I’m back from a two month holiday.
I had a fantastic time in London, Manchester, surrounding England, Edinburgh and a lot of Scotland and of course Paris which I love.
I look thousands of photos. The sights renewed my interest in photography. I have a degree in it along with my business degree and all the art and landscapes inspired me to upload my collection up on Flickr. So I’ve been uploading past photos from my other trips. My favorites (which I’m still adding to) is the best place to start.
I learned a lot from being away from two months. The trip went very well and I’ll be sharing some tips and tricks for going away for so long.
Scotland was fantastic and I will never forget it. It was like coming home to me. I’m part Scottish and after many generations I’m the first to go back.
I was really enjoying myself. The trip was fantastic until we got to Paris and then it just wowed me. I loved Paris much more than London. Paris is so artistic and fun. My girlfriend Nancy and I just couldn’t get enough of Paris.
I’m going to write some articles about our trip. About how to run business while away for so long and how you can do it too. It’s not hard. I found it easy.
So I’m starting back to a more part-time work schedule than I’ve had in two months. And I’m excited about sharing my photos and future articles and books that I come up with on my trip. I created an idea for a book on this trip that I believe many of you will enjoy.
One tip, lots of luggage is OK. That is why they invented bell boys, even though the name is a bit demeaning. They sure are helpful with eight pieces of luggage.
When a company is known for it’s founder it can be a problem. When the person behind the company wants to retire what does the company do? Virgin is having this discussion right now.
However, Virgin’s investment committee has started to put together a succession strategy for when Sir Richard, who is worth an estimated £4 billion, is no longer involved at all.
One question hovering over the future of the group is the possibility of a family succession: Sam Branson, Sir Richard’s 21-year-old son, has just finished nine months working at Virgin Media with one of the group’s most trusted brand managers. Dr Holly Branson, 24, is also expected to join the group’s new health sciences division after working in the National Health Service.
The possibility of another Branson taking charge, though, is a long way off. In the meantime, Virgin is looking to move beyond the traditional markets where it is well known after more than two decades of Sir Richard’s hot-air ballooning and other escapades.
Mr Murphy said: “We are working methodically to position the brand as being separate to Richard. In the US, there is greater perception of Virgin and Richard being separate because they have got more of a cult of business celebrity. The next generation also has a much lower level of aware-ness. But we do not feel we have accelerate the disassociation artificially.”
Branson’s leap of faith as he steps back from Virgin Group - Times Online
Richard Branson is what I consider the best entrepreneur. Here is what he considers for looking for an opportunity.
“We look for opportunities where we can offer something better, fresher, and more valuable, and we seize them. We often move into areas where the customer has traditionally received a poor deal, and where the competition is complacent.
And with our growing e-commerce activities, we also look to deliver ‘old’ products in new ways. We are pro-active and quick to act, often leaving bigger and more cumbersome organizations in our wake. When we start a new venture, we base it on hard research and analysis.
Typically, we review the industry and put ourselves in the customer’s shoes to see what could make it better.”
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog » Lessons From Richard Branson - Part 1 - How to Identify an Opportunity
Au Revoir from Paris.
I’ve enjoyed visiting Paris. It is truly lovely here.
Technically London is better but I love Paris more. It is so artistic here. Romantic.
I can’t remember the amount of couples “making out” everywhere. The metro, under the Eiffel Tower, parks, and even street corners. People here expect it. It’s normal to express your love. A lesson many should understand outside France. I didn’t see one couple other me and Nacny doing that in London. Yes, Paris is special and very different from England. England has so many camera and sends tickets to you in the mail it is like Big Brother. Paris has the attitude like America. Free. I thought America would be like England and I’m so wrong. America is like France except for all nude art and statues and attitudes.
I’ve enjoyed seeing the Eiffel Tower. Even got to have a romantic picnic under it the other night with my love Nancy. Wine and the lights of the Eiffel Tower were very nice. I highly recommend it.
The stained glass and atmospherics of Notre Dame is amazing. I thought what I was seeing was computer generated it was so unreal. I was awestruck which doesn’t happen to me a lot.
The Louvre is the best museum. I thought the British Museum was good. But the Louvre is awesome. Everything in it is so amazing. I found it funny that one of the smallest painting in it has it’s own wall and security guards. The “Mona Lisa” is the most famous piece there. On the opposite wall a very huge painting that you can stand right in front of. But, the “Mona Lisa” you can only get within a few feet of. Just amazing. It doesn’t matter the size of the art work but the story, the person, the quality that is important.
The real Paris is in the cafes and lifestyle that people enjoy. There is no stress. There is only life. It’s a good life, full of art and the art of living. People spend a lot of money learning how to enjoy life when all the have to do is come and stay in Paris for a while. Montmartrenet is the real paris for me. A great village inside Paris.
My three weeks here is almost over and I already miss it. I will be coming back. I will never forget this trip. And doing it all my Love Nancy has truly been wonderful.
Check out My Picture of Paris for more photos of my travels in Paris France.
Today is a down day for me. For the last week Nancy and I have been visiting the sights and sounds of Paris France. We’ve been having a lovely time.
But sometime you need a day off. For me at least one day a week, even when on holiday or vacation. This holiday has been going on for over a month and we have another two weeks to go. But you still need breaks. And today is it. It’s raining in Paris and we have many fun items to do tomorrow and the rest of the week.
So, I’m catching up with what my friends are doing. I pull out my favorite news reader Google Reader and find that my mastermind buddy Bruce Burns is writing about. I find Bruce’s tips on negotiating to be priceless. He has a wonderful negotiating checklist free on his website. Well worth checking out.
So Bruce is talking about being at a recent Joe Vitale book signing and meeting Joe and Dr. Len. Bruce has a personal story (along with Suzanne and myself) in the Joe and Dr. Len’s recent book “Zero Limits” you see. Bruce got to meet Dr. Len again and they discussed Bruce’s lovely wife Suzanne’s Eraser Cleaning Wand which was inspired by the Ho’oponopono process which is discussed in the Zero Limits book. I got to see the prototypes of these first hand. They are truly wonderful hand made pieces of art or d’art as they say here in Paris.
It was nice to get caught up on what your buddies are doing. Nice to see people taking vacations and posting photos like I do. And nice to see business going on as usual. My “little” vacation of 1.75 months is also spurring on ideas in me. Taking notes for an upcoming book based on my “little” vacation. Also having some last items done on my next book.
What I really noticed is how the more unplugged I am the more I get done. I’m on an extended vacation and I have three products in various stages of completion and I’m seeing some of the most glorious scenes of my life. Plus I came up with an idea for a new book and I only would have come up with it by traveling which is my favorite technique for coming up with new ideas which I talk about in my last book Play Prosperity Games. Being unplugged from the real world is helpful. It give you so much time and doesn’t take up your brain. I’ve been practicing this art of being unplugged for many years but not to this degree. And I’m getting more done.
Well, my hour a week to catch up with the real world is over. My tools allow me to quickly find out what is important to me and it doesn’t include news. And I’m off to living life here in Paris.
Au revoir
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