Add to Flipboard Magazine. If you look back through history, you will notice that the kind of pastimes people engaged in was very different from what we do with our free time now. In the 21st century, there is a common notion of ‘work hard, play hard’ that tends to run through a lot of us. Many of us work long hours in challenging jobs, so by the time the weekend comes around, we want to celebrate – and more often than not, that means going out drinking, partying and socializing. There’s nothing at all wrong with this, of course. Going out with friends is healthy, and it can often be in your best interests to let your hair down every so often. But if you entertain yourself in this manner week in, week out, you may soon find that it starts to become a little monotonous. Humans are complex creatures, and we need a rich range of stimuli to feed our intricate minds. In days gone by, hobbies would tend to be more refined and more interesting as a result. If you feel the need to add a little more flair to your personal life and have something to look forward to other than going on a big night out, here are some refined hobbies you may want to consider taking up.
If self-expression is your thing, there’s no better way to embrace your cultured side than by getting into art and photography. Art can make you see the world differently and requires you to look for meaning in every frame – so it’s a great way to broaden the mind and think creatively. Consider purchasing pieces from a company such as Sulis Fine Art so that you can surround yourself with stunning art right at home. If you’re interested in the more practical side of things, rather than merely appreciating the art, entry level DSLR cameras are relatively cheap and can still produce some amazingly HD images.
It sometimes seems like the mark of every refined gentleman is a well-stocked whiskey cupboard or a wine cellar. Whatever your tipple of choice is, buying, selling and tasting alcohol is a classy hobby that people world over still do today. It may also give you a new appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into each bottle, rather than just downing the cheapest drink you spot at the bar! Invest in some quality glassware so that when your friends come round, you can share your hobby with them and socialize over one of your favorite drinks.
For centuries, sport has been considered a refined hobby due to its emphasis on discipline, teamwork, and skill. If you are looking for a hobby that can keep your focus and allow you to indulge in a bit of ‘me time,’ why not pick up something like golf or tennis? These sports are typically played individually or in pairs, which means you may find it more relaxing than playing in a large group. You may also want to take it right back to the olden days with an elegant sport such as fencing – it’s certainly unique if nothing else!
Add to Flipboard Magazine. In the past, business owners largely operated in the dark. There were no focus groups, no online help guides, nothing to go on to show if a business was viable or not. You had to have an idea and then see if it worked out. If there was a problem, you couldn’t anticipate it and be ready to remedy it - you just had to hope you had the experience and know-how to get through as issues arose.
In contrast, running a business in 2017 couldn’t be more different. That element of guesswork has been removed; now, it’s possible to not only snare customers but solve problems with a relatively small amount of effort. You no longer just have to cross your fingers and hope everything is going to be okay.
Problem Anticipation
There are a lot of things that can upset a business that seems to have relatively little to do with the business itself. You’d think that if you have a reliable customer base and money in the bank, relatively little can disturb the progress your enterprise makes.
In reality, things are much trickier. Basics like the economic outlook, problems with your tech hardware, and even the very foundations beneath your feet can damage a business in irreparable ways.
Thankfully, there are ways and means that you can forecast for a business future in ways you never could before. It’s easier to analyze the economic outlook than you ever could have dreamt, making it simple to pick up on trends and switch things up to accommodate them. For the literal foundations, you no longer need to guess during a business expansion if the ground is viable thanks to the likes of the consultants at SESL Australia and their expertise. As for the technology, anything that could go catastrophically wrong will have help guides aplenty online, not to mention a raft of experienced engineers you can get hold of with one phone call.
The above are just three vast areas of problem anticipation (rather than the old style problem solving) that a business can face – and they’re just the tip of the iceberg. It’s now possible to plot your business future better than ever.
No More Slacking Employees
It’s never been easier to monitor the way that your employees are working, the way they are performing, and areas they need to work on. You don’t have to just hope things are being done; you can track and monitor all the basics of behavior and ensure productivity is at the kind of level your business needs it to be. Simple employee monitoring software means you don’t have to trust your employees; you can make sure everything is as it should be.
Customer Communication
Thanks to a raft of innovations in customer feedback, you can find out exactly what your customers think of you. You can track experiences with mystery shoppers, issue surveys to customers, and even find out what new users think of your website. There’s no guesswork needed – with a few clicks, you can arrange services that will provide vital customer feedback into the nooks and crannies of your business.
Image: pexels Add to Flipboard Magazine. One of the best things about the internet being so accessible is that many of us are able to turn our hobbies into fully fledged businesses. If you're bored of your day job and want to try something new or are looking for a new project, it makes sense to start with the things you’re already good at and are passionate about. Here are a few businesses ideas and ways to earn money using your skills!
Art and Design
If you’re talented at art, there are so many awesome ways you can make money with your craft. You don’t have to commit yourself to waiting for commissions to come in which take weeks and weeks to paint. Even quick sketches and doodles can earn you money if you know what to do with them. On sites like Etsy, there’s a big market for clip art, these are purchased by people to make into things like greetings cards, gift wrap, scrapbooking and much more. You could create a variety of clipart pictures based on a theme and sell them as a set. The best thing about it is once it’s done, there’s no additional work from you. When customers purchase, it’s downloaded straight from Etsy, and the money goes into your account. It can be purchased an unlimited amount of times. If you have a big selection of these and they do well, you can earn a significant amount of regular money. You could take it a step further and use your designs to create things like art prints and greetings cards yourself which will sell for more money. You could buy a professional printer which would make light work of getting through them. Although you do have to factor in postage and packaging when you’re selling physical items. Since the cost of these things and setting up can be expensive, you may need to consider a short-term cash advance. If you’re a whizz at design and Photoshop, you could create logos, banners, even full blog designs.
