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LifestyleElona Karafin2016-12-17T16:01:30-05:00

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I am very careful about who has access to me latel

I am very careful about who has access to me lately. It’s not out of arrogance, it’s out of the need to continue to protect my space and energy as I continue to do the work to elevate myself. This chapter requires me to be a little less accessible. (@hellonecole)⁣
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As an empath the biggest blessing & curse is putting other people first, more often than not. ⁣
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My friend @glographics once perfectly said: “I was always the helper. The fixer. The go-to girl for many. It padded my ego to know that I could be the person everyone could count on but I had no idea how detrimental it actually was.” ⁣
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Sometimes when people treated me in ways that I wouldn’t treat them - I’d tell myself, “Elona, you know you’re too caring and too nice and you can’t always expect that to the same degree in return.” ⁣
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People will show you love and respect in ways that they know best.⁣
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And while this is true, it’s ultimately up to YOU to determine whether those ways live up to your expectations. ⁣
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You are fully in control of setting expectations and boundaries with everyone around you. ⁣
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I started saying “no” more and more often. At first it felt like I was really hurting the people around me. But the reality is that now they respect me more. ⁣
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You grow the most when you’re out of comfort zone.⁣
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This year my journey of self-development has been an amusement park: books, dozens of hours of podcasts, youtube, blogs you name it. ⁣
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If you could learn anything from me, what would it be? 👇🏼
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📸: @jerometraveller

Someone said that New York is dead. ⁣ ⁣ Someon

Someone said that New York is dead. ⁣
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Someone said that “this time is not the same as 9/11 or the financial crisis of ‘08.” ⁣
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Someone said that we won’t bounce back.⁣
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Why?⁣
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There is no supporting evidence in history of anything ever shattering New York. Because it’s impossible. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. ⁣
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Ground Zero, the once pained heart of the city, is now pumping with energy and one of the most magnificent parts of New York. Yet, there was a time we thought it was heart failure. ⁣
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19 years later we are left battered again. We spent quite some time in the ICU this year. It was really difficult to breathe and even harder to look at us from the outside in. ⁣
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But we are the strongest, proudest people that you’ll ever know. We might be have a few scars and bruises, but we are in the recovery room. And once we are out - whew, greatest city in the world will have a new meaning! ⁣
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We walk a little fast and we’ll cross the road when we want, where we want. We don’t wait for the walk sign. ⁣
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We might give you an intersection instead of an address & there is no “north” and “south” only uptown & downtown.⁣
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123 456 ACE BDFM NQR just to name a few - we know them all. Color coordinated, too.⁣
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Swiping a metro card is an art. ⁣
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We are kind … but we can be unkind. ⁣
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We are a little rough around the edges. ⁣
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I am so proud to be a New Yorker. I am so proud to be from the same city where all the selfless men and women that risked their lives 19 years ago are from. I will never forget this day. I will never forget all the innocent lives that were lost - it’s impossible. Those lives are the energy that flows through the veins of this city every day: downtown to uptown. ⁣
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I love you, New York City. You will never be dead.
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📸: @ofleatherandlace & @jerometraveller (swipe ➡️ which perspective do you like the most?)

There was a time I thought that by 25 I’d be mar

There was a time I thought that by 25 I’d be married with beautiful kids, living in a house with a white picket fence & a finance career in my pocket. ⁣
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But by 25 I realized those dreams were just sold to me. ⁣
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So instead of buying them - I invested into myself. Time value of money 🤑⁣
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No one wanted to sell me on the idea that instead of jumping into anything too soon ... I should really figure out who I am.⁣
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To learn my worth. To know what makes me happy. To set expectations with everyone around me. To set boundaries. ⁣
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To manage my emotions and be a pragmatic and empathetic woman. ⁣
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While this road of self-development is forever a winding [and never-ending] one ... with every day I learn more and more. Whatever life throws at me, I’m that much better at navigating through it. ⁣
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And each day I’m one step closer to being the best daughter, sister, cousin, niece, and eventually wife and mother ☺️⁣
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I just want to be the best for myself & for the world. ⁣
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Here’s to 27 😇 if you read this far - please consider joining me to save the life of a beautiful 11 year old girl. Link in bio ❤️ that would be the best birthday gift ever. ⁣
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Thank you @ofleatherandlace & @jerometraveller for getting this shot of me 🥳 my favorite city ... the perfect sunset ... & just a lil bit obnoxious! Swipe for BTS 👉🏼

