zaklina.realfashionist.com

You find it difficult and you are getting inpatient to turn your passions in to a business?

“Are we there yet? “… “Are we there yet? “…“Are we there yet? “Was that you, as child, in the car?

And later on.. in the life:

” I really want that job where I’m going to be paid fortune every year..”

“I want to win the lottery “

“I want that car right now”

“ I want half million of followers” and you just opened your Instagram account 3 days ago..

I’ve realized that: Nothing great ever happens in the rush.

By growing up I thought the quicker you do something, the better. Not realizing that that’s exactly when accident happen. It’s not about how fast you go, it’s about how controlled you are.

So the first thing, to turn your passions in to a business is: PATIENCE

Now I’m taking my time for everything I do.

When I’m making my content, making pictures, preparing my blog posts, writing..

But how to stay patient? Start to realize the beauty of taking everything slow. It’s not how fast you travel, it’s how you feel when you are traveling. Think back to your own childhood and you probably remember your elementary school field trips the most. You’d get to leave school, and ride on a bus with your whole class, and sometimes the teachers wouldn’t enforce the dress code so you could wear what ever you wish. Excited kids on a bus school field trip. It wasn’t just that you got a reprieve from Algebra class that made this trips so exciting. It was figuring out who you were going to sit next to on the school bus, and all the other stuff that went on, once you were actually on the bus. Happy smiling children playing games and singing. First kiss on the back of the bus on the way back… The destination, once reached, was far less exciting than travel itself. Always remember that the process is more important than destination. Find the peace in the process.. when I started writing (long before I started my web site)

I was spending days alone, just writing and doing my own researches.. but at the same time I found so much happiness .. putting my words in to my sentences, I was finding my own peace in the process..

When I’m exercising, when I’m in the gym, running or swimming, I’m finding peace and happiness in the process, happiness in the journey. Forget about destination, forget about arriving somewhere. Focus on enjoying the travel, cause if you don’t feel good while you travel..even when you get there, you still not gonna feel good. It is exactly as by school field trips journey: Travel is even better than the destination.

Your questions are very similar:

How to get popular?

How to have more followers?

What is the best way to get paid contracts and sponsorships?

The best way I’ve learned is: To stay patient and trust the journey. I didn’t take shortcuts. Lot of people want to hang out on the finish line but they don’t want to run the race. They don’t want to do the work, don’t want to sweat, don’t want to have late nights, they don’t won’t to work on their dreams, they just want all to come to them, without doing any work. I’ve realized that Universe doesn’t give you something you ask for, it gives you what you are worthy for. Are you worthy for it? Did you put in the work? Were you with me in the gym? Where were you? Right? That is how I realized that we don’t get what we want, we get what we are worthy for. What we have put in the work for.

I go and visit your profiles ( that you are writing me from ) and I find that the first ever picture was published 3 days ago. You just started. You watch my profile than asking me how come my profile is so big?

Here we came to the second thing that will help you to turn your passions in to a business:

STOP COMPARING yourself to others

Just stop it!

Comparison is the greatest thief of joy!

I am sure the idea of not comparing yourself with others is not entirely new to you. Likely you have heard it dozens or even hundreds of times. Not comparing yourself to others has become a platitude. But it is a platitude because it is so true and so important. Comparing yourself to others is one of the easiest ways to feel bad about yourself. You see what others are doing on social media, at work, and on television, and compare yourself unfavorably with them. In short, making comparisons with others just sets you up for failure. Why? When you look at someone else’s success, you only see the result. You may be looking at years of effort, ( I’m package of fifty years of life experience, ups and downs..) comparing your beginnings to their end. To achieve the success you desire, you need to walk the road to success. It never helps to jump to the end and make comparisons to those who have arrived. Comparing yourself to others means you compare what you see in others to what you know about yourself. Things always look better from the outside than they do from the inside. People often put up a good front, making themselves look better to the world than they feel inside. You have no real idea about how they feel inside. Comparing yourself to others takes time. Our time is limited. There are only so many hours in a day. Why worry about what others have or have done when you can be taking action to make improvements to yourself? You have to run your own race. Focus on where are you going not where everyone else is going.

GO THE EXTRA MILE

It’s so rare in business and in society right now, to see people that consistently go the extra mile. In the restaurant the server genuinely gives you what you expect or less than what you expect. You go in to the clothing store, you get what you expect or less than what you expect. You do business with any organisation it’s genuinely delivering on what you expect or more often, less than what you expect.

You have an gorgeous opportunity to lead the field in everything what you do!! By simply doing one thing, practicing every single day the ritual of over delivering! Don’t just give your customers or followers what they expect, give them 10x more what they can expect! Don’t just give your organisation, what your manager, what your boss, what the organisation is expecting from you! Show something that Is so rare in today’s economy: INITIATIVE ! You are asked to do a project? Give them 5 more things that they expect. You are asked to do presentation on something? Go the extra mille. Consistently dial in the daily habit of over delivering on people’s expectations and guess what? You will become a merchant of WOW! You’ll become indispensable to your organisation.

I started to work (long time ago), as regional manager for respective international layer corporation based in Rome. My first task was IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Program for Balkan Area.. I applied (including 57 partners in 11 projects ) in different fields and my application was 100 % success. It was never done before during the history of the company. My chiefs told me, from the beginning, that usually at least 30% of the applications failed for the bureaucratic reasons, as in the many kilograms of documents are always missing some stamps or signatures.. I did everything possible and impossible to prevent such a thing and I succeed.

How? Because I knew that I can do it. Because I’ve always went that extra mile. I knew the importance of: to be indispensable. I remember working during the Summer, in the company where my father was working too. I was about to turn 16. I saw the top leader of the company and I asked my father how come that “HE” is exactly that person above thousands of workers. And my father responded: Because he is indispensable for our firm.

I won very important Balkan/ Fast rail tender afterwords, that was the financial and experience set up base for my own company. I am the owner and founder of the international consulting company working in the sector of infrastructure. Competing on the international tenders by uniting partners in joint ventures and participating as consortiums to the railways ( fast rail) and roads tenders.

