Happy New Year!

Well here it is, 2016 has arrived and I hope you all did something memorable to see in the New Year.

Image soured from www.pinterest.com 

Every year I get a feeling about what type of year it’s going to be. To some extent I believe that you can premeditate this, but to another extent I highly believe that your gut will always tell you what lies ahead, well not detail for detail but enough to know whether you need to gear up for battle or simply enjoy life for what it is (Always strive for the latter … regardless).  

A few years ago I decided to stop making huge New Years resolutions on lists that were as long as my arm because trying to achieve all of those things was just too unrealistic. Instead, what I did was keep it really simple and set a life mantra to ‘do what makes you happy and when it no longer makes you happy… stop and move on’.

So far, this has served me well and has helped keep a lot of things in perspective. This simple mantra also helped me to pay more attention to the things that make me happy and how I can manifest that happiness to grow in a positive way. But it has also helped me to identify the things, people and circumstances that make me unhappy and this in itself has been liberating beyond belief!

The amount of unnecessary bullshit I have been able to cut out, avoid and foresee has been life changing and has saved me tonnes of wasted time, energy and emotion.

Whatever resolutions, goals and target you do or don’t set for 2016, I hope that you all have an amazing 365 and that you are able to let go of any fears, situations and even people that have  held you back or kept you down in the past and that you are ready to receive all the love, happiness and success that you deserve for the year ahead!

Happy New Year lovebugs and thank you so much for supporting For The Love of Moi in 2015.

FYI - My gut tells me that 2016 is going to be a gooden! 

Love Sara. xxx

Monday Motivation

Happy Monday lovers!

I hope you are all well and have a lovely weekend.

By now I can imagine that you’re all in the festive mood and have been for some time. Well until last week for me it didn’t quite feel like Christmas time at all.

Spending the build up to crimbo in Lisbon has been a great experience as I have managed to escape the madness and decorations on steroids that I became accustomed to whilst living in the UK and despite working in customer service for one of the UK biggest online fashion retailers, I have also managed to keep my sanity.  

However, today I am flying home for to spend the Christmas with my family and I have to say that the little elf that lives inside of me is ready to come out and play!

Image sourced form pinterest.com

For me Christmas isn’t about a religious celebration (because I’m not really a conventional religious person.) Christmas is about a time that you spend with the people you love the most, to eat, drink and be merry. But most importantly to celebrate and show appreciation for one another.

When it comes to family , yes we may want to kill each other at times and we may not always see eye to eye but… it’s Christmas “... the most wonderful time of the year” so put aside your differences, break out the board games, pop some bubbly and enjoy and be present in the moment of Crimbo!

Have an amazing Christmas lovebugs! I hope that Father Christmas brings you everything that you asked for.

Love Sara. xxx

5 Things I learned In 2015

It’s that time of year yet again where an entire year has passed and it’s time to reflect on all the good, bad and ugly that has happened in the past (almost 365 days)

This year I can say that a lot has felt good but a lot has also felt wrong, or for a better choice of word I should say that a lot has felt unfamiliar.

But despite how unfamiliar or uncomfortable things have felt I pushed through because I knew there was a bigger picture on the other side of it all.

So now that I’m on the other side... well at least I think I am, here are my key takeaways that 2015 has taught me...

1.         Courage

This year I did the bravest thing I think I have done to date, after struggling with anxiety coming to terms with where it was coming from, I woke up one morning and decided that it was time for a change. So I booked a one way flight to my favourite city and started over.

I left my family, my friends a job that I adored and every comfort that I had ever know. I stepped so far outside of my comfort zone that it threw me to the point where I didn’t recognise myself, but despite how hard I found it and at time still find it, I am so happy and proud that I found the courage to move on from what no longer served me or helped me to grow in the way I needed.

2.            Family and Friends

Moving someplace new to start over alone was really tough in the beginning. It wasn’t until a few weeks in that I realised that I was physically Completely alone.

Don’t get me wrong I’m an Aquarius so I’m pretty fine in my own company, but too much of one thing is never good for anybody.

