Dreading Disappointment…

I am a people pleaser. 

I’m not gonna try and deny it, or justify it.  It’s not a good way to live but it’s also not the worst way to live, and as much as people preach self-love and large pop icons have made the whole “sassy empowered woman” thing cool, I really care what other people think of me, and what I can do to make them feel better.  However, this coupled with my obsession with perfection can often lead to disastrous consequences.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a lot of the things that I do, and I do them because I want to do them, however the fact that they may please someone also often becomes the principle cause of my motivation.  I work so hard in school so that my parents have a daughter to be proud of, I spend ages planning super personal birthday presents so people feel special and appreciated, I have a job and earn my own money so that my parents don’t have to support me as much, I take part in school activities so that they feel like I’m contributing… The list goes on and on.  And I’ve always thought that my biggest fear was death, but after recent events I’ve realised that it’s not, it is disappointment.

They say that you’re your own worst critic but honestly I’ve never met a bigger bully than myself when it comes to anything to do with me.  If I do badly in a test or make a bad decision it hits me hard… But not because I aspire to be perfect or the best or anything, because of the fear that now somebody’s gonna be disappointed in me. 

If I fail my A-levels, yeah obviously I’ll be gutted that I didn’t get into Uni, but the people pleaser in me is going to be more gutted that my teachers believed in me and I didn’t deliver, or that my parents gave me every chance to succeed in life and I blew it all.  Because in my opinion, the way that your choices affect others is just as important as the way that your choices affect you (Probably the one point of Preference Utilitarianism that I agree with).

Some stuff happened recently (Today in fact) that really got me thinking about my fear of letting others down, and I realised during the day that no matter how hard you mess up, try and cut people off, conceal yourself away, build your palace of ice (or whatever your less sassy Disney equivalent is), there are always gonna be those few people who are there for you no matter what.  Those people that don’t get angry at you for being a bitch because they know that you need to temporarily lash out and won’t take it personally, or those people who can see that you’re suffering, even if you don’t explicitly tell them.  And often these people can be the people that you least expect.

I am so thankful for those few people that exist in my life and honestly I don’t think I could have made it through today, or many other days without them.  I hope that everyone has people like them in their lives or is able to be like that for somebody else.

So next time your friend/family member is lashing out and being a nightmare, or silently sitting in a classroom slightly quivering, show them compassion, genuinely care, no matter how hard it may be.  Odds are they need it more than you think.

Read, comment, and don’t take anything personally.  Remember, we’re all still forming opinions.  Byeeeee!

Assessing Appearances…

When I left secondary school I was really excited about the fact that I suddenly would be able to wear my own clothes to school and leave my uniform behind.  Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t the worst uniform in the world (although we did have bright blue kilts…) but I was happy that I could finally wear clothes that flattered me in ways that I wanted.

In year 11 I went through a stage of drastically losing weight… I mean I was never size zero skinny, but I wasn’t exactly the epitome of health.  It wasn’t because I exercised loads or was incredibly fit or anything, I simply stopped eating as well as I should have because I became so wrapped up in the fact that it is very easy to compare people’s sizes when you are all wearing the same thing.  As I began sixth form this became less of a problem however as I started to feel a lot more comfortable I started to realise that the allowance of makeup meant that the majority of girls looked beautifully air brushed all the time.

I’ve always been kind of blessed with relatively good skin; I think it’s due to the fact I don’t particularly like sweets and I drink a lot of water.  So with the right exfoliator, cleanser and moisturiser plus the occasional face mask, my face remained relatively clear and lip gloss and eyeliner were the extent of my morning makeup routine.  However, the more I looked at girls at school the more I realised how amazingly pretty they all looked in makeup.  Clear skin was no longer enough… I needed to have no bags under my eyes, the perfect smooth complexion, an even tone throughout my skin, natural but slightly coloured eyelids, matte but evenly coloured lips… the list went on and on.  I slowly invested in more and more makeup (I mean… I still rarely wear it, but at least I own it), and I became more obsessed with the flaws on my face, some of which I couldn’t help.  My nose felt flatter, my cheeks seemed too red, my forehead too big, my overall face shape too fat and I couldn’t help but hate my absence of cheek bones.

