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  • Procrastination Expert: The Real Reason You Keep Getting in Your Own Way | Jon Acuff - EP 839

    Procrastination Expert: The Real Reason You Keep Getting in Your Own Way | Jon Acuff - EP 839
    2026/10/29
    What if procrastination isn't a problem with your time, but a problem with what you believe you're capable of doing?You know what you want to change. You have ideas, ambitions, and goals. Yet somehow, you keep waiting for the right moment, the perfect plan, or the confidence to begin.On this episode of Passion Struck, I sit down with Jon Acuff, bestselling author of Procrastination Proof, to explore why so many capable people get stuck between intention and action. Drawing on his work helping people overcome procrastination and build more remarkable lives, Jon explains how fear, perfectionism, comparison, and the stories we tell ourselves can quietly limit what we attempt. We also discuss why the desire to do something meaningful often creates the discipline needed to pursue it, rather than the other way around.In this conversation, you'll discover:Why procrastination isn't just a time-management problem: Jon defines it as the gap between your intentions and your actions.How fear disguises itself as preparation: Why overthinking, perfectionism, and waiting for the perfect starting point can keep you stuck.The power of giving yourself permission: How remarkable people learn to talk themselves into trying instead of talking themselves out of it.The four permissions: How to dream, plan, do, and review your way toward meaningful goals.Why identity shapes action: How beliefs such as “I'm not a writer” or “I'm not a natural leader” can become limitations we carry for decades.How comparison makes you feel behind: Why someone else's success doesn't mean your own opportunities have passed.The signs you carry through life: How messages from parents, teachers, and coworkers can shape what you believe you're allowed to achieve.Why believing you matter changes what you attempt: How small wins can restore a sense of agency and help you move beyond the soundtrack of “Why bother?”How to discover what motivates you: Why Jon recommends auditioning a goal for 15 minutes a day over seven days instead of waiting for a perfect life plan.Jon also shares the advice that helped him expand his own ambitions, why he believes we often underestimate our potential, and how to build a life that feels rich across career, finances, relationships, health, and fun.You don't need to have your entire future figured out before you begin. You need to identify the next step you're willing to take, give yourself permission to try, and learn from what happens.Check out the full show notes. Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.Connect with JohnWebsite: https://johnrmiles.comBook John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.DisclaimerThe Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    52 分
  • Harvard Psychologist: College Students Have Always Struggled. So What Has Changed? | Alexis Redding – EP 838

    Harvard Psychologist: College Students Have Always Struggled. So What Has Changed? | Alexis Redding – EP 838
    2026/10/27

    What if today's young people aren't as different from previous generations as we think?

    When Alexis Redding and her colleagues uncovered interviews with college students from the 1970s, they found familiar stories of loneliness, academic pressure, family expectations, and uncertainty about the future.

    In this episode of Passion Struck, the Harvard developmental psychologist and editor of Mental Health in College: What Research Tells Us About Supporting Students explores what has changed across generations, why belonging matters to student well-being and success, and how parents, educators, and institutions can create environments where young adults feel seen, heard, valued, and encouraged.

    Together, Miles and Redding examine the pressure to achieve, the myth of effortless perfection, the importance of student voices, and why learning to pivot may be one of the most valuable skills young adults can develop.

    In This Episode, You'll Discover
    • What archival recordings reveal about the similarities between college students across generations.
    • Why blaming “kids these days” gets in the way of meaningful solutions.
    • How belonging influences academic performance, help-seeking, persistence, and graduation.
    • Why colleges need a campus-wide culture of care—not just a crisis-response model.
    • How parents and educators can share their own failures and uncertainties to help young people feel less alone.
    • Why perfectionism and achievement pressure make it harder for students to take risks and explore.
    • How small changes in language can encourage curiosity rather than prescribe a single path.
    • Why career pivots and reinvention are normal parts of adulthood, not signs of failure.
    The Bigger Idea

    Young people don't need adults to pretend that life follows a predictable path. They need environments where they can struggle, ask for help, take risks, and learn to find their way. When students feel that they belong, they have more freedom to grow.

    Alexis Redding's work reminds us that the question isn't simply what's wrong with young people. It's what we can change about the environments surrounding them.

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisredding/

    Get the full show notes here.

    Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.

    Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.

    Connect with John

    • Website: https://johnrmiles.com
    • Book John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/
    • Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/
    • Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/


    Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.

    Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.

