Personal Growth Exercise

I was browsing Pinterest and came across a list of personal growth questions. Lists like this always get me thinking and evaluating how to be mindful and grateful for what is going on in my life and what I want to achieve. I clicked through to the website the questions are from and also did a quiz about my strengths, gifts and insights into my personality. My result is accurate. I encourage you to take the quiz and leave your results in the comments with whether or not you agree. Click here to take the quiz!

My quiz result:

The Deep Thinker

“You’re driven by the pursuit of knowledge, and you have some special talents up your sleeve that really set you apart. You love exploring new theories, concepts and ideas. You’re able to be objective and logical, and understand the complexities of things others may not give a second thought.”

(Image and text taken from MistySansom.com)

Questions:

1. What does your ideal day look like?

A sleep in to start, not the whole day in bed but enough sleep so I feel well-rested followed by breakfast/lunch. After eating, maybe a nice walk and an afternoon spent reading or cosying up watching movies. Sometimes I like grey, rainy days so if it was one of those days I’d love to order pizza and make a blanket fort and just talk and spend time with my love.

2. What did you want to be when you were younger?

Accountant, hairdresser and singer. I still want to be a singer.

3. Who are you most inspired by? Why?

My mum. She has taught me a lot of life lessons. She never had it easy and she is proof that you can make it. Her strength is to be admired. I am a lot like her and I’m proud.

4. Who would you love to meet? What would you ask?

All of my musical inspirations. I would ask for advice and any queries I have about the music industry.

5. What habit would you most like to break? What habit would you most like to start?

I wish I wasn’t such a worrier. I’d like to start being more spontaneous and not having to have everything planned in so much detail. I think being organised is part of the reason I worry so much.

6. Think of a person you truly admire. What qualities do you like about that person?

I continue to admire Shane Filan. He went through bankruptcy and lost everything except for his voice, his wife and children. Shane invested money into property and started a property development company with one of his brothers. During the recession the Irish market and banks crashed and it was a devastating for Shane. Singing is his biggest love and it’s what keeps him going. He is so kind and generous to his fans, he is humble and hardworking and he’s honest. He didn’t shy away from the problem and refuse to talk. What happened to him was unfortunate but he keeps going for his family.

7. How do you like to relax?

Reading, singing, doing jigsaw puzzles, watching TV.

8. When was the last time you did something you were afraid of?

When I told my boyfriend I loved him for the first time (I actually wrote it). I hadn’t experienced love and those feelings before so I was thinking, “is this what love is?” and worried I was interpreting my feelings wrong. At the time it was scary but now it makes me smile.

9. What are you most proud of?

My kind heart.

10. What are you most afraid of?

People not listening to you and believing what you do and what you say. Not being happy. Liars.

11. If life stopped today, what would you regret not doing?

Telling people what I think of them; good and bad.

12. Who would you like to connect (or reconnect) with? Why?

A few of my old work colleagues. We would have some of the craziest chats but I really felt like they ‘got’ me and I felt included. I’ve been thinking about paying them a visit.

13. What qualities do you admire in others?

Honesty. Loyalty. Thoughtfulness.

14. What practical skills do you wish you had?

I wish I could drive and I wish I was a better cook.

15. Imagine you’re in your 90s. What memories would you like to have? What stories do you want to tell?

I’d like to be able to say I fulfilled my dream of traveling to The UK and talk about the things I did during my time there. I’d tell beautiful love stories and remember the music I listened to and what my life was like. I’d talk about my inspirations, my goals and life lessons.

16. What is your favorite book/movie/song? Why?

Book: Claire Richards – All of Me – She is the lead singer of my favourite band and similar to the Shane Filan story, she’s never lost her voice despite all she’s been through. She is one of the reasons I want to be a singer. There are lots of musicians I look up to and admire but they haven’t all made me want to sing.

Movie: Grease or Titanic. They are both classics! The music in Grease is fun to sing a long to and the love story in Titanic is acted so beautifully.

Song: Shania Twain – From This Moment On – I’ve loved this song since I was three years old and I want it to be my wedding song.

17. If you could make one change in the world, what would it be?

That people wouldn’t be so cruel. They would think about their actions and imagine what it’s like from the other person’s point of view. People wouldn’t be taken for granted.

