Lately I've been thinking much more about how to take my Agency to the next level. Those of you that read this blog, as sporadic as it is, know me to be a fairly honest and fun guy. I try to include those characteristics into my business as well. However, after attending some meetings recently, I've noticed that the fun has turned into something...well, less fun. I've gotten myself mired into the details. I've worried about things that are not in my control. I've lost sight of why I chose to enter this great career...providing an experience while helping people realize the risks of everyday life and to realize their dreams.
I went to a restaurant awhile ago and I still remember vividly the attention to detail the staff showed. I had my car washed at a local car wash and I was blown away by the level of detail that my car received. These two simple examples were not about great service, they were truly an experience. I went away from those businesses and knew that there was a level of excellence that the owners wanted to show their customers. That business owner understood what his or her customers wanted. Sure, great food or a clean car was the ultimate goal...but the steps to get to that goal was what I remembered the most.
Have you experienced something that just blew your mind, made you walk away and think...wow, what an experience?
Leave a comment and let's talk about experiences.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
I'm back!
I think I've proven my ineptness at being a good blogger...it seems as though my posts usually start out with the phrase: "well, its been ____ number of days/weeks/months since I last posted..." Pretty predictable, huh?
A few updates and I'll allow you to move on with your day:
1. 2010 arrived. I did not do so well on my Holiday Challenge. I will try harder.
2. Apple announced the iPad. I might get one. Depends on a few variables.
3. The Jason Abraham State Farm Agency opened on March 1!
March 1: This was the official opening date of the Jason Abraham Agency. As you may know, this has been a long process. The training and preparations started in May of 2008. In all honesty, there have been moments of doubt, there have been moments of frustration, there have been moments of anxiety - and now we are in the midst of the most wild ride we could imagine!
I have a team of three wonderful individuals who are driving the everyday activity in the office. We are slowly writing business...but more importantly we are making an impact in our community.
Lastly - this blog will continue to sporadically chronicle our family's re-root in Chicago...but now that we are here, I will probably start to blog more about Insurance & Financial Services related items. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will answer your questions to the best of my ability.
{Become a fan on Facebook...follow me on Twitter (@SFAgentJason) - link right over there...}
A few updates and I'll allow you to move on with your day:
1. 2010 arrived. I did not do so well on my Holiday Challenge. I will try harder.
2. Apple announced the iPad. I might get one. Depends on a few variables.
3. The Jason Abraham State Farm Agency opened on March 1!
March 1: This was the official opening date of the Jason Abraham Agency. As you may know, this has been a long process. The training and preparations started in May of 2008. In all honesty, there have been moments of doubt, there have been moments of frustration, there have been moments of anxiety - and now we are in the midst of the most wild ride we could imagine!
I have a team of three wonderful individuals who are driving the everyday activity in the office. We are slowly writing business...but more importantly we are making an impact in our community.
Lastly - this blog will continue to sporadically chronicle our family's re-root in Chicago...but now that we are here, I will probably start to blog more about Insurance & Financial Services related items. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will answer your questions to the best of my ability.
{Become a fan on Facebook...follow me on Twitter (@SFAgentJason) - link right over there...}
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Holiday Challenge
I'm a regular reader of Carlos Whitaker (ragamuffinsoul.com) and one of his recent posts really intrigued me. As some of you may know, I'm into challenges...weight loss competitions really get me going, not to mention the prize money. Earlier this year (January to March), I lost a significant amount of weight. I had a commitment & challenged myself to create a healthy habit. Well, I created a healthy habit for 90 days, but after that, I made excuses to myself and fell off the proverbial wagon. My thoughts were, I can lose the weight real fast - let me have that donut with my sugar-laden coffee. For me, without the challenge or competition aspect, I really lose focus and find myself getting back into bad habits (starbucks drinks, over indulgence at the dinner table, desserts of all sorts, losing focus on God, losing focus on my wife and kids).
Well, Carlos, laid it out there for me and I intend to use this last month of the year to focus on three benchmarks (physical, spiritual and relational), and carry it forward into 2010.
1. Physical - lose 10 pounds this month
2. Spiritual - memorize 2 verses per week, I'm planning on focusing on these, affecting my life now:
Twice a week I intend to update you all via this blog and/or twitter on my progress. Intrigued?
Ready? Set. Go. Here's to a tremendous December.
Jason
Well, Carlos, laid it out there for me and I intend to use this last month of the year to focus on three benchmarks (physical, spiritual and relational), and carry it forward into 2010.
My three goals:You heard about that worship leader getting drunk that night and rolled your eyes…
That pastor who has been flirting with his secretary makes you nauseous…
You can’t believe they let their kids get away with that…All the while, from Thanksgiving to New Years, you live the most hypocritical life imaginable.
I see no difference between the first list and the second list.
You stuff your face with food till you can’t walk, multiple times, and gain some lbs. in the process.
You let your serving God replace your knowing God.
