Category Archives: Finance

Whats Does it Mean to Have a Burning Passion?

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What is more important in life than the sun? What is more important in life than water? What is more important in life than being hungry? I was reading an article by Tony Robbins and thought about all the times in my life that passion has motivated me to do things that I would not normally do. My passion for deeper spiritual understanding drove me to study metaphysics at an early age. I was all of 15. That passion at times concerned my parents. When I was just eighteen years old and attending college. I made the command decision it was time to go to India on my vacation break and attend Darshan in Meherabad. I was working in a factory and at a music store part time. I saved my money bought my ticket. Received the most painful shots to travel to India. Secured my passport. To my surprise my parents asked me how much money did I actually have? I thought wow this is great. They will help me. I had $15 dollars. My father and mother then said,” Well have a good time. ” Surprised but not discouraged. I made my way to the airport and met up with my fellow travelers and made my way across the globe. We stopped in London, Frankfort, Kuwait, Cairo and then Bombay. (Not named Mumbai when I visted). I had the best time. One of the group leaders heard about my plight and I ended up with the Mayor and his wife who treated me like royalty. It was the best time of my life. They bought me gifts. I was even able to bring home a present for my father. A small brass animal.

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A small trinket but all the same I brought my parents back some other tapestries. I collect small rocks where ever I go. The shot includes some of the precious stones I brought home.

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Years ago, my mother explained how angry she was I was leaving. She made my father promise not to give me spending money. She said she was sorry. I never even gave it a second thought. When you believe in something things just work out.

My passion also allowed me to travel to England and follow my dream as a young woman in my twenties. My passion drove me to work in the music industry and become a road manager and audio engineer. My passion for being creative pushed me to work for Zoetrope Studios in San Francisco. Below is the link to my credit on the film. Well you will see.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3987648/

Passion does not stop  there. Passion included love. Love means risk and even though the risk was present it did not stop me from exploring relationships. Some that were enriching and others that were great lessons in truth.

Passion means trusting your heart and being driven to accomplish things that would make someone else run away because having passion for what you are meant to accomplish sometimes does not turn out the way you dreamed. When you have passion for life you squeeze every drop from the day and make that drop feel as if it was the most refreshing glass of cool water you ever had after a hot day working outside. Passion means creating dynamic changes that your receive no credit for. You do these things because you know it is the right thing to do. Others may receive the credit but you know what you did.

This has happened to me with some of my writings and the contract I had with my dear publisher. It happened with a major music project with a very well known concert venue. Even though these glitches in life happen it does not deter me from the driving relentlessly towards my goal. My goal now is to create that community of others who have that same passion. I have a gift and it is time I share it again with others. My son just said to me today. “Mom, why aren’t you running your own workshops like you did in the past?”

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This brings me to the there for today! I will be running a workshop on that very topic and sharing when and where in the up and coming weeks. I feel compelled to share with others how to find that burning passion in yourself and set your world on fire. It does not mean burning down the house. It does mean firing up the rocket in your heart to make your life soar!

Time To Enjoy Your Bliss! Simple Ways To Increase Your Happiness.

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Welcome to another one of my posts. I wanted to share something I am certain everyone might be able to relate to. Have you been running so fast you forgot to take care of yourself, lately? Have you been piling on the stress and forgot to just take the time to notice your life. Not just your life but honestly, how have you been living?  Listen to this in the background. If I could get rid of the commercials on the video I would. Please come back and leave it as the background track to this post. I wish life had background music then I would know what was going on instead of trying to figure it out. That is for another day.  

Don’t Worry Be Happy. Bob Marley shares the love

So, there you are just enjoying life in general. Or are you? I know I have been working a little too much lately. At times, I just work and forget to take the time to just be. It is my own doing. There are times I am feeling just too &%^$#@ tired to take up the offers from friends to go out.  I ran into that situation over the weekend. I was so very tired that I was unable to gather up the energy to go out and just be.

It took a lot of encouragement from within to make a decision on what to do with my day. I woke up very late for a overcast Saturday afternoon. I had the opportunity to just take a moment and have an enjoyable cup of  tea.

Enjoying tea in Chinatown, San Francisco

Enjoying tea in Chinatown, San Francisco, 7/14

What was missing from my energy level for the week? It came to me in a flash while I was enjoying my morning. I needed to let it go. There were so many things on my mind. ( Sound familiar?). I had to wait on medical reports for my son. It took a lot out of me. I decided I need to just pay attention to my body and rest. 

I have to reverse my thinking. I was not reflecting on things. I was in perpetual motion on auto-pilot. It was draining me and I was not even doing the normal running around that I enjoy on a day to day basis. It hit me like a ton of bricks last night when I realized I had not been up walking and doing what I would normally do in a day.

Then it came to me like a bolt of lightning. ( without the pain usually associated with being struck by lightning). I figured it out! What I needed to do was as simple as reminding myself of what I had control over. No one else can do it for me. It was just acknowledging I had so much to be grateful for. I decided to share this with all of you.

Moving to fast to enjoy the moment

Increasing your bliss can be as simple as staying in your pj’s. It is staying home and saying I don’t have to do a thing. I just need to care of myself.