18. What do you love to do for, or give to others (not an object – something from you personally)?

I make people feel important when they mean a lot to me. If they need someone to talk to I want them to know I’m there. There are things I do naturally and it’s not until I’m made aware of them that I realise how big my heart is.

19. What excites you?

Love. I think I will always be a romantic.

20. What do you wish you did more of?

Went outside and explored nature.

21. Pretend money is no object. What would you do?

Travel, see as many artists in concert as I can and make sure my friends and family are comfortable. I’d love my mum to have her dream house.

22. What area of your life, right now, makes you feel the best? Which area makes you feel the worst? Why?

The answer for both is social. Best because I am enjoying my job and have met new people and my relationship is going well but worst because sometimes I feel lonely and the amount of people I can depend on isn’t a huge number. I’m not close with many people.

23. Let’s jump forward a year. What would you like to have achieved in the past year?

I’d like to be happy. Happiness is my main goal and if I’m not doing what makes me happy, what is the point? Being able to lose some weight would be a bonus. I’d like to think I could get my Restricted Licence in that time too.

24. What piece of advice would you give to five year old you? Sixteen year old you? Twenty-one year old you? Right now?

Five year old me: Enjoy being young, make friends with everybody and be carefree.

Sixteen year old me: Focus and work hard at school, you’ll thank yourself later.

Twenty one year old me: You are doing fine.

Right now: Whatever makes you happy, just do that!

25. How do you want to be remembered in life?

The short redhead who wore bright lipstick and giggled a lot. I want to be remembered for having a smile on my face and always being warm and friendly.

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Hope you enjoyed this longer post! Thanks for reading!

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Hey, It’s Okay… To Be Different

Hello! It’s been a while since my last Hey, It’s Okay… post. They are some of my favourite posts to share and some of the most read and most popular on the blog. I still have so many things I want to talk about in these posts but instead of committing to one every month, I tend to write them when I feel strongly about certain topics.

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Most of my life I have felt different. It’s a hard feeling to describe but one of the easiest ways I can think of is a square peg in a round hole. It’s not so much a feeling of isolation but more to do with the way I think and how I perceive things. Right now I am super proud of the person I am! I don’t let being an individual define me as much as it once did.

I want to use this post to explain some of the ways I have felt different but at the same time I realise other people may deem these differences as ‘normal’.

School

At school I was the well behaved student, who always handed work in on time and always did her homework. I didn’t perceive myself as better than the other students, I’ve always had a strong work ethic and was worried what would happen if I didn’t get it done on time. I thought I would get a detention or get in trouble. I was never a big fan of the social element of school either, I didn’t party or drink alcohol. I never made drunken decisions I would later regret and did well academically. 

Blog Monetisation

I have spoken about this briefly before and in fact dedicated a whole post to it *HERE*. I never started blogging with the intention to make money from it. I don’t get paid to review products and I have never been sent anything to review. I don’t mind the fact I don’t do this because my readers know this blog is purely me and I talk about products I have purchased with my own money or won through giveaways. Having so many new products to review and write about would overwhelm me. I very much like comfort zones.

Dating & Relationships

Before I met my boyfriend I had no previous relationship experience and sometimes I felt like I was strange and that there was something wrong with me. I never felt like I had to have a boyfriend and it would happen when I was ready but now I don’t see what I was worried about. Even though I had never been in a relationship before I don’t feel awkward in any situations and feel like I have to act a certain way. I’m just me and I’m so thankful the person I met I can be myself around. I also feel like our relationship is ours. We’re not a showy couple, we don’t even have a picture together (yet) but we don’t mind. We don’t have rules, we just enjoy being with each other.

Work

Work is kind of like school for me. I follow the rules, do what my boss tells me to do and I always turn up on time. I’ve never taken a sick day in my current job and have only not turned up to work once because my mum was ill. I go to work to do my work, I’m focused on the task at hand and take pride in my abilities. I would be scared to take the day off work for no reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do it because I’m so honest. I’m not saying other people don’t have this approach to work but I always see and hear people talking about the younger generation’s work ethic and whilst there are some people who do slack off and don’t want to learn, I’m the opposite.

