Trust Yourself

Hola everyone! 

I hope your weekend was as eventful as mine! Put it this was, without going into too much detail, I hadn't laughed so much in one weekend as I did just then. 

This week I want to chat to you about trust. To some, trust is something build on loyalty. To others, it's lust, or sometimes even love. There are all different kinds of trust that we build throughout our lifetime that changes our perspective on life. 

Friends who become lovers, and sometimes they can't break that chain through misplacing their trust in eachother or the situations they find themselves in. Sometimes they drift and sometimes they blossom. It's whether we can handle the pressure of the relationship or sometimes the pressure of rebuilding the trust. 

This weekend, I experienced a kind of friendship where I could be myself and not have to walk on eggshells. They accepted me as I was. Drunk, dancing, annoying, happy. All of these things didn't matter to them, they were just glad to see me smiling and I felt so comfortable, I placed my trust in them. I'm confident it won't break, but then again, it will depend on where the relationship goes. I'm in control where I can be which means it's up to me to not get too dishearten if the trust is misplaced.

My lesson this week to each of you, your true friends will cover your back, stick with you through the hardest of times and be there to sweep you off your feet while you're too drunk to stand. Regardless of your past situations, always be open to trust but you must master trusting yourself before someone else. Believe that every situation you are placed in, you are there for a reason. 

Have a think about the last time you trusted someone or someone trusted you and that was misplaced. Think about how you felt, emotionally and physically. Take that feeling and put it in the fire. Let it burn and breathe a new sense of openness and trust. Trust yourself. Take back control. Let it breathe. 

Peace. 

Cx 

Sooner or Later, We All Sleep Alone...

Hello everyone!

How are we this week? All good I hope!

This week has been a little strange for me in terms of being social. Over recent weeks, I haven't exactly been in the best position to go out, party, see friends. I've been in my bedroom with my PlayStation. This is something I do quite often.

I've made friends too. Some are old friends that lost touch, some new friends to keep me on my toes. So why is it that I still feel alone? Why I can't quite accept that it's ok to be alone sometimes?

I've realised that being in your own company can be daunting, lonely and sometimes it's a little scary when you're actually asked out to socialise, but it's healthy to be alone, to enjoy your own company! We all sleep alone eventually, so it is healthy to be okay with being alone, in your own space.

I've decided that from now on, I need to train myself to enjoy my own company. Whether it be shopping on my own, going to the gym on my own, or just being alone! Training your mind to accept change isn't easy, but I can tell you, it's worth it.

At the moment, I'm on my own at night and that's it. Here is my day in a nutshell. I get up in the morning, being woken up with my walking, talking alarm clock, called Dad, I make my way to work, I get to work and I sit with people 8 hours a day, I then make my way to the gym with my friends, I head home and I'm greeted with my Dad and dinner, then he goes to work and I'm alone. I spend 8 hours of my time alone.

To some people, this is awesome! They get to sit there with their thoughts, have some peace and quiet and I love that they have trained their minds to overcome loneliness! Myself however, I am in constant need of someone to talk to me. Sad but true. I've went from speaking with people every day/night to silence and it's not the nicest feeling.

So, let's train our minds together to get more comfortable being or doing something on our own! Over the coming weeks, I task you with training your mind to enjoy something that you wouldn't normally, whether it be, being on your own, going to the gym on your own, or even trying a new food, drink, exercise, weight (if you're a weightlifter) or even try weightlifting in your exercise routine!

I would love to know your thoughts on what daunts you, scares you, makes you want to run away! Tell me and let's change that mind set! Or, if you have tried it, tell me your methods. Sharing is caring and all that! :-)

Have a great week guys!

Until next week....

Cx

Do Something Spontaneous!

Hi everyone!

I hope you're all coping with the multiple weather changes that September has to offer in Scotland!

This week I wanted to talk about hobbies and doing something different. You know? Something that we like to keep our minds occupied with, distract our minds from the reality of life at times.

I have many hobbies outside work! I enjoy the gym, I play video games for hours on end and I enjoy Lord of the Rings and Doctor Who marathons. My hobbies vary from time to time, but they battle different moods. From being annoyed and generally moody, I like to go to the gym. To distract myself from the adult world, I play video games. Annnnd, you guessed it, to run away with the Doctor or begin an adventure with Frodo, when I feel I need to escape for 9 hours straight.

