Tag: motivation

1 year on

It’s been a year without my Dad, my no.1 fan, accent partner in crime, curry house companion, fellow musical enthusiast and America adventure buddy. It’s been a whole rollercoaster of emotions and it’s a constant battle. Some days I simply feel like the world is against me and don’t want to get out of bed and others I feel like I have to appreciate every minute because life’s too short.

Most of all, in this year of turmoil, I would like to think I’ve learned a few things so here they are in the hope that even if just one of these can make a difference to your life I might have done something right today.

1. Tell the people you love that you love them

You can never say this enough and sometimes we can assume that the people we care about know this, but it never hurts to remind them.

2. A problem shared really is a problem halved

It’s so easy to bottle things up and think that you are a burden or that it won’t make a difference, but it does. Offloading can take the weight of your shoulders and help your friends to better understand what you are going through and how to help.

3. Live your life

Each day is a new opportunity to go out and change the world. Don’t be afraid to live, no one ever says on their deathbed that they wished they’d worked more.

4. No regrets

Following on from no. 3, you only get one chance so don’t let fear stop you from trying the things you’ve always wanted to

5. Don’t take family for granted

You might not have chosen your family and I’m sure they get on your nerves a fair bit but it pretty much always comes from a place of love and it’s so easy to take for granted how much they have done for you and often sacrificed to put you first

6. Show your pride

If you are proud of an achievement, own it! If you are proud of a friend or family member, tell them! Chances are you and they have worked bloody hard for it and there’s no shame in that.

7. Capture memories

When you lose someone it can feel like you’ll forget the best times and whilst I’m sure you won’t, there’s nothing wrong with some visual reminders to bring those memories to life and hold onto close to you.

8. Forgive

Life is too short to hold a grudge or to hate so why waste time letting it consume you.

9. Sometimes time with friends is all the therapy you need

I know we’ve all made plans and then regretted it when the time has come to follow through if we’re a bit tired or something, but I think sometimes we underestimate the power of a chat and giggle with friends! Sometimes just a lunch with friends has brightened my week and made me feel worlds better.

10. Appreciate

Even when you lose someone so dear to you or in general when in life something goes wrong, there are still so many good things to appreciate. It can be so easy to let the bad things outweigh the good and turn your mindset straight to negative but don’t forget the good things!

B x

New Year’s Resolutions are a load of sh*t!

I don’t know about you but it can feel like the start of a new year means you have to have everything organised, have your priorities in check and feel on top of everything? Well hopefully I am not alone in the fact that I am far from it, even if sometimes I can seem the most together person in the world I am all over the place. I change career plans like the weather, can’t even decide what I want for dinner and still don’t know how to iron and I’m graduating this year…

Also, what is with this pressure to join the gym in January?? Fun fact: 80% of the people who sign up in January quit the gym in less than 5 months which is a prime example of how we put too much pressure on us to get fit and realise New Year’s resolutions are bollocks!! If you feel like making a change for the better then do it, why do we have to try so hard once a year and not try a reasonable amount any time of year?

The end of the year is equally difficult, time for reflection and thinking about what you have and haven’t achieved. It’s so easy to think about what you wish you’d done rather than what you have actually accomplished but if you think about all the little things that add up from making a new friend to finding a new favourite coffee spot, there are so many things in a year that make it note-worthy.

 It’s easy for me to say it was the worst year of my life, losing my Dad and the many scary scans, statistics, appointments and hospital visits that came during the year but some of the best things in my life and biggest achievements also happened this year; it’s easy to forget those but I know my Dad of all people would want me to take a moment to be proud of those. 

In 2019, I might not have done the internship abroad I wanted to do or secured a grad job or got a first or got fit but I became a Young Ambassador for The Brain Tumour Charity and met amazing friends for life through that, I fell in love, Co-hosted a very successful charity event for York Mind, Scored a high 2.1 for my second year, Went to Kos with my best friend, Completed an internship at Muscular Dystrophy UK, Abseiled down the Spinnaker Tower despite being scared of heights and in doing so raised almost £5,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity, started my new job at YUSU and these are just the big(ish) things not to mention I made new friends but most importantly I feel so lucky that the people I was closest with this time last year are still the same people by my side.

What I’m trying to say is, when you sit down and think about the things you have achieved (little things included!) 2019 was a year you accomplished, achieved and grew whether you think it or not!

So just think, when you’re working on those New Year resolutions (whether you’ve failed them already or not) it’s not just the start of the year that you can make changes and you don’t have to put pressure on yourself to make any changes at all!

B xx

P.S – I almost didn’t write a blog post after having had a wee knock to the confidence recently but thanks to Jemima messaging me out of the blue and praising my blog and even calling it inspiring (she must be deluded right!?) it was worth another shot so never be scared to tell people if they do indeed make a difference as it just might make a difference to them too.