I had the opportunity to hear Tim Tebow, the two-time nationalchampion and Heisman Trophy winner, speak at the RytechSunshine Conference recently, and he asked the audience somevery good questions.

Tim believes in divine intervention and that we are all on thisearth for a reason. As he talked about his childhood and the eventsthat made him the man he is today, he asked three criticalquestions: Do you love what you're doing? Are you passionate aboutit? And, are you willing to sacrifice for what you love and arepassionate about?

Helping people put their lives back together

As I listened to him, I thought about these questions in thecontext of the insurance industry. Many of our readers ended up inthis industry from somewhere else and decided to stay and make ittheir career. Not because of the recognition, but I think becausethey love what they do — helping people at an extremely difficulttime as they put their lives back together. They like thechallenge, the fact that every day is different and they can'tafford to become complacent. There is an energy that working in anyaspect of this industry requires.

Are they passionate about what they do as adjusters, claimsmanagers, investigators, customer service representatives or otherinsurance professionals? Yes! Because they know that they are thekeys to providing a real solution to what may seem like animpossible situation. Most people who work in any aspect of thisindustry don't do it just for the money, they do it because theytruly believe that they can make a difference in the lives ofpeople who are having really bad day.

And last, are they willing to sacrifice for what they love andare passionate about? Most definitely. I know countlessprofessionals in insurance and related industries who have paid ahigh personal price to assist someone they didn't know. It has costthem in terms of personal relationships, business opportunities andcountless other ways, but they were willing to pay the price.

What motivates us?

Tim also asked about what motivates us — is it money and praiseor things that really matter? He said it's really easy to loseperspective and to focus on the wrong things. In the end, if welive for and concentrate on the important things, then the lives ofthe people around us will be better because of us.

What we do for others will last a lifetime and that's definitelya legacy I can live with. I challenge you to go make your mark!

Patricia L. Harman is editor-in-chief of Claims magazine. Email her at [email protected].Opnions in the article are her own.