Athens in T-25 days...

The new job has already improved my life in many ways; I have my weekends back because I’m not constantly doing my portfolio, I can stop worrying and look forward to better financial security and I feel like I have the career I have been striving for. This has given me a lot of 'head space' back to focus on the next two goals for this year…

The Dream House and The Perfect Weight

Another very pleasant side effect of changing jobs is that I have a weeks annual leave at the end of March to visit one of my best friends (Christina who I was inseparable with at Uni) in Athens. Usually at this time of year she likes to visit me and reminisce about living in the UK, university and generally to do a LOT of shopping!


This year she felt it wouldn’t be possible to visit me, as she is currently on a month long trip in the USA, so this year I am going to see Christina!


Me picking Christina up from the airport in the university years
To quote one of her favourite expressions 'Where ever you find me, where ever you leave me; always at an airport'

 This is a very happy turn of events as my annual leave/ last day at my current job co-insides exactly with her return to Athens [Thank you The Secret] so I have booked my flights and I am leaving for a week on the 24^th of March.

Christina and I at the Bathhouse (Bishops Gate) during her last visit

This brings me to the reason why my next focus will be to achieve The Perfect Weight!

I have been indulging myself quite a lot recently; there have been numerous celebration dinners, drinks and a trip to Bruges to enjoy. I have enjoyed all of them… possibly a little bit too much! Coupled with that I have also enjoyed a serious lapse in regular exercise since September!

To counteract, all the above enjoyment, for the next 25 days I am going to make a commitment to use The Secret and positive attitude to do the following:


1) At least 1 hour of exercise 4 times a week
[this will have to include starting the dreaded Essex Bootcamp Groupon deal I bought in a moment of reckless abandon... but I am building up to that]

2) Ban bread from my diet
[apparently bread is the devil]

 3) Eat loads of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and lean meat

 4) Avoid sweets & deserts of any kind

Say good bye waffle!

5) Ban drinking any alcohol except for my 'Safety Drink' Gin and Slimline Tonic
[but only at celebrations on a weekend]

6) Track everything I eat in a diet diary 

Thanks Iphone

7) Track my progress totally honestly through this blog including photo’s [terrifying]
To be added in first diet post!


8) Secret Tip: Only pay attention to the positive in terms of weight so I only think about what I want to be rather than what I don’t want to be.


Embarking on this mission I would like to give a little gratitude in the hope that it will help me succeed!

I am grateful for the goal and motivation which the promise of a trip provides


I am grateful that Davey has agreed to accompany me on walk/runs in the dark


I am grateful that I am healthy enough to exercise


I am grateful that I live in a country where fresh healthy food is readily available


I am grateful for the time to focus on diet and exercise

I'll keep you posted...

Reasons to be grateful; A Magical Trip to Bruges

Ever since I started this ‘sort-of social experiment’ to see how much I could change my life, things have been getting better and better. This weekend’s trip to Bruges has been the cherry on the cake… or more accurately the cherry in the Belgian beer.

This is how it happened…

My fella is truly brilliant, he is extremely funny [there is not a day that I don’t cry with laughter], he is fantastically good to me AND [this was a shock] he even listens to me. He proved this in spectacular style at Christmas with a perfect selection of gifts for me, all without guidance or interference. These gifts included numerous bits like a jumper dress, the warmest slippers in the world, a Tatty Devine necklace [my most coveted costume jewellery designer independent to London and introduced to my by Victoria] and a very funky little suitcase…

The Christmas Suitcase

Within this suitcase was a gigantic card containing a surprise trip on the Euro Tunnel and various locations which we could travel to for the weekend circled on a map.  There are a few reasons that this is the perfect gift for me:



I love Christmas so much that when it’s over I get a little blue [on occasions there are even tears]. Dave specifically got me this gift as ‘something to look forward to’ after Christmas

I love new experiences, literally anything slightly out of the ordinary makes me extremely excited. For example if Dave suggests taking the dog on a slightly different walk, in my head this becomes a mini adventure. Given this little bit of background you can maybe start to imagine the joy at the following: First time on the Euro tunnel [and the opportunity to treat myself at the duty frees], first time driving to a foreign holiday destination, first time in Belgium and first time in Bruges, and this was just the journey there!