It can be as simple as standing on the scale and finding out you lost 5 pounds in a week!

It also is finding out your son’s tests result. He does not have cancer. It has been a long month of waiting. Really big smile now.

It is also knowing you are  loved. It is also knowing that friends want to share their time with you over the weekend.

It is waking up in the morning and that alone is good enough.

Other ways include deciding to save money a little at a time and over the course of the year you also realized you decreased your debt more than you planned.

It also is taking the time to breath while you are reading, walking, standing, cooking, cleaning, working or just being.

It is in the breath. When you take the time to notice you increase your bliss. Take if from Jack Kerouac he followed his bliss. Well, Ok, maybe he had the habit of overdoing it just a little bit! But you get the point.

Taking the time to observe your breath will help you slow down.Literally, observing your rate of breathing. Do you take in deep breaths? Like right now are you holding your breath or just shallow breathing. Hey, let’s get some oxygen into those lungs. 

Breathing in.

So first, allow yourself to get into a comfortable position. If you are sitting in a chair then sit up straight! Do your body a favor. Be kind to your body.Move the shoulders back and put yourself into a comfortable position. Good posture goes a long way. (Reminds herself) If you are laying down then stretch out. What ever you are doing just make your body comfortable and just breath. It is that simple. Breath! Focus on your breathing.

Say to your self out loud or from within. ” As I Breath in I notice my breath.” ( Inhale with a slow deep breath).  “As I breath out, I am releasing stress.”  ( Taking the time to really exhale slowly).  “As I breath in, I breath in peacefulness.” ( Deep breath again) . “Out breath, I release stress.”(Exhale) “In breath, peace.” “Exhale, stress.” As they say repeat until finished. Once you start the process, continue along those lines until you feel the peace you were seeking. It is that simple. It is not complicated. Give it a try. You might find it helpful sometime. Just another tool in your toolbox of life to pull out when needed.

So, that is how I increased my bliss today. I was able to share with you my joy for the moment. Have a wonderful rest of your week. Write down all you have to be thankful for. I am sure the list is longer than you know.

Don’t worry be happy! Like Bob says put a smile on your face. It will pass what ever it is.

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This is something that I discuss with people all the time. This brings me to share the reason I love travel so much. I had worked in an industry that allowed me luxury of travel and living in and out of hotels I had traveled to many places around the world.

Once upon a time, I  worked in the music industry on the road. My life lessons were learned while I worked in various aspects on the road. They included skills such as an audio engineer,stage hand (Winterland), road manager and a roadie. I quickly learned how travel comfortably in various modes of travel from sleeping in a non-temperature controlled truck, tour bus ( that may or not have a temporary infestation), and or on the airlines. I had the pleasure of sharing time working with the most quick witted people you ever had the pleasure of traveling with.

Our schedule on the road meant either a 6 week to 8 week tour or longer. Every town began to look and hall looked the same. Our itinerary was designed by someone at William Morris Agency putting a string on a dart. Aiming the dart across the United States and that is where we would go. Blasting from  one town to another. Usually never in anything that resembled order. It was the old saying,” if its Tuesday it must be Odessa, Texas.”

I developed a pattern of road-mode for laundry and just staying sane. When we would tour on the bus all types of things would occur that I am not at liberty to discuss as it is a matter of well breaking the honorable code of see no evil, say no evil, and well you know the rest.

There would be times that we would enter into the venue  without seeing the light of day. More than once the tour bus was right by the loading dock.The semi-trucks would roll up. The gate lift would go down and like a big rubix cube we would unload the truck. Unlatching the road boxes and setting up on the stage. Only to do it all again at the end of the night but in reverse pattern.

It was a usual slow down in most of the arenas where there were union crews. No offense to the union crews but, each person could only do one job. There were the riggers for setting up the rigging points for the trusses. The union electrician which  you had to explain at times what was being set up. The stage hands helping (or not )setting up the equipment and then there were the union breaks. No one was allowed to touch any equipment if it was break time. Hurry up and wait. Then load out if the show went over it was Golden Time for the union and they did not like that one bit.

Setting up the equipment did take time. Storing the road cases was another thing. I usually worked in audio so I was one of many setting up the sound system. The sound towers needed to be stacked. At the time we still had the  usual set up with the monitors, house console,mic stands, various collection of Sennheisers, Shure and wireless mics to set up besides the band equipment.

On occasion there would an accident or 2 during the tour. The crew included some of the most talented unsung heroes.. Peter Price was a wonderful man from England who graced our tour. Taco Madrid was the audio guy with David Carroll as the monitor engineer. Mark Brown was the guitar roadie and so many people we remember and some we forget. One tour I was on with the Doobie Brothers was literally call the “Tour of the Walking Wounded.”  We printed up T-Shirts with the logo and all. Showco was the sound company and all kinds of gremlins followed us along the way. One of the lighting truces fell over and injured one of our tour mates. All I remember is his name was JD. I remember he was from Texas and worked for Showco.

Then after all the tweaking and set up the band would come in for a sound check. Check one, two, check, check one, two. They would prance away to either their hotel room or some interview and we would be the workers left behind. We would play “Beast of Burden” Rolling Stones version to remind ourselves what we were doing.

