Weekly Inspiration

Happy Mondays!!!!

Well I know no one is ever too happy about Mondays but it's a brand new day and another day to show how awesome you can be. So I didn't end up doing 2 weekly inspiration posts last week. Whoops!!! But such is life. Anyways, since it's the end of the year, I decide to share some wise quotes with you for my weekly inspiration. I love quotes and as a result I have over 500 saved to my phone and have a new quote as a notification every morning. I think they are great little refreshers to kick start any forlorn mood that you make be experiencing. That being said. My inspiration for this week are...........

Much Love,

Nella

Confessions of a Lonely Hearter- Letting go of the past and looking towards the future.

Greetings and salutations dudes and dolls,

I'm currently engrossed in the Fifty Shades of Grey book that's been a hot commodity this year. I know I know I'm a bit behind but it was not high on my reading list. I mean I've had the entire ebook series on my tabby since May and I even have the have the hardcopy since mommy got them and I still hadn't touched it yet. I could say blame med school but really my social reading habits haven't changed I just chose to read the Hunger Games series (3 books), Twighlight series (4 books), Act like a lady, think like a man, How to Influence people, Blaze and The 4-Hour Work Week before I read this book. That's all. Man I read a lot of books this year. In my opinion, so far Christian Grey seems like a not so hot Mr. Darcy to me but I'll continue to read and see what all the noise is about.

Anyhoo, enough about that and on to the true reason for this post. On my reflection, I've identified my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and flaws. Things I can improve and things I can build on. It's the best way to achieve growth. I may not be a resolutions girl but if you don't make any progress in your year then you're just swimming in quicksand really. So what are my amazing plans you ask? Well they are divided into the aspects of my life. From health and fitness to relationships to finances and well you get the drift. 

I truly want 2013 to be an amazing year and as a matter of fact it will be because I said so. Laws of attraction plus the momentum to make it work baby. I want to make at least J$10, 000 in side income this year from doing whatever I can. This may not seem like a lot since our Jamaican dollar seems to devalue by the minute but I really want to start small and use my financial muscles to see what I can come up with, especially since I am a full-time medical student. I also want to learn more about investing and play around with my investment options a little more and hopefully make some money!!! Academically, I'm pacing myself. I want to progressively improve my grades until I'm getting straight A's. Many before me have done it so I can do it as well. Just watch me. Relationship-wise, I want to grow in my current relationship and allow it to reach its full potential. I want a truly meaningful relationship with this great guy. Spiritually, I desire to build a closer relationship with God and strengthen my faith. i hope to do what I call my Spiritual 15 and make it a habit. This involves meditation, prayer, writing my gratitude list, reading my bible and saying my affirmations every morning for 15 minutes each morning. Get my day started with spiritual wellness and mental wellness. Health and fitness-wise. I will take care of my body and nurture it in the best way possible. I will make healthy living apart of my lifestyle and I will ensure that I take care of all my body's needs. And lastly, I want to grow my blog. Grow and strengthen it's content, grow my followership and readership, improve my writing skills and most of all, be an amazing blogger overall. As a matter of a fact, all of the things that I stated as wants above are really wills. I will do all of the above stated. Because I said so. I know that I can accomplish all my goals in life.

All in all, 2012 was a roller-coaster ride but a truly successful year and 2013 looks even more amazing with all its promises. Here's my recipe:

4 cups of A's in school

10 tbsp of financial growth and success

20 lbs of excess weight gone.....bye bye

6 ounces of spiritual growth

8 tsp of an excellent blog

1 wonderful relationship

4 amazing new adventures

100% spiritual, physical, mental, academic, financial and social growth and success

Sounds quite YUMMY!!!!

Let's make it happen. 2013 here we come.

Finally, I would just like to say Thank You. Thanks so much for stopping by, reading, following or even just nominating me for the Jamaica blog awards. I truly appreciate the support and would love it to continue into the new year. I also would like you to hit me up and tell me what you would like to see in 2013. Drop a comment and give me some ideas. Thanks much again. *hugs and kisses*

Much Love,

Nella

Confessions of a Lonely Hearter- Letting go of the past and looking towards the future.

