The John Tesh Blog

Big Life Question: Do I really need to buy this?

I know a certain item is on sale . . . in fact, if you buy five of the sale items, you'll get another 40% knocked off the price.  Decisions!   Decisions!

Today's excerpt from my book Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth, can help you work through these kinds of financial choices if you're willing to ask yourself four basic questions.

If your answer is "no" to the question, "Do I really need to buy this?" , and you don’t have a lot of extra income—case closed. You just avoided an unnecessary purchase. If the answer is yes, ask yourself a few more questions, courtesy of author Mary Hunt and Woman’s Day magazine:

Can I afford it?
If you have to go into debt to make the purchase, you can’t afford it. So forget it.

Do I already have something that’ll do just as well? An honest assessment of the stuff you already have could make you realize that you have something that’ll work fine.

Can I wait until I find a cheaper alternative?
An overwhelming desire to have something—or a sale sign—can cloud your good sense. If something is right for you today, it’ll be right for you in a few days. So hold off on buying it until you find a cheaper substitute. And here’s the bonus: As the hours go by, your need often disappears.

What if I don’t buy this now?
Make a list of what’ll happen if you don’t make the purchase. If it’s a question of paying the rent, that’s easy. The consequence is eviction—not good. But if you’re trying to decide whether or not to buy another pair of shoes, the consequence may be choosing to eat at home instead of restaurants for a couple of weeks. You may decide that’s a good trade off, or you may not. If you have the extra cash, you won’t go into debt, and you won’t regret your purchase—go for it!

John
Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

My new book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth is loaded with all kinds of practical financial advice. You can purchase your copy of my book at your local bookstore or online at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

Saving Your Life With a Sewing Machine

A brilliant surgeon passed away this weekend:  Dr. Michael E. DeBakey (1908-2008).  The Los Angeles Times correctly dubbed him a 'magician of the heart.'

Sample what this talented doctor accomplished in his lifetime:  he performed the first coronary artery bypass surgery, developed the pump that is the key component of the heart-and-lung machines used on patients during heart surgery, created the artificial heart now used in patients to keep them alive while they wait for their own heart to improve, and developed the concept of the mobile army surgical hospital - forever to be remembered in the film M*A*S*H. 

If a surgeon was ever needed to perform heart surgery on a U.S. president Dr. DeBakey was the go-to surgeon. The Journal of the American Medical Association said many considered him the 'greatest surgeon ever.'   

In everything I read about this physician one event stood out.

In 1948, Dr. DeBakey joined the Baylor College of Medicine and began to explore theories and surgical techniques for repairing and replacing diseased arteries.  He was most fascinated with repairing aneurysms in the aorta - dangerous bulges in the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

Usually, the aneurysm was removed through surgery.  However, something was needed to replace the tissue or else the aortas would shrink.  DeBakey searched for a solution.   

According to the LA Times the doctor visited a Houston department store with the intent to purchase a synthetic cloth made of nylon or Orion.  Yet on that one day the store only had in stock a new material called Dacron.  DeBakey bought a yard of this material instead. 

Going to work on his wife's sewing machine, he fashioned the fabric into tubes the same size as blood vessels and successfully implanted them in animals.

Oddly enough, unlike other materials the body did not reject Dacron and tissue seemed attracted to it. On September 13, 1954 he sewed the Dacron graft into the first human patient who lived another 13 years. 

Literally, thousands of lives have been saved because of the Dacron graft replacement for aneurysms of the aorta and other major arteries. 

What is it about DeBakey that speaks to us?  His genius lies in his willingness to think outside the box.  Here's a man who could even challenge the medical thinking of Dr. House, of the current hit TV series.

Dr. DeBakey was not afraid to think through the perceived limitations and to take the necessary risks to save lives.

I'm at a juncture in my life when I want to sit down at the sewing machine and turn the ordinary materials of my life into something extraordinary. Whether it's giving out gas cards or providing mobile homes to people who lost their houses in Katrina, I love opportunities to think outside the box when I can. 

