MINDFULNESS IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Recently, mindfulness has become a buzzword of some sort. There are hundreds of different mindfulness books and colouring books floating around in almost every shop you go into. Mindfulness originated in Buddhism. It is a very ancient religious practice which helps many religious and non-religious people in today's world. Mindfulness is focusing, non-judgmentally, on our emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring at one given moment. It helps us to accept our thoughts and feelings and adapt the way we think, feel and therefore act in everyday life. Although mindfulness is often used to treat mental health illnesses, is it not just restricted to those that suffer with mental health. Mindfulness has been proven to help all kinds of people. 

Patterned colouring books have become the new craze, although they have been around for a long time. They are designed to help reduce stress and therefore help people to control and improve their well-being. Many students use these books around exam period to reduce stress and to have a slight calming period before getting back onto revision. However, many people also use this in every day life. I came across this book while out shopping and just had to grab one myself. If you are thinking 'oh I definitely wouldn't have time for this' just dedicate 30 minutes a week to sitting down, relaxing and reliving child-hood memories with a colouring book. If you are finding that you really wouldn't have time for that either, maybe you need to find time for yourself, no matter what else is going on. Just 10 minutes a day really can change a lot! 

The first time I tried mindfulness was when I read Ruby Wax's book, Sane New World. I cannot explain how much it changed my outlook on life. It is such an amazing and quite literally life-changing book. I definitely think it helped me to get out of severe negative thinking. Ruby Wax studied mindfulness and psychotherapy for years and so the book is full of important and helpful explanations. If you are looking for a new read and would like to venture into the world of mindfulness, I would recommend that you read this book first! As Ruby Wax is a comedian, she also adds in humour which makes the book more interesting (than it already is). 

Reaping mindfulness into your everyday life can be very helpful and beneficial to your well-being. There are several different ways to do this: 

1. Take a couple of minutes to notice your surroundings and breathing. Use your 5 senses to evaluate your surroundings. 

2. Plan a few minutes out of your every day life every day where you don't do anything. Just sit, relax and be calm, thinking about your surroundings once again. 

3. Slow yourself down at some time, don't feel like you have to be busy for every moment of your life. We all have busy lives, but we have to find time to relax. Take a slow walk once in a while, listen to the birds chirping and take in the fresh air. 

4. Prioritise your well-being. The more often you practice mindfulness, the more beneficial it will be for you. 

5. Be patient, mindfulness doesn't help to improve your thoughts and feelings immediately, it takes time. If you don't think mindfulness is helping, you're most probably wrong, keep at it! 

Have you ever taken some time to practice some mindfulness? Do you think you would ever try mindfulness? 

KEEPING ORGANISED AS A BLOGGER

Being an organised blogger takes several lists and huge amounts of organisation. There's so much to keep organised, from emails to blog post ideas to invoices and other financial documents. It is definitely not an easy job to do, but it does teach good organisation skills.

Weekly Organiser and Diary

Personally, I find weekly organisers very useful. I generally use them for organising which posts I want to post on which day. I also use them to organise when I need to have emailed people back by. I make a new page every week. I also use my diary a lot for blogging. I use a diary to organise what Twitter chats are happening when, and what the topics are. I also use it to organise when different events are happening to see if I can attend them in the future.

Emails

Blogging brings many emails, whether it be subscription emails, PR emails, personal emails, or update emails, there's always emails to catch up on. I use folders in my email to keep them organised into specific topics. I have 'PR/Adversiting', 'Personal', 'Blogger Emails', 'Subscriptions' and 'Other' to organise my emails. Since I started organising my emails, I have definitely found it easier to find and sort out my emails, keeping my inbox tidy. I delete all spam emails I get through also, to keep my inbox clean, 

Invoices and Financial Documents

I do not have many financial documents and so I do not need to organise them as much as other things. However, they do have their own folder in my blogging folder, named 'Financial Documents'. I would definitely recommend having them neatly organised so that you can keep an eye on what is where just for future reference if you ever need it. 

Pictures

As a blogger, I have so many pictures to store, it is often hard to keep them organised and safe. At the moment I have them organised by date on my laptop, but I do need to buy a large memory stick to keep them on to prevent my laptop being slowed down. I have the majority of my pictures backed up on 3 DropBox accounts (of course, one isn't enough!). I also have two different folders for my everyday photography pictures and my blogging pictures as I like to keep them separate so that I can find different folders easily. 

