Attention: Experienced Business Owners and Professionals Thinking About What’s Next ...

Reached a Career Plateau?  
Ready for Something New With Greater Impact & Significance?  
Is it Time To Re-Discover Your Ideals and a
New Passion for Your Work and Life?
Do You Long to
Spend More Time with People You Care Most About,
Feel Like You’re Really Making A Positive Difference and
Experience a True Sense of Joy and Fulfillment?

Yes, You Can!
Start By Developing A Blueprint  For Your Own Personal Legacy …
and Become The Leader for Positive Change You Truly Want To Be!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Dear Colleague,

Take a moment for a little personal self-reflection. Ask yourself these important questions: Are you enjoying your life and work everyday? Are you making as big an impact as you dreamed you would? (Or do you wonder some days whether you’ve lost sight of your ideals?)

You’ve been managing just fine. You’ve done well in fact. After years of study, hard work, and persistence, you’ve been successful and accomplished a lot. Your finances are in good shape, even if they've taken a hit lately. You’re grateful for your life when times are incredibly difficult for so many others.

So everything's fine ... except when it isn't.

Do you have a growing sense of unrest? Like something needs to be different, there's something more you want to be doing, but you're not quite sure what ... or how?

Feels like time to at least start considering what’s next, yes?

If you've read this far, I know you are a unique being who

• thinks differently,
  

• cares deeply, and
  

• wants to do something of significance

Otherwise, you wouldn’t have made all the effort to build a career, business or professional practice.

With the upheavals in the economy, the environment, healthcare and social justice — around the world — it no longer feels comfortable to just do the same things the same way you’ve been doing them. If you have children, you want to be an example for them.

You’re ready for a change, and you want your efforts to count for something.

• You want to leave things better than you found them

• You daydream about building something big that makes a significant difference

• You wonder what, and how you’ll bring that about

• More importantly, how will you make the transition from where you are now to what and where that will be?!

Even though the money’s coming in and you’re comfortable in your lifestyle, you know that more money for more stuff isn’t what satisfies …

• How much time do you actually get to spend with the people you love, doing the things you truly care about? 
  

• How would you like to do something that involves them, and teaches the power of giving and contribution?

Not so much giving back, as giving forward …

 
What Would You Like Your Legacy To Be?
Making Money? Or, Making Sense?
How About “Both, and” …
the Number Of Lives You Change for the Better?

If you’re being honest, you know that both making money and making sense is the answer.

Spiritual teachings throughout the ages focus on this. It's not just about amassing all you can. It’s called the law of reciprocity: it is in giving that we receive. Whatever you do will be returned to you. We all learned it as children, and want to pass it on to the next generation: the more you help others, the more comes back to you. The more value you add, the more the universe rewards you.

Global economic challenges at the turn of the decade impacted everyone — many far more than others. In some parts of the world, people had very little to begin with and are still in need. That may be true in your own community. If not downright need, there are certainly things that could be improved ...

• Our natural ecosystems and open spaces need support.

• We all need ecologically sound, clean energy alternatives and better resource conservation efforts.

• Developing nations need the basics like clean water, refrigeration, medical care and education.

• Here at home, poverty and homelessness need solutions.

• The very young and the very old need attention, teenagers and young adults need support, and even young business people need mentors.

• Academic, vocational, physical education and the arts are all suffering, and more is needed to develop greater intellectual, emotional and spiritual intelligence — not to mention common sense ...

There are plenty of places and plenty of ways to get involved and make a positive mark — to make those “quality improvements” we always talk about in business.

Whatever Your Situation, Resources and Skills,
You Have a Lot to Contribute.
You CAN Make a Positive Impact In A Significant Way 
— and Be Enriched Beyond Measure by Your Involvement.

“There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We’re all crew.”
— Marshall McLuhan

More and more you realize how interdependent we are. As more people ignore sensationalized media, and learn more about their neighbors close by and around the world, it’s easy to see how our actions impact one another in important ways.

