Zooming Thru Life:
Bring Sanity To Your On-The-Go Lifestyle
Paul M. Carhart
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2010 Paul M. Carhart
This book is available in print from paulcarhart.com
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover design by Paul M. Carhart.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2010904274
Zooming Thru Life
Bring Sanity To Your
On-The-Go Lifestyle
Paul M. Carhart
“Always, as you travel,
assimilate the sounds and
sights of the world.”
- Walt Disney
Contents
Preface
Introduction: Overcoming Confusion
Chapter One: Time and Timing
Get there early
Don't waste time
Lost or not, ask for directions
Be prepared for idle time
Assume you'll be back
Chapter Two: Daily Diligence
Give your friends your info
Be sure of your transportation
Unlplug small appliances
Find something to love about each place and day
Notice your surroundings
Be on the look out for gifts
Take only what you can carry
Dress for success... or at least the occasion
Carry a knife
Keep two hands on the wheel
Wear your seatbelt
Weather or not, move ahead
Pre-determine your outcome(s)
Be flexible
Seek God
Don't worry
New food = New experiences
Don't leave unfinished business
Caffeine is your friend
Push yourself
Know your limitations and capabilities
Sleep if you need to
Alternative uses for that handy credit card
Take care of yourself
Take care of your stuff
Chapter Three: Homework 101
Do your homework
That handy dandy guidebook
Make use of the Internet
Internet Cafes
History lessons
Be nosey: The art of eavesdropping
Know your restrooms
Local customs
Know your next step
Chapter Four: Organizationizing
The power of the PDA
Make lists
Packing piles
Backpacks for luggage
Compression techniques
Proximity unpacking
The beauty of plastic bags
The zippered condiment bag
Chapter Five: Far From Home
Keep It Simple
Line up transportation in advance
Copies of your photo ID
Experience the food
Be able to live with only what's on you
Take the Free Peanuts
Know the language
Know the culture
No time for experimentation
See the sights
Get a souvenir
Take pictures
Bathroom bag
Shave and a haircut
Don't leave your baggage alone
Stay out of jail
Dealing with jetlag
Toilet paper
HRC: Your home away from home
The extra bag
Fitting in doesn't require a tailor
Pack out your trash
Chewing gum is your pal
Snacks and water
Always visit the Disneyland
Chapter Six: Cashing In and Cashing Out
Folding money
Hide the Wad
The Cash Alternative
Know what you're spending
Convert only what you need
Much is negotiable
Look for the Upgrade
Give tips
You get what you pay for
Chapter Seven: Making and Keeping Friends
Take along someone you love
The buddy system
Be friendly
Make friends as you go
Consider others
Stay in touch
Share what you learn
About the Author
Preface
Over the years, I've done a bit of traveling. The funny thing is that, as a child, I never really dreamed of going all over the world. I've always been a bit of a homebody. I had a weakness though: my lifelong love of all things Disney. And they had to go and put a Disneyland just outside of Paris, France! Although I had previously been to Mexico, my journey to France was my first real international trip and boy was it an eye-opener. From that point forward, I was hooked. As of the time of writing this, I have been to Mexico, France, England, Scotland, Italy, Holland, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and Cyprus as well as many places throughout the United States. As you might imagine, many of the tips contained in this book come from things learned traveling. Others are merely common sense put down on the page, perhaps even for the first time.
But this isn't a travel book. It's sort of a lifestyle book. The idea is: If these things that I've learned while traveling are so useful, why can't they be applied to everyday life? That's the very question I asked myself as my career as an Art Director progressed. I was a flakey artist, after all. I was thrown into the corporate world, as many artists are, in order to make a living. Suddenly I was directing photo shoots, juggling office and freelance schedules and maintaining an ever-growing list of contacts. Like it or not, I now had to be organized. It's not something that many creatives adapt well to. But the things that I learned over the years helped me to put things in order. They can help you too.
So can these tips, regardless of origin, be applied to everyday life? Indeed they can! After all, we all live an on-the-go lifestyle to one degree or another. And I think you'll agree that many of these tips are easily accomplished and worth implementing.
Can this book be used to enhance your traveling? You betcha! That's where many of these ideas came from in the first place. Besides, we’re all travelers. Even if the furthest you ever go away from home is to the grocery store down the street, I think you'll find these tips useful for living a safer, saner, more organized and efficient life. And if you're a cultural creative thrown into the shark-infested waters known as the corporate world, you might just be able to use this guide as a life raft.
Or at least maybe you'll get a chuckle out of some of it.