Recently on two separate occasions I’ve had to wear the same dress as many other girls and in both cases I couldn’t help but being consumed in how much more I resembled a potato in comparison to everyone else.  It was like all my uniform fears came back and I noticed everything about me that I hated; the size of my thighs and my wideness.  It’s affected me a lot recently but it’s caused me to really think about how we as a society define “beauty”.

Recently I’ve been binge watching a lot of TV series’ (revision procrastination at its finest).  At the moment I’m watching the OC, before that it was 90210 and before that it was Gossip Girl and each time I haven’t been able to help the fact that I look at the girls and these shows and aspire to have their thin bodies.  Every single one of them looks perfect in everything they wear (which I understand they have costume designers for… but their bodies probably help) and I can’t help but have it bum me out a little.  However, then when I occasionally watch old kids shows like That’s So Raven and Lizzie McGuire, it’s refreshing to look at how the girls aren’t necessarily “plus size” but are average and slightly curly, and they’re not addressed as “big girls” or “curvy girls” but viewed normally.  Through watching TV shows from different years you can actually see how body image has changed over time; we went from a stage where the weight of actors wasn’t necessarily important, to a phase of stick thinness being the norm, to now where we have the celebrated “plus sized girls” and then the slim toned beautiful girls, and I find it interesting how in each of these time periods, these girls were the trendsetters, and the beauty that teens in particular aspired to.

We’re in a time at the moment that’s a lot more tolerant and accepting towards everything, and we’re often preached at by friends, teachers, adverts and parents that “everyone is beautiful and beauty is subjective”, however there are people that the majority tend to agree are just a lot prettier than others, so what is it that allows us to view them as that much more beautiful?  As someone’s that frequently struggles with liking their appearance I personally try not to judge others and I try to never negatively judge anyone’s appearance… I feel like in general this happens a lot less nowadays.  However, when celebrating the beauty of others I find myself wishing I could be that pretty and this can often be self-deprecating.

I didn’t want this post to end up being an “everyone is beautiful, you should love yourself” kind of post because from someone who has little to no self-confidence I find that this is easier said than done.  I just think that we need to stop comparing ourselves to others.  You may find many of their qualities redeeming, but hey, you probably have many redeeming qualities as well.

One of my favourite quotes (I have quite a few, I’m sorry I feel like I talk about quotes that I love a lot), comes from ‘The Red Band Society’, a TV show that got cancelled way before it’s time:

“Luck isn’t getting what you want. It’s about surviving what you don’t want”

I feel like in this day and age, most people have something that they dislike about themselves, but sometimes try as you may you can’t change it.  Embrace your “flaws”, work with them, and make them your special features.  It’s not about being the best looking, it’s about having the confidence in yourself to know you look good.  Because usually if you can believe it, others start to believe it too.

Read, comment, and don’t take anything personally.  Remember, we’re all still forming opinions.  Byeeeee!

Sayonara School…

A couple of days ago I was checking my site statistics, and before I officially start my blog post I just wanted to say thank you to all my international readers (and my UK readers as well)!  I’m viewed in 10 countries at the moment and that’s incredibly cool so salamat, grazie, merci, danke, gracias, and thank you, I hope I continue making posts that interest you a little regardless of what country you’re in.

For me, it’s that time of year again… some of us are already back and school and some of us (like me), are desperately clinging to the last few days of freedom before we dive back into school work and revision for exams.  The back to school season has commenced and summer is slowly becoming a distant memory.

Usually, by the end of the summer I can’t wait to go back to school.  It’s not because I particularly want to go to lessons and wake up at 6am and have homework… but rather due to the fact by this point I’m generally bored of summer and want to get back to doing something.  However this year, I kind of don’t want to go back.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because I hate school of anything, but it’s recently occurred to me that I’m going into my final year of school ever.  I mean yeah, I plan to go to Uni, but Uni and school aren’t exactly the same thing, and they don’t have the same feel at all, so this is my last first day of school ever again…  And that absolutely terrifies me.

A couple weeks ago, I watched the entirety of One Tree Hill from beginning to end (as you do) and the final episode really stuck with me.  Obviously, part of that was because it was the final episode, but a lot of it was due to what Nathan said at the beginning of the episode.

