With New Year just around the corner we are hearing more and more about the needs of our fellow-men. About the problems they face, their difficulties and how we may help. I often wonder if everything is fine and if there are no problems the rest of the time. But that’s another discussion.

So we hear about young children on the street, orphanages that need clothes and food, NGOs in need of things, of our time, of anything we can offer. Usually at this time of year most of us are moved and do our best to help. But that’s not all we hear. Just recently a couple in the subway had a conversation. The woman had forgotten her sunglasses at home.

"I can’t believe I forgot them. It’s not possible. How am I going to go around without my sunglasses? " "You may take mine if you want" offered the man. "Are you serious? These are old fashioned," replied the woman (she was talking about a pair of Raybans). “I definitely have to buy new ones right away. I’ll get in the first store we find. I can’t function unless I have at least two or three pairs.” And she continued laughingly: "I’m telling you, it’s a huge problem.” On the opposite seat two young men were discussing. "So you didn’t get the new smart TV you were looking for. And how are you going to watch all the Euro League soccer games my friend? With the ancient model you got last year? And may I tell you something else? When you told me you were going to celebrate New Year’s Eve with your girlfriend and your parents at home I was shocked. You won't even go clubbing? That’s certainly not the way to get through the Holidays. What a drag! " 

As you’re reading this I'm sure you can bring to mind a lot of “problems” you've heard of yourself. But broaden your horizon for a minute and think. Because if you have health, food to eat, a roof over your head, your kids go to school, you can get through financially (even if it’s with difficulty) you are one of the few privileged people on this planet!

And then you have what I call "luxury problems". For example "whether to put on the green or yellow dress" or "whether or not aunt Amelia will invite you to her party this year." What do you think, are they really really problems? Are they substantial problems? Do they affect your daily life or your life in general? Let’s be grateful for all that we have and let’s offer our love and help to ourselves and to our fellow human beings not only during the Holidays but every day of the year!

Happy New Year full of Love and Health to all of us!!

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If there’s a topic you’re interested in and would like to learn more about you may contact me via email. For more information about me and my work check the XpatAthens Directory or visit my website. Because this is your life!

If you happen to be in Volos during Christmas time, you might get the opportunity to witness a beautiful long-standing tradition. On the night of December 26th, people gather along the seaside promenade and propel thousands of wish lanterns into the sky!

The lanterns represent Christmas wishes, and people hope that when they reach the sky, they will be fulfilled.

We hope all your wishes come true!

Are you passionate about handmade crafts? If so, then December is your month!

Domatio will showcase a great variety of handmade creations, for all tastes, at its first art-bazaar! Craftspeople of various practices are waiting for you with works of Art for the decoration of your house, your Christmas tree, your body, and your mood!

Fresh ideas are shared and coexist in our colorful and aesthetic space, stuffed with objects made with passion.

Come join us so that you can meet all of the artists in person and see their suggestions for personalized gifts for every age group!

Don't miss Domatio’s creative team participation, inspired by ethnic motifs and iconic personalities of the art-world. We made crochet Christmas ornaments, jewelry from vintage buttons and loads of color.

Every weekend of December, starting Saturday 30 of November you will find :

Jewelry, Christmas Ornaments, Raw Materials for Crafts (vintage buttons & powder paints), Sculptures from various materials, Paintings printed on Plexiglass, Pillows, Dolls (for both young and old), Sweets with Christmas Motifs, Painted Tote Bags, Up-cycled Musical Instruments, Children- Themed Murals, Lamps, Natural Soaps, Batic Fabrics and Scarves, Various articles of Clothing and Accessories, Essential body oils, Natural Cosmetics and many more..

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Keep in mind that every weekend you will find a variety of different artists!

Domatio is a place that is open to the promotion of artists and ideas, adequately equipped, versatile and adaptable to the needs in question, and this is offered alongside the expert guidance and support of the members that form its frame.

We are here anytime you wish to make use of the opportunity to house any form of expression in the space of ‘domatio’ .

According to a statement by the Greek Ministry of Culture, two monumental royal tombs dating from about 3,500 years ago near the Bronze Age palace of Pylos in the Peloponnese have been discovered by American archaeologists.

The ministry stated that the domed roofs of both tombs had collapsed during antiquity, filling them with so much earth and rubble that tomb raiders couldn't get in to ravage them. Among the recovered grave goods are a golden seal ring and a gold talisman of an ancient Egyptian goddess.

