This weekend, my family will have the chance to accompany my Dad to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, when Dad’s long-time Vikings center, Mick Tingelhoff, will be inducted (be sure to tune in to ESPN or NFL Network on Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET to see Fran and Mick in the induction ceremony)! I read a lot about top athletes, coaches, business executives. Certainly, the over 100 Hall of Famers who gather in Canton this weekend reached the highest level in their field!

So, what makes someone a Hall of Famer or even the tip-top of their chosen field? Well, my former Princeton teammate and friend Jason Garrett (now Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys) summarized it well in a speech at Princeton University recently. I encourage you to watch the 15 minute speech here; but if you don’t have time, here are some quick takeaways:

1. Every day, Coach Garrett, the Cowboys and top performers have a relentless pursuit of excellence. Are you focused on improving and excelling every single day? This separates the great performers from the average and sub-par performers.
2. Embrace the mantle of leadership. We provide our agents training, tools and support in a wide variety of ways. But, your clients will buy from YOU; you need to decide which marketing programs will fit you best; you need to learn the products. You are the leader of your practice. Embrace it and be a Hall of Famer in our business!
3. Are you as mentally tough as a Navy Seal? You’ll have to listen to the story in the video but Hall of Famers fight through adversity, never give up, always get better – they are mentally tough!
4. Don’t worry about the lions and tigers in your past, the snakes in your future, or the rats in your life today (again listen to the story!). Focus on the proverbial “bushel of strawberries” – the things you love to do (educating clients on Social Security, retirement plans, having peace of mind in their senior years). Embrace your passion, don’t worry about the noise and be the absolute best you can be.

This fall, Tarkenton Financial hopes to not only make you a better advisor, but a better person and business owner. We’ll have two free training events (September 17-18 for life insurance sales and October 22-23 for retirement income planning and Social Security) that you may attend.

• Are you relentless in your pursuit of excellence?
• Do you want to get better every day?
• Do you want to serve more clients and make more money?
• Do you want to be a Hall of Famer?

Be vigilant in your pursuit of excellence and join us this fall! Register for the September Life Insurance School and/or the October Retirement Planning School and commit to becoming better, growing your business, and helping more clients! Together we are making a difference in peoples’ lives!