Being here alone and starting over has taught me to value the relationships I have at home with family and friend and also the new relationship I have built since being here. Because despite living a plane ride apart, we still love and support each other just the same. They are still the people I call to share my good news with and they are still the people who help keep me together when I am down.

3.            Letting go of clutter

Literally and metaphorically!

I seriously was a few hand bags away from becoming an official bag lady!

For years I’ve had this idea that I would save all of my absolutely fabulous dresses, bags and shoes for my unborn daughter who would of course be the exact same size as me and would undoubtedly have the same taste.

At some point I had to get real and realise that I was holding on to a bunch of stuff that I had no use for especially, with no kids even in the pipeline!

As I started getting rid of a lot of this clutter, I realised that I needed to do the same with a lot of the mental and emotional baggage that I had been holding on to. There was no sense in keeping what has passed and no longer served me because it was simply taking up space for new possibilities.

4.            Self appreciation

This is something that I am still learning how to do. It sounds pretty simple right? Well when you live in a  world that encourages people to care about the lives of other people more than your own and to constantly try and Keep up with the Kardashians never mind the Jones, you forget how important it is to simply keep up and balanced with yourself.

Learning to say no to people and learning to say yes to yourself as well as to trust your instincts is one of the most important things that you can ever do for yourself, but it’s also one of the hardest.

Saying no to others doesn’t make you selfish and doesn’t mean that you don’t care, it just means that you understand the importance of treating yourself with the love, respect and kindness that we so readily give to others. Afterall, if we can’t do these things for ourselves who are we to expect it from anyone else.

5.            Sacrifice

In comparison to the lives of others, I’ve never really had to sacrifice much, I’ve always have a great family, friends, a roof over my head, food on the table, more clothes and shoes than one person can have and so far have travelled to over 20 countries.

Quitting a job I loved and that allowed me to have multiple holidays a year, not having my family and friends living around the corner from me and having to find the willpower to walk past ZARA on a daily basis and fight the temptation to go inside and buy myself something pretty, are all luxuries that I have had to sacrifice for the past 6 months. Small sacrifices in the grand scheme of things, but big huge sacrifices to a girl who hasn’t had to sacrifice much in life so far.

Image sourced from Google

Making these sacrifices has taught me to be grateful for the things I do have and to live in the moment, rather than focus on the things I don’t have.

This year has been a true year of lessons some much harder than others but all as valuable as each other.

Overall I have learned to be thankful for what I have as well as what I don’t have; to accept things and people for who and what they are; not to have too many expectations of others and to explore self-love.

I hope you were able to take something away from my 2015 takeaways?

Feel free to share what you’re best 2015 takeaways have been.

Love Sara. xxx  

Monday Motivation

Happy Monday Lovers!

So a few months ago there was this photo that was all over the internet and newspapers about this lovely and cute little old lady simply living in the moment at a film premier in the States.

Image sourced form Google.com

The world became obsessed (for a short while) with the fact that while all the other people in the photo were busy capturing the moment on the smart phones, this little old lady didn’t give a rats arse about taking photos at all because she was more than happy capturing everything she needed at that time with her eyes.

Today we have become so obsessed with taking instant pictures and sharing them with the world that we have forgotten that sometimes an image simply can't do any justice to what is happening right in front of us.

Some moments aren’t meant to be captured by a smartphone camera or even an SLR. Some moments are meant to be lived so that you can feel whatever it is that you are supposed to feel in that moment and take it with you.

Image sourced from Pinterest.com

This week instead of whipping out your phone when you see something amazing, take the time to enjoy it and observe how it make you feel.

But if you happen to bump into say… Beyoncé or your ultimate idol this week then I think it’s safe to say that you need to make sure you snap that shit as we will all want proof of that moment!

Have a great week y’all!

Love Sara. xxx

Monday Motivation

Image sourced from www.pinterest.com 

Answer: Every-bloody-thing!

For some people failure simply isn’t an option and while I think it’s important to succeed in whatever we do, a lot of success doesn’t come without a lot of failure.

Failing, or not getting things right first time round is how we learn. It’s also what makes success and victory taste even sweeter.