From DeBakey's experience we learn life boils down to sitting down at our sewing machines and using our sewing talent to turn what we've been given into something better.  Too many people reject passion-filled lives and grab on to every reason why their lives can never change. 

Instead, keep the image of DeBakey sitting at his wife's sewing machine before you.  Rather than thinking why your life can never change, consider the transformation that took place because this doctor visited a department store in order to repurpose a piece of fabric into a product that would save lives.

There's little reason why you can't use the fabric of your life, and refashion what you've been given to make a change in someone else's llfe.

John
Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

My new book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth contains many chapters on how to take care of your heart.   The book can be purchased at your favorite local bookstore or on line at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

Are We Suffering From Too Many Medical Tests?

Like most Americans, you're finding out your medical bills are increasing more and more.

According to Parade magazine, the soaring costs of medical procedures are due to the "diagnostic imaging" industry.  I'm talking about X-rays, CT (Computed Tomography) scans and MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imaging).  These are tests doctors order when they want to take a deeper look at our bones, muscles, nerves and organs.   

Even though these tests provide doctors amazing detail of what's taking place inside our bodies, the question is being raised whether we are overdoing it.  Is there harm being done to our bodies as medicine becomes more and more hi-tech?  I often wonder if doctors are losing their intuitive abilities by relying so much on evidential information and are too fearful to "think outside the box" in diagnosing patients.

What are some of the major concerns of having too many medical tests?

Overexposure to radiation.   Dr. David Brenner of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Medical Center in NYC estimates that "1% to 2% more cases of cancer may result from increased use of imaging in the future."  Imaging can also specify a problem that does not even exist or indicate an abnormality that may be harmless. If so, a physician may order more imaging in order to be sure and expose the patient to further harmful radiation.

Overuse of CT Scans.  The CAT scans are those "doughnut hole" devices patients are placed in if a doctor needs a better view of an organ, bones, soft tissue or blood vessels.  However, the levels of radiation used in a CT scan can be quite high.  Dr. Brenner claims the radiation levels are the "equivalent of 100 conventional X-rays."

CT scans are normally ordered for people with headaches, who need heart-imaging or a full body scan.  If a patient suffers with bad headaches, the physician wants to rule out a brain tumor but numerous studies show most headaches are not the signs of something as serious as a brain tumor.  Unless there are additional indicators of a brain tumor such as seizures, it may not be worth the risk to expose a headache sufferer to increased radiation. 

A Coronary CT angiography can provide a detailed view of the heart and the arteries that supply the organ with blood.  This test enables medical professionals to see calcium deposits and blocked arteries.  In addition to the increased radiation exposure, this test can also give false-positive and false-negative reads.  Some people are also allergic to the contrast dye used for the test, which can result in kidney damage.

The classic usage of X-rays. How many of us have had routine chest X-rays as part of a physical examination or due to an upper respiratory problem.  It sounds like good medical sense to order an X-ray for a patient about to undergo heart or lung surgery.  However, a recent review in the United Kingdom is questioning the results of chest X-rays since they can lead to false-positive results and once again expose patients to unnecessary radiation.   
The high costs of an MRI.   Have you ever scanned your bill after receiving an MRI?   MRIs are billed anywhere from $1,200 to $2,500 per session.  Sure, Magnetic Resonance Imaging provides great views of the soft tissues of the body, is useful for brain and cancer imaging, does not emit radiation like X-rays and CAT scans and uses a magnetic field to create images.  But they are extremely expensive.

Between a high exposure to radiation from X-rays and CT scans, and the high price of an MRI, we need to think twice before we submit to these tests. 

Do your own homework to determine whether a specific test is best for your medical situation. Talk to your physician about the risks involved and the matter of false-positive results. Perhaps a diagnosis of your medical condition is sufficient without the use of a scan.  There may even be another test that is safer and less expensive that would provide similar information. 

If you do undergo a CT scan, request a copy (CD-ROM) or a written report so you do not need to undergo the same exam twice and be exposed to more radiation.   

