Angry Birds

CNN Reported recently that the immensely popular mobile app Angry Birds was downloaded over 500 million times last year, and over 200,000 years were collectively spent playing the game.  That’s right – I said years.  The average American spends 4 hours a day watching TV, and over a lifetime will have spent 9 years glued to the tube.  Yikes – I’m not an economist, but maybe our economy is in the tank because of our entertainment addiction, and more specifically, a lack of personal discipline regarding our own time. Don’t get me wrong, I love Movies and my iPad as much as the next guy, but I wonder what it does to our motivation to accomplish bigger things in this life. I wonder what it does to us to sit down and zone out for hours a day rather than work on plans for the future, work on our marriages, our health, our homes, etc…  This post wasn’t written to make you feel bad; in fact, it’s more of a public accountability process for me and a challenge to you.  Let’s take a few of those things we’ve been putting off and put them on the front burner, and I’ll tell you why.

First of all, it feels good to finish something or accomplish a goal.  The reward of accomplishing something you set out to do is always better than the excuses of falling short.  A great man once told me that we should never plan to just finish, our preparations should allow us to far exceed our own goals.  The metaphor applies whether you’re talking about a bike race, sales goals, personal wealth, company profitability, or any number of clear measurable goals.  So here’s the problem, setting goals and sticking to them is hard work. It takes thought, planning, reasonable structure, and discipline.

So here’s one place to get started, pioneered by Sitkins International… Take a piece of paper and divide it into three areas.  In one, write “Have To” – these are the things that you are compelled to do no matter what.  Fill it out – an example is filling out required reports.  In the next area, write “Want To” – these are things that motivate you. Fill it out.  An example is a vacation to Maui or a new car.  In the final box, write “Should Do” – these are things that stress you out.  This area will come easily enough; they’ve been bugging you for a long time and possibly keeping you up at night. My own personal should do’s are to be more committed to structure in my leadership position, to visit my customers more often, and to be involved in my community more, among others.

Now the important part – to become more effective in life and to exceed the goals you set for yourself, you must take the “Should Do’s” and make them “Have To’s”.  I “Have To” create a structured calendar of implementation and stick to it for visiting my customers, and although this commitment may mean that I’m out there on days I don’t feel like going, the definition of discipline is to stick to the plan even when it’s tough to do so.

So put down Angry Birds and turn off the TV, and start thinking about the future!

 

Adam Wagoner, MBA, CIC

VP Operations

*My thanks to Sitkins International, Roger Sitkins, Patrick Sitkins and Larry Linne for all of your insight on this matter.

What does it take to be good at life?

Have you ever been frustrated by a lack of success, despite your above average comprehension of the world and drive to succeed?  If you’re anything like me, no amount of success is good enough.  Oh, it makes things easier, but it never validates who you know you could be.  If only there was more time, resources and opportunities with fewer problems to deal with…  Well I can’t remember a time when I was kid where I said to myself, “someday I hope I work in an office where I’m forced to react to everyone’s needs and put my own ambitions on the back shelf.” Every part of that statement is a foreign concept to a kid who hopes to reach great heights of professionalism in whatever dream he follows.

Some of us do end up succeeding. So why does it seem so easy for professional athletes, musicians, or some of our peers in life to excel, when yourself or others should have succeeded just as easily?

Being good at life usually means that you are doing something very well, but it also means that there are millions of things you are not good at.  I haven’t heard of many Formula 1 drivers who are also winning the State Fair in Cross-knitting… The realization that you can’t be everything is certainly one of the keys to happiness, and it is the beginning of the path that leads you away from being a jack of all trades, master of none to a path of true mastery.  It all begins with making a decision.

When we make decisions, we are consciously opening a door we want, and closing another door. I’ve made the mistake too many times of hedging that bet, trying to go through one door, with my foot planted firmly inside the other door to keep it open.  It’s a ridiculous concept, but most of us are guilty of it.  It’s easy enough when it comes to making a decision on what you’ll eat for lunch (or maybe not!), but how about which job you should take, or what you should do with your life? Yes, we do eventually pick, but those nagging doubts about the other options we may have chosen, that constant self-assessment – it eats away at your ability to focus and commit to the decision you have already made.

The point is, the most successful among us pick a goal based on good research and plenty of help from others, make the decision, and commit fully to reaching that goal. There is no guarantee they will achieve their goal, and they know this, but that guarantee is not necessary. They simply enjoy the sense of inevitability that comes from starting down a challenging path, achieving mastery along the way, and becoming exceptional in life.

At its core, being good at life means closing more doors than you open. It means walking down a hallway that is lined with doors, and with your eyes wide open and a willingness to take any challenge, shut them after you’ve walked past.  I’ve always found that those doors have a way of appearing again if that is the hallway you’re meant to travel.

Adam Wagoner, CIC

VP Operations

 

Leveraging Southwest Employee Benefits to Enhance Productivity

Businesses throughout the Southwest strive to increase growth, improved service, and enhance profitability. Benefits programs present an excellent opportunity to further these efforts. When evaluating various insurance benefit plans, it is critical to consider what kind of work environment you wish to foster. The benefits your company offers are a statement about the kind of business you plan to grow in many ways.

In Southwest insurance, consulting experts is the pertinent to making an investment in the human capital that defines your organization. Benefits can recruit and retain the brightest minds in the business. With the right perspective, however, they become a completely different resource that can transform a major operating cost into an engine of growth. Customized benefits plans can change the game for both the company and the employees, managing and minimizing risk while enhancing employee productivity. To learn more about New Mexico Employee Benefits, Arizona Employee Benefits, Utah Employee Benefits, or Colorado Employee Benefits, speak with a regional expert.

