Monday, April 23, 2012

Great Job Opportunity? Don't Let Fear and Self-Doubt Stop You from Applying




'People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.'   Eleanor Roosevelt


Why Waste Your Time?

Sure, you'd like that job. But you viewed the job posting and you're sure there's an insider who's already a shoo-in. Why waste your time targeting your resume and cover letter when you won't get an interview? Don't. Send a speed application instead. Here's a look at what speed applications are and why you should send one when you believe it's not worth the effort.


'Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.'  Ambrose Redmoon

Speed Applications

A speed application is a process that takes less than an hour to complete. You shut off your I-won't-get-an-interview thinking and apply. Use your good-to-go resume or LinkedIn profile, and take a couple of attention-grabbing phrases from the job posting that best describe you for your cover letter and submit it.

Why bother sending an application when you know it won't do any good? Isn't it a waste of time? No. Think of it as an investment in your self-confidence and ability to take action despite perceived obstacles.

When you apply when you really believe it’s a waste of time:

·         You step over belief barriers. You may be right or wrong about your chances of getting an interview. But recognize your failure to apply for the job is due to your beliefs, not facts. When you apply anyway, you step past your belief barriers to let the truth emerge.

·         You stay in an action mode. If the worst that can happen is you don't get the job, submit a speed application. The more you experience yourself stepping over belief barriers and taking action, the more confidence you'll develop in your abilities.

Practice submitting one speed application a week



'To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream. Not only plan but also believe.'  Anatole France



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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Open Your Heart to Your Blessings--Louie Schwartzberg on Gratitude


Moving Art by Louie Schwartzberg

My friends send me the best stuff. And like today's TED talk by Louie Schwarzberg on Gratitude, I am compelled to share these gifts with you. Thank you to Molly Erwin for passing this on.

Enjoy your ten minutes of bliss in Gratitude. Share it with others.

Open Your Heart to Your Blessings

Open Your Eyes

Let the Gratefulness Overflow into Blessings

Click on link to view Gratitude
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=gXDMoiEkyuQ&vq=medium

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For more than 25 years, Susan Meyerott has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes changing easier than ever before. Contact Susan to schedule life change coaching, weekend retreats, or engaging Lightarted experiences to share with friends.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Work for a Blood-Sucking, Self-Centered Boss? Three Tips for Keeping Your Job (if you must)



Now that's what I call a Narcissist! 

Baby mosquito came back after his first time flying. His father asked him "How do you feel?" He replied "It was wonderful! Everyone was clapping for me!" Tahir

Do You Work for a Blood-Sucking, Self-Centered Boss?

Do you work for a self-centered boss with no interest in your advancement? Have you been quieted with icy stares when attempting to offer suggestions? You may be working for a narcissist. While putting a name to what you're experiencing with your boss won't make it easier to deal with him, it can help you decide if you want to keep working together. Take this quiz to find out.


Is Your Boss a Narcissist?
  • Does your boss need constant attention and admiration? 
  • Does s/he show a disregard for the feelings of others? 
  • Is it risky to challenge or correct your boss? 
  • Does s/he react to criticism with rage, shame, or humiliation?

If your answer is yes to these questions--you're probably dealing with a narcissist--a person with an inflated sense of self-importance and an extreme preoccupation with herself. This boss doesn't care about your success, only about flying around maintaining her own inflated self-image.

If you are a passionate professional who believes in giving 100% to work for the good of the organization it can be devastating working for a narcissist. Narcissists have little ability to feel empathy for others. They don't care about your great ideas that could revolutionize the industry. Their obsessive self-interest keeps them pursuing mainly selfish goals--sometimes contrary to the good of the organization. And that's what's so crazy-making about working with them.

If you desire to shine and make your mark on the world, Kathy Caprino, a national women's career and executive coach says find a better boss to support your aspirations to make the world a better place. Get out if you can.

According to Caprino, "You will not succeed under a narcissist unless you’re great at lying, manipulating, and kissing up, nor will you be able to carve out a satisfying and rewarding professional life if you’re being led by a narcissist."

Click here to view full article on Forbes


What to Do When You Absolutely Must Keep Your Job


Life isn't always fair. Sometimes you desperately need your job, but your blood-sucking boss is a tyrant who makes you feel like you're constantly walking on eggshells. What can you do to stay employed if your boss is a true narcissist—whose self-interest, inflated sense of self-importance and extreme preoccupation with himself leaves you uncertain about how to best get the job done?

When you absolutely must keep your job, follow these three rules for working with a narcissist.

Never outshine the narcissist. You may be the one coming up with great ideas, bringing in clients or completing projects. But the inflated ego of the narcissist demands to be fed at all times. He needs to hear 'everybody clapping for him'. Publically attribute successes to your boss--and always thank him for helping you succeed. Don't even think about taking credit if you must keep your job. Let the boss shine while you remain in the shadows.

Follow their rules. Narcissists believe rules don't apply to them—only to you. Want to keep your job? Do what they say, not what they do. Never point out their failure to live by the rules they set.

Never challenge or disagree with your boss. This isn't about what's fair or easy—it's about keeping your job. If you disagree with your boss, keep it to yourself. A narcissist's ego does not allow for dissention. Challenge this boss's decision and you earn yourself a swift boot out the door. When you absolutely must keep your job--keep your mouth shut, your head down—and stay under the radar.


A Cautionary Tale

'When Snake is alive, Snake eats Ants. When Snake is dead, Ants eat Snake. Time can turn at any time. Don't neglect anyone in your life.' Tahir

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Sunday, April 15, 2012

Comfort Food and Fractal Cauliflower



'Never order food in excess of your body weight.' Erma Bombeck


Fun Fractal Cauliflower--and an Introduction to Delightful Repast

What do you think of that natural 'fractal' cauliflower design? I'm amazed by the geometrically repeating pattern of this cauliflower and love to consume one small section at a time. It makes me feel good to eat it, as I savor each tiny section. You just know this exquisitely designed cruciferous vegetable tastes better.

I love food. Food is fun, comforting and life-enhancing--and that is what Jean at Delightful Repast is all about--life enhancing, beautifully prepared and presented comfort food shared with family and friends. Jean reminds me of my proper, but fun-loving mother, with her interest in history, family, and wholesome foods.

I was properly introduced to Jean and her tasty blog through my Life-Enhancing blog cohort, Grant Soosalu. Jean serves up a bit of history, beautifully presented dishes and weekly recipes made with fresh, wholesome ingredients. I am compelled to try many of the recipes Jean serves up--they look and sound so good--and the dishes have received rave reviews from my husband.

Today I am properly introducing you to Jean and Delightful Repast through one of Grant's posts highlighting Jean. If you like good food, take a look at Food for Thought--Delightful Repast, to learn about Jean's philosophy on food, then check out Delightful Repast for recipes.



'If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold,
 it would be a merrier world.'  J.R.R. Tolkien

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Compassion, Creativity and Courage--The Core Competencies of Our Multiple Brains



One who conquers himself is greater than another who conquers a thousand times a thousand on the battlefield. — Buddha

The Inner Workings of Your Brain

Grant Soosalu is a friend I've never met. He lives in Australia and I in the US--but I knew this was someone I liked the minute I stumbled onto his blog, Life Enhancing. This was someone I wanted to see into the inner workings of his brain. And now he's done me one better. He, along with his good friend and colleague, Marvin Oka, a top NLP trainer, have written a book that lets us see into the inner workings of our own brains!

mBraining--Using Your Multiple Brains to do Cool Stuff provides us with a suite of tools and techniques for communicating with, integrating and harnessing the power of our multiple brains--our head, heart and gut brains.

The 3 C's: Compassion, Creativity and Courage

What drew me to Grant's writing was we shared an interest in the three C's--Compassion, Creativity and Courage. It just so happens that the three C's are the 'highest expression' of the core competencies of our three brains.

"In developing mBit, what we discovered in essence, is that each of your brains has a series of core competencies and that in particular each brain has a competency that is its 'highest expression'. What's more, the three brains, when operating via these competencies, produce synergistic effects and bring greater wisdom to decision making, relationships and life. The highest expressions are Compassion (heart), Creativity (head) and Courage (gut). When all three work together they produce amazing results!"         Grant Soosalu and Marvin Oka

If you have an interest in harnessing the power of your multiple brains to do cool stuff--take a peek at  Using Your Multiple Brains to do Cool Stuff on Amazon. The authors utilize the powerful and practical methodologies of NLP, Cognitive Linguistics and Behavioral Modeling to synthesize a remarkably wide range of research findings into an integrated approach that is practical, potent, and immediate in its results.


Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. — Lao-tzu
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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Nail that Job Interview--Let Anger and Bitterness Go




'If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading. '

Lao Tzu


Want to nail that job interview? Cultivate a happy state of mind.

 Research shows you can train yourself to develop a more optimistic mindset—making it easier to answer interview questions in a positive, self-confident manner. Invest in a journal, and train yourself to develop a more positive mindset to nail your next interview. Choose one of these writing exercises to do daily.

 Exercise #1: Write a positive note to yourself or someone in your support network.

 Believe it. No, this isn't pie-in-the-sky, Pollyanna thinking.  Happiness research shows you perform better under pressure with an optimistic outlook. You can make significant improvements in your outlook in three weeks with daily writing exercises.

 Exercise #2 Write down three things you're grateful for today.

 Let go of anger and bitterness. Sure, if you've lost your job 'getting happy' may sound easier said than done. But hold on to anger and bitterness over 'how-they-done-you-wrong' in the last job and you'll fail to land the next one. Interviewers weed out people stuck in the past. Better to invest in your future by preparing for your next job interview through boosting your happiness quotient.

 Exercise #3 Write a positive note to a former co-worker or boss.

 Prepare by fixating on the positive. You know what you'd really like to say to the interviewer when she asks 'why did you leave your last job' or 'how did you handle conflict with a previous co-worker'. Without preparing ahead your mind fixates on the negative—and there goes the job. Fixate on the positive instead.


So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains, and we never even know we have the key.”  

From the song Already Gone by The Eagles.
Thank you Carol Speller for this quote.



For more on creating a more optimistic mindset see Shawn Achor on Happy Secret to Better Work


 

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For more than 25 years, Susan Meyerott has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes changing easier than ever before. Contact Susan to schedule life change coaching, weekend retreats, or engaging Lightarted experiences to share with friends.


Monday, April 9, 2012

Lose Your Job? Difficulties at Work? Embrace Adversity and Make it Work For You




You're not the first person to lose or hate your job and you won't be the last. As much as we hate to admit it, adversity is a powerful teacher, nudging us on to greatness. Choose to embrace adversity. Check out how some of the greats who've struggled before you have come to terms with adversity.

Be Strong. Friedrich Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." While being unemployed and struggling to find work or struggling to stay in a deadend job  is uncomfortable, you can find your strength and purpose through the process. Walt Disney wrote, "All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."

Break Records. Writer William Arthur Ward wrote: "Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records." Steve Jobs was spurred on to achieve more after being fired from Apple. Don't let your situation break you; let it spur you on to greatness.

Reveal Your Talents. Horace said: "Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant." Look past your self-doubt and self-consciousness to discover your talents. Let the discomfort motivate you to dig deep to unleash your hidden talents. "Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it." Horace

Become a Better You. "Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with," wrote Thomas Carlyle. You are a jewel being polished by your struggles. Accept this truth and you'll become the gem that shines.

Courage means to Take Heart

Do you know the origins of the word 'Courage'? First known use of the word was in the 14th century. The word courage   has been traced  back to  corage (Middle English;, curage, quer, and coer  meaning  heart (Anglo-French); and cor (Latin) meaning  more at heart.
Synonyms for Courage: great heartedness, guts, gutsiness, hardihood, heart, heroism, intestinal fortitude,  moxie, nerve, prowess, stoutness, valor, virtue

Take Heart in Your Struggles

Find Great Heartedness within Yourself

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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Keep Your Cool Under Pressure



Cool As A Cucumber Strategy

Are projects and deadlines piling up at work and tempers flaring? Want to be the cool voice of reason even when others are in full-frenzy mode? Learn how to keep your cool under pressure using this cool as a cucumber strategy when things get hot.

·       Expect crises. One thing you can always count on at work—another crisis is just around the bend. It's easier to be calm, clear and focused in crises when you learn to expect them as a natural part of working. Once you accept crises as business-as-usual, you can have a plan in hand to help you handle the stress-filled times calmly. 

·         Practice the pause. Train yourself to pause when you start to feel overwhelmed. Take a couple of deep breaths and relax. You have two nervous systems you can kick into gear—one for stressing and one for relaxing. The good news is you can't be stressed and relaxed at the same time. Those conscious deep breaths serve to switch you onto the relaxed track.

·         Act, don't react. There is a moment between when something happens (crisis) and when you respond. It is in that moment you have the choice to act consciously or react unconsciously. When you pause to catch your breath, you allow yourself to choose a calm, conscious course of action. Always give yourself time to think calmly and set priorities under pressure.

·         Stay well-nourished. Get in the habit of eating a good breakfast with protein daily. When it's crunch time, you'll perform better.


Choose to bring your best!


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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Leave Your Safe Harbor to Pursue Your Dreams


What are your dreams and aspirations? What's stopping you from following them? Like the rest of us, you're faced with discovering the best way to get the most out of life. Playing it safe will only lead you to a disappointing existence. Start chasing your dreams. Learn three reasons why knowing what matters to you is the key to having the courage to pursue your dreams.

Move out of your safety zone. William Shedd said, "A ship is safe in a harbor, but that's not what ships are for." Like a ship you, too, must move out of your safe place to achieve a satisfying and happy life and be who you're meant to be. This requires you to risk being hurt, wrong, scared, disappointed, rejected, and ridiculed.

When it really matters, it's no risk at all. Putting yourself out there and going after what you want is a risk. The courage to risk comes from discovering what matters to you.

Start by defining what you want out of life at this moment so you can better guide your choices and daily actions. What you care about matters--it is the wind in your sails propelling you forward into a satisfying life adventure.

Discover what matters to you so you can:


·         Concentrate your limited time and energy on those things that count.

·         Plan your life so you feel more control over the things that matter to you.

·         Create a sense of urgency for the things that are most important to you.


"Concentrate on things that count so you
feel more control over what matters to you today."



A ship is safe in a habor, but that's not what ships are for.

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Monday, March 26, 2012

Looking for Work? Discover What Makes You Come Alive and Go Do It!


“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”  Howard Thurman 
  
What Makes You Come Alive?
  • What puts a twinkle in your eye?
  • What gets your blood boiling?
  • What makes your heart race?
  • What's something you'd really like to sink your teeth into?
  • What captures your mind's eye?

Coming Alive--Again

I had the most interesting dream last night. In the dream I allowed myself to be killed over and over again to show people I came alive again. It wasn't a morbid dream. It was more reflective of my experience of being deadened by life experiences only to come alive again and triumph.

Sometimes I Feel Like a Quivering Bowl of Jello

Sure, this economy can sometimes make you feel like a quivering bowl of jello--stuck in indecisiveness and failing to act because you don't know what the right step is that will work out for you.

But here's the thing--within you is a desire to serve the world using your unique skills and talents. But what are they and how do you access them when you feel deadened by your current circumstances?

What's My Calling?

I was catching up with a friend the other day who just returned from spending two months caring for her aging parents. As we were catching up on life she said, "I don't know what my purpose is right now. I don't know what I am supposed to be doing or what my calling is. I know it isn't care-giving."

When you're in the midst of dealing with major life issues--like caring for aging parents, being laid off, or graduating from college into a poor job market--it creates an emotional cloud around your thinking. Trying to make logical, rational or heart-felt decisions about your purpose or life calling can feel like you're asking the black 8-ball a question and getting 'reply hazy, try again'.

Have Faith in Your Inner Wisdom

When your senses are numbed have faith in your inner wisdom to shines a light on the path that makes you come alive--then act as if--and take a step. This is a variation on 'trust, but verify'. In this instance you trust your inner self to know your path--but you test the truth of that wisdom by taking action. You'll know soon enough if you want to continue down this path or choose another direction.

An enterprising young man was laid off and searching for a new career path that allowed him to contribute to society. He called to ask what I thought about him training to become an EMT. Although he loved the idea of being able to serve people, he wasn't sure he was cut out to deal with trauma.

I could tell this direction held excitement for him despite his fear. "Go ahead, step into the training and see how it feels", I said. "You'll know if its right for you as you experience each step. You are good in a crisis and the training would not be wasted. Who knows? Perhaps EMT training combined with your other experiences will lead you to create something completely new."

Life is an Experiment

All of life is an experiment. You start with a hypothesis--or idea of the truth about what makes you come alive--and you actively test your theory through taking practical steps to see if you indeed come alive by taking that path.

Don't let your life experience keep you down. Choose to triumph over the obstacles that get in the way of you coming alive. You always have another step to take.

"Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable."   H.L. Mencken

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

What Are You Waiting For? Go For it ~ and Come Alive!


 "The gap between your expectations and reality is your suffering. Remove your expectations, and you will appreciate each moment for what it has to offer. Remember, you are all that you need in order to be at peace." Elina St-Onge

What are you waiting for?


You know there is something calling you--something or someone you are curious about and feel drawn to.

Stop making it complicated.


Follow your interests and take a simple step toward the idea, person, job, training, or life that keeps popping into your consciousness. What is it you would do if you knew you couldn't fail?

 Go For It!

Live the life you imagine--and actively step into it. Experiment. Take one step and see how it feels. You'll know where you want to go as you step into life and experience what you imagined.

 Come Alive!

Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman





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For more than 25 years, Susan Meyerott has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes changing easier than ever before. Contact Susan to schedule life change coaching, weekend retreats, or engaging Lightarted experiences to share with friends.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Are You a Quiet Extravert or Outspoken Introvert?



What Energizes You?
💓  Do you prefer to work alone or with other people?
💙  What do you do when you need to re-energize after a long day?
💚  Do you prefer to think before you speak or do you prefer to just jump in and figure things out as you go?
💛  When you begin a new project, do you prefer to check in with other people to find out what they think or do you prefer to delve into your own research to determine what you think?
💜  When you want to relax do you prefer to interact with the world outside you or do you prefer to escape into your inner world?


Extraverts and Introverts are not defined by ability to talk or be quiet

Hi, my name is Susan and I'm an extravert. While some may describe extraversion as an addiction to talking or an inability to shut up this just isn't the case any more than introversion is an inability to speak up. There are quiet extraverts and outspoken introverts. And we all need quiet and solitude in our day to be effective.


Extraversion and introversion are better understood as the way we prefer to pay attention to and explore our lives, and therefore what tends to energize us.



If you're an extravert you prefer to scan and interact with the world outside yourself; if you're an introvert you prefer to scan and interact with the world inside your head.

💓  Extraverts' interests whose attention turns to the outer world have broad, expansive interests. 
💓  Introverts' interests whose attention turns inward have narrower, deeper interests.

Are You an Innie or an Outie? 


Which world holds your attention more--the inner world or the outer world around you? While we all must live in both worlds to balance our lives, we spend more time in the world we prefer.

💓 Outies Extraverts are energized and stimulated by interacting with the people and things in the world around them and tend to spend more time here.
💓 Innies Introverts are energized and stimulated by interacting with ideas and thoughts inside their head and tend to spend more time there.





If you are an innie, or introvert, you are more private and independent in your approach to solving problems. You hold conversations in your head and may even think you answered that person with the puzzled expression who never got an answer to his question. You tend to hold your own counsel rather than checking in with others.



Innies are interested in understanding the world and less interested in changing it. Once you gain your AHA moment you may feel your job is done.

To do your best work and re-energize yourself:

  • Give yourself time to think before meetings when you're expected to speak up. 
  • Ask ahead of time what questions others need you to answer.
  • Write your thoughts and ideas down.
  • Give yourself quiet time to regroup throughout your day. It's hard work for an innie to be in the outer world all day.




If you are an outie, or extravert, you are more comfortable in the outer world, check in with others more, and appear to be more of an open book to others. Outies are interested in understanding the world so they can change it. Faced with your AHA moment you may feel your job has just started.








To do your best work and re-energize yourself:
  • Find people who like to engage in lively brainstorming sessions that allow you to just jump in and discover what you think.
  • Do something to interact with information to learn—don't read instructions--have someone show you how to do something or just start playing; poll others to discover what they think; draw a picture to visualize an idea.
  • Engage in active undertakings to relax—garden, paint, walk, tinker with the computer, or go hiking.


Hi, my name is Susan and I am an extraverted writer

As you've seen here, extraverts aren't people who talk all the time. We are defined by being energized or stimulated by the outer world.

Extraverts are great at getting things going. We don't wait until we know what we're thinking or where we're going—we just jump into the conversation and start to explore.

As an extraverted writer, I like to toss out my latest interests to others to see what they know or what might come back that furthers my research. And true to my extraverted nature I check in with everyone before I begin to write—and oft times meander into a run-on-sentence experience as written below.

I offer this 'slice of life as viewed through the eyes of an extravert' so you can more readily experience the extravert not as an always talking 'vert' but as an always interacting with the world around us 'vert'—and to show the symbiotic relationship between introverts and extraverts who value each other's gifts.


A Slice of Life viewed through the Eyes of an Extravert

"The other day I opened an email from my introverted sister-in-law who shared a book, 'Wheat Belly', she thought I should look into for my research on ancient grains vs. modern grains. On her recommendation I jumped on to Amazon to view the book where I got waylaid by a mission statement made by the book's publisher Rodale Press, compelling me to contemplate the usefulness of mission statements and start a blog post on the topic. When I returned to review Wheat Belly on Amazon I realized this fabulous reference was sent to me by an introvert in my tribe which led me to start this blog post on the quiet extravert. Flitting back to missions, I decided to check what I wrote on Linkedin for my own mission statement when I saw an article recommended from a colleague that caught my attention--The Inspiration Paradox: Your Best Creative Time Is Not When You Think in Scientific American that I had to read and comment on before I finally returned to Amazon to download Wheat Belly to my Kindle. By now I was so excited by all the great stuff swirling around in my head I had to put it down and take the dog for a walk…..leading me to contemplate that all of this was accomplished over a four hour period of solitude without talking—and all because an introvert started me on my journey."
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For more than 35 years, Susan Meyerott has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes letting go and moving forward with life easier than ever before.


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