Securing Your Legacy: The Importance of Making a Will

August marks the observance of “Make a Will” month, a timely reminder of the significance of estate planning and ensuring that your wishes are carried out after your passing. Creating a will is not just a matter of documenting your assets; it’s an act of love and consideration towards your loved ones. By taking the time to outline your desires, you provide invaluable clarity and guidance during a potentially tumultuous time.

A will serves as a roadmap for distributing your assets, personal belongings, and investments among your beneficiaries. Without a will, state laws could dictate how your estate is divided, which might not align with your true intentions. Writing a will allows you to make choices that reflect your values, ensuring that your family, friends, and causes dear to your heart receive the support you wish to provide.

Furthermore, a will can prevent potential conflicts and disputes among family members. By clearly stating your intentions, you help to minimize misunderstandings and disagreements that may arise after your passing. This can help preserve family relationships and minimize stress during an already emotionally challenging period.

Beyond asset distribution, a will is an opportunity to appoint a guardian for your minor children, should anything happen to you and your spouse. This ensures their well-being and care according to your preferences, providing peace of mind in uncertain time

Contact me to consider taking advantage of the opportunity to have a professional will written for you, along with access to lawyers addressing other crucial legal matters. Subscribing to such a program can alleviate the complexities of navigating legal documentation, ensuring that your wishes are accurately recorded and legally binding.

Remember, a will is a timeless gift you leave behind, an expression of your values and a testament to your care for your loved ones. This “Make a Will” month, take the opportunity to secure your legacy and provide your family with the protection and guidance they deserve. Be sure to contact me and take the first step towards safeguarding your future and the well-being of those you hold dear.

The Effects of Using Negative Language

Are you accomplished, enlightened, learned, sage and wise? Or are you confused, decrepit, incompetent and declining? The language used to describe aging, the way people talk to and about older adults, and the way we talk to and about ourselves matters. If you say ‘I feel old or over-the-hill,’ your mind believes every word you say.  Your mind and body act in a way that matches how you describe yourself. Don’t refer to yourself as ancient or as an antique, even jokingly, because it causes your mind to picture what that is – and your body works to meet the picture. When you feel tired and look tired, don’t say ‘I look old’ which becomes a more permanent state of affairs, say ‘I look tired,’ which is a temporary situation.

Also, watch that language of saying ‘they’ and ‘those,’ and make it about ‘us’ and ‘we.’ “We’re all aging, every day. It is about ‘us.’

And I want everyone to know that we can find things to call ourselves besides ‘Senior Citizens’ to help change and clarify who we really are and what it means. The word “elderly” labels older people as being infirm, frail and dependent. It is most definitely a judgment and labels an entire cohort of people, based on age, in a negative light. It’s not unfair to say that society in general considers all people 65 years and older as “elderly”. In reality, there is a lifetime between a 65-year-old person and a 90-year-old person.

Instead, ‘Older Adult’ is factually descriptive and confers no judgment. ‘Older Americans’ is a good alternative to ‘Senior Citizen’ in this country.

Language is everything and if we know who we are and who we want to be, we can change others perspectives as well.

Why Network Marketing Attracts Seniors

By Dr. Victoria Boyd

Why was Network Marketing (NM) the right choice for me? I had no intention of becoming a My Daily Choice/Hempworx affiliate – I just did what came naturally and authentically. After using it I talked about my experience and positive results from the CBD product. I had an inflammation problem and it solved it. And if you know anything about marketing, one of the most effective strategies is word of mouth recommendations – a testimonial of sorts. From there it snowballed into buying products for my friends and family, and me recognizing that this might be a good opportunity. But – that is not really what got me on board.

My passion was training or teaching others, to serve and help them get to another level. My initial thought was I wanted to help others relieve pain as it had done for me. Then I read a Forbes article* that spoke to me. It summed up perfectly why the NM industry and in particular why Hempworx had been like a magnet attracting me and ultimately a perfect fit. The article made me aware of needs I didn’t even know I had. Maybe you are in the same situation.

Let’s Talk Retirement: Taking financial considerations out of the retirement equation there are several additional gaps we as retirees experience which include feeling unfulfilled, bored or irrelevant. I didn’t know it at the time but NM filled those gaps for me. It not only fostered a positive attitude and atmosphere, but also a lot of structure and activity. My company offers weekly calls, tons of interaction, and an annual conference. All of which gets me and other members out of the house, building knowledge and developing new skills, while offering me the opportunity to meet new people and deepen existing connections.

The Forbes article also pointed out how many retirees former life revolved around their work relationships and when that is gone they are often left lost and struggling to make the transition. Specifically, they struggle to jump start their health goals, to connect with new people, to learn new things, yet yearn to be a part of a community. As quoted from the article, “the average retiree is at least 25 pounds overweight, feels tired for some part of the day, may be moderately depressed about something, has low self-esteem in one or two areas of life, acknowledges they only kind of have a best friend, and overall lead pretty plain lives.”