Break for lunch or dinner. The food would be provided by the promoter and at times it was not too shabby. Of course the back stage access became a zoo when the show was on. Everyone who wanted to believe they were someone did show up. The show was on and we were on point. The band played. The audience roared and we rested while watching for anything that went wrong. You had to work quickly. Live shows are live after all and you needed to know your equipment and where everything was incase of a mishap. Such as when Radar kicked out the electric from Golden Earring in Denver stadium. Now that was really wonderful

I recall on one instance while acting as a road manager having to move everyone along from a record company due to the fact I was working some other band. The band did not want anyone back near their dressing room. Ah, good times.

I will share one more story that is my all time favorite. I was in LA working for TASCO Sound. I worked for an English sound company. I worked with a brilliant electronics maven his name is  Steve Dove. Steve was a self declared boffen. He had just come off the AC/DC tours. Great stories. Davey Kirkwood the Scotsman from Glascow. He was their top audio engineer. He knew it as well. Sometimes he was well he is a Scot and proud of it. There was also  Brian Kelly another Scottsman. Great people. I wonder what happened to them???

Anyway, Andy Truman was from London. He was my boss at the time. We were located in the Paramount Lot in Hollyweird, California.. Fleetwood Mac had their office near by. Mick Fleetwood would show up at rehearsal in the sound stage with an oxygen tank at times. Steve Nicks was well Stevie. There were so many people who moved thru the sound stage. Some of the best shows were in rehearsal. Robin Trower just to name a few.

See Factor Lighting had Tony Mazzuchi ( I am sorry if I spelled the name wrong) working with us at TASCO from time to time. He had just came back from a tour. Tony told the story to me like this. Insert heavy New York City accent and use a lot of hand gestures while you imagine this story.

“So, here I was in Tucson,  Arizona. We were doing a college gig. I needed to drop a cable from the roof.I needed to hang the lights. I think to myself I need a strong kid to work with. I look around and see this kid who is helping the crew. I say to him, “Hey kid, take this cable carry it up the ladder walk across the cat walk and then drop it down to me.” So, the kid does this I shout up to him ‘Drop the cable.” What does the college boy do? He dropped the whole #$@%&*^ cable at me feet. 30 feet in the air he he drops the whole thing! I yelled up at him. Hey genius if I wanted the &*^%@#$ cable at my feet I would not have had you go up the rafters go across the cat walk to just drop it.”

I still smile on when I think of that story. Well that is it. That is what I think of when I travel. I remember some of the good times and the places it has taken me to. I have just come back from California, the Bay area to be exact where I made sure I saw friends that I used to travel on the road with from back in the day. I even stopped to see Bruce Cohen’s Vineyard in Napa. He is still the Doobie Brothers manager. It brought back a lot of memories. Some I am able to share and some well are better left for another day.

 

 

So Your Credit Card Has Been Hacked! Now What!

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This actually happened to me. What I am writing about could happen to anyone. Here are the steps I took to clear up this situation  This story will make you smile and cringe at the same time. It was a bright sunny day..

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It was around 11 am on Monday. I had just finished working with my clients and getting ready to enjoy my morning cup of coffee. I was a bit late on getting  my caffeine levels balanced. I reached in the cupboard and was getting ready to grind my The Blue Mountain coffee beans. It has an aroma that is out of this world. The water came to a boil and I poured the coffee into my French Press. I carefully pour the steaming hot black gold into my favorite cup from Barcelona. I place the cup on the counter top and get ready to pour in half and half. The first sip is always the best. Life is too short to drink cheap coffee. I think to myself, “Ah this is going to be a great morning.”Image

Today there is nothing on my plate after my clients and all is well with the world. You have nothing left to do but go outside, work out, go to a Buddhist meditation or do what ever I feel like doing today. So, I decided to  sit down in the dining room looking outside and listening to the birds chirping outside. The cicadas rhythmic beat completes the backdrop to the morning symphony.

I open up my computer to check my emails. I been ignoring my emails for the last 2 days just because. As I open up my emails I see this….

“Chase fraud alert to credit card 1234 5678 9101 1213 has been compromised. Check yes if you made these charges check hell no if someone compromised your card.”

Camera close up to face dropping on happy person who is now not so happy but making lots of faces and noises that look sort of like the person below.ImageMy coffee was no longer on the radar. Quickly, grabbing my wallet I dig out my credit card. “Who did this?” That is what went through my mind. I was honestly really ….well. angry comes to mind.

I followed all the logical steps. I called my credit card company only to discover there were fraudulent charges on my account to multiple airlines. Charges were in excess of $9500.00 on various airlines and on various websites. Remind me to never use Travelocity and I will tell you why later. I found a charge to ARC. I had never heard of them before. When I did an internet search I discovered it  is a large corporation that travel agencies and various airlines use to route their charges through. The other charges were made to Expedia as well as Delta and United airlines. Here is what I saw when I went online and looked up my activity.

