Are YOU your own worst enemy?

It’s exhausting being a woman some days. Do you agree? I can honestly say that I am my own worst enemy and I often find it way too easy to judge myself. A friend recently shared this Huffington Post article (23 Things Every Woman Should Stop Doing) on Facebook and it really struck a chord with me. The pressure we place on ourselves can truly be detrimental to our well-being.

If you have time today, I thoroughly recommend you read the Huffington Post article.

Personally I can’t relate or agree to everything listed in the article, but here are the points that did resonated in me:

1. Apologising all the time. Even if something is not my fault, I apologise for it!

2. Body-snarking — out loud or in your own head. Our bodies are meant to change and adapt as we get older. I’m learning to accept this and stop judging the bits that wobble.

3. Feeling like an impostor when you accomplish something professionally. Hands up if you’ve kept quiet about a promotion, big bonus or any type of career accomplishment. Are we embarrassed or do we just feel unworthy of the recognition? Every success – big or small – is worth celebrating! 

4. Wearing heels every day. Hell no! I learned that lesson a long time ago. My heels constantly needed repairs and it was costing me a small fortune. Nowadays, I wear ballet flats to the office and change into heels. I currently have 11 pairs of heels under my desk! How many do you have?

5. Comparing your real life to someone else’s virtual one. I spend a lot of time browsing the internet. Like A LOT of time. {Note to self: must upgrade data usage}. This means that I’m updated every day on what my friends are doing, saying, partying, reading, living, dating, travelling etc. I’m human. Of course I envy certain friends and family members. But it’s important NOT to make comparisons.

6. Holding on to regrets and guilt. Like most people, I’ve got a few regrets in life. Who doesn’t? But a quick acknowledge of that regret is enough to move on and learn from it.

7. WebMD-ing everything. I love playing the Dr Google game, especially when it comes to fertility. Hubby and I have been trying to conceive for a number of years so every niggle, cramp, headache is a sign that I might be carrying a gremlin.

8. Worrying that your life doesn’t look like Pinterest. Are you serious? This is my biggest problem of all. I have a fantasy wardrobe, fantasy house, fantasy celeb friends …. And I’m married to Ryan Gosling. It’s time to hop off my unicorn and pay Betty Ford a visit.

9. Not taking advantage of your vacation days. When I left my previous job, they paid me out 17 weeks’ worth of annual leave. Crazy, right? But like the Huffington article reports, the staff who take their annual leave are actually happier, healthier and more productive workers! My aim is to use alllllllll 28 days per year now.

10. Setting deadlines for major life events. I think having goals and timelines are good and well, but putting unnecessary pressure on yourself {read more here} is unhealthy. So much of life is meant to be unexpected. Enjoy the uncertainties, reassess if necessary and have fun I say!

Seriously, go and have a read of the article. Be kinder to yourself. Be proud of yourself. Be grateful for what you’ve got. Happy Thursday!

Tuesday Tunes {FKA TWIGS}

I was driving in my car the other week, listening to Triple J and the song Papi Pacify came on.

Needless to say, I loved it and thats why I’m sharing it with you today. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. As soon as I’d parked my car, I was on iTunes downloading the song so I could hear it again.

The UK artist, FKA Twigs, {what a weird name!} is fairly new on the music scene. FKA wanted to be a dancer, but her passion for creating music won out.

The song Papi Pacify tells a story of a lover wanting clarification about the commitment and foundation of a relationship.

Artist: FKA Twigs
Song: Papi Pacify {click to listen}
Album: EP2

I will not become a zombie

One of my blogging buddies over at Covet Living recently published a post that screamed at me. It woke me up. It shook me out of my iPhone wonderland where I seem to exist when I’m bored.

Sometimes you can read one line and something resonates inside of you.

“It made me realize that I need to focus less on finding the perfect pic to take and focus more on the life that’s happening right in front of me”.

Hello. Wake up call. I am SO guilty of this. My phone is constantly in my hand – ready to snap at anything and anyone. I’m always in search for a perfect photo. Yet I miss out on seeing it. Really seeing it. And experiencing whatever it is that’s happening.

Have we become zombies in a modern society? I think I have.  Life is all around me. But I’m missing it. When I walked to the office this morning, nearly every single person had their head down, focused on their phones instead of seeking out whats happening around us.

Here is a snapshot of my zombie existence:

• My alarm goes off and I reach for my iPhone. I must check my emails, Facebook, Instagram, Blog comments and Pinterest before I step foot out of bed.

• I walk to bus stop each day with my head buried in my phone. {Dangerous when crossing busy streets!}.

• I have the absolute pleasure of travelling over the Sydney Harbour Bridge each day to the office. Instead of taking in the water views and blue skies, my head is buried in my phone reading news.com.au.

• No matter where I am walking to, I carry my phone in my hand just in case I get a text/call/comment. I carry it in case I see something funny or amazing and want to take a photo.

• Hubby and I can’t watch a movie or a 5 minute news break without reaching for our phones and checking our work emails.

