2014 March/April IFAPAC

Forks

I remember hearing the story about a traveler who came to a fork in the road and wasn't sure which of the two roads to take.

There was a little boy standing by the side of the road so he asked him if it mattered which road he took to get to his destination. The little boy said, "It don't matter ta me". His answer wasn't the one that the stranger wanted to hear but it was honest.

‘Forks' are decision points and each of us will come to many of them during our lifetime for they can't be avoided, Some are critically important and some make very little difference which road or direction we end up taking either from the short or long term point of view. It seems as though there is always someone standing near our ‘forks' to give us advice as to which road to take and often it doesn't matter to them which one we choose.

In many cases there are straightforward answers to many of our decision ‘forks' and the choice causes little or no anxiety. Such answers are usually those that do not affect other people, they only pertain to ‘things'. ‘Fork' decisions matter most when other people are involved, people who may also be affected by our decision. If we ask for advice at those decision ‘forks', we have to hope that the answers we get will be at least as honest as the little boys answer.

When we choose the wrong path at the ‘fork' often it is hard to find a place to turn around and there is usually one on that path who will happily  take us by the hand and lead us carefully on down that wrong direction.

Jim Mitchell (1948-2014) was the man at the fork in the road for many of us – he was for me. Jim knew the way to wherever you were going or should be going. And he wasn’t shy about sharing his vision with anyone. Jim’s modus operandi was OYM – Open Your Mouth – and he did so without hesitation. When anyone new to this noble profession had a chance to meet Jim they came away with a positive attitude about how to help people and enjoy doing it. He was a mentor to hundreds, perhaps thousands regarding NAIFA and the Political Action Committee. He served in a leadership position with IFAPAC for at least 15 years and never tired of the challenge. Jim knew how vital political action was to NAIFA and all insurance professionals. He will be missed by all of us.

Let’s do Jim Mitchell proud. Let’s double our efforts to defend this industry with generous contributions in MAY, the month of Jim’s birth. If you are doing $10

Per month, contribute another $10. If you are at the Statesman level of $25, contribute another $25. If you haven’t contributed to IFAPAC for a while (or ever), put yourself on the Century Club level @ $8.50 per month. Do it for Jim. Do it for NAIFA. Do it for your career.

 

Richard Ek

IFAPAC Co-Chair