HOW CAN YOU EXPECT THINGS TO CHANGE WHEN YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY?

Last month we saw Scotlands very first Referendum come and go and even though the vote was to remain part of the UK I feel the whole process has definitely brought an end to the apathy most people felt to politics and their current situation, me included.

I read a quote that stated "The quality of a society is measured by the level of care that they extend to their young and old". I believe in random acts of kindness and paying it forward and definitely feel that the Referendum has increased this feeling of wanting to do more.

I was totally inspired by the pop up food bank "Glasgows Needy" that was set up in Glasgow's George Square and donated some food to it. This is a non profit charity that was set up to simply end poverty. A perfect example of someone seeing something that needs to change and making an effort to do so. How can we hold MP's accountable if we don't hold ourselves accountable to our actions towards our community.

As well as being socially conscious as an individual I have also decided to include my core values into the re-branded DeesignGeek where we will endevour to be socially conscious and community spirited through internal projects and collaborative projects. 

What could you do today to help someone's day be better?

SHOW EVERYONE SOME LOVE

Over the last couple of weeks I've looked at self love and sisterly love but today I started thinking about the love you feel towards other people. 

As soon as I say that my mind instantly goes to my boyfriend and my best friend, the people you get on with and choose to have in your life because they're fun and they'd do anything for you and you them.

What about the difficult people in your life?

You know the ones, the family members that say inappropriate things at the wrong time or 

the friend that doesn't agree with ANY of your opinions and you start to wonder why your even friends.

How do YOU act around them?

Are you constantly on the defensive or try to limit the amount of time you spend with them? 

How about the next time you think about that difficult person you focus on the good things you love about them, go on there must be something! 

Send them love instead of negative thoughts and see how it changes your feelings towards them and then the actual relationship. This might sound like a lot of hard work and you might think why should I even bother, but think about how good YOU will feel when your not tense or aggravated before you are due to see them or when your in their company.

It's easy to love the lovable people in your life but why not show the unlovable's that you rate them too?

My friend "McDougal"s (if you read my TGROW post you'll have already heard of her,  

she's a fountain of knowledge and my "go to" if I need some straight talking advice) 

favourite quote is ~

"You get more with sugar than you do with sh**" 

Why not give the people you least enjoy spending time with a little sugar? 

You never know it might sweeten them up. 

SISTERLY LOVE

All the couples celebrated Valentines Day last week and it got me thinking about the different types of love there is; mainly the love we have for our family.

I'm lucky enough to have 2 sisters and we've been there for each other through break ups, redundancies, house moves and land mark birthdays. There are times when we have been close and times when we have been distant. But the thing I love most about having sisters is that I know they will always be there for me regardless. There are so many stories that we talk about when we are together that we will never share with anyone else.....well maybe when we're 80 and then we'll start with "mind that time?"

I started writing about my 2 sisters and what I love about them but then I thought why not interview them instead. Danielle was sick this week so I let her off with it (which was just as well as Domonique gave me a ton of great answers) but you can read Dom's answers to my Q&A below. Enjoy!

                                 I'd like to think I'm a good listener, I always seem to be the first person someone comes to when they need some advice or a sounding board which I cherish. With that I also try not to be judgemental, ensuring I keep open minded in regards to people and certain places or situations.

                                 This is a hard one because I feel like we have alot together. However one that particularly sticks out in my mind is the Halloween I dressed up as Cinderella and you were both the ugly sisters. I remember it was your last year celebrating Halloween as you felt "too mature" to dress up anymore (which in reality you were, haha) but we had rehearsed this entire monologue for every house we visited and at the time in my element I thought you both must have been having just as good a time as I was. However with hindsight I can imagine you were cringing incredibly and only doing so to appease me so for that I'm grateful! 

                               Of course it has to be their conflicting personalities, wouldn't life be dull if you had two sister's with the same opinions, personalities and sense of humour? I feel fortunate that I get to hang out with two completely different characters and will always feel inspired and enriched in totally opposite ways when I do. 

                                 I know it sounds rather stereotypical but there really isn't a day that goes by that you find yourself feeling lonely. 
No matter how quiet your day is, there will always be a txt or a phone call. Also it goes without saying that you will always, always have your very own little army behind you, ready to help take on any battles you may succumb to in your life. Personally thinking of life as an only child is pretty inconceivable. 
One of my favourite description's that sums up being a sibling is taken from Goldie Hawn's memoir. She writes; 
"You realize that as siblings, you are the only people in the world who can reference your lives from a similar perspective. No one else has that ability; no one else lived inside those walls, knew your parents as people and is able to laugh or cry at the same things in the same way." 

