Become what you Respect | QUOTES

Hello!

"You can become what you respect. That's the least that you can do."

These posts are one of my favourites. Why? Well, they're all about spreading positivity, encouraging thinking about who we are and who we want to become, and I can almost feel myself coming 'back down to earth' as I write this, and maybe you feel the same when you read it. There is a reason quotes are ever-so popular, and here are 4 that you must read today.

A Quote to Live By - Be Open | MOTIVATION

Hello!

"gets you on the right track again"

You know the quotes you find on Pinterest, and occasionally pop up on your Tumblr and Twitter feeds, well I think they're great. It's a way to bring you back down to Earth, reminds you of your morals and gets you on the right track again. Well, this is one that really gets me back down to Earth, reminds me of my morals, and helps to get me back on the right track again. 

Be Happy, a Genius & Dream | QUOTES

Hello!

"Everyone is a genius in their own way. You don't need grades to prove it"

Remember me telling you there'll be a lot of these quotes in these few weeks (post here)? Well, here's another one of those, and this one's got a bit more variety. 

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By variety, I feel the post has it's toes dipped in lots of different pools.

It's got the talk about happy.. 
I believe in this whole heartedly. One way to bring this home is the blog itself. I absolutely love writing to you. Sure, sometimes it's harder to think of ideas and get inspiration, but all in all it's a wonderful experience. Not once did I think about what people I know 'in real life' would think of it. In fact, I was kind of shy about that part. But a few months ago, when it came up in a family conversation in front of cousins, they all seemed pretty impressed! I felt proud, but as I'm quite an awkward person, I felt quite shy too! The big picture though, I do it because it makes me happy, not to impress, and I hope that comes through the posts :)

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It's got the talk about geniuses...
It is exam time after all, and I couldn't help but put this quote up for you to see. It's something that is so true, and thought about too little. Everyone is a genius in their own way. You don't need grades to prove it.

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And it's got the talk about dreams... 
This one is pretty simple but also true. It relates to the idea that you should do things for you, not to impress. Things that make you happy, and things that make you feel motivated and inspired. If someone is telling you it is way to difficult for you to achieve something you've been working on, prove them wrong, and do it anyway. You know what they say, you've only failed if you haven't tried! 

Well, that's it, the post about Happiness, Geniuses and Dreams. I hope it get's you a little more motivated and makes you realise what your goals are in life, whether it be a super professional something, or simply to live happy - go for it! 

Tell me, what is your favourite topic for quotes? Is it about being happy, a dreamer or something that makes you laugh?

Patience, Breathe, Think Happy & Believe | QUOTES

Hello!

"I know it's all about being calm and collected, but also not giving up."

During this time of year, quotes are a great reminder to keep one on the 'Be Calm and Positive' bandwagon. As it is exam season, you'll probably be seeing a few of these on here - and who knows, maybe it'll benefit you to clear your head and remind you of the good things, even if you're not taking exams.

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Patience is an aspect many often forget about. I know I do. It's all about letting go, having less control and just understanding that things will happen the way they're supposed to - so just let it be. The quote above really does bring the idea of patience home, and sometimes, we just have to accept it. 

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"it'll benefit you to clear your head and remind you of the good things"

Roald Dahl, ah the famous Roald Dahl! What wonderful things he said, and things I totally agree with. Happy thoughts WILL shine.

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This one's a little different - it almost changes the entire mood of the post. I know it's all about being calm and collected, but also not giving up. 

Best of luck to those taking exams, and those not, I hope you have a great week anyway. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for more quote posts on here sometime soon - but if you feel like you would like to read some more now, and you want to be on the positive boat, here are some links:

Smile, Be a Dreamer & Bloom
Be Bright, Truthful, Positive
Fight the Fear
Cherish the Days

Tell me, any exam tips you have rolled up your sleeves? Share them below :)

Smile, Be a Dreamer & Bloom | QUOTES

Hello!

"you know what they say, think good things, and good things will happen!"

Quotes are lovely. They make you take a step back and realise what life is about. It's so easy for us to get bogged down into our own little troubles and we forget how irrelevant they might be in the long run. Or we forget our morals and values, so it's always nice to take a moment and refer to them. That's one of my favourite things about these posts, we get a chance to just bring ourselves back down to Earth. Here we go:

"we get a chance to just bring ourselves back down to Earth."

Living in London, there's this 'unwritten rule' that you should never smile to strangers. Or so there seems to be. I, for one, don't follow that rule. Being lucky enough to live in a neighbourhood where people do say good morning to you, where it's acceptable to smile at someone out of courtesy, it's totally normal to say hello to 'strangers'. 

I remember going out and about with a friend who lives nearby, and I said hello and smiled to a 'stranger' as they did so back, and the friend said 'How do you know them?!'. I don't know what it was, but that completely shocked me. Is it not normal to do this? Do most people just walk past others as though they did not cross paths?

