Hello 2019!

 As 2018 was a very tough year for me, I am going to take it easy in 2019 without being too hard on myself. Usually, I am willing to set challenges, work extremely hard and just push myself to achieve and experience, but that's not what I need right now.

I started the year off on a camping trip with some friends and that in itself bought up mixed feelings. I knew that I screwed up my 2018 all by myself and in 2019 I am determined, yet not promising, that I will get back on track - whatever track that may be!

I am back at Uni again this year, hopefully, to follow through to completion by 2020 and boy has this study been a long road, because truthfully, I have been studying for all of my 20's and I will be 27 this year - you do the math... I am really trying not to be ashamed. Let's be honest though, I have changed campuses twice and changed from part-time to full-time, which hasn't helped.

The #tenyearchallenge sees me as not much different at all - apart from a different tan and white dog, I am very similar to my sixteen-year-old self, now almost twenty-seven, I just look more tired - again, another excuse to take it slow and simple this year.

Fitting to this post, my word of the year is:

STEADY



Obviously, I just want to take it easy this year as mentioned earlier and steady seemed like the perfect word! In living by this word for the year my focus will be on:

• Slowly etching away at my goals
• getting out in nature more
• focusing on eating well, exercising and getting plenty of sleep.
• saving, saving, saving! (money)
• enjoying my work to the best of my ability (employment and Uni)

My big goals include:

• writing - working on this blog and my story.
• photography - back to nature and maybe entering some competitions? I am a complete novice though.
• Immersing myself in studying and focusing on one topic at a time, in smaller time increments. I am aiming to go into one of three scary fields of further study after completing my Bachelors and I want to gently work towards figuring out which one! 
• Becoming more confident and social. 

My smaller, yet just as meaningful goals include:

• Reading without any pressure on numbers (with this tactic I have already listened to two amazing audiobooks and I am halfway through a 380-page book from my favorite author!) 
• Keeping a reading log of books, articles, papers, audiobooks and any information I have consumed. I want to prove that I read more than I do, but in a gentle way.
• Volunteering to add to my resume and end the year with a bang... steadily. I plan to only volunteer when I am feeling 100% able to. (It is hard work)
• Practice singing and do singing lessons.

Every January seems like a big chance for new beginnings and without putting too much pressure on myself, I really aim to just begin to chip away at all of this. Most of the goals I have already begun, so I guess I am halfway done!

Enjoy your 2019, no matter how it was started,

KK

Just laugh!

It is so easy to hold onto anger, frustration, resentment, grief or any other of those hard emotions. I say 'hard' because I really believe that you need to acknowledge them, not disown them. They can be 'hard' to face and deal with, but they usually make you stronger - if you let them...

If you do find it hard to cope with any feeling really, I find the best thing I can do is just laugh. Yeah I know, it sounds ridiculous right? Just hear me out.

Now, I totally understand how hard this can be, especially when you don't find everything funny, (like me...) but if you write a list of T.V shows or movies that make you laugh, jokes, funny stories, comments/funny memories with friends and family. Hey, even resort to cats, Weird Al Yankovic, (my personal favourite is Ebay) or people falling over on Youtube. Just work out what makes you laugh. Personally if I am really upset or even angry, I find the most joy in my animals - especially the antics my dogs get up to. If you don't have pets, go to a pet shop or (self promotion alert) watch my YouTube videos on my crazy dogs! animal montage video (I apologise for my terrible filming...)

When those feelings creep up, its important to get yourself out of it - 99% of the time, no one else will. Yes, it seems daunting that it is up to you to help yourself, but really, no one else can. Laughter really is the best medicine though and even if you don't realise it at the time, it can crack the hard feeling and if you continue to embrace it, even by just smiling and thinking about all that is still good in your life - its always there! Well it is a lot easier to be happy when you allow it, not force, allow. Life is hard, but never really as hard as you think.

Stay strong and laugh at yourself,
or me!

KK

Be the 'One that got away!'

I'm going to propose something impossible,

- envisage this.

Your partner or your crush, whom you are incredibly enamoured with, you have so many memories, so much in common, you have fun, laugh, feel comfortable with each other and there are endless possibilities. 

