Health and Beauty in Balance

Thank you Rùna for yet another great discussion on Connected-Women.com. I see all these things as interrelated and therefore they impact our balance, as Rùna mentioned. You each have a critical point in there about self. What we sometimes forget is that putting self (health, diet and beauty) as a priority is not "selfish." But rather it is essential for us to take a holistic approach to our lives and look inside (say aaah). If we do not have our health, we cannot achieve our goals professionally or personally (our families, our businesses and we suffer). If we do not eat right, we lose our health. If we do not pay attention to our health, we lose our beauty.

Beauty, of course, can be perceived in two ways here, so it is important to address both the internal and external. We know we feel good when we look our best. We therefore our setting ourselves up for greater success, because we reflect how we feel to others. But internally if we are conflicted and not being true to ourselves, it reflects as strongly, if not stronger. So authenticity and allowing time to feed our passions are drivers of beauty.

So as to a question, funnily enough I think it comes full circle into what some might not consider a "health, diet, beauty" topic. How to prioritise nurturing our health and beauty so that we may be more successful and fulfilled? After all, STRESS is the biggest influence on health, bad habits in diet and, yes ladies, beauty (seen any wrinkles or bad skin lately?).

It is cold and dark in Sweden now. To combat this I am doing yoga, not bringing my laptop home on weekends so I can play with my kids (increasing the laughter - great for abs and general happiness), trying to get my husband in bed before I fall asleep (does wonders for health), drinking more water, etc,... all just a start, but anything helps.

Thanks to Vital Voices

Thank you for the inspiration. I couldn't have said it better myself!

FAWCO Regional 2 & 5 in Lüneburg

Thanks to Frauke for organising a great regional in Lüneburg. It was enlightening and fun to catch a little FAWCO Fever (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas). Looking forward to building projects that can support both the Millenium Goal (especially my passion, MDG3) and other projects like the Heart Pillow, Clubs in Motion and more. It was a delight to meet all you ladies. See you all for Vilnius in March.

Looking at the ROI on Social Media & Networking

Economic Downturn has the world in a buzz. Where are they buzzing? The numbers are clear, to keep the economy moving and engaged, they are returning to and joining new networks. LinkedIn experienced a 25% percent membership increase since September alone. The question of whether that is simply the cast offs resulting from financial markets failure or whether they suddenly hit their tipping point remains to be seen. Given that other networks (both virtual and face to face) seem to be experiencing similar gains. Facebook is increasing by over 10 million users a month.

What is drawing people in (connecting, job hunting, entertainment, reconnecting, building businesses, knowledge sharing,...)? Whatever the cause it is encouraging. I plan to explore the impact further. We must invest further both in time and money in networks. We know they build strength in communities through knowledge sharing and simplifying connection. But it is important to recognise the implications of obtaining new clients, build professional skills and personal skills, connecting to new distributors, channels and markets, creating a sense of community that increases satisfaction, exposing us to new ideas and approaches, and more.

Talent Development for Women Executives

Talent Development For Women Executives

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: executives women)

Due to popular request from both attendees of this workshop and others who were unable to attend, I am posting the slides from the Talent Development for Women Executives Workshop held at the BPW International Congress in Mexico City last week. The video elements do not work with this slide share functionality, so I have removed some and replaced others with still images. I hope this will help make it more fluid. Feel free to contact me should you have any questions about it. Note that it is easier to read the text in full view version (click on easel next to the page numbers).

BPW International Congress XXVI Inspires

Mexico City was alive and buzzing as the delegates of the XXVI Congress for Business and Professional Women International arrived. There was a great deal of business to be discussed in updating the constitution, reporting on taskforces and building new alliances. Attendance was strong from all corners of the globe.

I arrived with the Swedish delegation, for a new twist on things. It was nice to be part of a delegation for once. And yet, I was a bit torn by wearing both my 2BalanceU hat and my BPW Sweden delegate hat. Just a reminder of how important it is to reach outside of the natural group or comfort zone. Given that it was the first time I had met the Swedish delegates, I looked at it as an opportunity to understand both the local and global opportunities BPW provides.

I come home inspired and full of ideas for the future in launching the BPW Öresund group. The bridge is built, now we must cross it. Thank you ladies for your enthusiasm and energy for empowering professional women around the world.