July 2006 | Volume 1 | Issue 12

In this issue:

• From the Desk of Dr. M...
• Something to Think About
• Feature Article
• Pass it On...
• Health Tips
• Cost Cutters
• Dr. M Recommends
• What's Happening

FROM THE DESK OF DR. M...

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

The balanced life is really nothing new. Man and Woman have searched for this balance probably from the beginning of time. Below are some quotes for you to think about as you move to a balanced life.


"Be master of your petty annoyances and conserve your energies for the big, worthwhile things. It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out - it's the grain of sand in your shoe."
Robert Service (1874-1958)


"Wish not so much to live long as to live well."
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)


"Success isn't permanent, and failure isn't fatal."
Mike Ditka (1939-)

PASS IT ON...

A couple months ago we started our Pass It On campaign and we asked you to help us get Commuter-Assist.com known to those we serve.  We are happy to report that you are hearing our request. 

We thank you.  We are very aware that nothing can happen without you .  All are work is for naught without you.

FEATURE ARTICLE

MAKING ROOM FOR LIFE AND WORK

There is so much talk lately about the balanced life. I think, because so many of us find it difficult to live that kind of life, that it’s taken on somewhat of a mystique.

No doubt many people lead lives that are filled to the brim and overflowing but missing something or things.

But the balanced life is different for each of us and different at various stages of our lives. Depending on so many characteristics (age, marital status, employment level), the balance will look different.

Several years ago, New York magazine had an article about the difficulty of people new to town establishing friendships. It seemed that the long time residents they interviewed had no room for new friendships in their lives. They simply had too much to do keeping up with responsibilities and the old relationships to allow for the possibility of new people coming into their lives and taking more from them, no matter how great the person might be.

Although it may seem mean spirited, it was a good decision for them. They wanted their time used for what they had already chosen and committed to. For many of the respondents, their lives were balanced.

The new residents were moving to get relationships into their unbalanced lives. And they would feel the discomfort of this until they reached their goal.

Life is like that. We suffer until we get it right. But when we do, wow, do we feel great.

One person’s balance, though, is another’s grief. The young person, just out of graduate school, puts in so many hours at work that the time for friendship is lost. He’ll make up for it later and loves the time spent working. The young mother takes a leave of absence from work and pretty much everything else, as she cares for her new baby and forms a bond that will last a lifetime.

How we choose to balance our lives is up to us. Others may be critical but, if we are satisfied and it’s working for us, we’re on the right track.

The Circle of Life (CircleofLife@commuter-assist.com) gives a good indication of how we see our lives and what may be out of balance for us. Check each section – work, family, health, friends, finance and so on – then see what your life looks life. If you are feeling unbalanced, the wheel will show it and you can do something about it.

It’s your life, how do you want it to look? What needs to take precedence at this time? What will give you the greatest satisfaction?

Mastermind groups are useful in assisting their members to move forward on their goals and life balance. Each member’s goals may be different but the wisdom and support of the group helps each meet the goals that are important to him or her.

If you’ve never been in a mastermind group before, you will be amazed how each person’s strength helps the other members.

I know people who have been in the same group for over twenty years. I myself have been in one mastermind group for the last six years.


I will talk about this again. If anyone would like more information, please feel free to contact me.

The Financial Balance

The recommendation that the first ten per cent of salary goes to your savings account, even before bills are paid, has made many people millionaires who never thought they would be.

Any extra at the end of the month can make that journey even faster. Expenses are relative. A conversation I had with someone left me breathless. He was finding it difficult to meet his monthly bills on a $250,000 yearly take home, after taxes.

We know this can happen to anyone at any salary level. But can’t something be done? Aren’t there warning signs?

Here are some signs that money output is out of balance and needs to be adjusted:

• Nothing, or very little, is going into savings
• Late fees are beginning to pile up
• The next pay check is spent before having received it
• You wake up at night thinking of how to pay the bills
• You feel down when you think of your finances
• You wonder where your money went
• You feel immobilized by financial circumstances

The first step is to understand that this can happen and you are not a bad person because of it. The second step is to resolve to do something about it.

Here are some things that can be done:

• Make a balance sheet of every amount that comes in regularly – pay check, stock dividends, alimony
• Continue on that sheet with every expense – mortgage, utilities, insurances, food, entertainment, clothing, schooling
• Determine the short fall and what might be eliminated to make up for it. For example, you’re spending $700 a month more than is coming in. Find a way to stop that drain. Are you a clothes horse and buying $500 shoes? Are you going to dinner twice a week at $100 a meal? You don’t have to give up everything, but your main object must be to stop the blood flow.
• Begin your ten per cent savings each pay day. Resolve not to use that money.
• Make a budget that is comfortably within, even a bit below, your income.
• Prioritize your debt and begin paying off one debt at a time.

There are many things you can do, this is a start. The balanced life is a life free of debt and the worry of too little money. Once this is under control you will be wealthier in time, energy and money.

For anyone with a web site business, please consider the
Traffic School which Mitch Myerson and Michael Port run. They tell you how to get your site up and running, bring traffic to it and convert the traffic to customers and clients.

The quality of instruction and the participants you will meet are of the highest quality. You will not be disappointed. It starts tomorrow and everything is recorded so you can go back and review whatever you’ve missed or if you want to review the material.

I highly recommend it because I was one of the first participants and still have contact with the people who were in it as well as Krishna De, my group leader, who still offers great mentoring.

Go see the program at Michael Port's click here.

CONQUER THE COMMUTE: TOOLS FOR THE ROAD AND LIFE

Conquer the Commute: Tools for the Road and Life is in it’s pre-publication phase. We are offering a 30% discount on its price which will no longer be available when it is published at the end of the month. Do e-mail us at info@Commuter-Assist.com to reserve your copy.