Then it ends, before it has begun...

When all is said and done in a relationship, it can be so hard to get back into life and focus on yourself, focus on the future, etc. But in retrospect, if I took it in my stride and just thought that the person who would have been my partner, missed out, I'd be okay with that. No self- pity parties and the usual break-up disasters, (or in a crushing case, wonder about what never happened...) If you turn it around and consider that 'it was never meant to be,' it really can help.

It all takes time of course, but as I have said so many times on this blog, you are the glow, the shine. You are awesome the way you are. You are the gold that makes life worth living, if someone didn't appreciate that, then they didn't get to experience your glow, you, however always will.

If you love yourself, you can love another. After a break up, it feels impossible to recover, be the pure, golden joy that you are and can spread to everyone in your life, but your glow or whatever you wish to call it never goes away, sometimes it becomes hidden when your mind is elsewhere, but when you glow, those who have wronged you miss out - so bring back the glow!

Be the beautiful you that got away, because you never want to escape yourself!

KK

Shut your thoughts down

Overthinking is something that I often forget has only bad consequences. We imagine negative things that just will not happen and rarely realise we are overthinking, but we all do it at one time or another, right?

I believe overthinking is the biggest cause of unhappiness. It means that you are not living in the moment and finding peace, but don't forget - there is thinking rationally and overthinking.

I think it is completely okay to think things through - actually its good to do that, rather than being mindless, numb or not considering anything at all. However, you know you are overthinking when you feel like crap, well, that's at least how I know.

To prevent overthinking and be happy is to simply be in the moment, and for me, even daydreaming about my desires. 
Daydream about the little things and let any negative thoughts just pass by, like clouds in the sky. I try to listen to my breathing and give myself time to dream up all of the wondrous possibilities without getting too attached to any thought.

It's all about slowing down your 'monkey brain - watch this link' and coming back to the moment. 

I also pay attention to song lyrics, I try to put music on if I'm overthinking and just try to focus on what the person is singing. I even try to feel what the person is singing about and that can help me put things into perspective.

Other ways to slow down are to go for a walk, or even a run to shake the thoughts of quickly. I love to play with my dogs and run around with them, this way I usually end up smiling and laughing - forgetting what I was worried about!

There are so many ways to overthink, but just as many, if not more, to shake that off.

Remember that there is so much to live for, so why worry about it?

KK

My word of the year 2017!

If you have been on my social media for a long time, you may know that I have been doing susannah conway's 'Word of the year' for the last three years. I recently just did vlogmas and talked about it quite a bit there also.

I think it is very inspiring to have a word to guide me through the year and so far it has somewhat worked for me, so I am going to fully take in my 2017 word of the year which is:

I am in my final years of uni and I want to go out with a bang. I also want to volunteer more and focus on my passion for nature by working on Never Doubt Nature.

I also want to focus on the moments and be more mindful of whats going on around me, rather than being stuck in the daily blur of life.

Lastly, the main thing I want to focus on is my writing! Blogging, but also my long-time-coming stories are going to get a lot of attention from me this year!

Do you have a word of the year?

KK

Don't forget to remember series - respect your elders

There are so many times when we forget to remember the important things, so since this is something I think about a lot, I thought I'd do a little series of posts on the important things to remember, everyday if we can!

So, always respect your elders!

I have always found this so important. And to be utterly truthful, even if the person older than me seems downright dumb.... I am still able to respect that they have lived longer than me - therefore I don't know what they've been through in their life, I never could!

Obviously, this isn't the sole reason for the 'need' to respect your elders.Whether older than a month, a year or a few more years, it really doesn't matter - they deserve respect.

To respect your elders, it is vital to understand respect.
According to Dictionary.com - respect is more complex than it [should be] seems.

respect

[ri-spekt] 

noun

1.

a particular, detail, or point (usually preceded by in):

to differ in some respect.

2.

relation or reference:

inquiries with respect to a route.

3.

esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability:

I have great respect for her judgement.

4.

deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgement:

respect for a suspect's right to counsel; to show respect for the flag;respect for the elderly.

