March 2008

NEWSLETTER

Greetings ProWin Members:

2008 promises to be an exciting and interesting year.  We have wonderful speakers programmed for our quarterly luncheons and plans for some fun filled Member Events.  Join us to network, be motivated, learn and enjoy.

In this issue: 

• Look on the Bright Side by Debby Stone
• Did You Know? - Professional Women: Vital Statistics 2006
• Upcoming Events
• Welcome New Members
• January/February Events 2008
• Corporate Partners
• Reminders

LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, by Debby Stone, JD, CPCC

Perspective is a funny thing. As many of us were told in childhood, every cloud has a silver lining. We have the choice to look at the glass as half full or half empty. In fact, when we look at events in someone else’s life, it is often easy to bring a new perspective to the situation. For example, when a friend loses a job, we can easily remind him that he hated that job anyway and wanted to find a new one. Or, if a friend runs late for her lunch appointment, we point out that she was late because she was helping at her child’s school, thereby honoring something that is important to her.

However, when we are stuck in the middle of a traumatic life event, it is often difficult to bring that same perspective to our own predicaments. We lose our ability to change perspective and get stuck in a negative perspective that saps our joy and energy. Frequently we default to the negative or pessimistic perspective because that is what we have grown up with or because we have simply developed a negative perspective habit. Viewing events from a negative perspective probably once served you because it helped you to manage risk in your life. It may have begun as realism. For example, when you were in school, thinking “if I go out tonight and don’t study for my exam, I probably won’t pass my class” was probably a valid and realistic perspective that kept you from making serious mistakes. It was a negative perspective but also a realistic one. While it is still important to be prudent and to be realistic, our “realism” can get out of control. At that point, a pessimistic view becomes fixed in our minds, and we pervasively look at things from a negative perspective. There is a difference between seeing the negative consequences of an event (realist) and coloring things as “always” going wrong (pessimist).
This negativity saps energy, leads to lower productivity, and fosters a feeling of being overwhelmed or out of control. Studies have shown that being able to change perspective and think more optimistically is linked with better physical and mental health. Optimists are also more successful as leaders and bounce back more quickly from negative events. Simply changing the way you look at the events in your life can increase your productivity and your happiness quotient. Begin by noticing when you take a negative approach, acknowledge the negativity and turn it around. Having a positive outlook can help you get on the fast track to reaching your goals, so look on the bright side.

Tips for Developing a Positive Perspective:

1. Challenge your pervasive assumptions that “everything” will turn out badly or that a particular person will “always” behave a certain way.
   
2. Consciously look for the silver lining in every situation.
   
3. Stop and mentally separate yourself from the negative event and view it as an outsider would.
   
4. Try to see the humor in the negative event or listen to a joke.
   
5. Do something you enjoy that has nothing to do with the negative event.
   © Debby Stone, 2003-2006

Debby Stone, a professional coach and president of InterVision Group, LLC, was honored as a Phenomenal Woman of North Fulton by the American Business Women's Association in an awards ceremony that took place on March 5th.  Debby will be speaking at the Siegel Institute's 8th Annual Phenomenal Woman's Conference on April 3, 2008 at Kennesaw State University.  Debby will be speaking in the breakout session on Character and her workshop is entitled: Values: Your Decision-Making Divining Rod.  Debbie has served as the President of ProWin and currently provides 2 free coaching sessions for new ProWin members.  Visit our website and click FAQ to access these benefits.

DID YOU KNOW? PROFESSIONAL WOMEN: VITAL STATISTICS 2006
General Statistics

• The number of working women has risen from 5.1 million in 1900, to 18.4 million in 1950,to 65.7 million in 2005.
• The number of working women is projected to reach nearly 76 million by 2014.
• Women accounted for 18% of the labor force in 1900 and 46.4% in 2005.
• In 2014, women will account for 46.8% of the labor force.
• The number of women in the labor force is expected to increase by almost 10.9% between 2004 and 2014, while a smaller 9.1% increase is projected for men. This means men's share of the labor force will decrease, from 53.6% to 53.2% between 2004 and 2014.
• While in 1900 only 20.4% of all women worked, in 2005, almost 60% worked. The same percentage of women are expected to be in the paid labor force in 20.
• Almost 73% of working women had white collar occupations in 2005, a percentage that is expected to increase.
• Women employed in professional and related occupations accounted for 24.7% of all working women in 2005.
• Women are the majority (56.3%) of workers in the occupational category expected to grow most rapidly: the professional and related occupations, which are expected to increase by more than 21.2% from 2004-2014.
• Labor force participation has increased most dramatically among married women.
• Today most mothers - even those with the youngest children - participate in the labor force.
• Nearly half of all multiple job-holders in 2004 were women, up from 22% in 1974.
• Women are the majority of temporary and part-time workers.

