Hello 2018!

Despite everything that was going on in the world 2017 was actually a pretty good year for me. I spent the first part of the year interning at ASOS and then in September went back to uni for my final year. I have been on some amazing holidays skiing, Bali, Cornwall and Budapest and had some of the most incredible experiences (being hugged by elephants is definitely up there!). I got my fitness and eating to a place that I am really happy with, its not perfect, but it makes me feel good and I actually enjoy going to the gym now! I went to a dermatologist and now my skin is the best that it has ever been. And I even found the time to read multiple actual novels! All in all I am looking back at my 2017 and smiling at all I have accomplished.

2018 is set to be a pretty big year for me too. This year I will graduate, leaving full time education forever. I will start my first actual job at ASOS working as a Buyer's Administrator. I am going to New York for the first time ever! And I will turn 22, which for some reason sounds so much older than 21. Basically, I am going to end 2018 as a proper adult with a job fending for myself in the actual real world! It's a scary and exciting thought. Although as I sit here writing this, procrastinating from revision of my January exams I feel like I am ready.

For Christmas my parents bought me this beautiful 5 year diary. Each day you write a sentence and by the end of the 5 years you can look back at what you did on that day for the previous four years. It's a beautiful idea that I am so excited to start, and as someone who has never kept a diary before I think that a line a day should be manageable. I have decided that I am going to keep this diary honest, which means that not every day is going to be perfect. If I have a rubbish day I am going to write it down, because that's just life. And it might be interesting to see what I wasted my time worrying about 5 years ago!

So here's to the next year and everything that it has to offer. Speak soon xx

 

 

Looking Forward - Penney Chic

So I thought it would be interesting to look all the way back to my post this time last year and see which goals I met and which should probably go back on to my list for this year!

LIVE WITH LESS
In a way yes, I have had quite a few big clear outs this year so I have definietly got rid of a lot of things that I don't use or wear. But at the same time I now work for ASOS and clothes are sometimes perks of the job, so it's a tricky one...!

DRINK MORE WATER
This year I have been much more conscious of my water intake, so I probably have drunk more water. But do I still need to drink more water, 100% yes, so this should probably stay on the list!

BE BALANCED
I have actually found this one really difficult which is shown through the lack of posts on my blog. I wanted to find more time for myself in 2016 but it hasn't really happened. Yes, I've had a great year, but it has also been a stressful one. I'm currently working a full time job, with a long commute to London while I am still a uni student with assignments so time management has been hard. This year I want to find a really good routine of trying to stay on top of everything and in doing so find more time for myself. 

WRITE EVERYTHING IN MY DIARY
Nailed it! Basically my diary is now my life! I have so many different appointments and obligations that if I didn't write them all down I would just have no idea.

WORRY LESS
Will I ever?! Worrying about work and uni etc is just what I do! And in a way I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing as it makes me work harder. But in 2016 I did worry less about what people think of me. Who cares if I go out with no makeup and a face covered in spots! I don't care about that girl who spread rumours and seems to live for drama! And have no time for pretending to be friends with someone when you know they are going to turn around and stab you in the back. I'm so lucky to have a few groups of really close friends (and of course family) that I know will always be there for me, and 2016 was the year I let go of those fake friendships and people that don't really bring anything to my life. 

READ MORE BOOKS
No, sadly this one didn't happen. And I can probably count on one hand the number of books I read last year. But I got a few lovely ones for Christmas which I excited to start. And in 2017 I am going to try and dedicate half an hour of reading before bed instead of looking at my phone to help me sleep.

MAKE MORE TIME FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY
I think I did this one! It's lovely to be back living at home with my family and see much more of them. And now I'm working I've had to make more of an effort to meet up with friends and visit people at uni which I feel I have done. 

WRITE LETTERS
I think I can tick this one off too. In fact, I've just finished writing my thank you letters from Christmas! I love writing and receiving letters, especially from my grandparents and I'm sure that I can keep this one going. 

SPEND LESS TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Don't really think that I can tick this one off! I have a love hate with social media. I love seeing what other people are doing and find everything I follow really inspiring and motivating. I just hate the time that it takes from me. 

 TRAVEL MORE
Yes! I went on some incredible holidays this year with Marrakech being my favourite and the most eye opening. It was such a different culture for me but so beautiful and full of friendly humble people. I hope to do some more travelling in 2017 though and visit more amazing places. 

