It's been a while...
Sun drenched beaches; golden sand, tropical cocktails and The Island of Love (aka Love Island) are not the reason for a quieter blog as of late. On the topic of Love Island, I feel like I am the only human not to have watched and having since seen Jamie Jewitt this may have been a silly decision...
What has played a big part in my summer days and on every London day for that matter is The London Underground. Transport for London's thought of the day are always a highlight of my travels! Recently there was one in particular which really caught my attention, as it relates to where I am at the moment...
'Optimist: Someone who figures that taking a step backward, after talking a step forward is not a disaster, it's a cha-cha' @TCR Station
Cha-chaing is guaranteed fun, passion and energy and as the thought provokes it doesn't just have to be left for the dance floor. It is actually a great way to describe the journeys we go through in life.
I don't know about you but I can be all too guilty of getting caught up in thought of an end result and sometimes stumble with some of the steps along the way. Along with the stumble comes a struggle to admit that a couple of steps back are necessary. Why is this admission so difficult? Well, for me personally it can feel like you are admitting defeat or labelling yourself as a failure. I now realise this is such a negative and inaccurate description. When in fact it is simply part of the journey and should be embraced. After all if we don't acknowledge our mistakes, or areas needing more focus we can never truly improve.
I am most certainly at the trial and error stage with my new ventures and as I have just mentioned only naturally there is going to be a need for some adjustment and cha-chaing.
Procrastination
Noun
The action of delaying or postponing something
*Hands held high*
Yes, yes and yes I'm guilty...
So what makes us procrastinate?
Textbook answers range from bone idleness to fear to perfectionism...
None of us wants to admit to being lazy although in human nature we do all require some down time as we are not programmed robots nor should we want to be.
Personally, fear still contributes much too frequently to my stumbles- fear of looking silly, fear of not being word perfect...
Perfectionism- often falsely deemed as pure positivity however in a lot of cases the strive to be picture or word perfect creates a massive set back, removes your capability to produce work and instead sends you on a vicious circle where nothing is achieved.
My guilty confession of being too focused on the end results ties in with just this. I focus on the level I aim for my skills to be and forget that mishaps will always happen along the way. After all that is how you truly learn.
The cha- cha is counter active towards procrastination as the step backwards leads to a step forward as opposed to just a stony delay.
The positive in this is that it is never too late to make the realisation and to really let loose and live! When have you ever seen a stiff cha-cha? (Ok remove any unsavoury Strictly scenes from mind)
We all have busy lifestyles, no matter what line of work we are in....
On Saturday I was out for lunch & a glass of bubbles with my friend Jordan... Jordan is one-half of girl band MissDefiant, who were the opening guests of the Lucy Ellen Channel and are due to release their debut album in the weeks to come... woohoo! Jordan also has a successful dancing, modelling, song writing and production career.
Not to add she is currently studying and still manages to have a social life *note our Saturday bubbles* so how does she fit it all in?!
Well luckily for us, Jordan is happy to share her top tips not just to me but to you also,
Jordan, take it away...
Create lists: I am forever creating lists of things I need to do! It is a great way to organise yourself and feel more in control. I put a *star* next to the most urgent tasks and aim to get these done first. Ticking off what you have done, feels so damn good haha which makes you want to get things done.
Give yourself deadlines: I am self-employed and create my own deadlines to help me achieve and focus on what I need to do.
Get enough sleep: One of the biggest tips I can give anyone, is to get enough sleep! 8 hours a night. Make sure you stick to it.
Exercise: Exercise is a great way to release stress and I try my best to do this every morning before I start my day. From running to swimming to yoga, find what makes you tick and I promise it will help!
Put your phone in another room: When I am really trying to focus, I will put my phone in another room so I don't get easily distracted by social media, as that is one of the biggest distractions of today!
I hope these 5 tips help! Lots of love Jordan xx @jordancather
A big thank you to Jordan for sharing her tips!
I look forward to sharing my new cha-cha steps with you all in the weeks and months to come.
Remember always cha-cha freely and to your own rhythm ...
Lots of Love,
Lucy Ellen xx
www.lucyellen.co.uk
@_lucy_ellen