A Dream Come True….The UP Woman Movement

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The UP WomanToday I want to introduce you to something that is a dream come true for me – something that I am very proud of and something that I hope will have an impact on the lives of many.

It is my pleasure to introduce you to the UP Woman Movement and Circles:

The UP Woman stands for the Undeniably Powerful woman.  It has long been my belief that we can truly live as powerful women and men. The UP Woman is a movement that teaches, inspires and builds relationship around that truth.

Our Mission is simple, yet, yes powerful:

UP Woman[tm] is a movement to gather business and professional women worldwide to get business and professional training, gain insight on their spiritual and personal power to achieve their ideal life. UP Woman is a place where women can deepen their relationship with God and other women to help them excel in business. It is a confidential place to network, discuss business challenges and get help to grow their business.

Women will gather around the table in UP Circles with an expert in various areas of business and professional development. UP Woman will deepen women’s personal awareness, give women a voice to share their success in a more personal setting and share how they achieved success. UP Woman allows women to be real and to learn how to overcome business and personal challenges.

UP Woman is a movement where women can sincerely support each other. A movement of women using their power to obtain success.

Ways that you can connect with the UP Woman Movement:

The The UP Woman website has lots of information about who we are and what we do. Sign up for our Newsletter and keep up with all the events.

The Up Woman Facebook Page is set to inform and inspire.

We even have a The Up Woman Group – Undeniably Powerful LinkedIn Group where we can discuss what is on our minds.

Diane Mariechild express the power of women this way:

A woman is the full circle. 
Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.

I believe she is right. You are undeniably powerful! That’s why I started The UP Woman Circles.

I invite and encourage you to join us today.

DeLores

Filed Under: Personal Power, The UP Woman Tagged With: , , ,

Your Relationships Equal Your Success

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Your Relationships Equal Your SuccessSomeone, somewhere along the line said these words (or something like them): “You become who you surround yourself with.”

I’ve seen this to be true over and over again throughout the years.

I firmly believe that the fastest way to change your thoughts, develop a higher sense of self-confidence and feel valued is to develop relationships with people who will encourage you, raise the bar and help you develop the skill sets you need to get where you want to go.

Yes – your relationship equal your success.

Good ones that include the attributes described above can lead you to a level of success you never dreamed possible, but bad ones can drag you down faster than a hammer in water. We need to choose wisely (and it is a choice) who we surround ourselves with on a daily basis.

We need to develop relationships with people who:

1. Encourage us.

Have you ever spent time with someone who it seems their sole mission is to tear you down? They may do it in a subtle, almost unconscious fashion. Often they do it to make themselves feel better. Their demeanor is sour and their attitude is filled with negativity.

No fun huh?

How about the opposite side of the spectrum? When was the last time you had a relationship with someone, friend, colleague or partner who spent their time building you up?

They find the good in you.

They smile and positively engage you in conversation that is about you and not them.

They strengthen you and lead you to a more powerful life.

Quite simply – they encourage you.

My friends, it is a choice, your choice, who you will spend your time with. The relationship you choose will determine your happiness AND your success.

2. Raise the bar for us.

One of the measures of a good relationship is if the person challenges you. Let me say that a different way: A person who challenges you to be a better you, is a person you want near you as often as possible.

This takes some work for most of us. We often think we have this success thing all figured out. We move about with a sense of pride that leads us to believe we have all the answers.

In the beginning, it isn’t easy to have someone who challenges us to raise the bar and consider more in our life. We often have to get out of our own way long enough to consider what they are saying. We often need to get our pride in check.

It is here that I recommend working with a coach. When we are willing to spend money with someone as they help guide us, we are taking the needed action to move out of our “know it all” self.

That move can have significant positive results on your level of success in your particular endeavor.

Choose to couple yourself with someone who raises the bar and challenges you towards more.

3. Teach us.

Have you thought about the possibility of developing new skill sets – of learning more – of being taught something new?

We must be surrounded with people who know more than we do. They must be a part of what we do with our life and business.

Successful people know that education does not have an expiration date.

