MAY GOALS

May is a beautiful time of year, flowers are in bloom and we occasionally see a sunny day. I say occasionally because yano, the unpredictable English weather. Last week we experienced rain, sunshine and snow all in one day but that was April so here's hoping this month we have more sunshine...

So much has happened already this year, I feel like I've achieved so much in Pole Dancing, Acting class and progressed in my role at work and we're only 5 months into the year! Over the next month I want to focus on the following 3 goals.

1. Train hard

Fitness and eating well is always on my priority list because it's important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Although from time to time I do indulge a little too much on sweet treats, this month I can't really afford any "slip ups" and overindulge or miss a training day considering I've got Tough Mudder in less than 3 weeks. If you haven't heard of Tough Mudder it's a 12 mile Army Obstacle course, I'll be crawling through mud, swimming in cold water and climbing up the steepest hills. With this in mind I need to be in tip-top shape to finish this course without being dragged across the finish line. For the next 3 weeks I am determined to maintain a highly motivated state of mind. I CAN DO THIS!

2. Acting

I've been attending an acting class for a few months now. At first, I was nervous because I'm not the most confident person but the atmosphere is so relaxed in my class and you get the opportunity to come out of your shell. Acting is essentially reacting, this is easier said than done though. If all else fails act like a child, kids make the best actors because they don't overthink they just enjoy themselves, I'm trying to adapt this style in my classes but it takes time.

For the last few weeks we've been studying Shakespeare and was given a monologue to learn. I'm due to perform my monologue next week, yikes! I am not prepared at all, it's time to put some serious time aside and rehearse, rehearse, REHEARSE!

3. Pole Dancing

Pole is one of my biggest passions, I truly am at my happiest when I know I've got a pole lesson. The last few months I've been working on strength training, really pushing myself to learn new moves. This month I'm aiming to perfect the many moves I already know, my technique is a little sloppy at times so my goal is to look graceful when filming the moves. Practice makes perfect, so I'll continue to improve every week!

Sincerely, Kimberly.

xxx

NOVEMBER AMBITIONS

I can't believe how fast this year is going, it feels like yesterday when I wrote my August Ambitions. Three months down the line I want to reflect on what's been achieved and those goals which are still on-going.

August Ambitions were:

1: Maintain a healthy lifestyle

2: Consider what my next steps are, career wise

3: Develop my Photoshop skills

4: Develop BunnyKitch

5: Stay organised in general

6: Learn a new language

1: Maintain a healthy lifestyle

I have maintained a healthy lifestyle to a certain standard on the food side of things, although I have been eating more cake and treats the last few months. I have no issue eating healthy food, it's the snacking which is the problem for me. Sometimes I can't resist those sweet treats. This month I need to have more will power.

I'm not going to lie, over the last few months I haven't been keeping up with my fitness and I'm feeling the difference. I'm tired all the time and feel as if I have no energy or motivation. This month will be different! I'm going to make the necessary changes to get my body back into a routine. Fitness is like anything, you need to learn something new and challenge yourself to ensure you stay interested. For this reason I decided to start boxing classes once a week. It's the best decision I've made, with the different aspects of training you do indeed "feel the burn"! 

2: Consider what my next steps are, career wise

I'm officially out of temporary work and landed a permanent position in mid October. Now I have a stable position, I don't have to worry that I'll be unemployed and loosing the opportunity to work. My career goals are always on my mind, I'm constantly working towards a new opportunity.

3: Develop my Photoshop skills

I haven't been very focused on my Photoshop skills unfortunately because I've had other things to priorities. This is still an interest of mine but I think I will take it off the list for now.

4: Develop BunnyKitch

For those of you who don't know Bunny Kitch is my homemade jewellery brand sold on Etsy. I've been looking into expand my customer base, over the last 2 months I've had an increase of about 3 sales minimum per week. I'm happy with those results and hope to continue growing as a small business. 

5: Stay organised in general

It's funny really, I'm an organised person at work but not so much in my personal life. In order to get organised I purchased a day planner to ensure I'm where I need to be and if anything needs preparing. It's been working most weeks although I have still missed a few bits and bobs so improvements still need to be made.

6: Learn a new language

I'm currently 6 weeks into a 8 week night class in French. I've been told my speaking abilities have improved but I feel I need to be doing more studying during the week. I seem to attend my lesson on a Monday night then only do 30 minutes to an hour mid-week. I'm aiming to do writing, reading or speaking at least 20 minutes per day. I have an hour lunch so I'm able to fit this into my daily routine.

My ambitions for November remain to be all of the above minus Photoshop skills with an addition: 

1: Learn something new
Now I know I already do a lot of activities to keep myself well and truly busy but I do love learning and experiencing new things. I joined an acting class that runs every 2 weeks, I've been once and it's a relaxing atmosphere where people can express and enjoy themselves while learning some handy acting tips. These kind of classes are great for developing confidence and expressing emotions about life in general you want to get out. 

Some goals are meant to have a long-term date, how else would you truly give it your best effort? Over the last few months I have achieved part of the above and I'm happy with the progress made. Now let's see what the next few months bring! Update to come after Christmas :)

Sincerely, Kimberly.

xxx

WHAT NEXT? TRAVEL, STUDY ABOARD, WORK?