Good evening ladies and gents,

We've reached the last chapter of my 2012 confessions but don't worry I'll be bringing you new confessions in 2013. I'm not a strong believer in New Year's resolutions, although if that's your thing I won't knock it but I don't see an magical association with a new year that suddenly changes all my bad habits. I think it's the idea of a renewed chance that seems to bubble our brew. However, I am a believer in reflection and moving forward. Looking back, looking forward. In examining and seeing what happened in our year we can see what went well for us and how we can maintain it. What went horribly wrong and how we can do it better and What we can do to change. Rather than making resolutions, I'm more of a choosing a theme to follow kind of gal. I haven't chosen my 2013 theme yet, hopefully I'll do it by tomorrow *fingers crossed* but I think it's better to have a single mantra or guiding principle for the year that you live by rather than just a list of would-be failed resolutions don't you think? And no I'm not talking about YOLO *rolls eyes* I'm talking more of a a governing statement or acronym or a slogan if you will. For example, my 2010 theme was "Don't let your happenings ruin your happiness", 2011 was "Just Do It" (borrowed from Nike) and 2012 was Focus, Determination, Discipline and Creativity (FDDC). See each year has had a different kind of principle but still covers a lot of what I want to accomplish in the year. Try it and tell me what happens. It really can't hurt at all. 

Anyways, I digress. I must admit that 2012 was an emotional roller coaster for me. Having had to overcome some academic struggles and coming grips to the fact that "Nella you aren't in high school anymore" and that I have work differently and harder to get the results I'm used, I'm happy to say that I'm finally academically coping with my medical career. Mind you I'm not honour society yet..........but I'm aiming for it so prepare for my A+ statuses. I'm also happy to say my academically-induced depression is currently under control and I'm finding my mix and balance in life. *happy dance* Financially was a huge win for me. I accomplished all my financial goals in fine style and early too, so that I have excess that I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. Maybe buy myself something nice or a wonderful spa day for my aches and pains. Hmmmmm.......

Relationships-wise was quite interesting. I disproved some random myth that the person you begin the year with and kiss will be the person you end it with. *high-five* I'm a myth buster. I have no idea who came up with that but they were surely wrong. My failed relationship was more like a soap opera saga with a less than wonderful outcome. More like scandalous and full of controversy really. People have asked me how I've done it. How can I stand to forgive them or look so calmly at either? It's quite simple, I don't. I mean sure I was a bit peeved but I can't say it was less than expected ask my friends who I said it to months before. But either way, I just don't pay it any mind. I ain't got time for that. I've got an amazing life without either of them and I will continue to do so. Forgiving does me more good that it does anyone else. The past can't drag me down like an anchor cause there are soooooooooooo many more important things at hand. Sooooooooo many. If I had been scandalous and distasteful in my pursuits, I would've lost more than a boy who didn't deserve my awesomeness, I would've also lost my dignity and I ain't about that life. A classy lady is how I was raised and no weak sauce shall drag that out of me. When you give someone the power over your emotions and actions, you've given someone power over you. In the wise words of my mother, "Just let it go". My only hope is that they both learn from it all. I know I have. 

That was my relationship flop. Now to my relationship hawtness. My new boyfriend wheeeeeeeee!!!! He's a pretty amazing guy really. He really has reminded me what it means to be romanced and not just doing what you must because it's expected. I just hope it lasts  beyond the honeymoon gaganess and that when the real issues arise, I won't be disappointed at the outcome. I'll definitely put the effort in if he does. So let's see....

Health and fitness wasn't too bad. I accomplished some of my goals but still have a long way to go. This is a lifestyle change and not just a tumultous crash diet regimen. So hi 5 for fitness. 

And now to my best relationship yet, my spiritual relationship with God. My spiritual journey has truly been amazing. I continuously am in awe of God's amazing gifts. He continues to fill my cup and fuel my greatness.Thank you Lord for all you have done. I also meditate, keep a gratitude journal, pray often, read the bible daily and smile as often as possible. This has helped my mental health tremendously. My spirit is warm and I will continue to nurture it with my spiritual growth.

In summary, What I will be leaving behind me in 2012 is this simple recipe.

1 lbs of a failed relationship

2 tbsp of academic failures and setbacks or just academic disappointments

3 tsp of unforgiveness and diappointments

5 cups of missed opportunities

3 ounces of insomnia

Whew what a hot mess!!! Bye Bye!!!

