Latest / Legacy Living with Dr. Gloria Burgess / Artistic Leadership | Episode #345

Transcript

Artistic Leadership | Episode #345 · Legacy Living with Dr. Gloria Burgess

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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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adviser. Welcome to Legacy Living, Make your Life Count. I'm so delighted
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that you join me today. Our topic is creative leadership. So what do
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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,
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or like my niece. Maybe you're a student in college and you have no
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idea right now of what you want to be or do after you graduate.
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Well, let me tell you something. It doesn't matter what you do in
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your professional life, and it doesn't matter what life stage you're in. You
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are 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,
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then you are a leader. Now maybe you're the only person you're leading at
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the 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
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your 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.
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You 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,
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I'm 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, live,
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make your life count is all about. Okay, here we go,
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creative leadership. Now we are in the process of creating a new story,
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a new narrative, and that new story is all about creative leadership. This
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new story is compelling because now more than ever, we need all of us
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to recognize and tap into our creativity to lead well as co creators in whatever
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our sphere of influence happens to be. In our relationships, in our families,
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in our work teams and organizations, in our communities, in our churches
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and synagogues and mosques, in our civic and political institutions, in our cities,
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and in our nations. So this new story actually puts creativity, the
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arts, and artistry right back where they belong, along with leadership, not
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on the margins, but at the very heart, at the very core,
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the center of our spiritual, social, cultural, political, and economic lives.
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In fact, this story joins creativity, art and artistry with leadership,
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because you know what that is precisely what it will take to lead well.
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To lead with authenticity, to lead with courage, to lead with empathy and
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gratitude, faith integrity, to lead with humility and hospitality, to lead with
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love and legacy in the twenty first century and beyond. Now, I know
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I've shared this lovely story before, but I want to share it again.
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In the United States, there is an absolutely stunning region of our country in
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the Appalachian Mountains, in a part of that region we call the Appalachia Hill
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Country. Now, the folks who live there, especially the elders, these
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people have a very special, lovely way that they greet you when you come
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to their door. They will greet you not by saying hello, Hi,
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how are you. Instead, they'll greet you by saying something like, what's
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working you? Right? I'm going to repeat that, what's working you?
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That's right? So today I want to share with you that in my journey
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as a leader, as an entrepreneur, as an artist, in my journey
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as a mom, wife, community steward, what's been working me is at
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the very intersection of creativity, artistry, leadership, spirituality, human dignity,
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and freedom. For all. These are the key things that have been working
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me now. They've been working me for many decades, so this really feels
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like home to me. I want to share with you a way to consider
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creativity and leadership. Now. For me, this is my way of being
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right, my way of living and moving through the world, a way that
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has helped me in all spheres of my life as a creative, as an
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artist, and as a leader. And now you probably know what I'm going
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to say next, right, I don't actually even make a separation amongst those
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three arenas of my life. Creativity, artistry and leadership. For me,
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they all go together, and I hope they will for you as well.
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It's something that I've written about, this dynamic creativity and artistry and leadership.
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I've written about it in all of my books and pass it on in Flawless
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Leadership, connecting who you are with what you know and do, in Sanctuary,
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in Dare toywhere 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 the
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Six Covenants for Professional Excellence. Now, I've been writing these books for well
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over twenty years, and it's no surprise that there's this intimate connection. In
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all of these books, I write about the art of creative leadership, and
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specifically I write about the art of staying the course, the choice of being
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faithful to whatever is working. Yeah, okay, Now, for the past
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several decades in my work life as a leader, as a consultant, as
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an executive coach, a life coach, creativity coach, as a professor,
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and as an entrepreneur, as well as in my writing life, my singing
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life, making dance and music life, my parenting life, what's been working
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me 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 am referring to the seven sacred promises.
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Now the presences, the promises that I want you to know about that I
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want you to be more aware of so that you can harness their power.
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These 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.
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Now today we have time to focus on one of these promises in a lot
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of detail. I want to shine a light on vision. But before I
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talk about it, I want you to know that all of these promises work
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together. Like I said, they work in harmony, and just like the
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musicians in a band or orchestra work together all of the seven sacred promises.
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They're always present. They are always there as resources that work together for your
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good right to support us as leaders and to support our creativity. And they
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help 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
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us to keep on keeping on, and they are ever present resources that we
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can draw on in our day to day living, in our day to day,
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moment to moment lives as leaders. So let's take a look at vision.
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Now. Vision is the big idea, right, It's the main event.
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It's the idea of what you want to do with yourself, your team,
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your organization, your community. Right, it's not only about what.
