NEW SUMMER GOALS LIST

I'm writing this post on Thursday 22nd June, five days before this post is set to go live for you guys to read. 
We've just had the most insanely hot couple of days, which for me here in Manchester, appears to have left us and I'm frantically writing this post plus one more, in-between pricing up my entire wardrobe for my charity clothes sale this Sunday (25th). I say frantically as I've just been informed about a last minute trip of a lifetime that will take up ALL of next week (this week when you're reading this) and I hate not having anything going up on my blog, so here we are, frantic's and all.

So a few weeks back I divulged you with what I'd achieved throughout the colder months of 2016-2017, posts I really enjoy writing, it's lovely to set mid-year goals, to then look back on and see how far you've come. In that post I also said that I'd be back in a week (It's been 6...oops) to update you with my new goals. But alas so much has happened in the past 6 weeks, good, bad and down right heartbreaking so this post was politely put onto the back burner... Until now. 

Goals, ahhhh beautiful goals, targets, ambitions and objectives, where oh where do I begin?

I have to say that writing this so long after my last recap post is proving a little difficult. It's funny what can change in a matter of weeks. The notes I had written down a mere 6 weeks ago somehow seem a little irrelevant now and some even have already been achieved. So, I'm scrapping those notes and writing freehand, off the top of my head, wherever my fingers take me.
I just know already that some goals will be the same as last years summer goals. Heck, I think those goals may always be my goals, but thats purely because you can't put a number on some things in life.

1. So as usual I'm going to begin with travel. I've had my eyes opened even further to the beauty of travel as of late and I quite literally have the bug. Just last week I was writing to say how I used to fear going away too much and liked to have a break at home for at-least two weeks in-between trips. Well, that is no longer the case. I now pine for getting away to new destinations with Gee. And with that, comes my first target, I want to travel far and wide. I want to visit Italy (again) I'd love to go to the US, ideally San Francisco, Chicago and New Orleans, I'd really love to have a totally relaxing, switch off, beach holiday, I'd like to try something new when it comes to holidaying; whether that be water-sports, an unusual accommodation, a festival abroad, ANYTHING. I just want to travel, to see the world and to share it with you lot.

2. Now this is a big one. 
When I was referring to the heartbreaking moments of the past 6 weeks I was of course referring to all the terror attacks that have happened lately. Not to mention the god awful Grenfell Tower fire. 
And you know, all too well that I am hosting a charity clothes sale with all proceeds going to the We Heart Manchester charity sale this Sunday, which, by the time you're reading this, will have already been and gone!
Well, I'm currently in the midst of pricing up and packing my wardrobe, beauty stash, shoe rack and accessories pile and praying to God that someone turns up (argh!)
But this reason for me saying this is that I'd really LOVE to raise £1,000 for the We Heart Manchester fund, now that would be a dream come true. If we can surpass that, the my goodness I can't tell you how thrilled I'd be. But achieving the £1k pillar would truly be a fantastic way to make a difference to those people who were affected by the horrendous attacks. WE CAN DO IT!
Following that, I'm already thinking about my next charity sale and ways in which I can make it open to more of you who may be outside of Manchester... Who knows ey?

3. Again we have books. Since last summer I've definitely achieved wanting to read more. I never don't have a book on the go which is utterly fabulous indeed and I'm totally loving taking some time out, whether that be in bed, in the bath or on a train or plane.
What I really want to achieve by the end of the summer is having a blog post or even ideally a series where I chat you through the books I've read, why I love them and why I think you would love them too. A mini overview of each book, a book club if you will. 
The importance of reading is huge and I want to inspire you with my monthly reads to pick up a book and take some time away from the internet. I know that it's really helped me in so many ways. 
So yes, hopefully by the time the next goals recap comes along I'd like to have had a blogpost dedicated to the books I have loved, pretty achievable right?

4. So this is quite a funny one but it's a big one for me.
My Swiss Cheese Plant, Kevin, is quite possibly my biggest achievment of 2017. 
My parents bought me my much desired Cheese Plant for Christmas and since then i've become obsessed with watching him grow. He sits on our TV Stand by the window and every evening whilst George and I are snuggled up on the sofa I can't help but stare at him lovingly and feel a great sense of pride for how much he is thriving. It's sad, really, but Kevin is my little baby and looking after him is extremely rewarding indeed.
Now I really sound crazy.
But honestly, without having a puppy or a baby to look after, Kevin is the next best thing. Since I got him on December 25th, he has doubled in size and is looking bigger and better than ever. Sooooo, furthermore, I'd like Kevin to have a few more leaves on him by the end of the summer, with the 7 little sprouts that have recently grown, to be big, beautiful and healthy leaves. Now that would make me one happy girl indeed.

5. A quick and easy one now, by the end of the summer I'd really LOVE LOVE LOVE to hit 50k subscribers on my YouTube channel. I'm currently at 48,378 subs so I think this one is totally achievable indeed. I adore YouTube, creating awesome videos for you guys to watch and in-turn be inspired by so I'd really love to surpass my goal of 50,000 subscribers by my next goals post.

6. Linked, in a way to that of YouTube is my confidence. 
Being on YouTube has seen my self confidence grow tenfold and since I wrote my Issues with Self Confidence blog post a few months back and since reading all of your terribly inspiring comments and emails about how you've overcome your own self confidence matters, I feel I've been able to step up a notch or two with my own confidence woes. 
I have two upcoming events where I'll be meeting a great number of you and talking to a rather large audience indeed. The first being my charity sale on Sunday which is a nice way of easing myself into being in a large crowd of people and talking confidently, whilst the second is a live panel and a Q&A at the British Style Collective in Liverpool on 7th July... EEEK! If you fancy it you can pick up some tickets here.
I am SO nervous about it but I know I can do it and I know that I can do it with confidence... Eventually.
I'd love to report back after the 7th July and say that I've officially squashed my public speaking phobia once and for all.

7. So six weeks ago now, I spoke about how George and I may well be buying a new place to live in the centre of Manchester. And since then this is no longer the case. Things happen with these kind of things that are often out of your control so we're very much back at square one with the whole getting on the property ladder malarky. 
However, we absolutely need to move. We adore our beautiful city centre flat but we have completely outgrown it now. Every corner within our flat now looks cluttered and it's beginning to get us both down. Not to mention the fact that we are now living in a goldfish bowl after the building directly across from us has been renovated and turned into a popular fashion head office... Not ideal when the windows aren't frosted and I work from home every day.
We also would really like a garden, a puppy (hello sausage dog lifelong goal) and I'd adore my own office. So the hunt for a new home is on and by the end of summer we really must have somewhere else to go as our lease on this place runs out at the end of the year... Watch this space.

So there we have my goals for the next couple of months. I'm pretty confident that the bulk of these goals will be doable, I hope. So I look forward to updating you on the most part by the end of September. 
Please let me know if you have any mid year goals set in place? I'd really love to hear them as they may well inspire one or two more of my own goals. 
Lets do this summer!

Lots of Love

x M

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOPHIE TRAYNOR