Return Your Essence To Nature
As you might know I’m a workaholic. When you own your own company…well, make that 2 companies + a soon to be launched third one + a successfully growing blog…you rarely have time for yourself. I’ve found it extremely important to make that time, because if you don’t, eventually there won’t be much energy, drive and passion left, and those are essential ingredients for success. I’ve already talked about this in one of my other posts ”Whatever Is Good For The Soul”. Turning to nature, just by taking a walk or laying in the grass for even just 30 minutes can already clear my head and calm me down in stressful times.
Even when home in Suriname, I’m still working every day. I do however, make sure I take (half)days off to head into the beautiful interior to enjoy the nature, or I enjoy a massage or an afternoon at Jacana Resort which actually combines both without having to travel to far.
In January this year I had the privilege of enjoying a full afternoon of zen within 10 minutes driving of my home in Paramaribo.
Jacana Amazon Wellness Resort is really just a paradise right in the middle of the city. The moment you step in, you find yourself in an entirely different world…A green and peaceful world in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. A world where the atmosphere of the beautifully landscaped tropical gardens, is enhanced by the warm welcome and exceptional service where you will be surrounded with as a guest. A world in which every element with a critical eye for detail and love for nature is designed . A world that offers the perfect balance of comfort, convenience, tranquility and entertainment …
You can book your stay in different luxurious suites, but also just enjoy an afternoon enjoying the pool with waterfall, the gorgeous botanical garden, the spa & gym and amazing food. You can also have your business meeting there, or take your kids with you because they will enjoy the playground (and the pool of course!).
Outfit details: Bikini from Victoria’s Secret. Metallic Tattoos from Chique Tattoos.
The skirt is from a flea market in Rome, Italy. Scroll down to the end for a ”ready to shop” selection of similar bikini’s and skirts. You can thank me later! 😉
Enjoy my ”Return Your Essence To Nature” Photo Diary, which really captures the Jacana Amazon Wellness Resort experience.
Photography by Ish Ramautarsing. Enjoy Jacana Amazon Wellness Resort just as much as I did, book here. For more photos at Jacana, check out my previous post Lemonade.
Shop my style:
Metallic Tattoos: www.chiquetattoos.nl
- Published in Adventure & Travel, Written Archives 2013-2018
Lemonade
What Beyoncé has recently taught me…
Her newly released Lemonade has inspired a spiral of thoughts that lead to this blog, which are interesting from both a marketing and a personal growth perspective.
While everyone is obsessing about ”Becky with the good hair”, all I see is the brilliance of it. While Beyoncé lashes out at Jay-Z, suggesting adultery, and the entire album basically revolves around her heartbreak, it has the entire world speculating. Yet, what most people tend to forget is that the album Lemonade is released exclusively through Tidal, which is a streaming service company co-owned by both Beyoncé and Jay-Z (among others), making it one of the smartest money making endeavours and everyone is falling for it. It just makes Beyoncé and Jay-Z brilliant entrepreneurs and it’s something we can all learn from.
You see, Beyoncé with her A-star status is perceived by many as ideal. The idea that she has to deal with the same things that many of us have to deal with such as infidelity, heartbreak, insecurities etc. provides many with a certain degree of comfort. ”If Beyoncé can be cheated on, well then maybe it’s not the case that I’m not good enough” could be a thought of some lady who’s been cheated on. By making the album personal, it adds so much value to it, making it more than just a few new Beyoncé songs. Tidal described the Lemonade concept as ”every woman’s journey of self-knowledge and healing”. So what can we conclude from this?
What I’ve learned from it, is the following:
1. From a marketing perspective: Product/Brand Experience determines your product’s value. The entire Lemonade concept is a confirmation of the fact that creating an experience around your product or brand enhances the perception of the value of it, because people are able to relate on a certain level. In this case, even if the rumours and insinuations are true, Jay-z and Beyoncé are still the ones laughing hardest (together) as all they have been hearing is (even more)”Cha Ching, Cha Ching” since April 23.
2. From a personal growth perspective: The grass is never greener on the other side.
We can learn from Beyoncé’s honesty (assuming her story is true and her heartbreak is genuine), that we all have our issues to deal with. Whether it’s money problems, heartbreak, or something else, nobody is exempted from it. The grass is not greener on the other side, although we might often think so. Especially nowadays with social media, where people tend to share (only) the better things in their lives, it seems as everyone’s grass might be greener. But clearly even Queen B has her issues and no perfect life.