 I got to choose! I constantly pester Dave to agree to city breaks because I love how much there is to see and do, so many new experiences, history and culture and beyond the tourist stuff you really get a sense of how people live. This is not Dave’s favourite type of place to visit, he favours the more relaxing scenarios but he suggested Bruges which makes this trip an entirely selfless gift.

Permission to spoil myself at the Duty Frees

The weekend was perfect from start to finish and I was doubly spoilt as the Davey booked the weekend of our five year anniversary and a lovely hotel right in the heart of Bruges.

The entire weekend was a weekend of firsts, admittedly a lot to do with food and beer:

It was the first time I have ever had Belgian beer in Belgium. I love Belgian beer, especially the fruit beers, I would drink them all the time if it weren’t for the extortionate price tag in this country but the fruit beers in Belgium were all €3 or less.

Our first drink on the first day was in ‘The Beerwall’ which is now officially my favourite bar in the world.

Pull down menus at The Beerwall

 You order drinks from menus suspended on elastic above your head, which negates the frantic scrabbling around and trying to decipher and order from a menu in a foreign language as you reach the bar. When your got your drink, served in the delightful Belgian glasses [they make beer look so much more refined than the British pint]

  

Belgian beer at The Beerwall

  

Then you can squeeze into the cosy bar or you can move out to the terrace overlooking for the canal. Needless to say we selected the latter option! While everywhere in Bruges is beautiful, the view from the sunny terrace of The Beerwall with a Kriek Boon is definitely top in my books.



The Beerwall from across the canal

Me with my Kriek Boon at The Beerwall

The terrace furniture is all simple but stylish with clean lines and durable materials. Seating is on high stools along an external bench style table which runs the length of the deck. The bench is supported on gabions [stainless steel cages filled with decorative rocks] and has a perforated brushed stainless steel top surrounded by a chunky hardwood frame which has silvered due to exposure to the elements. The high stools are the same silvered hardwood and brushed stainless steel. The bench has three umbrellas, in black and white, with raffia streamers about 6 inches long hanging from the underside. The overall effect is funky and functional and totally my sort of place; the simple colour palate compliments the beautiful backdrop of the typical Bruges architecture with its soft brick tones and natural stone.

I really didn’t want to leave this bar but the sun went down and the temperature dropped so eventually we retreated back to the hotel.

The next day I had my first ever Belgian Waffle and in fact my first ever waffle for breakfast. It was delicious. Dave was quite ‘into’ his waffle as well.

Dave feeling the waffle love!

Belgian Waffle Breakfast

After breakfast we took my first ever horse drawn carriage and got a historical tour of Bruges. Dave and I thought we had walked most of the Centre of Bruges but the tour revealed an entire quarter of the city we had not yet seen. The tour also revealed to us that the ‘old buildings’ on the square outside our hotel date back to the 11^th Century and that the oldest one was in fact the Chapel of the Holy Blood [said to contain a vial of Jesus Christ’s Blood].

Our horse had a break and a snack at Love Lake so Dave and I took an opportunity to buy ‘eternal love’ by throwing a couple of Euro’s into the lake.

Our horse drawn carriage

Following the horse & carriage tour we retraced the tours steps to locate the ‘Best place to be to drink the best hot chocolate’ also known as ‘The Old Chocolate House’ and ‘De Halve Mann’ brewery.

Delicious Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate in Bruges is like pure melted chocolate. It is amazing and I will crave it for ever more!

 De Halve Mann Brewery tour was brilliant, it started with the small room that they use to brew the ‘Bruges Zot’ today followed by a tour around the historical building and all the processes the Brewers used until modern processes became available. Midway through the tour we ended up on the roof of the Brewery which gave fantastic views over all of Bruges and the tour ended at the bar to sample the goods… we approved!

I loved everything about this trip, so in case I didn’t quite tell you enough Davey, THANK YOU!



Sampling the product following the brewery tour



We Approve!

Official beer of De Halve Mann Brewery

Bruges is definitely in the top 5 places I have visited and with a door to door travel time of just over 4 hours a return trip is on the cards... Hopefully in the near future!

Next stop Athens...





I’m a Big Believer in Rewards for Achievement...

