Bellspiration

1) Can you share with us what you have learned from your life experience so far, and what you consider very important for a peaceful, happy and successful life?  For me, the biggest lesson has been that hard work does pay off, eventually. I have had to work really hard for everything I have achieved thus far in my life, nothing has really come easily for me. I am not as naturally smart as a lot of my peers, so I have always had to work extra hard in school to get good grades. And even after working hard, I still didn’t achieve the grades I had hoped to. But I kept working at it and pushing myself even harder to get where I wanted to be. I was also a student-athlete in college, I was a rower, and as with academics, I was not as naturally athletic as a lot of my friends and teammates. So, again, I just put it on myself to work harder and train more than my teammates to catch up and make up the gap. Even so, I had never felt like I truly excelled at anything in life, until I was award...

1) Možeš li podijeliti s nama šta je to što si naučio iz dosadašnjeg životnog iskustva, a što smatraš jako bitnim za miran, sretan i uspješan život? Još uvijek se smatram relativno mladim da bih pričao o ovakvim stvarima i neću reći da znam pravi odgovor na ovo pitanje. Međutim, ono što mogu reći na osnovu svog dosadašnjeg iskustva, mislim da čovjek neprestano mora biti raditi na sebi. Produktivnost čovjeka drži stabilnim, a samim tim i sretnijim. Naučio sam da je važno izbjegavati pesimizam koji je, realno, prisutan svuda oko nas, a to je moguće ukoliko smo okruženi pozitivnim ljudima. Rečenica „Voli ono što radiš i radi ono što voliš.“ sigurno najbolje opisuje sretan i uspješan život. Bez obzira koliko smo dobri ili loši u onome čime se bavimo, ishod postaje nebitan kada uživamo u tome i to treba biti najvažnije.  2) Koja je tvoja inspirativna poruka za sve nas? Činjenica je da vrijeme brzo prolazi. Mislim da ne postoji starija osoba koja nam neće poručiti da život proleti u tren...

1) Can you share with us what you have learned from your life experience so far, and what you consider very important for a peaceful, happy and successful life? There are many important things I carry with me but it all boils down to self-care, acceptance (of yourself and others), gratitude, and allowing yourself to be different. If I had to create a list of lessons or advice to myself, I think it would be this: Respect your own timing and allow yourself to fully live whatever phase/age you are going through, don't skip it because you were too worried about the past or the future, or else you might find yourself missing out on your own life; Remember that feelings are always valid but also temporary, allow yourself to feel them but make sure to let go too, so new ones can take over; Take the time to notice the good and joyful things around you and about yourself - yes, you are worth noticing too; Rest, stop and do nothing - those are also necessary; Accept that we all have a differ...

1) Can you share with us what you have learned from your life experience so far, and what you consider very important for a peaceful, happy and successful life? Mmm... there are so many things that life has taught me; however, I can think of three things that recently have impacted me the most, firstly focus on what you can control; you will learn how to use your energy more efficiently. Secondly, hold yourself accountable; meaning that having a happy, peaceful and successful life is your and only your responsibility. It is not your partner, relatives, colleagues, or friend’s responsibility. Thirdly, being kind, at service to others, and showing appreciation are game-changers. Look for ways to be more kind, compassionate, and giving in your daily life. This can be something as small as brightening a stranger’s day with a smile or going out of your way to do a favor for a friend. It takes little effort from you and yet it can make someone's day. Try it. Be a hero for someone today ...

1) Možeš li podijeliti s nama šta je to što si naučio iz dosadašnjeg životnog iskustva, a što smatraš jako bitnim za miran, sretan i uspješan život? Iz dosadašnjeg životnog iskustva mogu reći da ćete doživjeti svakakve trenutke. Ponekad će ići stvari super u životu, nekad ne baš… Zato bih želio poručiti da za dobar život trebaju ljudi prihvatiti činjenicu da neke stvari neće moći kontrolirati. Najvažnije je upravljati onim stvarima kojima znate da možete kontrolirati. Možda neće ići sve po planu, ali uvijek će se naći neki alternativni put prema ostvarenju planova koji može bit čak zanimljiviji od zamišljenog puta. 2) Koja je tvoja inspirativna poruka za sve nas? Vrlo je jednostavna: radite ono što volite, vjerujte u sebe i ustrajte u svojim ciljevima. Ako ne vjerujete u sebe, zašto bi itko drugi u vas vjerovao? 3) Bellspiration klub završava četvrti promotivni mjesec. Šta misliš o ovom klubu nakon mjesec dana promocije? Šta misliš o Bellspiration-u generalno i njegovom cilju promov...

1) Can you share with us what you have learned from life experience so far, and what you consider very important for a peaceful, happy and successful life? From my life experience, I can tell that you’ll experience a lot of things. Sometimes everything will go excellently in life, sometimes not so much… For that reason, I’d like to tell you that in order to have a good life, people should accept the fact that they won’t control some things. Most important is to control what you know you can control. Maybe it won’t go as planned, but there’s always going to be an alternative way to fulfill your plans which may be even more interesting than the original plan. 2) What is your inspirational message for all of us? It’s very simple: do what you love, believe in yourself, and strive towards your goals. If you don’t believe in yourself, why is anyone else going to believe in you? 3) The Bellspiration Club ends its fourth promotional month. What do you think of this club after a month of promot...

1) Dear Emma, I know that you traveled a lot. Can you share with us which countries you visited, and which place made the biggest impression on you? And why? In 2019, I visited 23 countries, which was very cool and eye-opening. From my apartment in Sarajevo, I went to Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and England. I also went home to the U.S. for a week and lived in Bosnia, bringing the number of countries I lived in or visited 23 in one year! I am so glad I was able to do this because although I did not know it at the time, it was only a few months before COVID hit, so I am definitely glad I was able to go at all. The one that made the biggest impression on me was Russia. I visited my brother, who was studying in St. Petersburg, for a week. St. Petersburg is such a beautiful city, rich with history and beautiful architecture. The...