What does this achieve? Wasted moments mostly. Lost opportunities to engage with the human race. A deterioration in our ability to communicate.

My focus has now shifted. It has too. I don’t want to miss out on another moment. Breathe it in. Appreciate the visuals. Enjoy the comfort. Engage in communication. Marvel at this beautiful harbour city. Appreciate the street fashion. And connect with the human race again. Face to Face.

It’s time to focus on the world around me. Not my iPhone.

Do you feel the same? Or is it just me?

Credit: Oliver Fluck

CRASHMAT: Bean bag goodness

Looking for a comfortable place to sit back and relax in your garden? Or a comfy spot to read a book indoors? Then get ready to crash into a CRASHMAT!

Crashmat bean bags are waterproof, made from cotton canvas and feature child safe zippers. Check out some of the colour options you can choose from.

Black & White Stripe bean bag

Red Bean Bag

Lime Floral Bean Bag

Red Zig Zag bean bag

Staggered Stripe bean bag

Crashmat also offer kids bean bags, beach chairs, cushions and pet beds!

BARGAIN: Crashmat are offering FREE SHIPPING on all Australian purchases this week only. Just enter FREESHIPOCT when you check out.

Please SHARE: Orphaned pets across the world need your voice today

Today is Remember Me Thursday – a very special day to remember the millions of animals living in shelters across the globe, waiting to be adopted.

Animal lovers and animal welfare groups around the world will join together to light a candle and shine a light on pet adoption. The candles will honor the millions of pets who lost their lives without the benefit of a loving home and shine a light on the millions of healthy pets who are still awaiting adoption. The Remember Me Thursday global awareness campaign encourages individuals to light a candle today (literally or virtually) and to opt to adopt, reducing the millions of orphan pets euthanised each year.

Most of my readers know that I have two gorgeous rescue dogs, Sonny and Benji. (You can click on the links to read their adoption stories). Choosing to adopt a dog (and save it’s life) was the right decision for us. Their history and pedigree is not important to us, however providing a loving, safe fur-ever home was. Anyone with a pet will tell you what a joy paw-renthood is.

How can you join in today?

1. Change Your Facebook or Twitter Icon:
Change your Facebook profile picture or Twitter icon to the Remember Me Thursday icon to show your support for pet adoption worldwide! Click here.

2. Share Your Love For Pet Adoption on Social Media – #LightForPets
Have you adopted a pet? Share your story and spread the word about Remember Me Thursday on Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels. Don’t forget to use #LIGHTFORPETS to share your thoughts and feelings about the importance of pet adoption.

3. Light A Candle today
Your candle will honour the millions of dogs & cats who are euthanised before they had the chance to find a loving family and fur-ever home.

4. Adopt a Pet
Adopting my boys, Sonny & Benji, was by far the best decision I have ever made. We adopted Sonny through www.paws.com.au and Benji through www.maggiesrescue.com. If you’re unable to adopt a pet right now, please open your wallets (and hearts) and make a donation to ANY animal welfare group. The volunteers who run these organisations are tireless, barely acknowledged and rely on donations to pay for vet expenses, food and medicines for the pets in foster care.

Addicted to social media? Me too.

Facebook. Instagram. Pinterest. Twitter. YouTube. Skype. Flickr. LinkedIn. Google+. MySpace. Reddit. StumbleUpon. Del.icio.us.

Which one is your fav?

If I’m going to be honest, Instagram is my fav. Seeing a beautiful photo posted by a friend can tell me a story instantly. No words are needed. It’s always nice to jump on Insta and actually see how people spent their day. It might be a flower they stopped to smell. A yummy dish that was beautifully presented. Or it might be a selfie. All are happy moments captured and shared.

Small rant ahead.

Every time I check my Facebook feed, someone is complaining. Do you agree? Bad traffic, angry boss, a bad back, Miley Cyrus. Blah Blah Blah. {I might add here – I’m no angel – I’ve used the Facebook platform to rant and rave plenty of times. It’s therapeutic. Anger out. Love in}.

My 2nd favourite social media platform? Pinterest. Seriously addicted and don’t know how to stop. Hours are wasted spent creating my new home, new wardrobe and my next dinner party.

What’s your favourite social media platform? Why? 

Photo credit: Dot&Bo

Quick makeover

Everyone needs a style makeover at some point. A little filler here, a nip and tuck there.

Blogs are no different, so I gave her a little refresher! What do you think? Brighter, prettier and cleaner.

I’ve also updated The Lover List Facebook page – click, like and share away!

Weekly Lovers List {31JUL13}

1. Ceramic Coaster Set by Aussie company Brown Paper Packaging – eye candy for any coffee table.

2. Music by The xx – I’m obsessed with the song ‘Angels’

3. Sass & Bide creators Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke have designed a necklace for the children’s charity Make-a-Wish. All proceeds go to the charity and assist sick kids make their wishes come true.

4.Personalised ring dishes from Miss Pottery. Just choose your personalised saying or special date and Miss Pottery does the rest. This is such a cute keepsake for any gal.