I know getting a new job to most people is something they do every other year but getting this new job means so much to me because I feel like a success for the first time and I’ve overcome a lot of my personal hurdles [like fear of rejection] so I decided I deserve a big reward.

Unfortunately I decided and set my heart on a really really big reward before I really appreciated the cost…

The Mulberry Alexa Nightshade Blue Large Silky Snake bag, retailing at £950

‘Now I know £950 is a really nice holiday, or a big chunk off the credit card but this bag is soooo beautiful, would go with everything, be a symbol and a reminder to succeed and I would use until it disintegrated’

This was my plea to but unfortunately my plea fell on deaf ears and Davey laid down the law…. So I am going to have to find another way to get the bag. It’s going on The Secret list!

Wham BAM Thank you Mam...

I Got It...

So it's been a little over two weeks since I last blogged, and here's the latest.

The week after the interview I was in constant contact with the agent (Kathryn at Eden Brown... who is amazing and I fully recommend) and everything was sounding very positive, there was talk of 'An offer by the end of the week' ... 

I was feeling so grateful, excited and happy and I was telling everyone that I the interview went so well that I was sure that I was going to get the job [in the name of positive visualisation].

But then the 'Sure offer' 

became 'Hopefully an offer early the following week'

which finally reduced to 'A decision be the end of the following week'


It had seemed so certain initially and now there seemed to be so much doubt. I started to worry, I started to feel bad and I started to think negative thoughts and because I was feeling bad I was attracting more bad feelings.

This was a dangerous spiral... so I told myself to 'Slap out of it' [Quote from my favourite ever show Cougar Town]

I turned my attention to how I could fix my negative vibe and started to ponder what I had done to change my energy, I thought about the advice The Secret gives and I realised that I had been trying to work out 'how', and 'when' and 'where' an offer was going to be made which had been instilling doubt that I was going to receive what I had asked for.

From that moment on I resolved to stop thinking about anything that I wasn't sure about and just trust that I was going to get what I want I has asked for.

Every time a negative thought surfaced I corrected it and then pushed it away. I resolved to be calm and collected and instead of thinking about 'when' 'if' 'how' the job offer was going to come I started focusing on fun and positive actions I could take in anticipation of the new job. This included things that i naturally find fun like the new fun clothes I could wear at my new job [I am a big clothes whore by nature and the new dress code is super relaxed... yay! Big selling point for me!]

Once I started getting back on the positive track I started to feel better and the worry went away.

On Valentines day someone left a tube of Lovehearts on my desk [there is a mystery romancer who bestows gifts on all the ladies in the office every Valentines day... very gentlemanly if a little sexist] and in that pack of Lovehearts there was a 'Lucky Day' Loveheart.

I scoffed down the rest [in the spirit of the day obviously] but I decided to keep the 'Lucky Day' Loveheart until I felt that the job offer would come that day. Luckily I didn't have to wait long because the next day I felt sure the offer was coming so I chomped the Loveheart first thing and before lunch I had my offer.

I know the Lovehearts are just a silly game I was playing with myself but I think that if silly games help you to feel good about getting what you want then play away...

I am so excited and proud about starting my job, it is the oh-so desired 'private practice', it has so much career development potential and is such a good company that 6 months ago I wouldn't even have had the confidence to apply for it,

So....

Thank you 'The Secret'

Thank you Davey who has spent a great deal of time investing in boosting my confidence and telling me that 'I can do it'

Thank you to my friends & family who have invested many hours of their personal time checking over my CV and portfolio and boosting my confidence.

I really feel like the new job is a team effort and I really feel like I finally made it x

Since I got the offer there has been an abundance of bubbly and celebration

Right well I am off to my Mums now for more Champagne and a celebration dinner, everyone around the table has something to celebrate tonight so we are officially the 'Good News Crew'!

Then tomorrow my lovely fella is whisking me away to Bruges as part of an oh-so thoughtful Christmas/ Anniversary Pressie

P.S Happy five Year Anniversary Davey

The Interview...

So yesterday was The Interview...

I usually get very nervous at interviews; I was so nervous at my first interview (at NPS) I had to use all my self control not to sob and bolt for the door.