    Disclaimer

    The Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    59 分
  • 3 Questions to Stop Letting Other People Define Your Worth | John R. Miles - EP 837

    3 Questions to Stop Letting Other People Define Your Worth | John R. Miles - EP 837
    2026/10/23
    What happens when the next achievement matters more than the one you just reached?Even after The Mattering Effect landed on the USA Today bestseller list, John caught himself immediately checking where it might rank on the NYT bestseller list. That instinct revealed how deeply conditioned even the most intentional leaders are to let external scorecards dictate internal worth.In this solo series finale, John connects the dots across three essential conversations:Dr. Nir Halevy (Stanford): How tournament theory and stacked rankings pull teams apart and breed learned helplessness.Dr. Kristin Neff (UT Austin): How the environment's scorecard moves inside your head as a ruthless inner critic—and why self-compassion provides the safe soil for true agency.Heather Monahan: What it looks like to recognize you built your own cage, stop shrinking yourself, stand tall, and know when to change your room versus change your mindset.Drawing on a timeless parable from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince, John examines our cultural obsession with "the figures" and delivers The Blueprint Check: a concrete, three-question diagnostic framework to run on your workplace, your social feeds, and your daily life.Key TakeawaysThe Scorecard Trap: Why rankings, quotas, and follower counts tell us where we stand relative to others—but not who we are.Tournament Theory at Work: How outsized rewards for top performers can fuel destructive competition, while others disengage or begin to experience what Martin Seligman called learned helplessness.Self-Esteem vs. Self-Compassion: Why constantly evaluating yourself keeps you on the achievement treadmill, while self-compassion helps you respond to setbacks with greater clarity and agency.The Worcester Academy Realization: How Heather Monahan discovered that the room hadn't changed—her perception of herself had—and why it's equally important to recognize when a genuinely toxic environment needs to change.The Three-Part Move: How to reclaim agency by changing your response, working to change the environment, or leaving a system that refuses to change.Your worth was never meant to be a number on someone else's scorecard. The goal isn't to stop measuring your progress. It's to stop confusing your performance with your value as a person.Click here for the full show notes. Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.Connect with JohnWebsite: https://johnrmiles.comBook John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.DisclaimerThe Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    25 分
  • Why You Keep Doubting Yourself and How to Rebuild Your Confidence | Heather Monahan - EP 836

    Why You Keep Doubting Yourself and How to Rebuild Your Confidence | Heather Monahan - EP 836
    2026/10/22

    What happens when you spend years proving yourself, only to find that the people around you are making you question your worth?

    Heather Monahan knows that experience firsthand. After rising to the C-suite as a chief revenue officer, she was fired from the company where she had built a successful career. Instead of hiding what happened, she shared it publicly, asked for help, and began building something new.

    In this conversation, Heather explains why confidence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you build through the decisions you make, the risks you take, and the way you respond when life doesn’t go according to plan.

    Together, we explore how to recognize toxic environments, stand up for yourself without losing your integrity, and stop letting other people’s judgments become your identity.

    In this episode, you’ll discover:

    • Why self-doubt can persist even when you’re successful.
    • How your environment can either strengthen your confidence or slowly erode it.
    • Why Heather believes you should never take a no from someone who can’t give you a yes.
    • What toxic workplace dynamics can cost you, and when it’s time to walk away.
    • How Heather turned being fired into a career-changing opportunity.
    • Why confidence is built through small actions, not one defining moment.
    • How to use fear as a signal to move forward instead of retreat.
    • How journaling can help you identify the beliefs and relationships holding you back.
    • Why setting boundaries is essential to protecting your growth.

    You don’t have to wait until you feel confident to make a change. You build confidence by taking the next step, especially when it scares you. And sometimes, the environment you’re afraid to leave is the very thing keeping you from becoming who you could be.

    Grab the full show notes here.

    Download the Companion Workbook.

    Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.

    Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.

    Connect with John

    • Website: https://johnrmiles.com
    • Book John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/
    • Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/
    • Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/


    Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.

    Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.

    Disclaimer

    The Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    59 分
  • Why Your Workplace Turns Colleagues Into Competitors | Dr. Nir Halevy – EP 835

    Why Your Workplace Turns Colleagues Into Competitors | Dr. Nir Halevy – EP 835
    2026/10/20

    Why do some teams bring out the best in people while others turn colleagues into competitors? The answer may lie in the way we structure power, status, and success.

    On this episode of Passion Struck, I sit down with Dr. Nir Halevy, a Stanford professor who studies social influence, power, and human behavior, to explore his book, Level Up: Why Hierarchies Are Broken and How to Fix Them.

    Drawing on decades of research and real-world examples from elite sports, healthcare, academia, and corporate America, Nir explains why hierarchy itself isn't necessarily the problem. The real issue is whether the systems we create encourage people to work together or push them to succeed at one another's expense.

