“Every morning you have two choices; radiate positive energy or radiate opposite to that. Choice is yours.” ― Amit Ray, Beautify your Breath - Beautify your Life

Mornings can be a nightmare for many people. Mornings were my own nightmare a few years ago but that has been gradually changing as I create new patterns in my life. My body and mind are so used to get up early now that I don’t mind it at all – as long as I’ve slept for at least 6 hours – and mornings end up being one of the most important and enjoyable parts of my day as I’ve settled a routine for myself.

“Sometimes life requires more of you than you have to give & demands you plunge into the reinvention of yourself if you truly wanna live.” ― Curtis Tyrone Jones

There are times in life when things get out of control. We all have had those moments. Everything is going fine and then you shut your eyes for a second and when you open them again the world is upside down. A couple of months ago I wasn’t in a good place, I felt that I had no control over my life and everything of bad seemed to be happening at the same time. I became very insecure and fragile to the point where I could literally be laughing at one second and crying at the next.

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” ― Margaret Mead

About two weeks ago I posted on the blog how blogging has changed the way I see myself and others around me and I’ve also said how I was never an easy influenced child or teenager. I always knew what I wanted for myself and what I didn’t want and that reminded on this idea for a blog post I had pushed to the back because I didn’t know what interesting that would be but I just felt like writing about it. This is my space after all, right?

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love—then make that day count!” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Morning is an important part of my day for many reasons but the most important is that the way I spend mornings reflect the way the entire day will go on. Because of that, I prefer to have productive mornings instead of lying in bed until it is lunch time. I realise my morning routine isn’t the worst as I’ve been improving through the years and making small changes as I realise what’s best for me but there a few big mistakes that I’ll like to change.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” ― Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It

I still haven’t met one person that doesn’t like to travel and discover new places, see new people, and meet new cultures. This summer I had the opportunity of flying for the first time and now that I’ve made sure I can do it without almost having a heart attack there’s nothing more I wish than travelling. These are 9 places in Europe I would love to travel to one day.

“Growing up is losing some illusions, in order to acquire others.” ― Virginia Woolf

Being a teenager can be difficult at times, that’s a fact everyone will agree if they’ve ever been there. Even though it doesn’t define who you are as an adult, it certainly shapes you and the way you see the world. Since being very young, I was always taught to not be afraid of being myself and defending my beliefs. Truth be told, I was never an easy influenced child or teenager and I knew how to distance myself from situations when I didn’t feel comfortable. 

All that becomes a challenge when you’re 16 and all you really want in life is to fit in. I was 16 when I started my blog and I kept it a secret until I left high-school because I was so scared of what people would say about me and the weirdness of me be having a blog. What was even that a while ago?

“No man needs a vacation so much as the man who has just had one.” ― Elbert Hubbard

After an entire year of work and dreaming about vacation how can it be so difficult to switch off once the moment comes? Are we too connected to our work and our responsibilities? The stress beings weeks before vacation – months for some people actually – with choosing our destination, finding a place to stay at and the ripping-hairs-out-of-my-head moment I always go through of not having a suitcase big enough that will fit every things I need in – or maybe I don’t need to much stuff, shhhh.

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” ― Anita Desai

“Good habits are the basic tools that will determine whether you are a tortoise or hare in life!” ― Lucas Remmerswaal, 13 Habits.com the Tale of Tortoise Buffett and Trader Hare

It is clear that our habits make us who we are so good habits will make us better people. Sometimes it’s hard to build a habit especially when you’re too into the ones you already have but the key is motivation and will. 

“Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you do not let other people spend it for you.” ― Carl Sandburg

Planning is the key to complete important tasks and still have free time for relationships, hobbies and me-time. Taking one hour of your Sunday to plan the following week will help you be more organised, productive and in control of your own life.

This is not a moment to be stressed out otherwise you’ll forget a bunch of things you have to get done next week. Sit back and take a deep breath: it’s time to start planning.

List all the things you need to complete

Things of all the little and big things that need to be complete until the end of the week that is about to start. If there’s any big projects on your hands, break-down tasks as it’s easier to visualize what needs to be done.

Prioritise

Take a look at your list and select priority tasks by underlining them. Those tasks will have to be completed before all the others so choose wisely. A deadline at work is more important than cleaning your house as the mess won’t run away. Unfortunately.

Schedule your days

Distribute all your tasks through the different days of the week. Bear in mind the events you have on each day especially if your work hours aren’t the same every day. Also take into consideration how long you need to complete each tasks.

Some people prefer to complete smaller tasks before and then take care of the more time consuming ones. I prefer to deal with bigger tasks before. Find what works best for you.

Tick off completed tasks

This step is probably the most satisfying of them all. It will help you visualise what you’ve done so far and what’s still waiting to be dealt with.

Move the tasks that don’t have a space for in your week

If there’s any tasks that don’t fit into your calendar for same reason, plan them for next week. Maybe prioritise those ones then!

Reflect

It’s now the end of the week. Sit down and take a look at your planner. Reflect on everything you completed and the tasks you had to cut or move to the following week. Learn with your mistakes and make an improvement for the week next.

Do you usually plan your weeks? How do you do it?

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About two weeks ago I went to watch a football game at the stadium with my boyfriend. Luckily it was a game full of emotions and excitement otherwise I’d have fallen asleep considering how tired I was.

One of my goals for this year of 2017 is to read more. I’ve always loved reading even when I was little. This is one of the many things my mum has transmitted to me. After a look through Amazon and some suggestions from other bloggers, I finally put together the 5 books I would love to read this year.

For a few years I was way too scared to try contact lenses but last year I finally did it. It was one of my goals for 2016 which means I succeeded on that! Today I wanted to share 5 simple ways to make your adaptation to contact lenses a bit easier as it can feel uncomfortable in the first few days or weeks.

I’m the biggest goal setter ever, which is pretty clear considering my last few blog posts. I love making lists, I love setting myself goals and I love to be able to look back and read this one day so what better blog posts would be there to write? 

September is coming to an end. Can you believe there’s less than three months until Christmas? Time is going way too fast but today is the day I reflect about this month and have a little throwback to my happiest moments.

Here I go again. My school year has started four days ago and the craziness will start soon. New year, new life? Maybe but it’s so easy to fall back into old habits. I’m excited and scared but mostly excited to know what this year has to offer.

When I look back to my experience in high school I can’t say I miss those years. The last three years were definitely the hardest ones but were also the ones that taught me most of the things I’m sharing today.