There is something each and every one of us can do, with what we have, from wherever we are – and that is your legacy. You're creating it now — why not design it a bit more consciously? 

“Money has no power of its own.
You alone are the power source.”
— Suze Orman

Fortunately, we are moving away from an age of blind consumerism — and over-consumption. It is hurting our waistlines, our bottom lines, affecting us body and soul. More and more people are looking for greater meaning and purpose — and to contribute something that has a positive impact on the world.

It's Time To Breakthrough The Presumption of Scarcity, and Do Things Differently

Modern society (due to modern marketing) forgets that money was originally invented by humans to more freely exchange needed good and services. Instead we are indoctrinated into economic theories based on the presumption of scarcity. Notions like:

• There is not enough, never enough of anything. So we will be fearful and always strive for more (when we know deep down that happiness is not about more but about enjoying what we already have.)

• More is better — when we know full well that more can be a headache (and we really seek the simple pleasures — more time with family, friends, enjoying the outdoors, art, music, culture, laughing, relaxing, sharing a conversation or a meal. Smelling more flowers along the way …)

• That’s just the way it is. There’s nothing we can do about it (oh, but there is ...)!

“When you make a difference with what you have, it expands.
What you appreciate, appreciates.”
— Lynne Twist

It’s time to return to responsibly creating and appreciatively exchanging goods and services, filling needs by adding value, enjoying what and who we have in our lives, and feeling satisfied, proud, successful, abundant … and joyful.

Considering legacy at a very personal level is about how you live your life and how you'll be remembered.  But more importantly, it's about using your life energies to create something you genuinely care about, infused with your authentic values. It's about engaging in beneficial activities that make a difference now, designed to last for generations — whether for your family, a part of the community you care about, or a global cause.

During our next program, you have the opportunity to come together with a select group of others to explore this territory. Guided through a program you can participate in from the comfort of your home or office, you will share an eight week journey to find a new level of fulfillment, passion, purpose and joy.

This program is for you as a business owner, professional or social entrepreneur — if you:

• Are a leader ready to ‘be the change you wish to see in the world’ and to start to make that happen.
• Already have a dream. A vision. Maybe one you've held onto for a long time. You know you’d like to make a positive difference. There is something that bugs you that needs to be fixed. You have an idea of what it would be like to change something - like people's lives, the environment, social justice - for the better. 
• Think about it pursuing this, but just can't quite figure out how to make it happen — to get there from where you are.  
• That's where the 7 Steps to Creating Your Legacy program comes in.

That's where the 7 Steps to Creating Your Legacy program comes in.

The program will give you all the fundamentals to change your corner of the world in a way you find meaningful, with your skills and resources, and on your terms — including others you care about -- and while still being able to do the work you’re currently doing, if you choose.

Sound Too Good to Be Possible? 
Here's Why It's Entirely For You: A Little Background ...

There are plenty of people who’ve come before you - many with far fewer resources than you have - who have made great and lasting contributions. There are plenty of different forms to utilize, and models exist for them all. I've done this, too - on my own terms with the resources available to me so I know you can do it, too. Engaging with the world in this way is one of the best things I’ve ever done — so now I dedicate my work to helping other people do it, too. 

Here's a little background...

My journey into the notion of legacy was an evolution, which I suspect is true for most people. It started in the late 1990s, when I was running a full time health care law practice in Austin, Texas. I’d been a fish out of water there for some time.  Even though we were doing good legal work, I found the daily practice was often a dissatisfying struggle.

So I added professional coach training on top of a busy practice, transitioned out of law, and started my current business Thrive!!® Coaching, Consulting & Training. Then, on top of all that change, two other significant things happened that set me on another course. 

My mother was diagnosed with cancer with a prognosis of only months left on this earth.  And my father’s Parkinson’s disease began to worsen.

