Hello reader,

Life and its boring troubles aside, isn’t it amazing how beautiful this earth and its people are? Lately I’m spending so much time looking up at the sky or at the scenery around me. If you follow me on Instagram you would notice that I’ve been posting a lot of photos of sunsets and the moon. I will stop, haha just kidding. I will not. (sorry!) I have some pretty awesome photos of the stars that I took with a 30 second shutterspeed and I’ve been meaning to Instagram those as well. Getting back on track…I have noticed how pretty awesome and beyond beautiful this world is. How about some nature love then?

Do you ever go outside your house, stand still and just look around you? It’s amazing how much you’ll see that will otherwise go unnoticed because you’re too busy staring at your phone replying to a tweet or retelling a hilarious incident that happened to you earlier to a friend. Every morning and evening I would just go outside and look around. I am pretty fortunate to have grown up on and be living on a farm where I get to see so many beautiful birds flying around and others singing their loud songs or mating calls (it is pretty loud if I can hear it) and a few days ago I saw a large bird (I really should buy a bird book!) soaring pretty low over my head and I was so jealous. It looked like fun up there and which person who doesn’t have a fear of heights wouldn’t like to fly? Other than the birds, I actually notice the trees and their branches and leaves moving in the breezes. You know, my father loves sitting outside and just being. I think he’s got a really awesome thing going there. You get to actually notice God’s creations, the very things that keep you alive. Imagine a world without trees, bees, birds, and beautiful sunsets and so on. It would be dreary; actually humans wouldn’t survive.

Perhaps the reason why I’m always out in nature and noticing things is because I’ll be moving back to Joburg and things like sunsets, the moon and stars are really difficult to look at because if Joburg’s countless skyscrapers. Little story time: last year when I was still living in Joburg my mother texted me and told me to quickly look at the moon and it was a struuugle. I walked craned my neck out of the window and walked around the entire house before I made it out of the gate and saw the moon. It was a little obscured by the Vodacom tower but dang it, I saw it. Far cry from just glancing out of my window and greeting the moon here at home, I am so going to miss it… and the quiet. I’m not hating on Joburg though, I took some really awesome night photographs there once and its urban contrast really forms a nice backdrop for photos.

Select photos from my phone. View my Instagram for more since Blogger pixelate my photos when I publish my posts.

Sunset on a tin-roof. I have a thing for silhouettes and the sunset as a backdrop.

While driving with my sister she said this mountain looks like boobs. So dirty minded!

I do know though, that the primary reason why I’m loving nature a lot right now is because of photography. After so long, I dusted off my camera and took photos of everything and anything I found interesting. The thing about photography neh, is that it forces you to see things. You are actively looking for something interesting to capture that your eyes peruse everything and it’s like a veil has been lifted from your eyes. Suddenly the world is filled with beauty. I owe my newfound love of artistic photography one lovely guy and awesome documentary photographer Tom Brittney. Check out his portfolio here. You can see how his photos inspired me to get back into photography, right? His black and whites are great! My favourite is this one of a canal in Amsterdam. To think I discovered his portfolio by aimlessly clicking link after link on the internet (I be surfing!) I’m actually going to purchase some of his prints and I can’t wait to have a photo of his adorning my office wall!

Seriously though, put that that phone or turn away from your computer (after reading this, of course) and just observe your surroundings. Better yet, go outside and just be in nature and take a few snaps while you’re at it. ;) Thank me later.

You know what!? I’d love to see your photos! Yes, actually let me see your photos. Post them on Instagram and tag #NatureLoveWithTheBellaM and who knows? I may just feature your photos right here on this blog!

This has been a long blog post and I’m so happy I get to come to this little space of mine to share things like this! If you want to read more blog posts of mine, head over to my website’s blog where I’ve been posting about business, branding and blogging so if you’re into that, then it’s for you. Also, I’d love to hear from you (duh). Let me know in the comments whether you like being out in nature or just observing your surroundings.

P.S Don’t forget, don’t forget. Be out in nature. Listen to the birds. Feel the breeze upon your face and see the trees dance in the wind. Go for a run with your dogs at sunset. Heck, lie down on your tummy and watch the marching ants.

P.S.S That reminds me! You know what else I’m happy about? It’s winter here so there aren’t any venomous snakes for me to accidentally come across and make me qualify for the Olympics high jumps now! They are hibernating! It is so wonderful! Hahahahahahahahaha *evil laugh*

'Til next time,
-Bella

Book Review Tuesdays: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

Hello reader,

SOURCE

I read The Catcher in the Rye a couple of years back to figure out why a lot of people were going on about it. It's considered a classic, written in 1951. Last week I was looking for a new book to read and I decided to re-read it. Best. Idea. Ever.

The first time I read it, I couldn't get into it but this time I was telling myself that I missed out on so much! Granted, it won't be everyone's cup of tea but I love this book so much I just had to hop on here and write a book review about it, in hopes that you may read it too if you haven't already.

The Catcher in the Rye follows 17 year old Holden Caulfield, a rebellious teenager who practically hates everything. The book is written in Holden's point of view as if he's addressing you as the reader while he retells the events that happened to him over a three day period.

J.D Salinger writes in such a way that makes Holden seem like a great storyteller as the story seems like one long flashback but with present events being included.

The story is marvelously intriguing. At first, you'd like to hate Holden; he is not written as a likeable character but he is 'real'; Holden is a brutally honest, vulgar character with a penchant for sarcasm and exaggeration which makes for humourous reading.

As the reader, you get to get in Holden's head and consequently, his life. Though he seems to love telling stories, he isn't really telling the whole story and it's up to you, the reader, to read between the lines and figure it out for yourself and once you do, it'll hit you like a ton of bricks.

I found the book intriguing, funny and heartbreaking. Boy, it killed me. No kidding. (Ha!). There were some parts that reminded me of an equally excellent book, Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallfower.

The Catcher in the Rye is not a long read and the ending (for me) was a bit disappointing in that it ended so abruptly but hey once I forgot the meagre ending I thought about the book and how it made me feel. I got over the disappointing ending really quickly.

Though The Catcher in the Rye is listed as a coming of age book, it is not meant for younger readers because of the vulgarity but it's aimed at teenagers because they are most likely to relate to it and it also offers a message of hope directed at them. I also believe young adults can still read it and relate to it. It actually causes you to examine the world in which we live in and how we're always forced to conform to fit in it.

