New Year, New Goals, New Website

Hi All,

I have made some changes to A Written Revolution. I have decided to expand the business which means a shift to a new and improved website, new services and the cessation of my blogging on this page. My apologies that it has taken this long to inform you, I have been working tirelessly for quite some time to make it happen. I thank you for following me since I began this blog back in 2012, it has been an excellent journey full of learning. I have appreciated every single one of you for following, commenting, emailing and connecting via this blog, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and email. To demonstrate my gratitude I am offering a 20% discount to my loyal supporters who have followed me since the beginning. You can apply this discount to any of the services on my new website, you simply need to go to the new page (listed below) chose a service, email me on julia.k.trask@gmail.com and I will deliver a personalised quote to your inbox with the service rendered. This offer is valid till midnight December 31 GMT 2016. You do not need to use the service by then but you do need to book it in.

I hope you continue to follow me as I take this next step in my writing career. Thank you again for your support. Here are the links to continue to follow me. It's worthwhile noting that in a few days time I will be releasing a freebie email course for those who want to know how to kickstart their business. It is based on my four years of learning on here and also the past 6 months when I turned to full time writer and business owner of my own company. I look forward to connecting soon. Enjoy the lead up to Christmas.

See you soon,

Julia

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The latest

Hello lovely people its October! How crazy is that! Reality hit yesterday when I noticed that I have been in London for just over 18 months! I am an old hat now! Its been a busy time in London since I returned from the United States.

I have moved to Surrey. Everything is travelling nicely although I'm still waiting for Jude Law to drunkenly turn up at my door for a beverage. Surrey is absolutely beautiful, its close enough to London but it has no hustle and bustle and the streets are seriously beautiful. I'm living with a Kiwi teacher so its like ANZAC day everyday. I always thought as an Aussie in London sharing a flat with a fellow Aussie or Kiwi (Aussie wanabe) would be the wrong way to experience London and the UK but actually I was wrong. Its freaking amazing. I've always known how relaxed and fun loving Australians and New Zealanders are but I thought living with Aussies abroad was moving my country overseas and hence why I never purposely went looking for it. You know what, I don't care anymore. In the couple of weeks I have never laughed so much nor been so relaxed. When I get home I am home. No eggshells. It is an amazing feeling.

The experience has reminded me of what home really is. You always read quotes about home being about people not places and you know what that's exactly it. As a 30 year old (oh I just said that out loud!) I've been beyond sharing with randoms for about four years now but I gave up on the luxury for the beauty of travel. It drove me damn crazy at times and drained my bank account when I'd rather stay out then go home but now I share with someone I know and who understands all my stupid jokes because well....culture.

I am very grateful for my new roomie. I thought I may be entering another house that had virtual roomie contracts that rivalled Sheldon Cooper's so I feel blessed it's a far cry from it. I cook half of the week, we exercise each day together and we happily tell each other 'space needed' if me time is necessary. Coming home at the end of the day knowing dinner is going to be cooked is what I imagine being married to a lovely man is like. Bliss. My roomie knows I appreciate her and vice versa. No faff. No problems.

This relaxed environment has meant my long days and achieving goals has been possible. This month I've rolled out A Musing A Day. So far its been effective, there are followers on Instagram who are enjoying the quotes. I'm still looking forward to seeing what others create. Share with me!

I have been developing some exciting new products for you that I can't wait to share. These will support writers, children and parents to build the love of literature further. As always I have been committing to my healthy lifestyle which helps make kicking goals easier. I'm pleased to say Lisa Gray from Melbourne, Australia has begun her training with Stevie Compagno for a month and I'm sure she'll be seeing excellent results soon and making positive progress in all aspects of her life. The past month I have started taking on personal training clients myself, training clients in London and helping them to achieve self confidence, gain and maintain their health. It's such a positive connection to make with others. It's great to hear women building confidence, losing their excuses and developing finite goals. I think my clients feel as though they gain the most but talking goals and working hard frequently simply allows me to be more focussed and strong willed so I am utterly grateful for them.