As the attorney in the family, it was up to me to help navigate the associated legal scene.  I had to make sure health care treatment decisions were properly made and documented, and deal with estate planning issues.  My parents had a lawyer who helped them set up an estate plan including wills and trusts, but who never helped them implement that plan. Their financial planner was of even less help.

I experienced a lot of chaos during this time with the traditional form of ‘legacy planning’ and assistance.  The professionals my parents had hired dealt mainly with money and assets … and preparing paperwork.  Addressing real life issues was left up to us to figure out.  Particularly, there was “the matter of the farm.”

My parents, immigrant physicians from Eastern Europe, arrived in the U.S. having escaped both Communist and Nazi occupations during WWII. Surviving that adversity, they set out to create a better life, and through diligent work and savings the family acquired and worked some 300+ acres of farmland over a 30 year period. It represented a refuge from the possibility of another war, a love of nature, the outdoors and self-sufficiency, and something tangible to pass along to future generations. On paper, though, it was just another asset to be distributed …

Figuring out what to do was left to my sister and me.  She was as busy as I was — a full time OB/Gyn with three children.  We wondered how we’d manage the farm.  Even if arrangements for paying the estate taxes on this inheritance of property were in place, traditional estate planning could not address what we would need to do to manage it properly. 

Navigating all that, after a lot of research and exploration, (blood, sweat and tears, not to mention expenses), what finally emerged was the possibility of using the land to create the county’s first park. Through many meetings, discussions, finding the right people, negotiation, financial calculations, consideration of tax matters, and thoughtfully crafted structures and agreements, the Garlo Heritage Nature Preserve was born. It’s a place where school groups, scout troops, volunteers and the general public can go to enjoy wildlife and the beauty of nature … and participate in helping it continue to grow - making the place even better than we could have ever done on our own.

I said at the time, how helpful it would have been to have just one adviser or set of resources to help navigate the myriad family, property, financial and tax, health care, legal and personal life decisions, not to mention emotional and other issues … in getting to this great result.

It’s a result many people never get to because of how overwhelming all those issues can be — not to mention deciding what’s the right thing to do and how to do it based on their own circumstances.

So … I did two things. I reconnected with my true calling — my long held environmental conservation and preservation values.  Beyond development of the nature preserve, I began to work with other nature-based organizations and programs.  And I shifted my professional focus to help people just like you design and build your own unique contributions — at whatever level your unique circumstances allow. 

I’ve met a lot of other successful mid-career business owners and professionals who have worked hard, saved and invested and accomplished a lot, who still have an urge to make a bigger difference — on a very personal level for the people, places and things that mean the most to them.  

If you're one of those people, something in you is saying "yeah, I get that."

You likewise have similar family, work, financial, and practical life issues to deal with and wonder how it might be possible for you to get beyond where you are now, to something that feels greater and more significant.  It doesn’t have to be a scary jump off a cliff from where you are now.  But it does take taking the first steps to explore what and how. And it takes putting a plan in place …

This "Creating Legacy" work I've developed is to help you take those steps. It starts with you, your life, your work, the business development you may need to put in place now and/or for your personal legacy project. I know the territory and can help you navigate it.  But best of all, I can help you self-actualize what can be an amazing journey!  Beyond parenting, and including family members (or not as individual circumstances dictate), the process of truly seeing the world become a better place because of your efforts, is one of the most fulfilling and joyful creative acts there is. And the forms that can take, are endless …

It would be my distinct honor to accompany and support you on your own Creating Legacy journey …


Input From Folks On The Legacy Journey:

Want to know the best part?

Wouldn't it be great to have that deep sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing you have made a truly positive difference and made things better in a way that really benefits and changes people's lives or their experience in some way?  Not only because you hear it from them, but because you can see the evolution of positive change in a big, ongoing way, and know that you were pivotal in making that happen?  Isn't that what you've really always wanted your efforts in life to count for?

Does this sound good to you? Well then:

If You Are Ready to Discover Your Personal Legacy — and Make the Positive Impact That Only You Can,
Here's What To Anticipate From Our Program ...

