Latest / Legacy Living with Dr. Gloria Burgess / Vision and Creativity | Episode #365

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Vision and Creativity | Episode #365 · Legacy Living with Dr. Gloria Burgess

0:21
Hello, and welcome to today's show, Legacy Living, Make your Life Count.
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I'm your host, doctor Gloria Gloria Burgess, international leadership expert and trusted
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advisor. Welcome to Legacy Living, Make your Life Count. I'm so delighted
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that you joined me today. Our topic is creative leadership. So what do
0:53
we mean by creative leadership. I'll share more about that in just a few
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moments. Right now, I want to take a moment to welcome you.
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If you're just joining us. I'm your host, Gloria Burgess. This is
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Legacy Living, Make your Life Count. I'd like to extend a special welcome
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to those of you who are joining for the very first time. You're in
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for a real treat. I'm excited to have you listening in today, and
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I'm deeply honored that you've allowed me to be part of your day so you
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can be inspired by ideas and resources to make your life count now. Like
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I said, today's program is all about creative leadership. Now, some of
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you may not actually think of yourself as a leader. Maybe you're a psychotherapist,
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a clinician, a nurse, or maybe you're an entrepreneur like me or
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like my niece. Maybe you're a student in college and you have no idea
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right now of what you want to be or do after you graduate. Well,
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let me tell you something. It doesn't matter what you do in your
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professional life, and it doesn't matter what life stage you're in. You are
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a leader. How can I say that with such assurance? Here's how.
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If you are alive and participating in this great adventure we call life, then
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you are a leader. Now maybe you're the only person you're leading at the
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moment, but somebody has to be in charge, right and that's you.
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You are in charge of yourself, so you can make a difference in your
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own life, and you can also make a difference in someone else's life.
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When you know how to lead yourself, you can transfer that knowledge. You
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can transfer those skills so you can lead well in any circumstance. Now,
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today we're going to talk about how to do just that. Specifically, I'm
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going to talk about creative leadership, because if you can tap into your own
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well of creativity, If you can do that, then you will be equipped
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to lead yourself and others in any situation that comes up in your life.
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Now, remember, how you live is how you lead. Right, it's
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how you do everything. So what you're going to hear about today, you
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can also apply it in your daily life as well. What I'm going to
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share with you today is a wonderful, wonderful example of what legacy life,
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make your life count is all about. Okay, here we go creative leadership.
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Now we are in the process of creating a new story, a new
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narrative, and that new story is all about creative leadership. This new story
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is compelling because now more than ever, we need all of us to recognize
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and tap into our creativity to lead well as co creators in whatever our sphere
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of influence happens to be. In our relationships, in our families, in
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our work teams and organizations, in our communities, in our churches and synagogues
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and mosques, in our civic and political institutions, in our cities, and
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in our nations. So this new story actually puts creativity, the arts,
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and artistry right back where they belong, along with leadership, not on the
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margins, but at the very heart, at the very core, the center
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of our spiritual, social, cultural, political, and economic lives. In
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fact, this story joins creativity, art and artistry with leadership, because you
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know what that is precisely what it will take to lead well. To lead
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with authenticity, to lead with courage, to lead with empathy and gratitude,
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faith integrity, to lead with humility and hospitality, to lead with love and
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legacy in the twenty first century and beyond. Now, I know I've shared
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this lovely story before, but I want to share it again. In the
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United States, there is an absolutely stunning region of our country in the Appalachian
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Mountains, in a part of that region we call the Appalachia Hill Country.
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Now, the folks who live there, especially the elders, these people have
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a very special, lovely way that they greet you when you come to their
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door. They will greet you not by saying hello, Hi, how are
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you. Instead, they'll greet you by saying something like, what's working you?
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Right? I'm gonna repeat that, what's working you? That's right?
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So today I want to share with you that in my journey as a leader,
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as an entrepreneur, as an artist, in my journey as a mom,
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wife, community steward, what's been working me is at the very intersection
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of creativity, artistry, leadership, spirituality, human dignity, and freedom.
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For all. These are the key things that have been working me now.
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They've been working me for many decades, so this really feels like home to
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me. I want to share with you a way to consider creativity and leadership.
