2014 RESOLUTION > MARCH GOAL

My goals in January and February focused on creating a more positive mind and spirit so I decided that I would work on a healthier body in March.

I didn't want to go on a diet, I wanted to instil a truly healthier lifestyle as I had recently been diagnosed with an intolerance to sugar. This isn't very inconvenient as, when you start reading your food labels you discover that, sugar is in EVERYTHING!!!
It doubly sucks as I am a cheesecake fiend so I pretty much had to say bye bye to all my sweet treats.

The main reason for doing this was I had begun to notice that after about 6 weeks of "clean eating" I got sick of making good food choices, I just didn't want to think about it and eat all the "good" stuff I couldn't, so I binged and then totally regretted it for the week after. I felt bad physically and emotionally, major guiltfest.
The second time this happened I knew that this wasn't a healthy way to live either and I decided to make some changes.

I was the most serious I've ever been about working towards a healthier lifestyle and after a bit of research (Google, what did we do before Google?!) I found the Whole30 program.

It's a free, healthy eating program that you follow for 30 days, the main rules are:
- No sugar
- No alcohol
- No dairy 
- No grains
- No snacks
- 3 meals a day

It's a variation of the Paleo diet where you eat "real" food which helps you sort of "reset" your body and get rid of all the bad habits you've picked up.
I tried not to focus on what I couldn't have and looked at what I could have; every meal is built up around a portion of protein; beef, seafood, chicken, pork or eggs with as much specified vegetables as you like.
I also read the book "It starts with food" which was a great support tool as it breaks down food choices into 4 categories or questions you should ask before you eat it;
- does it promote a healthy psychological response
- does it promote a healthy hormonal response
- does it support a healthy gut
- does it support a healthy immune system.

I always need to know the "why" before I do something and then I can get fully behind it because I know the reasoning behind it and understand it better.
It was a great challenge, especially as I am not a great lover of vegetables or salads but I found my tastes changing and choosing salad as a meal, this is a big step for me.
It was a lot of work to  plan your meals and  cook them all from scratch but it was definitely worth it as it felt more like an investment in yourself rather than a chore.

I completed the 30 days and I feel the best I've ever felt: mentally and physically. 
I also feel that I've made lifelong changes to my attitude and relationship with food that I'll carry on.
if you want to make a change to your lifestyle I can't recommend this program enough! Seriously if I can do it, anyone can!

2014 RESOLUTION > JANUARY GOAL

It is the end of March already so I decided to recap on my resolution to not set a resolution at the start of the year.
I decided to mix things up in 2014, instead of stating one big resolution to keep to for the WHOLE year I decided to give myself little goals to meet every month.

I've really enjoyed it but at the start of every month I'm like "I've got to do this for 30 whole days? No way will I do it" but I have and it has made me feel so much more accomplished than I think I would feel if I kept it up for say 6 months, got bored and then resolved to try again next year, where's the empowerment in that?

I'm one of those people who over thinks situations and has a million and one things going around in my head at one time, sometimes this works for me when I need to multi task but it was becoming more draining than useful so in January I set myself the goal to try meditation.

I was a complete beginner so to help me I used the website Headspace which offers guided meditation for modern living, it has a cool app you can download to your phone so you can grab some clarity wherever you are, great for when you sleep in so you can do it on the train (which can be a real test).

Let me be clear that when I decided to meditate every morning for 20mins, it wasn't an easy decision as "I am NOT a morning person" I repeat "NOT a morning person". 
I love my bed, I love my sleep and to fit in a daily meditation I had to get up at 6.30am every morning. It was hard at first but totally worth it, as almost instantly I noticed that I was less stressed and able to deal with difficult and people more calmly whereas before they would have definitely pushed my buttons.

I also noticed when the 30 days were up I had incorporated this single task into my routine so it was easier to carry on doing it, people say "if only I had an extra day" or "I need more time" but I'm starting to think the key is to make more of the time we do have to fit the things we want to do into our lives.