"so easy for us to get bogged down into our own little troubles and we forget how irrelevant they might be"

If you read my last blog post, you may have picked up that I'm a bit of a dreamer. I saw this quote on Pinterest and thought I had to include it. It's okay to dream a little - you know what they say, think good things, and good things will happen! 

"take a step back and realise what life is about."

This one is just speaks for itself. Just be you! <3

Hope you have a fantastic day, and tell me, if there's one quote that's stuck to you right now, what is it?

Be Bright, Truthful, Positive: Motivation Monday

Hello!

"this quote is exactly what you need to remind you to stay calm but remember your goals. "

A little inspiration in the morning, to remind you of the person you are, the person you want to be, is good to get you going. Sometimes, all you need is a bit of scrolling through quotes, and here are a few that may just make you feel a little better:

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"make you feel better to think about the good stuff"

Ah, the good ol' Gandhi! An image for peace and determination, this quote is exactly what you need to remind you to stay calm but remember your goals. 

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"so simple, straightforward and couldn't be truer!"

If you follow me on Twitter (link), you'd know I generally post a link to a motivational post with the description 'Start your day on a positive note' or something like that, so you see that I agree with this a lot. Starting your day with a positive thought is great, and just sets you in the right mindset.

The other quote is great, whether it be towards the end of the day and you're reminiscing thinking about how rubbish the day might have been. Well, in all honestly, I'm sure there is something good that happened today. Even if it was the tiniest thing that was good, it was still something positive and it'll make you feel better to think about the good stuff!

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"to remind you of the person you are, the person you want to be"

My favourite of the quotes. It's so simple, straightforward and couldn't be truer! Be Happy. Be Bright. Be You.

I hope you have a super nice day.
Tell me, what gets you going in the morning?

One Direction FOUR: Music

Hello!

" songs you'd want to listen to when you're in the car on a rainy day and looking out the window as though you're in a movie"

With a new year (I'm probably going to start every post in January with that opening!), new music is called for. Is it really? No, probably not, but what can go wrong - other than being totally addicted to it and having to listen to it 24/7!

Well, I've never really been a huge, die-hard fan of 1D, until now. Literally, the most recent album, Four, has been on repeat. After listening to the Four album playlist on YouTube about a million times, I decided it was time to add it to the iTunes playlist - and I never looked back!

My top 3 favourites from the album are: "Fool's Gold", "Night Changes" and "Ready to Run". Special mention to "18" too.
*Click on the titles to be directed to a download link.

The album is great because it's quite relaxing. Like, it has the type of songs you'd want to listen to when you're in the car on a rainy day and looking out the window as though you're in a movie - catch my drift?

So, if you're looking for a couple of songs to add to your playlist, don't let any stereotype of 1D stop you. Their music is great and that's all that matters!

Tell me, are you a 1D fan? If so, what's your favourite song?

Motivation Monday: Morning Thoughts

Hello!

"stay focused and look at the things around you."

Another Monday is upon us, and it's the first thing that pops into our heads on Monday Morning can determine the rest of the day... or rest of the morning, at least! It could either be: "Oh YAY, start of another fresh week" or "Let's just stay under the duvet for the next 50 hours?" Choose the latter and you're more likely to dread mornings!

"Be grateful and feel forever content."

This quote is simple yet always overlooked. Be grateful and feel forever content. It is so easy to miss the things right under our nose, like the quote 'You'll Only Miss it When it's Gone' - so just take a moment to think of the things you're lucky to have.

Is Roald Dahl EVER wrong? 

It seems as though the images did all the talking in this post and that's how morning should be: productive yet quiet... :)

What's your favourite morning ritual?

TREND: Mid-Length Hair

Hello! 

"you're about to see the result of the big chop!"

Hair trends are forever changing in the world of today - from the oh-so colourful rainbow colour phase (which some say is still going strong) to the ever-lasting ombré... well, there's now more to the list of hair trends and you're about to see the result of the big chop!

With the likes of Taylor Swift, Kim K and Ciara undergoing the snip, how could we miss it?!

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"it's a lot easier for the women themselves!"

The chop has made the ladies look a lot more fun, with a chilled vibe. I love how healthy their hair looks and I'm sure it's a lot easier for the women themselves!

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 "isn't too short that you can't do much"

It's nice that the cut isn't too short that you can't do much in terms of hair-styles, yet not too long, either!

Summer generally calls for short hair - yet this time, A/W 2014 is calling for it, too!

Would you go for the chop this season - Why?

Motivation Monday: Just Keep Going

Hello!

"be positive and get in this frame of mind:"

Happy Monday! It's another start to the week and you may be chilling in bed thinking... 'gosh, I could do with another day off'... a little like this cute little doggy:

"keep looking up and moving forward, it'll be alright"

But think of it this way, it's going to be a good day. You have a lot to look forward to, who knows what the day has to bring for you.. you may be pleasantly surprised. Now, you won't know about it until you get up and out of bed, will you? So, be positive and get in this frame of mind:

" who knows what the day has to bring for you.. "

If you watched the GBBO last week, you may have noticed Nancy's little quote, along the lines of: keep looking up and moving forward, it'll be alright. It's true. Think positive thoughts and good things will happen.