I once read a quote (because we all know how much I love a good quote) that said;

“If success was always instant and easy, Everyone would be successful, and there would be no pride in achievement. ” – Patrick McCormick

This is so true, because things that are worth a lot don’t come easy. Think about you most important relationships in life, they are what they are because of the work that goes into them and the mistakes that all parties involved have made along the way, that important lessons we learned from; Think about when you were at school, college, uni or even work, at some point there would’ve been an essay, test, assignment or project that you may have not performed the way you wanted to, but think about what you learned from that helped you succeed next time round and the time after that.

Life is too short to try and avoid making mistakes or failing. I say we all let go and face the facts that we can’t always get it right and by doing just that... one day we will realise that we got everything right, even the mistakes and those bloody failures too, because everything will always turn out exactly the way it’s supposed to be.

Have a great week love bugs.

Love Sara. xxx

Monday Motivation

As we get older life becomes more chaotic the more we start to discover who we are in this world. Some of us leave home travel the world looking for adventure and self-discovery while some are able to find all that they are and need right at home.

But as chaotic and as challenging as life can become one thing should always remain the same... Family.

Not everyone in this world is fortunate to be born into an amazing family but everyone has the freedom to create a family that they are proud to be part of.

If you look up the word family in the dictionary you will see a range of meanings referring to parents and their children, single parents as well as marriage. While all of these definitions are true I believe that friends can also become family and hold as much and sometimes even more value than the family that you were born into.

Images sourced from www.onevelvetmorning.wordpress.com

After moving away almost 6 months ago I value my family more than ever and I know how lucky I am to have them, and that includes my friends and their families who have become members of my family over the years.

This week take some time to love and appreciate your family for all their beauty and all their flaws too because let’s face it, no family is perfect but they are always there for us whenever we need them no matter where we may be in the world.

Have a great week lovers xxx

Love Sara. xxxxx

Monday Motivation

Image sourced from www.mermagblog.com

Hey there Lovebugs!

I hope you all had a fab weekend and are looking forward to the week ahead.

Question - Does your mind ever run a thousand miles an hour generating idea after idea of the things you want to do, have or be? Well mine does and because of this one of the many things that I have managed learn about myself is that I have a very overactive imagination!

Don’t get me wrong this has its advantages, as it keeps me on my toes, but sometimes I get so caught up in it all and that I accidentally exhaust myself mentally, physically and emotionally.

There is nothing wrong with being ambitious, driven, determined and all that good stuff, but it’s important to remember that ‘You can do anything, but not everything’ .

This quote regularly keeps me in check as it’s a reminded of my talents and what I am capable of, but it also encourages me to prioritise by what I want the most and what is realistic, to what I can take on at the time.  

So if you find yourself overwhelmed with amazing ideas or even by the request of others, take a moment stop and remind yourself that you are more capable of anything but that doesn’t mean that you should burn yourself out trying to achieve it all at once.

Take your time with what’s most important to you and have a great week me darlings!

Love Sara. xxx

Monday Motivation

Happy Monday Lovers!

I’ve always had this tendency to construct master plans for life which more recently is something that I’ve been working my arse off to move away from.

Having a plan for anything is a good thing, however it can also be devastating when your plans don’t seem to work out the way you expected and also can stop you from living in the moment.

But here’s what I’ve learned about making plans in life and for life; Things ALWAYS work out just the way that are supposed to even if it’s the complete opposite of what you planned.

So when you have days or moments where things don’t seem to be going your way, just take a deep breath and roll with it, accept it for what is, make good decisions, embrace it and learn from it. 

Image sourced from pinterest.com

Remember that things always unfold just the way they are supposed to, so if you’re wondering why you haven’t had that promotion or why you haven’t met the guy of your dreams despite your detailed master plan, it’s just because there is a bigger and better plan for you in the works and if you stay open and positive, when the time is right things will be exactly the way they were always supposed to be and all the things you considered to have gone wrong, will suddenly feel like things that went right.

Have a great week amigos!   