The next week or so I will continue to create. I look forward to unveiling everything on offer for you, it is exciting times. In the meantime I hope you enjoy following on with A Musing a Day on Facebook and Instagram, sharing your posts. I have posted a video on the facebook page on Self Confidence so take a look, share any comments you would like. Whatever the remainder of your week brings I encourage you to have an open mind, like my moving experience you may find it is one of the best things that happens to you.

Summer lovin'

Summer has finally come to London! The legs are out and the layers are off so there's no time better than now to celebrate the best things of summer.

1. Work no longer feels like it solely consumes your life. You wake up to light and there's hours of light beyond working hours so you can enjoy life to its fullest.

2. People are happier. Enough said.

3. No more layers! After months of carrying jackets and scarves merely to take them off inside you can now wear your flip flops (I really want to say thongs!), leave the jumper at home and throw on your sunnies.

4. The weather is glorious! There is nothing like summer in the northern hemisphere. London is particularly beautiful- flowers are blooming, the Royal Parks are stunning and the most amount of fun, park fun, is free!

5. Everyone's keen to socialise and there's a huge array of events to sink your teeth into. Your calendar ends up booked to the brim with fun!

6. You can exercise without freezing your toosh off and you have more time or at least that's what your brain think that's to those rays of sunshine.

7. Flowers. They are in bloom and can be smelt from afar, easily brightening anyone's day.

8. Icecream. Need I say more.

9. Swimming! You can now dorn your togs (swimsuit, yes I am from Queensland) and loll about in the ocean, swimming pool or take lovely trips to the beach. My favourite UK spots are Cornwall and Broadstairs. In Australia you can't skip Rainbow Beach, Lennox Heads and Byron Bay.

10. It's pamper season. Therefore it's perfectly acceptable to get a pedicure, manicure, every wax under the sun, a new haircut, new clothing and feel fresh. After all it's not just about pampering your protecting your fellow Londoners from seeing your manky feet right? That's what you'll tell your budget anyway! Lap it up until your winter boots steal your pedi prowess.

There you have it only 10 of the best parts of Summer. It is a truly magnificent season; it's a major reason why I love London because right now is when London comes alive in all its glory. Enjoy it lovelies! As an Australian I am going to soak up every second of it, make sure you do! Winter will come soon enough so make the most of every blissful second!

Till next time...

I don't get it! WARNING: graphic images

May 24 2016, it's 101 years since the Second World War ended and we thankfully ended a regime that had horrific consequences on 6 million people, it's also though a year where some of the most powerful politicians  stand happily blind to rape, murder and torture in West Papua. I don't understand. So I am writing this asking those politicians to educate me, as an example of the people you serve, why do you think this is right? 

In 1969 the United Nations agreed that West Papua should either remain part of Indonesia or become an independent nation as part of 'An Act of Free Choice' only to have Indonesians infiltrate and coerce the ruling against the elders and unjustly deny the Papuans the right to their free choice. Now, 37 years later the Papuans haven't just lost their choice they've lost their entire right to human life at the hands of the Indonesians. So United Nations where are you now? Where are the leaders of these countries as women and children are raped, as the entire race is tortured in front of their peers? As individuals speak out for their right to be free and are jailed and murdered for doing so? Or is it too easy for you to sit in your comfortable homes, living your comfortable lives and think 'that's not my concern?'

As a University educated woman I fail to understand how politicians or any human being can sit by while this happens. As an Australian I've never been more disgraced that we have valued our Indonesian counterparts more, holding them to a greater esteem while they commit genocide- an act Hitler himself was outlawed for worldwide. I now fully understand how our Indigenous elders feel, watching in my lifetime, an atrocity unfold and our leaders failing to care. What's wrong with you? Or is it not real to you because it's not your family, your culture? 

Everyday my well educated mind fails to grapple with the failings of human kind around this issue. The greatest sadness is that I see in the most blatant of ways that some people (I can't say all because UK leaders, Australian Green Party leaders for example do) simply do not care about human life. What I'm struggling with is the fact that I have to somehow vote for those people. How? When did you forget, UN and politicians worldwide that you work for us? Furthermore how can the United Nations exist, determined for peace, when in 2016 they accept and allow genocide to continue. Educate yourselves, collaborate, be adults and stop this God awful abhorrent behaviour from happening instead of silently saying it's ok. It's not. 

