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Transcript

Taking the Holy Spirit to Work: Living Inspired at Every Age · Is Your Way In Your Way?

• 0:25
  Cassandra: Hello out there to all my listeners and I'd like to welcome you to Is your Way In your Way podcast and I'm your host.
• 0:32
  Cassandra: My name is Cassandra Crawley-Mayo and, yeah, for some of you and then to some of you who may not be aware, I have a book titled Is your Way In your Way and it's a book for a self-discovery journey for women on how to restore yourself, learn from the experiences that you've had and be your true self again, and we talk about topics related to what I call personal improvement, personal development, business improvement, even some business development, and I always say and pray that there'll be something on one of these podcasts that will enable you to pivot.
• 1:14
  Cassandra: You would have what we would call an aha moment, because this is also about for individuals who are, I would say, you have these self-imposed barriers that's preventing you from living your best life on your terms, and because of that, I just want to make sure and my guests, we want to just make sure that we provide you information that will inspire, motivate, transform you, to say you know what.
• 1:44
  Cassandra: I think I can do this.
• 1:46
  Cassandra: I think I'm going to start living my best life.
• 1:50
  Cassandra: I'm going to be clearer each time I listen to this podcast on what that best life looks like, and I have a special guest today that's going to talk about.
• 1:59
  Cassandra: She is on a mission to inspire and her name is Mary Boza Crimmins, and I'd like to welcome her to the Orange Room.
• 2:08
  Cassandra: Welcome, Mary.
• 2:09
  Cassandra: How are you today?
• 2:11
  Mary: Oh, thank you, Cassandra.
• 2:12
  Mary: I am doing well here in Florida on a very chilly day, but doing well Great, I'm honored to be with you.
• 2:22
  Cassandra: Thank you, hey guys, check this out.
• 2:25
  Cassandra: A chilly day for her is like in the 50s, know, and for those you know, we all live in different areas, different locations, countries or whatever.
• 2:34
  Cassandra: So this will be interesting.
• 2:36
  Cassandra: I told her that where I am is and it's like 30 31 degrees.
• 2:41
  Cassandra: Imagine that.
• 2:53
  Cassandra: I will read Mary's bio, just so you have an opportunity to learn a little bit about her before we delve into her mission to inspire.
• 3:03
  Cassandra: So, Mary is passionate about speaking a revolution of thought and action.
• 3:10
  Cassandra: She is the author of Taking the Holy Spirit to Work, a powerful call to live a life centered on God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, while considering the impact of our choices on others.
• 3:26
  Cassandra: Through her newsletter dedicated to 55 plus, age well, age well ourselves, our posterity she challenges readers to embrace growth and legacy, offering thought-provoking insights that inspire reflection and action.
• 3:46
  Cassandra: She's been an educator for 28 years and she has 28 years of experience and a lifelong learner.
• 3:53
  Cassandra: She combines her love of teaching and with a mission to empower people to start living intentionally and with faith.
• 4:01
  Cassandra: Her transformative message encouraged artists to rethink their priorities, embrace a legacy mindset and impact their communities meaningfully.
• 4:15
  Cassandra: And I always look for guests who can challenge and inspire you, for you to think differently, to act intentionally, and also that will enable you to have a desire to leave what I call a lasting legacy.
• 4:31
  Cassandra: So she is ready to bring the conversation to our show.
• 4:36
  Cassandra: All about that, Mary.
• 4:38
  Cassandra: Wow, Mary.
• 4:39
  Cassandra: First of all, tell us a little bit about your backstory before you start embarking on this new journey.
• 4:47
  Mary: All right, yes, my backstory.
• 4:49
  Mary: I'm a mother of two grown sons, two grandchildren, one on the way.
• 4:54
  Mary: I've been married to the same person for almost 43 years now.
• 4:58
  Mary: Oh, wow, yes, and so early on in our marriage, when we were about 25 and 27,.
• 5:05
  Mary: We became Christians and that sort of changed the trajectory of my life, in which God called me into teaching.
• 5:11
  Mary: And so I taught for 28 years.
• 5:14
  Mary: I haven't been teaching for the last three years.
• 5:18
  Mary: Three years ago, almost to this day, I decided to walk away from teaching and started my own business.
