How Does a French Cooking Term Apply to Insurance Agents?
Over at the Happiness Blog, happiness guru Gretchen Rubin has an interesting new application of the French culinary term mis en place. 
According to her translation (I should have vetted it with Ms. Mahan, InsureMe’s resident Francophile), the term means ‘everything in its place.’ For the chef, it means having all of the tools and ingredients and preparation necessary to make an entrée or a dessert.
But it’s also more than that.
“Mis-en-place is preparation, but it’s also a state of mind,” says Rubin. “Mis-en-place means you have everything at the ready, with no need to run out to the store or begin a frantic search for a sifter. You’re truly ready to begin to work.”
For any of you who have changed jobs or relocated recently, you know that value of mis en place. (I moved into a new house more than six months ago, and for a while my life was so unorganized that doing anything required a prolonged scavenger hunt or two.)
The importance of mis en place transcends the culinary arts; it can even be applied to your job as an insurance agent. Ask yourself: Is everything in place? Are you prepared? What’s missing? What could you do now that would help you later on? Do you have all the tools and ingredients to do your job effectively?
Although the best cooks are good at improvisation, their job requires a modicum of preparation. Without it, the odds of success are much smaller. Doesn’t the same go for just about every profession?
With everything in its place, we rid ourselves of unnecessary friction. Cheers to that!