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Now. For me, this is my way of being right, my
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way of living and moving through the world, a way that has helped me
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in all spheres of my life as a creative, as an artist, and
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as a leader. And now you probably know what I'm going to say next,
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right, I don't actually even make a separation amongst those three arenas of
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my life. Creativity, artistry and leadership. For me, they all go
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together, and I hope they will for you as well. It's something that
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I've written about, this dynamic creativity and artistry and leadership. I've written about
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it in all of my books, in Pass It On, in Flawless Leadership,
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Connecting who you are with what you know and do, in Sanctuary,
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in Dare to Wear your Soul on the outside, Live your Legacy Now,
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and in a book called Legacy Living Go Figure Right, Legacy Living This Six
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Covenants for professional Excellence. Now. I've been writing these books for well over
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twenty years, and it's no surprise that there's this intimate connection. In all
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of these books, I write about the art of creative leadership, and specifically
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I write about the art of staying the course, the choice of being faithful
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to whatever is working you. Okay, Now, for the past several decades
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in my work life as a leader, as a consultant, as an executive
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coach, a life coach, creativity coach, as a professor, and as
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an entrepreneur, as well as in my writing life, my singing life,
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my making dance and music life, my parenting life, what's been working me
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is this invisible matrix, or what I call an armature that rules our lives
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as human beings. I mean, it absolutely rules our lives. Now,
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I'm going to share a little bit about this resource with you, about this
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armature, because when you understand how powerful it is, you will actually want
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to know more about it so that you can harness that power and use it
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to make your life and work better and to help others do the same.
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So let's make one thing perfectly clear. All right, we are all creative.
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That's right now. If you're saying, oh no, not me,
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everybody but me, no, If you still have breath in your body,
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if you still have a pulse, you are creative. Now, let's talk
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about making that invisible armature visible. That's what I want to delve into with
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you today. I want to shine the light here so that you can eat
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easily recognize, or more readily recognize and amplify the power of this matrix,
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this armature in your own life and in your leadership. There are seven dimensions
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or seven aspects to this armature, and they all work together in harmony to
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give you a superpower in your life. I'm going to have time to really
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talk about just one of them today, but I'm going to name all of
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them. Some aspects of these will sound familiar to you, especially if you're
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a painter, a doctor, a professor, a gardener, a writer,
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a student, a college administrator, a plumber, a firefighter, a police
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officer, or a community servant. Now that covers a lot of ground,
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doesn't it didn't I tell you before that everybody, all of us are creative.
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Okay, So whoever you are and whatever you do, you're going to
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recognize the parts of this armature. You're going to recognize them as creative principles,
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creative tenets, and some of these you're going to recognize, but maybe
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not necessarily within the framework of creativity. Maybe you learned what I'm about to
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share with you in an entirely different context, and you know what, that's
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okay. Here's what I've learned and chronicled in my own life. I call
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the seven dimensions or the seven aspects. I call them seven sacred promises.
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Why because these are promises. These are contracts, right that we make to
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ourselves, to one another, and to God. So when I talk about
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this armature, this structure, I'm referring to the seven sacred promises. Now
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the presences, the promises that I want you to know about that I want
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you to be more aware of so that you can harness their power. These
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promises are gratitude, faith, love, vision, integrity, creative action,
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and legacy. Let me repeat them. The seven sacred promises are gratitude,
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faith, love, vision, integrity, creative action, and legacy. Now
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today we have time to focus on one of these promises in a lot of
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detail. I want to shine the light on vision. But before I talk
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about it, I want you to know that all of these promises work together.
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Like I said, they work in harmony, and just like the musicians
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in a band or orchestra work together all of the seven sacred promises. They're
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always present. They are always there as resources that work together for your good
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right to support us as leaders and to support our creativity. And they help
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us and support us as we keep moving through the days, the weeks,
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the months, the conversations, the relationships in our lives. They help us
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to keep on keeping on, and they're ever present resources that we can draw
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on in our day to day living, in our day to day, moment
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to moment lives as leaders. So let's take a look at vision. Now.
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Vision is the big idea, right, It's the main event. It's
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the idea of what you want to do with yourself, your team, your
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organization, your community. Right, it's not only about what. Vision is
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also about how. Furthermore, vision is about what and how, and it
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also includes who. So when you're casting or sharing a vision, some good
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questions to ask yourself are these who will go with me? I love that
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one who will go with me? Another question is who will I encounter along
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the way? Right? You may not know the names of those people,
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but you can expect that somebody, okay, or many somebodies you're gonna encounter
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them along the way. So who will I run into? Who will I
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encounter along the way? Another question is who will I collaborate with or who
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will I partner with. There's a wonderful African wisdom saying that goes, if
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you want to go fast, go alone, If you want to go far,
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go together. And let me tell you anything worth doing, any vision
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worth pursuing, is worth pursuing, it's worth doing together. Now, here's
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a really cool thing about vision. You do not have to see the entire
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canvas, the entire vision, all at once. In fact, if you
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do see the whole thing and it's crystal clear, get a new vision.
