I had just moved to a new town and started attending a church near my home. The pastor reached out to me to ask whether I felt welcome, and I couldn’t help but reply negatively. I went to services regularly and had even started attending Wednesday evening services, but not one person had reached out to me to make me feel at home.

Instead of apologizing for the behavior of his church body, the pastor reprimanded me. He told me that I wasn’t opening myself up for friendships, and that I needed to begin connecting in order to feel connected. This was an eye-opener for me. It was my fault I didn’t feel welcome! I had closed the lines of communication before they ever got started.

Thankfully, I haven’t experienced that feeling in a long time. I have met new friends through Twitter, The Springfield Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications, The Springfield Bloggers Association, Husch Blackwell Sanders, Reliv, The Social Media Club, Salon Service Group, Heligonix, OTC and other numerous local organizations have been a beacon of connectivity for me in Springfield. These past few years, I have made friends with some of the most knowledgeable, connected and friendly people I’ve ever met.

I would like to encourage you, too, to make connections, go outside your comfort zone. If you do, you will always feel welcome no matter where you are!

She defined unconscious consciousness as acting instinctively to something, such as driving to work and not remembering a moment of it. We’ve all done this. It’s not that we’re incompetent, it’s that we instinctively react to obstacles in our path. Likewise, conscious consciousness is knowing that you aren’t proficient in reacting to situations, and unconscious unconsciousness is not knowing what you don’t know.

Hopefully, we are proficient enough in our profession that we are at least consciously consciousness. If so, repeat practice of a skill will increase our proficiency. Where could you use some molding to become unconsciously conscious?

Surrounding yourselves with like-minded professionals, especially those who are successful in what they do, can help us become aware of areas that need improvement and hone skills needed to become unconsciously conscious. That’s where professional organizations come into the picture.

Make it a point to attend meetings when possible, have lunch with a fellow organizational members, and participate in networking opportunities. You just might meet the right person there to help you over the hurdle that’s been stopping you from becoming unconsciously conscious in your career.

I’ve fought depression my entire life. Some say it’s hereditary, others say it’s a state of mind. For me, it isn’t he cause that leads me to seek a solution, it’s the need for a solution. There are some days when I feel such a lack of confidence and drive that I am immobilized. I stress over the littlest things and am often left a mess because of it.

Doctor prescribed antidepressants work for a time, but they left me numb. I would find that with time on antidepressants, I would begin to act impulsively without worrying about the ramifications of my actions until it was too late. I found that Vitamin B Stress worked wonders as an alternative (A health food grade like Solaray works best). When I didn’t have the vitamin, I would obsess over little things, thoughts and worrying about what others thought of me. The problem I found is that if I didn’t take it for a while, it took a few days to build up in my system. So, I would take it Monday and not feel better until Thursday.

I met Karleen Tutton at a fair last year and she introduced me to Reliv 24K. My aunt had suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis and is a cancer survivor. She has been taking Reliv supplements for the past 10 years and has lived the benefits, so I knew it was real.  Karleen told me her story, and I had to try the product.

Since I started taking 24K, I no longer suffer from negative and destructive thought patterns. I feel a brighter outlook and am able to function without reliance on antidepressants or vitamins. I don’t have to wait for the product to build up in my system. It works within hours, whether I’ve taken it consistently or not.

I am able to order this product for you if you’re interested in it. I am not a multi-level marketer nor will I ever bore my friends with my spiel. However, I believe in the product and would be happy to share the product with anyone interested. Watch the video below and Email me if you would like to purchase it.

As for me, I’m looking forward to trying the other products Reliv has to offer – weight loss for myself, nutrition for my husband and an alternative to ADD medication for my children. If you’ve used any of Reliv’s products, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Respond in the comments section below to share your story.

My dad always told me that I could do anything I wanted to if I just put my mind to it. As a child, I thought that meant that if I decided I wanted to be a writer, I could be one. I didn’t consider the “as long as I put my mind to it” part. It meant I needed to develop a path and to take intentional steps to reach my ultimate goal.

When I joined the Association for Women in Communications, my father’s words became much clearer. AWC is an organization that works to recognize true talent and encourage leadership, mentoring and continued learning within the vast industry of communications. I can’t say that it was AWC that launched my career, but I can say that this organization gave me the empowerment to reach for my dreams and to grow and advance. The women in AWC come from diverse backgrounds and include entrepreneurs of small businesses to owners and founders of fortune 500 companies with millions in capital.

I just returned from the AWC National Conference where I met many of these women. I met Billie Netty who wrote her first book at 54 (“Where The Heart Is,” 1995); Shawne Duperon, six time Emmy Award winner (SawneTV); Dr. Terry Neese (Co-Founder of the Institute for the Economic Empowerment of Women, an international non-profit, education and training research organizationand).

Listening, meeting, and speaking with these women has given me the tools and understanding that I, too, have the capacity to live as large as my dreams allow. This means I can turn my dreams into reality by taking one step at a time towards my goals. That’s why I feel like Wonder Woman. She is the type of person who should rule the world!

Becoming a success is about embracing challenges and learning opportunities, making new connections and most of all thinking outside the box. Personally, I challenge myself to attend speaking events, webinars and networking opportunities that both challenge myself professionally and personally. I try to surround myself with friends and associates who are diverse in knowledge and experience.

In October, I am looking forward to hearing the recommendations of Kim Hartmayer, fellow Association for Women in Communications Springfield Chapter Member and Life Coach. She is presenting “Overcoming Personal Barriers to Professional Growth” at our meeting on the seventh. One thing I’ve learned over time is that we often see each day as another in a long line of days without challenging ourselves to grow.

