea, the right carrier, but just can't do it due to all of these.

Note: We're a minority group, so family is placed above all.

I'm not sure there is an easy way to deal with all of that stuff happening in a short (?) period of time. Is there someone who may be able to help you keep things rolling a little while you are out? Good luck with everything. Stuff like that can't keep happening forever.

 

[VaDwayne]

Re: How Do You Deal...

With your personal life issues and career?

It seems like I cant ever get this career to start off at all. The moment I found traction, there's always family issues that needs my attention, and if I don't deal with it then it'll be catastrophe. When I do then I lose traction in this career.

Issues such as:

Parent are going to get divorce, and everyone needs you to step in to prevent it.
Siblings are not getting along and needs you to mediate them.
A grandparent passed away and needs you to arranged funerals, called on insurance providers, and then deal with the mess they left behind.
Sibling got shot in a different state, and family wants you to be there to go through the process.

I just want some peace and quiet, so I can start my insurance career. I think I found the right market, has the right idea, the right carrier, but just can't do it due to all of these.

Note: We're a minority group, so family is placed above all.

What would you do if you worked in a factory? Could you just walk off of the job to make sure your siblings are getting along with each other? Sorry, but that is how you MUST approach this buiness. This was a hard lesson for me to learn too....

YOU are as important as everyone else, and sometimes YOU have to put YOU first.

 

[Mark]

Re: How Do You Deal...

You end up paying a price for a career or job sometimes.

My wife left me after 10 years. Half of it because I had to work all the time. I was career driven. I wanted her to have the fine things in life.

You have to find a balance between both of them.

Life will go on and never stop no matter what you do. You have to figure out how to do many things at once.

 

[YouGotMyMoney]

Re: How Do You Deal...

Note: We're a minority group, so family is placed above all.

I know u probably didnt mean anything negative by it, but I have to sink my teeth into this one....

I'm a white bread cracka and family has always been #1 for me.

Life is much is easier to deal with when u have a fat wallet, but never pass a chance to spend time with family vs working an extra or so....

On the flip side I know the feeling of having your familial responsibilities comes in the way of progressing in your chosen field, but all I can say is I'd rather be poor and have my family than successful and not have them, thats not to say the two are mutually exclusive.

 

[djs]

Re: How Do You Deal...

The toughest thing about being self-employed (regardless of the career) is to learn to say NO to family. They ask because they think you can handle it or that you have more time than they do.

Many times, family problems just need to work themselves out, and even though you can get involved, doing so rarely helps (tough lesson to learn, but its reality). It might solve it for today, but it comes back tomorrow. In the meantime, you've spent a lot of time spinning wheels.

Let everyone know you have to focus on your career. Tell them you need their help for a change. Sign on the dotted line for this policy.....

Dan

 

[Frank Stastny]

Re: How Do You Deal...

I know u probably didnt mean anything negative by it, but I have to sink my teeth into this one....

I'm a white bread cracka and family has always been #1 for me.

Life is much is easier to deal with when u have a fat wallet, but never pass a chance to spend time with family vs working an extra or so....

On the flip side I know the feeling of having your familial responsibilities comes in the way of progressing in your chosen field, but all I can say is I'd rather be poor and have my family than successful and not have them, thats not to say the two are mutually exclusive.

I totally agree.

What I have discovered, and it took a while, is that there is only one thing that is important in life and that is quality of life.

Without it, nothing else really matters. Some of the wealthiest people I know have lots of money but I would not want to live the way most of them do.

 

[WinoBlues]

A lot of good advice given.

I still get that call. "Jr could you come over and fix...." "Mom, can't you call Johnny?" He's busy, he works"

It will always be that way. I just had to learn to give them a few minutes. Make myself a note to get back to them about X and get back to work. By making the note, I take the issue from the front of my mind to the paper. I had to train some family members that I am always busy. Even if I am not, I may say that I am busy but I will will get back to them.

There will always be issues to deal with. The hardest part is Compartmentalizing and learning to switching gears. Easier said than done.

Make your calls. Make your appointments. Keep those appointments.

I can relate to a lot of your post.

 

[HarryRenard]

Balance between work and family is important but setting boundaries are just as important so people and family dont take advantage of you or pull you into their drama.

 

[Frank Stastny]

Balance between work and family is important but setting boundaries are just as important so people and family dont take advantage of you or pull you into their drama.

This is even more true if the agent has a home office. A lot of people think that since the agent is "home every day" that they aren't really "working" and are available to errands, chatting on the phone and doing "honey do" projects. The agent must treat it as though they have a "real job". haha