For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea

Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay…small acts of kindness and love.

1. Your skin may never be perfect, and that’s okay.

2. Life is too short not to have the underwear, the coffee, and the haircut you want.

3. Everyone (including your family, your coworkers, and your best friend) will talk about you behind your back, and you’ll talk about them too. It doesn’t mean you don’t love each other.

4. It’s okay to spend money on things that make you happy.

5. Sometimes without fault or reason, relationships deteriorate. It will happen when you’re six, it will happen when you’re sixty. That’s life.

People who believe they’ll be happy if they go and live somewhere else, learn it doesn’t work that way. Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.

1. push yourself to get up before the rest of the world - start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to the nearest hill with a big coat and a scarf and watch the sun rise.

2. push yourself to fall asleep earlier - start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable.

3. get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else.

4. stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything.

5. buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice.

6. buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small.

7. strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there and wash. make your bed in full.

8. organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle.

9. have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck.

10. push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog.

11. message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through.

13. think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything.

14. become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends.

15. lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure wasn’t a thing. open your eyes. take small steps to make it happen for you.

I’ve survived a lot of things, and I’ll probably survive this.

2015;

1. Sleep earlier, rise earlier - get off your phone, set a time, create a habit.

2. Read more - and not just shitty fanfics. Read them too. But read. Read classics, read newspapers, read magazines, read fictional books, read joke books. Just read.

3. Stay away from people who do not deserve you - you are worth a lot more. Fuck their shitty opinions.

4. Eat well - and I don’t mean diet. I mean, eat well. Eat healthy, indulge every once in a while, but don’t go overboard. Eat for your health and not for society.

5. Create a plan that will be enjoyable for exercise and just do it - no fucking around this year

6. Study well - an hour every single day. Just one hour of uninterrupted, that’s all it will take. Apprendre et travail dans Francais - Je ne sais pas si ce est juste, pardon a mon francais suiveurs

7. Pamper yourself- give yourself one hour. One hour a week to unwind. To week to wash your hair, leave in your conditioner, soak your skin, have a face mask, shave your legs, light some candles, drink some tea, put on nice smelling lotion and comfy pajamas, put on some nice music and sleep well.

8. Put in an effort - doing your hair nicely, putting on that clean change of clothes and a simple coat of mascara has a lot of power to make you feel a hell of a lot better

9. Learn new VOCAB - because why the fuck not? Write down your new words that you learn while reading, use them in conversations; expand your vocab, because when you are sitting in the exam room, you’ll be glad you have.

10. Plan an outing once a week - have something to look forward to, to be excited for. Experience new things.

11. Set small goals - 3 small things to do every day, and don’t sleep till you have them done. 3x365 knowledgeable achievements will be worth it - trust me

12. Meet new people - don’t be so quick to judge.

13. Love yourself - I’m still trying to figure this one out, but I’m beginning to feel like I am worth it.

14. Art - practice makes perfect. Work, and when you can’t work, learn. Discover artists and their pieces, their inspirations, their style. Document it. There is always something to do to improve, whether it be through practice or research.

15. Stick to these goddamn goals. 2015 will be the shit if I make it.