Compliments of a Friend

This article was shared by a member of 3 Degrees Connected. The author is unknown.

I just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection--the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends. At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.
Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality "girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin--a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. Women …share from our souls with our sisters, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged--not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!

So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health!
We are indeed very very lucky.
Sooooo let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends.Evidently it's very good for our health.

Money - What is Your Relation to It?

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to live in a society that did not use money as a means for livelihood?  There are countries in the world where reciprocal arrangements are made to care for the needs of those within a community.  Knowledge of how money works is not a concept that they are familiar with.

In Lynn Twists book, The Soul of Money, she describes a situation where a member of such community moved into our realm and had to learn from scratch how to survive.  In her words,  He began to see how it is in America:  that virtually everything in our lives and every choice we make-the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the houses we live in, the schools we attend, the work we do, the futures we dream, whether we marry or not, or have children or not, even matters of love-everything is influenced by this thing called money.

As foreign as a concept of money is to such a community, it is also a topic that many of us do not question or think twice about . . . money is just money and remains a way of life.  Gaining better insight to the purpose of money and the value we place on it is something we should endeavor to understand.  Lynn says:  We all have an identifiable through largely unconscious and unexamined, relationship with money that shapes our experience of life and our deepest feelings about ourselves and others.  She goes on to say Money has become a playing field where we measure our competence and worth as people. 

Lynn’s books provides great insights on how our society has come to not question the relevance of money and how it drives our lives, our decision, and our self-esteem.  If you would like to question your own ideas of money, I think you will find this book very insightful.  We challenge assumptions about every other facet of life:  race, religion, politics, education, sex, family, and society.  But when it comes to money, we accept it not only as a measure of economic value, but also as a way of assigning importance and worth to everyone and everything else in the world.  

Often times we use the term success to mean wealth, maybe success is a concept that we should also evaluate?   

The Lesson of Two Wolfes

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

"One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
 "The other is God - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

10-10-10: A Life-Transforming Idea

Have you read the book 10-10-10? This book is a very short read, but provides the basis from which we can more clearly evaluate decisions that impact our business or personal lives.  For each decision you make, think of the impact this decision will have in the next ten minutes, ten months, or ten years.  You might find from doing this little exercise that you gain better clarity on how to make wise decisions and may find that some decisions lose their relevance based on looking at them within this context.  Some decisions may have no impact in the next ten minutes, or even within ten months; others may have more relevance on the short-term, but no impact ten years from now.  This book should help one stress less over the decision one makes.  

This book was written by Suzy Welch.

Strength Finder 2.0

Do you know your strengths? Recently a friend recommended a book that she was reading called Strength Finder 2.0 written by Tom Rath. The premise of this book is to help you evaluate your areas of strength and focus more fully on the things that you are good at. The book is organized by 34 Themes, so when you know your strengths you can concentrate on the sections that are most relevant to you. This book provides insight as to what someone with this strength might sound like. It also provides ten insights on ways that you can increase your aptitude in your area of strength and who you might pair yourself with to become more successful.


The book does not encourage anyone to focus on their weaknesses. It also points out that from early childhood, we have been encouraged to spend more time on things that we don’t do well. A child who does not do well in math is instructed to spend more time in math to master the skill. This conditions us to focus on our weakest areas, which although makes sense in education, it might not be sound principles on which to build a life or a career.

In our network, 3 Degrees Connected, it is our hope that we will encourage you to seek out individuals who are good in the areas you either do not have skill or interest. For example, as a business owner, you might find that math/finance is not your strong suit. Instead of trying to master this skill, hire someone to help you who has been trained and has interest in this detail work. Spend your time on areas where you can be more productive.

When you purchase the book Strength Finder 2.0, read part one. Go to the back of the book and get the access code which provides access to testing on the Internet. Take the short 35 minute quiz and within minutes you will have a report listing your “top five areas”. For less than $25 (the cost of the book), you will gain new insights that can improve your chances of success. Enjoy improving skills in areas that you already have a natural talent.

If you are reading a book that has given you more insight on how to succeed in business, please don't hestitate to share it with us and tell us how the book inspired you.

The Most Important Time

The wait is over. This moment is here and it is time to live.

Whatever could have been or should have been, doesn't
matter. This moment is here and now for you to live.

Live it fully and richly, as if this is the only time there
has ever been and the only time that will ever be. This is
not a time for regret or blame or putting off until later.

This is your time to live. Feel how exquisitely amazing it
is to be, and give the best of yourself to right now.

This moment you can stop giving energy to your limitations.
Give your energy to joy and creation and authentic
expression.

The most important time in your life is here right now. Live
it like it really matters, because it absolutely does.

Ralph Marston

Submitted by Becky Forton, Mary Kay Cosmetics Consultant. Thank you Becky

Athena Awards - Nominations

Lakeshore ATHENA Award Program is Seeking Nominations!
On Tuesday, October 5, 2010 the sixth annual Lakeshore ATHENA Award Program will present the prestigious ATHENA Award to an individual who has attained and personifies the highest level of professional excellence in her/his business or profession, has devoted time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community while assisting women in reaching their full potential and one who exhibits the spirit of regional collaboration. The Lakeshore ATHENA Award Program was created to seek out and honor shoreline leaders who exemplify the ATHENA philosophy.
The recipient is selected from nominations; we need your help indentifying those potential candidates! You may nominate yourself or undoubtedly within your network, there are individuals who are outstanding professionals and community leaders. We strongly encourage resubmitting names of past nominees. Although there is only one recipient recognized annually, the honor is in the nomination. Click here for Nomination Form. Forms must be completed and returned to the address listed on the Nomination Form by July 16, 2010.

The Lakeshore ATHENA Program is a collaborative venture presented by the Chamber Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Ferrysburg, Holland Area Chamber of Commerce and the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce. The program luncheon will be held at the Trillium Banquet and Conference Center 17246 Van Wagoner Rd, Ferrysburg/Spring Lake from 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm. on Tuesday, October 5th where the recipient will be announced!

Information provided by Pamela Blake (Grand Haven Chamber of Commerce)