1) U jednom od prethodnih intervjua si spomenuo da studiraš elektrotehnički fakultet i da je neuobičajeno za ljude iz IT svijeta da se gaje ljubav prema pisanju, ili umjetnosti generalno. Šta misliš zašto je to tako? I da li je to samo predrasuda ili si ti ipak izuzetak iz tog pravila? Ako je u pitanju predrasuda, apsolutno ne bi trebala biti. Ranije u prošlosti, učenjaci su nastojali biti svestrani. Leonardo da Vinci nije bio samo slikar, niti je Ibn Sina bio samo ljekar. Štaviše, bili su izvrsni u drugim sferama kao što je astrologija, fizika, teologija, poezija i slično. Stoga, smatram da ako čovjek pored glavnog zanimanja gaji ljubav prema još nečemu, ima potpuno pravo da radi na tome i da pritom bude siguran da može biti dobar. Ne znam koliko je u redu reći za sebe da sam izuzetak. Istina je da ja baš uživam u pisanju, pored toga što volim IT, ali zašto bi bilo koga sputavalo da radi više stvari koje voli? Ukoliko osjetimo da bismo u još nečemu mogli ostaviti trag, bilo da je rije...

1) Dear Joana, Bellspiration readers are coming from all around the world. So would you share with us things about your country, Portugal? Food, people, tradition, amenities, language… If we want to travel there, what can we expect? Portugal is a very "homely" country. A friend of mine visited the city I live in while I was in the Czech Republic and she told me she loved that it was "very hot". I was confused because January in Porto is cold and rainy and she said she meant warm, because going out of the touristic routes, she could find big warm meals in local restaurants, good typical food and products and welcoming authentic people, from people in the street who will give you directions to old ladies in the bus stop you will strike a conversation with just about anyone, even if they don't speak the language… Although people can usually speak English or some improvisation of it. Of course, the attitude you find in locals, like anywhere, changes from place to p...

1. Dear Kath, you moved from Venezuela to Hungary, from one continent to another. How difficult was that change for you? How did the process of adapting to the new area go? New language, culture, tradition… Frankly, the change was not difficult. In fact, I was overly excited about it. To me, change is a necessary aspect of personal growth and is the best way to learn about yourself in so many ways. It teaches you to be better prepared for hectic circumstances, strengthen your sense of confidence, and become emotionally stronger. In my experience, when you go through an uncertain obstacle or change in life that challenges your mind and emotions, you learn the different ways that you react both positively and negatively. If you choose to embrace the change as a learning opportunity, you will find that the things you learn about yourself will be extremely rewarding, and you will be surprised by how capable you truly are. Conversely, adaptation has been more challenging for me, especially ...

1) Dear Sven, you are an example of a successful student of oil mining, but who has a penchant and love for music. With all that, you are actively involved in sports. Are these things really compatible in one man, scientific and technical professions and art and sports - is it prejudice that you have to choose only one, or are you an exception to that rule? I’m glad that it is only prejudiced that people take only one thing and then develop it into their profession. Seeing a lot of people who sang with me in the choir and my football teammates, it is possible to manage your job and hobby. For me, the routine housework, work-house simply doesn’t fit. I believe that everyone can develop a fulfilling hobby besides their profession. 2) Time management! How do you balance all the obligations and activities you have? Do you have any tips and tricks on how to achieve all that you do? The most important thing is to set your priorities and adjust them according to your current circumstances. I ...

1) Dragi Sven, ti si primjer uspješnog studenta naftnog rudarstva, ali koji pritom ima sklonost i ljubav prema muzici. Uz sve to, aktivno se baviš sportom. Da li su te stvari zaista spojive u jednom čovjeku,naučne i tehničke struke i umjetnost i sport - da li je predrasuda da moraš izabrati samo jedno ili si ti ipak izuzetak tog pravila? Meni je drago što je to samo predrasuda da ljudi izaberu samo jednu stvar i onda to razvijaju u svoju profesiju. Vidjevši mnogo ljudi kroz pjevanje u zboru i bavljenje sportom, ipak je moguće usklađivanje posla i hobija. Meni jednostavno ne odgovara rutina kuća-posao, posao-kuća. Vjerujem da svatko može uz svoje zanimanje razviti još neki hobi koji će te ispuniti. 2) Time management! Kako uskladiš sve obaveze i aktivnosti koje imaš? Imaš li neke tips and tricks kako postići sve to čime se ti baviš? Tu je najvažnije posložiti prioritete, odnosno promijeniti ih u skladu s trenutnim okolnostima. Ne želim pričat sad o striktnoj organizaciji rasporeda jer ...

1) You mentioned that you will graduate in December 2022 with a Master of Arts in Russian and Eastern European Area Studies and Juris Doctor (Law Degree). How do you combine these two studies? Is it challenging to study these two different areas simultaneously? a) I am training to be an international lawyer, so it is actually pretty easy to study these areas together! I have been able to write about and study the Balkans in my international law classes. For example, in my International Law class on the law of the seas, (maritime law) I studied about and wrote my final paper on the maritime dispute between Croatia and Slovenia in the Bay of Piran in the Adriatic. I also compared ethnic/religious conflicts in Ukraine and Bosnia, for my Ukrainian History class. In my other international law class, violence against civilians in warfare, I wrote about the international response, or lack thereof, to the war crimes being committed in Bosnia during the war in the 1990s, including Srebrenica. S...