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That's right, get a new vision. Because if you can see it and
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it's crystal clear, what you probably have is a goal and not a vision.
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Here's what I know. Your vision will change, it'll morph, it'll
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evolve as you move into it and as you move towards it, so naturally
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it will keep morphing and shape shifting and changing up along the way. So
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be open, be open to what is revealed to you. Now, don't
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get stuck on the vision that you happen to begin with. Why because that
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vision the one you start with. That vision may no longer be relevant tomorrow
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or next week, or next month, or even next year. And this
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is true whether you are leading through a time of crisis or adversity or not.
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So remember you can have your vision, but you must always keep your
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knees bent as you breathe and live into and manifest your vision. Another thing
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to remember is this, don't get attached to the particular way that your vision
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will manifest. In other words, be open, be open to outcome,
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and like I said, keep your knees bent. Now. One of the
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many lessons I've learned from being a coach is that you have to be a
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guide right, a guide on the side, not a sage on the stage.
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You listen more than you talk, right, and you have to see
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the people that you coach as highly capable human beings, as highly resourceful individuals
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who can access their own knowledge, their own resources as their awareness increases.
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You also have to see the folks that you coach as highly capable I'm gonna
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say, or bridge builders, who can take their new found awareness and build
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on it as they confront themselves and others in the real world, in real
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time, in real relationships right in their families and in their organizations. Now,
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I often apply these lessons when I work with my consulting clients as well.
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Even though many of them say they want me because I'm an expert in
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this or that, what they really want, what they really value, is
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when I help them discover their own solutions, When I help them unpack their
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own knowledge, and when I help them tap into their own expertise, their
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own resourcefulness, their own genius and creativity. It all boils down to helping
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them find their own path to their own vision of what's possible. Now,
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I want to share a little bit more about vision. Vision has all kinds
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of facets, all kinds of dimensions to it that we need to pay attention
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to. From a cultural perspective, we tend to talk about vision as if
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we can literally see something, see something with our anatomical eyes. But in
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reality, what you usually see is pretty blurry. It's kind of foggy,
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actually, okay, And if you don't see it that way, you should
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be. You should be seeing fog because, as I mentioned earlier, if
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what you see is really crystal clear to you, it's not a vision,
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it's not a dream. It's a goal, and there's nothing wrong with having
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goals, but just be clear that it's a goal and not a vision.
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Right. Vision consists of perception, of insight and foresight and hindsight and reflection
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and revelation and so much more, including respect, which means to look again,
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to see again, right, to see with new eyes, to see
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with a fresh perspective. And so I invite you to think about the various
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aspects of vision. Now I go into great detail in dare to wear your
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soul on the outside into vision and to all the other aspects the seven promises
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that I mentioned earlier. So as you think about not only what's working you
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with regard to vision, I also want you to pay attention to what's working
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the people around you, nearby or far away, because the world really is
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at our fingertips, right, I mean, the world is just a click
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away. So pay attention to what's showing up for other people. Now why
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might this be important, you might ask, Because these people are your potential
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collaborators, your potential amplifiers. There are people who can potentially be of service
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with you or to you, or you know, maybe these are the people
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who can gather around you and partner with you right now? Who knows?
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So pay attention and know that if you have this creative fire that's working.
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You know that we are made not to walk alone. We were made we
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were designed to walk together. We are social beings, We're made to be
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in relationship. So pay attention to those people who you can link elbows with
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and maybe even partner with along your journey to your vision. Now, another
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way of saying what I just said is don't try to take the vision,
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your vision and do it all by yourself. Right, that's a recipe for
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disaster, a recipe for heartache. Been there, done that. And so
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as you begin to move in the direction of your dream, the direction of
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your vision, I invite you to ask yourself, who do I need to
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know? Who do I need to bring along with me? Who do I
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need to collaborate with or partner with? You know what? Another facet vision
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also includes the dreams that we have at night. These are night dreams.
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Now, in the workplace, we don't often talk about these things, right,
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this kind of vision, but this is huge. It's very important.