My Mind

There is one link tying this whole post together; my mind and the way I think. The way I think is very considerate and 95% of the time tends to favour other people and their feelings rather than my own. I think about things in an abstract way and present options that aren’t what would be considered the norm. I’m calculated in how I act and what I say and like to think I have a high emotional intelligence (EQ). I am smart and focused and I know what I want. I have morals and standards but I don’t try to impose those on anyone else. I understand that everyone is an individual and they make their own choices and decisions. At times I feel like my mind is wise beyond my years but I am sensible and organised and that has always taken me far. Your mindset is important, it determines how you think and how you act.

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I am proud of the person I am and I don’t see these things as differences anymore. It’s all about perception and how you choose to deal with them that matters. It’s okay if you didn’t like school but turned up everyday because you wanted to do well in exams, it’s okay if you’ve only had one relationship at age 22 and most of all it’s okay if you think outside of the box and not like everyone else. Being different is what makes you special!

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Take My Survey!

Disclaimer: This post is not affiliated with Survey Monkey or sponsored by them in any way.

Hi all! I have tried my hardest to get back into a blogging routine this year and over the past couple of months I have been managing. There are still times I don’t feel like posting or I’m out of ideas and don’t know what to post. I am in the process of ‘evaluating’ my blog (for want of a better phrase) and I thought the best way to do that would be to create a survey and get my readers to participate so I can read their feedback.

I have created a short eight question survey using Survey Monkey and it would be wonderful if you could take a few minutes to get involved. All answers will be completely anonymous and only read by me. I may collate the findings after the survey is over and share general opinions.

I am hoping this survey will give me a better idea of what you, the readers, want, the direction I can take the blog and what I need to improve/change. I look forward to reading your responses!

CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN TO THE SURVEY

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If you have any additional feedback you want to share contact me on social media (links below) or email chanelleblogs@gmail.com

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My Three Year Blogversary!

MY BLOG IS THREE TODAY!!!

For anyone who knows me well, you’ll know I absolutely love the number 3! ( I don’t know why, maybe it’s the shape of the number or that it’s odd and sometimes I feel like a square peg in  round hole so I can relate). This feels like a huge milestone.

The past 12 months have flown by extremely fast and I can hardly believe it’s a year since I held a giveaway to celebrate the blog turning two! I won’t be announcing a giveaway this time around (sorry to disappoint) but I’m not ruling it out sometime in the near future. I don’t want to host a giveaway for the sake of it, I like to plan and organise prizes and bits and pieces I think a recipient would like.

Since Chanelle Hayley turned two there have been some changes. At times I feel like I’ve lost my blogging mojo and I no longer post three times a week. I have been aiming for two lately but there are moments I consider stopping blogging altogether or only writing when I feel inspired. It would be so easy to stop and quit but I think I’d miss it and I’d dislike not having an outlet anymore. Not to mention the amount of friends I have made in the past three years, we share a passion and entertain each other.

This is my annual thank you to everyone reading this, my fellow bloggers, those who stumble upon my blog, people who want to start their own and anyone looking to escape for five or ten minutes. This blog has become so much more than I could have ever imagined and your comments, likes and interactions mean more than you’ll ever know. I have grown as a person, I’m more confident, I’m more knowledgeable and I’m grateful I get to share some of my best moments with such a wonderful bunch!

I know my blog isn’t ‘popular’ or the most cool but I wear my heart on sleeve and talk about things that are real. I don’t obsess over PR opportunities and working with brands. In a strange way I’m proud that I have never received financial compensation and don’t monetize my blog. I’m not against it but that’s not what my blog is. My blog is about a girl who believes in happiness and thinks too much, a girl with a big heart who will always try to brighten someone else’s day.

Love,

P.S. I didn’t mean for this post to sound gloomy. I’m very proud of where my blog stands and how hard I continue to work at it. I’m not ready to give up just yet.

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Q&A: The Answers

Hi my lovelies! Three weeks ago I put the call out for any questions you had which could be used for a Q&A post. Thank you so much to everyone here on the blog and on Instagram for your contributions. I was sent a bunch of really interesting questions, the majority of which I’ve never been asked before. I hope you enjoy reading my answers!

WordPress

A Beautiful Thing asked:

1. How did you and your boyfriend meet?

I knew this question would come up because I’ve never mentioned it before. In short, we met through Tinder. I’d literally only been on Tinder a couple of weeks before we met in real life and shortly after meeting I deleted the app. I know Tinder can get a bad rap but I think it’s down to how you use it. There are people that use it to play games and for hook ups but I’m not that kind of girl. I have standards and morals and I wouldn’t get myself into a situation that I would later regret. I was picky and didn’t swipe right for just anybody. I went into using Tinder with an open mind and I didn’t know I’d get a boyfriend out of it. I was true to myself and it seems to have paid off.

