Much of a business traveler’s time is spent reacting or responding. “Annoying Thing A” happens. And “Business Traveler B” decides what to do. Some days can seem like a constant impetus/response/impetus/response pattern. Some of us even get good at it. Some of us pride ourselves on our inner peace in spite of Annoying Things A, B and C. (I think some people love to travel because they rarely have to decide things proactively. Their next move is always dictated by something outside of them.)

But think about this: even if we learn how to respond rather than react, even if we learn how to breathe “in spite of,” or even if we “go with the flow,” then we’re still reacting to something.

That’s why what you choose to do in your non-reacting time is a key to unwavering happiness in travel. That’s why it’s good to do some proactivity when you can. Being proactive or creative renews our relationship to our own power. It realigns us and makes us more peaceful and much happier.

Here is a guide filled with proactive tips for the business traveler (or any traveler, really) who seeks unwavering happiness…

Business Travel Tip #1 - Practice Extreme Self-Care

Extreme self-care doesn’t mean that you head to a spa in your spare time. It means you go to sleep when you’re tired. It means you pull off at the next exit when you have to pee. It means you allow a little extra time to get places.

Travel takes energy. And when people don’t practice extreme self-care in healthy ways, they start to reach for it in unhealthy ways. They eat hub-cap-sized plates of pasta and lard, claiming they “deserve it.” They drink more alcohol. They watch TV to numb the fatigue. This isn’t self-care. This is self-medicating. One is pro-active. The other is reactive.

Business Travel Tip #2 - Join Audible.com

Many years ago, I decided to turn my vehicle into a “school.” I joined audible.com. I downloaded and listened to books on business, marketing, life-coaching, and spirituality. (And lots of Carl Hiassen too!) Not only have I learned an enormous amount, but it has made a huge difference in how I show up for a performance after I drive. Audible.com has all the books on tape you could want. You can get a yearly or monthly membership. (I recommend the yearly because you only have to pay once for 12 books.) FYI, Audible has “The Secret” audiobook for much less than everywhere else. But you have to be a member to get the discounts. (Click on the link below to see the different options.) If you have an iPod, then you’ll love Audible.com.

Business Travel Tip #3 - Be your own gatekeeper

In The Master Key System - the book that reportedly inspired Bill Gates to quit Harvard and begin building his dreams - Charles Haanel writes that the conscious mind has to act as a guardian of the subconscious mind…

The conscious mind ought to be on duty during every waking hour. When the “watchman” is “off guard,” or when its calm judgment is suspended, under a variety of circumstances, then the subconscious mind is unguarded and left open to suggestion from all sources.

Travelers are inundated with suggestions. Ads, billboards, slogans, logos, messages, headlines, muzak, and televisions. Most are unavoidable. But I have learned to guard my mind carefully, to find quiet places in airports, focus on happy children rather than Fox News, and simply not read banner ads. When I am my own gatekeeper, I travel happier.

Business Travel Tip #4 - Bring your knitting

All I know is this: knitters, crocheters, and crafters rarely seem to get pissed off when plans change. They just keep knitting! And besides, they left very happy comments in my post about airline delays.

Business Travel Tip #5 - Segment Intend

I keep writing about this because it works. Before any new segment in my day (getting on a plane, getting on the tour bus, going through tech rehearsal, doing the performance) I intend clarity, fun, joy, and ease for that next segment. (Sometimes I clearly state the desired result - i.e., “Finish the first verse of this song.”) Try it. You’ll be surprised how it determines the outcome of the event. Even if it’s something small - like a subway ride - start by intending how you want that ride to go. The more you do it, the more you’ll delight in its effectiveness. (Read more about this in the Abraham-Hicks book, Ask and It is Given.)

Business Travel Tip #6 - Arm yourself with a good affirmation

Create an affirmation. Something simple and easy to remember. Say it often. Say it when you’re waiting in line. Say it when the plane gets delayed. Use it to center yourself. Challenge yourself to say it a thousand times in one day.

