Two Thirds of a Century and Climbing | LAYC 21

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Welcome everyone!

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I hope you've got your party hats on because as I promised, about 10 days

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ago, I said I was going to be celebrating something significant and momentous.

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And today on May the 29th, 2021.

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I am officially celebrating!!!...

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I am two thirds of a century old.

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Yes.

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You heard it right.

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I am publicly celebrating that chronologically, I

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am 66.66666 years old...

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Thank you to my grandson Gavin, for calculating the moment, the day...

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That I would be able to declare...

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That I have lived two thirds of a century...

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and I am so proud of it!

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Now here's the really cool part about this...

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A...

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I'm a woman who is publicly declaring my age..

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But B...

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I've also realized that I could calculate the remaining one third of a century...

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My first century...

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And yes, I'm saying first century...

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because I think it's quite possible and quite probable that I will

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experience and enjoy some of a second century on this planet.

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So I've figured out that I have 400 months left or approximately 12,000 days,

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before I declare what kind of cake I want for my 100th birthday celebration.

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You better stay subscribed to this podcast, if you want an invitation

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to a rocking Centenarian party.

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Rather than focus on how much time has elapsed on my life clock, I

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much prefer the perspective of the abundance of time I still have.

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And of course the reality is that the time is finite.

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I don't know exactly how much is left in my hourglass, but I'm not

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going to accelerate my aging by convincing myself, or focusing on,

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the fact that I'm already too old.

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Really?

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Who gets to decide what is old?

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Or too old?

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We talked about that in an earlier episode of this podcast,

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I believe episode number three...

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Expiry Date.

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And I encourage you to listen to that later, and it all is part of

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what I'm trying to express here.

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The resounding joy in recognizing that it's totally up to

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me, to be and do and feel...

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the age that I want to be.

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Just to put this in perspective of how we have arrived at this time in our history

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of declaring that 65 is kinda old.

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In fact, we call it...

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seniors and senior citizens.

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Who gets to decide what's old or too old?

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Personally, I want to decide for myself, but I was curious about

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how we got to this place in our society of generally accepting

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that if you're in your mid 60s...

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you're OLD.

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And much to my surprise...

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I discovered that Otto Von Bismarck gets the credit, because Germany

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became the first Nation to adopt an old age social insurance program in 1889.

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Germany's Emperor at the time said it was for people that were disabled

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from work by age and invalidity.

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It's a good thing that Emperor William is not around today...

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I'd tell him what I think about invalidity and expiry dates.

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We know that everybody ages at different rates and some people

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seem to age faster than others.

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I think we all know at least a few people that we go...

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Wow...

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You can't possibly be that old!

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But what is that based on?

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It's based on their chronological age and our societal

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expectation of what that means.

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I think that there are multiple ways...

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To determine age.

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My theory is that there are at least 5 dimensions in aging.

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It is the combination of those, that are uniquely, what define your age.

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The common one that we all know, and refer to...

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cause it's on our driver's license and our passports...

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is chronological age.

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The number of years that we've been alive, , from the date that

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is recorded as our birth date...

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to where we are now.

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The second dimension of aging is biological age.

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Referred to by some as physiological age, that takes into account

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factors like our overall health.

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Our mobility, our diet, our sleeping habits, our exercise.

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And how does that increase, or decrease, the effective

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chronological age that we have.

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I also believe that functional age, is something that should

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be considered carefully as well.

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Some of us may have physical limitations brought on by

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biological age or chronological age.

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But in fact, it's the development of a particular mindset, our age

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group that we're hanging out with...

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that is not necessarily aligned with your chronological age.

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For instance, think about this.

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If you're part of a hiking group and there's a, diversity of age range, but

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you're all keeping up, because you're talking with each other and inspiring each

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other on and your accountability partners, or if you're in a dancing group...

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or one of my favorite...

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Hanging out with your grandchildren...

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Automatically changes my functional age, ratcheting it down several notches.

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Additionally, we have our psychological age and that one

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summed up for me is pretty much...

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If you think you're old...

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you're right.

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And if you think you're not...

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If you think you're younger...

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You are also right.

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It's all about mindset.

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For me, I have in my life, always been the positive thinker, the

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future thinker, very expansive...

