 |
|
| Commuter Chronicles
February 2006 | Volume 1 | Issue 2 |
|
In this issue: |
Commuting in the winter months always seems to be more dangerous. Roads are icy or snowy, train rails become littered and icy, planes often need de-icing before leaving the ground, and chunks of ice may cause the ferry to alter its course. We leave home in the dark and we return in the dark. Time seems to fly in the winter, unlike the lazy long days of summer. But the pleasures of winter are so many, if we only find the time - simple ones, like a hot chocolate or mulled wine with friends, more complex ones, like a skiing weekend in Vermont or a long weekend in Aruba. This issue is devoted to the changes that we started with the coming of the New Year. If those New Year promises have been pushed to the side, I encourage you to begin change anew and use some or all of the suggestions in this issue. The calculators that a colleague e-mailed to us are shared with you in Cost Savers. In the Health section, we discuss eating on the go, something very familiar to every commuter, and give you a web site to help you eat healthy. Our featured article is THE CIRCLE OF LIFE which, we hope, you will find helpful in making adjustments to your commute and to the rest of your life. We are also putting a link on our web site to a survey which will allow you to give your opinions and suggestions on the site and on your needs so that we can truly assist you to have a better commute and a more balanced life. Speaking of balance - Valentines is one of those holidays that seems to have been taken over by commerce. In living a life in balance, maybe this year you might consider giving a token of love that comes deep from the heart rather than deep from the pocket. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY to everyone. Until next time, Dr. M.
FYI…
For DENTISTS, ACCOUNTANTS, PHYSICIANS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, ATTORNEYS… ANYONE WHO MAKES A LIVING BY BOOKING APPOINTMENTS Michael Port, with Lisa Wilder, of Book Yourself Solid, is offering a teleclass on 'how to get more clients.’ You'll get quick and easy step-by-step Book Yourself Solid client-generating, profit-producing strategies. Michael comes from the tradition of giving service and giving more than is expected. He and Lisa teach how to book yourself solid without feeling like you’ve steamrolled over people to get them in. Professionals love his program for that reason. The class is free and gives a taste of what the full 15 week intensive is like. But make no mistake, you will take away many useful ideas from this teleclass. Click on this link to sign up and, if you cannot attend, they will send you the information to hear the audio that will be made of the class. The link is tinyurl.com/bzd58
|
|
EATING ON THE GO Commuting and healthy eating don’t exactly go together. Breakfast on the run, lunch at the desk or in a restaurant, and dinner late at night can spell disaster to your health. Add in the typical snacks that are found in most workplaces, and disaster extends to the waistline. Your goal should always be to eat healthy, unprocessed food, never to eat many more than the amount of calories you expend, to keep yourself hydrated with water and some teas, and to exercise consistently through life. Keeping to this goal will help you stay healthy and fit throughout your life. This is the ideal that we might strive toward knowing that we might not achieve it often. But it can be the model that you follow. Understanding your goal, its implications, and how to proceed are the keys to attaining it. So often we decide to follow a regimen or commit to a plan that we have read about or seen advertised on television without evaluating whether it suits us. There are so many diets, weight loss plans and exercise plans to choose from. But what we are describing is a plan for life, not just a quick fix if you’ve gained too much weight and want to fit into those great jeans you have. A diet rich in fruit and vegetables is healthy and delicious. Bread is the cornerstone of a good diet as well. An interesting way to blend all three is to use a pita pocket as the holder for an on-the-go commuter meal. Gather some vegetables - lettuce, carrots, broccoli, celery- whatever you have in the refrigerator will do. Take a slice of turkey or chicken and a dash or two of ground pepper. Pile pieces of the vegetables and the meat together and chop it all together. Pile it into the pita. I like a dash of vinegar over it all. Wrap it in foil and you have your lunch for the day. For breakfast, you can scramble an egg with a piece of deli ham and pile it into the pita. There you have it, two tasty meals on the go, healthy and filling and not processed. And easy on your budget, as well. For a wealth of recipes, go to our sponsor, www.pocketdiet.com. |
|
| COST SAVERS
