Time!

Do you ever feel like time just keeps getting away from you?  If you are a woman, then you know exactly what I mean.  This morning I woke up wondering where this year has gone  as we approach May and summer is right around the corner.  May will always have significant meaning to me as it is the month that the idea for WWS was first born.  I remember being so excited about the idea I wanted to have the first meeting the next night.  Well it might as well been the next night as we launched our first chapter 30 days later and June will mark our first year anniversary!  Sometimes I feel like WWS has been around my entire life and other times I have a hard time believing we are coming up our anniversary.  Many of you have touched my life in very profound ways and I know that the Society has touched many of your lives and I am so proud of that. 

I heard a song yesterday on the radio and instantly it took me back to basketball practice in high school.  At the end of the song when the DJ announced that it dated back to 1986 I thought, oh my gosh, it seems like that was my life just a few years ago and here already 20 years has passed.  It is almost an overwhelming feeling sometimes when we look at things that way, but then I look at my life today.  I can't help to think what a richer person I am today for all of the life experiences I have had from my high school days until now.  I think back to my boyfriend at the time, the star of the basketball team and how smitten I was.  How I believed he would someday be my husband.  No one could tell me otherwise back then and gosh how different of a person I have grown up to become today.  What would he think of me today, what would I think of him?  Would we even have anything in common?  Where would our lives be if we would have married?As a result of that painful breakup, my life went on take many other turns that somehow led to the amazing husband and life  I have today.  I still chuckle at times when I think how important a boyfriends "sports status" was in school and how irrelevant it is when you finally grow up. 

As I visit many of the chapters, I often get asked the question, "What was your inspiration in starting WWS?"  I swear one of these days I will make a list and just start handing it out when the question arises so I can be more prepared for a good answer.  My answer typically is "How much time do you have?" because it really is not a short answer.  The truth of the matter is, I don't really have a canned thirty second commercial because there are probably about twenty five different reasons that prompted me to start this and about twenty four of the reasons came out of adversities that I had to overcome in my own life.  Isn't that how all great things begin?  If you have ever taken the time to watch Intimate Portrait on Lifetime for Women, you will see that most of the great women of today and yesterday rose to greatness out of tragedy and adversity.  Then y ou turn on American Inventor and see that many of the  ideas for the inventions came from an adversity that became a lesson and then a mission to make something better.  Debbie Ford says, "The reason we see darkness is to prompt us to turn on the light."  Many of you have been my light this past year and all of you are a daily reminder of how grateful I am for the amazing shape this organization is taking.

To know that I will never be alone again in life because of all of you, comforts me greatly and even more, knowing that in your time of need, you too are not alone. 

This newsletter is about a month late and I apologize that again, time has just gotten away from me.  There are many great things happening in the next few months so please take the time to read the Society News and Updates.  To your health...

Kellie Kuecha

Do you remember that song, “You’re So Vain?” The key phrase in the song I want to draw attention to is, “You probably think this song is about you.” Everything is not always about you. This realization is helpful when dealing with anyone in any kind of relationship. So, unless you’re a hermit or live on a deserted island, then this applies to all of us.

We are all in relationship. We are even in relationship with ourselves. The relationship with the self is very important. Think on that for a moment. Let’s check in and ask ourselves, “How is my relationship with myself?” “In what manner do I talk to myself?” “Do I say nice things to myself?” “When was the last time I complimented myself or told myself how nice I am?” “Do I feel that I look good?” “Do I think I am smart?” “Do I perceive myself to be a nice person?” Please, really, stop right now. Let us all stop and really answer these questions and get to know ourselves better. There are many more of these types of questions to ask ourselves.

We become more aware of the answers to these questions by the mirrors that reflect back to us in the people with whom we interact. Our co-workers, supervisors, spouses, significant others, family, friends, children, and a variety of people with whom we interact provide us a mirror into ourselves. As we think, so we are. The being of the self is constantly being reflected back to us by everyone that we come into contact with. Wow! That sure puts everything back on us and working on our stuff.