John
Email John:    johnsblog@teshmedia.com

I have included several sections about health information in my new book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth.  The book can be purchased at your favorite local bookstore or on line at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

How To Save Money in an Economic Crunch

In case you haven't visited www.tesh.com lately, you need to know we're giving free gas cards away every day. If you win our contest, you'll be given two gasoline cards worth $250.00 each - one for you and another for a friend.  It's our way at Teshmedia to help out during this time of soaring fuel prices.  Be sure to enter.

In today's excerpt from my new book, Intelligence For Your Life: Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth, I want to share some additional ways you can make some smart decisions about saving your money.

Don’t buy a new car before calling your insurance agent.

Compare the cost of insurance for your top car choices. Also, check on the costs of repairing your new car and the likelihood of theft. All of this contributes to your out-of-pocket costs as well as your insurance premiums.

Pay with cash more often.

This seems like an obvious one, but if you always pay with cash, you won’t get into debt. You also will end up saving a whooping 30 to 50 percent more because watching the dollar bills slip from your wallet will stop your spending. Another benefit of paying with cash is that you’ll avoid financing fees from credit cards, late fees, and overdraft charges at your bank.

Eat out half as much as you do right now.

Studies show that the average American family eats in a restaurant four times a week. That’s much different from when I was a kid and eating at a restaurant was a huge treat. Today most families spend more than $5,000 a year in restaurant bills and tips. I’m not saying that you should always eat at home, but just cut back a bit on the eating out if you want to save money. A bonus: You’ll also save calories. Studies show we eat 30 to 50 percent more when we eat out. 

When flying, check out the airports that are a little farther away from your home.

It might be worth another twenty minutes in the car to fly out of an airport where the ticket cost is one-third lower. This really adds up if you’re flying the entire family out for an event. Many of the smaller airports also have cheaper and easier-to access parking.

Freeze your credit cards—literally.

This is one of my favorite pieces of personal finance advice from the radio show: If you are having trouble with credit card debt, don’t cancel your cards. Instead, put them in a bowl filled with water, place the bowl in the freezer. Whenever you get excited about a new purchase, you will have to wait for the cards to thaw out before you can put them on your card. By that time the urge will likely have passed. No microwaving!

John
Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

To find out the best ways to manage your money during the present financial crunch, check out my new book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth.  You can purchase your copy of my book at your local bookstore or online at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

What in the World is "Male Menopause"?

With the phrase "male menopause," I've got the attention of every female reader, saying, "So that's what's wrong with my husband!" 

Male menopause?  What is it?  Some doctors call it "andropause." Both terms conjure up images of men with hot flashes, guys crying for no reason and more mid-life crises than we can possibly handle.   

From a MayoClinic.com article, there are hormonal changes that are a natural part of aging for men.  But these hormonal changes are nothing like the plunge women take during menopause. The male hormonal changes are much more gradual, occurring over a period of many years. 

For those men who are concerned with andropause here's the major issue:  low or declining testosterone. Like most guys, those are fighting words.  I want to go out and do something to prove my manhood by hiking up Mt. Whitney or ride a Harley motorcycle at 90 miles an hour down some LA freeway.  I'll show you I still got it!

Before you start getting punchy, here are some stats you need to know:  older men have lower testosterone levels than do younger men.  After age 40, testosterone levels in the blood begin to decline gradually - about a rate of 1% a year.   However, Mayo Clinic doctors also tell us that these dropping levels are rarely significant enough to be noticeable in men younger than 60.   When you hit your 80's . . . it's another story.

What are the symptoms of male menopause?   Let me warn you some of these these symptoms are not pretty:

    Reduced sexual desire
    Infertility
    Loss of body or pubic hair
    Height loss and thinning bones
    Hot flashes and sweats
    Decreased energy and motivation
    Feeling sad or depressed
    Poor concentration or memory

Most guys read the first symptom about "decreased sexual desire" and blank out . . . then wonder where to buy a tube of testosterone cream.

How do you treat low testosterone? Answer:  Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT).  Some physicians claim the benefits of TRT are unclear.  It might raise your Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) or increase your risk of prostate cancer or it may not.  More studies need to be done.  But from the many websites I read, any man who uses TRT should have frequent PSA tests to make sure there is not a rise in the PSA count.

