Tim Smith FIC CFFM’s Post

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤: 𝐀 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 No matter the role or task at hand, it’s easy to overlook the inherent dignity of work. But work is not just a means to an end. It is an opportunity to contribute, serve, and find purpose in even the simplest of tasks. I started my insurance career at the bottom of the food chain, so to speak-- working in service roles where I made benefit guides, handled claim and service issues for employees, and did a lot of spreadsheeting. In 12 years, I’ve increased my income sixfold, and yet still step in to make benefit guides, handle claim issues, and absolutely do a lot of spreadsheeting. There isn’t a job that I did 12 years ago, that I do not do today. This is not because I really enjoy making benefit guides, but because it’s just the 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜. My title or income make no difference to the human being on the other end, that needs that medication but is being denied at the pharmacy for some reason unknown to them. The Bible reminds us in 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟑:𝟐𝟑, “𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜, 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡, 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑, 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠.” This powerful scripture encourages us to view every job—big or small—as an act of service, and it calls us to give our best, as though we are performing it for a higher purpose. As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, let us remember how he beautifully echoed this sentiment in his words: “𝐼𝑓 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑟, ℎ𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑠 𝑀𝑖𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑙𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑, 𝑜𝑟 𝐵𝑒𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑐, 𝑜𝑟 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑦. 𝐻𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑦, ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑑𝑖𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑗𝑜𝑏 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙.” Whether we're leading teams, managing projects, or making benefit guides and solving claim issues, the dignity of our work is found not in the title, but in how we approach our responsibilities. It’s a reminder that every role is an opportunity to shine and contribute to the greater good. Let’s celebrate the dignity of work by bringing excellence, integrity, and purpose to everything we do. #DignityOfWork #APathToHoliness #MLK

Improving resilience speeds recovery from life's curve balls. Here's my story of resiliency from job loss, divorce, & cancer - all at once. https://hubs.ly/Q02shqRv0 #resiliency #problemsolving #leadership

Improving resilience speeds recovery from life's curve balls. Here's my story of resiliency from job loss, divorce, & cancer - all at once. https://hubs.ly/Q02shmdr0 #resiliency #problemsolving #leadership

Gratitude isn't just a feel-good emotion. It's a game-changer in business. Every morning, I wake up with a heart full of gratitude. Not for the obvious reasons. Not for the comfort of a cozy bed or the promise of a new day. I'm grateful for the challenges. The unending stacks of paperwork, the late-night calls, the intricate puzzles that insurance cases often are. 📄 Why? Because they have shaped me into a problem solver. They have led me to serve a community that I deeply respect and admire. I'm thankful for the trust that my clients place in me. Each policy is a testament to their dreams, their hard work, their legacies. It's an honor to safeguard these treasures. Never underestimate the power of gratitude. It doesn't just make you feel good. It makes you invincible. Embrace the challenges. Cherish the trust. Express gratitude. And watch your business soar. #gratitude #insurance #insuranceagent #insuranceagency #glendora #businessowner #trust #insurancebroker #grateful

I KNOW I need to do it. There's a basket on my kitchen counter where I drop bills, bank statements, and other important papers. I haven't gone through it in a few weeks and every time I walk past it, I feel a cringe in my stomach. I walk past that basket at least 15 times a day and each time, I feel the cringe. Multiply that by 7 days a week and now that cringey feeling has me believing that there's something really 𝗯𝗮𝗱 in that basket that I want to avoid. (𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘈 𝘓𝘖𝘛 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴.) ❓What if there's an overdue bill in there? ❓What if that letter from the insurance company says our rates are going up? ❓What if that EOB says last month's doctor's appointment wasn't covered after all? 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗶𝘁?? The same goes for our big goals. Our human brain loves to craft big 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 that cause us to avoid doing the work. (Stories that are often fiction at that.) 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀  𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. It's mind drama. Let that cringey feeling you feel every time you think about it be a motivator for action, not avoidance. Because taking care of that business is never as big of a deal as your cringe is making it out to be. (And yes, I will be going through that basket today too. No more avoidance for me.) _________________ 👋 I'm Jen Laffin. I help goal-SETTERS overcome their self-doubt and avoidance to become goal-GETTERS. My clients reach their goals faster and easier than going it alone. If I can help you, hit "Book an appointment" above and let's talk.

At Estatetrace, bereavement is a key area of focus for us, and we're often called in to help firms assess their processes around bereavement and guide them in supporting their customer's loved ones following a death. The good practice we see often entails a mix of pro-activity and understanding the varied bereavement journey. As well as taking the view that; you can still give your customer outstanding service following their death. It's good to see the Financial Conduct Authority focus in on this area. And, in my opinion at least, it's quite telling that they've specifically referenced Consumer Duty in this press release: "Following the introduction of the Consumer Duty in July 2023, firms are required to ensure consumers are at the heart of their business and must act to deliver good outcomes for them." If you're interested to hear about what we do in this area, please do get in touch: andy.davies@estatetrace.co.uk https://lnkd.in/dAh7d_qC #Bereavement

🎉 New Year, New Peace of Mind 🎉 You know that nagging thought: What would happen to everyone I love if something happens to me? This week, we’re diving into five actionable steps you can take right now to protect your family, organize your finances, and create a legacy that brings lasting peace of mind. Your family deserves the best start to the new year: preparation and peace of mind. 📝 Click the link and learn more: https://bit.ly/4iY5Rml #LifeAndLegacy #EstatePlanningMadeEasy #PeaceOfMind #BCCounselorsatLaw

In case you needed another reason to come and work in the insurance industry or need a reminder of why it’s so great to be here- I’ve got one for you today! This industry has given me the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing people and forge some of the most meaningful friendships. Something I never would have expected and certainly didn’t anticipate when the industry found me many years ago. Real, genuine people who have taken time to teach, mentor, guide, and care for me. From asking me to join a group, a panel discussion, contribute to an article, ask for my input on something, the list goes on. Even the simplest gestures that may seem like no big deal to you, have been the most impactful for me. Send the text, the email, the wax-stamped handwritten notes, make the call- whatever gesture you feel led to do. Know that the seconds or minutes it took you to do so could make a lasting impact for the receiver. #reflectionsfromawaitingroom #serendipity #careersininsurance #friendship #smallgestures #gratitude

Relationships matter, which is why we've put together 5 tips to help you create and nurture connections with people in the community.

Relationships matter, which is why we've put together 5 tips to help you create and nurture connections with people in the community.