Motivational Monday: Your Guide To Self Love

W O R L D   K I N D N E S S   D A Y 

Hello Lovelies,

I hope you have had a good start to the week. 

As today is world kindness day, I really wanted to talk about being kind to yourself. 

Sometimes life gets busy, and we forget the most important thing; being kind to ourselves. Its very easy to get swept along in the stress of life and to take that stress out on yourself, whether thats with negative thoughts or behaviors.

Today I thought I would put together a Self Love Guide for anyone to refer back to when life gets a little tough, and you need a reminder of whats truly important-being kind to yourself.

1)Take Care of your body

Eat well, Sleep well, Exercise when you can. Pamper yourself; take a shower, do a face mask, curl your hair <3

2) Build Positive Thoughts and affirmations

Its true what they say...practice makes perfect, so get practicing and son positive thoughts will pop into your head without you even trying. 

3) Expel any negative thoughts and replace them with positives

its so easy to begin thinking negatively when your stressed or down. They key is to replace these negative thoughts with its counterpart positive-

"IM GOING TO FAIL" Straight away switch it up with "I WILL BE A SUCCESS" 

4) Find an amazing quote book and read one evryday

Personally I find a positive quote book is the key to picking me up when I'm down. Taking the time to read some motivational quotes is the best pic me up and makes you evaluate, what you need to change to make sure you are at your happiest.

5) Don't Compare yourself to others

I honestly believe that no good can come from comparing yourself to someone else. No bodies lives or way of thinking for that matter are the same. So why compare yourself to someone else. You are individual and thats amazing-go be you everyone else it taken. Also how boring would life be if we were all clones of each other.. err no thank you!

6) Remove toxic people from your life

This one is so tricky, but really important when we are talking being kind to yourself. Toxic people arent worth your time or energy and boy do they take up A LOT of it. 

7) Live in the moment 

The way children bumble along in the moment is so refreshing and something that those of us trying to adult should really take note of. Stop worrying about what happened yesterday, or whats going to happen next week and start living for today! 

Motivational Monday- #GRLPWR Quotes from One Reader to Another

As many of you know, every Monday I do a 'Motivational Monday' post hoping to bring some positivity to the start of your week, and give everyone a bit of 'food for thought' for the week ahead.

Last week I wrote this post called #FEMENISM, in which I discuss what the term means to me, and the importance of promoting equality, providing men and women with equal opportunities and chances in life.

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I posted on Instagram asking for your thoughts and contributions for quotes to go hand in hand with this topic. I wanted to bring a wide range of perspectives into the conversation and have Girls inspiring each other.

Its so important as women that we build each other up, not knock each other down...we can do that quite well by ourselves thank you very much!

The response I got was incredible, thank you to everyone who contributed such amazing and powerful quotes.

So here's some Monday Motivation, by you to you.

p.a.ereviews“A successful woman is one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at her.”

lalaylovesblog“Act like a lady think like a boss”

altspeaking"The devil whispered in my ear, 'you're not strong enough to withstand the storm.' Today I whispered in the Devil's ear, 'I am the storm.'"

hellosophieblog"The best way for us to cultivate fearlessness in our daughters and other young women is by example. If they see their mothers and other women in their lives going forward despite fear, they’ll know it’s possible." - Gloria Steinem

lucymartlewShe is clothed in strength and dignity and laughs with out fear of the future . Proverbs 31:25

h4unting_x"You are a soul, not a body"

_a_m_b_a_'Don't stop when you're tired, stop when you're done'

okmericaShe's mad, but she's magic. There's no lie in her fire. - Charles bukowski

girlingamba"There's nothing wrong with being a goal digger"

thecurlyanomaly“If you don’t have big goals and big dreams, you’ll end up working for someone who does.”

What is your favorite #GRLPWR quote; and what are you hoping to achieve this week?

Emily <3

Motivational Monday- Even miracles take a little time.

Its so easy at times to feel buried by everything you have going on. Especially when times are at their most difficult and the road ahead looks bleak.

You feel trapped, unsure, and at times question if theres any point continuing.