2. What’s your favourite thing about being in a relationship?

Always having someone to talk to and share things with. Nearly every week I spend two or three days at my boyfriend’s house when I’m not at work and the days I don’t get to see him we always talk. I love the little things; being asked about my day, daily good morning and good night texts and spending time together. I feel more confident since meeting my boyfriend and I have a great reason to wake up every day.

3. What places/sites would you recommenced seeing in NZ?

I’ve barely traveled around my own country so I don’t feel like the best person to answer this question but I’ll try…

When you fly into NZ you land in Auckland so I’d recommend spending time there for the amount of things there are to do: malls, theme park, zoo, restaurants etc. It is the largest city so there’s always something going on! I live in a place called Rotorua which you might like if you want to learn more about culture and experience natural wonders like geysers. The South Island is popular with tourists in terms of landscape. If you’re a fan of nature and outdoors you will see some lovely sights.

British Girl In An Aussie World asked:

4. If you could only use ONE makeup brand for the rest of your life what would it be and why?

I’m a big fan of Rimmel, especially their Match Perfection foundation, mascaras and lipsticks. Rimmel is an affordable brand with quality to match!

5. How old were you when you started wearing makeup?

Properly, I’d say 13 or 14. When we’d have mufti (non-uniform) days at school I would always look forward to doing my makeup. I’d wear my mum’s blue mascara and use her eyeshadow palettes because I didn’t have any of my own. During my teens I started expanding my own makeup collection and I still have my first eyeshadow palette.

6. What is your favourite thing about The UK?

The quality of music and musicians. I listen to a lot of British artists.

Also, the fact my boyfriend is British. We’re meant to be, right?!

Helpless Whilst Drying asked:

7. If all your lipsticks disappeared, what would be the first three you repurchase?

I’m cheating and choosing four: MAC Syrup/Brave (I can’t make up my mind which one), BYS – Fuschia Surprise, Australis – Gangsta Rap and Frambourjoise by Bourjois. All my favourite bold colours covered as well as a neutral/everyday colour.

Lifestyle Bites 3 asked:

8. What is your main step to contour and sculpt?

I cannot and don’t try to contour. I sometimes sweep some bronzer over my cheeks and that is it. I don’t know a lot about contouring but the 3 shape works well for the face outline and the W motion over the nose and tops of the cheeks.

9. How do you keep track on the lifespan of a product?

I don’t follow product lifespans religiously and tend to go with my instincts. If something smells bad and the texture is off I’ll throw it away but I’ve never had any reactions and don’t have any sensitive areas. Some mascaras I keep past the three month mark and lipsticks I tend to keep for a couple of years.

Instagram

nadine_blewett asked:

10. What is your favourite drugstore lipstick?

BYS – Fuschia Surprise. It’s my shade! A good alternative is Lollipop by Revlon.

angwooly asked:

11. Do you prefer getting up early or staying up late?

Depends on my mood. I used to be more of a night owl a couple of years ago but most nights I’m in bed around 11pm.

12. If you could only use one makeup product what would you choose?

Lipstick. I would be lost without my bright, bold shades.

13. If you could teleport anywhere in the word right now, where would you choose and why?

New Zealand is pretty awesome but it’s a dream of mine to visit The UK. I’d also like a getaway to somewhere resort-like such as Bora Bora and relax by the water, get massages and laze around – it would be bliss right now.

stashmatters asked:

14. What’s your dream job?

I want to be a singer!

15. If you won $10 million, what would you do?

Be boring and put most of it in the bank. I’d give some to those who I care about and build my dream house and travel. I can’t name every single thing I’d do because in the moment I might make a different decision and an opportunity could arise as a result of a decision I make.

16. What’s your fondest childhood memory?

This sounds a little bit sad but I don’t know I have one. I remember having a happy childhood and although we didn’t have a lot of money I wasn’t unhappy. I always had clothes on my back, food to eat and a mother who put her children first. One of my favourite things to do was sing along to Shania Twain and do my hair like hers. That resonates with me because years later I rediscovered her music and now I’m able to appreciate it more. Listening to Come On Over always makes me nostalgic.