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Desiring of growth and reinvention and challenge...

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And I continue to be so.

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That really contributes to my overall sense of youth-ness.

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If that's correct word.

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My vitality is because of that open growth-mindset.

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Then you consider people have a more contracting mindset where they are...

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of their own volition, on a daily basis, making their world

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smaller, shrinking psychologically, and therefore aging rapidly.

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They're heading to the end of their lifespan mentally.

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The fifth, and last part of my view of aging, is what I call the social age.

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And for me, that's all about the company that you keep.

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It's the relationships that you have with your friends and the roles

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that you play in your relationships.

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that really translates to...

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What's our social age.

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If you've been traveling in my orbit for a while, you know I talk about Vitamin G...

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and how vitally important that is for my overall wellbeing.

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Vitamin G of course stands for Girlfriends.

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In the company that I keep, if I'm spending the time that I prefer,

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with other people with growth mindsets that have that younger,

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future-based, psychological mindset.

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The functional age group, where we're dancing, we're

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laughing, we're doing things...

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We're active.

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That also contributes to how I feel.

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Biologically, I'm very fortunate.

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I have good genes, so far in my life...

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No major health issues, and no warnings, no symptoms of those to come.

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And of course, I am taking steps to continue in that vein, because I've

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got at least 400 more months, that I want to be young and vibrant and alive.

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Eating good food, good quality food...

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sleeping as much as my body needs, drinking water, trying not to be

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too sedentary, trying not to over consume alcohol, and being aware

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of the negative effects of stress and managing the conditions to

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avoid that as much as possible.

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I'm sure that I am not alone.

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In this thought process of figuring out not only...

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Who am I now, but...

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What age am I?

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Age doesn't have a particular relevance to me as a number.

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But it has a major significance to me in terms of being engaged

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in my life, and being active, and being part of a community like

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the Lift As You Climb Movement...

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Where we live our legacies while we are here, to experience them, and

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influence them and increase their impact.

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Because we are lifting and climbing, we are also working to empower

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others to live their legacies.

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TD Ameritrade did a survey a couple of years ago.

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And the results said...

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73% of women said that 70 is the new 50.

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The survey also said that only 59% of men shared that opinion.

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But as a woman, sampling my friends and cohorts...

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I think we're all trying to figure that out right now...

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What do those numbers mean any more?

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How are we supposed to feel?

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How do we expect others to perceive us?...

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When we talk about our chronological age?

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I come back every time that I'm thinking about that...

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It doesn't matter what my chronological age, or any other definition of my age

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is, as long as I continue to have the mindset of growth, and experience, and

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contribution, and service to others, and full out joyful enjoyment of my life.

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The first two thirds of my first hundred years, went by very damn fast.

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I swear it was just a blink of an eye ago that I marveled at the fact

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that I had reached half a century.

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And it doesn't seem that much longer before that...

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at 16 I marveled that I was a mother, a full-time career person, and living

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independently, under my own steam.

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So I don't expect the next 33 and a third years to drag.

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On the contrary, they're probably going to accelerate.

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And that's why it's so important to me to be thinking about what I want to do next.

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Who I want to become.

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Who I want to be remembered as.

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So today, I'd like to share a poem with you, that sums up what I've been thinking

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about my life so far, and the life that I am visualizing and designing

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and planning to lead going forward.

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So it's my pleasure to share with you a poem called The Dash.

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I'll be back to chat with you after that.

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I hope that you found value in the reading of The Dash.

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I will include information about how to find it in the show transcript.

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It was not my intent to create a somber mood or take your thoughts to a sad place.

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On the contrary, I was hoping that by reflecting on the importance of the dash

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in our life, and acknowledging that we alone control, what we make of that dash.

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That you will find an opportunity for inspiration for your future.

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Maya Angelou, a woman that I admire so much, a wise woman who shared so

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many pearls with us in her lifetime.

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I've learned that people will forget what you said.

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People will forget what you did.

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But people will never forget how you made them feel.

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Very relevant to our conversation about the dash.

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Don't you think?

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So that's where my thoughts are these days...

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As I think with excitement and anticipation, and a great deal

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of positivity about the next one third of the century of my

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life, And thinking about...

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What are the actions that I'm going to take so that people will remember how

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I made them feel in a positive manner.