Check this one of many quotes from the book that made laugh out loud:

"And I have one of those very loud, stupid laughs. I mean if I ever sat behind myself in a movie or something, I'd probably lean over and tell myself to please shut up."

One more that everyone would relate to:

"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it."

Oh, how I definitely wish.

Have you read the book before? I'd love to know your thoughts about it. Actually, I want to invite debate because there's something really interesting I learned about the book that was instrumental in making me want to retry reading it again. I'm hesitant to write about it here because it may be regarded as a spoiler but I'll answer questions!

'Til next time,

-Bella

I Felt Alive Today

Hello reader,

Today I woke up on a chilly morning and got ready to venture out of my home and into town to run errands. Venturing out of my home is a big deal where I am concerned because I’m perfectly content with being a hermit and I’d go weeks without actually going out in public. My reasoning is that I have everything I need at home; I work from home on a desktop which means I have no important reason to go out other than running errands, of course. Today however, I was *so* excited.

It started with me being up early. It’s wintertime here in South Africa so it’s a struggle to get out of warm, cosy blankets in the mornings so I give myself a pat on the back for getting out of bed at 5am. *pats self* Anyway I went outside and greeted my dog; the usual morning routine but this morning was different. I felt consciously alive. I took a moment to breathe in the cold air, to look at the trees and flowers moving in the breeze, the birds flapping their wings as they went about their day and I paid attention to my beating heart. I felt glad then, that I was alive. I wasn’t the only one alive; the dogs with their fervent licking and excited jumping, the birds, the trees and even the grass…were alive. I felt comforted that I was not alone.

In my feeling of aliveness, I jogged the short driveway distance to unlock the gate with the dog, Krogan, who is always up for accompanying me whenever I venture outside. I jumped, leaped and skipped. I felt like a kid. To an on-looker, I bet I just looked happy. I was that and more; I was celebrating being alive.

I went to town and I met up with a friend of mine from school then I met up with another friend. I spent hours talking to them and that’s one thing the internet doesn’t give you; real human interaction and let me tell you, I was glad to meet up with friends for once instead of always visiting my cousins. It felt great to catch up and it reminded me how a lot has changed since high school. We’re all older, hopefully a little wiser and we’re all just starting out in our careers.

I’m pleased too, that I’ve simplified my life, most specifically the business side of my life. If you follow me on Twitter you’ll see that I have been busy with Allebasi and it underwent a whole new makeover and you can check out the website here. It took me ages, a whole lot of stress and worry but now that it’s done, I am able to breathe again. Kudos to a simple life!

What I really loved about today was that for the first time in so long, I felt content. I didn’t feel as if something is missing or wrong in my life and I didn’t worry about fixing that problem. I was in the moment and guess what, I lived. Really lived.

I want you to tell me the last time you’ve felt alive. What went through your head then? Could you describe the feeling?

‘Til next time

-Bella

Book Review Tuesdays: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Hello reader,

Before reading The Book Thief, I’ve read talk about it and I decided to check out some reviews. The first one was written by a young woman who was so mad about the book. She wrote that the book made no sense and that it’s narrated by death for no reason whatsoever. This made me want to read the book even more. What literary crime did the book commit to inspire this person’s ire? And you know what? I’m so glad I read the book.

Image

The book follows a young Liesel Meminger, whose mother takes them into foster care because she couldn't care for them. Unfortunately, her brother dies on the way. The story is set in Germany during World War II. The very first book Liesel steals is called The Grave Digger’s Handbook, which she stole at the cemetery where her little brother was buried. The book became her only link to the past because she finds herself thrust into the care of Hans and Rosa Hubermann and her mother disappears, never to be heard from again. Liesel’s new life at the Hubermann’s becomes one of childhood innocent where Liesel befriends a boy on her street and one of veiled excitement and danger; bought on by further book stealing and the tension of the war.

One day a Jewish man from Hans Hubermann comes knocking at their door, asking to be hidden and thus began a secret friendship between Liesel and the young man by the name of Max Vandenbrug who is to have a lifelong impact on Liesel’s life.

Perhaps at this point you’re thinking that it might be similar to The Diary of Anne Frank but you’d be wrong. This book is much, much different that it immediately sucked me into its pages and I was mentally devouring it at every chance I got. What makes it brilliant is that it’s full of metaphorical connections like Liesel’s book stealing, which formed a catalyst that drives the entire story. In fact, it’s like 3 separate stories in one; Liesel’s and the world outside, Liesel’s and the world inside and Death’s. Each one is interconnected into one intense story. It's quite interesting because usually we don't hear or read about the effects the war had on innocent German children.

It’s understandable why the book is narrated by Death. It is actually clear from the very first chapter (I mean, its set during the Second World War! There’s bound to be a lot of deaths) and I was left wondering whether the person who reviewed it has even read the whole book.

As for the characters, there’s plenty to make you fall in love with (and make you wish you hadn’t). Liesel is quite a character that young girls and even young women could aspire to be like. She’s strong, highly intelligent, fearless and resilient. Props for strong female characters, yay!

Markus Zusack has truly penned a classic that I believe would be read for generations to come. His winding of metaphors and multiple storyline is done so well that it comes together like a colorful crocheted blanket and I wish I could be as profound with metaphors or similes as he is. This book can be read by adults and young adults alike because in all, it forms a perfect metaphor for life. It thick (delightful for book worms) and I wished it didn’t have to end but when it did it hit me like a sack of potatoes. I wanted more; I wanted to have some kind of closure. You know why? Because there are times when the book would take your soul and wrench it in half and times when you laugh through the tears. As much as it’s full of sorrow, the book is full of humour and above all that; it will change your life, whether you want it to or not.

The Book Thief gets 4 and a half stars, most definitely! 

Have you read the book before? What did you think of it? Let's compare notes!

'Til next review,

-Bella

My break from the internet

PHOTO SOURCE: Jeremy Ricketts 

Hello, reader!!

*shrieks with excitement* It’s been so long and I’m happy to be back blogging. As for my whereabouts during my ‘disappearance’, fret not, I’ll be updating you on what I was up to.

I have changed my blog name which was a long time coming but I decided to just change it so it could correspond to all my social media and as it’s an extension of myself, I wanted it to be just that in name as well.

