Chris LoCurto

Finding The Life & Business You Really Want

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Here is an excellent guest post by Lance Cashion. Lance is a life and health insurance broker and financial advisor from Fort Worth, Texas, specializing in wealth preservation, liquidity retention and distribution. He attended EntreLeadership Master Series in Cancun, Mexico. You can follow him on Twitter or Facebook. You can guest post, as well! Read about it here.

“Fear has left the building” is what Dave Ramsey said about my situation to a room full of business leaders, pastors, entrepreneurs and their teams in Cancun. Moments before Dave made this pronouncement, I had an opportunity to privately speak with him. I compressed my life situation, business challenges, the reason I was in Cancun and what I had learned in the past five days into a few minutes.  Fortunately, Dave was able to make sense of my fragmented story.

You may be asking; “Fear of what?” Well, the fear of knowing that I must become a leader, but I did not know how. I feared failure. My family and career depended on me leading. No one could do it for me. In 2009, I found myself working in the family business, going nowhere, sinking into frustration and bitterness. I love my family, and I felt I was not serving to my full capacity.

I had two choices: grow out of my situation or die in it. That is what I was left with. I could allow the waves of life to toss me around until I succumbed to the currents, only to sink to the ocean’s depths. OR, I could pick a fixed point on the horizon and start swimming. I chose to start paddling.

Two years have passed since I came to the humbling conclusion that I needed help. Thanks to EntreLeadership, the seed of leadership has grown and flourished in many surprising ways. After several months of working within our business and not getting the results I desired, I decided to branch out and expand from our core market (individual health insurance). Had I not found the right coaching and encouragement, I would not have made this move.

I discovered how to recognize the root of fear and neutralize it.  I learned to transform a vision into a reality. Most importantly, I learned how to build a business and life around a central vision that is based on my calling.

In 2009, I was spinning my wheels and allowing fear to rule. In the last two years, I have launched a successful insurance firm and a financial advisory/wealth management firm. They are a representation of my vision in the marketplace, and they work in concert with each other. I have become the leader of two small groups at our church and have embraced my role as spiritual leader of our family.

My biggest lesson about leadership was learning to reach out to other leaders who are willing to share their secrets.

Decide to do something worthwhile and authentic. And then, figure out how to do it and rally the troops around the effort. Don’t allow the fear of failure to bring you down. Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Be determined. Years from now, you will look back on the day you began to lead without fear.

Question: How do you handle fear in your life?

  • Lance – what great courage you have! And I appreciate your words – and actually LIVED out something like you did in my own life and work. Fear of failure WAS there for me – but I pressed on to do what I knew I had to do with purpose and passion. It sounds like you did too! Thanks so much – I know you will make a huge difference in the lives of many people.

    • Louise, thanks for the encouraging words. I had a chance to briefly read about you on your site. Wow, you have been through a lot. What an awesome story of perseverance.

      Thank you

  • Lance you strike me as a man of courage and character! I have have been in the insurance and financial services field for over 27 years, and a believer for 30 years. Stay strong and do the right thing and continue to develop your leadership skills!

    • Forrest,
      Thanks for commenting and for the compliment. I hope that your business is flourishing as well. There is a great need for godly & strong financial advisors in the world today.

      Thanks again!

  • True! Fear is one of the powerful weapon which satan uses to destroy us. I think we can overcome fear by claiming our promises and taking the first little step against fear. A right and positive attitude will surely help us to face fear and overcome the same with intentional/concious effort.

    • Excellent Uma!!!!

    • Thanks for commenting, Uma. At the end of the day, if our trust is in Christ, we really don’t have anything to be afraid of, do we? Easier to say than to do, but we keep pushing.

      Thanks!

      • Thanks Lance. It’s true – ‘easier said than done’.
        We do always have the struggle. But, we can keep on holding until we overcome the fear with the help of His Spirit.

  • Lance, having met you at the EntreLeadership Master Series in Cancun, it is was ABSOLUTELY so exciting to read your post!!! You shared with me personally some of your struggles, what you were facing in your mind, heart and life, and the hard work you had ahead of you. I remember the determined conversations we had, even on the flight home of what you had to change and exactly how you were going to do it. You absorbed a lot and made a plan to implement what you knew needed to happen and you have since plowed through some tough ground and continued to make the necessary changes towards your goals so that you could and have reaped the rewards. I know this has not been easy for you, but you have been very diligent to achieve the place you are now. I know you have more goals to achieve and I believe as you continue to put God 1st in your life, love your wife & family, treat your customers (me and others) well, you will enjoy the fruits of your labor. I admire your commitment to make this happen! Thanks for sharing with everyone how leadership has worked to change things in your life. I count it a blessing to have met you two years ago and call you & Kat my friends! Keep up the good work sir!

    • Misty, Thanks for commenting and the encouragement. Much has changed since that flight home. The journey is far from over, but our trajectory is accurate. I spent some time going through goals about two weeks ago and made some tweaks. PPACA (Obamacare) was a challenge to the health insurance industry. It changed everything. However, it provided me with one of the greatest business learning experiences a young entrepreneur could deal with. An industry changed over night with the swipe of a pen. We (the team, Kat and I) had to adapt and change course mid-stream. God teaches and tests us in some powerful ways. I’m fortunate that my wife and father have been supportive of my decisions.

