Hello lovely ladies and gentlemen!!!
It's been a long time coming since I last posted to this blog of mine, and my oh my have things changed drastically!
Life has this crazy tenancy to throw a million and one things at you and before you know it time has flown right out the window and you're left wondering where the heck the better half of the year has gone.

Despite the fact that time has seemed to run away with me, I've spent a lot of time thinking about who I am, what I want and how I will achieve it. I'm a firm believer in progress and chasing your dreams, and I had found myself stuck in what I guess you would call a rut. Life wasn't bad, but I didn't feel I was really achieving anything, like I was just kind of making it day by day, letting life take a hold of me rather than the other way around.

I've decided on a lot lately, none of which will be shared within the contents of this post however. What I will be sharing though is some things that I wish I had been told or had learnt a lot sooner than what I had. So grab a cuppa, sit back and relax, as I hope that I am able to share a little bit of knowledge.

1. Don't skimp out on comfortable underwear
Probably an odd one to start off with, but it is important! Buy underwear you feel comfortable with and in! Boy leg, bikini, g-string - it's your choice! There's nothing worse than making yourself feel super uncomfortable for the sake of impressing anyone. Oh, and yes, matching your bra and underwear does make you feel super confident and put together, no matter the cut. So spend those few extra $$ to get the matching pair.

2. Find your fire and light it
If you have a passion for something, pursue it. Life doesn't offer handouts and genuine passion is hard to come across in today's world. That desire to try that new hobby or apply for that job is the kindling to your happiness. Gather that kindling, and set your fire alight by pursing it. Your knowledge and your success with keep your fire burning bright. The more you add, the brighter you burn.

3. If it won't matter in 5 years, don't spend more than 5 minuets worrying about it
This is pretty self explanatory. You don't need to waste your energy, time and emotions on trivial matters.

4. It's okay to treat yourself
So many people will tell you to work, work, work. To buy a house, a car, healthier food and the like. And yes, whilst these are all important parts of life, it is also important to make sure you're taking care of you. It's okay to go out to brunch with your friends, to buy yourself a new lipstick or bath bombs, to get your hair done on occasion or a massage. What's not okay is letting your mental health and opinion of yourself down because you're missing the balance in your life.

5. Plan ahead
Failing to plan is planning to fail. Get a diary, a whiteboard or even a notepad and write down what you're wanting to accomplish and how you plan to. You could start with simple things like a shopping list or a to-do list for the day. Not only will you ensure you're on track and achieving the goals you'd like to, but its also gratifying visually experiencing all the things you've managed to achieve.

6. There is no such thing as perfect
No one is perfect at anything. Seeing someones performance or where they are in life now is just the iceberg of all the trials and training they've gone through to reach that point. Striving for progress rather than progression helps you monitor just how far you've come and gives you motivation and purpose to celebrate just how amazing you really are.

7. There are many different types of exercise, you just need to find the right type for you.
You don't just have to run 5k a day, or lift weights every day to get a healthy and strong body. Yes, whilst there may be specific routines or activities you will have to do to get the effect you desire, you don't just have to stick to a workout just because you see everyone else doing it. Find something that you enjoy and you'll find you'll want to go for runs, lift weights and train to become better at the exercise you love doing. For some its aerial arts, pole fitness, swimming, rock climbing, yoga or even dance. Never be afraid to start something new because you'll never know what you'll end up loving.

8. Gossip is just that, gossip.
 People don't actually care what you do with your life. If anything, talking about other peoples lives are their way of forgetting the things they dislike about their own. Maybe they're jealous, maybe they just do not like you, either way their opinions on you and your life don't matter. Two quotes I like to remind myself of when I get bothered by gossip are these:
Those who mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind; and
Mermaids don't loose sleep over the opinion of shrimp.

Of course, life has provided me a whole tool set of lessons and I continue to add to my kit every day, however these 8 lessons have really had a huge impact on my emotional, mental and physical health.

I hope you've enjoyed my first blog back after my long awaited return and I look forward to posting more content very soon.