Things That Make You Go Oooooo (December 2012)

Well we've all survived 2012 but was there ever really any doubt? A new year is just around the corner and what will be a fresh clean slate for some of us and a starting point for new amazing dreams to happen. I'm working my socks off to make 2013 the best year ever and keep on striving to be the best person I can be so here are some great links to get you motivated to make the most of 2013.

♥ 50 Reasons Not To Kill Yourself - This is a pretty intense way to start off but a very important one, no matter how dark those times are things do get better, believe me I know! If anyone out there is having a problem please don't hesitate to talk to someone and get help, it really can make a difference.

♥ Reflections on Enoughness & Dipping My Toe in the Ocean of Vulnerability

♥ Overcome The Top 25 Excuses to Wait on Your Dreams - The biggest thing that stops us from achieving our dreams is ourselves, sometimes we need to smash through those walls to get to where we really should be.

♥ 20 Inspired Ways to Monetise Your Blog - Some really great ideas here, I love the idea of utilising your blog as an online portfolio to get other jobs.

♥ Finding Your Confidence on Camera

♥ How Often Should You Blog? - This is a question I'm constantly asking myself, is it better to blog daily or just when you feel inspired? What do you guys think?

♥ Looking Back, Moving Forward - We learn from our past in order to make a better future and there is some awesome advice here on how to built a better blog.

♥ What Internet Habbits Say About Mental Health

♥ True Secret To Success - So true, I love this article and think we should all regularly practice possitivity and gratitude in our lives.

♥ 8 life lessons, gracefully learned - Some really beautiful advice here, if you could go back and give some advice to your younger self what would it be?

♥ The Secret To Lighting Up A Room: Find Your Inner Glow

♥ Get It Done, Girl! Lessons From Daddy Darling - I'm all about setting goals and achieving them and there are some great lessons to be learned here!

♥ Some Thoughts and Musings about Making Things for the Web - This is hilarious and SO true, The Oatmeal is awesome!

♥ The Complete Guide to Not Giving a Fuck

♥ Sixteen Things to Do When You're Bored - AKA ways to be more useful with your time and have just have some fun

♥ Respect Yourself Enough to Walk Away From Anyone Or Anything That No Longer Serves You, Grows You, Or Makes You Happy - I spoke about this subject recently to a friend and it's so true, we grow and change as people and sometimes clinging onto those ties can be more harmful than good so it's better to cut them, move on and nourish the things that are positive in our lives.

♥ Why Women Should Stop Trying To Be Perfect

♥ Thinking About Giving, Not Receiving, Motivates People To Help Others - This is a really interesting study and maybe something we can try ourselves to help be more generous people.

♥ Is It Time For You To Stop Dabbling And Get Serious - One of my goals of 2013 is to continue to grow and improve my little business, while it's so tempting just to start over I always feel the better thing to do is to work with what you have and build on that.

♥ Guided By Your Own Best Thinking

♥ The "It's Not Rocket Science" Approach To making Your Dreams Come True - This is so true, hard work and dedication will always pay off so don't let your dreams pass you by!

Love & Sparkles

Cate

xoxo

2012: The Year I Changed and Became a Better Me

Back in January I vowed to myself that this would be the year I broke free of all my past gripes and became a better version of myself (Cate2.0!), I discussed a few of my goals for the year so now with 2012 coming to an end I'm going reflect back and see how much things have changed for me.

Taking better care of myself

One of the biggest and most visible changes I've made this year is to my health, I've lost nearly 3 stone in weight, I'm stronger both mentally and physically, my skin is clearer and overall I just feel so much better and so free. The best thing about this change is that being healthy is no longer some sort of fad for me it's a lifestyle, I've changed my habits so that exercising and meditation are now a regular part of my day and the strength that I feel now is so amazing that I know I'll never go back to that unhealthy place.

Building a better business

Wow is all I can say, this year has really pushed me when it comes to business! The support everyone has given me this year has been overwhelming and given me the boost I need to try new things and carry on going. Running your own business is hard and I've learnt so much this year and I hope in 2013 I can really push myself to the next level and continue to grow and improve.

Exploring and discovering new things

I didn't really have as many adventures as I would have liked in 2012, my summer in Thailand was mostly spent with my family and sorting out my Thai citizenship (yep I'm officially Thai now!) but the one thing I did learn this year, which is probably the most important thing, is how much I love my family and how much I miss seeing them, leaving Thailand this year was really difficult for me but it gave me that push I needed to work harder and create a better future for myself and my family.

Being charitable

I still feel like this is a major work in process for me, I haven't done as much as I've wanted to when it comes to charity this year although I do feel that when it comes to my family and friendships I've been the most charitable of all. They say charity begins at home and for me this year my family and friends have needed me the most so I've always been there to offer a helpful hand or two whether they want advice or just someone to moan at, I hope next year will be a better year for them and that we'll all have happier days x

Making the right purchases

Earlier this year I said this would be the most difficult for me but I actually think I've done pretty well. After losing so much weight this year it's left me with a wardrobe I can't fit into and although it has given me the perfect excuse to go on a shopping spree I've actually only bought a few things and most of them are from independent designers or bought second hand, I definitely think I've made a change for the better especially in the later part of this year so I hope it continues in 2013!

What were your goals for 2012 and do you think you've achieved them? Be sure to leave me a comment!

Stars & Dreams

Cate

xoxo

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Just a little note to wish all my wonderful readers a very merry Christmas, I hope you all have a wonderful day no matter where you are or what you celebrate and remember to enter my Mystery Lucky Bag Giveaway before 2012 is over for your chance to win some very special prizes!

Love & Cookies

Cate

xoxo