Weekly Inspiration

Hello lovers and friends,

My weekly inspiration this week is following the New Year and a Fresh Start. It's about inspiring you to make a serious change in your life and the way you are. Whether you make resolutions or not, everyday is a chance to be a better you and that is what it's all about. Making progress, achieving goals and living the life that you envisioned. I once read a quote that said

"Adults always ask children what they want to be when they grow up because they are looking for ideas"

Listen to your inner child and that voice that constantly reminds you of your passions. What do you do when you aren't doing required work? Where do you find yourself venturing to? Is it beauty magazines and blogs? Secretly looking at dream getaways? Planning your own business? Whatever it is feed the fuel that continues to burn inside you. Read books, blogs, magazines on your interests. Seek out mentors and help from those who have achieved what you wish to. Take classes, go to seminars and learn as much about it as you can. Make it a viable source of income whether main or additional or supplementary income. When life gives you lemons....add vodka haha no not really but accept the good with the bad and take it as a stepping stone to your greatest success. Remember the arrow that is propelled forward is usually drawn back, so too your set backs can propel you forward once you note the lesson and make improvements.

It's a new year my loves. A new day and a new time. Stop limiting yourselves to the mental box you live in and create your own path. This is the only way we can live a life so sweet.

La Dolce Vita 2013

Much Love, 

Nella

Resolutions or Goals, You decide.

Ah yes! It's that time of the year again to make those much noted promises to ourselves about how we will improve our lives for the better. Hopefully if you make resolutions that you keep at least 2 of them. I think the biggest way to overcome failure is to recognize that they will happen because no one is perfect, dust yourself off, bounce back and practice practice practice. You are bound to falter in different areas of your life but the main point is to not stay down but approach from a different angle and see what works best for you. Sometimes you may be making too many ambitious goals at once and need to focus on only one or even make a compromise for these goals, resolutions or dreams to be successful. But one thing's for sure.......you won't get ahead just sitting on your behind. Trust me it only leads to a sore bum and a truck load of regrets and missed opportunities.

All of that being said.......What are my 2013 resolutions/ goals? Well let's check them out.

Academic:

1.Have a set study timetable that I follow

2. Acquire my Bachelor of Basic Medical Sciences Degree

3. Have an exemplary work ethic

4 Participate and be more active on the wards, in the hospital and in the clinics and all aspects of medical life

Personal: 

1. Take care of my mind, body and spirit.

2. Travel more often and seek out new adventures

3. Relax when feeling stressed

4. Participate in weekly focus challenges

5. Read 1 book a month incl. 3 business/ finance books, 1 marketing book, 2 inspirational book, 1 personal development book and the other 5 will be fictional books to spark the imagination

Financial:

1. Make $10, 000 from a side income

2. Create and stick to a functional budget

3. Successfully complete the 365 financial challenge (I'll explain this at a later date)

4. Improve financial literacy. Learn about investment options, stocks, bonds, portfolios, mutual funds, etc.

5. Save for a Dream Vacation and take it in 2013

Health, Fitness and Spirituality:

1. Lose 10-15 lbs of excess weight

2. Make a successful lifestyle modification

3. Do something to improve my health every week

4. Establish and maintain a functional exercise routine

5. Full take care of my body incl. meal plans, fitness regimen, meditation

6. Read motivational and fitness articles weekly

7. Pray and read the bible more frequently

8. Write a gratitude list and continue to work on my life journal and dream book

Beauty

1. Have a hair regimen that I stick to

2. Get rid of acne and blacspots

3. Take care of hair, nails, and skin

4. Have a beauty and fashion routine

5. Drink water daily

Blog:

1. Create more captivating blog content

2. Increase blog readership and followership

3. Do at least 6 guest posts on other blogs

4. Increase blog promotions and marketing

5. Establish myself as a blogger in the blogging world

6. Win the Jamaica Blog Award for Best Personal Blog :D

During the course of the year these goals may change or be altered but in the end all I accomplish shall be a step in the direction that I want to take my life in and I will be proud of it all. How about you? What are New Year's Resolutions/ Goals for 2013?