Writing
If you have a way with words, there are tons of ways you can market your skill. You could write, and self-publish an e-book, if you’re passionate and knowledgeable about a topic- what better way to share your wisdom with the world? Sites like Amazon make this really easy. You’ll get money every time someone downloads it, while it’s not a ‘business’ in itself it can certainly contribute towards your income both now and in the future. Blogging is another excellent choice. Many people have turned their blog into a business and now write full time and gain a substantial amount in affiliate links and sponsorships. You could sign up to a freelancing website and earn your income through writing jobs and projects. You could also look into editing and proofreading work, something you will excel at if you’re an excellent writer.
Teaching
It takes a certain kind of person to be a teacher. You will need to be patient and understanding while keeping a good professional boundary. You need to be easy to understand so great written, and verbal communication is a must. If you fit the bill and have a topic you’d like to teach others, why not become an online tutor? It could be anything from teaching a musical instrument to personal training to academic topics. Teaching children or those who speak English as a second language are both ideas to consider. You will generally need to be educated to degree level or higher for academic subjects.
Add to Flipboard Magazine. You don’t need to be told that we’re living in the digital age. You need only look around you to see technology dominating every aspect of our lives and our environment. Yet, whilst we know how technology seeps into our personal lives either on a recreational or a practical basis, you may not have considered the ways in which it could benefit your working life. With life-changing pieces of equipment out there, it’s no wonder that there are growing opportunities to make money from technology every day. Here are some of the ways in which you could use technology to build a career.
Everyone has a drone; even your dad probably has one. These nifty little devices have really stormed the consumer market, but what importance do they have in the business world? Well, the answer to that question seems to be changing all the time. Big businesses such as Amazon might use drones to deliver packages, but there are so many other uses for these brilliant pieces of technology. If you’ve always had an eye for creativity, in particular, then the potential for aerial shots at dizzying heights is something that can only be afforded by these pieces of small flying tech; unless you have money to burn on helicopter flights, of course.
Still, if aerial wedding or real estate photography doesn’t sound like your sort of thing then you could always go the extra mile and become an FPV (first person view) racer. Maybe you’ll end up making huge amounts of money if you’re good enough to beat the competition. The point is that there are numerous applications for drones as they’re an entirely unique piece of technology on the market. You could offer services in terms of roof, power line, and bridge inspections; you just need to gain skills in flying the high-end versions of drone technology. Buying a cheap quadcopter won’t be enough.
Gaming.
Gaming is one of the best industries in technology. Whether you have a talent for creativity and you’d love to be behind the scenes making games or you have a talent for playing games themselves, there’s big money in the gaming business. For example, if you have a penchant for taking risks and betting on things then you could try your hand at a casino online; much like real-world betting, there’s room for professionals as long as you actually have talent and not a dangerous addiction to the game. YouTubers, in particular, are making huge amounts of money by reacting to gameplay. There are new and evolving ways of approaching gaming all the time, and that means there are new avenues through which you could build a career out of something which is, ultimately, a lot of fun.
Social media.
If you spend hours perfecting your social media feed on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat then a career in social media could be the perfect opportunity for you to use technology to your advantage. The internet has opened up an abundance of previously non-existent careers, but there is one of the most exciting if you’re a social media addict. You could help businesses by posting relevant content on their social profiles and connecting with potential or existing customers online to boost sales.
Add to Flipboard Magazine. Every single day, teenagers decide to study how to save lives. Doctors that you have at your local practice, the surgeons at the local hospital and the therapists at the local sports centers have all, at some point or another, made the decision to put the health of others in the center of their lives. The education that comes with a medical degree is so intricate and detailed that it takes upwards of ten years to become a fully qualified doctor. The education doesn’t just stop at the end of an undergraduate degree, or a postgraduate degree. Doctors need to go through internship, residency and even when they are fully-fledged medics, there is still learning to be done.
Research papers help scientists and doctors to develop highly concentrated studies to find cures for diseases and understand how the human body works in better detail. They also help them to developmedical equipment that is more streamlined. Brain mapping studies the anatomy of the brain using imaging, so neuroscientists the world over can understand how the brain works beyond the 10% we use every day. Human genome mapping is the study of our genetics and you canvisit Poseida.com for info on how genetic studies can save lives and permanently correct genetic diseases. These studies of the brain and genetics are exciting in medicine, as they can help us to permanently eradicate certain diseases, as well as culture personalized medicine for those with genetic abnormalities.
This kind of medical development comes from thecontinued education and development of doctors and professionals in the field who are keen to do more for humanity. Making the choice to take on a medical education isn’t a light one; medicine is a field that is constant and yet changing; the worst oxymoron! Consider how far medicine has come in the last century. The first person who operated on a brain tumor didn’t do it on a living person, as surgery used to be somewhat barbaric concept. Now? Now you can have a butterfly tumor that breaches both sides of the brain out in an eight-hour surgery. Medicine has evolved alongside technology at a speed that even those in the field never saw coming.
Choosing a medical education is not an easy choice, but it’s one that is looked upon favorably, and not just for the salary. The chance to do more for humanity simply by learning how the brain works, or how the heart can beat. Think about the medical marvels such as organ transplants, heart bypass and the way doctors can diagnose a potentially fatal issue with just a few symptoms to concentrate on. This kind of education isn’t one you can just pick up and do; it takes a lot of work to learn how to save lives. Doing solid research, like in this ultimate guide, on the time it takes to complete a medical education and how you could contribute to medical research is a good place to get started, if that is the path you hope to go down.
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