journal
Let Your Dreams Fly
17 September 2016
Eldwick, UK
One of my favourite ways to get inspired is to find quotes online. Obviously, I have a Pinterest board dedication to my favourite wise words (because I have a Pinterest board dedicated to everything) and a small collection growing on We Heart It; a website I've recently been introduced to and am slowly getting used to. There a quite a few quotes I absolutely love, so I wanted to share them on Anika May to inspire all and let your dreams fly!
"Get mocked at for as much as you can, fail as much as you can, but don't quit. Let every mockery, every failure, be a source of inspiration for you to reach for greatness, and that greatness will silence your critics." - Ajaero Tony Martins
"Never be ashamed! There's some who will hold it against you, but they are not worth bothering with." - J.K. Rowling
"Like success, failure is many things to many people. With positive mental attitude, failure is a learning experience, a rung on the ladder, and a plateau at which to get your thoughts in order to prepare to try again." - W. Clement Stone
"When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure." - Mary Kay Ash
"Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." - Ray Kroc.
"Love what you do and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the center of your life." - Ray Bradbury.
"Don't try to be original, just try to be good." - Paul Rand
"Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me." - Arianna Huffington
"It is better to risk starving to death than surrender. If you give up on your dreams, what's left?" - Jim Carrey
"Embrace what you don't know, especially in the beginning, because what you don't know can become your greatest asset. It ensures that you will absolutely be doing things different from everybody else." - Sara Blakely
“Love what you do and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the center of your life.” - Ray Bradbury
“We may place blame, give reasons, and even have excuses; but in the end, it is an act of cowardice to not follow your dreams.” - Steve Maraboli
Kill Them With Kindness | Journal
12 September 2016
Oslo, Norway
As I keep blabbing on about, I used to work full-time and my boss was basically evil. There's no sugar-coating it because she didn't like me and she made sure I knew it. Regardless off this, I tried as hard as I could to keep my cool, and managed it - just about. I would smile when she spoke to me, listen carefully and maintain eye contact (as if I actually cared about what she had to say) and always answered "yes" when she called my name rather than "wut". Over time, I could actually see that my constant happy personality and kindness towards her even though she couldn't stand me was irritating her. So I started to do more. That's when I learned the real meaning of KILL THEM WITH KINDNESS.
I'm not a big fan of the Selena Gomez song, but this is the best advice I have ever received. Haters don't come around often, so usually I'm unsure with how to deal with it. Sure, it's normal to have a good cry and vent to someone, but the most effective method I've used is a smile. Just a smile. There's never any need to go overboard, as when someone intentionally tried to hurt you, the last thing they're expecting is a happy face.
It could be really easy for me to just yell at anyone who has ever upset me, or write a rude comment back (as I've actually received some on Anika May). Sometimes commenters don't like me and want to tell me. Rather than see it as an insult, I take it as an opinion. And in the words of Chipmunk: "Opinions ain't facts, take 'em in and let them go". Replace the spite with a smile.
I'm a pretty sarcastic person, so minimising the hate with a smile can be difficult when the smile is almost a smirk and the eyes are squinting so hard it's a struggle to see. That's not the kindness I'm talking about. Genuine kindness, letting the words roll off your back, is the ideal way to handle adversity. I've done it before, and I'm sure I'll do it again. Smiling face with smiling eyes
Feelin' Seasonal
8 September 2016
Burley in Wharfedale, UK
Since September hit us, I’ve been feeling different, but
good different. I don’t know what it is about this time of year but I always
feel a lot more motivated than usual; maybe because I can sit in cosy coffee
houses and watch autumn blow by, rather than stick to a plastic deck chair and
try not to get sunstroke. I do love summer, but autumn is an easy favourite.
It’s the biggest season in fashion, the prettiest season in nature, and the
cosiest season in the year. Whenever I’m feeling inspired, my go-to app or site
is Pinterest. I do still
adore Tumblr, but that has
one specific theme running through it. On the other hand, I can create as many
boards on Pinterest for whatever I like and fill them with my favourite things.
As announced on Twitter, I made a
few new boards over the past few days and had to share them on Anika May.