    We discuss:

    • Why hierarchies persist: Why eliminating hierarchy is rarely practical, and how to distinguish structures that help teams function from those that create harm.
    • The danger of forced rankings: How pitting employees against one another can encourage information hoarding, rivalry, and even sabotage.
    • The psychology of social comparison: Why another person's success can change how we experience our own, even when nothing about our performance has changed.
    • Dominance versus prestige: The difference between leading through intimidation and leading through competence, contribution, and respect.
    • The three warning signs of a broken hierarchy: Excessive competition, injustice, and instability—and how they undermine trust and retention.
    • Why fairness matters: How unfair outcomes, opaque procedures, and disrespectful treatment combine to make people feel powerless.
    • What leaders can learn from improv: How active listening, psychological safety, empathy, and making your teammates look good can strengthen relationships.
    • How to build healthier teams: Why leaders should create multiple ways for people to contribute and demonstrate their value, rather than tying worth to a single ranking.

    Nir leaves us with one question every leader should consider: Does your hierarchy bring people closer together or pull them apart? Because the goal isn't to eliminate structure. It's to build systems in which people can succeed without making others feel like they have to lose.

    See the Full Shownotes.

    Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.

    Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.

    Connect with John

    • Website: https://johnrmiles.com
    • Book John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/
    • Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/
    • Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/


    Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.

    Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.

    Disclaimer

    The Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    1 時間
  • Why Success Can Leave You Feeling Like You Don't Matter | John R. Miles & Linda Hurtado – EP 834

    Why Success Can Leave You Feeling Like You Don't Matter | John R. Miles & Linda Hurtado – EP 834
    2026/10/16
    What happens when you achieve the life you thought you wanted, only to realize you no longer feel connected to it?For John R. Miles, that question became impossible to ignore. After years of executive success, demanding workweeks, and responsibilities that kept growing, a simple question from his young son stopped him in his tracks: “Dad, why don't you ever laugh anymore?”In this special live conversation from the launch of The Mattering Effect at the St. Petersburg Museum of History, John sits down with Emmy Award-winning Fox 13 anchor Linda Hurtado to explore the experiences that led him to investigate a question millions of people quietly carry: Do I matter?John explains why success and mattering are not the same, how the environments around us can reward what we produce while overlooking who we are, and how this gradual loss of connection can lead to what he calls the Great Erasure.In this conversation, you'll discover:Why achievement doesn't always lead to meaning or fulfillment.How the Great Erasure happens when systems extract our value without reflecting our worth.Why loneliness, burnout, and disengagement may share a deeper underlying cause.How the M.A.T.T.E.R. framework identifies six conditions that help people feel significant: Meaning, Autonomy, Trust, Time, Energy, and Reciprocity.What John learned from transforming a struggling employee engagement team at Lowe's.Why the Slow Fade can leave you feeling increasingly disconnected before you recognize what's happening.How to begin rebuilding mattering through personal choices, stronger relationships, and environments that support your well-being.What leaders and parents can do to help people feel seen, including the power of undivided attention and asking what support someone needs.How Linda's decision to leave a workplace where she no longer felt valued illustrates the importance of recognizing your own worth.The conversation also explores John's personal turning points, the experiences that prompted him to reconsider his priorities, and why rebuilding a sense of mattering starts with how we treat ourselves and the people closest to us.The central takeaway: You can climb the mountain you always wanted to climb and still discover it was the wrong mountain. Sometimes the next step isn't working harder. It's asking what kind of life you're actually building, and whether it allows you and the people around you to feel that you matter.This is a special episode about the ideas, experiences, and human stories behind The Mattering Effect: Creating a Life of Meaning and Worth. Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.Connect with JohnWebsite: https://johnrmiles.comBook John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.DisclaimerThe Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    1 時間 7 分
  • Stop Being So Hard on Yourself. It’s Not Helping You | Dr. Kristin Neff - EP 833

