As I write this, I am exactly three weeks away from my 40thbirthday. Some readers may be jealous of my relatively young age,but to be completely honest, I'm struggling with it.

I started in this business when I was 17, and I have been sayingfor a long time that at some point, I will go to an industryfunction and no longer be among the youngest in the room. Well inalmost 23 years, that hasn't happened yet. I feel a responsibilityto the future of our industry. I have two amazing andbeautiful children, but I have failed miserably at exciting youngpeople to join our ranks. Let's face it: We all have.

Insurance is among the most disliked of industries, but for mostof us, it has provided a pretty good lifestyle. I would even arguethat for a very long time, we did less work than most and werebetter compensated than most. It may be in that very equation thatwe lost the younger generations.

Although not a millennial myself, I feel more aligned withthat mindset (certainly more so than that of the baby boomers) andperhaps it's the very lack of a challenge that has created apathyand lack of interest for our industry. When I look at all thecompanies that attract the type of people I would like to see moreof, they all upset the status quo, challenge individuals to thinkoutside the box, and assign tasks of enormous proportions andimplications. Can we say that opportunity has existed in ourindustry for the last 20 years?

What if we told the public that our industry is more challengingthan ever? We hold influence over what is one of the top threeexpenses on a company's P&L, and one of the top expenses innearly every household in America. Our industry is one in which thetechnology age is still at the same stage as when the internetfirst came to our homes and smart phones. What if we convincedmillennials we are on the precipice of not only fundamentallychanging an industry that is so large, if it stood on its own iswould be one of the largest economies in the world, but one thathas a huge impact directly on the overall health and well-being ofthe tens of thousands of people we serve?

I truly feel this way, but it doesn't reflect the attitude I seeamong many others. Let's be excited, optimistic, challenging,innovative, thought-provoking, and impactful. This may require achange in how some conduct their business. If your primary role isputting together a spreadsheet once a year and putting out serviceissues in between, I can understand how there may be a lack ofpassion. But if you are solving problems, lowering costs, rollingout technology, managing compliance, partnering with your clients,improving their bottom line and their ability to attract and retaintalent, isn't that far more valuable and exciting?

Here is the litmus test I use: How willing am I to tell a clientexactly what I get paid? Can I sit there and feel worth that amountor even more? If the answer is yes, then I feel good about thevalue I bring. If I can't honestly say yes, I reevaluate andre-strategize. Sometimes, they are not the right fit for my agency.Other times, I need to step up to the plate and deliver morevalue.

I hope to inspire more enthusiasm among my brethren and moreinterest in what we do among the young people. Will you join me inthis effort?