Author: HairWeavings Editorial Team

If you are looking for that once-in-a-lifetime travel experience, let me introduce you to Istanbul, Türkiye.

This article is part two of Exotic Istanbul. If you missed part one, please read it here. It covers getting around the city, our accommodation, the Hippodrome, the Hagia Sofia, and the Blue Mosque.

The Spice Bazaar

Istanbul has two iconic, and ancient bazaars. The Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar is Istanbul’s most famous bazaar. But I opted to visit the Spice Bazaar, also known as the Egyptian Bazaar. Built in 1664, the Spice Bazaar wins the prize for being the most colorful, and fragrant ancient bazaar.

This market offers just about every spice you can think of, and some I had never heard of, all heaped in colorful pyramids. It’s a feast for the eyes as well as the nose. Aside from the spices, you can find every kind of tea you ever dreamed of, along with the famous Turkish Delight candies of every color and flavor. I sampled several of these and had to buy a small bag.

You can also find herbal remedies, perfumes, dried fruits, nuts, baklava, olive oils, cheeses, Turkish coffees, Turkish rugs, incredible brass, silver, and ceramic wares, and my favorite – the beautiful Turkish lamps, and so much more! And the vendors do expect you to haggle with them over prices.

There was so much to see inside the covered market, and it continued on into the streets surrounding the outside. It was great fun, and I will definitely be visiting the Grand Bazaar on my next trip to Istanbul.

Galata Bridge

The Galata Bridge spans the Golden Horn which gets its name from its horn shape. This waterway is the primary inlet of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara. The Galata Bridge carries vehicles, pedestrians, and a tram line. This is the fifth version of the bridge to be built here on this site. This romantic looking bridge has been the subject of many paintings, poems, books, and featured in several movies, and it is also known to be an iconic fishing spot.

There are two walking levels on the bridge, and in 2003 restaurants started to open on the underside of the bridge. We spent several hot afternoons here, each time enjoying a plate of fried anchovies and a beer. You can sit back and watch the fishermen reel their catch in to the top level. There is also a killer view on both sides of the bridge.

On the Eminonu side of the bridge you can find these beautiful boats that sell a famous fish sandwich called Balik Ekmek, meaning fish and bread. These were quite tasty, but I much preferred the fish wrap found on the Karakoy side of the bridge. Small vendors with coolers full of fresh fish and a grill offered lavash flatbread, grilled fish, fresh veggies, and sauces.

Fun fact: It is even thought that the card game “Bridge” acquired its name because the British soldiers who invented it crossed the Galata Bridge on their way to their favorite coffee houses.

The bridge is nice to walk across and just take in the scenery and watch the fishermen, and a very convenient way to see more of the city.

Basilica Cistern

One of the few things not in walking distance for us was the Basilica Cistern. We took the tram, and it was quick and easy. Arriving early, we were among the first few to enter and enjoyed this massive place with only a handful of other tourists.

Built in the 6th century, the subterranean Basilica Cistern is another amazing piece of history and ingenuity. This is an ancient aqueduct that carried water from 12 miles away to be stored here in the cistern for the city’s elite to use. The 336 columns that support this underground cistern are actually recycled marble and granite columns from older buildings that were in the area at that time. It makes you wonder how old those buildings were!

These columns include two massive blocks from the late Roman period, that are carved with the head of the Medusa. These blocks were placed upside down to negate the power of the Gorgon’s gaze and are pretty amazing. Once holding almost 3 million cubic feet of water, the cistern keeps only a small amount today for aesthetic purposes.

This place has been featured in quite a few movies and I can see why. It is enormous inside, and the color changing lights give it an other-worldly and mesmerizing feel. The closer I looked at the ancient support columns, the more impressed I became. Some of them are intricately carved with flowers or vines, or Ancient Greek writings. As its name suggests, the Basilica Cistern is grand in scale and definitely worth a visit.

Galata Tower

The Galata Tower is an old Genoese tower in the Galata section of the Beyoglu (Bay-oh-Lou) district. Just a few blocks’ walk from our hotel, the tower was built at the highest point of the ancient walls of Galata. It served as a watchtower for invaders, then used as a prison for over 200 years, and then as a lookout tower for fires.

