So why weren’t you there???

Sue Weston

What was really interesting was that everyone who attended already knew about some aspects of social media whereas the last time we ran a similar event 2 years ago the level of knowledge was much lower. Now everyone wants to know how they can use sites like Facebook, Twitter and Ecademy to help them to achieve their personal and business goals.

Georgina and Sharon were full of enthusiasm and both of them were able to convince us of the benefits of the medium with examples from their own successful businesses.

Georgina’s level of knowledge and commitment to social media is almost evangelistic and she got everyone asking searching questions with her approach, concentrating on the ‘Why’ questions rather than the ‘How’. She was able to dispel some of the myths many of us held about the risks of broadcasting information on these sites and led us to a greater understanding of what modern business publicity and client base building is all about.

New Social Media & Digital Marketing workshops

After the success of the Social media talk with Georgina Lester, it became clear that there is need for some workshops and courses to help people promote their businesses effectively online. Georgina has compiled a short survey to ascertain which workshops should be set up first. Please complete before 7th March
This will help interested people with the ‘How’ of social media practice so now I’m looking forward to putting some of these ideas into practice. Look out for me on Twitter!

Helen Atton, Chair of MONEW

Georgina Lester

“Well, what’s so enterprising woman about that?”  I hear you ask.  My role is to generate new business and embed it in the service.  It’s a very competitive market out here.  We have to fight for every scrap and I use all my enterprising skills developed in the past running my own businesses making lampshades, network marketing and teaching communication skills. 

I was introduced to MONEW in 2006 by it’s inspirational founder, Roslyn Aubrey, just at a time in my life when I needed uplifting by the positive examples of women taking responsibility for their lives, however unreasonable the odds, carving out niches for themselves with integrity, passion and self-belief.  I got involved in the committee as I figured this was the best way to maximise the influence of these women I have now come to know and respect so much.  And that influence has been immeasurable.  I have learnt so much from the networking and training opportunities that MONEW has offered.  Working together is such a powerful force for achieving goals, effecting change and building community. The influence of MONEW is an essential part of my personal and professional development and as MONEW itself evolves I intend to be a part of that.

Rosalind is MONEW’s first honorary member in recognition of her inspiring contribution to our lively committee. Do you wish to join us and help to make MONEW your own? Contact Sue to learn how you can be part of the joy and creativity of our committee.

Rosalind Lines

“So inspiring to hear about members’ fascinating activities.”
“Very enterprising.”
“Really Great evening – as always!”
“Such a relaxed and friendly event.”
“I enjoyed the evening and the opportunity to talk about my work.”

The best way to connect with pain is to take moment to ensure that our breathing is smooth and calm and brought deep down into the body by using the abdominal or natural breath. An easy way to access this calming breathing pattern is to lengthen the out-breath so we completely empty our lungsin a spacious way without effort or pushing. Tell yourself that you have all the time in the world when you start doing this. On each complete out-breath give yourself permission to relax, like you do on holiday, so a smile arises in each molecule of your being. On each in-breath imagine that peace is spreading throughoutyour body and mind. Breathe in peace, beathe ut a smile. As you do this connect to the natural generosity and loving kindness of your heart, our tender and soft spot. Now take your mind directly to the place of pain, develop a friendship with the pain, ask why it is there, find out what it wishes to say to you – the metaphorical sharing of a cuppa with a friend over the kitchen table. Soften into the pain, imagine it dissolving as you consciously breath clouds of kindness into its centre from your heart. Relax, release, rest. Continue doing this as you nurture and get to know your pain.

Developing an ongoing practice of noticing where pain and tension arise in your body, and getting accustomed to softening into your pain is a very useful skill for living an easier life. When we tense and wish we did not have the pain, we create a ring of tension that can amplify it.

Do contact me if you find this diffuclt to understand or put into practice. You can learn more by coming along to any of my Qigong sessions, I hold a regular lunchtime class in Monmouth at Bridges Centre, Thursday 12.30 -1.30 and in Pontypool at Widdershins, 2.30 – 4 each Thursday. Or better still, join me for one of the Holy Isle residential Qigong & Meditation Retreats, details can be found at my web site: www.sueweston.com

Sue Weston

Committee member and long-time T’ai-Chi-Qigong practitioner Sue Weston has witnessed over years how the health of many people has improved through the practice of Qigong (pronounced ‘Chi Kung’). This gentle and powerful form of exercise, which includes massage and meditation, is prescribed in Chinese Traditional Hospitals for many different conditions including high blood pressure, breathing problems, maintaining bone density, high cholesterol, headaches, aching joints and muscles such as frozen shoulders and much more. It is used to help heal depression and stress related conditions. Come and discover how this ancient form of medicine can help you and take away some long-lasting helpful things to help stay healthy.

