Hello all, I hope you all had a marvellous Christmas!
Now 2016 has earned a reputation for not treated us all that nicely. A year where politics flipped on its head, major decisions were made to affect the future of our livelihoods and economy and many of us lost way to many of our celebrity icons. Well, 2016 has only a few days left to do it's worst to us before we welcome in 2017.
Recently, with many big uni and career moves set for next year, I've been working on building a super solid, focused mindset on how I'm going to go about achieving my own personal goals and making the most of every new opportunity that is thrown at me. So here is my compiled list of some tips to consider if you too are looking to make your life a whole lot better in 2017- enjoy!
My Top 10 Tips
1. That extra reading uni suggested you do? Do it. Sometimes it's difficult to balance our time these days between friends, family, sleep, work and down time, but taking some time to pick up some sort of reading material is always a good idea. This reading material doesn't have to be a textbook, or even a book at all. Reading small articles, journals and blog posts can be just as educating and much more digestible, especially if you lack time. I find reading on the train on a morning commute is a great way to wake up your mind to the day ahead.
2. Emails. Now this sounds super simple and obvious but staying on top of emails as a student/intern/employee is important. Make a habit of checking your emails, especially your spam/junk mail as nowadays unfortunately some important emails can get caught up in there and go unnoticed (speaking from experience). Also, check your outbox, especially if sending emails whilst on the go. Unfortunately train journeys aren't often blessed with the best wifi signal, and emails often go unsent (again, speaking from experience). Keep on top of deleting unimportant and read emails asap to avoid feeling overwhelmed and unorganised.
3. Me time. Taking time to relax is so important. Be this taking a long bath after a hard day, taking time to pamper yourself or even just to catch up on some blog posts that you've been waiting to read all count as 'me time'. Relaxing is all part of living a balanced lifestyle and is important to ensure our brains are working to the best of their ability, keeping stress levels down and allowing us to process our days and grow mentally.
4. Skincare. Keeping to a structured skincare routine can seem like a drag, it's true. However, with the amount of good quality beauty brands today, we really are the generation that can pick and choose whatever type of skincare products and combine them to create the perfect routine for our individual lifestyle and habits. A good skincare routine, that you enjoy undertaking and makes you feel pampered is the goal!
5. Being prepared. As a 20 year-old student, right now I'm making the steps to create my future. Interviews, exams, essays and socialising are my life and being prepared in each of these situations is super important. Making a good impression, in terms of taking the time to consider the appropriate clothes, make-up, attitude and making sure you wear a smile are vital. Taking an extra 10 minutes to prepare snacks, making sure you've packed everything you need before a big day and double-checking your time-keeping can help you to slay every opportunity.
6. Wear what you want. Learning to not care what people think is a process and is something that I feel comes in waves. We all have down days, where we maybe second guess ourselves a little more than usual, this is normal and totally ok. But, taking the attitude of knowing your self-worth, knowing what you stand for and knowing what you like is important. Think of Lady Gaga whenever you worry whether that outfit you love is ugly and no one else likes it, wear it for you, wear it with confidence and just have fun with it!
7. Putting yourself first. This isn't selfish, it's important. Now I'm not talking about becoming a cold, self-centred narcissist when I talk about this. Putting your needs and well-being first in your life, as a young woman is important and is very much an act of self-love. Understanding that our mistakes do not define us, those who leave us didn't deserve to stay and reminding yourself of who you really are when you doubt yourself are all things I like to live by.
8. Push yourselves. So yeah, putting yourself out there is scary but also very necessary. The saying 'everything is temporary' applies greatly to this. Getting too comfortable in a certain situation is a bad move, sometimes we lose sight of where we are heading, what we stand for and don't take the opportunities that could lead us to the next chapter of our lives. Yes, you will feel nervous, scared. teary and out of your depth sometimes, but these are all GOOD emotions. They show us that we are stepping out of our comfort zone. As long as you have an idea of the path you want to take, don't be afraid to leap towards it.
9. Consider all your options. At this age, it is very important not to narrow your options. Be this in terms of your career, or your social life. Sometimes we fail at something and this leads us down a completely different path, one that works much better for us than the previous. Losing friends or previous acquaintances because you have realised your differences or grown apart may leave you feeling lost momentarily, but realising that this means a new chapter of your life is just beginning is important. Don't be afraid to step outside of the box creatively, take a risk, weigh up your options and take some time to get your head round something that has been challenging you. You might find that it isn't as scary as you once thought.
10. Let your hair down. It's important to enjoy yourselves, make mistakes and make memories. Take time to turn off social media and absorb a moment. Take the time to appreciate when things in your life are looking positive and let yourself laugh and be happy. The best feeling is absorbing that moment when you laugh so much you cry. Take photos to keep or don't take photos at all, just try to enjoy every experience you have, whether good or bad.
