Everyone wants long term success. But it is elusive for most.

Long term success is dependent on knowing where you are now and where you are headed. Then closing the gap. Frequently. Continuously.  Whether it’s your business, your career or your life at home., it’s easy to get off track, lose touch or get buried under. Without a true sense of where you are in the moment, it is impossible to realize your dreams or be a leader in your field.

Re-calibrate your profound knowledge

The only way we can take 100% responsibility for sustaining our success is to keep re-calibrating-in every aspect of our lives and organizations.

Key to successful recalibration is to acquire what my dear departed mentor, Dr. W. Edwards Deming, coined as Profound Knowledge. This umbrella phrase emphasizes understanding change and how to measure it, being aware of emerging trends and shifts, and learning how to apply this knowledge to leading and sustaining long term success.

Bottom line: If we don’t acquire Profound Knowledge we cannot know how to prepare for and leverage coming change, thus how to sustain our success long term.

Understanding change means understanding shifts in our personal world as well as tracking trends that capsize us, overtake us, or cause us to flounder.

Learning the Hard Way

Unfortunately one of my Gen X male clients learned this the hard way. A rising star in his field and recently married, he was planning far a great future for his kids, tons of time for fun and all the trappings of success. As if out of the blue, the rug got pulled out from under him. His “Happy Homemaker” wife fled, saying I’m out of here!

Somewhere along the way there was a breakdown or perhaps many small fissures below the surface. Had they been recalibrating an checking in with each other, communicating the truth of what was so for each of them…perhaps they could have saved their marriage…or at least ended it with love, grace, and forgiveness.

Even in the most secure relationships, unexpected change happens to ruffle our plans. A recently returned to work mother of teenage kids reported that her new career is now going gangbusters and she no longer worries about the empty-nest . But, the new ripple in her life is that her once very successful husband, in his late 40’s, now faces an unknown future. Surprised by the shifts in his industry, “suddenly” he and his business partner are facing the probability of closing their doors. What once appeared to be the sure path to their dreams, is no crumbling beneath them.

Change is inevitable. If you can learn what Profound Knowledge is and apply it you can avoid these same pitfalls and NOT LEARN THE HARD WAY!

What steps are you going to take to future cast your long term success?

For those going through life stage shifts, particularly at midlife and beyond, these greater societal shifts and story conflicts run parallel to the transitions and upheaval in our personal and professional lives. The chaos and uncertainty is coming from all sides, and it’s tempting to hang on for dear life to anything stable and certain we can find, even if doing so means remaining in an unfulfilling career or toxic work environment, such as what former BBC presenter, Miriam O’Reilly (53) experienced. O’Reilly was one of four female presenters, all in their forties or fifties, who were dropped from the 23-year-old show. Not only did she leave…she filed an age-discrimination and victimization suit and won. 

These are the times when we have more opportunities, not fewer, to transform our work, our world, and ourselves. 

A fast-moving wave of a diverse cross-section of us is leaving behind the hallowed halls of large corporations, institutions, and organizations. No matter how you leave one chapter to the next, the no-exit terror of those no-return revolving doors as you make your way out are anxiety-producing, even frightening, especially in chaotic times. We are in the midst of a page-turner. We are witnessing, and are morphing into, lean and mean new start-ups. Clearly our feminine entrepreneurial spirit is rising. 

Read More in my Amazon Best Seller Gray is the New Green.

“A definitive book. At a defining moment.” 

~ Elsie Maio, Founder of Humanity, Inc/The SoulBranding^SM Institute

I often wonder…how would I bring up my grandkids today? Certainly differently than their parents when they were growing up in the 1970s and 80s. I parented them with optimism because the future showed so much promise and possibility. Only later on did I come to realize that I did my kids a disservice by not preparing them for the derailing truth that we citizens can’t always trust what our elected representatives say, much less those we trust the most.

As (grand)parents, we want to protect our kids’ innocence and teach newer generations to emulate leaders and ideal citizens…those who know what’s real and what’s not, who will stand up for what’s “right” and just, freedom, equality and opportunity for all – the basic tenets of the American way…

I clearly remember the day my son told me “I’ve seen the Wizard (of Oz)!” I knew instantly that his innocence was gone. Even as he brings up his young family now, he too carries the torch of hope and possibility for them but knows not to trust wizards.

And so it goes, we keep keepin’ on. Until one day when the Wizard is thrown out of the magical castle for being a fraud! It’s time we cleaned out all of our castles and towers. Don’t you agree?

A few weeks ago New York Senate’s Dean Skelos and his son were arrested on corruption charges.

