I have much to share and have been so very busy (hence the delay in blogging) but I I was out photographing some gorgeous spring blooms (and blossoms, birds, bicycles, bunnies and bees!) and felt that if nothing else, I should post something pretty to look at, so here goes:

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I first started this site, it feels completely surreal!

It has been such a huge year for me, the Seize The Day List literally changed my life!  The highlights are on my quarterly updates:

1. First Quarter
2. Half Year
3. Three Quarters

But ultimately the biggest thing has been nearly fully overcoming anxieties that have plagued me for 10 years which was something that had been a huge battle but this year, with the help of a new nearly daily yoga practice (in the comfort of my own home!), revised eating habits and having a more stimulated and focused mind.

54 out of 71!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So no, I didn’t complete the entire list!

I’d say I’m disappointed but I have literally achieved more this year than I ever thought was possible so the fact that I couldn’t squeeze everything in is not something I’d even consider beating myself up about, this year has just been too productive to care.  In actuality, I will try to squeeze those activities in to 2013 so at least I satisfy those particular plans.

Plans for 2013!!! 

“When I look into the future, it’s so bright it burns my eyes. ” Oprah Winfrey

So 2013 is going to be a little bit different from 2012.

As much as I adored the list and what it brought to me, I’m still learning what works for me and what I want to do with my time.  So from 2012 I’ve gained a lot of self-discipline (blogging every day and achieving plans will do that) and with those newly acquired skills, I’ve decided that 2013 I want to truly workout what I’m doing with my life and also find a way to earn money from self employment (part time initially but I would like to build it up in the long run).

As I’m still not entirely sure of the direction I want to go in, I know that I’ll need to read more, study more and commit a lot of time and energy to this but I know that this is how I want to further my self-development and I’m so excited to try it.

I’ll keep blogging with with my plans and progress as they develop and I’m hoping to spend more time on Primal Zest this coming year, which has been something I didn’t really have a lot of time to do this year because of my commitment to daily blogging on Life Starts, I don’t know if that will end up being something I can use as an income source but it is absolutely something I want to take further regardless because I truly believe that the Primal/Paleo lifestyle make such a difference to life.

Here’s to 2013!

Love

Jen

Yesterday I tried to squeeze in another list item and did my day without TV and in all honesty there’s not much more to say than when you have a stimulating enough life (be it mentally stimulating by learning, developing yourself or helping others, physically stimulating by exercising or even simply the stimulation of seeing amazing things, missing tiny things like TV is really really not a big deal!

Not to say I don’t enjoy sitting down and relaxing in front of it occasionally but in all honesty, I feel much better if I’m doing something more constructive and this year has really shown me that!

Definitely one of the easiest things on the list!!!

Happy New Year!

Love

Jen

Wow, what a year!!!!!

Heck, what a New Year’s Eve!  We spent it on Westminster Bridge in London, right by the London Eye, to watch the fireworks and it was amazing!

We got there at 7 and honestly, we wouldn’t have been able to get on had we not made it there then, there were people everywhere and the bridge closed at 8!  5 hours was an interesting amount of time to spend out on a bridge just waiting but here are my tips to make it more enjoyable:

• Dress warmly, thermals even, even if you’re not cold at the beginning, you will be by the end!
• Sit down!  We sat after about an hour, untill about 11 and I think it’s the only way we had the energy to stay there.   Bring a picnic blanket, or even portable chairs if you can though, we had neither and it would have made it more pleasant.
• Bring something to eat.  We had sandwiches, crisps and donuts to eat and it really helped, having the discomfort of hunger on top of staying warm and comfortable would have been too much.
• But DON’T drink too much!  Seriously, I don’t believe in getting dehydrated but I did limit my liquid a little towards the evening because getting to a toilet would have been nearly impossible!
• Ultimately, just try to enjoy it, even if it’s uncomfortable, think of it as a once in a lifetime thing, it’s worth it!

All in all, it was absolutely amazing to be right by Big Ben when the clock struck and even better to watch the fireworks go off, they were absolutely stunning in person, breathtaking even!

Happy New Year!

Love

Jen

“The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.” Alice Morse Earle

So, I’m currently having to play catch up with the list as it’s nearly the end of the year and it needs completing darn it!

So No. 70: Spend a day focusing on the present.  Every time you get distracted thinking about the past or future, retrack your thoughts.

Ironically, I just got distracted on Facebook after starting this post but that’s the thing, distraction is always around, it’s a case of refocusing and not letting it get the better of you!

So, initially, this was going to be a day’s endeavour, which seemed like a bit of an acheivement but then, almost organically, every day, this year, became more focused, each day that I was trying to fit more in, seize the day more, make more out of life, I became more involved in what I was doing at any given moment in time.