Business Travel Tip #7 - Be the last person to board the plane

When the gate agent calls the Zones, let everyone else race to be in the caterpillar pillar. They’ll just end up standing in another line at the door of the plane anyway. Wait until the final boarding call. You’ll have a more peaceful boarding process. And if there’s an empty row on the plane as you board, you can switch your seat because you know you’re the last one on! (Unless you’re competing for that row with someone else who read this post. Then you can both break our your knitting needles and have a duel.)

Business Travel Tip #8 - Give yourself a fun challenge

Years ago, I was flying home from Tucscon. I was having a hard time finishing my song If I Were Me. And I gave myself a challenge. I told myself that either I finished the song by the end of the flight, or I wasn’t allowed to get off the plane. And guess what? I finished it!

Business Travel Tip #9 - Get out

Take a half hour and go for a walk outside your hotel. Google “walking trails” in your current city, and go. In other words, get out. Experience a tiny slice of where you are staying. We can become so isolated and insular when we travel. Getting out takes you outside of you. It’s a date with yourself. Expose your brain to something other than a hotel or cab or plane.

Business Travel Tip #10 - Work out

One of the best habits I’ve developed is a morning work-out. Even on this tour with the ballet company (with no transportation except for the tour bus), I have allotted extra money for cabs to the Y each morning. Exercise calms you. The endorphins make you happier. The proactiveness of it makes you powerful. It’s a great way to begin your day.

Business Travel Tip #11 - Curb Road Food Intake

I’ll write a whole post on this someday, but I do know that food on the road can be a challenge. Food impacts our emotions and well-being. Restaurants use a lot of fats, salts, and sugars - which exacerbate stress and emotions. When I’m on the road now, I eat smaller portions. I also aim for organic, raw and wholesome. I often Google all the local co-ops and health food stores. I make an extra effort to find simple healthy food. I drink tons of water. I know that many people don’t have the time or the will to do all this. I understand. I’ll just say for the record that I’m a much more peaceful traveler when I pay close attention to what and how I eat.

Business Travel Tip #12 - Give

When I’m in a town for more than a day, I find ways to give back. I’ve picked up trash in parks. I’ve fed stray animals. (A lot!) I’ve gone to animal shelters and held the kittens. I’ve left giant tips for housekeeping. On my day off in La Crosse, I went to a nursing home and played my songs for a big group of people in the dining room. Small gestures go a long way. And they ultimately serve you because they take you out of yourself. Yes, it can be a little scary to practice a random act of kindness. (Much of my nursing home audience fell asleep during my show, which doesn’t bode well for my future in the arts, does it!?) But there are so many ways to reach out. See if you can find a few that work for you!

Business Travel Tip #13 - Put Holosync on your iPod

I love Holosync. I use it when I’m on a plane, or when I’m just laying down to sleep in my hotel room. Sometimes I put it on when I’m backstage putting on make up. Visit the website and get acquainted.

Business Travel Tip #14 - Be Grace Kelly

I got this from Sarah Ban Breathnach’s book Simple Abundance. She wrote a piece about being dignified and graceful. And she said to “Think Grace Kelly.” Sometimes when I’m feeling freaked out or stressed or frustrated in an airport, I think of that passage and smile. Then I imagine I’m Grace Kelly. And it kind of works! A sense of dignity and diva sinks in. Then it just becomes a fun little game. (I don’t know who the men could be. Maybe Gene Kelly. Without the rain.)

Business Travel Tip #15 - Get carts

I used to lug two guitars, a suitcase, and my computer bag all on my own. I’d pride myself on my strength and stamina. Now, I pride myself on swiping my credit card through the cart vending machines that are next to baggage claim. I’m not into struggle anymore. Get carts at the hotel. Get help with your stuff. Tip bell hops well. The extra $50 you might spend is still less than a visit to the chiropractor when you get home.