I speak 5 languages and understand another 3 or 4

After my tragedy, 3 years ago, I completely lost interests in making career and building further, my empire, as my son died in the tragic traffic accident.

I started creating content that consisted of foto with my thoughts written in the capture underneath. That was my motive of the day to get up from the bed and wash my hair.. everything seamed so pointless. I had in my mind only the words of my son: “Instagram is something that will entertain you when you miss me”

(He opened my account and he was the one introducing me that social platform .. I wrote more on the subject on my previous post.)

Slowly the bond with my followers became stronger and helped me psychologically a lot. Not even noticing I started to apply my heart and soul in to it. Exactly the same principles of work, mentioned above, applied now on this new field gave exact the same results.

I’m making videos, inspiring many people, writing, making interesting posts about fashion and life style. Why? Because I sincerely love to do this and to help other people. But in that same process, now I’m paying my bills.

There is the rise and there is the fall. Life is mixed bag, inside you have: good, bad, ugly, ultimately it’s what you make out of it. And if you manage to make something worth of attention, next step is to learn all strategic points, in developing your business online. Real useful advice: find a way to participate to Inflowsummits, as I did. They are No 1 biggest world platform that connects The most important Brands and best Influencers from all over the world. And here I was again at INFLOW Global Summit’18 at Four Seasons Bosphorus with on stage conferences to be followed by B2I meetings where there is plenty useful informations to collect and implement in your future work. I’m talking about very practical infos like: What is the use of #InfluencerMarketing in different industries? How influencers marketing’s impact is measured? You can hear a valuable experience from Ryan Williams, who came over from Los Angeles to tell us about “The Influencer Economy”. You can also learn all about how to create: Authentic Instagram Content and the Power of Originality which is crucial for your work as Influencer. And most important you’ll get introduced to Inflowsummits new platform that aims to connect influencers and brands together: The INFLOW Bridge. Until now I utilize diverse skillset and creative background to collaborate with many brands in the fashion, travel, beauty and lifestyle industries as a model, influencer/blogger and brand ambassador. Not only that I continue to partner with many luxury loved labels, thanks to Inflowsummits & The INFLOW Bridge I got involved in to many campaigns promoting world famous hotels chains like Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Shangri La, Marriott, Sheraton, etc.. collaborating at the same time with Ministry of Tourism of Qatar, Ministry of Tourism of Turkey, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airways etc

A successful collaboration starts with an effective B2I Meeting! Effective meetings aren’t simply a matter of having an agenda and starting on time. It’s all about turning meeting time into sustainable results!

Check our last one held in Istanbul on 18.12.2018. In video below:

Hope that I helped with this post.

If you have other questions or suggestions, please let me know.

Love you my beautiful divine souls

Love you just the way you are

What I say, every day to myself, to help me be myself

How can I expect that you, ( my followers and readers) know who I am if I do not tell you about my family, my life, friends, the relationships in my life? I feel a huge responsibility for everything I do on my social media platforms as that has so many effects on you. Who am I, if not where I fit in the world, where I fit in the lives of the people dear to me?

Maybe my story will warn you not to get caught up in a life that counts for nothing. Maybe It will challenge you to live and die boasting and making the glory of Love your singular passion.

I am wired by nature to love the same toys that the world loves. I start to fit in. I start to love what others love. I start to call earth “home.” Before you know it, I am calling luxeries “needs” and using my money just the way “unwoken” do. I was running a serious risk for Not accomplishing my “Life Plan” as a tragic act of my free will. It is similar to diagram an elaborate vacation itinerary, before arriving at your holiday destination, with all kinds of plans for outdoor adventures and intentions to go sightseeing and shopping, but then ending up spending the whole trip in your hotel room ordering from room service and watching television. I begin to forget the war, ( I’m born in ex Yugoslavia). I don’t think much about people perishing. Missions and unreached people drop out of my mind. I stop dreaming about the triumphs of grace. I sink into a secular mind-set that looks first to what man can do, not what soul can do. It is a terrible sickness.

I started to run after ideal of Beauty .. not thinking that beauty is the replication and duplication of mind’s delusion. It is not uniqueness or exceptionality; it is the mentality of belonging and fitting in. I wanted so “to fit in” to be like other beauty ideals/idols ..

And I thank God for those who have forced me again and again toward a wartime mind-set. There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’

No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our soul and hope, that’s our real disaster.

Most people slip by in life without a passion for anything, spending their lives on trivial diversions, living for comfort and pleasure, and perhaps trying to avoid sin.

There are people who are generic. They make generic responses and they expect generic answers. They live inside a box and they think people who don’t fit into their box are weird. But I’ll tell you that, generic people are the weird people. They are like genetically-manipulated plants growing inside a laboratory, like indistinguishable faces, like droids. Like ignorance. They constantly repeat concept that someone else once told them without any research. Never asking a questions. They don’t have their goals and purpose, but if you don’t have your own, someone else will take care to give you his one. Life without vision is nothing but a TELEVISION. … Well, don’t be surprised.. from my own experience.. passed all that fazes.

You’ll learn, as you get older, that rules are made to be broken. Be bold enough to live life on your terms, and never, ever apologize for it. Go against the grain, refuse to conform, take the road less traveled instead of the well-beaten path. Laugh in the face of adversity, and leap before you look. Dance as though EVERYBODY is watching. March to the beat of your own drummer. And stubbornly refuse to fit in.

Now: We all want to be extraordinary

and we all just want to fit in.

Unfortunately, extraordinary people rarely fit in.

It was not an easy way to come to this point. Once I invested all my Now for the sake of Future. But that my programmed so wanted “Future” with my son Stefan never came.. Instead I’ve lost precious Now

While I was packing his personal belongings to give to a charity .. I understood : He couldn’t take anything with him.. I will not take anything with me.. Nobody will take his house, bags and shoes, newest IPhone.. once leaving this “Earth reality “

There for I give everything shortly after I posses, to my loved ones, my friends, family.. Cause if I don’t need it Now, I don’t care if I’m going to need it next season. What I mean is, I don’t need to collect things for the sake of collecting them. I only wear gowns that make me feel beautiful, no metter how much my sponsors offer to pay for collaborations, as I only spend my time with people whose company I like. I want to please myself, not others. It doesn’t matter to me if the things I like are the ones that other people think are the best.