In another notable failure of integrity and leadership, look to J. Dennis Hastert, the former elected official who, for eight years, held the title of Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (third in line to the presidency, I might add). This current Washington Lobbyist was said to be an upstanding role model, yet has just been indicted by federal prosecutors on charges that he violated banking laws (and lied to authorities) in order to pay $3.5 million to an unnamed person to cover up “past misconduct.” Though innocent until proven guilty, reports suggest this was hush money paid to a man Mr. Hastert is alleged to have sexually abused decades ago.

Then there’s the unraveling FIFA disaster and the final shoe dropping with FIFA president Sepp Blatter resigning as its head after a 17-year career. That career has ended in infamy due to a U.S. Justice Department corruption investigation for wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering.

The congressional castle is truly turning my stomach these days. It’s past time to vote out all the self-serving wizards choosing hatred and power abuses above actual leadership and democratic representation.

In late December, before heading into surgery, I heard the tiny news snippet that twisted up my insides: how at the 11^th hour the Arizona senators had slipped a mickey in our holiday drinks so those in congress and the country wouldn’t even notice their trickery.

Arizona has the second-largest Native American population in the U.S. with 22 sovereign Native American communities inhabiting nearly a quarter of the state’s land. As the longest currently serving member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Arizona Senator John McCain is said (on his own website) to have “tirelessly supported the bedrock principles of tribal sovereignty and Indian self-governance and self-determination.”

If I took those words at face value, I would automatically believe that this elected politician was an admirable American role model. A leader enabling the “American Dream.” A hero rectifying the wrongs done to a people who were the country’s original citizens who taught the “founding immigrants” how to survive and thrive on this land before being systematically undermined and devalued by those very same newcomers they had welcomed.

But actions speak louder than words.

As it turns out, Mr. McCain is one of several politicians whose behaviors have included sneaky actions that continue stripping Native Americans of sacred lands, areas of our planet they have sustained for centuries with reverence and care. Lydia Millet shares the latest abomination in her NY Times opinion article, “Selling Off Apache Holy Land.”

In December 2014, Congress promised to hand the title for land in Arizona to a private, Australian-British mining concern owned by the company Rio Tinto, who has coveted the area for the high-value ores beneath the land. “A fine-print rider trading away the Indian holy land was added at the last minute to the must-pass military spending bill, the National Defense Authorization Act. By doing this, Congress has handed over a sacred Native American site to a foreign-owned company for what may be the first time in our nation’s history.” Who slipped the giveaway language into the bill? Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona. At the 11th hour.

Millet further suggests “It’s worth noting that Rio Tinto affiliates have been McCain campaign contributors, and that Mr. Flake, before he made it to Congress, was a paid lobbyist for Rio Tinto Rössing Uranium” (a huge uranium mine in Namibia of which, according to The Huffington Post, Tehran owns a 15 percent stake). And, apparently, Rio Tinto “has been called out in the past for environmental devastation.” Taking local citizens’ lands and livelihood to personally benefit from a foreign-owned company with ties to Iran? Degrading the environment, which has unhealthy repercussions for us all?

I’m outraged, horrified, and ashamed. Who are these elected representatives representing?

One last word on words… Corrupt political-speak isn’t the only way in which falsehoods are propagated. In my work transforming how we approach aging, I often address the language we use to describe being and growing older (e.g.: past blog posts Language Matters, Deactivate Office Ageism, and Words are Power). It’s important that our actions match our words. Just as essential is knowing that what we say and how we say it matters.

I’m stymied about what to do to reverse the rider other than venting and spreading the word. Do you have any ideas on how we can make this happen?

We know it’s not all bad news…what examples of integrity (and situations in which carefully chosen words were followed by matching actions) have you recently witnessed or been a part of?

You will have the opportunity to examine the hottest topic on the minds of leading CSAs and newbies alike.

Join me to kick-start a unique conversation on how to turn what keeps CSAs like you up at night into assets for the Longevity Economy.

Insights gained will become the foundation for developing and implementing effective, innovative – yes, even visionary, new approaches.

Leading GeroFuturist best-selling author, firecracker speaker, game changer, and thought leader on the Longevity Economy, 40+ market, the business of aging, and ageless aging. A world-class trusted advisor, Master Certified Coach and expert authority, Karen boldly advocates for the new story of our age.  Karen guides go-getter entrepreneurs, trailblazers, and visionary leaders to their niche in the global business of aging while evolving their role in response to this new narrative. Karen is an in-demand speaker known for dynamic presentations and a remarkable gift for captivating any audience!

