Keep kissing the rocks

I've taken some time for a little r&r this week...in Ibiza! 

It's been a welcome break in the sense that the last 9momths have been crazy busy. I felt like I was constantly running at 100mph, okay running might be the wrong word to use, since those who know me well will know that's not what I do best at all. However, none the less I've been on constant.

This week I've had time to lounge by a pool and nap in a hammock and it's been refreshing to say the least. It's also allowed for lots of people watching, meeting new people and thinking things through. 

Some people go on holiday to escape everything back home, whilst some use a holiday to make sense of everything back home. I'm entering yet another season of change in my life, and whilst watching the sunset over Ibiza island this week, when moments become memories, I got some clarity.

The sunsets every night- every single night. Each time seemingly more beautiful than the last 

Yet every morning it rises again.

In much the same way as the waves keep returning to the shore. No matter how choppy the waters are, the waves refuse to stop kissing the rocks.

The tide goes out and the scenery- everything around you, looks entirely different, and then it comes back again. Then, the whole seascape changes under sunset as it becomes bathed in orange and red. You can be sad the sun is going down or you can marvel at the colours in the sky.

Changes aren't really about circumstances, they're about how you look at them. I'm fast learning that your perspective can turn a situation right around. So, rather than being sad that the sun is setting and the night is cold, I'll stand back and marvel at the masterpiece that's being painted before me. The colours are vibrant, and the sunset excites me. 

If nothing else, life teaches you to be resilient and fiercely determined. Keep kissing the rocks, even when things get choppy...

Allie

Top 8 rules of working on a Saturday night

Being self employed sounds like the best deal ever- not only do you get paid for a job you have chosen to do, but you also get to be your own boss and dictate your working hours. Brilliant, right? Except what that actually translates to is being super self disciplined, running to tight deadlines and getting a tad stressed when it all goes a bit wrong! So, here are the 8 laws of being self employed on a Saturday night...

1. Don't watch TV.
Seriously, just do not even turn it on, because the moment you do, any ounce of willpower to do work will evaporate and Saturday night junk programs will sucker you in.

2. Equally, don't sit on the sofa.
No matter how comfortable it looks and no matter how many times you tell yourself 'it'll just be for a minute', just don't do it to yourself. That sofa will make itself ten times comfier the minute you touch it, and you will be held hostage to its cushions and throws all night.

3. Make sure you drink caffeine, not wine.
One evening I tried to be sophisticated and drink Pinot Grigiot whilst I wrote. Let's just say that the morning after, I spent twice the time it would've taken to write it, to edit it and put in commas and full stops. Apparently wine makes me talk/type in long sentences that aren't possible to actually say without taking a breath. Who knew?

4. Stay away from pinterest and Instagram.
You will go on there after finishing something as a reward, and then forget you were meant to be working, until you realise it's 10pm and you've done nothing all night. True story. Learn from my mistakes folks.

5. Do not spend any amount of time daydreaming about birthday cake/ end of diploma holidays/ outfits/ shoes/ other.
It's really hard to not think about any of those things when all you want to do is think about those things. However, what some might see as motivation, others will find as distractions. Thinking about which strappy sandals to buy for Ibiza does not spur me on to work. What it actually does, is make me click onto asos and forget I was ever working to begin with.

6. Don't go into the kitchen.
You will get way laid by dishes, laundry, counters that need cleaning and a cat who is always hungry. hibernate in a little nook in the house and get cracking. It's the only way.

7. Don't start blogging when you still have work to do.
Oops. No one likes a hypocrite, so let's just skip over this one shall we?

8. Don't work past 10pm.
It's the weekend, so for the love, do something non work related before you go to bed. Drink some Pimms, have a dance, take a bath or read a book. And, if the boss asks you to work on, tell them you can't... :)