HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!
At least for those of us who live in the United States and celebrate this holiday. Other than the freedoms and the patriotic feelings I get as a proud American, I also think of summer, sunshine, BBQ’s and VACATION!

Last year I wrote an article, “Get Lost - Vacationing with Intention“about the importance of intention and getting the most out of your vacation. I still consider this relevant and encourage you to check out that article to put you in the right mindset for your time off.

However, this month I’m going to focus on various vacation tips I want to share with you so you can prepare, plan and make your vacation as painless and pleasurable as possible.

In the coming weeks, you can learn about:
Tips to Finding a Pet Sitter
Tips to Save Money on Vacation
Tips to Inexpensive Activities

Come back throughout the month and visit to get the most recent Tips update.

Today, however, I’ll share how I prepare for my vacations. The first step for me is to create a checklist of: (1) what I need to do NOW, before I go, (2) what I want to do DURING the trip and (3) what needs to be taken care of while I’m away. This gives me an opportunity to organize my thoughts and even dream a little about my vacation.

(When I was planning for my New Zealand trip, it gave me a chance each evening to do a little online research about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to see. That was a fun process!)

TAKE ACTION TOOL!
Here are some steps to organize and prepare for your trip.
A. List out the To-Do’s that are on your mind and everything you need to plan your time.
B. Separate them into 4 categories:

(1) VACATION :
Things you want to do during your time away - sight-seeing, restaurants, tours, etc.
My recommendation is to keep the whole list, but prioritize the activities and make sure you plan your top #1 and #2 activities. In the long run, it will also help you on your vacation because you will have already decided what is important to you to do. Include your whole family on this exercise so you’re all on the same page.

(2) PACKING:
Everything that you ABSOLUTELY need on the trip.
Remember, most places that you’re traveling to will have things like shampoo and conditioner, which can add weight to your luggage (which you might have to pay for now!). My recommendation is to pack light, leaving extra room for things that you want to bring home, like souvenirs!

(3) HOME:
Things that need to be taken care of BEFORE you leave, like holding the mail, stopping the newspaper delivery, putting the sprinkler on a timer, etc.
The checklist is handy to keep for when you RETURN and want to resume service.

(4) WORK:
Things that need to be handled BEFORE you leave as well as preparing for project maintanence while you’re gone.
Most people prepare their work fairly well before a trip, but oftentimes will check voicemail or email while on vacation. As an added challenge, prepare as if you will be out of communication with the office for your entire trip. You might be amazed at how well you can prepare for your own absence. . . AND it will also give you a totally work free vacation - isn’t that what a vacation is about anyway?!?!

Organizing and listing thing out helps to plan and prepare so you can fully enjoy your time off. Also, it can help to keep you positive with a little vacation dream in sight each day.

Check back for more TIPS in the coming weeks.

Make Happiness Yours,
Susan

Technorati Tags: independence day, travel, vacation, tips, saving money

Sometimes the internet can be OVERWHELMING!

Online searches can often bring up hundreds of links to websites for almost anything (and I mean anything). Google is a terrific resource for searching the web, but you can get lost there too. Have you ever started a web search and 3 hours later realized that you’ve clicked yourself away from your original search? It can be fun, but certainly time consuming and confusing!

Here are some websites that will help you navigate the web, as well as some sites that I find interesting and noteworthy. Some have inspired me, while others have just made me laugh.

SEARCH ENGINES:
www.google.com - this is my favorite, more out of habit and ease. Every once and while, click on “I’m feeling lucky.” Doing this will direct you to what Google thinks is the site you’re looking for, based on your search parameters.

www.dogpile.com - this is a compilation of multiple search engines, combining the search results from Google, Yahoo!, LiveSearch, Ask and others.

www.goodsearch.com - this search engine donates 50% of its revenue to the charities and schools designated by the user, YOU! It’s cool, check it out.

INSPIRING SITES:
www.teamhoyt.com - this website is for Team Hoyt. The story about Dick and Rick Hoyt is absolutely amazing. Dick has pushed his disabled son, Rick in over 85 marathons and has completed multiple ironmans with Rick. It’s an amazing story of love and commitment. Read the story and watch the video: http://cjcphoto.com/can/

www.lifeischange.com - this is the official site of inspirational comedian, Judson Laipply. His “The Evolution of Dance” video is a classic and has made the email rounds quite a number of times. If it doesn’t inspire you to dance, it will at least bring a smile to your face.

FUN SITES:
Here are some sites that are just for fun and when you have a spare moment or just need a little get away. I am convinced these help with hand-eye coordination.