If you suspect you're a candidate for male menopause, the first thing you should do is get a blood test for an objective testosterone count.   

If you want to go the herbal supplement route, there are many products that make all kinds of claims to raise aging-related low testosterone. One of the most common supplements to treat this condition is DHEA, which could also raise your PSA level.  Speak with your doctor before taking any kind of herbal supplements. 

Of course, with a doctor's prescription, you can also purchase a testosterone cream to be applied in measured amounts. 

I'll leave you with some steps you can take to prevent or improve some of your symptoms.

Watch what you eat. Exercise and maintain a healthy diet to keep you strong and energetic.   Exercising is a big factor when it comes to improving your moods as well.

Speak to your doctor about any suspected sexual problems. You cannot watch a football, baseball or basketball game without watching ads about erectile dysfunction (ED) or prostate related problems. So the cat is out of the bag when it comes to sexual problems. There are many medications and lifestyle changes you can utilize to help your condition.   

Seek help if you are emotionally distraught. Many older men suffer from depression --become irritable, isolated or withdrawn - and are often left untreated.  But if you take steps for treatment, it can make a major difference in how you feel.

Whether male menopause is true or not, I want do everything I can to be a fully functional man as God Himself designed me to be.

John

Email John:   Johnsblog@teshmedia.com

I've got a lot more to say about men and their issues in my new book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth.  You can purchase your copy of my book at your local bookstore or online at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

Why Do We Carry So Much Stress?

There has got to be some good reason why we take on so much stress in our lives.   Even if we know all our worries are killing us, we still invite more and more of it into our lives.

In today's excerpt from my new book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth I address our attraction to stress regardless of how it affects us.

Why do I feel the need to carry so much stress? What am I hiding from or covering up? What hole in my life am I trying to fill with stress?

Those are tough questions. But if you don’t deal with them, none of my stress-busting tips are going to do you any good—not for long, anyway. If you want to be free from stress, you have to learn to say no.

You have to pick the events and ‘yeses’ that will yield the greatest reward in your life. Here’s an idea: next time you know your response should be no, don’t leave room for compromise.

When your stressed-out friend asks you to co-chair the graduation committee, don’t just say, “Let me think about it.” Instead say, “Right now, that’s impossible.” And shake your head from side to side as you say it.

Studies show that when you do that, the person you addressed is much more likely to hear no.

Even Jesus had to say no to those around him when it was time to be still and listen for the voice of God. Remember what happened after Jesus fed the five thousand? The people were so impressed that they were ready to make him their earthly king—by force if necessary. No doubt it was flattering to be asked. I know I would be very tempted to give in if somebody wanted to make me their king! But that wasn’t what Jesus was there to do. So instead of going along, saying yes, taking on one more thing, he “withdrew again to a mountain by himself” (John 6:15 NIV).

When the high-pitched whine of our earthly stress jams every signal around us, we not only lose perspective, we lose an opportunity to hear from our heart, from our loved ones and from God himself. Before you say your next “Yes!”, ask yourself if you are prepared to add the accompanying stress to your life.

I look at it this way: If the vessel is already full, where are you going to put that golden opportunity for success or for ministry when it finally arrives? You hear it every morning at the coffee shop: “Would you like room for cream?” Yeah, this time I would. Thanks.

John
Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

I have so much more to say about worry and stress in my new book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth.   My book can be purchased at your local bookstore or online at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

Are We Too 'Twired' To Think?

I love the the freedom of using the Internet.  But a recent LA Times book review made me wonder if there are drawbacks to being part of the cyber generation. 

I'll admit it . . . the title of this new book by Emory College English professor, Mark Bauerlein The Dumbest Generation: How the Digitial Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future, or Don't Trust Anyone Under 30, got me a little hot under the collar.  I don't like being called dumb.

The LA Times reviewer launched his article with a frightening evaluation of the Internet generation:   

In the four minutes it probably takes to read this review, you will have logged exactly half the time the average 15 to 24-year-old now spends reading each day. That is, if you even bother to finish. If you are perusing this on the Internet, the big block of text below probably seems daunting, maybe even boring. Who has the time? Besides, one of your Facebook friends might have just posted a status update!

