#BusinessTravel #travel #coronavirus #COVID19 #FlattenTheCurve #pandemic
Many people who had traveled frequently for their jobs have not been able to during the pandemic.
That scenario is a nightmare for hotels, airlines and others in the hospitality industry that banked on big-time business travel.
To add insult to injury, there may be less personal travel during the holiday season.
For business travelers themselves, it’s a mixed blessing. The good news is they are home more often. The bad news: they can’t accumulate hotel, airline and other points for free travel and accommodations for leisure.
The Associated Press discussed this in an article that was also published Nov. 12, 2020, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Traveling for business was considered a necessity, albeit an expensive one, for companies who wanted representatives to have face-to-face meetings with clients. In-person meetings are always better than virtual meetings, but to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the virtual meeting became a way of life.
So as companies evaluate the safety, cost and necessity of business travel, there will likely be a “new normal,” experts say.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian expects the new normal for business travel to be down 10 percent to 20 percent, the article says.
“I do think corporate travel is going to come back faster than people suspect. I just don’t know if it will come back to full volume,” the article quotes Bastian.
Dubai-based MBC Group, which operates 19 television stations, believes it’s unlikely that employees will travel as often, because they’ve shown they don’t need to, the article says.
So what does this mean for you? If you don’t travel for your job, but work in the hospitality or transportation industry, it could mean job cutbacks.
If you had a job for which you traveled a good bit, and your company sees that travel is no longer as essential as it thought it was, you need to be concerned for your job. With the advent of companies like Salesforce, and others, the need for sales representatives who meet clients on the road becomes dicey.
The good news here, especially if you are directly affected by this, is there are many other ways to generate an income, regardless of your education, background or experience. Be you a hotel housekeeper, maitre d’ or a highly paid company representative or pilot, you can learn about these programs and get a head start preparing for the new normal, which could put your current job in peril.
To learn about one of the best of these programs, message me.
Transportation and hospitality are getting hammered by the pandemic. They will have to adjust to encourage, perhaps, more leisure travel. Perhaps they can create scenarios in which people who are doing their jobs remotely can do them from , say, a nice beach or mountain locale, rather than from a cramped city apartment or suburban house.
It will require some innovation and imagination, but it can be done.
Meanwhile, the working person may have to adjust as well. Those folks may have to use their imaginations to examine different ways to earn an income.
Remember, too, that any kind of government aid will be temporary. It will be up to each person to come up with a more permanent solution to his or her own situation. That person will need to find something that he or she can do during and after the pandemic, that will keep going when the next pandemic comes.
Peter
Author Archives: pbilodeau01
LUXURY HOME SALES SOAR DURING PANDEMIC
#HomeSales #LuxuryHomeSales #coronavirus #COVID19 #FlattenTheCurve #pandemic
Demand for luxury homes rose 42 percent I the third quarter of 2020.
That’s according to a Bloomberg News article, also published Oct. 14, 2020, in The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
“While banks tighten credit for first-time buyers, the pandemic is hammering Americans who don’t have the privilege of working remotely,” the article says.
But for those with more portable jobs, or the wealthier among us, it’s very different.
“The wealthy are benefiting from a surging stock market and mortgage rates near record lows,” the article says.
And, those with jobs that allow them to work from home are looking for more space to do that.
“The luxury housing market normally takes a hit during recessions as wealthy Americans tighten their purse strings, but this isn’t a normal recession,” the article quotes Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin, a real estate Web site.
As we ponder this, it begs the question: where do you fit in?
Are you one of those who has a job he or she must go to outside the home? Are you wanting to buy a house, but are running into balky banks who fear that your job will not be stable for the long term?
Or, are you a person who can work remotely, but, perhaps, that job, combined with having to educate kids from home etc., is eating you alive?
Or, are you afraid of getting sick just by conducting what you see as a normal life?
