Life Style Lifters - The New "Face" of WWRG

Many of you are no doubt wondering "where in the world is WWRG?".

Well, after a long hiatus, we are back. The time we have spent out of public view was used to plan the launch of WWRG in the fastest growing social media vehicles on the planet right now - Facebook and Twitter.

The Facebook page for WWRG may be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wealthy-Womens-Resource-Guide/135090446545532

I know many of you also follow twitter, so we now have a new Face and Voice for you to follow. Her name is Evie and many of you know her as a frequent guest blogger in this Lifestyle Lifter's column.

You may follow Evie as she travels the globe to bring you the latest in Passion, Romance, and Fashion. Just go to @evieofWWRG and join in as a follower.

I also have a twitter handle - @JBHIVofWWRG. Together, we will bring you the latest happenings among our rapidly expanding global network of well-connected, and influential women.

We will continue to bring you the more "in-depth" insight through this blog. Now, however, you have the ability to access our network 24/7/356 through Twitter and Facebook and join the ranks of women that view this blog in five continents!

TGIF - Pre- Holiday Dining at The Rock Center Cafe

As many of you know, I am a ferocious Foodie. I am fortunate to have access to a number of fine restaurants around the globe, thanks to some connections that my network has brought to me, and by recommendations from my faithful readers.

While I am not a Food Critic (I leave this to experts such as Zagat or Michelin Guides), I do appreciate when I receive VIP level service even though the staff may not know who I am.

This was the case yesterday when I had arranged a mid-morning "brunch" meeting with a colleague. When I arrived at the Rock Center Cafe in the Rockefeller Center Building in Midtown Manhattan I was told that Breakfast seating had ended and that Lunch was available beginning 11:30am. The time was now 10:30, my guest was arriving in 15 minutes, and had to leave for another appointment shortly after noon.

Oops!

Fortunately, Ken Gordon, VP of Operations for The Patina Group, the firm that operates the RCC was standing in the reception area. He had overheard my conversation with the Hostess, and immediately offered a solution.

Ken seated me in a quiet area of the restaurant, and had one of his wait staff bring coffee to me. Keep in mind that this was BETWEEN service hours.

When my guest arrived, I told Ken that we had a short window in which to eat once the official lunch service began at 11:30. He not only offered to take our Lunch order in advance of this time, he went beyond the call and asked if we would prefer something more like Breakfast. As my guest and I had both been looking forward to this, we immediately took Ken up on his offer.

I was truly awed when our beautifully presented and extremely tasty dishes were served less that 15 minutes later! The time was now 11:15 well into the hiatus between seatings.

Our waitperson, Mike, never failed to ask if we needed anything. At many restaurants, patrons experience a "black hole of service level" if seated late into a period of transition as they busily change over place settings, etc. This was definitely NOT the case here!

This was as fine a dining experience as I have had in quite a while. As you make plans for the weekend, please add "eat at one of the Patina Group's fine restaurants" to your list. You may find one of their locations by clicking here.

If any of you are planning to be in NYC over the holidays, there is no better view of the festivities in and around Rock Center than a seat in the cafe overlooking the Ice Rink and the famous X-mas Tree.

If you are contemplating a private holiday affair, I'm sure Ken or one of his staff will be more that happy to assist you with your plan.

Based on my experience yesterday, you are in the best of hands!

Tuesday's Treasure - Holiday Tips v.2 - Giving Back

In last Saturday's Lifestyle Lifter's post, I began a series of posts intended as "Holiday Tips for The Wise".

Today I'd like to introduce you to Meera Gandhi. Her work in tireless support of many charities, non-profit organizations, and for profit ventures are too numerous to list. For a detailed look at what she has done and where she is going, click here. Her latest passion is as Founder of The Giving Back Foundation.

In a article you may read in it's entirety by clicking here , Meera gives six tips for giving during this upcoming Holiday Season:

1. Write a check. The easiest way to make a difference is to donate money to people who are doing work that you believe in. Every bit counts from as little as $10 to a $10,000.

2. Reach out to people. The simple acts of being kind and helpful is truly a way of giving back. If someone asks for your assistance, help out as much as you can.

3. Commit your time. Everyone can spare a few hours during the month. Spend it at your local soup kitchen, working for a charity or mentoring another person.

4. Be kind to yourself. Most people are running around ragged from just their daily routine. Give yourself some time to relax and recuperate. If your own well is dry, you’ll have nothing to give others.

5. If you have to say no, say it in a kind way. It’s not possible to help everyone who asks, but if you refuse kindly and perhaps put the person in touch with someone who can help, you will keep the circle moving.

6. Open up your contact list and share knowledge and experiences. Sometimes, giving can be as simple as helping others through your own knowledge or personal contacts. It requires very little effort on your part, but it can help others immensely.

Her latest project is called Giving Back. Meera has produced a documentary of this initiative and I am privileged to have been invited to a private screening tonight. She has a special mission: "We are to the universe only as much as we give back to it."

I couldn't agree more!

Here is another Holiday Tip to all you smart, impact-full, and well-connected women in my Network:

Put the DVD of Giving Back on your Holiday Gift List! You may purchase a copy by clicking here. 100% of the proceeds go to the charitable activities of the Giving Back Foundation.

Sanctuary Sunday - In Memoriam, Indira Gandhi

Perhaps this post is better left suited for a Wednesday's Women of Courage writeup. It really felt like a good thing to put up today, although October 31st is the day many parts of the world, including these United States, celebrate Holloween.

On this day in 1984, Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India was gunned down by a pair of Sikh extremists acting in retaliation for the storming of the Sikh holy shrine of the Golden Temple in Amritsar earlier that June.

She is the world's longest serving woman Prime Minister.

