Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Rilynn Company Inc.: Carry Full Coverage...or Else
Rilynn Company Inc.: Carry Full Coverage...or Else: Traffic slows down at the common rush hour times in Southern California daily and without fail. You can set your watch on it and I...
Carry Full Coverage...or Else
Traffic slows down at the common rush hour times in Southern
California daily and without fail. You can set your watch on it and I have
realized for every minute I take to leave adds ten minutes to my trip time. Not
a very good ratio so I decided to buy a motorcycle and start really moving
around the Southland. By some accounts, it is legal to split lanes in stalled
traffic and a motorcycle can move a lot faster than a passenger vehicle.
So my motorcycle
was a thrill to ride and it was not very expensive. My commute times were
slashed and I was happy to be on the road again with the wind in my…helmet. The
insurance to drive the bike was cheap enough and I did not bother to get
Comprehensive or Collision coverage because I didn’t care about the bike and it
wasn’t worth the expense. Besides, if I crashed the bike and it was my fault
then I would deal with the consequences and move on with life.
The story begins
one day while I was driving a familiar patch of pavement and like clockwork the
traffic slowed and I went in between lanes. A driver in the left lane decided
his lane was not going fast enough and swerved into the center lane, however,
this 19 year old driver did not use a blinker or check his blind spot. You
guessed it; I was next to him going about twenty miles per hour.
With no time to
stop or even brake I remember seeing his front passenger wheel suddenly get
really close to me. Hitting between the wheel and the door, I was launched
thirty feet into the air and came as close to Superman flying as humanly
possible. Thankfully, I tucked my head and did a flip in the air so I landed on
my shoulder and not my face. My flip was so fast my dress shoes flew off and I
banged my ankles and feet so hard on the pavement I had bruises for weeks.
To my joy, traffic had suddenly stopped in
all three lanes from where I was hit and I stood up and braced for an
additional impact of someone hitting me. But nothing came and the headlights
illuminated me in an unwanted spotlight. After the initial adrenaline rush, I
hobbled over to the median and crumpled down under my own weight as my ankles
gave out in pain.
After the police,
ambulance and reports were done, I waited for my father in-law to bring a
flatbed trailer to bring my totaled bike home. The next day I called his
insurance company to find out what to do next. To my horror, I was put at 50%
at fault by the insurance company for this accident and determined to be going
too fast for traffic conditions.
The insurance
company I had would not help me because I did not have full coverage on my
motorcycle. Even though they agreed I was not at fault, they could not do
anything because they were not involved. If there was a lawsuit against me they
would pay but not the other way around. It was up to me to fight the insurance
company for anything owed to me. Overall, I had to settle for 50% of all my
injuries, bike damage and lost wages at work.
Sure, I could
have fought it in court and spent many thousands of dollars to get back a few
thousand. I was not mad at the situation because it was an accident, I was mad
at myself for trying to save a few bucks and not having the coverage. In life
you get what you pay for; that holds true for your insurance coverage. So the
next time you need to cut costs, look somewhere other than your insurance.
Insurance is for accidents, and you can’t plan those, you can only prepare and
have full coverage.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Healthcare in California
Healthcare for
everyone living in the United States, has been, and will be a topic for
discussion lasting the next 10 years. Will it happen, will it succeed and are
we as a nation better off for having access to doctors and hospitals?
The ethical,
‘feel good’ answer is everyone should be able to get quality care regardless of
income level. However, the cost for this future addition to the Standard of Living
could take other things away from the general population. The money has to come
from somewhere and contrary to government thinking, money cannot just be printed
in abundance. So is the money taken from the schools? From Social Security?
Unemployment Fund? Military and Defense? Will gas and oil be taxed at a higher
rate so we pay more at the pump?
Taxing the rich
to pay for the poor is not the answer. Taxes are seen as punishments and if you
punish someone for doing well they are less likely to continue the behavior; at
least continue the behavior in a lawful way. Something has to change and with the
National Debt growing to unfathomable levels the chance of paying it off while
incurring another major expense is slim to none.
Pray for the
strength and wisdom for our government leaders. Pray they are able to make the
right decisions for our country as a whole. However, regardless of their
decisions, make sure you make your voice heard. Do not stand by and let things
happen to you and your country you do not approve. Get out and get educated and
then vote! Information is available but make sure you are talking to an expert
to get all the facts.
One Expert for Covered California is Laura Roeder. She can
be reached at 951-602-5819 or financial@rilynn.biz
Call or email for an appointment.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Expectations of the Chamber of Commerce and getting out of your chair.
The Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce has been around for over 36 years and could not be stronger. Of those 36 years, I have had the privlidge of serving as a Board of Director for the past 7. In 2008-2009 I served as the Chairman of the Board and learned more about business and more importantly myself than anyone could have imagined.
When Joan Ring came to my office 9 years ago and asked me to join the Chamber I was sharing an office with another insurance agent. He and I split the cost and figured out a way to share all the phone calls waiting to pour into our office. We thought if we were Chamber members, it would be a windfall of opportunity and all we had to do was wait...
