15 Tips to Stress Free Travel

So I am sitting on the plane on my way to Boston and thought to myself how I have mastered the whole “Airport-Stress” dilemma. So I thought I would share with you my 15 Tips of Traveling Success with you. Enjoy! (If you wish to comment please do so under each tip rather then the entire post thanks)

Tip Number One: Never book the last flight out. If you miss the flight or they overbooked you will be stuck like chuck!


Tip Number Two: If you have a large carryon and you want to make sure you get a bin on the plane to store it, you need to make sure you have a window seat and sitting towards the end of the plane. By doing this you will board the plane earlier. Airlines board by seating zones and usually people who sit by the window and in the back board right after fist class.

Tip Number Three: Never get a seat by the bathrooms after 12pm (enough said)

Tip Number Four: When you get to your gate, always ask for an exit row. You get much more leg room, and they often don’t assign those seats until the day of the flight.

Tip Number Five: If you have a seat in the bulk head (first seat in the plane behind first class) know that you will not have as much leg room and you will have no place to store your carryon in front of you.

Tip number Six: Buy your food before you get on the plane but never your drink. They always give you free drinks but the food you have to pay for, but also note the price will be the same in the airport as it is on the plane, you just won’t have as big of a variety to choose from.

Tip Number Seven: Get flyer miles, preferably with each airline. You may not think you travel enough for them to build up, but now days you can get points towards flying by renting cars, buying groceries, and many other things you do all the time.

Tip Number Eight: Bring your own earphones on the plane. Most airplanes now have TV, movies, as well as music, but they sometimes charge a fee to use their earphones. Plus think about it, do you really want to put something in your ear that has been in or on someone else’s ear? (gross)

Tip Number Nine: If you have a tight connection, always ask for a seat on the aisle near the front. There is nothing more frustrating then standing in the back by the window waiting for everyone to get off while you are missing your flight. Once you get off the plane tell the ticket agent to call your gate and let them know your coming!!

Tip Number Ten: Remember the rules for sharing a armrest is the same as in junior high…”First come first served”, and “move your feet loose your seat”. (in other words if you lift your arm of the rest, the person sitting next to you can take control! I am the master of this game (smile)

Tip Number Eleven: Want to find a one stop shopping spot for cheap flights, car rentals, cruises and hotels? Go to www.BookingBuddy.com

Tip Number Twelve: Trying to sneak that special bottle of perfume or lotion past security but afraid the X-ray machine monitor will ask you to open up your bag and tell you it’s not regulation size? Do what I do, put it in your pocket. They don’t check your pockets unless you have metal that sets off the security door you walk through. This works great for fingernail clippers as well.

Tip Number Thirteen: Never play peek-a-boo with the kid sitting in front of you. The game never ends!

Tip Number Fourteen: Want to check a bag but not pay the 20 dollars to do so? If your bag is not too large, take it with you as a carryon and get on the plane last. Chances are there will be no more bin space and they will gladly check your bag to your destination at no charge.

Tip Number Fifteen: If by change you are sitting next to someone who is lactose intolerant (gassy). Make a big fuss about the aroma that you smell, wave you hand in front of your face, and put a sour look on your face. This will shame the person sitting next to you and hopefully remind him or her that this is community air!!

Happy Travels!!

Can You Pass The Test?

Last week, while I was walking through the Chicago O'Hare airport waiting for my delayed flight, I decided to pop my head into the local bookstore like I usually do when traveling. While snooping around, I saw a book that immediately caught my attention. It was titled Put Your Dream to the Test by John Maxwell. I have always been a fan of John Maxwell's work and have many of his books at home, but what I read in this book blew my mind. It asked 10 simple questions about your dream. Being the dreamer and dream facilitator that I am, I quickly found some tips that I knew my audience could benefit from. What you are about to read next are 10 questions John Maxwell raises in his book, along with my own personal commentary and expertise on living your dream. I have found these 10 questions to be a great way to see if your dreams have the potential to become reality or will they forever be dreams. Enjoy.

1.  The Ownership Question: Is your dream really your dream?
Let's face it, there are a lot of people out there who are not living their dream simply because they are too busy living the dreams others placed on them. Search your heart and ask yourself is your dream a passion you have for yourself or a position that has been bestowed upon you.

2.  The Clarity Question: Do you clearly see your dream?
Before your dream can become a reality you need to have a clear vision of that dream. What does it really look like? What does it feel like? Where will it take place and how will it be sustained? These and other questions can help you see your dream more clearly.

