Reflecting on my 2018 Goals.

I’m getting a head start on New Year’s Resolutions this year because I’ve already started to think about the next year ahead. Before I commit to my new goals, I wanted to reflect back on the goals of 2018 and how changing my method worked out so that’s exactly what today’s post is all about.  

Instead of having to go back through my goals this year, I’ve listed them all down below, and below those are all the goals up until October. I’ve marked it green if I have completed it and if it’s in red, that means I wasn’t able to do it. 

Changing My Perspective of New Year’s Resolutions. 
January to March Reflections and April to June Goals (2018). 
April to June Reflections and July to September Goals (2018) 
July to September Reflections and October to December Goals (2018). 

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Clear my spare room. 
Finish my nutrition course. 
Read fifty pages a week. 
Begin my research into growing my blog. 
Note down my spending for one month. 
Try a new fitness class. 
Write a “Top Three Tasks” list every day. 
Be satisfied with my home. 
Practice “Good for them” rather than being negative towards myself. 

Before I talk about this year over all, I want to briefly talk about the last three goals I set for myself this year:

Run a 5K in under 30 minutes. 

Unfortunately I didn’t do this over the last few months and I was quite disappointed. I had an injury for over a month and that set me back more than I would have liked but it’s a goal that I’ll be keeping in the back of my head continuously for my running progress. 

Refresh my wardrobe. 

Since getting my new job (which you can read about here!) Scott went shopping with me to get some new outfits because I wanted to dress more professionally. I had been so used to jeans and a shirt but I was looking for a change. I tried out blouses and skirts, which was something I had been nervous about because I didn’t think I would suit them, but I was surprisingly very wrong. Currently around the holidays, I’m in jeans and Christmas jumpers, but I’ll be back in the professional clothes after Christmas.

Incorporate the two minute rule more into my daily routine. 

This is a hard one to judge because I was great with it at the start of October but it did start to slip towards the start of November. It’s a really easy one to keep in mind for the future especially when it comes to trying to tackle procrastination, but I think for me, it was something that I didn’t nurture enough as a daily habit. 

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I tend to set a small number of resolutions and then I forget about them half way through the year, but that’s like a lot of people. This method never worked for me and because I’m so interested in goal setting and having goals that work for me, I wanted to take a serious approach to it. It’s hard to word it; I’m not saying that you should be completely serious about your goals but why set them in the first place if you’re not planning on trying to implement them?  

Out of twelve goals this year, I completed three… Admittedly I’m quite surprised at myself for the lack of completed goals. Not trying to make excuses for myself but it’s been a pretty unsettled year for me but that has been a lesson in itself; it’s shown me that I need to become more adaptable to my own surroundings. I often get so tied up when something doesn’t go right, and I know that my goals need to reflect that too. That’s something I will be taking into consideration moving forward with next year’s goals. 

In terms of what my goals actually were, I don’t feel like any were completely out of reach. They were all mainly focused on personal development which is something I wanted to work hard on this year and will continue to do so next year. I believe part of the problem was that I was reaching too far at times; reading fifty pages a week for example was tough around that time because I was trying to finish up my nutrition course AND I had tried to clean my spare room that had become an absolute tip. Is it any wonder I found it difficult?  

What this year has also taught me is that I need to focus on priorities and determine what they are. I tried to do so many things at once this year and I truly believe that I was trying to distract myself from the stressful life situations I had throughout the year. Distractions are great, don’t get me wrong but if you start to stretch yourself too thin, then you get yourself worked up even more than before. 

For me, this method didn’t work as well as I had hoped but I still think it’s a much stronger method than the simple New Year’s Resolutions, were you set a few goals at the start of the year and then almost of us forget about them by the middle of the year. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be researching different methods and techniques for next year’s goals and while they will still be very much personal development focused, I’m going to try and focus more intentionally this time.  

My new post will be live soon and I’m already excited to start the New Year because I have some really lovely plans ahead. Let me know how you found this year, what worked and what didn’t, and how you are going to change it up for the year ahead. Thank you so much for reading and if you want to get in contact with me, I’m always over on Instagram or Twitter. 