The stuff we often need to work on is ego associated. In being human, we have the ego. The ego is the part of the “You’re So Vain” song that leads us to think that the way people act towards us is all about us. Well, sometimes actions of others are all about us and then again, maybe not. On one hand, if someone treats us with disrespect or in a condescending manner, often it’s not about us at all. It is often a defense mechanism that person has in order to have the self-confidence to communicate. It is their personal issues coming up that causes them to act that way. On the other hand, their behavior is a gift to provide us an opportunity to learn to discern or establish boundaries. We allow or enable behavior or NOT!

Here is an example from a work setting. Let’s say our manager has to tell us to do something, correct something we’ve done (maybe it’s something he/she perceives we should already know or have been told about many times) and communicates it in a condescending or harsh manner. Of course, our ego will take that personally and feel badly because of the manner in which it was communicated. But, do we ever stop and think of the inordinate amount of pressure and degree of self-esteem/confidence a manager has to have to have the courage to correct employees? Do we have any idea what might be going on in their life? Do we ever stop to realize that maybe that manager is frustrated because they perceive that you could be more self-motivated or you already know whatever it is? Do we recognize their personality type and accept them for who they are and stop taking everything so personally?

In the being part of the human being, we get to work on transcending the ego and have realizations of self, as well as realizations of self in relation to others. So, let us take a look at what kind of interactions we are manifesting in our surroundings.

This is where it does come back to us. This is the part where it really is all about us - the being part of us. Do we know how to set boundaries with others? Do we know how to express our feelings to another? Do we enable behaviors to continue or do we stop them in their tracks? We are solely responsible for the manner in which we act, think and receive information. If you are in a relationship with someone and they speak harshly to you, if you don’t tell them it bothers you and it continues on, then that’s your issue, not theirs. We must communicate with our fellow man. We must have the courage to say something to prevent further inappropriate communication from happening if it bothers us.

Then we have the word but. But if I say anything I will get fired. But if I tell my friend they are rude, they will be mad at me. But if I speak my truth, they won’t like me anymore. Here is a suggestion: start by asking that person if something is bothering them, if we perceive they spoke harshly to us. Example, “Is something bothering you?” They will probably say, “No, why?” “Oh, because I perceived an edge in your voice when you just said that to me, I thought maybe there might be something going on that might be upsetting you.” or “Wow, that was intense, are you ok?” Amazingly, this often diffuses the situation. Because it’s not always about us, provide an avenue for some dialogue. We must be open though to hear that what might be bothering them does involve us. Try it sometime and allow relationships to deepen.

Or get the courage to step up and tell someone that they are speaking to you in a manner that has a tendency to hurt your feelings. Once someone is aware that they are doing that, if they want to improve their relations with the world, they will do something about it and often even apologize. We must also take a look at ourselves to observe if we are too sensitive, don’t take criticism well, take everything personally or are defensive because that person may actually be right.

There is a way to communicate this. Do not point any fingers, literally and metaphorically. When we point fingers, there are four fingers pointing back at us.

Communications within relationships are the key to good relations and honoring of oneself. Communicating our feelings while staying focused on our heart relieves some of the intensity of the delivery as well as the reception. We must remember to do our inner work which may involve having a conversation with oneself. Working through and looking at issues, hurt feelings and communication challenges help us to grow up spiritually, mentally and emotionally. We may as well do the work, because that’s why we chose to come to Planet Earth.

May we all have the courage we need to speak our truth. May we all speak our truth with gentleness, compassion and kindness. May we all keep in mind how our words affect others regardless of our station in life. May we all remember that we are equal and that we are One. Mitake Oyasin.

The Crystal Garden
2610 North Federal Highway
Boynton Beach, FL  33435
561-369-2836
Toll free outside Florida: 1-877-444-5099
email: info@thecrystalgarden.com

With springtime in the air I am reminded once again that the cycle of life and the cycle of seasons emerge in perfect universal rhythm.