Blog Post Note Book

To-do lists and blog post ideas are my nightmare in blogging. I always have so much to write down. I always take my blogging notebook everywhere I go because there's no doubt that the day I don't take it, will be the day I get a genius idea! I always date the pages just to keep track of what I write when. There are so many to-do lists in the book, but they help me so much, I would forget it all if I didn't write it down. 

Scheduling Tweets
Buffer, Buffer, Buffer! I cannot explain how much I depend on this app for getting the majority of my blog views. It is the best app that I have stumbled upon for blogging and scheduling tweets. You can schedule which times you want to post and which days, and it'll post your tweets on those times. When I am really busy and cannot be on Twitter, this app is just amazing! It keeps my blog active, even when I am not active. It is so important to send out your links every few hours if you want to get a decent amount of page views.

Scheduling Posts 

Ah, this is my saviour. As I am going on holiday this week, I will not have time to blog. I have scheduled 3 posts for when I am away, so that I can still have an active blog, but not actually be here. It is fantastic! Best Blogger invention ever! I know that some people struggle with scheduling posts, so I will quickly explain how to do it (skip if you know).
1. Click on 'schedule' at the side of your post.
2. Press 'set date and time' and set when you want it to post.
3. Press 'done' below that.
4. Press the publish button !!

I hope these tips help some of you, but I guess the majority of you already have yourself organised. Is there anything that you do to get organised that I have missed?

SELF-LOVE SUNDAY: BREAK THE CRITICAL HABIT

Some days, being a human can feel wonderful. Happy days can make us all feel internally happy and loved, but sadly, that doesn't last forever. The problem with being human is that there is always going to be that day where everything seems to crash down on you. Everything you have been holding up, whether it be alone or by the side of someone else, it falls down and you just don't have the emotional strength to pick it back up. You feel crushed. You go into a realm of self-pity and start to blame your self for everything you can possibly blame yourself for. But the truth is that what ever you would have done, you would have always come across this day. Whether it have been in a week or a years time. It is inevitable. Life was never meant to be perfect. That quote 'there's no rainbows without a little rain' is so true. Nothing is perfect. We can't just pick a day from a pot and say 'oh yes I'll have that one' and put back the ones that we don't like the sound of. We all know that it doesn't work like that.

Equally, happiness doesn't come without having to metaphorically work for it. It's like having a friend, there has to be an equal amount of effort put in, otherwise it just doesn't work. Life has it's fated events but you have partial control over that. YOU can control what happens. If you put that extra effort in to be happy, further effort than some people may put in, you will find your happiness. Obviously, you won't be forever happy but when the bad days come, you will then have that emotional strength to pick up those pieces and keep going.

I don't think there are many people that can say they are internally happy all of the time. It proves that we aren't to blame for those crappy down days because not everyone could have done wrong. The bad days are there for us to appreciate the good days. It's to teach us to dance in the rain.

Always remember that we are our worst critics. If you were to spend every day, every hour and every second with someone, you would begin to see their flaws too. Other people don't see all of the flaws that you see. When you are having a down day and picking yourself apart like you would pull the petals off of a flower, sit back and for a while try to ignore what you think about yourself. At that moment, you are totally wrong about yourself. This is where we need to learn to break this habit of self-hatred. Make a little pot with compliments that you receive over time and when you are feeling down like that, pick one up and open it. Read it to yourself and convince yourself that it is true because I can guarantee that it is. Gradually, you will be able to build up your emotional confidence and strength.

You were put in this world to be happy. If you weren't meant to be here, life would have taken you by now. But it hasn't. So be brave and don't let the horrible days pull you down. Put in that effort just to get ONE step closer to happiness everyday. Take a deep breath and look around you. Look at where you are. Look at what you have and appreciate the life that YOU are living. Appreciate the amazing person that YOU are. Concentrate on yourself for a little while because YOU are amazing and so complex, don't be afraid of this life, embrace it! I believe that you can control your own happiness and life has a way of getting you to realise that. Wake up tomorrow morning, look at the sun rise and remember how incredible you are. Remember where you are and be proud of you!

FACE MASK GALORE!

Without a doubt, face masks are my favourite skincare products! I just think they are so fun and I always end up laughing at myself when I look into the mirror. I currently have 3 different face masks that I use alternately. I have the Lush Mask of Magnaminty along with The Body Shop's Tea Tree Face Mask and Warming Mineral Mask. It's fair to say that I am collecting a good amount of face masks.

