After the lights were on, my dad left me in charge of the decorations which is a job I LOVE doing. I know some people might cringe at how our tree doesn't have a set colour scheme or a symmetrical layout but the fact it's so unique is what makes me love it so much. I did have a method though! All of the 'plain' baubles went on first - bigger ones at the bottom & smaller ones at the top . . .

Then I strategically interspersed the more special ones throughout, taking special care to put my mum's favourite ones on the right hand side so they'll be in her eyeline when she sits in her spot on the sofa!


We also have quite a few ornaments which were handmade by members of our family, like the two little guitars (which aren't festive at all but we're a musical family) and our tree wouldn't be complete without them.

Once almost everything is in place, my brother, sister & I each have something which is 'ours' to place wherever we want it and represent us in a way. My sister has a violin, my brother has a train and my one is this little rocking horse. Again, I can't imagine having the Christmas tree without these, it just wouldn't be right!

And last but not least, the angel on top!

So there you have it, an insight into our Christmas tree and all the little traditions that go with it. Get involved in the comments below and let me know about yours! 

What makes your Christmas tree special?

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

x 

Your health really is your wealth

My birthday this year marks something pretty significant (other than my birth obv). I remember this very day a year ago I was doing my A Level Media Studies mock exam and I had a horrible cold. It was from then on that my immune system downwards spiralled and I just never got better. That was that. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has taken hold of my life and flipped it upside down in the space of a year and I've simply had to learn to deal with it. It hasn't been easy but I can say for certain that I've grown as a result. At the end of the day, your health really is the most important thing so if you've got it, look after it!

Stress less

Believe me when I tell you stress has a seriously detrimental effect on us. If you ask me, I'm certain that stress played a contributing part in me developing my illness. I stressed about everything and I know that whenever I'm stressed or upset now, it takes a real toll on my health. Because I had to drop out of school in January, I felt the stark contrast between having a mountain of worries and then having drastically less. My health gradually improved up until I tried to repeat my A Levels in September and my stress skyrocketed while my health plummeted.

Sometimes you don't even realise you're stressing which is why it's vital to take on the duty of self-care. I used to really freak out about my future but I've started to realise that everyone has a different path and it's okay to not have everything figured out yet. Worrying will not change the outcome, at least not for the better anyway.

Friends come and go

Not being in school and around my friends everyday was pretty isolating but in a way it also helped me figure out who my real friends are and who really cares. I now have a small but very positive bunch of friends, as well as all of the wonderful people I've got to know through blogging! I've since learned that there were a few toxic people in my life who I don't need nor want having an influence on me anymore. I quite literally don't have the energy for them. Letting go of people can actually be so good for you - I'll take quality over quantity any day!

How to deal with grief

Up until this year, I had never really experienced grief. It was very unexpected and it completely knocked me for six. Just over three months later, I'm still learning how to deal with it but I'm doing a lot better. My coping mechanism is definitely to keep busy. If we always focused on how worried we are about death, we'd never speak to anyone! A difficult but necessary life lesson.


Stop holding yourself back from doing the things you want to do

(My perrsonal case in point; Youtube, but this applies to anything you're holding yourself back from doing.)
I wanted to start a channel years ago but I kept putting it off. With the advantage of hindsight, I think I worried about not having the best camera, lighting, enough charisma . . . but now I know not to compare. Creating while comparing is a recipe for disaster! We all have to start somewhere and we can't have everything straight away. I'm starting out with humble beginnings and I'm still not 100% happy with every aspect of my videos but you know what? You can bet on me working my ass off until I do improve.

Taking the first step in doing anything is always the hardest, yes, but trust me from then on it gets easier and the more you enjoy it, the less you care what people think.

Phew! To round off this post, I would love to know what you've learned this year. Feel free to get involved in the comments and write as much you'd like!

What did you learn this year?

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

x 

Since day one, Nicki has been an advocate for education and continuing to try harder.

"You wanna know what scares people? Success. When you don't make moves, and when you don't climb up the ladder, everybody loves you because you're not competition."

She proves it doesn't matter how you start out in life, you can use each adversity as a rung in the ladder to climb up. "Stay in school" is something she often says in interviews, on stage & online and it's something that has really stuck with me as I've made my way through education. It's been a constant reminder to never give up, no matter how much I might be drowning in work or feeling under pressure because it will be worth it when I reach the finish line. And it's wanting to succeed for yourself and to support your family, not to impress anyone else. That's a real, everyday positive influence she's had on millions! I definitely owe a percentage of my determination to Nicki.

