What I Learned in 2016

I think we can all agree that 2016 was a bit of a shit year. Brexit happened, followed swiftly by #Breadxit when The Great British Bake Off ended - that one really hurt! - , Donald Trump became president - which sucks for everyone who is not a rich, white man - and countless amazing people have died, including Carrie Fisher & Debbie Reynolds sob! It was not an easy year and I think the world let out a collective cheer when the clock struck 12 and Saturday 31st December 2016 became Sunday 1st January 2017.

Having said that for me personally 2016 was not an awful year. Don't get me wrong it wasn't great, my family suffered some losses, and my beloved dog Paddy passed away. BUT 2016 was the year that I stopped wanting and started doing. Despite everything, I have done some good things and I have definitely learnt a lot, so I thought I would share those things on my small corner of the internet. I apologise for the cliches, there are a few of them.

I am capable of way more than I think I am

These things include playing barre chords on the guitar, just a b chord at the moment but still, and running for more than 30 seconds on a treadmill.

The answer to the question "should I go to the gym?" is always yes

This is true even when I'm really not in the mood to go, because the time I then spend annoyed at myself and regretting the fact that I didn't go is just not worth it. It's wasted time, because in that time I could've easily worked out. I always, always regret not going to the gym but I never ever regret going and the time I spend there, even when I hit myself in the face with a 10kg power bag, yes that really happened. So the answer is always yes!

Know when to leave, be brave enough to do it

This time last year I had just graduated and was working at the same dead end job that I'd had throughout uni. I hated that job, I cannot stress just how much I hated it. It made me so miserable but I was too scared to leave because I didn't know what would happen. Finally in July, with a lot of support from my family, I left and guess what?! Good things happened. I have just started an incredible new job, I  regularly go to the gym - a habit I have and will be keeping up - and I know enough about what I don't want to do that I can focus more on what I do want. So if I could give advice to anyone in a similar situation, just know your limit and then leave. I know this isn't always practical, but working a job you hate is soul destroying.

Bullet Journalling is amazing!

It's pretty much the only way I can keep my tangled thoughts and messy life organised. Initially it sounds really complicated but once you get the hang of it, it is a really easy and useful system and I am so much more productive because of it.

 The cure to having no motivation is to listen to Crazy, Crazy Nights, God Gave Rock n Roll to You & I Was Made for Loving You by Kiss

This is a new discovery but it totally works! It doesn't necessarily have to be in that order but nothing gets me as pumped as quickly.

Keep emergency peanut butter m&ms on me at all times

Sometimes I just need peanut butter m&ms. I am human after all. 

Fitness and training are not quick fixes, they're lifestyle choices

Total cliché but it is completely true. Since July I have lost a stone (14 pounds). Last time I lost weight I lost nearly 2 stone and it came off really quickly, but I didn't exercise at all. This time my progress has been frustratingly slow. The difference is this time I'm building muscle. I'm fitter,  stronger - you should have seen me breaking into the chocolate oranges at Christmas... pure strength! - and have lost a grand total of 27 inches from all over my body. It is annoying, especially for someone like me who wants immediate results, but it does take time. But I'd rather do it properly once than be a yo-yo dieter my whole life.

My mind and my body are not two separate entities

Okay this one sounds really weird and I'm struggling to think of a way to explain this that will make sense to people who are not me, so I will let the marvellous and wonderful John Green explain it for me in this video. For a long time I've felt like there is a disconnect between how I look and how I think but there isn't, my mind and body are not separate. That is something that has taken me a really long time to get my head around. I know this will sound really weird to some people but it's still something I learned last year.

Dairylea on crumpets is delicious

I'm annoyed at myself that I never knew this before now! Why did I not know this? It's amazing, and so simple that even I can cook it, if you read this post you will know that me being able to cook anything, including crumpets, is a big deal! 

 Never ever ever compare myself to others

It achieves nothing and is one of the most toxic behaviours to indulge in.

People are just people, stop being so bloody scared of them 

Other people, especially people I don't know, terrify me. I'm aware that this is completely ridiculous but humans are really unpredictable, and we so rarely ever use our words and say what we mean or how we feel. I also have a terrible habit of coming across as a complete bitch when I'm in situations that I'm uncomfortable with, which is most of them. Having said that people are all basically the same, so it is completely ridiculous that I find them so scary. Get over it, Lauren!

If I don't do it I won't have done it so just do it!

This is actually something my uncle said to me once and it has really stuck with me. Since then my attitude to most things has been that if I don't do it then it won't happen, so really I should just do whatever it is that I need to do and then it'll be done. I also apply this to more scary stuff, like driving lessons, going to they gym when it's not empty and generally interacting with others. 

I can't please everyone.

It's not physically possible to please everyone, I can't do it no matter what I do, so I'm not going to try.That doesn't mean I'm going to start being a dick just for the sake of it but I won't take it personally if I do something that not everyone likes. It's fine. 

I told you it was a bit rich with the cliches. How was your 2016? Let me know by commenting below - I always reply so check back -, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

Love love love xxx