“It’s the oldest story in the world, one day you’re 17 planning for someday, and then quietly, and without you ever really noticing, someday is today and then someday is yesterday and this is your life.”

I like change (from time to time…), and I like new things, but one thing I don’t like is saying goodbye.  And in retrospect, this year is gonna be nothing but a year of goodbyes.  Goodbye to the unnecessarily long first day assembly, goodbye to the “what did you do all summer” conversations… With every day that goes by, there’s one less day of being a schoolchild, and we’re all one day closer to being classed as an adult.

In my lifetime I’ve been to a total of 5 schools, which is a lot more than I should have been to at my age, however it means that technically I should be used to the whole goodbye thing by now.  However this one is a lot different.  Prior to this year, whenever I’ve left a school, I’ve known that eventually I’m gonna end up in another school; It will be different, but at least it will be a school.  However this time next year, we’ll all be preparing to go to different places.  The people that I’m the closest to at the moment, the people that I’m used to spending at least five days a week with, will be scattered across the country… hours away from me.  This is the last year of teachers caring about whether I show up to my lessons or not, caring about when I hand in my homework.  This is the last year where all the responsibility isn’t piled on my shoulders.

So, (at the risk of sounding incredibly cliché), if like me you’re going into your final year of school, remember that your days as a schoolchild are numbered.  School may not be the most entertaining thing in our lives, but it’s where we’ve grown up, made some of our best friends, and learnt a lot more than academic stuff.  School is responsible for a lot of the things that make us who we are.  School shaped us.  And soon we have to say goodbye to it.

Read, comment, and don’t take anything personally.  Remember, we’re all still forming opinions.  Byeeeee!

Accelerated Ageing…

Growing up has always been one of those things I wanted to do.  5 year old me couldn’t wait to be 10, 10 year old me couldn’t wait to be 16, and 16 year old me couldn’t wait to be 18.  And yet, now I’m 2 weeks away from being an adult I wish I could cling on to my childhood and my life of no responsibility and a billion second chances.  But as much as I wish it, I can’t.  We’re all growing up, maturing whether we can feel it or not. 

I’ve just come back from a week at a summer school, pretending to go to University for a week.  It was great; I made amazing friends, actually improved my French skills and confidence immensely, even explored activities I wouldn’t usually explore.  But I’d be lying if I said that the whole experience didn’t terrify me a little… (Or a lot…)

You see, at the end of the week we had this “mini graduation” ceremony.  It was amazingly cute; we got gowns, scrolls, a ceremony, the whole shebang… and I couldn’t help but feel extremely old.  I mean, yeah, I was only playing a Uni student for a few moments, but at one point I looked at the people around me, and the hall I was in and the scroll I was clutching and I remembered where I was this time a year ago.

I feel exactly the same, but it’s not until I look at what I’ve done in the last school year that I realise how much I’ve actually changed.  I went away from home, four hours away from home, by myself to a summer school where I knew absolutely no one.  I had no friends by my side, no family, and a year ago that would have absolutely terrified me.  This time last year no way would I have written a blog!  This time last year I wouldn’t have let my closest friends read anything that I’d written at all.  Last summer I vowed to do so much, but the odds are this time last year I was lounging on a sofa, thinking about what the next year would bring and binging on Netflix.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve still watched a ridiculous amount of Netflix this summer.  However, I’ve also gone out and done work experience, written an academic essay, hung out with my friends, done 2 summer schools and applied for and started a part-time job.  It only began occurring to me when I looked at that scroll in my hand, that without even trying to I’ve grown older and I’ve matured.  I don’t feel very different at all, and I think often as teenagers we discredit ourselves and believe that we haven’t made any progress at all.  I’m pretty sure, regardless of your age, if any of you look back and what you’d done a year ago and what you’ve done now, you’ll realise that you’ve done a lot more than you give yourself credit for.

Even if it’s nothing physical, look at the person you were a year ago compared to the person you are now.  Are you more confident?  More reserved?  More self-assured?  More mature?  I guarantee you there will be something.

