LEMON SODA

“Less is more”, from Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, was one of the slogans on my posters the year I ran for Secretary of Advertising many, many moons ago in highschool. I thought it was to the point and it let my design speak for itself. Unfortunately I don’t think many people agreed — I didn’t get it, BUT! that is not the point. (I later realized it was a slogan for a whitening cream in Hong Kong, so I guess I wasn’t alone in thought!)

I still stand by it; sometimes you just need to cut back and squeeze the juice out of simplicity for sheer enjoyment. Think quality, use and value. It’s like I’d rather have one pair of Louboutin peep toes than a collection of mediocre pumps.

How many times have you opened a drawer and gasped at the sight of an item as though you had only just discovered it, but really it was in there since, well, forever? YEAH. Same goes for purses, or pockets, closets and the scary space under your bed.

In short: you own way more than what you need. Of course there are wants we have lying around the house, but how many of those are just taking up space and interrupting the energy flow in your home?

Declutter your space

Less clothes. If you are like me, you probably have a hard time closing your closet doors and when it comes down to it, you only wear about 30% of what’s in there. So clear it all out: if it’s too old, worn or still has the pricetag on — out it goes. Donate it/throw it out.

Focus on having one of everything first; a good quality item rather than a bunch of half priced clones. Build your wardrobe so that you can mix and match almost everything, with a few key pieces that stand on their own and you’ll be good to go!

Stay away from sales, as they’ll entice you and you’ll only end up with something useless ‘because it was cheap.’

For inspiration: The Uniform Project, A Practical Guide to Owning Fewer Clothing

Less gadgets. One of the reasons I want the iPhone 4 in my life is because it’s like carrying all your gadgets in one. When I have to carry more than three separate techie gadgets — I don’t like it. Think of what you use most. Obviously if photography is your thing, you aren’t going to settle for the iPhone’s built-in camera no matter how powerful it is. The less your life is run my technology the better. So you have a perfectly fine working computer. Do you need an iPad? No. Also remember all these gadgets come with a set of cables/ports/batteries/stands…keep it simple!

“The things you own end up owning you.” — Tyler Durden, Fight Club

Less beauty products. Some of us have developed a tiny makeup obsession, so that walking into any makeup store every product looks like a giant candy waiting to be devoured. And so we buy it, even if the shade is 98.99% the same plum we bought last week (this one is a shimmer so it’s allowwed!) The quickest way to fix this: take part in Project 10 Pan: do not buy a new product until you have used up 10 of the same thing! And just as a general rule, use up everything you buy.

Less *gasp!* books/magazines. Magazines and books take a lot of space and are especially annoying when moving houses. If Kindle types are not for you, simply go through all your books and donate/sell any which you know you will never re-read. There’s no point in keeping those around. Same with magazines!

For more: 101 Physical Things That Can Be Reduced in Your Home

Declutter your mind & heart

Invest energy in the right things. When you’re in highschool you think being Secretary of Advertising is incredibly important, as are all grades so you spend weeks studying for your math final only to just pass by a few percent. Then when you’re out of it you realize how silly it was to put so much of your energy on something that you barely even remember today. When it comes down to it, are you worrying about things that matter? People matter, your health and happiness matter. We need to learn to be selective and to not sweat the little stuff.

Don’t pick up any rocks. When we’re in an argument or we’re insulted, we immediately accept the insult as though it were a bag of rocks with our name on it. Nobody said it was for us to pick up, but we pick it up anyway and lug it around, angry and frustrated. Next time, just don’t. Just because it has your name on it doesn’t mean you have to pick it up. Simply leave it there and move on.

Leave unhealthy relationships of any kind. What do you value in your relationships? Why is your best friend the best? Once you know this, you’ll know who is adding value to your life and who isn’t. Feel free to disconnect from energy vamps, rude and toxic people if they are only detiriorating you and the life you want for yourself. Period!