Business Travel Tip #16 - Arrive early

This one’s a given. But it’s worth saying. Get everywhere earlier than the scheduled arrival time.

Business Travel Tip #17 - Wash off your travel

If I have the opportunity, I always take a shower after I fly. I call it “washing off the travel.” I know that lots of people go right into meetings after they fly. If that’s you, then try to at least shower before you climb into bed. You don’t want to sleep with your travel.

Business Travel Tip #18 - Shower when you have one

This is mostly for us musicians. Lots of times, we perform late, and then we wake up and think we’ll just drive to the next place and shower before the show. The only problem is that you could hit a traffic jam. Or the next hotel doesn’t have your room ready yet. Anything can happen. Shower when you have one!

Business Travel Tip #19 - Be okay about unexpected expenses

My acupuncturist told that he had to rush to the airport in his rental car after a conference he attended. He didn’t have time to fill up the gas, and he paid $32 for a quarter tank at the Hertz desk. He was furious. Travel expenses like this can make you crazy. You smack your head and think, “Why didn’t I leave earlier??!”

But here’s what I told him: Don’t waste the time shaming yourself. Do the healthy thing: let it go. $32 for a teaspoon of gas? Fine. You got to the plane on time, didn’t you? That’s gotta be worth something. Travel is filled with lots of unexpected expenses. Sometimes one hundred to two hundred dollars of your money will get spent because of A) stupid things you did, B) unforseen situations, or C) the fine print. Do yourself a big favor. Just breathe and let it go because A) you’re traveling, B) you’re wealthy, and C) you’re worth it.

Business Travel Tip #20 - Be persistent about awareness and consciousness

A business trip is not the time to start a new diet, a yoga practice, or any new routine. You can, however, keep up your daily rituals, even in small doses. It’s easy to get thrown into unconsciousness when you’re on the road. When you get thrown off, it’s tempting to ignore the very things that can get you back on course. So, write in your gratitude journal. Say “Thank You” the minute you wake up in the morning, even if you feel lonely or tired. Wake up 15 minutes early and spend that time reminding yourself of your intents and visions for the day. Before you rush to your laptop and begin responding (or reacting), give yourself some time for creating the day. Or just get out your knitting!

Any travelers out there? Leave some of your own Business Travel Tips!
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technorati tags : business travel, travel, personal development, music, christine kane

There was bad weather today in St. Louis. I know this not because I saw Jim Cantore clinging to a telephone pole while TV cameras filmed tree limbs falling down around him. I know this not because the NOAA Weather Radio sounds-way-too-much-like-Arnold-Schwarzenegger automaton voice told me so.

I know this because I was at the Charlotte Airport waiting to fly to St. Louis, and our flight left about an hour and a half late. I know this because when our plane taxied out onto the runway, it parallel parked (seriously — we backed in) by another plane. I know this because the pilot announced, “Well, folks” …(they always call us folks)… “there’s been a gate stop in St. Louis because of bad weather. We’re not going to be able to leave for another hour.” I know this because we taxied back to the gate and we all got out, and I got some very bad french fries and checked email.

When the pilot made his announcement, a collective groan went up in the plane. The man in front of me said loudly, “Well, THIS is a nightmare!” He pulled out his cell phone and called some poor soul (his wife, I presume) who was probably happily puttering away on a project at the office. He launched in from the minute the call began. He went on for quite some time about how the airlines had screwed up his whole day. He talked loudly. And everyone got an ear full.

I paid attention to the people around me as we de-planed. I listened to what they were saying. I heard the following words and phrases: “Well, this day is ruined.” “They’ve screwed me out of an entire day.” “Ridiculous.” “I hate small planes.” “I hate Charlotte Airport.” “Ridiculous!” “This sucks.” “Five f-ing hours!” “I should’ve just gone to Chicago.” “Ridiculous.”

