A FREE periodic newsletter dedicated to improving your
odyssey through life.
Brought to you by ODYSSEY COMMUNICATIONS, and by Thomas Martin Smith -
Author of IN THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful
World Odyssey
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wish for you:
HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2005!
May it be the best year of your life
odyssey - so far!
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ISSUE: #2 January 1,
2005
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The future depends on
what we do in the present.
Mahatma Gandhi - India leader
(b 1869 - d 1948)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IN THIS ISSUE:
~ HAPPY NEW YEAR 2005! - Let the Resolutions Begin!
~ SETTING GOALS, ACHIEVING RESULTS - How-to
~ THIS DAY IN HISTORY - Want to Know What Happened?
~ MATTERS OF THE HEART - An Upbeat Update
~ LIFE INSURANCE - Get It Soon!
~ THE MOTORSCOOTER - A Perfect Icebreaker
~ WANT A GOOD FEELING? - Help A Charity
~ HUMOR - Life's Best Cure-all!
~ PONDERING LIFE'S RIDDLES - Copy > Paste > Post
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy
New Year 2005! - Let the Resolutions Begin!
Hello again!
Here's hoping 2005 gets of to a great start for you! Did
you make any Resolutions? Have you begun working on them?
I'm working on mine, including resolutions to...
- take better care of my health, family, friends, and finances;
- work hard and smart on specific career goals;
- have more FUN!; and
- provide you with a progressively more useful newsletter, regularly, this year and
beyond...
I'm working on the specifics to those generalized goals.
There's more about how to set goals and achieve them in
the next article...
Of course, you don't have to wait for New Year's Day to
start Resolutions - nor postpone setting goals until next New Year's Day if you
did not make any for 2005. Make them and work on them all year long!
The first day of the next year of your life is
today!
Just remember this issue's quote from Mahatma
Gandhi:
"The future
depends on what we do in the present."
And perhaps this one from your writer, Tom
Smith:
"What you do now
is the present you give to yourself and to others."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SETTING GOALS, ACHIEVING RESULTS -
How-to
The awesome thing about the Web is that you can find
answers to just about anything - including how to set goals and achieve the results you
want. Just put "setting goals" into a search engine and check the results. Check
out some of the websites of the hundreds of consultants and motivational speakers
including
Tony Robbins (http://www.tonyrobbins.com),
Marcia Weider (http://www.dreamcoach.com), and
Valerie Young (http://www.changingcourse.com)
See how they might be able to help you.
For something you can try now, here are some of the basic
steps in setting goals for yourself and, more important, to achieve them...
First, acknowledge some of the main reasons people don't
achieve their goals:
- They fail to write them down and post them where they can
see them regularly.
- They fail to make a plan to achieve their goals.
- They fail to fully commit themselves or maintain
commitment to their plans.
How to Set and Achieve Your Goals
- IDENTIFY YOUR GOALS.
What do you want to achieve?
Self-discipline - how much do you really want this? WRITE THEM DOWN - and
be specific. The more detailed you are in identifying your
goals, the easier it will be for you to achieve them. POST THEM where you
will see them frequently - near your computer, on the fridge, on a corner of a mirror,
etc... use your imagination.
- SET A TARGET DATE.
If you leave it wide open,
procrastination might take over. Setting a date creates a greater sense of importance and
helps you focus your mind and activities to achieving your goals.
- DETERMINE WHAT YOU NEED TO ACHIEVE THEM
List the
obstacles to overcome. For example, do you need to acquire or hire knowledge?
- ASK FOR HELP.
Who can you contact to help you?
List such people or groups - then ask them for help.
- MAKE AN ACTION PLAN.
Do this for each goal. Be
specific and detailed.
- LIST THE BENEFITS.
Determine how will you benefit
from achieving a goal and write down those benefits. What are your incentives? Make them
powerful ones.
- WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS - BE SPECIFIC.
(I'm
repeating this because it is a key step this is so often omitted.) The more
detailed you are, the easier it will be for you to achieve them. POST THEM
where you will see them frequently - near your computer, on the fridge, on a corner of a
mirror, etc... use your imagination.
- REWARD YOURSELF - and others.
Reward yourself as
you complete steps toward achieving your goals. And really celebrate when you
achieve them. Reward those who helped you. And share your joy with others. Help others
achieve their goals - that in itself is quite a reward!
Self-talk. Self visualization. Self
determination.
Those make up 90% of the process of achieving your goals.
Go for it! You can do it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THIS DAY IN HISTORY - Want to Know What Happened?
Have you ever wondered what happened in history on a day
that is special to you? Well, January 1 is special to many people as it signifies a new
beginning. Looking back gives you a good idea of where you are heading - and perhaps some
better perspectives on where you want to go.