What I Learned About Myself During Unemployment: Reflections (Part Two)

In my last post (which is linked here) I talked about the negatives that I faced when I entered into unemployment during the Summer. Thankfully today’s post is slightly more upbeat with the positive things I learned about myself during this period so that’s what I’ll be discussing in this post. 

As in my last post relating to this subject, I talked about how I have learned so much but I wanted to talk more in depth about the four most important lessons I have taken away from this.

I exercised more.

Exercise has been a huge part of my life for quite a few years; I’ve been a part of a gym for about six years and I’ve been participating in yoga for around two or three years (but that has dropped off the radar for me as I explained in this particular post). As well as becoming a runner too, I like to think I am an active person and I knew that this was the perfect time to get as much exercise in as I could. Now, I didn’t go every day and I wasn’t running as much as I could have, but to have the freedom to go to the gym or for a run at any time of the day, was quite nice. I started riding my bike more that my Dad’s wife gave me so that gave me the freedom to cycle further than I would probably walk or run realistically. I also fell in love with HIIT workouts (which I’ll link here) and that’s added lots of variety to my gym workouts which has given me a new boost of life in terms of exercise. 

I became more focused on my writing.

I realised I was able to become more focused on my blog for this period. I don’t plan to take blogging full-time but it was nice to be able to sit down for what felt like a full work day once a week, and plan out blog posts in a calm space. I usually wrote two in one day which is quite something for me and because I was in a different environment rather than my house, I felt more creative and it enabled me to write more. 

I realised it was a blessing in disguise.

I was told that “it could be a blessing in disguise” by quite a few people and I wasn’t sure if they were right. I very soon after that realised they were right because I realised I needed the break. I took holidays from my job just like everyone does but I never felt like I was on holiday. I felt the constant worry that I hadn’t planned something right or that I hadn’t done enough before I went off on my leave. Once I didn’t have any of that to worry about, that constant anxiety went away and I guess I didn’t realise how much of an impact it was truly having until I didn’t have it anymore. I gave myself time to adjust to the changes and once I knew, I was well and truly adjusted, I was able to work in small changes to my life when I did feel stressed, knowing that I would be able to handle it whenever I did get overwhelmed again. That included bringing meditation back in after not doing it for a while, journaling with daily affirmations and listening to podcasts instead of music. 

I had time to figure out what I wanted for the future.

It also gave me time to think about what I wanted to do with my career; being in the mid-to-late twenties is definitely a weird time because I feel like I’m running out of time even though I know I have at least forty more work years ahead of me. For that reason, I think it’s okay not to know completely what I want to do but the break has helped me look into future education plans that may help me further down the road. 

I’ve learned so much during this period of my life, good and bad but these were the main points I wanted to cover because they were the most powerful to me and I thought they would be relatable to someone going through something similar. Thank you so much for reading today’s post, I really appreciate it! 

July to September Reflections and October to December Goals (2018)

We’re now in the last quarter of the year which means it’s time to look back at my goals from the past three months and to set myself some new goals for the next three. I spoke about changing my perspective with New Year’s Resolutions back in January so I wanted to play around with three month goals instead.   

(Number One) Write a “Top Three Tasks” list every day. 

For the start of the month of July, I tried this and it was a beneficial way of dealing with being at home more than usual but as I struggled to cope with the different change of pace, this slid. However, now I write myself a “Three Great Things” list almost every day. I don’t beat myself up if I dont’ do it every day and I guess you could call it a gratitude list, but it’s just a nice reminder of three things you may have done to brighten up the day. 

(Number Two) Be satisfied with my home. 

This one was difficult and I’m still not satisfied. You know when you have so many tasks to do around the house that it becomes overwhelming and you feel like you’re never going to get them done? That’s the feeling I constantly had but over time, when I had completed a certain task, I have been able to feel happy that I got something done rather than nothing. It’s an aim that I will still have in my head until every nook and cranny in my house is to my standards. 