It made me think of a talk by Eckhart Tolle, author of one of my favorite books, A New Earth. In this talk, he explained how the ego is wildly resistant to the present moment. The ego fights the present moment. It’s always trying to get somewhere else, where things will be better than what’s here now. The ego is actually fed and made larger by our emotional reactions to, say, traffic. Or airline delays. It gets to huff and puff and feel “morally superior to the present moment.” Rage actually feeds this part of you that isn’t at all interested in your highest good. Tolle closes the thought with the ego’s voice saying, “Reality? I’m TOTALLY against it!” (It’s pretty funny really.)

Now, I’m not writing about this so we can all judge the man on the phone or the people who got upset. (Or me, for having french fries.) We’ve all been all of these people. We’ve all experienced frustrating moments in our travels.

But think about it. Travel can really challenge the intent to live in the present moment. The very nature of travel is about getting somewhere else - anywhere but here. My extensive (too extensive, in fact) experience of travel is that most people approach it with this attitude: “Just get me there.”

Here’s the thing though: whether your preferred approach to the present moment comes from Eckhart Tolle or Jack Canfield, the truth is exactly the same…

The point of power is in the present moment.

Here. Now.

Here again. Now again.

The choice of how you live in this moment is yours.

You can fight the moment, the airlines, and the woman behind the ticket counter. You can shout, “Ridiculous!” into your cell phone until the batteries die. You can arrive at the meeting in St. Louis, and take a full fifteen minutes of everyone else’s time telling them about your awful flight.

All of this will be like one of those cheap Asian strip mall All-You-Can-Eat buffets for your ego. It will cram itself full of your indignation. It will get puffy and big, and it will know that it is “right!” And that the delays were “wrong!” And you can find many people who will agree with you that the airlines do, in fact, suck.

Or you can take this challenge: See what it feels like to not do that. See what it feels like to call home when you arrive and simply say, “Yea, there were delays. But I’m here. How are you?”

Don’t do this from a mindset that says, “I am so nice. And so very good and holy. Look at me glow.” That’s just another way to puff up your ego. Do it from a mindset that says, “I’m not going to give any energy to this stuff I can’t control.” Watch the voices inside of you that are furious. Feel the space that arises when you don’t give in to that anxiety or panic or anger at the thunderstorms. Just observe. And breathe a lot.

If you can’t find your way to this place, then at least do yourself one favor.

Watch your language.

Watch out for the following words: Hate, Ruined, Sucks, Should’ve, and (today’s favorite) Ridiculous. Even though you’re traveling, and you don’t feel like you’re somewhere - you are somewhere, and your language still holds great power. Your thoughts do too.

So, if you’ve gotten that far, then you can take it to the next step. Be grateful. Yes, even in frustrating travel moments, there’s much to be grateful for. Be grateful that someone cares enough about your safety not to fly you into a storm. Be grateful that the pilot didn’t make you wait on the runway for 8 hours. Be grateful for your health. Or for Jim Cantore and his telephone poles. Or for airport french fries.

And my all-time favorite: Be grateful that you have some unexpected time to write a blog!

1. I’ll be performing at the Diana Wortham Theatre!

Diana Wortham Theatre is an amazing place to see a show. It’s a beautiful 500 seat theatre in Pack Place right in downtown Asheville.

2. We’re filming and recording the show for a future DVD release.

Didn’t you always want to see yourself in video?

3. You can get a discounted ticket!

The Diana Wortham Theatre is offering discounted seats to my mailing list and blog readers. If you say “Four Legs Good. Two Legs Bad” when you purchase tickets on the phone or in person (not on line), you’ll get a $4 discount per seat. Call 828-257-4530.

4. Asheville, NC is staggeringly beautiful in October.

Hike Pisgah Forest. See great waterfalls. Watch the leaves turn orange and red. Eat breakfast at Tupelo Honey and dinner at The Laughing Seed. Take a weekend away from it all! Bring your dog! She’ll love you for it!

