I'll first start this post with saying Happy New Year and a belated Merry Christmas! I have been absent for just over a month now because I have been run off my feet with college work, and working two retail jobs over the christmas period has meant when I wasn't in college I was working pretty much non-stop. Over the month I have been absent I've turned 18, worked a ridiculous amount of hours and then before I knew it, christmas had arrived! I'm planning on putting up a what I got for christmas post next week so I will tell you all about my christmas then, but I got some really lovely gifts and had a really nice day. This is the first night throughout the whole christmas holidays that I have actually had a break and been able to write a post, every day leading up to christmas I was either at work or doing some christmas preparations, and then every day after christmas I was working so I finally have a little break to get some work done.
2016 has been a funny year, it's had a lot of downs but also a few ups. I'm trying not to dwell on the downs so I am just focussing on the good things that have happened this year. I was just looking over my new years resolutions and goals from last year and I am so pleased with myself that I managed to achieve all of them this year (apart from drinking more water and eating more healthily which I failed at epically). I passed my theory test and my driving test and I managed to save up and buy the car of my dreams which I think is probably the best thing that happened to me this year. My life changed completely on 11th June when I picked up my little fiat 500 Humphrey, I was finally free and felt so much more independent and grown up, it is by far one of my biggest achievements. I also passed all of my AS exams with really good grades, I was particularly pleased with my A in Law because I want a career in the legal profession so getting that A really pushed me even more to do as well as I can this year. I also got a job with some of the best people ever, I honestly work with the most amazing people and I am so grateful to have my Next family in my life. I have had some very rough patches this year and I've been so grateful to be able to go to work and always know that there is someone there to cheer me up. I also got an interview for a legal apprenticeship with an amazing law firm, which I am so happy about because this is the first step in setting myself up for a successful career doing something that I am hugely passionate about, literally ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you I'm a complete Law freak! I have also met the most amazing bunch of girls since being involved with grlpowr, it has helped me so much this year to network with other bloggers and to help grow my blog even more and I couldn't be more grateful for their support. I always know that I have the grlpowr group to turn to no matter what happens and they're always willing to help me out when I need them. I have had a busy year so blogging has taken a back seat for a lot of the year, but I have been so proud with the content that I have created this year even though there hasn't been a vast quantity of it. I love having my blog as a hobby and an outlet for my rambles but I'm very pleased to have worked with more brands this year and got involved with so many amazing projects and also taken part in some sponsorships which has helped develop my passion into something that I can proudly call my business. As I am writing this, I have just hit 1000 followers on Instagram which is a huge milestone and I also hit 1000 on Twitter last month which I am so chuffed about. 2017 is already off to an amazing start and I really want this to be the year that my blog gets a lot more love and attention because I feel so proud watching it blossom and grow. Focussing on all the amazing things I have achieved this year makes 2016 seem not quite as bad, hopefully 2017 will be just as prosperous and successful.
My aim for 2017 is to get 2 blogposts up a week, over the past month I have really missed reading your comments and interacting with you all. I want to devote more time to doing things I love and things that make me happy and stop being such a workaholic. My aim is to have a post up every Wednesday and then have my Sunday Edit posts up on a Sunday because they seem to always go down well and it gives you a chance to keep up with what I'm up to. 2017 is going to be the year where I stop wasting precious time, I want to use every spare minute to do something productive. If 2016 has taught me anything, its that time is precious. I want to make memories with people that matter that I will treasure forever, and spend every moment bettering myself or working towards something. No more wasting time sat in bed for hours on end watching pug videos on Facebook, get up and do something with your life woman! I'm definitely going to be more harsh on myself this year but in a good way, I really want to work hard and get the best A-level grades that I can, as well as making sure I spend time doing things that I really enjoy. I haven't made any resolutions as such, just goals to make sure 2017 is the best I can make it.
Enough rambling from me, time to wrap this up before I go off on a massive tangent and sit here typing away for another hour. I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2017 and hope it brings you all the amazing things that you deserve! If you have any resolutions or goals for 2017 then let me know, I love knowing what other people are striving to achieve! Keep an eye out for my Sunday Edit which you might have guessed will be up on Sunday!
Emily xx
