Monthly Goals | February

This year I want to start being more productive and challenging myself. I want to be able to look back at my year and feel like I've made the most of it, so I've decided to start setting myself goals at the start of every month that I want to try and achieve. That way, I can track my progress at the end of the month and see what I need to work harder at. By putting them up on my blog, I'm hoping it will also give me the motivation to stick to them and not give up so easily.

Keep going to the gym!

My main goal for 2017 was to try and lead a healthier lifestyle by exercising more. Going to the gym has never been something that I've enjoyed, as I've always found it really boring. This usually leads me just giving up, however, over the past few weeks I've been trying to go as often as possible, and now I've finally started to look forward to my work outs! I'm still not entirely sure what 90% of the machines in the gym are actually for, but I'm enjoying how much happier I've started to feel since I've  been going to the gym on a regular basis, so my goal for February is to keep this up.

Cut down on chocolate!

I think this is something I will probably struggle with. Chocolate is something that I always seem to crave, and I don't really know why. I'm definitely what you'd call a chocoholic! But it's also full of sugar, which I know that I need to cut down on, so I'm going to try really hard this month to just eat less of it. Especially with summer not too far around the corner, I should probably start working towards my summer body at some point!

Stay on top of my uni work!

So far this semester I've been really good at attending my lectures and keeping on top of all of my reading, but I know that I'm easily distracted and will probably start slacking at some point. So I'm going to try really hard to stay focused over the next few weeks and do as well as I can!

Spend more time with my family!

Since moving into my own flat back in August, I haven't really been back home to see my family all that often. This is mainly because I don't have a lot of spare time between university and my job, and the train fare can get a bit expensive. But I have the new few Sundays off from work, so I'm going to try and use that free time to see my family a bit more, as I do really miss them and I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of family experiences.

I'm hoping that my goals for this month are realistic enough for me to achieve them. I'm going to try really hard to stick with them, and hopefully at the start of March I can report back that I've done really well. Have you got any goals for the month ahead? I would love to hear them!

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My Goals For 2017

One of my favourite things about the start of a new year is the push that we all get to make a few changes and try to better ourselves. It always gives me that extra push of motivation that I need to set myself new goals and challenges for the year ahead. All of my goals for this year are extremely achievable if I just put in that little bit of extra effort that I've previously been lacking.

2016 was quite a crazy year. I had a lot of new experiences, realised I have some amazing friends, and I also feel like my self-confidence finally soared. But I also faced quite a few tougher times that I struggled to overcome. Overall, 2016 was a bit overwhelming, so I'm hoping that by setting myself some goals to work towards, it will help me make the most of my 2017.

Image source: Pinterest

One of my favourite things to do in life is travel to new places and go exploring. Last year, I didn't do half as much travelling as I would've liked too, so this year, that is my goal. Of course, being a student means I don't have the money to go jet-setting across the world in my spare time. But there's so many amazing places in Scotland that I've never visited before that I would really love to go and see. This year I want to explore as many new places as I can.

This kind of leads me into my second goal, which is to try and take more photographs. I'm so guilty of doing something fun or going somewhere new, and then forgetting to take any photos. Which I always majorly regret afterwards. I recently bought myself the Olympus Pen E-PL8 and I love it, so I defintely need to get into the habit of always carrying it around with me. I want to be able to look back at all of my photos and remember all of the good times that I had.

For as long as I can remember, I've always been extremely critical of my appearance. It's just something I've never been completely happy with. Towards the end of 2016 I decided to join the gym, and I've actually been enjoying going. So my goal for 2017 is simply to exercise more, as whenever I do it always makes a huge difference to my confidence and mental health. Whenever I exercise, I know that I'm doing something positive for myself, which ultimately makes me feel happier in myself. My aim is try and go at least three times a week.

Between work and university, during the semester I don't actually have a lot of time off to myself. But on the days that I do have off, I'm very guilty of just spending the day in my pyjamas and not actually doing an awful lot with my time. So this year, I really want to make the most of every day and do more with my spare time. I need to be more outgoing and start saying 'yes' to making plans and trying new things, as I want this year to be memorable for all of the right reasons.

My final goal is just to try really hard at university this year. Last semester, I definitely didn't try as hard as I could have done. Even though I still managed to pass all of my coursework, I definitely could've done so much better if I'd put more effort into my work. I'm also extremely guilty of skipping lectures, so this year I'm determined to stop doing this.