~

Over a week ago I decided to take a week off from the internet. It was a pretty sudden decision but it was necessary. There were times when I’d get sad, frustrated and would just feel so low but instead of confronting my feelings head on, I’d tell myself that ‘it’d be fine’ then immediately go on Tumblr or Reddit and other various sites in order to feel better. One time I was refreshing all sites simultaneously because I was spending so much time on them, while my feelings were ignored. The decision to take a break happened when I noticed that instead of being happy using the internet, I’d get even more depressed because I had slowly started comparing myself to the people on the net and like that saying goes, “comparison is the thief of all joy”, and thus began my break.

It was easy at first, which was surprising because I thought it’d be hard as I was dependent on the internet, and on top of that, I used the internet to conduct business. I wasn’t going to answer or send any emails whatsoever and I worried I’d be losing potential business that way but I stopped worrying. With good reason too!

I watched a lot of TV, I had time left over and I didn’t worry about anything, I did what I felt like doing and if I wanted to nap, I napped. While watching TV, there were times when a commercial break would come on TV and the first thing I’d do was to reach for my phone (!) before remembering that I was taking a break. I even mistakenly went on Twitter so I signed out of my account to prevent any further mishaps!

I also read a lot which was great because with the frenzy of always being busy on the internet, I didn’t have time to sit and enjoy a book but this time I did. Over the week, I read and finished two books and started a third.

It’s amazing how much time is freed by taking a break from the internet. I was able to play with my nephews when they got back from school or to just snuggle with them on the sofa while watching cartoons. I gave them attention that wasn’t taken away by whatever new or great thing is happening on the internet and it was greaaat.

After supper every evening I would spend time with the whole family watching TV instead of my usual rushing directly to my bedroom to work. Since I had free time, I used it to think of what I wanted to do and how I would do it, business wise and my mind was so clear; free from the clutter of information on the net. (Running a business is EXTREMELY stressful!) I also went for daily runs with my nephews and dogs and I saw the sunset every evening. Yay for fitness!

What else? I got to write and completed a script I was writing which was so much fun that I’m going to extend it and write as much as I can on it AND I also wrote a few pages of my book (which is really hard but I look forward to writing the last page!).

When I was bored I would wonder what news I was missing out on or if anything interesting was happening; I couldn't ‘watch’ the Billboard Music Awards or Eurovision on Twitter! I also missed talking to my friend Kayleigh because I went from talking to her everyday to have to refrain from Whatsapping her the whole week! On Friday I saw from my notification window that one of my friends needed urgent help with her assignment and I couldn’t help her as she texted me through Whatsapp. The only way I could communicate with the outside world was through SMS but few people these days use that anymore what with –you guessed it- the internet.

Overall, it was a really good and much needed break for me mentally and emotionally. I got a chance to deal with my feelings, to think clearly and to be actually spend time with my loved ones and be present. The last time I went on an internet break in 2013 when things were starting to get bad for me though I only took 3 days off then. I would recommend a break for anyone who feels overwhelmed and becomes too dependent on the internet. After all, your health has to be more important than a trending meme on Tumblr, right?

Have you ever taken a break from the internet or just social media before? If so, what were your reasons and how did you fare? Leave a comment below and if you have a blog, a link for your blog so I can check that out too!

Look out for my update posts coming everyday this week!

'Til next time,

-Bella

A Couple of Announcements

Hello reader,

Boy, do I have things I want to tell you! It’s a new month and with it, it brings new changes and this little blog space will be undergoing some changes as well. Before I tell you what those changes will e (without divulging too much) let’s review the past month, should we?

I’m rather proud of myself for having posted consistently, twice weekly and at the same time always. Well, except for that one time when I wrote a post, went on a weekend away and remembered I didn’t schedule it. Oops! I also created my own graphics to accompany the posts as well, a far cry from the photographics I used to do. However, I do not know which you, reader, like. Do you like the vector graphics or do you like the photos behind a heading? See, this as a survey kind of thing because I do want to make this space something that people enjoy visiting.

Yes, you must have noticed that this post doesn’t have a graphic accompanying it but that’s one of the changes. This is not a regular blog post, just a sort of announcement and also, I’m going to change the visual look of the whole blog (wish me luck because this may involve some html tinkering and I’m not exactly a connoisseur), including deciding whether I should go with the graphics like you saw in the month of February or the ones in the month of January.

Now to tell you about what some other changes will be. I’m going to write less about my own personal life because my life isn’t really interesting and most of the posts about a Day in The Life do not get many readers (according to analytics), BUT I will be doing more and more book reviews since those are popular (yay!) It’s a win-win. It will give me an excuse to read more books (between running a business, creating artworks and writing there really isn’t much time to properly sit down and read a book) and I’ll be giving honest reviews about books I like and don’t like. *claps hand gleefully like a baby seal*

But wait, there’s more! I will also be introducing an exciting blog series that will remain a secret for now but I’m so excited about it and I have been thinking about it for weeks now! I hope you will love it as well because it is something wholly different.

So that’s all. To summarise, I’ll be writing less about my personal life, will be doing more book reviews (or generally talking about books) and will be introducing a blog series. As for the schedule, I was thinking book review on Wednesdays, blog series on Fridays and if have something interesting to say about my personal life that will go up on Mondays or Tuesdays?

Do not expect a post on Friday by the way; there won’t be any until I’m ready to launch the new changes. This was a heads up and a public service announcement. *waggles eyebrows*

If you read this blog regularly and have any suggestions on what you would love to see here, please let me know in the comments below.

‘Til next time,

-Bella

5 Ways You Can Make Someone's Day

Hello reader,

I really love being nice to people. You never know when someone may be going through a pretty rough time and when I make someone smile, it makes me smile as well. Sometimes though, it can be hard to figure out how to make someone smile but fret not, here are 5 very simple ways you can make someone’s day.

1. Compliment them. Sure, so clichéd, but compliment them in a different way and if possible, make sure you compliment something that is permanent for them. Steer away from complimenting their eyes, or smiles; chances are they’ve heard it all before. Try complimenting them about something that they won’t expect anyone to really pay attention to like their hands or something alike. When I was in grade 8, this lovely girl told me that she loved the way I walk and it was so unexpected that I’m still smiling about it all these years later. She really made an impact with a compliment so simple.

2.    Do little things for them. If it’s a stranger, you could open/hold the door for them (as long as they are not far away so they have to do an awkward jog to get to you, haha!) or help carry their bags or let them get in first in a lift. Possibilities are endless. Hopefully they’ll appreciate it and you’ll get –what’s that? Is that a smile? – yes, a smile out of them. If it’s someone you know, try making a cup of tea or coffee out of the blue for them or giving them a chocolate bar or even going as far as giving them a little gift.

