My New Year's Resolutions

Hi

I'm back again and it hasn't been months since I last posted which is surprising, but not impossible. That is kind of what this post is about; achieving the things that you wanted to do, but thought that you couldn't. Things that you set yourself to achieve, but often fail miserably. So if you haven't already guessed, this post is about new year's resolutions. You see, I never usually do these, mainly because new year's eve is my birthday and that's when people usually think of them and on my birthday, no thinking is required. However, this year, I feel like I need some goals because last year, I feel like I achieved nothing. I did achieve things but I just don't remember them (I have a top tip for this, just keep keeping until the end). I know i'm doing this a bit late but better late than never!

So my first resolution is to be more organised. I thought I was an organised person but having just done my GCSE mocks, I have realised that I am actually in no way organised. This is a bit of an issue considering I have been told you need to be super organised to do GCSEs and all exams so this is a priority. I will let you know how this one goes.

Similar to the previous resolution, I want to procrastinate less. I have tried to do this already but any techniques I have tried don't work. I find any way to procrastinate that I can. This can be procrastinating anything such as work or even blogging by just going on the internet. I use the excuse on myself that I need the internet for research but most of the time I really don't. I just lie to myself to make myself feel better about it than I do and make me not worry. This often makes me too calm so I don't revise or do stuff that I have to. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Next, is to blog more. I know this sounds simple and easy enough but as you probably know, I have failed this so far but I hope that will change. This time, i'm not promising anything like a post every week, because with all of my schoolwork, I know that won't happen and it will put even more stress on me as well as the stress from school. I don't want this blog to be something I feel forced to do, I want to blog to relax and to have fun, not to be forced to. It is a hobby after all!

Another resolution is to cook more. Now I don't have to cook for myself as my mum is the one that cooks, but cooking used to be a hobby of mine that I really enjoyed. That is why I took GCSE food tech but that has just turned cooking into a chore for me and made me not want to do it. Once I get cooking I really enjoy it, but it's just getting started. I want to take cooking back as my hobby and stop it being a chore.

These next three I am counting as one because they are all to do with my health and fitness. I have a year pass to go to the gym and I hardly ever use it unless I have to which I want to change as I feel really good post-workout. I also want to get more sleep (that's another thing I seem to procrastinate) as I often am up gone midnight just endlessly scrolling on tumblr on my phone, or watching YouTube videos trying to make myself happy. The other one is to read more, it's not exactly to do with health but I want to take English Language next year so it is a good idea and it relaxes me as well as making me tired and more likely to sleep.

I am also very shy, which I have mentioned before, and I see myself as very socially awkward as I won't start a conversation with someone if I am not good friends with them or if I haven't planned out exactly what I will say. I don't put my hand up at all in class for fear of doing something awkward and I can't seem to make myself talk. This is why I want to try and start a conversation with someone I know, but wouldn't usually talk to. This may seem silly to you but I figured I have to take small steps at first or I'll just scare myself back into my box. This also links with the fact that I want to try and stop caring what people I don't even know think of me. So what if they judge me, I don't know them and don't care about what they think of me so why do I feel so scared?

As I said near the start, I always forget my achievements so I have a way to try and remember them. I have this jar (similar to the one in the picture on the right) and throughout the year, I plan to write things that have made me happy or that I have achieved on little notes and fold them up and put them in the jar. Then hopefully if I managed to keep it up, I should have a quite fully jar by the end of the year and I can read through them and see all the positive things that have happened to be all year. If it works, it should make me more inspired next year or whenever i'm feeling uninspired and a bit pointless.

So that's all the resolutions I have for this year, tell me what yours are in the comments if you like. Well, here is the quote:

"The only place where your dream becomes impossible is in your own thinking" 

~Robert Schuller

Grace x

Make your own decisions

Hi.

So things have changed a lot since my last post. Again, it has been a while but I needed time to think. I have finally chosen the option I want to take for A-Levels not that anyone approves. My parents have been wanting me to make a decision for months, and when I finally did, they just picked at the faults. I want to do English Language, ICT A2 (I will have completed the first part of the A-Level (AS) by the end of year 11), Media Studies and computing.

I know that computing and ICT are similar, but they are not the same. Computing is more like web design and understanding how computers and coding works, whereas ICT seems to be focused around satisfying the client and making systems for them. I value computing more than ICT because I enjoy that side of it better but my parents want me to finish ICT, so I guess I am doing it to make them happy. You know, last year in my ICT class, we had to create a system for a client. It could be anything, we had the freedom to make out own decisions. I chose to design a website but everyone else in my class either made a spreadsheet or a database. People said to me I wouldn't be able to do it, they said I should try to do the same as everyone else and for once, I stood by my idea. I did what I wanted and didn't listen to the people putting me down and the end product was a great success. The teachers said that my system was much more complicated than the others and that I would be suited for web design.

Back to my subjects, my parents say Media Studies is a waste, they say universities hate it. I researched this and they used to hate it, but they made the course harder. It is now one of the hardest courses to get an A/A* in. I guess it shows that you don't always have to blindly follow what people say, because they aren't always right. Then English Language, it is my best subject. I get the best grades compared to all of my other subjects and I enjoy writing. It isn't to do with ICT or that type of career but I enjoy it, so I want to take it.

Basically, this whole post was trying to say, don't let others squash your dreams because they can't comprehend them and don't let others push you around. I'm a wallflower, I get pushed around easily and don't react but doing what I wanted for a change, felt really good, so go and do what you want to do!

Saying that, I can't do the A-Levels that I want to because the school have basically decided that because only I chose those options, they can afford to not cater for me and have put all my options in one block. Basically there are 4 blocks and you have to pick a subject from each block that you will do and they ignored my choices and out mine in the same block so I'm back where I started. Help.
Nevertheless, in my true style, here is the quote:

"Don't let the opinions of others define you. Don't let the doubts of others confine you. You can be so much more than even you suppose." ~Michael Josephson

Grace x