Striking the Right Work/Life Balance

By: Rebecca McClain

As entrepreneurs we can get so caught up in our daily schedules and activities that we forget to do the simple things that can support our success. The challenge of balancing our lives in today's hectic world is a significant test we face. We become overwhelmed by the demands of juggling business, family, technology, the economy and so forth. We sometimes feel that there's not enough time in a day to do the things we want, and need, to do.

The real problem is not balancing work and life. It's about making the right choices about the different aspects of our lives and prioritizing their importance. Work is an integral part of life, as is being a parent, spouse and friend, as well as caring for yourself. When you're trying to juggle all of these areas of your life at the same time, some things will inevitably fall to the floor and through the cracks.

Adjusting your schedule to accommodate the demands of your personal and professional life will always be a challenge, but it is doable. Having lived a fast-paced life for so many years, I've learned to place myself at the top of my list of priorities without feeling strange or guilty. Truthfully, I find that juggling several balls at once can be mind stimulating. But I am quick to review my priorities when I began to feel a significant imbalance between my personal and professional life.

If you're feeling that you don't have enough time to do the things you want, and need, to do, then you must take deliberate steps to create the life you want. Here is a list of essentials that will help to maintain work/life balance:

1. Recognize that you can't do it all at once.
2. Learn to say "no" rather than over-committing and becoming overwhelmed and imbalanced.
3. Schedule time for exercise, relaxation and to pamper yourself.
4. Spend quality time with family and friends on a regular basis.
6. Take a vacation each year, with limited use of your Blackberry or cell phone.
7. Take in a movie, go to the theater, sporting event or other recreation/hobby frequency.
8. Reserve time before going to sleep each night to "de-fog" your mind.

Figure out what you want out of life and set your priorities. Cut back on things that are low on your list of priorities. Less is more when you're trying to strike the right balance. Having time to spend on yourself and with family, you just might find that you feel more fulfilled doing fewer activities than you felt running around with that large "S" on your chest!

Train travel

By Barry Sheppard

Don't like flying? Or have a fear of flying?

Want to make adventure part of your travel plans?

Want to see different places without extra expense?

Are you environmentally aware?

Do you know you can travel the world without stepping in an airport?

Which brings me to my story.

I was travelling back to London via Moscow from Japan. (The ticket I'd bought was one of those earlier days cheap fares.) As we crossed the South China Seas the plane seemed to be struggling. After a while announcements in Japanese & Russian were spouted out. The whole lot on the plane started bending over and putting their hands over their heads. I knew what it meant after serving nearly 4 years in the Army Air Corps in the Far East. I looked around. I couldn't see anyone else who looked like a Westerner. Ah! They remembered me in the cockpit by shouting out "We are crash landing".

With this, the plane started banking and going down in quite a decent fashion. It wasn't a tumble. Seemed like a normal descent. As we got nearer the ground it banked again. Yahoo. I see a lake and that made my mind up. I decided to run across the seats on the backs of all the passengers. Push the door off and get ready to jump into the lake. Anyone wants to follow, up to them. For crashing into the ground was not going to be me. Take my chances with a jump, even if only a foot deep.

So, there I was. A young man. 5 years out of the Army. Still very fit. Taking my own life in my hands rather than people up front trying to control a huge ball of metal hurtling about in the sky. And to all intents and purposes about to crash and most probably killing every one onboard. Not me Bud. I'm off.

The plane got nearer the ground. The huge wastes of Siberia facing us. I'm just about ready. My thoughts were, I'll wait until it's not a huge jump. Just enough to clear the ground and make it easier if that water was only a foot deep. Hopefully not push my legs up my body but alive. Here we go.

At the moment of decision, balancing on the top of a seat, I half fall, due to the plane taking a steeper bank to the left. Through the window see a beautiful site. A piece of land cut out like an Airstrip...it was. I stayed. We landed heavily, but who cares, we landed.

After a while, I found out, the plane, due to strong facing winds and too many passengers across the China Seas, had run out of fuel!

Long story short. Got to Moscow. Told changing planes as this one is useless. Help.

On reflection, and I do a lot with this flight, some was maybe due to language differences.

Still didn't help me. That flight seemed to last forever. Tried to read a book after getting back up in the air. No good. Every shake or shudder set me off.

I never flew again for over 25 years and found a brand new world. I went to America from the UK, New York, by rail to Chicago and Los Angeles. Drove 3,000 odd miles to Miami, Washington up to Quebec. Down thru Canada to Niagara Falls. Through New York. Up to Montreal to catch my ship to London....

.....absolute magic but that's another 150 stories.

That's it folks.

Ingin Jadi Travel Writer? Think Outside The Box !!

CC0 Unsplash / Pixabay

Traveling atau melakukan perjalanan kini menjadi gaya hidup sebagian orang. Entah itu melakukan kunjungan ke tempat-tempat baru di dalam kota, refreshing ke kota atau desa tetangga, pulang kampung, atau mengunjungi negara-negara dan melihat keunikan budaya di sana.

Harga tiket yang semakin murah dan banyaknya tawaran akomodasi yang terjangkau bahkan gratis membuat tren melakukan perjalanan tak lagi dimonopoli mereka yang punya dana melimpah.