The tower is a historical symbol of this area, and it is really beautiful at night. It actually gets quite congested in the evenings and a little hectic. We walked up to it one evening and it was lovely. Then we went back early one morning to take pictures before all the tourists rolled in.

The tower is surrounded by nice restaurants and a variety of shops. It was at one of these small restaurants that we first tried Midye Dolma. Popular as street food and in restaurants, these are steamed mussels stuffed with aromatic rice. A squeeze of fresh lemon on top and they are truly delicious. My husband and I would polish off about 60 every time we went out for them.

Sulaymaniye Mosque

There are 3,000 mosques here in Istanbul and many of them are very impressive. We had visited a few already and one that absolutely deserves mention is the Sulaymaniye Mosque. It is beautiful and spacious inside, covered with amazing tile work. The outside is surrounded by lovely lawns and gardens.

This mosque is one of the best known sites in Istanbul and offers a commanding view of the Golden Horn. It is also one of the largest Ottoman era mosques in the city. It was built in 1550 by Suliman the Magnificent. I love that name. I love all these ancient rulers’ names here, they end with “the Magnificent,” “the Great,” “the Mighty,” “the Supreme,” Emperor, or Cesar. These guys let it be known what they were all about.

You can also visit the cemetery where the mausoleums of Suliman the Magnificent and his wife Hurrem Sultan can be found. Her mausoleum is especially lovely inside, covered with the blue Iznik tiles. This site is also free to visit.

Kadikoy

One morning we took one of the many ferries that cross the strait, to check out the Kadikoy neighborhood on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. Kadikoy was actually named one of the 50 “coolest” neighborhoods in the world, along with being the liberal cultural center of the Anatolian side of Istanbul.

Even though this area is home to many bars, cafes, restaurants, and shops, it still has a more relaxing vibe than the European side does. This laid back area is famous for its fish and produce markets. Knowing that, we decided to just spend the whole day here and check it all out.

I loved wandering the streets here. The fresh fish and produce were amazing to look at, as was the neighborhood itself. After wandering around for an hour or so, we stopped at a corner bakery for some Baklava and Çay (Turkish tea). Everything was delightful.

The shopping here was great as well. I ended up with a new outfit and some Nazar Boncugu, or the famous Blue Eye talismans, to take home for gifts. We had a wonderful seafood lunch at one of the restaurants adjacent to the fish market. This is where I tried Raki for the first time. It’s popular to drink along with and after meals here in Turkey. I liked Raki more than I thought I would. With its strong anise flavor, poured over ice and a touch of water, I actually fell in love with the refreshing taste.

We ended up coming over here to spend another day during our time in Istanbul. During this trip we had a tasty lunch of Manti. This local dish features small ravioli like pouches stuffed with chunks of lamb. Topped with yogurt and either garlic or tomato sauce; it is amazing! I think I would like to stay here in the Kadikoy neighborhood on our next visit.

My husband and I both absolutely fell in love with Istanbul. In part three of Exotic Istanbul, I will be introducing you to the magnificent Topkapi Palace, Gulhane Park, and the Bosphorus Long Cruise.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you like discovering new foods either at home or when traveling? What are some places you have visited and what new food or drink did you discover there?

A fan impersonated her and developed strange relationships with other fans.

When we navigate different phases of life, particularly after reaching significant milestones such as turning 60 or considering a career transition, it’s common to reassess our personal strengths and passions. Understanding what truly motivates and energizes you is key to finding a career or pursuit that brings both fulfillment and success. However, identifying your strengths and passions can feel overwhelming without a clear strategy.

As a career and life coach, I enjoy guiding my clients through the process of conducting a personal skills audit, exploring new passions, strengths and interests. This process allows people to align their skills with the next phase of their life. Whether that’s for a career transition or focusing on an encore career!

Why Identifying Strengths and Passions Is Essential

Your strengths are the skills and abilities that come naturally to you and can be honed through experience and practice. Passions, on the other hand, are activities, subjects, or causes that spark joy, excitement, and a sense of purpose. Identifying both is crucial for several reasons:

Career Satisfaction

Aligning your strengths and passions with your work leads to greater job satisfaction, as you’re more likely to enjoy and excel at what you do.