We should be proud of the people that we’ve become, but we should never forget the people that we’ve come from.  As sung in one of my favourite musicals: “There’s pride in my heart because I know where I’m going, but I know where I’ve been”.  Never forget the spirit you had as a 10 year old, or that ridiculous confidence you had when you were 5.  Hold on to it all.  Use it to grow.  Let it help mould you.

Yeah, we’re ageing.  But that doesn’t mean we still can’t be kids from time to time.   

Read, comment, and don’t take anything personally.  Remember, we’re all still forming opinions.  Byeeeee!

Re-Evaluating Results…

It’s been a long time since I posted, I know, but honestly I’ve been waiting for the inspiration I needed to write my next post.  But today was results day for all AS and A2 students, so I figured it was as good a time as ever to blog about life and experiences.

As a teenage girl with a variety of social media outlets (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, you name it), I read teenage rants on the education system pretty much every time I go online.  The reason?  It’s probably the number one shared cause of stress amongst teenagers my age.  We have rants, one liners, and recurring jokes on the topic, but all mediums generally come down to the same point:  the education system has got us more concerned about the letters that we get on a piece of paper than whether we actually learn something.

Today was emotional and hectic and nerve wrecking and I witnessed a lot of reactions to results, ranging from one end of the spectrum to the other, and it really got me thinking about the point above.  I’m not saying that the letters don’t matter, because they do; universities and jobs have to find some way of filtering applicants, but it seems that nowadays as students our grades begin to become the thing that defines us.

For example, I remember last year when I got my GCSE Results (It was a way bigger deal than this year’s results because it was my first proper results day and I swear I shook the whole way to school).  The second I ripped open the envelope, before I even properly registered my results I was on the phone to my parents listing my A*s, As and Bs.  Then before I knew it, I was texting family members listing my A*s, As and Bs.  Then as I walked down the corridors out of school I can’t tell you how many times I recited my A*s, As and Bs to everybody that asked me what I got.  By the time I left school that day, before I could even properly sit down and look at my grade breakdown, I could recite the number of A*s, As and Bs I got by heart.  By the time I started sixth form, it felt like reciting my grades became as common as reciting my name.  Without intending for them to, my grades had become one of my largest defining factors, and one of the first things I’d be asked about whenever I met someone new.

Like I said earlier, I’m not saying that grades don’t matter.  Of course they matter.  But, whether we do badly or we do well we shouldn’t let them be the things that define us.  Don’t get me wrong, you shouldn’t use that as an incentive to give up and not try at all.  Grades may not be what define you, but the amount that you try for them does.  What I’m saying is that if you opened that envelope today (or any other day) and your heart sank a little, don’t let those letters ruin your morale.

If you aren’t happy with your AS results, the beauty of AS levels is how accessible the retakes are.  If you want better, go out and get those better grades for yourself next year.  And if you try again and do better, be proud!  However, regardless of what you get, always remember that there is more to every single one of us than a few letters on a piece of paper. 

Read, comment, and don’t take anything personally.  Remember, we’re all still forming opinions.  Byeeeee!

Screaming Silence…

As summer kicks off so do the (even later than usual) late nights, and the lengthy philosophical 2am Whatsapp group discussions, and something really struck me today.

“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.”

-Charles Bukowski

I read this quote a couple of years ago in a book, and back then, yeah, I thought it was nice and “deep” on a philosophical level, but I don’t think I fully realised how true it is until now.  Have you ever been in a situation where you’re debating an issue that you’re truly passionate about with facts and logic and evidence, and the person on the opposing side refuses to even acknowledge that what you’re saying could have some meaning?  They brush aside your validity to keep their pride and be the “winner”, and turn a topic that you’re serious about into a joke, or “banter” that you took too seriously.  You’re left with two basic options, and neither of them are particularly favourable:

1. Keep communicating your view, knowing that they’re never going to even consider what you’re saying, which will end up frustrating you until you can no longer take it. Or;
2. Give up. Stop speaking, and listen to the obnoxiously untrue “that’s right, stop talking!  You know I’m right” jeer that follows.