3.    Smile widely at them. Don’t just smile a tiny smile that then disappears once they look away. It’s quite easy to spot a fake smile. First try noticing something you like about them -maybe their outfit?- and smiling . People respond back to real smiles (as far as I’ve noticed) and hopefully they’ll mirror your smile.

4.    Talk to them. Most often than not, people just need someone to talk to, even if it’s just a short conversation. Talk to someone you haven’t talked to in a while and tell them that you were thinking about them. Remind them of something awesome or funny they’ve done/said and they’ll appreciate that they are in someone’s thoughts and that they are not easily forgettable. Also, it is important that you don’t ask for anything when you do this or they’ll think you only talk to them when you want something.

5.    Share things with them. The internet is full of funny pictures and videos that are guaranteed to make someone smile. For example, you could try texting a friend a link to a gif with ‘hey, I think you will like this.’ Or you could offer to share food (yes, yes share!) or even something as small as a joke. I for one like sharing jokes I’ve seen on Reddit. Reddit is rife with them!

These are just a few simple things that I do and that have been done to me (and that you could do) that have made me and people smile. I’m all for making this world a better and brighter place and I believe it all starts with being of service to others; being kind to them, loving them and helping them when needed.

What little things do you do to make someone’s day? I would love to read all about them so feel free to comment and if you’re a blogger, leave a comment with your link so I could check out your blog.

Have a fantastic and happy weekend!

‘Til next time,

-Bella

When you compare yourself to others

Hello reader,

Today I’m not feeling particularly well and went through a terrible night/morning where I had some kind of skin reaction and my entire body itched, it was hard to fall asleep and now I’m feeling super drowsy. Anyway, other than this, something happened yesterday that I want to tell you about.

I made a mistake yesterday. I sat down in front of my PC to get to work on some designs when I reached a creative block. I decided to go online and have a look at some designs similar to what I want to do and that’s when it went downhill. The first thought came into my head, ‘mine suck!’ ‘Am I even good?’ And just like that, my self-esteem took a knocker. It only took less than a minute for that to happen.

Here’s where I made a mistake. I compared myself to those other designers whose work I deemed better than mine, and honestly, they were. However, I was only supposed to get inspiration from them and not bring myself down in the process. Suddenly the work I felt really proud of became something measly. What really put me down in the dumpers was that I worked really hard on those designs and I was supposed to unveil them to the public soon. ‘Who would buy these when there’s so many better out there?’ I asked myself.

I know that I’m a long way off from being the designer I want to be but isn’t this what it’s all about? The journey? For some reason we just want to have arrived at that place. We compare ourselves to others who have begun earlier and a much further because of that plus hard work. There’s a saying I read somewhere that says, “Do not compare your Chapter 1 to someone else’s Chapter 20.” Easy to say though, isn’t it? Sometimes we just cannot help it.

When I started feeling as if my designs were crap, I switched off my PC and took a step back. I reassured myself that okay, maybe compared to the other designers’ who have more design experience than I do, my designs are not that great but when compared to the previous designs I did, they look pretty awesome! I put myself back on track and I know now that this is my own journey that I’m walking and I cannot wander onto others’ lanes or compare my distance to theirs. Someday I will get there and I’ll bet that those very same designers also wish they were somewhere as well because let’s face it; there will always be someone much better than you are. The trick, I learned, is to be better than the person you were yesterday and that’s what I will remind myself of whenever those niggling thoughts start to creep in.

Dear reader, I will love to hear your thoughts on this subject. How do you deal with comparing yourself to others and the not-so-good feelings that come with it? Feel free to comment. J

Now, let me drink a lot of fluids and get some rest until I feel 100% better. ‘Til next time,

-Bella 

When life gets in the way of your dreams

Hello reader,

Isn’t life a funny thing? It’s made of complexities that no one can really make sense of, but are we even supposed to? It’s hard enough trying to live it. You get these dreams in your heart and you try and go after them because of the life you want to live. Sometimes however, it’s hard to reach those dreams and you have to forget them for the moment and live the life you don’t really want just to get by. Moments turn into months, which turn into years and before you know it, you haven’t chased after your dreams and you don’t really have all the time in the world now.

It’s hard, I get it. Right now I’m trying to live my dream of being a successful artist and running a successful business but it’s just so dang hard. My savings have all but dried up and I feel even more pressure to just forget my dream for the time being and to just make a living. I know I’m not the only one as well. I am however reluctant to give up because I know exactly what I want. I put all my savings and a lot of time and tears into this dream and sooner or later something has gotta give, right?

I’m holding onto that hope because I truly and wholeheartedly believe in myself and if I don’t believe in myself, who would? And if I don’t give myself a chance, really, who would? So many unfortunate people have given up on their dreams to just get by but I realise that most of them had no choice because they had families to feed and well, life just happened. I don’t want that to happen to me. I don’t want life to happen to me, I want to happen to life and I will put in more than 100% to even touch my dream.  Perhaps this is all just a test to see how much we would fight for our dreams. I hope that you will all take up arms and fight with everything you have to reach your dreams because if you can dream it, you can live it. I don't believe God puts dreams and visions into our hearts just to watch us not live them.

Have you ever encountered a time when some uncontrollable situations threatened to derail your dream/s? Feel free to comment and let me know.

‘Til next time and have a great, fantastic weekend!

-Bella

How much do you value privacy?

Hello reader,

I was on a random Reddit thread yesterday when someone said he used to look at geotagged images and try and find the people in the photos, calling them by their names because it is so easy to find out things about them just from a tagged image. It was an interesting discussion that makes me wonder, how much do we value privacy?

It is so easy to forget that the internet is not a really safe place that we share anything and everything freely. I was once like that. I shared every photo I liked on Facebook and Twitter until one day I received a reawakening. I had Googled myself and the images that came up were personal pictures and lots of photos of my nephews. I love my nephews very much and I think they are the cutest so I felt the unnecessary need to share their photos with my Facebook friends and my Twitter followers, not understanding that I’m actually sharing them with the entire world. I wasn’t comfortable with their pictures out there like that because they are so young. I therefore embarked on a ‘clean up’ mission, deleting Twitpics and removing photos off my Facebook. Not only that but I readjusted my privacy settings.

