Scott Nardozzi and Hank Frey had birthdays in adstentia
Happy Dollars & Announcements
Gary Roman was happy to have survived a banking conference in Bermuda while a Category 3 hurricane was raging outside. 80% of the island lost power. The hotel had generated power, but ran out of Coors Lite.
Larry Sullivan was in Nashville with Brenda. The went to the Grand Ole Opry and the Hermitage. They used UBER for transportation, so now Larry claims to have joined the 21st Century.
Kurt Lux was pleased to announce the upcoming FAVARH Hallowe'en Party on October 17 at the Avon Senior Center from 6:30-8:30 PM. He said it's a wonderful event and shouldn't be missed.
President Heather Pantano reported that Bill Barnes' wife is recovering well from her fall and should be home from rehab in a few days. She also reported that Dale Bronson was having health issues.
Gary Miller reminded everyone about the Foundation Dinner on November 7th. See below for the link to register.
Calendar of Upcoming Events
November 7th:District Foundation Dinner at Chez Josef in Agawam, MA, from 6:00-9:00 pm. The cost is $55 per person paid by the club. The Keynote Speaker will be Emily Goldman, the DUNN Global Grant Scholar. Click here to register.The deadline for registration is October 25th. Let Gary Hyde and Joanne Santiago know that you have registered, so that a check can be sent.
November 22nd: FAVARH Annual Gala featuring Shake-A-Tail-Feather tribute to Motown
Induction of New Members
None today
Awards
None this week
Community and International Service Grants
None this week.
Presentation
Bevin Mugford
Playing to Your Character Strengths
Robin Dinicola introduced our speaker, Bevin Mugford, whom she had heard speak in a prior engagement. Bevin is Head of Field Development for Peach, a 4 year old lifestyle brand with a mission to help women thrive personally and professionally. Peach offers apparel for gym, work, and play. Bevin is a former real estate entrepreneur and founding member of the Peach team. She recruits, trains, and leads a national sales team. She believes men and women can do anything when they play to their strengths. (www.DiscoverPeach.com)
Bevin introduced us to Positive Psychology is "the scientific study of what makes life most worth living." Positive psychologists have suggested a number of ways in which individual happiness may be fostered. Social ties with a spouse, family, friends and wider networks through work, clubs or social organisations are of particular importance, while physical exercise and the practice of meditation may also contribute to happiness. Happiness may rise with increasing financial income, though it may plateau or even fall when no further gains are made.
Bevin stated that the world is divided into two groups. Group A believes that they have a great life and have done everything they planned. Group B believes that they haven't done anything yet and haven't enjoyed a good life. Group A amplified the things they were good at. Group B concentrated on the things they were not good at. Bevin claims that when you work on the things you are good at, the other areas will also improve. She relies on an assessment tool that measures your 24 Character Strengths. By using this tool you discover your unique strength fingerprint. You can take the survey at www.viacharacter.org. According to VIA Institute on Character,your character strengths are the qualities that come most naturally to you. Every individual possesses all 24 character strengths in different degrees, giving each person a unique character profile. When you know your strengths, you can improve your life and thrive. Research reveals that people who use their strengths a lot are 18x more likely to be flourishing than those who do not use their strengths. The character strengths fall into 6 categories: Wisdom, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence.
Bevin described several of the character strengths and how they could be used to identify your signature strengths or "Super Powers." She cautioned that overusing them could cause them to become your Kryptonite. Bevin approached several members to describe how particular strengths, such as, Love, Honesty, Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence, and Humility might be used.
Bevin invited our members to take the survey to learn our own character strengths. She said that strength training is very important to overcoming life's challenges. She used her own personal example of being a mother who had lost a child. Bevin's presentation stimulated many of our members to seek further information.
Mail Bag
None this week.
Photo Credits
Today's photographs courtesy of Mike Mehzeritskiy and Arnie Goldman.
Editor's Notes
Submission Deadline: Members are kindly encouraged to submit all materials for each week's Early Riser as early as possible. Please note that some editions may be published and distributed as early as the Saturday following our meetings, and during those weeks further contributions to the Early Riser will be included in the subsequent week's edition.
“The FOUR-WAY TEST of the things we think, say or do”:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all Concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Bevin described several of the character strengths and how they could be used to identify your signature strengths or "Super Powers." She cautioned that overusing them could cause them to become your Kryptonite. Bevin approached several members to describe how particular strengths, such as, Love, Honesty, Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence, and Humility might be used.