The night before her death she told a political rally: "I don't mind if my life goes in the service of the nation. If I die today, every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation."

In the days following the death of the prime minister up to 1,000 people are thought to have died. The army were ordered to go into the cities and quell the violence.

Mrs Gandhi's son, Rajiv, was sworn in as her successor within hours of her death. He went on to win a landslide victory in the general election in December 1984.

On 6 January 1989, Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh were hanged for killing Mrs Gandhi. Balbir Singh was acquitted.

Rajiv Gandhi was himself assassinated by a suicide bomber on 21 May 1991.

Click here for a great article on how things have changed since the Gandhi Era.

Lifestyle Lifter's - Holiday Checklist V.1

On your mark. Get set. Go! The annual holiday season is fast approaching and if you are like most of us, there is a feeling of "Where has the year gone, and how can it be November already!"

Well, consider this your wake-up call.

After today, there are 26 days left until Thanksgiving as celebrated here in the US. There are 56 days left until Christmas.

Have I gotten your attention?

Today's post is one of a series we will be doing on "Holiday Tips for the Wise". Many of you have a very hectic schedule. Some call it the "Jet-Setter's Lifestyle".

Holiday Tip # 1: Divide and Conquer!

For those of you with more money than time, may I suggest an email to my good friend, Pamela Tobiason (pam.tobiason@familyconciergeandmore.com) of Family Concierge and More.

Pam, her expert staff and her many connections can take on all of your shopping, scheduling and personal calendar needs during this busy Holiday Season.

Holiday Tip # 2: Get your Invitations and Holiday Cards Out Early!

This year, in lieu of a Holiday party, we are hosting a "friend-raiser" in support of Jane Do No More, Inc. We have partnered with Papyrus and Spark who have graciously offered to send an invitation from their elegant line of Letter Pressed stationary to each of our invitees (see graphic above).

Set an Outlook entry today to send an email on Monday to Dani LaTorre, Papyrus Flagship Store Manager (Store02285@srgretail.com) for help on all your Custom Printing Needs.

In a world where more and more people choose e-cards for convenience, nothing says "Classy" more than receiving a hand-addressed Envelope containing a beautiful invitation or Holiday Card.

Make sure you order these early (printing times vary by style) and get them in the mail well before the US Postal Service deadline for Holiday delivery. "better late than never" is not a good thing when a card arrives on New Year's Day that says "Merry X-Mas"!

Look for more Tips in next week's installment of Lifestyle Lifter's.

Until then, have a Happy and safe Halloween (one day left)!

Thursday's Truths - Microloans Make a Difference!

My apology to my faithful viewers. I have not had an opportunity to post since last week! There are a lot of exciting things happening with the WWRG network, including last evening's event put on by our local chapter of 85 Broads which featured the Grameen Foundation and their work to provide microloans to women in disadvantaged nations so that they can lift themselves and their children out of poverty.

I was honored to be a Power Host at the event, and led a group of women ( and a few enlightened men!) through a exercise on how the process of loan making works.

The impact of these loans is impressive. Here are a few statistics courtesy the Grameen Foundation:

• 9.4 Million...
  ...of the world's poor have been helped by our MFI partners, allowing them to begin their journey out of poverty.
• More than 1 Million...
  ...microloans have been generated through our Growth Guarantee program. (Estimate based on average loan size.)
  
• $160 Million...
  ...in local currency has been leveraged to support microfinance programs in 13 countries.
• 25,000...
  ...Village Phone operators are working in 6 countries around the world.
• 300,000...
  ...daily transactions are supported through Mifos at microfinance institutions around the world.
• More Than $2.3 Million...
  ...in in-kind services have been contributed by 140 Bankers without Borders volunteers in 9 countries.

Many of you know that I am committed to getting the word out about Global Women's Issues including the fact that greater than 70% of the world's poor are women and children.

I encourage you to support organizations such as the Grameen Foundation and others like it. Also, please familiarize yourself with the UN Millennium Goals, which seek to eliminate world poverty by 2015.

TGIF - What Ifs? vs. Why Nots?

Today would be a great day to plan your weekend. Yes, I said PLAN! This is different than worrying.

The great statesman, Winston Churchill said “Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning”

Many of us think that if we worry about something, it will focus our energy on making sure the event or task goes well.

Wrong.

Here are some typical beliefs and false assumptions about worry (Shearer & Gordon, 2006), and courtesy AnxietyandStress.com:

Intolerance for uncertainty: "If I think about this enough, I should feel a sense of certainty."

Intolerance for discomfort: "If I can just think this through, I won't have to feel this way."

Inflated sense of responsibility and culpability: "If bad things happen, it's my fault."

Distorted risk assessment/emotional reasoning: "If it feels likely, it is likely. If it feels dangerous, it is dangerous."

Perfectionism--mistakes are unacceptable: "Mistakes mean I wasn't in control and screwed up."

Pessimism/presumed incapability: "Bad things will happen to me and I won't be able to deal with it."

Misconstrued virtue: "Worry shows how deeply I care about my children."

Overvaluation of the thought process: "Because I have a thought, it is, therefore, an important thought, and I must give it my full attention and get it settled. I can anticipate and avoid discomfort by worrying."

"Meta-worry" or worry about worrying: "I'm making myself sick. I'm going to bring on an early heart attack. I'm out of control. I'm weak. If my faith was stronger, I wouldn't worry."

Implicit magical beliefs: "Worry prevents bad things from happening. It keeps loved ones safer."

Please use today to ask yourself "why not?", not "what if".

Why not plan that trip to an exotic destination that I have wanted to take, but I am too busy to take?
Why not ask the person next to me struggling with their own issues if I can help?
Why not ask, "what are my dreams?"

For as Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”