“Simplicity, clarity, singleness: these are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy.” — Richard Halloway

Enjoy the simple things. A picnic at night, a quick swim in the sea, a walk in the park. Go out and enjoy everything that’s already out there, and drop the mindset that you need to buy this and that in order to be able to do whatever. After all, you’ve been cutting back on so many material things that you’ll have enough money to spare for nice meals out, or travelling!

The less you have, the less you have to worry about; the less time you need to spend maintaining things; the less things you’ll feel like you NEED or even want; the less space you need to keep it all together; the more you can enjoy everything else not attached to a material thing! It’s funny how all this less can equal so much gain.

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” — Socrates, Way of the Peaceful Warrior

What kind of things will you be eliminating to declutter your life? Any tips for us minimalism beginners?

Happy Monday everyone!

I came accross 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Be a Complete Failure at Everything the other day, and decided to write my own take on it as I don’t particularly agree with everything mentioned there. The list according to the author and my thoughts:

1. Chase Other People’s Dreams: I agree with this one. Anything you set out to do in life, do it because it means something YOU.
2. Start 17 Projects, Finish None: Disagree. Sometimes you need to dabble a bit in several things before you realize what you’re truly looking for. I wouldn’t call that failing, just taking a bit longer to find your own way. Of course good thought needs to go into each project before you go ahead and spend all your savings in getting the right tools, only to find out it’s not your thing!
3. Give Up When It Gets Tough: Yes. Nothing will ever be completely smooth sailing, so the true test of how much you want it lies in how much you’re willing to stand through for it. If you always quit when things get rough, you’re not likely to get very far.
4. Persist At All Costs: Also true. Knowing when there’s nothing left to do and when to jump out of a project is also important; but only when you’re sure that the costs have been outweighing the benefits long enough and not just because it feels like going a little uphill.
5. Never Ask For Help: Agreed. No matter what your studies or qualifications, we all could use a helping hand now and then. Don’t be afraid to ask for it — the worst that could happen is that it might be denied to you.
6. Trample On Other People: True. Society is incredibly competitive nowadays, we could benefit from trying to work together rather than trying to push each other over the edge. That said, it doesn’t mean you can’t think of ways to make your projects and efforts stand out from your competition! Just play a clean game.
7. Never Say No: Also agree. Keep your best interests in mind, and know when to decline an offer or request. Be polite, but stand your ground!
8. Be Disorganized: Big one. It’s not about having a tidy desk and neat handwriting; it’s about keeping track of everything, paying bills on time and having some sort of outlined action plan. If you’re on top of everything you’re more likely to know which areas are weaker and could use your attention.
9. Stay In Your Comfort Zone: Not always true. Sometimes people succeed at doing what they know best, which could well be something they’ve known since birth. I think breaking out of your comfort zone will ensure bigger things and broader outlooks, something that staying confined in it will never offer; but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll fail. It all just depends on where you’re aiming.
10. Procrastinate: Not always true either. I’m a huge procrastinator! Am I a huge failure then? No, and neither are all the huge procrastinators I know. Some of us work better under the added pressure of a looming deadline. As long as you do what needs to be done within that deadline and you aren’t disrupting any other process in the project, then by all means, work at your own pace! Sitting around procrastinating is obviously not the most effective way to go about anything, but it doesn’t make you a failure either.

Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are. — Norman Vincent Peale

I came up with a list of my own of what I truly think could result in failure:

