In This Issue....
Brrrrr – have you noticed that we hear many comments about the harshness of the cold and snow each year? Why is it we forget and feel such great impact from year to year? Hopefully, because we live in the moment and tend to forget the sensations from years past. In the vernacular of Martha Stewart, “That’s a good thing!”
If
we keep a sensible balance between learning from the past and focusing
on the now, we are more likely to achieve what we want and enjoy life
too.
Welcome to our new member! Deerfield: Kerri Nevin, Heart Psychological Services and Design Your Life Consulting
Spotlight News – news about our members
Tip of the Month: The Curse of the Nasty Bug – That damn bug – it had me down for the count for weeks on end. I don’t know about you, and I talked to so many people who had similar symptoms – but it did a number on me. I know, I know – I don’t take time to rest. I’ve heard that all my life; but when I was younger, it didn’t seem to matter. I guess I didn’t read the manual – the one that must have been written by the bug or virus or whatever it was. If I had read it, it would have said, “If you don’t stop and rest, you will regret it big time!” And, I did.Ines Kinchen, Send Out Cards – Chicago - Ines passed a difficult test after months of studying, and became certified for a complimentary business, Body Talk. It sounds like a wonderful and valuable program and worth giving Ines a call to find out more about it.
Deborah Jay, Simply DJay – Schaumburg – DJ just secured a speaking gig at Engaging Speakers, Friday, December 12th on mind mapping called Reclaim Your Brain. We’re excited for her. It’s an inexpensive ($20) luncheon, a nice networking event, and if we attend we will be supporting a sister member. Click her for details: http://www.engagingspeakers.com/. If you attend, please register as a guest of Linda McCabe.
Linda McCabe, Optimal Level –
1. Linda is jumping for joy and wonderfully excited about her new business, ILearningGlobalTV.net. This is an incredible opportunity for anyone who appreciates the value of continuous learning. People spend hundreds of dollars every year on seminars, workshops, and lectures. This new site employs the talents of experts such as Brian Tracy, Bob Proctor, Herb Eker, and Mark Victor-Hansen, etc. to bring you valuable lessons right from your computer – no workshop fees, no driving or flying to hear these professionals; hundreds of in demand presentations easily available to you. This thing is taking off like wild fire! To learn more about it, go to http://www.ilearningglobal.biz/OptimalLevel. Then call Linda.
2. Linda recommends a book she is reading and enjoying, Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port. It’s about finding your target market and practices for gaining more and deeper relationships with clients.
3. Linda has been engaged for two events, one for the Arlington Heights Professional Women’s Council on January 21st and one for the West Suburban Women Entrepreneurs on February 19th. The one in January is called, Blame it on the Babylonians – Another Year, Another Resolution and is about our reluctance to make resolutions because we have so often failed and how to make them stick for fulfilling change in your life. The other is called, How to be an Empress without Going Nuts!” and addressed our tendency to get centered around ourselves by taking care of everyone else. This presentation helps us gain greater perspective and have more fun in the process. Call Linda for details or watch for email flyers.
Julie Trotter Clark, Les Jetons – Deerfield - we may have missed the date, December 4th and 5th, at Trancendence of Lake Forest, A Private Women's Club off Bradley Road in Polo Park, 27861 Irma Lee Circle, Lake Forest, IL 60045, 847.816.1940. No matter – call Julie. She always has a show going on somewhere. I have been to several of her shows and her jewelry is always original and special. Women are always swarming and buying at her booths. If you haven’t checked out Trancendence – it is a must. It is spa-fabulous!Shannon Bednowicz, Partylite – Schaumburg – Make sure you check the retirement list for your favorite products. If your favorite fragrance or item is retiring, be sure to call or email me this month to place your order! You can take advantage of the December Gift Sale as well! Shannon wishes everyone happy holidays with her latest email and reminds us how festive candles are for the holiday season.
In retrospect, what fascinates me are the mental repercussions of not treating this thing with respect and planning recovery time. I got walloped by a mini-depression. By the end of Thanksgiving Day after my guests had left, I finally collapsed and went to bed for a couple of days. I call it a mini-depression because as most of you know, I usually am up, up, up…at least recover quickly to a positive and excited attitude about goals and life. I usually see the glass half-full, the rewards of just feeling happy and so forth.
What happened was that being physically run down lead to a pretty disgusting view of myself, my business, and my life. The thought of someone asking me to perform a minor chore such as pick up the cleaning or to solve a relatively inconsequential query sent me into cries of imagined incompetency to the point of conjuring up, what for you young-uns probably never heard expressed this way, “the white coats coming to get me.”
When I felt drained of energy and as if standing upright was a monumental task, I saw no redeemable value in myself. I don’t know how many of you can relate, but I saw all of my traits as lacking; my body, my likeability, my intelligence, what I was capable of doing, etc. I got a sense of what depressed people must feel like. Then, on Monday morning I woke up and said hello to the real me, myself. What a surprise – I was back. Amazing – how one can go to sleep with one mindset and wake up with another.
So where’s the tip in this? Well, there are two. In holiday seasons, we can forget that there are extra chores, greater demands, and more stress. First, commit to getting the proper rest, to taking care of yourself, and to sticking to that promise so you don’t get into the state that I did. The second is when you doubt yourself or are your own worst enemy in terms of self-judgment, don’t listen. Those thoughts are an insipient waste of time. If this happens to you, remember what you’ve read here – and just laugh at the preposterously silly thoughts being sent to you by way of that annoying, tricky, nasty little bug!
December Flower – Narcissus or HollyDecember Birthstone – (so many for one month) turquoise, blue topaz, tanzanite, zircon, lapis, onyx, ruby, and chrysoprase
Famous women born in November: Jane Austen, Tyra Banks, Bette Midler, Brittany Spears, Lucy Liu, Maria Callas, Margaret Mead
Meet Another Member Program
This is a wonderful way to network. Who wants to meet another member? Any one interested this month? Go to the blog (get your password and user ID from your welcome letter or send email to Sandy, sandy@ineedashadow.com for it) and read all the profiles. Decide who you would like to meet and let me know. I will send an e-intro!
Member Profiles - Remember, every member's profile is posted on www.WomenBizPower.net. Your User ID and Password are in the Welcome Letter you received in email soon after you joined Optimal Level. If you cannot find this information, send a quick email to Sandy, a sister member and my wonderful assistant, sandy@ineedashadow.com, and she will give you this information. This is another great way to read about all of your sister members and see if you would like to call or email her to have a conversation or get together. An Optimal Level member mentioned to me recently that so many members have not posted profiles. We keep asking for them. Any suggestions how to coax those members to offer profiles?
Marketing - Remember, every member is welcome to market by mail, email, phone, etc. to each Optimal Level member. Get the information by logging onto our member blog, www.WomenBizPower.net. Search here first when you want a new service or product.
Library – Would you like to borrow a book from the Optimal Level library? Check it out on the blog and then send email letting me know which book you would like me to bring for you to your next meeting. If you have a book out, please return it at the next meeting.
Monthly Readings – Want to get the book we are reading in future months at our Optimal Level meeting? Go to our blog site and click on Monthly Readings. All the books we will be reading are there through the end of 2008.
Referrals - If you like Optimal Level and believe in the value you have received, please tell me who you know who would want to get the same kind of help, meet all of our members, and enjoy the camaraderie of the meetings. Send me your suggestions along with contact information. Perhaps you might like to call them first and let them know I will be calling them. I so appreciate all of your referrals. Remember, 3 free meetings on your next enrollment if someone you refer joins Optimal Level!