5. Asheville is one of the last places in the U.S. where weird is normal.

Rolling Stone magazine called Asheville “The freak capital of the United States.”

Who knows? Maybe one of us will teach you how…

6. Gas prices have never been better.

This will make you want to take a road trip or vote Republican. You decide which one will pay off in the long run.

7. You can still get hotel rooms if you book now.

8. You can get a free CD.

If you print up THIS blog post, and bring it to the CD table at the end of the night, you will receive a free CD of your choice at my CD table, personally signed by me.

9. Did I mention that there’s a performance?

by Christine Kane
www.christinekane.com

I’ve been traveling for my job for 12 years now. Even though I’m an artist and performer, it’s still business travel. And the worst part about business travel is getting ready to go. All I have to do is think about the MapQuest directions that manage to land me not in the theater district, but in the red-light district, or the rental car agent saying “Well, okaaay,” in that don’t-say-I-didn’t-warn-you voice when I decline insurance…and I’d rather not pack at all.

Any savvy business traveler will tell you that the key to a smooth-running business trip is efficiency in preparation and a good time-management system prior to leaving. But here’s the thing about savvy business travelers: there’s something wrong with them. Maybe they don’t like their homes. Or they need to get a dog. Or maybe they were brainwashed at a Franklin-Covey seminar into thinking that true fulfillment is all about having the right PDA.

This is a guide I prepared for the other kind of business traveler: the slightly harried business traveler. And what I have written here is the result of exhaustive research. Through self-observation, delving into time-management books, and interviewing other harried business travelers, I’ve created a tool to guide you in the preparation for your upcoming business trip.

I call this: “How to Prepare for a Business Trip in 22 Easy Steps.”

So let’s just say your next trip is on Wednesday. Here’s what you do…

Step One: This step is called “Setting Intent.” You learned about setting intent on that Wayne Dyer PBS special, and you now know that when you “set intent,” the intent will rush through your subconscious, and many unknown quantum neural pathway peptide somethings will get to work on your behalf. This happens even while you sleep. So, as you’re turning out the light late Saturday night, look at your husband and say (with conviction and purpose), “Crap. I have to go to Anaheim on Wednesday.”

Step Two: On Sunday morning, make a to-do list so that you have structure for the packing process. This will eliminate all stress from your week.

Step Three: After completing Step Two, check your email. Send eleven of your friends a chain email you’ve received that promises unending prosperity and love if you send it to eleven people, and lay-offs and tumors if you merely delete it.

Step Four: Notice that it’s really nice outside. Suggest to yourself that you do some gardening. Say, “Putting my hands in the earth will open my heart, awaken my bliss, and make me happy before I get too intense and start packing.” (After all, people often accuse you of being too intense. And who wants that?) So, go to Home Depot, and watch yourself load up that little pull cart with about seven different shrubs and packets of summer annual seeds and lots of little seed trays, some soil, mulch, and a big rock that says, “Peace.” (This rock will further serve to prove that you are not, in fact, too intense.)

Step Five: Dig big holes. Then, make them even bigger. Pretend that they’re as big as the little instruction tags say they should be. Squeeze the shrubs into the holes. Decide that the hydrangea needs to be a little to the right, which would mean moving that azalea. Move that azalea. Dig another hole. Put the hydrangea in it. Step back. Stare. Fill holes with soil. Cover with mulch. Repeat the process well into the evening when you finally set the “Peace” rock by the path in the side yard.

Step Six: That night, pull out your suitcase. Stare into it. Visualize that it is neatly packed. Think “Anaheim,” and give Wayne Dyer more stuff to figure out while you sleep.

Step Seven: Go to work on Monday. Have lunch with several friends and talk about how little you want to go to Anaheim and how no one understands how hard it is to travel for business. Ignore the friend who says that you deserve to go to Anaheim since you insist on forwarding all those damn chain emails.