If any of these descriptions fits you, and you are motivated to change your life, know that there are many vehicles out there that can allow you to do that. And, you can take advantage of these programs from the comfort of your home – luxurious or not. The only requirement you need is the willingness to check them out.
To learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
Many of us dream of perhaps having a different home, with more space. Some of us may not necessarily want more space, but may want to live someplace different.
No matter your situation, you have the ability to make changes should you want to. You can’t do much about the pandemic, but you can adapt to the conditions it presents, and potentially prosper while adapting.
Or, you can curse the pandemic and wallow in your circumstances.
Which type of person are you?
Do you swallow, wallow and curse your circumstances? Or, are you the type to take matters into your own hands, and use adverse circumstances to make your life better?
Certainly, dealing with a pandemic is not easy. Sacrifices must be made to preserve one’s life and livelihood. But it may also be a time to evaluate what was your “normal,” and determine whether it was worth re-creating.
Sometimes, one has to think outside the box to package his or her life differently. A pandemic may be the perfect time to evaluate your packaging, and, perhaps, improve it accordingly.
Peter
GRIT VS. GRIFT
#grit #grift #success #dreams
There are some who succeed because of grit.
Others use grift to fein success.
One is an honest pursuit.
The other, not so much.
When one has grit, he or she goes for success honestly, often taking others with him or her.
When one uses grift, whatever success he or she attains is at the expense of others.
If you have, or cultivate, grit, you can do most anything your God-given talents will allow you to. Even without much talent, there are ways to achieve success simply through grit.
Some of those success methods depend upon you helping others.
Others involve using your talents to help, or entertain, others.
Grit involves giving and getting.
Grift involves only taking.
Some see no harm in a little grift. Others would never think of being a grifter.
Grift, coincidentally, rhymes with drift. Grifters drift from thing to thing looking for grift.
Both grit and grift involve determination. Grit involves determination worthy of human endeavor. Grift involves a more sinister determination.
So, are you going through life with grit, or are you grifting?
If the former applies, and you are eager for a way to apply your grit, there are many vehicles out there that, regardless of education, experience or background, can allow you to achieve the success your determination desires.
To learn about one of the best such vehicles, message me.
If you are a grifter, there is no place for you among these programs.
If you haven’t already, learn to cultivate grit. Regardless of your circumstances, desires and goals, grit will allow you to achieve what you want. Grit helps you grow as a person.
Of course, you can try to attain those results through grift, but you’ll be much less of a person for doing so.
So use your grit to cut through the grind. Find what might work as a method of achieving your dreams.
Don’t have dreams? Find some. Then, cultivate the grit to go after them.
Peter
PANDEMIC HAS PEOPLE THINKING ANEW ABOUT THEIR JOBS
#coronsirus #COVID19 #FlattenTheCurve #jobs #QuittingYourJob
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of people to lose their jobs.
However, those still working, though fortunate, are stretched thin.
A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, in collaboration with the software company SAP, found that a quarter of U.S. workers have considered quitting their jobs because of pandemic-related worries.
Alexandra Olson, for the Associated Press, discussed this trend in an article also published Oct. 25, 2020, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“About 7 in 10 aorkers cited juggling their jobs and other responsibilities as a source of stress,” the article reads. “Fears of contracting the virus was a top concern for those working outside the home.” Olson writes.
And, the article says, the employers are responding. The poll finds 57 percent of workers saying their employer is doing ”about the right amount” in responding to the pandemic. Some 24 percent say their employers are “going above and beyond” what they should do to keep workers as safe as possible, the article quotes the poll.
So, what is your situation? Are you working from home, juggling home schooling for kids and other stresses?
Are you going into your workplace, perhaps leaving kids at home to school themselves?
Are your kids going into their school buildings for regular classes?
Or, is it some combination of those?
Also, do you fear catching the virus? If so, are you taking the precautions the experts advise, such as wearing masks when you have to be close to people, and otherwise keeping away from people? Are you washing your hands regularly? Are you sanitizing surfaces as you use them?