Introduction:
Overcoming Confusion
Life is something that sorta builds. You start out very dependent. You don't need to know where your bottle or your pacifier is. Mommy or Daddy is there to provide it when needed, sometimes even on demand.
As you get older, you are given more. Every Back-To-School Sale brings notebooks, school supplies, new clothes, watches and accessories. These days, teens have Blackberries and iPods too. It's a lot to keep up with but not too much. I mean, it's still all pretty much paid for by Mom and Dad.
Then you get your first car and, perhaps simultaneously, your first job. After all, somebody has to pay for the auto insurance. Now you've got things and finances to deal with. As you get older, you're expected, and rightly so, to be more responsible. Some people adapt well to this new aspect of their lives. Some do not. Often those who do not adapt well are of the more creative persuasion.
As college embraces (or smothers) you and jobs become careers, there's a lot to do and see.
Many hit the road. They backpack across Europe -- maybe even into the Middle East -- to see what there is to see. If you think keeping track of things in America is difficult, try doing it in multiple currencies and in multiple languages.
Others delve into the corporate world. They climb the corporate ladder and many to great heights. But they're on-the-go almost as much as those who are trekking across nations and sleeping in youth hostels.
Indeed, wherever we are, we must face life. Most of us live on-the-go lifestyles. We move at the speed of MTV (or YouTube) and we expect to make most of our purchases online or at the drive-thru. Whether you are a world traveler, traveling businessman, domestic road trip junkie, musician on tour, vagabond, missionary, tourist, stay-at-home-mom or simply an artist who wants to finally make sense of it all, this book is for you. It's not a travel guide. It's not a book on unleashing your creativity. It's a guide for bringing the small things into alignment so you won't have to worry about them anymore. It's the means to put aside some of the things that confound many of us so you can focus on other, more important, things.
Your family. Your vacation. Your objectives. Your art. Your journey through life.
After all, we're all on-the-go. At the end, we've all come from someplace, traveled through other places and wound up somewhere. For each of us, the places are different, but we go there nonetheless. I've found, as the points in this book become second nature to me, I am able to better focus on my destiny.
So pick and choose what works for you. And if you've got some wisdom of your own to share, then by all means, read the final tip in this book and drop me a line.
Chapter One:
Time and Timing
It’s difficult to describe time. Nothing we know is outside of its influence. It stretches out behind you beyond your birth. Yet, it also stretches out before you, cruelly insinuating promise. Sometimes delivering. Sometimes dashed from one’s grasp.
For there is really only one universal truth: None of us know how much time we have left.
Which is exactly why it’s important to make the most of the time we have.
Use these tips and, when your time does come, you’ll know that you haven’t squandered any of it.
Get there early
The hardest thing for most creative types to get right is the art of arriving on time. For years, my friends referred to my personal phenomenon as "Carhart Time." The joke was that it was possible, only for me, to be enveloped in some sort of space-time rift, the end result of which was my arrival anywhere from an hour to two hours late for any given obligation.
Of course, the truth is much less convoluted. I was simply a flaky artist. It wasn't until I had the obligations of an Art Director position and a key member of the worship team at my church that I realized that it was important for me to be on time.
The real key to being on time isn't that you're on time. It's that you're early. Yes, you can swoop in at the last minute and squeak through your situation once or twice but events that are out of your control will ultimately conspire against you. You'll miss the mark more often than you hit it.
For dinner, dates, movies and job interviews, arriving fifteen minutes early will make you look like a star. For train and bus terminals, a half hour early should be sufficient. For local flights, shoot for being there an hour early. For international flights, try two hours.
A good rule of thumb is to plan your day in half hour increments and round upwards. If it takes you fifteen minutes to get somewhere, give yourself a half hour. If you think you'll be at a party for two hours and you have somewhere else to be, give yourself another twenty to thirty minutes commute time before even committing to when you will arrive at the next location.
In most cases, you have the opportunity to set the expectation. Be realistic in your estimate and then you can meet or exceed the expectation. If you set a realistic time for being someplace, you'll never be late again.
Remember, even "fashionably late" is still late.
Don't waste time
It makes sense on a long trip. You organize your days and incorporate the different things you want to see and do into your agenda and itinerary. You don't want to waste time because you might have been able to see one additional thing or go to one more place before it’s time to go home.
The same could be applied to your every day life. How much time do you spend sitting in front of the television, just flipping channels? How much time is spent loafing around smoking cigarettes? How about arguing with your spouse? Or just loitering somewhere with your friends?