Monday Motivation

The mind is a powerful thing.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you have started with one negative thought and before you knew it, you had become overwhelmed with emotions and not necessarily the good kind?

Like I said the mind id a powerful thing and if you give too much power to your thoughts especially the negative ones you can easily end up in a places that feel emotionally and mentally draining. But on the flip side of that, if you start to think more positively you will find that you will experience emotions that feel much more energising and happy which will inspire you to hold on to those feelings for as long as you can.

Staying in a positive frame of mind all day everyday is, well, at least for me... impossible. Simply because shit happens in life and you have to go through the (e)-motions to get to the other side.

But as silly of as difficult as it may sound to ‘train your mind to see the good in everything’, it’s actually one of the best things that you can do. Trust me on this one!

By doing this, eventually you’ll realise that the things that were once big issues causing you stress, anger and heartache are actually not worth the hassle.

It will help you to put things in to perspective about who and what is important and who and what’s not. Without realising it, training your mind to ‘think happy thoughts’ (yep, just like peter pan) will open your mind and your world to things you never imagined. (Ok so you won’t be able to fly your way back to Never Never Land, but I assure you there are plenty other things you’ll experience with your feet planted firmly on the ground.)

Happy Monday Lovebugs! Have a great week and remember to think happy thoughts!

Image sourced from Wunder.co.uk 

Love Sara. xx

Inspired Interior Design

One of the many careers that I think I am supposed to have is as an interior designer! (I say one of the many because I struggle to stick to with one thing for long periods of time, for example some days I want to be Beyonce and other days I want to be Project manager.) I digress!

Anyway back to interior design, ever since I was a little one I’ve always loved beautiful homes and always dreamt about the type of home I would have as an adult and raise my imaginary family in. I even remember telling my aunt once when she moved house not to have any nets or blinds in her bay windows as ‘rich people with style’ simply don’t do nets or blinds! To my surprise she actually listened to me and yes her bay windows looked amazing, however my belief on the nets and blinds situation has changed slightly over the years.

Before moving to Lisbon I became slightly obsessed with interior design, Pinterest became my best friend and pinning images of beautiful home became my top hobby!

Image sourced from PLANETE DECO a homes world

Since moving, I think that my obsession has excelled to a whole new level!

I have always loved the old architecture in this city and I love strolling around and admiring the buildings and tile work here, especially the buildings that look like they need a good face lift, as I have all kinds of fantasies about what I would do with them! (I told you my obsession was at a whole new level.)

 

Recently I’ve noticed that my interest in beautiful interior and exterior design isn’t just about the fact that beautiful materialist things make me feel all happy inside, I’ve realised that it’s really about creating a space that represents me and makes me feel comfortable and relaxed after a hard day out in the wild west.

Most of us live in a world where we work stuck behind a desk for hours with crazy deadlines, so it’s important that at the end of long, hard day that you are able to go home to place that helps you to unwind, where you can leave all the stress from the office and the outside world at the door. This is why when decorating your home there are so many things to consider, like what colours you want to use.

For some, this is simply about choosing the colour they like but for others, it can be about how the colours make them feel and also what they mean. For example, yellow is a colour associated with sunshine, happiness and Joy, has a warming effect and can stimulate mental activity. Where blue is a colour that is associated with depth and stability, as well as trust, loyalty, confidence and faith to name a few and is also known for being beneficial to the mind and body. 

Then there are the choices of décor, Modern or country; retro or classic or my favourite... YOU. 

Have you ever been to someone’s home for the first time and said to them “your home is very... you”? Well I have and I’ve noticed that people often see it as an insult than a compliment.  But I assure you it’s a compliment, because the way I see it is that your home should always represent you! It’s where you live its where you share some of the most meaningful and intimate moments of your life, its where you’re supposed to feel safe and also where you can just let it all hang out, literally! I know I do. Seriously, my neighbours across the way regularly get a free lingerie show!

Feeling breezy is essential to life, the less time you take to de-stress or just take a breather can really affect your creativity and productivity. Have you ever noticed that you get your best kickass ideas when your vibe is set on chill? Relaxation is also a way of just having some quality you time and giving yourself a break to allow yourself to breathe and also reward yourself for working so hard. Making your home your into a haven is one way to start.

