Looking for some fun, excitement, history and adventure? You’ll find all four…’n more…in Ecuador! Our three-week exploratory/study tour to Ecuador (December 29, 2009 to January 19, 2010) was truly interesting and informational. We met and talked with fascinating people… sponsor group included participants from USA, England, Australia and Canada at four 3-hour Improved Living Course sessions.

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We visited and photographed many locations from the northern border with Colombia, south along the Andes Mountains via Ibarra, Cotacachi, Otavalo, Mindo Village Cloud Forest, Quito, Ambato, active volcano near Banos, Riobamba, Alausi, Devil’s Nose train excursion, Ingapirca (Inca ruins), Cuenca, Chardeleg, to near the southern border with Peru.

Our itinerary included a regular Saturday “livestock exchange” (similar to a Navajo Indian Pow Wow), vegetable market and colorful handicraft vendors… the talented leather craftsmen, gold and silver artisans and remarkable world-renowned “PANAMA HAT” weaving, shaping and design operations… small mountain farms tilled with plows pulled by oxen… little rural villages with “ready-to-eat” hogs, chickens and guinea pigs displayed along the roadside.

We made a stopover in Guayaquil en route to the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles off the Pacific coast. An eight-day yacht cruise of Galapagos included giant tortoises, mating sea turtles, colorful, curious iguanas, acres of seals and sea lions, miniature penguins, sharks, whales, flamingos, albatrosses, and 1,633 varieties of other birds… towering cactus trees, mescal, volcano tubes, caves and craters… an enjoyable study tour of the Charles Darwin Center, plant and animal research and indigenous evolutionary development review.

Flight travel then to Coca, at the edge of Ecuadoran Amazon region, commonly known as “El Oriente,” followed by antique bus travel to the banks of lower Napo River, a major tributary to the Amazon River, then we navigated 3 hours down river in a large outboard canoe-type boat into the Amazon jungle. From there a humid, adventurous two-mile hike through the jungle to a picturesque swamp-lagoon where we then got into small canoes and paddled our way across an isolated, mirror-smooth lake to the picture-perfect SACHA LODGE with 26 thatched-roof cabins on stilts with hammocks and modern conveniences, flushing toilets, hot showers and ceiling fans… among wild fauna, butterflies, toucans, agoutis and monkeys.

In addition to our interactive educational sessions, international cultural and political exchanges, we recorded over 500 photographs, a few of which are shown here. People all around the world are similar in so many ways… once you get to know them… they are friendly and hospitable… working to make a decent life for themselves and their families… and open to learning “How to Make Every Day A Terrific Day!”

LIFE is GOOOD! The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play. SUCCESS is loving life… and DARING to live it!

EARLENE VINING
ED FOREMAN

Ed says now he can ride 76 mph and is looking forward to 100 mph.

Texan’s youngest Congressman Ed Foreman.
In this photo: Ed Foreman
Photo: Leonard McCombe/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Jan 01, 1963

Who says you can’t have fun and continue business at the same time? With sophisticated cell phones and international communications connections, you’re “in the office” everywhere!

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We just completed a 4-week, 5,300-mile international motorcycle tour that had us visiting clients and conducting programs across 11 States of the USA, 5 Provinces of Canada, numerous State and National Parks, and a variety of unique resorts and villages.

We departed Dallas, June 26, 2009 going north through Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota, crossing into Ontario, Canada, at International Falls, Minnesota. After 6 enjoyable days of fishing, outdoor exploring, and outward bound experiences on Lake of the Woods, south of Kenora, we ventured on west through Winnipeg, Manitoba, across the magnificent plains of Saskatchewan, to the bustling metropolis of Calgary, Alberta. Attending the historic, renowned Calgary Stampede was remarkable, “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth!,” and enjoy a “sampling” of the many photos taken along the way.

Canmore, Banff, and Lake Louise…especially Banff and Jasper National Parks…are glorious sites! Traveling by motorcycle, you experience it all…sounds, sights, smells, temperature changes, rain, wind, sunshine…deer, bears, foxes, elk, buffalo, eagles, pelicans, etc.! We traveled up over the Continental Divide through the Rocky Mountains, down to Radium Hot Springs and Cranbrook, British Columbia, dodging a hailstorm here and there, to the quaint crossroads stopover at Elko, BC.

From BC, it was south through Glacier National Park in Montana, Whitefish, Great Falls, and Livingston…then into Wyoming, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks to Jackson Hole and Rock Springs…through the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area to Dutch John, Utah, to view brother, “Senator Chub Foreman’s,” work in constructing the magnificent Flaming Gorge Dam many years ago.