3.  The Reality Question: Are you depending on factors within your control to achieve your dream?
This isn't just a good question, it is the million-dollar question. If you are depending on other people and factors to make your dream come true, then you are heading not towards your dream but towards your nightmare! There is nothing more frustrating then depending on non-dependable people and circumstances. Remember, when living your dream, you can only count on two people to make this dream come true....You and your Divine help!

4.  The Passion Question: Does your dream compel you to follow it?
This is the easiest of all the questions. If your dream wakes you up in the morning and keeps you up at night, if your dream reminds you of its existence on a daily basis and draws you to follow it, then you can say you have an active, alive, and awaiting dream, ready to be fulfilled.

5.  The Pathway Question: Do you have a Strategy to reach your dream?
The old familiar saying rings true here: If you fail to plan, then you might as well plan to fail. Even the most vivid and tangible dreams need a strategy to bring it into fruition. (If you need a strategy visit our mentorship programs at www.dionjordan.com)

6.  The People Question: Have you included the people you need to realize your dream?
Although you are the number one factor in bringing your dream to pass, there may be times we need the support of others. For example is your spouse on board? What about a mentor? I don't think I can over emphasize this point. You will save time, money and relationships by including the right people in your dream pursuit.

7.  The Cost question: Are you willing to pay the price for your dream?
Have you considered what it will cost you for your dream to become a reality? Have you made up in my your mind what you're not willing to give up in pursuit of your dream. It most likely will cost you time, money, and countless sacrifices to reach your dream. But it should never cost you your integrity, family or your values.

8.  he Tenacity Question: Are you moving closer to your dream?
Do you find yourself making progress towards your dream on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis? I tell people all the time that you should never let a day go by without doing something towards your dream. World renowned speaker Les Brown would say, "If you are casual about your dreams, your dreams will become a causality."

9.  The fulfillment Question: Does working toward your dream bring satisfaction?
This is what makes a dream a dream. The complete feeling of bliss and satisfaction that you are at the right place at the right time, doing the right thing for all the right reasons.

10.  The Significance Question: Does your dream benefit others?
This by itself is the right reason. If your dream helps, inspires or benefits others in a positive way, then your dream won't only be successful, but it will be significant as well.

Champion's Corner: What's in Your Wallet?

If I were to snoop in your wallet right now, what would I find? Money? Perhaps some pictures and business cards? Or maybe credit cards and receipts? Hopefully, I'd find something more than lent and an outdated library card. Believe it or not, there are some things you can carry in your wallet that could help set your stage of success. Here are three things that should be best friends in your wallet.

A $100 dollar bill. Money attracts money!! You should keep Benjamin Franklin in your wallet to greet all your other dead presidents that enter your wallet. If Benjamin Franklin is not available then have Ulysses Grant be your wallet greeter. There's something about seeing money in your wallet that set's your mind in a prosperous mood. It will diminish the "poor man's mentality" we sometimes carry during the recession, and it's a great discipline for holding on to money and not spending money.

A card that pays you back. Every speaker should have one. I happen to have Citibank's business Master card. Not only does this credit card give me a fair interest rate and keeps track of all my business spending for tax purposes, but it also offers me travel miles for all my spending which is worth money to me. Since I put all (and I do mean all) of my business expense on my Citibank card, I have tons of traveling miles that I use for my speaking trips. And since clients pay for my travel as well, I will pocket the $350 they give me for travel and use my miles to travel for free. There are a lot of cards out their including Capital One who can pay you back, check around to see which ones offer you the most, and have the lowest interest rates.

A reminder of why you do what you do. We have all heard that you should write your goals down and look at them every day. I like to take that a step further and not just write down my goals to look at, but I like to carry mine around close to my heart since that is where I believe my purpose was first born. So the third and final thing you will always find in my wallet is a picture of my family. Because when it is all said and done, they are the only thing that matters to me at the end of the day. So what is your reminder? It may be a picture of your family or the house you want to buy, it may be a favorite quote or maybe it's a huge bill that needs to be paid. Whatever it is, let it be a reminder of why you do what you do and use it to keep you on track to do the right thing for the right reason.