So my question to you all, what keeps you sane? What helps you distract your worries for a short while? What do you ENJOY doing? I often get asked what I don't like doing, but I prefer to hear about what others enjoy!

As the weather changes, I feel myself spending more time indoors and not enjoying the coldness in the air or the rain. This is the time of year I tend to hibernate. This year, I've decided to get out there. As much as I love the Doctor, I need to get out and grasp my own sense of adventure.

I've tried to become a better person of late. Encouraging my readers to do something exciting. These past few days, I've been struggling to get to the gym, do some reading, writing and watching something on TV. Something I need to concentrate on? Forget it. I promise I'll go back on the diet and the gym like today.... or next Tuesday....

Life gets in the way of most things that we enjoy but we must not distance ourselves from our hobbies, from the things we love! Push yourself to try something new if you get a little fed up with what you have.

My advice this week to you all? Do something spontaneous! Something that's totally out there, or even just something to try if it's 'different' you're looking for. Book a trip, take a walk down a different street to what you usually do, sit on the opposite side of the bus or train and look at a different form of scenery. Sometimes it's the little things that can get us back on track and can help us manage life in more ways than feeling angry. Speaking of anger, just remember, anger is like a piece of hot coal. The more we hold on to it, the more you get burned and the longer it takes to heal.

I hope this piece helps you through a tough time or even in the future!

And remember, please tweet me your hobbies!  @shotgunkitten_

Peace!
Cx

Difficult Roads, Beautiful Destinations

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone has had a pleasant week.

So it's Thursday. The day that everyone begins to pick up their frowns and turn them upside down, while making their way closer to Friday. How have you been? Good, I hope.

This week I've had to make some pretty tough decisions. I've hurt people, and myself at the same time. This morning when I woke up half an hour before my alarm was due to ring in my ear, I instantly had the fear of stepping into my place of work. This is something that I don't feel often, maybe about twice a month, usually on a Monday.

Today I managed to get through my day, keeping busy, and yet when it started to rain, I looked outside for a moment and witness everyone rushing for shelter, fighting with umbrellas and I thought to myself, sometimes during a struggle, no matter how long it may feel, sometimes it's not about the journey, but the destination.

Someone once told me that it's not about the destination but it's the journey and who you have it with. This is all very true when the going gets good. When times get a little tough on your Thursday afternoon, always remember that it's not about the journey, but the way the journey makes you a little more tolerant of the rainy days, and when the rain clears, the day becomes a little brighter and more beautiful.

So this afternoon as I watch you all make your way to Friday, think about how you'll feel reaching the weekend. Regardless of what it is you're doing, try and smile through the rain. It helps.

So here's to optimistic Thursdays! :)

Peace.

Cx

Trust Yourself

Hello!

Welcome to Tuesday!

It might seem a little early in the week, but I've decided to share with you all something that I've been needing to explore, and that would be trusting yourself.

We all go through experiences in life that affect our mental and sometimes physical stability. When you're in a place that constantly rains on your parade and sometimes there are no options and you have to take the blow and rise above it.

Now, I'm not going to tell you that taking control and choosing to trust yourself is all sunshine and rainbows, because it's not. You will lose people and it will hurt at the time, but you'll survive and later find out that you're better off without the negative vibes. Trusting someone is a lot easier than trusting your gut. When someone tells you to trust your gut and listen to yourself, the truth is, you actually don't want to.

Trusting myself was something I never did. I always just waited to see what would happen and still end up disappointed because I always thought the best in people. Seeing the best in people is a good thing, but you must be wary of their faults. Some people are out to get you and not everyone is your friend. In the last year, I've certainly learned that. I've had to cut ties and most of the time they are for the better.

Tip for Tuesday! Work on trusting your inner self. There will be a time where you will have control. Embrace the change. Make it work for you.

I hope this short entry will help ease your mind on a Tuesday.

Peace!

Cx

Try Something New

Guess whose back?

Me! I had a fantastic first girls holiday with my friend K. I'm not going to lie, we did a power of drinking and soaking up the sun, so much so, that I burned my butt! Ouch.

