Posted on Sunday, June 19, 2016

How to Create a Legacy

Building a Legacy 93 Seconds at a Time

Leaving a legacy is all you have. A strong legacy is not made of monetary value but of heart value. How you lift others to their potential. You create safe environments for growth. When you leave the room, people are better than you found them. Have fun, take business at hand seriously and above all laugh at yourself!

Leadership, love, and life evolve in and out of your personal and professional lives. You may try shutting the door on one without the other, but your stories and legacies follow you wherever you may go.

I have a full history of knowing all of my Great-Grandparents, Grandparents, and a bushel full of Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. Recently, I visited my Grandpa Eldon in Eugene, Oregon. He is the last of my vast line of Grandparents and cherished beyond words. I asked questions, heard new stories, and reminisced.

We are all built with our history, stories, and holding truths we cherish and hopefully “deleting” truths no longer holding truth for you. About 30 years ago my dad once asked me where I learned my “values” from. The heart answer is my grandparents. They all left me with my core personal and professional business model I created; Potential² Builder.

From ranch life, construction, business deals, play, fun, hiking, wicked card games, hugs on the couch, to out of the blue phone calls. The rich experiences compounded interest in a legacy of heart, potential, environment for growth; cherished bank account full of unconditional love.

There are three main areas’ you can focus on to build a legacy to leave your family, friends, business relationships, and community. Over my thirty-plus year career, these three areas are what I have found to part of the solid foundation for strong families, business, and people who leave strong legacies.

Have Fun! Hamming and Glamming With My Guy

It is never too late to build your legacy and write on the hearts of those around you; what they will say and miss when you leave the room.

Potential: Find ways to help others reach their potential, be invested, interested, and lift them before self. Yes, put your oxygen mask on first then lift others to their natural gifts. The reward of lifting others is greater than lifting oneself (reward will be paid 10-fold).
- As I reflect on my potential and when I had the most growth is when others invested, lifted, and truly interested in seeing me succeed.
- Today I make an intentional practice in my personal and professional life to find individuals who I can lift! The key is people need to have the heart to be pushed and pulled to the next level.
Environment: Create an environment of risk; let failure be a learning tool. The most successful people in life learned how to fail first.
- I was able to fail and learn from the lessons. The environment was safe to try and try again. Yes, at times pushing boundaries was the risk and discipline at hand. Remember, we all learn and climb to our potential in our own rhythm.
- When I work with clients, I have certain questions to hone in on what type of environment they thrive in. When they are “safe”, their potential explodes into possibilities they never saw or thought of before.
Legacy: People remember how you make them feel over what you have done. Leave people in the room loving themselves and life. Be present, because your presence matters.
- Be authentic to who you are, and those around you will develop to be a network of believers. Not groupies but your “tribe”. A tribe is people who fill in the gaps, and who you fill in the gaps for as well. You all benefit.
- My stories taught me to be present, show up filled up to give first then receive. And perseverance toward ones potential trumps and punches the face of naysayers every time!
- Have a sense of humor!

Where ever you might be in thought and heart of leaving a legacy here is a poem I wrote about my Grandpa, who is 93. I may be looking at his 93 years; all it takes is 93-seconds to touch someone’s heart.

93 Silver Strands

He is my HERO,

My first hugs, filling my heart,

to letting me put rollers in his hair that tickled us,

until we had to part.

He is my HERO,

He fixed many things from wagons, dollies,

to wondrous buildings.

He is my Hero,

Outlined with brilliant strands of silver,

a gleaming light of Gods Armor.

He is my HERO,

He is 93, standing tall,

with liquid blue eyes,

smile of a warm friend,

loves with all he has under his halo of silver strands.

As he holds my hand, I understand he is my HERO.

93 years shifting through the sands,

93 braids of silver his legacy stands.

Written By: Tracy Worley

Twinkle In His Eyes

Challenge Question: Will you take 93 seconds to touch someone’s heart?

Look UP & OUT!

Tracy Worley

Tracy Worley (2015) Authentic Leadership, Authentic Self

Tracy Worley (2013) Red Shoe Courage

Posted on Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Soccer Moms Are For Real

Soccer Moms Are For Real! Alright, to be fair all parents are for real when it comes to their progeny in the course of competition. From spelling bees, debate, basketball, soccer, football, and all the rest parents are for real.

From the time of my youth I have been competitive in nature, loving the endorphin rush to the finish line to having the last line in a debate. The last few years I have had the privilege to referee High School Soccer.

What I have observed, learned, and gleaned from the soccer pitch is our youth deserve to play in a safe, competitive, inspiring, and empowering environment. How parents show up is how they will show up to lead your organization. Board room bullies are for real!

Parents hold the key to safe play for your youth’s environment. Yes, administrative staff, coaches, and referees hold these key elements too, but parents have the ultimate ability to turn a competitive event from fun to devastating the hearts of our youth.

Being in the center of the field to the sidelines refereeing I have heard the best and the worst from parents. This leads me to your boardroom. How people show up to events in “support” of their children is telltale of how they will show up in your boardroom.

