MY 2015


As I'm writing this now, I cannot quite believe that it's been an entire year - that's a whole 365 days - since I wrote last year's version of this blog post (My 2014). I can say with great certainty and awe that this has been the fastest, most eye-opening  and happiest   year of my life.

Gosh that was a big statement to make!!

My 2015 started off the way most people’s do – with ambition, determination and positivity; a vow to make this year ‘the best yet’ and a long list of New Years Resolutions. I recall having a bit of a meltdown on Christmas Day last year as I begged my mum to not make me go back to uni in January as I’d not had the best first term and the homesickness had well and truly kicked in. On January 1st, I made a promise to myself to be more positive, make more of an effort and take things in my stride. I was only one term through my degree, after all. It would get better, I told myself.

I kept up this positive mindset for the whole of January, despite being up to my eyeballs in deadlines. I made some new friends, one of whom I’m now living with, and I felt heaps happier. The next couple of months leading up to Easter were equally as chirpy. I’d shaken off my negativity, the days were longer and lighter (which helped hugely to keep my spirits up), I went on holiday with my parents and one of my best friends and all was great. Until I hit another wall and realised that uni really wasn’t making me very happy and that it wasn’t really ‘for me’.

I dragged myself through the final term kicking and screaming. I was disappointed in my course and for the next few months I seriously considered calling it quits.

Ha! I'm really not selling it to you that this was the happiest year of my life am I?!

I handed my assignments in at the end of May and felt a huge wave of relief – I now had a whole four months of summer ahead of me to do absolutely nothing. Phew.

There we go.

But this didn’t exactly happen. Just a mere two days after I moved out of uni halls (possibly one of my happiest moments of the year- no more being woken up at 3am woohoo!) I filmed my cousin’s wedding video. I love filming short videos and vlogs but I’d never taken on something quite so big, important and special, and when I arrived at her house that morning, I had no idea what I was going to do. I just set the camera up on the tripod and tried to capture as much as I could of the beautiful chaos. 
I did that for the rest of the day, and it was only when I came to edit the video that I realised that I’d done a pretty good job of 'capturing', and that I felt alive, fulfilled and an insane amount of enjoyment.

All my plans of doing nothing all summer went out the window as I decided that I ‘may as well do more wedding videos whilst I’m home’ on top of my planned work experience placements. So that’s how I spent my summer, as I'm sure most of you who know me well will know! 
Some weeks I had three weddings in a row, after three days of work experience. I’d never been so busy, or so happy. I met so many amazing people, grew a heck of a lot more confident and was doing something that I thoroughly enjoyed.

By the time September arrived, I’d done three work experience placements, filmed ten weddings, been on the radio talking about the importance of ‘putting yourself out there’ (I still can't bring myself to listen to this back, but I was told I did well?!), filmed and edited a football match and got my motivation and drive back. It enabled me to go back to uni for my second year feeling more positive and ambitious.

Since being back, my course hasn’t really improved. I get asked at least twice a week, "so Steph, is your course any better this year?" to which I roll my eyes, pray that I won't disappoint anyone and say the word. "Nope".
I can quite easily admit that uni really isn't for me.
But I’m happier, and grabbing all the opportunities that come my way with both hands. I've come to the realisation that the more I do, the more I learn, the more initiative I show and hopefully, the more I can do in the future.

I've also reached the half-way point in my degree - why stop now?

University hasn't taught me much about media production, but it's taught me an incredible amount of other stuff. I don't regret going to uni - how could I when it's given me so many life lessons and opportunities and possibilities?

I’ve recently discovered Louise Hay’s books: You Can Heal Your Life and The Power is Within You. They've become my bibles - her ideas struck a chord deep within me, a bell started ringing, and, as a result, I'm living differently and better. It's actually incredibly exciting!

And so, I go into 2016 with an open heart and mind. I go into it trusting that everything will work out as it should. I go into it knowing I'll soon be out of it - and thus I must make the most of every second.

But for now, for the last few hours of 2015, I'm going to do some listing like I did last year. 15 lists this time. I've just realised that the number of lists is going to go up and up each year... what happens when it gets to 2030 and I've run out of ideas? Er... 

Moving Taylor Swiftly on...

1. ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Passing my first year of uni with a 2:1 - was pretty happy about that
  • Becoming a wedding videographer
  • Reaching 60,000 blog views somehow!
  • Being head-hunted to vlog professionally for a company

2. HIGHLIGHTS

  • Having a surprise visit from one of my best friends on my birthday 
  • Celebrating my 19th birthday with a hybrid group of Guernsey and Bournemouth friends
  • Going on holiday to Tenerife with Jaymee
  • Finding my second year housemates and now living with them! They're a lovely bunch.
  • Seeing S Club 7's reunion tour!!! Childhood dreams came true that night!
  • Having 8 inches of my long blonde hair chopped off - sooooo liberating
  • Surprising my mum on Mother's Day when I turned up in her bedroom and she thought I was in England
  • Completing my first year of university
  • (And moving out of halls)
  • My cousin Rowena and Richard's wedding (and making their wedding video)
  • Seeing Kylie in Hyde Park
  • Holiday in Portugal with my Aunty, Uncle and cousin (but not the fact that it was 42 degrees so I couldn't get a tan -ow)
  • Filming 10 weddings and meeting some wonderful people
  • Work experience placements with Coast Media, The Guernsey Press and Island FM
  • Becoming Beinspired's website manager 
  • The birth of my beautiful baby niece Olivia in October and watching her grow (she's now 13 weeks old and it feels like she's 13 years old and I'm emotional about it)
  • A weekend visit to my honorary big sister Danni after 4 years (far too long)
  • Going to the stunning Royal Albert Hall for a Christmas party with Kylie
  • Moving into our 'second home' in Exeter which feels so much like home that I've been forgetting that my actual home is in Guernsey, oops
  • Lots and lots of visits to my cousins in Surrey
  • Bringing my car to England
  • The most wonderful Christmas with my famalam

