Thursday 31 December 2015

What's your number one?

Yesterday I wrote about how consciously choosing no New Years resolution helped make 2015 a better year for me however I am not a cookie cutter thinker not writer, if you need a good ole New Years Reso to help get things in check start here. Priorities.

Priorities are possibly one of the most detested words in the English language because it has a negative connotation attached to it that somehow we haven't been doing what's most important however, that's more about society not individuals.

A priority is something we place with high importance, above other things based on our values and beliefs. It is therefore not always understood why individuals prioritise one thing over another, but it doesn't have to be understood- priorities are personal.

For 2016 if your making a New Years resolution I urge you to consider what your priorities are, reflect on them and decide whether or not you got it right in 2015. This is not to beat the crap out of yourself but simply to ensure you don't let other things fall off the bandwagon by focussing on something that may be temporarily important. Too many people focus on working out or getting that promotion that they forget about quality time with their partners. Life is always best when we have balance so think about how you will order your priorities and make time for things that matter most to you now. Make sure you leave downtime as a space within your newly scheduled year because running out of time and not allowing yourself time to rest is the quickest way to ensure you feel a sense of failure sooner than you are capable of. If you have 20 priorities have a rethink- are there really 20 super important things that you MUST do now?
 
Furthermore, think about the things that you can and cannot change. Many of us want to prioritise completing things 100% of the time at work (for example) but we forget that we are evaluating this priority in a vacuum. If your workplace simply mounds and mounds work and doesn't leave time to actually get things completely done you aren't going to achieve that priority so change your target. It might feel like your doing the wrong thing but honestly you can't work to get 100 things done at once everyday at an outstanding level. If you try you'll end up with a nervous breakdown or sick 3 weeks into the new year. Be realistic. The same goes for your fitness goals. Don't slam yourself at the gym 7 days a week if you have no life other than work and gym, because it isn't going to make you happy even when you have that body you want. Again, be realistic.
 
Most importantly though if you are setting a New Year's Resolution think about how you want to feel and the end of the year. New Years resolution or not (see yesterday's post), you want to be able to reflect on a year gone by that was successful from the get go, that showed the change you wanted to achieve and how you maintained the other things in your life that are important to you.
 
New Year's Resolutions are mocked all the time, let's face it but there is no reason why you cannot achieve what you want to, it's all up to your mindset. If you want to achieve it you can. So go ahead, make one and come back and write to me how you are achieving it in 2016, I'd love to hear from you!
 
Till next time...
 
Jules

Why 21-Day Fix Is The Perfect New Habit - Shakeology Questions? www.beachbodycoach.com/teeaudyjo:

Wednesday 30 December 2015

WARNING: explicit motivational material with expletives.

One does not need to make a New Year's resolution. - When one is already this fucking awesome.:
 
 
You're in shock right? It is true I am definitely not the usual 'f bomber' especially online but it is that time of year when everyone cuts to the chase, gets philosophical and pours their heart out, filling our news feeds with momentary gratitude and Everest-like motivation. Now is the easiest time to switch off and hide all the mushiness of the season from our timelines but before you do I urge you to read this.

2015 was a different year for me. It began when I didn't make a New Years resolution. Instead I consciously decided to continue doing what I knew brought me happiness- achieve success, chase goals and enjoy every moment. This non-resolution made my year the most complete yet.

It started in January when I said goodbye to some friends I had made across a host of nations as I bid farewell to the Topdeck heroes of my Winter Getaway tour. I had a couple of days rest and randomly decided to pick a bucket list country and 'just go'. It was blissful. I ended up in a 4.5star hotel in Brussels overlooking the main square of the city, a chocolate parlour, waffles and diamonds on my doorstep. Six days later after further letting go, more than I ever had, I left London with so many positive memories and a superb start to my year. When I returned home I realised that as much as I loved being near my family I had outgrown my current life. So I did what I've never done before nor what I planned, I hedged bets and 12weeks later moved to London again. Thinking about that now makes me smile so much because I know how much gumption it took and how happy it made me feel. The turn around from a 6week eurotrip to living abroad was so short but I did it. I made a promise to myself that I would keep making decisions for my own happiness.

I continued to make decisions like these this year. It certainly wasn't the easiest year living in London. But because I focused on the positives and decided to cut out anything that didn't serve my happiness I got through the year happy. 99% of people I'm very close with will not know what my year entailed nor am I willing to share it but I am pleased to say through everything I managed to find peace and an unimaginable strength within myself. Apparently how I feel is shown on the outside because people on the street stop me to say 'wow you are a really happy person'. The funny thing is most of those people would probably assume my life is easy but in fact it's conquering the hardships that make me happiest.

Each year life asks the silent question of us, what did you do this year? I want to ask you, were you happy this year? You have the power to change it all. You can only rely on yourself for happiness, at the end of 2016 will you be proud of what you have become in a year or will you have wanted to be more?

Forgive people, be humble and allow yourself to find a positive in the most painful of memories and you will have nothing more to ask of yourself when the question beckons. You will be even more complete than you have before.

Enjoy your time before New Year's Day my lovelies, till next time...
 
 
Fenny Trending Photos : theBERRY:
Sorry about the language but sometimes we just need to cut to the chase & please ourselves. Be happy.

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude:


2015...a special Christmas

 
Three years ago on Christmas Eve I said goodbye to my family and flew to London to live. It was a 27 hour flight I had never taken before & a new kind of lifestyle ahead and with no family connections.

To make my journey smoother my lovely mother and sister gifted me with little flight care packages. My mum 27 scratch and win tickets, one for each hour of flying and my sister 27 little presents just to keep me in the Christmas spirit. It was so entertaining that during the time spent circling above Heathrow on Christmas morning I had to rush to finish scratching and unwrapping the presents! (Mum and Dad always told us to appreciate our Christmas moments).
 
This year's Christmas tree :)
At 7am on Christmas Day I landed in London, presents in hand, excitement in heart and a huge amount of family love with me despite being hemispheres apart. To handle the jetlag as best as possible I walked from my apartment in Notting Hill to Kensington Gardens where I sat surrounded by vivacious squirrels and heard the excitement of British children running to the Princess Diana Memorial play park shouting 'Can we play yet Daddy?!' It instantly reminded me of home; children playing on Christmas day surrounded by family.
 
This year I was again away from home, in London, except this year is a super special year. I now know part of my English family I have never met, I have my old friends from years gone by and some brilliant new ones. But most of all I have  the same gifts (I purposely re bought them for myself) my family once gave me all three years ago when I first took the leap of faith and jumped ship, so it feels like they were right here with me. Every time I put my Mor Belladonna hand cream on I'm reminded of the flight instantly and how distance will never separate how close I am to my family. I guess until recently, when I started missing them again and for the first time in a while put on my hand  cream again did I realise that scent was a beautiful way to remember the true gift I have for Christmas and every day. To make things more special this Christmas my mother sent baubles all the way from Australia with each of my family member's names on them so I could decorate my tree. My friends and I joined together on Christmas day, sharing secret Santa gifts, laughing and bringing together a Christmas dinner pulled together by everyone playing their part. It was my version of the play park with family, my London family and it made this Christmas so very special.
 
Special baubles from my lovely mother delivered from Aus
 
My London 'family' for Christmas this year- a bunch of travelling orphans...and a whole lot of fun!
 
To all my readers, I trust you enjoyed your Christmas. I hope you cherish the old and the new, recognize the real gifts of Christmas and find a way to keep them in your heart, not just on Christmas but all year long.

Julia