The line of thought is simple, yet holds a lot of truth for aspiring agents: When I open myself up to a new base of clients and the sets of products they want, I can sell more.

NU's involvement in the conference has only deepened, and that evolution continues this year. Today we bestowed our Excellence in Workers' Compensation Risk Management Awards, as we do every year during WCEC's opening general session, and while the impromptu speech that I delivered last year about my experience volunteering at Give Kids the World (the Kissimmee, Fla.-based children's service organization that WCI supports wholeheartedly throughout the year and especially at the conference) was well received, I wasn't going to repeat it this year.

That is, until WCI Institute Chair Jim McConnaughhay said to me at the VIP party the night before, “You are going to say something about Give Kids the World again tomorrow, right?”

“Oh, of course,” I replied, taking another sip off my drink. I went back my room shortly afterward and started writing.

On the Saturday evening before the conference opened, I had the honor (at Jim's request) of emceeing WCEC's annual gala fundraising dinner/casino night for Give Kids the World. It's worth noting that I had zero — zero — experience in doing anything like that in my life, but I've been a performing musician forever. How hard could it be?

As it turns out: Not necessarily harder, but definitely very different.

For one thing, all eyes are on you, alone. There's no band to “throw it” to, no one else to lean on. You are live without a net, no teleprompter, just you, kid. In front of an audience of 600 people. And if you fail, you fall hard. Alone.

Luckily, I just went out, smiled and did what came naturally, and I just let it rip.

And you know what? It worked.

The key takeaway: If I deliberately get out of my comfort zone and try something new because I believe in myself, I will either succeed or learn something valuable that will help me succeed down the line.

Then, this afternoon I got into a first-time conversation with Julian Alexander, CEO of a company called OnSite Physio. His company offers on-site physical rehabilitation services, post-offer employment testing and worksite injury-prevention programs, among other things. He talked about how the business of physical therapy needs to evolve, how companies are looking for better alternatives that provide more personalized care for their employees — and better results when it comes to return-to-work. It struck me that he understood very well the psychosocial aspects of his business.

The key takeaway, and I've repeated this for years after watching the newspaper business, my former industry of employment, implode: That which does not evolve will surely die.

If you open yourself to new possibilities, to new challenges, to new people and new thinking, and to new ideas, your business can only benefit in some way. It's as simple as that.

So the question is: Are you prepared to prosper, or perish?

You decide.

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