I had always liked privacy but now I value it greatly. I am now careful of what I post asking myself questions like, “is there anything that looks unfavourably upon me and my loved ones?” “Did this person/s approve of me posting this photo?” “Will this hurt someone?”  “I’m I revealing unnecessary personal information about myself or others?” and so on. Nowadays I only talk about my nephews and it’s always something positive. I don’t post pictures of them anymore and not many people know their names, or where they go to school. That’s how I like to keep it. I admit though, sometimes I’m tempted to post a photo. My cousin sent my mum a photo of his newborn daughter and she was so, so adorable that I wanted to Tweet it. I didn’t though because she’s still so young and I didn’t think my cousin would approve. I didn’t even post photos of my nephew’s athletic meet because other than respecting my own privacy, I respect and value theirs as well. I am so careful of what I post online that even here on this little blog of mine, I make sure that I don’t reveal too much about myself or my loved ones. I think its importance to maintain a balance.

I do feel sorry for celebrities when thinking of how privacy is important to me. Even though renouncing most of your privacy comes with the status, I cannot imagine how unsettling it must be to have millions of people know details about your personal life from who you are dating, which restaurant you visited to your pets names. In high school a lot of people knew my name and who I was. I wasn’t popular *scoffs*; it just came with being the only one wearing hearing aids. I remember one day when I was in the school bathroom –I must have been in Grade 11 or Grade 12- and this lovely girl in Grade 8 said, “Isabella?” I looked at her and she smiled and said, “I know who you are.” That was so unsettling because I did not know her name. Not fair, haha! Felt like something out of a thriller.

I think we all need to carefully scrutinize what we put online and if it involves other people, ask them for permission, especially when tagging! I am not a fan of tagging people in photos on Facebook and if I do, it’s because they’ve asked me, or gave their okay for me to post photos of them and tag them. Did you know that even if you’re not friends with a specific somebody on Facebook, they are able to find information about you just by having a mutual friend tag you in something? Let that sink in a moment.

Feel free to comment and let me know how much you value your own personal privacy, if you have ever experienced an invasion of privacy or what steps you take to ensure your privacy online. I’d love to hear your stories!

‘Til next time,

-Bella

5 ways to love Mondays

Hello reader,

Many people loathe Mondays. They go to bed on Sundays dreading waking up on Monday mornings. I used to be that person but now I don’t really mind Mondays. I actually love them! *gasp* How!? Worry not, I, Bella, shall teach you this sorcery. Below is five ways you can love Mondays.

1. Find something you love. If you’re miserable in your current job, it doesn’t have to be that way! You can actually make money doing what you love, plenty of people do, including me! However, if you love your job but certain aspects of it make you miserable, find something that’ll make you look forward to your job and focus on them. It could be anything from seeing your favourite colleagues or having lunch with a book in your special corner. You could even decorate your work space to be one of your favourite places to be, make it relaxing! Same goes for school. Focus on seeing your friends and going to your favourite classes until there is little to no space for focusing on things you do not like.

2. Dedicate Mondays for something special. Eat your absolute favourite cereal on Mondays only or treat yourself to something you do not normally do or eat on Mondays. You could also schedule Mondays for dinner dates or nights out or perhaps even a weekly spa treatment. You could also ask your best friend, SO or a family member to send you a very special message on Mondays.

3. Play your Friday song on Monday mornings. If you have a song that is your Friday anthem, one that gets you excited on Fridays, play it on Monday mornings and you’ll get excited like you do on Fridays! If you do not have one yet, find one you’d like and play it on Fridays for a few weeks then play it on Mondays as well. The Cure’s Friday I’m in Love is my Friday song and it’s upbeat so it gets me dancing as well! I heavily suggest it (and The Cure as a band) for your Friday song!

4. Go to bed on Sundays early and get up early on Mondays. Avoid going to bed late on Sunday as you will often wake up tired on Mondays. By going to bed early, you can hopefully get your full 8 hours and wake up well rested. You could also wake up earlier than usual on Monday and use the extra hour or two just lie in bed reading a book, being on your phone or just cuddling your SO or teddy or puppy! You could also put in a work out that’ll ‘wake you up’ or rejuvenate you, if you prefer that kind of thing. When I wake up early I like doing my chores quickly so I have more hours in the day to do what I want to do be it working, watching a movie or napping.

5. Prepare everything the night before. This is a time saver and also a stress reliever! If you’re due to work or school the next morning, iron and lay out your clothes and pack your bag and lunch ready to go. In high school I did just that and it allowed me to sneak in some few extra minutes of shut eye and be able to wake up and not run around like a headless chicken. Now I’d make a To-Do list the night before and make sure I have everything on my desk ready for the next day. I could literally just get out of bed and onto my chair ready to work that way.

 

Keep at it for a few weeks and your brain will be conditioned to love Mondays and soon enough you would be looking forward to Mondays. It also helps when you recognise your disdain for Monday creeping in and just bursting into spontaneous dance and song, singing, “I love Mondays. Oh, I love Mondays. Mondays are so good to meee!” I kid you not. Try it.

What do you do to survive Mondays? Anyone else already implementing these tips? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

‘Til next time

-Bella

Sacrificing Laughter For Youthful Skin

Hello reader,

The other day I read an article about a woman who hasn't smiled for 40 years to preserve her ‘youthful skin’. Uhm, what? Vanity has gone to new lengths. She didn’t even smile when her daughter was born save for a smirk….all because she wanted no wrinkles.

I don’t see anything wrong with wrinkles. I think they are a testament to life. And laugh wrinkles are amazing! I think they are beautiful. I actually love people with laugh wrinkles and I think they are very beautiful.  To me that says they always find moments in life to laugh and a face tell a story. I’d love to surround myself with people who are not afraid to laugh since I love laughing too and I’d love to be among people who have awesome stories to tell, people who have laughed and cried.

I cannot imagine a life without laughter. I really cannot. Can you? I really think laughing and smiling is a very important part of life because of how hard life can be sometimes. One should be able to smile or laugh to show joy and happiness in between all the sadness, sorrow and frustrations. Is it REALLY worth it to have a limited life experience just for no wrinkles? I can’t think of any worthwhile benefits that having wrinkle free skin has.

People who know me know that I love laughing. I always find an excuse to laugh and smile and I never made it a point to worry about the wrinkles all these laughing will give me. I focus on the happiness and the liberated feeling laughing gives me. Have you ever laughed until tears streamed down your face and you couldn’t breathe? How did you feel after? THAT feeling should be much more important than worrying about wrinkles.