(Number Three) Practice “good for them” rather than being negative towards myself. 

Admittedly, I wasn’t good at this. I wouldn’t say I was jealous but I felt like everything was feeling down around me at once and so in turn, it was hard to be happy for those that had really great things happening for them. I know how horrible it sounds but it’s quite hard when you’re in a situation like that yourself and you see lots of good things happening for others but it seems to be the opposite effect for you. It’s something I’m constantly working on but it’s not one that can change overnight. 

I wasn’t successful at my goals this month but instead of beating myself up for it, I don’t mind too much. It’s shown me exactly what I need to work on and that’s still progress, right? So, what’s in store for the next three months? 

(Number One) Run a 5K in under 30 minutes. 

I’m very passionate about this one because I am so close to this goal! My closest to this has been 30:02 so I’m only two seconds off achieving this. At the minute, I’m not too concerned about my timing for runs; it’s more about simply running, but I’m hoping to smash this goal by the end of the year so I can set myself a new target for the new year. 

(Number Two) Refresh my wardrobe. 

I’m not what you would call stylish nor do I have what people refer to as “style” and I really don’t mind that. I’m a jeans and t-shirt woman but it’s something that I want to venture out of slightly and the first step into doing this is having a complete wardrobe refresh by getting rid of clothing using the Kon-Mari method. I have already started reading this book so I’ll be using it throughout this process. 

(Number Three) Incorporate the two-minute rule more into my daily routine. 

Not washing the dishes straight after I have used them or not making the bed before I leave the house in the morning are my two biggest habits that I want to stop doing. Simply because they’re both really easy to do and both can work easily within the two-minute rule. Can it be done in two minutes or under? Then surely it’s easier to do it then and there rather than wait until later. These are only two examples but I’m sure many more could come to mind.  

 Let me know what you think of goals; are you more of a New Year’s Resolutions person that focuses on all year-round goals or do you like to split them up like me? ❤

What I Learned About Myself During Unemployment: Reflections (Part One)

This past Summer, I was made redundant and I learned quite a lot about myself during this period of unemployment, positives and negatives. I’ve decided to split this post up into two parts so today’s post will concentrate on the negatives and the next post (which I’ll link here when it’s live!) will focus on the more positive notes.

In terms of my work history, the only other time I have been unemployed was for a period of about three months from when I finished college and when I started my previous job, but because this is under different circumstances, this is very different. I’m not used to having so much time on my hands and as much as I used to say “Oh, I don’t have time to do everything I want” you’d think that I would absolutely love having all the time in the world to do all my tasks. I had so much I wanted to do but because I had so much going on in not only my head but externally, anxiety kicked in and the first few weeks that I was off, I struggled to get out of bed if I didn’t have something planned for that day.

Instead of running you through every single thing that I learned (because we’d be here for a while) I thought I would talk you through the four most important things I have taken away from this experience. More importantly, what exactly I have learned about myself:

I became more attached to my relationship. 

I’ve been in my current relationship for almost a year and a half but at the beginning of the relationship, I was very straight with the fact that I wasn’t planning on seeing my boyfriend all the time. When I moved out on my own, I became very independent and I didn’t want anyone to take that away from me. Not that I think having a boyfriend takes your independence away of course, but I didn’t want to feel like I was constantly leaning on someone because I thought that I didn’t need to. Since I found out about my redundancy, I started to see Scott on a daily basis and while he doesn’t mind at all, it’s something that I noticed straight away and I wasn’t happy about it. I love seeing him but going from someone who was okay with seeing her boyfriend a few times a week to feeling vulnerable on a daily basis and needing that comfort, was really hard for me to grasp. I felt like I was turning into someone that I didn’t want to be. My self-confidence had taken a turn and it wasn’t all to do with my career, it was a build-up of other personal life issues.

My sleep routine went out the window. 

