5 Attributes of an Expert

Sunday, September 21st, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Greetings Adventurers!

I’ve been thinking about a topic like this for a while and with all of the changes in the economy and the world for that matter, it’s important to remember that one of the things we can personally do is have forward thinking and not be short sighted by the current events, especially from this past week. No doubt that it’s serious and that the effect will be long lasting, I get that, however it doesn’t mean that we give up and stay consumed by the constant media coverage. Like many of you I have been watching more news than usual and have succumbed to the gloom and darkness of it at moments, however I made a conscious effort to stop and get back to focus. I am choosing the view from 30,000 feet and remembering words like Perseverance, Faith, Focus and Mindfulness.

So, to get back to the topic at hand:

Below is a list of 5 Attributes of an Expert and as you’ll see I’ve included some notes on how they pertain to my line of work as a travel, spa & wellness writer and spa vacation expert, however they can be translated to any industry and although there are more, let’s start with these:

1. Stress Manager
If I’m working on a spa vacation, this means planning and handling everything for my client. From guiding them through the process of gathering information and the best rates and promotions, however it also means making sure that it’s the right fit for their needs and goals, thus eliminating the stress of seeking information from various resources and eliminating the confusion from reviewing all of it.

2. Caring, Personal and Thoughtful
This is one of the best responses I’ve ever received from a client, she said “You sound like I want to feel when I get through this week. You sound very confident, positive.” Wow – I had no idea that I conveyed that and what a fulfulling thing to hear. So with #2 I really mean this – are you communicating that you care? Are you identifying with your client and really hearing their personal needs and wants?

3. Passionate
Do you love what you do? Spa is my life….I live it, I breathe it and I am spa! I know, that might sound a little over the top, however when we are passionate about something it comes through us and we attract like minded people and people that will benefit from our knowledge. We all know this, yet do we convey this in our lives? My expertise is lifted because of my passion. Spa is a lifestyle for me as it connects my personal and professional life.

4. Confident
Being an expert means having a confidence in what you are doing. Connecting with someone and really listening to what they’re saying helps in making the suggestion that is right for them. There is a level of trust because they can hear it in your voice. Their confidence in you will lead to referrals and as we know, word of mouth is the best form of advertising. With that said, we have to have a confidence in ourselves as well so if you have a day where you’re a little off your game, take a look at those testimonials and thank you notes from existing clients and notice the immediate boost!

5. Time is of the Essence
We are all busy, and seeking an expert saves time. When someone calls I can answer all kinds of questions based on my knowledge. I know the promotions going on at most of the spas, I know the nuances of each, I know what they offer, and more. There is value in knowledge and value in saving my clients the time and effort and yes, even #1 above…stress….over finding the right spa for their needs. In a lot of cases the rate may be the same whether they call the spa or call me, however isn’t it better to know that you have someone who is unbiased and knowledgeable in the field and someone that will listen and be their ‘counselor’ to be sure it is the right fit?

That’s one of the greatest benefits of seeking an expert – being that ‘go to’ person. Being the person that cares and has your best interest in mind. There are times that monetary savings are greater because of the knowledge of an expert.

There are many benefits in seeking an expert and I’ve only touched on a few here. If you have any comments, please send them to me and I’ll include them in a future update.

I am grateful to be in an industry that helps people change their lives for the better……I work with people looking for spas to help them with weight loss, jumpstart fitness, stress reduction, smoking cessation, disease prevention and control, finding joy and other healthy living goals. My vision and purpose is to promote healthy living through spa vacations and assist clients with planning so that they can take that first step that could ultimately change their life for the better.

Congratulations Rancho la Puerta

Friday, September 19th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

For those of you who follow some of the travel and spa magazines you may have seen that Rancho la Puerta (Tecate, Mexico) was just named the top spa in North America by the readers of Spa Finder.

So in honor of this award I thought I’d include a short review that I did based on my last stay at this resort. Feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment here with any questions about Rancho la Puerta.