This world needs more laughter and not people who worry too much about their looks. We’re all going to die anyway and I doubt a wrinkle free face would really matter. Not laughing or smiling is like refusing to write on paper out of fear of dirtying it or wrinkling it. In the end you’re left with a clean blank paper and not a story. I value being able to laugh and smile; I won’t ever stop indulging in laughter even if I were offered a million dollars. What would I do? Laugh all the way to the bank?

‘Til next time

-Bella

My MasterChef Addiction

Hello reader,

It was a Friday evening and I had just left for my cousins' for the weekend when 

I realised that I forgot to schedule Friday's post for publishing before leaving my house. Eeek! There was really nothing I could do because I don't leave the house with my router meaning there was no internet. I got back home yesterday and I was so tired that I was in bed before 9pm. Today I remembered that I had Friday's post to publish...albeit several days late but hey, better late than never right? Right!? ...anyway, here's Friday's post.

 ***

The Plant

My name is Isabella and I am addicted to MasterChef. I do not even know how I got addicted to it because I didn’t watch it before, but I’m prepared to bet it was the food that did it. *scoffs* Who doesn’t like food!? Am I right?

I was channel hopping one fateful day and I decided to check out my favourite channel. I noticed ‘MasterChef’ first then the next thing I noticed was subtitles. Whaat!? It had subtitles! I LOVE subtitles! I made myself comfortable on the sofa and watched it. And lo and behold I was addicted. From then on, I never missed an episode if I could help it.

I’m not a foodie per se. I think the fanciest thing I’ve ever eaten was squid, which is yummy by the way. My Instagram account is not burdened with food snaps. I do believe I only have one food picture and that is one of buffalo wings which are basically my favourite food.  I’ve never eaten in a restaurant where they offer you an entrée, main and desert. Those three course and five course meals the MasterChef Australia Professional chefs served. How much would they cost anyway? An arm? Or an arm and half a leg? Because I would really love to taste some seared scallops, quail and a pinna cotta.

Anyway, despite not being a hardcore foodie, I actually like cooking. And baking. I love coming up with new recipes or cooking something that I have never cooked before. I think I’m pretty decent in the kitchen but I would love to be amazing. I would love to be able to cook those hard- to-pronounce dishes for my family and friends. I fantasize many a day, of hosting a dinner party in my own home with dishes I have made myself and yes, three or five course meals. Wouldn't that be trés merveilleux?

Friday was the last episode of the MasterChef Australia: The Professionals show and Rhys won! What? Okay, so I’m watching a show from 2013 in 2015. Sue me, but this channel I watch show reruns and it’s awesome because I’ve never seen these series and shows before as a result of being away at college with no TV. I will miss cheering for the chefs, being anxious when they are not doing well in the kitchen or their food or plating flops and tearing up when they are eliminated. Except for that one chef, Rhett! What a big ego! I would also miss Marco Pierre White and the way he swings his right hand with the pinky or forefinger raised to punctuate his words. I did try to imitate him but I just looked weird.

I don’t worry much though, there are plenty of MasterChef shows on circuit. For example, Junior MasterChef is currently showing (great, 11 year olds who cook tons better than I do. Good for my self-esteem, haha!) and the South African version of Celebrity MasterChef just premiered yesterday (Sunday) evening.

Now, I just need to try my best to recreate those beautiful dishes I saw. My only qualm with the MasterChef shows is that they don’t really depict the cooking process or what exact ingredients go into their food but that’s what Googling is for, right? Doubt I’d even remember the exact ingredients if they were shown.

Is anyone here a foodie or a MasterChef fan like me? Did you ever recreate a MasterChef dish? Really!? How did it go!? Please let me know in the comments below so I can be jealous!

‘Til next time,

-Bella

Knowing when to step back and breathe

Hello reader,

It’s been a long time since I last published a post. I have no excuse, I just simply needed to take a step back from all the stuff I had on and breathe. Also, my beloved puppy Teddy was accidentally run over on Monday, a day I had planned to blog so I postponed to deal with it. My Mum and I are still sad about it as Teddy was nothing but a delight. Those who follow me on Twitter will know since I was always tweeting about him. “Teddaaaar!”

Teddy was on our Christmas card. He was very hyperactive so I had to give him a mielie cob to get him to look at the camera! Haha!

From the beginning of the year I took off running, taking on more than I could handle and tried to do a lot of things within a single day…by myself. I was so overwhelmed and I got stressed, really frustrated and then doubt started to creep in. I knew then, that I needed to take a step back from a few things.

I’ve been busy running my design business Allebasi Design and designing a new website for it, trying my hand at marketing, doing a lot of research and reading. I wasn’t reading books on my book list; either, I was reading a lot of resources on How to Market Yourself, 10 Steps to Freelancing Successfully…those kinds of reading material. Because of this, I had only managed to read one book from my book list in January. Last year I had read 8 books in January! Eight to one in a year!? Now, I acknowledge that I’m busier than I was last year and really, running a business is so, so hard. I’m doing everything by myself, with no help from anyone and it’s really hard to get clients as well. This month it’ll be 3 months since I officially launched Allebasi Design and to this day it’s still challenging. Sometimes I think whether I should just quit running it full time and get a job. It had been my dream to run my own business and I think that’s why I’m still keeping up with it to this day, that and the fact that I had learned so much!  I started out with a crappy website and I set up another one with my own domain name and it looks great! Through working on my website, I worried about other things that I needed to complete. I was spending far too much time working that I started biting my nails (a sure sign of stress!) and I needed to wear my glasses full time, I was getting headaches everyday and I kept bumping into walls and corners because my perception was off. I was spending a dangerous amount of time in front of my computer.

I needed to simplify things and concentrate on one thing at a time. Today I spend less time on the computer. More than 4 hours without a break is reaching so I make sure to keep my computer sessions under 4 hours or take regular, lengthy breaks if I’m particularly busy. I dedicate weeks to a couple of things at a time and I keep to it. For example I’ve scheduled this week for comic drawing and traditional illustration (which also means less time spent on the PC as I’m using pens and paper, yay!) and the next week will be Valentine’s Week, meaning I’ll dedicate that week to hand drawing Valentine’sDay cards for clients who’ve ordered them and also doing some Valentine’s Day photoshoots! 

When I feel myself start to get frustrated I immediately take a step back and remind myself that things will happen when they are supposed to and I can’t hurry it or that in the end things will work out. Every single thing that happens between now and then is a lesson. This is also a lesson in patience and by praying about things I want to happen and trust God to make them happen, I am reassured.

