May You Be: Proud

Hi everyone!

"What have you done today to make you feel proud - It's never too late to try" - MPeople

Everybody has done something in their lives that they can feel proud of. What seems like a small effort to one, may be a huge accomplishment for another. Never under-estimate your achievements.

Feeling pride in ourselves can be quite difficult for some, I should know I've struggled with it myself at times, but just know that no matter how big or small your achievement, it is valid for you to be proud of it. And it is important that you do so.

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Some of what makes me feel pride everyday are:

• Making beautiful art that inspire people
• Having my best friend love me back
• Being a caring and respectful person
• Following my parent's teachings
• That I am a big sister to a gorgeous baby Brother (who is 19 now!)
• Moving to and working in the U.K. successfully for one + half year. So far, so good
• Making great new friends here 
• Still having friends excited to see me at home
• Creating an interesting blog that people are reading daily
• Earning my own money
• Taking time to write letters to my Granny
• Being a good cook!
• Flying for the first time alone yesterday!
• Demonstrating my work in an art store next month
• Being motivated and dedicated enough to take steps daily to create the life I want

This is a small list but I know that as I go on in life I will gather more things to be proud of. I wonder what that list will look like?

Perhaps it will say "Being a successful artist", "Holding my first art exhibition" or "Marrying the love of my life" who knows? That is the excitement of the future isn't it?

Now it's your turn. What are you proud of? I urge you to write a list of all of your achievements whether they seem big or small. I bet you will be surprised to see how many reasons you have to feel pride in yourself everyday. Some people may criticise and confuse your pride with cockiness, don't let this put you off. Those people haven't realised their own dreams and so are jealous of those who have. Hopefully they too will be happy with themselves one day. 

I hope you are having a beautiful + creative day

Ciara

xoxo

May You Be: Guilty

Hi everyone!

As I indulged in one of life's simple pleasures this morning (a mug of coffee), as I do every morning I started thinking about other simple or guilty pleasures. We all have them, don't even begin to think that you don't! Indeed, you are no different than anyone else. There is at least one thing that you like to do whether it be daily, once a week or once in a blue moon, that makes you feel really great but part of the kick is that you know its a bit cheesy or a little unhealthy or that it is something you would never let anyone else know you do.

I've decided to share with you a few guilty pleasures of my own. Some of them are shameful as hell but I suppose these are all part of what makes me who I am.

 Hi, I'm Ciara + I like to indulge in:

Coffee

 Have to have it every morning. God help people if I don't.

Picking PVA Glue Off My Hands

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Picking PVA glue off your hands when it has dried is the weirdest but nicest feeling. Give it ago, its strangely relaxing.

Pat Kenny

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Yes, I do mean "Pat the Plank"! People love to hate Pat but I think he is a great interviewer and I listen to his radio program every morning (while drinking my coffee)

RTE TV

Primetime, Nationwide, The Frontline, Ear to the Ground, the list goes on. These programs are a definite guilty pleasure for me.

Garth Brooks

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I like to stick on a bit of Garth Brooks and dance around the kitchen from time to time but who doesn't?! (I only do this when I'm home alone)

Pot Noodle

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This is on the more disgusting end of my food palette. I think I developed a taste for these while in collage and it just never left me.

Corned Beef

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Another questionable food favourite of mine however I know that a few of my readers will agree there is nothing as tasty as corned beef (has to be from a can) on a few slices of white bread, smothered in brown sauce. Yum!

Pound Shops

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They are smelly and cheap and sell a lot of useless junk that you will never need or use. You could find a bouquet of fake flowers next to a set of 50 assorted sized spanners, but regardless of how randomly laid out they are or what kind of rubbish they sell, I find it to be fascinating rubbish and I can't pass a Pound Shop with out popping in for a look.

Dublin City

ashlinghotel.ie

Dublin is like Marmite, you either love it or you hate it. Well, I'm one of those who loves it. Even though I'm not from Dublin I'll always have a soft spot for the place. It may be because I spent a lot of time travelling up and down as a child, who knows? In any case, Dublin has a lot to offer and is a marvellous city once you look past it's rough edges.

So now my dear friends you all know my secrets! Those are some of the little guilty pleasures that make me tick.

I would LOVE for you to share some of your guilty pleasures! Please leave a comment below or email me. Ah, go on, I won't laugh.... ;)

I hope you are having a beautiful + creative day

Ciara

xoxo

May You Be: Yourself

Credit to Andrea Doss etsy

Hi everyone!

Since today is the 1st day of May I've decided to post a inspirational post everyday this month starting with the words May You Be + ending with a different word each day.

Today I have chosen:  May You Be Yourself

You are Unique + You are Important.  You are Rare! There is no one else on this earth that is just like you. Isn't that amazing?!! You are the only one! 

Credit to picturequotes.com

Sometimes we all get caught up trying to be someone else, someone that our parents want us to be, someone our friends want us to be, someone our school, church, workplace, our society wants us to be.  But I believe that we are far more valuable to the world by just being our true selves.  Think about it. 

Take time to discover who you are.  You can't be yourself if you don't know who that person really is. Finding out who you are may be the most important + valuable discovery of your life.  But don't fret if it doesn't seem to happen over night, uncovering the true you is a marathon not a sprint. 

Don't let an event or moment in time define who you think you are.  You are always changing. Change is good. If you spend your life trying to be the person you were in that snapshot of the past you will stunt your growth metaphorically speaking.  Learn to let go! Any mistake or choice you made throughout your life is all part of the amazingly, precious puzzle that makes up you.

Credit to lifeposters.org

Be honest with yourself + others about the person you are.  Don't hide away!

And one final though I have before I sign off, when everything else in the world seems difficult, tumultuous or confusing, the one thing you can depend on wholly + completely is the fact that you will always be you.

Ciara
xoxo