It is worth mentiong that the Mycenaean era, which dates from about 1650 B.C. to 1100 B.C., was the foundation for many Ancient Greek myths and legends, including that of the Trojan War. The graves lie near the Palace of Pylos, which features in Homer's Odyssey as the seat of the wise King Nestor.

To read this article in full, please visit: ekathimerini.com

 

Building Networks, Improving Organizations

To integrate larger numbers of freelance workers, companies are changing their office environments. PwC’s 2016 Emerging Trends in Real Estate survey found that more and more businesses are looking for high-quality, flexible and serviced office and co-working spaces, like Regus, where they can scale up and down quickly.

This also benefits the workforce in providing a space to share ideas, do business and collaborate – rather than simply taking work home. This helps productivity, but also wellbeing. Around 84% of respondents to the 2016 Regus Great Big Survey said co-working reduces loneliness, while 53% said it helps fight stress.

Creative Networks

The next step is to ensure that these flexible, changing teams are working in the most creative and productive ways possible. According to the 2017 Deloitte Human Capital Trends report, this will mean moving away from management hierarchies and towards groups of empowered networks that are able to change regularly and quickly.

These project networks will work closely together to get the job done, before disbanding and relocating for the next task. That will require flexible and creative office spaces that can adapt to new challenges and opportunities. We’re confident that our Regus shared and co-working office spaces with short-term leases are the solution for the foreseeable future.

The frantic rhythms of daily life often make us feel exhausted, draining our energy, making us function almost mechanically, striving to make time for everything and fulfill all of our obligations. In fact, connectivity is responsible for this situation because it makes us feel that we need to be alert at all times, with tons of redundant notifications bombarding us non-stop. 

All of the above lead to us constantly feeling busy and not being able to devote time to ourselves. But are we really that busy? Maybe the problem lies in the way we manage our time. Below, let's see some tips on what we can do to give our brain and body a chance to reset, restore, and cope with the stresses of everyday life!

Realize That Time Is Limited

No matter how hard we try to do everything, the day only has 24 hours. We have to come to terms with the fact that time is a precious yet limited commodity, and we cannot change that. It is also important to come to terms with our human nature - we are not superheroes, and we can not do everything. If we do not accept the above, we will be in a constant state of anxiety, trying to do much more than we can actually do, undermining our productivity and the quality of the result of our efforts.

Prioritize Work 

It is crucial to have a clear picture of what needs to be done and when. Sure, every task is important, but some tasks are just more important than others. First, we deal with what needs to be done immediately and leave the rest for later if there is any time left. We don’t need to force ourselves to work on something that can be done at a later time when we will be less busy and able to focus exclusively on it.

Don’t Rush Things

When we feel really busy, it makes sense to try to do everything as fast as we can. However, rushing things leads to mistakes, which will create more stress, and we will also have to fix them, which will ultimately cost us more time.

Schedule Extra Time 

Things usually take longer than we expect. So, we make sure that we always schedule extra time for tasks that could need more time. And, if the project didn’t require that extra time, we can use it for other tasks or for a much-needed break!

Give Time Away

Devoting some of our valuable time to a good cause, such as spending time with family or helping a friend in need, can actually help us be more productive. This is because subconsciously doing something successfully, such as advising a friend, works as a confirmation of our potential and our self-worth.

The award-winning sports tourism event Navarino Challenge returns for a good cause, organizing an auction of love to support three nonprofit organizations. Favorite items of beloved and renowned athletes and ambassadors of Navarino Challenge will be available through an online auction from December 11th to December 20th, 2019.

In the auction you will find, among other things, the official jersey of Greece at the 1987 European Championship and a hall-of-fame ball signed by basketball legend Nick Galis, the signed jersey of NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo from his first appearance in the NBA All Star Game and his first appearance with the Greek Men’s National Team, his signed front page cover at the Sports Illustrated magazine, item of the gold Olympic medalist and world champion in still rings Eleftherios Petrounias, as well as the jersey of Greece from the 1996 Olympic Games with the signature of Panagiotis Giannakis. In the auction you will also find signed memorabilia from athletes such as: Grigoris Polychronidis (gold Paralympic athlete and world champion in boccia), Alexandros Nikolaidis (two times silver Olympic medalist in taekwondo), Spyros Gianniotis (silver Olympic medalist and world champion in open water swimming), Periklis Iakovakis (Olympic and world champion in 400m. with hurdles), Kelly Araouzou (world champion in open water swimming), Eleni Chatziliadou (world champion in karate), Vasiliki Millousi (world champion in balance beam), Joe Arlauckas (legend of Real Madrid), Dimitris Diamantidis (Greek basketball legend), Kostas Papanikolaou (international basketball player with NBA appearances), Kosta Koufos (international basketball player with NBA appearances), David Rivers (basketball legend of Olympiacos), Dean Karnazes (Greek-American ultramarathon), Michalis Triantafyllidis (participations record holder of the Greek national volleyball team), Christos Gatsis (boxing champion), Alexandros Nikolaidis (kickboxing champion), Dimitris Moros (personal trainer), Giorgos Masouras (international footballer of Olympiacos), Nikos Karelis (international footballer of Brentford). In the auction you will also find the exceptional artwork (6x2m.) of the artist Nathan Makris, that depicts top athletes, Nick Galis, Spiros Gianniotis, Alexandros Nikolaidis, Grigoris Polychronidis, Periklis Iakovakis and Dean Karnazes.

