This is still me ❤️

It’s a brand new week and I for one am looking forward to it. I think I went a bit head first into last week and soon realised that I can’t do it all at once, so this week I intend to: Complete 2 Writing Launch courses each day After the workshop last week, I’ve already reached out with some questions and the response has been swift. I’m excited to start working through the courses and learning new things. Update my CV Changing careers was always going to be difficult, but I hadn’t given a thought about trying to write a CV for a job I hadn’t done before. I’m hopeful that the courses I’m doing will help me with this. Practice manifestation techniques daily The book I’m reading each morning on The Law of Attraction has some great techniques for manifesting so I’ll be doing these daily. Law of Attraction always improves my mindset and helps me feel more positive about my day.

Pitch some articles Ok, I need to stop being a big baby and actually put myself out there. I’ve been using the holiday as one of my “excuses” of which there are many, but now the holiday is coming to an end and so is the money I have put away. It’s time to start bringing that dream to life and that’s not going to happen with a pile of ideas hidden away on my laptop. Meal plan I want to plan the meals for the husband and I for out first week home, firstly so I know what food to order for the shopping delivery and secondly so that we can make sure we have some healthy, normal sized meals Set Up a LinkedIn profile Much like the pitching of articles, this one keeps getting put on the back burner. Enough is enough now, I’m a grown woman and need to stop letting the what ifs get the better of me. Not only am I going to face the music, I plan to sing along. What are your intention for the coming week? ❤️

Over the last few weeks, I've been spending about 90% of my waking moments working towards my goal of writing for a living. I wake up and am straight online posting on platforms that I am unable to schedule posts on (or haven't learned how to yet) I could wait until later in the day, but I find that a lot of people read posts first thing, myself included. I meditate, do my self-reflection and review my to-do list for the day, apart from writing, I read other people's articles and engage with other writers on the platforms as practically all the articles and books I've read say this is a huge factor in being a successful writer, it's something I've found surprisingly fun. On top of this, I'm trying (and failing) to keep a clean and tidy home, cook dinners, see friends and family, and generally have a life. I'm not complaining, I bloody love it. I finally feel like I have a purpose. However, me being me, I have given myself a rather large to-do list, t

Small steps, daily. Set up a LinkedIn profile This week, I am going to set up a LinkedIn profile for my writing. I'm feeling quite nervous about this as although I have been writing this blog for 5 years now, I don't have any "work experience" when it comes to writing. It feels a bit like a catch-22 situation as I may not get writing work with no experience, but how can I get experience if no one will hire me? Well, no one is going to know anything about me if I don't put anything out there so this will be a good step in the right direction. Incorporate some movement into my days. I need to find something I enjoy to get me moving more. I'm feeling overweight and unfit and the exercises I have done in the past seem like such a chore, so this week I am getting up, getting my happy playlist on and I am going to have a little dance for a few songs. I think I'll enjoy starting the day like that. Finish the online SEO course I started this course a co

My week in a rather large nutshell Friday brings PMS. Joy. A recent symptom it has decided to bestow upon me is sore, swollen gums as well as all the usual delightful things. I also had a dream that I went back to my old job it was more of a nightmare, I woke up in a cold sweat. I was a bit rattled by the uncharacteristic negativity I was feeling, but I was determined to push through. I got up, made myself a cup of tea, did some meditation, did my morning reflection, read my daily stoic & set my intentions for the day, but I wasn't feeling my usual sense of satisfaction. It was annoying me. The ring doorbell jangled to let me know someone was approaching our front door, the annoyance that hadn't yet subsided, racing back to the surface, when I realised who it was. Charity Bag Man. After lockdown, when clearly I didn't have enough to moan about, I decided to order a no junk mail sticker for my letterbox. Junk mail never bothered me before, but I developed a passion

An extract from this week’s Substack newsletter I like to start each month by looking back on the previous month to see what went well and what didn't, how I can improve, what habits worked for me and any little ways I can make my life a bit easier for myself On the surface, June was a good month, but when I look a bit deeper, I can see that it wasn't without its challenges. I'll start with the challenges and where I can improve, that way we can finish on a positive note, rather than finish thinking how rubbish I have been! Emotional Hangovers Despite knowing I suffer from these, it still doesn't stop me. At the end of this week, I suffered terribly after drinking Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday this week. It's not a regular occurrence, but it is something I need to be more aware of and consciously make an effort to have more alcohol-free days. Not putting my screens away Guilty!! I managed to do this for a few days here and there, but I am still picking up

Dream. Plan. Do. I have a lot to think about this week. For those of you that have read my posts this week, you will know that the job I was offered a couple of months ago, has not materialised, for those of you that haven't you can read here . In all honesty, I have avoided thinking about it too much. I know I need to, but I needed to get over any feelings I have about it first so that I can sit down with a clear head and think things through. It makes sense that at least some of my intentions should be around this. Review my outgoings This week, not only am I going to sit down and go through my budget daily, I am going to review my outgoings for the next couple of months and cancel some things that are not essential, namely my subscription boxes (sob) Hopefully, it won't be for long, but I would rather be prepared than stressed out about how I am going to pay for things when I am still getting a monthly box of beauty goodies I don't really need. Read For the l

that completely changed my mindset I had an entire list of ideas on what to write for the Wednesday Wisdom post, but fate had other things in store. 6 weeks ago, I resigned from a full-time job, after being offered a 6-month contracting position. I wrote about this in a post I had published in the Orange Journal, which you can read here I resigned just in the nick of time to make the start date for the new job. Since then, my start date was then moved 3 times, the first two times causing me to panic and burst into tears. I was contacted two weeks ago and told the date would be moving yet again and they would confirm by the end of the following week. After chasing twice, I received a call yesterday to tell me that the position is no longer available and I was sent two other job specs, which are for less money. I was pretty stunned. I didn’t know how to feel, as much as I want to pursue a career in writing, I planned to do that alongside a paid job until I can make enough money

I had such a lovely weekend in the New Forest with the husband. It feels like we haven’t had a weekend away for ages, it was relaxed and we just went with the flow each day. Although we are both at home, he has been busy with work and I am often shut away in the sanctuary so I was really grateful to have some quality time with him. I’m ending this week with a huge sigh of relief after handing my notice in. I’ve been so unhappy in that job and it has caused me that much stress and anxiety, that I have been off sick for most of this year. This has been a blessing in disguise, as it has given me time and space I needed to get myself better and learn how to look after myself properly. I’m very fortunate that I was able to do this. I started to feel the anxiety come back this week, when I realised it was time to go back to work and hand in my notice. The close the day got, the more panic I felt, so rather than wait until I had a meltdown, I went online to see what my options were, I discuss

Earlier this year, a friend of mine, who left my employers last year, was telling me about her job, I told her if any new roles came up to let me know. A couple of weeks ago, a role came up, so I sent her my CV, which she then sent over just after Easter. Two days later the agency called me and set up an interview for the following week. The day before my interview, they called and offered me the position, I hadn't even had an interview, although this still went ahead as a formality. Knowing I already had the role, I was a lot less nervous and the interview actually went better because of that. It was a great way to start the long weekend. The husband was taking me away for me belated birthday treat, so we went off to the New Forest, somewhere I've always wanted to go and I was extra happy, knowing I had the new job offer. We had a really lovely weekend, visiting various villages, pubs, restaurants, a beach and a castle. I was feeling on top of the world. We came home on M