Personal Growth

I’ve never really been a shy person or anything like that but recently I’ve been doing some soul searching and have noticed I’ve really changed. I always thought when I was around 16 that I knew exactly who I was and what I wanted to do (I still wanted to study journalism and now I do so I guess that’s something?). I wasn’t the most pleasant person really which I would like to blame on hormones but I think I was also just a bit of a bitch too.

I really didn’t like many people growing up which I stand by to a certain degree because I live in a really small place so you’re obviously not going to like everyone. However, I think a lot of my dislike for others stemmed from myself not really fitting in with anyone. I did have friends throughout school but never really felt like they were 100% my sort of people, you know? I guess it just made me bitter which is a shame to think back on.

I really began to notice a difference in myself once I returned home from Bali a few weeks ago but I think since moving away from home last September is where I really started to grow as a person. Throughout school I had a lot of resentment and bitterness towards other people which maybe through no fault of their own I held onto. I always felt really held back and restricted in my small home town and slowly after moving away I started becoming more like the real me than this watered down version I was at home.

I still love the little village where I come from as it will always be my home but perhaps one of the biggest factors of me being bitter was the constant gossip and small town syndrome that carries on there. Everyone feels entitled to know everyones business just because you know them. Things that are literally none of anybody else’s business become public knowledge for everyone to discuss. I immediately noticed a difference after moving away because nobody cares what happened to you in second year or how many boys you kissed because they realise its none of their business.

The biggest difference I can see within myself is my focus on positivity which has made me an undoubtedly happier person. I used to hold grudges forever and claim i’d take them to the grave but holding onto negative energy like that just isn’t necessary and doesn’t bring me joy. I’ve really been trying to practise a lot of forgiveness lately for my own benefit. Instead of being mad and holding grudges against people who have wronged me in the last year or two years ago or whenever just to forgive and let the anger go.

It’s easy now to sit back and think about the previous aspects of my life and personality which made me unhappy now I feel I’ve removed myself from them. I feel more confident, more self assured and so so much happier with the way my life is and the people I have around me and the things I am achieving.

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New Years Resolutions 2018

I make new years resolutions every year, most of the time they don’t stick but it’s worth a shot right?

I made another post about this last year for my 2017 resolutions which you can read here if you’re interested. I mentioned in this post that I wanted to be able to look back on this year and be proud of things I have accomplished and I really am proud of myself. Super cringey, I know.

I think this year I’ve really grown up a lot as a person and I’m a lot more sure of myself than I was at the beginning of 2017. I’m not gonna talk crap and say how I’m a totally different person because I’m not. I’m a lot more confident and happier with myself which is a good achievement.

Find a new hobby:

I know blogging counts as a hobby but I want to do something else with my time too. I’m leaning towards starting scrap booking or photography because I think I would have a lot of fun with that and be creative with it. I’m less inclined to attempt to take up a sport or musical instrument as a hobby because I just don’t think I will enjoy it a lot.

Travel as much as possible:

I think I’ve mentioned in a previous blog post about my trips to Bali and Sri Lanka this year so that is some pretty big travel plans. There are loads of little road trips I want to do at home in the Highlands as well, so when I say travel I don’t mean it necessarily has to be across the globe. I would like to explore my own country a bit more too.

Join the gym:

I think that is the famous last words of many people coming into the new year. I’ve been determined to join the gym at my uni but I was too poor for a good few months. When I did have the money, it was December and I was about to go on a 6 week holiday from the uni so it seemed pointless to start paying for it then. I really want to find a type of exercise I really enjoy and don’t totally hate. Also want to get into a better shape by the time my holidays come around.

Save as much money as possible:

Not gonna lie I have been pretty careless with my money at uni – always spending too much on going out for food and doing far too much shopping. I’m gonna create a budget plan for myself to try and stick to and also hopefully find a job down in Glasgow too. Nobody likes being skint so I’m going to try and be a bit more sensible this year.

Read a book per month:

Towards the end of 2017 I was getting into a better habit of this by reading a little bit of one of my books every day. I have shelves full of unread books in my room and I want to start making my way through them. I think setting myself this target of one book per month will be a really helpful way of getting back into reading and enjoying it more. I feel like when you get reading that you hate at uni it really puts you off reading for fun too.

Eat my 5 a day:

I used to be really good at this and eating super healthy. However now I’m definitely not. This year I really want to take better care of myself through exercising and eating better. Having 5 different fruits/veggies a day is a good little goal to encourage myself to eat better.

So these are my new year resolutions for 2018 and I hope I can stick to them. I’ve tried to keep them quite basic and vague so they are achievable rather than have some ridiculous goal. What’s your new years resolutions? Hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Siobhan x

Time for a catch up..

Hi everyone, it has been over a month since I wrote my last blog post which is crazy considering in the summer I had finally gotten into a good habit of posting weekly-ish. Who knew I’d have more free time working two jobs than I would as a student with no job? Since I haven’t been posting much this post is basically to explain why and give a little insight on what I have been up too.

So, I have just started my 5th week in university which is crazy because now all those deadlines are starting to seem close instead of a million miles away. Overall, since starting university there isn’t any words for how much happier I am than I was before. It’s amazing seeing such a positive difference in myself, going from a job I hated to a studying a course that I love surrounded by the best people. I do hate the 9am lectures and what feels like endless hours of practising shorthand but in general I really do love it.

I thought I would struggle with moving to Glasgow since it is such a big difference from living in the Highlands but I am totally loving it. City life is so different to living in the Highlands but I’m definitely used to it.  I’m not homesick yet but that’s probably because I’ve been home twice and had my boyfriend and my parents visiting me here on separate occasions too. This weekend I was home for just under a week and it was because my Dad was getting married. How exciting is that?? It was literally the nicest ceremony surrounded by all our close family and friends which is lovely.

I’m determined to get more organised with how I spend my time because I really want to get back into blogging and start going to the gym. I really miss having proper hobbies and things I enjoy doing. I think I’m either going to make Wednesday’s or Sunday’s my blogging days as at the moment I have nothing on on those days. When I get my next SAAS payment, I’m gonna get my gym membership and force my butt to the treadmill and some metafit classes.

There isn’t a huge amount going on in my life right now, but I’m really really happy with the way everything seems to be going and that is the most important thing.

Siobhan x

 

UPDATE: I’ve Moved To Glasgow

Hi there everyone,

First of all I would like to apologise for my absence in the past few weeks on pretty much everywhere. I have recently moved to Glasgow and started my induction for my first year at Glasgow Caledonian University. So, this is some pretty big stuff. and I have also got my timetable for the first half of this year and all I’m gonna say is there is probably going to be more absences. My timetable is so full on, I’m pretty much in uni 4 full days a week. It might not sound a lot to anyone but I can already feel the exhaustion of the next few months.

Anyone who has known me at all over the years knows this is the course I have wanted to study and the university I have wanted to study at for as long as I can remember. So this is a bit of a big deal for me. It’s weird having met everyone already now and getting along with my class so well, knowing we are going to be spending the next 4 years learning together most days.

I know it is early days, I am currently on day 3 of my induction, but I am excited to see what the next four years will bring. As much as I love my home and where I come from I am relieved in a sense to get away. I spent the past few months before I left absolutely hating life, working horrendous hours in jobs I hated and surrounded by the rumour-mill that comes along with living in a small town. So, a fresh start with new people and new opportunities is exactly what I need.

I will always love my home town because it’s where I grew up and have so many memories. I already know how much I am going to miss living with my mum and popping down to see my dad and gran in the afternoons whenever I please. I’m going to miss seeing my boyfriend and having him only be a 15 minute drive away instead of a 5 hour drive. Despite all that, I am so beyond ready to enjoy and embrace this new chapter in my life with open arms.

Sorry this post is short, but hopefully I will be able to update everyone with how I’m getting on and settling into Glasgow and return to some normal beauty posts shortly.

Siobhan x

July reflections & August Goals

Hi there everyone, welcome to a new month.

This is a weird August for me. The past few Augusts I was in school waiting on the dreaded letters from the SQA for exam results and it feels so relieving to not be dealing with that at all this year. I shouldn’t be too relieved as it is only another 5 weeks until I move away to university and then I have even more exams to deal with.

I have felt so, so drained this month – I think the constant working all day every day for the past few months has finally caught up on me and I feel ready to collapse all the time. I’m a waitress so I’m standing, running about on my feet for 10 hours every day and it is so beyond tiring. The tiredness I have been experiencing from work has affected my mood, obviously making it a lot worse than normal but I try to be as upbeat as I can.

Tiredness has also affected my productivity in terms of my goals. I failed more or less all my blogging goals. This is mainly because I don’t have enough free time at the minute to spend considerable amount of time working on my blog which is frustrating. I succeeded in a lot of small goals such as practising flat-lays, editing photos and budgeting my money better. I’m not too annoyed at myself for not completing my goals as I know how  busy and tired I am, and I really did try my best. There is no point in stressing about it right now because in just over a month I will have moved away and plan to spend plenty time working on my blog.

