Category: Life style

Work On Your Work

by Querin Ventura, posted in Empowerment, Inspiration, Life style

Being grateful for the little things will help you to be grateful for the big things. You heard the saying “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” If you don’t give the first step because you think it’s too small or too little, you will not be able to celebrate the big milestones.

It is being consistent with the little steps and being grateful of those small achievements that will help us to accomplish bigger and bigger ones.  It is enjoying the journey, enjoying the process.  It is being bold enough to go ahead and do something even when you feel you are not fully ready to do so.

Many of us wait to do things “when we are ready.” What is this? When we are ready? So what if you are not perfect in the beginning. Begin it anyways. So what if you get criticized for working on that thing that you feel deeply about. Work on it anyways. You will become better and better in the process of doing that which you think you are not yet ready for.  So stop making excuses and do it anyways; even if you think it sucks.

Keep grinding and keep working hard. Don’t just work when you feel motivated to do so, because then you will be inconsistent. That’s why discipline is so important; discipline helps you do the work whether you feel like doing it or not. Work on it; work at it. Do your thing.  Don’t give a care about the negative criticism.  Negative criticism is created to see if you care enough to do it regardless of the negative critics.  Amazing things can happen when you do what you need to do, when you work on what you need to work.   So work on what you need to work.

God bless you, with love,

Querin

Just Do it

by Querin Ventura, posted in healthy eating, Life style

Excuse me Nike if this phrase has been trade marked. My produces were delivered from Whole Foods this morning.  Immediately I got in the kitchen and cleaned my carrots, celeries, apples, etc.  Right after cleaning my produces, I prepped my veggie juice and drank it.  There was not much thinking; I just did it.

I know healthy eating is part of healthy living. I don’t have to overthink these things…making, drinking vegetable juices.  I feel good when I drink them.  I know my body is super happy when I drink them.  If my organs could speak and make gestures, I could imagine my digestive system, my kidney, my liver, my lymphatic system, smiling and saying “yes! this is what I need!”

Then why do I sometimes overthink drinking my veggie juice? I know part of it is that my palate craves the processed foods over the whole foods.  But I also know that when I have my produces ready in my fridge; when I prep my veggies in advance and they are ready to go in the blender or the juice extractor at any time, it’s much easier for me to just make the juice and drink it. If I have to clean the veggies each time I have to make a healthy veggie juice, there will be a lesser chance of me making the juice. So I’ve discovered that cleaning all the veggies before placing them in the fridge, will increase my chances of being successful on drinking, and eating my veggies.  Because when I come home tired, I have less steps to take to make my healthy drink.

Planning and prepping are keys to have execution. When execution happens, success is achieved. Then just repeat the process each time.

God Bless you, with love,

Querin

Happy Birthday Mom

by Querin Ventura, posted in Family, Gratitude, Life style, Wellbeing

Wow, my mom was laughing so hard that it made me start laughing too. Happiness is contagious.  She turned another year young. I was so happy to see her laughing with abandon. We went out for dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack. My oldest niece who went with us was also cracking up. Really, everyone on the table was just laughing and having fun.

It had been a while since I saw her laughing the way she did.  It made me ask myself this question: How can we create more moments like this on a regular basis? Let me know below any ideas you have on little simple things we can do to create more laughter in our daily living.

With lots of love!

Querin

 

P.S.  Find ways to laugh today (and every day)…not just smile.  Laughter is great for your health.

The Beauty of Simplifying

by Querin Ventura, posted in Empowerment, Inspiration, Life style, Wellbeing

It’s liberating. It’s empowering. What I’m I talking about? I’m talking about not having so much stuff. It took for me to move out of the country in 2015 and come back seven months later. I had a beautifully furnished apartment…and then I was selling everything, except for my clothes and my books. I took boxes and boxes of books, and my over 100 pairs of shoes with me to the Dominican Republic. I sold a sofa that I had purchased for over $900.00 dollars for $400.00. I got rid of a tempurpedic mattress that had cost $3,000.00 dollars. I got rid of a lot of stuff: nice and expensive kitchen ware, book shelf, desk, desk chair, printer, stuff, stuff, and more stuff.