The phone didn't ring, no one came in and we would have thought the Chamber of Commerce was a total joke if I didn't venture out to start actually meeting people. I went to the mixers, the lunches, the ribbon cuttings and all the events I could to meet people. Next thing I know, my phone still doesn't ring but I have a box full of business cards I start calling for meetings. I'm setting up appointments, and coffee times and then the business starts actually coming in. My office partner never left his chair, and his business never took off either.
If done right, a person can make a career off the contacts they make through the Chamber of Commerce networks. Notice I said contacts and not clients from the Chamber. The difference is the amount of Care put into the relationship with the people you work along side with in this crazy thing called community. Remember the saying, no one cares what you know until they know how much you care.
Looking back, it was a hard 7 years but they flew by as I matured and my business grew. Thank you to all who voted for me as Business of the Year (4 times) and to those keeping me on the Board. My business and my family thank you for the many memories and the bright future of this Valley.
When Joan Ring came to my office 9 years ago and asked me to join the Chamber I was sharing an office with another insurance agent. He and I split the cost and figured out a way to share all the phone calls waiting to pour into our office. We thought if we were Chamber members, it would be a windfall of opportunity and all we had to do was wait...
The phone didn't ring, no one came in and we would have thought the Chamber of Commerce was a total joke if I didn't venture out to start actually meeting people. I went to the mixers, the lunches, the ribbon cuttings and all the events I could to meet people. Next thing I know, my phone still doesn't ring but I have a box full of business cards I start calling for meetings. I'm setting up appointments, and coffee times and then the business starts actually coming in. My office partner never left his chair, and his business never took off either.
If done right, a person can make a career off the contacts they make through the Chamber of Commerce networks. Notice I said contacts and not clients from the Chamber. The difference is the amount of Care put into the relationship with the people you work along side with in this crazy thing called community. Remember the saying, no one cares what you know until they know how much you care.
Looking back, it was a hard 7 years but they flew by as I matured and my business grew. Thank you to all who voted for me as Business of the Year (4 times) and to those keeping me on the Board. My business and my family thank you for the many memories and the bright future of this Valley.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Missed Goals and Attaining Status
Three years ago I made a plan and set my sights on something BIG, something to set me apart from the others and solidify my name as an elite.. After a year of hard work, planning and late nights, I failed…miserably. Even though the numbers were close, not obtaining my highlighted goal threw everything I knew into the trash. Or so I thought…
They say you grow from losing and not winning, they say it is better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all. But when your friends and business partners call to ask if you made your goals you want to crawl under a rock and have it fall on you. Then you realize you just can’t quit. Walking away is not an option so you have to inch your way forward and continue the push towards the next goal, you WON’T accomplish.
Many people use monetary status as a way to measure their self worth and abilities. Many want the recognition of plaques, trophies and admiration from peers over anything else in the world. I’m part of the latter group because I know if I have the fame then the money will come into the bank. There are plenty of famous stupid people making tons of money they probably do not deserve in the world. I’m thinking of a few but they aren’t worth mentioning…
“If you do shoot for the moon and miss, you’ll land among the stars.” That saying really isn’t true because depending on your trajectory you probably will either burn up in the sun or freeze way before you land next to another star. (Just Saying) But the point is you need to continue to shoot for something, something important to you that may make you feel uncomfortable. The giant goal making you take action while you would rather watch TV or pet your goldfish.
It’s time for you to start planning, it’s time for you to walk over to the Window of Opportunity and instead of knocking, throw a brick through it and dive over the sill. Make this day count so when you do look back in three years you’ll be able to say you did something. Even if you don’t succeed at first, try, try again… you’ll get there.
They say you grow from losing and not winning, they say it is better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all. But when your friends and business partners call to ask if you made your goals you want to crawl under a rock and have it fall on you. Then you realize you just can’t quit. Walking away is not an option so you have to inch your way forward and continue the push towards the next goal, you WON’T accomplish.
Many people use monetary status as a way to measure their self worth and abilities. Many want the recognition of plaques, trophies and admiration from peers over anything else in the world. I’m part of the latter group because I know if I have the fame then the money will come into the bank. There are plenty of famous stupid people making tons of money they probably do not deserve in the world. I’m thinking of a few but they aren’t worth mentioning…
“If you do shoot for the moon and miss, you’ll land among the stars.” That saying really isn’t true because depending on your trajectory you probably will either burn up in the sun or freeze way before you land next to another star. (Just Saying) But the point is you need to continue to shoot for something, something important to you that may make you feel uncomfortable. The giant goal making you take action while you would rather watch TV or pet your goldfish.
It’s time for you to start planning, it’s time for you to walk over to the Window of Opportunity and instead of knocking, throw a brick through it and dive over the sill. Make this day count so when you do look back in three years you’ll be able to say you did something. Even if you don’t succeed at first, try, try again… you’ll get there.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Scoreboard: Friend or Foe...depends what you expect.
SCOREBOARD:
5/16/13
“You either hate losing bad enough to change or you hate changing bad enough to lose,” Resolved book pg 131.
A powerful statement can really hit home. In the past, we spoke about Plan and Do, so it is only fitting that we move on to the next steps, Check and Adjust in the PDCA model. After you have your plan figured out and you start to do or move on your path towards your goals, at some point you have to slow down and check if the steps you are taking are moving you closer to your goal.
Like many people I started a weight loss journey and signed up at the local gym. I was great at going everyday and found myself really enjoying the classes. I never really bothered to weigh myself; I just figured that since I was exercising I would start losing weight. After a few months of no change in the way my clothes fit, I decided the scoreboard was not looking so good and I had to check what I was doing and adjust to move closer to my goal. I found a trainer and after doing some workouts and talking nutrition I learned two important things: you cannot out train a bad diet and you need to understand muscle groups to get results. I was eating worse than before I started working out and I was working muscle groups that I did not want to change.
Think back to 5 years ago, were things different? Did you have an idea of what you wanted your life to look like? What were your goals? Are you where you thought you would be? Think back 5 months, the beginning of 2013, did you set a goal for yourself? Take a moment to reflect on January 1st and what did you want for yourself and then check the scoreboard, are you there? Is the path you are walking leading you to that goal or have we taken a side road?
Without checking and adjusting it is common to look at the past 5 years and realize that we took so many side roads along the way to our goals that we cannot even see our goals any longer?
I started to think of this in simple terms, my family loves my baked potato soup. I use the same recipe eveytime, the same ingredients and so forth, but I also check the soup as I go through the steps. Sometimes the soup cooks faster or the potatoes take longer. I have different brands of ingredients and I do not need to add salt. Without checking and adjusting the ingredients I might be much skinnier.
If we understand and practice the Check and Adjust in the simple everyday task of our lives, why is it so hard to do with the bigger parts? “Simply put, a person’s defense mechanisms, which are designed to protect his fragile ego from the painful revelation of his current performance kick in.” pg 132 Resolved book. We live in a society of IT WAS NOT MY FAULT, our generation is awesome at pointing the finger at everything in site to protect our egos from admitting that we might not have done what we needed to do to succeed.
It is difficult to check the scoreboard because it gives us an accurate picture of our work and accomplishments. If we get in the habit of checking our progress along the way we can adjust for desired results. This requires honesty on our part and stepping out of our comfort zone. The Scoreboard will become a proud accomplishment, not a fearful reminder of what could have happened in our life.
Plan, Do, Check and Adjust the Scoreboard for greater success!
By Jennifer Walker
5/16/13
“You either hate losing bad enough to change or you hate changing bad enough to lose,” Resolved book pg 131.
A powerful statement can really hit home. In the past, we spoke about Plan and Do, so it is only fitting that we move on to the next steps, Check and Adjust in the PDCA model. After you have your plan figured out and you start to do or move on your path towards your goals, at some point you have to slow down and check if the steps you are taking are moving you closer to your goal.
Like many people I started a weight loss journey and signed up at the local gym. I was great at going everyday and found myself really enjoying the classes. I never really bothered to weigh myself; I just figured that since I was exercising I would start losing weight. After a few months of no change in the way my clothes fit, I decided the scoreboard was not looking so good and I had to check what I was doing and adjust to move closer to my goal. I found a trainer and after doing some workouts and talking nutrition I learned two important things: you cannot out train a bad diet and you need to understand muscle groups to get results. I was eating worse than before I started working out and I was working muscle groups that I did not want to change.
Think back to 5 years ago, were things different? Did you have an idea of what you wanted your life to look like? What were your goals? Are you where you thought you would be? Think back 5 months, the beginning of 2013, did you set a goal for yourself? Take a moment to reflect on January 1st and what did you want for yourself and then check the scoreboard, are you there? Is the path you are walking leading you to that goal or have we taken a side road?
Without checking and adjusting it is common to look at the past 5 years and realize that we took so many side roads along the way to our goals that we cannot even see our goals any longer?
I started to think of this in simple terms, my family loves my baked potato soup. I use the same recipe eveytime, the same ingredients and so forth, but I also check the soup as I go through the steps. Sometimes the soup cooks faster or the potatoes take longer. I have different brands of ingredients and I do not need to add salt. Without checking and adjusting the ingredients I might be much skinnier.
If we understand and practice the Check and Adjust in the simple everyday task of our lives, why is it so hard to do with the bigger parts? “Simply put, a person’s defense mechanisms, which are designed to protect his fragile ego from the painful revelation of his current performance kick in.” pg 132 Resolved book. We live in a society of IT WAS NOT MY FAULT, our generation is awesome at pointing the finger at everything in site to protect our egos from admitting that we might not have done what we needed to do to succeed.
It is difficult to check the scoreboard because it gives us an accurate picture of our work and accomplishments. If we get in the habit of checking our progress along the way we can adjust for desired results. This requires honesty on our part and stepping out of our comfort zone. The Scoreboard will become a proud accomplishment, not a fearful reminder of what could have happened in our life.
Plan, Do, Check and Adjust the Scoreboard for greater success!
By Jennifer Walker
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