Temporary Authorizations  Link to more information in a new browser window.
Trans Date Type Description Amount
08/05/2013 Pending ARC $1,499.00
08/04/2013 Pending UNITED $961.40
08/04/2013 Pending UNITED $239.00
08/04/2013 Pending EXP*EXPEDIA TRAVEL $1,504.99
08/04/2013 Pending EXP*EXPEDIA TRAVEL $1.00

The Delta charges were denied immediately. The conversation with the agent from my credit card representative was quite entertaining actually. “These Delta charges drew a flag. We know that primarily you have a certain spending pattern and the pattern did not match up.” I answered” So the Delta flights that drew the red flag?” He was quite sincere when he said simply,”Yes, and it’s your spending pattern.”

There was a lot of hmmm going on in my head. It was August 5, 2013 when I had the initial conversation with the Chase fraud alert team. I found out over 200 customers were victims of fraud. I was curious how was this going to be handled. I knew that I was not responsible for the charges. Most importantly you need to know this :

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CALLING THE CREDIT CARD COMPANY.  I spoke to the fraud department at Mastercard and spoke to a representative who described in detail what would happen to my card. I was issued a new card and it was sent immediately to my address. I am waiting for it right now.

He explained that the fraud department would contact the various vendors. It was not going to be held against me and that they notify the big 3 credit card companies that you are being issued a new card.

I looked online again today and see the charges are still pending. I called the credit card fraud alert team again. How you get to them is just to call customer service and give them your information. Let the representative know that you are requesting to speak to the fraud alert team and they will reroute your call.

While I was speaking to a team member I asked what actually transpires. Will I ever know who or where this person was going. I wanted to know what person thinks I am just a number. Like the quote from the 1970’s TV show THE PRISONER, ” I am not a number. I am a woman.” I just need to know the process.  This is where my curiosity got the best of me.

I wanted to know what happens to the person who uses your card in the first place. How did they get away with charging my account? Did they have the security code and the expiration date? Did they have my address?How could this happen? What type of person would do this? Where are they operating out of? Some place really hidden?ImageToday when I viewed my  online account I noticed  the charges were still there. I called again only to find it takes their fraud team 3-5 business days to reach out to the various merchants. This is what made me wonder what would happen if I called myself.

I looked up ARC online and found their fraud support team phone number on the bottom of their webpage. It states that only travel agents and other authorized users could call. That did not stop me. I called the 800 number and I spoke to Craig. I explained what happened to me and I wanted to know what is the procedure. Should I wait for the fraud team or would they help me? He took down my information and informed me that this would be handled immediately. That they will notify the travel agent or the organization that has been involved in this incident. (I am now an incident) I was also told company would ” be able to stop the sale or wait to receive the information from the credit card company to report the loss of revenue.” I asked if the person ever is prosecuted for this. There was silence at the other end of the phone. The answer was, ” Only if we are able to track down the person.” Interesting to know.

I then called United Airlines I explained to the agent what had transpired. She asked me , ” Have you authorized Dominick Okonma with the email address of Aweobonla@yahoo.com to charge from Lagos, Nigeria to Houston a flight on 8/5/2013 and another flight to Frankfort, Germany leaving on 9/7/2013?” My answer was,”No who is this person? He does not have authorization this is why I am calling!“Image

I found out much to my surprise that she  freely gave out not only his name, email address, recorder number of the flight but also gave me the phone number 888-709-5983 where he made the purchase. She said to me ,”call and let the vendor know.” I stated I will allow fraud team to work it out. I was still curious how the process worked. I continued to ask questions about these purchases.

I was informed that the 3 digit security number sometimes does go through even if it is wrong. The person who used my card used a totally different billing address than is registered with  the card. Multiple flights were booked and to my surprise the person actually used the card to successfully arrive from Nigeria to Houston.  That to me is amazing.

He not only had the wrong security pin and expiration date but none of the information he provided matched up to my account. I decided to write about this to inform all of you and ask that you share this story with as many people as possible.

It does get better however, I called the 888 number and was directed to Travelocity who denied that they issued the ticket. I had this information number complete with the recorder number from the airlines. The representative from Travelocity just blurted out  Dominc Okonma’s complete itinerary and other credit card numbers he used to book flights from Detroit to Los Angeles for various people. She stated to me that she “could not do anything about this” because she could not find his transaction with my card. However, (scary thought) she gave me his complete Visa Credit card numbers that he made transactions with. Dominic is a busy guy after all. She kept saying” it was an issue with the airlines not this company. IF THE FLIGHT WAS MADE ON THEIR WEBSITE THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO. The recorder number you gave me does not match-up on our computer system “

This was Travelocity. I will never use their website as it is not really secure.The individuals who are taking your personal and private information had no issue with revealing information to (anyone )me without any proof that I am who I say I am. Just saying folks I find that a little unsettling.

 If they are authorizing tickets and really have no way of checking that your credit card is issued to who it says it is issued to then there is a serious issue with their program as well.I was then sent to their fraud department and this person was not helpful at all.

What I decided to do was follow up with the credit card company and share with them the information I have discovered. It is my credit card and I was very grateful to know that my home address and information that is important to me was not compromised. I suggest highly that you constantly monitor your credit card activity just as you would your financial transactions that you make with the bank.

You also have the capability of having your credit card company putting an alert for 7 years with the big 3 credit companies (Equifax, TranUnion, etc.) for free. Press the fraud team hard otherwise you will end up paying money for an alert for a year.The reason for this is to prevent any fraud coming through your social security number.

