Life on the Road – Trucking News Blog

Really? If you think someone actually has the solutions to all of your problems, I have a few ebooks to sell you. This is going to be more of how to find your own solutions. If you feel like you have lost control of your life, your country and your job, there are a few things you can do.

Let’s cut out a few things we have no control over. If you’ve ever been in a recovery program, the Serenity Prayer will sound familiar.

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

It actually goes on, follow the link for the rest. Accepting or ignoring the things you can’t change will take a load off your mind and you’ll be able to concentrate on the things that matter and the things you are able to change.

G-I, G-O

Dr. Buck has mentioned it before and it’s been mentioned elsewhere by other names, but I’m going to call it, Garbage In, Garbage, Out. If you’re sitting in your truck for hours and hours listening to politics and trucking talk shows, you’re going to get depressed, because it seems like you can’t do anything about everything that’s going on and all of the stuff you do, no one listens.

Getting Involved Helps

If your personal and family life are completely under control and you want to fix the rest of the country, get involved. Don’t just sit there, get really involved. Help out and get involved in your local party (even if it’s a Tea Party) and with local leaders you want to support. Solutions are going to come from the local level. Starting a blog and tweeting about politics and what others should be doing, you’re not solving anything. You’re venting, complaining and bitching, but you’re not solving anything and you will still feel out of control.

Take a Break

If you’re feeling out of control, change the channel once in awhile and take a break, you won’t miss anything. You can take a break from trucking and political shows for a couple months, go back and they’re still talking about the same stuff. Rush and Dale can live without you for a few weeks, you’re family needs you in the best frame of mind (and shape) as possible.

Have a Plan

If you read about some of the successful people and what they do, one of the key points is, write down a plan and write down your goals. Even if you don’t write them down, make a plan and involve your partner. The plan my wife and I came up with was very clear and with only a few changes, it’s still coming together, but we know what to do next. Plan for the worse (hope for the best) so you’ll be ready and it won’t catch you off guard. Plan what will happen if you lose your truck now and you’ll feel more in control if that event happens.

Too Much Stuff Going On

A lot of the feelings of depression come from feeling overwhelmed and out of control. Have a plan you and your partner come up with and it will give you the confidence you can tackle the next problem life throws at you.

Money Issues

If you have a money problem, the only way to fix it is to get more income or cut expenses. Period. There are thousands of people trying to sell you the magic bean of getting rich. Stop looking for get rich quick schemes, work at home careers you have to pay for and start looking for work. You’d be surprised that even with high unemployment, those that want to work are able to find work.

Volunteer

Honestly can’t find work? Volunteer. Work for free. Find a favorite charity and donate your time. It beats sitting around the house watching People’s Court. The best thing you can do to forget about your problems is to help others with their problems. Plus it allows you to keep active and any networking is a good thing. The best jobs are from word of mouth. You never know who you’ll meet that may lead to your next job. You’re not going to meet them sitting at home depressed watching Deal or No Deal reruns.

Cut, Cut and Cut Some More

Cut the expenses to the bone. Are you complaining about money when you have a satellite dish on top of your truck? Satellite or premium cable are the first things that can be cut. Basic cable has plenty of channels or even a slightly larger package so you still get Trick My Truck and the History Channel. Sell the DVR and watch old shows on the Internet. There’s Hulu.com and most major networks have some of their old shows online. Rent a movie once in awhile instead of paying for movie channels.

Cell Plans

Check your cell plan to make sure you’re getting the most value and if you’re contract is almost up, look around at other options or even carriers. If you’re paying for 1500 minutes and you’re using it all on one or two people, get everyone on the same network. A few carriers have come up with plans that allow unlimited time to a few numbers, no matter the network. Get your wife, girlfriend and your dispatcher in your calling circle and cut your plan.

Cell plans can be confusing, but make the effort to examine what you’re paying and what options (text and data etc…) you need and don’t need and may still be paying for. It will be worth the effort.

A Little Shelter

I’m paraphrasing from Dave Ramsey (again), but concentrate on what’s important, shelter and food. You and your family need shelter. If you can’t afford what you’re in right now because of whatever reason, look for something else. Rent something smaller, if you have too much stuff – Garage Sale or donate. Make your home as financially secure as you can.

Food

Food storage may sound like nut case survivalist talk, but saving for a rainy day will give you peace of mind. Simple, basic stuff like a power outage that closes the grocery stores for a few days will put everyone else in a panic, except for you.

Do you have some acreage? Great, you probably already have a garden. If not, you really should. Don’t have acres of land? There are plenty of options for gardens that take up little space. Once you have a garden, enjoy the fresh fruits, veggies or even herbs and spices,but also learn the long forgotten art of canning and other food storage techniques. Gardening and canning are one of those things that will take your mind off of your problems, concentrate on something else and give you a sense of empowerment and accomplishment.

Be in Charge or Your Life

This is only a start and I’m open to any ideas anyone else has about this. I’m no expert, but I do know what works for me and coming up with a realistic plan that involved any contingency we could come up with and planning for has saved the stress in ourselves and our relationship. There are still plenty of things to get stressed about, but at least we’ve cut the list down to a somewhat manageable size.

With all of the talk about the Depression, mine and many of your grandparents or even parents lived through it. My grandparents lived through it and especially now, I keep thinking how history goes around in cycles. It’s our turn to live through the depression and tell our grandchildren, except many of us have forgotten the stories and lessons of our grandparents and will have to learn them for ourselves. Maybe in one of these cycles, we’ll have the collective memory to avoid this problem.

Got Solutions?

Yes, you do. Stop looking at others for answers and start looking within yourself. You’ve got the best answer for you and your family, you may not think you do right now, you only have to take the time to look and listen for the answers. Most of the time, they will not come in the form of a light bulb over your head. You come up with a solution and think about it for a while, think about all of the angles, then come back to it in a few days, discuss it with each other and see if it still looks like a good plan for you and your family. Yes, you can meditate, pray, whatever works for you by clearing your mind of the clutter and really listening, thinking and planning.

Got Ideas?

Let’s hear them. Ideas about anything, we would love to hear about them in the comments. Or if I’m totally nuts and out of my mind, I need to know that too. But it works for me and like I said, it’s still a work in progress.