Mom-Camp Rochester

What do you get when 350 mothers choose to come together for a weekend of pampering and great breakout sessions? A big smile that lasts two days. That's what happened for me at the Rochester Mom-Camp this weekend. It really was beautiful to see so many women taking some time out for themselves. I'm sure that every one of them went home feeling more in balance and rejuvenated.

I stayed at the Kahler Grand hotel and only got a few hours of sleep on Friday night. That was because the women in the rooms on either side of me were having so much fun with their evening of independence. Every time I'd begin to doze off, a ripple of laughter would wake me. I was happy for them and wasn't about to ruin their fun. I justified my lack of sleep, telling myself that if I was with their rooms I'd be having just as much of a good time.

Our facilitator, Becca Pournoor led the session on "Your Ideal Sexual Life: It's All About Communication." She offered the same session at Mom-Camp Twin Cities this fall. It was so well received, they asked us to bring it to Rochester. Again, it was a hit and the participants were happy to have a place to ask their questions and openly communicate. Laurie Aarchbold, the organizer of the Rochester Mom-Camp jokingly said they could have easily offered just three sessions and kept everyone happy; "Ideal Sexual Life," "How to Look Like a Million" and something on how to make a million. Becca's session filled once again and Mom-Camp sold out at 350.

I tabled in the Canteen area and met so many lovely and interesting women. I look forward to going back to Rochester with our sessions and staying involved with Mom-Camp. I left feeling just as inspired as all the campers.

Free and Fun Career Strengths Assessment

I just completed a fun, free and easy career interests assessment at www.assessment.com. They provide you with an amazing amount of information. The teaser is that you'll want to purchase more information from them. A cool thing about this assessment is that it words your characteristics in a way that could easily be used in a cover letter or resume. I was affirmed by all my results that my job is the best fit there could be for me. I love what I do.

Here's one of the excerpts that stood out for me from my assessment:
'"Mentor: a trusted counselor or guide." Teresa is interested in and consciously prefers to consider the existence, meaning, purpose, potential, and destiny of mankind, people, persons, and self; with self-felt, self-accepted responsibility to influence and/or cause good, growth, and gain in the lives of all concerned. Teresa has intuition and philosophical curiosity that causes an awareness of personality, intentions, emotions, ethics, values, and moods of other persons, and of self. By itself, this is not benevolence. If Teresa is highly motivated for benevolent activities, this trait is compulsively central to personal and vocational activities. If there is a lack of personal motivation, then the preference for consideration tends to be more philosophical or academic in nature, but still service oriented.'

I like how it sums up information about you almost as someone providing a referral for you. If you're not already in your "dream job" maybe this will give you a glimpse into what that would look like. Try it out and have fun!

Is Networking a Waste of Time?

Last Thursday, - at a networking event I should add ;) - we had a great presentation by Jill Konrath on Selling to Big Companies. She was insightful, open and honest. I'm still thinking about a lot of what she shared and I may blog about it more. I bought her book, Selling to Big Companies and started skimming through it. Because I love networking, I was stopped in my tracks when I saw the heading, "Why Most Networking is a Waste of Time."

I read on and found that I actually agreed with what she shared. Big company decision makers don't attend usually general networking events. She also pointed out that in most networking, the likelihood of a good referral is pretty low. Why would someone you just met and hasn't personally experienced your work recommend you to their clients? Basically, she says the time and energy put into general networking could be better directed if you're really looking to build clientele.

So what does this mean for a natural networker such as myself? I talked with Mary Kay DuChene from Mom-Camp about this and we had a great discussion. As connector types, we go about networking as a way to develop supportive relationships or to see what others need and then connect them to someone who can help. (It's true, we enjoy supporting others even when there's no financial gain for us.) Whenever I've facilitated networking events, I've taken the approach of creating an environment where attendees can easily create meaningful connections and be supported in their work. Mary Kay and I talked about how the word "connection" has a warmer connotation. The word networking can convey an image of a bunch of people trying to sell themselves, not necessarily being interested in helping to promote the work of others. We both agreed that there are plenty of networking events that are worth it. It's valuable if you are creating real connections either by the way you communicate, attending regularly and developing collegial alliances in which you do have the confidence to provide good referrals to each other. It's also worth it if the topic of the networking session interests you and brings people together in a supportive way. I'm going to mill this question over some more because it will affect the way that I approach and talk about the networking I do.

What do you think? Is general networking a waste of time? What has been your best networking experience? I invite your comments.

Putting the safety on depression triggers #7 - Less Exercise/Lack of Sun

Even though we're hearing "Happy New Year!" everywhere we turn, this time of year creates depression for many of us. Each day this week, I've listed some of the triggers I personally experience during this season and followed it with what I'm doing to combat it (I encourage you to make your own list of triggers/remedies):

Trigger: Less exercise now that it's cold out
Remedy: This year I was proactive. I know that I tend to get less active in winter and then feel down. I joined a healthclub and have been working out at least 3 times a week. My doctor will be happy that I've finally listened to her advice. It really does help and I never feel down while I'm exercising. I needed to make it as easy as possible for me to succeed with my new exercise plan. So I selected a club that is only a block away. I get added exercise from walking and there won't be any excuses about the car not starting!

Trigger: Lack of winter sun
Remedy: There's not much I can do about the sun but I can make sure to open window coverings fully. I'll take time to bask in any sunbeams when they do make an appearance. I can also bring in warm light with candles during dinner.

