Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts

Small and happy's #JOYFULJANUARY (come join!)

People love to hate on January, don't they? It seems like first month of our new year is like the black sheep of the twelve month family. Everyone's grim about going back to work, the next big excitement of summer seems light years away (it's really not) and everyone's being so hard on themselves trying to completely change overnight due to the pressure of new year's resolutions.

I know because I've been there. This time last year I was absolutely dreading January, as in did not want to go back to Leeds where I was deep deep in the trenches of my PGCE. Sure, I was enjoying my course and it was my ticket to qualifying for something over always wanted to do and I knew that. But the idea of going back to Leeds away from my family and boyfriend to go back to 6.30am pick up times and marking books til 7pm and lesson observations and living with noisy international students who were seeing their stint in England as one big party?! No waaaaay, January, I'm not joining the party.

However, before I knew it, not only was January done and dusted (and not as bad as I expected, much like everything in life) but it was February half term and my time at the school I couldn't wait to leave was in fact done. And yep, you guessed it, I was sad to leave.

This made me think that how we see situations are the key factor in how we the situations themselves pan out. If I didn't have it in my head that January was going to be stressful and long and depressing I probably would have enjoyed it much more quickly and it would had made me enjoy my December even more too because I didn't have the looking January dread!

I'm not saying it's easy to be completely positive and love every day with the same kind of Christmas build up, chocolate fuelled, present buying excitement but I am going to take steps this year to make this month a #joyfuljanuary.

I always plan fun things for Decmeber, when in fact this month needs no help being exciting! Our friend January needs a little sparkle injected into it and that's where my #joyfuljanuary idea (which popped into my head on our drive back to Altrincham) comes in.

I am going to set out some fun things I am going to do or get organised in January to help the month look like work interspersed with fun rather than just work and no fun (the basic opposite of December!)

I feel all months should be treated like equal months like this. I am going to aim this year to find and create joy in vevey month, and the little things in every day so that I don't end up spending half the year counting down to Christmas and the other half counting down to summer (totally guilty of this!) 

So in January I pledge to:

* Have a Skype date with one of my best uni friends who is back living in Belfast and have a lovely catch up.

* Do Zumba and step, my two favourite fitness classes as often as possible and see if there's any more fitness classes I want to try out!
 
* I will go to the cinema (this is already organised, The Theory of Everything on 21st January, see you there Eddie a Redmayne you beauty!)

* Sort out my Mum coming to visit sometime this month. I'm going to try and convince her to see Into the Woods with me. I can't wait to see this and Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep should help me make this an easy sell to her! 

* I will make sure I reach at least page 100 of The Luminaries by the end of the month. I just started it after getting it for Christmas and while it's a mammoth read I'll feel really happy getting into it and getting started! 

* Go visit the Northern Quarter in Manchester. I keep saying I want to explore more of Manchester and the Northern Quarter is still a complete mystery to me so I think my boyfriend and I are going to try and go next weekend. Any recommendations? Pleeeeease nowhere too alternative, I'm a huge Disney fan and my boyfriend will never have a large beard so I already feel we shall stick out like sore (non tattooed, non pierced) thumbs.

So, looking at all that I think that's quite a lot to be excited about for January! I really think this a nice idea just to try and make a little effort to have fun things lined up to help make waving goodbye to Christmas less dramatic and make saying hello to January a bit more joyful!

What about you? Do you have anything nice lined up for January? How do you battle the blues this time of year? What's your favourite time of year in general?

Speak soon!
Sophia x


Small, happy and making lists #November

 


I know this is the cliche thing to say but I still cannot believe where October went.  I mean I know September draaaaaaaaaags on and from there the rest of the year flies by but still this October took the biscuit (and did so very quickly I might add).  So anyway, here is November then and because time is just flying on by I feel like I need to organise my life and make a note (who can resist a good old list?!) of all the things I would like to do this pre Christmas month.


1. Go to our local farmers'  market.

I know right, could I sound more like a 'blogger' going to markets and what not.  But our market in Altrincham is just amazing and every weekend they have something different going on.  As much as I love the vintage markets this weekend is the first chance we will have to go to their FARMERS market which means one thing and one thing only: FOOD.  And lots of it.  Can't wait to see what they have on offer!  If you live in the Cheshire/Manchester area I would seriously suggest hitting this place up.  Also if you're near me, leave me a comment!  I'm still relatively new to the area and I'm always on the lookout for more places to discover.


2. Finish my book.

This one kind of has a time limit on it purely because I've already renewed it at the library once plus I really just need to get it done but life (okay fine, tv) just seems to be getting in the way.  It's North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell and I am enjoying the story, I am, it's just the writing style that I'm finding a bit convoluted.  But anyway, I will persevere, mostly because a) I want to see what happens and b) I'm not allowing myself to watch the BBC version until I'm done!


3. Do lots of job applications and school visits.

The aim to get something more permanent for January in the teaching world is still very much at the forefront of my mind.  While I know you can't rush these things and I need to find the right place for me, more and more opportunities are coming up so I'm going to grab those by the horns and get going so hopefully I can rely less on supply and get something more structured.  I'm a Taurus so I crave structure!


4. Have a date night to see HUNGER GAMES!

This has been pretty much the highlight of November 2014 for me ever since the release date for Hunger Games: Mockingjay was revealed.  If you're as big a fan as me you'll know that we've known this date for a while so you understand how long my excitement has been building.  Boy and I will be booking tickets very soon and will be preceding the event with a date to Nando's.  We love our fancy food and we've been coking up a storm recently but I have Portuguese blood within me and sometimes we just need a Peri-Peri treat!  We've also stopped ourselves from going for ages to really enjoy it this time haha, sad?  Perhaps.  #itsamediterraneanthing


5. Get my Christmas shopping done.

Yes.  I'm serious.  I say this all the time but I genuinely feel like this could happen for me this year.  My family have all been quite organised this year and I know what they want and I have planned what I can get other people.  Boyfriend and I will probably be spending our money on each other by planning our trips next year so that's easy too, so I really could get this done.  This will make December full of fun and stress free so I can just spend my time watching Love, Actually, The Holiday and roasting chestnuts!!

So I feel like these are all either good goals or great things to look forward to in the month of November.  I feel confident that it will fly by and I'll be decorating for Christmas before I know it so I'm making a conscious decision to make the most of November and whatever little we have left of 2014.  

Anyone else got any November goals?  Anyone already done their Christmas shopping?!  Go on, tell me you have and make me feel bad!

Sophia
x

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