Happy January: Introducing the Standard Blog of Goals for 2016...

Sorry for the delay in posting, my workload has been quite intense recently and I'm afraid I've not had many opportunities to put pen to paper! With the start of a fresh year, I have, however, come up with a list of all the things which I want to accomplish by the end of 2016! I've been fairly gentle with myself—setting relatively obtainable goals—so that I know that some items will be ticked off by the end of the year!

By the end of the year, I want to:

• Visit somewhere new
• Go to a Supernatural convention (preferably with Em)
• Finish my novel
• Finish editing my last NaNoWriMo novel
• Increase my cookery skills (particularly with savoury food) 
• Try out Laserquest
• Read at least one new book per month (I love reading so this will help me to do more of the things I enjoy)
• Watch one new film and one TV series per month.
• Double gaming score on the Xbox. 

I know that a couple of the items on this list might be quite hard to accomplish but I feel quite confident that I'll manage some of them. The book I have picked for this month is Maze Runner by James Dashner and it is a cracker! I've raced through the whole series and loved every single moment, even if The Death Cure (which is the final book in the trilogy) did make me cry!

I chose Crimson Peak as my film for the month. I have to say that I was a little disappointed after watching this film, possibly because I'd expected more of a chilling story centred around ghosts and hauntings. In any case, I thought the CGI in Crimson Peak was quite poor, giving the ghosts an almost laughable cartoon quality. Although the premise of the film was actually quite good, reminding me vividly at times of the fairytale "Bluebeard" (but with some added creepy twists), the film let itself down by placing most of its emphasis on needless gore, rather than on building tension and fear. I'm not sure I'd watch the film again; however, I have learnt that I should probably read the blurbs on films before watching them!

An Overdue Update: How Do You Achieve What You Want In Life?

It's been a long time since I've written and I'm going to keep this relatively short. A lot has been going on in my life recently and I've been working very hard on my fiction writing! The novel I've been writing is nearing completion and I'm feeling more than a little excited about the fact that my characters are coming alive on the page—and are finally getting their stories told. Sometimes it's really nice to escape into that fantasy world and delve into scenarios that you almost wish you could see happen in real life.

The fact that I'm almost finished with this novel has led me to re-evaluate the things I would like to receive in life, though. For the most part, I can honestly say that I've achieved a lot of dreams which I wished for—and life is falling into place pretty perfectly. There's still a couple of aspects which I'd like to achieve and a few projects which I'd like to complete though—and it's made me think a lot about people's success stories.

I'm a curious cat and I'd like to know what you do to achieve the things you want in life? How do you go about reaching your goals? What kind of mindset do you have? I've found recently that the things I want often seem to come to me when I've let go of the situation completely and have stopped despairing over how everything can be achieved. Is positivity the key to your success or do you set yourself small tasks and work your way up to receiving your big goal? What is the secret to any dreams you've achieved over the last few years? You don't have to share your success stories with me but take a moment to consider them. Perhaps there's a pattern which might be the key towards unlocking your future desires.

Whatever you do, have faith and stay positive. You can achieve everything and anything in the world if you put your mind to it—and I have absolute faith that one day your dreams will manifest in a way which is even more wonderful than you first imagined.

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.”
~Napoleon Hill

Have a wonderful day. x

A Life of Regret or the Risk of a Sting?

Lately, I've been trying to follow my own advice and actively seek out my dreams. Dreams cannot be made into a reality if we only daydream about them every day, after all. To get anywhere, sometimes we need to be brave and take a leap of faith.

The problem, of course, comes when you take that leap of faith and everything falls apart. At the risk of being humiliated, I think it's fair to say that I've taken a few bold steps and done my absolute best these last few months to achieve my dreams. The issue still remains though and I feel further away from this dream than ever before―and more humiliated, too. Putting all of your cards on the table is a risky little thing to do and there is a part of me already regretting it. A wise person told me yesterday that they would do anything to make their dreams become a reality. They were quite right and you should follow your dreams...but I guess you should know when to stop, too.

At least I can honestly say I've done everything in my power now. It seems cruel that one can work so hard at achieving something and gain no ground at all. If a compromise or glimmer of hope could be given, it would be enough. Except that's not the way the world works―and that's okay. I've still done my best and I can hold my head up high. I didn't give in or give up; I kept trying to make things work. Maybe, in the end, I've been stronger than I ever dreamed.

I know I can be happy, no matter what happens, but building confidence in hope again is a tricky little project when everything seems to be driving in the opposite way. Thankfully, I'm scrappy enough to keep charging on even when the going gets tough. I'm not going to be afraid of stings, not when the only other option is to look back later in life and wonder if I could have done more. See, pain is temporary...but regret gnaws away at you if you let it.

The Christmas magic is still in the air. Perhaps things didn't quite work out for me on this particular occasion but there's still hope for you guys. Make it happen and be proactive. Actively seek out the future you want and make it happen. If other people in the world are finding happiness then there's no reason why you shouldn't be either. Live in hope and actively achieve your dreams.

It's your dream. Only you can make it a reality. Let go of any fear and expect the best for yourself.