Much Love,

Nella

Lonely Heart Confessions- Fresh Start

There is something about a new year that seems to incite a spark within us all. Maybe it's the idea of leaving things in the past or building on the foundations that we have built. Maybe it has to do with that little glimmer of hope that seems to percolate through us that says this year things will be different and this year all my dreams will come true. I'm usually not one to promote resolutions but I don't knock anyone who actually does. 

I've often promoted and said that there is nothing special about January 1. There is no magic fairy dust that suddenly makes you better than you were before nor is there any sudden marker of change that appears in a new year. But I think that was more of my realist side talking. And while I appreciate that side of me because it keeps me grounded, sometimes the realist starts to sound like a pessimist. It's time to move from that realm and re-introduce the dreamer within me. The person who believes that anything is possible and that dreams do come true. The person who recognizes that hard work, determination and serious positivity are the keys to true success. That it isn't about how much money you have but about what you do with the resources that you have available. 

"Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that."~ Norman Vincent Peale

I've much taken for granted all that resides around me and as a result I have not appreciated my life and recognized all the blessings that I have. It's time to introduce gratitude into my life and nurture my mind and spirit into the era of positive vibrations, focus, drive, determination and success that is awaiting my arrival. Let go little one. It's the time for the dancer to twirl, the gypsy to roam, the free-spirit, the student and the successful entrepreneur to unite as one into a powerful and enigmatic supernova that illuminates the world. I am a candle into the night and the dullest and darkest days shall not dim my light but only make my incandescent spirit shine brighter, more brilliantly and more blindingly into the eyes of those who seek to tear me down or those who try to hinder my progress in anyway.  

It's time for a Fresh Start. Let the rear view be a guide and the forefront be a will. It's time for a fresh start. In all aspects of my life. From love to academics to career to finance. From spiritual to beauty to fashion to health and everything else that lies in between. A beautiful journey is ahead of me and I anxiously take the first step out the door and towards my new future. Every day is a new opportunity to make a difference and be the best version of myself as possible.

My advice to you all is to cultivate a life that you will be proud to tell your grandchildren about. Seek out adventures and make mistakes, for they make amazing stories. Get in touch with your spiritual side. Take care of your mind and your body for they are the only ones you have. And above all, be yourself always. This is my guide for 2013. I hope this little nugget inspires you as much as I am inspired and motivated to make this the best version of my life yet. 

It's time we all lived 'La Dolce Vita'

Much Love,

Nella

I've been featured

A pleasant Sunday Afternoon to you all,

I do hope you are having a wonderful day and that 2013 has already started to make waves for you. 

Today I have some exciting news. I recently did a guest post for a travel and lifestyle blog called Eat Explore Live and I'm happy to say that my post has been accepted and posted and you can check it out Here I am seriously excited. 

One of my blogging goals for the year is actually to do more guest posts and features and gain more exposure for my blog so it's really great seeing it all come together like this. 

Look out for more great things from me in 2013. 

And remember to check out my guest post. Eat Explore Live and let's all live 'La Dolce Vita 2013'

Enjoy your day :)

Much Love,

Nella

Road Trip JA feat 3

Hello ladies and gents,

It's Friday Friday gotta get out on Friday. *cue Amanda Black youtube video* Lol. Anyways it is a beautiful Friday afternoon and I'm really excited for the weekend. I can use the opportunity to catch up on some much need rest and get some work done because I've been looking on my schedule and man time is flying. I have my next exam in only and few weeks and I need to get ready. I can. I must. I will. Aside from that, I'm happy to share with you another Road Trip JA feature. If you're new here this is a feature where I travel Jamaica and share my little tidbits of adventure and information with you. I also want to encourage everyone to travel around there own country and find out more about your history, heritage and have a little fun doing it. You'd be surprised about the pleasant little nuggets that you can dig up.

There is something about living in a routine. Having a scheduled life. Day in and  day out, you do the same set of things or a pre-listed set of tasks. It keeps you organized and productive, but it can also lead to many missed adventures. Not to mention it is quite BORING!!!! Spontaneity is the spice of life. It keeps us energized and vitalized and it's most definitely fun. To learn, to travel, to experience and to make lasting memories to quench your thirst and satisfy the insatiable appetite for life. My goal is to travel every nook and cranny of my beautiful island of Jamaica and to help find some fun yet relatively inexpensive ways to enjoy myself and create memories that last a lifetime.

