''once you start replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results''

I don't know if I would call myself a pessimist or an optimist but I know that there is is a big difference in my attitude to life when I have a much more positive view.

I have had a lot going on in the last few weeks that could have really pulled me down, but I have noticed that instead of dwelling on it too much (I have had the odd bad day- but I am human haha) I have subconsciously tried to push through. My coping mechanism is often to think of all the positive things in order to prevent negativity. Because being negative is exhausting. It's like my mum has always said to me that if you keep speaking bad things over yourself you will only receive negativity.

I may not always be the happiest of people but I am a strong believing in saying good things over yourself and over situations. Affirming what you want in order to keep you on track.- sometimes I am rubbish at it and I ring my mum up and she does it for me, but that is beside the point haha

Thought I would list some of the things I try to say to myself regularly..

'Today is going to be a great day'- I try to say this first thing in the morning. Setting the tone for a good day, I really try to make the most out of every single day, As I talked about in my blog post ''does this support the life i'm trying to create''  if you tailor each day to doing something you enjoy that is beneficial for your life, you had a GOOD day. No matter how small the task was, you did it, you had a great day.

'I've got this' - Something I probably say to myself or my friends constantly every single day. I especially think that at uni I feel its very easy to get bogged down by the stress of writing a ridiculous amount of essays. But instead of stressing and upsetting yourself really you just need to be like 'I've  got this.'

'I can do anything I set my mind too'- I also talked about this in a recent blog post on confidence, but again I think it is completely relevant. I have often been in situations where I have been unsure or nervous always say this. It is important to remind yourself that you can do anything. You are a strong capable human and if you want to do something you will do it.

'I love and respect my body' -  I began saying this once I started my fitness journey. Our bodies go through incredible things, we should respect that. No matter where you are in the process of loving your body, you should respect that your body has got you this far. I may have days where I really do not like the way I look but then I acknowledge how far I have come. It is the same with everything you have to focus on how far you have come and realise that it is all a part of a journey.

If you google affirmations you can get pages and pages of posts writing about the 101 affirmations to say to yourself, whilst I can't personally think of 101, just 4 hahah. I think they can be useful to just sit and look at, chose one a week. Or like I do, find a quote on Pinterest and save it as your lock screen- mine currently is 'remember why you started' then every time you look at your phone you will see it and subconsciously say it.

I think everyone should make more of an effort to be kinder to ourselves, affirm positive thoughts over yourself. Being negative is exhausting so if we can be positive and say good things over ourselves we should!! and as the title says

Once you start replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, youll start having positive results

Print Picks

Recently I have been really into the trend of prints-  snake skin, leopard and polka dots in particular!

I think that prints are the perfect way to add a bit of variation in your style, I know that I am always guilty of wearing very repetitive outfits but adding in a more statement piece like a polka dot headband (I managed to get mine from Primark and I cant stop wearing it!) or a printed bag can really change up your look! 

I thought I would share them incase anyone is looking for some inspiration for their wardrobe. 

1. Leopard print midi skirt This is one I have saved in my Pretty little thing basket but I have also seen a few beautiful variations on Silk fred- Slip skirt and Wrap Skirt. Skirts are such a versatile piece to dress up and down, wear with a basic t-shirt/crop top and trainers for the day or a cute bodysuit at night and a pair of heels for the evening! A great piece if you are looking for something that you will get plenty of wear out of. 

2. Topshop Phython skirt. - Another skirt I am loving! seen it on instagram, and they do a shirt version which also looks amazing on!! 

3. Snake print wrap blouse I have been eyeing this up for ages, the way the model is wearing it looks great, but would also look lush with black boots or little heels! Pretty little thing do amazing shirts, and wrap shirts are always super flattering! 

4. Polka Dot dress. This dress stares me in the face every time I am at work, its a beautiful rust/red colour which may slightly be out for this season but the style is classic and I am sure theres plenty of other versions out there in the wide world of fashion. 

5. Polka Dot crop top, Everyone knows I love pink, and this is definitely one of the my favourite picks from this post. My sister brought it a few weeks ago and facetimed me with it on and I fell in love. It looks lovely styled with blue mom jeans and I think its perfect for the upcoming spring/summer weather! 

6. Snake Print Carvella Bag This bag is just beautiful, and its a great size for a small day bag and nights out. Carvella and Kurt Geiger do a few different Snake skin bags including a more boxy version and a more pink neutral toned style. 

7. Snake print flatforms- These are definitely on my wish list for summer outfits, I think they would look amazing for beer gardens and festivals. They also come in a few other colours if your not too into the print (Red and Tan). 

8. Snake print white trainers. So I've got these! Currently wearing them for my work uniform and I love them, they look great with just jeans, cant really go wrong with a white trainer! I have seen many instagrammers, including Jessica Skye wearing a chunkier version which is also really on trend at the moment!  

9. Leopard print black Sandals. I Love this style of heel/sandal, I wear my Topshop nude ones to death  when I am out for drinks so cant wait to get my hands on these! I have found a cheaper version on ASOS by New Look which I think would also look lush! They are such a wearable heel, a daytime shoe but also look great for nights out if you don't want to spend your evening hobbling about in pain from 6inch court shoes! 

If anyone finds any other picks that they are loving I would love to see! 

''Does this support the life I'm trying to create''

Over the last few years I have really learned how to truly love myself. How to take time for myself. How to be kind to myself when I need to be. How to push myself when I need pushing.