    Stop Being So Hard on Yourself. It’s Not Helping You | Dr. Kristin Neff - EP 833
    2026/10/15
    What if the voice you use to motivate yourself is the very voice keeping you stuck?You push harder after a mistake. You judge yourself for falling short. You tell yourself that if you were more disciplined, more successful, or simply better, you would finally feel worthy. But what if being hard on yourself isn't making you stronger? What if it’s making it harder to recover, grow, and move forward?According to today’s guest, self-compassion isn’t self-pity or letting yourself off the hook. It’s learning how to respond to difficulty without turning against yourself.Dr. Kristin Neff is a pioneering researcher in self-compassion and the creator of the Self-Compassion Institute. In this conversation, she explains why so many of us tie our worth to achievement, how our inner critic can intensify shame and disconnection, and how self-compassion can help us respond to life's challenges with greater clarity and care.In this conversation, you’ll learn:Why being hard on yourself doesn't necessarily make you more motivated or successful.The difference between self-esteem, which evaluates your worth, and self-compassion, which responds to your humanity.How achievement, appearance, status, and external approval become measures of worth.Why shame, loneliness, burnout, and emotional numbness can be connected to a deeper sense of disconnection.How self-compassion creates space between what you feel and how you choose to respond.Why compassion can help you recognize your needs, set boundaries, and act with greater intention.How parents can model self-compassion for children without turning it into another expectation.A simple practice for responding to difficult moments with warmth instead of self-judgment.Kristin shares a powerful phrase to return to when you’re struggling: “I will not abandon you. I am here for you. I care.”You don’t have to earn the right to treat yourself with compassion. You can begin in the very moment you feel you’ve fallen short.Guided meditation + live Q&A with Dr. Kristin Neff, open to all at no cost. Reserve your spot for an upcoming gathering here: https://self-compassion.org/gatherings-with-kristin-public-events/ Use code: passionstruckCheck the full shownotes here.Get the Companion Digital Workbook. Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.Connect with JohnWebsite: https://johnrmiles.comBook John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.DisclaimerThe Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    1 時間 3 分
  • Why You Keep Repeating the Same Patterns | Terri Cole – EP 832

    Why You Keep Repeating the Same Patterns | Terri Cole – EP 832
    2026/10/13
    What if the behaviors that made you successful are the same ones keeping you from feeling fulfilled?You learned to be dependable. You became the overachiever, the caretaker, the person who never asks for help. People praised your strength, relied on your generosity, and rewarded your ability to get things done. But what if those behaviors began as ways to feel safe, earn love, or prove you were worthy?On this episode of Passion Struck, psychotherapist, relationship expert, and bestselling author Terri Cole joins John R. Miles to explore how childhood wounds can shape our adult identities, relationships, and sense of worth. Drawing on her new book, Father Wound, Terri explains why achievement can become a way of proving our value, why emotionally unavailable partners can feel more familiar than healthy love, and why saying no can feel frightening even when we know we have every right to do it.Together, John and Terri examine how the roles we learned in childhood can become the very patterns that disconnect us from ourselves. They explore how to recognize the difference between being driven by fear and acting from genuine desire, and why healing does not mean losing your ambition or your strengths. It means reclaiming the freedom to choose how you want to live.In this conversation, you'll discover:Why childhood survival strategies can follow you into adulthood, even when your circumstances have changed.How achievement can become a lifelong attempt to prove you're worthy of love and attention.Why healthy relationships may initially feel unfamiliar when you've learned to associate love with unpredictability.How family roles such as the hero, caretaker, good girl, and lone wolf can shape your identity.Why successful people can look like they have everything together while struggling internally.How to recognize when you're running toward something you genuinely want versus running away from the fear that you're not enough.Why saying no can feel emotionally dangerous, and how boundaries help you stop abandoning yourself.What it means to mourn the parent you wished you had so you can stop repeating old patterns in new relationships.How healing helps you preserve your strengths while choosing a life driven by your values rather than your wounds.You can honor the person you had to become to survive without remaining that person forever. The goal isn't to erase your past or diminish your ambition. It's to understand what shaped you, reconnect with who you are, and build a life in which you no longer have to prove your worth.About Terri Cole: Terri Cole is a psychotherapist, relationship expert, and bestselling author of Boundary Boss, Too Much, and Father Wound: How Childhood Wounds Shape Worth, Relationships, and the Life We Build.Click here for the full shownotes.Explore her work at terricole.com and fatherwoundbook.com. Pre-Order The Mattering Effect: https://matteringeffect.com/. Take the 90-second diagnostic to see if you're disappearing.Explore the Show: https://passionstruck.com/starter-packs/. New to Passion Struck? Start with the best episodes curated for you.Connect with JohnWebsite: https://johnrmiles.comBook John to Speak: https://johnrmiles.com/speaking/Substack: https://www.theignitedlife.net/Children’s Book — You Matter, Luma: https://youmatterluma.com/Support the Movement: https://startmattering.com/. Every human deserves to feel seen, valued, and like they matter. Wear it. Live it. Show it.Passion Struck — #1 Alternative Health Podcast. 85M+ downloads.DisclaimerThe Passion Struck podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Passion Struck or its affiliates. This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    55 分