Contact Information: http://www.karensands.com/ | 203-266-1100 | Karen@KarenSands.com| https://www.linkedin.com/in/karensands/

Books:http://www.karensands.com/store/
The Ageless Way
The Ageless Way – A Companion Journal/Workbook
The Greatness Challenge
Gray is the New Green
Visionaries Have Wrinkles
Visionaries Have Wrinkles Reflections Journal
Visionaries Have Wrinkles Reflections Card Deck
Ageless Reinvention (Releasing 2018-2019)
Mastering Reinvention for Midlife & Beyond – (Re-releasing 2018-2019)

In a blog post once by Seth Godwin, he makes an excellent point about why we sometimes don’t get very far in our endeavors, even when we are taking action every day. Often out of fear, our actions are either too small, too easy, to get us anywhere, or, out of our impatience, they are too big and doomed to fail. The secret, he contends, is to set difficult, but achievable goals.

This is an excellent point that we should all take to heart, but I’d like to take it a step further. Even difficult achievable goals won’t take us where we want to go, if we don’t have a clear idea of where we’re going in the first place. Without a big picture view, a vision, that ties together every action we take, we could end up at the wrong destination, the place where achievement and success ring hollow because we still feel unfulfilled. Worse, perhaps, is that our steps could lead us in many different directions, without reaching any destination, feeling scattered and overwhelmed, thinking, I’m working so hard. Why

aren’t I getting anywhere?

One of the first steps you need to take is to redefine what success means to you. (I talk about this in more depth in my post “Sustainable Success.”) Without a clear idea of how you personally define success—not how you used to define it, and certainly not how others define it—you won’t be able to map out the steps to get there, and you won’t be able to measure your progress along the way.

But even more important is a step many people leave out, even those with a big picture view, a vision, and difficult but achievable goals to get them there. It’s incredibly critical to periodically stop and reassess. Ask yourself these reflective questions with ruthless honestly. Are the actions you’re taking still moving you toward your vision, or have you veered off course? What have you learned along the way? Do you need to fine-tune your plan or even your vision? What creative insights can you gain from your mistakes or from results that didn’t turn out the way you thought they would, or even expected results that didn’t feel the way you thought they would?

This is a crucial step, but it’s also a fine line to walk. It’s easy to turn reassessment into second guessing, not based on continuous improvement, but based on insecurity and fear. You need to be brutally honest with yourself about your reasons for wanting to make changes to your game plan, as well as your reasons for not wanting to change. It helps to feed your intuition with facts, so that they work in partnership. Continuous improvement requires continuous lifelong learning, about who you are, what gifts you bring to the table, what knowledge and skills you need to acquire, and what the world around you needs and how your actions and vision intersect with those needs.

Staying in tune with the flow of everything around you, and adapting constantly to that flow, is the difference between having a vision and being a visionary.

What big picture view ties together all your actions? Do you have periodic reassessment built into your game plan?

Amazon #1 Best Seller Author of 11 books including The Ageless Way, Gray is the New Green, Visionaries Have Wrinkles, The Greatness Challenge and more.

However, from the vibrating heart of our dissipating structures comes the promise of our true greatness: a greatness of awareness and action that will change the world. From the midst of the evolving Great Transition, we leave the Great Recession and the uplifting Obama era behind us as we enter an unknown, unchartered new cycle of populism and extreme radicalism ripping our valued democratic tenets to shreds and putting each of us on the line.  This Great Shift demands that we each unlock our potential for greatness which lives in each of us, and we are being called to make a difference. That is the premise of The Greatness Challenge, in which I offer a template for embracing and embodying our unique Signature Greatness DNA^SM to unleash our personal and collective greatness.

The Greatness Challenge is a manifesto for the growing wave of us who want to add value in all we do and who are being called to personal and collective evolution—from dentists to doctors, executives to engineers, artists to teachers and visionary leaders and futurists who are looking to redesign their lives so that every moment counts . . . for those of you who seek work that not only fills your bank accounts but your “values” bank as you yearn to do well doing good . . . for leaders who seek a pathway to visionary leadership, so the impact you have is of the greatest benefit for all.

To be one of the first to hear about The Greatness Challenge when it releases join us in the Secret Facebook Group here.

My holiday miracles started arriving early this year.

It all started with my daughter. She emailed me during a private invite-only conference that she was attending as an invited corporate top executive. In her email, she shared how she felt that I belonged with the women she was with and wished I was there with her too.

My daughter, always in total sync with me, was reaching out to me in response to my obvious angst around current political shifts to the alt right, which are moving America far away from all the civil rights and equal privileges granted to women, and others like me, who fought and sacrificed so much to attain freedom for all women and girls.

I had long been searching to find my “lost” tribe of women and enlightened men, who are making a positive difference around the globe…most especially right here at home.

When my daughter reached out to me, I had just been meditating and praying, not only requesting to find my “lost” tribe, but also asking for the “right” and “perfect” ambassadors to show up to move my newest book, The Ageless Way, to the many versus the few.  I knew that once in the “right” and “perfect” circle of women, both I and my newest book, will be in the right and perfect hands.  I trust the rest will unfold organically.

The timing was fortuitous. The next day a private invite arrived in my inbox. It took me by surprise. More importantly, the timing was clearly Divine Intervention.

My body started shaking, moving me up to a higher energetic octave as I read the private invitation to a Talking Circle with Gloria Steinem and the women of Makers. No better time than now for women to come together in a women’s circle to release what was, and to open up to what presents itself. It never fails that we gain far greater clarity and wisdom when we sit in solidarity with other feminists in a Talking Circle. Once again, we gathered together to write a new chapter of our women’s “Herstory.”

Gloria Steinem is the one woman always at the top of my list of visionary leaders of our time. Gloria and “Ms.” magazine were game changers for me. Reading the preview issue of Ms. Magazine changed the trajectory of my life and my work. My kids and I paid a high price for my standing up for my freedom as a woman to choose to re-story my life as a single entrepreneurial mom and advocate-activist educator elevating the stories of women’s journey to equal rights. On my own, I never would have become a career counselor & coach for executives & entrepreneurs, as well as an entrepreneurial success story myself. At that time, women were just starting to enter graduate school and venture into male-dominated fields. Most certainly, I would never have ventured into corporate America to become the trailblazing female corporate bottom-line change agent and intrapreneur I became, if not for the support of the women’s Talking Circles of the early 1970s, (aka, Consciousness Raising Groups.)  (Ah that’s where “uppity women” started. It’s back in our U.S. lexicon again today. I much prefer “Bold Women!”)

Now coming full circle after 40+ yrs., my daughter is bringing me back to embrace and celebrate our journey together as women past, present and future.  I’ve long known deep-in-my-bones that this new book had to find its way to Gloria and to the multitude of women who are asking what is the future of women, and who am I if I’m no longer young. But I had no clue when our paths would intersect again. And if we did meet again, what might happen.

I arrived a little early to the corner building across from the Chelsea Peers on the far Westside of Manhattan. I stopped short of going up the steps of the rudimentary entry way. The small window of the large, heavy front door reminded me of SpeakEasys in prohibition gangster movies. I had trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that I was about to enter the former Bayview Correctional Facility, the last women’s prison in New York City.

I was shown the way to the event. I found a chair right up in the first row of the circle. Thankfully, I took a breath as I stood to scan the room. Videos were ready to roll on either end of the room. What would have made me faint had I not taken a deep breath beforehand, was the impact of Annie Leibovitz’s exhibit: WOMEN: New Portraits, which encircled the entire room. Long before start time, I was already being “forced” to open up to whatever showed up for me, and for every one of us together for those three hours in that unique never-to-be-replicated time and space.

The energy in the room was so alive with people (predominantly women) of every diversity across the spectrum. We all knew we were there for something sacred that happens when women come into a Talking Circle. This circle as with all women’s circles, celebrates women’s stories.

Being together in a Talking Circle surrounded by this level of feminine energy, both inspired and framed by Ms. Leibowitz’s images surrounding us, created a hearth for sharing our stories…in what was once the women’s correctional facility’s indoor basketball court…now being transformed before my eyes into a Talking Circle in the soon-to-be “The Women’s Building”…a building solely benefiting women and girls of New York City.

As if not opened up enough already, to set the mood we were shown a trailer of Nashira, a video story of the matriarchal community formed out of the tragedy of the long horrific war between the government forces and the rebel group, FARC in Columbia. (Makers.com)

Now we were ready to get down to what matters, our own storytelling.

We were introduced to two powerful older women of color who survived long sentences inside women’s correctional facilities. Both Donna Hylton and Cheryl Wilkins have turned their lives around through higher education and community building. Ms. Wilkins had received her graduate degree in urban affairs behind bars, and both women are now dedicated to lowering the recidivism rate by advocating for other women in and outside the prison system, encouraging education and skills training under the auspices of their Women and Justice Project.  Through storytelling, these women conveyed the truth about women, justice and the abuse that continues for incarcerated women.

I can’t stop thinking about the mind-boggling incarceration stats shared about women of color and the heart-wrenching separation of mothers and children. These percentages and the incarceration stories revealed have left a deep mark on my psyche!

Without a doubt incarceration of women and mothers is a Feminist issue!

I was witnessing something so moving. I cannot find words for all the pain and anguish I felt in my body, and the deep sorrow in my heart and Soul for these women, and for all those who remain or will be placed behind bars. I apologize for what women behind bars suffered and endured and are experiencing as I write. My respect and gratitude goes out to these two women for the sacrifices made to serve other women in this way.

Then the energy in the space lifted even higher…perfectly timed—when Judaline Cassidy, the first woman of color in the NYC plumbers trade union shared her victorious story of making change happen in a male-dominated trade.  We all were inspired to keep on keepin’ on. Now, this same woman is leading the renovation/transformation effort to birth “The Woman’s Building” out of the rubble of the former women’s correctional facility.

Then came Gloria’s turn. Always fully present with unmistakable prescience, she spoke about our times and our future roles as women, about justice and human rights across genders, and equality for all.  Gloria also shared that for the last forty years she had been envisioning a Women’s Center in NYC to replicate the one created in San Francisco decades ago. A foundation was formed to find a suitable location, but it was disbanded when no appropriate property became available. Now her dream of creating a building dedicated to women in the heart of NYC is being fulfilled.

For me, and I’d bet for most of us in the circle, what transpired was awe-inspiring. Women stood to tell their stories, while others asked questions or added their insights. And some offered their services, like the retired firewoman who offered her help to knock down the walls of the old facility. Women from all walks of life and demographics were making story together in a joyful consecration of the new landmark building.

So typical of Gloria, as women rose to thank her for her courageous efforts to lift women and girls and to open doors for so many of us, she responded, “You are the DOERS, I only talk about it.” This is why she is a beloved woman’s woman.

There was so much more emerging all through the evening till the way too soon 3hour ending mark. By then I was so moved that I was buzzing. I was totally present from head to toe even as I moved in and out of being a witness to and a participant in this Talking Circle.

I glimpsed Gloria moving out of the closing circle and found myself like a drone honing in on her coordinates. It was my turn to gift my life’s work to Gloria in return for all she has been for me and for all women and girls. We connected with our eyes and a knowing that we’ve shared the bigger story of being a woman, and being Clio Feminists.

Before I got more than a few words out of my mouth, Gloria saw the book’s front cover as I reached it out to her. I can remember Gloria’s words oh so clearly: “Now this is a book I want to read!” as she pulled The Ageless Way to her chest embracing it as we spoke. We spoke words, but it was our Crone eyes that connected and in moments traversed the decades and the eons of women’s Talking Circles and storytelling that brought us together over the many years since we were ingénue activists and story gatherers. We hugged with deep respect and gratitude to be on this journey together, again, at this time.

Whatever happens now with my involvement in this new Makers community of movers and shakers, and with my new book, is now out of my hands. One of my abiding principles is to “Trust the Process.” I’ll keep you posted on what shows up.

What is even of greater import is that I have found my home base with Makers for my efforts on behalf of women, Mother Earth, and for all of us marginalized or under threat of repressive silencing.

By the time we got home it was midnight. I was still “high” by 2 am. It took a lot for me to get to sleep. Now a week later, I am still deeply moved and more committed than ever to our American democracy and to the evolution of progress.

Thank you for all of you who requested I share my story of Gloria, me and The Ageless Way. As you can tell, I’ve been processing a myriad of my takeaway bytes, feeling a bit too much in “aha” overwhelm to enter into the retelling of this sisterhood story until now.

I’ll close with my most profound realization: I have been gifted freedom of a whole ‘nother kind by my adult daughter bringing me full circle to meet with the #1 Maker of them all…the visionary woman whose courage, tenacity and unbound authentic presence gifted me the power to claim my own freedom long ago when my daughter was a little girl. My daughter’s and my personal story is one of sacrifice, deep Soulful redemption, joyful reunion and abiding love. A perfect holiday story for my daughter to be the messenger bringing Gloria and me together as older women still illuminating the way for other feminists to follow!  Clearly a gift from the Universe!

Along the way, Gloria and I have both been compelled to continue on our Ageless Way advocating for women and girls…and all those marginalized or left behind in the shadows…as well as our precious Mother Earth, the Mater of all.

To my great joy and appreciation, after the event, a dear colleague-friend from across the country sent me two of Gloria’s  quotes that arrived in her inbox that morning. She wrote me that she was amazed it had arrived just after I shared my photo op of Gloria with me and The Ageless Way. To my delight, my colleague wrote that she immediately knew these quotes were meant for me!  Amazingly, I had never seen these quotes before. Combined, both quotes are a perfect closure for what’s to come, for our current and future role as the Visionaries with Wrinkles we’ve been waiting for to lead the way forward.

What story do you want to rewrite?

It’s together that we learn, we collaborate and grow. Please share your rewrite with me.