Depending on who your favorite motivational speaker/writer is, a lot of people are in agreement that five of the best ways to end an out-going year well and start the new one on a positive note are;

• Reviewing how you’ve spent your time in the year, and identifying those things (or people) that drained your energy (Without being paranoid, this stress-buster shows what to excise and points to what/who to avoid next year)
• Sending greetings of appreciation and thanks to those people who have helped make this year phenomenal for you (your business needs the goodwill this will elicit)
• Cancelling the subscriptions and memberships you’ve didn’t use in the year (just cut them off for good and save yourself some good money)
• Making a list of the fifteen best things you did this year (No bigger ego-booster, it’s going to feel as good as champagne bubbles dancing on your tongue at the end-of-the-year toast)
• Making a list of things that are going to get better and making an action plan for that’ll make them reality in the coming year (aka New Year’s resolution aka making a reasonable forecast)

Here’s one your favorite motivational speaker/writer left out of the list…picking the best place to celebrate New Year’s Eve and where to start the new year on a high.

New Year’s Eve is one of the most significant holidays in the entire world; the champagne, the ball dropping, the resolutions, the last-minute indulgence and the revelry that accompanies it. It’s the last chance to have a good time without the tinge of a guilt before the year runs out. There are so many fantastic places in the world to spend it but here’s a shortlist of the best places to celebrate New Year’s Eve on the planet.

1. New York City, USA
The big apple and home to the biggest New Year’s Eve party the modern world has ever known, well over a million people will show up at Times Square for this famous yearly party. You’ll find yourself counting down the seconds to midnight while a huge 12-foot glittering ball is slowly dropped down from a flagpole atop the Times Square building with over a ton of confetti dropped onto party-goers. The fireworks is out of this world. The New Year’s Eve celebration is a televised event, so turn up in your best gear, you might see yourself on TV.

2.Sydney, Australia
There’s more to Sydney, Australia than the famous Opera House. Home to one of the 20th century’s most distinctive buildings, Sydney is one of the first cities in the world to see the New Year, it truly comes alive during the New Year’s Eve celebrations. Many events surround New Year’s Eve celebration in Sydney. Expect to see indigenous smoking ceremonies, aerial flyovers complete with messages in the sky, mini-light shows, a truly huge and spectacular fireworks show and a lighted boat parade at the Sydney Harbour. An ultimate dance party is held at Bondi Beach while kids get feted at Taronga Zoo.

3. Paris, France
Even in the midst of heavy revelry and pyros, the city of love never loses its allure of romance and panache. At the Eiffel Tower, visitors will see a truly spectacular light show and fireworks display. However, most all the streets of Paris will be filled with tons of Parisians celebrating and having a wonderful time with fireworks and lots of champagne. The romantic New Year’s Eve boat cruises along the Seine are also offered for those who wish for a little privacy for their celebration. Little wonder they say, ‘See Paris and die…’

4. London, England
Over 250,000 visitors cannot be wrong. Tons of people crowd onto the banks of the Thames and begin the countdown to the symbolic Big Ben striking the hour of midnight when an elaborate light show and fireworks display takes off. This is arguably the most exciting countdown party after the one at New York’s Times Square. The party usually continues throughout the night with activities planned for New Year’s Day including a three-hour parade complete with marching bands, colorful floats, costumed dancers and a fine procession of the Queen’s horses. Talk about going to London to see the Queen, you just might on this occasion.

5. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
For once what happens in Vegas, doesn’t stay in Vegas. The city that doesn’t sleep usually receives well over 300,000 visitors during New Year’s Eve celebrations and you know Vegas is worth all the fuss. Beginning at 6 p.m., the famous four-mile-long Strip is shut to vehicular traffic and opened up to visitors who wish to celebrate by walking around, drinking, mingling and watching various fireworks being shot off from famous building rooftops. Most of the hotels, clubs and bars usually offer special shows and other activities. Definitely worth the stress.

6. Miami, Florida
Expect to find celebrations of all types all over this sunshine city. South Beach is a great idea for a good old-fashioned all-night dance-a-thon with tons of revelers. A family-friendly event takes place at Miami’s “Big Orange” which is a 35-foot neon which descends from the Inter-Continental Miami like the New York’s ball-drop. There’s usually a grand-finale boasting a huge fireworks show at Bayfront Park and with lots of family activities, musical entertainment and food available. You’re free to party till you drop (literally) in Miami at the New Year’s Eve soiree.

7. Edinburgh, Scotland
Thousands visit Edinburgh for the annual “Hogmanay Celebration”, which means a celebration of the last day of the year. Expect to see famous pop-stars and traditional ‘Ceilidh’ dancing throughout the streets. At midnight, 4.5 tons of fireworks explode over Edinburgh Castle while the streets ring out with revelers singing “Auld Lang Syne.” New Year’s Day brings activities like the ‘run down the Royal Mile’, a dive in the freezing cold waters of the River Forth, the “Loony Dook” Parade and a dog-sledding competition. It’s a traditionally celebration all through.

8. Vienna, Austria
If you’re one of those who want a more-genteel New Year’s Eve celebration, Vienna is the place for you. You’ll love the dignified balls, classical music concerts and some of the world’s best symphonies which mark the New Year’s Eve in the European city. If you’re into ‘Champagne Brunches’ then hang around till New Year’s Day, you’ll love it.

9. Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s Times Square is where you get to see the replica ball-drop hours before the original drops in honour of the New Year’s Eve celebrations. Hong Kong has one of the world’s most dramatic skylines and it lights up every year with a display of fireworks concluding with a dazzling finale, the famous pyrotechnic dragon that dances across the sky. Victoria Harbour is the center of the New Year’s Eve’s evening activity. The locals are warm and accommodating and visitors get to be among the lucky Eastern hemisphere population to kick the New Year’s celebrations off first.

10. Rio de Janeiro
One of the most remarkable ways to usher in the New Year is to be part of the ‘Réveillon’. The uniquely Brazilian celebration blends religious, traditional, and superstitious beliefs and it sees locals dressing in all-white apparels (which is believed to bring good luck). The Réveillon comes a close second to the Rio Carnival and takes place at the iconic Copacabana Beach where more than two million people cram onto the scene. One of the world’s biggest New Year’s Eve celebration includes large oceanfront stages for live musical and dance performances, and a colorful fireworks display at midnight completes the scene. It’s totally breath-taking at this celebration.
So there you go. If you want to make a triumphant entry into the New Year, you’d be planning to hit any of these exclusive celebrations to have the time of your life…it’s totally worth it.