3. From a personal growth & marketing perspective: Make that Lemonade!
When life hands you lemons…you buy some sugar and you make €€€ selling lemonade. Transform your heartbreak, pain, struggle, issues into something positive, that you can use for yourself to grow, personally, and if possible even financially. You have the power to take control. Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you choose to react to it. You can choose to make that lemonade, instead of crying over the lemons your where handed.
So pull a Sasha Fierce and turn your pain into a better you, a better world and even €€€!
Mantra for the week:
”Storms are always temporary. With every difficulty I come out polished, stronger and prepped for blessing beyond my wildest dreams”.
Love,
Nadira
P.S:….*…All above is based on the assumption that there is at least some truth and sincerity in Lemonade the concept.*
Outfit details: Croptop by Wulterkens. Jeans by Nastygal.
Metallic Tattoos by Chique Tattoos.
Photography by Surej Tul.
Special Thank you to Jacana Amazon Welness Resort for their hospitality!
While I had the feeling I was in the middle of a tropical heaven, Jacana is actually 10 minutes driving from my home in Paramaribo city. If you want to surround yourself with exotic nature in combination with a luxury treatment and experience that zen feeling, while still close to the city, Jacana Resort is definitely the place to be!
You can book your stay at Jacana HERE.
- Published in Self-Discovery & Growth, Written Archives 2013-2018
Straight Outta Paramaribo
Next to the finishing touch on the new Wulterkens sport collection, I’ve been spending the past few weeks on doing things that I usually don’t find the time for. This mounted in less time to shoot new pictures for new posts, but luckily I stumbled upon this shoot I did back in January, in sunny Paramaribo.
When I see these pictures I get home sick, so I decided to battle the sickness by sharing my Suriname experience with you, which also provides you all with a little background on yours truly.
Paramaribo, Suriname, located above brazil, and in between the Guyana’s in South America, is the place I call my Home. I was born and raised there, and no matter where I travel to, there is no other country that can give me that grounded feeling, that I get when I’m in Suriname.
One of the reasons I am drawn to Suriname, is because both of my parents live there, which is also why I always go back at least once a year, preferably in december around the holidays. Suriname is fun all the year round, but during the entire month of December, it’s like the whole country is partying and celebrating, which gives it all an extra charm. New Years Eve in Suriname is celebrated in a very special way, and has been listed in CNN’s top 3 countries to travel to for the New Years. I’m going to keep it short and say just come and experience it!!
For me, it’s my outlet, a place to calm down, after a year full of meetings, obligations, deadlines, and all the stress that comes with it. It’s familiar and safe.
The moment I step out of the plane, and feel the warm, moisty wind on my skin, I breathe in the air deeply and I think, yes I’m home!!! It’s hard to describe, but it’s a great feeling.
Despite living in the Netherlands for 8 years, and being extremely grateful for all the opportunities I have here, I’ve never had a feeling similar to the one I have when I am in Suriname. Yet, at the same time, I think I appreciate it all so much more, due to the comparison.
Of course, having lived there for the first 18 years of my life, and still having my parents and a lot of friends there contributes to that feeling of ”home”. Apart from that, there are the many things that make Suriname amazing, which are amongst others, the weather, the food, the different cultures and their mixed influences, oh and the tropical nature, which is breathtaking.
When I get home, one of the first things I do is make a food list, because I want to make sure I don’t miss out on anything. Yes go ahead, you can laugh, but if you have tasted Surinamese food, you will understand! There is so much to choose from, and apart from the cultural dishes, like roti, saoto, moksi alesi and so much more, I also have my list of certain tropical fruits and veggies that I always have to eat.
The comfort of home, the company of my parents, great weather, amazing food, and the surinamese culture having a different sense of ”time”, makes it for me, the perfect vacation to wind down, and recharge my batteries for the next year. For interesting facts about Suriname, take a look here.
Which brings me to the point of the importance of having a place you call home. I think everyone has a certain place where they feel home. Top model Doutzen Kroes, despite traveling all over the world, loves unwinding at home in Friesland. In my opinion, regularly returning to this place we call home, is essential, especially when you have a stressful and demanding job or business. This place (home) can be different for everyone. For me, home is a place on the other end of the globe, but for others, home can be around the corner. It’s all about that feeling you get when you’re at your favorite place. And when you’re there, despite you’re stressful life, you are able to let go and free your mind. And we all know that when you can emtpy your mind and fill up with new, positive energy, you are ready to take on the world. Home is the place where you are the happiest, where you can unwind, and fill up on positive energy.
