5 minutes to change your life

Do you stick to your New Year's resolutions? I love making them (I love making lists in general) but somehow I always manage to forget about them five days into new year. This year I wanted to change that and try to really apply the resolutions I made. Not that I consider them crucial for accomplishing anything in life, it's just that for the first time in my life I have a very clear vision of where I want to take myself. So I decided to read my resolutions every other day, to make sure I don't forget them. Also, I made over 20 resolutions, which never happened before, and it goes to show how precise I see my future.

While applying some of these decisions takes time, so progress can't be measured on a daily basis, some of them are just small tasks that don't take a lot of time but eventually sum up to better quality of life. For these small tasks I made a 'rule of 5 minutes'.

Did you know you were free?

There's this one topic that's been tickling my mind lately for quite some time, and in the light of certain recent events even more so. And the question is - why do we, as women, accept and live up to certain stereotypes? That's a question that is not asked often enough, if at all. On the other hand, what we do hear very often are complaints about women being objectified, women not being treated equal to men and so on. Now, don't get me wrong, I am a feminist by definition. But as a woman and feminist, it saddens me to see what most women set up as their goals and what they aspire to.

 I would dare to say that women of today are quite shallow. Just walk into any drugstore and you'll see that 95% of the beauty and vanity products are designed for women. Yet, there's this popular opinion that this role is somehow imposed on us by the society. That's where we get to 'certain recent events' I mentioned - Essena O'Neil story that went viral. Essena, in her dramatic video confession advocates that social media is 'evil' and somehow it 'makes' you design yourself and your life to be likeable. Honestly, I can't agree on that. We are all free to choose our own aspirations. We are free to choose our idols. To set our own goals. Never have I ever felt the pressure to do my full make-up every single morning, and take pictures in order for people to like me. If I did feel that way, I would consider myself an unstable person.

no signal

Some time ago, I went to a shopping mall with my friend and, as it usually happens, we ended our tour in a restaurant, with coffee and snacks. Now one thing I love to do is watch people and their behavior (not in a stalky way, I promise!), and the first person I noticed was a girl that sat right across me. A teenager, all made up, heels and all, on a date with her boyfriend who was going out of his way to cater to her, bringing her food, holding her chair, and generally being a total cavalier (thumbs up for that fella)! What was wrong with that picture was the fact that the entire time during their meal, she was ignoring him and scrolling through her phone, Facebook or something. It wasn't the first time for me to wonder how on earth can someone find their phone more interesting than a human being (especially the one who took them on a date)? I glanced across the restaurant, and started counting people who had a company but instead socialized with their phones. At 15 I stopped counting because that was more than half... it was just sad.

Let's be honest here, I had more than a few days that consisted of instagram, twitter, facebook, blogger, bloglovin, whatsapp, over and over again. Usually those were procrastinating times, when I tried to avoid studying. However, at the end of the day I would literally feel nauseous from looking at the screen the entire day, and my head felt empty, but not in a good way but rather like some programmed robot. Not fun! Days like that were usually followed by days when I would keep myself away from computer and only pick up my phone if necessary. That's how sick the internet made me feel!

It's scary to think about consequences of modern life and internet abuse. Memory deterioration, loss of social skills, lack of drive and motivation in real life, attention disorder, and so on and so on! These things shouldn't be taken lightly, but usually are!

I know the aforementioned apps along with internet in general are the easiest way to entertain yourself in your leisure time, but that certainly isn't the most fulfilling and most satisfying way! Take it from someone who's brand is closely tied to internet - it is the only market for what I do - but my honest advice to you would be to turn off your wifi from time to time, and have fun in old school way! Let your thoughts flow free, without all those notifications constantly interrupting them. Think, talk, sing, take a walk without phone in your hand! Live in reality! I'll meet you there! <3

Promise

There is something promising about the warm early morning in May. The golden sunshine peeking through the blinds on your window, the (almost) summer breeze that feels so warm on your skin. As you step outside, ready to take on a new day, and everything is still so peaceful, with only a hint of busy day ahead. You feel that something amazing is about to happen, and the feeling of anticipation is itching under your skin. Your soul fills with hope, and optimism. It's like a beginning of the new life, with all the incredible possibilities.

That's how I felt this morning. Like nothing bad will ever happen again. Like it's never going to rain again. It's an illusion, of course, but it's the illusion that pushes you forward. Gives you courage to chase your biggest and craziest dreams. And those dreams coming true, that is not an illusion. It can be reality. It will be reality.