If you have to go out to work, and are taking the necessary precautions, the experts believe we can contain the virus.
If you are an employer, the last thing you want is a viral outbreak in your place of business. The Incentive is there for you to do what you need to do to keep people safe.
If you own or work in a restaurant, bar, hotel or other hospitality industry, do you feel safe there?
Are you encouraging customers to get takeout food, or otherwise limiting the capacity of the business? Certainly, you’ll feel that financially, but it’s better to be temporarily safe until one or more of approved vaccines is widely distributed.
If you still fear the pandemic, and want to look for some other way to earn money, there are many programs out there that allow you to spend a few part-time hours a week and potentially earn an income that could dwarf your current income. Bonus No. 1: you don’t need any specific education or experience – just a willingness to check it out and be coached. Bonus No. 2: There are ways to do it from home, if it is unsafe to be out. To learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
If you are worried about this virus, which is unlike any other virus we’ve seen, the good news is on the horizon. Take the necessary precautions until such time as the majority of people are vaccinated. And, more importantly, when it’s available, get vaccinated yourself.
Pandemics are by nature temporary. How long they last depends on what each of us does. Proceed with caution, but proceed.
Peter
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
#past #present #future
The past has passed.
The present is present – not absent.
What will come can become what you want it to be.
There are those who long for and, indeed, push for what was.
They see the past as their best time. They see the present as signaling a future of doom and gloom.
Therefore, they look for ways to bring back what used to be, even if that is impossible.
There are others who see the here and now as something to celebrate. Or, better yet, a good place to start.
They see it as a time to look for what they might become, and keep looking until they find it. They may think that what they have now is OK, but it is not entirely what they want.
They see the present as a springboard from which they can create a future.
Still others see a future of happiness, prosperity and dreams fulfilled.
Not only do they know it is coming, they plan to make it happen.
They have set up a plan not only to see themselves prosper, but they also see themselves as bringing many others with them – as many as possible. Those they will help may have different dreams and goals, but share a common desire to do what they must to achieve them.
So what type of person are you? Do you want to go back to the way things were?
Remember, the past has passed. Memories can be wonderful, even cherished. But, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to re-create yesteryear.
Look at the present as a time to dream, plan and execute. Then, go about creating the future you want.
The future is not what will happen, though things like a pandemic and other disasters will come. The future is what you decide to make happen.
So, you may be optimistic and ambitious. You envision a great future but are not sure yet what will take you there. Still, you are curious enough to look for something you can work on – something that you feel confident will get you to your goals, providing you do your part.
Fortunately, there are many such programs out there that can be the catalyst for the future you want to create. They require no specific background, education or experience. Instead, they require the desire to build a better, more fulfilling future, a mind open enough to see whether they are for you, and a willingness to ask for, get and provide help.
To learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
The lesson here may be that the past can teach, but may no longer be in reach. The present can motivate, but will not be permanent. The future will be made.
If you long for the past, despise the present and fear the future, it’s not too late to change. For some, it may take more work than others to change.
Yet, in the future, all good things are possible for those willing to create them.
Peter
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES HIGHER FOR OLDER WORKERS
#coronavirus #COVID19 #FlattenTheCurve #pandemic #OlderWorkers #jobs
In this day and age, it’s tough getting old.
For the first time in 50 years, older workers are facing higher unemployment rates than those in the middle of their careers.
Sarah Skidmore Sell quoted that stat from a study by the New School in her article for the Associated Press. It was published Oct. 21, 2020, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The pandemic has hurt workers of all ages, the article says, but the New School researchers found that workers 56 and older lost jobs sooner, were rehired more slowly and continue to struggle keeping jobs more than workers 35 to 54, Sell writes.
In every recession since the 1970s, older workers were able to use their seniority to better preserve jobs, the article says.
Now, older face age discrimination, and employers are more reluctant to bring back older workers because of their health risks in light of the pandemic, the article says.
That means more early, and often involuntary, retirements and more financial insecurity as people age, the article says.