Personal Fulfillment

Beyond your career, knowing what you’re passionate about helps guide decisions in your personal life, whether you’re pursuing hobbies, volunteering, or exploring creative outlets.

Work-Life Balance

When your career aligns with your strengths and passions, it can enhance your work-life balance, reducing stress and improving overall well-being.

Now, let’s walk through how to identify these critical aspects of yourself.

Step 1: Conducting a Personal Skills Audit

A personal skills audit is a self-assessment exercise that helps you identify your core strengths and areas of expertise. Here’s how to conduct one effectively:

List Your Professional and Personal Achievements

Start by listing both professional and personal achievements from all periods of your life. Consider times when you felt proud of your work or accomplishments, and take note of any recurring patterns. For example:

• What roles or responsibilities did you excel in?
• What tasks came naturally to you?
• What types of projects or activities did you enjoy the most?

This exercise helps you recognize the areas in which you have consistently demonstrated strengths. Include not just work-related achievements, but also personal accomplishments (e.g., leading a community project, learning a new skill, or overcoming a significant challenge).

Ask for Feedback from Others

Sometimes, it can be difficult to see our own strengths objectively. Asking for feedback from trusted colleagues, friends, or family members can provide valuable insights into skills you may not have recognized. Ask questions like:

• What do you think my greatest strengths are?
• In what situations have you seen me excel?
• What skills or traits do you admire in me?

The feedback you receive may surprise you and help you see yourself from a new perspective.

Identify Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are abilities that can be applied across different roles or industries. These skills often include communication, problem-solving, leadership, adaptability, and collaboration. Identifying transferable skills is important if you’re considering a career change, as they can be leveraged in a new field or job.

Review your list of accomplishments and feedback to pinpoint these versatile skills. For example, if you’ve successfully managed teams or projects, leadership and organizational skills are likely transferable to other roles.

Assess Your Weaknesses

While focusing on strengths is essential, it’s also valuable to understand your weaknesses or areas for improvement. Knowing your limitations allows you to make informed decisions about what roles or projects to pursue and helps identify areas for growth.

Ask yourself:

• What tasks do I find challenging or draining?
• Where have I struggled to achieve success?
• What skills do I need to develop to reach my goals?

Understanding these aspects of yourself can help guide your next steps and highlight areas for future learning or improvement.

Step 2: Exploring New Passions and Interests

Once you’ve identified your core strengths, it’s time to explore new passions or interests that align with the next phase of your life. Here’s how to discover or reignite your passions:

Reflect on Your Hobbies and Interests

Think back to activities or hobbies that have brought you joy, whether recently or earlier in life. Have you always loved writing, painting, or cooking? Are you drawn to solving complex problems, helping others, or working with your hands?

Jot down these interests and explore how they might connect to new opportunities. For example, if you’ve always been passionate about fitness, perhaps you could explore a career in wellness coaching or personal training. If you enjoy creative pursuits, consider whether you can turn your hobby into a side business or full-time venture.

Experiment with New Activities

If you’re unsure of your passions, experimenting with new activities can help you discover what excites you. Take classes, attend workshops, or try volunteering in areas you’re curious about. For instance, if you’re interested in photography, sign up for a course or join a local photography group. If you’re drawn to public speaking, try participating in a Toastmasters group.

By engaging in new experiences, you open the door to discovering hidden talents or interests you may not have considered before.

Consider What Energizes You

A key indicator of passion is the energy you feel when engaging in an activity. Reflect on times when you felt truly energized and motivated. What were you doing in those moments? Passion often comes from a sense of flow – the state where you lose track of time because you’re so absorbed in what you’re doing.

Identifying these energizing activities can lead you toward your passions and help you align them with your strengths.

Step 3: Use Tools and Assessments to Clarify Your Strengths and Passions

There are several helpful tools and assessments available to guide you in clarifying your strengths, passions, and career direction. Here are a few popular resources:

StrengthsFinder

The CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) assessment identifies your top strengths based on your responses to a series of questions. It’s designed to help you understand what you naturally do best and how to leverage these strengths in your career and personal life.

By pinpointing your top strengths, the assessment provides actionable insights into how to build on them and use them to achieve your goals.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

The MBTI is a popular personality assessment that helps you understand your preferences in how you perceive the world and make decisions. It categorizes people into 16 different personality types based on traits like introversion/extraversion, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving.

