Life Story Preservation is Serious Business :)

Life Story preservation is serious business at Priceless Legacy. . . .but it is also a lot of fun. COO, Bruce Cramer, is trying some new hair looks. Let us know whether you think this is a positive change or if he should go back to his previous image.

Why the Long Faces in Old Photos?

An interesting article appeared in Maureen Taylor's Photo Detective blog today. She attributes the fact that so many of our ancestors look unhappy or angry in old photographs partly to the devices that were used to help people hold poses through the long exposures required by Nineteenth Century cameras. As Maureen writes:

Look closely at your early photographs and see if you can spot a posing device such as a wooden stand behind the subjects' feet. This device sometimes extended as far up as the head and had clamps around a person's waist or head to keep him still for the long exposure time. Would you feel like smiling?

There is no shortage of really interesting people who cover this field.

Success is Dependent on Your Willingness

I thought this an insightful mention on my daily "Success Factory" newsletter.

Success is not dependent on your ability to do this business well, but your willingness to do it regularly.

Remember the first time you gave a newborn baby a bath? You were probably VERY nervous and very scared. But each time you did it, you got better at it, didn’t you? Well, the more you do your business, the better you’ll get at it and the more success you will experience!

As the father of four, this analogy certainly resonates with me.

Just in Time Training

One of the challenges of executing the Priceless Legacy vision is the determination of the correct level of training for our Legacy Consultants. On one level, what we do is rather straightforward, we interview subjects, help organize their photos and then manage the draft approval process of the Life Story. Easy, right?

Well, yes, actually!

The entire premise of Priceless Legacy is that we can train regular people (whose hearts are in the right place, so to speak) to administer the steps necessary to complete a Life Story of high quality. The process we follow guides the Legacy Consultant through each step with specific directions when needed. I use the phrase Just In Time Training.

I fear sometimes that in our desire to be thorough we over complicate the our description of the process. Of course any method of mass customization manages some complexity, but we have to have the confidence that if we follow the steps, the results are always extraordinary.

Sorting Not Selling

"Selling" is still the "S - Word" for too many Legacy Consultants. Images of used car salesmen and "pushy" network marketers help us define who we do not want to be.

I suggest that if the word "Selling" has too much baggage for you, it is time to consider the word "sorting" instead. Think about it. You already know and believe that life story preservation is important and vital for families, individuals and communities. You would not be a Legacy Consultant otherwise.

So if you value our message (that life story preservation is important and urgent) and our product (the Life Story package that makes life story preservation easy and affordable), it stands to reason that others will too. After all, you are not the only person to love and respect your parents or grandparents.

Your task therefore is to "sort through" people to find those for whom our message and product resonate and make sense. You can not "cram" this idea down an unwilling throat. So don't waste your time psyching yourself out that you will somehow unethically "fool" or "push" someone into buying a Life Story Package. It has not yet been done. Besides, there are far too many strong prospects out there to worry about those for whom this is not a fit.

By displaying your passion for the mission and product, you will attract those who want to learn more. You will be solving problems and giving a gift. Is this selling? Well, I don't really care what you call it. It is "sorting" for sure. A lot of people NEED Priceless Legacy and the message of life story and lesson preservation. You are in a position to sort through the hundreds and thousands of people in your circles to find those you can help. Don't let an obsession over terminology stand in your way.

Alzheimer's Disease and the Need for Life Story Preservation

Jody Murphy, one of our Legacy Consultants in Central Virginia sent me this article from the Boomer Project's eZine called Jumpin' Jack Flash. I have no comment on the intellectual property rights to that name lest I hear from attorneys for Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, but I did think the article below was very interesting.

Since my father died from complications from Alzheimer's Disease in 1996, I have first hand sensitivity to the issue. I know how dementia can rob a person of the narrative of their life. Curiously, they also often gain snippets of memory that would have seemed lost. That said, we must remember that it is not only death that reminds us of the necessity of life story capture.

This week USA TODAY reported on the "Upward Trajectory of Alzheimer's" and the 2009 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures statistics that indicates an estimated 5.1 million Americans over 65 now have Alzheimer's. The article went on to say:

The report indicates that about 2.7 million people over age 85 have the disease, but by the time the first wave of Baby Boomers reaches 85 in 2031, an estimated 3.5 million people that age and up will have Alzheimer's.



It is now the sixth leading cause of death for people in the USA, surpassing diabetes. In people over age 65, it is the fifth leading cause of death.


And while deaths from heart disease, stroke and breast and prostate cancers dropped from 2000 to 2006, deaths from Alzheimer's disease increased by 47.1%.

We know dealing with Alzheimer's is already a part of life for millions of Boomers who are caregivers. The upward trajectory is not surprising, though. A quick search of news stories in which the word "Alzheimer's" appears have skyrocketed over the last 20 years:

1988: 1,990 stories
1998: 12,200
2008: 34,300


While Alzheimer's is part of life today, the real question, we think, is whether or not Alzheimer's is ultimately going to be a part of the Boomer future. The sheer numbers of Boomers means we're facing a rapid increase in incidences of Alzheimer's.



If you're really worried, apparently you can have a DNA test to see what your odds are for getting the disease. Tonight ABC Nightline's Terry Moran plans to reveal his test results.



But optimistic Boomers also believe Alzheimer's will be solved by the time the bulk of them reach very old age. From the USA TODAY story:

"I'm an optimist," says William Klein, professor of neurobiology and physiology at Northwestern University's Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago. "Though the projections are dire for Baby Boomers, I think there's going to be a handle on it, and we will develop therapies that didn't exist."

Given that Professor Klein is considerably better informed on this than we are, we'll embrace his optimism. The "dire predictions" could also create opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs who are trying to solve Alzheimer's one way or another. Boomers will enthusiastically support any initiative with that goal -- economically, politically, socially and emotionally.


Boomer Line: You won't lose if Alzheimer's is part of your business strategy.