This post seems a bit long so......That's all for tonight. Tomorrow I'll do part 2 and I tell you about what I'm looking forward to. I hope you have a wonderful night.

Thanks for reading.

Much Love, 

Nella

Slow Dance

I finally completed reading The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. Oh yeah another December goal completed. The main focus of the book is to enlighten others about the possible of living like the nouveau-riche rather being stuck in the perpetual rat race and ultimate retirement. Though, I won't share the details of the book with you (I assure you that it's a good read and you should definitely check it out), I do want to share with you a little tidbit that I saw in the book. It's an email the author received from a terminally-ill girl in a New York hospital and he thought it fit to share it in his book and I want to share it with you. It's called Slow Dance. I absolutely love reflective reminders. They seem to nudge me in the direction that rekindles my spark and re-energizes my life. I'm actually thinking of printing it out and placing it somewhere on my wall to remind me about experiencing life rather than just being the living dead. To explore life, rather living on just an uncharted page. And to just appreciate it all more.

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids

On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night? 

You better slow down. 

Don't dance too fast.

Time is short. 

The music won't last. 

Do you run through each day

On the fly? 

When you ask: How are you? 

Do you hear the reply? 

When the day is done,

do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores 

Running through your head? 

You'd better slow down

Don't dance too fast. 

Time is short.

The music won't last. 

Ever told your child 

We'll do it tomorrow? 

And in your haste, Not 

see his sorrow? 

Ever lost touch, 

Let a good friendship die, 

Cause you never had time, 

To call and say "Hi"? 

You'd better slow down. 

Don't dance so fast. 

Time is short. 

The music won't last. 

When you run so fast to get somewhere, 

You miss half the fun of getting there. 

When you worry and hurry through your day, 

It is like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life is not a race. 

Do take it slower. 

Hear the music, 

Before the song is over.

Road Trip JA feat 2

Jamaica, land we love. A land untravelled by me is about to get Nellafied. My mission is to see as much of my country as possible before I'm 25 after which my trips shall become global phenomenons. Have I accepted the challenge? Yes I sure have!!!! Now who's with me? *dum dum dum*

Okay. Ignoring my silly shenanegans, it's now time for another Road Trip JA feature wooooohooooooo. The reason I'm doing this feature is because I think it's time that Jamaicans learn how to enjoy this beautiful tropical escape that we live on. Like many, I've succumbed to the usual routine. I can't even say a 9-5 life because since I've entered med, it's been more like 7am to midnight or later (sounds like a Wendy' s ad)  and I'm finally ready to take the plunge and see it all. 

This time, I'll take you to the parish of............... St. Thomas. Over the summer, I visited Sun Coast Adventrue Park for a friend's birthday. Being the adventurists that we naturally are, we decided to skip the usual dinners and head straight to the park for some hiking, paintballing, the maze and other activities at the park. Located in Twelve Miles, St. Thomas, about 15 minutes from Bull Bay, the park is opened Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays from 9:00 am- 5:00pm. It's also opened on other days by special arrangements. Although, most famous for it's Paintballing, the park also has other fun activites such as the beach, hiking trails, playground, basketball, football all of which are inclusive in the entrance fee and mini golf, ropes, and ziplining which are charged additionally. 

I must say I had a whole lot of fun. As is expected with great friends and a good venue. We started by first going on the hiking trail and let me tell you it is not for the faint of heart. This was more of a rock structured trail versus regular dirt or grass that I'm used to and the manouevering yikes it was trying. Luckily I had friends who had done it before to help guide and help me along on the trail. After hiking, we headed to the maze to compete against the clock to finding the letters on the card that spelt M-A-Z-E and I did it in 9 mins not bad for a newbie. 

Then we headed to the creme-de-la-creme. The reason we trekked it out of Kingston. Our day of adventure. We paintballed!!! Oh yeah and guess what my team of newbies beat the experienced players :p My only problem with this was that you basically had to buy everything but the gun and helmets. If you needed extra shots you had to buy it. You need a vest, you have to buy it. I thought they could at least give us the vest but hey that's my opinion. And finally, after an action and adventure packed day we headed to the beach where I found my love rock and declared that I shall always be lucky in love as long as my heart desires. We didn't swim at the beach but we still had a good time chilling and whatnot.