One of the biggest lies that people like that force themselves to believe is that you stopped talking because you had nothing else to say.  I don’t know about you, but for me that generally isn’t the case.  Ever.  I like debate.  I like logic.  I like facts.  If I think that I have a good leg to stand on, and facts and logic to prove my point I could argue it forever.  But with some people, it’s just not worth it.  Charles Bukowski was really onto something.  When I look at the person that I was when I was 12 and I look at the person that I am now, I can see that there’s a huge difference in the willingness that I have when it comes to proving that I’m right.  It seems like, overtime the ignorance of others has shrouded my confidence when it comes to fighting for what I believe in.  It’s not that I’ve become shy or I have no belief in myself anymore, because the tenacity is still there.  I mean, give me a formal debate or a courtroom and I’d be in it to win it.  But with arguments with certain people, I’ve come to the conclusion that knowing that I’m doing the right thing, even if I’m the only one that believes it, has to be good enough. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way saying that anyone that ever disagrees with me is “ignorant” or “not worth arguing with”, because I will happily have lively debates with my friends for hours (and we do sometimes… it’s weirdly cool).  If someone opposes my view, I’ll listen to their reasons why and consider them.  It’s when people won’t do the same for me, and will only listen to their points, regardless of what anyone else says that I begin to wonder if there’s a point to trying with that person.  The more that I think about it, the more that I realise that Charles Bukowski was really onto something with that quote.  It seems that the ignorant are more willing to shout their views over everyone, as opposed to those that have views that may actually be worth sharing, but are too scared/tired of being shot down to share them.

And if you ask me, it’s terrible how often this happens.  We all know that everybody deserves to be heard, but even more importantly: everybody deserves to have their opinions acknowledged and considered.  Next time you’re in a heated discussion, stop and think about whether you’re actually registering the other side’s point of view, or whether you’re dismissing them to get to your own points.  Because sometimes it’s an easy trap to fall into.

Finally, don’t mistake someone’s silence as weakness.  Sometimes it’s exhaustion from arguing but not being appreciated, or realising that their ideas can’t be seen through the surrounding smoke of stupidity.  Sometimes, silence speaks a lot louder than words, but if your silence can shout, let your words scream the message you want to get across.  It’s time to do Bukowski proud and abandon that doubt and let yourself be heard.

What are your views?  Is the silence justifiable or should you fight until you’re frustrating and losing it, purely because you know that you’re arguing the right way and you need to teach someone what that way is?

Read, please comment, and don’t take anything personally.  Remember, we’re all still forming opinions.  Byeeeee!

From Goal to Goal to Goal…

So summer has officially started… School’s done and it’s time to relax, whether that be through outings with friends or becoming the couch potato you long to become all year round.  Summer also tends to commence the fight for that “bikini body” yet again.  In fact, summer diets have become one of the most common summer missions shared amongst teenagers… Me included.

However, recently I’ve been thinking that maybe the reason I aspire to lose the most weight during the summer holidays is because I always need to have something to aspire to.  (Case in point:  I had two weeks off when my exams were over, before school restarted in May/June, and during this time I figured out my University preferences and started this blog).  The more that I’ve thought about it, the more things make sense.  I spend the whole school year working towards final exams; this year it was AS exams, last year it was my GCSE’s, and the moment that they’re over I claim that I’m going to relax, but I always find something else to work on, a “new project”, if you will.

This same principle can loosely be applied to the way that we live our lives, or at least the way that society teaches we should live our lives.  Think about it.  The general structure of our lives consists of:

• Nursery, so we learn the basics for…
• Primary School, so we can get into…
• Secondary school, where we study for…
• GCSE’s, so we know the basics for…
• AS Levels, which count for 50% of our…
• A2’s, which we need in order to get into…
• University, so that we can get a good…
• Job, so that we can pay to live comfortably, until…
• Retirement.

And yes, I know that life’s not that simple and that the structure varies from person to person, but that’s a stripped down version to illustrate my point.  We are always working for something.  Basically everything that we do, we do because we’re striving to achieve a goal… and after we’ve achieved it, we move on to the next one.

