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Commuter Chronicles

October 2006 | Volume 1 | Issue 18

Belief in Yourself

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...

I hope you all had a good Columbus Day and a good Thanksgiving to our friends in Canada. It is good to remember what these holidays mean to us as a culture and...it's good to have a day off from the usual. Now back to work!!

I pulled two quotes that will be in my new Tips booklet which I am coauthoring with a colleague. The booklet is half done, but these two quotes seemed to be particularly apt, coming off from a holiday weekend.

I'll talk more about them in the feature article.

In Cost Cutters, I would like to share something I wrote to a reporter who wrote about the cost of commuting. If you find yourself in that essay, please do something about it.

In our health section, I'll expand on what to do to develop the hardiness which I discuss in the feature article.

And let me tell you how excited we all are at Commuter Assist. After some difficulties in getting Clickbank, our server for the ebook on line, we are proud to announce:
Conquer the Commute: Tools for the Road and Life is now for sale. You can go to the Commuter-Assist.com web site or to www.conquerthecommute.com to purchase it. The cost is just $37.00 and we have added some very nice bonuses which will only be available to a limited few. So go now to buy the ebook and please do let us know how you like it.

Be well!
Dr. M.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

"Sports team names were chosen for manhood, hardiness, valor, ability in battle - all those dime-novel qualities supposedly shared by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. So wouldn't a protest against the team name at least include some debate about what the original founder intended?"

~ Joe Bob Briggs

Commuter-Assist.com and its services are for commuters and all who love them, work with them, and employ them..

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

"Belief in yourself and the discipline to continue moving forward and adjusting as you go are qualities found in every successful person."

"What is your hardiness score? When adversity is used to make you better, you score high. When you give in to adversity, you score low."

These quotes come from my upcoming tips booklet which I am coauthoring with Dr. John Bellanti. They are the basis of a successful life and are found, without fail, in every successful person.

Belief in oneself is hard to come by, especially before there is a pool of one’s success to draw upon. Maybe this is why we call it “belief,” a need to believe based on faith rather than proof. But that faith must not fly in the face of reality. We can not believe that we will be a Nobel winner in physics if we have no interest or training in physics.

But we can believe that, with hard work, we can use the assets we were born with and succeed.

“Belief in yourself” means, then, that we believe we can be our best by using what we have. For some, it’s physical strength that moves them to sports or to physical work. For others, it’s the ability to use their native tongue in a way that allows others to see, feel, and understand. Others are leaders. Some are maternal.

And, of course, we are not one-dimensional. So the successful person will find a way to meld all the qualities into a package that makes him/her uniquely him or her.

No doubt belief in yourself is a cornerstone of success, but “the discipline to continue moving forward and adjusting as you go” is just as necessary to success.

To continue when things are bleak and don’t seem to be working in your favor takes courage and stamina, the “hardiness” that we speak of in the second quote above.

I’m reminded of Churchill. “Never, never give up,” he said. And so we should not. Persistence and hardiness makes for the person who will succeed, no matter what.

The “adjustments” we make along the way are the logical changes in approach and technique in our attempts to reach our goals. Small adjustments are usually called for, but sometimes massive change is needed.

Setbacks, even disasters, personal or otherwise, call for hardiness, the will to rise above that setback or disaster and even make it the cause to become stronger than before.

Some do not have the hardiness to overcome setbacks and become diminished by them. Others set to work after disasters and are able to return to where they started.

But others, those wonderful ones, boldly step on the disaster, with their fear and grief, and rise to a greater height than before.

Some we will never know, but others are the people who survived 9/11 and Katrina, who have fought the war in the middle east and on the streets of our own cities. Some have had personal disasters and have come back after much grief, fear, and questioning.

We honor them all and hope to learn from them all. We will never know when it is our time to display our hardiness, but with will, and sometimes help from others, we, too, will come back.
DR. M RECOMMENDS

“Many people who live and work in a small town have no idea of the stress that commuting to work adds to your day. For those who commute to jobs by driving or by trains, or busses, can often add 2 hours or more to their workday. Dr. Mastria has developed a masterful guide to assist commuters in turning the chore into an opportunity. This e-book and accompanying workbook offer very practical tips and wisdom to make a commuters time going to and from work, a learning experience and even a joyful experience. This book can be a guide to sanity for millions of commuters who can find renewed energy instead of feeling drained and exhausted, assisting them in thriving in life, not just surviving.”
~ Dr. Patrick Williams
    Master Certified Coach
    CEO, Inst for Life Coach Training

Conquer the Commute: Tools for the Road and Life is now for sale. You can go to the Commuter-Assist.com web site or to
 www.conquerthecommute.com
to purchase it. The cost is just $37.00 and we have added some very nice bonuses which will only be available to a limited few. So go now to buy the ebook and please do let us know how you like it.