Julia

Something worth celebrating

 1 year living abroad. I have officially had 2 Easters, 2 summers, 2 springs and a looong winter since arriving here on April 8 last year. As I write beginning my second year in London living I look back on all that has been to share with you my realities and wildest adventures since it all began.

Landing on 'motherland' soil with a job in hand was a first for me last year. In 2012 I arrived in London and hit the contractors' circuit taking work day by day, loving my 3 day weekend. 2015's job start was refreshingly secure. I got to know colleagues, was invited to my first staff yoga session and could legitimately have work drinks with friends without feeling like a fraud. I enjoyed theatre productions, European getaways to Croatia and the Greek Islands and a fair few of the finer things in life.

I was lucky enough to make some superb friends in my first 3 weeks in London when I joined the social networking group ThinkingBob. The 6 or so people I spoke to most closely on this first night were to become my closest friends in London, one of the greatest things that has happened this past year. However the year wasn't as peachy and perfect as my Facebook status' and Instagram posts may have suggested. My friends and family abroad who kept messaging me wishing for my 'dream lifestyle' didn't see that everyday life still has long commutes, disputes, unpleasant encounters and the mundane everyday tasks that follow you irrespective of where you live. So in true expat fashion I decided to capitalise on the take away lessons and that's where the real adventures began. For those pining for a life they seemingly feel they can't achieve, read how to make my 'dream life' a reality for you too. 

1. Look up. Embrace life, enjoy your surroundings, be mindful of it. Travelling will teach you that your current scenery is completely unique and deserves your attention. You will crave it once you've left it.

                           

2. Life is about fun. Explore, have adventures, try something new, change your routine, meet new people anyway you can and get out of your comfort zone. Life is best when you are uncomfortable enough to see where it takes you.

3. Make choices to be happy. If your not happy change something. It is never the end of the world if a choice ends up being a mistake; life always leads us where we are meant to be. So think about your happiness, have faith and hold on for goodness to manifest itself.

4. Something's don't matter. Don't fuss. Fuss is the root of all time wastage. Don't fuss over anything that you'll forget about tomorrow. Some cultures teach you that it's completely necessary to quit the crap and get on with it. As much as I love London, fuss has to be my pet hate and London and the UK love breeding fuss. Life is already full of hurdles, don't make any unnecessary ones for yourself.

5. Save, get in debt and save.
Life is not perfect, saving consistently will teach you who you are but funnily enough debt will teach you more. Be sensible about it but don't fear it. Master the ability to use credit to your advantage, don't let it rule you. Enjoy life. Live it. Appreciate what you have when you do have pennies. After all we only truly appreciate what we have until it's gone.

6. Do something completely on your own. Last year I attended an art exhibition for Nic Joly, met him and a screenwriter. I made an acquaintance with the lady who runs specialist exhibitions and now she recognises me whenever I walk into her gallery which is the loveliest feeling. I still recall though how I felt before I left for the exhibition solo, my palms sweaty, anxiously playing with anything I could get my hands on and trying as hard as possible not to do sideways glances of 'yes I'm here with no one'. That night I met about 10 different people from various walks of life and I learnt that the privledged don't necessarily look down on average Joe's like me. I also found a great confidence in myself for hanging out with unknown people for a couple of hours on my own instead of the 20minutes I thought I'd last.

 

7. Once in a while don't listen to your gut. Most of the time our instincts and our gut align beautifully but sometimes our gut communicates anxieties or 'realities' that actually don't exist. So once in a while put your 'feelings' away and try something that feels different or 'off'. Granted I've only done it twice but both times it paid off.

8. Be a tourist in your own town. Don't stop exploring because you are used to everyday tasks, find something new to explore. Which leads me to my next point...

9. Embrace the tourists. For those of us that live in places frequented by a mass amount of tourists it can become easy to be that cranky Londoner (for example) who avoids all tourist areas. Why be so bitter? Tourists can teach us a lot and help us to reconnect with the things we love, or show us the things we overlook. We shouldn't avoid them. So put your happy pants on and embrace the crowds, selfie sticks, funny poses and iconic landmarks.