WHAT'S YOUR BURN RATE? Everyone is after your money. Eating out, buying the largest screen TV, getting all hundred channels on cable, getting the largest SUV with the DVD for the kids, and, did you want fries with that burger? It’s very difficult to keep saying “No.” There will be a time when you’ll want to buy, when you’ll give in to impulse, or when keeping up with the Joneses seems important. I’ll tell you a funny story that really demonstrates how having the “right” things has become so important to us. I am not a television person. I had a thirteen inch set that fit nicely into a corner and was ready when I wanted to use it. When I didn’t, it was relatively unobtrusive. Just right for me. That set, however, caused no end of consternation to friends and relatives. It seemed every visit brought the question of when it would be replaced. I have a new neighbor! Her gift to me - a TV she longer wants. Twenty-seven inches sleek and new. I am gracious. I say, “Thank you!” I try to live with it. But one week later, I cart it back to her with the admission that I want my old set back out of storage. When I place it in its old corner, it refuses to work. I am saddened by the loss of an old friend who had served me well. And now I have a new set, everyone is satisfied. I have the “right” television set. My “burn rate” for the television was very low. What’s yours? Would you rather have that huge plasma TV or an extra $2,000 in investments? You can find out what your burn rate is at a very neat web site, below, which helps you calculate how much of your money you’re burning up. Money and the spending of money says much about the psychology of the person. Most of us have a love/hate relationship with it. Some of us allow money to control us rather than learning how to control it. Part of a balanced, well lived life is to understand how money affects us and how money can be used to enhance our lives. If you haven’t learned these lessons yet, I suggest that they go on your to do list. |
|
|
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE - Balance can be hard to achieve with a long commute, a challenging career, families at home, recreational activities, education goals, and health concerns. Some areas will need more attention at times than others, but overall, what we are trying to achieve is a healthy balance so we can live a successful life. The Circle of Life is a tool that allows you to see where your successes are and where more effort might be put to make the rhythm easy and smooth. Go through sections of your life and score them based on your satisfaction in that area. This gives you a visual representation of how your life is balanced. Try picturing the circle as a wheel – would it move smoothly or is it bumping along the road? You may need to take some action steps to smooth out the lines of the circle. If you can look at this as the picture of your life, and commit to making changes, some small, some large, life will become rhythmic and satisfying to you. But it takes an assessment such as this and a commitment to the needed change. Once you have this clearer view on life that allows you to see where you need to balance, create a plan and a commitment to making those necessary changes. Getting overwhelmed and discouraged happens to us all. Take on small changes at first and, once you see results, it will be easier to tackle the bigger changes. Try using the Circle of Life weekly so you can see the steps that you are making to achieve balance in your life. You may even notice that sometimes your life will be unbalanced in areas that you weren’t aware of before, and this will allow you to make changes in those areas as well. The reinforcement of seeing the numbers inch up can be very motivating. Later, you might redo the Circle quarterly or yearly as a check-up. Have fun with this as you gain control of your time, your goals and your life. The Circle of Life worksheet is available through Commuter-Assist.com. To request it, please send an email to info@commuter-assist.com with ‘Circle of Life’ in the subject line. |
|
|
WHAT'S NEW
Have you checked out our website lately? Keep checking back as we are constantly updating and upgrading. On our Links page we have links that cover a wide range of topics including: Click here to go there now:
|
|
| UPCOMING EVENTS
SURVEY MONTHLY TELECONFERENCES! CONQUER THE COMMUTE: TOOLS FOR THE ROAD AND LIFE will be ready soon. Click here to email and reserve your copy of this new e-book today, you will also enjoy a 30 percent discount with your reservation. |
SPONSORS |
|
Dr. Mastria is founder of Commuter-Assist.com, which publishes e-books, CDs and cassettes to help commuters get the most out of their commute and life in general. Dr. Mastria speaks, offers workshops, and consults to businesses. She also provides life, wellness, and business coaching to groups and individuals. To contact Dr. Mastria email info@Commuter-Assist.com or call 570-839-6394. All content Copyright © 2006, Dr. Marie A. Mastria, CLC, PCC / Commuter-Assist.com. All rights reserved. You may copy or send it to family or friends who may benefit from it so long as the format and credits are intact. You have permission to publish this article electronically, free of charge, as long as the by-lines are included and links are activated and maintained. A courtesy copy of your publication or link to website would be appreciated. |
|
| If you wish to cancel your subscription to this newsletter click here | |