New Year. Enhanced Me.

I don’t know about you but I’m one big ball of self-deprecation. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate myself but I’d like to think I’m quite realistic about my flaws and my not so good qualities.

Some may read this and say ‘But you need to love yourself! Love your mind! Love your body!’, but I already do. This may seem like such a contradiction but in the most non conceited way possible (is that even possible?) I really do love myself, including my self-deprecation. I’d hate to be so unaware of my flaws, whether they are physical or mental, that I go around thinking I’m the female embodiment of perfection. Yes, sometimes it's good to embrace your flaws but sometimes it's good to realize we're not all rainbows and sunshine and that a bit of enhancement can be a good thing.

But enhance, what do I mean by that? Well, it just means that throughout this year I’d like to work on some bad qualities I have and make positive changes in my life. Some may read this and think, ‘Hey, this is just some New year’s resolutions bullshit! Get a grip’ and well, you're kinda right. I guess I’m just not a fan of the word resolutions and if I’m honest these changes have been on my mind for quite some time.

So why now? Why New Year? Whether you look at the new year as just another number to add to your calendar, I personally see it as a clean slate that allows me to make some much needed adaptations to my life. 

Yes it’s a new year but it's definitely not a new me…just an enhanced one.

Veganism

Ok, so, this is something I’ve had on my mind since I last stopped being a vegan which was nearly 4 years ago. Without going into the long and short of it, it’s something I truly believe in and something I really want to become part of my life again. I'm slowly but surely getting there and this will take a few weeks to finalize, however, this is where I become the BIGGEST hypocrite ever. 

(Hey, it's my blog, why not be brutally honest?)

In a few months I will be heading to America. Not many people will know this but this journey is very important to me, as it’s something I’ve longed to do my entire 27 years on this earth. Whilst in America I have made a pact that I will be allowed to eat whatever I please whilst I'm away. I know, I’m awful and I’m aware how selfish it is but my response to that is…’Meh, you rarely go to your dream destination'.

Cruelty Free

As a blogger/Instagram addict and a sucker for a good bit of packaging, I find myself buying lots of beautiful and wonderfully unnecessary products that I've seen fellow bloggers/Youtubers rave about. However, during the latter part of last year I found myself stumbling across a few Vegan Beauty Hauls on Youtube and started to realize that I owned a hell of a lot of products that were tested on animals. 

This really freaked me out.  

As someone who considers themselves an ‘animal lover’ I felt a fraud buying products from companies that willingly tested on animals.

I’ve already started to only buy cruelty free products which is much easier than I thought and I intend to replace my whole makeup/cosmetic collection with cruelty free products. This will eventually start to trickle out into everything in my home such as cleaning products or detergents etc. However, my own stipulation is that I must use up all the products I already have before buying any other cruelty free products to replace them. Even though I hate the fact that I’m still using these cruel products, I’d hate it even more if I just threw full bottles of of products away. What a waste.

Ethical Clothing

It would be odd of me to only address the needs of animals and not that of humans too. I find it so easy to buy clothing from cheap high street stores that are renowned for their unethical ways but deep down I’d really only like to only buy from ethical companies who help their employees and allow them to work in a suitable working conditions with fair pay. I’d hope that if I was ever in their position, more fortunate people like myself, would do the same.

Stop Cancelling Plans

I’m hardly a flake and I’m probably making this out to be a much bigger deal than it actually is but yes, my name is Kirsty and I cancel plans. I don't ever cancel plans because I’ve found something better to do, quite the contrary. Most of the time I wind myself up so much that I end up convincing myself that I’d be better off at home doing nothing. Why? I’ll never know but 2016 is the year for this to end.

Make More Plans

I am have acquired some absolutely belters of friends over the last few years and I’d really like to spend more time with them. As mentioned above, my inner demons convince me I’m better off at home and so I don’t end up doing anything but this year…Oh, THIS YEAR, it’ll be different.

Read More

You may already be aware that nearly 10 years ago I was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia. Though my dyspraxia has somewhat improved over the last year, my dyslexia hounds me every day. I sometimes find myself unable to form full sentences without stumbling over my words. 

Yeah, great but what has this got to do with reading? 

Reading helps to slow my mind and it also helps me to look at words I struggle with visualizing. I find that the more I read, the less my dyslexia affects me, so this is something I really need to work on throughout this entire year.

Exercise

I'm aware that many hate exercise but my personal thoughts are, if I have a body that is ready and able, I should exercise or move or jump or anything. I really adore exercising (weird, I know) and I love the results I get both internally and externally but like most things I’m so unbelievably lazy and bone idle that I never really push myself to do it. I really want to start pushing myself this year and be proud of my strong body.

Be Productive

This may sound odd but I love doing nothing. I love being quiet and I love being alone but whilst I enjoy the nothingness in the moment, most of the time I end up resenting myself slightly because I feel I’ve wasted my day and done nothing worthwhile. I need to be more productive and proactive with my time.

