We are here today in Anaheim because of our past year’s sales results.

Walt Disney once said, “Fellows, I take my hat off to results only.”

I thought about this expression over and over again, and I believe that results alone are not enough. Ethics is a must, values are needed, and sharing and caring for others is essential.

To illustrate this, I would like to share with you a quiz I once read. So, please, let each of us in this room answer the following questions to ourselves:

• Name the last five winners of the Tour de France.
• Name the last five winners of the Masters Tournament in Augusta and the British Open.
• Name the last five winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics.
• Name the last five winners of the Oscars for best actress or best actor.

How was that? Bad? Do not worry. The point is that none of us will remember yesterday’s headlines. Those winners were not second-rate achievers; they were the best in their fields, but once the applause dies, trophies become colorless, and the winners and their achievements are forgotten.

Now, let us answer these questions and see how it works:

• Name three teachers who helped you in your school and university years.
• Name three friends who supported you in difficult times.
• Name five people who taught you something valuable and made you feel special and appreciated.
• Name five people with whom you like to spend your time.
• Name three leaders or heroes whose lives have inspired you.

How was that? I am sure it was much easier!

The moral is that the people who make a difference in our lives are not those with the best results, the richest or those who won the most prizes.

The differences are made by the people who care about us, look after us and, in many different ways, are beside us in good times but, more importantly, during the bad and hard times.

We, as professionals, as MDRT members, can make a huge difference to our families, to our clients, to our colleagues, to our friends, to the companies we work with and to our communities.

Let’s imagine for a moment that I met your families, your clients, your colleagues, your friends, and I asked them the same questions that I just asked you. Would your name be in their answers? Would you be the difference in their lives?

So, keeping this in mind, let’s live a life of values, values that impact in a positive way, and let us be remembered for the imprint we make on others.

As Einstein said, “Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.”

Dorin Roxana Israelian is a 20-year MDRT member with 10 Court of the Table and two Top of the Table qualifications. A lawyer and agency manager for Prudential Seguros, Israelian was born in Buenos Aires and graduated from the Argentine Catholic University. She joined Prudential Seguros in 2000 as a life planner and was promoted to senior consulting life planner and business insurance specialist. She has participated as a speaker at life insurance events in Argentina, Mexico, Canada and Poland.