Sunday 30 April 2017

A blog that matters


This blog was created over four years ago. I remember when I first started. I had big dreams of one day turning this into my most worked on project ever. I seriously cannot believe how quick those four years have gone. It's taken me forever to even get the courage to post what I actually thought and trust me that spilling your heart out in a post is a lot scarier than people think, I was taking big breaks in between my posts and ended up posting a very low 3 posts a year at one point. I took up YouTube and ended up spreading all my creativity towards that platform instead.

However I kept on getting burst of inspiration from time to time which always lead me back to my blog as words on a page often translated better to the people I was aiming to reach. No matter how many months went by, I still wanted to continue this as I have worked so hard on starting this page and it's something I'm very interested in continuing.

Thinking out loud, I figured that it isn't the amount of posts or followers you have. It isn't about how fancy your blog looks or how professional you sound. It is about creating a blog that matters. One that can inspire people whether it be to help create, to educate, to entertain or to encourage them to positively live their lives to the fullest.

Now to make my blog matter more. I just hope to one day reach people with similar views and ones who could relate to the situations I share or even be able to help them in similar situations. This will be tricky but I take on the challenge.

Today is a new day.

I've taken all those years on board and have realized that I can be my own inspiration. That my work does matter even though it may not for others. I do what makes me happy and wake up each day knowing that this is something I love to do.

If you're on the same path as me, perfect! Let's work along side each other and I promise to always be an encouraging friend.
If you're not, then that's okay. Just don't stand in my way because I don't have time for your negativity.

I could end this post with something like "support each other" or "be kind to everyone you meet" but that's a given, It's not a strange concept and isn't something you haven't already heard.

So just keep on being you and let positivity guide you through life.

Lot of love,

Karine xx

Saturday 22 April 2017

Letter S - S is for Social Media




Okay so after two pretty heavy posts, I thought to myself, wow Karine you need to chill - ahh nah I'm kidding

It's crazy to think that we live in a world where Social Media is one of the biggest part of our everyday life. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, you name it, most of us have an account! Without it most of us feel quite lost but some don't want to have anything to do with it!

For example, I know a few people who don't even have an email address, let alone a Facebook account! Yet, I am sitting here on my laptop with all my Social Media accounts open... that's A LOT of tabs... one of them is playing music and I cannot find which one it is... sigh

Now I just thought to myself... why does an individual not want any kind of social media account? Wouldn't you want to connect with others and find people who you haven't seen in years? Personally, I do but I guess it depends on the type of person you are OR it means that you are not familiar with how social media really works.

Social Media can be used in many different ways and for many different purposes... This includes personal use, growing a business, reaching out to others, promoting an event, research and building a profile with reviews.

Most of us on here use our blog on a regular basis and watch our audience grow each day. I've had my blog for a few years now. Even though it has been dormant for a couple of years, I still managed to get it live again and continue to do what I love.

Starting a blog can be a bit tricky when you aren't sure what to do. Here are a few tips I used when I first started:


  1. Be consistent - Whether it be in your content or the amount of posts you publish weekly. Try to be consistent and offer your audience a set schedule they can look forward to.
  2. Promote your work - Use every type of social media to promote your blog - they're all very useful platforms to grow your blog and get it out there.
  3. Hashtags - Use hashtags in all your posts - It enables people to find your work and attracts the right audience to your content. 
  4. Be active in the blogging community - start off by reading other people's work ad interacting with different bloggers - we all have something we can learn from each other and it also allows you to make blogger friends!
  5. Engage with your audience - Reply to comments and visit their page to show support in their work as they have done for you!
  6. Join in on blogging challenges such as A TO Z BLOGGING CHALLENGE (Click on the link for more info)
  7. But most importantly, have fun and make sure you enjoy what you do! There's nothing worst than feeling like you have to do something rather than wanting to do it!
I hope this helped even if it's just a little.

Let me know in the comment section below how you're going with your blog and leave any tips you may have for others.

Share the love and be kind,

Lots of love,

Karine xx

Tuesday 18 April 2017

Letter O - O is for Open Letter

Dear You,

Never did I ever see myself writing to you, let alone the way I am right now. I got this sudden feeling that has left me wondering what it would be like if things were different. If that one unexpected change had not made distance the biggest factor in our lives.

But I guess that's just how life works. It does not allow us to rewind time or understand why things end up the way they do. It just keeps moving like a fast train at full speed with a destination known to only the driver. I wish I could get it out of him or at least convince him to slow down just so that I could come up with a solution but all this wishing just won't do. He's sat there refusing to tell anyone. Some may call him stubborn but most call him fate.