Many of my friends and colleagues were shocked to find out I was making such big change. After all, I had a very stable job and a very nice apartment (with no roommates). But I felt that I needed a change and God knows I am glad I did it. If it would not have been for that decision, my baby might not have been here today, for it was during the time spent in DR that I got to know my husband better (at the time he was my boyfriend).  I also got to know my native land better. I got to spend time with local Dominicans on a day-to-day basis (not just as a tourist). It was during that time that my life was not just about work work work, but I was more in tune with nature. Heck, it was during that time that I was eating fresh fish directly from the sea, brought by the fishermen and on to the kitchen. It was during that time that I got to see and experience first hand the tremendous work ethics that many Dominicans have. I got to love them a little more during that time.

Fast forward seven months later, I came back to New Jersey & New York City (I live in Jersey, work in the city). This time, I only brought two bags with me. All of my over 100 pairs of shoes, plus most of my books were left back in DR. I realized that having stuff could be more a burden than a blessing, at least when you are traveling and moving around. This realization is quite liberating for me spiritually, as well as for my pocket (or for my hard earned money).

So what is simplifying? To me it is buying things that I really need or that will serve a valid purpose. It is getting rid of things that will not add value or serve a purpose to me. It is being more spiritually in tune and less connected to the superficial world. If I would have been the type of person who gets attached to “things.” I would not have made that trip to DR, and I would have missed on a heck of a great lifetime experience and blessing.

By the way…I came back to work with the same company I had worked for when I left. You see, when you do the right thing and when you have good work ethics, people will give you the opportunity. So don’t be afraid, just do the right thing.

God bless you,

Querin

THANK YOU 2015, WELCOME 2016

by Querin Ventura, posted in Dominican Republic, Life style, Places, Travel

“I know of only one duty and that is to love.”

~Albert Camu

2015 was a year filled with blessings and some challenges.  I am grateful for the new experiences I had, the new people I met, the new friends I made. I am grateful for the people who gave me their support when obstacles came about.  Above all, I am grateful to GOD—You are everything to me. Thank you 2015 for everything

2016: WELCOME! I embrace you with open arms

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Photo above taken by me at the Bahia of Samaná in Samaná, Dominincan Republic.

Journey

by Querin Ventura, posted in Dominican Republic, Life style, nature, people, Places, Punta Cana, Wellbeing

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.  Don’t be trapped by dogma–which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.  And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary.”

~Steve Jobs, Stanford University, 2005

Punta Cana has one of the best golf courses in the world.  I am not a golf player, but I had a fun time with my friends during a tour we had of the area.  The best part of this event was getting to see the natural beauty of Punta Cana while connecting  and getting to know the local people.

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Giving back

by Querin Ventura, posted in Community service, Dominican Republic, Empowerment, Giving back, Life style

Here in the Dominican Republic, kids start the school year in August. This year I was able to do something that God had put in my heart for some time. I, with a group of amazing people who have amazing hearts and care about people and humanity, donated over 200 backpacks and school supplies to kids under the poverty line here in DR. The supplies in the backpacks were notebooks, pencils, coloring pencils, pens, erasers, pencil sharpeners, rules and geometry sets.

Here are some of the pictures we took.

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Love you all,

Querin

Optimism

by Querin Ventura, posted in Beach, Beauty, Dominican Republic, Fashion, Life style, Places, Punta Cana

“Patience is not the ability to wait, but how you act while you are waiting.”

~Joyce Meyer

In life, to know more, to learn more, to fear less, to be bold, to grow, to truly grow, we have to go thru a journey of experiences. I am a deep thinker, not just a critical thinker. Deep thinking in my opinion is much more profound than critical thinking.

I’ve known many people who stay static for fear of change and for fear of the unknown. I have made some bold moves in my life and I have to admit that while I have done some of those major moves, I have also felt some fear.

Sometimes when I made new decisions in my life and things did not go immediately as planned, I wanted to go back to what was known to me, but then I started to think about the story of Moses from the bible. God took his people out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, yet when they found some obstacles, they wanted to go back to that very same house of slavery. Instead of looking forward to the new life ahead of them as free people, they started to complain and they started to regret having left the house of slavery. They did not want to face any obstacles. They wanted everything to be perfect on their new journey to freedom. Instead of seeing the blessing of their new freedom, they complained about the obstacles, they found along the way.

Today, I tell you: Do not look back – when obstacles present themselves, keep moving forward and do not turn back. Do not complain when obstacles present themselves. It takes courage to make certain decisions that are life changing in life and it takes even more courage to keep the course and follow thru on your new journey. God is with you – do not be afraid (and even if you are afraid, God will guide you).

God is with you-be grateful every day.

God bless you!

I took these pictures in Plaza San Juan in Bavaro Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

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