From Utah into Colorado through Dinosaur, Rangely, Grand Junction and Montrose to the fabulous villages of Ouray, Silverton, and Durango, we experienced hairpin switchbacks, mountains, waterfalls, rivers, and streams. At Pagosa Springs, we enjoyed the bubbling hot mineral baths.

Chama, New Mexico, is a charming village with lots of neat little riverside cabins and the historic Cumbres & Toltec railway that takes you up through the passes and colorful canyons, across bridges and streams to old mining and lumber camps. Then we explored on south through the Carson National Forest, Chimayo, Pojoaque and Tesque to the quaint pageantry of Santa Fe, where we enjoyed fresh roasted corn, tacos and goodies on the Plaza.

From Santa Fe to Las Vegas, NM, across the grassland ranches, to Tucumcari to Amarillo, Texas, Childress, Vernon and Wichita Falls, and back into Dallas…what fun, adventure and excitement…but it’s good to be back home for a few days…then the adventure continues!

Ed Foreman
Earlene Vining
Bryan Vining

Sometimes we get so caught up in getting things done that we forget to enjoy the process that leads to accomplishment.

There was a movie a year or so ago (I won’t tell you the name of the movie so I don’t spoil it if you haven’t seen it yet). The teacher was telling the student that there was something really cool to see at the top of this mountain trail. It took three hours to get there. All along the way, the student was excited and having fun, looking forward to seeing this really cool thing. When they got to the top, the student asked, “ok, what’s so cool?”. The teacher looked around and said “This rock is really interesting.” The student was visibly disappointed. The teacher said “but you’ve been excited and happy for the last 3 hours.” The lesson being, of course, to enjoy the getting there.

When you go to a movie… Do you go to “get it done”? Do you sit down in the theater and say “I hope we can get this movie over with quickly!”. No, of course not. We go to the theater to enjoy the plot unfolding, to enjoy the experience of the large screen, expansive sound, (and the good snacks).

As you’re planning your vacation, do you review your itinerary saying “We’re going to go there, there, there, and then back home. Oh wait, we are already home. There’s no reason to go, we have already accomplished the vacation.” Silly, right? The whole point of the vacation is to enjoy the trip, not to get it done.

We would be so much happier if we would just “enjoy the ride” no matter what we’re doing…working, eating, driving…whatever it is.

Enjoy the ride!

Want to know how to increase your wealth mentality, feel good, and help out a deserving person, all at the same time?

Leave a big tip when you go out to eat.

Very often, an extra $10 or $15 means quite a lot more to your waiter or waitress than it would to you or me.

They are working very hard for very little money. They may carry heavy trays or hot plates all day. They often have to put up with abusive customers. And still they put on a happy face and treat you like a guest.

These waiters and waitresses are not looking for a hand out. They are working for every cent they get.

The next time you go out to eat, take a few minutes to observe the person waiting on you. Watch how they take care of several parties at the same time. Notice their attitude when they talk to you. Most of the time, if you do this, you will get a new perspective on what they do.

When they do a good job, give them a bigger tip than what is expected. You’ll see someone seeing themselves with renewed self esteem. You’ll be helping a deserving person out. And you’ll feel good for brightening another person’s day. It will make you feel wealthy, too.

Where else can you do so much for so little?

The July 2009 edition of Success Magazine features Ed Foreman in the Success Legend Series. R. Todd Eliason writes an excellent synopsis of Ed’s life and successes.

Also, in the same issue, Darren Hardy, publisher of Success Magazine, interviews Ed Foreman on the CD/DVD included free inside the magazine.

Save 65% off the newstand price by subscribing to Success Magazine here »

I was in Ed Foreman’s office the other day and during the course of the conversation he turned to me and said “What’s the best good thing that’s been going on with you?”

I’m sorry to say that I had to stop and think about the answer. Knowing Ed, I should not have been surprised by the question. You see, Ed teaches this in the Successful Life Course and in many of the CDs.

Most people ask “How are you?” or “How are things going?”

There are two types of answers to this question. The most common answer is “Fine, how are you?”, which really conveys no information at all. The other type of answer usually involves some long explanation of how bad things are going.

When you are asked “What’s the best good thing that’s been going on?” you first have to think of the GOOD things that are happening. Sadly, that’s not what we spend most of our time thinking about. Thinking about the good things in your life makes you feel better, and talking about good things makes for a positive conversation that lifts everybody’s spirits.

Ed even suggests that a weekly staff meeting begin with a “Good Things Report” where each attendee takes a minute or two to talk about the positive things, either personally or professionally, happening in that person’s life. This makes for a much more positive and productive meeting.

Aside from making you feel better at the time, this question makes you want to look for the good things as you go through your day to day life. I know that I’ll be talking with Ed again, and you can bet I will have good things to talk about.

Now I ask you the question…
What’s the best GOOD thing that’s been going on with you?