The Best Places to Travel for Christmas
It is no secret that finding the perfect spot to spend the holidays can be a life-changing experience. Whether you’re looking to spend the holidays visiting Michelin-starred restaurants or relaxing in a cozy ski resort surrounded by snowcapped peaks, here are just a few great places to celebrate this wonderful time of year. Truly, these stunning locations can provide visitors with holiday memories that will last a lifetime.
1. Sun Valley, Idaho
Once the stomping grounds of everyone from Ernest Hemingway to well-heeled aristocrats looking to get in a bit of skiing practice, Sun Valley remains one of the most beautiful Christmas destinations in the United States. Local ski runs are famous for their natural splendor and challenging terrain, and sites like the Sun Valley Lodge still provide visitors to the region with sumptuous dinner services and charming opportunities for ice skating and sleigh-riding.
2. London, England
Perhaps no location is more associated with the stuff of Christmas legend than London, England. Starting around the beginning of December, historic neighborhoods like Hampstead and Knightsbridge (home to ever-popular Harrods department store) are lit up like Christmas trees, and old haunts of writers like Charles Dickens such as Fleet Street and Piccadilly Circus look like something straight out of an age-old Christmas tale.
3. Manhattan, New York City
Manhattan can provide visitors with one of the most quintessential Christmas experiences imaginable. During the holidays, areas of midtown like the Central Park skating rink and Rockefeller Center seem to embody the very spirit of Christmas, and a night out at one of the city’s long-running seasonal shows like George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker” is a veritable New York Christmas tradition. Store displays at New York landmarks like Tiffany & Co. and FAO Schwarz are also must-sees when visiting this historic area; no place in the world does Christmas cheer quite like Manhattan.
4. Paris, France
Strolling around the historic streets of Paris on a chilly December night, visitors could be forgiven for believing themselves to have been whisked away into the pages of a Christmas storybook. As the city celebrates the holiday season, visitors will be treated to a feast of charming decorations and stunning cultural opportunities.
Originally posted on MaxGrelier.org
How Entrepreneurs Can Use the Weekends to Prepare for the Week Ahead
TGIF! Everybody loves making it to quitting time on Friday evening. As a business owner, you may have fallen into the trap of thinking that you have to be hyper focused on nurturing your business 24/7 which has left you working yourself into a state of frustration and burnout. Here are some things you can do on your weekends that can benefit your business, give you a boost for the upcoming week, and provide the reset that we all crave on weekends.
Don’t Sleep In
Wait a minute. Isn’t this supposed ego be an article about resting and regrouping for the upcoming week? What could be better for that than sleeping until noon on Saturday?! Actually, getting up within 1 hour of your typical wake up time is more beneficial for your internal clock than sleeping for 12 hours 1 or 2 nights a week. You don’t have to roll out of bed at normal time and get to work on weekends, but you should still get up around your normal time.
Focus on Friends and Family
It is vital for your mental and emotional wellbeing that your nurture relationships with people in your life who aren’t customers or clients. Not only does it develop the support system you need in your personal life as an entrepreneur, it ensures that you maintain the ability to function outside of a professional environment. Don’t be afraid to spend hours talking about things that have nothing to do with your business. Every event is not a networking event.
Learn Something New
As an entrepreneur, you are business focused from the minute you unlock the door on Monday morning until you turn off the lights on Friday evenings. Spending some time on weekends learning and developing new skills serves 2 purposes: first of all, it breaks the monotony of your business based thought patterns, and secondly, it opens you up to alternative, creative thinking. These new ways of thinking can positively impact the way that you operate your business.
You don’t have to work your weekends away in the name of benefitting your business. Take these steps for your personal growth and watch them provide a boost to your business.
Originally posted on MaxGrelier.net
Essential Skills Real Estate Developers Need to Have
Running a business in the market today demands entrepreneurs to have sufficient technical knowledge. In the real estate sector, things are not any different, as real estate investors should possess valuable business management skills. Possession of these vital skills gives the entrepreneur the necessary competitive edge required to guarantee sustainable success. Here is an overview of the important skills and characteristics required of every investor in real estate.
Competency in education
Education is the foundation that offers every investor an opportunity to gain the required skills. Having both the basic and advanced education in related areas, such as civil engineering, urban planning, business real estate, or even architecture, gives the entrepreneur an opportunity to become relevant. Basic education guarantees a sufficient understanding of the dynamics of the real estate industry.
Competency in handling people
Every business thrives through competently handling people, especially customers. As a real estate investor, it is important to possess excellent people-handling and customer-handling skills. Competency in communication and interpersonal skills, for example, guarantees that the real estate investor is able to grow and cultivate fruitful relations.
Competency in risk tolerance
The real estate sector is particularly prone to numerous risks. Competency in risk-taking is one of the key character traits of successful real estate investors. To thrive in such a delicate industry, the investor must be able to tolerate certain levels of risks, such as investing in an entirely new market.
Creativity skills
Creativity and authenticity guarantee sustainable growth in the real estate sector. Competency, when it comes to creating real estate solutions, is crucial. The investors should understand the dynamics of demand in certain markets and the accompanying population demographics in order to create a unique proposition for customers.
Competency in decision-making
Decisions are made in businesses from day-to-day. The ability to make sound decisions while considering the multiple factors that should be weighed in is indispensable. It gives the investor an opportunity to make prompt and quality decisions on certain important aspects of business, such as when to take a loan or when to make a move to invest in a new market.
For real estate investors, possessing these vital skills and characteristics can easily guarantee the longevity of existence as well as market competency. Most of these skills are not taught in class and should, therefore, be cultivated by amassing experience.
