You've just got to keep stretching!

Exams are over, my lovelies, which means I'm back. First of all, I hope any of you who had exams put in your  all. No matter what the result is when it comes out, I hope you can be proud of that fact you gave it your best attempt. Even if it's not as great as your friends, if you tried, it's an achievement. Good luck. Let me know how you think it went if you like.

Picture of the day! It's right, you know. Tomorrow is a whole, brand new day. Nothing has happened yet which isn't a part of today. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, whether your day has just started or if it's coming to an end, tomorrow holds a whole new set of chances, opportunities and successes and they're all within your reach. If you've had a bad day today, don't be put off by it. Sometimes life can surprise you and throw you a rainbow in among all that heavy rain and thunder. And you know how beautiful rainbows are, right? It's a day in which no grudges need to be held and you don't need to dwell on anything. Let go of yesterday and today, let loose, have a good day. Never stop believing tomorrow can be amazing.

If tomorrow just so happens to be slightly grey and the clouds are hanging a bit too low and heavy for your liking, don't worry! After that is another tomorrow, a whole new chance to start again, a whole new day with the chance to be fantastic. Never lose hope. It's always there, just keep reaching for it. If it's just too slightly far away, remember that every new day of stretching to reach it will bring you closer.

Stay strong, keep smiling. <3

Good luck.

This is just a quick post to inform you that blogs may be limited for the next week or so! I have exams starting on Tuesday so I have a lot of revision and stress ahead of me.

For all you lovely people out there who are in a similar situation to me - good luck with your exams! Do your best, it's all anyone can ask of you. If it gets tough, remind yourself that you're strong and you can do it. I believe in you, so believe in yourself. You really can do this.

Until next time!

I am what I live to be.

I'm in the process of writing a story. It's actually something I've only just begun writing, but for once I'm really quite proud of how it's turning out. There are parts of it so relevant to the way I see things and it's nice to be able to write from my own perspective. Somehow what I create seems more natural and fluent. So, I thought I'd share one paragraph of it with you. I identify with this because I've been writing for a long time. Granted, I'd in no way say I'm the best. But I believe I have some extent of skill when it comes to my way with words. Some days are better than others, but this paragraph turned out well. I hope you enjoy it.

"Don’t let me convince you not to do what you’re doing, though. I write because I am a writer. I find pleasure in creating alternate realities and watching creations of my own fall in love, and in some cases, be heart broken. My place on this planet is to do what I do. If you are a singer, by all means, sing and if you are a doctor, then I see no problem in allowing you to heal. I am not here to judge your ambitions, I’m simply explaining how I see reality and how it compares to the fiction I create. See, there is a direct correspondence between my existence and what I make exist. Conversations I am in quickly become the basis for a brand new masterpiece. People I meet are efficiently morphed into similar and yet unreal characters, destined to become a part of myself in ways they could never imagine. And so I live as a writer. I see it not as a job, but as a definition of myself. I am what I live to be, and so, I am a writer."

The reason I wanted to share this particular part of my writing with you, is that I truly believe that everyone has a reason to be on this planet. Some people find seeing that reason a lot harder than others, but I completely believe there is one. I feel that it doesn't matter what the reason is as long as you're happy, healthy and safe. And so I wrote this, from the perspective of an elderly woman who has dedicated her life to developing her skill at the thing she loves the most - writing. 

And so I have a proposal. A suggestion if you like. You do what you're good at. If not, do what you love. Develop your talents into something practical and pursue your dreams. It is possible. If you live something, be something.

And take care. <3  

There's beauty in the strangest of places.

"Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day."

I don't know about you, but I know that sometimes I have days where I just don't feel happy. You know the kind where everything imaginable that could go wrong, does go wrong? I think it's something we all get occasionally, and it's unfortunate. To be honest, it can really get you down. In a way, when this happens to me, I begin to expect everything else to go wrong that day as well, even if the possibility of it going well is high. The pessimism isn't fun to live with and I feel, personally, that an optimistic outlook on life can be a really great way to keep yourself positive even in days where things seem to be going terribly!

The quote above is something I was once told, and since then its something I make an effort to remember. I don't like feeling gloomy, especially when there are people around me who want me to be happy. I don't think pretending to smile is a great way to please them, so I make an effort to find things in my surroundings that bring a little bit of a glow to the day when darkness seems to be the main theme. Now, I understand fully how hard this might be, especially to begin with. But honestly, it's not that difficult once you think outside the box a bit. I mean, look around you now. Where are you sat? Your bedroom? The living room? Who's around you? Are you grateful for them? Let yourself be reminded of how lucky you are to have them. Not everyone does! Are you on your own? Is it a good thing that you have the space to be with yourself? Sometimes quality time with oneself is long needed! What's beside you? Your favourite book perhaps? Does it make you happy to read and get lost in your imagination and the land of words and mental images of placed you can only but dream of? Take a look in the mirror. How does your hair look today? I bet it looks fantastic. Admire it for a second. Remind yourself that you look good today. Now look out of your window. How's the weather looking today? Is the sun out? Is it cloudy? How do the colours of the leaves make you feel?