• 5:23
  Mary: So I sort of changed my path, left something that I did love, but I knew that it was time to try to challenge myself in a different way my business with writing for others and editing, and then also started writing the book Taking the Holy Spirit to Work, and so now I'm just trying to take all of those superpowers that I had as a teacher.
• 5:48
  Mary: So now I'm just trying to take all of those superpowers that I had as a teacher that organization, the writing, the editing, the researching and trying to, you know, pour that all in and do the same thing I did as a teacher and trying to help people achieve their goals.
• 6:01
  Cassandra: And.
• 6:01
  Mary: I'm working on me, on me achieving my new goals.
• 6:04
  Mary: So wow.
• 6:06
  Cassandra: So what motivated you to start this particular business?
• 6:10
  Mary: Well, you know, cassandra, I always wanted to be.
• 6:14
  Mary: When I grow up, I want to be a journalist.
• 6:16
  Mary: Oh, so I started journalism.
• 6:22
  Mary: I started college as a journalism major.
• 6:22
  Mary: But when you get married at 18 and, like I said, I've been married to the same person, so all's good, but it's very difficult.
• 6:28
  Mary: A journalism major is one that you really have to pour a lot into and you really have to work it, and so I switched to a business major and kind of got off the trajectory of what I want to do, and then God did call me into writing, into teaching.
• 6:43
  Mary: But I always wanted to write and I always wanted to have my own business and have a little bit more flexibility with my time as well, and so that's part of what pulled me into it.
• 6:55
  Mary: Yeah, it's just following going back to that childhood dream and changing my lifestyle, because I was on a hamster treadmill and I was tired of being on that hamster wheel.
• 7:12
  Mary: I was really tired.
• 7:13
  Mary: So, you know, still work hard, I just, you know, I just I'm able to control how I pace myself a whole lot better now.
• 7:20
  Cassandra: So yeah, Okay, Decided to to do do something different that worked best for you.
• 7:27
  Cassandra: Yeah, Business, you're a writer.
• 7:30
  Cassandra: What else do you do in your business?
• 7:33
  Mary: Well in the business.
• 7:34
  Mary: It's kind of interesting because what I do is I have each client.
• 7:40
  Mary: Each client has a different goal.
• 7:43
  Mary: For example, one client had a goal of having an online course created, so we created an online course Also with that client.
• 7:49
  Mary: I've done a goal of having a online course created, so we created an online course Also with that client.
• 7:52
  Mary: I've done a lot of research projects for the industry that he's in and reports on for him.
• 7:58
  Mary: With another client right now we are starting to get I was a ghost writer and I know I'm managing the book and with another client I'll start in the next couple of days.
• 8:11
  Mary: I'll start editing a book and then managing the book and a lot of my right, my, my, my skills go both on the creative side and on the technical side.
• 8:20
  Mary: So rewritten handbooks and rewritten training manuals, because I always did that as a teacher.
• 8:28
  Mary: OK every, every job I've ever had, I've always written policies and procedures and because I'm detail oriented, so it kind of runs the gamut on what I do, anything from the ghostwriting to the developmental editing, to the researching, to the organizing.
• 8:44
  Mary: If I can do it, I'll do it.
• 8:46
  Mary: If I can't do it, I'll just help them find the right person, you know, okay.
• 8:50
  Cassandra: Okay, is anything that you do is your favorite, like what is it?
• 8:55
  Cassandra: Anything you enjoy mostly about your work?
• 9:00
  Mary: You know, I have to say I I kind of like it when I have a hot mess that somebody's handed me and I could fix it.
• 9:07
  Mary: Help, you know, fix it oh really Okay.
• 9:11
  Mary: Yeah, you know, I love that, you know, but I think it's really hard.
• 9:16
  Mary: It's kind of like when I taught Cassandra when I was a teacher.
• 9:19
  Mary: I would say to the students oh my gosh, guys, you're going to love this unit, it's my favorite unit, and they're going to go.
• 9:25
  Mary: Every unit is your favorite unit, my client work, it's the same way.
• 9:30
  Mary: I love having a deadline.
• 9:33
  Mary: I love being able to.
• 9:34
  Mary: I'm not I don't call myself a people pleaser, I really don't think I am but I love when I.
• 9:41
  Mary: You know, I pray daily that I will honor the job that I have and serve them well, and so I love it when I'm able to do that you know Wow.
• 10:22
  Cassandra: So how have you integrated your faith into your late career?