When was the last time you put a teacher into your relationship bin? What new thing have you learned lately? Are you willing to stretch your mind to consider more than you already know?

A good teacher – someone who helps you develop new skills sets – should always be a member of your relationship team.

Let me end where I started, with what I believe to be true about our relationships and our success:

I firmly believe that the fastest way to change your thoughts, develop a higher sense of self-confidence and feel valued is to develop relationships with people who will encourage you, raise the bar and help you develop the skill sets you need to get where you want to go.

Our relationship equal our success.

It’s your choice. Choose wisely.

Questions:

Who challenges you and how? How has the encouragement of a trusted friend changed your level of success. Who was/is your best teacher and why?

Let’s chat.

Filed Under: coaching, relationships, success Tagged With: , ,

The Three Key Components of Personal Power

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personal powerPersonal power is what this site and blog are all about. Personal power is the key to our success as human beings. It defines how we think and act on a daily basis. It motivates and inspires each of us as we live and work in the world.

So what is personal power made of? What does it look like? How will you know when you have it?

Here are Three Key Components of Personal Power:

1. Focus – One way that our personal power is conveyed is through our ability to focus.

It was the painter Robert Henri who said: “Do whatever you do intensely.” 

So it is with our focus – we must do it intensely. The successful and powerful person, husband, wife, entrepreneur has about them an intense and driven focus that separates them from the crowd.

This person is able to control their thoughts, emotions and actions to the point that they are completely centered on the things needed in order to shape and mold a successful life. It is as if they have been taken over by the Zen Proverb that says:

“When walking walk. When eating, eat.”

Laser focus is the first key component of personal power.

2. Action – Personal power is wrapped up in action. Let me say that differently: without action – there cannot be any personal power.

Someone who possesses personal power can and does take the time to think, deliberate, and plan. There is no “willy nilly” or “fly by the seat of your pants” in personal power. Plans are made, goals are set and details are worked out….

….and then action is taken!

The person of power lives by the words of Napoleon Hill:

“Don’t wait, the time will never be just right”

This is the main difference with most of us. We sit back and consider and roll around and wring our hands waiting on the “perfect” time to get in the game and take action.

My friends, there is never a perfect time – act. Don’t wait – act. Get up – act. Now is the time – act!

Action is the second key component of personal power.

3. Change – You will never find yourself filled with personal power if you are afraid or unwilling to change.

A simple definition of personal power might be, “The ability to change the direction of your life.” 

When we change our behavior patterns, we access personal power. When we are able to change habits like smoking, exercise, gossip or negative self talk, we gain personal power.

When we are willing to embrace change with such a desire and determination that allows us to consider all the possibilities of life, at that moment, we have stepped into the realm of personal power.

Change is the end game of the personal power components.

Our greatest power happens when we have laser focus that allows us to know what we want and where we are going.

That focus is then taken up in consistent action that moves out into the world with step-by-step acts that propel us forward.

The culmination of our personal power comes when we have focused and acted and – changed. That is personal power.

I close with a quote from Reinhold Neibuhr:

“Change is the essence of life. be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.”

When we are willing to do that – we have personal power. It is then that we have a powerful life.

Your Turn:

There are more components to personal power. What have I left out? What do you think they are?

Let’s keep the conversation going below.

image: personalpatches

Filed Under: Empowerment, Personal Power Tagged With: , ,

An Attitude Of Gratitude Is A Powerful Thing

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An Attitude of GratitudeAs those of us here in the United States get ready to celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday, I thought it would be fitting to take a brief look at gratitude and how it plays a powerful role in our life.

What is gratitude? Is it simply saying “thank you” and really meaning it? Is it just being thankful for the good things or people in our lives? Is it really an attitude?

Yes, gratitude is all these things, but I’d like to suggest that “the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful,” holds more power over our lives and our success than we might think.

Here are four ways that an attitude of gratitude is a powerful thing:

1. An attitude of gratitude reduces negative thoughts.

Think about it. It’s hard to be negative when your attitude is filled with the positive notion of gratitude and thankfulness. When we take the time to shape our thoughts around those things for which we are grateful – we experience the power of dispelling that which is negative in our life.