Things I say to myself every day:

Let it go

Every single morning as soon as I wake up, I had to Let it go.. My family, is my only inspiration. My son Stefan is my greatest inspiration. I wrote that I am a mother of two: My daughter Jana is 30 years old..

If you have a Son @miljanovicstefan and he dies, all of the sudden, do you stop saying you have one? Or you are always his mother, even when the other half of the equation is gone?

My son died in traffic accident. Was January the 6th 2016. He was 23

When he died, I discovered a totally new dimension of pain. The extremely hard part is I’m still loosing him.. I don’t lose him all at once; I lose him in pieces …every, single, minute.. still today — in the way his messages stops coming, in the way his scent fades from his clothes. … Every morning when I wake up there is this millisecond of hope, that all was just a horrible dream… Gradually, I accumulate the parts of him that are missing…gone forever … But at the same time my love for him is so strong and it is so alive.. ..Death ends a life, not a relationship. All my Instagram adventure is dedicated to him.

My Instagram account actually, started my son Stefan. So this is what I have to “LET GO” every morning

Ill speak my truth today even my voice shakes

I don’t sugar coat anything

I respond on questions that are painful

I spoke about my most painful tragedy, that is forever open wound.. All already mentioned above

But: Turn your wounds into wisdom.

I’m authentic, I tell my truth, cause I know that I’m here to live my purpose not to fulfill the expectation of the others. I had a choice: can accept or reject the way Im treated by life, but I understood, until heal the wounds of my past, I will continue to bleed. I can bandage the bleeding with food, with alcohol, with drugs, with work, with cigarettes, with sex, but eventually, it will all ooze through and stain your life. I must find the strength to open my wounds,. Instead I stick my inside, pull out the core of the pain that is holding me in my past, the memories, and trying to make peace with them. Doing it here right now, in a hope that I’ll succeed.. Some wounds run too deep for the healing..

My scars remind me that I did indeed survive my deepest wounds. That in itself is an accomplishment. And they bring to mind something else, too. They remind me that the damage life has inflicted on me in many ways, in many places, left me stronger and more resilient. What hurt me in my childhood, in the past, has actually made me better equipped to face the present.

I spoke about topics most women want

Be who you are stop pretending you are somebody else

Many of you write me constantly how you want to be in my place. I feel huge responsibility to show you that Life is not just about pretty dresses, travels, about women that life handed just honey and milk. .. I wish I was that women .. Read my other articles, each is dedicated to some of the aspects that stands behind the “perfect picture”.

Don’t worry about fitting in when you are born to stand out

Every morning I say to myself:

You won the race for life

From among 250 million competitors

We all are precious deserve respect

We are all born winners

REMEMBER YOUR GREATNESS

Before you were born,

And were still too tiny for

The human eye to see,

You won the race for life

From among 250 million competitors.

And yet,

How fast you have forgotten

Your strength,

When your very existence

Is proof of your greatness.

You were born a winner,

A warrior,

One who defied the odds

By surviving the most gruesome

Battle of them all.

And now that you are a giant,

Why do you even doubt victory

Against smaller numbers,

And wider margins?

The only walls that exist,

Are those you have placed in your mind.

And whatever obstacles you conceive,

Exist only because you have forgotten

What you have already

Achieved.

Poetry by Suzy Kassem

Wish you a wonderful Sunday my beautiful divine souls❤️ Love you just the way you are

You asked so many times about my favorite places in most popular cities that I’m visiting. This weekend I’m in Rome and let me show you around, to introduce you the places that visit locals not just tourists

Wearing Lepa Couture haute couture dress from the latest collection

Amazing art and architecture lie around every corner in Rome so the best way to see the city is on foot. Take a stroll through the Centro Storico, or historic centre, to see iconic sights like the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Piazza di Spagna – all located within close walking distance from one another. Don’t miss two of the city’s most famous piazzas, Piazza Navona and Campo de’ Fiori, which are buzzing at all hours of the day.

While you’re in Rome, you can’t miss visiting the world’s largest amphitheater. Built during the Flavian Dynasty 70–80 AD, the Colosseum (also referred to as the “Flavian Amphitheater”) was the site of gladiatorial battles, ceremonies and theatrical re-enactments in ancient Rome. Don’t miss a tour of the underground dungeons and climbing up to the third ring to experience all 360 degrees of this iconic structure. After touring the Colosseum, head over to the Roman Forum to admire ruins that remain from Ancient Rome.

Window shopping

Running from the via del Corso to the base of the Spanish Steps, via Condotti is the centre of ritzy Roman retail with all the flagship stores of famed Italian brands – Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, MaxMara, Salvatore Ferragamo and Gucci – lined along its length. Near Piazza Navona, via del Governo Vecchio and nearby via di San Panteleo are also worth a stroll with interesting, small boutiques.

Marvel at Michelangelo’s frescos in the Vatican Museums at 100 viale Vaticano – but plan your visit carefully. The venue opens 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday (and on the last Sunday of every month). Book online, but early risers will have a place further up the queue when the doors open at 9am. Head straight for the Sistine Chapel to beat the crowds

Lunch with the locals

Cross the Tiber for an lunch on the cobbled streets of Trastevere. There you can find everything: from small pizzeria that serves classic, thin-crust Roman pizza singed in a wood-fired oven till all variations of Italian specialities. My favorite restaurants there are Ombre Rosse and Tonnarello. In the Ombre Rosse I’ve eat the best carbonara ever.

Sometimes I like to go to Roman Jewish ghetto, where today is a bustling neighborhood located within Via del Porto d’Ottavia that has managed to retain its Jewish culture. But what the neighborhood has become most famous for, in recent decades is its abundance of restaurants and delectable cuisine. One of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood, Baghetto Milky, has two menus, one for dairy and one for meat. Their carciofi alla giudea are sublime: following the traditional recipe, the artichoke is cleaned and then fried whole, seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper. Their hummus, harissa, and tahini plate is also recommended. If you’re looking for recipes involving dairy head up the street to their sister restaurant “Milky.”