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Why because in visioning there is a huge element, a very big element of
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receptivity. That's right, of being on the receiving side, not the casting
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side, but the receiving side of vision. Now in Northern hemisphere Western culture,
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now I'm generalizing here, so please forgive me. We typically think about
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vision as something that flows outward, right, that vision is something that pushes
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out and is external to who you are. We talk about vision as something
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that is very penetrating, having a very masculine energetic. But another core quality
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that we sometimes miss is that vision can also flow from the outside in.
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It can also flow inwardly. Vision is also about receiving. So if you're
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receiving vision, you are a receptor, right, You are a receptor,
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and your work is to gather and collect. You're not an outputter at this
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point. You are a receptor, a receiver, which is a more feminine
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energetic. It's an energetic that's probably more in tune with people who are very
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sensate, okay, relying on their five senses, so to speak, very
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sensate in terms of how they perceive and move through the world, how they
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understand the world, how they make sense of the world. This receiving energetic
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helps us tap into another aspect of vision, which is revelation. Revelation.
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Now here's the good news. The archetype of the twenty first century leader is
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guess what it is, The archetype of the creative, the archetype of the
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visionary. Other names for this archetype is the archetype of artistry or the artist,
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right, the archetype of the magi, the magician. Now, this
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archetype, by whatever name we call it, has been around since human beings
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have been around, and in times of great upheaval, great change or transition
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or transformation, humanity can actually tap into this pattern or archetyped to shift the
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way we do, the things we do, to shift how we show up
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as human beings. In fact, we can choose to show up as human
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beings beings rather than as doing humans. Let me say that again. We
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can choose to show up as human beings rather than as doing humans. I
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love that. So again, this pattern in human behavior, the pattern of
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the visionary or the artist, the creative, is now available to all of
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us. It is available to all of us as leaders, as human beings
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who are now more open, more receptive, and more conscious of this amazing
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pattern in the collective, this amazing archetype. What's working me today is creative
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leadership, specifically leading with authenticity and artistry in our extraordinary times. These are
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surely what we call vuka v uca vuka times now. For those of you
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who might be new to that term vuka, what it stands for are times
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of volatility. That's what the V stands for, uncertainty, you, chaos,
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c and A for ambiguity, Volatility, uncertainty, chaos and an ambiguity.
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Times where we experience wave after wave after wave of disruptive change, wave
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after wave of what we know and what we believe to be true. Now,
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in times of vuka, the old, okay, what we are sure
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about right just begins to fall away, just begins to disintegrate. In this
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kind of world, what we know for sure is not the same old,
29:37
same old. What we know for sure is that volatility, uncertainty, chaos,
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and ambiguity will continue to be the norm. What we don't know is
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what form or shape that norm will take right, what form that disruptive change
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will take. This not new. It may sound like it's new, it
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may be new for you, but it's not new in the grand scheme of
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the universe. In fact, it's happened numerous times. It's occurred hundreds thousands
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of times in the history of humankind and countless times throughout the history of the
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world. What the world needs now to respond to this vuka world we live
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in our visionaries. What the world needs now is artists now more than ever,
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Our world needs artistry, needs our imagination, our creativity, not on
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the margins, but in the center of our individual and community and corporate and
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public and institutional lives. Artists are what we call the informants. They are
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the storytellers. Why because they get the news first, right, And art
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is an informant, Art is a messenger. Art is a storyteller too.
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Art is also an armature. And if we're really conscious and intentional, art
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and artists can become agents of change, agents of transformation, of innovation,
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redemption and renewal. And again, I'm not talking about artists the way we
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typically think about artists, you know, as people who make a living as
31:52
professional artists. I mean, I am talking about them, but I'm also
31:56
talking about you, Okay, the news too. And we're storytellers. What
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do you think we're doing when we're having conversations with one another, when we're
32:07
expressing our opinions when we're sending out texts or blurbs on social media, right,
32:15
that's storytelling. Now, Like I said, we're all artists. So
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I'm talking about the folks that we see in our homes, when we go
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out of our homes and show up for our doctor's appointments. I'm talking about
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the folks we see when we're at the grocery store, the folks who work
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at the food bank, in our schools. These are the folks who work
32:42
on the front lines. These are the folks who work behind the scenes to
32:45
make sure that everything's working the way it's supposed to work. The folks who
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deliver our blood right come rain or snow or sleet or hail. These are
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the folks who find a way when times are normal and when times are hard,
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when times are unpredictable, when we're in another wave of vuka right,
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volatility, uncertainty, chaos, and ambiguity. These are the folks who find
33:17
a way to keep on keeping on. The ones who hang in there,
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the ones who follow the energy of yes, the ones who change impossible impossible
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impossible to I'm possible whose first name is Can and whose last name is do.
33:40
Right, This is me and you. So as you go about your
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day today or as you prepare for the rest of your week, I want
33:51
you to ask yourself one question, just one one question, and the question
33:57
is what's Because what's working you is exactly what needs to come into fruition now,
34:09
not tomorrow, not next week, but right now. What's working you
34:17
is your vision, a vision that is all yours that can only come through
34:25
you. You know what, if the vision came to you, it will
34:30
come through you. Remember, how you live is how you lead. And
34:37
if you can lead with creativity, with imagination, with innovation, with a
34:43
sense of possibility and knees bent and keep those at the forefront, you will
34:49
be equipped to lead in any circumstance. All right, Okay, if you
35:00
learned something in this podcast, be sure to tell somebody. Share the wealth.
35:07
Don't keep it to yourself, Share it with friends, your family,
35:09
co workers, so they can be lifted up and inspired and equipped just like
35:16
you. You know what, one of the biggest gifts you can give to
35:22
someone else is to use your gifts, your talents, your signature presence that
35:29
exists nowhere else on the planet. Ask yourself, how will I use my
35:37
artistry to reimagine my team, my family, my classroom, my Sunday school,
35:45
my dental practice, my community, my chamber of commerce, right my
35:51
firehouse. How can I provide a lifeline to someone I may never know and
36:00
remember? What is working you? That is your invitation to step into your
36:07
vision so that you can make a difference in your own life and in the
36:15
lives of others. As we continue to celebrate the majestic music of your life,
36:24
I also want to celebrate you for making your life count. Be sure
36:31
to join me next time. Now. If you missed last week's episode or
36:38
any part of this week's, you can listen to the recording at your convenience.
36:44
You can even listen to it on the go. Check it out at
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iTunes, Audible, Alexa, SoundCloud, iHeart, tune in, spreaker dot
36:55
com, Talk Network Radio, and SEW many other places, or you can
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tune in right here at www. Dot talknetwork Radio dot com. Forward Slash
37:10
Hosts, Forward Slash Legacy Living. That's Talknetwork Radio dot com. Forward Slash
37:19
Hosts Forward Slash Legacy Living. You could also find me and learn more about
37:24
my work and Legacy Living. Make your life count by visiting the Gloria Burgess
37:30
website, and as I've mentioned on other episodes, you can subscribe to my
37:36
inspirations right on my website. Just go to the main page at Gloria Burgess
37:42
dot com and scroll down a bit look on the right sidebar until you see
37:46
the place to add your email to subscribe to my weekly inspirations. Now,
37:52
the Weekly Inspirations are just one little quote and a wonderful image that comes into
37:58
your mailbox once a week, every monthday morning, and it's that simple.
38:01
Just go to my website again, It's Gloria Burgus dot com and sign up.
38:07
You can also connect with me by visiting me on LinkedIn or on Facebook
38:13
and that's Facebook dot com Forward slash dr for doctor Dr Gloria Burgess, pH
38:21
d. You can also find me on the TEDx site and listen to one
38:24
of my ted talks. Just type in my name to find me there.
38:30
Before I close today, I want to thank each of you for tuning in
38:37
to today's episode for allowing me to share a bit about my journey with what
38:42
legacy living is all about, not just living and learning, but living and
38:47
learning and serving so that you make a difference in your own life and in
38:54
the lives of others. It's about being on purpose every single day. Three
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sixty five, twenty four seven. Legacy living is a powerful way to make
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your life count. I'm your host, doctor Gloria Gloria Burgess. Please join
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me again next time right here for another episode of legacy Living. Make your
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life count. Don't just count the days in your life. Make the days
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in your life count. That's what legacy living is all about. Have a
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fantastic day and remember make the days in your life count. God bless you.
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That's our show today. I'm your host, doctor Gloria Gloria Burgess.
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I hope you'll join me again next time. Until then, don't just count
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the days in your life. Make the days in your life count. That's
40:17
what legacy living is all about. Here's to you. Have a fantastic day
40:23
and be sure to make it a yes kind of day. Remember to celebrate
40:30
the music of your life. Make the days in your life count