When you apply for jobs or courses, and you’re asked to list your hobbies and personal qualities, what do you put down? Hardworking? Reliable? Punctual? Maybe you like reading, or swimming? Up until recently, I always mentioned that, if I decide to do something, I follow through. (Totally unnecessary example: One Lent, my friend and I (hey, Jemma!) decided to skip...

You always read about remarkable people doing amazing things, right? One guy travelling to every country in the world, another building a school in Guatemala, even your friend spending a year in Australia. But, as well as impressing you, sometimes these things make you feel a bit, well, unremarkable. In comparison, you feel a bit rubbish, and like you’re never going...

Once, when I was climbing a mountain (ok, so it’s the only mountain I’ve ever climbed), on a school trip, my form tutor told me that I needed to get excited about something, that I needed a passion, like Tom (my boyfriend at the time). Back then, I was a bit indignant. I mean, I was getting some of the best marks in my year. I played netball. I actually read my...

This is the final post in a series of pep talks. In case you missed them, here are the others: A Pep Talk: Dare To Do It A Pep Talk: Dare To Dream A Pep Talk: Dare To Be You A Pep Talk: Dare To Believe In Yourself You might also notice that things are looking a bit different around here. I’ve still got a lot of tweaks to make, and there’s a lot more...

This is the fourth in a series of pep talks. In case you missed them, here are the others: A Pep Talk: Dare To Do It A Pep Talk: Dare To Dream A Pep Talk: Dare To Be You A Pep Talk: Dare To Like Yourself — There are tonnes of people out there, working away on their various projects, and getting on with their lives. Some of them are bumbling along, some are...

This post is the third in a series of pep talks. In case you missed them, here are the first two: A Pep Talk: Dare To Do It A Pep Talk: Dare To Dream A Pep Talk: Dare To Believe In Yourself A Pep Talk: Dare To Like Yourself — Have you ever heard those statistics about the tiny chance of you existing? Even once your parents met, the chance of that particular...

This post is the second in a series of pep talks. In case you missed them, here are the others: A Pep Talk: Dare To Do It A Pep Talk: Dare To Be You A Pep Talk: Dare To Believe In Yourself A Pep Talk: Dare To Like Yourself — You have some dreams. They’re the usual ones: to be in a safe, happy relationship, to live in a comfortable home, to see a bit of the...

This is the first in a series of pep talks that dare us to do what we know we should do, but are struggling with. I hope it helps. Here are the others: A Pep Talk: Dare To Dream A Pep Talk: Dare To Be You A Pep Talk: Dare To Believe In Yourself A Pep Talk: Dare To Like Yourself — Yes, it’s scary. Yes, it’s the scariest thing you have ever done or thought about...

Last week, I told you that I was failing miserably at relaxing and having me-time. Last week, some of you told me that you were having similar problems. And last week, Nadia asked me to have a scoot around the blogosphere to see what I could find to help us wind down. If there’s anything you’d like me to write about, just send me a message, and I’ll see what I can...

So I’ve been reading a book called The Power of Full Engagement. I expect I’ll tell you more about what I’ve learnt from it once I’ve finished it but, basically, it’s about focusing hard on what you’re doing when you’re doing it, and switching off properly when you’re not doing things. Essentially, it’s saying that we really should work hard and play hard. And that...