This was my first holiday without my dad and I have to admit, as much as I missed him, I had the time of my life.

K showed me that I could have a drink and enjoy myself. I could dance until the sun came up and no one would judge up having the walk of shame at 5am, because everyone was in the same boat! Falling asleep with my chips, cheese and curry sauce, K on the phone and finding me in the most bazaar positions and actually being ok with it! That's the kind of friend you need! Regardless of your current position, they still think you're brilliant.

When I talk to people about their girls holidays, they tell me that they have fall outs with friends and sometimes don't even see those people again and it's sad! With K and I, we didn't argue or fight once! This is the truth! You can actually be with someone for a week and not fight. It's all about compromise. We made mutual decisions and listened to each other if we did feel uncomfortable. K and I danced until 5am, we went to different bars with live music and some with DJs. My feet never felt so sore, but it was totally worth it.

For anyone who knows me, I am a little intimidated by new experiences. I go into a shell and if I don't want to do something I can be stubborn and scared. K knew this, but she talked me into coming out of Santa Ponsa for a night and heading to Magaluf. It was an amazing experience, 40 euro a ticket, a tshirt, a bag, a towel and FREE drink all night long? Count me in! K introduced me to dance music and now I feel more open to new challenges and experiences.

I loved having a night out in Magaluf but my heart will always belong to Santa Ponsa.

So let me take you back to a holiday that made you feel so alive. Whether it be abroad on a sandy beach, or a long weekend with the other half. Sometimes when life gets on top of you, all you think about is the negatives, but when I think about Santa Ponsa, it makes me look at things differently. It gives me a purpose as to why I work, why I write.

Having something to look forward too doesn't necessarily mean a holiday, it could be coming home to your puppy who just wants to jump all over you because they can, it could be meeting with an old friend, rebuilding bridges with loved ones, even trying a new brand of coffee!  

No matter the reason, make sure you try something new, not for others but for yourself!

I hope you all have a great week and please, try something new!

Cx

Tough Mudder 2016 - Let's Go Girls!

Hello folks! 

I hope you're all well this week.

This week has been busy with work but on Saturday, I completed the biggest challenge of my life so far, Tough Mudder Yorkshire 2016.

I've been training for Tough Mudder for about two, maybe three months but nothing could have prepared me for the real thing. Put it this way, I had mud in parts of me that you couldn't even begin to imagine. 

Tough Mudder isn't a competitive sport, ta all about working together to reach the end goal of running through electrical wires, which it pains me to say, I didn't run through the wires. I was too exhausted and frightened if I'm honest. It doesn't make me a bad sport, some things just aren't for you. I completed majority of the obstacles, the more muddy I got, the more I enjoyed it. 

The course was 13 miles with an obstacle every half mile. I didn't complete the course alone, I did it with my colleagues. I went through the finish line with my girls and I was so proud of all of us. 

Those 13 miles were not easy. Each obstacle made you test yourself with everything you had. If you really didn't feel ok about it, you didn't do it. It doesn't make you a bad person for missing an obstacle, it means that you just aren't ready yet. These things come with time, it's all a mental game. When I got to the 10th mile, I was ready to just throw the towel in. I was up to my chest in thick mud, I had slightly injured my wrist, I was soaking wet and it was a roasting hot day. My body wasn't aching you understand, it was my mind, it was telling me that I needed to stop. At that point, I had taken my energy gel and hoped my thoughts would get out. 

They did. I even jogged a little! I tried my best and it was all I could do. I started the course at 10am and finished it before 3pm. I took my time, went me own pace and I tried almost everything. I got over my fear of freezing cold water and heights! 

It was an amazing experience and as I write about it, everything aches but I can truly say it was worth every moment. 

My message this week? If you really want to challenge yourself, have fun with friends or just test your ability to complete the course? Do Tough Mudder. The training? Run. Run as much as you can. Mentally prepare yourself for the mud! 

It was the best thing I've ever done and I am proud of myself and my teammates! 

Now? I'm leaving on a jet plane... To Santa Ponsa to lie on a sun lounger and just relax those muscles! 

Have a fantastic week folks! 

Cx