In last month’s post I also spent some time talking about cruelty free beauty and how I was making errors in my purchases. I have now given away all of my make up (except gifts and already opened/used products) to my mum and friends which feels good. I felt so incredibly guilty once I realised I had been buying and endorsing brands that test on animals. The most annoying thing about it was that I was making those purchases due to my own ignorance as the information is so easy to find. However, now I can look at all my make up with a clear conscience and be glad I am rid of my old make up.

A lot of my goals are going to be carried on from last month, so hopefully this month I will be working a little bit less and have some more time to focus on them.

Blogging Goals:

1. Reach 1,000 monthly page views.
2. Reach 200 blog followers.
3. Join more blogging chats on twitter.
4. Be more active on Facebook pages.
5. Continue to promote my blog more often.

Personal Goals:

1. Relax more – take baths, read books, use my colouring in book, meditate, yoga ect.
2. Eat healthier and eat my 5 a day every day.
3. Take more Polaroid photos.
4. Spend more time with my family before I move away.

Social Media Goals:

1. Schedule tweets.
2. Schedule Instagram posts.
3. Reach 900 followers on twitter.
4. 1,300 followers on Instagram.
5. 75 followers on Bloglovin.

So now you have heard the juicy info of how exciting my July was, I can’t wait for the end of being constantly exhausted. Here’s to a month of hopefully successfully meeting goals and investing more time into self care. I hope you all enjoyed reading this post and if you have any hints or tips about anything to help me meet my goals please let me know in the comments.

Siobhan x

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June Reflection & July Goals

Hi there everyone, you may or may not have noticed that last month I did not make a list of goals for June. This is mainly because I failed at competing everything I put on my list in my May Goals post. However, one month later I’m back and about 10000x more prepared and dedicated than I have been the past 4 weeks.

June has been a really lazy month for me in terms of blogging so this month’s goals are gonna be really blog focused. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I work two jobs which results in me working about 50 hours a week, so I’m obviously not lazy in that aspect. Work is so draining as I waitress in both of my jobs so I am tired more or less all the time. Although I’m tired, grumpy and have hardly any free time I am thinking of the positives of working so much. In two months I move away to Glasgow for university and will have a decent amount saved up to support me and I will have money leftover to do some travelling with my boyfriend next summer.

One thing I realised last month was that a considerable amount of my products are not cruelty free and that I have been supporting brands that test on animals. When I first started a vegan diet I threw away all my make up that was tested on animals and over the years I have become lazy and negligent in terms of researching make-up brands. However, this is going to stop. I am going to finish the products that I have already purchased and began using but I refuse to give anymore money to brands testing on animals. The reason this has all come about is because Nars have begun to sell in China which means they are no longer a cruelty free brand. I don’t own any Nars products but I had some in an online basket ready to purchase, but didn’t once I found out they are now selling in China.  So, no more laziness from me in terms of researching cosmetic brands so if any of you have any great cruelty free brands to suggest hit me up.

I mentioned that I failed most of the goals I set in May which is a bit embarrassing but this month I am determined to complete some. This is definitely gonna involve a lot more effort going into it on my part and setting some more realistic goals. I’m gonna be setting myself goals for every part of my life.

Blogging Goals: 

1. Reach 1,000 monthly page views.
2. Reach 200 followers.
3. Practise making good flatlays.
4. Practise editing my photos to look more professional.
5. Promote my blog more on social media platforms.
6. Write a list of all my potential blog post ideas.

Personal Goals:

1. Create a better work/life balance.
2. Limit the amount of money from my wages I am allowed to spend.
3. Do yoga at least 5 times this month.
4. Go to one exercise class per week.

Social/Social Media Goals:

1. Do more activities with Finley.
2. Spend more time with friends.
3. Take more photos with friends.
4. 900 followers on Twitter.
5. 1,300 on Instagram.
6. 50 followers on Bloglovin.

So there’s the summary of how “exciting” my June was, hopefully in July I will get up to some more fun things. I really, really hope this month I won’t totally flop at all my goals although I already feel like I’ve made some far too ambitious. Also, in these photos I am repping my new notebooks from Coconut Lane and I am IN LOVE. Anything to do with Blair Waldorf is amazing. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed reading this post. I would love to hear your thoughts on anything I’ve spoken about.

Siobhan x

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