• 10:24
  Cassandra: Like you said, you became saved at an earlier, at a younger age, not earlier, I apologize.
• 10:27
  Cassandra: So how does that play?
• 10:29
  Cassandra: Integrate into your transformation, your career transformation?
• 10:34
  Mary: It is starting the business.
• 10:35
  Mary: So definitely you know that constant thought of to God be the glory, ok, because you know I guess you know in your work and what you've done, with people's ego can get in the way, lack of self-esteem, which I think also is the same as ego can get in the way, lack of self-esteem, which I think also is the same as ego can get in the way.
• 10:55
  Mary: So you know, to God be the glory in trying to do everything that I do, you know definitely want to honor the client, but you know working for that audience is what I want ultimately, and so trying to take that pressure off of me, that you know I am, you know, doing what I was intended to do, okay, okay, okay.
• 11:15
  Mary: Integrity, you know integrity, um, yeah, meeting deadlines, I think all of that definitely.
• 11:21
  Mary: You know having those high standards, you know yeah.
• 11:24
  Cassandra: Yeah, cause I was going to ask you, like you knew what you wanted to do.
• 11:29
  Cassandra: You always want writing, was always a component of things that you wanted to do, and you started teaching.
• 11:36
  Cassandra: And then you're like well, you know, I think I want to do something else, but yet you kept it in the same genre, so to speak, in regards to just writing, and, and you harbored the communication dreams.
• 11:50
  Cassandra: Writing, and, and you harbored the communication dreams.
• 11:53
  Cassandra: I guess what took you so long to get to that?
• 11:55
  Cassandra: As you indicated earlier, you felt God led you to the teaching and then, as time moved on, you're like you know, I think I'm being led to something else.
• 12:02
  Cassandra: So perhaps the timing that something happened for you to like okay, this is, I'm going to do this yeah, covid happened.
• 12:13
  Mary: Oh, okay.
• 12:14
  Mary: So two things regarding COVID.
• 12:16
  Mary: Number one, teaching during COVID where I had simultaneously students in front of me, live students in the classroom and then students online at the same time trying to serve both.
• 12:29
  Mary: Six, you know six periods a day, yeah, that's.
• 12:35
  Mary: And then you know getting mixed messages from the different levels of, you know, government and the different, you know leadership.
• 12:43
  Mary: That did me in and then, but that's where the Holy Spirit carried me through.
• 12:49
  Mary: And then the other thing was we were quite blessed during COVID in that, you know, you know the industry that my husband was in, just they were.
• 12:59
  Mary: You know it was a strong industry already but we were very blessed, you know.
• 13:03
  Mary: So it was.
• 13:06
  Mary: You know it's it's boats and people wanted boats during COVID, you know, in Florida.
• 13:11
  Mary: And so we were really blessed and so it gave me that more in that safety net where I could say, okay, it's time now I'm going to walk away from this and go, go this way.
• 13:24
  Mary: But you know, well, I love to say, would love to be able to say I'm an entrepreneur, which I feel like I'm very entrepreneurial.
• 13:32
  Mary: You know, the risk factor wasn't.
• 13:34
  Mary: I mean, yes, I gave up a big income, but the, you know we're still going to eat or we're still going to have a reward.
• 13:41
  Mary: Yeah, so I definitely, you know, put that out there, put that right out front, because I don't want people to think that you know, you know, I, yes, I took a chance, but it wasn't this life.
• 13:55
  Mary: You know, it was a matter of life and death chance.
• 13:59
  Mary: You know which I?
• 14:00
  Mary: Ok, it wasn't like yeah, ok, yeah, ok, wow.
• 14:06
  Cassandra: So how do you balance your aspirational goals with achievable actions?
• 14:17
  Mary: additional goals with achievable actions.
• 14:18
  Mary: Oh, my goodness, still working on that, cassandra.
• 14:19
  Mary: But one of the things you know is, you know, as far as you know, I aspire to be able to get more subscribers for, you know, for my newsletter.
• 14:27
  Mary: So achievable is I've got to be.
• 14:30
  Mary: You know, I've got to be really organized On this day is when I I make sure that I've got my um, my cue, my line, as you have your, your light of, uh, different podcast episodes, issues ready to go, um, having to stay really organized with it and really really planning um each day so that I'm not overloaded um, at the same time that I'm also, you know, kind of getting moving towards that aspirational, because there's a lot that I want to achieve, a lot that I want to accomplish Okay.