Important Southwest Insurance Services

Kysar offers many critical lines of southwest insurance services. Knowing which services to offer, how to mitigate exposure to reduce premiums, and the characteristics unique to the region is crucial to providing optimum protection. Here are just a few of the services offered:

• New Mexico Business Insurance
• New Mexico Slickline Insurance
• New Mexico Health Insurance
• New Mexico Errors & Omissions Insurance
• New Mexico Life Insurance
• Arizona Business Insurance
• Arizona Slickline Insurance
• Arizona Health Insurance
• Arizona Errors & Omissions Insurance
• Arizona Life Insurance
• Utah Business Insurance
• Utah Slickline Insurance
• Utah Health Insurance
• Utah Errors & Omissions Insurance
• Utah Life Insurance
• Colorado Business Insurance
• Colorado Slickline Insurance
• Colorado Health Insurance
• Colorado Errors & Omissions Insurance
• Colorado Life Insurance

There are many aspects of risk management unique to the Southwest and each state therein. To better understand the nature of these risks and how to mitigate them, contact us.

Southwest Risk Management

Risk refers to anything that can threaten a company’s productivity, profitability or success. The concept of risk may seem intuitive; it is much more than premiums paid to insurance companies and coverages provided therein – risk is essentially an unknown factor that can be prevented, detected, mitigated and transferred.

The concept of risk has expanded over the years to include almost anything that adversely affects an organization. This can vary from the loss of a manager’s productivity after an identity theft to the amount of time spent to maintain compliance with federal policies. Risk management is the key to mitigating these draining aspects of a business. The Kysar approach has identified and created solutions for over 120 problem areas that are common to most businesses, and we continue to add new solutions on a regular basis.

We are experts in many areas, especially New Mexico risk management, Arizona risk management, Utah risk management, and Colorado risk management. To learn more about reducing risk and increasing productivity, visit our website.

Aspects of Southwest Business Insurance

Some insurance agents will combine property and liability insurance together, namely “property and casualty” or “P&C” insurance. These types of policies are often packaged together for commercial businesses and create the best choice for New Mexico business insurance as they can optimize coverage while minimizing premiums. These types of coverage are quite similar for Arizona business insurance, Utah business insurance, and Colorado business insurance as well. Now that we’ve identified the basics of business property and liability insurance, let’s review a few other aspects of commercial insurance:

• New Mexico Commercial Auto Insurance: Business using vehicles or any  licensed form of transportation need some type of commercial auto policy. New Mexico Commercial auto insurance policies protect businesses against property damage and loss to vehicles and damage caused to others by those vehicles.
• New Mexico Workers Compensation:  Workers’ compensation (also known as workers’ comp, workman’s comp and work comp) is a form of insurance providing for medical care and compensation for employees who are injured in the course of employment. This is typically provided in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee’s right to sue his or her employer for negligence. Workers compensation is undergoing a metamorphosis of sorts with many steps being taken to prevent injuries from occurring, and using forensic social media data mining to determine if claims are fraudulent.
• New Mexico Business Interruption Insurance: Business interruption covers many types of businesses against loss of cash flow and profit of caused by the interruption of operations by a covered loss. This could be as simple as the destruction of property causing your business to temporarily close, to an act of nature preventing you from opening your doors.
• New Mexico Health Insurance: Today most businesses must offer health insurance. With the advent of PPACA, health insurance is more complex than ever and your business needs ensure compliance with these new regulations.

Healthcare and workers compensation coverages will have regulations and rates specific to each state. When considering the multitude of coverage and options for a business in the Southwest, it’s best to meet with a local, licensed insurance agent or broker to ensure specific needs are addressed.

New Mexico Health Insurance

Until recently, most people obtained health insurance from their employer. People with low income could get health insurance from the government. Now more and more people are buying private health insurance plans customized for individuals. For them it is necessary to seek an individual health insurance plan from an independent agency.

Independent agencies like Kysar believe in complete transparency. Evaluating options to making the right choice is an important process, and consulting a professional will yield the best results. Following are the basic tenets of New Mexico health insurance:

• HMO plans: An HMO, Health Maintenance Organization, is a specific type of health care plan that sets out guidelines under which doctors can operate. On average, health care coverage through the use of an HMOcosts less than comparable traditional health insurance.
• Major Medical: Benefits for most types of medical expenses that may be incurred. Offering more complete coverage with fewer gaps, major medical insurance covers a much broader range of medical expenses – including those incurred both in and out of the hospital – with generally higher individual benefits and policy maximum limits.
• Surgical policies: Most health insurance plans sold today are major medical plans but there are a few hospital and surgical health insurance plans on the market. Surgical health plans often aren’t as comprehensive as major medical plans, but are typically less expensive.
• Dread Disease Policies: Often called “cancer policies,” dread disease policies cover one or more dread disease: cancer, heart disease, or other major malady.
• Hospital indemnity: A hospital indemnity plan provides a daily benefit for each day you are hospitalized — and this is paid without regard to the hospital expenses incurred. This daily amount is paid to you and the benefit is triggered simply by confinement as an inpatient.

New Mexico health insurance may seem expensive, but in fact are necessary aspects of modern living that shield people from financial ruin when tragedy strikes.