For an impression of my beautiful home country Suriname, take a look here, and here. These are websites of friends whom I admire for their amazing talent. I’m sure you will completely understand what I’m talking about after seeing their photography. I’m proud of my roots, and I’m happy I can share them with you.
Lastly, I would like to send all my lovely readers around the world my LOVE and appreciation! Today we’re celebrating 2 years of the lead when others follow-blog! Despite me wanting to have written a lot more for you in the past 2 years, I’m extremely grateful for all of you around the world who spent time reading on my adventures, lessons learned, advice and outfits. There is a big giveaway coming up soon (in September), to make sure you don’t miss it, sign up for the blog!
With love from Paramaribo,
Nadira
Bikini by River Island; Shorts by Nastygal; Sandals by Zara.
- Published in Adventure & Travel, Written Archives 2013-2018
Have It All
The transition…From 30 degrees to temperatures around freezing point…From relaxation to kind of (a little bit) of chaos….From zen by the pool and partying to deadlines, obligations and commitments…From home in Suriname to home in the Netherlands…
I feel tired and stressed, but at the same time happy and excited, because despite the big load of work, it’s all lots of new amazing things happening, new opportunities & projects and growth!
Coming up the next few months from Wulterkens is a new sport collection,a new fashion collection, andddd something bigger, that I can’t tell just yet….Oh and at the moment we are swamped with the SALE, be sure to check out the Wulterkens website.
In Suriname, in the beginning I was going crazy, there was so much work that I couldn’t do, and I wasn’t used to not doing very much. I realized how much of a workaholic I’ve become, I literally had to kick off and take satisfaction out of only 2-3 hours of working a day.
I spent the remainder time mostly at my mom’s home during the day, at my dad’s home during the evenings, really enjoyed the quality time with my parents. Some days I enjoyed catching up with old friends and there were lots of fun parties. But apart from that, I also spent a lot of time thinking…thinking back on the previous year, what did we accomplish, what did we do wrong, which of the things could we have done better; What do we want to accomplish in 2015, what do we have to change in our current ways to be able to accomplish these goals….etc etc.
I’ve also thought a lot about myself, the woman I’ve become, the kind of woman I want to be; thought about my relationships with my partner, family, friends: Who do I want to spend more or less energy on. How will I incorporate more balance in my life….Is it even possible to create a balance when there is mostly chaos? I’m at this point in my life where I want so much, and I want it all at the same time…is it crazy to think that I can have it all?
I think a lot of people might think I am being too hard on myself…But if I don’t do it Now, when will I….I am 25, with the entire world at my feet, no better time than now to give my all, right?
It shouldn’t be so hard living a fullfilling, happy, content life by managing a continuously growing Brand/business with the ultimate goal to leave a mark and become financially free, while within the next 1,5 year obtaining my Masters degree in Marketing at the University, while also traveling and still enjoying quality time with my soulmate & partner, a selected group of friends and family (I don’t even dare to call that a social life)…oh and also while getting in the best shape ever….Nah, not that hard! Another 24 hours a day would surely be helpful, but oh well..I’ll manage. Nobody said it was going to be easy, but I know it’s going to be worth it.
Being able to accomplish all of this in these prime years, will make a good story for later when I’m old and wrinkly on my Yacht somewhere in the Caribbean. But also being able to inspire others, to show them that it is possible, as long as you’re willing to work.
I am extremely grateful that I have both the vision and the opportunities to be able to do so and I know that with the right attitude and belief in combination with working hard it should be a possibility…I guess time will tell…What do you guys think? Is it possible to have it all?
“Shoot for the moon, cause even if you miss, you will land among the stars’’
Love,
Nadira
My outfit is one of my favorite I wore in Suriname, it’s sexy, but chique and even a bit sporty; kind of J.LO inspired. I first decided to wear a nude lip with my hair half up, but halfway during the shoot I felt like spicing it up with a bit more color and a little wilder, loose hair. Which look is your fave?
Details: Pants: Missguided ; Top: Missguided ; Shoes: Missguided, older collection ; Purse: Zara, older collection ; Lipsticks: Hug me by MAC & Chili by MAC
”…But one idea described her best: she was unstoppable and she took anything she wanted with a smile”