We can only control so much of our own life. How we interact with others, how we mask our own feelings, who we let in and what we do next but the rest is a mystery. You can try to find a way to beat the odds but even then, what are the chances it will go your way?

You tried so hard. I didn't have to look at you to know you did. You were patient and understanding but even after it all, we ended up here. Lost and confused.

But I get it. I get that things ended up the way they did for a reason. I cannot come up with a single reason why but it could not have been your choice to leave. I refuse to think you had the need to.

Call me selfish but I did not want you to go. I had plans. Plans that I'd hope you'd want to be a part of. But now, I am left on my own with a huge hole which I cannot seem to fix. It's so crazy when I think about it and to this day I cannot wrap my head around everything that has happened.

Your name does not seem to disappear. Ever. It echoes in my head especially on that day. It lingers around. Do you know that you are talked about a lot? I'm often told all the stories, stories of you and me. They will never be forgotten. Distance will not devalue the memories. I will not allow it.  

There are so many things I wish I could've said, so many memories I wanted to laugh about and places I wanted to revisit but a lot of it wouldn't make sense since I don't get to include you in the picture anymore. If only I knew how things would turn out. I would have earlier.

But now it's too late.


You left.

rip

Wednesday 12 April 2017

Letter J - J is for Judgement



You know what the crazy thing about people my age? It's that about 90% of them will judge you for being different, for doing something no one else is or even for things you cannot help like an illness.
I speak based off experience when I say that people are quick to judge you but when it's too late, they'll pretend that they would've helped or been there for you.

Take suicide vs suicidal for example. These two aren't so different yet people's way of dealing with the two differs.

How?

Let's see... when an individual is suicidal, people tend to take it lightly as though it's a phase or something they need to get over.
HOWEVER when suicide happens, you get people crying over them saying that if they knew about it, they "would've tried to help"

Now, I am in no way saying that this goes for everyone but I thought it was a good example of a situation which shows just how people can often be judgmental and not realize it until it's too late.

In my case I've gone through a similar situation which is a perfect example of my point. Back in high school, I went through a tough phase where panic attacks often took over me which resulted in my absence for most of my year 12. My two close friends at the time knew and offered support as they'd gone through similar situations but I mostly kept it all to myself.

Two years later when it was all over, I wasn't afraid to share my story with people and explain why I was so distant and away. "You should have told me. We could have helped you as a group" was the response I got when I opened up to a friend. By this point I felt so silly to think that I'd get judged and that people wouldn't understand... maybe I should have?
Months went by and I got asked a question by the same person about something new that I had shared.
"Why?" I got asked

I went to explain the medical term of my current problems which was basically the closing of my airways while sleeping and caused a disruptions in my sleep. This time I got a totally different reaction.
"lol weirdo" is what I got as a response.

At that point I wasn't sure whether they were just joking or were literally that ignorant to understand that I thought I trusted them. That person who once comforted me, who said that I should have spoken up, had now turned around and called me a weirdo for sharing something current.
The worst thing is that they are well educated in the health department.
I honestly cannot express how disappointed I was that I was right. 

They did not understand. 
They do not care. 
Only when it's too late, they say they would've.


Life doesn't work that way. You CANNOT go through it with "Would've, Could've and Should've"

HOW ABOUT YOU DO?
How about you start paying attention now?
How about you offer support now?


Too often we think that society sucks for a number of reasons but I hope that people start to realize that YOU are part of that society so YOU have the power to be that change.

Don't let it be too late.

Lots of love,
Karine xx




Disclaimer: I am good. No, I am not in a bad place. I have had an enormous amount of support and this is based of past experience (not current).

Tuesday 11 April 2017

Letters D to I - I is for I make my own rules



So yes I know, I write a post about a challenge I started and then what do I do? Don't even continue it... classic me. 

Honestly, I can write you a list of excuses as to why I didn't and most of them would make me sound like a very important person with a very busy schedule. But in reality, it is just that I am so tired. Literally so drained that I wake up at 8am and fall asleep at 8pm because I'm just so exhausted.

The past few days have been worst as I've just gone to work then straight home to dinner then sleep.
So I've decided to just tweak this challenge a little bit because after all, that is what I am good at ;)

I bring to you... The Kzone's alphabet post!

So I will not be skipping days, rather I shall catch up with the letters I've missed by incorporating them all into the next post I write... GENIUS! 
I KNOW! 

I'm sure that there are rules for the challenge but really I'm only doing it this way because I literally cannot bring myself to starring at a computer screen for another hour or so after I did a solid 8 hours at work especially with the my lack of energy lately.

Nothing that  a good 8 hour sleep can't fix! HA yeah what a joke!