For your writer, New Year's Day is also his birthday (I
apparently properly utilized and/or disposed of all the gifts of formula and baby goodies
my parents received) - I thought it would be fun to share with you what has happened on
New Year's Day...
BORN on January 1:
1387 Charles The Angry One, king of Navarra
(1349-87)
1449 Lorenzo de' Medici [The Magnificent] of Florence
1745 "Mad" Anthony Wayne General
1863 Pierre de Coubertin France, baron (he revived the Olympic games)
1879 E[dward] M Forster London England, novelist (Howard's End, Passage
to India)
1888 Chesley Bonestell San Francisco CA, special effects/actor/writer (Swiss
Family Robinson, War of the Worlds)
1891 Charles Bickford Cambridge MA, actor (The Virginian, Days of Wine and
Roses)
1895 J Edgar Hoover Washington DC, Director of US Fedreal Bureau of Investigation
1900 Xavier Cugat [Francisco de Asís Javier Cugat Mingall de Brue y Deulofeo]
Tirona Catalonia Spain, bandleader (married Abbe Lane, Charo)
1909 Dana Andrews Collins MS, actor (Battle of the Bulge, Laura)
1919 J[erome] D[avid] Salinger New York City, NY, novelist (Catcher in the Rye)
1940 Frank Langella Bayonne NJ, actor (Dracula, Diary of a Mad Housewife, 12
Chairs)
1947 Vladimir Georgiyevich Titov Russia, cosmonaut (Soyuz T-8, TM-4, STS 63)
1953 Rochelle S Abramson violinist
DIED on January 1
1557 Jacques Cartier French explorer
(Canada), dies at 65
1953 Hank Williams country singer ("Cold Cold Heart"), dies at 29
1972 Maurice A Chevalier French actor (Can Can, Gigi), dies at 83
1994 Cesar Romero US actor (Joker-Batman), dies at 86
World Events on January 1
0001 Origin of Christian Era
0404 Last gladiator competition in Rome
1622 Papal Chancery adopts Jan 1 as beginning of the year (was Mar 25)
1701 Great Britain & Ireland union is in effect, creating United Kingdom
1772 1st traveler's checks issued (London)
1776 General George Washington hoists Continental Union Flag
1808 Congress prohibits importation of slaves
1842 1st illustrated weekly magazine in US publishes 1st issue, New York City NY
1853 1st practical fire engine (horse-drawn) in US enters service
1861 Porfirio Diaz conquers Mexico City
1861 President Lincoln declares slavery in Confederate states unlawful
1863 Emancipation Proclamation (ending slavery) issued by Lincoln
1877 England's Queen Victoria proclaimed empress of India
1880 Building of Panamá Canal, begins
1881 Dr John H Watson is introduced to Sherlock Holmes
1886 1st Tournament of Roses, Pasadena CA
1892 Ellis Island becomes reception center for new immigrants
1899 Cuba liberated from Spain by US (National Day) (US occupies till 1902)
1901 Australia declares independence from federation of UK colonies
1907 President Theodore Roosevelt shakes a record 8,513 hands in 1 day
1908 1st time, ball signifying new year dropped at Times Square
1912 Sun Yat-sen forms Chinese Republic
1923 Union of Socialist Soviet Republics established
1928 1st US air-conditioned office building opens, San Antonio
1934 Alcatraz officially becomes a federal prison
1936 1st newspaper to microfilm its current issues, New York Herald Tribune
1948 1st color newsreel filmed, Pasadena CA
1950 Ho Chi Minh begins offensive against French troops in Indo-China
1954 Rose & Cotton Bowl are 1st sport colorcasts
1956 Sudan (Anglo-Egyptian Sudan) gains independence from Britain & Egypt
(National Day)
1956 Elvis Presley records "Heartbreak Hotel" for RCA in Nashville
1959 Castro leads Cuba to victory as Fulgencio Batista flees to Dominican Republic
1961 Largest check issued, National Bank of Chicago to Sears ($960.242 billion)
1966 Simon & Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" reaches #1
1968 Evel Knievel fails in his attempt to jump Cćsar's Palace Fountain
1971 Cigarette advertisements banned on TV
1975 Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell & Mardian convicted of Watergate crime
1986 International Peace Year begins (This was
also the year I began Cycle for Life – World Odyssey to promote
international friendship and communication.)
1987 International Year of Shelter for Homeless begins
1987 Year of the Reader begins
1989 Year of the Young Reader begins
1994 Microsoft CEO Bill Gates (38) marries Melinda French (29)
1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect
1995 Centennial of Canadian Mounties presence in Canada's Yukon Territory
1998 All California bars, clubs & card rooms must be smoke-free
1999 International Year of Elderly
6000 1st reversible date since 11/11/1999
JANUARY 1 is also:
Cameroon : Independence Day (1960)
Cuba : Revolution Day
Haiti : Independence Day (1804)
Japan : New Year (year = AD + 660)
Mozambique : Universal Fraternity
Pasadena CA : Tournament of Roses Parade
Philadelphia : Mummers' Parade
Sudan : Independence Day (1956)
Western Samoa : Independence Day (1962)
Scotland : Handsel Monday
Capetown, South Africa : Coon Carnival
Taiwan : Foundation of the Republic
Would you would like to find out
what happened on a day that is special to you
Check out this website: http://www.scopesys.com/anyday
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MATTERS OF THE HEART - An
Upbeat Update
It takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'
!!
Good news for your writer! - tests have shown
that the coronary stent implant took well. On the treadmill, I did four progressive stages
and could have done more but they stopped me. The readings already indicated that I was 20
per cent above the average for someone my age who has had NO physical problems. Like the
excitement expressed by the OR staff at the hospital when the doctor got my blood flow
restarted - it sure made me feel good to hear it!
I still get pains and have major blockage in another
artery and some blockage in two other arteries. The doc will be doing another angioplasty
this month to determine which way to go - another stent or by-pass surgery. Either way
means more oxygen-rich blood for the heart and the brain - which will hopefully lead to
inspired editions of this, your newsletter!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LIFE INSURANCE - Get It Soon!
One of those lessons of life a bit late for the
learning....
Have you ever wished you had done something when you
first thought about it? It happened recently to your writer.
Just two weeks before my heart attack, we finally met
with an agent and applied for LIFE INSURANCE. We completed the questionnaire and made a
deposit. A follow-up at-home blood test would be just a formality, we figured. (I was
feeling healthy. And since I began taking Zocor, my blood test results had consistently be
at or near normal levels.)
The attack came before the test. I still took the test
about a week after the attack. Too late. Two weeks later, we got a letter from the
insurance company:
"We regret that we are not able to approve your application and we are returning
the payment you provided."
If only we had done this a couple of years ago. My fault
- procrastination.
THE IRONY:
Our agent told us that if I had died from the heart attack, my family would have
been covered! ...mortgage paid off with lots of cash left over!
You can imagine how I feel - that have let my family
down, big time. We are looking into alternatives. But the best thing for me to do is to
take better care of myself, live long, and make lots of money! More challenges - and I'M
ALIVE to take them on!
THE LESSON:
Don't wait! Talk to an agent. Get LIFE INSURANCE soon!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE MOTORSCOOTER - A Perfect
Icebreaker
Do you own a motorscooter, or have you ever thought of
getting one?
They are such friendly looking machines! And so
user-friendly!
Okay, so you know I'm a bit biased toward motorscooters -
with good reason. My Melawend (a 1985 Honda Elite 250), as an example, not only
got me and too much gear wonderfully around the world - and was such a joy to ride - she
also became a perfect international icebreaker. From California, to Kathmandu, to the UN
in New York, conversations and even friendships started around her. And she became my
constant mechanical companion. She never let me down.
But when I returned from the world journey, I learned the
motorscooter market was in decline. The trend continued until, in the USA, it bottomed out
in 1997 at only 12,000 units sold
But a turnaround began in 1998. I was then making great
progress on the book, IN THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey. I began
correspondence with Peter terHorst, then American Honda's motorcycle press chief. He said
Honda had developed a design prototype scooter - the "FB-S400" - a 400cc model.
Images of it on the Web revealed it as an awesome scooter. Whether or not it would make it
to market depended on market research numbers. The lower the number, the higher the cost
of the scooter. The FB-S400 never made it to market.
(But look at Honda's line of scooters today - including
the 250cc Reflex, the re-introduction of the classic 1980's Helix 250cc, and the fantastic
600cc Silver Wing. Other manufacturers have built similar size models.)
If you have a motorscooter or are considering getting
one, you are in good and growing company. According the Motorcycle Industry Council,
scooters sales skyrocketed by 400% in the US between 1997 and 2002, spurred in part by
rising fuel prices. (total units sold in 2001: 50,000) Here are some of the demographics:
by 2002, the mean age of purchasers was 38.2 years, and the median household income was
$42,500. 26 percent of owners were students, 22 percent were females, and 22 percent of
owners worked at professional or technical occupations.
And there is no generation or social/economic gap among
owners of motorscooters - they are enjoyed by teens to retirees, by poor and rich alike.
In developing countries, it is often the family vehicle. (A few times during the journey,
notably in India, I saw families of five riding together on one scooter! Papa, Mama, and
three kids.) Several celebrities own scooters, including Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Jessica
Parker, and Robert DeNiro.
So there's been not only a comeback of motorscooters, but
an expanding demographic market for them. They're downright popular!
It makes me itchy to get back out there on a scooter, and
to promote these friendly machines. So I'm going to be
getting more involved in the scooter industry. Keep coming back to the
Odyssey website for more information and updates on motorscooters and motorscootering.
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF MOTORSCOOTERS
http://www.melawend.com/motorsco.htm
MY MOTORSCOOTER GOAL:
- to convince JAY LENO to add a motorscooter to his huge
motorcycle collection... and then get mine and go for ride with him for charity.
And who knows? If the Odyssey book takes off, I'll likely
do promotional tours - I could be scootering to your town. And perhaps we could meet each
other...
What do you think?
*********************
BTW... I'm looking to buy a HONDA ELITE 250 in
excellent condition - do you know of one that is for sale near you? (within, say,
a 300-mile radius of Victoria, BC - that could include Washington State, but I first have
to check out importation regulations and costs.) Preferably the red/maroon color of Melawend.
If so, please e-mail me at tom@melawend.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WANT A GOOD FEELING? - Help A
Charity
How do you feel about horrific sufferings that fill the
news these days... hurricanes in the Southeast USA... the genocidal tsunami in Asia... the
civil strife in the Sudan and other parts of Africa...? Disease, poverty, ignorance, wars
and war crimes, terrorism, abductions, racial conflicts - devastation by natural and
man-made causes still abound.
It truly is a beautiful world... but so many people in
our world need help just to survive - food, shelter, clothing, medical care, education...
basic things that we take for granted. Imagine the good feelings you could get knowing you
helped someone. Become a world citizen. Help someone at home. Help someone abroad. Give to
the charity of your choice.
I've long supported several... check out the Odyssey
website's CHARITIES page: http://www.melawend.com/charitie.htm
Or search the World Wide Web for a charity close to your
heart. Help them. You'll feel glad that you did!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HUMOR - Life's Best Cure-all!
A lawyer joke (this could apply to anyone who, as a third
party, takes advantage of an argument)...
A man, protesting the government taking his farm, put up
a hand-painted billboard on his property that said: "Definition of a Lawyer". It
depicted two farmers fighting over a cow. One farmer was pulling on the head, one farmer
was pulling on the tail, and the lawyer was underneath the cow - milking it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now here's something you might want to COPY & PASTE
into a Word document, then POST it somewhere when you want a laugh, or want to share
one...
PONDERING LIFE'S RIDDLES
(Copy > Paste > Post
this at your workplace, at home...)
- Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy"
considered opposites?
- If a pig looses its voice, is it disgruntled?
- Why isn’t 11 pronounced onety one?
- Why do women wear evening gowns to nightclubs?
Shouldn’t they wear nightgowns?
- If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
- When someone asks you, "A penny for your
thoughts," and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?
- Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It’s just
stale bread anyway.
- Why is a person who plays a piano called a pianist
but a person who drives a race car is not called a racist?
- Why is the person who invests your hard-earned money
called a broker?
- If "horrific" means to make horrible, does
"terrific" mean to make terrible?
- Why to "overlook" and "oversee" mean
opposite things?
- Why to we say something is "out of whack"? What
is a whack?
- "I am." is reportedly the shortest sentence in
the English language. Could it be that "I do." is the longest sentence?
- If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen are defrocked, then
doesn’t it follow that: electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys
deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
- Do Roman paramedics refer to IV’s as
"4’s"?
- Why is it that if someone tells you there are one billion
stars in the universe, you believe them… but if they tell you a wall has wet paint,
you’ll have to touch it to believe it?
- If FedEx and UPS were to merge, would it be called FedUP?
- Are Lipton Tea employees allowed to take coffee breaks?
- Why is it that people seem to read the Bible a whole lot
more as they get older? Could it be that they are cramming for their final exam?
- Have you ever wondered why no one says, "It’s
only a game," when their team is winning?
- How much deeper would oceans be if sponges didn’t
live there?
- If it’s true that we are here to help others, then
what exactly are the others here for?
- You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.
- Last night I played a blank tape full blast. The mime next
door went nuts!
- If olive oil comes form olives, where does baby oil come
from?
- What ever happened to Preparations A through G?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See you in the next issue! (target date: March 1, 2005)
Questions? Comments?
Send me an e-mail: newsletter@melawend.com
Have a TRULY HAPPY, HEALTHY, and PRODUCTIVE NEW YEAR 2005!!!
Take good care of YOU and those you love!
All best to you in your continuing odyssey through life!
Tom
Tom & Melawend "marooned" in Hawaii
after nearly two years on the road
P.S.
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The
Odyssey Newsletter - a FREE periodic
newsletter
that is dedicated to your odyssey through life.
Feel free to forward it on to anyone you think
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Published by Thomas Martin Smith & Odyssey Communications
Author & publisher of the acclaimed travel & self-discovery book,
IN THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey
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© 2004 Odyssey Communications and Thomas Martin Smith
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