17. What’s your biggest regret? 

Sacrificing my happiness for the sake of others. Not standing up for myself and not being able to say no.

18. Pizza, hotdog or hamburger?

Pizza – thin crust pepperoni with barbecue sauce! 🍕

lovekylie1 asked:

19. Are you an only child?

No. I have one brother who is three years older than me.

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I had a ball reading through your questions and answering them! Which answer was your favourite? Did any surprise you? Let me know if you’d like another Q&A in the future!

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Q&A: Ask Me Anything!

In 2016 I held a giveaway and one of the conditions of entry was to leave at least one question in the comments. I enjoyed seeing all the questions and answering them so much that I wanted to send the call out again. Unfortunately, this time there is no giveaway involved (but perhaps again in the future!)

It’s been almost a year since the giveaway and I have gained new readers in that time. I want to give the new readers and my old readers the chance to get to know me better by asking any burning questions. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like and make them as personal as you wish. I will only not answer a question if I deem it to be inappropriate. 

You have two weeks to get your questions in, from May 18 (today) until June 1. The post will be up after I have had time to go through the questions and prepare my answers. Feel free to tweet me questions as well if that’s more your thing.

Happy asking!

The Blue Sky Tag

Last week the lovely Ella from Ella May Garrett tagged me to do The Blue Sky Tag. I am always so appreciative when fellow bloggers nominate me. I enjoy reading these tags and following up on the nomination and sharing my answers. I hope you learn something new about me from this post!

Rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you.
• Answer the 11 questions.
• Tag 11 people.
• Give them 11 questions to answer.

Ella’s Questions:

1. What are your top 5 favourite blogs?

I’m going to pick 5 blogs I read the most and people’s whose blog posts I always look forward to reading.

• Stash Matters
• A Beautiful Thing
• Confetti & Curves
• Helpless Whilst Drying
• Kate’s Vanity

2. Favourite place you have ever visited?

I haven’t visited there yet but I’m going to go out on a limb and say England!

I’ve never been out of New Zealand and don’t have one particular spot I connect with or call my own.

3. If you could relive any moment of your life what would it be?

Ooh, this is a tough one! Possibly the day I met my boyfriend because that was a pretty awesome day or either of the times I saw Ellie Goulding in concert.

4. What cheers you up?

Music and singing. Also anything to distract me from feeling angry or sad.

5. Do you have any pets?

I have one Birman cat called Tango.

6. What is your holy grail skincare, haircare or makeup product?

Fuchsia lipstick – if in doubt, fuchsia it out!

7. What is a life or beauty hack that you swear by? (e.g. castor oil is supposed to help grow your eyebrows?!)

Bend over and drink from the opposite side of the glass when you have hiccups.

8. Are you left or right handed… or both?

I refer to myself as left handed because that’s the one I write with. I actually use both of my hands. I write with my left but do everything else with my right; cut, hold a tennis racquet/cricket bat and play guitar. (I don’t play guitar anymore but when I did at school I would strum with my right hand).

9. Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

I don’t have any tattoos. I have each of my ears pierced once.

10. Who is your favourite actor?

I don’t have one. I don’t watch a lot of movies and there’s no one I particularly like. There are people I think are good actors like Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock but they’re not my favourites.

11. What is your zodiac sign?

Aquarius – the water carrier.

My 11 Nominees:

1. My Lip Addiction
2. Sophie In Wonderland
3. A Beautiful Thing
4. Kate’s Vanity
5. Stash Matters
6. Ladies and Lace
7. British Girl In An Aussie World
8. Blossom Bahar
9. A Brash Attitude
10. Little Girl From Wales
11. Life of Angela

Questions:

1. Do you have any tattoos? If not, do you want any?
2. What is your favourite sweet treat?
3. Do you have any phobias or fears?
4. What is one of your strengths?
5. Name a fictional character you identify with.
6. Least favourite makeup brand?
7. Top three places you’d like to visit?
8. What was the last song you listened to?
9. If you could relive any moment of your life what would it be?
10. Do you prefer eating at cafes or restaurants?
11. What is one piece of life advice you try to adhere to?

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Thank you once again Ella!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post! I can’t wait to see yours! (No pressure if you don’t accept of course).

Taking a Break…

Hi everyone!

First, let me apologise for no ‘proper’ post today. I’m sure you can already guess from the title what this post will be about. Since August, the past three months have been absolutely crazy and I’ve had so much going on – in a good way. I don’t feel like my blog or my posts have suffered but I’m someone who always likes to put everything into whatever they do and I don’t want to write posts if they don’t excite me or I don’t feel like what I’m sharing is relevant. Rather than write something I’m not happy with I’d prefer to have a short break and come back feeling refreshed with new ideas.

When I plan my posts for the month, the dates tend to fill up pretty quickly. I do re-evaluate throughout the month and move things slightly if needed but there are a couple of October dates that I didn’t have anything planned for. Technically today, (Friday the 21st) was one of those days but you’re getting a post to explain the break. I post Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays but next Wednesday, October 26 there won’t be a post. I will still be publishing my Project Pan posts for the two remaining Mondays in the month and my October Favourites will be posted on the 28th. Really, you’re only missing one post!

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Be sure to catch up on this week’s posts if you haven’t already:

• Project Pan Week 5 – Fudge Urban Miracle Ends
• Online Shopping Haul

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I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you next week!

Blogging Awards

I have been nominated for two separate blogging awards over the past week and I don’t like to leave it too long after being nominated before I post about them. I am always grateful to be nominated and I always enjoy reading these posts and answering the questions so I hope you do too!

First off, the lovely Dannii (A Beautiful Thing) tagged me to do the ‘Entertainer Blogger Award.’ I hadn’t heard of this one before and some of the questions are different from other tags which makes it all the more interesting.

Rules:

• Answer the questions you’ve been given.
• Nominate 12 other bloggers who are funny, inspiring and most importantly entertaining!
• Write up the rules for your nominees.
• Thank the person who nominated you and leave a link to their blog.

1. What do you hope to gain from blogging? 

Blogging started out as a way to keep my mind occupied while I was looking for a job. I wanted something I could focus on and use some creative energy at the same time. I have gained so much from blogging by way of confidence and friendship. I used to be terrified to share images of myself but now I am comfortable with it. The people I’m able to interact with make everything worthwhile, everyone is so friendly. I don’t think there is anything more I want to gain from blogging, as long as I continue to enjoy it.

2. What genre of film entertains you the most? 

I think it depends what the actual film itself is about. I quite like scary movies but then I also like classic love stories e.g. Titanic.

3. Do you consider yourself a writer, and what inspires you to write?

Not in the sense that I write novels. Having this blog makes me a writer but I’ve always seen that as a skill. Being able to write well and edit has always been one of my strengths. Writing is not something I do as a hobby and I don’t intend to become an author but I do like to write. I’m inspired by feelings and things that make me happy. If something’s hard to write about, chances are it’s not enjoyable.

4. Why did you choose your particular WordPress username? 

My WordPress name is simply my first and middle names.

5. What is your favourite book and why does it speak to you?

There’s not one book I re-read all the time but one that has stuck with me is P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern. The storyline is so sweet and it’s written in such a beautiful way. Personally, I don’t think the film does the book justice and I’d advise reading the book first!

6. What is your favourite song and why does it speak to you?

There are so many songs I class as my favourites. I can’t list just one so you’re getting three:

1. Shania Twain – From This Moment On (I want this to be the first dance at my wedding).
2. Steps – Better the Devil You Know (This gives me happy childhood memories).
3. Kylie Minogue – Spinning Around (Reason as above).

7. What is your favourite photograph and why does it speak to you? 

There’s a photograph of me as a child which was taken when I was four years old. It was photo day at kindergarten and I wore my hair in plaits (with mismatching ribbons) and I wore a lemon yellow dress with butterflies all over it. I always smile when I think about that photo and it makes me think how much has happened since it was taken (in a good way). I’ve always been known as the little girl with long, red hair.

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Now onto ‘The Versatile Blogger Award’ which Gwawr (Little Girl From Wales) tagged me to do!

Rules:

• Kindly thank the person who nominated you
• Share the award on a blog post
• Divulge 7 random facts about yourself
• Finally, tag 10 bloggers with less than 1000 followers and let them know they’ve been nominated!

