My top 10 moments in 2016

I was originally going to talk about the things I learned in 2016, but I realised that would mean delving into some bad stuff and possibly offering advice on things I probably haven’t finished learning yet. So instead I decided to go with all the good things that happened in 2016! With it being “blue Monday” I thought it would be apt! I hope everyone is having an okay day today – personally I don’t believe in this “most depressing day of the year” crap as I guarantee you I will have more during the year!

5 things I'm grateful for

So in 4 days time I'll be 25! I'm only excited about this because I'll be celebrating it in New York, a city I've always wanted to visit. I'm not really quite sure why, considering I think London is too crowed but it's something I wanted to knock off my bucket list. I'm so happy that I'm excited for this trip and my birthday because that was exactly my intention when I decided I want to be away for my birthday. I didn't want to dread it, and now I'm really not - I'm looking forward to a magical day and night with some great friends.

Turning a quarter of a century old isn't a huge deal, but it kind of is so it brings some thoughts with it and I just thought I'd note them down to look back on. Tbh when I was 13 with suicidal thoughts running through my veins I didn't ever think I'd reach 25, so honestly for me to be excited about it is a real 360 for me. I feel like I've grown, but at the same time still the same. I mean currently my hair is a brassy blonde and I don't even know if I'll have the time to fix it before I fly...

The Full Agenda

So after posting The Incomplete Agenda and The Incomplete Agenda – Review, I am now back with my final six goals thus I present The Full Agenda. I’m still working on (I worked out this morning) and learning from the first set of goals, but I think it’s time for a new set just so things don’t stay stagnant in my life. I’ve been thinking about these since the end of June and as I’m starting my new job tomorrow, I thought now would be the perfect time to post these goals up.

The Incomplete Agenda - Review

Back in January I posted The Incomplete Agenda, which includes six goals I set myself for the next six months. After six months I said I'd review them to see how I got on, I haven't looked at these in  a while although I've remembered them all, so it'll be interesting to see what I wrote and how far I've come in terms of progression for the goals.

These were the goals that I set myself:
1. Talk kindly to myself
 2. Put make-up on at least 2 times a week
3. Exercise in the morning at least once a week
4. Turn my laptop off at 10pm every day
 5. See a dermatologist and get a skin treatment
6. Save 12% of my income every month

A little update!

Over the past couple of months, I've come to know my own strengths and I am so proud of myself. I've stood up for myself and I've sought help and just generally in everyday life I can feel myself becoming a lot stronger in all aspects of my life.

But the main reason I'm so proud of myself is that I've landed myself a new job! After all the turmoil I've gone through in my current job, I'm so proud of myself for persevering with my job search and landing this role. It's been a stressful two weeks. Last week I did the interview, along with other work they wanted me to submit and it was all last minute and stressful but just the next day I got confirmation that I'd got the job. 

Yesterday I got my contract and handed in my notice and I couldn't be happier. I won't go into details but let's just hope I'm going to a better environment. This week has been stressful simply because of the sheer amount I've had to do for a last minute deadline. I've been commended on it and truth be told I am so proud of myself as well. I'm suprise I didn't crumble or snap at anyone, in work and in my personal life. Now that these two weeks are over , I'm back to being less stressed but it has just  made me look back and review a couple of things. My mental health has been relatively stable over this time, so I'm even more proud of myself.

I've had so much help from people in the troubles I've faced, so I'm never going to be there singing that whole "I did everything by myself" in that bitter way. But I did transform into the person I always knew I could be to get through these past two weeks and these past couple of months.  That's me that's done that, I've had support along the way, but I still had to be the person to do it.

So that's just a my newest update, I don't want to sound like I'm bragging haha. I'm now looking to the future and I can't wait to put some of these things behind me. I have so much to look forward to in the next couple of months, I'm going to Wireless, my brothers graduation and I'm going to Ibiza! So very exciting stuff.

People are like tea bags - you never know how strong they are until you put them in hot water.

Go and conquer people and know that you are strong enough, and just enough period. 

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2 things I've learned this month.

I haven't done one of these in months. That's not because I haven't been learning but because I forgot. But I wanted to bring this little series back, so I thought what better month to ressurrect it in, than the month I turned 24?

1. Fight your battles – Without going in to too much detail, I had a situation at work that required a lot of strength to fight against a really unfair case. It spanned out to about 3 weeks and half way through I was ready to give up. It was consuming so much of my energy and was getting me down. I think when you’re fighting a wrongdoing against you; you start off with all that energy to fight it because you know it's not right. Then it starts to drag on and when you’re in work daily, dealing with the people who put you through it, it kinda sucks and you kind of think "is this worth it?" "Shall I just give up?" I say remember why you started and don’t stand for injustice. Sometimes people will pick a fight with you because they don't expect you to stand up for yourself. Fight your battles. Although I felt like giving up, I thought “fuck it, I’ve come this far.” Lucky for me, I actually “won” in the end, but even if I didn’t I would have been glad to have fought the battle, if it meant standing up to bullies. I was super exhausted after, but I’m glad I can look back on that part of my life and know that I still fought even when I felt like giving up. It might be exhausting at times, but I've found that it's worth it. Standing up for yourself is an act of self love.