The Champion's Corner: Are you getting paid what you are worth? (For Speakers)

Are you getting paid what you are worth as a speaker? Do you feel that what you have to offer your audience is equal to the paycheck (or the lack there of) you receive at the end of your talk? If you are like most speakers I have met, the answer is no. You see other speakers making $5000, $10,000 and even $20,000+ a talk, while some days you may barely break the $500 mark. Now I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but the truth of the matter is most speakers are making what they are worth. Now before you delete this newsletter and send me hate mail let me explain. I am sure you feel that what you have to offer your audience is priceless, that you are dynamic, funny, and dog-gone-it people like you. Well, all that might be true, but that does not equal "worth". Great speakers come a dime a dozen. Your worth as a speaker is not found in what you can do, but in what you can do for your audience and the person who pays to bring you in. Let me ask you a few questions. Can you draw a crowd from miles around like Les Brown? Can you boost sales like Zig Ziglar? How about create a positive change in people like TD Jakes or Anthony Robbins? Do you have a National Best Seller like Stephen Covey? You see these people are more than big money speakers. They are big money life-changers. What they have to offer is of great value because it is considered life changing. So if you want to raise your "worth", you must first raise your value. Here are some great things to think about when it comes to raising your worth.


Stop worrying about what to say in front of your audience and concentrate on what you can leave behind. In other words, the next time you speak ask yourself what can you leave your audience that will help them on a daily basis and create the positive results they desire. Give them tools, techniques, and daily practices that will help them reach their personal, educational and business goals.

Learn how to better articulate the value of your presentation. Your goal when negotiating your fees is to be able to educate the buyer about your value and help them see the return in their investment when hiring you as a speaker.

There are three major aspects underlying your value to the buyer: They include:

1. Your experiences, education, and stories/humor.

2. The behavior change that will ensue.

3. The improvement in their business or participants that will result.

Once you can get the buyer to see your value they will be more willing to pay what you are worth.

Who's dream are you really living. As long as your work for another organization you will only make what that company allows. Soon you will realize it is not you who is making your worth in the speaking business, it is those you are working for. In order to make what you are worth you must work for yourself. This includes creating your own presentations, negotiating your own fees, and creating your own value. It is time to stop renting your amazing talents to enhance the dreams of others. It is time to start owning your own talents and fulfilling your dreams. In doing so you will no longer settle for what the job pays and start creating wealth from your worth.

Most importantly, remember that it is not up to the buyer to pay you what you are worth; it is up to you to articulate and demonstrate your worth to the buyer. By following a few of these tips you will be one step closer to getting paid what you are worth and not worthless pay.

The Champion's Corner: All That It Takes Is All That You've Got

In order to reach your goals in life you have to first believe that you can. I can remember what my father told me before I went off to college, “Son all that it takes is all that you’ve got and all that you’ve got is all that it takes. It’s true. You can reach your hearts desire if you believe you can. You have all the necessary equipment to make it happen. You have the same 24 hours in a day as everyone else, you possess knowledge and the ability to learn. You will never run out of room to grow. You will never run out of new ideas, or paths to follow. You have sills and talents that have been untouched. Did you know that each person has approximately 700 different skills in their repertoire? 700! It is now time to tap into all these skills and put your where you belong on top! No need to look any further for opportunities, you are the opportunity you look for. Your imagination is just a preview of what is possible for you to achieve in your life.
I like what Jesse Jackson said. “If you can believe it you can achieve it”. In my opinion, it is impossible to have a desire to accomplish something in life without also having what it takes to achieve it. Think about it for a moment, whatever it is that you really want, in a sense, is already yours. For how could you sincerely desire it, if you could not realistically expect to have it? Somewhere deep within you there is a voice that keeps telling you we can do this. For example: I have no desire to give birth. None what so ever. And guess what? It would be impossible for me to do so. I don’t have what it takes to give birth. But I do have a desire to direct of movie for the big screen. And guess what? I have what it takes to do it. I know I do, it is all inside of me urging me to try. That’s my desire. Consider the Neil Armstrong. He had a desire to go to the moon. How outlandish was that during that time period. Nobody had done it although many thought about it. But Neil had a deep desire to achieve it. And because of this deep desire and the right preparation he went to the moon. Shoot for the moon

Champion's Corner: One Life to Live

Imagine that you are 80 years old sitting on the front porch of your house looking back over your life. Reflecting about the things you have done and the things you wanted to do but never did. At that moment you realize that your life is almost to its end. Chances are you will be overwhelmed with one of two feelings. The first could be a feeling of total satisfaction. You lived the life you wanted to live, you did the things you wanted to do. Your life was not only successful in your own eyes but it was meaningful. You have no fear of what tomorrow might bring because your yesterday and today brings you peace and fulfillment. Or; you could have the feeling of dissatisfaction and regret. Why? Because you never did what you wanted to do with your life and you know your time is almost up. You never fell in love, or wrote that book, you never traveled like you wanted to or expressed your love to the ones who meant the most to you. The worst feeling of all is that you know your days are limited and you are afraid to die simply because you felt like you never really lived. Regardless of what our religious beliefs might be, as far as we know we have one life to live on this earth so we should make the most of it.

