Hamilton Insurance Group - January 2019

Hamilton Insurance Group - January 2019

THE SILVER LINING To Your Life & Health

770-744-1855

T he Y ear of the P ersonal T ouch

More Time With Clients Means Better Service

Whether it’s in business or life, goal setting is crucial to success. I start this process every year in November and usually begin with brainstorming. You can’t just pull ideas out of nowhere and wing it. You have to have a plan — be aggressive toward your objective. At the same time, you have to make sure your goals are achievable. One of the highlights of my year was re-engaging with my clients. I hired a full-time assistant, and she has been taking on a lot of the administrative tasks, which has helped me get back in front of more people. There’s nothing quite like a personal visit because it shows that my clients aren’t just policies or numbers; they’re people I genuinely care about. It means a lot to me that I can continue to help my clients. I meet people every day who can’t get their basic needs taken care of because they don’t have the right health benefits, so when I see my clients, I’m thankful that they trust me to make sure they have the right coverage. I enjoy being in front of people, and in 2019, I’m looking forward to spending more time with my clients. There are plenty of people who can benefit from regular check-ins, and I’m excited to make sure they are

–Duane Hamilton 1 770-744-1855 possibilities in 2019. From my family to my clients, the past year has been phenomenal. Whether it’s resolutions or goals, I hope everyone gets what they want from the next year. I want to help my clients anyway I can. Happy New Year’s — here’s to a great 2019! result is better service for my clients and a more relaxed life at home. I look forward to the endless

using their benefits to the fullest. I want to take care of my clients because they take care of me. On a personal level, hiring an assistant has let me slow down. I can take time to fully digest the day and make sure I’m applying my time effectively. The THAT MY CLIENTS AREN’T JUST POLICIES OR NUMBERS; THEY’RE PEOPLE I GENUINELY CARE ABOUT. THERE’S NOTHING QUITE LIKE A PERSONAL VISIT BECAUSE IT SHOWS

reducing any ambition to a mere wistful daydream. Goals When you harness your objectives to a plan, you set yourself up for success. SMART goals incorporate accountability, which is pivotal to accomplishing anything. When you write down a goal and develop a blueprint of how to achieve it, you create layers of accountability. Each step of the plan has make-or-break points where you can see exactly what went wrong and what went right. This year, make goal setting a priority over making resolutions. Curious about where to start? Make items will only lead to frustration and inaction. Instead, start by tackling areas of the house that are full of documents, knickknacks, and boxes you haven’t touched in years. These will be the easiest to part with and will put you in the right downsizing mindset. Donate Unwanted Items The next category contains items that are no longer valuable to you or your family but may be useful to others. These items can be donated to one of many worthy organizations, such as Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or St. Vincent de Paul. Donations are a way to give back to the less fortunate instead of simply giving or throwing things away. Give Gifts to Loved Ones If you have children, they will undoubtedly want to keep a few cherished mementos and precious possessions. Deciding who will keep what can be a sensitive subject, so you’ll need to devise an equitable

way to divvy up the goods. Some families engage in the process collaboratively, but there should always be some communication before anything is thrown out. Your kids may value certain items more than you ever realized. If you suspect a certain heirloom could be a source of contention, it’s best to hold on to it and make it part of your estate plan. Only Keep the Essentials After completing the first three steps, you should be left with only those items you actually use and those that have the most sentimental value to you. These are the objects worth bringing to your new home. Bonus Tip: Color Code Each Category Odds are that you’ll find junk and valuables stored right next to each other. If you don’t have time to physically separate them at the moment, use different colored Post-it notes to keep everything organized when it comes time to move.

Many homeowners reach a point in their lives when they’re ready to move from the house they raised their families in to something smaller and more manageable. While finding the right place can be a challenge, the hardest part of downsizing is often sorting through a lifetime’s worth of possessions. This process, called contents downsizing, is much easier when you follow this four-step system. Start With the Junk Beginning your downsizing with the hardest

Resolutions vs. Goals Are You Prepared for the New Year?

New Year’s traditions foster an air of rebirth, so this is the perfect time to consider fresh objectives. Every year, people make resolutions that never stick. But there’s a better way to achieve your aims. Rather than make a resolution, you can create a goal. Here’s the difference. Resolutions The very act of labeling your objective a “New Year’s resolution” shows you’re not prepared to follow through. The word “resolution” is often associated with failure. Of course, everyone who sets resolutions means well, but in order to accomplish anything, you need to act. Resolutions lack this fundamental planning and action,

it a goal to look over your insurance coverage for any holes. Give me a call, and I’ll be happy to help.

