Grateful.

As a 26 year old woman (yes, apparently I am classed as one of those now... even though I still spend my spare time singing to Disney soundtracks and googling things like 'how to cut a pineapple') - I spend ALOT, and I mean alot, of my time moaning, critiquing myself, stressing over minor mishaps and generally wishing for other or better things.

Earlier this week as I was getting ready for work it kind of hit me that doing this was kind of... well, ridiculous. 

I am SO lucky to have the life I do. 

Why am I moaning about gaining 1lb and not looking like Jessica Alba or being stressed because I'm a bit strapped for cash for the last week of the month? 

Living in a world full of social media, gorgeous celebrities with enviable lives and general glitz and glam it is really hard not to get caught up in the longing for more - that green eyed monster.

I have all 4 limbs, am on the whole - healthy, I can see, I can hear, I can smell - I have an amazing family, boyfriend and best friends that have been with me since I was a child, I live on a beautiful island.... there is no reason I should be moaning - I should be bloomin' well grateful.

I wake up in the morning, in my own flat surrounded by hundreds of things that I don't really need but have anyway - head to my kitchen where there is food, running water and head off to a job that I love! (What is there to moan about really? That I ran out of £2 raspberries...?) 

I don't know why looking in the mirror that morning bought all this on but it's something that's made me think constantly this week and started to change how I look at things.

Before the photo above I would think ... oh god look at those hips, my arms look chubby, I wish my bum was better (and I'm not going to lie and say that I still don't think those things on some level) but I've got to look at the positives of the photo - I'm in Mallorca on a gorgeous beach, so lucky, my bikini was a bloody bargain from ASOS (£10!) and compared to 5 years ago I look great! 

Be proud of who are you, embrace the flaws you think you may have and smile! 

It's alot nicer seeing, talking and interacting with positive people - negativity is draining, so unbelievably draining, it's time we cleansed ourselves of it! 

It's time to start looking at everything as a glass half full, not half empty. Out-way the negatives with the positives and LIVE life. 

I should be totally and utterly grateful and at peace with what I have - as there are so many people in the world with nothing. No family, bad health, nowhere to sleep - most of us take what we have for granted and it is about time we stopped. 

I'm not sure whether this is a sign of maybe finally growing up a bit but it's a start. I mean it's all pretty obvious but we need to appreciate what we have a little more than we do.

Focus on what you DO have, not on what you do not.

What do you have to be grateful for? 

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Easy Ways To Put A Smile On Your Face

1. Don't Waste Your Free Time
Have a passion? Hobby that you adore? Whether it's singing, painting, writing, running, whatever ... spend as much of your free time doing things that you love as you can. It's good for the sole and will improve your state of happiness no end. Even sitting here right now writing this, watching a Disney movie and drinking tea I feel a state of calm and happiness.

2. Write Down Your Achievements - No Matter How Small
Made someone smile? Beat your 5km personal best? Went for a whole week without chocolate? Write them all down in a notebook, as you fill up the days you can see what you've been doing and look back and your accomplishments and remember what you are capable of!

3. Spend More Time With The People You Love
I'm the first person to rejoice when someone cancels plans on me ... 'Yes, book and bed!' are my first thoughts but really spending time with the people you love is always bound to put you in a better mood. 
As much as you might want to get into your pyjamas and put cucumber on your eyes there's nothing better than a girly night in, catching up and talking about what's going on in Gerodie Shore  or spending the night playing monnopoly with your family - you'll be grateful afterwards.

4. Make That Happy Playlist
I've talked about this before on here. Everyone should have a 'Happy' playlist. A playlist full of songs that put a smile on your face, make you sing along and bring back amazing memories! Having a down day or a stressful afternoon at work? Put this on and go for a walk, fresh air and happy music will sort you right out and get you out of that funk.

5. Book Something
I don't know about you but having something to look forward too and aim towards always makes me smile. I booked V Festival last month which is so super exciting and I know having a holiday to countdown to is enough to make anyone smile..... fingers crossed it won't be too long until I've booked my own. (#prayingforDisneyworld)

6. Head To Your Favourite Spot
Mine's the beach near my house - so many happy memories and so relaxing. Just head to your happy place...... even if it's Primark and enjoy.

7. Look Through Old Photos
This is the best. Whether it be physical photos of your childhood or those hilarious teenage shots on Facebook from 2007 - looking back on old memories and fantastic hairstyle regrets will make you smile.