Images sourced from swiftsorchids.com

It doesn’t have to cost much as places like IKEA are great for designing you home on a budget. But as much as we LOVE Ikea there are also so many other ways to create the home of your dreams on a smaller budget, like going to flea markets and second hands shops. The things you find there are brilliant and you’ll have less chance of seeing the same things in other people’s homes. Also use websites like Freecycle, GumTree, Ebay and Debop and if you like to travel use this as an opportunity to take home so beautiful pieces of local produce and culture and make them part of your home.

However you decide to decorate and design your home just remember to fill it with colours and things that make you happy and that help you to feel relaxed. But above all, make sure that you have a home that you feel proud of that represents who you are!

Love Sara. xxxx

Do More of What Makes You Happy

From the age of around 14 to 21 I had that hobby that without realising became my life, called dance.

Growing up in the 90’s and 00’s where R&B lived before it died, I spent a lot of time tuned into The Box music channel and MTV BASE trying to learn the routines to any Aaliyah or Ginuwine, Missy Elliot, Mya music videos. (For all of you noughties kids, sorry but you missed out!)

Images sourced via Google

Anywho through a friend I came across a local street dance group which I joined and before I knew it that was all I cared about. I was part of this dance group for around 6 years which have honestly been some of the best years of my life! Not only had I found a passion that I loved but this was where I also met some of my best friends who over the years have become family.

Overtime naturally things changed and the passion and dreams that I had of becoming a professional dancer (Beyonces backing dancer to be specific) seemed to start to disappear, which resulted in my dancing hobby that I had once loved so much coming to an end until now.

When I first arrived in Portugal I had so much time on my hands I became really overwhelmed with the thought of what I would do with it! So one day after a skype chat with my bestie she suggested I find a good dance school. Coincidently a couple weeks before I’d met a really friendly girl who’d told me about a dance school called Jazzy, so I decided to check it out.

Now I’ve been to a few dance studios over the years but this one has to be my favourite by far! Not only are their facilities top notch, the vibe is really nice. Some studios attract dancers with a competitive edge and serious egos which are really off putting when you’re just there to dance and enjoy, however I am yet to experience any of that at Jazzy!

They have an amazing and diverse selection of classes and the teachers are brilliant and super friendly which is a plus when you rock up to a class solo with limited language skills.

After my first class I was hooked! I’m not going to lie, I was a bit rusty as let’s be real, it’s been a while since I’ve had to learn a routine. But I’m pretty impressed with how fast I managed to get back into it all.

In the space of a month I’ve gone from having a 1 day a week membership to having a 2 day a week membership and if I’m honest my dancing feet are two stepping towards and unlimited pass! I had no idea how much I missed this part of my life until after that first class. Since joining Jazzy I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone and I no longer stand at the back of the class out of sight in case I get the steps wrong! I have tried different styles of dance like Afro Tribal, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Pop dance, Kuduro and my favourite Dancehall with Souljah Fighters WWHHOOOYYYY!     

2 out of 3 Souljah Fighters

(Yes those are sweat patches you can see! I work hard in those classes!)

For me, dancing is a form of therapy as well as a way to explore and express other parts of my feelings and personality. I’ve had days when I’ve entered the dance studio feeling defeated by the world and its bullshit but yet I always leave the feeling notorious and ready to face whatever is thrown in my path.

As we get older and gain more and more responsibilities we tend to have less time for some the things that once made us happy. Most of us are of an age now where our priorities in life have changed and yes sometimes that means sacrificing hobbies for other things that make us happy like, love, children, family or career goals, but as important as all of those things are, making sure you make time for that special hobby that understands you like no other hobby or living person can is equally as important.

We share so many other aspects of our lives with others, sometimes it’s important to be a little selfish and have something that is just ours, where we can switch off and have a different kind of focus.
Having a hobby no matter how big or small is great way to be able to recharge your energy for the other areas of your life that demand more of you.

Reconnect with old hobbies or even find new ones that will give you some time out from your day to day reality. It could be anything from going for a run, starting a new class or even teaching new class. Whatever your hobby of choice may be, make time and go for it! You never know, it may even inspire you beyond your wildest dreams.

Before you go check out this amazing tribute video to the Missy Elliot who owned the late 90’s and 00’s era with her creative sound and choreography and inspired countless dance crews across the world to turn their dance hobby into something so much more! (And also helped Adidas make a killing!)

Enjoy :) 

Love Sara

                

The People You Meet Along The Way...

One of the most exciting things about travelling or moving somewhere new is the people you meet. Some may be a little strange, some even creepy, like the boys that wait like vultures for the foreign girls to come to town so they can offer strong helping hand because of course, every female with a passport and the desire to travel is a brainless damsel in distress! But aside from the creeps, dickheads and weirdos there are some genuinely amazing people from all over the world waiting to meet you!

Since I’ve been in Lisbon I’ve met so many people from so many different places that I’ve lost track. But then there are always the ones that stick with you, like the bubbly landlord who gave me the best welcome ever on my first day. I’d barley even checked in and before I knew it we out the door and on our way to an art exhibition, a fresh juice bar and an outdoor book fair. We talked about the how amazing life, yoga and the universe are and of course boys... duh! But what was even more amazing is that 2 weeks prior leaving the UK I’d started to think about how difficult it was going to be and how lonely I would be in my first few days when I arrived, but as soon as I met my landlord all those feelings disappeared. We talked about so many things that without realising it, we were helping each other make sense of our current life situations, so we decided there and then while chowing down on some sort of green veg chocolate cake (I swear is was scrumptious), that we would write a book titled, ‘Everything happens for a reason’. And just like that a new friendship was born.

Then there’s the lovely enthusiastic Brazilian lady I met at a language exchange. We agreed to meet one afternoon to practice our language skills and I am so glad that we did because she reminded me of how excited and in love with Lisbon I was the first time I visited which helped me to remember what brought me back. It wasn’t long before I felt like I’d been reconnected with a long lost friend and again, that was the beginning of a new inspiring friendship.

When I had my weeks of weakness of feeling homesick I met an amazing group of people who have no idea how much they cheered me up! From that group of people I met a lovely free spirited, kite surfing French girl. It had almost been a month since we’d initially met but randomly one day I was on Facebook and saw her name pop up, so I took it as a sign and said hi. Little did I know she was leaving the next day so we spontaneously met up for the afternoon and as we began talking we realised that we had a lot in common. We talked about how much we love Lisbon, our travelling experiences and some of the things that we want from life. And just like that, in one afternoon, I went from being in limbo about what to do next with my life, to feeling like I had found the next piece to my puzzle!

And then there’s the 67 year old American lady who is just dying for me to meet her cat, Squeak! This fiery lady left home at the age of 18, found herself some European loving and hasn’t looked back since.

When we first met, I asked her where she was from, she replied “now that’s an interesting question”, to which she gave an interesting answer. I suppose when you’ve travelled and lived in as many places as she has it can become a bit difficult to say that you’re from one specific country, town or city, when your life has been shaped by so many different places.

After sitting next to this lady at an outdoor documentary movie while she decided to become a personal quirky commentator, mainly commentating on how shite she thought the documentary was, I knew I liked her. 

On the train back into the city we talked and talked and I realised that this woman has the most amazing spirit and I loved being around her because she honestly reminds me of what life is all about! Despite going against what society told her she should be as an 18 year old girl in the 70’s, she had the balls to go against the grain and follow her heart which has taken her on so many memorable adventures.

For me there is nothing like meeting a complete stranger and discovering you have a connection with them, even if it’s just for a moment or it lasts an entire lifetime. I live for moments like these because these random people I meet from all over the world have helped and continue to help shape the person I am and the person I will become!

Although most of us were raised on a strict ‘Stranger Danger’ policy, I highly recommend you trust your gut combined with weirdo raider and get to know a stranger every once in a while, you never know what will happen.

Love Sara. xxx

Finding a New Path

Can you believe that my first month in Lisbon has already gone?

So how did it go? – Well to be completely honest the first 2 weeks were pretty bad as I experienced the worst homesickness I’ve ever experienced in my life. I’ve always been one to get homesick but this time it felt like it was never going end which made it even worse. Immediately I stated making plans for my return home to England and how I would just carry on with my life as it was. For a while this was comforting but then after returning home for a week for a family event and spending time talking really openly with my family and two besties about what I was feeling, I began to remember all the reasons why I made the choice to move to Lisbon and give myself a break and live life in a new place for a while.

Taking myself out of my comfort zone and starting over the way I did was such huge thing to do and I clearly underestimated the impact that it would have on me, as I had gone from having a super busy job, friends, family, and social life, to having no job, plenty of time and just me myself and I to keep myself company. But as awful as those few weeks were, I got over them (thank God) and was able to start putting things into perspective, like the fact I am living the my favourite city in the world with endless possibilities!

Now a full month in I can say that moving here for the summer (or maybe longer who knows) was definitely the right thing for me to do because although I change my mind as often as Rihanna changes her hair, being here and having time alone has given me the chance to start thinking more about what I want from this new blank chapter of life, what’s most important and how I can achieve it. And yes, it’s likely that I will change my mind a gazillion times before I get to the place that I’m supposed to be, but I’m happy to say that this is a start, and for the first time in a while, I think I may be on the path that was designed just for me.

Love Sara. xx

Heeding The Signs

Hello there love bugs!

I hope you’re all well and happy?

It has been a long time since I have posted anything on here and my, my, my, has a lot changed since my last post on 29 November 2014! (What a shameful time gap!)

If you are a regular reader of For The Love of Moi, you would’ve noticed that in the posts leading up to the last one in November last year, FTLOM took a turn in the type of content that was being shared. I assure you that this was not planned but was merely a reflection of what was going on in my life at that time.

So to give you the short version, here’s the skinny on what led to the changes in the content and my life.

Now as some of you may remember in 2013 I managed to get the job of my dreams that I had been working so hard for! Don’t get me wrong it was no high flying job with the salary to match, but was that foot in the door that I had wanted and was enough for me. However the more involved I became in my job the more my body was trying to tell me to slow down, but as much as I was learning about heeding the signs of life, I sure as hell wasn’t heeding these signs until one day at our busiest time of the year on my way to work I was involved in a car crash which should have been more than enough to make me or anyone for that matter stop and say, “Ok universe, I’ve heard you loud and clear! From this day forth I vow to put my health first”, but no that wasn’t enough for little ol’ me now was it, as the very next day I was back at my laptop, (even if it was from my living room whilst propped up by ever cushion in the room.)

It wasn’t until I had a full blown panic attack in the canteen whilst at work with embarrassing visions flashing through my mind of being airlifted out of the campus and taken to the nearest hospital that I realised that I was suffering from anxiety which the doctors failed to pick up on when I told them I was having breathing problems to which their solution was to put me on steroid based medication!!!

So after going back to the doctor and telling them that the problem was not asthma, but was in fact anxiety (imagine having to tell your doctor what they should have told you! A rant for another day) they told me the best thing anyone could have ever told me at that stage of my anxiety, even if it wasn’t what I wanted to hear … which went something like this; ‘Sara, you have two options, you can either find a way of coping or you can find a new job’!

Fast forward one year and this is where I’m at; I worked through a lot of my anxiety with the support of my family, friends, colleagues who have become friends and an amazing yoga teacher and realised that there were a lot of things that needed to change in my life which started with the way that I was treating myself and the way that I approached life.

I found ways of managing my workload as well as more time for myself, I realised that there were other factors that contributed to my anxiety which I am still learning how to deal with, but the most important thing that I have learned so far, is the importance of the connection with myself which I somehow managed to lose along the way. However since this realisation I have managed to restore and continue to build this connection every single day, and yes, even on the shit days, because we all have them no matter how zen we deem ourselves to be.

