TOPIC “Think positive!” quotes are found everywhere, but contrary to popular belief merely thinking positively about the future hurts effort and success. Research conducted over more than 20 years finds that dreaming about a desired future leads to low effort and little success. So, how can we avoid the perils of positive thinking? By juxtaposing our dreams with personal obstacles, we pursue desired futures that can be realized and let go from those that cannot. I will talk about this self-regulation strategy, mental contrasting, its non-conscious mechanisms, and how people can use it…

Members Only, RSVP Required Tuesday, July 11, 2017 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm RSVP by July 7 Vanderbilt Suites Met Life Building 200 Park Avenue 44th Street & Vanderbilt Avenue (enter from Grand Central Terminal) Buffet Dinner Will Be Served Our Speakers Michelle Stephens, PhD — Rutgers Michelle Stephens is a Professor in the Departments of English and Latino and Caribbean Studies, and will begin her appointment as the Dean of the Humanities in July, at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Originally from Jamaica, West Indies, she graduated from Yale University with a Ph.D. in…

Members Only, RSVP Required Thursday, April 27, 2017 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Vanderbilt Suites Met Life Building 200 Park Avenue 44th Street & Vanderbilt Avenue (enter from Grand Central Terminal) Buffet Dinner Will Be Served The W Connection was created on the Upper West Side on Manhattan by two friends who were suddenly widowed within the space of one year. While dealing with their own personal tragedies, they experienced first hand the difficulty widows face in finding support services. After talking with many other widows, they found that was little in the way of organized help, support and…