 

 
COST CUTTERS

Is the Cost Too Great?

I came across an article about the undisclosed financial costs of commuting.

It’s good that these costs are exposed to those who are unaware, but there is more to the cost of commuting than financial. Below is my reaction to that column, describing what the commute actually costs.

I recently read an article concerning workers moving long distances away from cities in order to save money. Having seen this happen in the Poconos, I can tell you the commuters are losing more than money by their commute.

Many are suffering a split from their adopted communities, from their families who learn to live without the commuter fully involved, and even from the good lives that prompted them to move.

Although government and corporations have invested in commuter services that give commuters tax credit, help them join with others in ride shares and begin to use public transportation, the distance of the commute saps the energy, time and money of the commuter.

No one has addressed these stresses, whether the commute is by private or public transportation, up to this point. This is why I developed Commuter Assist, with its various services.

The full needs of the commuter, up to now, have been unrecognized. Easy transportation alone will not affect the changes that are needed in our communities and corporations.

We all need to bring attention to a very serious problem.

Readers' input would be appreciated. Until you voice your needs to your employer and your government, no real change will happen. Your voices can be heard and can make a difference.

Your neighbor on the bus, train, plane and in the next car, has the same problems with the commute.

I am receiving emails and letters from our members describing the negative impact of the commute. In coming issues, we will share some of those concerns.

We will be sending out a survey concerning the real cost of the commute. This will be available to you to share with your local governments and your employers. It might be slow in coming, but with your involvement, commuters' lives can change for the better.

HEALTH TIPS

How to Achieve Hardiness and Why You Should Want To

In the face of life's adversities, what we think of ourselves and our abilities will help define whether we succeed or fail.

If we consider ourselves fighters, then we won't give up when setbacks occur. On the other hand, if the only image we have is of breaking under pressure, you can be certain of the result.

Hardiness is a quality we all need and should work to gain because it helps define what our lives mean and what we can accomplish.

Setbacks and disasters will not have a chance to mold our lives if we can call on hardiness of character to handle the disaster, define it to ourselves, and determine what to do to have us rise again.

Of course, there are people who have this quality just naturally in their make-up. They can't think any other way. They simply believe in themselves and, no matter what, they will overcome problems.

And, sure enough, when adversity hits, they use their character of hardiness to move over the problems, readjust, and go on to success.

But there are others who have developed this quality because they came to understand that hardiness allows them to overcome their problem and use their skills to succeed.

So how can someone develop hardiness? In the same way other qualities are developed, step by step. And here are the steps:

1. It is important to fully understand the value of this quality and what it will do for you. It will allow you to overcome the setbacks and adversity that everyone will face at some time in their lives.

2. List the assets you have to overcome problems. Think of problems you've had and what you've done about them.
If you've been pleased with how you've handled them, great! If not, think of how you wished you had handled them. This is a sort of retraining that takes just a little time but has a good effect.

3. As little problems occur, handle them using step two. This will give you the experience you need to begin developing hardiness.

The more times you use it, the hardier you will get. When a big setback or a disaster occurs, you will have had the practice and may have even developed the habit of hardiness.

Almost as easy as 1-2-3.

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Commuters in the Know LIVE!

Our next teleseminar is November 2, 2006 9 PM EST (6 PM PST)

Paul Adam Smeltz will be our guest.  He is Friend/Facilitator/Founder of The Forwardian Arts Society of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

Approaching its fifth anniversary, the Society is “a fellowship of people who love the arts, sharing the belief the arts can inspire our creative dreams to become meaningful realities. We can revisit the many magnificent worlds of our deepest experiences, reminding us who we really are...and share a desire to support, encourage, and explore the artistic experiences of creative individuals and groups as they go forward toward their dreams.”

If you have any tips to share, come be part of the call. You can also e-mail (info@commuter-assist.com) your tips and questions at any time before or during the call.

Go to www.Commuter-Assist.com/teleconference.htm to register.
 

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 executive 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.
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