All items are donated by the athletes or the event’s friends themselves.

The money from the auction will be equally donated to:

a) the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health, Prolepsis with a program on Food Aid 2 and Promotion of Healthy Nutrition, DIATROFI, and through Captain Vasilis and Carmen Konstantakopoulos Foundation
b) WWF Greece
c) Karkinaki. Navarino Challenge is co-organized by Costa Navarino , The Westin Resort Costa Navarino and Active Media Group.

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Hashtags: #navarinochallenge #costanavarino #sportsunitepeople #eatwell #runwell #livewell #sportauctions

 

Flexible workspaces add $254bn to local economies and contribute to worker well-being, study finds. A new report from IWG's operating brand Regus finds that the introduction of a flexible workspace adds an average $16.47m and a better quality of life to local economies.

According to a new report from Development Economics and commissioned by Regus, flexible-office space will contribute $254bn (£196bn) to local economies over the next 10 years. The research is an indication that providing more office space closer to home and cutting down on commute times is having a significant impact on both job creation and employee well-being, with the demand for flexspace on the rise in response to the changing nature of work.

Mark Dixon, the CEO of International Workplace Group (IWG), believes this growth in out-of-town workspace is partly down to support for a flexible working policy among employees: “When people commute into major cities, their wallets commute with them,” he says. “Working locally keeps that spending power closer to home. What this study shows is that providing more opportunities for people to work closer to home can have a tremendous effect, not just on them, but on their local area too.”

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The first major socioeconomic study of its kind, it found that the presence of flexspace created up to 128 new jobs and a Gross Value Add (GVA) – or sandwich economy – of $16.47m (£12.7m) per area.

The independently-conducted report examined 19 countries from Belgium to Brazil, and also revealed the positive impact a local workspace can have environmentally and socially. A local flexspace is expected to save an average of 7,416 hours in commuting time per year – and also help to save 118 metric tonnes of carbon in the process.

Globally, this amounts to 2,560,000 tonnes a year – the equivalent of 128,000 flights between London and New York – which has huge implications for the way we think about the where and how of work in the 21st century (especially when green issues and worker well-being are considered).

According to its author, Steve Lucas, the report shows a profound change in global working culture: “This study reveals a shift in jobs and capital growth moving outside of city centres, where it has been focused for the last few decades, into suburban locations,” he comments.

As the trend for a flexible-working policy continues to spread, the numbers are getting bigger too: from the roles created by running the building itself, to the ancillary jobs that spring up to serve the new business community. Amongst these many economic benefits, flexible office space is predicted to add a staggering $254bn of value to local economies around the globe over the next 10 years – roughly the same as the entire economy of the Czech Republic in 2019. It’s perhaps another indication that growth is still an important part of an economy – but it’s shifting location, and it’s doing so with the potential to be more evenly distributed.

 

As the world’s leading workspace-provider, the global reach that Regus provides means it can spread a positive influence that goes beyond the merely practical: its size allows it to make a real socio-economic impact on a local community, and a positive impact on quality of life. As new generations enter the workforce, question the old way of doing things, and respond to the various challenges presented by life today (from environmental considerations to a better work and life balance), flexwork appears here to stay.

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Check out Regus' flexible workspace locations to find a base for your international team!

 This content has been sponsored by IWG - an XpatAthens Brand Partner.
Originally published at Regus.com

How is your married life if you are married? How do you like your work? Do you live a life that makes sense to you? Talk about all this. Share your thoughts first with yourself, your partner, your children (depending on their age). Begin to recognize your emotions, to hear them, to express them. Accept them without criticism. I know it’s not easy. But this way you will come closer both to yourself and your loved ones. ☺

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