10. Revel in the opportunity to create a challenge for yourself. As most people do working contracts or supply work, I have learnt time and time again that working your toosh off to have unpaid holidays (especially when your not paid for all the hours you work already) really bites. But you can mope about and whinge or you can adopt a challenge mentality. How many free things can you do? Why not take a friend out when that's all over and do a blind window shop, where you pick outfits for your friend and they for you. You have no choice but to try the items on, when your done you're guaranteed to gain some laughs and possibly ideas for a new wardrobe because you got out of your head for a minute. It works trust me! Or when you have £10 for a week challenge yourself to find the most amount of prepared meals you can make for yourself that stretch beyond the week. The best part about this is I guarantee you'll carry these lifeskills with you and soon you'll see the most expensive city in the world can still be magnificently enjoyed for next to nothing.

11. Just go. Quite possibly my favourite life mantra. Several times over the past year I have packed my camera, a scarf, lipgloss travelled to Waterloo station to pick a random destination off the board I've never been to, to just go! The feeling is fabulous. I've been to some places that weren't on my high list of priorities and I have had a few funny incidences whereby trains were held up by landslides or diverted but for the most part it is seamless, chilled out fun. The best part is, I never know where I'm headed until I open my eyes and look where my finger is pointing. Truly liberating.

12. Be happy, be cranky but be real. Wherever you are this is the most important thing of all. Feel how you feel on purpose. If there is no need and your deflecting emotions you haven't dealt with sort your issues out. There are so many people that walk around with their emotional backpacks on yet are the first to attack anyone who is dealing with their emotions publicly. Be real. You are not fooling anyone anyway and you'll feel better.

When I did all of these things and focused on maintaining the positive rage I had some amazing experiences.
-I was headhunted for my writing
-I made the best friends I've ever had
-I met famous people
-I ended up travelling 21 countries
-I developed my confidence in various aspects of my life
-I grew my creativity
-I lost weight unintentionally
-I developed superwoman like mental strength and a clarity about what I want.
-Most importantly I knew that comparing my reality to others would rob my ability to be grateful for what I have.

As one of my close friends Sof says, 'we live in one of the most amazing cities in the world and many of us just walk by as if it just is a city and nothing more'. London is an amazing city full of opportunity, history teaming with events and new ideas it is extremely different to my island home in Queensland that I left. But to compare the city with waking up and being able to walk to the beach, being warm every day of the year, having amazing scenery all around me would only keep me thinking that the grass is greener on the other side and it's not. It's merely different. Both are beautiful in their realities but they aren't able to be compared they must simply be enjoyed for what they are.


To all of those Londoners, Aussies and average Joe's all over the world who look at and idolise someone else's life I implore you to idolise your own. Till next time...

Jules

Running vs fighting

Are you flighty or fighty? When I moved to London a year ago I flew away from all I knew for a chance to be recognised in a career that showed me dead ends. Now I have a career that fulfills my need to be valued for who I am and what I do, but it didn't come without a fight. So what's the benefits of harnessing your fight and flight responses to life? Read on.


As a young adult adamant on pursuing my goals in every aspect of my life I was always determined to find more, ask for more, demand more. So naturally when my career landed me with two realities 'you're not a man and we want one in a position of authority' and 'you're not experienced enough, you're too young, what can someone so new bring to the profession' hit my pursuance of excellence like a brick wall, I was left dumb founded. With itchy feet I plodded off to work each day still passionate about effecting change knowing that while the brick wall existed my passion would slowly die. So it was no surprise when I'd done my time and gained 'that level of experience' I flew away from the cage with great speed. In fact this flight lead me to moving to London in 2012.


Later on though life would dish up a few hurdles I could choose to either accept or reject and I knew my reaction to these would shape my future though I attacked life just the same. Achieving goals were number one, always. So naturally when I decided that making decisions based on financial comfortability and stability was a sure way to secure unhappiness I enlisted my flight response again in the pursuit of happiness and I gained it. With little money to my name I jumped on the freelance circuit. While it wasn't stress free it did make me ridiculously happy. Some people might attribute this to a flexible lifestyle however I know that prioritising happiness is what made the difference. It also allowed me to fight for what I wanted while I worked. It is in this fight where the true happiness began.