Taking a step back to breathe and simplifying things made it easier for me. I still get frustrated but it’s less frustration or frustration of things beyond my control. My nails are stronger now and growing. I don’t bump into walls anymore and best of all I have time to read. I’m currently reading The Book Thief now and it’s really interesting. Also, I’m learning German words like Arschloch from it, haha! I’m currently learning to work smarter instead of putting in a lot of unnecessary hours and I’m glad that I’m finally reaching a balance. 

If you have ever felt the way I did please let me know what you did to balance yourself. I’d really love to hear your thoughts!

P.S I will be blogging twice weekly here every Wednesday and Friday and once weekly every other day on my business blog (for all you fellow entrepreneurs and creative minds! :D) for the entire month of February and if it goes well, I’ll even keep it up for the next months.

‘Til next time,

-Bella

Our old typewriter

Hello reader,

Here's a little story about my family's old typewriter...

PHOTO BY: CLAIRE DE BOER

Many years ago when I was a child, we had an old typewriter. I don’t really recall where the typewriter came from but I’d be prepared to bet that it came with the big, faded green metal trunk that held a lot of old books from a bookstore. Interestingly enough, that trunk contained one book that was to change the course of my life, but more on that later, if ever.

So…the typewriter…it was really interesting to my siblings and I and we’d spend many days tinkering with it. The typewriter new, it wasn’t in great condition either but it worked fairly well. Perhaps its previous owner had loved it greatly.

That camo green old typewriter had sticky keys and the key bars would get stuck up on the platen when you typed and you had to bring them down to continue typing, it needed oiling, I guess. It had a roll of ribbon that usually came undone and we had to reroll it countless times, usually ending up with inky fingers and hands which subsequently transferred inky fingerprints to the paper. The ink on the ribbon was fading too, we actually had to undo the roll to find ink rich parts to use.

I loved that typewriter. I loved how it didn’t really have a ‘backspace’ and you had to retype over a letter when you’ve madea mistake. Well, at least that is what I did. I particularly loved the sound of hitting the keys and the following sound of the bars hitting the platen, and how my tiny fingers usually slipped and fell into the spaces between the keys when I tried to type. We didn’t have a noiseless typerwriter, ours was noisy and that was delighting to my young ears which were slowly losing their hearing. I don’t  remember what model it was, I don’t even remember what I wrote on it and I don’t even remember whether I kept whatever I wrote and then lost the papers.

What I remember is that the typewriter broke, was repaired and then again broke. This time beyond repair I think, since we do not have it anymore. We should have taken better care of it but you know how kids are; they do not know the value of things and would just play with something they like over and over until it broke due to overuse. Kids are really not careful. Perhaps this is what makes them awesome. Maybe we all need to learn from kids and love things without treading lightly or being too careful.

Today I’m typing this post on my PC. The keys are noisy but it is clearly a different sound and there is no sound of the bars hitting a platen. I do not have to roll paper, I do not have to change ribbons and I definitely do not have inky fingers from typing but the premise is the same. Things have changed a lot but in a way, are the same. I’m feeling a profound nostalgia and I really would not mind having a typewriter. In fact, it is a need I need to satisfy.

My aunt still has her typewriter. It’s similar to the one we had and it is in her sewing room, broken, although I believe that it could easily get restored. Maybe I should ask her for it but my aunt is a word lover. I do not know of any word lover who would not like, or who would even part with a typewriter today. If you are a fellow word lover and have a working typewriter, I hope you cherish it and that you love it with an ardor of a young child.

‘Til next time

-Bella

Goals for 2015

Hello reader,

I am really amped and excited for 2015!  It’s a chance to make all my dreams and ideas in my Big Black Book become a reality! Now, now, I hardly ever create a list of New Year’s Resolutions because I never remember them (or selectively forget them). If I have a New Year’s resolution, it’s relatively quite simple and general. In fact, my New Year’s resolution for the previous year was to smile every day because I didn’t smile a lot in 2013. Did I achieve it? You bet! It helped because it made me look for an excuse to smile which meant I focused on positive and things that made me happy. This year my New Year’s resolution is to try my best, always. And with the goals I want to achieve this year, I’ll really need to try my best!

This is the very first time I’m creating a list of goals I want to achieve. I believe that written goals are important as they provide an incentive for me to actively try and achieve them. Also, these goals will lead me to be better than I was last year and one should always strive to be better! Here are my goals for 2015 in no particular order.

·         Get more clients for my design company, Allebasi Design and expand it. I’d love to create a few jobs as well.

·         Double my blog readership and get sponsors, also host a lot of giveaways! I’m by all means an amateur when it comes to blogging but I’m learning everyday! I also need to spend more time marketing and creating content which brings me to the next goal…

·         Create a schedule and stick to it! Oh schedules, I’m bad at those. I usually just create a mental To-Do list and try my best to do everything on the list but I need better time management, which means I’ll need to get those daily planners/calendars. Woe for my desk space, haha!

·         Become healthier and fitter. I would love to become fitter and stronger. I dislike working out because it’s banal (seriously, who invented squats, sit ups and pull ups, etc!?) unless it’s a fun work out like dancing, yoga or swimming. But hey, I’ve been running regularly recently and I don’t hate it. I think it’s because I’m back home and there is fresh air for miiiiles! I’ll however like to invest in some gym equipment since I live rather far from the nearest gym. I’d love to take up kickboxing. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of fun with that! In previous years (before I left for college) I’d skate or rollerblade everyday and that was always a fun work out for my legs and core! I’d also love to eat healthier food. My family and I hardly  never eat out and most of our vegetables come from our garden (thanks parents, for your love of gardening and ‘eating natural foods’!) I’m actually going to join them in gardening soon. I’ll be in charge of the herb garden and I’m quite excited for that, yay! More about eating healthily, I need to be more aware of my diet. Last year there were two weeks were I was on a Paleo diet but as the days went by I selectively forgot that I’m supposed to be on one! *sigh* I tend to not be picky about the food I eat (because it’s food!) but I need to because sometimes I eat a lot of sugar and my body doesn’t tolerate sugar well which is the reason why I cut out sugar out of my tea. I need to cut out sugar in other foods I eat but I can still eat chocolate. I refuse to give up on chocolate. They can pry it from my dead, cold hands.

·         Create an app! Something that is in my Big Black Book and something I’ve wanted to do for two years now and it is actually something that I believe people will LOVE! I just need a developer now because I suck at coding. I’m actually learning a more coding through Codecademy to add to my very basic coding knowledge I learnt in college. However, I’d love this app to be awesome and for it to be awesome I need a developer.

