SPEAKER SUGGESTS BE LIKE A RHINO; CARING CONFERENCE TOPIC IS SELF-ESTEEM

The eighth annual Community Caring Conference used animal personalities to teach human-services professionals and others how to relieve stress and create balance and humor in their lives.

"A personality can really limit a person on the job," said motivational speaker Beth A. Higgs. "What I do is teach people to stop in life and get things in perspective."

Nearly 300 people attended Friday's conference sponsored by the Community Caring Council at the Show Me Center. Its theme was "Rhinocerology: The study of how to make it through this jungle called life."

Missouri Rep. Mary Kasten, founder of the organization, received an assortment of gifts -- including a Metallica cassette tape and itching powder -- from council members. The gifts are designed to keep her awake during her travels between Cape Girardeau and Jefferson City; she flipped her van recently near Jefferson City but was not hurt.

"I don't even know what that is, but I'll make sure to use it so I don't roll my van again," Kasten said of the Metallica tape.

Kasten, R-Cape Girardeau, presented the Community Caring Partnership Awards for outstanding community service to organizations that have fulfilled goals of the council. The 1997 award-winners were the Missouri Veterans Home and Retired Senior Volunteer Program.

Higgs told listeners how to identify personality traits resembling animals in coworkers and ignore the little, bothersome things they may do to make others feel inferior. Other animal traits should be avoided, she said. People should build their personality to resemble the rhinoceros, which has a natural smile, charges after whatever he wants, and has a 2-inch thick skin, she said.

"Eighty percent of the people we deal with on a daily basis are cows," Higgs said. "They look at life and say, 'Somebody ought to do something about this,' then sit back and wait on someone else to fail. The rhinoceros has three great traits that we should all try to have, and I'm going to try to turn some of you into three tons of roaring energy."

Higgs said her goal was to help people develop self-esteem and people skills so they could overlook the unimportant trials of life. Her message emphasized overcoming stress and recognizing verbal and nonverbal cues so that productivity and personal and job enjoyment could be increased.

"Stop pole-vaulting over mouse poop," she said. "Eighty-seven percent of people will leave a job or lose a job over something that has nothing to do with the job. Quit agonizing over the little things in life and start appreciating what you have."

Shirley Ramsey, executive director of the council, said attendance at the conference showed people appreciated the subject and wanted to learn how to help.