Gelato paradise

You simply can’t miss it. It’s the best Bar and Pasticceria in Rome. Bar Giolitti. Love to have an early breakfast there, directly after a night out.

Try the wildberry and lime! my favorite

Dining with the locals

ZUMA BAR: A FENDI LOUNGE IN ROME

You have yet to try Zuma’s restaurant.

The decor is minimal with accents that reference the Japanese inspiration for the restaurant, without being tacky.

The contemporary Japanese eatery which opened 2016. still has a reservation waiting list.

But the bar and lounge? No reservations needed. The lounge is located on the upper levels of Palazzo Fendi. When you walk in, tell the doorman you are going to the bar, and he will point you to the elevator.  If you want a table without trouble, go earlier in the evening.

Just down the street from Zuma’s bar (another upscale take on contemporary Japanese cuisine), Le Asiatique is FINE DINING FUSION the newest discovery for me, option in Rome for non-Italian fusion dining.

The stunning space is a bit of a labyrinth – with eye catching murals dominating two of the 5 main rooms.

The modern Japanese influence is also reflected in the menu

Sunday morning: go to church

It’s hard to believe that the Pantheon Piazza della Rotonda was built nearly 2,000 years ago by Emperor Hadrian, on the site of a temple dating from 25-27BC. Originally built to honor Roman gods, it was consecrated in 609. It also contains the tombs of Raphael and former Italian Kings Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto II. Mass is celebrated at 10.30am on Sundays. Amazing experience.

Love you my beautiful divine souls. Love you just the way you are.

P.s.

For all the details regarding opening hours please check before your trip as here I have summer time hours.

Many of you don’t know the fact that my Instagram account actually, started my son Stefan ( @miljanovicstefan ). There was particular situation in our life at that point, where we separated ( I went to Poland to work on one project for 3 years, and he decided to continue his studies and move from Italy, where we lived together, to Belgrade) I was complaining that I’m missing him too much and pressed him during one of his visits to Warsaw, to move in with me, and continue his studies in Poland … But he liked so much Belgrade… there was no way to convince him.. Stefan was so proud of me… Loved my sense of style and he introduced me Instagram as perfect social platform by saying: “Something that will entertain you any time you miss me” … Each word of my son has another meaning now. His words are, for me, like signs by the road and I follow them..

He died shortly after, in terrible traffic accident… and I lost the wish to live. It broke my heart. I don’t know why they call it : “broken heart”. It felt more like every other part of my body is broken too.

If you have a son and he dies, all of the sudden, do you stop saying you have one? Or you are always his mother, even when the other half of the equation is gone? My beautiful amazing son died in the traffic accident. He was run over… On pedestrians zebra , on green light for pedestrians …. 10:04 am … by the man who drove more than 100km/h….. in Belgrade city center.. Was January the 6th 2016. Stefan was 23.

When he died, I discovered a totally new dimension of pain. It is extremely hard, because I don’t lose him all at once; I lose him in pieces …every, single, minute.. still today — in the way his messages stops coming, in the way his scent fades from his clothes. … Every morning, I wake up, and there is that millisecond of hope, that all was just a horrible dream… Gradually, I accumulate the parts of him that are missing…gone forever … But at the same time my love for him is so strong and it is so alive.. ..that I can now assure you: death ends a life, not a relationship. All my Instagram adventure is dedicated to him.

This is a very painful part of my life, for all of you, who didn’t know that the Realfashionist profile was born like a pearl from the pain. . Do you know how the pearl is created? It is created out of a disturbance, out of pain: a grain of sand, finds its way inside an oyster’s shell. To protect itself, the oyster releases a substance to cover that grain of sand. That’s how pearl is made. That’s how Realfashionist is made. Some fill the hole with busyness. Some with work. Some with social lives. With booze. With relationships. Me? I guess I try and fill the hole with words. With giving a meaning to my life. Like the great Viktor Frankl said: “There is no meaning in life we give life meaning”!! Read his book Man’s Search for Meaning ( it changed my life)

Than I understood:

A woman with outward courage dares to die; a woman with inner courage dares to live.

After tragedy my biggest issue was and still it is: How to deal with the pain?

Even now, every time I think about it, it never fails to wind me. Startle me. Stop me in my tracks. And I wonder will I ever, ever, get used to it? As the initial tears of shock dry up, what’s left behind slowly sinks down into me. And makes the life that’s left behind just that little bit heavier that it was before. Will I ever adjust, I wonder to myself, to the fact that my Stefan is gone?

Than happened..

Since he is gone, I literally lost all my dreams. I dreamed just once during his absence .. and that dream happened (better to say I had my vision of him) just once. I saw him radiating happy and smiley.. I felt infinite love and joy.. love that I never ever felt before, and I’m gonna be 50 years old in a few months. I was overwhelmed with love!! His love. Unconditional! He smiled and we both knew he is not on Earth anymore. I felt he is well and happy…can’t explain.. but we communicated without words.. just thoughts and feelings. It’s unique life experience that can not be compared with anything else in my life. I thought I’m not letting him go back there..I thought I will hug him so strong and won’t let him go! So I hugged him strong feeling each muscle of his athletic body, perfume.. texture of his jeans shirt.. it was more real than any other experience I’ve ever had before or after. But at the same time I knew it’s a “dream” …Starting to break a part.. in tears and despair.. At the same instant struck me how it affected him immediately … he suddenly became broken inside.. he was tearing a part..in pain and despair.. he transmitted me that message in a way I can not even today explain to myself…My tears and despair are the only thing keeping him away from perfect happiness he is enjoying now .. He is back home and waiting there for me … and I woke up!

Life keeps going. You think it’ll stop, wait for you to be done crying, but it just keeps moving.