The Body Shop's Tea Tree Face Mask

This mask is more matte than the others. It is also quite firm but you can only really apply it in thin layers. The mask gives a cooling sensation to the skin, I think the thin and smooth formula adds to this. It feels really light on the skin which contrasts with the Mask of Magnaminty. It is perfect for those days when you have a few painful spots, it soothes your skin so well and leaves it feeling very fresh. This is a mask that is relatively easy to get off as it is quite a thin formula. I have also found that it does last quite a while because you only have to apply a thin layer which is really handy. No one wants a face mask that runs out after only a few uses, and at £11.00 for 110g, you definitely want your monies worth!

The Body Shop's Warming Mineral Mask

I can definitely say that this is the most intriguing mask I have ever come across in my experiences with face masks. Before purchasing this mask I had never ever heard of a warming mask. As soon as I applied it for the first time, I was hooked. It started warming straight away which felt so strange. The formula is originally quite thick as you squeeze it out of the tube, but once it is onto the skin and begins warming, it becomes a lot thinner and wet looking. The only problem I have had with the product is the fact that it does clog up in the lid a little, meaning that it is sometimes quite hard to get out of the tube. Once it is out, I cannot fault it. It is an amazing product!  Every time you rub the mask, it warms the skin and then opens the pours. This is the easiest mask to get of as once again, it is quite thin and as you rub it, it heats and becomes wet again, making it easy to remove with a flannel and some water. This mask also lasts quite a while. It has a similar kind of formula as the Tea Tree mask and is also £11.00 for 110g. 

Lush's Mask of Magnaminty

I may have to say that this is my favourite out of all 3. The formula is firm which I love because it is so easy to apply and doesn't move off of the face at all. I love the little bits in the mask which can almost exfoliate your skin while you apply it. The mask is very fresh and the peppermint gets deep into your pores; you can feel it cleaning the skin. It gives a slightly burning sensation as it cleanses your face. At first I thought I was having some kind of allergic reaction but then I heard that it was just the mint cleansing the skin. The burning sensation is the only thing that puts me slightly off. However, at least I know that the mask is doing good to my skin. When it comes to taking off the mask, it is a bit of a challenge if you leave it on for too long. It dries a bit and as it is quite thick, it's hard to not get into a huge mess. I find that most masks are quite hard to get off, but this one is slightly more challenging. I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing though. I definitely think this is a mask that I will buy over and over again. The fact that it is only £5.50 for 125g also makes me jump for joy. A budget mask is important! 

I am always on the look out for new face masks, do you have any recommendations? 

10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BLOGGING!

Just over a year ago, on the 25th of June 2014, I began this blog! It has been an experience in itself, and I am glad I gave myself a chance to experience that. Now, I can't imagine my life without a blog. It has brought so much more into my life, more people, opinions, experiences, just to say a few. Of course, it hasn't been easy to get where I am now and I still have a lot to learn about blogging, but I still got to where I am now and that's a huge step for me. Blogging isn't just about having a place to write a few words on the internet. It is about speaking to new people, reading people's views about different topics and widening your knowledge about the world around you. Blogging brings a whole new perspective to life, and that is definitely what I love about it. 

1. Friends. Personally for me, making friends and being active on social media is so important in blogging. Being proactive with friendships is vital (in my opinion) to becoming a well-rounded person and a happy, friendly blogger. I just find that the blogging community is so friendly and we seem to accept everyone through different ways of communicating. I have made so many friends since I started blogging and although they are not 'real life' friends that can be there with you all of the time, there is a lot of support you can still receive through online friendships. 

2. Blogging chats. The blogging chats are the absolute best thing about blogging, without a doubt! I cannot even begin to imagine what blogging would be like without the blogger chats. I feel like there is so much support lingering around in the chats. I always head on to Twitter to join the chats when I am feeling down because I just know that there are so many lovely people that will make my night so much better. 

3. Feeling of accomplishment. There is nothing better than feeling like you have achieved a goal. Whether that be something small or something a bit bigger, blogging always gives you goals to set. I think my biggest achievement would be working with some brands within blogging. The fact that they actually contacted me about my blog makes me feel like I must be doing something right. Also, reaching almost 200 followers is such a big achievement for me. Blogging is just so uplifting. 

4. Learning how to work HTML. When I first ran into HTML, I was writing a post and accidentally clicked on the 'HTML' button. I cannot explain how much panic went through my mind, I sat, face looking like I had seen a ghost, staring at the screen in fear. After just over a year of blogging, I have learnt so much about HTML and I am beginning to make my own codes. It is such a brilliant skill to have in a world with forever-expanding technology. 

