In the March 2005 Newsletter:
  Great News! / Do You Have What It Takes? / Events

Great News!

• See and hear Theresa on tour in Chicago on April 4-6, Cincinnati / Louisville on April 8-10, San Francisco on April 25-28, and Washington, DC on May 9-11 (see full event listing below and at: www.pursuitofpassionatepurpose.com)
• After Pursuit of Passionate Purpose became an Amazon bestseller (#4 on the business list), it reached #11 on the 800-CEO-READ monthly bestseller list and made the bestseller list at the Cincinnati airport. Please let me know when you see it on other bestseller lists.
• “Pursuit of Passionate Purpose is a true page turner. I learned a lot.” Joe Franklin, WOR-AM and Bloomberg radio host in New York. Joe was previously host of The Joe Franklin Show, the longest-running talk show in TV when it ended in 1990.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Passionate Pursuers — people who successfully find and pursue a worthwhile purpose with intense interest, enthusiasm, and dedication — have nine winning traits. Consistent with the bold flower on the cover of Pursuit of Passionate Purpose, each trait aligns with a letter in the word SUNFLOWER. For the next nine months, this newsletter will highlight a “Sunflower” characteristic. Take the Self Inventory on page 54 of Pursuit of Passionate Purpose to assess how well you are doing with these traits.

S represents Self-confidence and esteem. As the core foundation for human development (according to Erik H. Erikson), full trust in self and others, i.e., confidence, is the most important element of the healthy self. Confident people generate high self-esteem. People with high self-esteem know their own worth. They have a favorable impression, respect, appreciation, and belief in themselves. It is encouraging that people can take steps to create more confidence.

I had a lesson in building self-confidence using the ‘positive feedback loop’ just yesterday. While we were driving back from a family vacation in the desert of New Mexico, our 8-year-old daughter eagerly worked on a challenging puzzle. She tried and tried, but could not get it quite right. So I intervened with the intention of helping, and wound up completing the puzzle. Annie, however, did not want someone else to finish her puzzle. That just made her feel incompetent. “Why were you able to do it and I was not?” Annie cried in tears.

Taking her puzzle back, she took a break and then bounced back to begin again. This time I provided encouragement and a supportive hint on how to divide the project into smaller, conquerable pieces. She persisted. Later just before heading to bed at home, Annie got it right. Jumping in glee now with higher self-esteem, Annie beamed, “I did it!” By working on a task until successfully completing it, a positive feedback loop was established and this, in turn, built self-confidence and a sense of higher worth.

Practical Pointers

• Recall. Remember a time that you successfully completed a challenging task. How did it make you feel?
• Consider. How can you establish a positive feedback loop now for some of your goals?
• Discern. How can you support others in building their self-confidence?
• Act. Take the advice of Sarah Ban Breathnach in Simple Abundance, “If we act as if we’re confident, we become so.”
• Believe. Breathnach continues, “Today, tell yourself that you can do anything you want to do.” Follow the sage advice of Mark Plaatjes, world marathon champion whose story is in Pursuit of Passionate Purpose, “Believe in yourself. The person who wins is the one with full self-confidence.”

Upcoming Public Events

Monday April 4, 2005. Live, one-hour radio interview with host Rosemary Abercrombie on the program “Just Talkin.” WGRB-AM in Chicago, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CST.

Tuesday April 5, 2005. Chicago WITI (Women in Technology International) reception, presentation, and book signing in Wheaton, IL. 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM CST at the Illinois Institute of Technology, 201 East Loop Road. Visit: www.witi.com/chicago for information.

Wednesday April 6, 2005. Book event at Transitions Bookplace & Cafe, 1000 W. North Avenue, Chicago at 7:00 PM CST. Free Parking. For more details, call 312-951-READ or visit: www.transitionsbookplace.com.

Saturday April 9, 2005. Radio interview with Greg Murray of WBBM-FM (CBS) on the “Chicago Connections” show. Call 312-202-3527 for exact time the show will air.

Saturday April 9, 2005. Radio interview with April Ruebke-Bennett, the news anchor of WFRX-AM, on “The Weekend Edition” magazine show. Call 618-997-8123 for exact time the show will air.

Saturday April 9, 2005. Heartland District Conference of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Workshop, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM EST, at The Vernon Manor Hotel, 400 Oak Street in Cincinnati. Call 313-832-2928 for more information.

Sunday April 10, 2005. Sunday service at First Unitarian Church at 809 S. 4th Street, Louisville, KY. 10:55 AM – 12:00 Noon EST. Afternoon workshop on “Pursuit of Passionate Purpose,” 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST. For more information contact 502-585-5110 or visit: www.firstulou.org.

Thursday April 21, 2005. “Women and Wings” Woman of the Year program, sponsored by Aurora Business and Professional Women. 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM MST. Theresa will give the keynote address on “Pursuit of Passionate Purpose.” Contact Nancy Rinker at 303-368-9080 for more information.

Monday April 25, 2005. Silicon Valley WITI (Women in Technology International) reception, presentation, and book signing. 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM PST. For more details contact: Cynthia@corp.witi.com or visit: www.witi.com/siliconvalley.

Be the BUZZZZ

Be a BUZZ AGENT about Pursuit of Passionate Purpose so that its message can help those who need it. A grass roots effort is the best way to build momentum. I need your help.

Don’t Just Wish for a Prosperous Year

TAKE ACTION! Know that you can build more self-confidence and esteem and get what you want in life. Let Technology and Management Solutions, the catalyst for your extraordinary results, help you and your organization thrive in these challenging times

Thrive in 2005,
Theresa M. Szczurek, Ph.D.
CEO, entrepreneur, and author

P.S. Pass it on. Feel free to share this newsletter with your colleagues.