Good Afternoon!
February 24th, 2016

2016 Mission Statement:

Provide support to our local government leaders, as we work together to promote the best interests of the business community. Provide support to economic and industrial development. Promote local tourism through Community Activities and t he Retired TN Program to improve the quality of life in our community and the region.


" We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. "
-- Joseph Campbell

In This Issue
Parkers Crossroads Battlefield Presents
Become More Positive
SouthWest Reconnect Community
Please watch for a Community Survey in your email, this will help the Chamber improve our festivals and events throughout this year!


Parkers Crossroads Battlefield proudly presents the

"Parkers Crossroads Battlefield Kennerly/Cupples Lectureship Series"

March 19, 2016
10:00 am until ??
   

Our Special Guest, Dr. Charles Cox, M.D. Historian and humanitarian who is very active in historic preservation of Civil War sites in Tennessee. Author of "Monument to Healing: Two Soldiers and the Good Death, 1862,1914 which tells the fascinating story of Private James Coble, a Confederate soldier, died alone  on  dark, cold night during a skirmish with Union Troops. He fell beside a railroad trestle in South Madison County, near Jackson, Tennessee, on December 19, 1862, during the Civil War. Listen to this wonderful story of the gallant young man. Also will be a tour of the Parkers Crossroads Battlefield.
 
 
 
 
Parkers Crossroads Battlefield Association
20945 Hwy 22 N
Parkers Crossroads, Tennessee 38388

FUN FACT:
Tennessee has more than

3,800

documented caves.
Become More Positive With These 5 Tips



History has shown that those with an optimistic outlook on life are the ones who usually find the most success.
For me, changing my negative mental attitude to a positive one resulted in a completely different lifestyle, both personally and professionally. When I changed my mindset and increased my positivity, I went from multiple failed startups and a depressed state to starting a successful app business and being  featured in Entrepreneur Magazine.
Here are five tips that have helped me release my negative mentality and become more positive:

Express gratitude. One of the easiest ways to increase your positivity is to express gratitude. Being thankful for what you currently have immediately releases any negativity that you might be holding onto. Gratitude instantly puts you in touch with the feeling of love. Where love resides, fear and all other negative emotions cannot.  The best and most effective way to implement gratitude in your life is to express it every morning. Upon waking up, express 10 things you are grateful for. This list can either be spoken out loud or within the confines of your mind, but they must be detailed and come from your heart. Closing your eyes can further help you feel gratitude.

Be a giver. Many times, negative feelings can be caused by focusing on the perceived negative aspects of your life. You can instantly shift this feeling by giving unconditionally to others.
Share your skills with the people around you. If someone is looking for advice, help them out. Do not hesitate or doubt your value. Even the smallest of gestures or thoughts shared can cause a massive shift in another individual's perspective.

Control your breath. It has been said that those who have the ability to control their breath have the ability to control their life. In many aspects, this statement is very true. Look back to a time when you lost control. What happened to your breathing pattern? In anger, your breath became short and quick. If you control your breath, you can understand and change your negative emotions.
Either in a quiet space or during meditation, practice following your breathing. As you take a breath in (through your nose), feel the air enter your body and go deep into your lungs. As it hits the deepest part of your lungs, feel it slowly leave your body (through your mouth) and release any and all tension.

Visualize success. Tapping into your ability to visualize or imagine can be used as a powerful tool to become more positive. Many of the world's greatest minds, including Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Tiger Woods and Arnold Schwarzenegger, have been known to use the power of visualization to attract what they desire throughout life, so why aren't you?  Begin by closing your eyes. Think of a positive event that occurred in your past. In your mind's eye, see the event exactly as it happened. Place yourself within the event and feel the positive emotions as they occurred. When you open your eyes, allow yourself to stay in this positive state. The effects of visualization can be multiplied if meditation is practiced beforehand.