All in all, I would say it was a pretty awesome day. It's a great time to have with a group of good family and friends, I'd definitely recommend it, but considering the prices of the trip, I'd probably only make occasional visits rather than make the regular treks. Got to live life but also need to have money to enjoy the other things I love. What do you think? Have you even been to SunCoast? What was the trip like?

Much Love,

Nella

Poetry Wednesdays- Waltzing in the park

Waltzing in the park

We strutted

And we sauntered

Hand in hand

Two souls with a heavenly view

He took my hands in his and rubbed them together

Planting a gentle kiss

Before he closed the distance between us

Pulling me closer

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4

We swayed and rocked

Moving effortlessly to silent songs of the earth

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4

We glided across the park

Graceful swans through the fountains

 I could feel the pulsation of our heartbeats

The timed rhythms of our breaths

The sweet scent of our love

Twirling into circles of passion

The crick crack tango

The Vietnamese waltz

The swingers rock

The Cuban salsa

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4

We sauntered our feet

Forever trapped in our own world

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4

We danced in the park

We danced in the park

Perception

Perception is the organization, identification and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the environment.

When I studied Sociology in high school, I was introduced to the school of thought of 'Symbolic Interactionism'. A theory posited by George Herbert Meade and Charles Horton Cooley, it focuses on how individuals interact and communicate with each other and within society through the meaning of symbols. The perspective that stood out to me the most however, was the 'Looking Glass Perspective' posited by Cooley. He stated that a person's self grows out of society's interpersonal interactions and the perception of others. It uses the example of a looking glass (mirror) to which he ascribes is our perception of society's view of us and as a result of we assume that we see reflected at us, we act accordingly. e.g. People tell us that we're 'nice' or 'ugly' so when asked what we think of ourselves we say 'I'm a nice person' or 'I think I'm ugly' Therefore, we end up shaping ourselves based on other people's perception which leads to us confirming these opinions. A self-fulling prophecy if you wish.

This stood out to me the most because of the Jamaican culture and society. From a very young age, certain characteristics and mannerisms are ascribed to us and no matter how much we grow and change, many people still remember you as such. Some will always be the little fat girl who used to tief sweetie from Miss Brown shop or the bright bwoy who come fuss inna him class. Even when the girl has lost weight, there's still the I remember when she was fat conversations. Added to this is that we tend to act differently based on how each individual sees us. My friends think of me as the life of the party so I can't disappoint. My parents think I'm the quiet brainchild so I act accordingly. My boyfriend/ girlfriend thinks I'm the sweet/hot/smart/amazing/charming person so I act like that towards him/her. But aren't we tired of all the roles? Isn't the most important perception the true one of ourselves? Not the negative puffs smoked into our faces or the simple box that people try to enclose us in but our multi-dimmensional selves.

We are a product of our thoughts. They dictate how we react and how we are perceived. But let me tell you a little secret about human nature. Humans are naturally selfish and in life they are more focused on what they think others think of them to ever truly notice what is going on with you. Perception is a state of mind and not a definite description of who you are. We are dynamic in nature and never a constant state in life. The Jamaican society is set in a certain way but it doesn't have to define you. There is no magic formula or potion to escape other people's perception of you, all you can truly do is to live as you wish, enjoy yourself and be happy. They may ask 'Who are you to be this way?' and your response should always be 'Who am I not to?'

In my opinion my only roles in life are to live it, enjoy it and experience it.

Be a product of imagination, dreams, goals, ideas and beliefs, not a slave to other's perceptions.

Much Love, 

Nella

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I just want to take the time to wish you all a very merry Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful day, filled with love and lots of excitement. It's the season of giving so give love, share your heart and most of all give thanks for the life you live.

Much Love,

Nella

52 week financial challenge update

At the beginning of the year I invited you all to participate in the 52 week financial challenge with me. Well guess what week we're in?.............Yep you got it. Week 52. This is the final week of the challenge and I'm proud to announce that I've completed the challenge!!!! YaY!!!! *throws confetti* I'm really proud of myself for accomplishing this feat and trust me it was hard. It took a lot of discipline especially towards the end of the challenge when all kinds of experiences were enticing to me. For me, everything was easy until around week 26. At that point a significant portion of my weekly income (i.e. my lunch money provided by my parents) had to be funneled into this challenge. It took a whole lot to actually get everything done. I felt a bit restricted from what I could do if I had utilised the money otherwise. But that's why it's called a challenge eh? If it were easy then we'd all be doing it. 