You can keep track of your progress which is great and so far I have completed 87 sessions and 23% of my Headspace journey. Looking forward to completing 100% by the end of 2014.

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". 

DARKNESS CANNOT DRIVE OUT DARKNESS; ONLY LIGHT CAN DO THAT.

2 pairs of trousers, 2 tops, a jumper, a hoodie, a jacket, 2 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of gloves, 2 scarfs, ear muffs, wellies and a ticket to "Electric Glen" at Rouken Glen.

It's a light installation event that was taking place in Rouken Glen but on the day of the event there was rain (as per in Scotland) and sleet with the promise of snow. I was actually checking the website every hour on the hour to see (I mean hoping) it was cancelled. When I was having no such luck I actually suggested we don't go, to which I got the reply "there's no such thing as bad weather just bad choice of clothes".
So off I popped to turn myself into the mitchellin man!

It snowed for a bit but I was so warm it actually looked quite pretty.

There was a cute walkway through the park where you passed coloured trees, patterned pathways and multi-coloured waterfalls. It took about an hour to walk around and I had a well deserved hot chocolate when we'd finished.

I'm so glad I made the effort, can you imagine if you cancelled plans because the weather wasn't ideal? 
You wouldn't do anything!

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?

BRAND NEW CARD RANGE

I love card shopping. 

There's nothing like finding thee perfect card that has the perfect balance between the design and the text. However I've been struggling more and more to find cool, quirky and unique cards so I decided to create a range of cards that I would like to buy.

I've been super busy creating them and they are finally available from my Etsy shop it's quite nerve wracking making something that you like and then making it available for other people to buy..... or not to buy and / or judge.
I'm a great believer of at least trying and I have already sold a "10 Things I hate about you" card to a customer in Los Angeles and a "Love you to the Moon" card to a customer in London which I am so excited about and it definitly gives you the confidence to carry on trying something new.

What have you tried recently even though you were scared to?
If you can't remember the last time you did, why not make today the day you do! 

THREE IS MY MAGIC NUMBER

Have you ever noticed freaky things that keep happening?

For a while now I keep looking at my digital clock when the minute and the hour is the same;
11:11, 13:13, 16:16. I asked around if anyone else noticed this but they said I'm probably looking at the time constantly and that they are the numbers that I remember.
I couldn't find anything on the significance of this and didn't think anything of it until my sister asked me if I ever look at the time at exactly 11:11 everyday?

OMG YES!

She had found some info about this and it turned out it relates to the ideas or decision your thinking about at that moment, if your unsure of trying something new and you look at the time which is 11:11 you should definitely go for it! It's the Universe giving you the thumbs up, also if you look at the time and it's 11:12 its maybe not the right time and you should hold off.

I became slightly obsessed with this new subject, like the "geek" I am and needed to find out more. I looked into the significance of the numbers that regularly popped up. As well as the times, I was having dreams about triplets, making tea for 3 people and important items being delivered on the 11/11/13, and while I write this I suddenly realised that I have become aware of all this in my 33rd year!

Because 1 and 3 were the most common numbers that were appearing I looked into what they represented and was absolutely astounded by what I read.
The number 1 deals with strong will, positivity and pure energy. It reflects new beginnings and purity. The meaning of 1 represents action of both physical and mental, this combined with it's urgency for new beginnings the recurring pattern of one's indicates a time to exert our natural forces, take action and start a new venture. It encourages us that our action will be rewarded.

The number 3 deals with magic, intuition, fecundity (the intellectual productivity of a creative mind) and advantage. It invokes expression, versitility and pure joy of creativity. 3 is also a time identifier representing past, present and future. Consecutive 3's symbolise a need to express yourself creatively or consider your present directional path. 3 can represent promising new adventures and the assurance of co-operation from others who you may require help from. It symbolises reward and success in most undertakings.

This realisation came at a time when I was demotivated with the direction DeesignGeek was going and knew I needed to make changes to be creatively fulfilled if I was going to continue. Seeing a specific number pattern doesn't necessarily give you exact answers but it definitely provides some support when you work out what they symbolise and become aware of what you are thinking at the time they appear.

I put this into action while rebranding DeesignGeek to ensure everything represented the new services, ambitions and values we would be offering and working on. I had my fonts and colour's chosen and I just needed to bring it all together, for some reason I kept coming back to the idea of including a triangle graphic (something that had never featured in any of my marketing material). I couldn't shift the feeling that it should feature in my branding so I researched the significance of triangles and found that it represents the mind, spirit and body. It can also represent a strong foundation or stability  and to the Greeks it is symbolic of a doorway, of balancing thought and emotion which provides a doorway to higher wisdom.
I couldn't believe that one shape could encompass the values I was trying to represent.
Everything that features in my logo symbolises something and I'm so excited to show you it but I will write a seperate post when I finalise my branding as I feel this post is long enough!

Is there anything that you notice that gives you an invisible thumbs up when you need it?

SOFI IS MY NEW BEST FRIEND

I love a To-Do-List, organising and setting goals but sometimes I get so caught up in the whole list making I forget to tick anything off it and I'm not the only one, only 5% of people who set New Year Resolutions actually maintain them! 
Wowza that's not a lot but it's because we don't actually know the steps you have to follow to achieve long term results, I know I don't. Like I said, defining what I'd like to achieve? no probs, write a list, draw a mind map but then what?

Well I found this process for clarifying your goals once you've defined them and I love it! 
Check it out: First you make sure your goal is SMART:

S: Specific. Set a time / date to your goal.

M: Measurable. If it can't be measured how will you know it's been achieved?

A: Achievable.Make sure it's realistic.

R: Realistic. The goal must be relevant to you and your situation.

T: Time. Set a specific period of time you will work on making it happen.

Once you've done that apply the SOFI goal analysis tool:

S: Strengths. What can you do or already do that can help you achieve your goal.

O:Options. What are the options available to you?

F:Fears. What scares you about this goal.

I: Impediments. What impedes you from achieving this goal.

I have been reading about letting go of fear as I realised that I find it hard to start a new project because I am fearful that 
1. no-one will like it, 2. it will be no good or 3. I might not have ideas. The SOFI tool unveils any hidden reasons that you might not achieve your goal and with this extra insight you have more support and encouragement when you start. It's definitely helped me look at the what fear factors I might throw up in my own way and prepare for that.

There are so many tips for setting goals you can look up but hopefully SOFI will help get you started to make 2014 your year!

THOUGHTS ARE THINGS

I believe in loads of things; 

that red lipstick instantly lifts your mood / the significance of numbers (especially 3) / being kind to strangers / looking on the bright side / Sunday morning lie in's / some sort of after life / good music / good books / family / friends and the law of attraction.

There are different things that can make you feel good if your feeling down but a lot of the time it's external factors that you look to that work for a short time. I was having one of those rubbish weeks that you just can't shift when I came across "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne which talks about the law of attraction, this book is amazing and you need it in your life!
The basic theme is that you attract everything that happens to you, when I first read that it was pretty hard to take in, I was like "Eh, excuse me I don't WANT to feel bad or for crappy things to happen" but then they followed up with "thoughts are things" which hit me between the eyes! 

Of course what you constantly think about and put all your energy into is going to materialise because your not spending any time working on the things you want.

I have been reading about the law of attraction off and on for the last year because it's really hard to work on but I really got into it in November and my 2014 goal is to practise it more regularly. It's already given me loads of great tools on how to deal with difficult situations you come up against, for example if you don't like something you have two options that you can apply; change your attitude or change your behaviour. Situations are rarely black or white and knowing how to handle them when they pop up is empowering and definitely gives you confidence.

I thought I would give you a heads up on what I'm currently geeking about at the mo as it will probably sneak into more of my posts.
I'd love to hear if you're into the law of attraction or have any other tips on how you stay truly positive.