Wednesday 20 August 2014

'New Year, New You' - the nitty gritty!


I can't believe I've not done a blog since August last year! Shame on me! Well my lovely bloggers, I am back with a vengeance. And to get me started, here's a quick (non-cosmetic related) blog to get you thinking and also to get me back into the swing of things!

Welcome to...



So, as mentioned above, I've been out of the blogging circle for a number of months. Not for any particular reason... I guess I've just been concentrating on other things and it's been put on the back-burner. Since my return approximately 27 and a half minutes ago, I've noticed a number of blogs about what products people are bringing with them into the new year and ways to 'change up' your image, so in light of this I've decided to do something slightly different. 

Here's 4 little bits of advice for a mental overhaul; a few little tips that, once mastered, will make it easier to get out of bed in the morning and make everything feel a hell of a lot more positive! I'd choose that over a lipstick review any day!







And no I'm not talking about the friends that call you every day and want to go out drinking all the time, although that it is always a bonus. I'm talking about the friends that know what's wrong when you haven't even realised it yourself. The friends that don't take offence when you miss a 'x' at the end of a text. The friends that will be more than happy with a glass of coke and packet of crisps at the pub or just sitting around doing nothing but chatting, and maybe a little bit of bitching. Oh, come on... we're only human! 

I can count all of my real friends on one hand and still have fingers left over; it's not about having a massive crowd of peers, because those were the days where you were young, insecure and wanted to feel popular. It needs to be about friends who make time for you; friends who will answer honestly when you ask them how you look and friends that won't let you get in a taxi on your own when you're blind drunk at 4 in the morning with doner meat in your cleavage. The most beautiful thing about friends is that you can choose who they are - so there's no excuses!

I thought I'd add in the 'make the effort to keep them' comment as a bit of a dig at a lot of people. Yes, I'm being very generic here... but you know who you are! It's all well and good waiting around for other people to text or call you to make plans, but what if they're thinking the same as you? Then before you know it, Friday is here and you've wasted your whole week working, watching re-runs of The Vampire Diaries and eating Nutella out of the pot with your hands . So swallow your pride, text your friend and be THE INSTIGATOR.


Between me and you, I wouldn't blame you for the re-runs.
Just look at that face!






This one might sound a little strange, but stay with me. Say you're offered a better job but you know you'll upset a work colleague if you take it. What would 2015 say? I'll tell you what 2015 would say...



Grab that opportunity with both hands and snatch it up like it's the most amazing pair of shoes you've ever seen with 100% off. Honestly, do you really believe they would think twice if it was the other way around? I know that sounds like a really terrible attitude to have, but the point I'm trying to make is that it's okay to do something because it benefits you and no one else. Stop burying yourself in an avalanche of other peoples problems and face your own. It might just be the best thing you ever do! 

P.s. this life tip does not refer to, nor does it condone, the stealing of someone else's man. That's just WRONG!







A few months ago I read a very long and wordy blog about having 'self-concept'. I wasn't too sure what this meant so, naturally, I Googled it. Here's the only line from the description in Wikipedia that really made any sense:

Generally, self-concept embodies the answer to "Who am I?"

I think out of all the things I'm writing about in this blog, this one is by far the easiest and most useful. This is probably going to be the most cliché thing you will ever read (and I will ever write!) - you are whoever you want to be.


Here's a lovely quote...


"For what it's worth... it's never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you're not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again."














So with my new 'sense of self' under my H&M waist belt, I decided I was going to be the person I'd always wanted to be. As 'giving yourself what you want is one of the most positive things you can ever do' - so says the lifestyle article in my magazine. Therefore it must be true, right? Well, actually yes. It shouldn't take a tragic event or loss to make you realise that life is too short to pretend. Stop investing so much time in worrying about what others think of you and concentrate on making things happen for yourself.

I started taking risks - I chucked myself out of a plane at 12,000ft (photographic evidence will follow shortly for those who want a laugh). I put more effort in at work, I made time for people who deserved it, I listened more, I thought more before I made decisions and I can finally say that my boobs stick out further than my belly (hallelujah!) and I can honestly say, I've never been happier!

Last but most definitely not least...






Brace yourself... it's time to get real! 

This was probably the biggest change for me over the past year or so. I've always been quite a strong-minded individual and never thought I would ever be in a situation where I would stray from my morals. I over committed myself too soon at an early age and found myself being manipulated into a lifestyle that I wasn't happy with. At the time I didn't even realise it but looking back now I see how easy it was to fall into a trap and get stuck. It soon becomes the norm and you don't even realise that you're not being true to yourself. Unfortunately I can't say that writing things down helped me with this one, but what did help me was getting out of a bad situation and turning my life around mentally. I'm not going to preach about this because believe me I know just as well as you do that this is a hell of a lot easier said than done, but when you strip away all of the things that surround us that make our life what it is, all we really have are the thoughts in our own heads. So let's make them positive! 

Before I leave you all I'd just like to point out that the title of this blog is a little sarcastic; if there's one thing I hate about new year it's that a lot of people use it as a half-arsed excuse to make changes. None of the above are going to happen overnight, and they're certainly not going to come with a 'buy one get one month free' introductory offer like your 2015 gym membership. They will however help you with your commitment, your will-power and your determination to do all of the things that you want to do in 2015. 

So here's to an amazing year! 

Happy blogging. X

Oh... I almost forgot...

As promised!
(My instructor looks terrifying... but I personally feel like my cheeks make this whole picture)