Just Picture It Now

The tradition of taking a resolution at New Year and fulfill it in the coming year, dates back to the early Babylonians.

The Babylonians believed that what a person does on the first day of the New Year will affect him or her throughout the year. Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. New Year's Resolutions offer the first of many important tools for remaking ourselves.

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called "Opportunity" and its first chapter is New Year's Day." - Edith Lovejoy Piercre
In December or early January, almost everyone is minted up by the desire to plan a wonderful New Year! We plan vacations, and we imagine that any goal can be achieved. We eagerly make New Year's Resolutions and set our biggest goals ever! It's a perfect time to reflect on the changes we want to or need to make and resolve to follow through on those changes.

Resolutions if carried out successfully not only act as short-term goals to success but also help in improving life and overcoming those habits, which we ourselves do not like.

The unfortunate reality, of course, is that for most people the year goes by
with little or no change. We do our jobs and live our lives, but our dreams
don't come true. Some things do change, but life doesn't seem all that
different. Not really. Not like we hoped.

The New Year is a good time to make resolutions but what is the point of
resolutions if we can't keep them? Do you also want to have a resolution for the year 2007?

Tips for New Year Resolution

1. Go Public:Those who say one thing and do another are labeled unreliable, hypocritical and even inconsistent. Tell everyone at home, work, gym, church, etc about your goal. The fear of being ill labeled or looked at as inconsistent by those who think highly of you will psychologically pressure you to follow through. Daily tell 3 different people about your goal.

2. Don’t Wait: Never wait for the right time, the right motivation, or the right intuition. For they will only come AFTER you have taken the initial step. Whether you are motivated or not, take one action daily towards attaining the goal you wish to put off. Then motivation will follow.

3. Make Your Resolution "Quit-Proof": The more you invest into something, the harder it’s to give up on it. Invest more time, more energy, and if necessary, more capital towards the realization of that which you are pursuing. The less you have to lose, the easier it’s to quit. Invest daily towards the attainment of your goal.

4. Locate the Opportunities: Though you cannot see them, opportunities are all around you. It’s only when you are ready for them that they will be ready for you. Remember, when the musician is ready, the tune will appear. So get ready.

5. Get Ready: True readiness comes from acting on that which you are not ready for. As Aristotle once said, “The things you have to learn before you can do them, you learn by doing them.” Plunge into it, and then you’ll be ready.

6. Develop Momentum: One small action can build the excitement and the urge to continue or even finish what before you didn’t feel like doing. That’s how momentum is created. Just take one small step even if you don't feel like it and momentum will eventually emerge.

7. Start Every Day With the Next Step: Every morning, ask yourself, “What action would I take towards accomplishing my goal if success was guaranteed?” Then take that very action in spite of any reluctance.

8. Overcome Reluctance: Keep in mind that easy things when done with reluctance become difficult, and difficult things when done with cynicism become impossible. Move beyond reluctance with the right anticipation.

9. Anticipate Success: This is probably the simplest, but most overlooked item of the list. Pure and simple “belief” that you CAN do this! I love what Earl Nightingale says: “You become what you think about most of the time.”

Here’s to making this years Resolutions stick!

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Travel Reservations: 1.800.243.4450
RTA #24635

Posted by TravelPro at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments

An operation considered to be one of the fastest-growing Internet-based travel companies is planning to move into its $2 million headquarters in Wood River by the end of the month.

YTB International Inc., at 1 Country Club View Drive in Edwardsville, will move into its new corporate headquarters in the former Kmart building on Edwardsville Road in Wood River on Dec. 26.

"We’re really excited about it," said Andrew F. Cauthen, president and chief operations officer of the company.

The company, which is publicly traded and operates three divisions – YourTravelBiz.com, REZconnect Technologies Inc. and YTB Travel Network -- announced in July that it had purchased the 120,000-square-foot building and 13-acre site with plans to renovate them.

The announcement was made shortly after another development group said it planned to demolish the building along Illinois Route 143 to make way for a $10 million to $12 million automobile dealership complex that would have included Federico Chrysler-Dodge Inc. and Jack Schmitt of Alton Inc. (Alton Centers Nissan)

The dealerships still plan to build on land west of the property at the intersection of Route 143 and Lakin Boulevard.

Cauthen said one of the reasons the company chose Wood River is that it simply outgrew its site in Edwardsville. He said the company liked the location and could renovate the former retail site for about $40 per square foot, which is significantly less than the $200 per square foot it would cost for a new building.

Work has been under way for the past several months. The company hired C.O.R.E., a project management firm, to oversee the work being done in the former restaurant of the building.

"We have a business to run and needed someone we could trust to oversee the project," Cauthen said.

He said the renovation is being done in three phases. Current renovation is considered Phase 2.

Phase 3 of the project will include building a state-of-the-art 500-seat theater and dining room in part of the 100,000-square-foot site, and Phase 4 will be transforming the remaining portion of the building.

"We cannot wait until it’s done," Cauthen said.

The building should be completed in 2008, he said.

"Right now, it still doesn’t look that different from the outside, but within the next year, it will," he said.

Cauthen said the company plans to spend an additional $10 million in renovations.

The company projects that by June 2009, it will employ nearly 600 people or more and earn $338 million in annual revenue.

J. Lloyd "Coach" Tomer, founder of the company and chairman of the board, said he is excited about moving into the company’s new digs. He said he is especially looking forward to being a part of the Wood River community.

Tomer, along with his son, Scott, and friend, J. Kim Sorenson, started the company in Alton.

In June 2001, six employees started working for the company in the former First National Bank building at Third and Belle streets. By July 2005, the company had outgrown its space and moved to Edwardsville.

"We had 39 employees when we moved," Tomer said.

During the past 18 months, the company has hired 100 people, and once it moves to Wood River, it plans to hire more.

Wood River Mayor Fred Ufert said he is excited about the company’s move, which he said adds to the growth and development that is rapidly taking place in the city.

"Having a corporate headquarters in town will be a good thing for the community," Ufert said.

He said he hopes the company’s anticipated growth will bring more development to the area.

Tomer agreed. He said that besides office personnel, 60,000 referring travel agents are part of the business, and they visit the company’s headquarters by the hundreds at a time.

The business basically allows people to start their own Internet travel business. Those who become referring travel agents earn a commission every time someone books a trip from their site.

YTB runs the booking engine. The company merged with a New Jersey company, REZconnect, several years ago to get the technology that links Web customers in real time, allowing them to make travel reservations.

YTB develops, sells and supports the online travel Web sites of referring travel agents. The initial start-up cost for a referring travel agent is $450 and a $50 monthly maintenance fee.

Customers who log on to any YTB site have the ability to make reservations on more than 424 airlines, at more than 35,000 hotels and with most major car rental companies, cruise lines and tour package operators.

Tomer said all offices would be moving to Wood River. He said one of the reasons he is excited about the move is that city officials have welcomed the company with open arms.

Ufert said he hopes that with YTB’s move to the city, it will continue to bring more businesses.

"It’s been a good year for development in Wood River, and we only hope we can continue that," he said.

Tomer said about 60,000 people will tour the home office next year and are likely to spend more than $6 million on hotels and $3 million on meals and entertainment.

"That doesn’t count our employees who leave the office for lunch, either," he said.

Tomer said he hopes his business is able to help the city bring additional businesses to town.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Travel Reservations: 1.800.243.4450
RTA #24635

Posted by TravelPro at 5:36 PM | Permalink | Comments