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And even more important...

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How I will feel about myself and how I lived my life, fully utilizing the gifts

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and the strengths, and the talent, and the tacit knowledge that I have accumulated

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throughout my lifetime to date.

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And bulletin bulletin.

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I'm not done yet.

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I am learning every day.

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It's one of my greatest joys learning and the opportunity to

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stay open-minded to think forward.

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Be a future thinker with a grand open mind, and to get to know more about

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myself, and more about my potential.

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What I can do to help other people.

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That's pretty exciting as a future to look forward to.

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I think in the days going forward, as I start to plan out what I want to

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do with the next few years of my life.

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Is that there is no scarcity of time.

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There's only scarcity of mindset.

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And if I think of the time that I have to influence an impact as abundant, and then

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I rush forward to fill that time, I'm going to feel much happier with myself.

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I don't want to live with regrets and I can think my best friend Sandra, for

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reminding me that a life well lived.

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Doesn't have room for, I wish I could have, I should have.

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And my friend, Liz Sumner, who poetically coined the phrase in her podcast, I

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always wanted to telling the stories of people who wanted to, and they did.

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That's the legacy that I want.

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I want to be known as a role model for my children, and my grandchildren,

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and my extended family, and my friends, and my business community.

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All the circles that I orbit.

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That I was the woman who tried.

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Not everything was about succeeding and accomplishment, but it was about

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experience and evolution and really...

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expansion, so that I could experience life fully, test my

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full potential and capabilities.

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No kidding...

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It's not like every day I am Pollyanna, and totally on top of my emotions around

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the natural concerns about fear of not doing well enough, not being up to

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the challenge, the fear of failure.

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Oh my gosh.

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This is going to be so much work.

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The great thing about getting older and caring less and less about other people's

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opinions of what they think you should be.

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Is that...

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It's a little bit easier each time to try something and recognize...

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Hmm...

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Gave that my best...

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But it isn't really right for me...

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and move on.

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That's why the Encore methodology that I created is still the perfect one for me.

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As I accelerate in my life, I get to reflect back as the protagonist on the

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What have I already done?

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Who have I been?

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How has this character developed?

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What are her greatest traits and skills and strengths, and then look forward...

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and write the script for the new and best role of my life...

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My Encore.

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When I take control of writing that script, and take stock of

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everything that I start with because of the life I've already lead.

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Then you know it's going to be a hit...

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you just know, it's going to be a hit.

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Because I am the one who is casting the crew and my co-stars.

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I am the one who is producing and directing this new role in my life.

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And for that, I will proudly be the star and stand for the standing ovations,

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and really look forward to having one hell of a block of buster success...

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100th birthday.

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I encourage you to join me in creating this next and best you.

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One of the gifts that I'd like to give you on my 66th and two thirds birthday,

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is the offer to use one of the tools that I have found so helpful for me.

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My personal currency evaluation.

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It's a process that I created to help me take stock, to remember and

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appreciate, the incredible value that I have accumulated in my lifetime.

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I would like you to go to MyEncore.ME I put this in the show transcript,

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and sign up for a free download.

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Go through the process, and really marvel, as you complete the form...

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How amazingly wealthy, you are, because of your life up to this date.

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That if you continue to invest in yourself...

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Your value is exponentially increased.

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You can do anything you want with that.

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The other thing I would really love to do to celebrate our lives and

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our revolutions around the sun...

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Is to ask you to join me in the Lift As You Climb Movement group on Facebook.

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I would love to hear what came to mind for You...

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For the next, and best part of your life.

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What did you think about How you are aging, and what dimensions of aging...

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you embrace?

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And want to reject?

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I'd like to hear your thoughts on how you set yourself up for the future,

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to live without regrets to act on the, I always wanted to's, and to

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make absolutely blockbuster bucket lists and then go out and fulfill them.

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It would be so exciting if you would reference episode 21...

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The Dash, on the Facebook page, and share with other people...

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Your ideas about how to live a big, complete, abundant, vital life.

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Because when we are lifting and climbing, we are inspiring and empowering

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others to create their legacies.

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Okay.

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Get your piece of cake.

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Grab your champagne glass...

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Let's toast to the future, and to our Encores!