Knowing your MBTI type can provide insights into which careers or activities align with your natural inclinations and personality traits.

Ikigai: The Japanese Concept of Purpose

The Ikigai framework is a tool for discovering what brings purpose and meaning to your life. It’s based on four key components:

• What you love (your passion).
• What you are good at (your strengths).
• What the world needs (your contribution).
• What you can be paid for (your career or livelihood).

By reflecting on these areas, you can gain a clearer understanding of what aligns with your strengths and passions, and how to pursue work that brings a sense of fulfillment.

Exercises to Help You Identify Your Strengths and Passions

Here are a few practical exercises to further clarify your strengths and passions:

Journaling Exercise: The Peak Experience

Think about a peak experience – a moment when you felt particularly fulfilled and successful, either professionally or personally. Write down the details of the experience:

• What were you doing?
• Who were you with?
• How did you feel?
• What strengths did you use?

This exercise helps you pinpoint moments of alignment between your strengths and passions and can guide you toward similar opportunities in the future.

Passion Brainstorming

Set a timer for 10 minutes and write down everything you’re passionate about. Don’t overthink it – just let your thoughts flow. Once your time is up, review your list and identify common themes or interests. This can reveal patterns in what excites you and help you explore new paths.

Skill Swap

Partner with a friend or colleague and exchange skills. For example, if you’re good at graphic design and they’re good at marketing, teach each other a new skill. This exercise not only helps you hone your existing strengths but may also introduce you to a new passion or skill you’d like to develop further.

You Are Not Alone: Aligning Strengths and Passions for a Fulfilling Future

Identifying your strengths and passions is a powerful step toward a more fulfilling career and life. By conducting a personal skills audit, exploring new interests, and using tools like personality assessments, you can gain clarity on what drives you and how to pursue opportunities that align with your true self.

Having someone to guide you through this process can be helpful and unlock some areas of awareness you had not considered for yourself. In my practice, I’ve found that we often keep ourselves “small” by not allowing ourselves permission to think of opportunities larger than imagined. If you are ready to start exploring what’s next for you and unlocking your strengths and passions then let’s connect for a free 60 minute clarity session.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What do you feel is your number one strength or “super power”? Have you recently made a career transition into something more rewarding? How has focusing on your strengths helped you to show up for yourself and others? Have you recently explored a new passion or interest? Share in the comments!

Although the best way to know if you’re suffering under a spending or shopping addiction is to seek out the support of a qualified therapist, we can use six questions to get a broad understanding of how spending may be impacting your life.

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, it may be time to get help.

6 Questions to Ask Yourself If You Think You Might Be Addicted to Spending

1. Is your spending negatively affecting one or more of your relationships?
2. Has your work performance or living situation suffered because of your spending?
3. Have you ever stolen anything to keep spending or lied about your spending?
4. Have you experienced adverse physical outcomes due to your spending (headaches, sleepless nights, etc.)?
5. Is spending a part of your daily routine?
6. Do you think about spending when you cannot shop?

Addiction Can Happen to the Best of Us

Addiction and addictive tendencies have long been seen as a personality defect. There has been a stigma against drug users and alcohol abusers, in particular, for much of our history.

But spending often slides under the radar. After all, spending money is something we must do to live. Everything you need to survive, even time off from work, you need money for. We can get by just fine without ever using heroin or cocaine, but we can’t go more than a few days without spending money. It’s like food in this way. We need food to survive, and we need to spend money to survive.

Reasons for Spending Addiction

There are about as many reasons for spending addiction as there are people suffering under it. In my holistic financial coaching practice, I’ve seen spending addictions break into a few very general categories:

Rebellion

Often rebellion is a result of financial abuse, even at a low level. If we feel like we’re being obligated or forced, one of our natural tendencies is to be rebellious and resentful. I know this can look like a personality defect, but rebellion and resentment are actually protective strategies. If someone (or some situation) is forcing or obligating you and controlling your money, of course you’re going to secretly, rebelliously take back control and spend!

Control

When we feel like our control or choices have been removed, we will exact control in any way we can. And spending is a socially acceptable way to take control. It can be a balance of novelty, some choice (but not too much), and distraction.

