Patricia’s Book Launch:

You, your caring colleagues, fun friends and nice neighbors are invited to celebrate women’s resilience and the new, hot off the press, book that declares, “You are stronger than you think!”

From Woe to WOW: How Resilient Women Succeed at Work is ready for you, your women friends and the men who care about us.

Where: Patricia’s Home: 1411 25A St. SW, (Bow Trail & 26 St.) Calgary

When: Thursday, August 20, 2009 4:30 to 8 pm

4:30 pm: Greet

5:00 pm: A few words (probably sentences, maybe paragraphs but not pages) from the author and meet the Woe to WOW team.

What to expect:

§     Light refreshments

§     A gaggle of inspiring women and some men that adore them

§     Opportunity to meet some of the book’s featured women

§     Opportunity to learn about self publishing

§     Opportunity to meet an esteemed book designer, editor and proof reader

§     Opportunity to help us decide the final cover. Will it be the bands or the bug? 

§     One (maybe two or three if you smile) FREE Woe to WOW Strategy Card for just “showing up”

§     No GST on any purchases

§     With every From Woe to WOW purchase one FREE copy of any of Patricia’s other books, many of them popular gift items--Love Her As She Is, She Said, Alberta Women Said, Frantic Free or The Lighter Approach

Questions: Call Patricia at 403-242-7796

Nice to know information:

The three year From with Woe to WOW project has ended with 207 pages, 26 stories of WOW-empowered women, 376 audience member contributions and over 40 resiliency strengthening strategies (also available on cue cards). Dr. Roberta Neault offers this summary:

          From Woe to WOW is a wonderful, practical, inspirational tool for women and all those who support them! Right from the Introduction through the comprehensive list of resources at the end, Woe to WOW kept me fully engaged – I read it from cover to cover on a cross-country flight. With stories of real women sprinkled throughout, supported by a seamless integration of factual research and insights from the author’s own rich life experiences, this book provides tips and strategies for turning life’s biggest challenges into opportunities to shine. Patricia doesn’t sugar-coat the stories – in some she definitely shares the ugly side of life but without wallowing in misery. Readers will be inspired by the creative ways that women bounced back from traumatic experiences and will learn how significant others such as employers, friends, and family members can become more supportive during challenging times.

        From Woe to WOW is organized into four parts. Part One is a backgrounder on the topic of resilience. Part Two focuses on evaluating resilience using a simple assessment tool that provides readers with immediate feedback; case examples also help readers to reflect on their external supports. Part Three provides comprehensive lists of internal and external woes and then provides rich “wow-empowered stories” to illustrate how real women turned tragic situations around; each story is summarized with bullet-pointed life lessons – “Herstory Take-Aways.”  Particularly appealing were “The Rest of Herstory” sections – it was comforting to know that life had continued to be positive and that the “woe to wow” experiences were more than transitory events. Part Four provides a “Reservoir of WOW Strategies” followed by five topical sections each with seven strategies for “WOW Empowerment.”

        I’ll be recommending this book to my colleagues, counseling students, and clients, as well as my daughters and sisters-in-law. Patricia has done an amazing job of sharing stories of challenge to inspire women to be the best they can be. Women of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds will find stories that resonate – this is a must-have resource.

Dr. Roberta Neault, award-winning specialist in career/life management, counselor-educator, keynote speaker, and author of Career Strategies for a Lifetime of Success and That Elusive Work-Life Balance.  

Saw a client who has struggled for years looking for her life purpose. She shared that she regularly prays to find the answer. I empathize. For years I agonized about my royal purpose. Here is the note I later wrote to her:

Good on you. I used to stew about the BIG PURPOSE of my life. I was relieved when I started to use this perspective: Think of life as walking in a fog. You can only see a short distance ahead of you. Notice what gives meaning and purpose for the next step. Then take it. Please start journaling (perhaps daily) the answer to these questions:

• What happened today that had meaning and purpose for me?
• What did I do that supported it happening?
• For what did I feel grateful?
• What did I do that supported me having, dong or being this in my life?  

"Go as far as you can see. When you get there, you can see farther."
Thomas Carlyle

Barbara Fredrickson, author of Positivity, was one of the most dynamic speakers at the 2009 First World Congress on Positive Psychology.  Here are highlights of her presentation:

Positivity: The Path to Flourishing

80% of Americans fall short of the ideal 3-to-1 positivity ratio. (Fredrickson and Losado (2005) American Psychologist 60, 678-686)

What this means is that for one negative experience we need three positive experiences and/or emotions to keep us steady and resilient.

Feeling upbeat and positive does need to fade or diminish now and then or we won’t know the difference hearing bad and good news or the difference between receiving an insult and a compliment.

To Create a Mindset of Positivity:

§      Be open: let go of expectations

§      Be appreciative: take the good in your life

§      Be curious: seek out something different

§      Be kind: focus on others. Make someone else’s day better

§      Be real: don’t fake positivity

Take a 2 minute Positivity Self-Test at http://www.positivityratio.com

Ed Diener was one of the main presenters at the June, 2009, First World Congress on Positive Psychology in Philadelphia. Diener, co-author with Robert Biswas-Diener, of Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth, talked about Satisfaction with Life. Here are some of his points:

(Authentic) Happiness means subjective well-being and provides a stress protective factor.

Predictors of Well-Being are:

· Basic needs

· Income

· Convenience

· Life satisfaction

· Positive engagement

· Social support

· Learning & flow

· Public trust

Life circumstances make a difference

Situations and challenges do matter and make a difference to well-being. We must do what we can to create positive organizations and institutions.

Money makes a difference . . . depending

Money does make a difference to happiness. Just ask those who have moved from poverty to $40,000 or more annually. However those with a lot of money are typically only a little bit happier.

Want what you would like

Positive Psychologists say, “Happiness is liking what you have.” Learn to want/desire what you would like. Deiner gave the example of his daughter who wanted/desired a puppy and after she had it didn’t want it.