I did hear from one of the fraud alert representatives stated that the person who used my card may have kept playing with numbers until he found a winning combination. That was his story. That softens the story they told me that their system was compromised. My story is take care of yourself.

Remember when traveling it is extremely important to monitor your activity. Point to remember if you are in a foreign country you will have to ability to receive a card replacement. Each credit card company handles each situation differently. Find out before you go what you need to do in order to replace your card.

When you travel always have 2 cards and cash. Keep your second card in a safe place. Many times when I travel they are in my shoes, boots or special hiding place know as in my hand in my pocket which I do not take out. Men never put things in your back pocket or think cargo pants will not be pick pocketed. They are and they do.

To date traveling has never been an issue for me or my son. I know one thing is for certain. When it comes to your own safety and money issues only you can do what you can do.

I hope you have learned a little something from this post.

1.Monitor your credit card activity , closely.

2. Know you need to call back to make sure they are aware of your situation.

3. Most credit card fraud cases the individual does not have your address or security code information.

4. Relax and enjoy your day anyway.

5. Make sure you have a great cup of coffee in hand, breath and smile.

That is what I did  I decided that there was nothing I could do to change the fact my card was used. I did what I could. I learned much more about the situation. The most perplexing thing is wondering if that the person who is doing this will do this again and knows they will not be caught…well maybe not this time but I am sure Karma works in mysterious ways.

Peace to you as always. Enjoy your travels and enjoy your life.

Denise

Life Is What You Make It

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Life is a series of lessons. It is not unlike the picture I added above. Using some fancy changes I made this block image from my phone. This is not unlike travel. You start out with the image of what you think will be a trip or an adventure and by the end of the journey it is very different from what you imagined.
I know that in planning for my excursions I have to ask myself what is important while I travel. Since lately I have been a solo traveler going to either visit friends around the world I have the opportunity to shop around and find the best seats I can find at the least expensive price.
When looking around at airlines I have a tendency to use the Star Alliance Program. I use my miles wisely and many times fly for free. One of the best deals I have found is using the two credit cards I applied for recently and had an instant 50 thousand mile placed into my account. I recently have found that for my area flying on US Airways has been very painless.
Even though, the lions share of my miles approximately 150,000 are with United. I have a modest 60,000 miles with US Airways. I range from Silver to Gold status depending on the year. I do not regularly fly for business. I fly mostly for pleasure. That makes my world a happy place.
So how does this woman do it? Well in various posts I have spoken about the value of flying the best way possible for the least amount of money. I do this all the time. It does take dedication. If you are a college student you can do this very same thing. It is about the journey not the destination. If you focus on how, what, when and where you will lose the process of enjoying that life is a game. It is knowing how to play the game that makes it a breeze.
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Let’s get to basics. How much money do you have now! I mean right now! Not tomorrow. Not next week but, right now. Sit down and grab a piece of paper or add it on your notebook. Write down your assests. I mean everything you own that has value. Once you do that I want you to focus in on where you want your finances to be in 3 months, 6 months, and a year from now. Simple I know but believe me it does work.
Then write down your monthly expenses it is really important that you do this. Write down next to the credit card, college loan, rent, phone, electric, cable, internet what ever bill you have the amount you must pay. Add it all up. Now take a breath and multiple that times 12…ok bills for a year. Now put in your monthly salary, income, allowance, stipend, interest on accounts…where ever you have income. Write that number down. Multiple it by 12 and that is your yearly income. Now subtract your income from your out-go (debt) that will give  you an idea of how much money you have for the year. Now subtract  $2,500 from that amount. That is any emergency funds. Believe me it will be ok. Now take that amount you have left and divide by 12 that is actually how much money you have extra to spend a month.
Monthly Income X 12= Yearly Income
Monthly Bills X 12 = Yearly Debt
Total Yearly Income – Total Yearly Bills = Money for the year- $2500= Actual disposable cash for the year
Actual cash available divide by 12= Monthly cash to invest and use for travel
ImageThat is right I said save. If you are not saving and only spending then you are not going to enjoy living life on the beach, mountains or your underwater vacation. You will be coming home to a mountain of pain. I have all my trips paid for before I leave. I work a regular job ..well sort of …and work for myself. I spend many hours ( as I like to call it my planning before the trip time) working, saving, and enjoying all that is free in my local area.
This is what is known as working it to make it happen. I am really very happy to say that my bucket list was started way before the term bucket list became popular. I was traveling to India, England and many places beyond my home at the age of 18. My parents were so unhappy with me at the time. There grew to appreciate that they started it by taking me all over the US. I have shared this with my son.
Back to the plan at hand. You are here on Earth to explore yourself and enjoy all the world has to offer. There are times that life is not fair. I believe that is the way is.

Traveling to New Places and Wondering Where to Go

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Wondering (Dirty Pretty Things song)

Have you ever wanted to travel to somewhere new but, did not know where to go? That is not an uncommon question that I hear from many people who are getting ready to take off for parts unknown.

There are so many things to keep in mind when deciding what to do and where to go. Lets start with the basics.

