“How Do I Get There?” #Blog365 Day 175

Our short visit to Washington, DC was, in many ways, all about the travel. We were looking for a way to get down there that didn’t involve me or my wife driving, and the flight to Washington from NYC is about an hour; we were trying to think of something that might feel a bit more interesting to the kids.

So, we decided to take the train south, and do a bit of a transportation tour. Here’s what our travel itinerary looked like:

·         Take the Metro North railroad (our local commuter rail) into Grand Central Terminal (one of the main terminals) in Manhattan.

·         Take a few of the city’s subways to get to Penn Station (another big terminal).

·         Hop on one of the Amtrak trains leaving Penn Station. Tickets were really well-priced, so we added on one of the private sleeper rooms (little known fact: Amtrak will rent these out for day riders if you ask politely. . . you can’t open up the beds, but you have access to the day setup with couches, chairs, a private bathroom. . . a great deal for families with kids, and as long as you disembark before night time it works!)

·         Drive around DC courtesy of Uber. We used portable “booster” seats which are amazing. They fold up to less than a foot and weigh about five pounds each. They work by pulling the seat belt down, rather than boosting the seat up.

·         We’ll fly back from Washington and then get a ride back to our car at the train station.

So, that’s how we got there. But, “How Do We Get There?” is an important question to answer. The key, at all times though, is for the journey to be as interesting as the destination. In other words, as we help others chart their courses, we must make sure that we’re helping them to see the value of the work that goes into reaching the goal, as opposed to just the goal itself.

“It’s So Nice Outside” #Blog365 Day 174

Today was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the wind was gentle, and the temperature was up in the low fifties. For February in the suburbs of New York, that’s quite warm.

We were preparing for a short trip down to Washington, DC. And between packing and taking care of a number of small things around the house, we all got the chance to spend a bit of time outside.

As I’ve written previously, being outdoors does wonders for me. And apparently, at least for my kids, it does as well.

As I was driving back from the supermarket, my youngest daughter said, “Daddy, can you put the windows down? It makes me so calm.”

And I agreed. It often feels like both in our personal and our professional spheres that a nice day makes our work that much easier.

The importance of mood can’t be understated. When we feel good about things we are more likely to give that extra ounce of energy to get things done. So, it falls on us to recognize how people are feeling, and use mood to help us, and others, achieve goals.

The nice part about living in the Northeast is that the changing seasons always keep things fresh. We know the seasonal progression, and we know what to expect. So, in the middle of winter, it is incredibly invigorating to end up with a day as beautiful as this one. Best to use what nature provides to help us nurture those around us!