1. Doubt yourself
   “But I’m not ___ enough to do that”, “I don’t have ___ so I can’t do it”, “I can’t”. All these thoughts can only contribute to one thing: failure. It might even hinder you from taking on an exciting project because you believe you can’t. You are the first person that needs to believe in your abilities, even if it takes some encouraging from someone else. As soon as you realize your own value and what you can put on the table, you’ll have enough drive and motivation to push through (as cheesy as that may sound). Be realistic about what you can do, but know that you can add to your repertoire at any time you want.
2. Let other people’s beliefs of what YOU can do alter your thought
   This is a big one! There will always be people who’ll want to put you down, simply because they wish they’d come up with your idea sooner, or because they’ve tried something similar and failed so they want to let you know you won’t be able to do it either. Don’t even try to understand why they’d go out of their way to make you feel incompetent; just don’t let it infiltrate your thoughts and stain your motivation. Just acknowledge that they will always be there, almost like a test, but that is all; they have no power over what you know you can do.
3. Relate your possible success to past experiences
   Failing in the past does not mean you’ll fail this time around; your motivation might be different, your economic/health situation might have changed…the number of factors that play a part in possible success are never the same at any given moment in time. That said, just because you’ve succeeded in every project so far doesn’t mean you’ll also succeed this time around (though it can be a good indicator if the conditions are similar). Know this but don’t let it hinder you.
4. Set unrealistic goals
   As I mentioned above, you need to keep your current condition in mind before approaching anything. Be realistic in your approach and know how much effort and time it will take to get from A to B. If there is a huge gap, take it into account! It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get to where you need to be, it just means it’ll take longer were your conditions different.
5. Set unclear goals
   Unclear goals are just as bad as unrealistic ones. Where will you steer if you don’t know where you want to go? Vague goals lack action plans; so you want to be ‘rich’. Now what? What does being ‘rich’ mean to you? Is it owning a yacht, or being able to just sit and do nothing all day? Think of why you want it, the purpose it will serve you (and/or others) and the possible roads that will take you there.
6. Be arrogant
   Being arrogant about anything rarely will get you anywhere. Don’t snub anyone, as you never know when you might find yourself in their position. It will not win you any friends, and the world has its ways of humbling everyone! Treat everyone as equals, disagree or turn down an offer but be polite and elegant about it, celebrate your success but be humble in doing so (i.e. thank your team and everyone who has helped you through instead of focusing on yourself.)
7. Compare yourself to others constantly
   Comparing how you are doing with respect to other people in the same industry or within your circle can be a healthy way to take note of things you could be doing better or things you have learnt to master better than others. But it becomes dangerous when you make it a habit and you let it breed jealousy. Be happy for others’ success, and think about what might have gotten them there, what they’re doing really well and what they’re doing not so well; make subtle changes to your own action plan accordingly and see if it works for you, and then move on! There will be many things requiring your attention, and jealousy should not be part of any of them.
8. Focusing on the outcome rather than the entire process
   There are two kinds of people: those who are motivated by results, and those who are motivated by the process (which usually involves learning). The first kind are likely to have their hopes die out instantly after an unpredicted failure or not meeting some sort of standard, wheareas the latter will always gain from the experience whether it ends in success or failure. The good thing about focusing on the entire process rather than the outcome is that you maintain a positive attitude throughout, and you are more likely to know that your failing means you lack experience (and will therefore set out to gain it) instead of it meaning that you are just not good enough or “made for that kind of stuff”. It’s a huge difference in terms of attitude; think of where you stand.
9. Ignore possible failures
   If you do fail but your plan has completely omitted any room for failure, it will come as a gigantic shock and will leave you with no previously thought-through options for a state of mind that most likely won’t let you think clearly. You are human; small failures are likely to pop up along the way, so be ready for them and put them in perspective. Do this and your panicking will be reduced by 70%! If you’ve drifted out in the sea with no life vest, panicking will exhaust you and possibly result in your drowning. Having a life vest will give you a sense of security that will allow you to think clearly about what you need to do to get back to shore safely. So have a plan that includes every event, and it will be the life vest that secures your safe return!
10. Having no clue as to why it didn’t work (or not wanting to see)
    In the event that you fail, you must know the causes so that you can improve your ways in the future. Most importantly, you need to determine whether the result was due to an external cause (the economy’s gone downhill, a key person quit on you) or internal (you doubted yourself the whole way through, you didn’t promote enough…). You’ll need to be completely honest with yourself so that you can tackle the problems directly!