As for the job, I called it a day and followed my heart to rekindle an old flame. I packed my bags, left on jet plane and to be honest, I’m not too sure when I’ll be back again!

But in mean time I plan to keep sharing my experiences and discoveries with you all, which will include the good, the bad and the hella ugly, as I know I’m not alone on this amazing rollercoaster we call life and what’s an experience if you’re not able to share it? Even if it’s only through a blog.

Love Sara. xxx 

Epiphany of Change

Last week I had a long overdue lunch with one of my mentors, who always manages to add some sunshine to my day.

Over the past few months I have experienced complete and utter exhaustion, being overwhelmed and anxious to the point where even I at times didn’t recognise myself!

Now a few months down the line I’m nowhere near ‘cured’ or free of the above, but I’m definitely on the path to a much better place.

Earlier this year I had a car accident, which in hindsight was the straw that thankfully broke the camel’s back. Unfortunately in this life its takes a negative and frightening experience to slap you about and tell you to wake the hell up to reality and that’s exactly what that accident did for me.

For almost the past 2 years of my life I have allowed myself to become so involved in my professional life by trying to keep up with those around me and what societies idea of what a young professional female should be, that I forgot about the most important person in my life… me! Sounds silly I know; how can I forget about me when I spend every single day with me? But this is easily done when you become so consumed with the day to day tasks of work and life that sometimes you forget to stop, breathe and take the time to take care of you. Well I had been doing that for longer than I can remember and when I finally realised that this is what I’d been doing, everything began to change.

As they say change is good, but what I have had to learn is that change is also flipping hard, especially when the change is so big that you know that every relationship in your life will change as a result of the changing of the relationship you have with yourself. This has been no easy ride and changes by the day, sometimes even by the hour. But with each day I have learned to understand it all a little more and accept it a little more, but here is what I learnt and understood last week with the help of my wonderful mentor.

With change there is always a loss and this is sometimes why change can feel uncomfortable. I also learnt that throughout life we have ways of doing things that have always served us well, but sometimes these things no longer serve us and this is ok. But when these things that we do and may have done for our entire lives, or the last decade of our lives no longer serve us, it’s ok to let them go, because there is no point in holding on to something that no longer works in our favour. Sometimes this can mean letting go of something that has become a part of you, but this doesn’t mean that you a losing yourself or even compromising who you are. It just means that you are making space and opening yourself up to something new that will serve you and will allow you to evolve, grow and develop in to the person who you are destined to be and that will help you flourish in your next chapter.

This is simple and deep down this was something that I already knew, but through having this casual lunch with my bubbly and supportive mentor, the penny finally dropped. By letting go and cleansing myself of certain habits and ways that I have always had does not mean that I am losing myself. It means that I am giving myself the permission and acceptance to grown into the person I need to be for the next stage of my life and I should not, regret, mourn or feel anger or fear towards this, instead I should embrace it and let it be.

These are just some of the lessons I learned last week that I wanted to share with you… There plenty more where they came from so I’ll do my best to share them with you when I can.

Love Sara. xxx

Monday Motivation

We live in a world where we are constantly being subconsciously and sometimes consciously moulded into what society, families, friends and even companies want us to be for many a different reasons, which basically all boil down to control.

Some people will never understand this or even realise that this is happening to them. Some people will realise it's happening but simply can't find the courage to confront it, where others will realise it, confront it and tell it to shove it where the sun don't shine!

By doing the latter, you will most certainly piss off a couple of people but hey, I say that's a small price to pay for breaking free and being true to yourself.

In today's world we have become so consumed by working hard and playing less that we have lost touch with the things that really matter.

One of the hardest challenges in this life (that ironically should be the easiest), is being true to who we are. This can be for a number of different reasons, but more than often I find that this is simply because who we really are, at our core, conflicts with the expectations that society has set for the human race.

So this week, (and for every week hereafter) I would like to ask you all to be true to yourself! Think about you and what makes you feel good, what makes you smile and what makes you feel free and what ever that is, find a way to bring it to life!

Image from Luna Belle

Be brave, be you and be free!

Have a great week y'all!