Champions Corner: Remember that Passion trumps Perfection

The most important advice I can give you in regards to becoming a World Class Communicator is this: Passion always trumps Perfection. Consider the last youth play or performance you attended. The young people you saw may not have been the best actors or actress in the world, but the fun they had on stage was well worth your time in gold. Why? Because they performed with a passion and excitement. As a result, you did not care if little Johnny missed a line, or if Miss Mary sang off key. You just enjoyed watching them enjoy themselves. This type of enjoyment is contagious. Here is another example. Do you have one of those friends that when they are trying to tell you a joke, they start cracking up laughing before they can get to the punch line? Of course we all have. And what do you start doing? You probably start laughing right along with them because of the joy they are showing telling the joke. The same thing can happen when you speak. Once you start speaking with passion and enjoyment, your audience will fall in love with your passion and not even notice your imperfection when speaking.

According to Dr. Albert Mehrabian, a well-known communications researcher, the meaning of your message is communicated by the following percentages:

7% = Words you say

38% = Tone in which you say it

55% = Body language

As you can see by these results, 93% percent of your message is going to be communicated by expressions of your passion, that being the way you say it and the enthusiasm the audience sees.

The Champion's Corner: True Story

When I was 16 years old I had a dream that changed my life forever. I dreamt that I had died. In this dream I then found myself in a large auditorium with thousands of empty seats and me sitting in the middle. It was pitch black. I was alone, scared, and could not believe my life was already over. Suddenly I heard a loud noise like a boom and a movie screen in front was playing. What I saw both amazed and terrified me. It was me, a story of my life being shown. I saw myself growing up as a child, crippled and unhappy. I had no friends, I had no smile. I watched myself walking down the street kicking trash and all alone. Although I was only 16 when I had this dream, the dream continued through my life until I was old and alone with a permanent look of sadness and dissatisfaction chiseled in my face. As I watched this movie my eyes began to tear in disbelief and sadness. Suddenly the movie was over. Immediately on another screen. A second movie started. It was me again. But this time it was me in a better brighter light. I was so happy and full of life. People all around me were energized by my enthusiasm. As the movie went on, the better it got. I saw myself grow up, having a family, and living a life of both success and significance. This time as I watched my eyes were not full of tears but wide open filled with a pride and excitement. I looked around and I was no longer in a empty auditorium, but a full one. With people fully engaged and inspired by my life on the screen. Then just as fast and abrupt as the movie started it ended and the room once again went pitch black. I shouted NOOOOO!! And I woke up. From that day forward at age 16, I decided I was going to live my life of the second movie with no regrets, understanding I have one life to live!

So what about you? How is your movie going to play out? Remember that the best way to predict your future is to create it.

Champion's Corner: Keynote Confidence

We have all seen or heard at least one phenomenal speaker in our lifetime; those rare speakers who can command the attention of the room the moment they walk on stage. Before they say a word, the crowd is in eager excitement of the experience that is about to unfold. Before long, the speaker has the audience in the palm of their hand hanging on every word and caught up in the emotion of the message. Even if we have never heard or seen the speaker before, we automatically view them as experts in their field. We quietly admire their confidence and sometimes secretly envy their audacity to put who they are and what they know out on display. And somewhere deep down inside we all strive to speak with such confidence and authority.

Is it a natural gift they posses, or is it a learned skill? Well, since nobody was born speaking, the answer should be clear: it is a skill that has been developed and perfected over the years—a skill you too can perfect once your realize that what it takes to become a world class communicator has little to do with what you say or how you say it and more to do with who you are and how you express it. Visit me at www.DionJordan.com and get a free copy of “Becoming a World Class Communicator”. If you follow the steps laid out before you in this free book, you will certainly become a great communicator, but if you read between the lines you will also walk away with something much greater: an unshakeable and undeniable confidence!