5. Different opinions. In today's world, I feel like we all need to adapt to having an open-mind and accept the different people and situations that we experience. Learning about other people's opinions and widening our minds is always important. 

6. Trusted reviews. When I am thinking about buying a new product, I always search around for reviews just to see what other people think about the product. Especially when it is for an expensive product like the Naked palettes. I find that most bloggers give really trusted reviews which always comes in so handy. Twitter also helps for a quick search for reviews - I just ask a question about a product and you end up with plenty of opinions and reviews flying at you in your time of need. Just brilliant! 

7. Inspiration. I know that I shouldn't rely heavily on other bloggers for inspiration, but sometimes if I am running out of ideas I will find myself flicking through Bloglovin' for inspiration. There is just such an incredible range of ideas from different bloggers and being able to read such a wide range of different writing styles and ideas helps me to develop my ideas and writing skills. These are also skills that you need for life. 

8. A place to express myself. Before I started blogging, I didn't really have anywhere to talk about my love for beauty, cooking, fashion and other philosophical topics. I love that blogging gives you your own space on the internet where you can just write to your heart's content about any old blabber you want to get on to a page. There are always people willing to read about your increasingly random but interesting topics. And as always, it is always brilliant to be unique! 

9. Confidence and support. With my personal struggles, knowing many people also struggle makes me feel less alone. I know that there are quite a few fellow bloggers that also love the support that there is within the blogging community. One of my favourite twitter blogger chats is #healthyselves. It is almost like a therapy. We talk about real life topics which impact many people's day-to-day lives and I know that it helps so many people to be able to talk out their feelings. The support is just incredible! 

10. Anyone is welcome, it's not a restrictive thing! Blogging is a wonderful community. Not to say that there isn't negative parts to blogging, but the majority of the time the community is very welcoming. Being a part of that community is so lovely and it feels like a big family. I'd love to think that I will forever be a part of that community.

Blogging is just so much fun! There are no limitations. It is a brilliant time-killer and boredom-cure too. What is your favourite thing about blogging? Let me know in the comments. 

CAKE POPS

Cake pops are one of my favourite types of cakes to make. You can make so many different looking cake pops and you can decorate them to suit any occasion. For Christmas I received a cake pop set and I didn't actually use it until I stumbled across it a month or so ago. I wasn't quite expecting them to turn out so well on my first attempt, but luckily they turned out better than I could have imagined.

Cake pops are quite simple to make, but it is about technique and being precise. Here is how you make the beautiful little pops! 

1) Obviously, the first step is to make a simple cake batter. I made chocolate batter for these cake pops, just to add a bit more chocolate!

2) Next, carefully pop some cake batter into the cake pop moulds and fill it just above the top of casing.

3) Place the other cake pop mould on top and place the mould into the oven. I always place it onto a baking tray before putting it into the oven. 

4) Once they are cooked, after about 20 minutes in the oven, take them out of the oven and place them on the side to cool for about 15 minutes.
5) Once cooled, push the cake moulds around with your finger to loosen the cake from the mould. Then slowly peel the top mould off, making sure to not break any cake pops. Place the cake pops onto a plate and put them into the fridge for a while.

6) Melt the chocolate into two bowls. Get the cake pops out of the fridge and using a cake pop tool, make holes in the center of them for the sticks. 

7) Carefully drip some chocolate into the holes and place the stick into the hole. Place them into the fridge so that the chocolate can solidify. 

8) When they are cooled enough, roll them into the chocolate (melt more if needed) and place them, stick first, into a beaker. Once they are all covered, sprinkle with hundreds and thousands and place in the fridge to harden. 

Tah dah! There you have some very cute little cake pops! 

BLOGGER MEETUP

On Sunday I was very fortunate to be able to meet some of my blogging/YouTube friends in Taunton. We spent a  girly afternoon shopping (who doesn't like a bit of retail therapy?) and sipping teas and hot chocolates in a little independent tea room. As usual, the time went very fast and left us feeling a bit rushed for time and wishing we could forever hold the time still. We all bonded very well and I definitely think there will be a long term friendship between us, despite the distance. We have already thought about a second meet up at some point. It was definitely a day I would re-do over and over again! 

The meetup was arranged by myself and a friend called Emily. I was lucky enough to get some companies to provide some gifts to make a few beautiful little gift bags for the girls. As most of us are quite focused on beauty products, there was a few beauty gifts in the bag, along with the obvious food side of the gift bags.You definitely can't have a goody bag without food goodies! 