MONEY

How much money do you actually have to spend? If you have been reading my blog all along it is all about comfort before, during and after vacation. If you have to take out a small home equity loan to fund your trip. Well, does that make you feel relaxed? I do not recommend taking the dream vacation of a lifetime only to find out it has become a nightmare to pay back.

Everyone knows what their personal budget is. If you have money to burn and luxury is your mode of travel then break open the bank and jump in with both feet and if you are able fly in a private jet. It is not bad if you have people to share the cost with.

If that is not your plan and you want to have the trip of a lifetime on a shoe string then it also has its challenges. I have read about people who have finally done away with money and travel in a van and use solar power for heating and washing. They also sleep in their van in various and sundry places around the North American continent. If that makes you feel like you have landed the lottery go for it.

If you are somewhere in the middle you need to decide. How much money can you afford to take that vacation? You can have the vacation of a lifetime if  you plan. I know that is boring and self gratifying immediately but, if you plan the right way you can have the most amazing journey no matter where in the world you would like to go. If you are planning as a solo traveler, couple or family each has its own set of unique circumstances and goals.

Do you want to fly or is it worth it to drive 18 hours to Disneyland and save the hassle of the airport, luggage fees, eating at the airport, baggage pick-up, car rental pick up , car rental drop off and all of that outside noise. For families it can be challenging to drive a long distance but, look at the perks. You stop when you want. You can pack any food you want. You can pack as much or little luggage as the car can hold. You get to take your time and have your car to drive.

Of course the down side will be the miles you place on the car and wear and tear on your vehicle. The positive is family time or friend time. You can plan that trip and then hit Disney or where ever and not worry about missing a flight. You just have to plan properly so you will have enough time to drive home.

Think of it this way. By the time you read this blog look at the clock 18 hours later. Where are you now? Most of us are still home or at least in the same town , state or country they started in when they first read this. I always say to people so if it takes 18 hours to drive where would you be anyway 18 hours from now. A road trip is amazing if you do not put pressure on yourself. Not highly recommended for people who do not know how to relax in life or especially during vacations. For those of you who like to relax it is an amazing journey.

So its all about the cash to start. You have to plan on what your budget allows or increase your focus and have the goal in mind and plan. So what if it takes you a year or so to get to Fiji. If it is all paid for and you have money to spare who is having the best vacation of all?

A Gulfstream G-400 during takeoff

A Gulfstream G-400 during takeoff

What do You Love to Do?

That is the other part of the puzzle. What do you love to do? What would you really like to experience. I have been on vacations that I reluctantly took with one person and never did we ever enjoy the same thing. It was like going to the dentist and having a drilling without novocaine. Honestly, my idea and their ideas were so off the mark. I enjoy off the beaten path type of things to explore. The person I was with was not one to explore new things and booked every excursion and event that I never was ever interested in. Granted, you can find the good in all things but, this did not add to the vacation at all.

You need to know what it is that you are willing to compromise on if you are traveling with someone and what is a deal breaker. You will be going to places you have never traveled to and what do you want to experience. Make it something that you cannot do at home! Why look for a chain restaurant or deli to go to. Really! Where is your sense of adventure. Ok now I am just expressing myself but think about it. When I was in India I decided to go exploring. Maybe not the best idea alone but, I was safe and saw things that no one in my group knew existed. I took the advice of the person at the hotel and went on a journey to see simple things and they have stayed with me to this day.

When Are You Able to Do This?

When is a good question. If you think outside the box and travel during the off season you will have bargain airfare, hotels, car rentals, etc.. If you are going to Europe you need to be aware of the exchange rate. Possibly pick up money ahead of time when the Euro to Dollar conversion is in your favor. Just keep watching the exchange rate. One thing to make sure of is to call your credit card company and let them know you are going to Europe so you are able to use your card. Make sure you can use your ATM card as well. It will save  you lots of time,money and headaches when you return home.

English: Exchange rate Euro - Japanese yen Deu...

English: Exchange rate Euro –

Exercise a great deal of care when handling your money. Know that smaller bills are appreciated in shops, taxis, restaurants and most places. It is not uncommon to receive a look of disgust in Europe if you do not have smaller bills. So insist if you are picking up money at your bank that they have smaller bills. Word of caution. The exchange rate at your bank is usually done with a 10 per cent increase. They are legally allowed to charge you for the conversion rate. My recommendation is take out approximately 500 Euro or less. Have it as emergency money and use your card for the rest of your purchases. You just never know when an emergency might pop up.

Green Light Anti-Zombie Squad and Friend

Green Light Anti-Zombie Squad and Friend)

Zombies are everywhere! So think about where you want to go. Dream- LARGE. It is your life. You get one shot at having fun, exploring and learning new things. I also highly recommend learning key phrases in the languages of the countries you are going to visit.

If you are going around the United States find out where you want to go. I recommend all the states. I love Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Maine,Texas and Florida. In Europe I enjoy Spain, France and for the UK- Wales, Scotland and England. There are more places in the world I have seen and places I love to visit. I enjoy Scuba diving, hiking, wine tasting, exploring and just general knocking around the Earth. I have plans to see Australia, New Zealand, and places beyond. Fiji is on my radar screen. Where do you like to go and when will you get there. Enjoy your life. Dream big everyday and remember to just explore where you live. Hope to hear from you soon. You are the best person you know. Remember to create a list.