I could shed tears that he is gone, or smile because he has lived. I can close my eyes and pray that he’ll come back, ( and I did it for so long time) but than I opened them to see all he’s left. My heart was empty because can’t see him, but I fulfilled it with the love we shared. I could turn my back on tomorrow and live it for yesterday, but I’m happy for tomorrow, because of yesterday. I can ..remember him only that he is gone, but I cherish his memory and let it live on (That is why Realfashionist lives and why all my posts are tagged @miljanovicstefan) I could cry and close my mind, be empty and turn my back. But I do what he’d want: I smile, I open my eyes, love and go on.

I have made many decisions and had quite a life after this experience. The faith and love that I received in every cell of my body has never left and has grown and matured more and more. I became a more aware of human needs, sensibility.. Since than, I searched and gained both scientific and much of spiritual knowledge and will continue in that direction. I decided that, when the time comes, to stand before God, I will not have any talent inexperienced, that I can say with full justice, “I used everything you gave me so that I live my life in most of all doing everything to make my husband, children, my family, my friends happy.

Above all, my son Stefan!

And when I feel like crying, I “put on” a smile on my face.

It’s not easy but it’s “work in progress”

Love you my beautiful divine souls

Love you just the way you are

Michelangelo said: “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

“I hate the way I look! I hate my hair, my nose, my stupid eyebrows! I hate everything!” Those are the messages I get from my followers.

How to get another look? Talking about a body feels like, talking about the person inhabiting that body. Young people mostly (but not only) are therefore interested in my advice to find the ways of getting thinner, sexier, more muscular in the belief that, if only they could perfect their bodies, they’d be able to perfect their lives. When I respond to a young person, “You’re fine as you are! Everyone will love you for who you are, not what you look like! It’s your personality that matters!”, trying to be helpful but my helpfulness usually falls on deaf ears. “Yes,” thinks ( and sometimes says) that person, “that’s all very well for you to say: you’re not the one who looks like this!”

It makes me always smile when some 20 years old person refers to me in that way, as I’m grandmother at age of 50. It seems more girls than ever feel the need to be perfect – at a time when the mental health of young women is a growing concern. The desire to be perfect, seems to influence thinking from a young age:

I’ve recently found research by Girlguiding UK found that a quarter of seven- to 10-year-old girls felt the need to be perfect. For a lot of young women who contacted me, body image was a huge preoccupation and many said they felt undervalued unless they met society’s expectations of beauty.

I feel a huge responsibility in a way, as my social media also, I’ve understood, plays a big role in influencing women’s outlook on this issue.

Let’s talk about who we are at first

Am I my body? Science says that at every moment, millions of cells of our body are changing and renewing, so that after seven years, there is almost no living cell in the body from those we had before. The cells come and go, they are born and die, but “I” is left. Is it, then, my body? Obviously not! If majority of atoms in our body are periodically replaced, who are we if not our atoms and we are not our cells? So many of us struggle to look younger on the outside. Are we misguided? But more on this subject next time..

The biological markers of aging are things like blood pressure, bone density, cardiovascular conditioning, and the wrinkles you have. Psychological age is your attitude to life. If you have a youthful mind, then your biological markers will reflect that, including your looks. Outer beauty—say, how fresh your skin is, how many wrinkles you have, do you look old or young—reflects what’s happening inside.

Real self-esteem means to be independent of others’ opinions. Not to see yourself as superior or inferior to anyone, and to have no fear of approval or disapproval. Or rejection. If your self-esteem is based on a social mask or plastic surgery, it’s not real. It’s at the whim and mercy of every stranger on the street or on the social platform. Sometimes it’s our biggest failures that teach us the most valuable lessons and letting things fall apart isn’t the end of the world – it’s a chance to rebuild it.

Plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures offer people the option to reshape body parts that they are unhappy with, uncomfortable with and feel are unattractive. There are both cosmetic reasons that people choose to undergo plastic surgery and reconstructive reasons. Once, Anatomy was considered as destiny. Today, plastic surgery can influence that destiny positively, to boost self-esteem and self-image.

The world can be quick to judge, but altering one’s appearance comes in many forms, from false eyelashes to makeup, piercings, and fake nails. If someone’s self-image and self-esteem is boosted and their confidence improved, then it is a worthy undertaking.

As I’ve already mentioned it, in my previous blog/ post, prevention is much easier than turning the hands of time, and there are many simple habits that I’ve adopted to help keep my face and body looking soft and supple. This includes lifestyle, fitness is a non-negotiable priority, practicing good skincare, and after I’ve reached 35 I’ve considerate some medical treatments.

While I agree with many of the concerns people have, about the pressure on women to look younger, I also think it’s perfectly natural to want to look as youthful as you feel inside. There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to seem knackered when you are, in fact, full of energy. I see no problem with seeking to restore the natural glow of your 20s, even if that means exploiting a good skincare, treatments and makeup. It is perfectly reasonable to want your brows to stay where they were, and not gatecrashing your eyelids. Those who say Botox looks weird are talking about bad Botox, the kind you know is there. Administered correctly and in moderation, it can be fantastic and undetectable.

And I’m loving it.

Cosmetic treatment one and only I do:

-Forehead Botox treatment

It is the first cosmetic treatment I started at age of 35. Before the aging process started to create the strong wrinkles. Botox, by working on the right muscles prevented creating these lines and even 50 today, my forehead is still “line free”. Don’t confuse Botox Cosmetic with injectable fillers. Dermal fillers work differently, plumping up tissues so that lines and wrinkles diminish or disappear. For the record, I am opposed to the many things women do to their faces in the name of youth. Collagen doesn’t make you look younger, just puffy. Regardless of who’s injecting it.

But, Botox gave me a smooth forehead that I’m satisfied with. I do it twice a year.

Plastic surgery procedures I’ve undergone:

– Breast lift, also known as Mastopexy

I had a small pair of my own breast that was just fine. They didn’t get in the way, didn’t get me any unwanted attention, and there was enough there that I wasn’t pancake flat. I was perfectly content. Than I got pregnant with my first baby. One of the first changes I noticed, along with general nausea, was my swelling chest. Suddenly, I was actually filling out a bra properly. I felt feminine and I really liked the balance that a bigger chest gave my figure.