Sue Weston is the initiator of Relaxing The Mind T’ai-Chi which is the umbrella for courses, classes, workshops and residential retreats in Monmouth, Abergavenny, Pontypool, West Midlands, Twickenham and Holy Isle, Sotland, and therapeutic massage offered at The Relaxation & Therapy Rooms, Monmouth.

Photo taken by MONEW member Patricia Carswell

So why do we do this? Perhaps one reason is that many of us don’t really believe that we can change the way we are. “I’ll never get away from here!” or “I have a heavy build and can’t lose weight”. This kind of thinking is called a ‘limiting belief’. If we continue to tell ourselves that we can’t do something, we’ll continue to not be able to do it. In life we get what we concentrate on.

You may have met people who appear lucky and to whom good things always happen. These are usually people who chose to see the positive side of life and grasp what comes their way.

It’s all in the mind! If you open your mind to new opportunities they will appear.

So if you want to lose weight, concentrate on really feeling how good you’ll feel and look when you have achieved your goal and then behave as if it has already happened. Walk taller, dress better and you’ll feel more confident and people around you will notice that. In turn you will feel more positive and optimistic and the next chocolate bar might not look so attractive! Or if you’re unhappy about the way your partner seems to behave, think about your own role in the relationship. Are you being the best partner you can be? Try to think of positive ways you’d like to be treated and do these things for your partner.

Here’s another thought. If I were to ask what your new year’s resolution is many people would say that they want to lose weight or become fitter. If I then asked what your priorities and values in life are, the tendency is to talk about career, money and relationships. If you want something to change you need to make it your first priority, take it more seriously if you like. Work out the reasons for what you want and keep reminding yourself of them.

Here are some tips on resolutions.

1) Only make one. You’re much more likely to succeed if you channel all your energy into one goal.
2) Write it down. State exactly what it is that you want, by when and how you’re going to do it. Write it in the present tense, “I am”, not “I will”.
3) Work out the reasons why it’s important for you to succeed. Ask yourself questions like, “what will achieving this give me?” and “how will I feel when I have achieved this?”
4) Do something different. If you make the same resolution every year and it doesn’t happen, perhaps it’s time to change it to something more achievable, maybe related to your original idea. When you’ve achieved that you’ll feel more confident to increase your targets.
5) Simplify it. Break down your goal into the smallest steps possible. Sometimes what we want to do can seem overwhelming and therefore we can’t see a way through. Write down these steps so you can tick them off when they’re completed.
6). Get on with it. Once you’ve broken down your goal just take that first step, even if it’s only very small. You are now on your way to success.
3) Get help. Don’t feel you have to do it all on your own. Why is it we feel everyone else can climb mountains alone and we can’t?! Ask a friend, a coach, a mentor, someone in your family. People like to be helpful.
Reward yourself often. If you remind yourself of how well you’re doing by rewarding yourself at each milestone on the way, you will increase your motivation and reinforce your progress by seeing how far you’ve come. We all like to be rewarded when we’ve done well. Perhaps those people who helped you would like to celebrate with you!

If you’d like to know more about how coaching can help you keep your resolutions, give me a ring on 0797 4444 082.

Helen Atton

On the way home I thought about how the frantic pace of modern day life had provided opportunities for women such as Kay, who has developed a successful business by helping people organise themselves so that they don’t spend hours looking for items in their in tray or in their wardrobe. Apart from Kay’s obvious charisma, what is it that makes her business successful? The answer is that she has a Unique Selling Point.  All businesses need one if they are to compete successfully with others in the same field.  Below I offer a few ideas for developing your own Unique Selling Point or USP in order to stand out from the crowd:

Analyse your competitors: Have a look at your competitors and their USPs. Identify their strengths and weaknesses to see the gaps.

Examine your own business: Brainstorm every USP possibility with friends and family. Don’t judge the ideas,  write them down, challenge yourself allow the ideas to flow. Crystallize them to a list of 5 to 10 possibilities.

Get feedback: Ask friends, family, work colleagues and your current customers what they think of your ideas. Don’t be offended if what you thought was a great idea received the thumbs down. Use this information to narrow your USP ideas down to one single strong concept.

Develop a tag line or slogan: Distil your USP down to one (at most two) focused sentence. Add your USP statement to every page of your website, your letterhead and all of your advertising and marketing.

Ensure your USP is relevant to and fulfils the customers’ needs. You may be unique, but you need to focus on customers who will pay for that uniqueness!

MONEW of course has its own USP:
MONEW supports women in achieving a positive work-life balance.
It does this by involving interested women of all ages and areas of expertise. Join us and develop your own uniqueness!

Susie Nagle