Latest / Legacy Living with Dr. Gloria Burgess / Real Leadership | Episode #518

Transcript

Real Leadership | Episode #518 · Legacy Living with Dr. Gloria Burgess

• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to today's show, Legacy Living, Make Your
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Life Count. I'm your host, Dr. Gloria, Gloria Burgess, international
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: leadership expert and trusted advisor. Welcome to Legacy Living, Make
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Your Life Count. I'm so delighted that you joined me today.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: I have a special show for you. We are going
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: to talk about leadership, a topic that is very near
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: and dear to me. I am going to focus specifically
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: on authentic leadership. In other words, today's focus is all
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: about being, being true to who you are, being true
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: to being yourself, right? Now, today I'm going to share
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: with you a true story. This is a story about
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: singer and actress Della Reese Patricia Early. Now, many of
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: us know her by her stage name, Della Reese. Ms.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: Reese was born in Detroit, Michigan. Now, although she had siblings,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: she was actually raised as an only child. When she
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: was very young, six years old to be exact, she
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: began singing in her church, a beginning that would eventually
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: lead her to become an avid gospel singer. On weekends,
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: she and her mom would go to the movies. When
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: she got home, Della was fond of acting out scenes
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: from the various movies that she saw. Who knew that
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: this would eventually lead her to a career that included radio, television,
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: and films. In the mid-40s, Della began her career directing
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: the young people's choir at her church. While she was
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: still in her early teens, she was hired to perform
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: with one of the best-known gospel singers in the world.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: That's where Della's life was touched by an angel. In
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: her own words, here is Della's story. The summer I
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: turned 13, I was given an opportunity that would ultimately
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: shape my life. You might say I was in the
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: right place at the right time. I prefer to think
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: God sent an angel. I was chosen directress of the
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: youth choir, at the Church of Our Faith in Detroit.
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: All the major gospel singers came to our church, the
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: soul stirrers, mighty clouds of joy, pilgrim travelers, but the
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: most celebrated was Mahalia Jackson, the woman who would one
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: day be known as the Queen of Gospel. That day,
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: our church was packed to overflowing Dressed in their Sunday finery,
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: people cooled themselves with hand fans. I was to sing
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: the first song of the concert, Christ is All. Excited,
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: I began softly and built from there. I tore it down,
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: and the youth choir was with me all the way. Then,
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Mahalia was introduced and started to sing. Tambourines were playing.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: People were clapping. Everyone was caught up in the joy
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: of singing praise. The heat in the room rose along
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: with the spirit. Suddenly, the lead soprano in Mahalia's group collapsed.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: A doctor discovered the soprano was pregnant. There were six
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: weeks remaining on the group's tour. but the woman's husband
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: was adamant that she not get back on the bus.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: Mahalia was going to need a replacement fast. Reverend Travis,
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: one of our ministers, recommended that she take the soloist
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: and directress of the youth choir, 13-year-old Della Reese Early. Now,
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: the challenge was to convince my mother. When Reverend Travis
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: offered to speak to her, Mahalia decided to come as well.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: They walked the four blocks to our apartment building, me
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: tagging behind them, praying all the way, Please, God, make
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: Mama let me go. Up the three flights of stairs
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: we climbed. Mama met us at the door. Good evening,
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: Reverend Travis, she said. I'm always glad to see you.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Her eyes let me know she assumed that I had
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: done something so wrong that the preacher had to bring
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: me home to her. But the first words from Reverend
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: Travis were, Mrs. Early, it's my honor to introduce you
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: to Miss Mahalia Jackson. I am the one being honored,
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: my mother insisted. Now, Mama started looking at me with
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: those looks that could cut rock. It was clear she
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: thought Whatever it was I had done, I had done
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: to the offense of Miss Jackson. The Reverend made his
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: case for letting me join the tour. My mother listened politely. Mrs. Early,
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: I assure you, Mahalia spoke up, I will take personal
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: good care of your daughter and see to it nothing
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: happens to her. It will be a great learning experience
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: for Della Reese, the Reverend added. Mama was impassive. She
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: said she would pray over it and let them know
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: her decision in the morning. I barely slept that night.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: At breakfast, I crept into the kitchen, trying not to
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: look too hopeful or desperate. I made the coffee, set
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: the table, and washed the dishes as Mama used them.