·         Write a book. *waggles eyebrows* This has been on the cards for several years now and I’ve actually been researching and developing a novel for a year and a half now. All I need to do now is to write it and finish it! I have written a handful of short stories before (I could even post one here if you guys would like that) and even have an unfinished story I wrote for my friends’ pleasure. I should finish it, but I’m my own worst critic so…

·         Create another business venture. This has been something I’ve planned since early last year. However, I do not want to be like those entrepreneurs who create and create but are not able to maintain their businesses because of time constraints and therefore run them to the ground. No worries though, I know exactly how I’m going to manage them. It’s all about research, planning and dedication. With that said, I need a team to work with me! Soon!

·         Improve my cooking. I love trying new recipes and this year I’d love to create more of those dishes with fancy names…and some dishes with hard to pronounc e names haha!

·         Become more social. No doubt this will be challenging as I’m a bit anti-social by nature and I have a business to run but I need to go out more often and meet new people. It might also be beneficial for me as it’ll allow me to network. I need to meet up with more of my friends as well and have girls nights out or pamper days.

·         Become a better driver. I got my driver’s license last year in March but I need more driving practice. I’m decent with automatic transmission but terrible with manual transmission. If I want a part in the Fast 8 I reckon I gotta brush up on my driving skills! I need to get over my anxiety of driving on public roads (it’s bad) and be a great driver like my dad is and older brother was. Can’t let my 12yr old nephew be a better driver than me. True story: he once drove me to my friend’s place and he can hardly see over the dashboard!
·         Travel. I really, really, really x100 want to travel. I feel as if my soul will never be complete until I have traveled to quite a lot of places. I have never been on a plane before and I'd like that to change this year. A friend and I have a list of places we'd love to visit and we're going to try and save enough money so we could go. First step: get a passport!

·         Create more art. By this I mean more personal art. Not something that other people have told me to create. It’s easy to fall into a rut of only doing things you’ve been told to do and none for your own creative expression and if this happens to me, it’ll be a bad thing to happen to me creatively. However, to prevent that I dedicate two months to embark on a personal project. For December and this month I’m working on a Quote Series. I had a few friends of mine give me original life quotes they live by and I’m illustrating A2 posters based on them. I’m having a lot of fun working on them and I can’t wait to release them. I’ll most likely sell them worldwide too! I want to do more ‘series’ projects and this year I want to start filmmaking which would be whole new creative journey for me but those scripts I have written need to come to life! I may create a YouTube account for the films as well! Yay!

Whoa, okay. Maybe I should make ‘write shorter posts’ as a goal for this year because I’m rather verbose with my blog posts. Forgive me, I’ll try to work on that!

Do you have any goals for this year that you want to achieve? Please let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you!

‘Til next time,

-Bella

5 Lessons 2014 Taught Me

Hello reader,

Ok. Ok. Let’s address the huge elephant in the room shall we? I know it’ 6 days into 2015 but I’ve published a post that should’ve been up last year.

Let me explain, I was on holiday with my family and the first week of this year so I had no time to properly sit and write a post. Also, I was away from my computer and internet, except on my wee old phone which will be 4 years old next month!  Such a trooper! Anyway, moving on! In this post I list 5 lessons I've learnt in 2014! Let’s be honest, it’s not really late, is it?

1.    Time does heal wounds. Or at least make you forget them. When I entered 2014I was badly wounded; emotionally and mentally. 2013 was a tough year but in 2014 I picked up the pieces and carried on. I accepted all that happened in 2013 and made my peace with it. Today those feelings of despair are just a memory. God’s grace is really sufficient!

2.    Life is not fair. I think we’re all aware of this. I bet if Life were a person and you asked it whether it could please be a little fair it’d say, “fair? What is that? Anyone, would you like some zesty lemons?” Haha, but really how many times did you ever think to yourself or yell out in frustration, “it’s not fair!”? I don’t think that life had, is or will ever be fair. Maybe it’s a good thing. We find our humanity in things we deem not fair, like injustices which subsequently pioneers revolutionary movements. Unfairness also gives us the motivation to push harder than ever and to focus on things in front of us.

3.    Friends come and go. In the beginning of 2014 I thought I’d be friends with some people forever. I’d even talk about weddings and such like there would be there but sadly it was not to be. Today we’re not really friends since we’ve all gone our different ways. I’m thankful and glad that they were my friends though. Sometimes people are your friends to teach you a life lesson and once that’s been learnt, they go. I’m looking forward to making more friends this year and I hope they’ll impart valuable positive lessons for me and me for them.

4.    Getting what you really want may mean making sacrifices and taking risks. Like deciding to go my own way and become a full time business owner. I knew what I wanted and I knew it wouldn’t be easy and will require a lot of dedication. I saved up the money I earned, foregoing buying luxuries like a new phone (okay, not really a luxury because I badly need one), eating out or purchasing things on a whim. It was a good decision though, I was able to invest in my company and buy a few necessities needed for it. This also taught me money management which has really come in handy! Being an entrepreneur also has quite a big risk on my personal life. Income is not guaranteed which means it’ll be difficult to obtain medical aid cover which I especially need for checkups with my audiologist. I’ll also need to consult with a handful of doctors this year for some health concerns (not serious!) as well. I tend to get upper respiratory infections about twice a year and we all know how medication is costly! I’m going to pray and cross fingers that my mum’s medical aid covers me for a little while longer. Besides this, there is also a probability that Allebasi Design will not work out and I could probably lose everything. I really do not have an exit strategy but I’m focusing on the probability that everything will and shall work out and it’ll be a profitable and successful company. Yay to positive thinking!

5.    You are the architect of your own life. This is really true! You have the power to get the life you really want. Granted, you may face some obstacles and life may throw unexpected things at you. But it is YOU who has to decide how you will overcome that obstacle. It is YOU who have to get up and figure out how to get back on track when the great storms of life sweep you off-track…or you could JUST lie there and let the torrents sweep you even further off-track. Also, God does answer prayers but most times He just gives you the opportunity to get what you asked for. Be sure to open your eyes, the opportunities to live the life you want are many! But remember number 4 above.

2014 was a good year for me, one filled with lots of lessons and memories! What lessons did the previous year teach you? Let me know in the comments, I’d really love to hear from you!

‘Til next time,

-Bella