It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure. — Bill Gates

I think sometimes failure is necessary to help us gain perspective, and I dare even say it might be inevitable; above all I think that letting your mind dictate your failure is the biggest failure of all. Use it instead to dictate success, even when failure does come along.

What would you add to this list?

When coming up with an action plan to reach our goals, it’s likely that we will adopt a logical start to finish approach; after identifying our ultimate goal, we’ll start from our current situation and list the steps necessary to get to it. What about trying it from end to start? It hardly seems like the most reasonable option, but it’s a process that can give you a different perspective on what you need to get done.

1. Identify your ultimate objective. Be as specific as you’d like.
2. Identify the step that would immediately precede you successfully ataining said objective.
3. List out all the steps before that.

Working this way has one key advantage:  from the beginning you are visualizing the end goal. Everything you list going from point B to point A will encompass that final vision. Reading over your action plan will be no different than reading the start to finish approach, but it is the process that might help you think of other possible milestones/obstacles to overcome that a lineal way of thinking might not! I’ve done this for my next big goal and although it’s been a bit harder to wrap my head around it’s proven useful.

Some other tips to help you:

• Regardless of your preferred process, remember to always leave room for the unexpected! Think of obstacles that might pop up during the way and how you might work your way around/through them.
• Write active and positive affirmations; begin each step with “By… I will have completed…” or “By… I will… “.
• Don’t skip over any steps, no matter how little they seem! Noting every step of the way will only simplify your life. Maybe there is someone that can help you with a particular bit — write down the need to contact them! Will it be an email? A call? What will you say? All of these things matter.
• Think of the gains and losses you might encounter.
• Keep your strengths in mind, and work them into your action plan.
• Be realistic and honest with yourself! Don’t be impatient; allow yourself enough time to get to every step.

I’ve just planned out my biggest goal to date, and although it wasn’t easy, it was exciting AND scary to think about! Ch-ch-ch-ch-changessss…! If you’re serious about something, put good thought to it and then just go for it!

What are your goal-setting tips? Do you tend to act on impulse or think things through when it comes to big decisions? I’d love to know!

So money doesn’t equal happiness, but it definitely helps! Whether you are a student, or the economy has got you by the throat, or you’d just like to have more freedom to splurge on certain things (like shoes), you must learn the art of budgeting. Of course this varies from person to person, so you’ll have to develop your own plan. Some tips to get you started:

Shopping for clothes

• Always, ALWAYS try it on. It may not fit you like it does the mannequin. If after trying it on you’re still not sure, drop it. If there is ever any doubt, don’t buy it!
• Try shopping by outfit. If I see an outfit online that I like, I have no shame in printing it out and taking it in my bag to recreate it. Same goes with magazines! Using something like Polyvore can help you visualize how many outfits can be created around a single piece — use it to your advantage. You can also look for pieces you already own to see how you could spice them up and breathe new life into them.
• Don’t buy incredibly trendy things. One or two are fine, but if your entire wardrobe consists of a trend, you might find yourself needing an entire new one come next season. Have a variety of classic pieces, basics, and trendy.
• Know when sales begin and show up bright and early to get the goods! It is terryfying how a €10 dress was €50 just two weeks earlier! Be savvy and quick, and you’ll get all those beautiful clothes for half the price.
• That said, just because something is €3 doesn’t mean you should buy it. For me, when it comes to shoes, coats and makeup, spending more goes a long way. It’s the same with clothes, but sometimes the price/quality ratio doesn’t match and so you’ll have a cheap looking dress with a €60 pricetag. It’s a lot of shopping around and trying things out!

