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Your last post said it all for me, I will put the cork in ...finally.

Ray, you are much better uncorked. With your experience, adjusting history, and your unselfish mentoring history, you are one of a kind. Don't cork up now, its too late.

A day without sunshine is like a day without  Ray, 

Rays fall upon us whether the sky is cloudy or clear,

The sky can be cloudy or clear, still depending on rays,

Despite his statement--and we can be glad--Ray will always be here.

Hope you didn't mind me using your name there, Ray.  But Larry has his parlor job, and I got to thinking about another type of parlor as far as supply  & demand go.   Larry's is for members only, but the parlor I figured is more consistent was for those "remembered only".  Might have to work a little bit on my poetry, but have chisel and will travel.   Even the Walmart greeter vests are hard to come by nowaday.  My 80 yr old mother has a better chance at that job than most of us.  

If you're open to some inspiration and an attitude adjustment, read on. I am constantly amazed by, and have tremendous respect for people who excel at things I could not, or would not want to do. Architects who design massive structures. The people who build them. Nurses. School teachers. Most of the workers on "Dirty Jobs." And certainly, as I have the TV on in my den while I write this, Olympic athletes.

As I watch the gymnasts glide, bounce, tumble and flip, I just shake my head. And Michael Phelps. Are you kidding me? Get this: He was interviewed the morning after his record-breaking eighth gold medal and was asked, "So what next?" He said, "I don't know...probably try another event, one that I really haven't worked on." Here's the most decorated Olympic swimmer ever, owning more medals than most countries, able to cash in hugely on his success, and he says he needs to find a new challenge he can master! THAT, fellow adjusters, is the kind of attitude rarely found among most people. Then again, it's not surprising, since it what makes extraordinarily successful people--the top 2%--who they are. The attitude drives the work, which drives the continued work, which produces the results.

The reason I say that excellence attitude is rare is because I see the opposite of it so often. You would think that in adjusting, you'd have more people going for their own Gold. Yet, I regularly see and hear about adjusters who are "veterans," and have been in adjusting for x number of years. So does that mean they are performing at high levels. Quite often, not. Many times they are coasting. Downhill.

Longevity does not mean excellence. Hey, I have known how to swim for 60 years. That does not mean I could race in a competition. In fact, my arms would turn to bungee cords and I'd probably choke up a lung 50 yards into it. Many adjusters are not motivated to attend training, invest in themselves, listen to audios, read books, newsletters or other online information, practice, or heaven forbid, put in the little bit extra time after-hours and weekends to go to the next level, it's there for the taking. So few squeeze out every drop of potential, or squeeze at all.

Many people would like to make more money. That's why gambling, the lottery, and get-rich-quick schemes are so popular.  But they are not willing to do the real work that it takes to actually succeed. The great news about personal performance is that it is 100% our choice, and responsibility. At any time, anyone can make the choice to begin growing for their own. Or resuming the quest. And as the financial guys say, "Past performance is no guarantee of future results." Meaning that if someone has been a total screw-up to this point in their life, that has nothing to do with the positive choices they make moving forward. Over the past 49 years in this business as an IA, and a few before that in staff life, I've learned one thing to especially hold true and I see it validated every day: your attitude about work, and your subsequent actions are a greater contributor to your success than any other factor. What are you doing, right now, in pursuit of your own quest?

Have your best week ever! And may all of you gain work this remaining year. Don’t give up the ship, mommy nature always provides those who have reached their quest, work.
 

And don’t forget to apply all your heart to your family, they, after all, put up with this crazy business.

Everyone's life is under someone's control - it might as well be under your own so that you can direct your  destiny.

The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those, which fail.

I have preached attitude and the necessity of knowledge on this forum for years. Gustav could potentially by a bread winner for many of you with a positve attitude and necessary knowledge. If you have not learned by now, I would suggest you stay home and not interfere with the people who have a purpose in this industry and have learned how to become proficient and tolerable. If your a new adjuster, tag with an experienced adjuster before you make the big jump. Everyone needs to prepare and now, not tomorrow. Make sure your estimating system is up and running and is current. Pack what you need and no more. Rooms will be hard to find, so start trying to find housing as soon as it is known where the hurricane will hit.

It is most unfortunate, but I will not be able to go right now, due to health problems. This will be the first time in my adjusting history that I will not be able to make an event, which is very disheartning to me. I wish all of you success in this endeavor to help those who need help, your policyholder. Put yourself in their place and then act accordingly. Good Luck to all.

Act as if what you do makes a difference, because it does, and in a big way.

Yes, thank you Ray for all your posts.

"Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country".

Do you remember that one from typing class. Right now it is important for all good men and women to come to the aid of their country, in the form of adjusters. NOLA, once again, is in bad shape and needs assistance from us. Two more hurricanes are possible, so that will spread us very thin if they were to hit. I hope that all who engage in this event and the other events, if they hit, are knowledgeable and have the attitude and fortitude to do a good job. I have preached knowledge for years, for without it, you are nothing, pure and simple. Listen to your vendors. Do as they say whether you agree with them or not, for they provide the business for you and ultimately a pay check. Treat your insured as if you were the insured. Pay what is due and no more, but make sure you know what is due by policy definition and applied coverage. Good luck to all of you. If any of you have any questions, e-mail me and I will try to help you. I am having to sit these out due to health reasons, damn it. 

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.

I have not verified whether these are really true or not:


ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
______________________ ________________
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
____________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty-one.
________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you shittin' me?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh.... I was gettin' laid!
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS : Are you shittin' me? Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Now whose death do you suppose terminated it?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Guess.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you
performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people. Would you like to rephrase that?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK?
What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 P.M.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at t he time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I
was doing an autopsy on him!
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Huh....are you qualified to ask that question?
______________________________________

Now, do you understand why knowledge and common sense are important!

Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously and never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop this picture!

The size of the future you actually experience will 
largely be determined by one factor: the people you 
choose to connect with. When you invite people who are 
truly committed to growth into every aspect of your life, 
your own potential for growth becomes truly unlimited.