I previously blogged about how positive thinking has transformed my career in the last 18 months (if you haven't read it of you want a re-cap click here) so I was sure that if I could use The Secret techniques I could 'rock their socks' at the interview.

Four of the techniques The Secret recommends played a key part in my preparation:

1) Focus on what you want and trust your instincts
Ahead of the interview I made sure I had enough time to prepare so I wasn't rushed or stressed on the day. Despite my best intentions I had a little mishap on the day before the interview. I took my portfolio to get printed only to find it was going to cost me £200.
This freaked me out and made me uncertain whether I should go into work first and try to sneak print my portfolio. The idea of trying to sneak into work and illegally print made me feel stressed and guilty so I made a decision to trust my instincts and that The Secret would provide an alternative solution.

It did...
The next day I found 'Positive Print' (it was a sign) and got my work beautifully printed and bound for £40 with no stress (which on the day of your interview is worth its weight in gold)

Incidentally two other things happened at the print shop:
1) I got stuck in the snow, so I would like to that the kind man that pushed me out of the icy trench
2) I got a call from another recruitment consultant offering me an interview for the same position = massive confidence booster!

2) Visualising the result that I want
During the run up to the interview I spent time researching the company and managed to pick out a few details and questions for the interview. On the journey there I visualised exactly how I wanted the interview to go focusing on the things I had learnt about the company particularly the design awards they have won.

It was brilliant. Everything I had picked out and managed to remember
came up totally naturally. The interview went so well that we ran out of time before the next candidate arrived. Following my interview I was shown the office and taken to meet the design director who spent 45 minutes telling me all the benefits of working for them. The original advertisement was for a 12 month contract but the discussions with the design director soon meant that we were discussing a permanent position with benefits. There are a lot... its a truly excellent package, more than I ever imagined.

3) Acting as though I have already received it
I told everyone about the interview.
I told everyone about all the positive feedback that the fantastic recruitment consultant gave me.
I told everyone I was going to get the interview, the job and a massive pay rise (which made some people recoil, but luckily no one that mattered).
Following the interview I told everyone (including the recruitment consultant) how well I did and that 'unless the candidate after me was exceptional then the job was mine’. 
When I got home I drafted my resignation letter and wrote my name, new title and address out until I felt it was my new place of work.

4) Feeling gratitude
I said thank you for my new job all the way home last night, before I went to sleep and when I woke up this morning.

Then Today...
The consultant called me and told me that the feedback from my interview was excellent and I should expect a job offer in the next few days...

Now I am just focusing on the salary I want :o)

I'll keep you posted

From Career Crisis to Confidence

Preparing for my interview got me thinking about the changes in my career over the last 18 months and how grateful I am for them. I went from someone who felt trapped by 'lack' to someone who attracted more development opportunities in 18 months that the entire 5 years previous. I am convinced it's because The Secret taught me that a positive attitude attracts opportunity.

This is my story...

For many years I have worried about which direction to progress my career to gain success. Every time I thought about persuing my education in Architecture I felt sick and anxious but I couldn’t see a way to develop my preferred career in interior design. The indecision made me feel awful and like a failure. I worried constantly because I didn’t know what to do for the best and my employer was pressuring me.

I was having a total confidence crises and couldn’t see how to make my career suit my personality. I began to try and be what I thought others wanted which made me depressed and insecure because I felt dishonest.

After reading The Secret I realised that I had allowed other people to undermine the confidence I had when I left uni. I had let my colleagues short sighted criticism put doubt into my mind that I even belonged in the creative world.

I made a decision to stop worrying and started looking for inspiration of how to make my career work for me. I feel a renewed sense of confidence and ambition because I have found examples of people who have enjoyed massive success by not conforming.

Meet my celebrity muses:

 Zara Hadid; Not only is she a female architect, but she is a female British-Iraqi architect who has overcome many obstacles. My favourite Zara quote is:

‘Men don’t listen to me, so I have to give them hell’

Working in a male dominated profession can be intimidating sometimes especially when you turn up on site to tell burly builders twice your age what they’ve done wrong. Next time one of them gives me grief I am going to channel Zara!