 Over the past summer, I had an exchange student from Spain staying with me while he was on his medical elective. And one of the things he said to me which I actually found quite funny was that he didn't think Port Royal really existed. He thought it was a made up place from Pirates of the Caribbean much like Gotham City in the batman cartoons, comics and movies. When he told me this I had to laugh. It seems that many persons in foreign countries really think it's a mythical place rather than the place of rich history that resides on the island of Jamaica. Therefore, I think you know where I'm going with this. Our next stop in this Road Trip JA feature will be taking us to ......... dum dum dum........ Port Royal, Jamaica. And for those of you who didn't know PORT ROYAL REALLY EXISTS!!!!!

My friend Juan (the exchange student). Seeing is believing

Fooling around in the Folly Playhouse. Can you say planking?

Let's start off with a little history lesson. Originally colonized by the Spanish, but attacked and captured by the English in 1655, Port Royal was a prominent coastal community during Jamaica's colonisation by the British. It was actually one of the richest places in the world of the time and one of the largest English towns. It was designed to serve as a defensive fortification, guarding the harbour entrance, and providing a platform for the easy loading and unloading of ships- large and small. 



However, it's social milieu left much to be desired in the realm of morality. Because of its good natural harbor and key position, Port Royal quickly became a major haven for pirates and buccaneers, who were made welcome because of the need for defenders.  It was a place of criminals, pirates, concubines and rampaged by every demoralized person of the time. Or so they say. It was filled with gold and jewels from all over the world. 










So whatever happened to it you ask? Why is Jamaica a third world country despite these periods of prosperity? Well apart from our poor management or rather the government's poor management of our funds and our underdeveloped industries, there were a few earthquakes and much of Port Royal is now buried below sea level. The major earthquake which lead to the ultimate desolation of Port Royal was the one in 1692. Aha! So that's what happened. Yes yes it did. 



The Folly Place House




Today, Port Royal is a small coastal fishing village. It has retained very little of its previous structures, although some old buildings and artifacts are still intact. So if you're a history lover or just a regular old traveller, then you should check it out. Rumour has it that much of the gold is still buried underwater, not that i'm sending anyone to go diving for treasure or anything.







For a more detailed history, check out these sites: History Lesson   History Lesson 2 History Lesson 3









Captivated by the view

We ended up visiting Fort Charles, a re-erected structure originally called Fort Cromwell. It serves as an official heritage site with a museum, restaurant, a gift shop and my favourite the Folly Playhouse wheee!!! (you'll soon see why). The official opening hours for you travel lovers are Sunday to Saturday 9:00 am - 4: 45 pm and it's closed on holidays. There is an entry fee of $400 for Jamaicans and it's $20 US I think for foreigners I'm not too sure but you'll have to check it out. I personally think it's a little costly, though not really expensive but we aren't really doing much rather than walking around and looking at a few artifacts but I think it is worth the trip to learn a little more about Jamaica's history. It's better to go as a group though much more fun.





Much Love,

Nella

December Goals Recap

Hey dolls and dudes, 

December is officially over!!!! Welcome to 2013 baby. Last year, I made a few goals to accomplish for the month of December and in preparation for this year. Right now I'm back in school. Yes I know! Already!!!! *sigh* It's also already becoming cumbersome *double sigh*. But that's for another day. Though I will share with you that I had a pretty good time today. I went on a few home visits to visit some new mothers as a part of my paediatrics rotation. I even examined a few babies *yay me*. I truly appreciate this aspect of medicine. I love it really. But................ let's proceed. Here's a recap of my December 2012 goals and a little about my progress with each.

Personal Goals:

1. Increase overall productivity and reduce procrastination. Sadly, I'm a huge time-waster. I will know I have something to do but I will do everything under God's sun before I accomplish my daily tasks. This December   I will hopefully make my list, check it twice and strike things off one goal at a time. *fingers crossed* - SCORE!!!!!!!! I totally owned this goal! Woot!

2. Read 'The four hour workweek'. I have been seriously putting off reading this book for a while. I've started it a few times and actually have read half of the book but I keep procrastinating the end. This month it  shall be completed. \o/ -Sign, sealed and delivered. I've finally completed this book after months and I've started reading the 50 shades of grey trilogy. Yes I know, one year later.