For instance, the resources and tools available us aren’t always top of mind. As a leader, I find that when I challenge others, I am motivating and learning myself. Similarly, working on committees with fellow AWC Members or other organizations, I learn new problem-solving skills and make great friendships.

I am thankful every day for the opportunities my network has given me to challenge myself as a professional. I hope you, too, embrace the challenges and unlimited learning occasions given you.

Etched in the stones identifying my family  throughout the cemetery were their name, date of birth and date of death. Often there was a blurb that tried to identify the person

like “loving mother,” “wife of Frank” (that’s a whole other blog topic in itself, but I’ll leave it be for now), and “devoted son.” Other than that short phrase and perhaps a military insignia, the only other identifier of the life that person lived was the dash

between the dates of birth and death.

The life within that dash is a mystery. Of course, there are historical documents, but even those don’t define the person that

lived since what is recorded on paper is but a diluted

documentation of the event it commemorates. Even if we knew the person, there are so many things about him or her that we will never know:  the feelings of pride, joy or sorrow at each milestone in life; the dream, goal or wish that was put on hold for more

important life events; and the exciting, embarrassing or trusted secrets that were too personal to ever share.

The game of Life is short in comparison to the time that stone will identify us. Some stones I saw over the weekend had been standing as an identifier to that family member’s resting place for

over a hundred years, yet their life was only between 40 and 90 years (if we were lucky). So, how is what happened during the “dash” (that small horizontal line called life) more significant than the stone that signifies the whole of that person? I guess that’s the question we all have to ask ourselves as we fight to define our dash in the game of Life.

So, here’s the shortlist of my faves:

1. Reading
2. Geek/Tech stuff
3. Writing
4. Company of friends/family

     So, what did I come up with from the aforementioned as my newest goal for my hobby? This summer, I’m going to take a class on mapping a novel (I’ve been thinking about one for a while, just haven’t figured out the strategy of getting it put together). Then, the next logical step would be to write it, right?
In the meantime, I’m brushing up on my web development so when the book is written I can get some traffic.
Sound like a plan?

Good, ’cause I’m going to make it your job to keep that fire burning under my arse to make it a reality!
(((((*Thanks in advance*)))))

As women leaders, we lead by example. We are women who’ve made and strove towards the goals we make for ourselves. Our accomplishments are a direct result of the lives we’ve created. We develop solutions instead of allowing negativity to kill our dreams, proving to others that we can and will be empowered. We seek to make the world great by making changes where we can and encouraging others to do the same.

I wanted to share with you some of the stories of the nominees. The unseen dedication, organization and prioritization required to reach these accomplishments are inspiring.

• Rebecca Argilagos, award recipient, had just returned from serving in Afganistan through the National Guard. Locally, she works tirelessly to help coordinate continuing education for her staff and to develop overall awareness of dementia and other mind-related ailments in aging adults.
• The junior award recipient, Samantha Weller, developed an organization to assist in the cleaning of streams in our area. She educates everyone around her on our responsibility to recycle and save our environment.
• Other nominees had similar giving qualities. Some gave time and energy to local organizations; others donated time to educating one another about their passions.

Each effort represented by these nominees is a beautiful reflection of the values we hold as women leaders. Like others, when I am fortunate enough to cross paths with a new woman leader, I always learn something new. As woman leaders, we support one another, encouraging, uplifting and pushing each other towards our goals.

The Ozarks Alliance Women of Distinction Award seeks to recognize women who positively influence the lives of Ozarks women of all ages. I encourage you to look at yourself today and realize how YOU are a positive influence to others, because whether you know it or not, you are a positive influence on ME.

What is knowledge, anyway? I am reminded a story about a village in Africa that lived on the land. They wore clothing they earned through trade from their labor. Their homes were thatched roofs with dirt floors.

Missionaries came and introduced the village to retail catalogs. Many of the village people then left the area to find jobs so they could purchase the items.

Prior to being introduced to the manufactured products available in the catalog, the villagers didn’t know they were missing anyting. They were lacking knowledge. Until we are introduced to new knowledge, we are unaware of our own ignorance.

Confidence can be categorized with knowledge because it is a learned behavior. Pride isn’t confidence and neither is arrogance. Confidence is being sure that you have made the right decision or call through knowledgeable deduction. I say it’s a learned behavior because until a person has practiced and succeeded in an area, he or she cannot exhibit confidence.

So, when given the keys to a new car, one shouldn’t take off in it without first knowing where he or she is headed, right? Even if it’s a spin around the block, there has to be some direction to the trip. The same is true with the two keys I’ve mentioned:  knowledge and confidence.

Just as confidence isn’t the same as arrogance or pride, knowledge isn’t the same as wisdom. It takes a wise person to create a plan that is both practical and that will aid in reaching a goal.

Let me give a for instance:  I’d always wanted to be a journalist…since I was a kid. Then I grew up and went to college. I realized that I enjoyed most a indirect interpersonal relationships. The life of a journalist was more social than I had imagined, so I researched jobs for the one most suited for my personality. I had to combine my knowledge, wisdom in my experiences and confidence that I was making the right decision in order to unlock the door to my future and enter my career.

Humankind learns new things every day. We practice new procedures through what’s learned. Upon mastery, we develop confidence, but practicality and wisdom are a must if people want to actually get anywhere.

Unlock the door of practical, wise application through confidence and knowledge.