Vivienne Westwood; who doesn’t love Viv? 70 years old and still kicking arse in the design world. Not only is she an amazing designer she often writes though provoking pieces on human rights, ethics and philosophy [her blog is a must read]. On top of all this she has an incredible sense of fun and doesn’t take herself too seriously which I’m pretty sure is unique in the fashion world. I would love to take her to dinner to discuss her ethics followed by skanking at a punk gig!

 Lady Gaga; I didn’t used to rate Lady Gaga. I thought she was an intriguing gimmick who produced good songs but nothing to obsess over.

How my opinions have changed!

I watched Gaga on the TV at the Radio 1 gig and she blew me away. She is packed with talent and her ‘eccentrically artistic bit’ is just the sideline.

From there I went on to Watch the Monsterball tour and fell in love with her. I have never seen another artist give back so much encouragement and love back to her fans... I am now a proper Little Monster and if I need a confidence boost my medicine is dancing like a loony in my pants to Gaga!

Meet My Muses in the Family...

I am lucky to be surrounded and encouraged by three of the most inspiring artistic and creative ladies I could wish to have by my side. It definitely runs in the family... 

 

[Left to Right] My Nana, my Mum with baby me and Lizzy-Bet with crazy custom made moustache



Not to mention Papa Bear, a home builder and master craftsman. Our Dad learned to carve so he could make us a rocking horse, made us countless pieces of custom furniture and worked constantly with my Mum to build a family home and a happy childhood for both my sister and I.

Thank you. Thank You. Thank you. Thank you.



Papa Bear [aka Dad]

Thanks to these inspiring people and a little help from the secret I managed to work out [at the ripe old age of 27] that it was OK to be myself, that I had a right to make my life and my career work for me rather than squeezing myself into a pre-formed mould.

They gave me the confidence to stand up for myself and take positive action to push for the things I wanted.

They gave me the self worth to value my opinion and my work as highly as the next designer and to not care if it wasn’t to everyone’s taste.

Now I am focused on finding the positive and inspiring I absolutely adore reading the interviews with eccentric characters in design [BD Magazine]. In this weeks BD an architect called Piers Taylor resigned from his practice, via email, after a holiday in Australia to escape the confines of the studio and set up a new venture called 'Invisible Studio' to work collaboratively with magicians and mathematicians.

There is too much criticism and negativity in the world and if you let it surround you, you can drown in it. I am now entirely focused on seeking out inspiring characters and designers and focusing on what I can be, rather than what I can’t.

It Works...

I decided about a year ago to just focus on the fact that I wanted a career in Interior design, rather than all the possible obstacles. Very quickly the office began to get more and more Interior Design commissions, which were all offered to me and in September last year my boss agreed to change my job description to Interior Designer.

Now I have an interior design career I am determined to focus on greater success in this or another creative industry and I will let the universe decide how that success comes to me.

I'll keep you posted.

In the interest of...

In the interest of getting more of what you are grateful for, I would like to say

Thank you to Davey for...

Cooking me dinner
Washing up
AND doing the recycling

[without even being asked]

Love you

xxx

Little Secret Update [Wealth]

As you know one of things I am using The Secret to attract this year is wealth.

Over the last couple of weeks I have really be focusing my mind on only thinking about money with positivity and joy. I am looking at everything I want and thinking to myself 'I can afford that'... even when it’s the new Audi R8 Davey wants so much.

Anyway I was standing in the co-op queue visualising how our lives would be in the dream house with all the wealth we've attracted and feeling joy and gratitude as if we already had it [The Secret says this is key to attracting what you want] and my focus shifted to one particular scratch card with a top prize of £5,000. Because I was feeling so happy and joyful and I had been attracted to the particular scratch card I bought it [I never buy them usually].

That was last Friday night... I decided to save it until I felt really happy and really grateful, which happened to be tonight and I spent all the way home from work visualising what Dave and I could do with the money

... It was a winner!

The prize was £5 but I am so grateful and joyful about that £5 because I see it as sign that The Secret is starting to take effect. That £5 is going straight into my savings to contribute towards the £300,000 I expect by 2012.

I would also like to use the £5 to create a technique that Rhonda used to get herself back on her feet financially and imagine another three zero's on the end there, so...

I am so happy and grateful now that I have received £5000

I'll keep you posted xxx