Developing Distinction in Women, part 1

The Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers (CFAWL) invited the public to attend their “Developing Distinction in Women: Progressing as a Professional and Staying Safe, Healthy, and Sane Along the Way!” seminar.  The topics were right up my alley and I learned a whole lot.  Time to share!

There was a great speaker about networking, a few workshops, and a panel on professional development.  Here are some highlights that I found interesting.

Barbara Leach, of Barbara Leach Law, PL, gave a great talk on networking.  She gave great tips on being approachable and how changing your perspective on networking from “a nightmare” to “an opportunity to make friends” helps you go into events with a different air about you and makes people more receptive to talking to you.  She reminded everyone about having “2 ears and 1 mouth, so listen more than you speak,” which helps you learn enough about a person to achieve Zig Ziggler’s definition of success – the way to succeed is to help others succeed!  Barbara is a great lady!

Patrick Faulk of Florida Hospital’s “Healthy 100” talked about stress and balance.  Stress is your perceived ability to cope with an external stimulus.  And 3 out of every 4 Americans say that they are stressed by work, so you are not alone.  And to have a more stable home life, it is important to separate work from home and do that diligently.  Attempt to decompress before you walk through the door to your home.  Everyone in your home will thank you for it!

Calvin and Theresa Curameng of College Park Yoga talked about yoga and how the breath is more important than the stretching part.  If you’re in control of your breathing, you’re in control of your thoughts.  But what you also put into your mouth can inhibit your breath and other bodily functions.  Eating wheat lessens your breath capacity which can increase stress.  And coffee  dehydrates your liver;  so if you drink it then you have to remember to increase your water intake because you’ve automatically put yourself in a deficit for the day.

While I don’t drink coffee every day, when I do, I’ll keep that in mind.

Next week I’ll review the Panel on Professional Development as well as a tiny paragraph of a book review of Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg.