Getting Through It Versus Getting Over It

What a challenging market! It is TOUGH! Each day that I start to think things are going my way, it feels as though I turn a corner and BAM!! I run smack into the next challenge that I didn't see coming. If it is not an underwriting issue, it is a property issue. If it is not a property issue it is a disclosure issue, but worse than that, when I lift my head up, I see the avalanche of issues just prepped to fall. I am sure that my thoughts are just as everyone else, "I really wish we would get OVER this crap and get back to normal!"

But as I sit here preparing to leave Lake Tahoe after an amazing weekend supporting my husband, PJ, in his 100-mile bike ride around Lake Tahoe as part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training Program, I have been thinking about the day's events for the 2400 participants and the thousands more there to lend support.

I have had a lot on my mind this past week and today is no different. The week has taken a significant toll on my physical health, but an even bigger impact on the emotional side. My morning began at 6:20 am as I pinned the race number, #3, on the back of PJ's bike jersey that had already been emblazoned with puffy paint to say "FOR AMY." The fact that he was #3 was significant, because that meant that he was the #3 fundraiser nationwide for this ride. This man along with many others on his team had spent months preparing for, training and fundraising for this event that was to raise money and support cancer awareness. This was his day and I was so incredibly proud of him.

But his day was just beginning. He had not yet embarked on the 8 1/2 hour ride that would take him up mountains and rough terrain, down valleys and through long stretches of highway and all of this in pouring rain. He was nervous, but excited and ready to get this journey rolling. He told me, "I look forward to seeing you at the next stops, and make sure to really cheer for people up "Spooner Pass" because that is really tough then I can't wait to see you at the finish line." And off he went.

So I spent the day with my girls and my nanny in the car driving around the lake watching all of these riders struggle from one degree to another to accomplish a very difficult goal they had set for themselves...to get over this challenge and cross the finish line with bragging rights to say they have done a "Century" ride.

But for me it was so much more than that, it was watching my girls stand by the side of the road yelling "Go Team!!" "We Love You." "Keep Going!" "We Are So Proud of You" as these riders whom they did not know looked over with huge smiles and waved and although dead tired and physically exhausted they continued on over the next pass.

It really hit me how committed these riders were to the journey. Some had pictures attached to their handle bars of a loved one who suffers or has succumbed to cancer to remind them why are putting themselves through this struggle. One guy had a sign attached to his bike that said "I Survived Because of YOU!" referencing the efforts of all of these riders and fundraisers. Then there was "LUCY FOR LEUKEMIA." A 76 year old breast cancer survivor, widow, who was not just completing this ride, but would earn her "triple crown," for completing a triathlon, a marathon and finally a century bike ride. Did I also mention that she wore the #7 race jersey? What a committment to a tough journey!

The most amazing fact for me was watching my husband ride across the finish line, not drained and wiped out from the exhaustion, but sitting straight up arms in the air holding a picture of me and a list of many names of others that were being honored by his ride. I was shocked not to find bugs in his teeth for the size smile he was sporting. When I got to him and asked how he felt, he told me of the different challenges he faced throughout the day, the cold, the elements but then he looked at me and said, "But man it was a GREAT RIDE!"

It brought me back to my very difficult week. A week that began with the horrible effects of chemotherapy, constant nausea, incredible body pain and yes, what I had been dreading...the hair loss. Throw on top of that the end of another month with it's share of difficult loans, constant pressure of often unreasonable deadlines and rules and regulations that never seem to stay the same. I won't lie, there were several moments where I told PJ I didn't want this journey...it was too hard. I JUST WANTED IT TO BE OVER!

But then I turned the corner and I heard my own cheerleaders shouting out, "Go Team! Come on Mom you can do it! You are almost there Amy. We love you!" These weren't shouts on the street, but they were in every email, every phone call, every hug from my kids, every facebook message, every referral and every dollar donated to PJ's fundraising. Please know that although I have not been able to personally respond to every one, they are what gets me through it. On my mountain climbs...when I get the comments, when I get your referrals, when I hear that I am in your prayers...that is what makes the journey for me. I CAN GET THROUGH IT.

One particularly tough day, I remember holding an ice mask over my eyes to control the headache and thinking, the only way to get over this is to just get through it. I have to learn to recognize the journey.

But so can you. This business is tough and it is going to get tougher. There are so many roadblocks that are going to get in your way, but that is just your journey. Each day the challenges that you face in our business may seem like it is going to knock you over, but that is when you make sure you are prepared...do you work with a team that supports you? Is your time spent educating yourself so you can educate your customers to navigate through this insanity? Do you remind yourself daily why you got in this business in the first place, and if so are you doing those things that you love about our industry? I want to be your cheerleader to get you through those tough stretches along the ride! So "GO TEAM!" You CAN DO IT!

Let's get through this journey together. Greg and I look forward to working with you! And fortunately we will never go back to normal, because normal has changed and we want to help you help your business adjust. In fact CLICK HERE for a DON'T MISS event that every industry professional should attend.

I also have a selfish reason for inviting you to this event as well...I need all the support I can get to show the world that I can ROCK BALD! Ha Ha!

Thank you again for your continued support and referrals!