Something I read in a magazine interview she did a few years ago has really stayed with me:

"Each detail needs to wow me or it's not an option."

I never really seem to let myself feel 'pleased with' my achievements because I'm always moving onto the next task to accomplish. I think this is just a trait I naturally have but Nicki has undoubtedly strengthened the idea in me. At the same time, she's adamant about giving credit where credit's due. You have to give yourself props but remember you're never done & if you deserve credit, work harder until you get it. Nothing comes from being complacent.



Nicki has empowered females countless times in countless ways; her presence in the male-dominated & misogynistic world of hip hop alone is testament to that, let alone the extent of her success. The odds and double standards are stacked against her as she explained in the video above.

"When I am assertive, I'm a bitch. When a man is assertive, he's a boss. No negative connotion behind 'bossed up' but lots of negative connotation behind being a bitch."

By leading the way, she empowers women to defy boundaries set by society. Not only that, but she opens doors of opportunity so that lots of other people can have chances to win too.

I think when female figures dress and speak proactively, sometimes people can be so shocked at what they're seeing that it can be mistaken for the women demeaning themselves. To me, I see it as a way of completely breaking down the double standards. When someone wears what they want to and wins whilst doing so, that's empowering to me.

Nicki Minaj handles every aspect of her career and that's something I one day aspire to be able to do. To do that, you have to pave your own way and take responsibility for everything you do - you can't depend on anyone but yourself if you want to be successful.

"I always feel it's important for me to show females that they can be in charge of their own situation. When I win and when I lose, I take ownership of it, because I really am in charge of what I do."

I certainly walked out of her concert feeling confident, charged up and ready to grab opportunities!



One of the first things that drew me to Nicki was that she was multi-faceted. We saw her adopt various 'alter egos' but at the end of the day, she is each one of those combined.

She taught me it's absolutely okay to be different and you shouldn't have to choose to be 'one particular person' all the time. You can be a business woman and show up to meetings with pink hair. You can spit hardcore rap in a verse but switch to the sweet, girly girl singing in the chorus. Why limit yourself?

So there you have it! To read 5 other reasons why Nicki Minaj is a figure of empowerment, check out Jacky's post. Get involved in the comments below and let me know who your idol is and how they empower you!

Who empowers you?

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

x 

When I was younger, I had the idea in my head that I was going to be a vet. As soon as I got to secondary school however, that idea was pushed out of my sights. I've always been incredibly into art and at certain points I did imagine a career in the field! Fashion, interior design, music and media are also big interests of mine. Again, I've considered choosing them as jobs but I never felt like any of them were really for me, if you know what I mean. I like the idea of them but I can't picture myself actually doing them on day to day basis.

I've had plenty of careers lessons & interviews throughout my years at school, none of which resulted in the answer. Which wasn't the nicest thing, really; always feeling like an inconvenience and wondering how everyone else has it all figured out! It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I finally (I can't emphasise finally enough) had my own little epiphany.

I absolutely have to work with animals.

They've always been my biggest passion but over the years I've been distracted with other things so I didn't consider what was most obvious! I haven't figured out exactly which area I'd like to specialise in yet as there are many paths I could go down. Truthfully I'd be happy to take any - although veterinary is still crossed off my list!

I would have liked to share a few tips on how to figure out what your ideal career is but unfortunately it took something very sad for me to come to the conclusion. The passing of my adored cat Mia made me realise that caring for animals is what I love doing most & what I feel benefit from the most.



However if you're still confused like I was, please remember:

- Don't give in to pressure and choose a career you don't feel is 100% for you.

- Don't limit yourself, disregard an interest or feel like there's something you can't do - if you put your mind to it you most certainly can.

- Don't worry if you haven't 'got it all figured out' yet!

Here's a little write up of some of the dreams I've been having lately:

1) I went to a hardware store with my dad because he wanted to get some huge wooden logs. I have absolutely no idea what he actually wanted them for but anyway; a sales assistant took us upstairs in a big round elevator than spun as it went up. When it stopped, she asked if I wanted to go in it again as if it was a rollercoaster or something. I was a bit confused but I said yes because she looked like that's what she really wanted to do. On hearing my reply, she then looked at me like I was some kind of freak for saying yes! Logic? When we finally got upstairs, there was a gym where the floor was bouncy. There were loads of people just casually bouncing around up there, including a few popular Youtubers like Zoe Sugg, Caspar Lee and Marcus Butler. The dream ended there!