2. Say yes more often – I’m so used to saying ‘maybe’ or just ‘no’ to things. As much as I like trying new things, I’m not spontaneous and I feel like everything requires energy that I don’t have. Now, I haven’t gone around being a Yes, Man like Jim Carrey, but last week when my friend asked me if I wanted to join her in an obstacle run I said yes. Initially I didn’t, my head was like well when I’ve trained enough I’ll go and do one. Then I remembered what I’m like and thought “fuck it” say yes and then you will train. And now I’m doing the Colour Obstacle Rush on the 28th of June. And nope, I haven’t started training! But it has made me proud of myself that I've signed up because I've never done and run or obstacle course before. I'm also saying yes to a lot more things, that I wouldn't usually say no to, so hurrah.

What have you learned this month?

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3 things I've learned this month.

Credit

So I’m back with my monthly learning, I left out September because there wasn’t a lot to share and I always want these to be authentic, so I am back to share what the life has been teaching me. I have done some serious learning this month. Things have happened that have just forced me to learn and I’m kinda glad for them in a way because actually, I can’t keep on going on the way I have been, so I’ve rounded up the 3 things I’ve learned in the month of October. 

1. A problem shared is a problem halved – Well sort of. Basically I have issues when it comes to sharing personal things. I barely share good news with people for fear of it going wrong, so I definitely don’t share bad news. But this month I did receive bad news and instead of bottling it up and pretending it didn’t exist, I shared it with people because guess what? I’ve realised I am not always right and most of the time when things happen I really do need perspective. It wasn’t a situation I ever had to deal with and therefore I was out of my depth so I asked people for help. This meant talking to people face to face about what I should do, and even e-mailing them. I emailed the lovely Michelle over at Daisybutter who replied to me and gave me some great advice. But the point I’m making is I saw past the bad news as a reflection of myself and reached out for help, and suddenly the news seemed manageable rather than devastating. I collated the advice I’d been given and I’m now in a much better place to deal with it. 

2. I eat out too much – I really do. So following on from bad news day I decided I needed a treat and happily jumped at the chance to eat out when I was invited. Thing is previous day I’d gone out to eat. And would be going out to eat again. This one isn’t anything deep but I really do need to stop spending my money in restaurants and start bloody saving! 

3. Reading The Secret was the best thing I did in October – I mean in terms of my mental health and just overall wellbeing. I probably did loads of good things this month, but this book, oh man. People have been telling me for like 2 years to read this book and it was always something I was going to do one day. I was at work towards the end of September and it had been sitting in my Amazon basket for so long, and even though I had several other books to read I thought ‘I really want to read this book right now.’ This book was just so great; if you’ve read it then you probably already know how good it is. But it just reaffirmed so much of what I already know and taught me new things that just made so much sense. It teaches such simple things and I really cannot believe it’s taken me that long to read it, but strangely enough I think I read it at the right time for me. I think if I had read it at any other point in my life it wouldn’t have resonated with me so much, but reading it now I can just see how frikkin true the whole book is. Luckily for me one of my friends who had been telling me to read it has just given me ‘The Power’ which is the second one to read, what I like even more is that it was bought in India! I don’t know why but to me that makes it so much more of a special gift! 

Et voilà! Short and sweet life lessons! I for one intend to really take these three lessons with me into November. They are all things that will do me good and I’m very proud of myself about the first one!  

What have you learned this month? I hope everyone is having a good Halloween (if you’re doing anything for it)!

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3 things I've learned this month

Truth be told I totally forgot it was the end of the month. But I’m glad I get to write this post! I don’t have much to share in terms of a wish list, so I am going with that what I’ve learned this month (surprise surprise). I only have three things, as I totally forgot to keep track during the month! 

1 – Gratitude is important - Walking to the supermarket this morning it struck me how fortunate I am, and by this I just mean having a roof over my head and just general things that are taken for granted. I am in no way suggesting that everything is perfect; I could rattle off 100 things wrong with my life right now, and I’m sure you could too - but you know what? I want to appreciate all that is great in my life and allows me to continue to function at ease, whilst figuring out how to deal with the rest. 

2 – Exercise is vital. This isn’t something I share quite openly but I’m coming off of my medication that I take for depression (my doctors and I think it’s time), I’m aware that certain changes need to be made in my life to live a positive one and one of those things is exercise. I went for a swim last week, after three days of feeling incredibly anxious and it was amazing how much better I felt after. I’m not an active person and I really believe that as a result, I have a lot of adrenaline bumbling around in me from all the emotions I keep in and exercise helps to keep that in check. 

3 – Watching a film will keep me sane. I know this will seem odd but I’m not a huge fan of sitting down and just watching a film. I don’t watch TV. I do however watch TV series episode after episode, but even those I forget to watch consistently. But something I learned from CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) was the power of distraction and watching a film is great for me. I sat down and watched one last week and I’m super amazed at the effect it had on me. Usually when I get home, I’m reading blogs and just generally taking in a lot of things from social media and it’s exhausting. Sitting back and not thinking, is a way to keep all that noise out. And considering what I mentioned in point number 2, I’m glad I rediscovered this because I know I’m going to need my coping skills more than ever! 

So that is it for this month! I hope that this made sense, I wanted to get it out before I completely forgot. I’m aware there were no easy to digest bits of information there – but it’s the truth so I guess that’s what matters.

I hope you’ve all had a great weekend and are ready for September!

Img credit: 1

See similar post here:  10 things I learned in June & 3 things in I learned in July learning posts

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3 things I've learned this month.

I'm keeping it short and sweet this month. I've been busy settling into a new routine for myself with the new job, so it's been a learning curve all round but I only have a few to shoot off this month. 

1. Worry is a waste of time - I am a chronic worrier, I don't show it most of the time but I worry about so much, mainly that I am just not good enough. But you know what? I'm three weeks into my new job and I feel frikkin good. Just as the picture suggest - it's about getting rid of those negative thoughts and reaffirming how far you've come and how far you've got to go in any aspect of your life. So I'm going to stop so much about general life failings and work on things.  

2. I'm tiiiiiiired of Internet dating. Tinder is fun until the men actually speak to you and it a vulgar line. Shhh, let me just look at your pretty pictures ok? 

3. Organisation is important - This month I managed to blog 7 times (well 8 if you include this) and that's due to me writing down ideas and organising time to take pictures and time to write. I know that isn't loads considering how many days there are in a month and how much other people blog. However I'm trying my hardest to focus on content and good pictures, rather than loads of posts and followers. I'm excited for what next month will bring (in terms of blogging). 

See I told you it was short! Have a lovely weekend (I know it's Thursday). 

Img credit: 1

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10 things I've learned this month.

So I am back with my monthly round up of wisdom I have gained this month. It’s been a good month overall – certainly looks like a better half of the year is about to come my way. So without further ado…

1 – I’ve learned to let go of things. I cannot control everything so I breathe and remind myself of that, and suddenly I feel much lighter. What other people do (or don't do) isn't something I can help. Who’d have thought it eh me not stressing?! P.S The block button on WhatApp has helped a lot with this.

2 – I am my own best friend. Nobody knows me like I know me. I haven’t learned this through any let down, so do not fear I am not on some bitter rampage, but just through interactions with people when it comes to what I want. I just mean when you have to do things, be it a driving lesson, social situations or interviews, you only have you, so you better damn well be nice to yourself and get through it.

3 – Following on from that I’ve learned how important self confidence is. I’m taking baby steps but I’m getting there.

4 – I am loving bronzer this month. It’s my new thing; I’m just about that glow!

5 – Changing my pillow case is super super important. Bacteria is not cute.

6 – I’m good at things! I passed my driving test (first time) this month. Hurrah no more throwing money at my instructor anymore!

7 – I have come leaps and bounds this month – after a couple of interviews this month and just daily interaction with people I have noticed I have come a long way with this social anxiety thing.

8 – Elementary (the TV show) is my new love.

9 – HTML! I am learning little bits here and there and I am loving it!

10 – Five Guys is overrated.

So there you have it, 10 obviously useful things I have learned this month. I know July will bring a huge bunch of lessons, but the thing is I’m sure it will also bring a huge wishlist. So we’ll see which one wins next month!

 Have a lovely Sunday!

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9 things I've learned this month

I am skipping out on my wishlist this month. You would have thought with it being my birthday in SIX DAYS I would have a list as long as my arm, but no no, nothing really springs to mind present wise. And nothing really jumped out at this me this month has a ‘something I could afford if I had a proper job’ so wishlist aside, I have decided to compile a list of nifty things that have sat inside my head. Oh prepare yourself for the wisdom… 

1. Cutting chocolate out of my diet is super hard! 

2. I love exercising. I mean I really like doing it and miss it a lot when I don’t. However I don’t miss the mental motivation needed to drag myself to the gym or get up from my laptop. 

3. Move over anxiety! I have made significant developments in many areas – mainly social interactions - I came, I conquered. 

 4. I love writing – be it blog posts or just poetry – I’m really getting back into it again. 

 5. A change of direction is not a bad thing. If I can’t get the job position that I want looking for similar is not a sign of failure, really it’s a sign I’m using my brain a bit more! 

 6. People will leave your life without any seemingly good reason. Letting it go and not dwelling on it, has meant it is a thing of the past for me now! 

 7. Perspective is great. My view is not the only one and it’s certainly isn’t always the right one! 

 8. Coconut oil is a good make up remover! 

9. My eyebrows are important to me.

 Can’t wait to see what wisdom May brings. A full time job would be handy. Have you learnt anything new & good about yourself in the last 30 days? Share!

Img credit: Happy Momentum