Gratitude List

Remember first and foremost. Before, you go out on the next big adventure of your life. First write down a list of what you are grateful for right now. That is right my friend. Right now! If you are not feeling it just do it anyway. You cannot go anywhere in life if first you are not grateful for where you are. Who you are! What you have already in your reach!

That is it for today….enjoy your life and be good to yourself. Pass around my site. I hope I brought a little insight to your life today. You are the reason I write. I am inspired to share who I am.406168_10151043275498078_1442396310_n

What Was One Experience That Completely Changed Your Life?

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What made you change your perspective on how you view things?

What was the one experience that completely changed your life? What happened? What did it change? That is something to think about. I cannot answer for you. It is a thought provoking question. Is it that you wanted to change your relationships? Is it that you wanted to change jobs? Is it that your health changed or you wanted to change it?

What ever it is completely changing your life is an amazing journey. Today, I will discuss one of the biggest changes that ever happened to me that changed my life forever. I have so many so today I will pick health. I had cancer oh 11 years ago. While I was home after chemo therapy I would have a tremendous amount of energy. Who knows if it was the steroids!

What would happen is that I would go out and complete these amazing projects. I was very focused. My son was 10 years old and my mom came out from Texas to help me. I had just started my second year of my masters at Fordham University. I would have chemo on Thursday at Memorial Sloan Kettering and attend Fordham University on Saturday. It was on Saturday night where the chemo would kick in and make me tired for days. The couch was my bed.

It upsets me to this day that my son thought I was dead laying on the couch when I was sleeping. During this battle of the cancer cells I experienced many things. I had set my sights on the prize.The prize was completing the treatment and death was not an option for me. Each chemo treatment I was getting closer and closer to winning the battle. I actually saw a golden ring for each round of cancer treatment.  I was set for 8 rounds of chemo and then radiation.

During this time I had set up what was important and what was not important. I had my goals and values straight! Time passed and then I re-entered the work force. I had an employer who was kind to most but, it seemed to me that he never really appreciated who I was and had already made a snap decision on who I was. It was not the most comfortable interactions. He always appeared to me that he was uncomfortable with who I was.

One of my co-workers, we will call him DB. DB would always seem to find a very strange pleasure in sharing with me, of course in secret, that my employer had it out for me. Is there anyone one out there that can relate? There is always that one person who has personal issues who likes to make others uncomfortable. Not everyone was like that.There were plenty of good hearted individuals who made it a pleasure to be there.

You cannot take in what people say about you You know what is true about you and what is not! You know who you are and what your intentions are. It does not matter how someone else judges you or what they say about you. You need to hear your own voice and not give in to the voice of others.

I decided that travel was my passion. At least one of them. I wanted to share seeing the world with my son after I was finished with chemotherapy. It is something that I felt was extremely important. Since, I had a job that offered paid time off I took full advantage of my days off and planned accordingly. I scoured the internet and took hours upon hours looking for the best deals. I also looked at hotels vs bed and breakfasts. It seemed that most times B & B’s were the best bet for myself and my young son. He is a grown man now and we still have a great time. This was taken in Alaska.

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For longer vacations I chose apartment style residents. It saves a tremendous amount on meals. Car rental vs trains, buses and the metro. It depended on where we were. The best days to fly. It is fly on a Wednesday and come home on a Monday. Short vacations vs. week long. Jet lag vs why the heck not!

I noticed once or twice I would come home from either Europe, Alaska, or Hawaii (This was on the beach at our resort in Maui )Imageor where ever I had just come back from, my former employer would ask why I took so much time off? I know he had a different view of life. He was somewhat constricted at that time when he thought of time off. Many people do. He was a good man just not seeing the big picture. You never know when you may leave this planet. I did not know if I was going to live or die at that time. Evidently, my physicians felt the same way.

People in your life, workplace, or wherever have their own opinions of who and what you should and should not be. You do not have to follow the pack and live in a state of, “What will they think of me.” Honestly, if the truth be told they do not think of you at all. People who are toxic or unconscious say things and do not remember the next day. There are some people who are very lonely and scared on the inside and say terrible things to others so you do not look to deeply at them and see what they are really made of.

I have since left that place of employment. I work for myself and have taken a part time job that I enjoy. That is the key. Do something that  you enjoy. Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot do what you want to to.

One thing I know to be true is that you can do what ever you want in this world. What ever your mind believes you are capable of you can do it! I throw the question back to you and please write back. What was the one experience that completely changed  your life?

I am committed to assisting others fulfill their hopes and dreams. No one on this earth should have to wonder what if. I have met many people along the way who have been dealt a hard life. I have watched in awe how they have pulled themselves out of the dire straits they had found themselves in and made life a life worth living. I will continue to share my experiences in the hopes your find inspiration or at least relate to life as life appears to me.

Travel well, eat wisely and never let yourself think you cannot. I know you are able to do great things. No matter where you are on your life’s journey I wish you well.

How To Get The Most Out of Life

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Recently, I attended “A Date With Destiny”. It was a powerful program aimed at defining life on life’s terms. What it did for me was set a reset button on my life. While I attended the program I made some major break throughs in my views, beliefs, and values. Honestly, what transpired goes beyond just words.