I found making this list helpful and illuminating. As I wrote it, I remembered that in winter is always a down time for me. While I work to keep myself from getting too low, I also recognize that winter is my dormant time for my energy cycle. On many levels, I need this time to shut down a little and regain my energy. Come spring, I'm sure I'll be ready to burst from my seed.

Try making your own list what triggers depression in you. Follow it with remedies for how you can put yourself in safety mode. I hope it's useful to you. Take good care.

Putting the safety on depression triggers #6 - "Techno-Despair"

Even though we're hearing "Happy New Year!" everywhere we turn, this time of year creates depression for many of us. Each day this week, I'm going to list some of the triggers I personally experience during this season and followed it with what I'm doing to combat it (I encourage you to make your own list of triggers/remedies):

Trigger:"Techno-Despair"
Remedy: I'd planned to write about depression triggers each day for a week. Then I ran into problems connecting with the internet for several days. So now, I'm back to the topic and have another to add to my trigger list. After being on various helplines all weekend, I began to experience "techno-despair" (as termed by Dr. Judith Orloff and I'm sure, countless others). Sometimes I wonder if there is something about me that makes technology go haywire. When this happens, I want to just give up and rid myself of all technology. But being a business owner, that's a tough thing to do. The remedies I used for my "techno-despair" were 1) to remind myself that things would get figured out and get better, 2) I may as well be patient because impatience would just make things worse, 3) convincing myself that a break from technology was a good thing for me (I admit that one was hard to believe, since I was really on the phone and problem-solving on my computer for hours on end with helplines) and 4) reminding myself that usually technology is useful and not such a headache.

Putting the safety on depression triggers #5 - Failed Goals

Even though we're hearing "Happy New Year!" everywhere we turn, this time of year creates depression for many of us. Each day this week, I'm going to list some of the triggers I personally experience during this season and followed it with what I'm doing to combat it (I encourage you to make your own list of triggers/remedies):

Trigger: Failed goals
Remedy: When I look back at the past year, I notice that I pay way more attention to the goals I didn't achieve than the ones I did. I'm going to learn from this. Instead of dwelling on what didn't happen, I'm revisiting my goals to see if they still serve me. If they do, well then they can continue on as goals for this year. And if they don't, then there certainly isn't any reason to dwell on them. Another remedy: I've looked through last year's calendar and remembered many of the great things I did accomplish. Not so shabby, after all!

Putting the safety on depression triggers #4 - Too Much Noise and Hubbub

Even though we're hearing "Happy New Year!" everywhere we turn, this time of year creates depression for many of us. Each day this week, I'm going to list some of the triggers I personally experience during this season and followed it with what I'm doing to combat it (I encourage you to make your own list of triggers/remedies):

Trigger: Too much noise and hubbub
Remedy: As a sensitive person, I get overwhelmed when there is a lot of noise or too many distractions. When I'm overwhelmed, it's hard to feel centered and positive. My kids have had two weeks off from school and they they are either making noise, laughing, making demands or jumping around constantly. As much as I can, I look at the bright side. "Wow, they are so happy to play together!" "How cute; they like to pretend they are wild animals!" But I do get saturated, even when it's all happy noise. So keeping the TV to a minimum, taking occasional breaks to be alone and enjoying the quiet while they sleep are all remedies. I also made sure to give them a 'last call' on the New Year's noisemakers to get it out of their systems. And then into the trash they went!

Putting the safety on depression triggers #3 - Sluggish from Unhealthy Eating

Even though we're hearing "Happy New Year!" everywhere we turn, this time of year creates depression for many of us. Each day this week, I'm going to list some of the triggers I personally experience during this season and followed it with what I'm doing to combat it (I encourage you to make your own list of triggers/remedies):

Trigger: Sluggishness from not eating as healthy
Remedy: In past years, I'd been so thrifty that I'd cringe to throw out anything edible. That meant that I'd continue to eat my way through all the holiday treats instead of making healthier choices. I'm glad to say that I've finally eased up on that way of thinking. Gingerbread house-out! Stale cookies, holiday bread and cake-goodbye! Packaged treats received as gifts-Well, those I'm putting out of sight until my family's sugar level gets back to normal. And then we'll just open them one package a time. :)

Putting the safety on depression triggers #2 - Grief for Loved Ones Lost

Even though we're hearing "Happy New Year!" everywhere we turn, this time of year creates depression for many of us. Each day this week, I'm going to list some of the triggers I personally experience during this season and followed it with what I'm doing to combat it (I encourage you to make your own list of triggers/remedies):

Trigger: Grief for loved ones lost
Remedy: During the holidays, a part of me still expects to see or hear from loved ones who have passed away. Rather than ignore the loss, I find it helpful to recognize the beauty in the cycle of remembrance. It's reassuring to know that they are living on through memories and traditions.

Putting the safety on depression triggers #1 - Post-Holiday Let Down

Even though we're hearing "Happy New Year!" everywhere we turn, this time of year creates depression for many of us. Each day this week, I'm going to list some of the triggers I personally experience during this season and followed it with what I'm doing to combat it (I encourage you to make your own list of triggers/remedies):

Trigger: Post-holiday let down
Remedy: For me, post-holiday let down looks like this; While I greatly enjoy receiving gifts, I notice that afterward I feel a bit materialistic. Having lots more in the house also feels overwhelming. I'm balancing out all the new stuff that has come into our home by clearing clutter as much as I can. By filling boxes to be donated with things that are no longer loved, I both ease the discomfort of feeling materialistic and get back breathing space. (I went through this same sorting process as I put away the holiday decorations yesterday.)