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Vision is also about how. Furthermore, vision is about what and how,
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and it also includes who. So when you're casting or sharing a vision,
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some good questions to ask yourself are these who will go with me? I
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love that one who will go with me? Another question is who will I
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encounter along the way? Right? You may not know the names of those
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people, but you can expect that somebody, okay, or many somebodies you're
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gonna encounter them along the way. Who will I run into? Who will
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I encounter along the way? Another question is who will I collaborate with or
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who will I partner with. There's a wonderful African wisdom saying that goes,
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if you want to go fast, go alone, If you want to go
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far, go together. And let me tell you anything worth doing, any
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vision worth pursuing, is worth pursuing. It's worth doing together. Now,
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here's a really cool thing about vision. You do not have to see the
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entire canvas, the entire vision, all at once. In fact, if
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you 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
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and it's crystal clear, what you probably have is a goal and not a
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vision. Here's what I know. Your vision will change, it'll morph,
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it'll evolve as you move into it and as you move towards it, so
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naturally it will keep morphing and shape shifting and changing up along the way.
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So be open, be open to what is revealed to you. Now,
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don't get stuck on the vision that you happen to begin with. Why because
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that vision the one you start with, that vision may no longer be relevant
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tomorrow 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 mediums or bridge builders, who can take their newfound awareness and build on
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it as they confront themselves and others in the real world, in real time,
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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 this
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or that, what they really want, what they really value, is when
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I help them discover their own solutions, When I help them unpack their own
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knowledge, and when I help them tap into their own expertise, their own
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resourcefulness, their own genius and creativity. It all boils down to helping them
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find 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 with
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a fresh perspective. And so I invite you to think about the various aspects
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of vision. Now I go into great detail in dare to wear your soul
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on the outside into vision and to all the other aspects the seven promises that
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I mentioned earlier. So as you think about not only what's working yet with
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regard to vision, I also want you to pay attention to what's working the
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people around you, nearby or far away, because the world really is at
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our fingertips, right, I mean, the world is just a click away.
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So pay attention to what's showing up for other people. Now why might
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this be important, you might ask, Because these people are your potential collaborators,
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your potential amplifiers. There are people who can potentially be of service with
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you or to you, or you know, maybe these are the people who
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can gather around you and partner with you right now? Who knows? So
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pay attention and know that if you have this creative fire that's working. You
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know that we are made not to walk alone. We were made we were
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designed to walk together. We are social beings, We're made to be in
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relationship. So pay attention to those people who you can link elbows with and
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maybe even partner with along your journey to your vision. Now, another way
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of saying what I just said is don't try to take the vision, your
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vision and do it all by yourself. Right. That's a recipe for disaster,
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a recipe for heartache. Been there, done that. And so as
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you begin to move in the direction of your dream, the direction of your
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vision, I invite you to ask yourself, who do I need to know?
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Who do I need to bring along with me? Who do I need
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to collaborate with or partner with? You know what? Another facet of 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 envisioning there is a huge element, a very big element of receptivity
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that's right of being on the receiving side, not the casting side, but
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the receiving side of vision. Now, in Northern Hemisphere Western culture, and
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I'm generalizing here, so please forgive me, we typically think about vision as
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something that flows outward, right, that vision is something that pushes out and
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is external to who you are. We talk about vision as something that is
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very penetrating, having a very masculine energetic. But another core quality that we
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sometimes miss is that vision can also flow from the outside in. It can
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also flow inwardly. Vision is also about receiving. So if you're a receiving
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vision, you are a receptor, right, You are a receptor, and
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your work is to gather and collect. You're not an output ter 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 work in 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 VUCA VU c A VUCA times now. For those of
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you who might be new to that term VUCA, what it stands for our
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times 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 ambiguity. Times
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where we experience wave after wave after wave of disruptive change, wave after wave
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of what we know and what we believe to be true. Now, in
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times of VUCA, the old, okay, what we are sure about right
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just begins to fall away, just begins to disintegrate. In this kind of
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world, what we know for sure is not the same old, same old.
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What we know for sure is that volatility, uncertainty, chaos, and
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ambiguity will continue to be the norm. What we don't know is what form
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or shape that norm will take right, what form that disruptive change will take.
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This is not new. It may sound like it's new, and may
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be new for you, but it's not new in the grand scheme of the
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universe. In fact, It's happened numerous times. It's occurred hundreds thousands of
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times in the history of humankind and countless times throughout the history of the world.
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What the world needs now to respond to this VUCA world we live in
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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 the
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margins, but in the center of our individual and community and corporate and public
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and institutional lives. Artists are what we call the informants. They are the
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storytellers. Why because they get the news first, right, And art is
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an informant, Art is a messenger. Art is a storyteller too. Art
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is also an armature. And if we're really conscious and intentional, art and
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artists can become agents of change, agents of transformation, of innovation, redemption
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and renewal. And again, I'm not talking about artists the way we typically
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think about artists, you know, as people who make a living as professional
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artists. I mean, I am talking about them, but I'm also talking
31:56
about you. Okay, we get the news too, and we're storytellers.