You ignore your family because you are too busy volunteering and helping someone else.
So let’s stop using the holidays as an excuse to stop being healthy.
Let’s kick off this season with 30 days of physical, spiritual, and emotional health.
1. Physical - lose 10 pounds this month
2. Spiritual - memorize 2 verses per week, I'm planning on focusing on these, affecting my life now:
John 16:33, 2 Tim 1:7, Psalm 55:22, Isaiah 41:10, Proverbs 13:11, Luke 16:10, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Philippians 4:63. Relational - (admittedly, stolen/borrowed from Carlos) - go on 2 dates with my wife and daughter, each.
Twice a week I intend to update you all via this blog and/or twitter on my progress. Intrigued?
Ready? Set. Go. Here's to a tremendous December.
Jason
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Why?
"Why?" - noun: a question concerning the cause or reason for which something is done, achieved, etc.: a child's unending hows and whys.
Each and every day I am asked a question by my daughter and more often than not, I do not react well to the question. To me, as an adult, I seem to be more caught up in the fact that the question is rather silly. I forget too quickly that a three year old's mind is still forming truths and opinions. That every new visual or experience is a wonder and causes various levels of excitement.
Earlier today, my wife attended the first "parent-teacher" conference for Isabelle. She called me afterwards to share the information that she received. They told her that Isabelle is a very attentive, social child, who loves to sing for the class any new song she learns. She enjoys talking about her grandparents and the adventures she has living with my parents. She finds books on her own and chooses to either "read" them herself, or have the teacher read them. She is a very detail oriented child who notices everything - even down to the minute details of which teacher is in charge of crafts that particular day. She also loves to ask "why", a lot. The part that surprised me is this: apparently teachers love that! They appreciate a child who is attentive to the details and wants to know more about what is going on in their world. Teachers like to see a child who will not give up if the first answer to a question is not satisfactory. They love teaching, answering questions...
Knowing my reactions to Isabelle's questions, I was ashamed of the way I've been as a father. There have been times when I would just answer her with the basic, "that’s the way God made it"…which I now realize probably sounds like this: "it is what it is, now stop bothering me". Isabelle's learning and development is paramount to me, and my interest and subsequent answers to her questions are to be more loving. One of her latest questions had me rolling with laughter - we were driving to church and she noticed some cell phone towers, the conversation went like this:
Izzy: "dada, what are those?"
Me: "cell phone towers"
Izzy: "but there are no cell phones on that tower…"
Me (trying to suppress laughter and figure out the right way to answer): "no honey, cell phone towers allow us to make calls by sending out little waves that you can't see…"
Susan: "what dada is trying to say is that we don’t know the answer and that’s the way God made it, would you like to listen to some music?"
In the business world it's easy for me to accept some things as "that's just the way it is" and move on and I'm sure I apply that mindset to my life as a father and husband. I realized something else - asking "why" shows your vulnerability - and that's not always a thing to look down upon. Showing vulnerability like a child shows you're willing to learn, willing to listen and be coached. It shows that you're willing to challenge yourself and rock your world - because you don't know what the answer is going to be. For a child that's easy, right? They are just starting to learn shame and have no concept of applying shame when asking questions. Everything to them is new and exciting and worthy of a question.
Then I started thinking about my life as a Christian - I don't ask "why" enough…I don't make myself vulnerable to God. I don't seek God's answers to my questions consistently enough. By that, I mean I don't spend the time alone with God asking Him my questions and presenting Him my thoughts. Christ wants me to continually ask Him questions and to rock my world with His answer. Just like Isabelle, I want my curiosities answered and our Father wants to answer them.
So, how often do you find yourself asking "why"?
Each and every day I am asked a question by my daughter and more often than not, I do not react well to the question. To me, as an adult, I seem to be more caught up in the fact that the question is rather silly. I forget too quickly that a three year old's mind is still forming truths and opinions. That every new visual or experience is a wonder and causes various levels of excitement.
Earlier today, my wife attended the first "parent-teacher" conference for Isabelle. She called me afterwards to share the information that she received. They told her that Isabelle is a very attentive, social child, who loves to sing for the class any new song she learns. She enjoys talking about her grandparents and the adventures she has living with my parents. She finds books on her own and chooses to either "read" them herself, or have the teacher read them. She is a very detail oriented child who notices everything - even down to the minute details of which teacher is in charge of crafts that particular day. She also loves to ask "why", a lot. The part that surprised me is this: apparently teachers love that! They appreciate a child who is attentive to the details and wants to know more about what is going on in their world. Teachers like to see a child who will not give up if the first answer to a question is not satisfactory. They love teaching, answering questions...
Knowing my reactions to Isabelle's questions, I was ashamed of the way I've been as a father. There have been times when I would just answer her with the basic, "that’s the way God made it"…which I now realize probably sounds like this: "it is what it is, now stop bothering me". Isabelle's learning and development is paramount to me, and my interest and subsequent answers to her questions are to be more loving. One of her latest questions had me rolling with laughter - we were driving to church and she noticed some cell phone towers, the conversation went like this:
Izzy: "dada, what are those?"