• 15:07
  Cassandra: Okay, well, let's talk about our title.
• 15:11
  Cassandra: You're on a mission to inspire our title, what you're on a mission to inspire?
• 15:20
  Cassandra: What tell me about that?
• 15:21
  Cassandra: On a mission to inspire what?
• 15:22
  Cassandra: What is that about and what are you wanting to for people to be inspired by or with?
• 15:29
  Mary: you know that's my um signature line on my emails has been for ever since I've made this transition from teacher to business woman and writer has been live inspired, live inspired.
• 15:40
  Mary: And I think one thing is that you know, I made the transition at 58 years old and I, you know some people are like, oh you retired from teaching.
• 15:50
  Mary: No, no, I didn't retire, I recalibrated.
• 15:52
  Mary: I really want people to to you know, if there's something that they've been wanting to do, to figure out a way to do it, you know, you know might have to be a side gig for a while where you do your day job.
• 16:05
  Mary: you know you may not be able to quit your day job, as I was able to do but, I want people to just not get so caught up in the I'ts and get more into you know what they can do and you know a little bit of progress is so much better than no progress and that every moment of life is, you know, is a moment to grasp, because you know life is short regardless of how long you live.
• 16:33
  Mary: It's, you know, it's yeah, sure, you know, yeah uh-huh.
• 16:39
  Cassandra: So, based on what you did, uh, you believe that you just your actions can inspire others.
• 16:51
  Cassandra: Um, is that why you use that as your signature?
• 16:55
  Cassandra: So people will think about okay, is this what?
• 17:02
  Mary: Yeah, I'm real big on, you know, people having a growth mindset of you know, of not getting set in their ways.
• 17:09
  Mary: Yes, people are going to get old, but that's different from being old.
• 17:16
  Mary: You know we're going to get old, but, you know, if in your mindset was, you know, I'm old, I'm old, I can't do this, I can't do that, or you know, um, I don't have the energy, well then that's on you, you know, and I would inspire people for it not to be on them, to understand that we can come together and we can journey, journey somehow, some way together, whether it's, you know, through Facebook or through having coffee or you know whatever way, yeah, yeah.
• 17:44
  Cassandra: So how did?
• 17:45
  Cassandra: How have you kept your momentum and the engagement, I would say, and remaining engaged in what you do?
• 17:55
  Cassandra: Does it have anything to do with the Holy?
• 17:58
  Mary: Spirit.
• 17:58
  Mary: Definitely, you know, I definitely you know I start the majority of my days I'm not going to say every day, because you know if we're on vacation or you know somehow some way.
• 18:08
  Mary: You know I made a seven o'clock dentist appointment which I don't know why I would do that, you know every morning, you know, you know, with.
• 18:18
  Mary: I feel I want to say I spend my entire day with God, because I do believe that I spend my entire day with God, but every morning, just that one on one time with him and then with that my you know, you know, journaling and then writing on my calendar and looking at it.
• 18:45
  Mary: This is what I have planned to do today, you know, and hopefully it's the direction that I, that he wants me to go in, you know, ok, ok, ok.
• 18:48
  Cassandra: Well, what inspired you to write?
• 18:50
  Cassandra: Taking the Holy Spirit to Work.
• 18:53
  Mary: You know, cassandra.
• 18:53
  Mary: You know, I guess, like so many people who want to write a book, and you start a bunch of books and you never finish them, you know.
• 19:01
  Cassandra: Yeah.
• 19:03
  Mary: Yeah, I think this is the fifth book I started, but the first one I finished.
• 19:07
  Mary: Okay, yeah, so perhaps I'll get back to those other ones.
• 19:10
  Mary: But what happened was like I said, I journal in the mornings and I was journaling.
• 19:15
  Mary: I was reading about the I journal in the mornings and I was journaling.
• 19:16
  Mary: I was reading about the Holy Spirit in the Bible and I was journaling and writing some thoughts that I had on it.
• 19:20
  Mary: And then later that morning I was meeting with a client at at for coffee that morning and I said she was being a writing coach.
• 19:30
  Mary: I was her writing coach and I said well, by the way, can you just read, read what I wrote here, because I know that she's also a Christian.
• 19:35
  Mary: Okay, I had such great feedback on it.