Meditate. Meditation is one of the most effective ways to increase your positivity. The practice of meditation expands awareness within the individual and allows for a clear connection between mind, body and soul. Through meditation, you can learn to release negative emotions that are holding you back and connect with your higher self.  Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit, lie down or do whatever feels right to you. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and allow yourself to relax. While breathing deeply, feel yourself letting go of all the emotions you are holding onto. With each breathe, let go a little more. As you let go, realize everything around you is made of love and allow yourself to live within this love.  If you implement these tactics and practice these techniques, you will be connected to the flow of life and you will find more "luck" than you ever have before.




ITS NOT TOO LATE TO SIGN UP!!
Contact the Chamber to learn how you can receive discounts from local businesses when you sign up for The Biggest Loser! (731) 968-2126

Contact the Chamber to learn about exercise groups around lexington to help motivate and support you with your health goals!

Are you in need of a Yellowbook ? Come by the Chamber Office and get one FREE!

Quick Links

SOUTHWEST RECONNECT COMMUNITY LAUNCHES TO HELP ADULTS RETURN TO COLLEGE



 
Jackson, February 8, 2016:  March 1 will mark the launch of the Southwest Tennessee Reconnect Community, a regionally-based effort focused on increasing the number of adults in the area with a postsecondary credential.  The Southwest Tennessee Reconnect community is a program of The Southwest Tennessee Development District and will partner with the CO and the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce to provide adults with free advising, career counseling, support, a personalized path to and through college, and connect community partners in larger statewide degree attainment initiatives. 

The Southwest Tennessee Reconnect Community is part of a larger statewide effort, Tennessee Reconnect, to encourage adults to return to college to earn a degree or certificate. Tennessee Reconnect is part of Governor Bill Haslam's Drive to 55 initiative, a statewide effort to increase Tennessee's educational attainment rate from 37 percent to 55 percent by the year 2025.  Tennessee Reconnect Communities were established in 2016 by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission in partnership with The Graduate Network and through technical assistance and funding from Lumina Foundation and the State of Tennessee. Currently, over 900,000 adults in Tennessee have at least some college credits but have not yet earned a degree.
"Our goal is to provide high-impact services to adults between the ages of 25-64 in our 13 county service area.  There has never been a better time for adults in Tennessee to complete a certificate or degree.  Going back to college can be a very worthwhile experience and Southwest Reconnect will be there for an adult looking to 'reconnect' every step of the way," said Cedric Deadmon, Southwest Reconnect Community Director.  The Southwest Reconnect Community was awarded a $225,000 grant from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission last year to fund the adult learner outreach and resources. 
 
A regional launch event for the Southwest Tennessee Reconnect Community will be held March 7th-March 11th in Chester, Decatur, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McNairy, Carroll, Crockett, Gibson, Tipton, and Wayne counties.  The launch will include what is being called the first "mobile college access" bus in Tennessee.  The bus, owned and operated by grant partner, theCO, will be equipped with the latest in technology and wireless connectivity to make serving students in rural areas of Southwest, Northwest, and South Central Tennessee easier.  The bus will stop at designated locations in each county for an hour and a half so prospective adult students can speak with college access advisors and engage our higher education partners from across the region. 

For more information about the bus tour, location and services offered to adults considering going back to college, contact, Cedric Deadmon, Director of the Southwest Reconnect Community, at 731-668-6448, or visit  www.swreconnect.orgwhen our website launches March 1.
Tennessee Reconnect Communities (TRCs) are locally-based collaboratives focused on empowering adults to complete a postsecondary degree or credential. Each TRC is comprised of local leaders from the community, employers, and higher education institutions, each focused on a localized plan to engage adults in the area. The TRCs provide adults with free advising, career counseling, support, and a personalized path to and through college. TRCs were established in 2016 by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission in partnership with the Graduate! Network and through technical assistance and funding from Lumina Foundation and the State of Tennessee.

 If you are interested in participating in the Tennessee Reconnect Community and would like a bus schedule and times, please contact the Chamber of Commerce and we will be glad to send you that information.

For more information, please contact: Debbie Dunaway
(731) 668-6439


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