Let’s examine this more closely. Retirement in today’s world is not what it once was. That is, you could work as long as you wanted to, and as long as you were able, and retired on your own terms many years ago.
Today, workers don’t know whether each day they go into work will be their last. If employers don’t want you, or see your non-entry-level salary as a financial burden to them, they will find a way to get you to go. Though overt age discrimination may be illegal in most places, if an employer wants you out, he or she will find a way, within the law, to get you to leave, if not terminate you outright.
For the worker, it means planning as best you can for the day you walk into work, only to have to walk out for good.
When you walk out, think about your opportunities to find other work. Likely, you’ll find that most other, available work will pay considerably less than you were making.
What to do? First, if you live where the cost of living is high, think about moving. There are many locales with more reasonable living costs. If you have to take a job with a lower paycheck, you may as well cut your living expenses, unless there is some other non-financial reason to live where you live.
If you are lucky enough to land a job that allows you to work from home, and you don’t have to live close to your work, move anyway, if you can. Cut your living costs, if you can.
Also, there are many programs out there that allow you to augment, even well surpass, the income you have earned at your traditional job. These programs require no specific background or education, just a mind open enough to take a look, and the ability to devote a few part-time hours a week if you still have a job.
To learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
All this boils down to you having to take charge of your own financial well-being. Have a plan, or plans, in place that will prepare you for the day you don’t expect. Who knows? Those who plan well enough can walk into work, and walk out for good, with a smile.
It’s certainly wrong for employers to discriminate against older workers. Many of them can work circles around younger counterparts. But often, they only look at numbers and potential risks. That means discrimination can, and will, happen in some form to many.
So, expect the unexpected when it comes to your job. Many jobs are no longer there for as long as the employees want them to be.
Peter
LANDLORDS, TENANTS AND EVICTIONS
#coronavirus #COVID19 #FlattenTheCurve #landlords #tenants #rents #evictions
If you’re a tenant, and you’ve lost your job, how are you paying the rent?
If you are a landlord, and your tenant has lost his or her job, how are you collecting rent, while keeping up with expenses, paying your mortgage etc.?
Two articles highlight this issue. One, by the Washington Post, discusses how landlords, and their lobbyists, are launching a legal war on the federal eviction moratorium instituted after the coronavirus pandemic led to economic shutdowns, lost jobs – some temporary, some permanent – and left tenants with no way to pay rent.
The second article, by Anne d’Innocenzio for the Associated Press, discusses how landlords are being squeezed between tenants, who can’t pay rent, and lenders, who want their mortgage payments for the properties.
The articles were published on consecutive days in October 2020 in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In one instance, if tenants have lost their jobs, they have no way to pay rent. The landlords can’t get blood from a stone. And, even if they get their jobs back, they will still owe back rent. Will they be able to catch up?
In the second instance, landlords have to make a living, too. They want, in most cases, to work with their tenants, having empathy for their situation. But they have expenses, too, that rent helps cover. Those expenses not only include mortgage payments, but also repairs to their rental units. And, of course, many landlords depend on that rent for their own survival.
Federal aid helped initially, but that aid has largely run out and the wheels of government are turning slowly to extend it.
Apartment dwellers and other residential tenants in the U.S. owe about $25 billion in back rent, the AP article says. It may reach $70 billion by the end of the year, the AP article quotes an estimate in August by Moody’s Analytics.
At that rate, some tenants and landlords may never recover from the fallout of the pandemic.
In fact, the National Council of State Housing Agencies in late September estimated that, potentially, 14 million renter households, totaling approximately 34 million Americans, will owe $34 billion by the time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) moratorium expires at the end of the year, the Washington Post article says.
It goes on to say that 1 in 3 adults say it is somewhat or very likely they could face eviction or foreclosure over the next two months. It attributes that to survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
That would create a full-blown housing crisis.
What’s a person either in the landlord’s or tenant’s situation to do? One thing is to look for other ways to earn an income that one can do whether there is a pandemic or not.
