Prince Albert Women's Hall of Fame

The Prince Albert Council of Women has put out its annual call for nominations for the Women’s Hall of Fame.  The Hall of Fame itself is situated on the second floor of City Hall and consists of a wall of framed pictures of each inductee.  Each year, a local woman is recognized by being inducted into the Prince Albert Women’s Hall of Fame.  The first year a woman was acknowledged in this manner was in 2004 and there has been an induction each year since. 

We all know women who give of themselves either as volunteers or in their workplace.  There are so many kind and generous women in Prince Albert who, while they never seek recognition, certainly deserve it.  As women, we often forget to acknowledge each other or the contributions of others.  This award attempts to correct that.  That is why it is so important to Prince Albert and area and why it is so vital to nominate deserving women. 

You do not have to be involved with the Council of Women, nor does the nominee.  As well, you don’t have to be a woman to submit a nomination.  So guys, feel free to fill in nomination forms.  The main criterion is that the nominee’s work must be of benefit to Prince Albert and area. 

One a nominee is chosen, the Induction Ceremony is held each year on or near March 8, which is International Women’s Day.  The induction ceremony consists of a short program, followed by presentation of the inductee’s picture to the Mayor of Prince Albert, who ensures it finds its way to City Hall to be displayed in the Hall of Fame. The program varies slightly from year to year, but it always focuses on the accomplishments of the inductee and a celebration of her contributions.

Each year, the United Nations proclaims a theme for International Women’s Day.  The 2014 theme is “Inspiring Change”.  The Saskatchewan Status of Women also proclaims a theme and this year’s theme is “Communities in Action: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls”   The two themes for 2014 actually go hand-in-hand.  One of the ways in which change can be inspired is by working together to end violence against women and girls. 

To submit the name of your nominee, go to the Prince Albert Council of Women’s facebook page where you will find a nomination form and contact information.  The deadline is February 15.

We all know generous women who are deserving of recognition.  Find the one who inspires you the most and nominate her. 

Honouring deserving women . . .  it's a good thing! 

The Third Metric of Success

As we begin a new year, it is a good time to examine new ways of taking care of ourselves and ways in which to make our lives a little simpler.

Arianna Huffington is the founder of the news website “The Huffington Post”.  In 2009, she was named in Forbes first ever list of the Most Influence Women in Media.  She firmly believes that that the workplace must be redefined and that a “third metric” needs to be added to measure success.  Presently, only two measures are used to define success: money and power.  Huffington believes that the third measure should include our well-being, and that this is as important as money and power in how we decipher success.  Her argument is that companies and businesses will be benefit when the wellbeing of their employees becomes a measurement of their success. 

In her blog, Arianna Huffington posted, “We’ve all bought into this definition of success, money and power, and it’s not working . . .  it is not working for anyone.”  She contends that companies are losing billions of dollars each year because of employee absenteeism and stress. She claims that most of this could be prevented by making employee well-being a priority and that this principle is compatible with a company profits.  Most company CEO’s would not agree with Huffington, however women in the workplace are beginning to prove her right.

Saskatoon speaker and author, and member of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame, Betty Ann Heggie has this to say about Huffington’s idea: “In my opinion, Huffington is promoting the addition of the feminine energy values of success (wisdom, empathy, wellness, wonder) to the masculine energy values of money of power.  She predicts it will cause a revolution in the workplace not unlike what happened when women got the vote.  Women can make it happen by starting with themselves and making their health a priority”.    Mary Gordon, founder of Roots of Empathy, describes Huffington’s vision of a third metric as one of “well-being, wisdom, our ability to wonder and to give back”.   These women have all lived the corporate life and all know what it is to crash and burn and fight your way back to normalcy.  Arianna Huffington often tells her own story of exhaustion and hurting herself physically, and about her recovery and continued care through napping, adequate sleep, mindfulness, and self care. 

At a “Third Metric Conference” hosted by Arianna Huffington in June, 2013, the participants noted that many people suffer greatly in the pursuit of money and power.  Most experience frustration, burn-out and ill health rather than true success.  By stepping back and making a conscious decision to make self-care a top priority, success does not have to come at the cost of personal health and well-being.  In fact, if employees pursue well-being, it will be reflected in their work and will result in a more successful workplace.  Isn’t that what those CEO’s mentioned previously want?  It is ironic that by encouraging their employees to look after their physical and mental health, businesses will have a more productive and healthier workforceand yield better results than the present practice.   

 Make it your goal this year to take care of yourself:  get the sleep you need, the peace of mind you long for, the mental and physical health you deserve, laugh every day and enjoy life.  By making your own wellbeing a priority, you will improve the lives of those around you at home and at work.  Make the third metric of success your stepping stone.

 

Making the third metric of success a part of your life . . . it's a good thing!

A New Year Begins

 

It is difficult to believe that 2014 is here and that 2013 is history! The year went by so fast – have we really lived through four seasons already? I remember as a child hearing my parents and other adults comment on how quickly each year passes by.  Now I know what they were talking about.

 No doubt, 2013 will be remembered as a year of extreme weather and of breath-taking natural disasters. From the devastation of earthquakes in Pakistan and China to flooding, fires and heat waves through-out the world, record snowfalls, and to both an earthquake and Hurricane Haiyan in the Philippines, it seemed that each day brought more bad news. However as each new tragedy occurred, kindness and compassion grew and people reached out to help each other.

 

In the aftermath of each disaster, our television screens and internet showed people doing everything they could to help.  Whether it was people digging through rubble to rescue survivors, or people fighting fires or donating goods and money, we witnessed bravery and compassion and determination to survive.  As each tragedy hit the world this year, people in unaffected areas sent money, supplies, materials and workers – everyone wanted to help.  Thousands of people and dozens of countries sent their resources to help people in need.  This was a year of thinking less about ourselves and our needs, and thinking of how we could help our neighbors – those close by and those thousands of miles away. 

This year we witnessed the strength of the human spirit in the survivors of these calamities.  As well, we saw determination and unselfish heroism in those who worked to rescue others.  We also saw compassion and generosity in those who were far away, but still wanted to help. If anyone had any doubts of man’s survival instinct or the compassion humans have for each other, the events of 2013 surely erased those doubts.  Out of the ashes of bad events arose human compassion and resourcefulness.

I hope people continue to help each other long after the disasters have come and gone.  People who have lost their homes, their families and hope will continue to need the help of others.  Let us not forget to continue extend the hand of friendship and helpfulness to those who struggle to rebuild their lives after a natural disaster. 

Hopefully, 2014 will have fewer natural disasters, and the lives of those affected by the disasters of 2013 will return to normal. I hope this year will be good to you and your loved ones, and that when you look back on your year, it will be with filled with good memories. 

Looking forward to a brand new year . . . it’s a good thing!