I had prided myself on working on the perfect sleep routine for the last few months and it was going perfectly. I had really worked on it because it’s not so easy to go to sleep at 10pm from someone who for years had went to bed between midnight and 2am. But then I didn’t have something to go to every day, I made plans but I didn’t have daily plans that meant I had to be up early each morning so that made it so much easier to fall back into my old ways, it was too easy in fact. In turn, it’s also made it hard to fall asleep, something which I have never had to deal with. I can fall asleep at the drop of a hat; whether that’s on the sofa, on a bus or in the cinema so for me not to fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, was very odd.

I REALLY struggled with the bad days. 

The bad days were really bad days and I struggled dealing with them at first. It began months before when I struggled getting out of bed for work but now that I didn’t have that, it was a cycle of sitting up in bed and my head telling me that I couldn’t do it, so I lay back down. That routine happened quite a lot the first month. Over the course of the second month, I gave myself one day a week to let myself do nothing and I didn’t feel as guilty anymore because I had scheduled it. I still get my bad days but they aren’t as bad as they used to be because I know how to handle them now.

The realisation of how much I depended on a plan. 

I have always been a planner and all three of my previous are based on this particular point; I realised that I depended on a plan so much more than I thought. I’m not the spontaneous type; I like to know where I’m going, who I’m going with and what we are doing in advance, it’s the type of person I have always been. I try to “go with the flow” but I don’t believe it’s in my human nature (or maybe it is and I’m not willing to change). Not having a plan prompted me to become more attached to my boyfriend, to fall into an unhealthy sleep routine and have constant bad days; all because I didn’t plan ahead. It all makes sense doesn’t it? I like to know what I’m doing and if I don’t, then I worry that I have wasted the day because I didn’t fit in an activity or two. That then leads me to feel like I failed and I need comforted, so it’s no surprise that I felt extremely overwhelmed with the extreme change.

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Thankfully over these last few months, I have become much better at changing all four of these points. I no longer depend on my boyfriend as much (even though I can’t stay away too long from his amazing dinners), I now get myself up early no matter how late I stay awake and even if I lay in bed, I’m still awake. I still have the odd bad day but I find them easier to combat if I give myself small things to do and making a plan is now second nature to me again because I love planning out my week on a Sunday to make sure I at least have a few things going on during that week. Having something to look forward to; whether it’s my coffee shop day, a planned run or even going out for food shopping, it’s something that has really helped me mentally.

Thank you for reading today’s post, it’s a situation that I’m glad in the end, I was put in because it’s given me a lot of time to think and I believe that’s what I truly needed.  

April to June Reflections and July to September Goals (2018)

We’re now in the third quarter of the year which means it’s time to look back at my goals from the past three months and to set myself some new goals for the next three. I spoke about changing my perspective with New Year’s Resolutions back in January so I wanted to play around with three month goals instead.  

(Number One) Begin my research into growing my blog. 

I didn’t even begin to start this one, it’s something I have wanted to do for about two years now but it’s something that I haven’t sat down properly to do yet. Maybe it’s a sign that it’s not a priority at the minute? 

(Number Two) Note down my spending for one month. 

I started to do this at the beginning of April and it lasted until three weeks in but I didn’t get until the end. So I didn’t complete this but at least I started it, which is something, right? 

(Number Three) Try a new fitness class. 

Yes! I did this and it was defintely an interesting experience. Scott and I went to a kickboxing class together for six weeks and we really enjoyed it. We even signed up to the next level class but on the first week, it was completely out of our comfort zone and we didn’t enjoy it as much so we decided not to go back. He did buy us a pair of gloves each though so we can have our own sessions in his garden if we wanted to. 

So on to the next three months; this will cover July, August and September then I’ll be back at the beginning of October to tell you about my progress for my latest goals and what I have in store for the next three months after that.  

(Number One) Write a “Top Three Tasks” list every day. 

This was something I used to practice quite regularly for a few months but it suddenly dropped off my radar and I want to pick it up again. It was very helpful for me to minimise stress so instead of creating a huge to-do list, I had to choose the three most important things I would like to get done that day. If you feel overwhelmed like I do when it comes to to-do lists but you still love them, I would try out this technique to see if it can work for you too. 