• 19:38
  Mary: I thought, okay, I think this is a direction that I can keep going in.
• 19:42
  Mary: And as I kept going, it became the book yeah, so yeah, yeah a lot of.
• 19:50
  Mary: It was just a lot of the anecdotes were fresh, the COVID experience, but also throughout my career, of having to depend and lean into the Holy Spirit, so I didn't implode on myself, you know.
• 20:04
  Cassandra: Uh-huh, uh-huh.
• 20:05
  Cassandra: Could you describe for the listeners, when you say Holy Spirit, what does that mean, Because I believe that some of my listeners may have heard it but they're not quite sure what that means.
• 20:20
  Mary: Yeah, I'm not a theologian, so don't take me there.
• 20:23
  Mary: But but you know, especially you know, for those of us who are Christians.
• 20:26
  Mary: You know there's Father, son and Holy Spirit.
• 20:28
  Mary: So there's the three aspects of God, but there's just one God, and so it gets easier for us to think of the father, could we usually think of creation and, you know, think of the side, because we had Jesus Christ.
• 20:40
  Mary: But the Holy Spirit is that gift that Jesus left, that he left to be able to be more in tune with God, to kind of tap us on the shoulder If we need tapping, to encourage us, if we need encouraging.
• 20:57
  Mary: But I think it's the part of God that's a little bit more difficult to understand, and I think it's part of God that we don't think about as much and don't realize that's the part of God that you're supposed to be doing, you know, doing everyday life with, you know, example, and the Holy Spirit is what helps you achieve that example.
• 21:19
  Mary: And, believe me, I'm so far away from achieving that example you know I'm not going there on that, but you know but I'm at least a little bit closer, because I do depend on the Holy Spirit to help me, you know, sometimes to encourage me sometimes to say the right things.
• 21:37
  Mary: And you know, do I feel the presence all the time?
• 21:41
  Mary: No, no, do I know he's there all the time?
• 21:45
  Cassandra: Yes, yeah, well, thank you for that, because I remember I read a book by a minister.
• 21:52
  Cassandra: I don't know if you heard of him or any of my listeners, but he used to say good morning, holy Spirit.
• 21:58
  Cassandra: His name's called Benny Hinn and I remember reading that book and how in the mornings he would invite the Holy Spirit into his day and what.
• 22:11
  Cassandra: I'm not a theologian either, but I know that there are certain things that I can't do and but I'm doing them and I know it's not of me, right, and even if I like an example, if I get in my car and all of a sudden something says you forgot your phone, oh, and I said thank you, holy Spirit, and then I run in the house and get my phone, you know like, oh my gosh, because if I didn't have the phone I would be a basket case.
• 22:58
  Cassandra: It's like I lost my Christians.
• 23:00
  Cassandra: We don't really want to talk about it, or there's certain areas where we won't want to share that.
• 23:08
  Cassandra: We are Christian.
• 23:09
  Cassandra: So was the intent to say I can take the Holy Spirit to church and I can take them to home, but not to work?
• 23:18
  Cassandra: Was there a reason why you said to work?
• 23:21
  Mary: Yes, you know, as Christians.
• 23:23
  Mary: Some Christians think, you know, oh, my Christianity, my religion is private.
• 23:28
  Mary: No, no, no, it's personal, but it's not meant to be private.
• 23:33
  Mary: And I, what happened is, you know, for um, you know for my, my professional career, you know, I was a businesswoman before I was a teacher.
• 23:40
  Mary: But for 26 of those teaching years I was in private christian school and the last two I was in public school.
• 23:49
  Mary: But regardless of whether it was public school or private school, secular or Christian, there were still aspects of people who were Christians leaving, just not bringing all of who God is with them into work, you know, on automatic pilot.
• 24:08
  Mary: And then you know.
• 24:09
  Mary: You know people are people and they're lovely and they're wonderful, but we can also be, you know, rude and imp, and they're lovely and they're wonderful, but we can also be, you know, rude and impolite and inconsiderate.
• 24:19
  Mary: And so I think, as a Christian, if you're trying to really depend on the Holy Spirit to have those reminders of who you are supposed to be in the workplace, and I felt like at that particular point in time, and that there was many who felt as if, you know, they couldn't be a Christian in the workplace because they would fear, have had fear and like no, no, no, you can be a Christian in the workplace.
• 24:48
  Mary: You can run around, you know, smacking people on the head saying you're going to hell.
• 24:52
  Mary: You must be a Christian in the workplace and you do that by really being intentional about.
• 25:00
  Mary: You know, calling people by their names and looking at them and hearing what they have to say, not by, you know, trying to rhyme theology or Bible verses or you know.
• 25:10
  Mary: But if you even change the way you speak, how was your weekend?
• 25:13
  Mary: Oh, my gosh, it was such a blessed weekend.
• 25:15
  Mary: I love the sermon and we had a great time as a family.
• 25:17
  Mary: Just that little bit of how you speak kind of starts planting those seeds, but, um, and I think, um, you know, you know, for me personally, I, I had to have the holy spirit, otherwise, um, my natural self would have, would have kept getting in my way because, yes, my way was definitely Cassandra, in my way, yeah, even though I was in a Christian school.
• 25:40
  Cassandra: Yeah, exactly exactly, and I used to always say how?
• 25:44
  Cassandra: You know, the Holy Spirit is a gentleman.
• 25:46
  Cassandra: You know, some people you know will challenge me why couldn't it be a female?
• 25:51
  Cassandra: I'm just like it's.
• 25:52
  Cassandra: It's kind of for me.
• 25:54
  Cassandra: What it has been in my life is the times when I know what I shouldn't say.
• 26:02
  Cassandra: It's like wisdom what I should, what I shouldn't.
• 26:06
  Cassandra: You know, I just felt that I'm not to go into the workplace and say holy hallelujah, and you know all of that.
• 26:14
  Cassandra: You know where.
• 26:15
  Cassandra: I do know people that have done that, but I just say that it just it's like annoying.
• 26:21
  Cassandra: It's like if I did something that wasn't right, I'll feel convicted Like no, you know you shouldn't have done that, but you shouldn't have said that.
• 26:33
  Cassandra: You know, it's just, it's as simple as going to a store and people are stealing, you know, and I'm like, wow, consciously I don't think I would be able to do that.
• 26:44
  Cassandra: It just wouldn't feel right because I would not think that God, no one just based on my studying and reading and my relationship, that's something that that God wouldn't want me to do.
• 26:55
  Cassandra: So I categorize it as that a bit, like you said, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit's all in one, three encompassed into one, so I'm really glad that you wrote it.
• 27:08
  Cassandra: It's definitely a book where Christians would want to read that and then some people that aren't Christians they may like.
• 27:16
  Cassandra: What is this?
• 27:17
  Cassandra: It could be something very inquisitive, like.
• 27:20
  Mary: I wonder, what that is.
• 27:22
  Cassandra: So let me read it from that.
• 27:23
  Cassandra: That could be something to minister to them.
• 27:27
  Mary: And you know it's written in a conversational tone, it's not heavy in any way, and I do.
• 27:33
  Mary: You know, take people through.
• 27:34
  Mary: You know who the Holy Spirit is, and then there's reflections and questions and everything at the end of each chapter.
• 27:40
  Mary: So, yeah, I mean I would love for it to be something that you know Christians in the workplace do read, so that you know that we can start a revolution.
• 27:52
  Mary: You know you know not a take.
• 27:55
  Mary: You know no prisoners revolution, but have people you know.
• 27:56
  Mary: You know not a take.
• 27:56
  Mary: You know no prisoners revolution, but have people you know help people turn back to God without them feeling like it's being rammed down their throat.
• 28:03
  Cassandra: Exactly, Exactly, and I love the part when I was reading your bio and I mentioned our posterity.
• 28:14
  Cassandra: You know it's the future generation, people who come after us, and that's what I want to talk about how you share.
• 28:23
  Cassandra: I'd like for you to share some insights on how using your legacy to inspire proactive change.
• 28:31
  Mary: Yeah, yeah, so you know in part, you know back to the book, is, you know, when I was writing it?
• 28:35
  Mary: Another thing I wanted to do is I wanted to have something tangible in the future, you know, for my grandchildren to say you know, my Mimi wrote this, and so that that legacy of Christian heritage, because we've been very blessed that both of our boys are raising Well, one's going to have a child and the other one has children, raising their children, you know, as Christians.
• 28:56
  Mary: But, um, the repeat the question, cassandra, I think I'm kind of going off on the wrong direction.