I am the most motivated and happiest I have been in the longest time. And recently I have been focussing on the idea that life is not just about living everyday and making it to the weekend. It is about utilising everyday to reach your goals. Hello October a Youtuber/instagrammer recently posted a quote as part of her 'motivation Monday' where she puts motivational quotes on her Instagram story, this is one that really resonated with me:

Get in to the habit of asking yourself: ''does this support the life I'm trying to create'' 

And it struck me that if you can do one thing a day that either adds to your happiness/personal goals or your future life/career then that day is a good day. (but also if you didn't and you took a you day then thats also okay because that is a lesson in itself)

I think when you're in education especially it is hard to get out of the bubble, you are continuously doing the same things day in day out and it can become repetitive. But if you can focus your days on achieving things that in the future you can be proud of, then you are succeeding.


But not everyday is about succeeding, some days you need to just stop and let yourself breathe. I am the worst for not allowing myself time to breathe, often I keep going until I burn out, until I am ill or until I break. Sometimes it takes my friends to tell me that I need to stop and sometimes my body gives in. But accepting that not everyday you have to push yourself, is good. We are humans, not robots. No matter how much work you have to do, or how long your to do list is. Stop. Breathe. even if you give yourself a couple of hours, get a coffee, go for a walk, work out, have an extra hour in bed. DO NOT punish yourself for it because YOU NEED IT.

Going back to the quote I mentioned before, ''does this support the life I am trying to create'' I think you can ask yourself this about anything that you are doing. There was a time when I would hide away, be anti social, being sad and upset, hating myself. That was not supporting the life I am trying to create, what I am doing now, working hard in the gym, smashing uni, surrounding myself with amazing friends, and blogging about things I think are important, supports the life I WANT.

I truly believe that if you take a second to think about how far you have come and appreciate what you do have, the outlook that you have on your life will be increasingly positive. There is no point on dwelling over things that will not matter in the future, as yourself ''does this support the life I'm trying to create''. 

On a side note- in this journey I have really noticed who I am surrounded by, and the amazing men and women who are at my side. I have a best friend who until recently was doing two jobs on top of university, a friend who is Vice President of an amazing society that encourages empowerment and confidence (Women in Work), an Amazing friend who runs her own business! As well as so many other people in my life who despite already doing so much, want to do MORE. They are my inspiration, they are the people who have a positive impact on my life. They are the people that constantly remind me to spend everyday appreciating what we have and with hard work what we can achieve. Surround yourself with people who have a Positive impact on your life. 

Wishlist.

1. Grace Fit ankle straps. 
2. HOH tortoise heel shoes. 
3. Nars Natural Radiant Longwear foundation
4. Sarah Knight 'You do you'
5. Carvella 'Celina' bag
6. Pretty little thing Grey sweatshirt. 
7. Glam Glow Thirsty mud mask
8. Fujifilm Instax 

Confidence.

I recently attended an conference held by an amazing society called ‘Women in Work’. The conference was on Confidence and 4 guest speakers shared their stories and thoughts on confidence within both the work place and for women in general. I came away feeling so incredibly inspired and motivated. And thought I would highlight some of the key things that I have taken away from the event. 

I feel like everyone struggles with confidence in their own way, mine is the fact that I constantly try limiting myself. 'Glass Ceilings' is something I really have struggled with. And for a long time I have restricted myself in the fear of not succeeding. I didn’t study law at university because I didn’t feel I was smart enough. I didn’t continue with dancing because I didn’t think I was good enough. 


I’m always putting that glass ceiling on myself and doubting my ability to do well. I still do it now, everyday when at uni, comparing myself to others who do better than me. I will say to myself no there’s no point. It’s a constant battle that I am even going through as I write this.  I have been placed with opportunity on my blog to further it in a way that I have always wanted to but the last 2 weeks all I have told myself is why should I because It will never be as good as others.
 
But I hadn’t even realised what I was doing? What’s stopping me from trying? Why do I not have enough faith in myself that I can do it? Because I know that everything I have done relating to my blog I have enjoyed, shouldn’t that be what its about? Enjoying what you are doing, being passionate about it and going for it with all your all. 


One of the guest speakers from the conference talked about this and how once she stepped out of her comfort zone and did something she really really wanted to do she had never felt so proud of herself. This really resonated with me. I sat and thought to myself I am more than capable? I got to uni! I just finished my 10,000 word dissertation and it was the most amazing think I have ever written – in my opinion haha. 

I think sometimes we place these limitations on ourselves, and every time our brain tells us ‘you cant do that’ ‘you’re not smart enough’ ‘who do you think you are doing something like that’ it eats away at our self confidence, when really we should be questioning these thoughts, and chucking them away. 


My mum has always said to me:

You can do anything you put your mind too.  

It has been constantly drilled into me, when I was a child, when I was struggling with my A-Levels and even when I broke down a month ago over my Dissertation. I have always said it to myself but never really sat and been like Ellie You can do anything you put your mind too. Because you can, if you believe in what your doing and your passionate about it you CAN do it. If the only thing stopping yourself is you, then you really need to question why!

The guest speakers spoke about alot of other aspects of confidence. But this is what really hit me, the idea that in alot of situations the only person stopping you from doing something you want to do is Yourself. and that is wrong, because you should be your biggest supported, grab every opportunity, if its what you want You go for it! 

'Women in Work' are holding another conference on Success in a couple of weeks time and I would strongly advise for anyone to grab a ticker, whether you feel like you need some motivation or just fancies coming to listen to guest speakers!