Just remember these moments, although painful and hard at the time, are NOT the end but really just the beginning, like chapters in a book or a plant being sewn. Its the dark and difficult times that lead to the bright and beautiful moments, whether this is by realising what you are doing is making you unhappy and taking a completely new direction, or whether the stress and hardship is worth the end success of a finished product and that beautiful sense of achievement.

Whatever you may be going through, life has a funny way of swinging around and bringing about good, so just hold on and you will burst through the ground into better times.

This quote sums my point up perfectly. You have to bury a bulb in order to see growth. Its when the bulb is buried that growth and development occurs. Eventually that bulb becomes a beautiful flower; this is how we have to think about life. The dark times are hard, but they make us who we are and lead us to the best versions of ourselves that we can be.

Happy Monday Lovelies <3

Motivational Monday-Top Tips on Embracing Happiness

Lets talk failure, unexpected changes and plans that just dont go the way you hoped they would.

I've had personal experience of this many times and I dont think any human has ever gone through life without their plans going wrong and life taking them somewhere they weren't expecting from time to time.

As Robert Burns so aptly puts it

'The best made plans of mice and men often go awry' 

Essentially it doesn't matter how carefully we plan out every detail of our lives something is bound to happen at some point to upset them and to lead you down a different course.


It is how we deal with these setbacks and changes that develops us as individuals and shapes the people we become. Its very often easy to become withdrawn and introverted when our plan go wrong, its not unusual to feel hurt,lost confused. What this quote speaks in volume is to find happiness in even the smallest areas of your life. Embrace even the aspects that may seem insignificant, because in those moments of hardship and confusion it is these seemingly insignificant moments of joy that could keep you afloat and lead you back on track.


Please if you are at a period of life where you dont know which way to turn, dont beat yourself up worrying, be gentle with yourself and just remember to enjoy being. Whether that takes the form of a how bubbly bath on a rainy autumnal day, or a moment of peace admiring the beauty of golden leaves falling from the trees, or the feeling of endorphin's as you finish a difficult workout. Find those moments in your life and remember their value. These moments are just as important as the seemingly huge life decision you may have to make because at the end of the day its all time, and your far better using it to enjoy and admire life than to sit worrying about what should or could have been.


Happy Monday Lovelies and have an incredible week enjoying the smallest moments

Emily 

Choose Happiness Motivational Monday #4

There are two quotes Im focusing on this week. It has been a particularly busy week and both seemed very appropriate.

So this quote is perfect for my motivational Monday post this week. The week has involved, moving house, cracking my ribs, revising for exams and writing my academic development. 

It hasn't been the easiest week of my life to say the least, but it has taught me so much about my own strength and also the strength and kindness of those around me. 

My parents have coped and led our house move with such calmness and enthusiasm it is truely inspiring. We have all only ever moved once and my brother and sister had never moved before so to say it was an adventure would be an understatement. I dont think any of us quite anticipated just how much packing was involved or just how much stuff we actually owned. 

It became even more of an adventure when on the morning of our move with only 4 hours sleep I managed to fall winding myself and cracking my ribs. My mum was onto NHS 111 straight away despite our desperate packing situation! My sister was the next Savior and kindly offered to come to UTC with me in the ambulance so I wouldn't have to go by myself. From this experience I not only learnt that my sister is a star but also that in order to be a good nurse I should never leave a patient to struggle (we were just watched by my nurse as my sister tried to move the wheelchair with the breaks on, and then struggled to get my coat off me due to my lack of movement!)

I then learnt that I have the best, best friend on the planet; who came out to get me from hospital, lent me clothes and let me stay at her house, even though it was her birthday and she had places to be!

~

I often find it very easy to look at what other people have and want it for myself, forgetting all the amazing components of my own life. I think it so important whenever I see someone achieving something that I want, to remember I can achieve just as much as they have and that I should feel pleased for them and to use them as inspiration to reach my own goals. This gives me confidence to achieve and also allows me to practice compassion which I believe is highly important. Jealousy is such a soul destroying emotion that often leaves upset, replacing that feeling with one of happiness for the person and aspiration for yourself is so much more positive in so many ways. I would advise anyone who feels like they want something someone else has to switch to this way of thinking! 

It is also important to consider that they will have had their own adventures and learning experiences to get to that point, that you may not know about, therefore remember that the grass is always greener on the other side and that although things may look great for someone else it doesn't always mean they feel great or that it wasn't tough for them to get to that position. 

