Tuesday, 10 January 2017

Life: Why I'm going to be living 2017 for myself and myself alone!

Life: Why I'm going to be living 2017 for myself and myself alone!
Tuesday, 10 January 2017
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Living for myself in 2017

I have a habit of putting everyone I know before myself and my own needs. I’m not necessarily saying that this is a bad thing. I’d actually even go as far as to say that it’s one of my better qualities. However, there comes a point where it all gets a bit too much and you have to start thinking of yourself and what you need, for a change.

This starts in 2017 for me.

I’m going to travel around Europe as much as I possibly can in 2017. I’ve sacrificed a lot of things over the last few years of my life; most of these things, I’m okay with. I’m not okay with the travel I’ve missed out on. A lot of it was fear of the unknown: I’m okay with the unknown, now. I have a weekend in Paris with one of my closest friends planned for the beginning of February and then a little semi-solo trip to the South of France planned for the end of the month. I’ve booked a flight out to a city on one side of France and then the Eurostar back from Paris at the end of the week with a stop off in a Southern city halfway between. That’s as far as I know so far. I’m buying a rail pass for the week, booking into the nicest looking cheap hostels I can find and praying for the bloomin’ best. I also have the opportunity to meet up with a very old, very close friend of mine who’s now living down in London. It’s been about a year since I last saw him so I’m really excited to have a much needed catch-up.

I’m going to stop saying yes to things to please others. The amount of times that I’ve done something that I don’t want to do over the last few years because SOMEONE ELSE wanted me to do it is alarming. I’m going to stop feeling guilt-tripped into taking on extra shifts when I’m exhausted after a 60-hour week. I’m going to stop agreeing to meet up with people who don’t replicate the effort that I put in. I’m going to stop feeling guilty for doing things that make me happy. 

I’m going to stop hiding my hobbies and the things that I’m good at. Until last month, very few people were even aware of the writing work that I do; work that pays a good amount each month and leaves me feeling the most fulfilled. If I achieve something worthwhile and worth sharing, I’m going to share it and stop worrying about what other people will think or say. My achievements deserve to be acknowledged and acknowledged they will be.

I’m living for me, and me alone.
That is my 2017 resolution.


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Wednesday, 4 January 2017

Life: Kicking 2017's butt one goal at a time

Life: Kicking 2017's butt one goal at a time
Wednesday, 4 January 2017
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2017 life goals


VISIT NEW CITIES & REVISIT SOME OF MY FAVOURITES.
It’s been a few years now since I lived in France, and I’m starting to get that travel bug again. A few days ago, I booked to go and see a few of my friends in Paris for the weekend. I also have the intention of taking full advantage of my passport and visiting as many new cities as I possibly can. I went on to book more flights out to France yesterday, spur of the moment – I’m enjoying the more spontaneous side to me that 2017 seems to have brought out.

READ 52 BOOKS.
In 2016, I managed 53 books, all the while teaching, working another part-time job and blogging. I’m not sure how I managed it; the summer holidays definitely helped matters but I’m hoping to get as many under my belt this year. I’ve got off to a pretty bad start- I haven’t read a single page so far. I know we’re only 4 days into the year but it feels like I'm slacking already! 

MAKE MEMORIES.
This one’s a pretty vague one, but what I mean by this is to take pictures, scrapbook, write down amazing things that happen to me. I’ll be utilising my blog and Instagram for most of this but I’ve also just bought myself one of those little portable mobile printers. I was tempted by the polaroid cameras but I’m not sure I trust other people to take decent pictures so the idea of taking them on my phone/camera first and then printing them out appeals to me a lot more.

SAVE UP ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY A HOUSE.
This morning, I set up an ISA for my mortgage savings. I had a little chat with a mortgage adviser over Christmas and got some amazing advice as to how to go about buying my first home. I have a lot of work to do but I’m very, very happy with the advice she gave me and am really looking forward to getting the money saved and starting to look at finding a little place to call my own.

BE MORE CREATIVE.
I’ve already got my creative head on this month, making little cards for my aunties and a birthday card for my friend. I’ve made a few prints for my flat, to make it a little bit homelier as well. I’m enjoying taking photographs of my travels and my day to day life – I’m thinking of collaging these photos and making a print for my bedroom as the walls in there are looking pretty bare.

REACH 2000 INSTAGRAM AND 3000 TWITTER FOLLOWERS.
This one’s a bit ambitious, particularly where Twitter is concerned but hey, God loves a trier. My followers are growing on a daily basis but not quite to this extent yet. Hopefully I’ll continue putting out blog posts and you guys will keep on reading my posts: that really is all I can ask for.


What are your 2017 goals? Please let me know! 


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Sunday, 1 January 2017

Life: 2016, A Year Summarised

Life: 2016, A Year Summarised
Sunday, 1 January 2017
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2016 has been a bit of a weird one, hasn’t it? It’s had its ups and downs; shocking celebrity deaths, political change and a hell of a lot of personal life changes.

For me, 2016 has sped by and I honestly can’t believe it’s over already. It seems like only yesterday that I was chatting about the end of 2015.

It’s been a tough one, I’m not going to lie. A lot of things in my life are different. Some are good changes, others are not. I’ve loved and then lost. I’ve picked myself up and dusted myself off and got on with things. I’ve experienced things that I never thought I’d have to at the age of 23; things that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. It’s most definitely made me a stronger person.

I finally told people outside of my blogging sphere about the work I’ve been doing for the last few years. Believe it or not, that took a lot of guts for me. I’m most definitely someone who worries about what other people think. I’ve learned this year that the people who really matter will never pass judgement. 2016 has been an eye-opener.

I’ve made some fantastic new friends, friends who I have so much in common with: 2016 introduced me to the amazing Katie, for example. I also finally got to meet Holly – she’s most definitely a friend for life. LivHelps introduced me to a whole group of new people who I chat to every day: you all know who you are. I love you all dearly.

I’ve also made some amazing new friends outside of blogging: colleagues that keep me going on tough days and friends who are on hand for a cuddle and a gin and tonic when the stress gets a bit too much. I have friends from school, college and university who have stuck by me throughout all the madness. I am so grateful for them. 

I’ve started off in a career that is  so incredibly rewarding. I love it more and more every day and can’t wait to see where the future takes me. I’ve considered my own future and where I want to be in life: now and ten years from now. I’ve found myself a little place to make a home: it’s small and cosy but it’s all mine.

I’ve worked alongside some absolutely incredible brands, brands I could never have imagined would want to work with little old me. I’ve received books from authors I admire, from publishing houses that fill my shelves and I have plenty of work lined up for 2017.

It’s been a good year.


Bring on 2017. I know for a fact that it’s going to be even more amazing.

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