(Number Two) Be satisfied with my home. 

I’m a perfectionist and while my handwriting is very pretty (I do love it and it’s one of my traits I’m very proud of), it comes at price when it comes to other aspects in my life. I never feel satisfied with my home; I always feel like there is something to clean or put away and that’s partially true because it’s never felt truly clean. My spare room was a complete bomb site for over a year and I want to get to the stage when it’s clean, spacious and I don’t leave everything to the point where I need to do a huge clean. It will be challenge but I’m willing to try it; I want to be proud of my home and right now, I’m not. 

(Number Three) Practice “Good for them” rather than being negative towards myself. 

Jealously or envy is something that I don’t hear about all that often and my perspective on it is very similar to comparison. We seem to be more open about talking about comparing ourselves to other people especially in the online world and I believe envy slots into the same category. When I hear about someone’s success, I want to be able to say “Good for them” rather than think “I wish I was good enough to do that” because I don’t want to be negative about myself simply because someone else is doing better than me.  

Let me know what you think of goals; are you more of a New Year’s Resolutions person that focuses on all year-round goals or do you like to split them up like me? ❤

Podcasts: Part One (Wellness)

(Photo Source: Pixabay)

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see quite regularly on my stories that I’m posting about podcasts. I listen to them on my daily commute, around the house when I’m cleaning or when I’m on a solo gym session or run. They play a huge role in my life and in one of my recent posts when I talk about personal development tools (which I’ll link right here) I note that podcasts are one of those tools for improving yourself.

This post is Part One of Four for my podcast series; this post will concentrate on the wellbeing conversation, Part Two will focus on the more in-depth conversations of chat, Part Three will be miscellaneous podcast series that don’t fit the other categories and Part Four will be hand picking some of my favourite podcast episodes. 

We can use podcasts for many reasons and for me; I use them to listen to those I follow online for a more in-depth conversation, to indulge my interests and lifestyle choices more and to further develop myself. 

There are many podcast applications out there both on Android and Apple but for me, I use Podbean which I’ve been using for a few years now. It’s a really handy app that facilitates loads of podcasts so I can have them all in one place and it even tells me which ones I’ve played already played. However, Spotify have been adding more podcasts to their platform so the ideal situation would be to move all my listening to there but at the minute, I do like keeping that separate for my music. 

(Photo Source: Her Rules Radio)

Her Rules Radio 

Alex’s podcast was one of the first podcasts I ever listened to before when it was called “The Crave Cast” so I’ve been a huge fan of Alex’s message and philosophy for such a long time. Her podcast is mainly focusing on wellness but she talks about a range of topics including self-love, cravings, sex, relationships and personal growth. What I really love about Alex’s podcast is that I can feel connected to any episode even including the episodes that wouldn’t necessarily fit to my lifestyle; there are episodes concentrating on pregnancy and others that look at money, two topics I have thought about but not necessarily something I am solely looking at in my life at the minute. In terms of guests, Alex talks with authors, dietitians and wellness experts (to name a few) as well as hosting solo shows too. I love when podcasters host their own solo shows because especially if you don’t know the host, those solo shows give you a better insight into who they are as a person especially when they’re having to talk on their own for an extended period of time. 

(Photo Source: The Chasing Podcast)

The Chasing Joy Podcast 

I can’t remember how I was first introduced to Georgie Morley but I have been in love with her podcasts ever since. Her podcasts are focused on sharing “meaningful conversations about wellness that will bring energy and joy into your life”. She covers absolutely everything from diet culture, body acceptance, self-awareness, creativity and manifestation; that’s naming only a few subjects, there are so many! No two podcasts are the same from Georgie and very much like Alex, she hosts her own solo episodes too, which adds a balance. I’d recommend Georgie’s podcast if you’re interested in a more in-depth look into the wellness world but you’re not sure where to start. 