When I first took my latest job, working with those who can't read and write, I was stoked. It had taken all of about 6 months to find but I'd located somewhere that seemingly fit with me more than I thought it ever could. I started kicking goals but I still had to choose to fight to stay or decide to fly away and experience a new venture. Why am I sharing this? In this process I realised something greater than I'd ever had.


Life had landed me opportunities I could fly from or fight for but it also provided opportunities where I had no choice but to fight. 'Being stuck' as some may view it has been a great blessing. 'Stuck' teaches you more than flying ever does. Stuck helped build my resilience, grew my determination and finitely defined what I wanted in life. Now, I'm not a lady with regrets and I'm not suggesting those that choose flying over fighting should be regretful, but I challenge you to ask yourself, what can I gain by fighting instead of flying?


Life throws some serious curve balls and in the midst of it all it is easy to run, throw our hands in the air and admit defeat but its also those curve balls that give us some of the greatest gifts. At times we can get so stuck going with what we are used to, pushing and pulling life in the path we think is right for us but if we fly and fight and pay attention to what we learn from it we can recognise our best self emerging. After all life is always about the journey because the destination in the end is the same.


Till next time... Jules

Say what you want to say!

Lately there is a post going viral around Facebook about the children who have special needs and don't get invited to birthday parties. The forgotten ones. This mass following of social media 'literature' makes me weep because I couldn't think of anything more impersonal than a lonely, special needs, forgotten child being passed off for a stock standard message that requires no effort besides copy and paste.


 Even in our most vulnerable of times when we know someone is feeling terrible the best we can do is be bare enough to show we agree with a person's message? The sad thing is literature has always been better than that. Literature was always an outflowing of emotions inked on a page. Why have we lost the ability to honestly care and show it through our own scripted words?


It is true, 21st century sees a mass onslaught of technology and a considerable backseat to book and old school literature but the medium should not, must not, change the art.


Its not the first time I have thought about this. A passionate, outspoken person on the issues of domestic violence and suicide I try to do the best I can to use literature to shed light on the dark situations that are life's realities. People might read but they don't want to talk about, share it, let alone post their own emotions about a topic. Its a gut wrenching reality to realise that people are either too PC or simply don't care about each other enough to state their own personalised message.


Those special needs children, yes they are forgotten, uninvited but they are more forgotten and criticized by the adult majority not children. Children might be worried about peer acceptance or don't fully understand how others are different but the reality is adults do. What's more its kids breaking down the superficial barriers not adults.


Those people who commit suicide, its highly likely you would never have a clue they are even thinking of it. They could be the happiest person you ever know but the point is they don't want you to know what there problems are because they don't want to burden you. So they'll showcase a face to ensure that yours isn't turned upside down until they no longer can. Yet on 'are you ok day' people can't be bothered to recognise that its their everyday actions that lead to isolating others and it takes a far mire concerted effort than one honest check in a year.


That mother who appears to have it all together, she's broken inside worrying what's going on with her kid, whether she's doing anything right and hating that she'll be judged anyway.


The person with a mental health condition is the silent ghost in the room who has perfected being silent because society isn't comfortable dealing with someone who might have odd, off the cuff moments.


The domestic violence victims live in fear each day that the horrors of the past will relive themselves. That their dreams will be taken over by nightmarish taunts.


The brave person who's constantly calm and getting on with things, whom everyone thinks has it all together  just wants people to stop thinking their perfect and go a little crazy.


The homosexuals want people to understand  that dealing with who they are at times is as difficult as stubborn people dealing with the fact that gay people exist of no fault if their own. But they love who they are and life just the same as everyone else.


The writers...they just want people to show real emotion in a century whereby a mass message is meant to comfort a group of mass sufferers and outcasts.


Put your heart on your sleeve people. Be vulnerable, pick up your pen, press some keys and actually say how YOU feel. Whether you're the next best writer or not doesn't matter what matters is that you do it.