Last year, was a very weird year, both personally and in the wider world, and I found myself learning some really important life lessons. As it's the new year, and resolutions are already in full swing, I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite discoveries I made last year...
You don't always have to have a master plan
2016 was a bit of a strange year for me. After putting all of my efforts into university, I found myself feeling a little bit lost, and without direction. I wasn't sure what I wanted to, or where I wanted to go. I felt like I had to have everything figured out right away, and my whole life mapped out, with additional diagrams and Gant charts.
At the time it felt like the worst feeling in the world not to have everything dusted off and sorted out, but looking back I'm really glad I went through it.
I've come out the other side understanding a lot more about myself - what I enjoy, what I'm good at and what I want to do, which I think is really exciting. I never thought I'd say this but I'm actually okay with not having a master plan...
As much as I hate to say it, less can sometimes be more when it comes to buying clothes
Last year wasn't just the year for 'realising stuff', to quote Kylie Jenner. I've also learnt some lessons about my personal style along the way.
The long and short of it is that I'm still completely obsessed with clothes. However after years of buying into countless trends only to find them stuffed in the back of my wardrobe months later, I'm learning to be more selective with my style, and only invest in pieces that really work for me.
That's not to say I'm giving up my shopping habit just yet, but I will be trying to be a little bit more sensible with my purchases and make smarter decisions when it comes to clothes.
The trick to exercise is to find something you love
I'll be the first to admit that I've never been the biggest fan of P.E. In fact, in one eventful lesson I actually managed to throw a shot put at my own head... I won't go into the gory details of how that happened, but needless to say I've never been the sportiest of people. But, what I do love is that amazing feeling you get after exercise, when you've accomplished something really good or pushed yourself that little bit further.
So, last year I set myself a challenge. I wanted to find a kind of exercise that I actually enjoyed.
After a few failed attempts, I found that I really love swimming. I love getting in the pool, setting myself a target and switching off from everything else around me.
For me, it's not the prospect of getting a perfect set of abs or a Victoria Secret body that make me want to get back in the pool each week, but the fact that I really enjoy it and want to keep getting better - which in my opinion, is half the battle.
Unfortunately, I've had to put my swimming on hold for a few weeks whilst I recover from a dreaded January cold, but I can't wait to get back in the pool and pick up where I left off.
In this outfit post I'm wearing, my favourite Zara military jacket, a super snugly turtle neck (also from Zara), my favourite ASOS Chelsea boots and my newly purchased Dune bag.