Overall, it was what I'd call a rewarding experience. I felt the joy of actually doing what I set out to do and seeing the results. It reminded me that sometimes you need more than just instant gratification to feel good, other times you need the pleasure of achieving a major goal or dream to fuel and propel you further into the life you've meant to have.

So what will I do with the money you may ask? This is actually going into a savings account to finance an even bigger dream of mine. A personal graduation present for my 2015 medical school achievement of my MBBS degree. It will become part of a fund to finance my Eurotrip 2015 : D. I think I will enjoy the money more as an experience rather than splurging on a single item or a series of items. I WILL DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THE TRIP MORE!!!!

And what of next year? I don't think I'll be doing the 52 week challenge next year but rather attempt another challenge I've concocted called the 365 Challenge. I think the 365 Challenge will give me more personal freedom and make it a little easier to do the challenge since it will be an automated savings deduction. So how does the challenge go may you ask? It's simple! I will save J $200 a day for 365 days. See not that bad. And it works out better because rather than struggling towards the end I would have created a steady habit throughout the year. I think the biggest challenge would be getting started on New Years Day and trying to continuously getting the J $200 on days when I won't always have any money but I think with my plan of automatically deducting from my weekly income (lunch money) then I should be fine.

How many of you did the challenge with me? Did you complete it? If not, where did you stop? What were your experiences with the challenge? Ready to try this one? I would love to see your comments and I promise to get back to you.

Much Love,

Nella  

The 52 week financial challenge results: 

Week	Deposit	Add'l wks	Total	Completed
1	$50		$50	yes
2	$100	$50	$150	yes
3	$150	$150	$300	yes
4	$200	$300	$500	yes
5	$250	$500	$750	yes
6	$300	$750	$1,050	yes
7	$350	$1,050	$1,400	yes
8	$400	$1,400	$1,800	yes
9	$450	$1,800	$2,250	yes
10	$500	$2,250	$2,750	yes
11	$550	$2,750	$3,300	yes
12	$600	$3,300	$3,900	yes
13	$650	$3,900	$4,550	yes
14	$700	$4,550	$5,250	yes
15	$750	$5,250	$6,000	yes
16	$800	$6,000	$6,800	yes
17	$850	$6,800	$7,650	yes
18	$900	$7,650	$8,550	yes
19	$950	$8,550	$9,500	yes
20	$1,000	$9,500	$10,500	yes
21	$1,050	$10,500	$11,550	yes
22	$1,100	$11,550	$12,650	yes
23	$1,150	$12,650	$13,800	yes
24	$1,200	$13,800	$15,000	yes
25	$1,250	$15,000	$16,250	yes
26	$1,300	$16,250	$17,550	yes
27	$1,350	$17,550	$18,900	yes
28	$1,400	$18,900	$20,300	yes
29	$1,450	$20,300	$21,750	yes
30	$1,500	$21,750	$23,250	yes
31	$1,550	$23,250	$24,800	yes
32	$1,600	$24,800	$26,400	yes
33	$1,650	$26,400	$28,050	yes
34	$1,700	$28,050	$29,750	yes
35	$1,750	$29,750	$31,500	yes
36	$1,800	$31,500	$33,300	yes
37	$1,850	$33,300	$35,150	yes
38	$1,900	$35,150	$37,050	yes
39	$1,950	$37,050	$39,000	yes
40	$2,000	$39,000	$41,000	yes
41	$2,050	$41,000	$43,050	yes
42	$2,100	$43,050	$45,150	yes
43	$2,150	$45,150	$47,300	yes
44	$2,200	$47,300	$49,500	yes
45	$2,250	$49,500	$51,750	yes
46	$2,300	$51,750	$54,050	yes
47	$2,350	$54,050	$56,400	yes
48	$2,400	$56,400	$58,800	yes
49	$2,450	$58,800	$61,250	yes
50	$2,500	$61,250	$63,750	yes
51	$2,550	$63,750	$66,300	yes
52	$2,600	$66,300	$68,900	yes