LET’S GET COSY
One of the best things this season has to offer are the cosy
nights. It’s surely a struggle when you actually have to go outside and brave
the chilly winds, but wrapping up in a big cotton blanket with candles, apple
cider, your favourite slippers and the falling leaves outside is a perfect
evening. Even campfires during this time of year are amazing because everyone
can cuddle up and keep warm. In the UK, autumn means Bonfire Night, which
equals fireworks and sparklers for everyone too!
WINTER VIBES
I used to always say winter was my favourite time of year.
There’s something about snow that makes me feel really happy, even though I get
sick of it after a while. You can guarantee winter will roll around and I will
be complaining about being cold and wishing I was back inside again, I’m
annoying like that. Nevertheless, I do like how pretty snow looks and the
excitement felt when the first icicle of many appears. Wrapping up in warm
clothes is so much fun, and winter results in plenty of woolly hats and
oversized jumpers.
AUTUMN VIBES
Although I thought ‘Autumn Vibes’ might be similar to cosy
nights, I couldn’t miss out the vibes from my favourite season in one board! Autumn
is such a beautiful season, and brings out amazing colours in the trees – it
never ceases to amaze me. Fashion wise, I love the layers autumn brings, and
the new tones that match the theme of the season. I own a lot of cardigans, so
this time of year is the perfect few months to put them to use. Similarly, my
bedroom has slowly been filling with candles and is now ready to burst – I
can’t wait to use them!
SPRING VIBES
I’m a spring baby (hence the May in Anika May) so I have a
soft spot for that time of year. One thing I really like about spring is that
it brings those amazing shower storms, and the beautiful blossoms. In the town
where I live, there is a main street that runs through to the next one. This
wide road is littered with blossom trees from beginning to end, and when the
wind blows, it looks like it’s almost raining petals. Plus, the lambs are born
in the spring time, and watching them jump around makes me heart so happy.
Why I Quit My Job | Journal
18 August 2016
Leeds, UK
This post is going to be reeeeaaaaaaallllly long. The minute I left school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Work in a standard nine-to-five and continue my passion for blogging while earning a steady wage. Well, after a year of that life; I decided to give it up.
I remember the moment I applied, it was December 2014, and by January 2015, I was a Customer Service Advisor in the Head Office for one of the biggest building societies in the country. The job seems ideal at first, but I found it very difficult to fit in. After a month, I figured the team and managers are like this with all the newbies, eventually they'll be my good friends and going to work will feel like The Office. I was wrong. As my time there progressed, I began to realise I really don't fit in with this team and the managers have made it very clear they don't appreciate my work. But, this is common in workplaces so I continued working.
When I was hired, I was a temporary member of staff for three months. To my leaving date, I never finished as a temp, my contract was just "extended" every so often, even though I didn't receive anything in writing to confirm this. In my view, as long as I'm getting paid, I'm happy to work. As ISA season rolled in, the workloads became unnaturally heavy and it was obvious the entire investments department didn't have a clue what was going on. After having the most successful ISA of 2015, this particular company didn't plan work thousands of pieces of work to flood in, which resulted in more temps being hired and staff moved all over the place.
I was treated like a slave and workout from 7am to 6pm, with one break and plenty to do. Others didn't do as much as I did but they still one achievement awards. I was denied holidays and opportunities because my manager didn't like me or appreciate my skill. After a while, I sensed this isn't right. I approached HR and they did absolutely NOTHING.
It was hard to handle the harsh reality of the nine-to-five, and the even harsh reality of dirty and unprofessional businesses. During the summer, there was no work - as in I would sit and stare at my lock screen all day. During the winter and spring, work would flood in and it seems to startle the managers every year even though it's a building society... of course ISA season will be busy. No one was ever prepared, and the department was incredibly corrupt. Managers had favourites, seniors were inappropriate with temps and the entire team would argue and gossip all day. How it still stands today is beyond me, thank goodness I never opened my own account with them.