2) I was at a house party when all of a sudden out of nowhere, I was part of this full on 'whodunnit' murder mystery scenario type of thing. The details were sketchy - all we knew was that there was a man at the party who had committed some kind of crime but he had managed to run away. I was part of a group trying to track him down. This lead to me travelling to Berlin with my family and when I got into my hotel room, there were loads of goodie bags on the floor filled with tin foil. For some reason, I was incredibly excited to share the contents of it on my Snapchat story!


3) I was in a bubble that made me invisible and I was somehow attached to this man who I couldn't get free from. I had no choice but to follow him around and watch him use my debit card as he bought things with my money all over town. That really wasn't the nicest of dreams come to think of it!

4) This is a collective point for all of the recurring dreams I've been having about reciting poems lately. I used to do Speech and Drama for years and part of that was learning poems to recite in front of an audience. Truth be told, I was awful at learning them but in these dreams it was like I was, for some reason, making the decision to really put the effort in and give it my best shot. Who knows what that could mean!

5) Have you ever had a dream where you were at your own funeral? Well I did this week! That wasn't even the strangest part about it; everyone there apart from my sister was dressed as a carrot. Apparently dreaming about funerals is meant to symbolise moving forward in your life but as for the carrots, I have no idea!

1. Please & thank you

A fairly simple one to start but something I'm very grateful my parents taught me is manners!

2. Be grateful

Speaking of being grateful, that's another thing I firmly remember my parents passing onto me. It's a lesson I always try my best to carry out and funny enough, I actually wrote a blog post on 20 things to be grateful for a few weeks ago so mum & dad clearly made a lasting impression on that one!

3. Have a laugh

Growing up in a home full of silliness & laughter definitely made me aware of how important it is to just have a laugh! It's easy to get tied up in worry & stress but those funny little moments are the ones to live for.

4. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all

As a kid, I was pretty much convinced my dad coined this phrase but obviously as I grew up I realised he didn't and lots of people live by this! For good reason too, I think this is a vital lesson to learn and it's something I think about a lot. In the media we're constantly hearing people be bashed & picked apart but why can't we focus on the positives?

5. I can

My parents always enstilled the idea in me that I can do things, it's something I actually talked about in this 11 questions about me post. Thanks mum & dad!



6. Things don't get done by themselves!

Another hugely important life lesson courtesy of my parents! Independence is a key quality I'm extremely grateful for. From things like doing the dishes & cooking, they taught me the importance of chipping in and that sometimes the only way things will get done is by doing them yourself.

7. Be considerate

Being independent is one thing, but at the same time we have to think of others. In fact, I've found it can be very soul cleansing to just devote your time, effort & care to someone else. Give it a go!

8. Try your best

I'll admit I'm a serial worrier but I have to hand it to my parents, they always encouraged me to try my best & that that would always be good enough. Not gonna lie though, it's a mindset I'm still working on but it's achievable!

9. Don't give up

There have been plenty of times I've felt like saying, "Oh forget it, I give up!" to things and it's always my parents who'll encourage me to try again. With the advantage of hindsight, I can say that it can be so worth picking yourself up and giving something another go!

Wow, I feel like I have a lot to thank my parents for! 
I'd love for you to get involved in the comments below and share the things your family taught you - anything similar to what mine did?

Zoe's post // Denise's post // Lara's post // Catherine's post // Sharon's post

What did your parents teach you?

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

x

So what is mindfulness?

Basically, to be mindful means to be conscious & aware.

Mindfulness is "the intentional, accepting and non-judgemental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment".


How can meditation & being mindful improve your life?

It's said that meditation can be an aid to various mental & physical conditions.

Since having M.E. where I deal with pain & fatigue daily, meditation was recommended to me and I've found it definitely helps me with what's going on in my head with regards to that. However, I think even if you don't suffer with any kind of illness/condition, taking time out of your day to sit & reflect can be very helpful & is vitally important.



What did I think of the Headspace app?

I took the 10 day free trial of Headspace and loved every second of it! I took 10 minutes out of my day, everyday for 10 days and did some meditation in that time. The app plays a voice that guides you through what you should do which I found really helpful & reassuring.

I probably won't be paying for the full version of Headspace now I know what to do but I did really enjoy it. Also, there are a lot of free resources online that explain things which I'll be using from now on as well as the Headspace Youtube channel itself which is packed full of tips & advice in video form!

I recommend the free trial of Headspace to everyone - I found it to be a really good basis of understand to learn from so if you'd like to take a little time for yourself every now and then, relieve stress & reflect, go for it!

I hope you enjoyed this post! It's something quite different for me to blog about but I'd really like to broaden the topics I include here to make this a fuller extension of myself. Get involved in the comments below and tell me how you like to relax!

Would you ever try meditation?

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

x