• 29:02
  Mary: Yeah, well.
• 29:04
  Cassandra: Well, one of the things I think you you write about um, what did you say?
• 29:09
  Cassandra: You're out posterity, uh-huh.
• 29:11
  Cassandra: Challenge readers to embrace that.
• 29:14
  Cassandra: And, in other words, the posterity is like future generations, people who come after us.
• 29:21
  Cassandra: You challenge the readers to embrace growth and legacy, offering thought provoking insights and that inspire reflection and action that inspire reflection and action.
• 29:35
  Cassandra: So my question was what are some insights on using legacy to inspire proactive change?
• 29:42
  Mary: I think the other thing is, you know, with our particular demographic, we have a pretty high percentage for voting.
• 29:49
  Mary: You know, and regardless it doesn't matter if you're red or blue or purple or pink, whatever you know is that you know.
• 29:55
  Mary: I want people to be inspired that when you vote thoughtfully, regardless of you know which election you go in, as long as you're thoughtfully voting and not riding the bandwagon.
• 30:09
  Mary: That's important for for a legacy.
• 30:13
  Mary: You know the other side, you know, as far as a legacy is that, as examples, whether you have children and grandchildren or you don't, but being examples to the younger generation of here's how we're living well, you know, here's what we're doing to live well and to live inspired and, um, to set that example so that they can see okay, um, again, it's not about getting old.
• 30:39
  Mary: You know getting older can be something that you know embraces wisdom and you know it's just we.
• 30:50
  Mary: I always think about losing life.
• 30:51
  Mary: I don't mean dying, but losing life.
• 30:53
  Mary: I think if we live our life and we're spending it watching too much tv or doing too much social media or complaining too much, we're, you know, or not sleeping right I mean right sleep habits we're losing life.
• 31:05
  Mary: And that example of embracing life you know, that is not over.
• 31:10
  Mary: Until it's over, you know, and I just like legacy there.
• 31:13
  Mary: I want to inspire people to have that legacy there.
• 31:16
  Cassandra: Yeah, continually growing, you keep growing, you keep growing until well, you know, until you're done, yeah, yeah, and I like that you use voting, because we're not going to be here forever and we have individuals that come before us, just like our ancestors and, based on what you're doing, can impact the next generation.
• 31:43
  Cassandra: You know, I think about when you were saying that.
• 31:45
  Cassandra: I was thinking about my parents and the things that they've instilled, their ideologies, you know, has come over to me Like I remember I was talking the other day about usually around New Year, like this is a tradition, new Year's Day.
• 32:02
  Cassandra: You know, my mom used to say the first person that could come in the home was a male and people like, really, why, why is that?
• 32:10
  Cassandra: Well, she says, if it's a man that comes in the house, you have good luck.
• 32:13
  Cassandra: You know, and people were like, yeah, and that's just something, it's a legacy, it's something that I'm sure her mom and her mom's mom this was just something they talked about and how that can inspire, you know, proactive change or or not only inspire, but that's just something that'll keep going, going, going, going to each generation.
• 32:38
  Cassandra: So that's why I think it's important.
• 32:41
  Cassandra: Because what?
• 32:42
  Cassandra: Because what happens?
• 32:45
  Cassandra: You know, I can go back to my grandmother who had 11 kids, wow, yeah, and I'm like why does she do that?
• 32:58
  Cassandra: You know who has all of those kids anymore, but yet things are.
• 33:03
  Cassandra: They don't have as many children as they used to anymore, but yet things are.
• 33:06
  Cassandra: They don't have as many children as they used to, but you know I.
• 33:08
  Cassandra: So I liked that how you talked about using a legacy to inspire proactive change.
• 33:16
  Cassandra: Think differently and act and leave a legacy.
• 33:20
  Cassandra: So the things that you do, your actions.
• 33:23
  Cassandra: It's kind of like you asked somebody well, what legacy would you want to live?
• 33:29
  Cassandra: And somebody said I don't know yet, I'm not dead yet.
• 33:30
  Cassandra: I'm like well, no, but what would you?
• 33:31
  Cassandra: What legacy would you like to leave?
• 33:33
  Mary: Like you talked about your grandchildren, yeah, and, as I said, it doesn't have to be children or grandchildren, because you know your community, you know your community.
• 33:42
  Mary: That's right, your community, you know your community.