3. BOOKS I'VE READ

I made a New Year's Resolution to read 15 books this year and I've read 14 so we'll just pretend I've read another one ok?
  • Love, Rosie  by Cecilia Ahern
  • Gone Girl  by Gillian Flynn
  • I've Got Your Number  by Sophie Kinsella
  • How We Met  by Katie Regan
  • For Once in My Life  by Marianne Kavanagh
  • Because She Loves Me  by Mark Edwards
  • Sleep Tight  by Rachel Abbott
  • Secrets and Lies  by Samantha Faiers
  • Tressa  by Tressa Middleton
  • Stranger Child  by Rachel Abbott
  • You Can Heal Your Life  by Louise Hay
  • I Will Not Die an Unlived Life  by Dawna Markova
  • Billy and Me  by Giovanna Fletcher
  • The Power is Within You  by Louise Hay

4. FILMS I'VE WATCHED FOR THE FIRST TIME

  • Toy Story (don't judge)
  • The Lion King (again, please don't judge!)
  • Endless Love
  • Boyhood
  • Gone Girl
  • Horrible Bosses 2
  • Love, Rosie
  • The Little Mermaid (I just wasn't a Disney kid okay!)
  • Into The Woods
  • Project Almanac
  • Bridget Jones Diary
  • Bridget Jones Diary 2
  • Mrs Miracle
  • The Object of my Affection
  • The C Word
  • Inside Out
(I'm sure there's probably more!)


5. WHAT I'VE BEEN GRATEFUL FOR

  • FaceTime - an incredible cure for all levels of homesickness
  • My family - for supporting me with my decisions and adventures
  • The opportunities that have presented themselves to me
  • The continued support, love and much-needed humour of my friends
  • The frequent visits to my aunty and uncle's house, thanks to living in England
  • Being able to see my baby niece on the day of her birth and every couple of weeks since

6. THINGS I'VE LEARNED

  • Family is everything  to me
  • How to use professional television/film cameras
  • That all happiness and health comes from self love
  • How to code a website
  • What you think and send out to the world is what you attract

7. FIRSTS

  • First time driving in England
  • First time, therefore, driving more than 40mph(!!!)
  • First time meeting a newborn baby
  • First DSLR
  • First time filming weddings
  • First Domino's pizza!
  • First time at the Royal Albert Hall

8. FAVOURITE QUOTES/AFFIRMATIONS

  • "What you give power to has power over you"
  • "All is well in my world"
  • "Trust the timing of your life"
  • "Being defeated is often a temporary condition... giving up is what makes it permanent"
  • "The sun will rise and set regardless - what we do with the light while it's here is up to us"
  • "What you give out comes is what returns to you"
  • "The pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them"
  • "I don't fix my problems, I fix my thinking. Then the problems fix themselves"
  • "Darkness can't drive out darkness - only light can do that. Hate can't drive out hate - only love can do that."

9. TRIPS I'VE BEEN ON

  • London with my sister in February
  • Tenerife with Jaymee and my parents
  • Several trips returning to Guernsey
  • Portugal with my aunty, uncle and cousin 
  • Leeds to see my wonderful Danni
  • Many, many trips to London to see my chummy

10. FAVOURITE SONGS

  • River Lea- Adele
  • When We Were Young - Adele
  • Adventure of a Lifetime - Coldplay
  • Right Here, Right Now - Giorgio Moroder
  • Black Magic - Little Mix 
  • Hold My Hand - Jess Glynne

11. CHALLENGES

  • Having to cut gluten out of my diet on top of my existing milk and nut allergies - it's been incredibly difficult and disappointing but my body clearly doesn't like it so I'm sure it's relieved that I avoid it now!
  • Getting through uni when I really don't want to be there, and generally being positive (but I think I'm starting to get there!)
  • Putting myself out there, meeting clients and allowing my professional self to develop
  • Being away from my family
  • The never-ending essay writing that comes with studying a degree


12. FAVOURITE PEOPLE

  • All my family and friends but that's a given of course!
  • ADELE (had to be in caps)
  • Kylie (obvs)
  • Emma Despres - you've been my rock this year Emma!
  • Louise Hay

13. PEOPLE I'VE MET

  • My lovely housemates - Laura, Ffion, Jess, Chloe and Marissa
  • Family - my niece Olivia 
  • Famous Faces - Carrie Hope Fletcher, Antony Cotton, Mollie King, Joshua Sasse
  • Future housemates(!) - Jas and Nichola
  • Brides and Grooms - Emily and Tom, Helen and Adam, Jade and Aaron to name a few

14. FAVOURITE PHOTOS


15. INTENTIONS FOR 2016

  • To send out only positive energy
  • To repeat affirmations until they change my thinking, and after
  • To speak in positives and not negatives (speaking in negatives only puts negative statements into the subconscious)
  • To find an exciting work experience placement 
  • To film more weddings and set up a videography business
  • To practice yoga at least every other day
  • To live more consciously and fully

And now for some statistics (because we all love some stats don't we) ...
in 2015 I've been on 21 flights, approximately 64 trains, sent 1312 tweets and written 67 blog posts. Fun!

I encourage you all to look back at your year, with love and approval. What have been your highlights? What’s not been so great? Can you be okay with these things and move forward, with 2015’s lessons as your armour, to face 2016?

Wishing you all a wonderful last few hours of 2015 and a healthy, happy 2016! x

0 comments