Out and about

• When buying groceries make sure you are neither stuffed nor hungry. Otherwise you will either miss out things you need or buy the entire cookie aisle. Stick to a list and everything will be under control. Also don’t shun the generic brands! Try them out once or twice and you’ll find that sometimes they’re as good, if not better, than popular brands. One of my favorite things in the world is yoghurt; my supermarket has a nice selection so I always try different ones. I used to stick to Danone, but decided to try a more generic brand that costs half the price…turns out they are creamier and more true to the fruit they’re supposed to taste like.
• If you are a student, take advantage of student discounts. Always have your student card ready and don’t be afraid to ask if you can use it!
• Try to cut back on dining out, but if you MUST (like me), then explore your city and find small restaurants. Often the coziest places are hidden away in a little corner and aren’t as expensive. Though sometimes they can turn out to be even more expensive, so just make sure you take a look at the menu before you sit down!

Saving & making extra money

• Alright, here’s a very washed out and typical one: money jars. You know how there are always those annoying little coins rolling around the house? Drop them into a jar. Group them according to amount, and once you have round quantities off to the bank you go to have them exchanged! You’ll be amazed at how much money comes out of those little ones.
• Seriously consider whether there are any expensive habits you could cut down on, like eating out, smoking, dying your hair…
• Don’t use credit cards. Just don’t. Stick to cash or for bigger purchases use your debit card. That way you’ll never be worrying about anything you have to pay off later.
• Sell your things. If you don’t use it, didn’t even remember you had it, don’t like it — sell it!
• If you don’t work a 9-5 job/are a student, see how you can use your skills for some freelance work. Maybe you can tutor, babysit, sell art prints, design posters for local businesses…who knows!

I’ve already made a plan for myself, taking all of these into account. It’ll be hard to give up some things but it really helps you figure out where it’s best to put your money! I hope you guys give it a try, and let me know how it goes?

That said, what other tips do you guys have for saving up, making some extra money and just generally spending wisely?

Happy weekend everyone! It’s been a week since our first resolution to incorporate more water into our daily routine; how have you done? I’ve loved it, personally. I found the perfect bottle to take with me so I can keep hydrated on the go, and my skin just feels overall softer. It isn’t a huge difference, but I can tell from the way my face and legs look/feel that something’s going right! So this is a habit that has to stick.

Today’s resolution/step is all about taking care of the ‘self”**. Life just seems to go by faster and faster; we expect fast results, we want shortcuts, and we have forgotten to savour little moments. I mean, everywhere I go I walk like I’m headed to this important meeting and I’m late, when mostly I’m just going for some groceries or to renew my bus pass. It seems like the only time I get to relax is on weekends when I have some downtime, and even then I feel like there must be something I’m forgetting.

Well lovelies, I think it’s time for us to stop all this madness! Stress doesn’t look or feel good. Take at least thirty minutes of every day to just sit and think, to relax in your garden or even to just sit on the couch and cuddle with your s.o without worrying about not having enough time for whatever it is you need to get done. Be selfish. Just leave your mind blank and enjoy it.

Easy? Even silly you might think, but trust me when I tell you it is more complicated than it seems! We always put ourlseves on hold for something else that needs our immediate attention, so really we end up working/stressing our life away instead of doing little things that relax us, inspire us and renew us.

Some ideas on taking a daily time-out:

• Do it at a time when you know you won’t be interrupted by anyone/anything else.
• Change it up every day, and you’ll find it will give you time to do all those things your little heart desires but seems too busy to get to usually (reading, watching that LOST episode, going on Oh No They Didn’t for your celeb gossip fix…)
• Lay down, have a rest. If you can spare another 30 minutes, take a power nap and wake up good as new.
• Do your nails. Make yourself feel pretty. Yesterday’s all-nighter might have drained you out, but you can still look fab!
• Sit still, preferrably outside (weather permitting), find the horizon and let your mind wander. Have some lemonade. Daydream.

Do you make time for yourself every day? What’s the best way to add a little extra downtime into every day?

* * Just a quick reminder: all Steps are organized into four main categories (Body, Self, Life & Living Space). Every week will follow that order, just because I think that alternating between them will make it more fun and motivating to see progress in the different areas :)

P.S Thanks for all the exam luck wishing! I’ve gotten 2 out of the way, have 2 more to go! Eeep.