• 33:46
  Cassandra: That's right.
• 33:48
  Mary: I guess you know kind of trying to combat any.
• 33:49
  Mary: You know defeatist attitudes and combat.
• 33:53
  Mary: You know false narratives, you know all of that, just trying to combat all of that.
• 34:00
  Cassandra: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, right.
• 34:03
  Cassandra: So on a mission to inspire Awesome, that's awesome, mary any, any other insight you'd like to leave my listeners in regards to their, their dreams, their legacy, their, those dreams that nobody has done anything with, they're still thinking about it.
• 34:28
  Cassandra: Any wisdom?
• 34:29
  Cassandra: Because, as you indicated, as we get older we are wise, you know.
• 34:35
  Cassandra: You would think many of us have wisdom and it comes with time and age, experiences and all of those things, experiences and all of those things For your younger listeners, you know once you, you know have children and you know have children and are working full-time.
• 34:54
  Mary: Or you know, obviously having children and being keeping a house is full-time by having two full-time jobs.
• 34:56
  Mary: I think, for your younger listeners, you know understanding that life is lived in seasons and moments and so embrace the season, because if you don don't, you're going to miss the moments.
• 35:07
  Mary: And you and just take a look at what you're doing and then, yes, ask why.
• 35:14
  Mary: And then if you can't come up with a good, why drop it off your list?
• 35:17
  Mary: You know, if you've got 25 things that you're trying to do to make a birthday party happen, when all you have to do is stick out, you know, get some, buy some cupcakes and put a piece out there and give them both, all a bunch of you know, silly string.
• 35:29
  Mary: Um, you know, ask yourself why and stop, don't try to live your life in a way that you think is going to be, um, perfect and dotting all the dot i's and crossing all the t's.
• 35:43
  Mary: Let you have a little bit go so you don't miss the moments in that season.
• 35:50
  Mary: You know, yeah yeah yeah, yeah, anyone, regardless of the age, is to.
• 35:54
  Mary: You know, write down what you what, what your vision is, what is your vision, what, what it's not, it's not going to be.
• 36:00
  Mary: You can write down your vision.
• 36:01
  Mary: It's ideal, but you're not going to get closer to that.
• 36:04
  Mary: If you don't have an idea and write it down, you're going to forget about it and sure the person that you do life with because they can say well, this is a little I, I get this, I'll try to make this change and this part you're being you know that's just not feasible, but you know, I think writing things down, writing your vision down, um, is incredibly important and that's right.
• 36:27
  Cassandra: A person without a vision will perish.
• 36:30
  Cassandra: Right, Exactly.
• 36:37
  Mary: There's just so much that we forget, because our memories, regardless of how good of a memory we think we have, they're valuable.
• 36:43
  Mary: Writing it down and revisiting it on paper is like oh okay.
• 36:48
  Cassandra: Yeah, that's right, that's right.
• 36:50
  Cassandra: Well, mary, I want to thank you for being a guest on is your way, in your way and, as you indicated, there were things in your life and life's not over for it.
• 37:01
  Cassandra: For us, that will continue to be on a be in our way, and that's something we have to work towards and keep the momentum, keep the faith, know that we all are here for a reason and we pray that individuals are clear and get clarity on why they are here, because it certainly will bring more meaning to our lives and perhaps many of our missions is to inspire and to figure out.
• 37:26
  Cassandra: How do we do that?
• 37:28
  Cassandra: Because you know when it's time for us to go, we don't want to like, oh, I should have done, I wish I would have done this and, as I always say, I learned this from a minister.
• 37:40
  Cassandra: He said the richest place in the world is the graveyard because there's so many unmet dreams, and I just the world is a graveyard because there's so many unmet dreams and I just I'm hopeful that many individuals that are listening will get something out of any of these podcasts and say you know what, when it's time for me to go, I want my cup overflowing, I don't want it half full, half empty.
• 38:00
  Cassandra: I want it overflowing, to know that I did the best I could and on my terms.
• 38:07
  Cassandra: So thank you for your time, thank you for your insight and for my listeners.
• 38:14
  Cassandra: I ask that you please share this podcast with someone that you know that it will benefit from, and also that this podcast goes live every Wednesday at 1 pm Eastern Standard Time.
• 38:27
  Cassandra: So, as I say always, mary, I tell my listeners bye for now and again, mary, bye for now.