3. Declutter December. My room is an explosion of stuff that I don't use and need to get rid of. December seems like a perfect time to do so. Look out for my online garage sale as I try to sell some of these off. They are actually in fairly good condition, never or rarely used. Please purchase something. You get them for great prices and if you're in Kingston I can deliver! - I'm happy to say I've made progress in this area. I still have some way to go but I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff. 

4. Have some much needed and well-deserved fun time and R&R. It's a holiday season afterall and I've had a long school year. It's definitely time for me to have a break. Go to the beach (a choice thanks to Jamaica's yearlong sun :D), go to a restaurant, road trip woo woo, or any other fun social outing with my friends and family. Fun is definitely needed and the time shall be enjoyed. (side note: I'll miss PB and Keeves when they're gone for Christmas :( but they'll be back soon I know it woot!) - Did them ALL!!!! Beach- Yes! Restaurant- Yes! Road trip- Yes! Yes! Fun outings with family and friends- Oh Yeah!!! And Keeves is back! Yay!!! Though still no PB :(

Academic Goal:

5. Keep pace with current courses and complete all group work. As mentioned before, I'm on a pretty stress-free rotation right now but there is still a lot of work to be done. Especially, group work. Yikes! No need to fall behind because exams come in the blink of an eye. Trust me! - Donezo!!! Now to get ready for the new year and new rotation. Let's get 'em!!!

Financial Goals:

6. Complete the 52 week challenge. Do you remember the challenge I started at the beginning of the year? Well guess what I'm still on it with only 4 weeks left to complete. Whee!!! I am quite proud of myself for that one and can't wait to accomplish my long-standing goal. Yay! -Did it!!! I didn't think I would make it but I did and I'm truly proud of myself!!!

7. Read financial articles and become more finance savvy. One of my life goals is to be a Philanthropist  and to have exceptional money management skills. So I keep trying to nurture my financial education with personal finance blogs and online articles. So far, so good. - Done!!! I'm still reading and still learning. My goal for this year is to learn more about investing and start learning about the stock market. 

8. Find ways to generate supplementary income. If you have a job for me, link me. I really want to find ways to help support my lifestyle more. I'm quite ambitious and that is quite expensive. Lol! Either way I think it's important that I gain additional income. Any ideas? Jobs? Plans? Message me. Comment. It's truly appreciated. - Sigh! Nothing yet! But I'm definitely still on the hunt!

Spiritual Goals:

9. Meditate for 5 minutes daily. A great way to clear your mind and nurture your spirit. Meditation calms and relaxes me. And it also is a good way to reset my mind and refocus my energies. Trust me it works wonders for you. - My mind is calm, clear and collected. I am spiritually aligned. Meditation does great things for me.

10. Write daily gratitude list. Research says the hallmark of happy people is that they are thankful. I want to be happy so I tried it. It really works for me. It's quite easy to forget how lucky we are in life so I've just tried to remind myself- I wrote this for most days but not all so it was more half done. 

Health and Fitness Goals:

11. Get hepatitis B shots. I just have to say that it's been 3 years since I should've gotten these shots and all now. It's time! See how my procrastination has taken over my life. It needs to be gone! - Still not done yet! Ha! Let's try for this month!

12. Practice healthy cooking. Well 'tis the season to be jolly but it doesn't mean I can't also be healthy. I really don't want tot overeat or wallow in unhealthy food and then making New Year's resolutions to lose weight. I find it counter-productive so I'll be trying to cook as healthy as possible and control my eating habits as best as I can. Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst. - Ha!!!! Epic fail! It was Christmas so the food did tun up til it buck (there was a lot of good food available) and it was really hard not to partake in the festivities. Better luck this year.


Well that's it folks. 12 Goals for December. There were some winners and some losses but I never stop trying to do my best and get it all done. January goals coming soon. What are your goals? 

Much Love, 

Nella Bella

Happy New Year

I just want to take this time to wish you all a Happy New Year! I hope you all have an amazing an wonderful year. May all your goals and dreams come true and may you be successful in all your endeavours. I have finally decided on my theme for this year and I think it's one that we all can strive to uphold. My 2013 mantra/ theme is.........................

Expect the best. Do your best. Be the best. And when the best isn't good enough, go beyond.

I truly wish you all the best in 2013.

Much Love,

Nella