Where do you find inspiration?

'A Sudden, brilliant or timely idea.'

Doesn't that definition of inspiration just ooze enthusiasm and excitement for you? It sure does, me! It would be interesting to collect all of the different translations of inspiration and see which one sounded the best. Although, personally, I think the English language has it down!
We are so lucky as human beings to have the opportunity each day to be inspired. Maybe for you that means watching a YouTube performance of your favorite singer. Maybe it means landing that job you've been hoping for and you just can't wait to get involved and show what an expert you are in your field! Or maybe, in my mama's case, it means hiking in the depths of nature with some hard core athletes and feeling encouraged enough to scale a jagged rock face. Whatever it is, I believe that inspiration is a key thing in personal growth and feeling excited about your life!

Personally, my inspiration comes from a number of things, but I would have to say music, in all it's forms, has the ability to make me feel determined to chase my dreams and go for the goals that brew deep in the back of my mind. There's nothing like Whitney Houston's song 'Higher Love'  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTYOkcRH220 to get me dancing and ready to take on the world!

Well we all know you're not reading this post to hear about my inspirations so, go on... What gets you inspired? What do you look forward to after a long day at work, do you have a favorite hobby that you feel inspired to turn in to a career? Please, let me know!

I know everyone goes through tough times in their life. Heck, this lockdown is turning out to be one of the toughest times in all of our lives! That being said, I believe that some of the best inspiration comes out of feeling like you have nothing or that you have no idea where you'll begin again when things go back to normal. And so, to leave you with a quote that should make you feel your most inspired self, let's take some advice from the great Langston Hughes:

'Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird, that cannot fly.'

How are you beating the blues during coronavirus?

A beautiful day in Santorini

Well, it's another beautiful day in the northwest of England 🌞That being said, I can hardly believe it! 

I'm not religious myself, but I sincerely believe there is a higher power watching over me right now being that I'm in such a rainy part of the world. 
I've been thinking, as I'm sure many of you have during this current time, about many different things: Whether or not you'll be able to go back to work, when you'll be able to socialize and go out with your friends and when you'll be able to hop on a plane to your favorite exotic locations again. I'll be honest, that last one is always on my mind! 😉 

It is such an unnatural thing for all of us to be living such a simple life and even though it has been an extremely humbling experience, there are definitely days where you feel like you're trying to beat the blues!

I have been so lucky to have discovered new hobbies during quarantine including becoming an amateur artist, taking up chess and of course starting this blog but despite all this new excitement in my life there are still days where I wake up thinking 'when will things go back to normal, how am I going to master all of the aspects of running a blog (the big one being promotion) and when will I be able to start earning a decent income again?! I'm sure I am not the only one feeling this and know that these questions I'm asking are teeny tiny compared to people with much bigger problems. 

Everyone needs a little love in their life

My advice to myself, and to you if you need some, is to breath. It's OK to feel fear, to be nervous about what the future holds but as I've said in my previous posts, human beings have incredible potential to make magic happen, especially when things aren't so great. All you need is the determination, confidence and persistence to carry you forward to the next day because I promise you, It will get better!

The second is get up and move your body. I don't mean going for a 15 mile run, unless that's your jam, or climbing the tallest hill in your vicinity! My favorite way to exercise is to put on a bangin' Beyonce song and dance around the room with crazy arm motions. (The neighbors probably think I'm crazy 😜) Either way, you do you Friend! 

These two methods have helped me in so many situations, both in my professional and personal life. You will always be learning and evolving so be patient, try not to worry to much and give yourself a pat on the back for even getting this far. You're already winning!

A scrumptious lunch in the heart of Venice!

I'd be really interested to know what your strategies are for beating your personal blues, and if you're feeling like this time in quarantine is helping you achieve things you'd never thought about trying before.

Obsession - Never Forget What an Exceptional Human Being You Are!

Do you remember when you were little and you new exactly what you wanted out of life. Maybe you wanted to be a unicorn, Postman Pat, an astronaut, or in my case, a princess!
You would wake up each morning knowing exactly what you wanted to be and some idea of how to get there - take horse riding lessons, watch lots of TV shows with flying rockets. Either way, your goal seemed so simple and you were confident that you'd make it happen!

Then, adolescence hit and, at least in my case, you got preoccupied with buying the 'right' clothes, going for monthly check ups at the orthodontist and hanging with your girlfriends each weekend. Needless to say, I had enough to worry about looking like the 'cool' version of myself instead of thinking about my future career path!

A couple years went by and I was suddenly nearing my last 2 years in high school - It was time to get organized and sort out my life! When I accepted my offer to study singing at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, I was obviously thrilled. I mean, I had worked super hard to make my dream of being a singing star a reality, hadn't I?! Well, I'm sure you're reading this and thinking, 'really? I didn't know that.' Well of course you didn't, and that's ok! But, we all have goals in life and I'd never wanted anything more then to harmonize with my nerdy singing colleagues down the halls to our next class, the nerdiest of all... music theory 😉.
Anyway, I'm rambling, I know. My point being that I was obsessed with singing and all the things I had to do to be the best. At first that obsession propelled me forward. Early starts in sound proof practice rooms, staying an extra couple hours in one of the concert halls after an already exhausting day, just to watch a famous singer. Hoping against hope they'd hint at some tips I could use in my next practice session.

I felt really good about the direction I was going in.

But even with the best intentions, obsessing to much on anything in life can become dangerous for both the person it takes hold of and the people around you. I would stand in a row of singers during choir practice comparing not only how good their voice was compared to mine, but also what they were wearing and how they presented themselves. I would wake up each morning, and instead of focusing on the positives and gifts I'd been given, would obsess over why I couldn't sing something a certain way in one of my songs or why I hadn't been chosen as the soloist for a piece of music in the next concert.