5.

the condition of being esteemed or honoured:

to be held in respect.

I think definitions 4 and 5 apply best here, (and not just because the example is 'respect for the elderly...) I hate going into the specifics of definitions, but I show them to be clear. Honour your elders, acknowledge your elders and know everyone has a right to be respected.

By respect I don't just mean, look up to someone, trust them, adore them, bow for them, (although you can if you feel that is right...) but I mean respect their opinions, what they have been through and what they are doing. Everyone deserves your respect - but I think I need to point out respect for elders as just being kind and knowing that no one has an excuse, but everyone has an experience. 

Those that are older than us have done so much for who we are today, they went to war, came up with the recipes we eat today, gave birth to your ancestors, etc. - what's not to respect?

Don't forget to remember, your elders might just have gone through things you are or will be going through...

KK

Motivation Monday: You are the glow

What do we all want in life? Happiness? A partner? The simple life? - That's the point ~ there is always something we want!

But is 'want' the answer to how we get it? There are many theories about who, what, when, where, why and how we achieve what we want, but I believe that best thing you can do is GLOW! Own your worth, create love for yourself, live in the moment and be thankful!

Trust me, I understand how hard it can be to own your worth, but if you want anything in life, EVER - you need to glow!

To get the things you want, you need to not only believe in yourself, but enjoy every moment you are alive.

Its only as lame as you make it, but your heart pounds when you are happy for a reason ~ you're glowing! I always try to imagine that my heart is glowing and warm sparks swirl around (like Rapunzel's 'healing') when I want to feel good.

If I am grateful and feel my heart glowing, I find that, no matter what, I have what I want - in the moment, because that is all it takes!

As you may have noticed if you have watched the above video, 'the glow' is referring to the Disney princesses (we all know and love) discovering who they are and what they want. Although there is total merit in wanting to be a Disney princess... you, as yourself, gender aside, have the ability to be the glow!

So try it! Take a deep breath, close your eyes if you want, focus on something positive and use your glow!

'You are the glow!'

KK

Hey..... What's your sign?

You can tell so much about a person by their star sign. I know it sounds overused and just plain corny, but there are not many people I have met who are somewhat true to their star sign!

I don't go by everything that star signs say and I do know a lot of people who don't care for them, but I also study science, I am logical and I still believe - belief is a post for another time.

As shown above, I have found that these good qualities are true for the people I know. I'm a Pisces and without sounding like I am trying to hard - I am 99% true to my sign - just about anything you read about the qualities of a Pisces is me in a nutshell, the good and the bad. And no, I'm am not a fish...

I know a lot of Aquarians who are definitely honest, they can be blunt about it, but they mean well and I always listen, eventually.

Every Taurus I know has a complex personality, although their main trait is stubbornness (which is rarely a bad thing in their case,) the complexities of why they are stubborn would surprise most of us, so they tend to understand the harder stuff.

Sagittarius will definitely defy the rules to make things better...

I know a lot of the other signs well and they are also quite true to this strength portrayal. All I am saying is to take a closer look at what makes a person - it doesn't necessarily have to be star sign related, but they are just a little peek into what makes a person...

Just demonstrating my Piscean nature...

KK

Feeling crap? 'I feel better when I'm Dancin!'

Meghan Trainor you have nailed it again!
I mean thanks to the Peanuts movie we can all re-live our childhoods and put this song on repeat, daily, every hour of the day!

I have been feeling very down lately and this song as been going nonstop, I have my pal Michelle to thank and my other mates Sarah and Andrew for making me feel better - and yes, this usually does involve dancing!

I have just finished a production of Earth Boy and the Mutant Ballerina's (post to come soon) and I met these three through the BATS theatre company. I just want to say that I am so grateful for this, because we have been a tight group since and I think it will stay that way!

Treasure your friends, your family and yourself, and remember if any of that gets out of whack - dance a little because no one is watching.... they're all on their phones!

KK

Back to Nature

Oh wow, where have I been? I'm not referring to my geographic location, I'm referring to my head - the head that has been stagnant of ideas and words for a while now, but I have cleared the gunk and hopefully I am on the write (yeah sorry) track again....

