Inspire/d: Serena Lombardi
Interviews about creating positive habits and cultivating happiness
This is the first article of our new column called “Inspire/d”, a series of quick interviews where incredible people share their best strategies to get a good balance between wellness and productivity.
The aim of this series is to create a supportive community where readers can learn new habits to improve their happiness and level of awareness.
We believe that a single happy person can positively impact a group of people, a group of happy people can create a happy community, and a happy community can contribute to a better society. A better society means more well-being for people, all living creatures, and for our planet as a whole.
Let’s start with our first inspirer
Introduce yourself!
Serena, 34 years old, Deal Management Executive at BBC Studios. I love reading and painting.
Himalayan Hatha Yoga instructor and founder of Serenanda to empower business professionals to attain a clear sense of purpose and an optimum work-life balance while increasing their ability to reach their goals. Our mission at Serenanda is to enable individuals to develop a clear mind, a strong body and an open heart. We believe these are the optimum conditions for enabling social change and restoring unity between individuals and nature.
What’s your story?
I grew up in a small village surrounded by mountains and olive trees in South-Centre Italy called Monteroduni where core values are community, heritage, and simplicity. I attended the DAMS University in Rome to study performing arts and cinema and learned to see beauty in everything and everyone. I then moved to London to seek international experience and learn English. I have lived in London for nine years now and have a deep appreciation for its forward-thinking, multicultural and multi-ethnic life.
Can you define yourself as being happy?
I consider happiness a quality that must be exercised and cultivated as if it were an artistic discipline. Some days you do a bad job, others a true masterpiece. As you paint your fears, failures, and successes every day, and as you grow detached from them, pure joy arises naturally because you’re working and living at the pace of your heart.
What is the best habit that has contributed or contributes to your professional success?
There will never be enough hours in a day so learn to prioritize effectively and do the important stuff first.
What is the best habit that has contributed or contributes to your personal well-being and happiness?
Practicing Yoga daily. It strengthens my muscles and mind. It clears the body from trapped emotions and relieves stress. It calms the chattering of the mind. It helps me to become conscious of my thoughts and reactions, it allows me to tune into the space that exists between one thought and another where the source of love and life energy is endless.
How do you keep your motivation consistent over time?
I keep a compass on my desk. It’s a visual aid, a reminder to follow the direction I have set for myself and to avoid giving energy to things that are not serving my purpose anymore.
Are you adopting some habits to reduce your environmental impact?
I stopped eating meat. I switched to a green energy provider and to an ethical bank. I do research before making a purchase to ensure I am choosing the most ethical option that respects people and the planet. I buy plastic-free products when possible. I email political representatives and brands to bring their attention to climate issues. I sign petitions. I chair a Green Team at work where we learn how to live and work sustainably.
What is the best lesson you have learned so far?
I can profit from solving the problems of the world, not from causing them. I can give back to the Earth more than I take from it.
Thank you, Serena! We really hope that her life approach has inspired you.
If you feel like it, you can reply to the questions as well: it will help you better understand your own approach to life. And, if you want, you can send us your answers to team@moleskinejourney.com . We will share the most original with the rest of the community here on our blog.
1. Introduce yourself!
name, age, and (optionally) job role, main interests
2. What’s your story?
how would you summarize your journey in 5 lines
3. Can you define yourself as being happy?
4. What is the best habit that has contributed or contributes to your professional success?
5. What is the best habit that has contributed or contributes to your personal well-being and happiness?
6. How do you keep your motivation consistent over time?
7. Are you adopting some habits to reduce your environmental impact?
8. What is the best lesson you have learned so far?
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