The Power of Synergy

I want to take a moment and talk to you about the importance of synergy. The definition of synergy is a combined action or operation. Imagine an Olympic athlete getting ready to leap over a hurdle. If we watched the athlete in slow motion we would see that all of her muscles were working together in unison to achieve her goal. Her arms are moving her forward. Her legs are moving her forward. You can see her neck leaning forward. Her team, friends and fans cheer her on. Her muscles have synergy. Her relationships have synergy.

Synergy is a powerful force; it is everything in your life moving in the same direction. When your mindset, your emotions, your activity, and your relationships are all moving in the same direction powerful things will happen.

We recently held a special event through Life Insurance Academy called Power Producers in Paradise. This event was designed for driven people to take time out of their busy schedules to dream and take stock of their lives and their businesses. It was a powerful experience. I helped plan this event and I cannot tell you how badly I needed it. I want to share a personal story from this experience so you can see the power of synergy. 

Over the last few years I have sacrificed my health for my business. At least that is what I believed. After re-reading The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, I realized that I was really making excuses. There was plenty of time in my schedule to do something, if I was willing to get up early and take action. So I started to get up in the morning and do an activity that I enjoy doing once or twice a week before the trip. What I didn’t realize was how big that little decision would be.

While we were in Punta Cana, there were two scheduled activation sessions. These were early morning workouts led by Coach Michael Burt, and Cody and Lauren Askins. My friend Marlin Faulkner was a part of this as well. After Lauren’s kick butt workout session on the beach she challenged us to say, “I am the best”. I had never done something like that after a workout before. It resonated with me. I thought about it and it sank in. I could see my value and I believed it. I am the best.

In my conversations with my friend Marlin, I shared some of my ideas about how I saw myself in the company and what I do. Marlin looked at me, and he said, “Chris, I see a warrior.” I didn’t see it so much but he did and he said it with such conviction that it made it impossible for me not to agree with him. “Okay, I am a warrior!” In our conversations, he shared a great way to start working on my personal health. He encouraged me to walk 45 minutes a day, and during that time to listen to sermons and meditate. So from those conversations I got; I am the best, I am a warrior, walk 45 minutes.

Back to the book. In The Slight Edge, Jeff Olson talks about the power of compounding interest. Most of us have heard it in the context of personal finances but in The Slight Edge, Jeff Olson shifts our focus to our personal growth. He gives the illustration of a penny that is doubled every day for 30 days.  If you double a penny for thirty days, at the end of thirty days you will have over five million dollars. What if I read 10 pages a day from a book that challenged how I thought about business? What if I took small steps in my health so that I could have more energy and live longer? Would it make a difference? It would, and it does!

Here is the thing, I started re-reading The Slight Edge about 5 weeks ago. It led to some small changes, and these small changes led me to take actions that I wouldn’t normally take. I also am having conversations about topics that I wouldn’t normally talk about!