Chapters.

Hello there lovelies!

So, lately things got a little bit wild in my little life and my blog posts were to say the least- pretty sad. After a very busy year I had a lot of time to myself this summer to consider life and to slow down and process things. This year was one that has definitely changed me forever, and I don't think I will ever be the same again. The people I've met, the experiences I've had, have all shaped me. This year I found out so much more about what it is to be me. I am comfortable with me, I am not ashamed of my likes and dislikes, and I let people take me as I am- and in that way this year has been one of the best years of my life. It's been a crazy roller-coaster but in complete and total honesty I would not change it for the world.

I deleted a post that I wrote earlier this week, because in essence it was a conversation that I should have had with my best friend. It was a post for her and a little for me to get myself together and process. I deleted the post because I didn't need it any more. And because now I'm closing that chapter.

So this is it, this blog post marks the closing of an old chapter and the starting of a new one. 

And I think this little mantra stolen from Tumblr was a good way to kick off this new beginning.

I've been thinking a lot about new beginnings lately. I recently moved house, so that's a new start in itself. I am starting a new school year, and many other new adventures. It's crazy to comprehend that you can change your life any time you want to these days. You could completely change your routine- you could buy an one way ticket somewhere, stop eating meat, dress exclusively in blue, start belly dancing, write a book, make a new friend, see a new place- we sit there in our comfort zone and our little box what is normal and routine, when if you look at your life, you don't actually have to.

We can change our lives right this second if we really wanted to.

We don't have to wait for a date or time too.

This second, this moment right here could the the instant you decide to change your life. You don't have to wait for a new year, a new week- your life doesn't start on a Monday morning at 6.30am. If you wanted to change your life at half past one on a Sunday afternoon, or 3am on a Tuesday morning you can do that. I mean, really think about the things that are holding you back- are they really restricting you as much as you think? Or in actuality- those walls and boundaries and restrictions in your hear, are you building them up yourself?

So here we go: this is a new start right here. And here's what that new start entails:

• This blog will only have positive posts on it, and I'm not sorry at all. People underestimate how powerful spreading love and happiness and positive energy is, you can change someone's whole day if they read something that's going to encourage them and make them smile and give them a little push.
• Kick ass every day in one way or another.
• Wake up and achieve at least 3 goals every day.
• No leaving the hard stuff till last.
• Eliminate all negativity in your daily routine- if that's a bitching session with your friends that leaves you angry at the world, change it up- make the outcome of that conversation positive. By all means vent, but make sure that it leads somewhere, make sure you can move forward from it, trust me it makes you feel so much better.
• Keep your friends and family close, do not push the ones you love away- they will keep you stable, they will keep you grounded, and somewhat help with your sanity.
• Be honest always, if someone asks you something important, personal- be real with them. Being real is the most important thing in my life, and I gravitate towards people who are comfortable and real about themselves. I like honest people, I like up front people, people who don't talk shit or lie, and those are the kinds of people I aspire to be.

So here it is. My new start, my plan to seize the day and make a change- because you are the only person who can change your life to be what you want.

Peace and love and all that corny stuff.

Have a great day lovelies xxx

Happiness Is a Choice

Okay, firstly I'm gonna start by saying that this post does not apply to people who have depression. For some people being happy really is a struggle, and depression is not just a state of mind but also can be a mental illness. Now and then some people do just mope around and feel a little sorry for themselves- but someone who has depression is not just someone you can pull out of their house to go see a cheesy movie, eat some sugary foods and cheer up in a couple of hours. Sometimes it's a struggle, and people need help and support and time and medical care, and that is something fundamental we all need to understand and appreciate in this day and age.

BUT

Then there are those of us who do not suffer from any such illness.
Lately in life there's been a lot of confusion, a lot of fighting and a lot of negativity around. It's easy for every little things to start building up, and suddenly without you realizing you have a mountain of problems. Things in your house stop working, random expenses, fighting with your friends, self confidence issues- it's something that everyone goes through.
Lately all those little things have been really overwhelming, and negative thoughts have been consuming every part of my day and making it really hard to focus and appreciate things in daily life that would usually make me smile. It weighs me down and makes me feel worse and worse, to the point I'm so frustrated I want to just stay in bed, not deal with my problems, or cry or just blame someone else... we all do it.

But today I came to the realization that happiness is a choice.
How? Well, the honest and cheesy answer is 80's movies. Truth. One morning last weekend after a mountain of homework and feeling tired, and fat, and ugly and upset about my workload from school, and worried about relationships with friends, and worries I was boring my boyfriend and pissing off my family- I found a movie: Steel Magnolias.
I watched that movie for the first time since I was 13 and cried, as always, like a baby at the end. (If you watch that movie and you're not an emotional wreck by the end of that movie, you must have nerves of steel.) People often get caught up in their lives, their little problems and cliques and families and friends- and the baggage and issues that come with it. Steel Magnolias puts things into perspective for me, I know it's old and cheesy and cute, and I am fully aware it's fictional- but watching it through by yourself on a Sunday where everything feels blue, it all feels very real- and it makes quite the impact.
I recommend that every person should watch that movie at least once in their lives, and to let themselves cry and think about it and feel for the characters- it's good for human beings to feel something sometimes. Julia Roberts, Sally Field and Dolly Parton are perfection in the movie- and if you like a good 80s movie, it's perfection.

The main thing abut happiness that I took away from the movie?
Life's too short. It's an overused and cliche line, but it's the truest thing I ever heard. Life is too short to obsess over the little things. It's too damn short to flip through those glossy magazines looking at women who spend 50% of their time with their personal trainers, 20% with their stylists and 10% with their fabulous husbands and 20% at red carpet events and photo shoots. There is MORE TO LIFE THAN BEING A SIZE 2. And you as a person deserve to live a little.
There is also more to life than obsessing over that one little thing your friend said to you that bothered you so much. You cannot waste time just hurting and feeling sorry for yourself when you could be sorting it out, talking to your friend and fixing what's broken.
It's too short to worry and over think every decision you make in your life. Some people in life will live life, others will just worry their way through it.

Be happy!
Love your family, care about your friends, be crazy and weird, wear those too bright shoes, but do it all and look out on things positively. Positivity changes your whole life, your whole outlook.
It'll reduce your wrinkles, make your skin better, help you live longer- it is your choice to seize the day, love life, do something that you love!

You can just sit there and mope around and be sad and depressed- okay sometimes we need that, self pity and high calorie foods and crying. But after a while, you need to pick yourself up, wash your face, have a shower, sing a song really loud, and go do something with your day! You are the only person who can choose to be happy, because that's what happiness is- a choice. So choose it.