Sure, we all need down time. We need to unwind. But life is painfully short. Before you know it, your kids are grown and you're approaching retirement. Make the most of the time you have. Find something you love to do… something you're good at and attack it. Spend your spare time and energy pursuing that.
In the end, you'll be happier and you'll leave the earth a better place than it would have been had you never walked it.
Lost or not, ask for directions
I told myself that the tips in this book would not be gender specific. But I hadn't anticipated this one, which is, admittedly, mostly for us guys. And, keep in mind, I'm just as guilty of this as the next guy.
It ties into the previous tip. How much time have we wasted driving around in circles, looking for someplace we're sure we can find? All we have to do is stop at a gas station and ask someone for directions. But we don't. And we guys, as a race, waste a ton of time on this.
Let’s face it. Girls don't care. They'll stop and ask. But not us guys.
So if you don’t want to ask for directions, you'll save a lot of time, energy, effort and even money if you just figure out how to get where you're going from the outset. Just do a little homework ahead of time. But if you don't get around to doing the homework, and don't have OnStar or a handy smart phone in your pocket, the moment you aren't crystal clear on where you're going, stop and ask someone.
Oh the heated discussions I could have avoided had I only heeded my own advice.
Look, I don’t care if you think you’ve got it covered. I don’t care if you’re embarrassed, I don’t care if it doesn’t jive with your image. Please, for your own sake , just ask someone.
Because, trust me on this guys, not asking for directions never ever impresses the girls.
Ever.
Be prepared for idle time
Everywhere you go these days, it seems there's a line to stand in. And, if you follow my earlier tip for getting to places early, you may even encounter more idle time than the average bear. Whatever the case, you can be prepared for it and thus your idle time can be put to good use, depending on what you actually decide to do with it.
Whether you're standing in line or waiting for your spouse to come back from the restroom, it’s a great time to whip out your PDA or smart phone (see Chapter Four: Organizationizing, The power of the PDA). You can also catch up on your voice mail or return a couple short calls.
Perhaps the best choice, especially if you'd like to go a little more low-tech, is to bring a good book with you wherever you go. Airports know this and offer a limited array of bestsellers in the gift shops. Books, especially pocket-size paperbacks, are light and easy to carry. They can also be a great source of entertainment and relaxation when trapped in a world wedged into overdrive.
Or, if you'd like to remain high-tech but still would like to read, there's the increasingly popular Amazon Kindle for which you can download books and periodicals right to the device. iPhones have similar aps that can be downloaded directly to the device from virtually anywhere, including books as well as the Kindle for iPhone ap which essentially lets your iPhone double as a Kindle.
Whatever your format preference, If you need a good book, I can recommend a few. Visit paulcarhart.com.
Assume you'll be back
Okay. We've talked about not wasting time. But you also shouldn't be so obsessed about not wasting time that you stop enjoying yourself. If you can't get everything in, assume you'll be back. No one ever gets to see everything there is to see in the world anyway. Be thankful that you get to experience what you can and make a mental note of what you'd like to see if you ever return one day.
My best personal example of this has to do with my trip to Israel. We had gone to see the holy sites but when we arrived in Tel Aviv, we were told that it wasn't safe for Americans to go to Jerusalem. We tried again the following day, asking the locals who worked at our youth hostel to inquire with their friends in Jerusalem. Again, not safe for Americans. After the third day, we booked a ferry to Cyprus and spent a week there. We didn't get to see what we wanted to see and if I ever want to see those sites, I'll have to return to Israel someday. But we did see completely different sights, many of which we probably wouldn't have even thought of before the situation required us to get a little creative.
I could have obsessed over what I didn't get to do, but I instead embraced the new direction and the journey was no less enjoyable for it.
Assuming you'll be back really works as a form of rationalization. If you don't get to see or do something you wanted to, you can say to yourself, "maybe next time," and then get on with your life. Take the focus from what you don't get to do and instead hone in on and enjoy the opportunities you do have.
Because, if you don't assume you'll be back and you obsess on what you didn’t get around to, you might just drive yourself crazy.
Chapter Two:
Daily Diligence
Nothing just happens by itself. Many times desirable results are obtained by one specific and even swift action. But more often, it’s daily persistence that pays off. It’s doing the right thing, again and again, that ultimately leads to the culmination of your goal. It’s how rivers are forged and mountains are built.
So sift through these tips and make habits of the ones that make sense to you and your lifestyle. When you no longer have to consciously decide to do these things, you’ll be able to focus on some of the bigger decisions in your life.
That’s when your success will become second nature.