Sleeping

Oh man. I really love bed and do you know what? Bed really loves me. This is going to be one tough romance to break but I know this is something I need to stop doing so much off. Sleeping in is one of my biggest habits and I adore it. I could sleep for England and I usually find myself easily sleeping in to 3pm. Maybe it's the cold weather, maybe it's the short, dark days, either way...it needs to stop.

Volunteer  

This is something I’ve applied to do in the past but was turned away at every door due to lack of funding. However, I was contacted the other day and told that I’ve been selected to be a ‘buddy’ for an elderly person who is alone, so that's a start!

Reading this back I sound like a right mess! Maybe I'll do a post about my positives just to counteract this massive well of self-deprecation.

So, what about you? Are you aiming to make any adaptations to your life this year? Can you relate to any of the above? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to leave me your blog link as well!

Go Big By Dreaming Small

Lets face it, we've all heard the terms 'Go big or go home' and 'New Year, New Me' as it's around this time of year when a lot of people put these terms to good use and promise themselves a multitude of changes over the forthcoming months.

Don't get me wrong, dreaming big is a necessity that gets me through most days but if anyone is like me, I can't help but fail at the grand gesture New Years resolution. Some may be able to carry on their new found resolution for the full 365 days, and to them, I tip my hat (and quietly curse them beneath my breath) but when it comes to the New Year and the new you, I feel our basic desires and attainable wishes are somewhat overlooked.

Think about it for a second. How many small dreams, aspirations or goals do you have right now? I mean it. Instead of thinking big for a second, lets think real small. How many times have you said you wanted to travel to that beautiful city you've always dreamt about visiting? Or promising yourself you'd go to that restaurant you've heard so many good things about. Even wishing that you allowed yourself some more 'me' time... 

Instead of wishing to complete these small goals internally but never giving them too much afterthought, why not give yourself mini monthly targets in advance and actually do them? 

I know this may seem so obvious to some but I know there are so many out there who let the days, weeks and months slip away until another year has come and gone with not much else achieved. I used to be that person.  

Sometimes it's nice to just achieve something, anything. Sometimes it's just nice to tick something off your to do list, stand back and look at your small but personal achievement. Achieving any goal, big or small, has so many rewarding factors associated with it. 

For the last two years, instead of having one or two major New Years Resolutions that I promise myself I'm going to keep but never do, (as they're subsequently forgotten about by the time March rolls around) I tend to set myself several monthly targets, aspirations or dreams that I have always wanted to achieve which have continually been placed on the back burner of my mind because you know...such is life.

(Cheeky plug, you can find my 2014 monthly goals here, here and here, along with my 2015 monthly goals here. If you want to see some TERRIBLE writing, layout and pictures, then definitely click on those links. PS You're welcome).

I'll just put this out there, the targets I set myself each month are not ground breaking in the slightest. I'm not asking myself to run 25 miles in 30 minutes, to create world peace or to visit the moon with my cat strapped to my head. No. Instead, I'm setting myself realistic and achievable goals that I know I'd be so stoked and satisfied to finally complete.

Some of the goals I set myself over the last few years have varied greatly. 

I've created a list of food that I've always wanted to try but never did before because I was far too afraid to go out of my culinary comfort zone. I visited major land marks in London that I had never visited because for some odd reason, after living here for 27 years I had never been to places like the Towers of London! I went to my first Yoga Class, my first bloggers meet up and even started up my own Youtube channel and actually uploaded content! 

(Hey, have another cheeky plug...here's my Youtube Channel)

But why plan small instead of big? Personally, I was fed up of letting each year come and go as they pleased without me so much as planning, organising or achieving anything in each year. It's all well and good having the intention to achieve something but in reality, how many of my big dreams was I going to achieve in just a year? I don't know about you but my personal dreams are still in the making and will take another few years to get into motion. So whilst I wait here for the big pay off, am I just supposed to sit ideally? Waiting? Wondering? Because that's what I did and I got bored.

New Years resolutions don't have to be some grand, almighty gesture. Dreaming big is amazing but in reality, having small goals is amazing too. I'm not sitting here sticking my fingers up to all the big dreamers out there, far from it. I think if you are able to succeed in planning and completing smaller goals or targets, what's stopping you from going for the big kahunas?

The New Year doesn't have to mean a whole New you, maybe it could just mean a more happier and content you, who is achieving personal goals on a monthly basis?

Wow, I sound like the right life and soul of the party don't I? Plan your year or your life will dwindle into a ball of nothingness and you won't ever achieve the smallest dreams you've ever had in your life...*

Well, that escalated quickly...

Do you have any New Years resolutions planned? Do you like to 'Go big or Go home'? Or do you like to aim for the smaller dreams you have?

*PS If you don't get my humour this paragraph is going to be a very odd read for some and for that, I apologise. I'm lying, I don't, get a sense of humour...

;)