A Little Progress | New Year's Resolutions Update

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Now that we are nearing the end of January, I think I should reflect a bit on my new year's resolutions. Here's my blog post of what my new year's resolutions are this year in case you missed it. Looking back on that post, I think some of my goals have shifted already. My main goal at the moment, which wasn't really a new year's resolution, is to lose the 6 pounds that I gained over Christmas. This has been my main focus for the past week and will continue to be my focus over the next 3 or four weeks. There is a TV show called Operation Transformation that is on at the minute where a number of people try to lose weight over six weeks by eating differently and exercising more. I thought that it would be a helpful motivational boost for me to follow the show so I'm cutting out all the bad food and to sticking to a 1500 calorie diet until it ends in a few weeks. I'm also exercising at least 30 minutes a day. I'm doing quite well at the minute and haven't had any mad binges which actually was one of my new year's resolutions (to not go on any mad binges and to have a healthier relationship with food).

I've found that I'm struggling with some of my other resolutions because a lot of my focus and energy is going to losing weight and getting in shape. Productivity wise, I've been struggling since I started the diet. My blog posts have gotten a little less regular in the last week and I find that I keep putting off editing a new video to go on my channel. Hopefully, I can sort this out and find a way to stay on schedule and continue my diet. This would probably be much easier if I could somehow manage to achieve one of my other resolutions; getting up early. 

I can honestly say, flat out, that I haven't once gotten up at 7 and stayed up since the new year started. A few times, I managed to get up at 7 but ended up falling asleep again an hour or two later. If I could manage to change this then I know the productivity thing would stop being a problem. I think I need to change my mindset about it. Sometimes I feel like it's all or nothing, that I need to be working on stuff all day, non-stop, or else I get nothing done. I need to be thinking more along the lines of a little progress each day, is better that working all day one day and not doing anything the next. If I could just get into the habit of doing a couple of hours each day while getting enough breaks throughout and having time to myself in the evenings then I feel like my life would be much more balanced. 

What do you think? How do you balance time for fun and time for being productive in your day-to-day life? Also, do you have any tips for getting up early? Let me know in the comments section below. I hope you enjoyed this post. If you did, the please make sure to give it a love on Bloglovin or a +1 on Google Plus. Have a great day and I'll talk to you soon.

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STORMS.

Hey guys, today is a bit of a serious post. Throughout our lives we all go through a number of storms. Everything is fine and then something devastating takes us off guard. Something messes up the path we thought we were on or causes us to lose our way. 

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One thing you need to know when going through something horrible is that it won't last forever. Even if the situation may seem like it will last forever, your attitude, the amount of pain it causes you and how much it effects you will eventually change. Storms are a part of life, and whether or not we like them, they come and go. We have a certain amount of bad times that we are going to go through.

Sometimes I think it helps a little to wallow in the pain a bit and feel miserable. It helps us to grieve; to understand that we lost something, someone or a even the idea of the life you thought you were going to have. But at some point, we need to pull ourselves together and face it head on. We need to get back to our lives and not let the situation break us. There is a time when enough is and enough and you have to decide to fight it. It may not be ideal that this happened or that you feel this way but you can get through it. Just take one day at a time. Eventually the rain will stop.

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Career Paths

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Hey guys, today I want to get a little serious with you, well not that serious but I want to discuss a slightly more important topic than usual. I don't know how many of you are struggling with figuring what to do for a career but I know it can be really difficult for some people. Many people know pretty early on what they want to do but for others, it can take years. If you didn't know, I've just finished my degree and will be graduating in a month or two. This is the point where me and most of my friends are starting to really freak out about what to do. I've probably been stressing about this since I was 16, and have gone through what seems like every possible career idea. I feel like I made the wrong choice with my degree and I've messed up; that I should have done something else.

I think for a lot of people, that not getting into a University or getting a good job in the right area straight after their degree can almost feel like the end of the world. There are so many choices, and I think a lot of us fear making the wrong one and it ruining our lives. What we are missing is that there is no one decision that can ruin our lives. We can always find another way to do something or change our minds entirely. You might have to get a loan or work a crap job for a few years to save up to change directions but you are never stuck; there is always a way.

Don't let the stress of deciding what you want to do, or achieving it, bring you down. Don't let it ruin the memories you are making right now. Even if your problem isn't about what you want to do but about not getting the grades for it, you aren't out of options. There are so many other options like certificates and diplomas in smaller courses that add up to the grades you need for University, or doing an apprenticeship or starting your own business. You are never out of options and you are never out of time. You can still go back to college, publish your first novel or create your own fashion line when you are eighty if you want :P I hope keeping this in mind helps to keep you from getting too stressed out about these sort of things because it does for me. The world is full of possibilities, and realistically if we ruin one, there are still so many left to choose from.

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Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone Challenge

Hey guys, today I want to talk to you about stepping out of your comfort zone. This is something that I find pretty hard to do. I love my comfort zone and I like to put off doing anything that will take me out of it. The bad thing about that is that a lot of great things can happen if you step out of your comfort zone. Initially it is really scary but it usually results in something great.

I'm planning to move to a different country possibly next year and it is really scary, but what is even more scary is the thought that I won't go because I am too comfortable in my life here. I'm hoping that the fear of not going will outweigh the fear of actually going and all the scary things that come with it. To help me in this big transition of moving away in the future, right now, I am going to start doing small things that I normally would be too scared to do or just not want to put in the effort of actually doing them. If any opportunities come up that I would normally think "I don't want to bother doing that", I am going to give them a try. Think of the film Yes Man. It is a bit like that except not as extreme (I can say no to things haha).

I hope that some of you will join me in this challenge. You don't have to tell me about it, commit to doing it for a certain amount of time or anything like that, but just make a decision today that you will try to be more aware of when you are staying in your comfort zone and try to step outside of it a little bit. I'll make sure to keep you updated if it results in anything exciting for me!! I hope you enjoyed this post! If you did, make sure to save it on Bloglovin or give it a +1 on Google Plus and i'll talk to you soon.

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Go Easy On Yourself!

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Hey guys, today I thought that I would share this quote with you because I think we all need to be reminded to go easy on ourselves at some point or another. We put so much pressure on ourselves at times and sometimes it feels like nothing is going right. I know that I am a big perfectionist and if everything is not perfect then I at least want it to be really good, and if it's not really good then I feel like a bit of a failure. I think I need to remember that I'm taking on a lot this year and it is an accomplishment in itself just to juggle everything. Sometimes things just need to be okay - not perfect, and not better than everyone else - just okay. Even if they are not okay and you are struggling, at least you are trying.

I think that whatever is going on this week, and you are feeling a bit crap about things then just remember to go easy on yourself. You are only human so you don't have to feel so guilty for cheating on your diet, going on that mad shopping spree or messing up in work this week. Give yourself a break and reward yourself for continuing to try anyway, no matter what the outcome. When you are stressed out or feeling bad, remember this quote, and I talk to you lovely lot later in the week :)

Just a Random Quote :)

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Hey guys, I just thought that I would share this funny little quote with you today. I think it is definitely true in that the busier you are, the less time you have to waste worrying about your physical appearance. Society today makes not being perfect looking seem like the end of the world but it really isn't. If I was the most gorgeous supermodel in the world, I don't think it would make me any happier in my day to day life. When I was younger I probably thought that it would have and I wasted a lot of time being miserable because I didn't look perfect. Now I think that one of the key ingredients in being happy is being successful at something you love, whether it is only a hobby or not. Even if your not successful but your are trying, it will make a difference. Once we have a purpose in life, no matter how big or small, that we love, the more confidence we have about ourselves and then that confidence will spread to our psychical appearance too. Then we can get on with saving the world without worrying about how big our noses or thighs look :)

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Possibilities?!

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Hey guys! So today I want to share with you one of my favourite quotes. I am the biggest worrier, and the first thing I usually do when approaching a different/new situation is to think of what if?? I think of anything thing and everything that could happen, and they are usually on the negative end of the scale. Because I am worrying so much about bad things that could happen, I sometimes end up not even doing the thing that I was planning. This quote always makes me look a things a little differently, and go into different situations with a more positive outlook. We should always hope for the best, maybe not plan for it but hope for it. It can be ten times worse when you think something is going to end up great and it actually doesn't so this isn't about expecting great things. Just don't dismiss the idea and automatically think of the negative outcomes. There could be something great that you could be potentially missing out on if you dismiss an idea or event so just make sure to look at the potential positive outcomes too. I have to keep reminding myself of this quote every so often when I'm being too negative, and I find that it helps, mostly so I can be a bit braver and not talk myself out of certain things. After all, I think we all need a bit more positivity in our lives.

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Design Your Life

Hey guys, so I came across this quote this morning and it really stood out for me. We only get a certain amount of time in life and then we are gone, so why not design the life you want to live. I know you might be thinking " Well, what am I supposed to do about money? I need to work a job I don't love to get by." Yes, that is the main reason why a lot of people can't follow their dreams. If there is something that you want to do with your life that sounds like a crazy pipe dream to most, think about this; what will your life be without it? Most people are fine with sacrificing their dreams because they are extremely difficult to achieve and they don't want to give up the security they have in their life by pursuing a dream that may never happen, but if it's all that you want to do in life, it might be a good idea to try it.

I'm not saying to go out and quit your jobs but at least try to do something that gets you closer to your dream like take up a dance/acting/signing/guitar class, begin the first chapter of your novel or start a night class. I know it sounds cliche but you do only live once (YOLO :P) so we should be trying to live a life we love and enjoy, not one that we dread waking up in the morning for, and I guess that's everyone's goal in life, right? to be happy? So why not find something that makes you happy and do it, even if you can only do it for one hour a week, or even a month. If it's what truly make you the happiest, then why not?

I hope you liked this post. If you did, like it on Bloglovin or give it a +1 on Google plus. It would mean a lot. Leave a comment down below about what you really want to do in life or even just say if you have absolutely no idea what you would love to do. I love reading all your comments.

Quote taken from Pinterest