Making decisions hasn't always been a strong skill of mine, especially when I've got several options. I'm grateful that I've got all of these opportunities but the more I have the harder it gets. Sometimes it's simpler when you're given choice A or B but it doesn't always work like that.

Since I've been back from my year in Australia I've been a tad confused if I'm honest. What's up what's down, should I go left or right. Finding your feet after a year in a different environment can be difficult. I just didn't know what to do, It was meant to be simple. I was getting my second year visa for Australia and I would be on a flight by November after my friends wedding. Although my visa got declined so no more Aussieland for me, I have considered the option of a student visa and it would be great because I love learning, I would be able to finish my degree and be with my friends again. After really thinking about the pro's and con's I decided it's not what I want right now, I want to explore a new place and I lived in Sydney for the better part of a year in 2014/2015 so lets plan a new adventure!

Should I work here or aboard again? For now I'm happy to stay in the UK and work to save money to fund another adventure but don't want to get tied down as I want to explore. The other option is work aboard. I've been very interested in Canada recently because I can apply for a 2 year visa. This would be an amazing opportunity because I would have the time to live in a few places and explore Canada. Another on my list is New Zealand, I travelled this beautiful place for 4 weeks in February and I would love to go back. Again New Zealand offers a 2 year visa so there is plenty of time. Another work option which I've looked into is working somewhere in Europe, maybe do a ski season in the France? Plenty of opportunities we Brits rarely take advantage of.

Travel maybe? How about AMERICA? ... just putting it out there! This has always been a dream trip and I would love to travel great places like New York, Las Vegas and New Orleans to name a few. I've actually already started planning this trip which you can see here! It should be a no brainer really, travel of course. Although I've got one little problem which I think will affect my dream trip in a big way. This thing called money, I seem to have none or lack of. I've been applying for extra weekend and evening jobs to get closer to funding this trip next year but no luck yet. I know I will find one, surely I'm qualified enough to stack shelves at Sainsbury's right? Until then I've got to be sensible with the money I am earning and make sure I don't spend it on silly things. 

I think I've come up with the best way for me to afford this trip in addition to the extra job. Work while I'm in America, seems simple right? Well it's not I'm afraid America doesn't offer a working holiday visa like many other countries but there programmes that will give temporary sponsorship such as Camp America. This particular programme lasts for 9 weeks over the summer holidays so I could earn some extra cash in-between travelling and have a great time doing it. I was thinking about leaving for America at the beginning of May 2016  to travel around a few places. Then I would start work at the Camp end of June through for 9 weeks, it may be called a "summer job" but I can see it being a fun experience. Afterwards I could travel more if a visa allowed me to do so. If not in America I'm more than happy to pop over to Mexico for a few weeks ;)

So it's been difficult to decide over the past few weeks but in the grand scheme of things I think travelling is the best option for me at this point in my life. I don't think I'm ready for a "career" yet. Don't get me wrong I work hard and am dedicated in the jobs I have but knowing I will be exploring somewhere new very soon keeps me happy :)

Sincerely, Kimberly.

xxx

AUGUST AMBITIONS

August is here, when did that happen? It feels like July has been and gone in the blink of an eye. I've been home from travelling for 7 weeks and haven't really set any "official" goals for myself. New month, new goals and endless possibilities. August is my month to achieve great things, six things in particular spring to mind ...

 

1: Maintain a healthy lifestyle

This is always an important part of my life on a daily basis. I consider what I'm eating, when to exercise and insure relaxation time is taken. I have to admit that there has been a few slip ups in July with birthday celebrations and general mis-eating on my part. August will be different because my goals for fitness are pretty much my top priority!

2: Consider what my next steps are, career wise

I'm currently temping to keep a steady wage coming into my life, although I don't want to keep doing this because its not the best pay if I'm honest. I'm keen to travel again and explore the world and that's when it hit me. Apply to work in another country again, I've been considering  a Ski Season in France or a position on a Cruise Ship would be the perfect fit for me. Time to get that CV 100% up to date and that cover letter written because those jobs aren't going to apply for themselves.

3: Develop my Photoshop skills

Since I've become more and more involved in the blogging world I want to develop the quality of my photography, thats where Photoshop comes in. Photoshop is an amazing tool used millions of bloggers and photographers to enhance their images. I want to be able to use the programme at an intermediate level by October / November time. I could continue using videos to expand my knowledge but I've seen a few courses that would be helpful. Maybe a course then ...

4: Develop BunnyKitch

For those who don't know BunnyKitch is my homemade jewellery brand which specialises in affordable fashion pieces, starting from only £2.95 its a hard bargain to resist! :) I want to expand my customer base to gain new ones, I haven't fully organised a strategy to how I will achieve this but I know it will include fellow bloggers who would like some freebies and social media. Take a look here!

5: Stay organised in general

I recently ordered a planner from The Blogger Planner to organise myself, not only for my blog posts but also in day-to-day life. Sometimes I’m missing small tasks that need to be done regularly, when I miss things too often I have to spend a whole day catching up. Solution: GET ORGANISED.

6: Learn a new language
I cannot believe I forgot this on my ambitions for the month when I wrote the post. Silly me ... learning a new language has been at the back of my mind for a long time. After living aboard and seeing other travellers having to learn english, it inspired me. I choose French because at the time I applied for ski seasons in France, also because I am unable to role my R's as you need to in Spanish and Italian :) 

Do you have any ambitions for August?

Sincerely, Kimberly.

xxx