I know it sounds silly, but internal obsession is an emotion that takes a lot of self respect and effort to stay positive and I was struggling!

Human beings are such amazing creatures in that we have the power to take control of our own lives, spread positive emotions around us and work tirelessly towards our goals as long as we stay patient with ourselves and keep positive!

Even though I didn't realize it at the time, this obsessive negative state that I had put myself in was the exact wake up call I needed to appreciate my own capabilities as not just an exceptional singer, but also that I am a human being and human beings have the opportunity, each and every day of our lives, to grow, evaluate and mould ourselves into the person we are ultimately meant to be if we just let ourselves.

I want you to always remember that you are enough just as you are. Whatever challenge you currently face, you are strong enough to overcome it.  You can dream as big as you want and succeed in whatever you want because you are in control of your life. Never forget that! You have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved.

How Music and Math Helped me Overcome my Self Doubt, Say What?!

I am shocking with money... I don't mean in the sense that I can't keep track of spendings and earnings and all that. I mean the adding, subtracting, multiplying that people just forget will be important in the real world when you're taking your SAT's or GCSE's.  
It's understandable right? Most of us are required to take some sort of math course as a prerequisite for graduating high school and I don't know about you, but sitting in a warm stuffy room, staring at a sheet of paper with a question asking me what the value of (x) is, is not my idea of fun, so Friend, let me tell you, I've tried. I've tried and tried to forget, but I guess Mr X had some other plans for my life 😜
Don't get me wrong, I know for some people math is their passion, the mathematician's dream as he leaps out of bed in the morning smiling as he thinks about all the fun ways he's going to solve Py that day, the astronauts excitement as he figures out the right mathematical logic to propel him in to space. I get it, really! That being said, I am not going to lie when I say math terrifies me.

Being that I was such a passionate music lover as a child up until I graduated from university, (math not really having any baring on how well I did in my end of year vocal recital,) it was not something that I really focused on. 
That being said, I had a huge admiration for people that were good with numbers, a feeling of which got stronger when I dived in to the exciting and high profile world of Hilton Hotels. I'm not joking when I say that I was dealing with tens of thousands of pounds a day by way of cash, credit and debit cards, with multiple different ways of processing the money on our super complicated computer system. You can imagine that for someone like me that struggled with numbers, I had to concentrate extra hard and was constantly doubting my capabilities regarding this vitally important part of the business's success. 
Some days I would be on fire, counting those thousands like there was no tomorrow, the next day I'd press the wrong button on the system charging card instead of cash making me hyperventilate and sweat uncontrollably. Needless to say it was rather stressful and nerve-racking existence but I LOVED everything else about the business, the interaction with guests, the multicultural environment and my super funny colleagues. So, I stuck with it!

I remember one day it was super busy on reception, queues out the door and a cacophony of languages all around me. I was thriving! Flanked by my two best colleagues either side of me I felt all was right in the world. 
To cut a long story short, a lovely middle-eastern family appeared in front of me, having booked quite a few nights with us and multiple rooms (all of which were different prices, I might add) As I tried to calculate the sums I remember thinking, 'Chels, you can do this, you are capable, stop doubting yourself' Having managed to complete the task after multiple calculation attempts, I asked for the gentleman's card, pressed enter and charged it! After a few moments of the gentleman studying the receipt, he turned to me and said; 'Ummm, excuse me, but I think you've overcharged us.' The blood drained from my face, and by that point I had to call my manager over, who, much to my dismay, confirmed the man's words. Let me just add that this was a good £150 or so over what they were meant to spend. 
I wished the floor would open and swallow me up! Being that I was still quite new and learning the system, the guest was very understanding as I hastily refunded the extra charge. I got lucky!

I have to tell you that this wasn't the only occasion where I went in to a money situation doubting myself, doubting what I was capable of and not realising that although the environment I was in was extremely fast-paced I had the power to tell myself 'take all the time you need, Chelsea.' 

Although these experiences were soul destroying and embarrassing, at times I was lucky enough to be surrounded by a supportive team and weekly live music nights, singers belting songs out like their life depended on it! 
Although I didn't realise it in the moment, listening to it was like a form of therapy, especially the blues and jazz singers who would sing every Friday and Saturday night... 'Georgia, I've got you Under my Skin and Hit the Road Jack' to name of few. (Listen in 'song lists' to the left side of my blog) Whatever had happened previously in the shift no matter what I'd struggled with or how scary something had felt, I'd leave reception, wander over to where the music was and instantly start feeling better!
Let me recap. I'm not saying that self doubt is not a powerful emotion. Heck, it took me over two years to master a technique for keeping calm and executing each transaction in a thorough and accurate way, but you know what, I did it, and I want you to know that, you can too! Whatever you struggle with, whatever part of your life you feel you can improve in, you have the power to take ownership and better yourself in the way and time you want. Ultimately, making you feel more confident and happy with the amazing individual that you are! I also want you to do things you're passionate about, like I did with my music. If you take the time to do what you enjoy, whether that's training for a half marathon, getting down and dirty with a friend in a crazy ol' mosh pit listening to your favourite band, or baking an incredibly elaborate cake you will find joy even in the areas in your life that you'd rather not face. You are strong, you have the power to create the kind of life you want. I KNOW, if you take this approach to life, you'll become an even greater version of yourself along the way!

Let me know in the comments below How you're getting on and be sure to check out the other cool stuff in the sidebar menu!

"Believe in yourself, your abilities and your own potential. Never let self-doubt hold you captive. You are worthy of all that you dream of and hope for.” 
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart