I’m terrible with compliments. It’s probably because as a kid, I didn’t get many and I was always wary that any comment I’d make would get a negative comment back. Somehow saying how I was getting better at Intellivision Auto Racing would get some potshot about my schoolwork.

As people, we are all a work in progress, and we are all shaped by our experiences, both good and bad.

What we can’t afford is to allow those negative experiences to bind us and hurt us in developing relationships with plan providers and clients. We can’t blame our past and live it, we need to do better in the present and future.