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: My mother said, Nothing. My father came in for his breakfast. Afterward,
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: Mama fixed us lunch, kissed him goodbye, and cleaned up
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: the remaining dishes. I waited. After what seemed an eternity,
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: she said, We have to talk. And you know God
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: is going to be talking right along with us. Didn't
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: sound good. Mama took a drink of coffee I didn't
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: think you should go, but I asked the Lord to
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: tell me if it wasn't right. He didn't. I exhaled
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: a sigh of relief. I know this can be good
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: for you, she went on. All I need is your
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: honest word that you will do the best you can.
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: I promised and hugged and kissed her. I thanked God
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: and everybody in the Bible, Reverend Travis and Miss Mahalia Jackson.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: When I finally quieted down, Mama said, and I will
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: never forget these words, we don't need all of that.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: All we need is your honest word. And remember, you
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: won't just be giving it to me. You will be
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: giving it to God, too. I give you my Honest word,
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: I said. I'll do my best. Mahalia turned out to
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: be twice as tough as my mama. Where are you going?
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: What are you doing? Why are you wearing that? Things
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: even mama let me do on my own, Mahalia had
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: to know about. The music, however, more than lived up
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: to my expectations. The crowds were Sensational, and Mahalia was magnificent.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: Our last engagement, a grand Sunday afternoon tent revival, was
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: in Chicago, Mahalia's hometown. This was going to be my
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: chance to show what I could do. People from all
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: over would be coming to hear Mahalia and me. In
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: my mind, that was the group. Mahalia and me. The
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: other three singers were just for background. When Mahalia called
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: on me to start the program, I confidently began to
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: walk the sawdust cover of the tent floor and do
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: my thing, singing with all my might. Responses came from
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: all around me. Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! I even
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: heard Mahalia add her own, Sing, child! Everyone was applauding wildly,
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: asking for more, but that was it, my big solo.
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: I had no other number. Thinking fast, I began to
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: sing another chorus. I turned it out and tore it down,
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: then sat down, smug as could be. When the crowd
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: quieted down, Mahalia remained seated and began to moan. No words.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: No song in particular, just moaning low and deep until
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: she broke out in Precious Lord, Take My Hand. Mahalia
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: sang the entire song seated. It seemed she was speaking
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: directly and only to God. The audience responded with reverence
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: and awe. They got a different kind of feeling from
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: Mahalia than from me. What was it she had that
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: I didn't? I wondered. My voice was just as good.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: In fact, in my mind, it was better because I
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: could hit higher notes. It took two more summers of
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: touring with Mahalia for me to realize just what that
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: something was. My singing was enjoyable, rhythmic, Cute. Hers was
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: a deep spiritual experience. She was worshiping God, and I
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: was showing off.' When Mahalia sings,' said my mother,' you
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: can feel God in her.' By the end of my
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: third tour with Mahalia, I thought I had learned all
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: there was to learn from her. I was wrong. One
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: summer day, we arrived at a church in a field
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: outside Richmond, Virginia. That night, the church overflowed with people.
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: When it was my turn to sing, I started with
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: all guns blasting. As I hit my high note and
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: held it, I heard a note higher than mine, clear
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: and powerful. Undaunted, I hit a higher note and held
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: it as I walked down the aisle trying to see
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: who was singing. There in the back row, I saw
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: a girl with braids, dressed in coveralls and a farm shirt.
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: She smiled at me, still singing higher and higher, until
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: she hit a note that I couldn't even reach. Ooh,
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: was I mad! Who did that country bumpkin think she was?
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: When the program was finished, Mahalia talked to the girl
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: and her mother. Seeing that, I stormed out to the car,
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: where I sulked. Soon I heard Mahalia saying, There you are,
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: Della Reese. I looked the other way. That was something,
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: wasn't it, Mahalia said. Ain't it grand, the way God
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: has of bringing up talent in the strangest places? I
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: jutted out my chin and said, I guess now you
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: want her, right? What makes you think that? Well, she
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: sang higher than I did. It's not about how high
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: you sing. It's about feeling the presence of God. I
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: knew she was right, but I said nothing. Then Mahalia
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: said sternly and directly, Delores, you've got to get over
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: your Miss Wonderful thing and just be who you are.
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: You are not in competition. You are in God's service.
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: She paused, smiling now. Be glad that he called you,
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: but always remember you are not the only one he called.
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: Now get out of this car and come meet this child.
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: I followed Mahalia inside and went over to the girl
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: who asked how I sang so well. She didn't even
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: know what a powerhouse she was. Mahalia was my guiding angel,
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: though I didn't know it at that time. The lesson
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: I learned that night helps me to this day. I
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: never could sing like some of the top artists who
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: inspired me. Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald. But you
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: know what? They could not sing like me either. What
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: I had was my own. Today, I'm free of the
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: fears of my youth and settled in the assurance that
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: comes only from surviving. And Mahalia's words have echoed throughout
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: my life. You are in God's service. I just love
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: that story. It provides a great example of what being
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: authentic is all about, doesn't it? And what a great
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: fit for today's topic, authentic leadership. Now, remember I said
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: that earlier, authentic means really being true to who you are.
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: It's all about being yourself. Now, it's been said, in
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: a world where you can be anything, be yourself. So
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: I know some of you are asking, how does that work?
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: I mean, it's not always easy to be yourself. In fact,
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: for some of you, I know that being yourself is
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: easier said than done. I hear you. I once taught
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: in a graduate program where the entire focus of that
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: program was helping my grad students become comfortable with being themselves.
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: This was a program that that equipped them to work
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: in what we lovingly call the helping professions. So when
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: they graduated, they would become consultants, therapists, nurses, educators, attorneys,
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: assuming some kind of leadership role in their organization or community. Now,
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: I know firsthand that being yourself can be quite challenging.
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: Think about it. So many of us focus on pleasing
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: other people, In the process, we can easily lose track
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: of who we are along the way. Now that's a
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: pretty steep price to pay. Fortunately, there are many ways
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: to get back on track with being who you are
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: meant to be and to discover your strengths as well
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: as your growing edges. You can begin by asking yourself
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: a few questions. Ask yourself, what's unique about me? What's
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: unique about me? What makes me so special, right? Another
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: question to ask is, what are my top three strengths?
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: Another question, what do I enjoy doing so much that
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: I lose all track of time? What do I enjoy
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: doing so much that I lose track of time? How
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: about this question? What do I enjoy so much I
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: would do it for free? And another question to ask is,
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: what am I curious about? Now, any one of those
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: questions can help you figure out who you are, really,
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: who you are at the core. What is your authentic self, right? Now,
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: these questions are important. They are designed to help you
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: reconnect with with what's meaningful to you and to help
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: you reconnect with who you are, to fully claim your
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: glorious self, your magnificence. Now, there are a few critical
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: skills that we all need, skills that will support you
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: in truly being yourself, not only as a leader, but
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: in all other realms of your life. What are those skills? Well,
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: there are four of them. four that I want to
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: shed the light on today. And these are essential. Now,
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: I actually write about these skills in one of my books.
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: It's called Flawless Leadership, connecting who you are with what
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: you know and do. So here are the four skills.
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: The first one is self-awareness. That's right, that's a skill. Self-awareness.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: The second one is openness. The next one, transparency. and curiosity.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: Now let's start with self-awareness. Being yourself actually begins here, okay?
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: It begins with self-awareness, the conscious knowledge of your own
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: desires and feelings, motives, thoughts, and traits. This skill also
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: includes the capacity for introspection, for looking inward, in other words,
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: and the capacity for reflection. Now, this skill of self-awareness
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: is vital. to your ability to ignite, influence, and inspire others.
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: When you are self-aware, you will be better equipped to embrace,
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: reflect on, and use your unique strengths, talents, and gifts.
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: You will be able to recognize what drives you and
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: what gives you energy, focus, and purpose. You will also
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: be able to develop and clearly communicate your vision Now,
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: why is this important? Because you will be able to
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: inspire your team or your organization to take meaningful action. Now,
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: this is essential whether you are leading at work or
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: in your family. The next skill is openness. Now, this
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: skill is often misunderstood because we confuse openness with self-disclosure.
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: Openness simply means being able to internally recognize, being able
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: to freely access, and then being able to appropriately express
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: your feelings and thoughts without being defensive, right? Now, this
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: sounds pretty straightforward. I'm going to repeat those things again.