2. An attitude of gratitude improves our relationships.

Appreciation is a part of gratitude. We all like to be appreciated for who we are and even for what we do. When we come to our relationships with an attitude of appreciation, we often experience transforming power. Years of tensions or bitterness can melt away through the simple, yet powerful act of gratitude and appreciation.

3. An attitude of gratitude is a good health choice.

There are all kinds of scientific studies about this, but just think about it again – don’t you feel better, happier and more optimistic when you are grateful? How about your productivity? I’m willing to bet that you and I are both more productive when we are filled with an attitude of thankfulness.

4. An attitude of gratitude focuses our minds on what we want in our lives.

This is another one of those simple, yet very powerful truths. Think of it this way – if we are truly grateful for all the blessings in our lives, why wouldn’t we want more of them? Our attitude of gratitude serves to focus our minds on the things we have and the things we want, desire and need to live an even fuller, more meaningful life.

In the end gratitude is not just an attitude, but it is a choice.

When we choose to be grateful and to express that gratefulness, we find our lives being shaped by its power. When that happens, we move our life to greater heights – and that is always something to be thankful for.

Your Turn:

How has being grateful made your life better, easier, more fulfilled? What are you grateful for in this season of Thanksgiving? How do you express your gratefulness to your friends, family, co-workers or boss?

Share your thoughts below.

Filed Under: gratitude, Personal Power Tagged With: , , ,

Three Things To Do In Order To Live a More Powerful Life

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Powerful Living

Are you living a powerful life?

If you had the gumption to get out of bed this morning it is because you want to be powerful.

What?

Our power is based in our desire to move and act in our world, so if you got out of bed this morning you are already on the path to power.

The real question is: How powerful do you want to be?

I’m not talking about the corrupt power that uses people and things only for personal gain. I have a feeling you could name a bunch of those type people right now. You know them and I bet you do not like what they do or who they have become.

I’m talking about the powerful people who move, act and work for the betterment of themselves, their family and friends and society in general. Truly powerful people use their power for others. They make a difference with their power in the lives of those around them.

Truth: Powerful people serve others while continually seeking personal growth.

Are you feeling less powerful than you want at this stage of your life? Are you seeking a better way to live?

I have a few suggestions for you.

3 things to do to live a more powerful life:

1. Change Your Thinking (Mindset)

Somewhere around 488BC, Siddhartha Guatama, better know as Buddha, spoke this truth:

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”

More recently Peter McWilliams said it this way:

“Our thoughts create our reality – where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go.”

This is so much more than some new-age, self-help mumbo jumbo. Think about it (no pun intended), when we are fixated on one thing, whether it be positive or negative, we tend to spend all of our time with those thoughts. It becomes our “reality” – our focus and our direction.

If we spend enough time there – it becomes who we are.

Are your thoughts continually focused on the negatives?

  • I need more money
  • I’m ugly
  • I can’t get a good job
  • I’ve never been successful at anything
  • I’m the least powerful person you will ever meet
Can you change these thoughts to the positive?
  • The money I need is out there. I can have all that I need
  • I’m beautiful, people love me for who I am
  • With the right training, I can get any job I want
  • If I believe in myself, I can be successful at any endeavor
  • I was born powerful
Truth: Change your thinking and you change your life.

 

Get started today!

 

2. Associate with powerful people (Support)

 

I believe that you can take the above adage and change it around to include a simple truth:

 

We are who we associate ourselves with.
I learned a long time ago that there are people in this world who are successfully doing what I want to do and one of the things I should do is to associate myself with them. I needed to get to know them, even from afar through their writings, audios or videos.

 

We all need a group of people who we can learn from and model their success in our own lives and businesses.

Here are some powerful people that have helped me over the years:

  • Anthony Robbins
  • Jim Rohn
  • Joyce Meyer
  • Oprah Winfrey
Who are the people that you associate with? Are they adding value to your life and moving you towards more power?

 

I have tried to live by the thought that if the people in your circle of life are not adding value to your life, then it is time to get a new circle or cut the ones who do not add value.