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4 S teps to C ontrol Y our D reams How to Process Emotions While Sleeping

Did you know that your dreams aren’t random? They are often projections of your subconscious, but that doesn’t mean they are uncontrollable. As a matter of fact, trying these three steps might allow you to plan your dreams every night. Focus Before you fall asleep, look at a picture or hold a memento that represents a situation that’s significant to you. Analyze these physical items, and the likelihood of them appearing in your dream can increase. Repetition Try repeating what you want to dream about in one word, much like a meditation session. If that doesn’t work, think about the idea of lucid dreaming as you fall asleep.

Duration It’s important to fall asleep with enough time to hit at least a couple of REM cycles. The deeper you sleep, the higher the likelihood you’ll remember your dreams. Question According to Dylan Tuccillo, Jared Zeizel, and Thomas Peisel, the authors of “A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming,” out the day, “Am I dreaming?” While the answer is obvious, it will condition your brain to ask that same question while you’re asleep. Once you realize you’re in a dream state, you can take control of your dream and guide it where you please. Many of my clients struggle with emotional, physical, and spiritual trauma, but dreams are one way

to work through the pain. There is even evidence suggesting that longer dreams can help divorced people work through the range of emotions associated with emotional turmoil. Reader’s Digest says that the more prolonged and traumatic the vision, the more likely the dreamer is to adjust to change.

C itrus and A vocado S alad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 blood, cara cara, or navel orange, sliced 1/8-inch thick and deseeded • 1 Meyer or regular lemon, sliced 1/8-inch thick and deseeded • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided • 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 bunch arugula • 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves • 1 avocado, cut into wedges • Salt and pepper, to taste

Inspired by Bon Appétit

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 425 F. 2. In a rimmed baking sheet, toss citrus slices with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast citrus until lightly charred and caramelized, about 10–15 minutes. Let cool. 3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine onion and lemon juice. Season with salt and let sit for 5 minutes. 4. Add citrus, arugula, and mint to onion mixture. Drizzle with remaining oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss thoroughly. 5. Add avocado, combing very gently to not crush avocado.

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1170 Peachtree Street NE Suite 1200 Atlanta, GA 30309

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

770-744-1855

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Happy New Year!

Less Stuff Means More Freedom

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Set Goals Rather Than Make Resolutions

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Lucid Dreaming 101

Citrus and Avocado Salad

Why Start the New Year in Winter? W hy J anuary ?

The Origin of New Year’s Day

The month of January kicks off by welcoming the new year — there are countdowns, fireworks, and of course, the ball drop in a freezing-cold Times Square. But why? Why do we start our calendars when much of the U.S. is in the dead of winter? Why January? The short answer is Julius Caesar and Roman politics.

The calendar had long been a political tool in Rome. Depending on who was in power, Roman pontifices would add or subtract entire weeks from the year, manually adjusting the term limits of elected officials. As you could imagine, this caused a lot of chaos, because months frequently slipped out of time with the changing seasons. After becoming emperor, Julius Caesar brought about some much- needed reforms. Inspired by the Egyptian solar calendar, Caesar fixed the Roman year at 365 days and instituted the leap year to keep months aligned with the solstices. He moved the new year from the spring to the day that elected officials traditionally began their year- long terms, Jan. 1.

This choice carried spiritual significance, since January was named for Janus, god of doors and gates. What better month to celebrate new beginnings? Under Caesar and subsequent rulers, the Roman Empire expanded its reach, carrying its calendar with it. While much of Europe adopted Caesar’s calendar, New Year’s Day remained a hot- button issue for centuries. conditions in Northern Europe, there was a lot of resistance to the January start date. Religious leaders saw it as a pagan holiday, and much of Europe chose to restart the calendar on March 25, during the Feast of Annunciation. Much of Catholic Europe officially Thanks in part to the spread of Christianity and to the colder

recognized Jan. 1 as the start of the new year after Pope Gregory reformed the solar calendar again, correcting certain mathematical errors made in Caesar’s day. There were still holdouts, however. In fact, England and its American colonies continued to celebrate New Year’s Day in March until 1752. So there you have it — we were very close to having our fireworks celebrations in lovely spring weather. Ultimately, the ubiquity of the Gregorian calendar won out, as the demands of our increasingly interconnected world made a shared calendar a necessity. So if you struggle to start your New Year’s resolutions this winter, blame Julius Caesar.

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