Lessons in Success: #6 Maintaining and Growing your Friendships
Mon, 09/07/2009 - 3:25pm | by monicadear
Right now, I’d like you to take a moment to think about your different circles that you move in.
We are all in friendly relationships with people who mirror our own ideals and aspirations, and our circles are great indicators for our own level of self-esteem.
The circles we move in also determine our access to information and resources. As Keith Ferrazzi says in “Never Eat Alone”, “what distinguishes highly successful people from everyone else is the way they use the power of relationships so that everyone wins.”
I'm sure you have some friendships you are moving away from, or some people that you no longer feel you "resonate" with -- it is fine to continue growing your circle of friendship to include people who mirror your ideals at any given time.
Marquette University psychologist Debra Oswald has studied the nature and complexity of friendships and finds the following four behaviors necessary for maintaining the bond:
Self-disclosure and Supportiveness: sharing your ideas, thoughts, fears, and experiences with your friends and being supportive of your friend’s choices and actions
Communication: listening to our friends, maintaining correspondence, and being in touch
Interaction: Maintaining ongoing interaction with our friends. “The specific activity doesn’t matter,” says Oswald. “The important thing is to interact.”
Being Positive: Keeping the tone of the friendship inside a positive feedback loop: when we enjoy our friendships, we find them more rewarding, and we invest more time and energy in keeping the friendship alive.
Now is a great time to identify ten friendships that you are truly certain you want to keep in your life.
Write out this list of your “Positive Friendship Circle” and keep it handy: these are people that you anticipate being friends with for years and who will be your friends through thick and thin.
Call up one of the people on this list each week and constantly stay in touch.
Organize a quarterly luncheon with a few of them so that you all maintain ties and focus on the friendships.
You will be pleased with the results of tending your Positive Friendship Circle. Here’s to the gift of friendship!
Send to friendVisionboard #10: Trust the Universe
Mon, 02/06/2012 - 2:26am | by monicadearOne of my favorite meditations is the idea that each of us are simply manifestations of the Universe, and so every experience that we go through, no matter how difficult and terrifying, is still a way for us to learn, expand, grow, and increase our self-knowledge.
This visionboard item is one of my ways to remind myself to place my trust that everything is part of a greater plan, or at least, I can put everything into place and know that there is unity and harmony within all the different chaotic strings and threads of experience and activity.
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7 Tips to Prevent Bullying
Mon, 02/06/2012 - 1:30am | by monicadear
If you're a mom, mentor, or involved in the classroom, you know the importance of maintaining a decent, respectful, positive, safe, and supportive environment for all students. Bullying can happen to children, teens, and young adults who do not get along well with others, who are "less popular", or who have few to no friends in the school. Also at risk for being bullied are youths with depression or anxiety, and those who have low self esteem. Those especially at risk are LGBT and questioning youth: in one study by Laura Sessions Stepp, "four out of five gay and lesbian students say they don't know one supportive adult at school."
Don't Just Settle - Make it Meaningful, Happy, and Deeply Satisfying
Wed, 01/18/2012 - 2:18pm | by monicadear
I am always a proponent of upgrading your lifestyle in as many ways as possible. I believe that for the sake of mental health, sanity, and security, we each deserve to follow our intuition, treat ourselves well, and look after our own best interests. If we focus on continuous improvement and do this naturally every day, with the mindset of being grateful and expressing deep respect for the gift of life, we can incrementally change our living situation.
7 Valentine's Day Gift Ideas for the Woman Business Owner in your Life
Sun, 01/15/2012 - 2:48pm | by monicadear
1) Pay for her website domain and hosting
Most small business owners don't think of this precious detail, and if your special lady is in business, this is one of a myriad of other details. Do her a favor and prepay for the next 2-3 years of domain and hosting. You'll get a chance to reassess her existing website details (username and password) and inventory the current situation.
2) Get her Quickbooks Online
Evaluating your Savings Needs
Thu, 01/12/2012 - 7:17pm | by monicadear
With the low interest rates available and the challenge of many women to manage their family finances, their business finances, and the changing needs of family - from children going to college to elderly parents needing care, we're finding a great need for education and self-awareness about personal finance options.
A great place to get started learning about finances is Investopedia. You can also learn about personal journeys through blogs like I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Millionaire Mommy Next Door, or Get Rich Slowly.
The beginning of the year is a great time to get organized and review (or start) your savings plan.
Four Totally "Out-of-the-Box" Predictions
Tue, 01/03/2012 - 4:44pm | by monicadear
I pride myself on being fairly well-educated and tolerant of diversity.
Here are four completely out-of-the-ordinary ideas I've recently been exposed to. I've had a hard time wrapping my head around each of these, but I think that each is a very early indication of different trends in our modern world, and in terms of a business approach, it would be wise to consider ways to integrate these ideas into your existing business model or your marketable job skills: natural remedies, open source mentality, overall collaboration, and green extreme.
Beyond Natural Remedies
Wedding Day Planning: Four Steps to Make it Fabulous
Thu, 12/29/2011 - 8:00pm | by monicadear
The wedding service and vows, your attire, the location of the service and reception, and decorations: if your big day is coming up, start planning for these four items at the very beginning. This will help reduce the stress because, like most brides, you're probably planning a wedding on top of dealing with a full-time job, interacting with family and in-laws, organizing travel arrangements, anticipating special needs for seniors or children, finding ethical rings, deciding on vendors, and fitting everything into your budget.