I had to ask myself, "Are we really becoming too 'twired' to think?"  Is the quick gratification of instant messages, iChats and text messaging influencing our intellectual abilities?   

By the time we answer our emails, the messages on Facebook, MySpace and Eons, do we have much time to use the Internet for research? 

The crux of Bauerlein's book took me by surprise:  "The problem is that instead of using the Web to learn about the wide world, young people instead mostly use it to gossip about each other and follow pop culture, relentlessly keeping up with the ever-shifting lingua franca of being cool in school."   

The World Wide Web has become more of a social web than a web of exchange of information regarding the serious stuff of life.  In addition, if peers are only connecting with peers, they lose out on the wisdom to be gained by connecting more with older parents and teachers.   

Here are some ways we can keep from allowing the Internet from getting us too twired:

Continue to read books.  Book clubs are springing up everywhere. You can find them in libraries and on the Internet. Read the classics by Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, Herman Melville and many more.  If anything, the digital age should be used to complement the age of book learning. 

There's nothing like sitting on the beach stretched out on a lounge chair, with the waves lapping the shore in the background, digging your toes into the warm sand while enjoying your favorite paperback novel. Don't allow the Internet to minimize your love for books.   

Use the Internet to learn about what is ultimately most important.  When The Dumbest Generation's author Bauerlein told an audience of college students, "You are six times more likely to know who the latest American Idol is than you are to know who the speaker of the U.S. House is," a voice in the crowd responded: "American Idol IS more important."

Now that we are in the midst of a presidential election, the Internet is a wonderful place to learn about our candidates:  Barack Obama and John McCain

Never lose the ability to do your own research.  Gone are the days when we would spend hours in libraries with books spread out over several tables, taking notes and comparing ideas. Now it's tempting to get hooked on a few favorite news websites and take what we read as gospel truth.

In contrast, our access to the Internet ought to challenge our thinking and we should not be so quick to click off something we don't agree with or does not seem interesting. Intellectually, we end up stagnating and only believing what we want to believe.

Stay on top of your grammar and spelling. If you look at many postings on the internet, you'll find a lot of a grammatical and spelling errors.  I drive my radio staff and webteam crazy to make sure whatever we place on the Internet appears literate and grammatically correct.  Poor spelling is becoming more and more acceptable on Internet postings and blogs. Are we on a slippery slope where illiteracy will be accepted more and more?

Regardless of the concerns about the impact of the Internet, I see young people using computers to stay on top of the latest news and to become more actively engaged with our culture.  Let's watch the warning signs and utilize the Internet to as a means to speed to smartness.

John
Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

To find out the best ways to keep your mind sharp and challenged, check out my new book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth.  You can purchase your copy of my book at your local bookstore or online at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

Here's another example of a radio listener who had a chance to read Intelligence For Your Life:

Hi, John! I just finished reading your book, Intelligence For Your Life today. It's a wonderful book, and I plan to recommend it to many of my patients. I have the only private practice in my region for teens & young adults. I see many patients with Attention Deficit Disorder, and your comments regarding focusing on one's passion, slowing down, eating well, exercising, sleeping, and especially praying are perfect. The book is also written in a style that makes it so readable and fun to get into.  Thanks, and God bless you, Connie, and your family. Deborah (aka "Dr. PJ")

Practicing the Art of Focus

We can talk about focus all we want, but we must find an action plan to cause us to stay on target with the goals in our lives.

In today's excerpt from my book, Intelligence For Your Life: Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth, I share several practical ways I have found helpful to stay on task and actually accomplish my goals.

Write down on three index cards at least two goals that you would like to complete during the next month. They could be anything. But you must write them down, and each time you see them you must speak them aloud. This is so your brain will both hear and see your goal. Examples:

"I will lose five pounds in one month by walking ten
more minutes every day.”

“I will read to my daughter every night before she goes
to bed . . . even if it’s just one page.”

“I will smile at every customer in line and ask them if they are having an ‘awesome day.’”