      This is just the beginning! Hope you are well and thanks again, Misty.

  • What a great story Lance. Fear holds us back from what we’ve been gifted and called to do. Fear magnifies our problems and minimizes the potential answers. It’s an ugly giant that must be dealt with in our lives. I’m glad you started down your journey!

  • Lance, what is the opposite of fear? I have done things to quickly in the past not having any fear. I would always jump with both feet and deal with the results. Now I like to just put one foot in at a time to make sure I’m making a wise decision. I like your observation “They are a representation of my vision in the marketplace..” That is exactly what we are doing here and it seems to be working well. Thanks for the great post.

    • Tom, thank you for commenting. For me, the opposite of fear is courage. I admit, I have mistakenly engaged in stupid behavior thinking I was being courageous as well LOL! However, I think jumping in with both feet or one foot at a time is a calculated move depending on the situation.

      Take a new client for example. They come to me and their retirement situation is a mess. They have no clue where they are or where they are headed. In this case, I’m like a para-trooper. I jump in with both feet and land in the middle of their retirement terrain. I orientate myself and go to work. I’m trained for this type of action and I’m comfortable. However, if a large company approached me about advising them on their 401K, I would test the waters first and bring on a trusted specialist (or team of specialists) to assist before moving forward.

      At the end of the day, it comes down to discernment and trusting God. Thanks again, Tom!

  • This is a great post that can be applied to just about any situation in life, but critical to leadership. This statement “I had two choices: grow out of my situation or die in it.” summarizes everything perfectly.

    What helps me face my fears is to consider the fact that if i don’t do something about the situation now (regardless of how scared i;m), it will still be the same tommorow, next week, next month, next year and who knows how long it can go on. I may end messing everything, but in doing so, i may find the solution or discover hidden talents that can be applied in future, find people that can help me, and in so doing be able to move on.

    Lance – this is a humbling, yet very powerful story, and in between the sentences, your strong character, and growing leadership skills come shining through. I feel like i could trust you to manage my wealth:)

    • Ginasmom, Thank you for your reply and encouragement. There is a great quote about fear in the book “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson. “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”

      I have used this Jedi mind trick on myself several times of the last couple years and it is effective at neutralizing fear. I think about a challenge and how I should deal with it. If I feel a little paralyzed, I know fear is trying to creep in. So, I ask myself the question, “what would I do if I was not afraid?”. What ever the answer is, I do it.

      Thanks and have a great day!

      • LOVE that quote!
        Is there a refrigerator magnet out there with that quote on it…….? :)
        I’ll need to write it out on something and keep it at my desk and at home.
        Enjoyed your post. Thanks for sharing!

    • I think something else that contributes to fear is thinking away ahead and becoming overwelmed by how far away it seems and the steps it will take to get there. Michael Hyatt talked about this in blog post recently. The advice someone gave him was to just take the next the right step. I think that’s simple, brilliant advice. Sure, you may struggle a little with what’s “right,” but I think it’s far less overwelming and the next step is much easier to be confident in as opposed to your plan to achieve that long-range goals. That feeling of confidence is powerful and keeps you moving, which is half the battle.

      • I agree. That is why it is important to have a vision and build a road map using goals to move you forward. Will those steps forward always be perfect? No. However, if you are prayerfully moving toward your goal that is aligned with your vision that is inspired by God, a bump in the road may provide you with a lesson you needed to learn. More importantly, it keeps our pride at bay. There is nothing more inspiring than an authentic leader who demonstrates boldness and humility at the same time.

  • That is an inspiring story. I feel Im in his same shoes, just im at the beginning.

    • Lance is quite a guy!

      • Chris, thank you very much for the privilege of writing for your readers. I have enjoyed the interaction and the encouragement, as well as being able to encourage.

        I’ve been able to visit some of the sites of your readers and each one is unique and impressive.

        Thanks

        • Thank you brother! Some of the best interaction I have seen with these amazing folks!!! Great job!!

          When is your next one? :-)

    • John, keep at it man. Keep trusting God. When I recall the beginning of my journey, I relish it because I began to grow in so many ways. As men, we are to be leaders. We are to approach God with meekness and be bold in our approach to men.

      Read Rudyard Kipling’s ‘If’ and I dive into Proverbs as well, when I feel challenged.

      Thanks very much for your kind words.

  • Lance, I can relate to this. Fear can be paralyzing. During the last two years, I’ve been trying to live out my calling. Feelings have ranged from excitement to confusion to fear. Along the way, I did what I thought was right and while it wasn’t wrong, it wasn’t on target either. Only recently did I correct course. I was venting a little frustration to my wife about it and in great wisdom, she said everything I did helped me get here. She was right. Some times, we just need to take what we think is the next right step. That puts us one step closer to achieving where if we fail to step due to fear, we’ve achieved nothing. Good on you for taking the steps. Great story.

    • Joel, thanks for your response. My wife has been a great encouragement to me as well. She’s able to point out areas where I need to focus and remind me of the progress that I’ve made counting set-backs as learning experiences. The experience of searching for my calling is invigorating. I’m constantly reminded to trust God and His direction. Sometimes, I’m more trusting than others LOL! But, God loves me and gently nudges me into the right path. I hope that your recent course correction has been fruitful. Thank you!