The goody bag included: 

Papier Poudre Powdered Paper

Metcalfe's Skinny Popcorn

Dream Dots (for spots)

The question is, would I recommend these products? 

Papier Poudre

When I first used this product, I didn't think much of it. I didn't really understand what it was meant to do and whether it was actually beneficial for my skin or not. However, I have used it since and have found that it has been quite helpful on some of the past humid days we have had when my face became a bit oily. I took a pack around with me in my bag and used it when I popped to the loo while I was out. It quite quickly soaked up the excess oil on my face and I would probably think about purchasing them again. Brilliant for the summer months to remove excess oil on the skin. 

Dream Dots

These dots are the perfect spot remedy to combat redness and reduce the swelling! They are so easy to apply and they remain stuck on for hours and hours. They are also transparent and so do not show up much at all. I have been placing these on every spot I have had appear, and it has reduced them a lot! They leave a sticky residue, but it is easily removed by the after cleanse. Although, they do not completely remove the spot, they reduce it a lot! I would definitely repurchase these. 

Metcalfe's Skinny Popcorn 

I was gifted two types of popcorn - sea salt and sweet 'n' salt. I wasn't at all a big fan of the salt flavour, I have a very sweet tooth. Although, I absolutely loved the sweet 'n' salt flavour. The popcorn itself was delicious too! It was so light and fluffy, full of flavour! However, there was one thing that I noticed. Although they do say 'skinny', I personally wouldn't say they are as 'skinny' as they are making out. Although the calories are low, the fat levels are extremely high for a 25g product. Usually, 5g of fat per 100g is healthy. This pack had 4.8g of fat and 0.4g of that was saturated fat! That is a lot to be claiming that it is 'skinny' popcorn and in my opinion is a bit misleading. But on the other hand, popcorn isn't known as a healthy snack, so obviously the fat level can't be as low as I may have expected it to be. The popcorn tasted good and I guess that is the main thing! 

As I mentioned before, we did go shopping for an hour or so, and of course I bought quite a bit (especially considering I didn't have much money). As I am quite the bargain hunter, always on the look out for sales, I found a few bargains! First I bought the Mask of Magnaminty from Lush, which I have wanted to try for sooo long!! I really don't need any more face masks (I already have two) but I bought it anyway...cheeky! Review coming soon (watch this space)...

We then headed off to do the bargain shopping in River Island, because of course, I spotted a sale! Emily found the two Barry M nail varnish for me and I found some absolutely gorgeous summery shorts! The shorts are one or two sizes too big, but I loved them soooo much that I couldn't resist. I mean, for £6 you can't really go wrong. Orange/peach isn't usually my colour, but I definitely loved these at first sight. I love the over-sized look they give. With a sweet little belt, they look perfect! I cannot wait to do a blog post about them!

I love it when I find a bargain; I spend forever telling everyone about it. But, who doesn't love a bargain? Have you found any bargains recently? Are you a bargain hunter? 

This is a collab post with Emily and you can check her post here

CHANNELING MY INNER BOOKWORM

I must admit that there is one overriding reason that I am so excited about summer; I can finally find my inner book worm! I absolutely love being sat outside in the sun reading an intriguing book, and after all of these exams, it's just what I need. Spending hours sat in a deck chair in direct sight of the blazing sun is just my ideal day. I can spend hours reading books when I have the time. I have to be able to focus every thought into a book, otherwise I just can't get into it. During school terms, I cannot read at all. There's far too much other stressful stuff going on and I can't cope with having to remember someone else's life, along side remembering the events in my life. 

Talking of school, I was speaking to a friend a few weeks back and we were talking about our enticing summer plans and how we are going to go all out. By 'all out' I mean being antisocial, sitting reading books in our garden. But hey, we did say that we might sneak a barbecue in at some point, just to be a bit normal. That counts right? Anyway, we decided that it would be a good idea to recommend books to each other, and all of a sudden this idea sprung into my head. I mean, what else was I going to do with this pot? Leave it lying around being misused? Of course not! It's perfect for this! I decided to make a book raffle pot which contains the names of about 30 books. Every time I finish a book, I dunk my fingers in, shuffle around inside, and pick a new one. I love the idea! Considering I get through about 1-2 books a week in the holidays, I probably won't finish them all, but who's to say that I can't try? 