 

Is it time to prune away some of your negative, toxic associations? Remember: we are who we associate with.

 

3. Live with confidence (Action)

 

We can change or thoughts and circles of infuluence all we want, but if we do not take action and begin to live with confidence and power – we are no better off than when we started.

 

Living a powerful life is work. It just doesn’t fall down from the sky upon you. We must act in confidence (not arrogance) in order for the power we are acquiring to take hold.

 

Let me say that a different way: In order for us to have and keep our power, we must walk and act confidently on a daily basis. Confidence is the epoxy that glues the power we have together and holds it fast in our lives.

 

Am I talking about “faking it ’til you make it?”

 

No, not at all. I am talking about taking daily actions that empower us and the people around us.

Actions like:

  •  Training our mind
  • Moving past our fears
  • Trying something new
  • Serving others in need
Truth: Powerful people take powerful action.

Your Turn:

What are some ways that you have moved past fears and taken powerful action? Do you work on developing your power? How do you feel about being a powerful woman or man? What things/actions/techniques have I missed?

 

Add your thoughts and discussion below!
Filed Under: Empowerment, Personal Power Tagged With: , , ,

Start Executing Your Dream Today!

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Start Executing Your DreamToo many people talk big talk about their dream, but do little to nothing to execute that dream.

What do you dream of doing in life?

Do you dream of:

  • Being a powerful woman who stands for something and touches the lives of thousands?
  • Changing the lives of those in need at home or abroad?
  • Speaking in public with knowledge and authority?
  • Having the love and respect of your family, friends and co workers?
  • Having a monument erected in your name and likeness in your city or origin?

Whatever your dream, the most important question you need to look inside and ask yourself is:

What am I doing to execute my dream?

Take a look at the Dictionary.com definition of the word “Execute”

So the question is:

What are you doing today to carry out, perform, accomplish and produce your dream from thought to reality?

Let me give you a power laden truth and then we will look at ways you can execute your dream.

Always remember: A dream is only a dream unless you bring it to fruition.

3 Ways To Start Executing Your Dream Today

1. Develop a plan.

Someone once said that a man (or woman) without a vision is a man (or woman) without a future. In order to begin to execute and accomplish your dream you must have a plan that gives legs to your vision. Your plan is the instrument or tool that you will use of a daily basis to set your course and navigate the path.

Your plan is the compass, the GPS system for the actions needed in order to reach your dream.

Without a plan – you will

  • wander aimlessly
  • get frustrated
  • encounter discouragement
  • quit
Much has been written about how to develop a plan for your dreams. Michael Hyatt has a wonderful (and free) resource entitled Creating Your Personal Life Plan . My book Clean Out The Closets of your Life is another powerful (my humble opinion) resource that helps you determine and fulfill your plan.

2. Work with a coach

Working from dream to reality can sometimes be a lonely journey. When the rough patches hit, we often need a guide, a cheerleader a life coach to help us manage our way through.

Over the years of my career, I have learned that I have enjoyed great success when working with a personal mentor.

Those mentors were able to :

  • listen to my dream
  • help me voice it in a way that empowered me
  • offer sage wisdom when I struggled to find answers
  • keep me accountable to the process of reaching my dreams
Do not feel like you have to do this alone. Get someone in your corner who will help you to execute your dream.

3. Get off your duff and ACT

Let me state the obvious: You will never have a monument erected in your name and likeness if you do not get up, power up and act!

Anthony Robbins says it best…

“The path to success is to take massive, determined action.” 

This is where most people fail. They have a dream, they develop a plan, they even work with a coach – and then they sit back and think about it, write a few things down, make an extra appointment with their coach…

and do nothing.

It won’t work! You have to decide to act and then act. You must do the work.

I would love to sugar coat this part for you, but the truth of the matter is that unless and until you actually take “massive, determine action” your dream of being a powerful woman who stands for something and touches the lives of thousands will never happen.

The good news is simple, yet powerful: You have the power to release the driving force inside you and bring your dreams to reality! I believe it. I speak about it to thousands of people each year. I have seen it happen over and over again.