Say YES, and start now to break through to a new level of fulfillment. 

Let’s talk about the transformation you are going to experience.

During the 7 Steps to Creating Your Legacy program, you will design your own project — something you know will truly make a difference in the lives of others beyond the work you’re now doing or have done up until now. Developing this project will bring about transformational results for you, in addition to those who benefit from your project. The appreciation and gratitude you’ll receive is a bonus, beyond the priceless gift of knowing the impact you’ve made with your life.

During the process, you’ll have an opportunity to examine your life and work holistically, make a plan for how you really want to be spending your life energy, and decide —

• what legacy really means to you and how you will live it starting now — not something that’s just as part of a plan to be implemented after you’re gone

• whether you want to continue on with your current work in the world, adding a social responsibility component, or to step away to do something else … when and how to do what fits best for you

• how you want to include and interact with family and community

• what knowledge, experience, special skills and talents you have that really ‘jazz you’ to work with (this may surprise you, be very different from your career activities, and actually be enjoyable, even fun for you ...)

• where you want to make your impact, leave your “mark” — and maybe even where you want to live or spend your time rather than where you are now

• what you truly value and care about enough to spring out of bed each day to work on — good, even great work, not just hard work — to feel productive and rewarded well beyond what money can buy

• who you want to benefit — which may focus on family and may also be way beyond what you think is possible, impacting hundreds, even thousands of people you may never even know

• what form, of many, works best for what you want to build or deliver

• who else needs to be involved and how best to find and engage them

• how to make the project sustainable so it endures and can benefit others beyond now to future generations

• and much more …

You’ll get to work with a professionally trained coach who's been through the process, studied what others have done, ‘knows the ropes’ in terms of structuring, systematic operations, financial management, estate planning and tax implications, can help you find the best advisers to work with … and maybe best of all, a leader who can coach your legacy and your next steps out of you. What I do is help you harness the power of your ideals and bring them to life — and guide you, step by step, from where you are to where you really want to go.

To provide as much input and individual feedback as possible, enrollment is limited to 30 participants. All sessions are live and in real time, nothing canned or previously recorded. They utilize a coaching approach (not merely training and dissemination of information). Your active participation will allow you to ask for what you need, and the dialogue with other participants will give you answers to what you didn't think to ask. You will truly be part of your own design process.

The 7 Step program is a process carried out over an 8-week period. You will receive handouts, templates, checklists, and other resources, and ultimately create your own personal legacy blueprint.

Start Date and Time:
On [next program start day and date], we'll meet by teleconference for 60-75 minutes per session,
at [time PT / MT /  / ET].   To confirm the time where you are: click here.

Here’s what we’ll cover in each of our sessions together:

Week 1:
Step One ~ Create the Vision: to begin, you must have an end in mind, something to work toward. This takes knowing yourself, identifying what you value, knowing who you care about, and defining what you want to do and where you want to make your impact. 

Week 2: 
Step Two ~ Gather the Resources: this creative step focuses on what you already have to contribute to the project, what else you need, and who you want and need to be involved.

Week 3:
Step Three ~ Begin the Design: armed with your dreams, ideas, interests, values, identified beneficiaries, experiences, background and initial resources, this is where the creative process begins to take shape.

Group Coaching Call #1: [Day, Date and time of this session]. This is "open" time for you - for Q&A and whatever you want to review, discuss or ask about.  You bring your topic to the teleconference and get to be the focus, and/or benefit from hearing others coached on the questions and issues they bring to the call. 

Week 4:
Step Four ~ Develop the Infrastructure: this is where the project begins to actually take shape and building the foundation begins. The old saying ’failing to plan is like planning to fail’ applies at this step, so we cover the basics of laying out a successful implementation plan, which becomes your roadmap or blueprint.