 

And so, my new 2017 ambitions are as follows:

DRINK MORE WATER

FIND MORE ME TIME

GET TO BED EARLIER

READ MORE BOOKS

WEAR LESS MAKEUP ON MY SKIN

VISIT MORE OF LONDON

SPEND MORE TIME ON MY BLOG

I'd love to hear in the comments below what your New Years Resolutions are so let me know.

Speak soon xx

New Years Aspirations

New Years Aspirations 

 

Firstly Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a great New Years Eve whatever you were doing!

 

I'm a big fan of setting myself goals to work towards so it may come as no surprise that my first post of 2016 will be my New Years Aspirations. I set goals daily in the form of to do lists and things that I want to get done. But having yearly goals means that I am able to break a habit or change my lifestyle and generally to grow and learn as a person. 

 

So in no particular order here are my 10 aspirations for this year. 

 

LIVE WITH LESS

If I don't use it or don't wear it then I probably don't need it. I've really been loving a more minimal style recently and I want to carry that through to the rest of my life to avoid clutter and unnecessary stuff. 

 

DRINK MORE WATER 

I am always setting myself this goal. I do drink water and green tea, but nowhere near as much as I should. Maybe this will be the year that I make the change. 

 

BE BALANCED

Work and uni and everything can get so stressful. This year I want to find more time for myself to relax, maybe have a bubble bath or to some yoga and just take a well deserved break. 

 

WRITE EVERYTHING IN MY DIARY

I am a pretty organised person but I not so good at writing all my events and commitments into my diary. Doing this will mean that I am better able to plan my time and work. 

 

WORRY LESS

I'm not sure that I will ever be able to break out of this habit. I am the worst person when it comes to worrying about all possible scenarios before they ever even happen. I really need to learn that stressing and worrying never helped anyone and there is usually nothing I can do to change something. 

 

READ MORE BOOKS

I love the feeling when you get so into a really good book and you can't even put it down. The sad thing is I only usually manage to find the time to read on holiday. This year I am going to try to cut down on the Netflix and make time for some good books. 

 

MAKE MORE TIME FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY 

One of my biggest fears is looking back and wishing that I spent more time with certain people. I am so lucky that I have friends and family that understand I am busy and never hold that against me. Some of my closest friends I only see a couple of times a year now that we are spread all over the country at different universities. But a letter or a text can go a long way. 

 

WRITE LETTERS

I love receiving letters. In fact while I am at university I write to my grandparents nearly once a week. A letter means so much more than a text and I want to write more letters to people while I am at university this year. 

 

SPEND LESS TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA

I dread to think how many hours a day I spend staring at a screen. I can be scrolling though social media until my thumbs hurt and all it does is make me envious of other people and their figures and holidays and clothes. Social media is such an amazing powerful tool. But I need to learn to use it in a positive way. 

 

TRAVEL MORE 

This doesn't have to mean spending loads of money on fancy holidays. This year I would love to go to Edinburgh and pretty villages in the UK as a break from uni. And then maybe save up to go to somewhere in Italy on a city break. 

 

So here is to an amazing new year! Bring on 2016! xx

New Years Aspirations

New Years Aspirations 

Firstly Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a great New Years Eve whatever you were doing!

I'm a big fan of setting myself goals to work towards so it may come as no surprise that my first post of 2016 will be my New Years Aspirations. I set goals daily in the form of to do lists and things that I want to get done. But having yearly goals means that I am able to break a habit or change my lifestyle and generally to grow and learn as a person. 

So in no particular order here are my 10 aspirations for this year. 

LIVE WITH LESS

If I don't use it or don't wear it then I probably don't need it. I've really been loving a more minimal style recently and I want to carry that through to the rest of my life to avoid clutter and unnecessary stuff. 

DRINK MORE WATER 

I am always setting myself this goal. I do drink water and green tea, but nowhere near as much as I should. Maybe this will be the year that I make the change. 

BE BALANCED

Work and uni and everything can get so stressful. This year I want to find more time for myself to relax, maybe have a bubble bath or to some yoga and just take a well deserved break. 

WRITE EVERYTHING IN MY DIARY

I am a pretty organised person but I not so good at writing all my events and commitments into my diary. Doing this will mean that I am better able to plan my time and work. 

WORRY LESS

I'm not sure that I will ever be able to break out of this habit. I am the worst person when it comes to worrying about all possible scenarios before they ever even happen. I really need to learn that stressing and worrying never helped anyone and there is usually nothing I can do to change something. 