Your Turn:

What is your dream? What are you doing to execute that dream? What other things would you suggest? How have those suggestions worked for you?

Continue the conversation in the comments!

image: 2130partners

Filed Under: coaching, Personal Power, public speaking Tagged With: , , , ,

The Power of Living a Life of Significance

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The power of our success is not in the money or material possessions we accumulate in our lifetime. Our power is revealed when we use our talents and gifts to serve a greater good. I call that the Power of Living a Life of Significance. Our heroes are those who have given of themselves in some small or large way to make a difference in the life of one or more people. Our significance in life is determined by our capacity to extend the gift of hope and inspiration, to reach down the ladder, extend a hand to lift another up.

When most of us think of the Power of Living a Life of Significance, we think we’re on overload now and you’re asking me to do more. I am but I’m not asking you to add more to your full plate. I’m asking that you stop for a moment to think about the people around you.

Recently, in a rush, I found myself at McDonald’s drive-thru. In the moment, living significance, I paid for the person in the car behind me. I don’t know who it was, she didn’t know me. What I do know is that she told several people and probably still feeling good about the kind act. I’m sure, what a joy it was for her to get to the window to find she owed nothing. Someone had done something for her with no conditions, no expectations. How often has that happened in her life? There’s another story of a woman getting herself and her young daughter off the streets of homelessness after recalling what her physical education teacher had told her in fifth grade. “Joy, you don’t deserve what you’re doing to yourself.” Thirty years later, her teacher’s voice led her to make a new life for her and her daughter which included earning a master’s degree. Or, consider the garbage man who hears a thank you from a customer acknowledging that if it weren’t for his work society would be unmanageable. Imagine his sense of value and worth hearing those words and sharing them with his family and friends.

Imagine the lives we touch with expressions of kindness. Our power, our success is our vehicle to making big differences in small ways. It takes only seconds to make the decision to add significance to others lives. Our power is in encouraging others, expressing gratitude and being a beacon of hope and inspiration to those we make contact with throughout our day. Let them know they are significant in our lives.

Are you living a life of significance? This is a question that I ask many of my audiences and coaching clients. We have no idea how or when our act of kindness, our shared talents and skills may inspire others to commit to Living a Life of Significance. If not us, who? Therein lies real Power.

Filed Under: Life Purpose, Personal Power Tagged With: , ,

Ask For What You Want

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What do you need to ask for?How many opportunities have we missed simply because we did not ask for what we wanted? Maya Angelou says in one of her famous quotes, “Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.” Why do we miss the chance to get the raise that we deserve, the love that we want, the best interest rates or simply a favor from a friend? Is it the fear of rejection? None of us wants to be rejected; it just doesn’t feel good. It makes us feel unimportant and unworthy.

Commit to changing that way of thinking. It will not happen overnight, but we can take small steps towards it. Think about this, what is the worse that can happen if we decide to step up and really begin to ask for the things that we want? We can be denied, turned down or yes, the dreaded word, rejected. Haven’t we all been there before? A better question is, despite us being turned down in the past, haven’t we all survived it? Yes! We’re still here! Okay, so we didn’t get what we asked for that time, but why stop? Sometimes a “no” can simply mean, “not now and try again later.” A “no” can also be an opportunity for us to recharge, regroup, reorganize and reflect. It can give us a chance to learn and grow from the rejection and come back stronger than before. Don’t miss that opportunity to thrive from that place of disappointment. After you’ve licked your wounds for a little bit, shake it off and move forward.

On the brighter side, what’s the best that can happen if you begin to ask for the things that you want? You guessed it! You will probably get them! Yes, it really can be just that simple, asking for what you want and actually receiving it. Ask for that airline seat up grade the next time you travel. Ask for that nice chic tote bag behind the perfume counter that you’d like to have as a “gift” with your purchase – sometimes they may forget to offer it to you so ask! Ask your boss for that raise that you believe you deserve. Ask your cell phone carrier for any extra bonus minutes or loyalty rewards that they may offer or ask for help from a friend when you need it. Seek out the love and respect you know you deserve and do not settle for less. When we begin to ask for the things that we really want, we will begin to feel more worthwhile and deserving. In return, it makes us more compassionate when others ask of us. It also says to the world, “I am not afraid to be bold and audacious. I’m not afraid of being told no. I will bounce back more empowered than ever!” And when we do get what we ask for, rejoice and celebrate and know that we deserve it!