I know for a fact that it won't be just me that has a long list of books awaiting to be read, when the sun arrives permanently for a few months, (we hope)! Summer isn't just about being out every day. It is about giving yourself some down time too. I definitely know that I need some time to chill and get myself back together before preparing for college and exam results. Exam period is challenging but it's only a few months of our lives and then we get to open the next door in life. I cannot wait to reach my goals!

There are several books in this pot that I have been meaning to read for so long, I just haven't got around to it. There's popular books like Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, but most of all, I am excited about reading the books I have never heard of before! I am always open to a new read, you never know what you might find. 

The books on my list are:

Bloodline by Sidney Sheldon,

Spell Bound and No Humans Involved by Kelly Armstrong 

The Woman's Daughter by Dermot Bolger

A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnerlly 

Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant by Veronica Roth 

The Quick by Laura Spinnery 

Girl, Nearly 16, Absolute Torture by Sue Limb

Are You Afraid Of The Dark? by Sidney Sheldon

Fade Away, Back Spin and Six Years by Harlan Coben

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green 

Massive by Julia Bell 

Watch Your Mouth by Daniel Handler 

Dear Nobody by Berlie Doherty 

Sane New World by Ruby Wax

An Abundance Of Catherines by John Green 

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

The Naked Face by Sidney Sheldon 

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight 

Everything and Nothing by Araminta Hall 

If You Could See Me Now, Thanks For The Memories and Ps, I love You by Cecelia Ahern 

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult 

Ghost Girl by Torey Hayden 

Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman 

Chill Factor by Rachel Caline 

Paradise End by Elizabeth Laird

I am currently half way through reading Sane New World by Ruby Wax (for the second time). I mean, what can I say? If it's an amazing book, why not read it again and again? Oh and also, it's about taming the mind, so it's good for me! 

Do you have a summer book list? Which books would you recommend? 

STAND OUT IN THE CROWD

As a child and a young teenager, I would always follow the fashion trends in the hope of fitting in with the other girls. I always wanted to try my own style, but I never had the courage to be that girl who didn't follow the trend. I always used to look at the girls who were unique and wish I was like them. In fact, I still do that now. I love to see people making their own fashion, it gives me a sense of liberation. It makes me feel like I can be myself and fly free from the comfort bubble of fashion. It gives me proof that I am the only me, and I have the chance to express who I am through what I wear. Thank fully, I wasn't one of those people who spent extortionate amounts of money on shoes and clothes, but I did follow the trends, usually if I liked them. I wish I had allowed myself more freedom as a child, because as your grow older, people find their own fashion anyway. I wish I hadn't made myself follow the fashion, when it wasn't really me.

There have been many events that have shaped who I am today. I am definitely proud of where I have ended up and I am excited about my future. Of course, not everything is perfect and we cannot always have the best of everything. We have to accept that life isn't perfect and that we all go through suffering. But, everything that happens in our life happens for a reason. It may not always be good, but there's always a reason for it. That is something I have believed for the majority of my life, it helps me to accept the bad things that happen to us all.

I guess I decided to write this post to challenge those of you who tend to follow the crowd with fashion. I challenge you to find an item of clothing that you like that isn't necessarily 'in fashion' right now. Wear something that represents you as a person and allow yourself to feel free from the metaphorical ties of fashion. It is the first step in finding your own fashion, and a small part of beginning to find who you are as a person. 

I have to admit that it was a challenge alone to take these pictures. I hate busy places and town is always busy. Taking these pictures meant being in the center of attention for a while, and I really wasn't confident with that. I guess you're wondering why I did it? Well I guess there was two reasons.

One being that I believe that this is one way to gain self-confidence - put yourself into a situation that you don't feel confident with, learn what it is that you aren't confident with and work on that. I also hoped that taking some pictures of myself may boost my self-confidence slightly. I do really like this outfit and I am beginning to accept that I look okay in it; obviously not perfect. I think that is a problem for many people. We want to see perfection, but that is never going to happen. We all have our flaws and we must remember that we manage to manipulate ourselves more than those around us. We see the flaws that no one else would notice.

The second reason is that I wanted to push through to show you all that it is possible to change something. It is because I believe that if I can do something that is out of my comfort zone, you can do it too. I actually managed to enjoy myself as you can see in picture 3 with my little smile seeping through! That is a great achievement for me. We are all amazing people and we can control our lives. We determine our futures and live how we want. It is up to you to change something.

So, this week, do something that is out of your comfort zone. Explore yourself as a person and let yourself be free. And as this cliche saying goes: "Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken."