Dear Women of Intention:
It seems like ages since we were enjoying Amy Benson's presentation at WOI in May. I
hope you have been enjoying your summer.
Since then, the world seems to have gotten more chaotic. We are living in turbulent, uncertain times. While not wanting to be ignorant of national and world affairs, for my own self-care, I have been limiting watching and listening to the news because the sensationalism and visual images the media shares are hard to erase. The negativity and fear they espouse skew my knowing that
there are wonderful, compassionate, loving people on the planet that everyday are reaching out and helping others.
Since most of what happens is out of my control, I ask myself how can I contribute to make the world a better place? I have been reading articles and listening to Ted Talks about positive psychology. "
Positive psychology is the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work and play."
This certainly is
not a view held by the media.
One of my current favorite Ted Talks is Shawn Achor's
The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance. It is 12 minutes long and well worth the time to watch. It is funny, entertaining and insightful.
Shawn posits the theory:
It's not necessarily reality that shapes us, but it is the lens with which we view the world that shapes our reality.
He suggests some tools at the end to shift our thinking to a more positive place.
As we move towards political conventions, elections and almost on a daily basis hear of or witness violent acts, I am curious what tools and practices you use to keep yourself positive and out of fear. I would like to share them in my next newsletter.
I am excited that Dianne Sherman will be returning to be our presenter at September 22nd's WOI. Dianne was last here in May of 2010. Dianne lives in CA, will be visiting her dear friend Amy Bogar and asked if she might once again lead our evening. Details about the evening are described below.
Over the past 10 years of WOI, it has been my experience that the women who attend are leading meaningful and fulfilling lives, always learning and cultivating what is best within themselves. Dianne's program on September 22nd will help us dive deeper into identifying what is next for us. Hope to see you there.
Blessings,
Vicki
PS After 10 years, I found out last week that my website's software is so out-of-date that my web person cannot add any new events. I hope to have a new website within a month or so. You can register for WOI through the links on this newsletter.
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