What do you need to ask for?

Filed Under: Empowerment, Personal Power

Finding Your True Purpose in Life

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From the time you were a little girl or boy you were probably given the message that you are supposed to get a good job (or go to college and then get a good job in your chosen field), get married, and raise a family once you “grow up”. Whether you liked it or not, your life was essentially planned out for you by your parents, other well-meaning adults and society in general.

Don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with either of those paths in life. But if you are like many adults, especially those who followed a very traditional path in life, you may be wondering if that is all there is. In fact, after a few years (or decades) in a “good job” or career, or perhaps as a homemaker, you may feel that you’re not really living your true purpose in life. That something is missing deep down – a void or longing that is not being filled. Basically, that gnawing feeling that there is something more…and you weren’t invited to the party.

So how do you find your true purpose in life? Well, for starters, you must realize that absolutely no one else on the planet can tell you what your purpose is. It must come from deep within you. That being said, others may have already given you clues. For example, everyone has certain talents and abilities which are always in line with one’s true purpose. Now this doesn’t mean that just because you have a talent for music your life purpose is to be a musician. Usually, it goes a bit deeper than that.

Your true purpose in life isn’t necessarily something specific. It may be something more general which allows you to choose the direction which feels most right to you. Perhaps you are an eloquent communicator. Your true purpose could be that of being a motivational speaker, a writer, a politician or the CEO of a company.

Your true purpose will always be something which brings you a deep, profound sense of joy. You will always bring the most enthusiasm and dedication to something which gives you joy. If you are hesitant, reluctant, or feel an obligation, you are not aligned with your true purpose.

One of the best ways to find your true purpose is to spend some time journaling. You don’t have to write well, but putting your thoughts on paper can be very enlightening as well as empowering. Allow yourself to start writing freely….just let the words flow. And as you write, keep in mind these two questions:

  • What are my greatest talents and gifts?
  • What truly makes my heart sing; i.e., what gives me the greatest joy?

Then come back to the Power Blog and let us know you true purpose.

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How to Use Your Personal Power to Answer; Why Me?

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Ever asked yourself this question, “Why me?” or “Why do these things always happen to me?” I’m sure we all have at some point in our lives. I have discovered that the better question should be “Why not me?” The truth is that life is sometimes simply not fair. We do not always get the things that we have worked so hard for such as promotions, recognition, the house we have dreamed about or even the person that we desire. Yes, sometimes we get the short end of the proverbial “stick.” It is so easy to fall into a self pity disposition and become angry, disillusioned and discouraged. It is difficult to stay encouraged and optimistic when we feel as though we’re always defeated and counted out.

I encourage you to see your disappointments as an opportunity to try it again and/or do it differently. It is a chance to reinvent, reshape and regroup and come back stronger and better. It may also be a time to pause and listen to that inner voice that may be trying to tell you that this person, place or thing is not for you now, maybe never. Everything happens for a reason. Have you ever misplaced your keys just as you were about to leave the house? You search and search for them and all the while you’re becoming more annoyed and frantic because you’re going to be late to your destination. Then it happens! You see them sitting in the very place you left them. You grab them mumbling about your day not starting off right and how these things only happen to you. Have you ever stopped to consider that there was a reason that your keys temporarily were not accessible to you? Perhaps had you located your keys sooner and left the house, you may have been involved in a fender bender down the road.

That is only one possibility or scenario. The point is, instead of seeing the negative, use your personal power to turn it around and see what good has come from it. There’s always a lesson in delays and disappointments. Make them a victory and be inspired. Don’t miss the lesson!

Remember, there is good inside of everything that appears bad. Sometimes you have to look long and hard to find it. I would love to hear your lessons learned and success stories.

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