Week 5:
Step Five ~ Bring the Project to Life: based on your definition of legacy, your dream for seeing it come to fruition, the identified resources you have and need, the design and plan, here’s where you choose the most effective structure, add strategic business development and marketing design so others know what you’re up to, and develop operational systems to keep things going consistently and sustainably. 

Group Coaching Call #2: [Day, Date and time of this session]. Open coaching call for Q&A or the topics you want to discuss. 

Week 6:
Step Six ~ Harvest the Rewards and Keep It Going: when your legacy project is operational, you get to experience the joy of that experience, and the appreciation and gratitude generated by those it helps and inspires to contribute to it.  Then, this step invites you to engage in succession planning so you can transition operations smoothly to others, and exit-planning so you can step away without disconnecting – playing the part you want to play as long as you want to play it, knowing your legacy will live on for generations.

Week 7: 
Step Seven ~ Build the Bridge: depending on where you are when you start on this legacy building journey, you may have to re-group and redefine other aspects in your life as you move into where you’re going with your project. This is best accomplished by undertaking a legacy full life plan to design your ideal life that takes into consideration what’s most important to you in the following areas Vocation, Health, Finances & Estate, Leisure, Family, Friends, Personal Development, and Community Service (the area Legacy falls in). 

Week 8:
Completion Call ~ time for your questions, comments, sharing, final exchanges of information, and discussing what’s next.

Additional Resources and Materials:

• Each week you will get digital handouts to read and checklists to help guide your personal creative process, all accessible to download from a participant-only online resource page. 
• If you can't make some of the live calls, no worries. You will get an audio recording of each call in mp3 format, so you can download it and listen again at your convenience. 
• I've included extra Group Coaching sessions in the program. Past participants requested more time for this, so we built it in.  They found it particularly helpful to be able apply the material to themselves and their project design process. The group sessions let you focus on something particular, and/or hear the experience of others and the discussion of questions you may not have thought of, that may also apply to you!

By the end of the program, you’ll have a blueprint for your legacy project. You may even be well on the way to implementing your project plan. Then, you can continue to build it and be part of the project until you can step away, knowing it will continue to benefit others for a long time to come.

Imagine: 6 months from now finding yourself focused and actually moving in a different direction. You have created a new sense of passion, living with purpose, doing something you know you came here to do, making a real difference, receiving appreciation for it, and feeling really great about it ...

Click On The Button Below To Join
The "7 Steps To Creating Your Legacy” Program
With An Exclusive, Limited Group!
[Registration currently closed, click to contact me for more information.]

The “7 Steps To Creating Your Legacy” Program is Affordable and Convenient
It is the Most Comprehensive Program of Its Kind At Any Cost
And YOUR BEST VALUE for Moving Forward in this Direction!

Believe me.  I know, I've been there.  Let's examine the true costs for a minute. This is a program that will create incomparable change in your life going forward, if you simply apply the concepts and take action as we go through the steps.

You can do it part-time, still having time to engage in the work you’re doing now - or begin to plan how you'll transition from it. There's a lot to cover, no question; and there may be a lot to do to build something with a really significant impact that's also life-changing (and enjoyable) for you.  This stuff doesn't happen overnight.  But, it never happens if you don't start.  And that may be one of the biggest costs of all.

Before you can get where you want to go, you need to learn the steps of the program, because otherwise, you are adding three to five years to your learning curve just to gather all the resources you’ll need.  Not to mention the thousands of dollars it could cost you to get this information directly from professional advisers you hire, and then put it all into action.  Just figuring out who you need, and who's really good, has a cost you can avoid if you know who to look for and whether they can really give you the right guidance.

Whatever the size or scope of your legacy project, the cost in time and money can be even greater going through the frustrating process of trial and error - or worse, the pain of not making the changes you really want to make.

And finding a true sense of joy and fulfillment in the process?    
... now that's a priceless benefit.

But there’s more!