UPCOMING EVENTS

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 EVENTS

JANUARY LUNCHEON: IDENTIFYING TRENDS AND MARKET OPPORTUNITIES - DANIELA CAMPARI HAND
Daniela is a very engaging speaker.  She connects with the audience and provides valuable tools and resources to help identify trends and market opportunities as well as managing your approach against the competition.  In addition the interactive exercises and question/answer period made this a beneficial and enjoyable event. 

JANUARY LUNCHEON FEATURED CHARITY

Safe Girls Strong Girls

Where girls are heard, hearts heal, and spirits roar

Safe Girls Strong Girls, Inc is always happy to welcome volunteers. We need assistance with a variety of tasks including secretarial, fund raising, political and social awareness, marketing/public relations, arts instruction, legal and financial consulting and much more.
For more information, or to see their wish list, visit: www.safegirlsstronggirls.org

FEBRUARY MEMBER ONLY EVENT: SPEAKEASY  - "Power of A Women's Voice" - Sandra Ashe

The Power of a Woman's Voice is a short, interactive program, where the guides share a vision of how personal communication can be powerful and warm, effective and feminine. The program is about learning to stand up for your ideas in a way that allows you to participate in, be heard by and ultimately influence the corporate world.
Sandra’s presentation raised self-awareness and moved the group to take the next step. She emphasized personal development as the best investment we can make in ourselves, one that can produce lasting results and make us even more effective leaders.  We hope the participants will make different choices to improve their communication and to explore what tools are right for them. For more information go to www.speakeasyinc.com or contact: Reagan Ramsey, Vice President of Business Development, Phone: 404.541.4836

CORPORATE PARTNERS

ProWIN is honored to feature our Corporate Partners. These loyal supporters are champions of the proWIN mission; we deeply appreciate their expertise and loyal assistance. By supporting our sponsors, you support us. We encourage you to visit these Corporate Partner links.

For sponsorship information, please click on the following link: http://www.prowin.com/ProWIN_Sponsorship_levels_Revised_4_17_07.pdf

	Catherine Cattles VP,Georgian Bank ccattles@georgianbank.com , 404-365-4664
	Patricia Harris The Edge Connection www.theedgeconnection.com
	Loraine M. DiSalvo Estate, Tax, & Business Planning Services Life Changes: Plan for it. (678) 720-0750 or ldisalvo@morgandisalvo.com www.morgandisalvo.com
	A high-touch, boutique, corporate and technology law firm. Evelyn A. Ashley (404) 898-2912 Susan T. Craighead (404) 961-7615 www.trusted-counsel.com The right advisor makes all the difference to your business.
	Jamie Pennington jamie.pennington@flexibleexecutives.com Cammi R. Jones cammi.jones@flexibleexecutives.com Flexible Executives, LLC tel: 404.255.2500; www.flexibleexecutives.com
	Debby Stone, JD, CPCC debby@growe.biz Michelle Goss, CPCC, PCC michelle@growe.biz GROWE (Georgia Roundtable of Women Entrepreneurs) tel: 770.569.8115; www.growe.biz

REMINDERS

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Do you have any news to share about you or your company? Please contact VP Member Retention (so we can include your news in our next newsletter)

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS:

• Member pricing for quarterly luncheons which featuring dynamic speakers on topics of interest to professional women.
• Member pricing for your guests at the quarterly luncheon (when paid by member at time of registration).
• Member pricing for admission to ProWIN’s business education and development seminars co-hosted with The Edge.
• Members-Only events.
• Eligible to be our Featured Member of the Quarter.
• Two complimentary coaching sessions provided by trained, experienced coaches.
• Access to and listing in the ProWIN membership directory.
• Ability to post ads, classifieds and announcements on the member’s only ProWIN bulletin board. These ads run quarterly.
• Ability to submit news and events for posting in the "News and Events" section of the ProWIN website.
• A member newsletter distributed quarterly.
• Dynamic networking and relationship building opportunities.
• Connection with other accomplished business women.
• Lifetime membership recognition available.

PROWIN'S WEBSITE
Have you updated your profile on the new website? Visit www.prowin.com to do this if yours needs updating. There are several members that have not done this and you are missing opportunities for members to learn more about you!

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