Bud Ronsse, CFP¬Æ came from St. Mary's in Northeastern Kansas.  He graduated from KSTC (now Emporia State University) in 1973.  Unique jobs include working on a Gandy gang on the railroad for a summer and being a cleanup man in a beef packing plant during a college school year.  Both positions inspired him to complete his college education.  After college he spent time selling industrial maintenance equipment, selling heavy construction equipment (cranes, back hoes, concrete road building equipment, etc.) and selling wholesale marine accessories.  The aforementioned jobs all required high travel.  He entered the financial planning profession in 1982 and prior to working with Oklahoma State Bank starting in 1995, he was a division manager for Waddell & Reed, a national Financial Services Organization.He came to Northeast Oklahoma because of the lake and business opportunity and will stay because of the people.  He and his wife Janie also manage a small private  resort, which they originally purchased in 1988.  They have two sons.  The oldest Jason and his wife & 3 children are located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Jason is a career Air Force weatherman. The younger Jeff and his wife and two children are located in Tulsa. Jeff is a CPA and senior manager with BKD. Their only other child is a trim 100lb Lab mix of their home.

Psychologist Ethel Roskies suggests the following guidelines for coping with daily stresses in your life:

1. Eat your elephant one bite at a time. Break your problems into small pieces to make them easier to tackle.

2. Be realistic in your expectations. Don't expect to be able to do everything in one day.

3. Attack problems, not people. Don't blame or try to change others. Try to change yourself and your situation.

4. Avoid the perfection trap. It's the enemy of accomplishment and impossible to achieve.

5. Stop rushing, start planning. Modern life is fraught with choices, so learn to prioritize.

6. Don't waste $10 worth of energy on a $2 problem. Choose your battles wisely to conserve time and energy.

7. Take regular relaxation breaks over the course of the day. Go for a walk around the office or perform two minutes of deep breathing.

8. Learn to limit "yes" answers. You don‚t have to be everything to everyone.

9. Build pleasure into every day. We all need personal time to do things we enjoy. Get up half an hour early‚before the kids‚to exercise, read or take a bath. Start the day off with a positive frame of mind.

10. Give yourself as much praise and encouragement as you would a valued friend. Stop being so hard on yourself.

So, you've traveled halfway around the world, and now you want to attend a club meeting to get to know local Rotarians? Here's all you need to do:

STEP 1: Get the facts Check the Official Directory or use the Club Locator at www.rotary.org to get club contact details, including e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and meeting times and places. All are subject to change.

STEP 2: Make contact Call or e-mail ahead to let the club know you are coming. You could just show up, but you might miss out on a great local meal. (Some clubs need you to contribute, or they might just run out of food.)

STEP 3: Show up That's it! If you're a club member in good standing, you're welcome at any Rotary club meeting, any time, any place.

What if you've traveled so far that no clubs are around, or a club meeting time just doesn' work out? Fortunately, you've got options. You can attend a regular meeting of a local Rotaract or Interact club, Rotary Community Corps, or Rotary Fellowship; you can participate in certain RI, district, or club activities; or you can log on for a virtual activity with a Rotary e-club.