Fortunately, there are many such programs out there that require a few, part-time hours a week, that anyone, regardless of education, experience or background can do to supplement his or her income – perhaps even dwarf one’s previous income. But, one has to be open-minded enough to check them out.
To learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
In short, this housing crisis is not going to disappear soon. Regardless whether you are a landlord or tenant, you may be in for some difficult financial times. If you were lucky enough to keep your job and keep up with your rent, consider yourself lucky. Your landlord undoubtedly is thanking his or her lucky stars for your situation.
But if you weren’t so fortunate, consider thinking a bit outside the box and look at other ways to put money in your pocket and keep up with rent, mortgage or other regular expenses. You may find that the pandemic can create an opportunity for you to be less vulnerable to circumstances you can’t control.
It may even allow you to not only survive, but also to dream of a better life.
Peter
PANDEMIC TO PRODUCE CHANGES IN EDUCATION
#education #coronavirus #COVID19 #FlattenTheCurve #teachers #students
It’s tough to go to school during a pandemic.
As a result, online learning at home has become not just popular, but necessary.
Education could change forever as a result.
Maureen Downey, education columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, writes that a college education is the most successful path to the middle class for students.
But going to college has changed during the pandemic, she writes in a column published Sept. 22, 2020.
She points out that every year, 500,000 high school students graduate in the top half of their classes, but don’t get a certificate or degree within eight years of graduation. She was quoting Anthony Carnevale, director of the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University. Carnevale conducted a virtual forum for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education.
The pandemic-induced recession, leaving many parents with lost jobs etc., may present a problem for sending their kids to college.
In another issue, Downey, in a Sept. 29, 2020, column, posed the question: “Will COVID concerns cause more teachers to flee?”
She says that readers have sent her emails calling teachers “crybabies” for resigning, rather than risk bringing COVID-19 home to their families. She writes that some emails called teachers “un-American” for making their students wear masks in school.
What should we make of this? First, education has become a huge expense for both taxpayers and parents. If parents fear for the safety of their children, it’s no wonder they are opting to keep children at home. The opposite of that is also true. If parents don’t fear for the safety of their children, and encourage them to go to school and conduct themselves as if no pandemic existed, why not have schools open as usual?
If teachers don’t feel safe in school, why would they keep their jobs if forced to go to school? Is how little they get paid worth the risk? Certainly, most teachers want to be in school. They love it. It’s what they do. But they do not want to be there, in many cases, with a rapidly spreading disease running through the building.
Therefore, a potential teacher shortage, and a potential drop in public revenue from the recession, it’s likely some remote learning will take place in the normal course of life, once the pandemic is gone.
If college is your thing, or your child’s thing, how cool would it be if you, or your child, could take a course with Professor X in a faraway institution, and have teachers or graduate assistants grade the work at the institution to which you, or your child, have matriculated?
Finally, if college is not your thing, or if you or your family would have difficulty affording it, what if there were a way to become very successful, potentially make a great income and not have to go through the college experience? There are many such vehicles out there for those willing to check them out.
If you’d like to learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
In short, look for more permanent changes in education as a result of the pandemic. Don’t expect education, or life itself, to be entirely as it was prior to the pandemic. We are officially on guard. Don’t let that guard down. Expect a new normal, whatever that is. Roll with it.
Then, think about your own situation. What do you want from life? What are you willing to do to get it? Remember, as you ponder that, what was “secure” probably no longer is. You may have to think totally differently about your future.
Disease can, and will, change lives. Make your attitude such that you look at those changes as good, rather than bad.
Peter
WARRIOR ON
WarriorOn #SoldierOn #FightOn #CarryOn
Warrior on. Soldier on. Fight on. Carry on.
Circumstances will come at you. Illness may befall you.
The world will change in front of you.
All you knew could be gone tomorrow.
Yet, you are still here. You are here to be the best you can be.