“I will raise the ratings in our three lowest markets by personally e-mailing listeners and asking them to tell their friends to listen.”

Tape the cards to your computer at work, to the dashboard - in your car, and to your bathroom mirror. And don’t forget the part about speaking your goals out loud. That’s important.

Whenever you start to lose focus on your goal (watching too much TV, surfing the web, etc.) ask yourself this question: What am I doing right now that is bringing me closer to my goal? I’m not suggesting that you become obsessed, but you must monitor your focus to make sure that your life goals are front-and-center in your mind.

When you reach those two goals, add two more, then two more, and so on until the practice of focus becomes second nature. In an unfocused world, we must constantly retrain ourselves in the art of concentrated focus.

This last one is aimed at me, but I will share it with you. Don’t check your e-mail nearly as often as you do now; resist the temptation to stop what you’re doing every time you hear that ding! For a start, wait fifteen minutes between each check of your e-mail inbox, and build up from there. Yeah, I know, I start to get the shakes too. But if you practice that technique for twenty-one days (the length of time it takes to break a habit), it will become second nature. Many experts have come on our program to tell us that every time you stop what you are doing to answer the e-mail ding, it takes us at least ten minutes to completely recover and return to the task at hand.

I have one last bit of advice about focus: If you get derailed on your road to a more focused life, just shake it off and get started again.

Franz Klammer is one of the greatest and most decorated ski racers of all time. But Franz Klammer also had days when he crashed headfirst into a snowdrift at sixty miles per hour. I can still remember one of the post-race interviews I did with Klammer following one of his spectacular crashes. He told me in that broken English of his, “You know, John, today here [pointing to his head] was no good. Tomorrow, it will be a good day for me.”

If you want more helpful tips on how to accomplish your goals, you can find much more in my new book, Intelligence For Your Life: Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth.  You can purchase my book at your local bookstore or on line at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

 

Can Flying Make You Sick?

When it comes to air travel, we've got some challenges to deal with, especially if you have  serious allergies. 

Because of the potential for a passenger to experience a severe allergic reaction to peanuts or animal dander known as anaphylaxis, flight attendants need to be prepared to administer epinephrine to counteract the allergic reaction.

One flight attendant informed me a flight she was on had to be re-directed to another city to make provisions for a passenger who became sick and had an allergic reaction to a cat that was allowed on the plane. 

There is also the problem with people who have allergic reactions to certain kinds of nuts  . . . mostly peanuts and walnuts. 

Should the airlines ban serving peanuts on planes and refuse to allow any kind of pet in the passenger cabin?

Here are some issues passengers have to consider.

Some airlines will not guarantee they can prevent triggering a reaction to peanuts or peanut dust.  Southwest claims it is unable to guarantee a peanut-free or allergen-free flight.  They will assist customers with allergies by not serving them packaged peanuts on the aircraft.  Southwest strongly suggests that travelers with an allergic reaction to peanut dust take the earliest flight of the day since their aircrafts undergo a thorough cleaning at the end of the day.

Instead of serving peanuts, airlines could serve pretzels. The possibility exists that a toddler can pickup a stray peanut on the floor unknown to their parents and run into an emergency situation.

Do I want the same rule applied to a baseball stadium?  Not at all.  Can you imagine if Dodger Stadium starts having peanut-free seating zones?

Other suggestions regarding allergic reactions to peanuts is to speak to your doctor before you take a trip. You may be the one - not the airline- who ought to carry extra epinephrine, chewable benadryl or other medications with you. Bring your own peanut free food with you on the flight. Get to the airport early to confirm your peanut-free snack request at the gate and with the lead flight attendant before you get on the plane.

Just to be safe, if you're with a small child who is sensitive by contact to peanuts, wipe down the seats, arm rests, and tray tables in their vicinity.   

Another issue has to do with assistance animals. Most airlines welcome trained assistance animals for disabled people on their flights.  But the animals must remain in a carrier in the aircraft cabin on the floor in front or next to the passenger with the disability.

Some travelers will bring emotional support animals into the cabin.  The customer must bring a note from a health professional stating the passenger has a mental need for the animal.