(Photo Source: Kalyn’s Coffee Talk)

Kalyn’s Coffee Talk 

If you don’t know Kalyn Nicholson, she’s been a YouTuber for quite a number of years but more recently, she has started her own podcast which I was so excited about. Having moved away from beauty YouTubers in the last few years, Kalyn has moved from the beauty side into the wellness, spiritual and motivational side of the platform so her content is absolutely perfect for me. I was genuinely really happy to see her start a podcast because she has one of those voices that you could listen to all day (plus she’s Canadian and who doesn’t love a Canadian accent?) and even though we’re around the same age, it’s comforting knowing you are listening to someone who has been through a similar experience as you or is opening up about their struggles and how they moved through them. As I mentioned, Kalyn is new to the podcast game so she doesn’t have lots of episodes yet but some of her episodes include subjects like the truth of social media, being a beginner, putting too much pressure on yourself and learning how to trust yourself. Kalyn records her podcasts on her own but that doesn’t take away from the content that she creates, she’s a very easy listen even on her own. 

(Photo Source: Minimalist Podcast)

The Minimalists Podcast 

I wasn’t too sure what category to put this podcast into because minimalism deals with every aspect of your life but I thought it fitted well within wellbeing. Ryan and Joshua host the Minimalist Podcast which started after their successful first book launch and before their first feature length documentary, “Minimalism” which covers all aspects of minimalism. This includes education, religion, hobbies, collections, mental balance and parenting. Again, just like Georgie’s podcast, there are so many subjects Ryan and Joshua cover that you can deep dive into any of them. I’m not a huge fan of their live podcasts; I prefer listening to a studio environment podcast but that’s personal preference for me but in those, they have much more of an audience connection than they do in their regular sessions (obviously because they don’t have an audience in the studio) so if that’s something that interests you, then I would check those out. Minimalism is something that seems quite scary to people and these guys do a perfect job in breaking down the barriers to helping you understand it more. 

Thank you so much for reading today’s post; as I mentioned at the beginning, I love podcasts but I’m always looking for new ones to listen to so if you listen to any wellness based series’ that I haven’t talked about, please let me know. New podcasts are my favourite thing to explore these days. Thank you again and have a great day!

January to March Reflections and April to June Goals (2018)

Back in January, I talked about changing my perspective on New Year’s Resolutions and how I’m now looking at goals in a three-month basis rather than all year round. We’re now in the second quarter of the year and it’s time to not only reflect on the last three months but to look ahead to the next three. 

(Number One) Clear my spare room. 

I haven’t completed this one yet, I’m getting there but not just yet. On the positive side, I have filled six large black bin bags and given away four bags of items away to charity with more bags still to be filled. So while I haven’t completed this particular goal, I’m much further on than I was at the start of the year.

(Number Two) Finish my nutrition course.

I have my final exam to take and then I will be finished. I’ve been working hard the last few weeks to give myself time in the evening to study so to be so close to the finishing point, I’m so pleased!

(Number Three) Read fifty pages a week. 

I kept track of this for the first few weeks of January but that very much slipped so I don’t know how many pages I have read since the start of the year. I know that I have however, read two books and listened to two full audiobooks. By the way, how did I not realise the beauty of audiobooks until this year? With four books altogether, I know that was more than I had read altogether last year so I’m very pleased already with that number.

So on to the next three months; this will cover April, May and June and at the beginning of July, I’ll be back to tell you about my progress for my latest goals and what I have in store for the next three months after that. 

(Number One) Begin my research into growing my blog. 

This particular goal has been something I have been thinking about for possibly two years. I want to have my own domain name, I want to build my own media kit and I want to be able to curate my blog design to how I would like but it’s not something you can change in a day. I know research will be required for what host I use, what website do I go through for the domain, the type of service I want and whether I want someone to build me a design. There are so many more things to think about so while I’m not committing to changing everything in three months, I want to at least look into everything I want, estimated costs and how much time it will take too.

(Number Two) Note down my spending for one month. 

Note that I have only said one month, simply because I feel like I only really need to do it for one month to see an average spend. The last number of months have been expensive months in terms of special occasions but these next three aren’t too bad so that’s why it was a perfect time to do this. My main purpose is to be able to start saving money again because I like to have my own “just in case” money and even if It’s not a large amount I can save, it will at least be something.