7 Facts About Me

1. Little things make me smile.
2. I take medication for Asthma everyday.
3. I’d much rather be cold than hot.
4. Three is my favourite number.
5. One thing I’d love to learn more about is photography.
6. I prefer Alfie to Zoella.
7. Once I’m up and awake for the day I find it very hard to fall asleep again.

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I’m going to nominate 10 bloggers and if you choose to accept, select which award you’d like to do (maybe even both!)

• Bronagh Loves
• Alice Rambles
• Me, Myself and Everything Else (Kaitlyn)
• Mrs Strawberry Blonde
• Lifestyle Bites 3
• Helpless Whilst Drying
• The Rose Quartz
• The Rose Beauty Files
• Ladies and Lace
• Faded Rouge

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Thanks again to Dannii and Gwawr for their nominations!

Hey, It’s Okay… If People Don’t Read Your Blog

Before I get into the post, let me start by saying this isn’t aimed at anyone and is intended as a generalisation.

I’m sure one thought that crosses a lot of people’s minds before they start a blog is, “Will anyone read it?” It’s a valid point because I had that thought myself and it’s ironic how that becomes irrelevant. When you’re starting out, it seems like numbers are important, and while it’s nice to have people reading and commenting, that happens naturally over time. The main reason I have stuck with blogging is because I genuinely enjoy it (and I hope that shows). There are people who start a blog and try anything to get followers and see how many ‘likes’ they can get but you can tell those people apart. After a couple of months they burn out because they don’t have genuine passion for what they’re talking about and they disappear.

The aim of this month’s Hey, It’s Okay… is to tell you that it’s fine if you don’t have instant success and if you do enjoy blogging to stick with it. When I started blogging, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t have a posting schedule, I didn’t know what I wanted to talk about and I certainly didn’t know much about themes and behind the scenes, techie stuff. I think one of the reasons I enjoy blogging so much is because there’s lots to learn and opportunity to grow and improve photography skills, writing skills and more.

I’m certainly not saying, be like me or do this and do that because there’s no certain way to blog. I can however, offer my advice and try to help by sharing what works for me. I mentioned that when I started, I barely knew what I was doing and in some ways, that’s a good way to be. You don’t take anything for granted and you set little milestones for yourself and you’re even more excited when you achieve them. It is definitely true that as time goes on, you worry less about the numbers. While they are nice, it’s more about connecting with people and being able to talk and share things with them. I see a lot of bloggers as friends and while we’ve never met and we may not know every single thing about each other, I know they’re there to support me and they’re never far away with a kind word.

Having a small number of people who enjoy reading your blog posts and interact is better than having thousands of followers who you never speak too and are just faces behind a screen. One of the best pieces of advice is to write a blog you’d love to read. There are certain brands and topics everyone seems to talk about but if you don’t have something new to offer or think a different way, things become generic. Instead of rushing out to buy the new Jaclyn Hill highlighter and swatching it, why not try finding other alternatives to suit everyone’s budget or come up with other ways to use the highlighter. I always label myself a beauty novice because I know there are people with greater beauty knowledge and tips and tricks than me but I don’t let that stop me from running a beauty blog. I love to learn and discover new products and I adapt beauty to suit me. You won’t find me posting about “high end” products because I don’t own any and the truth is a lot of products in New Zealand are overpriced, 80 something dollars for a Clinique moisturiser, I don’t think so!

I have always posted what I want and I try to put my own spin on things and not just follow what other bloggers do. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with what other bloggers post but similar to the Jaclyn Hill point, I don’t want my reader to be 20 different posts about one lipstick or one eyeshadow palette. I try to come up with series and posts that are unique and a bit different and while my blog may not be the most successful or most followed, I DON’T CARE. I want to be able to look back on this blog in five years time or when I’m older and be proud that I stayed true to myself and talked about things that mattered to ME. Often I say how much I enjoy writing and sharing these personal posts because the thoughts are entirely mine and it’s just raw honesty.

The whole point of this post is to reiterate that you don’t have to be a superstar blogger to enjoy it and have fun. Write about the things you want to write about. Naturally as time goes on you will develop your own niche and style and people that truly want to read your words will find you. Don’t worry if you only have 10 followers after one week, don’t worry if you don’t have any. Blogging is a ride and it goes wherever you want to take it. If you’re passionate and determined to stick with it, please do! It’ll probably be one of the best decisions of your life!

As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post! How do you stay motivated when it comes to blogging?