Though circumstances may not be ideal, you can still be stronger than they are.
Or, you can let yourself be defined by those circumstances. Remember, circumstances cannot conquer you without your permission.
Certainly, things WILL happen to you. Some of those things you will not want. Yet, they bring out your inner strength that allows you to rise above them.
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Is your life not where you want it to be? Have you resigned to your circumstances, to the point of giving up?
If so, it’s not too late to summon your inner strength.
If not, then you must look for something that will help you get out of your situation. Certainly, there are many vehicles out there that can help a person not only change his or her life, but also the lives of others who wish to join him or her.
These programs can give you the resources to overcome any adverse circumstances. Or, to quote a friend, help you work out your problems in style.
To learn about one of the best of these programs, message me.
Meanwhile, though you may see the grimness of the world, you don’t have to accept it.
All you can do is your part to change it. But as you do your part, you may encourage others to do their part. Collectively, change can come – perhaps not with the speed some may want, but it can come.
Remember, too, that only you can change you. Other things can change your circumstances, but they do not have to change you.
The changes upon which you embark may be dictated by circumstances. You can give in to the circumstances, or you can work to overcome them.
Changes in you sometimes come when a friend introduces you to something that could change you, and your circumstances.
Strong people willfully examine, evaluate and decide on opportunities placed before them.
Weaker people pass on those opportunities, out of fear of change.
Strong people look for those opportunities. Weaker people hope they are never offered such opportunities.
So, keep your eye out for something that perhaps you never envisioned yourself doing.
Look to change you, so you can overcome anything that befalls you.
Seek the wisdom of those whom you trust. On the other hand, don’t let those around you talk you out of what’s best for you. Act on the best advice you can get. Sometimes, that means shelving some of the old adages, customs and fears you had been taught. Take on what seems right to you. Though risks are part of life, they are also part of your growth.
Warrior on. Soldier on. Fight on. Carry On.
Peter
KNOWLEDGE VS. WISDOM
#knowledge #wisdom #education #power
It’s great to have knowledge.
But knowledge without wisdom can be useless, even dangerous.
First, let’s talk about the differences in the two. Knowledge is a collection of facts, skills and other useful components.
Knowledge gives you the ability to do some things. It equips you with the wherewithal to be your best self. Yes, knowledge is power.
Wisdom, on the other hand, is the comportment to do good. It’s the ingredient that allows you to take what you’ve been given, and use it to the best of your ability – but in a way that enhances the world.
If knowledge is power, wisdom is the vehicle that implores you to use that power for the greater good.
The power of knowledge can be used for evil – say, by a criminal.
But the wise person would never use his knowledge for evil.
So, are you both knowledgeable and wise? Here’s a test: Is what you are doing now to earn a living what you really want to be doing? If so, you are both knowledgeable and wise.
If not, is it because you don’t have the knowledge, you believe, to do something better?
That can be a relatively easy fix. Certainly, getting educated would be a help. But education may not be for everyone, especially if it requires going into debt.
So how does one gain more knowledge without more formal education? Reading, researching on one’s own is one way.
But when it comes to bettering one’s life, that may requires a new way of thinking. It may require the wisdom to think outside of one’s comfort zone. It may require a person to look at something that he or she may have never thought he or she would do.
There are many programs out there can change a person’s life. Potentially, they can give a source of income you may have never thought about. They can potentially allow you to get the things in life you may never thought you would get.
To learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
To sum it up, knowledge can be acquired, without the formality and expense of some types of education. But it requires wisdom to know what you don’t know, and take steps to learn it.
Knowledge is out there for the taking. Wisdom has to be created.
Knowledge is power. Wisdom is the strength to harness the power of knowledge for the greater good..
To know may be to love. To be wise is to learn before you love.
The combination of knowledge and wisdom can give you everything you may need to get whatever you want, and also to help others do the same.
So, indeed, learn what you don’t know. And, be wise in learning what can help you change your life, and, perhaps, those of others.
Peter