(Number Three) Try a new fitness class. 

I’m not a huge fitness class person. I prefer to work out by myself and the furthest I go is a run with my boyfriend. I went to a spin class before but I didn’t enjoy it; despite this, I wanted to push myself outside my comfort zone so my boyfriend and I have both signed up for a kick boxing six week class. I’m really excited because I’ve been looking for a boxing type class for a while but they all seemed to be “contact” classes and I didn’t want to get punched in the face, and this new class is pads and bag contact, so no injuries for me!

Let me know what you think of goals; are you more of a New Year’s Resolutions person that focuses on all year-round goals or do you like to split them up like me? ❤

(Blogmas Day Seventeen) Top Ten Positive Outcomes of 2016!

So with Blogmas Day Seventeen, it marks the last day of Blogmas for 2016! It’s been a really interesting project to take on over the holiday period especially since everyone (including myself!) has been so busy but it’s been a really nice distraction.

With my last post focusing on what life lessons 2016 taught me, I wanted to end Blogmas on a more positive note so today’s post is the Top Ten Positive Outcomes of 2016 (or the Top Ten Positive Things in 2016, whatever way you want to read it).

10.  I became a vegetarian.

This March, I took part in Meatless March and I haven’t looked back since! For the first half of the year, I was eating pretty much about 90% plant based food (I don’t like to say vegan because I wasn’t 100% of the time) but I’ve slipped back to about 60% now with more additional dairy and eggs. So now I’m a gluten free vegetarian with all the intolerances…

9. I went to so many more music gigs.

Music gigs were a big thing for me this year! I went to see the likes of Fall Out Boy, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Busted and Nickelback, the atmosphere and the high you get from a concert is honestly like nothing else.

8. I was a bridesmaid for the first time at my Dad’s wedding.

My Dad got married in July and it was the first time I had ever been to a wedding, never mind be a bridesmaid. I loved my dress and the day itself was gorgeous!

7. I cooked and baked more!

Deliciously Ella was my big inspiration for cooking and baking this year. Knowing that everything that was going into my food was clean and healthy made me feel so happier!

6. I turned 25!

I’m a quarter of a century old now and I’m excited! I feel like this year has been my half way mid-life crisis (This year would make so much more sense if it was!). I wrote a whole blog post on my birthday; it was honestly one of the most perfect days and I was treated like a princess, I’m very very grateful for that moment and that part of my life this year.

5. I went on holiday on my own for the first time to Rome.

At the start of December, I booked myself a long weekend trip to Rome on my own. I spoke about it briefly in my Life Update post but it was a new experience for me to be completely on my own in a different country, different culture and to take some time for myself.

4. I went on my first adult holiday to Finland and Russia.

Going to Finland and Russia was my first ever adult holiday and it was such a fun experience! I went with my ex-boyfriend and I’m so happy for those memories because it opened my eyes up to a new part of the world, a new culture, new foods and a new found respect for travelling.

3. I secured my first house.

Again, I spoke about this briefly on my Life Update post but I found out I have my first little house to rent a few days before I went to Rome. I’m really really excited to have my own place, to spend time with myself and create my own routine, as well as embracing this new found independence.

2. I’ve met some lovely people.

The people in my life over the past year have had a huge influence on me. Whether that’s the start and end of relationships and friendships, new work friends or those that I talk to online, I’m so appreciative of everyone that have been a part of my life this year; I continued to learn from each of them.

1. I started taking care of myself.

And finally, the most important one that I should have started doing a long time ago, taking care of myself and putting myself first sometimes. I go with my gut more now, I don’t always put everyone else’s plans above mine, I do what I can and that is more than enough. As long as you try your best and you’re being the best you can, no one can ask for more.

Thank you so much to each and every person who took two minutes out of their day to read this post or any of my other Blogmas posts. I am so grateful to have had this platform to talk on and share a part of my life on this year, it has been a huge helping hand for me. So thank you!