READ MORE BOOKS

I love the feeling when you get so into a really good book and you can't even put it down. The sad thing is I only usually manage to find the time to read on holiday. This year I am going to try to cut down on the Netflix and make time for some good books. 

MAKE MORE TIME FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY 

One of my biggest fears is looking back and wishing that I spent more time with certain people. I am so lucky that I have friends and family that understand I am busy and never hold that against me. Some of my closest friends I only see a couple of times a year now that we are spread all over the country at different universities. But a letter or a text can go a long way. 

WRITE LETTERS

I love receiving letters. In fact while I am at university I write to my grandparents nearly once a week. A letter means so much more than a text and I want to write more letters to people while I am at university this year. 

SPEND LESS TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA

I dread to think how many hours a day I spend staring at a screen. I can be scrolling though social media until my thumbs hurt and all it does is make me envious of other people and their figures and holidays and clothes. Social media is such an amazing powerful tool. But I need to learn to use it in a positive way. 

TRAVEL MORE 

This doesn't have to mean spending loads of money on fancy holidays. This year I would love to go to Edinburgh and pretty villages in the UK as a break from uni. And then maybe save up to go to somewhere in Italy on a city break. 

So here is to an amazing new year! Bring on 2016! xx

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Hope you all had a lovely evening last night. Can't believe that it is already 2015! But we have been given a chance to start a fresh and forget the worries of last year. I hope that you all have an amazing year. 

Work hard. Be kind. Laugh more. 

xx

The picture is from my evening last night with my friends. 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Hope you all had a lovely evening last night. Can't believe that it is already 2015! But we have been given a chance to start a fresh and forget the worries of last year. I hope that you all have an amazing year. 

Work hard. Be kind. Laugh more. 

xx

The picture is from my evening last night with my friends. 

The 2014 Year Jar

The 2014 Year Jar

Writing this I just can't believe that 2014 is over. Most people probably say that every year to be honest but 2014 has been a really great year for me. 

For me 2014 marked huge changes in my life. The most obvious being leaving Sixth Form and going off to university in Manchester. And while I'm sad to leave and move away from old friends I've met some amazing new people and discovered an amazing new place which I am now able to call my second home. 

This time last year I was in a very different place in my life. I had been knocked and I was very insecure and unsure about what I was doing and my plans for the future. In 2014 I turned over a new leaf and tried to be more positive. Inspired by Pinterest (as is increasingly the case) this year I kept something that I like to call a year jar. Every time that something happens or I do something that makes me feel happy I write it down on a little piece of paper, fold it up small and put it in the jar. It's just anything big or small that made me smile and feel good, from getting to university to finishing a good book or having a nice coffee catch up with an old friend. Then at the end of 2014 I can open up all the little bits of paper with my happy memories and it will remind me what a great year this has been. 

I think this is a really inspiring and beautiful idea that more people should try. It keeps me feeling positive and reminds me not to take the little things for granted.  

I also wanted to share with you pictures from some of my favourite moments of 2014. 

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope you have had a wonderful 2014 and best wishes for the next year. Lets make it an amazing one! xx

The 2014 Year Jar

The 2014 Year Jar

Writing this I just can't believe that 2014 is over. Most people probably say that every year to be honest but 2014 has been a really great year for me. 

For me 2014 marked huge changes in my life. The most obvious being leaving Sixth Form and going off to university in Manchester. And while I'm sad to leave and move away from old friends I've met some amazing new people and discovered an amazing new place which I am now able to call my second home. 

This time last year I was in a very different place in my life. I had been knocked and I was very insecure and unsure about what I was doing and my plans for the future. In 2014 I turned over a new leaf and tried to be more positive. Inspired by Pinterest (as is increasingly the case) this year I kept something that I like to call a year jar. Every time that something happens or I do something that makes me feel happy I write it down on a little piece of paper, fold it up small and put it in the jar. It's just anything big or small that made me smile and feel good, from getting to university to finishing a good book or having a nice coffee catch up with an old friend. Then at the end of 2014 I can open up all the little bits of paper with my happy memories and it will remind me what a great year this has been. 

I think this is a really inspiring and beautiful idea that more people should try. It keeps me feeling positive and reminds me not to take the little things for granted.  

I also wanted to share with you pictures from some of my favourite moments of 2014. 

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope you have had a wonderful 2014 and best wishes for the next year. Lets make it an amazing one! xx