Passion - what does that really mean? Well this blog is dedicated to my passion/s and lately I haven't been too passionate, so rather than make promises about posting so much more. I know that going out and literally 'doing' the things that bring out the passion in me. Then I will be more inclined to write about it!

I'm just so sick of living life in a blur and day to day in my house cooped up, in my car waiting or at work wondering! There is so much more to me and my life, so I'm going to share it!

Don't lose sight of your passion,

KK

Gift giving, letters and thank you notes

 I love me some gratitude and I love displaying how much I love people, even though it isn't always clear.  My gift board on Pinterest shows the way I like to represent my love and gratitude.

I think that at least 30% of my time (a random number I know) I am thinking about something I can give, something I can do for someone unconditionally ... and thats not including Christmas or Birthdays!

I just love to give!

I think it really shows who you are and how special and heartless you are if you're the kind of person who likes to write letters, do a deed that makes someones day, give a gift for no reason, smile......

On the other hand I just love writing to people so I can get something back in the mail! Like in the old days - well I did do it as a kid - so not that long ago, but writing a letter, sending it and getting one back is just such an amazing sentiment!

I just wanted to give a little love for my passion towards the little things,

KK

Motivation Monday: Being around pets!

I certainly needed some Monday Motivation today! Nothing in my life is going wrong as such, but I have been feeling very sad, due to personal reasons. I know what to do when I have lulls like this. These 'lulls' are often times in my life that I really need, to be kicked and shoved a little, to turn around, get up and achieve something great.... and you know what really helps with this? MY PETS!

I mean look at them! Animals in general clearly light up my life (they are a passion of mine after-all!) and having these guys around me 24/7 gives me hope and they just know, that when I'm down, I need cuddles, so what do they do? Leap into my lap!

 I have had a lot of pets in my lifetime of (almost) 24 years and although they all have their individual personalities, they are all just full of love!

I have had a hard time trusting and believing in people lately - especially where 'true' love, and partnership all comes together to form this generation's idea of 'love.' I could crap on for ages about that topic, and in a way it is relevant to this blog as I am passionate about love through my stories, so I'd like to ramble on about another kind of love...

Friendship - animal friendship in this case. (Yes there are multiple 'types' of other friendships...) Friendship between an animal and a human has to be one of the most beautiful things in life.

 I have had such close bonds with all of my animals and I love them all 100% equally. They really are my pals. What do friends do?

• Comfort me when I'm down
• Kiss me when I need to be loved
• Glare at me when I've done the wrong thing
• Always willing to hang out (play)
• Always up for a roadtrip
• Listen!
• Motivate me!

These guys are true blue friends for sure, not many humans go to that much trouble. Animal loyalty (and sometimes arrogance in the cat's case...) is just beautiful, a true testament to who they are and the classic saying of 'treat others how you want to be treated,' and in my animals case that's, with love, happiness and entertaining goofy-ness!

And they seem to love each other just as much! They know that when I am grumpy (yes I do get grumpy...) that if they muck around, play bite me, go off gallivanting with each other (the dogs in particular) talk to me, etc. - I can't help, but smile!

 These guys are just always so happy, busy or just satisfied with life. This really motivates me to be content with my own life too, so my pets are a huge deal of motivation monday - that start of the week drawl - they'll be there!

Always smiling while their eyes are shining!

KK

Wealthy Wednesday: Shim Bu Kai/Shotokan Karate

Today's wealthy wednesday post (Define-your-wealth) is all about my practise in the martial art : karate. I see wealth in the way I feel while doing karate, as I not only have a wealth of knowledge and experience by undertaking karate, but I feel free everytime I practise, I feel capable and to me that is wealth.

I believe I have briefly mentioned my karate before. But I would just like to tell you all how much it means to me and maybe get you inspired to undertake a martial art or self defence.

The Dojo 

I have been training properly in Shim Bu Kai Karate since I was roughly 12 years old and I grew up mucking around with my sensei (4th dan father, yes actual parent...) my dad always taught me self respect and self defence. I always admire his constant ethics when it comes to karate.