Give your friends your info
When traveling, in addition to leaving a copy of your passport in your home (see Chapter Five: Far From Home, Copies of your photos ID), give a copy to a friend or two. Also inform them where you're going and how long you'll be gone. It's a good idea to be traceable, at least by those you trust. That way, if something were to happen to you, whether you are close to home or traveling abroad, the authorities will be alerted of it much sooner—perhaps soon enough to prevent your own demise.
This practice could be even more important domestically, especially in light of how many children have been abducted recently. Always know where your kids are. Know how long they are to be gone.
It also works the other way. In addition to letting your friends and relatives know where you’re going and for how long, make sure you are someone who your friends will trust to give their information to. And then don't just sit on it. Follow up. Offer to pick them up at the airport. Give them your cell phone number to call if they need someone. Call them the day they're supposed to return from a trip and make sure they made it back safely (maybe even under the guise of just wanting to hear about their trip). Whole Neighborhood Watch programs are founded on this principle. Let others know about you, but also be one who knows about others.
If more people followed this tip, there'd be a lot less pain and a lot more love in the world. It's never too late to start putting this into practice.
Be sure of your transportation
You’re smart. You can do the homework. You can line up whatever transportation you can find for whenever you want it. But please double-check it. Published train, ferry and bus schedules are not always correct and up-to-date. Ticket prices and bus fares can change without notice. Airline flights can arrive early and depart late. Strikes can inhibit the normal operating procedures of many transportation systems the world over.
Just because a guide book or website says that something is so, doesn't mean it ever was so, or that it hasn't changed since the book had been printed or the site had been last updated. Double-check your research with something more tangible like a phone call or an e-mail to an official who is in-the-know or use a mobile device to double-check your info on-the-fly.
The need to be sure of your transportation extends to your personal day-to-day travels as well. Naturally, you know to put gas in your car or truck. Also, make sure your car gets a regular oil change. Have the brakes checked regularly and make sure all safety-related mechanisms are in working order. And make sure you're appropriately insured.
If you carpool or are getting a ride from a friend, make sure to confirm with them the day before and never take those people for granted. They're doing you a favor. Don't assume it will go on forever.
Whether it's putting your trust in your own car or lining up a day of sightseeing, make sure the transportation you are counting on will actually be available. If you don't, you could wind up late, without enough funds or just plain stranded somewhere.
Unplug small appliances
My wife’s uncle used to be the Fire Chief for the City of El Segundo here in California. According to him, many residential fires are caused by malfunctioning small appliances and could have been avoided if the appliances were left unplugged when not in use.
This goes for toasters, electric can openers, coffee makers (unless you need to use a clock/timer feature), blenders, etc. When you leave your house, make sure these items are not plugged into the wall. Also beware of Christmas lights, especially the ones on a real tree. Naturally, you’ll want these on when you’re home to enjoy them, but when you leave the house for any length of time (and therefore are not available to put out a fire if one started), make sure they’re dark.
If you follow this tip, you’ll greatly limit the chances that your house will go up in smoke while you’re gone.
Find something to love about each place and day
Suffice it to say, not everything is always rosy when you're on-the-go. Things go wrong. Plans don't work out. Trains are late. Museum hours change. Modes of transportation you were relying on have changed or no longer exist. The world is a big place and no matter how much homework you may have done, things can be very different when you get where you are going. Unfortunately, there are also unscrupulous people who will steal from you and they’ll get you in your hometown too if you’re not careful.
Middle-eastern countries are notorious for this. Locals who will “give” you things only to require money for it as soon as you take it plague Cairo, especially near the Giza pyramids and The Sphinx. Gypsies who will try to get your attention with a crying infant, only to lift your wallet when you are distracted, frequent the streets surrounding the Coliseum in Rome. Thugs are known to roam the streets of Pisa. Rain or other weather conditions can also nab you when you're not prepared.
Should this ruin your day?
On the contrary. It only adds character. Each daily journey will be a unique experience. Even if your friends have visited the same place at a different time, you will have your own set of experiences and you should savor them, even if they aren't what you had expected. Or worse, even if they downright suck.
Of course, as the saying goes (loosely paraphrased), "stuff happens" whether you're at home or away. Got a flat tire? Miss a golden opportunity? Someone been promoted over you? Arrive at work late? Fast food restaurant screw up your order? Movie you wanted to see sold out? Too many of us rush through life expecting every day to be a perfect representation of our perfect life. It isn't always so. We don't have to "live happily ever after" to live happily. The answer? Find something to love about every day you live and every place you go.