The inspiration journal

A few weeks back I wrote a blog post with recommendations of 3 Habits For A Better Life . As I was drafting it, I realised that there are a lot more of these I'd like to share, without making a single post too long. ''So why not turn this into a mini-series?'' - I thought to myself. Since being eco-friendly is now more important than ever, today I will share my 3 practical habits/recommendations for a more sustainable life when it comes to plastic use.  Did you know that, on average, it takes 450 years for a single plastic bottle to decompose?! Below are some products I genuinely use/have used and would recommend to anyone wanting to reduce their plastic consumption. 1. Water Filters The Brita Water Filter The Pros... I feel like everyone has heard of the Brita water filter by now - it's cheap & widely available for sale + its convenient size means that you can literally put it everywhere in your home. For best results, it's recomm...

Have you ever worked for a manager or boss that you couldn't stand? Was it because of their personality? their management style? Did they possess toxic traits that put you off work?  I have definitely come across a few incompetent leaders in the past. Although it was a pain to deal with them then, I'm glad I had that experience, because it taught me what NOT to do as a manager and how IMPORTANT a positive mindset and setting a good example for your team really is. Today, I'd like to share with you the 3 toxic traits that I've come across in the workplace. I think that putting these out there might be helpful for some people - it'll help you notice when someone engages in those or when it's you that's acting this way toward your colleagues. 1. Lack of professionalism:  I once had a manager who would give out to me for the smallest, most insignificant mistake just because he wasn't in a good mood on that particular day. I also had a manager at o...

I believe in the power of small habits. Little changes that add up to make a big difference. For one, they're much easier to implement and give us that feel-good feeling. It's kind of like the method of little steps that will eventually lead to success.  Research has shown that it takes 14 days on average to form a habit. Developing one requires some work but it becomes effortless after a while. Once a particular behaviour transforms into a habit, it feels natural and you'll find it difficult to imagine life without it.  The 3 small habits that I'm going to outline below also once required some work, but now these form a part of my everyday routine and help me greatly in many ways. I hope they'll help you too! 1) Ditch your phone at least 30 minutes before going to bed Mobile phones give us that constant stimulation. Whether it's a dopamine rush we get from an entertaining WhatsApp group chat or the variety of bright colours that pop ...

Today I want to talk about control, and how we give it to others without even realising it.  When we think about control, we usually associate it with a positive act. For example, letting someone make a decision for us or stopping us from doing something. But not that many people know that in fact, we can give someone excessive control without even seeing it, because they're so discreet and manipulative in getting it from us! After reading this post, you'll be able to identify 4 different ways of giving someone else control over your mind or feelings and hopefully, use this knowledge to your advantage! #1 Lack of Assertiveness Is this one obvious? I'm not sure - but anyhow, if you can't say 'no', it's clear that the decision will be made for you by someone else. Assertiveness is a skill and depending on your personality type, it might be a difficult one to conquer. The ability to say no is something you'll need in your personal and profes...

Hello & welcome to my blog in 2020!  I'm pretty sure I've said this on my blog a good few entries back but how my mind works when it comes to writing is that I can only create content when I feel passionate or sure of something or when it's something that I've recently experienced. This is why I'm coming to you today with a blog post on the key things I've learned through the course of my (almost) 5 year-long relationship.  I've spent a huge amount of time with my SO over Christmas, which only made me realize how important some of these are for a healthy and strong relationship. Before I get into it, I'd like to put a quick disclaimer out there: I know every relationship is different and I'm not here to give professional advice BUT these have worked for me & I can't see why they wouldn't be important in any type of personal relation!  A common misconception about relationships is that they should be smooth and easy. ...

Let me start off this post by saying that I cannot believe that this year is almost over. I feel like 2019 was a very busy time in my life because of work, but other than that, nothing really changed in my personal life this past year.  2019 wasn't a revolutionary year for me when I compare it to the likes of 2017 or 2018, when I completely turned my life around, got a second college degree and changed my career. Nevertheless, 2019 was a good year in many ways. Career progression and personal development were both very important to me this year and I've seen major progress in both. I got a promotion, I learned how to deal with stress, I stopped panicking about my future and convinced myself that everything will be OK, my confidence improved...It was an important year in that regard. There were also some happy moments. I got to travel to Indonesia, I saw my favorite cousin get married, I finally started working on my book (a long-held dream of mine).  I al...

Building up your confidence is certainly a process that takes time. For some, it comes easy, for others, it’s a struggle that can take years. What’s worse is that there are also those that never really get to believe in themselves, and that’s really crushing to me personally, as someone who struggled (and still occasionally struggles) with low confidence. You might see me in the street or even in a work setting and think I’m all about confidence. I wear my head high and make sure that I look presentable for work or social outings in general. This is something that really helps me personally – I like to feel like I’ve got my life together and look the part too - even though on some days I really don’t feel like this is the case. Just like with depression, anxiety or other so-called ‘invisible’ illnesses, lack of confidence is not something that can be noticed in some people. This is both good and bad - good because I would be really embarrassed in a situation where it was ...