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What do you think we're doing when we're having conversations with one another when we're
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expressing our opinions, when we're sending out texts or blurbs on social media.
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Right, that's storytelling. Now. Like I said, we're all artists.
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So 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
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on the front lines. These are the folks who work behind the scenes to
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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, an ambiguity. These are the folks who find
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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,
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impossible, impossible to I'm possible whose first name is Can and whose last name
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is Due right, this is me and you. So as you go about
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your day today or as you prepare for the rest of your week, I
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want you to ask yourself one question, just one one question, and the
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question is what's working? Yeah, because what's working you is exactly what needs
34:06
to come into fruition now, not tomorrow, not next week, but right
34:14
now. What's working you is your vision, a vision that is all yours
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that can only come through you. You know what, if the vision came
34:29
to you, it will come through you. Remember, how you live is
34:35
how you lead. And if you can lead with creativity, with imagination,
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with innovation, with a sense of possibility and kneeds bent and keep those at
34:46
the forefront, you will be equipped to lead in any circumstance. All right,
34:57
Okay, if you learned something in this podcast, be sure to tell
35:04
somebody. Share the wealth. Don't keep it to yourself, Share it with
35:08
friends, your family, co workers, so they can be lifted up and
35:14
inspired and equipped just like you. You know what, one of the biggest
35:22
gifts you can give to someone else is to use your gifts, your talents,
35:27
your signature presence that exists nowhere else on the planet. Ask yourself.
35:36
How will I use my artistry to reimagine my team, my family, my
35:42
classroom, my Sunday school, my dental practice, my community, my chamber
35:47
of commerce, right my firehouse? How can I provide a lifeline to someone
35:55
I may never know and remember? What is working you? That is your
36:05
invitation to step into your vision so that you can make a difference in your
36:13
own life and in the lives of others. As we continue to celebrate the
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majestic music of your life, I also want to celebrate you for making your
36:28
life count. Be sure to join me next time. Now. If you
36:37
missed last week's episode or any part of this week's, you can listen to
36:42
the recording at your convenience. You can even listen to it on the go.
36:47
Check it out at iTunes, Audible, Alexa, SoundCloud, iHeart,
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tune in, Spriger, dot Com, Talk Network Radio, and so many
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other places, or you can tune in right here at www. Dot Talk
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Network Radio dot com, Forward Slash Hosts, Forward Slash Legacy Living. That's
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Talknetwork Radio dot com. Forward Slash Hosts Forward Slash Legacy Living. You could
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also find me and learn more about my work and Legacy Living. Make your
37:28
life count by visiting the Gloria Burgess website. And as I've mentioned on other
37:34
episodes, you can subscribe to my inspirations right on my website. Just go
37:38
to the main page at Gloria Burgess dot com and scroll down a bit look
37:45
on the right sidebar until you see the place to add your email to subscribe
37:50
to my weekly inspirations. Now, the Weekly Inspirations are just one little quote
37:55
and a wonderful image that comes into your mailbox once a week, every Monday
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day morning. And it's that simple. Just go to my website again,
38:02
It's Gloria Burgess dot com and sign up. You can also connect with me
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by visiting me on LinkedIn or on Facebook and that's Facebook dot com. Forward
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slash dr for doctor Dr Gloria Burgess, pH d. You can also find
38:22
me on the ted x site and listen to one of my ted talks.
38:25
Just type in my name to find me there. Before I close today,
38:34
I want to thank each of you for tuning in to today's episode for allowing
38:38
me to share a bit about my journey with what legacy living is all about,
38:44
not just living and learning, but living and learning and serving so that
38:52
you make a difference in your own life and in the lives of others.
38:55
It's about being on purpose every single day. Three sixty five, twenty four
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seven. Legacy living is a powerful way to make your life count. I'm
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your host, doctor Gloria Gloria Burgess. Please join me again next time right
39:19
here for another episode of Legacy Living. Make your life count. Don't just
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count the days in your life. Make the days in your life count.
39:35
That's what legacy living is all about. Have a fantastic day and remember,
39:40
make the days in your life count. God bless you. That's our show
40:00
today. I'm your host, doctor Gloria Gloria Burgess. I hope you'll join
40:07
me again next time. Until then, don't just count the days in your
40:13
life. Make the days in your life count. That's what legacy living is
40:20
all about. Here's to you. Have a fantastic day and be sure to
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make it a yes kind of day. Remember to celebrate the music of your
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life. Make the days in your life count.