8. Have A Clearout
The best way to lift weight from your life - de-clutter and organise. You'll feel 100 times better afterwards, espically if you give your unwanted things to others.

9. Pamper Yourself
'Me' time is the best - have a few hours marathon watching your favourite movies/TV shows, eat your favourite foods, paintyour nails, pop on a face mask or glam yourself up..... all those things you always want to do but never make time for. 

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IT'S OKAY TO...

It's okay to..... treat yourself.
Month in, month out I see my well-earned cash go on so many bills and general living costs (adulting really sucks sometimes).
 It's sad, that's life - but with the money I earn I also know that it's okay to treat myself now and again... I mean, shopping sprees, cupcakes.... that's what life is about right? 
It's okay to buy that pair of trainers you've been dreaming of or sneak in a cupcake after a workout. Balance is key but treating yourself is a necessity.  

It's okay to..... be confident!
This is something I get green with envy with. Confidence can sometimes be seen as arrogance but it's SO okay to be confident in yourself, in fact it's pretty bloody brilliant!
Knowing who you are and being okay with it, that is amazing. Nowadays there is SO much pressure on being perfect, we compare ourselves to others far too much and as much as I preach about positivity and owning it..... I'm STILL one of those girls scanning through Instagram wishing I had 'this' or looked like 'that'.
I can't wait for the day where I except who I am, what I have and what I look like, be content and not fuss about every single little thing.

It's okay to..... love your own company.
I wish more people understood this. It is totally okay to love your own company. You're not boring or a loner. I, for one, LOVE my own company, I love having evenings to myself, my own thoughts and all the things I love to do. I think being happy with your own company is actually really healthy so please don't feel weird if you're in constant need of some alone time and just want to do your own thing.

It's okay to..... CRY.
Good god YES!
 It is okay to cry. There's times in fact that it's just bloomin' necessary... even if you don't even know why you're crying - let it out, you'll feel much better!

It's okay to..... have your own passions and interests.
For a long time alot of things I love I wouldn't share or talk about with others as I thought they wouldn't care/ would laugh/ would think I was weird. But now I've realised having your own loves and interests is what makes us different - whether it's our choice of music or TV shows or even the hobbies in which we decided to spend our spare time doing (*cough*blogging*cough*). Share youre passions, be proud of your personal activities - I mean all those different things about us is what makes us more interesting as people. Whether you're bird watching, listening to classical music or line dancing, be you, enjoy your passions. 

It's okay to..... say no.
That is all.

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Life Advice I'm Taking From Blair Waldorf

Gossip Girl and it's NYC drama may seem like a distant memory to some of you - can you believe it ended in 2012?! - but the thought of Blair, Serena, Chuck, Nate and their fabulous drama will always live on in my mind.
I've always been a HUGE GG fan and Blair hands down was my favourite character from the start - her one liners and straight talking attitude used to make me laugh out loud and I'm not going to lie..... I kind of wish I could be a little more like her (hairbands and all!).

So I've decided for 2016 I'm going to take on Blair's wise advice... because I mean - she's so damn good at it!

1.  There is ALWAYS something to smile about.
As much as you might want to scream, cry or curl up in a ball - remember the good stuff. Be grateful.

2. Be determined. Never stop until you've reached your goals and don't stop making more.

3. Don't let anyone dull your shine. Refuse to be put down - reject the negativity.

4. Don't wait. Get out there and take life on - create your future, live the life you want.

5. If all else fails. Shopping helps.......

6. .......and sometimes so does drinking.

7. Always make a little effort (even when you really, really don't feel like it) it will always make you feel a little better.

8. As much as you love it - sometimes just sometimes sleep shouldn't be a priority. 

9. Mean people. Fake people. Rude people. Don't waste your energy.  #ByeBye

10. I'm taking this one and using it against junk food..... #idontneedyou

Now........ who's for a GG marathon?

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World Kindness Day with Cotton Traders

'Have courage and be kind." - Cinderella 2015

One of my favourite Disney quotes and one that I think is easy to actually live by. Kindness is something I've always tried to uphold, I mean come on, it's not hard is it?

Last week it was World Kindness Day.... did you know? You may have spotted it on Twitter! A day dedicated to kindness, love and our ability to put a smile on someone else's face.

Cotton Traders recently asked if I'd like to join their #WorldKindnessDay campaign - spreading the word and encouraging everyone to get involved with committing a random act of kindness not just on the 13th but throughout this whole month. Obviously I was straight on board and want you guys to be too!

