Climb that damn mountain.

Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that damn mountain.”

—	Jack Kerouac

We all have those mundane, everyday tasks that we have to complete, ranging from washing the dishes, to getting the weekly shopping done or doing some paper work. This is nothing to moan about of course because these things have to be done, whether you like it or not - life is not always exciting or glamorous or even interesting but when it is it's so important to remember those times and even more important to make sure you actually plan for these times. Maybe not exactly climbing a mountain like the quote suggests, but booking that holiday with friends, planning a once in a lifetime trip, planning and organising a party, applying for that dream job, going on that date, or even simply booking a table at your favourite restaurant and just laughing with your friends till your sides hurt. These are the moments that are looked forward to, celebrated and remembered.

Sometimes you go through times, especially around exam time at school/uni or a deadline at work or being in a job that you hate, that can make you feel trapped or get you down but you know what helps? Having something to look forward to and to know that those times will pass. The thing about bad times and good times is that neither last forever, and that's ok. Because you get through the bad times in order to enjoy the good times.
I think it could be sad if, when opportunities present themselves, we do not take them and grab them with both hands. Obviously we can't do everything, but using excuses that really do not add up, saying no, putting off doing something, letting 'life' get in the way or sticking to your comfort zone (as nice as it may be in your zone!) can only hold you back and open doors for regret. Because, when it comes down to it, the memories of your good times and the product of your labour and hard work is surely the one thing that will stand the test of time.

'Baby it's cold outside' // Morning Musings

IT'S SO COLD!! I feel like I'm walking in a freezer every time I step outside :( Is it this cold everywhere else or is it just Nottingham or am I just a wimp? I'm not quite sure...

Anyway, I met up a while ago with my friend Nora for coffee and chats and managed to dig out this shirt from my mum's wardrobe to wear. I don't even know where she bought it from but I love the embroidery detail at the top.  Honestly, I haven't worn white in like three years just because I'm so paranoid of getting something on it but this shirt is just too nice.

Shirt; My Mum's

Blazer; Matalan

Jeans; New Look

I saw this text post on Tumblr recently and spent a good five minutes just thinking to myself about how true it was.

 It reminded me of a scene from the film The Holiday where Kate Winslet's character, Iris, is being given some good old fashioned advice - 'Iris, in the movies, we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason, you're behaving like the best friend.'  Yep. You don't wanna go living your life as the best friend in someone else's movie, but the leading lady in your own... as weird/abstract as that may sound. But I hope you get the point/idea/message!  It's nice to remind yourself every now and then just how important you actually are. I think it's easy to get lost sometimes in thinking that you have to be a certain way, act a certain way or be a certain type of person in order for you and your beliefs, views or opinions to be taken seriously. You don't.  This is something I struggled with loads during school and college while constantly being reminded by teachers about how quiet I was. Is being quiet a bad thing? Obviously within reason, it's not like I would just sit there and not communicate ever with anyone... I just wasn't as loud as everyone else. Everything is so cut-throat and everyone is so harsh with each other it feels like if you're not standing up and shouting out your opinions, you have nothing worth saying... What do you guys think?

There is no place like home...

Growing up, me and my family moved around waaaaaaay too many times. Every time we would 'settle' it seemed like it was time to move again to the point were I think we just stopped trying to make our houses feel 'homely', if you know what I mean, and just accepted them as they were and as we bought them. So I can't wait to have my own place and take the time to decorate it and really turn it into a home.  I like the idea of a home with lots of colour, natural light, books, candles and just pictures everywhere and things that show off your character/personality. Oh and everything is coming straight from Ikea. Is it sad that I sometimes just flick through their catalogue or check out their website even though I'm obviously not going to be buying anything just yet?  Anyway, in anticipation of the time I get the keys to my first place, I thought I would do a quick home inspiration post.

Images sourced from Tumblr and Hom-e

I hope you've all had a great week! 

Where is the love?

I feel like we are in the middle of a pandemic. Yes, that's right, we are witnessing the outbreak of some new deadly illness that seems to have caused people to forget about basic human courtesy and the fact that, actually, being funny does not consist of insulting another person or group of people, just for the 'lols'. I say deadly because it can be; almost half of suicide among teens are related to bullying (source).

I just keep thinking though, were did all this come from? When did it suddenly become ok to send a hurtful tweet, or a nasty Facebook or Youtube message. Is it the anonymity that makes it seem less threatening or less real? Or are we all inwardly like this and this side of us was bound to come out eventually...? With phrases such as 'trolling' and 'keyboard warriors' being thrown around, it's almost been turned into a game now. Who can 'troll' the hardest, who can think of the biggest insult to make readers sit back and go 'ooooohhhhhhhhhh!' Is this a very severe escalation of the 'yo mama' jokes of the 90's that have now come back to haunt us? I have so many questions.

As The Black Eyed Peas would say, 'Yo. Whatever happened to the values of humanity? Whatever happened to the fairness in equality?  Instead of spreading love we're spreading animosity'  Yes, I just quoted The Black Eyed Peas... But it seems appropriate, if not somewhat dramatic at the same time. Seriously though, what happened?!

It's so easy to spread hate around isn't it? I feel like we've become so used to dissing celebrities (which is still wrong in itself) that we think it's ok to do the same to someone in your school, work, online. Yeah, I think that's part of what it is. Do you have any other theories? Places like Twitter, and being connected to the world, don't help either. I can send a tweet to someone I don't even know, it's so easy. And if you are a nice person 'in real life' then being anonymous on twitter may make you think you can take on a different persona and be an idiot. Ah of course, these are the keyboard warriors. Like I said, it's so easy to spread hate, but I think that spreading a bit of love, or just kind-heartedness, is the real challenge. Not how many retweets you can get. 'But it's my opinion!' I hear you cry. Stop right there. There is a difference between opinion, which we have every right to, and being just down right nasty and disrespectful.

Please note that I'm not writing this saying I'm guilt free of a tweet or two myself, usually explaining my strong dislike for Nicki Minaj... because I'm not. I just think it's something we need to be very careful about. And make sure that 1. we do not cross the line (you know the line...) and 2. we make a bit more effort to spread some love and just be, you know, nicer.

'Happiness is yours to take; it's born within the soul...'

'Stop searching for your joy in the hands of someone else; no amount of shared passion can make you love yourself'

We seem to make the mistake in thinking that happiness comes from certain things or having a certain someone in our lives; believing that these are sources of our happiness. While such things make us feel happy, they can't actually bring happiness if we are not, firstly, happy with ourselves. I mean sure, feeling happy around someone or when you get that amazing dress in the sale isn't a bad thing, but if your happiness becomes dependent on that then I think you begin to loose yourself a bit and these things start to become our 'masks' - soon enough we can't face a day without them, something that, undoubtedly, grows into a really unhealthy relationship to have with someone or some thing. 

Happiness truly only comes from ourselves, with being ourselves, with being comfortable with the person that we are, knowing who we are, what we like, what we dislike, what we want to do or who we want to become. It's such a difficult thing to try to explain but I think it's a fundamental basis of anyone's growth in life. Without having this foundation, any guy (or girl) can come up to you, telling you what you want to hear... 'you're beautiful... you're amazing...' and while it's nice to hear it's also like 'so what'. 'So what if I am, why does that mean we should be together?' It's not meant to sound big headed or anything like that but I think there should be more, not just a couple of pre-rehearsed lines, if things are going to be serious.  The whole idea of 'being happy with yourself' comes from the knowledge that, actually, you don't need someone to make you happy, but someone to share your happiness with. And in order to do that, you need more than feeling that you need a partner and the words of  'yeah, you're well fit' to try and reassure you. 

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