I'm actually really looking forward to seeing what 2017 has in store for me. I have lots of exciting things to look forward too, such as being a bridesmaid at my Uncle's wedding and possibly moving in with one of my best friends. So here's hoping 2017 will be a very good year!

Do you have any goals or resolutions for the year ahead?

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Goals For My Second Year Of University

I've just recently started back at University for my second year. I can't believe how quickly the past year has flown by, as it doesn't seem that long ago since I was moving into university accommodation and getting to know my flatmates over freshers week. I'm so excited to get stuck into my second year and get back into a proper routine again. 

This year, instead of staying on campus, I'm staying in a flat in the city centre. This means that I now have to get the bus into uni every day, so I'll have to make sure I don't get lazy and stick to my schedule. When I first started university last year, I started out doing my degree in history, sociology and education. Half way through the year, I realised that history definitely wasn't for me and I didn't really want to be a teacher either. So after a mini break down in December, and questioning if university was for me, I decided to change my degree and give something else a go. I'm now doing my degree in sociology and criminology, and so far I'm really enjoying it. I haven't started the criminology aspect yet, but I get to start that this year, so I'm excited to see what it involves. 

Now I'm not going to lie, last year I did a lot of procrastinating and defintely wasn't as studious as I probably should've been. Don't get me wrong, I was still very pleased with my overall grades, but this year I want to go that little bit further and put in more effort. So I've come up with a few goals to help make the most out of my second year.

1. Attend all of my lectures

At university, lectures aren't usually registered, which makes them super easy to skip as no one will know you weren't there. My university also puts our lectures online so that we can re-watch them later, which also makes them easy to miss. But this year, I'm going to make it my priority to attend as many of lectures as I can. Of course, if I only one lecture in a single day, I probably won't travel into uni just for that as I could be working. But I'm going to make sure that if I do miss one, that I make sure to catch up properly.

2. Try to do well in all of my modules, don't just settle

It's a known fact that in first year, you only really need to get 40% in each of your modules to pass them. I always aimed to do as well as I could in my modules, but at that point in the semester when everything seems to be getting on top of you and you feel like your work is never ending, the thought "I just need to pass" definitely entered my head. More so in modules that weren't actually part of my degree. But this year I'm going to try and do as well as I possibly can in all of my subjects by putting in that little extra effort. I'd quite like the opportunity to study abroad in my third year, so this year really counts for me.

3. Be open to trying new things

In first year, I was definitely a little bit reserved to opening up and trying new things. I didn't join any societies or sports, and I was quite happy to just keep my head down and do my own thing. But this semester, I'm going to be more open to trying new and different things and try and put myself out there more.

4. Be more organised

It's no secret that I am a total stationary addict. I have countless notebooks, diaries etc all to try and help me be more organised, but to be honest, I end up using them for a week or two and then I somehow seem to just give up. So this year I plan to be better at organising my schedule and making sure that I leave plenty of time aside to get all of my work done and on time.

What are some of your goals for the year ahead?

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Twenty Five Things I Want To Do Before Turning 25

I've been thinking a lot recently about some of the things I want to accomplish in my lifetime. Those that know me well, know that I have absolutely no idea what career I see myself pursuing after I graduate from university. The thought of not knowing where my life is headed scares me quite a lot. But I do have a few goals I hope to accomplish over the next few years, so for this post I thought that I would write them down and tick them off as I achieve them.

1. Have a full time job

2. Be working in a career that I'm passionate about

3. Do as much travelling as possible, especially in the year after I graduate

4. Be body confident

5. Own a puppy

6. Graduate from university with a good degree, hopefully a 2:1 or higher

7. Be physically fit

8. Attend a masquerade ball

9. Do something big or challenging to raise money for charity

10. Own a designer handbag

11.  Visit New York City, hopefully around Christmas time
12. Be financially stable and no longer struggling for money
13. Go parasailing
14. Own my own car
15. Own a pair of Louboutin heels
16. Get a tattoo
17. Go to a festival
18. Road trip around America
19. Work or study in a different country
20. Rid my life of people that make me unhappy
21. Completely furnish my own flat
22. Develop my own sense of style
23. Volunteer for a charity
24. Own my own home
25. Hopefully be engaged

Thankfully I still have over 6 years to achieve some of these things. What are some of your goals that you hope to accomplish over the next few years?