Nitika’s 5 Most Magical Moments In 2013

The end of the year is one with so many mixed emotions for me, as it is for many people that I know.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all that I have accomplished, experienced and survived over the past twelve months.  I get completely energized and start implementing structures for how I want my 2014 to go, and some times I even get a little sad about the things I didn’t achieve but try to remind myself that there is always next year.One of my favorite things to do is to go back and take in all the magical moments from the year.  The moments I never thought would be possible, the times I cried from being so blissfully happy and feeling so loved.  Those moments are so important for me to cherish because it is all too easy to forget just how powerful we are at creating beautiful lives.  Going back and reminding myself is a great way to embody gratitude from head-to-toe and also ignite the inspiration I need to create more magic in 2014.  Take a look at what I am most grateful for this year and be sure to head over to Bella Life and share what you’re most grateful for in our comments section too!

1. Traveling more – One of the things that came up for me this year was how much I used to travel and how ever since I got my amazing dog Bella 7 years ago, I have stopped.  I tried to travel a few times when I first got her but it always resulted in her not being well taken care of while I was away or me not enjoying my trip because I was too stressed out.  It was kind of known to my friends that I never leave Manhattan and this year I took a moment and remembered that I am a world traveler!  I have lived everywhere from Singapore to Cairo to India and my parents have lived in Hong Kong for 10 years as well as taken my brother and I on family trips to just about every corner of the world.  This not leaving Manhattan thing was a habit that I picked up along the years of wanting to control my surroundings and feel safe, and it was a habit I was finally ready to break.  I ended up flying to Las Vegas to speak at a conference, went on a trip to San Francisco, took some vacations with my soul sisters to my friends home in Woodstock and most recently flew to LA to meet with some very exciting television networks like OWN, pictured here.  I hope to take my travel even further in 2014 and already have a girls trip to Vermont planned in January with 20 other women!

2. Creating More Events For Bella Life + Becoming a Full-Time Entrepreneur. When I first came up with the idea of creating Bella Life, I was really hoping itwould lead to me being the host of my own talk show one day.  With that in mind, I decided to embrace the role as a “host” in multiple aspects, like hosting live events.  My first event was in December of 2009 with about 8 women in my friend Toni’s apartment and I supported them each in making vision boards.  It was free and the thought of actually charging someone to spend time with me and hear what I had to say, was terrifying.  Slowly but surely over the last four years I have been learning so much about doing events and growing steadily.  This past Fall, I hosted 5 events in 6 weeks and for the first time ever I had paid sponsors which allowed me to truly support myself financially as a full-time entrepreneur.  It was such a huge moment for me personally and the feedback I got from the amazing Beauties that participated was incredible.  So far, the biggest event that I have created was my premiere party for my show (pictured here) and it was honestly one of the most magical nights of my life!

3. I Pushed Through Fears Of Public Speaking + Meeting New People – Most people don’t believe me when I tell them this, but I really don’t like public speaking and I have total social anxiety when meeting new people.  I couldn’t love hosting and be on camera more, but something about being live in person is just horrifying and totally drives up all my neurosis around being a complete perfectionist.  For so many years, going to parties would be something that would make me want to crawl out of my own skin so that I didn’t have to answer the questions “So, where did you get in to college” or “What do you do for a living” because for most of my life I felt ashamed and unsatisfied with my answers.  So just like with un-training myself with my need to be in control and not travel, I had to do the same with public speaking and being social.  I literally have to give myself a major pep-talk before I leave the house before any event whether I am speaking at it or not, and most of the time I speed dial one of the people in my Love Entourage and have them talk me out of staying home and working with Bella on my lap.  This year I spoke at two major events including TedX which is pictured here and went to at least 6 parties all by myself.  Might not sound like a big deal but it was a total WIN for me.

4. Hosting a Party With My Prents For My Closest Friends – As I continue to get older one of the biggest things I have noticed is my profound appreciate for my incredible parents.  I honestly don’t know if I am even up to the challenge of raising a child so to have seen my parents raise both my brother and I with such selflessness, love, dedication and get us through so many challenges, well it is simply breathtaking.   Feeling that sense of love and adoration for them continue to grow, I really wanted to share them with some of the people I spend the most time with so they can have the experience of how awesome my parents are and so that are connection with each other can continue to deepen.  This past summer I invited about 15 friends to an intimate Indian feast on a hot summer day, all cooked by my Mom at my parents home in New Jersey.  My parents and I love entertaining so it was lovely for us to do that together as a team and incredibly special for all of my besties to relish in the delicious food my Mom cooked in one of the homes that I grew up in.

5. Getting My Own Talk Show.  I talk about it a lot because it is honestly one of the things that I am the most proud of to date and I am often still in disbelief. Not only because I set my mind to something and it actually happened (!!) but also because of what it shows me in regards to how far I have come. Many mornings before my first show would start I would sit in my dressing room and be super still and almost somber.  I was so present to the girl I used to be just seven years ago.  The girl who was 25 with very few friends, family overseas and unable to get out of bed due to debilitating arthritis and Psoriasis.  I would think about how that girl wouldn’t have even been able to get out of bed in the morning let alone tape 39episodes in 5 weeks.  I honor her, I am grateful for all that she endured and I am so tremendously proud of what she was able to over come.  The job is fun but the journey for me has been so much more fulfilling then I could have ever imagined.

I am sure that if each of you took some time to reflect on what made 2013 so special you would have a long list of magical moments so come on over to Bella Life and share at least one with me in the comments below this article!  I also want to send lots of gratitude to each of you for making this year so incredible as our community continues to grow on and off the web.  I hope the end of your year is ending with lots of love, laughs and excitement for what is ahead.

P.S. Knowing that each of you Beauties are committed to living extraordinary lives, I hope you also know that you don’t have to live through everything on your own.  Whether it’s an exciting new project, wanting to take your business to the next level or getting over being self-conscious, I am totally here to guide you through it!  Click Here for all the details and information!

Love Always,