You'd be surprised at how much just simply looking can open your eyes to the wonders of the world. Things we take for granted and see every day can be the making of a new turn for our mood. It seems like such a stupid thing to spend your time doing, just watching, but not only can it let you see beauty in what we consider usual, but it can be so relaxing. Let yourself unwind for a bit. Cheer yourself up. Look for beauty in what we take advantage of. You live in this world, after all, so let it make you happy. There's beauty in the strangest of places.

Take a couple of minutes to feel good - you deserve it!

My best friend has given me the idea of today's blog. I discovered this a while back, and more recently I discovered something similar. If anyone has ever heard of 'the quiet place project' and 'the thought room', you'll understand why this blog may be particularly helpful. See, we all get days where we go into overload. We're human, not machines that are programmed to do this task, that task and every other task. Fact is, we can only do so much. We can only deal with so much. We need a break sometimes; not just some of us, but all of us, regardless of what you have going on. It never hurts to take a couple of minutes out of your day to just relax and let yourself be calm and quiet. In fact, in doing so you could bring your stress levels down significant amounts, and what better than to feel refreshed after a long day of hard work and multitasking?

http://thequietplaceproject.com/thequietplace

This first link is designed to let you forget the stresses of giving your attention to anything but yourself and relaxation. If you're stressed out and need a moment of peace, due to anything at all, take a couple of minutes out of your day to look here. Honestly, that's all it is. A couple of minutes. Everything can wait. Two minutes wont fail your exams or blow your house up. You can go back to daily life after this, but for the next two minutes, just relax. Take a break. Enjoy being free.

http://thequietplaceproject.com/thethoughtsroom/?page=thethoughtsroom&lang=

This, I believe, is an extension from the former link. This is just as worth checking out, though, and honestly this place helped me to express anger and frustration towards anything. It's not going to be seen by anyone, but your thoughts can just be let loose. I think, sometimes, we all need to express ourselves, but quite often we don't have the words or people to express ourselves with or to. That's the wonder of this place. You won't get a response or suggestions, but you can let loose. Forget grammar, spelling, or even manners. Be you. This is a thoughts room, so let yourself think.

The wonderful thing is about these two links, you really will feel sort of lighter afterwards. It's like everything that's been weighing you down both mentally, emotionally and physically are just..released. And it feels good. I mean, really good. And we all need that. To smile is better than to frown, so give it a go. Let yourself smile and feel good. You deserve it.

YOU are an achievement

There's so much these days that demands people to fit a certain kind of 'ideal' and to be a person who they may not necessarily be. Think about the media and how it influences young girls to feel they have to be a thin, beautiful woman when they grow up. They feel they have to look certain ways and so many people are left feeling bad about the person they are born as and actually are. Take for instance a certain characteristic or preference. You like movies, I've never heard of half of the ones you mention. You like brussell sprouts and I think they're a vegetable from hell. That kind of thing. I know it seems trivial, so let's take it up a notch.

You're someone who's not necessarily academic. You'd rather paint, or do something creative than so a science. Perhaps you're not in to that either. Perhaps you're not the best person in school. Maybe you didn't get the grades needed to go on to college or sixth form. Perhaps your best friend did. Maybe this friend of yours has gone on to take maths and science at A level, or in university, and you didn't. Imagine you watch this friend excel in what they do while you're still finding it hard to succeed in what you're good at. Sometimes that kind of thing can make a person feel badly about who they are and their skills. To watch other people do things you only wish you were good at can hurt. A lot. But it's not a bad thing.

I believe every person has something they're good at. It could be that you're good with hair or make up. So what if you're best friend wants to be a scientist? Just because you're not cut out for that doesn't mean that you don't have every right to be successful at what you are good at. See, one thing about humans is that individual differences exist on grand scales and no two people are exactly the same. Even identical twins will have their different personalities. They're two different people, after all!

So you're not the best person at sport. So you can't draw. So you're not good at maths or science. What I'm trying to get at is that it doesn't matter. You are you, and it doesn't matter how academic or professional your talent it. It's yours. You have a right to build on it and become something amazing. You are not the same as the model you see on the front of a magazine. You are not this strong, built up body builder who's advertising weights or a work out scheme. You are YOU. You're unique. You're beautiful, and you're just you.

Being you is quite honestly the most amazing achievement you can every achieve.

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson