March Goals

This month is not just about working hard but actually working smarter. I'm not sure how I'm exactly how to work 'smarter' but I'm going to try a few things and hopefully they will help. Such as getting 8 hours sleep minimum (I'm a person who needs a lot of sleep), getting up early and starting work earlier and completing the most important tasks first. 

With only three weeks left of scheduled timetable lectures for university, I need to pull my finger out with attending lectures and completing two essay, then I need to focus on revision for two exams. It's all go go go! 

My goals for this month are...

▷Work hard at uni for the last three weeks, including essays and work experience.

▷Be proactive and work to my best ability on Wednesday’s.

▷Keep working on my fitness and health.

M.

Goodbye February

Dear February,
You were a month of cold grey days that we're just still. The occasional clear blue crisp sunny day filled me with excitement for spring, however this was dampened with yet another grey day or rain. 
With a week off university and work experience, I thought it would be time to rest, but it soon became a week of seeing people, doing do other activities away from the norm, such as glass fusing and also running. I have a love hate relationship with running. Before an accident two years, I took running for granted. I didn't realise how much my body and mind benefited from it, until suddenly I couldn't run. However two and a half years on I can now run. I have successfully ran twice in one week, and I feel great because of it. Even through what I think is shin splints my positivity of running is still strong. Lets hope this stays for a long time. 
It was this month I realised that I was working kind of hard (I could be working a lot harder) with regards to uni. But for some reason my grades were just staying around a lower than expected mark. It started to get to me, I was thinking why isn't my work good enough... Then I got another grade back from an essay and I got exactly what I wanted and I felt I deserved. This really helped my confidence and reassured me that I am capable of achieving well, I just have to put a lot of work in.
With this, I have four weeks left of scheduled timetable at uni, 2 assignments and 2 essays, so it's time to knuckle down and focus because then I have a couple of months to myself to do whatever I want! 
Please March be a sunnier month

M.

Goodbye January, Hello February

Some title January as the hardest month of the year, cold, miserable weather, lack of money after the Christmas and New Year festivities and so on. Personally I've really enjoyed January, I haven't let the weather get to me because without rain trees and flowers don't grow and money, well I'm fortunate enough to get student finance at the beginning of January and mid January is my birthday so I was lucky to receive more money. With that though I haven't let money control me, in fact I've done a good job of paying some debts off, which is a huge weight off my shoulders. 

I turned 21 in January, which for the first time in a long time didn't bother me. Normally I get emotional over birthdays as I hate the thought of growing up and growing old. However this year I just accepted it and really enjoyed my birthday. I spent the actual day at school, which was followed with a meal with my close family in a country pub. It was a lovely day. 

I've realised this month that I really want to make this year about growth, me growing as a person, through learning more, reading more (not just autobiographies), learning to drive, new experiences and opportunities. I've started this by doing work experience at my old school, which is helping me gain confidence and also learning what it's like to be a teacher, as that is what I want to be in a few years time. 

I set out five goals this month, cut down on fizzy drinks, eat more fruit and veg, get work experience, keep up with readings and start running again. I think I have successfully achieved one of these- get work experience. I did pretty well at limiting myself to only one fizzy drink at the weekends however this last week I have had two or three. I guess I have been doing better at eating more fruit and veg, I had an apple the other day, does that count?! Annoyingly I haven't kept up with uni readings or started running again. I put that down to the fact that I've had a lingering gland infection, which as soon as I think has gone, the symptoms flare up again. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks it will go completely so I can actually have more productive days without feeling tired by lunch time. 

My goals for February are...
▷ Read- uni text books, magazines, blogs, books.... anything just read more.
▷ Complete essay- I have a sociology essay due mid February so I best get cracking and work hard on it, to hopefully get a good grade.         
▷ RUN!- Yes I said I would start running in January and I didn't so I'm gonna try in February.

Why don't you do something for the first time this month? It may turn into something great.
M.

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week #5

1. Spending Sunday at Broadstairs
2. Completing another essay and handing it in
3. Another successful day doing work experience 
4. My 21st birthday
5. Really tasty steak for my birthday meal
6. Receiving lots of lovely cards and gifts for my birthday
7. Spending a day in bed (I was ill but hey I slept loads)
8. An afternoon of shopping with Harley
9. Byron burger
10. Fresh bed sheets and a lie in

21 Things I've Learnt in 21 Years

1. People will treat you like shit and not care about you, you don't need them in your life.
2. It's ok not to have a clue what you're doing at times.
3. Some things just don't work out, but everything will fall into place.
4. Being single doesn't mean you're unhappy, being in a relationship doesn't mean you're happy.
5. It's better to have few true friends then loads of fake ones.
6. You will stop caring about what others think and say of you.
7. Money doesn't bring happiness.
8. There will probably be a time when you rebel against everything close people to you disapprove of.
9. You probably only talk to 10% of your Facebook 'friends'.
10. You will lose friends. And there will never be a reason why, it just happens. 
11. But you will meet/make new ones which are just as good, if not even better.
12. It's ok not to be in a relationship, engaged or married with a baby by the age of 21!
13. Don't be afraid to do what others don't want you to do.
14. You body shape will change, whether you like it or not.
15. It's ok if you don't drink, smoke or do drugs.
16. Stop worrying, 90% is made up scenarios in your head.
17. Get off technology and appreciate those around you. They won't be there forever.
18. You will get to a point where you question everything, just because you're curious of everything.
19. Get to know and love yourself before you get into a relationship. How is someone supposed to know you if you don't know yourself.
20. Collect moments and memories rather than things.
21. Happiness is key.

Hello January

Along with my goals for 2015, I like to set monthly goals, which work towards the bigger goals for this year. I feel that if I set some goals, it structures my month a tad more, meaning I am more productive overall. 

My goals for this month are...
▷Cut down on fizzy drinks- over the christmas period I consumed a lot of fizzy drinks meaning my skin has completely broken out in spots. For me excess sugar is what makes me have spots so I know I need to cut them down/out for the next few weeks to let my skin recover and get back to looking better. To help this I will also make sure to drink plenty of water to hydrate my skin.

▷Eat more fruit and veg- I do eat plenty of vegetables but I want to try more fruit. I think this will just make me feel better on the inside more than anything.

▷Get work experience- I have arranged with my old school to go there every Wednesday to get some work experience in the PE department. I am really hoping this will build my confidence more with regards to my degree and also my self-confidence. Also this will keep me on track and focused with my learning and development in becoming a PE teacher.

▷Keep up with readings- as I start a new term soon at uni, it's a good time to start fresh and keep up with all the work and readings. I'm not the best reader but I hope that by keeping up with these readings I will gain extra knowledge on the subject and also hope it will help me be a better reader and writer.

▷Start running (again)- I really want to get back into running for many reasons, but I seem to go for a run then be put off because I'm not as good as I used to be. So to overcome this I aim to run twice a week for the month of January and hopefully if I can successfully run eight times this month it will help me get back into the whole running thing regularly. 

Have you got any goals for this month? 

M.

2015 Goals

Hello 2015! 

Well haven't you crept up on us pretty quickly. Time seems to be flying past these days and sometimes I really struggle to feel as if I have accomplished much. There's no better way to get around this by setting a few goals (when I say few, I mean tonnes!). I am really hoping this year will be a productive, proactive, successful year in terms of what I achieve, so here goes with my tonnes of goals for 2015. 

Me/lifestyle goals:

• Be a better person everyday
• Spend money on experiences not materials
• Complete driving lessons and pass the driving test
• Keep being positive
• Keep being independent 
• Be happy
• Live my own life

Health/fitness goals:

• Eat healthier
• cut down on fizzy drinks
• cut down on processed foods
• limit takeaways and eating out
• eat more fruit and vegetables
• Tone
• back
• bum
• legs 
• stomach 
• arms
• Run 5k before July
• Run 10k before 2016
• Go to the gym regularly and start lifting weights
• Complete a tough mudder 
• Get some PT sessions at the gym
• Learn to surf (huge dream of mine)

University:

•  Keep up with all readings set
• Start essays at least 4 weeks before due date
• Get work experience 
• Learn how to revise in a better and effective way
• Volunteer at Mind

I have broken down my goals into categories as I think it's a better way of working towards them. This may seem like a lot of goals, but come on, there's 365 days ahead of us so why not aim high and far. 

Another thing I have create is kind of like a memory maker.... Basically my mum and I sat down and thought of six experiences/things to do over the next year together to create memories together. We placed 12 little bits of paper in a jar, and on the first of every month we will pull one out, and have the following month to complete it. I think this is a really run thing to do, one to create memories together but also to do things that we want to but never get round to. 

Have you set any goals or resolutions for 2015? Let me know what they are.

M.