One is that after 9/11 many departments have increased patrols. The additional police presence is to assure public that efforts are being taken to prevent terrorist attacks like recent sniper killings. The other reason is that cities and states are faced with budget deficits in these tough economic times. Since traffic tickets are a politically correct form of taxation, many jurisdictions are increasing fines as a means of balancing books.

A traffic officer will cost his department average of $75,000 per year while he can be expected to issue between $150,000 to $200,000 in speeding ticket citations. There are few businesses that can equal that rate of return. Some towns like New Rome, Ohio and Waldo, Florida take in over 70% of their entire town budget through speeding tickets.

What does this mean to you, safe driver who has not received a traffic citation in years? It means that you are now more likely than ever to see those dreaded blue lights flashing in your rear view. If that does happen you need to know that true cost of a speeding ticket has changed drastically in last few years.

Consider Mary, a successful sales representative who enjoys perk of a company car. She travels extensively and has received four speeding tickets in last three years. She considers herself a safe driver and in each instance was traveling with flow of traffic on interstate. She has 9 out of 12 points on her driver's license. Imagine her surprise when her company's insurance carrier refused to allow Mary to drive a company car. The company obtained supplemental insurance but Mary had to pay extra $1600.

While there are many secrets to success, they are only secrets until you know about them. I’m about to let you in on a little known "secret" shared by many successful people.

Ask any person who has already succeeded in their chosen field, and they could likely provide you with name of at least one other person who has inspired them in their success. This is process of mentoring.

Mentoring can occur in whatever field you have chosen for yourself, be it business, healthcare, trades or even parenting.

You may be wondering what exactly is mentoring? Formal mentoring involves a close personal relationship with someone who has succeeded in your chosen field. A mentor is someone who is doing what you want to do, or, more specifically, being how you want to be.

A quality mentor generously shares their knowledge and resources. They may live by philosophy of ’More for All, Less for None’. They consider themselves successful when their mentees (that would be you) succeed.

A mentor agrees to take you under their wing and show you ropes, so to speak. They share their own resources with you, help you develop your own, teach you to develop critical decision-making skills, and simply provide you with moral support in your journey towards success.

There are formal organizational structures that match up mentors and mentees, particularly in student situations. Sometimes, too, a mentoring relationship develops casually, in work and parenting situations. This is also just as effective.

You can set up a formal mentoring relationship on your own, if this is what suits you. To do so involves identifying and approaching someone you would like to be your mentor, someone who’s qualities and abilities you admire. A formal mentoring relationship is a time/energy commitment. As mentioned previously, though, most successful people have been helped in this manner themselves and acknowledge benefits of giving in a mentoring situation.

Mentoring is a truly reciprocal situation. As a mentee (again, that would be you!), you may feel you are getting more than you are giving. You really need to just allow mentor to give. Your job is to gratefully receive all they have to offer. No greater gift could be given to a mentor, than for them to see their mentee succeed.