Parents are not the only influence: fellow competitors, coaches, and other participants show up to instill inspired competition…or use downright degrading language which is not worth repeating. However, these moments give me the guilty pleasure of presenting them a yellow card for a warning. If things get worse, referees can stop play and have the offending parties removed.

Crucial conversations will always come into play on and off the field. However, competition is not the time to be yelling, huffing, and stroking out over a bad play. I appreciate how one of my colleagues, Judy Preston, calls these Courageous Conversations, which should happen one-on-one or off the field of play and out of the board room.

Here are a few ways to create a REAL space for empowered play and inspired competition from the soccer field to your boardroom:

Reward: Give everyone a sportsmanlike handshake before or after the game. It is the reward for showing upto play. If the coaches, referees, and players did not show up there would be no play. If you are unhappy or dislike someone it is NOT your prerogative to be disrespectful. Reward others with respect you also deserve.

Environment: Create a safe environment for all to participate, compete, learn, and hone individual and team skills. This could include cheering for the competitor. The higher level of play, the more you learn.

Action: Take action when others are not lifting others. Everyone from players, coaches, referees, parents, and observers should show up with an attitude to serve each other, and push each other to the next level. Boardroom culture should be no different.

Lead: Everyone is a leader of one (you). Show up to make a difference to those around you. One word of encouragement could make someone’s game on and off the field.

Challenge: Respect yourself by respecting others, take action toward the good of all concerned, create an environment to take risk to fail and win; lead by example because everyone is a leader.

Look UP & OUT!

Tracy Worley

Tracy Worley (2015) Authentic Leadership, Authentic Self

Tracy Worley (2015) Hero2One™

Posted on Tuesday, March 1, 2016

The Right “Spunk”: Do you have courageous determination for success?

Spunk: noun

informal | courage and determination.

synonyms | courage, bravery, valor, nerve, confidence, daring, audacity, pluck, spirit, grit, mettle, spine, backbone, gumption, moxie

From the move The Right Stuff, I think about do I have The Right Spunk? I would love to say everyday I am confidant with courageous valor to do what needs to be done! To have the grit to move my body, mind, and spirit even when they do not want to cooperate.

Yes, many of you who know me would wonder because I always show up ready to serve, learn, and lead. However, the past 20 months have given me a whole new perspective, mercy, and understanding for others who cannot move past where they are right now. Honestly, where you are right now is your perfection!

Part of my story: late 2014 to present day, I have been making a daring attempt to make my body do what I want it to do! With great determination in 2015, I ended up in a despair as my team of health care providers still could not provide root cause. I had no energy or focus, now at a time where I could not read a paragraph without having to go back and re-read it several times. Now, this was a HUGE cause of concern because I love reading, making notes, writing, and gleaning everything I can to make tomorrow better than today!

During this time I lost some spirit, confidence, and my daring pursuits of jumping forward with a tenacious spirit were at a stand-still. I am a private person and only those close to me knew where I was struggling and gave tremendous support. I was able to find a new physician who listened, supported my concerns, and we started a course of tests, natural remedies before drugs, and BEHOLD we found not only was I greatly mineral deficient my body was also not absorbing what I was eating or supplements. Today I have a new normal, and still under care and treatments.

I lost great confidence in interacting with clients and community because I did not know if I would be able to show up. My energy levels and body would cooperate one day, and the next day could be a struggle to put shoes on. Or if I did show up it would be a shell of myself. Activities I love with my family, business, and community took a lot more planning because I had to schedule significant down-time afterward.

Why am I sharing and what does this have to do with success? Spunk has everything to do with your success! Empathy and understanding for those who have chronic illness! Empathy and understanding for those struggling in their business!

Advocate for your health! When a physician is not listening and you do not feel right about it, seek other help!
Come to where others are, you just never know what is going on. What I learned, it would be easier to explain a broken arm than a deficiency and treatment plan.
Advocate for your Business! Just as human bodies can have a time of renewal and illness, so can your business. Seek help, coaching, or a professional to get you to where you want to be!
Seek support and share where you are! When you open up, new resources and support will appear.
Be confidant in where you are today, and keep moving forward for a better tomorrow.
Trust your inner-circle to help support and sustain your business during times of lost spirit, confidence, and energy. this is your fast-track to get back on track!
From where you are today, tomorrow will always be a step up if you are willing to build on where you are today!

The rest of the story, I am doing well but only because I advocated for my health and business! I continue to invest in my business. I continue to plug into my inner-circle for accountability and sustainability for a better tomorrow. I am starting 2016 with my best year ever!

I am in spunky determination for you to have the best year ever too! Do you need to invest in your success? Are you advocating for your business line and personal growth toward your best year ever?

The Right Stuff vs. The Right Spunk!

You matter, your purpose in life and business matter! You are here for a reason, I challenge you to get up and out! Make new tracks in every area of your life. I believe in you! I believe in your inner-circle just as I believe in mine!

Not sure where to start? I can help you with that!

Look UP & OUT,

Tracy Worley

Success in Progress

“Successful progress is knowing when you are stuck and quickly finding ways to release yourself. Be willing to change!” ~ Tracy Worley

Tracy Worley