It’s like Aristotle discussed with his four causes.  Long story short, he believed that everything on earth could be explained with four questions, or “causes”: what materials it was made of, how those materials were put together, who made it, and why it was made, (Its purpose).  That last one is what he called the “Final Cause”, which basically led Aristotle to the conclusion that everything is designed to work towards a specific purpose/aim/end goal.  What if Aristotle is right?  We could all be bouncing from goal to goal to goal until we find that final one to work towards…  That all-important “Final Cause”.  Whether you agree with that conclusion or not, you must agree that regardless of whether we realise at the time, we are always working towards something.

I barely know what my current goal is, or what my next 10 goals will be, because these things aren’t always planned.  Sometimes it’s like our subconscious is driving us to work towards something whether we realise it or not.  So, whether you know your current goal, or are just going with the flow that’s leading you there, good luck in achieving it this summer (and in life in general!).

Read, comment, and don’t take anything personally.  Remember, we’re all still forming opinions.  Byeeeee!

Going Green… Eyed

I like my life.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for everything I have and everything that I’ve been given.  I have food, shelter, people who love me… I know that I could be a lot worse off, and I know that there are people out there with a lot less than I have.  However, I’d be lying if I said that I’ve never been envious of someone with “more than I have” in my life.  Jealousy, whether we care to admit it, is something that we’ve all felt… Whether it be through an ugly thought, a little moment of self-doubt, or an actual action.  I refuse to believe that there’s someone reading this who can genuinely, honestly admit to themselves that they have never, in their lives felt what it’s like to be jealous.

It’s an intriguing emotion and probably one of the most commonly hated and vilified by our society in general.  It’s portrayed as ugly and negative, depicted as a “green eyed monster” (Which personally, apart from the monster part doesn’t seem like an issue to me… I love green eyes).  It’s this portrayal that has led to the emotion being a guilt-ridden one, but I don’t think it necessarily has to be a bad thing.  The way I see it, the emotion itself isn’t bad.  You can’t help how you feel… It’s how you take the emotion and act on it that determines how monstrous it really is.

“She got a better grade than me.”

As a sixth form student, the above can be one of the worst thoughts to float around my head.  It’s not that I expect to get the best grade out of everyone in every class I’m in.  I know my weaknesses, and I’m not an arrogant person… If I do get the highest mark in something my initial reaction is usually shock.  But sometimes I still feel a little bit of a pang (I’d say 30% jealousy, 70% self-doubt), wishing that I could be as smart as that person, and think the way that they think.  It’s a desire that we’re conditioned to act on: we want to be successful, (and often, we want to be the most successful).  However, this need to be the best, or at least better, is sometimes the fuel that we need to try harder and study more and get that success for ourselves.  It’s only when this envy turns to hatred and you actively try and suck away somebody else’s happiness that you’ve created a monster. (Excuse the literature reference… I’m a little geeky, it will probably happen a lot).

“When did they become such good friends…? She was my friend first…”

I know that it sounds like the musings of a primary school student but possessive jealousy is way more common than you’d think.  Again, I’m not talking about actually acting upon it, but the thought itself is rather popular.  It’s simple really: You have a friend, you get close to that friend, then you watch as they start getting close to another friend… Even though they may still include you, sometimes you can’t help but get a little green on the inside, wishing that you had that closeness to yourself.  It’s rarely acted upon (except for TV shows where it often escalates and before you know it angsty chaos ensues), and often it’s a thought that you keep to yourself, that eventually subsides.  Honestly, I feel like it’s less of a jealousy thing and more of a fear of being left behind… There’s always the worry that they’ll become closer than you ever were with either of them, bringing us back to the want for something that somebody else has.

I think the thing that makes jealousy such a burden is the fear and insecurity attached to it.  The real problem isn’t that you feel jealous, it’s that you worry that you’ll never have anything close to what your jealousy is causing you to seek.  I have times when envious thoughts pop into my head, and they can be really ugly… I mean, I wouldn’t confess them to anyone.  It’s not that I want to think them, I just can’t control my instinctive thoughts.  I never act on them, but sometimes I still worry that they make me a mean person.  Over time I’ve come to realise that I don’t think them because I want to be mean, I think them because I have days where I doubt that I’m capable of anything.  We’re all our own toughest critics.  Jealousy is basically our way of doing the whole “Why aren’t you more like them?” thing.

Read, comment, and don’t take anything personally.  Remember, we’re all still forming opinions.  Byeeeee!