I had my first serious case of engorgement in the first few days after delivery. I remember standing in the shower, as I tried to raise my arms to shampoo my hair and feeling pretty much horrified by these swollen, rock-hard boulders. It just didn’t felt like my body anymore. I remember thinking, this is why I’d never, ever get a breast augmentation (boob job).

After second child and breast feeding again for year long, back to my normal exercise routine I’ve noticed that not only my breast were sadly deflated, but due to the loss of fatty tissue, they were saggy too. I waited 12 years hoping that there will be some other ways to get back my breast shape, until I was 36, when finally I accepted a Breast lift, also known as Mastopexy, as a only solution to my problems. It is a procedure that removes the excess, sagging breast skin. This procedure has the goal of raising the breast tissue and nipple to a more attractive, youthful, and “uplifted” state. It also helps the breasts to feel more supple, similar to the pre-pregnant pre- breastfeeding state. I felt reborn and myself again.

– Rhinoplasty, I’ve undergone just a few years ago (commonly known as a nose job) is a plastic surgery procedure for correcting and reconstructing the form of my nose.

I’m more than happy with the results.

Not recommending:

-Lip augmentation with autologous fat grafting

During my preparation for the procedure of mastopexy I was informed about new technic of Lip augmentation with your own fat. I liked the idea. Was so enthusiastic that I’ve done it too. Unfortunately I was not happy with the results and removed it with very painful surgery after some years.

I am 1.82 cm tall but everything else you see, except that birth given fact, is product of hard work. Inside out.

Back to EXERCISE

EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE…

Exercise increases blood flow and that keeps all your tissues healthy. I am also convinced the extra blood flow to my scalp makes my hair grow faster. 🙂

Human bodies, as me concerning, are just containers designed to carry souls. … I see my body/vehicle as a car /way of transport / of the spirit through this life journey…..It’s a never ending battle of making your cars better and also trying to be better yourself 🙂

In a world where waving a wallet becomes an erotic act and gluteus has become the target of a control ….and at the same time, greatest interest of contemporary culture..Take better care of yourself, give yourself attention. Real beauty is in the soul. Beauty is more than just external appearance.

Love you all and you know it ❤️ Stay happy 💋

Want half a million of followers Zaklina”, “Want to travel like you Zaklina”, “I want your clothes, your shoes, your bags” “I want to have your life Zaklina”… But, I am not my things.

I’ve got so many questions like: How can I become famous, have all that beautiful clothes and shoes, bags, become financially free, world famous, traveling the best locations in the world, having so many followers, like you?

Now, my dears, we have a lot to talk about.

My life has changed just by being on Instagram alone, inspiring daily almost half a million of people and that number is constantly growing.

Stop focusing on money! That’s where it’s first starts. When I was starting my Instagram account money was not even in my mind. What was in my mind was: How can I be of service to someone else. I had a tragedy in my life, lost my beloved son Stefan in a terrible traffic accident, that was my strong motive to start my account. I’ll write more on that, for me life changing event, in some other post.

The wealthiest people on planet, they don’t think of how can I make more money, they think of how to provide a better service to other human beings. You have to change your mind set from “I want to make more money” to “How to provide something useful to other human beings” Money is a byproduct of doing what you love. Money will come, but your heart has to be in it.

Stop being or dreaming to be a trust fund girl or a boy. Did you get everything handed to you on the plate? I didn’t. And you anyway ask or assume that must be an easy way. Like, there is a short cut and I know it. I feel huge responsibility to share with you the truth. Cause I see, that many of you think, there is someone, somewhere, serving it, on the silver plate. By taking the short cut to success it’s easy to get burned. Forgot to read disclaimer? The short road is not always the best one.. see all that examples of a young stars, modern idols of these days, who got famous over the night, (at the age of 16, 18..) by the time they reach 25 they are already third time doing rehab, having many other psychological issues, or worst, they are not alive any more. Burned out. Sometimes, my beautiful divine souls, the short road is not the best one. To arrive to the point to have the daily life that I don’t need vacation from, I’ve took a long road. I could chose the short one too, but, I’m 50 years old and today, I’m a package of all my life experience, my mind programming and my expectations. I could also take a short cut, but what is beautiful about the long road is WHO YOU BECOME in a long road. Can you imagine how many mistakes I’ve made? Do you know how much I’ve learned by taking a long road? Do you know how many amazing connections I’ve made through the long road? So many of us in life, want instant gratification. “Want half a million of followers Zaklina”, “want to travel like you Zaklina”, “I want your clothes, your shoes” .. “I want to have your life Zaklina”… That’s ok : I’ll give it to you 🙂 !! But you see, the long road when you do the work, when you build the foundation to stand on, its a lot more satisfying cause you put in the work! You put in the work! and now you are receiving all the glory. But more so, you have become somebody truly amazing. On the short road, you don’t change, you don’t become someone great, you just get the prize. On the long road, you find out who you really are. Don’t be afraid of work, don’t be afraid of the long road because in the process, you’ll become your best version and then you will achieve it all.

Now, you feel lazy to go and make it for yourself, but you see, everything I have today, I had to do it, by myself. Yes, I had my family that loves me, my beautiful husband encouraging me, but when I was starting Realfashionist, I had to create all alone. Don’t wait for things to happen, go and make them happen. Loose this idea that world owes you something, world owes you nothing. When I started to take responsibility for my life I’ve understood I can live reality I choose. But, I had to loose my mindset first, of being a trust fund person. I stoped for looking the hand out, and started going on the journey with in myself. Start exploring your talents and your gifts. I’ve realized I have the talent, but that was not enough. I had to make use of my talent. I had to start sharing my talent. I shared my talent to grow wealth. But the life Is not just about being financially strong, its about health, wealth, love and happiness. We need all of that.