Motivational Monday #2

How is it monday again?

I feel like the weeks go by at the speed of light nowadays, gone are the weeks of my childhood where the days would drag on and a week felt like an eternity.

For todays motivational monday post I wanted to write about self love. I'm at a time in my life where everything is extremely busy and I forget that I need to take a few minutes out each day for myself and my health.

I was thinking whilst blow drying my hair...as you do, that as a society we constantly look to others for reassurance and recognition; likes on an instagram, likes on FB, retweets on twitter, views on snapchat. We are bombarded by other peoples opinions of our lives everyday, its unavoidable and we live in a society that dictates that it is the amount of likes we get the defines us and our self worth.

THIS IS NOT THE CASE.

You dont get a like, for stopping and holding the door for another when their hands are full of shopping. You dont get a retweet everytime you compliment someone on their outfit and make their day. And you dont get a view everytime you take part in a charity event raising money for an amazing cause. We dont need to look to others to recoginse our self worth, we need to set ourselves goals and have confidence in ourselves to be able to achieve these and know that we have. Dont look to others for recognition, love yourself and know your self worth. Once you do this you will beam confidence and feel great. So take time out everyday to learn to love yourself that little bit more, without worrying what the rest of the world is thinking and doing. 

Are You Empowered?

Being a strong and independent woman is something I have always strived to achieve. I feel that we should be proud of who we are and our achievements, no matter how big or small we may perceive them to be. Now in my 20's I finally feel comfortable in myself and I no longer feel I need to act like others to fit in I am myself and if you like it thats great if not then I'm not going to apologies for who I am.

However, I never feel like I can meet my own expectations. Rather than be proud of what I have achieved, I am constantly beating myself up for the things I havent yet been able to do. Yesterday was international womens day and so I watched this video by Louise Pentland AKA Sprinkleofglitter and I would highly recommend you go and watch it! It really got me thinking about why I am always so harsh on myself, and that I should start remembering all the things I have been able to achieve rather than those that I currently havent.

I have a board of these quotes on my pintrest and I would love it if you checked it out.
I think its so important that we dont look at what others have and feel like we are inferior or that we arent as good as them...this isnt the case. We are all individuals and its really important we take other peoples achievements and use them to inspire us to do our best to achieve, and not let them make us feel like failures or to feel jealous! If they can do it so can you!

I thought I would take this opportunity to list out my current achievements that I should be proud of followed by a list of my dream achievements for the future, some of them may be a very long way in the future!

WHAT I AM:
I am a loving older Sister.
I have taught myself a-level biology in 8 months.
I have taken the huge decision to change direction, to follow my dream career.
I have organised multiple successful charity events.
I am non judgemental, kind and compassionate.
I am comfortable in myself.
I will always look for the good in people.
I have inspired others to do things they were scared of.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE:
To be a home owner.
To start a family.
To grow my blog.
To empower others.
To be kind and compassionate in my career.
To start a business.
To write a book.

Please comment on this post with a couple of achievements and dreams you have. Lets build each other up.

Motivational Monday #1

So for tonights post I decided I'm going to start a new series.

 I love scrolling through my pintrest and finding motivational quotes. They often get me thinking and give me the boost I need to keep going at life and giving it my all. Today I just wanted to share one quote with you all, its one that is particularly relevant in my life at the moment and I thought it was apt to share it.

At 21/22 myself and my friends are all at an age where we are just coming into adulthood, we have to adapt to new responsibilities, juggle work and socialising and find a successful relationship. Not only this but many of us also have other struggles in our lives that may be health/family or work related. To look at us no one would know that we were dealing with these but they affect us everyday and the way in which we cope with situations and our environment. Just because you cant see what a person is dealing with doesn't give you the right to loose patients with that person or judge them. Always treat people with compassion and kindness and never assume you know everything that is going on in a persons life, don't brandish someone with a label based on how they act as you dont know the reason why a person is acting that way. Instead I feel we should all offer kindness and try and support each other no matter how difficult that may be when a person isn't acting the way you would like or expect. I hope this quote makes you think, just as it made me think. 

Have an amazing week.

Emily