Now this is not to say, network marketing can solve all your problems, and that every company in the industry is worth joining. What I am telling you is that the network marketing model is a low cost, widely available way to replace some of the psychological gaps you lose, and may not be able to develop on your own. The team building format of NM’s can play a vital role in supplementing a person’s social network which is impacted by retirement.

As a baby boomer, you also may feel like I did. As I was transitioning from a 30+ year career I knew I wasn’t ready to ‘retire’ but looked upon it as an opportunity to do things I had a passion for – on my own terms. I didn’t want a job – I wanted a mission. So my journey began creating my retired life. When I entered the network marketing industry, I gained a new perspective.
Personally speaking, I love talking with people who are in this industry because they are always reading, posting, and sharing something inspirational. They have goals and are using the products that they sell to improve their life. This fosters a positive attitude and atmosphere, adds structure and activity, gets members out of the house, builds knowledge and develops new skills while offering them the opportunity to meet new people and deepen existing connections.

Health and Wellness based companies, in particular, are well positioned for retirees to enter with greater ease and success for two reasons. First, as we get older our own health becomes a focal point. We can speak from experience. Good health creates positive momentum. When people start to lose weight, have more energy, feel better and perhaps even get compliments, this all builds momentum. They see, feel, and hear the benefits of their efforts paying off which encourages them to stick with the changes they are making. We also talk about it, well I did. Hmmm, does that sound like a testimonial?

Second, there is the community group effect. For example, many seniors struggle to develop and stick with a new health, diet, and/or exercise program on their own. But when they do it in a supportive community with others, it’s much easier to get through the tough days and stay on track. Furthermore, by taking care of yourself, you are in a position to leave a better legacy than money could ever provide.

Now here’s the perk I haven’t even mentioned. You can earn commissions – MONEY
– while living a fulfilling life, helping others, being engaged, and for me – having fun!
My involvement with MDC/Hempworx has filled many of my mind, body, spirit and even some financial needs. It can do the same for you. Reach out and let’s have a chat. We would love to have you join Rock’s Tribe.

Explore the full line of products for People & Pets:
www.Hempworx.com/RocksPlace

African American Aging

I teach skin care and cosmetic application. There are times when I’m at a pampering session with my beautiful African American Sistahs and begin talking about anti-aging, someone will inevitably blurt out, “Girl, you know black don’t crack.” At which time the entire table co-signs and says, “Girl, you know that’s right.” Followed by high five’s and that look that says, “So why do I need your products?”

They are correct. I’m proud to say that “Black don’t crack.” This is because of the amount of melanin our skin produces. Melanin is a sticky pigment produced by your skin that works like sunscreen, protecting the skin from UV rays. We have a natural protection. It’s like an ozone layer of our skin.” The lighter the skin, the less protection.

Another reason black skin ages so well is because we typically have a higher oil content and the sebaceous activity in our skin—meaning we have a natural skin hydration system that makes black skin look hydrated, smoother, and plumper.

Collagen is another factor. Black people don’t produce more, but the type of collagen black skin produces is less prone to the sun damage. “This might be one of the reasons signs of aging, like wrinkles, are delayed in darker skin,” This does NOT imply that sunscreen is NOT needed.

Black don’t crack, but signs of aging manifests in other ways: Darker skin is prone to discoloration, dark spots, and pigmentation such as melasma  from sun exposure and hormonal effects; Keloid Scarring  (scar tissue build up forming a lump); Hyper-pigmentation is very common in people with darker skin where many have the “Raccoon Effect” of dark under eye circles.

Our skin doesn’t crack, but the texture changes. That baby smooth soft skin becomes rough and bumpy especially on sun exposed areas (hence sunscreen). This is why exfoliation either with topical agents, chemical peels or microdermabrasion is key.

Black don’t crack, but it does eventually sag. As with everything in our body, as we age, our skin cells reproduce at a slower rate. New fresh skin doesn’t come to the surface as quickly. Collagen cells deplete and you lose volume. The face becomes hollow and sags. It’s most noticeable on the cheeks just under the cheek bone. It’s most prominent in the area between the nose and the outer corner of the mouth and in the neck and jawline.

So, why do you need my products, or any good skin care system other than Dove and Vaseline? You want a cleanser that will cleanse the impurities that your skin accumulated during the day. A sunscreen that will protect your skin from the harmful sun rays. An exfoliation that will remove the rough dry patches and restore your smooth baby soft skin. A serum/cream that will lighten the dark patches, and a good moisturizer for your specific skin type.

Nope. Black may not crack, but with the proper care we will forever bring sexy back.

Yes, I said that.