My mood was greatly affected by work, and friends and family began to notice. It started with headaches, and they were never subtle. The headaches were from the moment I woke up until the second I fell asleep. Nothing could shift the pain, and doctors put this down to stress and tension. In general, I was never in a good mood and unenthusiastic about everything - even Chris Evans. I never looked forward to the day and each moment was a countdown to 5pm. I'm a strong believer in happiness and doing whatever makes you smile. This job is the one thing that stopped me from smiling. Joking about an evil boss and nosey coworkers is fine, but dreading everything about employment is not normal.
In many situations, quitting a job isn't an option, and this is something I considered all the time. "I bet there are loads of people that hate their job" was my reasoning and stopped me from crying at my desk every morning. However, I slowly realised, I have the option to leave this place and if it makes me so unhappy, why don't I take it? It's silly for me to feel guilty (even though I still do) about the circumstances of other people when there's nothing I could do to change them.
After a long chat and plenty of tea, my mum and I constructed my resignation letter and I handed it in the next day. I can tell you, the moment I handed that letter in, my mood lifted. Towards the end of my notice period, the headaches went away. Even though my boss started to act nicely towards me because she knew the one employee who banks millions a day, would be gone.
I now work with my mum, helping her to build her two amazing charities, Clothing Solutions & Beaneezy - please give their Facebook pages a like if you can, it would really help us! I've never been happier and can not blog basically all the time, and avoid the tension headaches and 6am trains to Leeds.
Have you ever quit a job?
A Little Like Goes A Long Way
9 August 2016
Bradford, UK
Many of my followers already know this (mainly because I
never shut up on Twitter), but
this year, I quit my full time job and started working part time to make life a
little easier and blog more frequently. Since quitting the worst job in the
world, I have been working for two amazing charities that help the community in
an awesome way.
Along with my mum, we run two charities, Clothing Solutions
and Beaneezy. Although both
these organisations have been operating for quite a while, we have recently
launched social accounts for them and are working really hard to re-launch the
Clothing Solutions website. One social network in particular we have been
putting our focus on is Facebook. Personally, I was never a big fan of
Facebook, but it's proven as a really easy way for customers to be able to find
our charities. Check out the Twitter pages for Clothing Solutions & Beaneezy too!
Want to know what the charities do? Well, Clothing Solutions
(for Disabled People) is a registered charity that designs and alters clothing
for disabled people. It's very difficult for some people with a disability to
find clothing that fits them just right, or clothing that they can wear and put
on by themselves, allowing them more fashion freedom. Clothing Solutions also
designs bespoke accessories such as bibs, hats and even slippers to suit
everyone's needs. Using a unique computer system, our customers are able to
have their very own design and finally wear any piece of clothing they choose.
Many of our
happy customers wouldn't having the correct fitting or comfortable clothing
if Clothing Solutions wasn't able to create and adapt for them!
Beaneezy
began as a group of beanbags within Clothing Solutions, and slowly grew into
its own charity. Beaneezy has a line of beanbag
products available for an amazing price, but can also create unique and
bespoke beanbags and cushions to suit the needs of all our customers. Recently,
Beaneezy just completed an enormous order of our most popular beanbag, the
Large V Arm Support for some of the biggest organisations in the country,
including NHS, British Red Cross and MacMillan Caring Locally. Beaneezy is also
able to produce memory foam cushions for our customers, out of some our cosiest
fabrics. Beaneezy has also become immensely popular for athletes, children and new and feeding mothers too!
Clothing
Solutions and Beaneezy
both have Facebook and Twitter pages which really need the support of more
people. We don't receive government funding, so it's very important to us that
we can spread the word through social media and keep our work alive. We rely
solely on the donations of our lovely customers and wonderful funders, but aim
to get our Facebook pages to at least 100
likes... and we're halfway there! With more likes, the pages are able to
show up in search results and customers can find out details easier. The charities are not just for disabled people, children and elderly people love our products too!
So, if you have the time, pretty (pretty) please could you
pop over to the pages and hit the little like button? And feel free to invite
others, the more the merrier! We have plenty of photos and information on
social media, which is updated regularly! 
Clothing Solutions Facebook Page Beaneezy Facebook Page
Each like or follow means so very much, and is incredibly
appreciated.
Thanks!
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