I can

Ever since I can remember, my biggest drive was the idea of creating something with my own hands. Being a creative soul, it was usually something artistic, but the creative process itself was the most important thing. Since my early days, I used to draw, write stories and poems, I made furniture and sew for my dolls, in elementary school I made my own magazine, with my articles and illustrations, and so on, and so on. Eventually, photography and blogging became my creative outlet. Until some time ago, when I decided to start working on my illustration skills again, after 4 years (I mentioned that on Instagram).

That moment re-opened certain questions. Browsing through illustrations of many talented people, in order to get inspired, I found myself smitten with the feeling that I could never ever be that good. It was a very familiar feeling, that gave me chills and made me doubt everything I do. And nothing made sense anymore. It was the only thing that always used to hold me back - I was resistant to other people questioning what I do - but the moment I start to doubt my own talent, is the moment I give up.

The problem is - looking at someone's masterpiece, we only see the final result. And that is only the tip of the iceberg. What we don't see is dedication and hard work, persistence, discipline, sacrifices. We automatically assume that one is born with that magnificent talent, and we could never reach that level. Eventually, that discourages us from even trying. And reality is - success is only 10% talent, and 90% hard work and sweat and tears. We have to teach ourselves that great things can't be accomplished in one day and with minimum of work. Whatever you set your mind to, you can achieve, as long as you don't give up when the first obstacle appears.

When I look at my favorite blogger's pictures I think I could never be that good. But the truth is - I made a significant progress since I first started blogging. I'm like ten thousand times better now than I was 4 years ago, so why could I not be even better in the time to come? So I try not to compare myself to anyone, and just improve at my own pace. Somewhere in the future I'll be as good as I want to be, and even better. I have a living example of the endless possibilities of human mind in my own house - my mother who made some radical changes and lost 30 kilos (66 pounds) in less than a year. She became a hardcore healthy eater and started a rigorous workout regime, which is the exact opposite of everything she used to be. She educated herself in everything she needed to know - nutrition facts, exercises, human body and it's processes. With no help, just pure determination! Having her as an example, I'm ashamed at the thought of giving up and saying 'I can't do this'. Because yes I can, I can do whatever I want, I can be whoever I want to be. Human mind has no boundaries, I have no doubts about that. It would be a shame not to use those possibilities to reach your dreams.

I just wanted this to be a little reminder to both you and me - whatever you're passionate about - pursue it! Work on that dream everyday, dedicate yourself to make it come true. Work, work, work! And your dream will become reality!

"Stay hungry, stay foolish."

Love,

A.

Comfortable is not good

...and I'm not talking about clothes! It referres to life. Think about it - do you feel too comfortable in your life? It means you're doing it wrong.

It's one thing to be happy and at peace - we all strive for that - and quite another to be lulled into routine. The status quo. Your little box where nothing ever changes and nothing shakes your ground.

'Get out of the box' is a rather abused phrase, mostly by those who are helplessly stuck in their boxes. Sometimes I doubt if people actually know what it means. It means exposing yourself to uncertainty, to the new and unfamiliar, to what we fear. Because it is the only way we can grow. That way you have to raise your game, and widen your horizons. Most people believe that the unknown will be much more painful than what they're already experiencing. Believe me when I tell you, it will not. There is nothing worse than looking back at all the missed opportunities and wasted potential. 'Comfort zones are plush-lined coffins.' 

Of all the things my mother taught me, there is one sentence that stuck in my head, and I never forgot it since my childhood. I'll try to translate it -- life doesn't forgive you for the missed opportunities. I was ten or eleven when she told me that, and ever since it was my motto. I was actually always afraid of missing an opportunity or a chance. It was that fear that pushed me to try, to grow, to jump into the unknown. It was scary, but it felt good every single time. The more afraid I was of something, the more joy it brought me. That is the only way I feel alive.

Don't let the fear of failing at something stop you from trying. By focusing on your flaws and weaknesses, you set yourself to fail. Instead, why not focus on what you're good at, and aim to become better. If you do that, I promise, you'll see miracles happen.

I firmly believe that laziness is the worst of all the flaws. You are not supposed to do what’s easy, but what’s good. Just imagine, if you weren’t lazy, so you went out for a run, at least once in a week. You’d have that dream body by now. Or if you spent one hour every week learning another language. Or practicing your illustration skills. Imagine you spent this weekend studying for that exam instead od sitting in front of tv. These are all small changes, that we are sometimes too lazy to make because we don’t see what they sum up to. And they sum up to amazing things eventually.

So next time you’re too lazy to move your ass and get things done, or you’re afraid – just try to see things from another, longterm perspective. Everything you could do, everything you could become is within your reach. Great things are not accomplished in one day, they take time and persistence and commitment. They take risks, and enduring the discomfort. So get out of that plush-lined coffin!

Do something uncomfortable today. By stepping out of your box, you don't have to settle for what you are - you get to create who you want to become.