Originally posted to MaxGrelier.com
How You Can Become a Successful Real Estate Developer
Becoming a real estate developer takes more than gathering a good source of capital and developing a solid business plan. While those things are important, your attitude and your ability to network will also play a part in determining your success. Try embodying the following qualities to help you get further in reaching your real estate development goals.
Forge Lasting Relationships
You never know who will become an important ally in your development career in years to come, so your goal should be to treat everyone as though they’re vital to your success. One day, a land surveyor or one of your own tenants may be in a position to either help or hinder your success.
Get the Help You Need
As much as you may want to try to do everything by yourself, you will need help. Just a few of the professionals whose services you’ll need to retain may include real estate attorneys, land surveyors, architects, electrical and plumbing contractors, and financial advisors. As you gain more experience, you may learn enough skills to allow you to do some of these tasks yourself, but, as you start out, you will need to rely on more professional services.
Don’t Be Afraid to Take the Lead
Every development project is going to have problems and that will be true even after you have years of experience. Your ability to succeed will depend on how well you take the lead and come up with solutions to those problems. You’ll have to become a skilled problem solver and hone your ability to come up with creative solutions in a hurry.
Learn to Reduce Risks
Finally, you’ll have to learn how to assess and confront the risks for each project. There will always be risks associated with real estate investing, but doing your due diligence can give you the insight needed to reduce those risks. This is another skill that you’ll have to develop over time, but, as long as you learn from your mistakes, you’ll develop your own strategies for reducing the risks.Developing these traits will help you become a better real estate developer over time.
As you begin, you will have the opportunity to learn and develop the skills you’ll need to succeed. As long as you’re open to these learning experiences and can accept help when you need it, you will have a positive experience as a real estate developer.
Originally published on MaxGrelier.com
What NOT to Pack When You Travel
Travel can be fun, but there’s always an element of work. The logistics of packing and getting to the airport on time aren’t the only issues at stake, either. There’s also the possibility of lost luggage, items bursting in bags and other considerations. One way to solve some of these issues is just to cut back. By packing less, travelers can actually reduce stress during their trips. Carrying less can ultimately mean doing more.
This can sound counter-intuitive. Everyone remembers the Boy Scout slogan, “Be Prepared!” People want to pack enough so they’re not caught short when they’re in an unfamiliar location. However, some common items might not even work for people when they’re abroad. Others will just take up space without adding much to the journey. There are some items that can generally be jettisoned when packing.
Toiletries are a big one. Most hotels provide items like soaps and shampoos for their guests. You can even get ask the front desk for a toothbrush and toothpaste. An AirBnb may not, but the host will be able to point you toward the nearest drugstore. There’s almost no reason to haul items like shampoo and conditioner across long distances. Of course, for people with special concerns or skin conditions, this may be unavoidable. The rest of the world should leave these goods at home.
Hairdryers are too bulky. They also likely won’t work in another country, so they’re completely impractical for overseas travel. Hairdryers are another item that’s standard at most hotels, hostels and AirBnbs. There’s no good reason to pack one.
It’s also a good idea to limit how many outfits are packed. Think about the purpose of the trip. Is it for business? Consider leaving shorts and jeans at home. Is it a backpacking excursion? It’s safe to assume a suit or dress won’t be used. Some hotel chains, like Westin, offer workout gear rental. That’s another set of items that can be left at home.
The final things to not bring include anything that might be needed. It’s a good idea to bring a rain poncho, hat and umbrella in case the weather changes. However, most other items simply won’t get used. Again, even in the worst-case scenario, items like sunscreen, ponchos, sun-hats and umbrellas are available in cities around the world.With these tips, hopefully you can explore new sights and places without the burden of heavy and unnecessary luggage bags.
Originally posted on MaxGrelier.org
Remaining Motivated as an Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship requires a level of perseverance that can tax the mind and body. With any enterprise of multi-faceted endeavor, it is vital to be able to renew motivation through every phase of the project. When things get rough, entrepreneurs can turn to these habits to stay motivated.
Get Rested
It’s easy to overlook the value of quality downtime. Shutting off the higher functioning of the mind allows the brain to enter into a restorative state and unwind from the high-intensity thinking from the day. Setting time for laziness, extra sleep, or a few hours of mulling around are beneficial for the brain. Giving these breathers helps to ensure that when it’s time to resume hard work mode, the brain is ready too.Absorb
Motivation From Others
There are a multitude of sources of motivation floating around the internet in the form of motivational quotes, blogs, or social media posts. These can be easily added to a routine of refueling the tank of motivation. Sometimes all it takes is a string of well put together words, speaking to the desire for dreams to be achieved and empathizing with the struggle of that achievement to break through a rut or downward spiral.
Write Goals and Journal Progress
There is a potent power in putting words to paper. It makes them more real, concrete and takes them out of the brain. Putting down the main goals of the day, week or quarter has a powerful effect on the ability to achieve them. It can be then taken further to breaking them down into small milestones. When these milestones are reached they should also be jotted and celebrated. Having a growing list of achievements can rival the itching feeling or a growing to-do list or a backlog of mistakes.
Find Motivating Friends
Few things are more inspiring than a person who is brimming with energy and ideas they are glad to share with others. Having a set of friends or a community of like-minded individuals with aspirations and passion makes this type of energy contagious. Trying to be the constant fuel and spark to a large project can be overwhelming. When things don’t seem to light, other illuminating individuals can help get things going again.
Sometimes it can be challenging to stay motivated as an entrepreneur, especially when you are first starting out. Keeping these tips in my when times get tough and you will be able to emerge triumphally from on the other side.
Originally posted on MaxGrelier.net
Max Grelier 