As part of WKD (haha wkd!) Cotton Traders were lovely enough to send me a box of kindness - which I have to say has put a huge smile on my face. It was like they knew my favourite things and popped them all into a box - cosyness all round!

This included thick knitted socks, a hot water bottle, a gorgeous mug and some yummy teabags just to mention a few bits.

With the weather being so poop and having some early morning starts at work these things have really been perking me up when I'm home.
There's nothing more relaxing than being at home all cosy and warm with a nice cup of tea - Cotton Traders really hit the nail of the head when thinking up this kindness box.

 10 Easy Ways You Can Commit A Random Act Of Kindness This Month:

• Compliment a stranger
• Invite your friends/mum over for some tea and cake
• Share another bloggers post with your friends/family/followers
• Donate to charity - whether it be money or some unwanted items
• Give blood
• Make someone giggle with a funny picture or video
• Have a clearout of those things you don't use and offer them to friends (I love doing this with all my beauty products)
• Buy someone you love their favourite chocolate bar or snack as a little gift
• Offer to babysit for a friend/family member so they can go out
• Have a chat with someone who looks/seems a bit lonely, maybe a customer at work or someone in your supermarket?

It doesn't have to be anything extravagant - just something to pop a smile on a face, it's often the smallest of gestures that make the biggest difference. (Plus it makes you feel good too, knowing you've made someone else happy!)

Want to share your act of kindness with us? Just use the hashtag #CTWorldKindnessDay and tell us what you've been upto! Maybe you could even make your own kindness box to give to a friend or family member?

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I'm BACK!!! & The Positive Post #3

I'm back! It's official I'm back in England on my little island after an amazing 2 weeks in Florida (if you're looking to hear all about my trip to Disneyworld/Orlando I'm hopefully going to be getting some posts up real soon, please leave any requests or ideas that you want to see in the comments below!)

Being on a holiday high I thought another positive post was a great way to kick A Yellow Brick Blog off again, I've missed being so active on here but it was also really nice to fully enjoy my holiday, take a backseat for a bit and not having to worry about having a certain schedule to keep too!

For now I am going to try and post at least 4 times a week and really try and keep upto date with my youtube, I love doing it but have previously found it hard to keep posting whilst working full time and blogging everyday! So hopefully it's going to be quality over quantity from now on!

So here's a few things to turn your day around and hopefully lift your spirits!

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No7's FREE Perfect Lips Kit Review

I'm always up for a bargain and even more so for a freebie!
 So when I saw that No7 had a beautiful free kit up for grabs I was straight in there!

All you have to do to qualify for this amazing offer is purchase 2 or more items from the no7 make-up range!  Easy peasy! And a total steal in my opinion as the kit itself is worth £25 with it including a lipstick, a lipgloss and a lip brush.

The items I bought to get this kit were - the Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil in Black £6.50 and the Stay Perfect Smoothing & Brightening Eyeshadow Base £7. I feel like eyeliners run out so quickly so it is always nice to have a few right? I've also been dying to try out a new eyeshadow base so this was perfect!

The total of these was £13.50 and with it I received the lips kit which is worth £25 I believe - bargain. To be fair I was sold by the lipstick alone, I have another one of the Stay Perfect lipsticks and it is such amazing quality, getting one for free was a no brainer for me!

As you can see above you recieve 3 items in the lips kit. 

A Lipstick, a lipgloss & a lip brush. First up the lipstick...

This is the No7 Stay Perfect lipstick in Classic Rose. If you have been reading my blog for a while you will remember me doing a post a little while ago about another one of these lipsticks in the shade - Gay Geranium.

 The quality of these is amazing, just one coat and the colour is so thick and pigmented (as you can see in the swatch) and this is the perfect daytime, casual colour for me!

Up next is the high shine lipgloss! This is in the shade Smile and it is a really pretty pale pink. Perfect on its own or to pair with a lipstick. This is a great shade for just a tint of colour on your lips and I know it is probably going to live in my handbag for top-ups on the go!

It also comes with a gorgeous lip brush - which is super handy for me as I don't actually own that many!

 I would only use this sort of thing if I was doing my make-up for a big night out/occasion - normally I just chuck lipstick on and head out the door but I think this is fab for that extra detail!

Have any of you managed to pick this bargain up aswell? I'm so so pleased with it!

Have you entered my 500 followers giveway yet? Lots up for grabs - head on over to the post and enter now!