                               Aside from the cocktail of medicines on my nightstand, I'll usually find solace in my heated blanket, good book and a movie - the older, cheesier and funnier the better in my opinion.

                                I'd really love to have all my family still around; happy and healthy. It would also be a nice surprise to have a large majority of my ambitions and goals list ticked with the addition of my life serving up a good amount of excitement, adventure and contentment as the last thing I'd want to be is bored and unfulfilled.  

                                That even though at the time a situation or experience can feel like the end of the world, believe it or not , it will make you a better, stronger and more resilient person that can draw from those experiences and grow as a better individual ready to take on the world.  

                                My dog Lily- she truly is a little ray of sunshine and always does something adorably funny to entertain. I may be pathetically too attached but to know her is to love her.

                                I have so many that motivates me in their own different ways but the one that's my classic go to feel good track has to be Tina Turner "Nutbush City". 

                               I like to live my life regret-less as I'm sure you do too. However we all know that sometimes certain situations slip through the net. When looking over your life is there anything in particular that you can say you regret or at the very least wish you could do differently? 
I honestly believe that every experience, good or bad has helped me learn and grow. Plus I have a habit of needing to do things the hard way to make sure I definitely do want to do it the other way, if that makes sense. But if they hadn't happened I don't think I would be the person I am today, who I quite like (queue epic 80's power ballad lol).
However If I could go back and change anything I wouldn't worry as much about what I thought people thought of me, half the time they're not thinking anything as bad as you think and are trying to deal with their own "stuff". 

SHOW YOURSELF SOME LOVE

"People accept the love they think they deserve"
My favourite quote from one of my favourite books "Perks of a Wallflower"

Apologies for the MASSIVE image of me. I'm not actually that fond of getting my photo taken but how could I write a post on loving yourself and then let my insecurities take over?

So what's your thoughts on Valentines? a day where you can show people how much you care? or just another day? I believe we should show love EVERY day but you know how it is, we get so caught up in our lives we forget and need an allocated day where we are reminded to do this.

However the one person you should treat well every day is yourself! If your not happy with yourself how can anyone else make you happy? 
We constantly look to external factors to make us feel good internally, this can work temporarily but for a long term fix you need to accept some responsibility for yourself.

Sorry if that sounded a bit heavy and harsh but it's true. It doesn't have to be a grand gesture or take a long time to work on.

I've found that it helps to ~
Start small / Start now / Be honest / Do it every day.

1. Do something that makes you truly happy and brings a smile to your face, listen to your favourite song, do a stupid dance when no-ones around or meet a friend for coffee.

2. Don't over think what to do or make excuses for why you can't do it, just do something!

3. Be honest about what makes you truly happy and do it!
Do not let fear convince you that you will look stupid or that others will judge you, it's about making you feel better not them!

4. The key to making the "feel good" feeling stick is consistency, when you feel down you might go straight to the chocolate, hit the gym or call a friend but what if you were doing these things when you felt good too? It takes a lot of work to fit something new into your routine every day but it will be definitely worth it in the long run.

Another fun exercise to help you to start thinking about the promises you can make to yourself that I found on 
Gala Darling is to write your very own Self Love Manifesto. 
Start it with "Radical self love is...." and just write.

My personal manifesto is:
Self love is meditating every morning. 
Seeing the positive in every situation.
It's about fuelling your body with nutritious, healthy food and water but not feeling guilty if you swap it for cheesecake once in a while. 
Being authentic and not apologising for your approach to life. 
Self love is exfoliating and moisturising. 
Living your dream and pushing boundaries whilst having fun. 
Surrounding myself with supportive and loving people. 
Having a weird dance that NO-ONE will see but makes me laugh every time I do it. 
Doing what's best for me.
Self love is about being an individual and being connected. 
Learning lessons that are never finished and always evolving. 
Self love is about celebrating the small and big things that happen.

You can never have too much love in the world but why not start with yourself?

FEEL THE LOVE THIS VALENTINES!

I have been super busy in the DeesignGeek studio but Valentines Day holds a special place in my heart and even though it's a bit early I have already started planning for it.
It doesn't matter if I'm going steady with someone or happily moseying around on my own. I love doing little things for people to let them know you're thinking about them, whether its your sister, mum or your best friend who's always been there.

I started looking for the perfect cards for everyone and just found them too soppy. I am a geek for collecting inspiring quotes and decided to create a range of Valentines cards. Because there are some people who don't love Valentines as much me I also created cute Anti-Valentines cards.My favourite is the "Kapow" card as it also works as a poster and reminds me to start each day with "KAPOW!" and I couldn't resist adding the card images to a picture of my dream office to see what they would look like.