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: Openness simply means being able to internally recognize, freely access,
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: and appropriately express your feelings and thoughts without being defensive.
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: Pretty simple, right? However, demonstrating this skill in the moment
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: can be quite challenging. In fact, it can be downright difficult. Why?
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: Because when we're triggered by someone or something and we
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: don't realize it, we can easily respond inappropriately and defensively, right?
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: In that split second, in that nanosecond, right, we become
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: temporarily immobilized. We actually freeze, which impairs our ability to
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: internally recognize, freely access, and appropriately express our feelings and
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: thoughts without being defensive. We've all been there, right? The
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: key is is to develop your ability to self-regulate so
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: that when you're emotionally triggered by something or someone, you
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: can consciously manage your own reactivity. This is one of
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: the many aspects of what we call emotional intelligence. Now
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: the third skill is transparency. Transparency allows leaders to make
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: decisions information that is normally selective, normally seen by only
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: a few people, these leaders allow that kind of information,
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: that selective information, to be available to all as appropriate.
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: An example is providing insight into a leader's decision-making process.
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: Providing such insight can be very helpful during times of
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: change and transition. And we're always going through some kind
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: of change or transition, right? I remember in one company
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: I worked for, the staff learned that we were going
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: to be bought out. We were going to be acquired
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: by a rival company. Now, the staff were intensely loyal
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: to this organization that we worked for, right? Including me.
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: And not surprisingly, when we heard the news about being
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: bought out by another company, we were all just kind
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: of wobbly, right? Shaken, shaken to the core. It seemed
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: as though we were being taken off guard, blindsided, right?
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: As if no one had seen this coming. However, the
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: really senior staff had seen it coming, even though they
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: couldn't reveal the specifics until after the buyout, after the
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: acquisition was complete. Now, many of us have heard something
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: like this. Information, information is the solar energy of an organization.
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: In other words, even a little bit of transparency will
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: go a long way. Now, the need for transparency has
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: never been greater in our organizations and communities and families.
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: In fact, as old, outworn information containing structures and systems
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: and hierarchies continue to dissolve. And as our organizations and
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: communities struggle to survive, leaders must be equipped to fill
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: the void. In a world, what we call a VUCA world, V-U-C-A, right,
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: where volatility, uncertainty and Ambiguity and chaos are becoming the norm.
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: Such leaders will be equipped to support their organizations, their communities,
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: and their families to adapt, innovate, and flourish. Now that
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: fourth skill, curiosity. Let's talk about that. Leaders who are
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: curious are inquisitive, avid learners. learners who desire to learn
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: or know more. They actively and vigorously cultivate and nurture
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: and leverage the skill of curiosity. You know what? Even
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: though we're naturally curious as children, as we grow older,
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: we may not necessarily retain our curiosity. I remember as
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: a little girl, my family moved from rural Mississippi to
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: to the inner city of Detroit, Michigan. And we lived
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: in some pretty rough neighborhoods, okay? Now, during the hot,
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: humid summers, instead of playing outside with the other kids,
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: I had to go to school. Unlike most kids who
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: attend summer school because they flunked a course, I went
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: to summer school because my dad said so. He actually
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: mandated it. He was the headmaster, our house was the classroom,
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: and my sister and I were his pupils. So every day,
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: while our friends played outside, our house, in the street
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: or in the yard, we completed our daily lessons. Now,
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: we studied hard, me and my sisters, to pass the
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: tests that Daddy gave us after dinner. During those Detroit
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: summers and for years afterwards, I remember asking my dad
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: about particular words or concepts that interested me. And without fail,
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: daddy always said, look it up. Look it up. Can
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: I just tell you something? This is not what a
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: young person wants to hear. But as a dutiful daughter,
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: I always followed my father's advice. Now, was my dad
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: being mean? Well, I admit, that's what I thought. though
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: I had the good sense to keep it to myself. Right?
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: So what was he doing? My dad was actually helping
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: me cultivate an appetite for curiosity. He was instilling in
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: me and my sisters the awareness, knowledge, skills, and resourcefulness
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: for lifelong learning. And you know what? It worked. It worked.
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: I became very good at being curious and quite skilled
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: in satisfying my curiosity. In fact, I became a voracious learner.
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn.