Bonus #1:
A Private Consultation & Coaching Session

During the course of the program, you may schedule a one-on-one private consultation session directly with me.  I have advised, counseled and coached clients to help them accelerate their progress for more than 30 years. Hone in on what's happening specifically with and for you, and get customized assistance to leap over your specific roadblocks, conflicts or concerns. VALUE: $300

If you’re one of the first 10 Early Birds to respond, I’ll double that and give you two individual private sessions. Value: $600.

Others can purchase an optional additional private coaching session during the program at a discounted price.

In addition … 

Bonus #2:
Private, Ongoing Follow Up Consultation at a Discount

One of the reasons I've incorporated professional coaching into this program is to avoid this disappointing experience - one you've likely had before:

You attend a great seminar or event and are all fired up to do something with it. You take all the materials home or to the office, intending to go through them again and keep going with what you started. Then you get back into your day to day routine. The collection of materials ends up on a shelf, buried under a dozen other projects and you find yourself disappointed — and disillusioned with yourself about being able to make the changes you got all excited about. Then you start to question whether it’s even possible or just some pipe dream ...

Sound familiar? Making changes is a process that requires consistency, persistence and regular action. Coaching is a process designed to make that easier - by working with an accountability partner, who can also be a trusted adviser, shortcut your steps and keep you in action.

So to really make sure you get the full value of your participation, I want to support you after the program with ongoing coaching - because we know you can produce accelerated results by working with a 'partner' whose sole focus is on you and what you want to do.  Platinum Level Individual Private Coaching is regularly $825 a month. Completing the 7 Step program entitles you to up to three months of follow up coaching for $650 per month instead.  VALUE: $525    

So, let’s talk about the investment. The value of the bonuses rivals the cost of the program! When you hear the investment you are going to ask, why aren’t you charging more?

Here's how it works ...

• You'll get more than 8 hours of live program time delivered in a convenient and cost-effective manner - on the phone from the comfort of wherever you are, no travel required.
• You'll be focused on creating your personal legacy project (and making whatever personal changes you want to make) in the company of a small group of other kindred souls doing the same thing and providing mutual support.  
• You'll have two extra Group Coaching calls — open to Q&A and whatever you want to discuss. 
• In all of the sessions, you'll have an opportunity to be the focus - in the "Spotlight" - as well as benefit from hearing others coached on the questions and issues they bring to the call. (Likely you'll have similar ones you may not have thought to ask about).
  
• Together we’ll go through a process of actually designing and beginning to build your legacy project, (supporting you to make whatever personal changes you may also choose to make). 
• You’ll get the resources, templates, checklists and coaching previously only available privately at a much higher cost over a much longer course of time.
• Plus, you get one, possibly two private coaching sessions if you're an early adopter!
• Add to that, three months of discounted coaching after the program to really keep you focused and in action working with a professionally trained business development and personal effectiveness coach with comprehensive legacy development background ... these are really usable and individually beneficial bonuses (not old recycled CD's or white papers) equivalent to the cost of the program: 

[Group Program registration currently closed, click to contact me for more information.]

So, if you are ready to re-discover your ideals, and begin the truly fulfilling, meaningful and joyful good work in the world you always thought you would do, get the best value by registering right now!

I look forward to meeting you, and to your participation with passion and purpose!

Cheers, Dolly

P.S. Please remember, you're not only getting this incredible comprehensive series of sessions, you're also eligible for amazing bonuses if you’re one of the first to take action now!

Click On The Button Below To Join
The "7 Steps To Creating Your Legacy” Program!

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 Registration closes [date]

___________________________________________________________

© 2006-present by Thrive!! Inc. All rights reserved.
"Creating Legacy"™ is a division of Thrive!! Inc. 
Thrive!! is a registered Service Mark of Thrive!! Inc.,
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office registration #2,603,912.

Contacts: 
Dolly M. Garlo, RN, JD, PCC - Dolly at CreatingLegacy dot com
www.CreatingLegacyNetwork.com
 775-370-6442 USA