Tony Robbins

Since words are all we have to convey experiences I will do my best convey what worked for me. Values are what we define our life by. We may have high standards and stringent beliefs of who we are and where we are going. Our beliefs also include what we believe ourselves to be. You may stop yourself from fulfilling a greater life goal due to the fact that others have already achieved it. So, you wonder what value you may have in sharing your views, discoveries, hopes or dreams.

We all see things differently. We all have value. Intrinsic value that others will see once they get to know or hear who we are. The more important part of this component is who are you? That is the most important part of the journey who are you?

Who Are You?

Who Are You? That’s me with the Three Kings.

In this journey at this intensified university of learning I experienced joy and released my fear. There is a lot to be said of losing fear. Fear is an appropriate response to danger. It is not an appropriate response to living life. How many of us become prisoners of our own device when it comes to actually living life on life’s terms.

This change has also caused me to re-evaluate what I hold dear and what I want to hang onto. Relationships can suffer tremendously when we are myopic and want people to just fit into our box. Relationships grow when we look inward and really listen to what someone is saying.

To be able to ask for what you want clearly and with enthusiasm will get you places. To ask for what you want with being timid or yelling has a non effect on getting you to be heard. Maybe it is a tool that you have used in the past because you hide behind who you believe yourself to be however, that is just a cover for saying I am not comfortable in my skin.

Well with this new way of being. I have decided to step out and do something bold for me. I am reworking this blog to include not just travel but what I started out to do which is include how to live your best life ever.

I am also looking for contributors and other bloggers for this site.  I also will include this year personal consultations and sessions for those who want a more in depth discussion on travel or personal growth. I offer Pay Pal and Square for payment. I will gladly email you my rates. Write to me at my email address

denisercooney@gmail.com

Life is definitely what you make it! Make it feel full and alive! Peace to you all.

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Alaska

Delays, naps
Delays, naps (Photo credit: Nick Sherman)

This Not Just About Travel.

The link that is above is this website. http://www.styleandthecity.com I found this site while I was sitting at the airport in Houston. I was wondering why when I traveled all over the world no one took the time in the fashion industry to show people as they are.

I have found people dressed in the most amazingly simple styles where ever I go. I actually get some of my inspiration for dressing from some of the people I do see on the street or in some cases in the airport.

I wanted to share this link with you because if anything it will make you smile. There is a link  within her website that is about Love. It made me smile all the way through.

I have not written in a while because I have to take care of family business. My mother who lives in Texas is not feeling her 100% best and I am flying every 4 weeks to Texas. It is not easy to find cheap flights at times but I am making my airline miles work for me on this one. I have researched alternative airports and am using the Star Alliance co partners to fly out of smaller airports to Houston. While in Houston I am using my points to fly round trip to Del Rio, Texas. I have looked at the cost of flying into San Antonio(SAT) and driving the 2 1/2 hours it takes to get to her town.

The drive is long but I have been doing this drive for years. It does not seem long at all. For those of you who live in Texas or Alaska know what I mean. It is a short ride in comparison to what you are used to. Believe me in Alaska it is a short ride’

Normally, I would drive. However, what I am finding is that in order for me to do a three day weekend I would have to leave my mom’s home at 330 am to make the 630 am flight back to NYC Airports ( JFK, LGA) or Newark (EWR) Airport.

The best course for me is to get into Del Rio(DRT) late and leave late on Monday. As I was stating I have been leaving out of Stewart (SWF) Airport in Newburgh, NY. There are so many pluses to having less to pay at the airport for parking. Yes, I have to always have a connecting flight however, the comfort of not being a sardine at the airport and having long lines is a bonus for me. I know that many of  you do not live near smaller airports but think about looking anyway and seeing if the cost benefit works for you.

Recently, I had a great reunion with a friend in Colorado. They live in Fort Collins, Colorado so the airport of choice was Denver(DEN). Lots of construction is going on at Denver Airport so be aware if you are going there to be mindful of that. It took a little bit longer than usual to be picked up and dropped off. The airport in Denver can be a bit confusing so I recommend you get on the website before you go.

I actually recommend anyone who is traveling to go to the direct site of the airport you are arriving to. It has a wealth of information about arrivals and departures. It provides all the airlines that it serves. It also gives their scheduled flight time from your city of departure to the flight times of the city you are arriving to. It helps me to decide which airlines I will use before I spend countless hours figuring out which airline to use. I go here first before I plug in airlines and destinations and cost.

So enjoy the month of October. Here in the East Coast the leaves are changing into incredible golden and red colors. Many of the trees outside my window are still green but when I drive around the area mother nature is giving her annual show. It is beautiful. It is worth a trip to the East Coast this time of year just to enjoy the beauty.

So look at the link above and enjoy the various cities, people and style. I hope you and your family are well. Peace to you  and enjoy life. Life is short and there is no time like to present to live. Keep smiling and learn to travel. Your wandering writer- Denise

In December I will be leaving for Palm Springs, California and then Madrid, Spain later in the month. Christmas with my son who is in Graduate School will be wonderful.

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