If you told me 5 years ago: Elona, you’re about

If you told me 5 years ago: Elona, you’re about to leave your career in Finance, travel to some 60 countries and meet your best friends and travel with them, too (like @ofleatherandlace pictured here 🥰)⁣
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You know those airlines you love? They’re about to be your clients. Your favorite brands? They’ll be your sponsors. The best hotels in the world? They’ll greet you with open arms. ⁣
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You’re about to fall in love with new cultures, get immersed in new religions, & learn a new language. You’re going to have a second family, and a third and a fourth. ⁣
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Your second home will be in Switzerland. And you’ll have one more in UAE and also in Saudi Arabia. Your friends from all over the world will be waiting for you to come back more sleepless nights full of deep conversations. ⁣
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If you told me this 5 years ago ... I’d say you’re out of your mind 🤯 ⁣
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I’m so grateful for this life that I get to call my own. What a blessing to be alive 🤍What are you grateful for?

I think about happiness a lot. Not just in terms o

I think about happiness a lot. Not just in terms of “what things/activities/experiences/etc make me happy” but rather the “backend” work. What really happens in my head before I feel elated? ⁣⁣
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Happiness = Expectations - Reality ⁣📈⁣
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You may have seen this equation before. German philosopher Schopenhauer explains that to maintain our happiness, we adopt one of two strategies:⁣⁣
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The first strategy is to simply want or expect less. This is the Buddhist strategy — to remove oneself of all desire or attachment so that reality can never upset or disappoint you.⁣⁣
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The second strategy is to live in so damn well that all of your expectations are fulfilled. This is the Western way — the way of expansion and growth and living in virtue.⁣⁣
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Schopenhauer points out that, regardless of your strategy, all unhappiness is ultimately rooted in the same thing: mistakes. If you’re unhappy, it’s either because you had the wrong expectations, or you failed to materialize your expectations in reality.⁣⁣
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This begs the question: what’s your happiness strategy? Bonus points if you tell me one thing that makes you happy 🙂 ⁣⁣
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It’s funny that despite all the [unique] incredible things I’ve experienced in my life, one of the moments where I felt my heart nearly burst from happiness was right on this balcony at @ritzcarltongeneva … sitting in a towel, drinking a glass of wine and pairing it with a great conversation while the reflection of the city on Lake Geneva flickered in the background ✨. This example is definitely strategy 2. ⁣#RCMemories #ritzcarltongeneva

The last time I spent so much time outside of my h

The last time I spent so much time outside of my hotel room was when an infinity pool was involved. Yet here I am, on the shore of Lake Geneva spending every waking moment on the balcony that wraps around my corner suite 🥺 ⁣
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I haven’t stepped foot in a hotel room since February and I couldn’t think of a better place to break the streak with than the @ritzcarltongeneva - this is the 20+ @ritzcarlton property that I have the honor of staying in and it is simply perfect.⁣
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COVID-19 has changed the dynamic of travel irrevocably. Some of the restaurants here at the hotel remain closed until further notice. Every room comes with a note which lists the way in which everything is sanitized. Masks and sanitizer are re-stocked every day and there is minimal contact staff (ie. no room tours). ⁣
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Other than the latter changes, it’s business as usual. It feels incredible to be back in a hotel and more importantly in my second home 🇨🇭⁣
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Happy Friday - what are your weekend plans? 🥳
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#rcmemories #ritzcarltongeneva

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