Welcome to the 2nd half of 2015! Whenever I hit the end of a month, quarter or year, I often look at how I or we did and what we can do better or to improve. Further, I am in the unique position to work with hundreds of financial professionals. I also watch and learn from my father, who has achieved the highest levels of athletic and business success. And, I read A LOT about entrepreneurs, pro athletes, top performers in various fields.

And, I believe that I have found the secret to success. Are you ready? It’s HARD WORK.

Read this article on Gary Cohn, the COO of Goldman Sachs. Gary Cohn didn’t grow up with a silver spoon – he struggled in school, had dyslexia and his first job out of school was selling windows and aluminum siding. “His teachers had written him off and one even told his parents they’d be ‘lucky’ if he grew up to be a truck driver. He persevered, found a job on the options desk and the rest, as they say, is history. Gary Cohn is now the COO of Goldman Sachs.

In the article Cohn suggested, “the one thing you realize if you’re going to be successful — no matter where you grew up, no matter what your educational level is, A. You can succeed, but B. The only way you’re going to succeed is by outworking everyone else.” As I have worked with so many of you over the past 13 years, I have seen the most successful agents are always the hardest working. They tap into our marketing systems, they learn from others, they read vociferously, they meet people, try to help them, fail some, but in the end, they find success through their hard work. And, they enjoy their hard work!

As we turn the corner to the second half of 2015, we are committed to work harder than ever for you – our agent partners. Are you committed to work hard, create a marketing plan, develop an appointment process, meet clients and help them? Through helping them, you will find great satisfaction and success. My Dad often says there is no silver bullet in our industry and I agree with him – no lead system, product, or particular seminar is going to make you successful. We certainly can help. But ultimately YOU will make yourself successful through hard work.

If there is a silver bullet in this industry or a “secret to success,” I firmly believe it is hard work. Let’s have a great second half of 2015!