So I've missed D through to H with I technically being today's post. So with that being said, if I had posted those letters, these would have been my topics. Please do let me know if you would want me to write those posts in the future (I might actually do so anyway as I have them in the back of my mind)

D - Declutter - I've been needing to declutter my room of so many useless objects I've carried with me over the years from one house to another. With that being said, my mind also needs a decluttering - I tend to get onto this and I've got a way to do so!

E - Energy - It is such a big part of who you are as an individual and your presence in the world. We all carry energy wherever we go and that energy can be transformed, passed on and drained. Take great care.

F - Favourites - I have so many interests and love a range of different things that I like to share with people around me. Mainly because others can relate or end up finding out about things they did not know before! 

G - Gear fit 2 - Okay this NOT a paid advertising type of post but more so a product review. Literally one of the best things I've ever (not) spent my money on! There's a story behind that one! 

H - Haiku - This idea came to me as soon as I saw the letter. I don't even remember how it came to me but haiku is something that stuck in my head from a random High School class which had nothing to do with the poems.

I - some may relate to my above statement of fatigue as insomnia. Even though I've had quite a lot of trouble sleeping it doesn't fall into the insomnia category. It has more to do with my actual sleeping which gets disturbed. 

So here are the lists of the posts that I missed. Even though I am still pretty low on energy, I feel quite motivated at this very moment. 

Til next time,

Lots of love,

Karine xx

Tuesday 4 April 2017

Letter C - C is for Challenge



C.. I see the sea where there's a letter pronounced "Cee"

I honestly have no idea why I tend to say this but it makes me happy to do so.

Is there a saying or sentence that makes you feel all happy and fuzzy inside?

Anyway as I'm sat on my bed at 9pm on a Tuesday night, I feel proud that I've actually gone back to the gym after weeks of procrastinating and not eating well. Everyone associates the gym with the need to "lose weight" or it being a place where only muscly men go. If I could get a dollar for everytime someone gave me a funny look when I walked through the door (because I'm on the petite side of the scale) I'd probably be able to buy a week's worth of pizza for me.

I mean now I really couldn't care less about what people think or have to say especially when it comes to gym and health because CLEARLY they don't understand that different people have different goals and want to achieve that said goal at a gym. If you're a beginner like myself, it is worth learning more about things rather than make assumptions and comments which could leave you looking very silly...

So today my C word is CHALLENGE!

I challenge myself

  • To be a better version of me
  • To push my limits
  • Not to underestimate myself
  • To be positive and spread positivity 
  • To never give up
And I challenge YOU to challenge yourself. 
No matter how small or simple it may be. It will all work towards making your life just that bit better and you a happier person. Whether it be waking up before 7 or meal prep or learning a new skill or even completing the A to Z challenge! Challenge yourself! 

Let me know in the comment section below what you've challenged yourself this month! 

Until next time,

Lots of love,

Karine xx

Monday 3 April 2017

Letter B - B is for Behind

Pun very much intended.

So intended that it wouldn't even make any sense if I did not intend it... rather I'd just look like someone who did not know how to spell... then again I did add an image of a bee so.... clearly intended.

With that out of the way... I start off my first post of the year by taking part in a blogging challenge. The A to Z blogging challenge to be EGGxact...(must be all the sugar I've had today).

Basically this challenge takes place in April and consists of posting once a day with a letter allocated to each one from the start to the end of the month. Sounds pretty cool and simple, right?

I mean it's so obvious and let's face it, not unusual that I end up starting things late but in my defence... I had no clue this was a thing until like 15 minutes ago! If I did, I would have planned ahead and... yeah no I wouldn't have. Even if I knew of this a month ago, I would be just as unprepared and coming up with ideas on the spot like I am right now.

I don't know, it must be that I work better under pressure or suddenly find motivation to get things done when I'm either running late or falling behind on deadlines. This cannot be just me? Please tell me it's not just me?

I actually wish I could be someone who planned out her life, week or even day but I always wake up in the morning thinking "eh I can't be bothered" but as soon as I realize that deadlines are coming up way too fast, then I turn into Speedy Gonzalez... only difference is the hat.. can never find one that fits my head just right :/

So I start this blog challenge one day late... I really hope you did not have to read all the way up to here to find out it's the letter B...I'd be so disappointed if you did not pick that up from the banner.
The link to the challenge is HERE.
Ay, maybe you'll pull a Karine and end up joining even later than I have... maybe C or even D. But you know what? I ain't about to judge you for that, You do you and I will encourage you to bring out that lazy side of you and embrace your behindness - yes it is now a word.

A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE LETTER B EVERYONE..

Until the next letter,

Lots of love,

Karine xx