Today as I was outside raking up old mulch from my garden, my eyes became aware of a peculiar object in my pile of debris. As I bent down to examine this glowing white string, I realized it was the discarded skin from a garden snake that had obviously outgrown her covering and slipped into a more comfortable skin. Being a science major in college, and not scared of most insects and critters, except Palmetto bugs, I immediately picked up 24 inches of transparent snakeskin complete with perfect detailing of intricate patterns and even saw two delicate openings where tiny eyes once peeked through. At that very moment, my phone rang and my dear friend Rochelle Schwartz was on the line asking what’s new?

Right then it clicked, we can all leave our old skin behind and move into a more comfortable place when life and situations get too tight and too constricting for the comfort of who we are today. How the snake shed her skin, so can we leave behind old baggage from the past, as we move into an exciting new future. It was so perfect hearing Rochelle’s voice at the moment I picked up this natural wonder. Rochelle facilitates women in learning the techniques of moving into the present and having “The Best Year of Your Life”.

I remember how excited I was last spring attending my first Retreat on the beach with the Women’s Wellness Society. It relaxed me, inspired me, made me laugh and made me cry, and in the end, I felt so refreshed and so inspired. It was a very special gift I gave myself taking a few days to really connect with myself and other like minded wonderful women. I can’t wait to be enlightened once again at our upcoming retreat in July and shedding a little more of what I don’t need and embracing that which I can grow upon here and now. Rochelle Schwartz and all of our amazing speakers have some really fun activities planned for the Retreat so don’t forget to join us and help to create another incredible weekend at A Soulful Journey by the Sea.  

Love, Blessings, Health, and Happiness,

Jill  

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Save the date for June 6th for our birthday party.  Details will follow later in the month!

Website changes!

Our website has just undergone major programming and software changes that will help you in navigating through it much easier as well as providing you will endless resources for information.  Please bear with us for the next few weeks as we work out the glitches.  You will be assigned user names and pass codes to access all the fun things that we have added to our site.

Referral gift if you locate a new Chapter Leader

As we set our mission into motion of “Bridging the gap between Women and Wellness,” new chapters will be opening across the county.  If you know someone who may be interested in becoming a Chapter Leader, please email Kellie at kellie@womenswellnesssociety.com.  We are offering a referral gift of $100 for your recommendation, which will be paid when the new chapter reaches a membership of twenty.

Is Your Home or Business Green?

Visit www.HealthyHomeCoach.com  to schedule  your free Eco-Audit.  Special memberships discounts apply to WWS members that have a green office.  For more information call Jill at 561-482-9121.

Community Outreach

We are now forming groups of women that would like to join us in reaching out to the elderly in our community.  We will be taking special trips to assisted living homes and sharing intimate time with the residents through friendship, dancing and laughter.  Contacts us info@womenswellnesssociety.com if you are interested in joining us.

Please visit our new online store at www.cafepress.com/wwsociety for fun WWS merchandise.  All proceeds from the sale of these great products will be donated to Women in Distress.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Meeting Sponsors are a great way for our members to learn about you and your business. The cost is $200 for the meeting which includes a five minute presentation, a business profile on the Meeting Program and your logo/link on our site for one month. We also offer table sponsorships for $50 where you can network with our members, display products and materials and stand out among the others.

Submit your Business listing today!

All Professional and Corporate business members are entitled to a business listing on our site.  We want to begin filling up our listings and we need your help.  If you would like to be listed in this section we will need the following information:  Name, email, phone, web address, profession.  You will need to submit this information to our web support department at support@womenswellnesssociety.com.

Let's Barter!

Many of our members have expressed an interest in bartering with other members.  We think this is a great idea and we would love to start a formal WWS barter club!  Please email us if you would like to belong to this elite group of women and men!

New Chapter Kickoffs

Join us on May 2nd as we kick off the New York City Chapter.  A big welcome to Jennifer Jackson as our newest chapter leader!   

This month we re-launched our Coral Springs Chapter,  welcome to our new Chapter Leader Rebecca Smith!

Facial Special for all WWS members at Faces and Beyond Day Spa!!

Faces and Beyond is pleased to announce $40.00 facials (a savings of over 50%) for all Women's Wellness Society Members.  Schedule your appointment today!

Contact Ann at 954-783-2220