The Inspo Post

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without the work."

Up until a few weeks ago I pretty much put the pro in procrastination; the joke was I'd always considered myself an ambitious person who thrives on being busy and having something to show for my time. Yet, in actual fact, all I'd do is get home from work, crawl into bed and watch countless episodes of That 70s Show - the only products of my free time ended up being a flat iPad battery and square-eyes. 

And then last month, whilst moping over my bowl of Rice Krispies one Monday morning, I realised I'd had enough of the routine. I realised I want need change - that all the goals I so "passionately" want to achieve and the dreams I want realised aren't going to materialise from binge watching Netflix in bed. I have this drive to be successful and do all the things I've ever wanted to do and, for the first time (in foreverrrrrrr), this drive is so strong it's overpowering insecurities that, up until now, have always crept in the way. So, in order to keep this motivation going strong, I've been fuelling it with the help of Pinterest and thought I would share some of the quotes and images that have been keeping me inspired. 

A conversation with a friend a few weeks ago made me realise how easily people can resign themselves to doing the bare minimum and not chasing/working hard enough for your dreams (myself included) - 'success is the sum of all efforts repeated day in, day out'. ENDURE. So many people will drop out of the race, just keep going.

This inspired me not because my dream job doesn't exist but because it initially made me agree with it; I found it reassuring that not knowing what I wanted to do career-wise didn't mean the end of the world, it could just be that my perfect role had to be self-made. Literally a few weeks after taking the pressure off myself I realised exactly what direction I want to head in and will forever be grateful to this quote for that. 

I absolutely adore this picture. For me this is success. I want to be this woman. I want to be heading home from work, in my fabulous work attire, stopping off at a London news stall, buying Vogue to peruse on the commute home, where, once there, I'll put the beautiful flowers I bought that afternoon in water, open the window of my humble abode to let in the cat that I absolutely should not possess under the rules of my tenancy agreement, and settle down for the night knowing that I'm living the dream. Or maybe I'm just reading far too much into this idk.

The power of networking is infinite. 

Pinterest is very good at making your 'want list' as long as your person. My current obsession is the Chloé Drew - for now I'm on the hunt for a more purse-friendly dupe but I know a designer bag will be the ultimate 'made-it' purchase. Fashion is the motive. 

I mentioned the 'humble abode' earlier- being Lady of my own manor is one of the ultimate dreams so pictures of pretty interiors like these makes me so determined to succeed. A cute little apartment somewhere on the outskirts of London (I have to be realistic in this dream - central would obvs be the ultimate but I'm keepin' it real me Julies) with a Scandinavian rustic, homely feel and the floor tiles dreams are made of? Yes please. 

This picture is just goals. I don't have to be an It Girl (though that would be FABULOUS) but if this would just be me and my work friends, just you know, working fashion week and looking like some kind of A-list fash pack heading for the FROW then, you know, I'd be okay with that.

BLOGGING. Blogging is such a huge love of mine and something I've continuously returned to since I started about 4 years and upteen different names ago. The obstacle that always made me stop was comparison - the thief of all joy! I've now decided to admire other blogs/bloggers for their amazing features and content, but to not put my own work down in the process. The blogosphere is amazing because of the variety contained in it; take inspiration and yes, always thrive to be better, but don't put too much pressure on yourself to do it a certain way. Authenticity will always lead to the best content anyway!

I'm 1089645836269% sure this a fail-safe success method. Poor Nate though. 

She says, IN A BLOG POST.

But really, some of my most productive days are when I set aside the phone (I literally have to airplane mode it, it's that bad) and just focus. No ritual refreshing of Twitter, or interval Instagram scrolling, no Pinterest perusing - aka no distractions, no room for de-motivating comparisons and, most importantly, more time to focus on YOU and what you're doing. Win, win and win.

For me this quote speaks volumes about social media. People only share what they want you to see (guilty) and this can often be misleading. Don't make the mistake I, and so many others I'm sure, make and get yourself down by assuming other peoples lives are so much better than yours because of what you see on Insta. I realised this after a recent event I went to - it was kind of naff. Actually it was really naff, so I didn't bother to post any of my photos on Instagram because I realised my pictures were actually making it look rather un-naff. I then went on IG the next morning and saw a whole load of pictures uploaded by a certain blogger exclaiming what a great night she'd had - she literally sat there all night with chronic bitch face giving out many a dirty look; but even I could have been fooled into thinking she'd had this amazing time and I WAS THERE. Moral of the story -don't let the internet fool you and definitely don't let it make you or your life feel inferior. 

Happiness over everything me Julies. It's not a competition to be the biggest show off. 

To conclude, I'm trusting the magic. I'm throwing everything I have into being the 'me' I want to be in 3 years time (acting like a Waldorf with the 3-year-plan); I've hit up the library in my quest for some industry insider knowledge, I've ordered some cracking general career-help books (will defo be reviewing these soon!), I've had a clear out of my bedroom and had a little stationary haul (the back-to-school look-at-all-this-stationary-we-have-on-offer period is literally my fave) in order to get myself more organised and RETAIN THE FOCUS. I have faith in myself for the first time - I'm sorry (I'm not) but you can't say that phrase without it - IN FOREVER, and I'm chasing my dreams full force...

Nothing's in my way!

Preach it Anna.