I think part of the trick was that I was trying to do more because the more your brain has to occupy it, the more it stops trying to wander off out of boredom.  This also seemed to help with anxiety because I was always prone to feel more anxious when my brain didn’t have a lot to occupy it (days and days of coming home after work, watching telly and surfing the Internet, just wasn’t enough), so as soon as my days were filled with trying to tick things off this list and writing blog posts about it, I honestly didn’t have time to be bored enough to feel anxious, my mind was occupied, my mind was present.

I’m not saying it’ll work for everybody but often, the more you have to do, the more you can do (irony at it’s best somehow….when I had lots of free time, I tended to not achieve much), so to keep present, learn to keep the mind stimulated* because a brain that’s being useful is happy.

*There is an alternative, or an addition, I might add, learn to meditate.  Balance a stimulated mind (constructive stimulation – things that make you learn, grow and evolve) with the ability to completely quieten your mind, to the point where it quietens itself.  I know this is the harder option and it’ll take some practice but in reality, a balance of the two, the equilibrium, if you will, is the true ideal and what will really give you the ability to seize the present moment.

“Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get – only with what you are expecting to give – which is everything” Katharine Hepburn

So, my lovely husband was on the receiving end of this one and luckily, I don’t think he actually realised that every Tuesday (thanks to a reminder on my phone – alas, I had to be organised with it!), he received some description of romantic gesture, the likes of which were as follows:

My (Generally Cheap!) Romantic Gesture Ideas

• A chocolate (or chocolate bar) on their pillow at night and the duvet pulled back.  For us it was exactly what Disney did on our honeymoon at Disneyland Paris, and was cheap but also a nice little nod back to that.

• A little notecard just because (okay, so the one I gave him was slightly naughty, but it made him smile ).

• Cooking their favourite meal.

• Suggestion spontaneous activities, even simple things like going to the cinema, or even meeting them at the cinema after work.

• Going for a walk.

• Romantic origami!

• Shopping around for something they need when they’re too busy to.

• And if you can’t think of your own ideas, look for more….(thank you Zen Habits!).

Here’s to keeping romance alive!

Love

Jen

“So I said to the gym instructor: ‘Can you teach me to do the splits?’ He said: ‘How flexible are you?’ I said: I can’t make Tuesdays.’ ” Tim Vine

You know, I’m not even sure how this one got on the list, it just sounded like a good idea to build up to.

Actually I think I thought there’s something cool about being able to do the splits.

I don’t know why.

This is my overweight 12 year old self coming out, the one who was totally jealous of the lithe, gymnastic types at school.

So, I have to say I am somewhat bendier this December, then I started out in January, though I think it has more to do with actually nearly daily yoga practice then building up to the splits, which has only really happened here and there, when its actually occurred to me (terrible, I know!) but hey, here I was:

Me in January

(Granted the jeans probably didn’t help!) and here I am today:

Me Doing The Splits Dec 2012

No I’m not there yet but I’m a heck of a lot closer and I’m definitely going to get there, this video continues to inspire me to achieve whatever I want physically!

Off to get bendier!

Happy Saturday!

Love

Jen

The Trailer:

The Mini Review:

Basically Anna Kendrick’s character goes to uni and in exchange for her Dad letting her go and DJ in Los Angeles after  a year, she has to join at least one club while she studies, she joins the acapella group and the story goes from there!

Acting: The acting is pretty good, or maybe I’m biased because I think Anna Kendrick is ridiculously talented, even in what is a relatively upbeat film.  Every character is quirky and entertaining and played well by the actor/ress who plays them.

Story: There really isn’t a lot of depth, even the one bit of slight drama is discussed between father and daughter in what is a 2 minute scene but hey, that’s not what the film’s about and it still manages to be a lot of fun (and a tiny bit gross!) regardless.

Music: The singing and the dancing are fricking fantastic!

Cinematography: Unremarkable but then it did’t particularly have to be.

Conclusion:

Great fun and very lighthearted, great if you’ve had a Christmas of family arguments and stress! 8/10

No 68 on the list: At The End Of Each Day Make A Mental List Of All The Things That Make You Happy!

There’s no step by step process, there’s no precise guide but I really dug number 68!

But yes, the point being is that you end up going to sleep in a much better mood, regardless of what happened during the day, you always end up going to sleep thinking about something positive and even if during the day, you don’t actually feel great, it’s about finding the small things that make you smile or that you feel appreciative for.  Even if it’s just being alive or liking inclement weather!

And I’ll tell you now, there’s no way you can just go to sleep if you feel completely wound up and tense, so before even trying to go to bed in a good mood, find a way to relax and let go first, if you want to think about the good things before you go to bed, just sitting on the sofa or in my case, sitting on a meditation chair, go for your life, alternatively, just sit and meditate on that chair, ten minutes of that and getting to sleep in a relaxed and happy way is so much easier.

More than that though, and back to number 68, making that happy  mental list just makes you appreciate life just that little bit more and some days that can make all the difference and give you that little bit of perspective.  Ultimately, just be grateful.

Happy Thursday!

Love

Jen