Restriction

It might seem counterintuitive, but restriction generates the rebellious mindset we talked about above. If we feel like we have to lock down our spending, stop spending on “unnecessary” things, and tighten our belts, eventually we will respond with reactive spending. And then very often we pile shame, regret and remorse on ourselves, vow that next time it’ll be different, make our apologies and promises and start the cycle all over again.

It makes no difference to your brain whether you are restricting yourself or someone else is restricting you, eventually we all lose that fleeting motivation and “fail.”

Recovering from Spending Addiction

The first thing you can do to begin undermining a spending addiction is actually pretty simple. Instead of correcting yourself, denying yourself, or shaming yourself, you can simply start with one question:

“What is the purpose of this spending?”

One of the practices I ask my clients to do is to reflect on the purpose of their spending AS they spend. Let’s say Judy is buying groceries, as she swipes her card she reminds herself of the purpose of the groceries, “Dinner for the family tonight, lunch for tomorrow.”

Not only does this practice make that spending real to us, but it also helps us understand the purpose behind our behavior.

Occasionally, as people begin this practice, they may feel that they are justifying purchases to themselves. But because the purpose of this practice is to be aware of spending, that sense of justification typically fades.

We are practicing awareness of your spending without judgment here, but we’re also slowing down decision making. If you find patterns like you are spending to take control, or spending to relieve the pressure of a long day your brain may automatically look for other ways to do the same thing whereas before when your brain was just reacting you might have even told yourself, “this is the only way I can feel better.”

Going Deeper into Your Spending Addiction

Before we talk about a big strategy for undermining a spending addiction, I need to make a clear distinction between restriction and abstinence.

When I’m coaching with my clients I rail against restrictions. But if there is an actual addiction at play, a thoughtful, planned abstinence may be called for.

Restriction is an emotional reaction. It shuts us down and can often lead to a spiral of resentment, shame, and pressure.

Abstinence is intentional and typically planned for. It can even be thought of as a kind of experiment. If you are considering abstaining from spending it will likely take some time and thoughtfulness.

How to Abstain from Spending

Again, I recommend seeking out the care of a therapist who’s experienced in addiction therapy prior to starting any attempt at tackling your spending addiction.

This is not easy. We’re not talking about a few days, but more like four weeks. Some people may see a change in two or three weeks, others will have to abstain for six or more. And abstaining from spending can be tricky. If you have a particular store or website (looking at you, Amazon) that is part of your spending addiction, can someone else do spending for you during this time?

Spending is not a drug, not really, but withdrawals can still be intense. I’ve heard my clients say they have an increase in anxiety, sleeplessness, distracted thoughts and headaches.

If you are at all concerned about your mental or physical health before or while you fast or abstain from spending, seek care before you begin.

Abstinence is doing nothing less than resetting your brain’s pain-pleasure balance, and that means for a time at least, this is likely going to be extremely unpleasant. The good news is that on the other side of this abstinence, I’ve seen my clients consistently have less stress, feel more comfortable and confident in their decisions (financial and otherwise) and are able to build and rebuild relationships.

If you’re considering abstaining from spending (or a certain kind of spending), here are a few prompts you might think about before and during your period of abstinence:

• What do you think you might notice as you fast or abstain from spending?
• What kinds of outcomes would you like to see?
• What do you think will be the hardest about this time?
• What do you think will be the easiest aspect of this spending fast?
• What do you need to be successful in this?

Quick tip:

If I can offer you one piece of advice to make this spending abstinence easier, it is to be patient with yourself.

In Conclusion

Spending addiction is an easily available and socially acceptable kind of addiction that has the potential to disrupt and harm relationships and financial resilience. But you can undermine your spending addiction and learn to trust yourself again without punishing yourself, restriction, or shame.

Finally, if you need help with an addiction, it is available at:

• USA: 1-800-662-4357
• Canada: 1-855-499-9446
• UK: 0808-163-9632
• For other countries, type “help with shopping addiction [country]” in your search engine.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Has spending turned into a pastime? Would you be able to live without buying things for a period of time? Have you noticed an addiction toward spending? What do you usually purchase that you later realize you didn’t really need? What do you do with such purchases?

He allegedly offered a woman $20,000 on the spot in Argentina.