A recent USA Today article about Dwayne (“The Rock”) Johnson’s preparation for his role as Hercules showed what many may describe as the non-glamorous part of being an actor. That is the preparation that occurs before you start to shoot the movie. Among the details was the fact that every 72 hours, Dwayne Johnson would strip down to his underwear and get someone to take 360-degree pictures of his entire body. Then he would send the pictures to his training coach. This was a routine process of trying to manage the visual impact his body would have on screen. 

Accompanying the management of the physical experience was the interior work that consisted of 22 weeks of 7 meals a day along with daily 2-hour workouts. The 7 meals appear at the bottom of this article just in case you are curious.

It appears this attention to detail and discipline is working. According to the August 7 addition of Business Digest, “The Rock” made $52M between June 20, 2013 and June 20, 2014. This made him #2 of the top ten earning Hollywood actors. 

Our business of life insurance also requires discipline and managing details. Our 7-step process begins with a health assessment and ends with a very detailed policy delivery letter. This process normally takes 60 days during which time we are following up on medical reports and attempting to deal with underwriters.

The backstage work, about which the client is unaware, often is what produces the most successful result. Mastering details and discipline is an essential component of success in every endeavor. The willingness to do more like Dwayne Johnson (or our office) should lead to greater success.

For more information about how we apply details and discipline to your insurance situation, please e-mail me at gc1@americanterm.com or visit http://www.americanterm.com.



Want to Eat Like Hercules?

Meal 1                                          Meal 2                             Meal 3                          Meal 4

• 10 oz. steak filet                  •  8 oz. chicken              • 8 oz. halibut               •  8 oz. chicken

•  4 egg whites                       •  2 cups white rice        • 2 cups white rice        •  12 oz. baked                                                                                                                                       potato

•  5 oz. oatmeal or cr. of         •  1 cup broccoli             • 1 cup asparagus       •  1 cup broccoli  
   wheat, measured dry

Meal 5                                                Meal 6                                       Meal 7

•  8 oz. halibut                         •  8 oz. steak filet           •  30 grams casein protein

•  1 ½ cups white rice             •  9 oz. baked potato      •  10 egg whites scrambled with onions,

•  1 cup asparagus                 •  salad                                peppers and mushrooms

This is a follow-up to my last blog post my about my experience with my holistic MD. The point of this information is that there is a risk or a penalty attached to being different. Again, perhaps for reasons listed in my “exploring the unknown” post, society seems not to value the outlier. 

Here are some examples:

1.   Most medical practitioners would be unlikely to endorse that heavy metals test and perhaps even argue against it. Most patients would probably rebel at the idea of paying $300, for what?

2.   My doctor indicated that his malpractice insurance went up 250% after he provided information to the insurance company about his practice and methods. Some of you will see that as evidence for avoiding him.

3.   The doctor described a situation with a patient who was extremely health conscious. So much so that he wanted his children to have the heavy metals test. Later, one of the children ate something at a party that caused a case of hives. Alarming, but not life threatening, the father took his daughter to the hospital emergency room. The doctor there wanted to prescribe steroids. The health conscious father did not want his daughter treated with steroids and left. Shortly thereafter, someone from a government agency designed to prevent child abuse showed up at his door and he is now immersed in explaining his behavior.

Thinking outside the box is not a risk-free endeavor. Remember, that in 1492, almost everyone, including the intelligentsia felt the world was flat.

To learn more about how my team and I think outside the box, visit www.AmericanTerm.com.

Being in the life insurance business has greatly expanded my view of both human interaction and the process of living itself.  A recent example of this “process of living” came up during a visit by my wife and me to our holistic MD.  We have been seeing this holistic practitioner for a number of years now and continue to be impressed by the shift in thinking that both caused these visits and results from them.  We both have had a heavy metals test that cost about $300 and is designed to show the presence of metals in your body which may cause toxicity and other problems.  While we are both relatively healthy and active, we both had a significant measure of lead and mercury as represented by the test.  This would likely be true for many individuals some of whom may be experiencing negative results with perhaps many more yet to be discovered.

What was most interesting about this visit were some examples provided by the doctor.  The point, for me, is that in life, as in life insurance there is more than one way to view the same set of facts and solutions.  Some people might describe this as “thinking outside the box.”  For reference purposes, you may need to understand that the heavy metals test produces a graph and a numeric score.  For example, the numeric score represented by the lead in my body was 18 and for my wife, 28.  Consider, however, a female, age 26, originally from India who has been suffering with fibromyalgia since age 16.  Her test revealed a numeric score of 9500 for lead.  Do you think there might be a connection between this and the symptoms she had been experiencing since age 16? 

We all operate from what we believe we know.  The problem for all of us may be that we don’t know what we don’t know.  Growth in life may very well come from one’s willingness to explore those “unknowns” in all areas where there exists a desire to get better or to produce a more desirable or better result.

In my experience impediments to this growth process are commonly uttered phrases such as “I already know;” “I have heard that before;” or “I did something just like that.”  I believe these three responses and other similar responses come from the necessity of the human brain to commoditize concepts and ideas for organizational purposes.  This way of thinking leads to the view that everything is the same, that all doctors will basically tell you the same thing; that all insurance agents have similar recommendations and ideas, etc.  In reality, we should all be looking for that “needle in the haystack” or the “pea under the mattress.”

For a free insurance quote, visit our sister company www.AmericanTerm.com.

1) Applying for absolute lowest term rate without consideration of other benefits like conversion/extension option or living benefits.

2) Applying for an inferior amount of coverage. For example, if breadwinner of family dies prematurely will you have enough money to replace his or her income or will you have to sell your home, downsize, cut costs dramatically? What about future expenses, college tuition, mortgage payments, etc.

3) Assuming that the life insurance rate for which you qualify is the best available to you. Every insurance company underwrites a little differently. Since 1969, we have saved our clients hundreds of thousands of dollars by re-shopping their life insurance after an initial “higher than expected” approval.

4) Not reviewing old life insurance policies. Rates and products are constantly changing and term life and permanent insurance rates are at all time lows. The best rates available to you now may be significantly lower than what you are currently paying on existing policies. We review all of our client’s policies periodically to see if any savings or a better policy may be available.

5) Lapsing or canceling any term life insurance or permanent insurance policy before finding out what the policy may be worth in the Life Settlement market. Many term policy holders age 70 or older may be able to “sell” their term policies for cash and permanent insurance policy holders may be able to get more money than their cash surrender value.

Visit www.americanterm.com for the best life insurance rates and value!

I'm Gordon E. Conwell, Jr. I started my career in financial services in 1969 and later founded the family business. I'm proud of my family and the family business we've built together. We have wonderful clients and enjoy solving problems for them. It's rewarding and joyous work!

I'll be sharing my thoughts about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness here on these blog pages. The best way to know when something new has posted is to "connect" with us on social media. Just use the "connect" icons on this site. And if you wish to share any of my blog posts with friends or family, just look for and click the "share buttons" underneath each post.

Wishing you a wonderful, prosperous and very Happy New Year!