Karena itu, tak jarang kita bisa menemukan tulisan-tulisan perjalanan berterbaran di internet dan media cetak. Para musafir itu membuat blognya sendiri atau berpartisipasi dalam blog komunitas atau jurnalisme warga seperti Kompasiana atau Phinemo.

Dari sekedar berbagi pengalaman, ternyata tak sedikit catatan perjalanan itu menghasilkan uang. Mulai dari honorarium artikel yang dimuat di media, tawaran penyusunan buku, review produk, hingga jalan-jalan gratis dibiayai oleh sponsor. Nah, tidak sedikit para penulis artikel perjalanan terdoong mendapatkan keuntungan seperti yang saya sabutkan.

Masalahnya, bagaimana menuk]lis artikel perjalanan yang segar dan tidak melulu soal bagaimana cara atau How To?

Salah satu penulis perjalanan dari Great Escape Publishing, Sophie Parmantier dalam blognya bercerita, artikel perjalanan yang baik adalah jika sang penulis mampu bertutur dan menggambarkan perjakanannya. Bukan secara umum, tapi momen-momen tertentu di dalam perjalanan.

"Jika anda mengontak sebuah majalah atau penerbitan dan mengatakan anda memiliki artikel perjalanan ke suatu tempat tapi tak memberikan angle tertentu, pasti anda akan mendapat jawaban, 'Tidak, terima kasih' atau bahkan diabaikan sama sekali. Penerbit mendapat ratusan tawaran seperti ini dan yang mereka inginkan adalah sesuatu yang original, asli," kata Parmantier.

Angle atau sudut pandang dan keaslian. Untuk mendapatkan itu Parmantier menyarankan penulis untuk berpikir di luar kebiasaan, lain dari yang lain. Lebih berani dan tawarkan hal yang tak terpikirkan sebelumnya.

Parmentier mencontohkan saat bulan Oktober lalu ia melakukan perjalanan ke Kanada ia melakukan perjalanan selama dua bulan ke Kanada. Saat kembali ke rumah, ia berhasil menjual 10 halaman artikel untuk sebuah majalah.

"Artikel sederhana soal indahnya Montreal tidak akan menarik pembaca. Tapi cerita tiga hari bersama masyarakat asli di Utara Montreal akan lebih menjual," kata Parmantier

Tulisan itu telah melunasi biaya penerbangan dan akomodasinya. Editor majalah itu kemudian memintanya untuk mencari komunitas-komunitas lokal di tempat lain dan bersedia membayar biayanya meski Parmantier sendiri sebenarnya akan membayar sendiri biaya perjalanannya.

Dalam sebuah perjalanannya ke komunitas Atikamekw di satu lembah di Quebec Parmantier memancing di danau, bermain kano, tidur di tenda indian dan mendengar cerita legenda di samping api unggun. Parmnantier tak mengeluarkan uang untuk semuanya itu berkat keberaniannya mengangkat kisah-kisah yang original.

Bercerita atau story telling merupakan trend tulisan perjalanan saat ini. Travel Writer paling terkenal se-Indonesia, Trinity, saat mengisi salah satu sesi du Makassar International Writer Festival 2015 menyarankan para musafir menulis hal-hal yang remeh, terutama para pemula. TIdak perlu membayangkan tulisan perjalanan seperti di National Geographic atau Reader's Digest, namun hal-hal remeh sebenarnya menunjukkan keaslian dan bukti perjalanan sang penulis.

Bangganya Ibu Ini Dengan Keberanian Anaknya Membersihkan Bangkai Ribuan Tonggeret

Tonggeret (Cicadoidea) / Creative Common Tooru / Pixabay

Ibu asal Mansfield, Ohio, Amerika Serikat ini sangat bangga pada anaknya. Di usia tujh tahun sang anak, Dilos telah mengajukan diri untuk menyapu bangkai ribuan tonggeret yang berserakan di halaman depan rumahnya.

Sang ibu, Rachel Smart membagikan foto dan video saat Dilon menyapu teras rumahnya setelah selama beberapa hari rumah mereka kedatangan ribuan tonggeret.

Sebagai seorang ibu, ia bangga putranya itu telah memberanikan diri menyapu bangkai serangga yang sudah mengering. Dilon kemudian mengumpulkannya dengan serok sampah dan membuangnya ke dalam kantung kertas. Selain Dilon, putri Smart juga melihat upaya sang kakak membersihkan rumah mereka.

Smart mengungkapkan, beberapa hari terakhir tonggeret menjadi wabah di rumahnya. Serangga yang kerap menempel di kayu itu datang semakin banyak setiap hari.

"Tonggeret itu begitu bising dan suara mereka terdengar sampai ke dalam," kata Smart seperti yang dilansir dari laman upi.com.

Ada banyak lubang di halaman belakang rumah dan saya rasa mereka datang dari situ," terang Smart.

Dillon sangat bersemangat membantu keluarganya namun ia ketakutan saat ada tonggeret yang naik ke kakinya. Smart tertawa saat melihat tingkah anaknya itu.

"Sepertinya ia tak berencana untuk melakukannya lagi, tapi ia punya hati yang mulia dan jiwa pemberani," ujar Smart.