AWER President-Elect Chris Hempfling lead the AWER meeting and introduced AWER member Mark Newman who then presented Mr. Bill Marianes, a former law partner of Mark and also of Richard Gerakitis, 2-time president of AWER and recipient of the first Richard Gerakitis Award.

This meeting featured Bill Marianes, a retired corporate attorney turned leadership consultant, who presented on discovering and living one's calling or purpose in life. Bill, who has nearly 40 years of legal experience including time at Troutman Sanders and McGuire Woods, now dedicates his work to helping Orthodox Christian churches and individuals identify their stewardship callings. The presentation explored the fundamental question "Why are you here?" and provided practical frameworks for discovering one's purpose. Bill emphasized that we are living in exponential times with unprecedented rates of change and challenged attendees to consider whether they are "living too small" relative to their God-given potential. The talk integrated philosophical wisdom from Socrates, biblical references, modern business theory, and neuroscience to help participants understand how to identify and pursue their calling.

Bill Marianes shared his personal trajectory as what he called the "Greek Forrest Gump," beginning in two small villages in Greece, with his family immigrating to the worst ghetto on the south side of Chicago in East Chicago, Indiana. Growing, he was blessed to play in a soul and funk band called "Almost Midnight" with 8 black guys in the early 1970s. As children of uneducated Greek immigrants, he was taught that lifelong learning and educational challenge were non-negotiable requirements. His academic journey took him through Northwestern University for psychology, Emory University for his JD and MBA, back to Northwestern for graduate management studies, and eventually a PhD focusing on church leadership and stewardship. Beyond traditional legal work at Troutman Sanders and McGuire Woods law firms, Bill was involved in extraordinary projects such as working on the beginning of CNN Headline News, on the founding the Georgia and North Carolina lotteries, and on representing high-profile clients like Taylor Swift. Approximately 10 years ago, Bill "re-fired" rather than retired, transitioning to full-time ministry work focused on helping Orthodox Christian churches and individuals discover their stewardship callings. Bill emphases it's never too late to begin again, sharing that he received his PhD one week after his 70th birthday. Mahatma Gandhi's wisdom applies: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

Bill constantly thinks about change; he cited a few phenomena speaking to the rate of change … Years it took to reach 50 million users: Telephone – 75 years; Radio – 38 years; TV – 13 years; Internet – 4 years; Instagram Threads – 24 hours. AWER’s Don Schewe added that the rate of knowledge doubling has accelerated from every 10 years to every 2-3 years, with artificial intelligence further accelerating this pace.

Longevity Escape Velocity (LEV) Bill said, “In the very near future, AI will extend your remaining life expectancy (not life expectancy at birth) longer than the time that is passing. (i.e., you have another year of life for each year you live.)”

“In the next 10 years, we will experience as many changes as humanity has seen during the past century.” … says Ray Kurzweil Futurist at Google, CoFounder of Singularity University. So Bill referred us to Peter Diamandis 's sugestion: "Don't die from something stupid in the next 5-10 years until we reach Longevity Escape Velocity." He explained that AI and medical advances may soon extend life expectancy by one year for each year lived, potentially allowing indefinite lifespan. He cited clinical trials at Harvard working on technology to revert a 70-year-old eye to a 30-year-old eye that doesn't age further, with potential applications to other organs. Historical data shows life expectancy remained constant around 30-35 years until the 1800s when vaccines, clean water, and antibiotics created an exponential curve upward.

Bill poses these three questions for all of us to consider as we look at our lives and our purpose; he says it is “Finding Your ‘One Thing.’” 1. What do I want to be remembered for? 2. What would my ideal life look like? 3. What is my deepest source of inspiration? Bill then put these questions into a larger set of questions for all to consider, the central question of his presentation: "Why are you here?"

·        What is the fundamental purpose for which you exist?

·        Are you living too small relative to your potential and calling?

·        What fear is keeping you locked in place and preventing you from pursuing greater opportunities?

·        What will you say when you stand before God when asked, "What did you do for my people?"

·        When was the last time you reinvented yourself?

·        What do you want to be remembered for?

·        How can we reconnect the dots of our life experiences to understand our purpose?

·        What is your massive transformative purpose?

Bill recommended Bob Buford 's Success to Significance : Buford's books "Halftime" and "Stuck in Halftime" present a framework of transitioning from success (first half of life) to significance (second half). The process involves four key questions: What do I want to be remembered for? What would my ideal life look like? What is my deepest source of inspiration? What legacy do I want to leave?

Bill recommended several things to read, including:

• Simon Sinek's books: "Start With Why" and "Find Your Why"
• Steve Jobs's Stanford University commencement address on connecting the dots of your life
• Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" particularly Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

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AWER Keyway Editors: Jared Evans, Chris Hempfling, Nel Shorthouse