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: And the more curious I became. Now, as a visual learner,
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: I was very good at memorizing words and their definitions.
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: I was fascinated to learn words. that some writers had
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: a knack for arranging words in such a way that
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: their work just came alive. It just kind of leaped
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: up off the page, right? While other writers were just,
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: I don't know, just downright dull and boring. Although I
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: didn't realize it at the time, I was actually learning
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: about the writer's voice, about the writer's tone, and about
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: the writer's style. Looking up words and other concepts stimulated
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: my thinking, fueled my appetite for learning, and spurred my
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: lifelong curiosity. Cultivating the skill of being curious also expanded
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: my world far beyond the one I knew, the six
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: square blocks of my neighborhood in East Detroit. Being curious,
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: along with other qualities of being, has opened so many
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: doors for and so many opportunities to build relationships, to
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: be able to work with people that I would never
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: have otherwise met, and to serve people in over 30
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: countries on six continents. So what am I saying here?
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: I am saying that the skills of self-awareness, openness, Transparency
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: and curiosity are the foundation stones for developing personal mastery.
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: They are the foundation stone for becoming yourself. Each skill
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: is distinct and each one is essential. Each skill builds
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: on itself and and all of the other skills. Together,
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: they work in concert to support you in being who
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: you truly are. Now, for those of you listening today
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: all around the world, if you want to make your
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: life count, if you want to be the change you seek,
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: remember this. How you live is how you lead. That's right.
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: How you live is how you lead. It's how you
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: do everything. You have the power to make our world
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: a better place by showing up and showing up in
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: your own two shoes, showing up as your authentic self.
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: All right. Now, I want you to be sure to
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: listen to this show again and again. And hey, be
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: sure to tell somebody. You can find me right here
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: on iTunes, Audible, Alexa, SoundCloud, iHeart, TuneIn, Spreaker.com, Talk Network Radio,
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: and so many other places. Now, if you happen to
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: miss any part of this week's show, or if you
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: missed last week's show, you can simply download the recording
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: and listen to it at your convenience. You can even
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: listen to it on the go. Check us out. at www.talknetworkradio.com
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: forward slash hosts forward slash Legacy Living. That's www.talknetworkradio.com forward
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: slash hosts forward slash Legacy Living. You can learn more
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: about my work and Legacy Living Make Your Life Count
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: by visiting the Gloria Burgess website. And that's very easy.
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: It's GloriaBurgess.com. And, as I've mentioned before, if you love
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: to be inspired, you can actually subscribe to my inspirations
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: right on my website. Just scroll down a little bit,
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: look on the right sidebar until you see the place
• 33:05
  Speaker 1: to add your email address to subscribe to my weekly inspirations.
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: It's that simple. Each week, you get a lovely photograph
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: and a short quotation that inspires you. Or by visiting
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: me on LinkedIn or Facebook. And on Facebook, you can
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: find me at facebook.com forward slash DR for Dr. DR
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: Gloria Burgess, P-H-D. You can also find me on the
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: TEDx site and listen to one of my TED Talks.
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: Just type in my name to find me there. Before
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: I close today's show, I want to thank each of
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: you for tuning in today, for allowing me to share
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: a bit about my journey with what legacy living is
• 33:53
  Speaker 1: all about. Not just living and learning, but living, learning,
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: and serving so that you make a difference in your
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: own life and in the lives of other people. It's
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: about being on purpose every single day, 365, 24-7. Legacy
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: living is a powerful way to make your life count.
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: Once again, I want to thank you for joining me
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: for today's show. I'm your host, Dr. Gloria, Gloria Burgess,
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: and this is Legacy Living, Make Your Life Count. Please
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: join me again next time right here on Talk Network
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: Radio for another show called of Legacy Living, make your
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: life count. Don't just count the days in your life.
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: Make the days in your life count. That's what Legacy
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: Living is all about. Have a fantastic day and remember,
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: make the days in your life count. God bless. That's
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: our show today. I'm your host, Dr. Gloria, Gloria Burgess.
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: I hope you'll join me again next time. Until then,
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: don't just count the days in your life. Make the
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: days in your life count. That's what legacy living is
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: all about. Here's to you. Have a fantastic day and
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: be sure to make it a yes kind of day.
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: Remember to celebrate. the music of your life. Make the
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: days in your life count.