I NEVER took to sport, I tried so hard to play and I always did my best at school in sport. I loved the concept of it, but my body couldn't/can't handle it, for reasons I still haven't discussed on my blog, so I turned to what I could do - karate. But I didn't just fall into karate either, dad did push me to the point where I would cry sometimes because my body just wouldn't cooperate. My dad didn't really understand, so he told me to toughen up and, well I did. I was always proactive, so if I set myself to do something I would (and still do.)

Side kick, strike with the side of the foot.

I am now a Shodan (1st Dan black belt) and I teach others what I learn. But it has clearly been a long journey and I never brag about my abilities in karate. That is not the traditional karate way.

Everyone.... And I mean EVERYONE is accepted  in our dojo. My dad has many injuries, including a knee reconstruction and arthritis and I have my own ailments. Other students and teachers alike have imbalances and bad limbs, but there is always self defence to be taught. I take a lot of pride in teaching children who may have autism, special needs, concentration issues and any other, perhaps hard to understand personalities - I hate describing anyone like this as we are all human, but I am trying to be clear and concise.

Anyway I might leave this post here as I am getting very passionate and I do not want to babble on. Below are some moves and bits and pieces that one learns, very quickly in karate and once you start, you realize how empowering but serene this form of exercise can be.

Always bow before starting anything with an opponent.

Middle Strike, first two knuckles forward, thumb ALWAYS on the outside. Aim where the knot on your belt is or your opponents diaphragm.

Middle block and strike,
often practised in classes
 against other students.

A self defence move in which one opponent grabs the wrists of the attacker and uses pressure points to get out of a situation. Size and strength does not matter here.

Middle kick and block,
also very common in general training.
Note the stances. Straight back,
arms by the side for balance,
level head and proper footing.

Chest grab, when an opponent grabs you from the front,
there are several ways to escape and throw your opponent off.

Don't be intimidated, I was by my own father and I persevered, if I can do it ANYONE can!
stay strong, KK

Wealthy Wednesday - Define your wealth

wealth

noun

1. a great quantity or store of money, valuable possessions, property, or other riches:the wealth of a city.2. an abundance or profusion of anything; plentiful amount:a wealth of imagery.3.Economics.

1. all things that have a monetary or exchange value.

1. anything that has utility and is capable of being appropriated or exchanged.

4.rich or valuable contents or produce:the wealth of the soil.
5. the state of being rich; prosperity; affluence:persons of wealth and standing.
6.Obsolete, happiness.

Thank you Dictionary.com! Once again you have helped me get motivated to blog! So Wealth - its not just about money. I am going to start off my new Wealthy Wednesday series by helping you to discover what your wealth is, what it is that you can have in abundance (apart from money...) and feel rich, absolute and just amazing!

For me it is a great number of things, but if I have to define it I can probably put it down to a few things, that, if I was surrounded, I would feel utterly amazing!!

1. Animals! Give me insects, livestock (as in horses/cows/goats,) fish, platypuses, reptiles... puppies and I am just in a state of euphoria!
2. Nature - nature in the weather, flowers, storms, leaves, trees, rain, a plant growing in the cracks of concrete. The way winds have carved stones over time, puddles, etc. Etc. etc! Nature in its purest form just makes me smile. As one of my favourite quotes goes - Water can carve its way, even through strong - And ancient Japanese proverb.
3. Books. If I am surrounded by books, I am truly happy, in fact, writings of any form inspire and enlighten me. From lyrics, to poems, to novels, to Shakespeare to a quote!
4. Images, sounds, tastes, smells and feelings (emotions and physical.) Everyone needs to get in touch with their senses more. I find that if I savour and taste my food, Look deeply into a painting, focus on the tones in my voice, Breathe in and pause through the fresh air, rub my cheek into my pillow or just acknowledge how I am feeling in a very moment, well, life is just unbelievably AMAZING!

I am going to leave you with that and tease you with the wait until my next Wealthy Wednesday! You don't need to define your wealth (literally or figuratively) but just remember you are wealthy in one way or another! Be grateful for that!

KK