I realized recently that there is the cosmic law of exchange. I became all I am by entering this low. I start seeing what I can offer to another people. It’s not just about Me, me, me… I’ve could done much more posts and videos, just talking about myself, but I’m answering many peoples questions instead, trying to help them with my experience, or just sending them nice message to make them feel better. Many of us, we are consumers. What I’ve realized is that I have to become producer. I changed my life style in to half producing and half consuming. I don’t want to be 100% consumer, so I wanted to create something. That is why I started at first with my IG account, started making videos, writing this blog. I started contributing to other people’s lives in valuable way. That’s how I entered the low of exchange. Nobody creates wealth by having this selfish mind set “it’s all for me”

You have to find what you are good at.

What is Zaklina good at? I’m good at making people feel good about themselves. I am good at talking to people. I’m good at fashion. I’m good at sport and nutrition. I’m good at helping other people make positive change in their mind, and move to the next level, just as I have done. I’ve always been able to transform happiness, pain, sorrow and tears into the positive energy. “Realfashionist” is living proof for it. But don’t fool yourself that you are good in something that you are really not. Get really good in something. Read around. Every single day I read and that increase my knowledge making me independent and financially free. I’m reading about successful people from a business world but at the same time I’m learning from people like Thich Nhat Hanh (poet and Vietnamese Buddhist monk) who says : There is no way to happiness – happiness is the way.

You have to put work in it.

Read around your field to become an expert in that what you offer to the world. You will never ever become a wealthy over the night. Rome was not build in a day. It takes time and passion. Your heart has to be in it. Forget about money, forget about fame. Do it because you can’t sleep without doing it. Do it because it feeds your soul.

I started to realize that it’s time to stop waiting for other people to make me happy. You have to find it by yourself. Make yourself feel alive and happy. Money is fear currency, from gold we moved to piece of paper. But money is a tool. I had at the beginning just a phone which I used I to produce my content, making pictures, videos. Than I’ve realized I have to invest to become financially free. I bought a very expensive camera and lenses, I invested when no incomes are made still. But I understood that it is necessary to move to another level. What are you willing to invest today to change your life forever? What are you willing to put up? To give? And that is the way. Learn from people who are already are, where you want to be. Find your inspiration in someone from business world like Amazon founder, FB founder, Apple founder ( over a hundred billion wealth) you can learn a page from their books, to understand how they managed it. Or get a spiritual wisdom to realize that your piece of mind is the highest form of wealth. So when you put pieces together you have material know how and spiritual wisdom.

You have to have fun. You have to enjoy what you are doing. You do it just by having amazing time and at the same time producing. Make sure to be authentic. You have to be yourself. Tap in to your true authentic ME. Show what you have that nobody else has. If you do the same thing as everybody else you’ll just be like everybody else.

Be ready to work overtime. I’m always producing. Cause I truly love what I’m doing. I’m not in it just for the money, money is just byproduct. Start loving a process. I got to learn how to work smart. Be prepared to work on Saturdays and Sundays ( like me today finishing this article while my hubby is waiting ) 🙂 are you prepared for doing that? No? Cause you want to go and hang out? I’m also going out, going to the most beautiful places, beaches, but at the same time I have a discipline to always create. On the weekends too. Don’t regret for not being where you think you should be at this particular moment. For a long time I didn’t have even thousand followers. Nobody was watching my profile but I was keep doing it believing in myself. We don’t attract what we want, we attract what we are. Start to learn how to work with people. Treat people with respect. I’m only as good as people behind myself. I’m deeply connected with people. I’m responding to your questions, visiting your profiles writing comments and many ask me why I’m still doing it? As I got already popularity became a “celebrity” ? I say: Because you are the one that get me here. And I love you my beautiful divine souls. So always keep in mind: Business is all about relationships. Accumulating-wealth is all about relationships and all about who you know. I don’t want to tear people down to rise up. I want to lift people up. At the same time still being truth to myself. Get out there, stop waiting for someone to hand you all on the plate and get your hands dirty. Realize if you truly want it, it will come! Most people don’t want it enough. That’s why it never comes to them. Love you my beautiful divine souls❤️

Love you just the way you are

Nobody wants to look older and people will go through extreme lengths to sip from the fountain of youth.

Prevention is much easier than turning the hands of time, and there are many simple habits that I’ve adopted to help keep my face and body looking soft and supple. This includes lifestyle, fitness is a non-negotiable priority, practicing good skincare, and after I’ve reached 35 I’ve considerate some medical treatments.

While I agree with many of the concerns people have, about the pressure on women to look younger, I also think it’s perfectly natural to want to look as youthful as you feel inside. There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to seem knackered when you are, in fact, full of energy. I see no problem with seeking to restore the natural glow of your 20s, even if that means exploiting the artificial light of good skincare, treatments and makeup. It is perfectly reasonable to want your brows to stay where they were, and not gatecrashing your eyelids. Those who say Botox looks weird are talking about bad Botox, the kind you know is there. Administered correctly and in moderation, it can be fantastic and undetectable.

Preventions I did, that maybe can help you too:

If you smoke stop it immediately ( I personally never was a smoker, but saw what smoking did, to many of my class mates )

Smokers’ skin ages faster. The nicotine causes blood vessels to narrow on the surface of your face and hands, which impairs blood flow. As a result, the skin is deprived of oxygen and other nutrients that help it to stay looking young. The 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes also damage collagen and elastin, the two main fibres that help skin retain elasticity. Even if you can’t see the damage now, you will.

I Wash My Face Regularly

That’s clear🙂 I hope to everyone..if you need extra explanation check my previous post.

Put on Moisturizer Every day

Talking with many of my friends and many of you, that are writing me, I’ve understood that hardly anybody does it. Mostly the whole treat finishes with your face and neck, but actually treat that is obligatory, is the one that includes the whole body. Applying a moisturizer helps keep your skin looking hydrated and boosts collagen and elastin production. Treat your skin well by using quality cosmetics that are non-comedogenic (essentially, something that won’t clog pores and/or otherwise make your skin more breakout-prone). Quality doesn’t mean immediately expensive. I use a lot just a simple Nivea body cream ( when I need to dress in short time as coconut or argan oil takes more time to sink in).