Penguins - with the click of your mouse, Big Foot swings the bat and the penguin flies! See how far you can get the penguin to go.

ESCAPA! - another fun game of movement and creativity and memory! The longer you keep at it, the better you get.

www.funnyordie.com - this site was developed by Gary Sanchez Productions, which is made up of Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Chris Henchy. If you like comedy, this is definitely a site worth checking out to exercise your laugh muscles.

www.eepybird.com - you’ve probably seen the Mento’s and Diet Coke fountain videos. Here are more fun videos of people with amazing skills and interesting ideas. Watch out, some can be quite silly.

USEFUL SITES:
www.timeanddate.com - with daylight savings time on March 9th (in the USA), it’s nice to have a resource that will give you the exact time, no matter where you are in the world.

www.about.com - provides information for just about anything you’re curious or concerned about. Experts contribute articles to share their wealth of knowledge.

FOR MORE SITES TO CHECK OUT, VISIT MY WEBSITE’S BLOGROLL.

Wishing you Happiness, Inspiration and Laughter,
Susan

Technorati Tags: resources, websites, inspiration, laughter, games, fun, goodsearch, google, expert, information

How do we open our hearts to appreciate the LOVE of the season without being overwhelmed and stressed by it at the same time?

This is a good question to think about regardless of the time of year. With clear purpose and intentions we can open our hearts and our lives to LOVE without being affected by some of the potential stressors of everyday.

Start by discovering what is most important to you. Once you identify that, it will help keep you focused for what you want in life. Holidays are often filled with activities that drain – think of the reason behind the activity and determine if it is important for your life.
ASK YOURSELF:
What are the things that drain you? Why are you doing it?
Sometimes it could be cultural, traditional or simply out of feeling obligation, but usually there is a reason why you are doing it. Reconnect with that purpose and consider what is important for you in your life right now.

Next, budget your time and money. Planning a little will help prevent overwhelm around these two areas. AND it will enable you to stay more focused on what is important instead of worrying or running around spinning your wheels.
TAKE ACTION:
Budgeting Time – When considering your schedule with family events, volunteer request, holiday parties, travel, business obligations, make your decisions based on the purpose and intention behind the event. Ask yourself: Why am I doing this? Why is this important?
Budgeting Money – Create a budget. It’s that simple. It will help keep your spending focused. Budget for regular expenses, donations, gifts, travel, entertainment, personal and miscellaneous. As you create your budget, think about what is absolutely important to you – again find the purpose and intention behind the spending. If you get caught in the midst of an “impulse” buy (which is easy to do during the holiday sales!) review your budget and consider what you could take off your list in exchange for this “impulsive” purchase. If it is important enough, the replacement will be easy; if it’s difficult, reconsider.

Finally, by taking care of your body, you also take care of your heart, mind and soul. How you feel physically will certainly affect your mindset and vice versa. Taking care of your body through WAG (see below), will enable you to love and fully appreciate because you won’t feel sluggish or sleepy. In fact, you’ll feel energized and happy with your body.
TAKE ACTION:
1. Drink Water
Water is so important to our diets. During the holidays amidst the glasses of eggnog, sodas and wine, water is forgotten. Not only will water re-hydrate and keep the bodily functions moving along, it also helps to fill the body with a non-caloric way to quench your thirst, helping to maintain a healthy diet (see Grazing).
2. Stay Active
Activity is easy to come by during the holidays, but often it’s the likes of going to parties, having drinks, going shopping, etc – not quite the exercise regimen of a healthy lifestyle. You may not have time for the gym, but you can still stay active and keep healthy. For example, park at the opposite end of the mall and walk briskly to your destination – that can be a good 10-20 minute event, depending on the mall. If you can do a full workout, GREAT! But if not, take the stairs, walk, incorporate activity where you can.
3. Graze
Grazing is pretty common during the holidays – food is omnipresent. It is the quantity and what we eat that throws us off balance (and maybe even gaining a pound or two). When grazing, it’s about reducing the size of each meal, not just eating more frequently, so cut your normal portion into half or thirds. Also, when choosing the foods to eat, start by eating a protein, second eat a vegetable, third drink water and finally allow yourself to indulge with a “goodie” if you like. By the time you eat the sugary goodness, at least you will have had some nutritious food AND you will be partially satiated.

The above are my strategies and suggestions. – if they sound good, try them. I encourage you to develop some healthy strategies for yourself.

Technorati Tags: holiday, budget, spending money, time management, activity, self care, season, love, being present