Me: "cell phone towers"
Izzy: "but there are no cell phones on that tower…"
Me (trying to suppress laughter and figure out the right way to answer): "no honey, cell phone towers allow us to make calls by sending out little waves that you can't see…"
Susan: "what dada is trying to say is that we don’t know the answer and that’s the way God made it, would you like to listen to some music?"
In the business world it's easy for me to accept some things as "that's just the way it is" and move on and I'm sure I apply that mindset to my life as a father and husband. I realized something else - asking "why" shows your vulnerability - and that's not always a thing to look down upon. Showing vulnerability like a child shows you're willing to learn, willing to listen and be coached. It shows that you're willing to challenge yourself and rock your world - because you don't know what the answer is going to be. For a child that's easy, right? They are just starting to learn shame and have no concept of applying shame when asking questions. Everything to them is new and exciting and worthy of a question.
Then I started thinking about my life as a Christian - I don't ask "why" enough…I don't make myself vulnerable to God. I don't seek God's answers to my questions consistently enough. By that, I mean I don't spend the time alone with God asking Him my questions and presenting Him my thoughts. Christ wants me to continually ask Him questions and to rock my world with His answer. Just like Isabelle, I want my curiosities answered and our Father wants to answer them.
So, how often do you find yourself asking "why"?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
January 2009 Update and NEWS!!
There are fewer things in life more precious than children. Susan and I have been blessed with Isabelle for the past 3 years and never could have imagined the amount of love and joy that we have experienced with her. She has certainly caused excitement, not only in our lives, but in the lives of others. She stretches Susan and I in ways we couldn't imagine (from frustration and despair, to love and pure joy). As a parent, I'm most proud of my girl when her teachers tell us what a joy she is to have in class, that she was helpful with others and was obedient. As I witness her wide-eyed joy of listening to her various teachers, I know I have an inquisitive, challenge-seeking, and friendly kid. Last week I attended Isabelle's gym class and noted how attentive she was to the words her instructors were saying. She would follow their instructions and showed me how excited she is to learn. When the instructors asked the kids to get back to the "red circle", Isabelle was the first one there, sitting almost literally on the instructor's lap! (Teacher's pet definitely comes to mind!) I continue to learn about Isabelle's tendencies, her moods and her level of activity and look forward to so many more "firsts" that will happen over her lifetime.
I say all this because we are now expecting our second child on August 1st and I can't wait to enhance my education as a father! God has stretched me in ways I never would have imagined as a father of one daughter. My daughter continues to teach me more about myself and I'm looking forward to continue to learn with this next child.
Will this year be even more challenging in various ways? Sure. But I hold confident to the fact that we're not doing this on our own. I was encouraged yesterday morning by a devotional by James MacDonald: The Harder the Times, the Closer He Gets. The part that really made me stop in my tracks was this verse: Hebrews 7:25 - "Consequently, [Jesus] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." Jesus has already interceded in prayer for me. Before I pray for my wife, daughter and baby, business, and community, He's talking to His Father on my behalf!
Finally, some of you may be wondering - what ever happened to the Jason Abraham State Farm Insurance Agency? Well, we're still waiting for an opportunity to open itself up. This has really been a challenge for me personally to wait patiently, there have been times that I have grown ever more anxious for the chance to open my doors, but as I get more anxious I'm constantly reminded that nothing I do is going to change the situation. God has a time and a plan for me…its as simple as that. I just have to remember that.
Thanks for reading...have a great 2009.
I say all this because we are now expecting our second child on August 1st and I can't wait to enhance my education as a father! God has stretched me in ways I never would have imagined as a father of one daughter. My daughter continues to teach me more about myself and I'm looking forward to continue to learn with this next child.
Will this year be even more challenging in various ways? Sure. But I hold confident to the fact that we're not doing this on our own. I was encouraged yesterday morning by a devotional by James MacDonald: The Harder the Times, the Closer He Gets. The part that really made me stop in my tracks was this verse: Hebrews 7:25 - "Consequently, [Jesus] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." Jesus has already interceded in prayer for me. Before I pray for my wife, daughter and baby, business, and community, He's talking to His Father on my behalf!
Finally, some of you may be wondering - what ever happened to the Jason Abraham State Farm Insurance Agency? Well, we're still waiting for an opportunity to open itself up. This has really been a challenge for me personally to wait patiently, there have been times that I have grown ever more anxious for the chance to open my doors, but as I get more anxious I'm constantly reminded that nothing I do is going to change the situation. God has a time and a plan for me…its as simple as that. I just have to remember that.
Thanks for reading...have a great 2009.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Happy New Year!
From the Abraham Family to all our friends and family...have a blessed New Year. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we enter a new, exciting and surely a challenging year.
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