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| 2002 Winter Olympic Torch |
Early Saturday morning I woke up at my usual time in the wee hours before the birds chirp and kicked off my daily conditioning program. Within seconds after I open my eyes, I recite my vision statement to set my intentions in motion. It works!
Yesterday wasn't much different except I had a slight pull in the pit of my stomach that wouldn't let me go. An invitation to the North Texas Firewalkers event with Scott Schilling had come through my Facebook feed several times and I had selected "maybe" as my option since I wasn't sure I'd be able to attend. I had not committed.
The older I get, the wiser I become - and I know enough by now to pay attention to gut pulls and impulses that seemingly come out of nowhere because they come from somewhere. I gathered my thoughts, went to my computer, and changed my selection to "going" and purchased tickets. I committed.
Because I committed, Scott Schilling is now part of my cadre of expert coaches who provide me with insights and light posts along my journey. His wisdom is profound and simple enough for my daughter who (kind of) went along with me to understand. It was amazing to watch her transform from a "teenager" into an engaged note taker during the event. She paid close attention and even asked if she could attend the next event!
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A Living Legacy
I mark Y2K as the time period that I woke up with "why?" constantly on my mind. Before Y2K, I was happy living my early dreams as a Military Veteran and Electrical Engineer, making my way up the corporate ladder. In addition to work, I participated in and drove countless community service projects but I knew that I needed to become more. Y2K forced me expand my awareness of and engagement in the world beyond work, family, and friends. I continued to ask questions until I figured it out. Today I know my "why", I'm living it, and I'm still asking questions.
My questions help to clarify whether my time is being spent on things that matter versus on acquiring "things". I like having nice things and I know how to get them, but I live far beyond "things" now. Fast forward to yesterday...
Scott Schilling's talk summarized what it means to live a legacy versus leave a legacy. Living a legacy is active engagement in a life with purpose and meaning beyond yourself. Leaving a legacy is what remains once you are no longer here.
Scott converted his wisdom into the 7-letter acronym BALANCE. There is a movement afoot where oodles of people are searching for balance in their lives mainly around the work-life, life-work phenomenon. This search has been underway since the mid 1801s.
If you're seeking balance, these 7 steps as I captured them in my notes will help to move you forward.
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[STEP 2] A - ALIGN yourself professionally with your passion since purpose typically flows from passion
[STEP 3] L - LIVE a healthy lifestyle - sleep, eat, hydrate, exercise, and spend time with family and friends
[STEP 4] A - ACHIEVE financial freedom - which provides more influence and the ability to do even more good
[STEP 5] N - NURTURE fulfilling relationships - seek out like-minded people who provide positive energy
[STEP 6] C - CONTRIBUTE beyond yourself - participate in or drive worthy causes to help solve problems
[STEP 7] E - EDUCATE yourself continually - share your knowledge with the world via the "butterfly
One Part of My Living Legacy
One part of my living legacy is helping to bring the Southern Dallas Women Veterans Enterprise Center to fruition as a member of the Planning Committee. I'm looking forward to the groundbreaking on June 12th as we also celebrate Women Veterans Day for the first time in the State of Texas. The Center for Women Veterans reports that there are over 380,000 Women Veteran Business Owners in the US and we're looking forward to increasing this number.
Let's stand up for this dedicated and distinguished group of women who stand in the gap for this great nation when called upon to do so - on the battlefield, in their families, in their communities, and in business.
Reach out to the Center with your support at womenveteransec@gmail.com.
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#MilitaryAppreciationMonth #WVDGetConnected #WomenVeteransEnterpriseCenter
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