Avoid or Limit Sun Exposure

Even I’m more than 8 months during the year, exposed to the Sun, I always remain protected in the shadow. When you expose yourself to the Ultraviolet radiation the collagen and elastin fibers that keep your skin firm are broken down. This leads to wrinkles and an aging effect on your body and face. Therefore, Im always wearing a high SPF sunscreen (50SPF) whenever I’m going out and putting on a hat to protect (above all my face and neck from Sun exposure). It may not seem cool to cover up when you are young, but I can assure you, that you will be glad you did as you get older.

All I wrote above is what you’ve heard already so many times, and you expected to hear it from me too? Isn’t it? Well, this all above listed makes only 20%. !!! of slowing down the aging process – and sustaining the beneficial qualities of a youthful life. That is why you all see me as something unusual. There are so many wealthy, world famous women, that following ( x10 times) all above listed, didn’t arrived to wished results. Why?

The biggest secret of all!! But seriously. Why nobody who knows about it want tell you? Have no idea.

Look what I’ve find out after 3 years of my own research:

Telomerase, an enzyme naturally found in the human organism, is the closest of all known substances to a “cellular elixir of youth”. Telomeres, repeating sequences of DNA located at the ends of chromosomes, play a key role in survival and aging. Preserving the length of telomeres has been shown to extend cell lifespan, and many researchers now believe that protecting telomere length holds the key to slowing down the aging process – and sustaining the beneficial qualities of a youthful life.

Bruce Lipton, PhD helped me to link it all.

He is an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and spirit. Stem cell biologist, bestselling author of The Biology of Belief ( I’ve already mentioned you this book, read it 🙂 ). Here is what I’ve learned from him: The new sciences quantum physics and epigenetics are revolutionizing our understanding of the link between mind and matter, challenging established scientific theories and prompting a complete re-evaluation of life as we have known it.

Placebos: The Power of Positive Beliefs

The placebo effect should be a major topic of study in medical school. I believe that medical education should train doctors to recognize the power of our internal resources. Doctors should not dismiss the power of the mind as something inferior to the power of chemicals and the scalpel.

Drug companies are studying patients who respond to sugar pills with the goal of eliminating them from early clinical trials. It inevitably disturbs pharmaceutical manufacturers that in most of their clinical trials the placebos, the “fake” drugs, prove to be as effective as their engineered chemical cocktails. It is clear that effectiveness of placebo pills is a threat to the pharmaceutical industry.

The fact that most doctors are not trained to consider the impact of the placebo effect is ironic because some historians make a strong case that the history of medicine is largely the history of the placebo effect. For most of medical history, doctors did not have effective methods to fight disease. Studies suggest that even when people know they’re not getting a drug, the placebo pills still work.

Nocebos: The Power of Negative Beliefs

While many in the medical profession are aware of the placebo effect, few have considered its implications for self-healing.

If positive thinking can pull you out of depression and heal a damaged knee, consider what negative thinking can do in your life.

When the mind, through positive suggestion, improves health, it is referred to as the placebo effect. Conversely, when the same mind is engaged in negative suggestions that can damage health the negative effects are referred to as the nocebo effect.

In medicine, the nocebo effect can be as powerful as the placebo effect, a fact you should keep in mind every time you step into a doctor’s office. By their words and their demeanor, physicians can convey hope-deflating messages to their patients, messages that are, I believe, completely unwarranted.

Our positive and negative beliefs not only impact our health but also every aspect of our life. Henry Ford was right about the power of the mind: “If you believe you can or if you believe you can’t . . . you’re right.”

Now back to Telomerase and his importance.

Studies have shown that this specific part of DNA that keeps track of how many times a cell has divided, slowing down the aging process thanks to a positive belief and placebo effects.

As many researchers now believe that protecting telomere length holds the key to slowing down the aging process – and sustaining the beneficial qualities of a youthful life, consequently the effect of positive or negative belief is directly responsible. When we are happy and optimistic our body produces positive pheromones that keep protects the telomeres from being snipped away. Think about positive thoughts that produce positive effects like varnish on nails. You cannot change the nail, but you can change the varnish again and again. What you’re doing is refreshing and replacing the old section with new protective molecules at the telomeres.

While you’ll find in every woman’s magazine, a lot of articles regarding “miracle” creams, expensive treatments, you’ll find none on the subject I wrote🤗. How many of you would come home from the store after spending an entire paycheck on creams and serums that promised the moon? American women between 30 and 50 lavish more than $1 billion annually on buying hope in a jar – so are we women just victims of marketing, being led like sheep to the cash registers? I saw many comments under articles from all over the world, written about me, (just google my name you’ll see them too 🙂 with different theories and rocket estimated amounts, they believe, I spend on “best creams”, massages, cosmetically treatments.. preventing me growing older. If that would be the true I would live in beauty salons without seeing daily light. That always makes me smile. Remember lies are complicated, the truth is always simple.

To so many, growing up and growing old is scary, boring, and even tragic. Though our bodies may not be as young as they used to be, there are some things that are far more important than gray hair or a flat stomach. Things seen, lessons learned, wisdom gained, friendships made, the love of a growing family tree, evolving perspectives—these are all blessings of being alive. After all Being Alive. Maybe we can choose to embrace the joys of growing older, because aging is a privilege not granted to everyone. My son Stefan Miljanovic, who passed at age of 23 in traffic accident, two and half years ago.. didn’t have that privilege.

My point is: That you can choose what to see. You can live a life of fear or live a life of love. You have the choice! But I can tell you ( and I’m at the same time a living proof for it: As I’m survivor of War and NATO bombing, cancer survivor, operated 2011. …And mother who survived the death of the most beloved son) That, if you choose to see a world full of love, your body will respond by growing in health. If you choose to believe that you live in a dark world full of fear, your body’s health will be compromised as you physiologically close yourself down in a protection response.

Positive thoughts are a biological mandate for a happy, healthy life. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi:

Your beliefs become your thoughts
Your thoughts become your words
Your words become your actions
Your actions become your habits
Your habits become your values
Your values become your destiny

Love you my beautiful divine souls

Love you just the way you are ❤️