#NewYearsResolutions #ABetterYou #HelpingOthers
In the upcoming year, live a life with purpose.
“Put simply, your talk might not match your walk, You will applaud giveaways for the wealthy while casting services for the poor as socialism. You will proclaim your love for your neighbor while refusing to give up your right not to wear a mask, the one thing that can protect them from the coronavirus. And you will consistently seek your own while refusing to help those in need.”
That quote comes from Gracie Bonds Staples, from her Jan. 7, 2021, “This Life” column in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
To paraphrase her, helping others gives you purpose.
There are many ways to help others — some obvious, some not so much.
There are little things you can do that take no skin off your back.
Holding the door for someone, letting a struggling person move ahead of you in line etc.
Other ways include helping others in physical or financial distress, or volunteering your time toward a worthy cause. They involve effort or sacrifice.
What if you could find a way to help others that also helps you?
There are many programs out there that allow you to advance yourself only by helping others.
To learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
So, the message is to plan a new year in which you will do for others more than you will do for you.
If you do that, the blessings you’ll receive will be tangible.
Good people give and get. Lesser folks only take.
“Research shows a strong sense of purpose is associated with slower development of age-related disabilities, reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease, improved cognitive health and longer lives,” Staples writes. “Finding purpose can promote energy, satisfaction and preventive health behaviors,” she writes.
Purpose gives you prosperity in many different ways. It will change the way you look at things, open your mind and introduce you to things that could change your life.
Learn and strive to find purpose this year.
Peter
Author Archives: pbilodeau01
2021 IS GONNA BE GOOD
#2021 #NewYear #NewYearGonnaBeGood
“Got a feeling ’21 is gonna be a good year.”
This lyric by The Who, from the rock opera “Tommy,” is appropriate for right now.
“With any luck, 2021 might not suck.” That paraphrased a promo for CNN’s New Year Eve show, with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.
So how do you see 2021?
Do you see bigger and better things for you? Or, do you just believe that anything would be better than 2020?
If the former feels better to you, you are probably an ambitious, hard-working person who KNOWS he or she can make things much better.
If the latter suits you better, you are passively waiting for something to happen – or, as it were, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
To be sure, the beginning of 2021 with be challenging. We still will have to wear masks in public. We’ll still have to avoid crowds and gatherings. We will have to keep our distance from others. And, we will have to keep washing our hands frequently.
But while we cope with those challenges, we can still prepare for the bigger and better life we intend to create.
If you are that ambitious, hard-working person who is looking for ways to create that better life, there are several programs out there that can allow anyone, regardless of education, background or experience, to do it.
A person just has to be open enough to look at them. Once you find one you like, devote a few part-time hours a week to it and see how your life will change.
To check out one of the best such programs, message me.
In short, work on YOU this year.
Decide to embark on something that no pandemic, or other circumstance, can take away from you.
First and foremost, when it’s your turn, get a vaccine.
You’ll run into life challenges for sure, pandemic or not. But your strength is determined not by what befalls you, but how you rise above it.
If you already have that strength in you, use it to the fullest. If you don’t , find a way to get it, grow it and maximize it.
The year 2021 is here, and it’s gonna be good.
Just say yes to determination, and no to deterioration. Don’t wait for someone to give you something. Look for someone who will show you something. They are out there to be found, but only by open eyes and an open mind.
Let not the travails of 2020 overwhelm your 2021. Be patient to begin the year, and take on a sense of urgency for the remainder.
Let 2021 bring you all the good things you deserve.
Peter
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
#HappyNewYear #NewYear #2021 #NewNormal #BetterNormal
Happy 2021!
The past year was, more or less, a gap year.
Many of us made sacrifices for the common good health.
Others tried to carry on as normal, hoping the pandemic would just go away.
It didn’t, but we now have hope. Vaccines have been approved. But, we still should continue our sacrifice for a bit longer.
We may never see “normal,” as we knew it before 2020.
But, we can see that soon, the pandemic burden may be lifted.
So what will your new year look like?
Will you still be struggling to recover, after some devastation in 2020?
Or, do you see that the new year brings new hope – a new dawn, a new and better “normal.”
If you are still looking to find YOUR new normal, perhaps you should consider doing something you may never have thought to do before.
You CAN find your way out of the 2020 abyss, and onto a new and potentially very prosperous life, if you are willing to look for it.
How? There are many programs out there that can allow you, regardless of your experience, education or background, to earn a potentially lucrative income without the risks of a job that a pandemic could take away.
You just need to be coachable and willing to check out those programs.
To learn about one of the best such vehicles, message me.
The past year was difficult, but most of us are resilient. The next year could be your best yet, if you make it so.
Circumstances can put up roadblocks to success. But resilient people go over, under or around those roadblocks.
If you see yourself as resilient, get your shot when it’s your turn, and take your shot at success.
You may be surprised at what might be out there for you.
Many people will simply let circumstances rule their lives, and hope someone, or something, bails them out. Others will do what they need to do to become successful.
It’s a simple decision to go for it, but it may not be as easy to actually get there. Still, those who persevere will get there.
So, at the beginning of this brighter new year, maintain your caution. Avoid crowds, keep your distance from people, wear masks when among people and wash your hands frequently.
You can still achieve a lot while being careful, as you wait for restrictions to ease.
As you work toward success, do what you can to bring others with you, while protecting others’ health at the same time.
It’s a new year. Will it produce a new you?
Peter
PANDEMIC HURTS BUSINESS TRAVEL
#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
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