Albert Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers ever, believed in a higher Being. He wasn’t religious, but said “The more I think about physics, the more I’m drawn to metaphysics.” When asked the purpose of man (humans), he replied “To serve other men.” It is up to each of us to determine our field of service.
I have chosen to serve my fellow man by offering life insurance to protect his/her loved ones. That decision wasn’t in response to the Einstein quote, as I came across the quote long after I had entered the life insurance industry.
Some professions are viewed by society more favorably than others. The medical profession, led by nurses, is viewed as the most honest/ethical profession, followed by teachers. Purveyors of life insurance aren’t viewed nearly as favorable, although on par with lawyers.
The point of this is that although we can’t control the public’s perception of our chosen field of endeavor, we can influence the perception of those we come in contact with. And we do that by doing our best.
Our effort is all we can control. We can’t control other people’s perception of us or our profession. Many people have a negative impression of the life insurance industry. To the extent I let that affect my thinking and/or my actions, I am performing at less than my best.
Additionally, I must guard against my own negative self-talk, what Amanda Palmer refers to as the Fraud Police. Negatively judging our self or others is not productive. To quote Einstein again, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
So we all must serve others, and we have a wide degree of latitude in determining just how we will do that. It doesn’t matter whether we choose to sell insurance or legal services, pump gas or wait tables, play music or sports. What matters is that we serve to the best of our ability. Only then can we know that we are fulfilling our purpose.