Rancho la Puerta, Tecate, Mexico – by Donna Mantone-Adinolfi

Rancho la Puerta began in 1940 by Edward and Deborah Szekely and is located south of San Diego, California in Tecate, Mexico. It is the original destination fitness resort and spa and has offered a life changing experience for thousands for over 65 years. Every week, over 100 guests come together to hike, breathe, relax and go beyond their boundaries. Guests come to know one another, share experiences and enjoy a week of healthy vegetarian cuisine, physical activity and mindful moments. There are many opportunities to contemplate life including walking in the full size replica of the ancient labyrinth found in Chartres Cathedral in France. In walking the labyrinth you come upon many turns and just as in life you can’t anticipate where you will turn and where it will lead. Every turn can bring you into a new destination. This truly was a lesson in being in the moment and focusing on each step and breath. Rancho la Puerta offers an abundance of fitness classes, hiking opportunities for the beginner to advanced, cooking demos, lectures and plenty of options for pampering in their health centers. Different people come to the Ranch for different reasons, all of which have meaning. Some come for the fitness opportunities, others to relax and rejuvenate and others for healing. The Ranch has stayed true to its’ core. Fitness is the basis of a week at the Ranch balanced with relaxation, healthy eating and reflection. There is much that lures guests to Rancho la Puerta including Mount Kuchumaa, which Native Americans consider a sacred place. And it is a sacred place. I’m inspired and transformed from my time at the Ranch.

© Copyright 2006 Donna M. Mantone-Adinolfi – All rights reserved.

Hope vs. Faith

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Wellness encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and to go further you could say financial health and healthy relationships. So, with that said, we’ll have discussions from time to time on these different topics.

I’m really curious to hear what many of you have to say about this today’s title of Hope vs. Faith. I’ve been struggling with this lately and realize that I’ve been spending most of my mental energy on ‘hope/hoping’ i.e. wanting things to happen in a positive way vs. ‘trusting’ i.e. knowing that positive things are occuring now, which is having faith. We all have different understandings and I would really like to hear what you have to say. Look at it as an outlet to express yourself and maybe find inspiration from others or perhaps inspire others.

I’m more focused on walking in faith right now than ever before. Does the water have to get so rough before we step out in true faith and really believe? The clouds may be heavy, however the sun is always there…I know this is sounding a little cliché, however just another point to make. I believe that God, the universe, and/or a higher power have a hand in guiding us and that meditation is a key to understanding, direction and enlightenment, however I also believe that we must take action to further create the life that we want and in order to move forward we must have faith. I’m certain we all agree that there are obstacles along the way and we’ve all had challenges (some much bigger than others) causing us to ask those questions…like why and what now?

Share your thoughts on Hope and Faith. Do you have examples of when you stepped out in faith and what it was like? Do hope and faith go hand in hand? If you are hopeful, isn’t it still important to have faith?

Basic definitions from Wikipedia:
Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life. Hope implies a certain amount of despair, wanting, wishing, suffering or perseverance — i.e., believing that a better or positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary.

Faith is a belief in the trustworthiness of an idea. Formal usage of the word “faith” is usually reserved for concepts of religion, as in theology, where it almost universally refers to a trusting belief in a transcendent reality, or else in a Supreme Being and said being’s role in the order of transcendent, spiritual things.

Informal usage of the word “faith” can be quite broad, and may be used standardly in place of either as “trust,” “belief,” or “hope”. As with “trust,” faith involves a concept of future events or outcomes.

An article that I found helpful: http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2006/3693.html

I’ll be updating you with more positive ideas about this topic. Thanks for your input. – Donna

“Faith is to believe what we do not see; and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.”- Saint Augustine

We have take-off!

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 | Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Today is a pretty important day….it’s the ’soft launch’ or I guess I should say the ‘re-launch’ of this site. It’s a labor of love, it’s a dream come true and above all it’s from years of planning and finding the courage to finally take the leap of faith and just get it out there! It isn’t finished, when is a site ever really finished? New ideas come to mind and with perseverance, discipline, a positive belief system and trusting vs. hoping, they come to fruition and appear on the site.

So, with that said, welcome to the new edition of Mindful Adventures. And there’s so much more to come. Check back every so often and discover something new.

Thank you for dropping by.