When it comes to animal dander and allergies, the FAA feels that prohibiting animals will not completely eliminate exposure of sensitive passengers to allergies since some of these allergens may already be carried on clothing of pet owners. Due to the airline industry's increasing use of HEPA filters in the cabin ventilation system, the animal dander, according to the FAA, should remain localized near the animal and not travel through the cabin. 

If you are seriously concerned with in flight germs, there are other precautions you can take. Be sure to visit the website planesheets.com to purchase attractive, washable and throwaway seat covers you can slip over your passenger seat to protect you from germs from previous passengers. Check out this helpful USA Today article on what to do when it comes to germs on an airplane.

John
Email John:   johnsblog@treshmedia.com

For more information on health hazards that take us by surprise, read my new book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth.  You can purchase my book at your local bookstore or on line at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.
 

Stay Strong!

Life never looks the same when you see it through purpose-driven lenses. Suddenly, you can no longer ignore the pain and suffering around you. Instead, you start asking yourself, "Since I want to live my life with purpose, what can I do to make a difference?"

In today's excerpt from my book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth,  I continue to share a compelling experience we had with our radio show that perfectly illustrates what I mean about purpose-driven people looking at life with a different set of lenses:

And then it came to me. We can do this. We can use the radio show to raise money and purchase used travel trailers and motor homes. Then we'll drive them to the Gulf Coast and leave them for the families there. We'll call it the Katrina Convoy.

As usual, my awesome staff took one deep breath and we were on our way. Betsy wrote up promos for the radio show and started the fundraising. Gib Gerard and Scott Cable began negotiating with trailer parks and individual owners to buy used trailers and motor homes. Dale Daniels at our Birmingham, Alabama, affiliate made the deals for the trailer purchases. Mike Drolet created the logo and set up the Web site, and Scotty Meyers called all 300 of our affiliates and had them promote the launch of the Katrina Convoy.

Donations came pouring in from everywhere. When Sweetwater Sound and Manheim Steamroller heard that all the band instruments had been destroyed at Slidell High School, they donated hundreds of instruments - brass, woodwinds, keyboards. It was all just amazing. It was as if everyone had been sitting by the phone waiting for us to ask him or her to jump in.

On Tuesday, October 11, 2005, the Katrina Convoy pulled out of the Riverchase Galleria parking lot in Birmingham. Our staff and radio show listeners traveled at the front in a tour bus. Above us, helicopter news crews tracked our progress live on the morning news. And seventy-five used motor homes and travel trailers packed with tools, musical instruments and bottled water (donated by listeners and sponsors) snaked their way along the interstate toward the Gulf Coast. Before we hit the road, two hundred elementary school kids painted each trailer with beautiful watercolor pictures and messages of hope. From the air it looked like the Partridge Family had gone back on tour.

When we arrived, the mayors of Slidell and Long Beach were there to greet us. Later that day we all ended up in tears as we had an opportunity to visit with the families who would make these trailers their homes. At that moment I was instantly struck by my own personal reflection. What if I had never read that email? What if Tony Evans hadn't screamed at me in the L.A. coliseum at Promise Keepers to come out of the closet? What if our radio show listeners hadn't held me accountable?

In our conference room at the John Tesh Radio Show offices there is a framed photo of one of the trailers from the convoy. It stands as a reminder to us all of how simple and how much fun living your life on purpose can be. On the side of the trailer in little kid watercolor writing are the words. "We Love You. Stay Strong!"

The kind of life I'm talking about isn't rocket science. It does require, however, that you pay attention. It requires that you be-intentional and proactive, willing to take control of the things you can control and let go of some things you can't. Most of all, it requires that you make choices - large and small - with a greater vision in mind. As I have learned from my radio listeners, there are a lot of people out there who are ready to live that way.

John
Email John:   johnsblog@teshmedia.com

When you live a purpose-driven life, the events of your life are no longer mediocre. You start to see the difference you can make in people's lives.  You can read more purpose driven living experiences in my new book, Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth.   My book can be purchased at your local bookstore or online at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.