Step Eight: Leave work early on Monday to begin the packing process. When you get home, realize that the Variegated Hydrangea is now too far to the right. Dig it up. Make a new hole. Move more shrubs. Wonder if it’s too late to run out and get some hostas.

Step Nine: Move the “Peace” rock to a better and more prominent location in the front yard.

Step Ten: When it’s getting dark, go upstairs to begin packing. On the way up the stairs, remember seeing some great travel-size shampoos and lotions at The Body Shop last time you were at the mall.

Step Eleven: Drive to the mall.

Step Twelve: Drive home in a car that smells of all things exotic: satsuma, papaya, mango. Know that these travel-size aromas will serve to add comfort and self-care to your trip. Feel that this drive to the mall has added a great deal to Anaheim already.

Step Thirteen: Arrive home. Now you pack. You’ll be ready a day in advance. Good for you! First, because you’re going to California, and it’s still early spring where you live, you need to retrieve your summer clothes from the crawl space. Go into the crawl space. Spend 20 minutes moving golf clubs, crutches, board games, accordion files, and the Barbie townhouse out of the way. Say to yourself, “Man, I’ll bet this thing hasn’t been cleaned out in years.” Think of your friend Nancy who has been working with a life coach, and how the life coach made Nancy clean out her closets and get rid of clutter, and Nancy sure does seem a lot happier these days. Right now would be a perfect time to clean this crawl space out.

Step Fourteen: At 3am, after pulling everything out of the crawl space, making lots of piles, stopping to read old journals, trying to fix that cheap pulley-string elevator in the Barbie townhouse, looking at old yearbooks, getting angry at Randy Young all over again for ditching you at your senior prom, setting up a seller’s account on eBay, and finally giving up and going on-line to order a good book on organizing, fall into bed.

Step Fifteen: Wake up groggy. Stare at your still-empty-save-for-The-Body-Shop-Satsuma-shampoo suitcase and wonder what the hell’s wrong with your neural pathways and peptides that they can’t seem to muster up this one single act of charity.

Step Sixteen: Go to the office. Work. Dread packing. Dread leaving. Wonder if the chain letter email you deleted this morning is causing this new headache.

Step Seventeen: Get home late and turn on the Weather Channel to watch the travel forecast. Become inexplicably engrossed in an episode of Storm Stories in which a guy named Travis films himself and his girlfriend Jeannie getting pummeled by a tornado in their home while the rest of the neighborhood evacuated hours ago. Wonder how the camera is still working so well 25 minutes into the show even though Travis is trapped in rubble up to his neck.

Step Eighteen: Go to bed. As you’re turning out the light, say, “My plane doesn’t leave til 10. I can pack in the morning. All this planning stuff is for amateurs. I’m a pro. I’ve done this a million times. I’ll just wake up a little early.”

Step Nineteen: Don’t wake up early. Wake up late. Swear at your alarm and your peptides. Swear at Wayne Dyer. And pack everything. Summer sweaters, winter sweaters, summer pants, winter pants, summer shoes, winter shoes, pieces of the Barbie townhouse elevator…

Step Twenty: After the ticket agent weighs your luggage and shames you with his stare, pay the $25 “you-packed-too-damn-much” fee. Remain dignified as he carefully (and not without a good deal of drama, you note) adheres onto your suitcase a big red sticker that says “HEAVY” and portrays a stick figure throwing out his back while lifting your suitcase. Remain even more dignified as the ticket agent calls over a former linebacker to lift your luggage onto the conveyer belt.

Step Twenty-One: Walk through the airport in a post-adrenaline-rush daze. Muster up enough energy to glare at the savvy businessmen who whisk by with all of their travel belongings packed in rolling cases the size of a Triscuit.

Step Twenty-Two: Order a Grande — no, better make it a Venti — macchiato and take it to the gate area. When you arrive to the gate area, set your intent to do it better next time by saying aloud (with conviction and purpose), “God, I can’t stand traveling.”