"Be the best version of yourself"

Finally, think of the kind of person you want to be. Be the best version of yourself and remember, just keep going. 

What gets you out of bed in the mornings?

Motivation Monday: You are Enough

Hello! 

"To not just choose that happiness, but to feel it"

Happy Monday! There hasn't been a Motivation Monday in a very long time yet having read a post on The Tig, a site mentioned in this post, I felt the need to share. 

The Tig is run by Meghan Markle, also known as Rachel from the TV Series Suits! The idea behind her blog post was just so relatable and I couldn't agree with her more.. so here are some snippets from her post: 

"I am happy. And I say that so plainly because, well…it takes time. To be happy. To figure out how to be kind to yourself. To not just choose that happiness, but to feel it"

"iconic saying from Jerry Maguire -"You complete me” – frankly, isn’t true"

"I must have been about 24 when a casting director looked at me during an audition and said “You need to know that you’re enough. Less makeup, more Meghan.”"

" That five pounds lost won’t make you happier, that more makeup won’t make you prettier, that the now iconic saying from Jerry Maguire -"You complete me” – frankly, isn’t true. You are complete with or without a partner. You are enough just as you are."

Okay, I'm going to stop now before I basically copy the whole thing - but you have to read the full post here. 

It is such a post that would make you step back a little and think that life is much more than comparing yourself to others, it is about loving who you are right now and forever.. to remember that YOU are ENOUGH. 

So tell me: Do you believe that YOU are ENOUGH? 

BBXO's 1 Year Blog-iversary + milestones

Hello!

Do you know what day it is? Of course you do, because you read the title!
It's BBXO's ONE YEAR Anniversary! Can you believe it. This time last year was the first day of my summer vacation. It was the day I came home from my last exam and started the blog... it was when all of this started.

Some things that have obviously changed is the layout.... the logo, the background and the vibe.

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ANOTHER milestone is 150 posts. This is the 150st post - is it just me that feels this is quite cool that it happened at the same time - I mean the 1 year and the 150th post?!

Also, the ending has changed, before you were said goodbye to in the form of '...keep blooming berries!' but now, you get given a rose! A picture says a 1000 words, right? ;)

Okay, I don't have much to say to you, because how far this blog has gotten is unbelievable - reaching 24,000 views is incredible and even though for some it may not be a lot, for me it is more than I had ever thought!
Thank you for sticking with BBXO and there's a lot more coming your way (plus a huge surprise which I can't tell you much about just yet) so stay tuned!!!

Motivation Monday: Cherish the Days

Hello!

Happy Monday! I hope you're well and as happy as you can be no matter what stress you may have, or what burden may lay on your shoulders. As I mentioned in my last post, it's the stressful Exam Period for me and many others in the UK (do you have exams on too?), and I felt this post was much needed - to keep us grounded!

So with the title of the post, you would've released the theme of this post: Cherish The Days.
Well, with life I think we all come to a point where we realise how short our life is. Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow? Who knows how long we have?  (okay that sounds really serious and a bit sad, but lets be real!!)

Life will have good things in store, but I always tend to live in the future. It's nice to be seeing things more clearly the way it is now than wishing it was something else, or, like the quote: Waiting for something else. Lets cherish now!

As well as living in the future, you may find that you may live in the past too. We can't change what happened yesterday, let's cherish those moments and create new ones today! Its like the quote from Kung Fu Panda:

My driving instructor used to say this all the time and whenever I think about it, I remember how lucky we are for today - oh gosh, that does sound cheesy but it's so true!! 

Well, although it may seem like life will start after the exams, after something happens but no, life is always going, so cherish the days! 

Hope you have a lovely day and tell me: are you living in the past, future or the present? 

Motivation Monday - Excitement is Good!

Hello!

Yet another Monday has arrived at our doorstep, but this Monday is different... It's Easter Bank Holiday Monday! Wooo! Okay, you may be thinking I am over exaggerating with how excited I am about this day, but that's kind of the point of this post...

As we grow older, somehow our brains seem to think that getting excited over the small stuff is very weird - or unacceptable. It makes us feel as though we're childish and immature. Honestly, though, the youth are said to be the best years of our life - so why purposely (or unconsciously) try to rid that happiness sooner than necessary? 

Is it wrong to be excited about the smallest things? No. Would people think it's weird? Maybe. Well, you know that you can never make every single person in the world happy - so do it for the person that matters most in the world to you: YOU.

For the last couple of days, I have been happy for no particular reason, yet for almost every reason. Making the most of the situation. Admiring the beautiful things in life and just smiling.
The quote about is very true - there are so many beautiful reasons to be happy.

Okay, I understand that it is almost (I said ALMOST) impossible to Always be happy - yet the time we spend unhappy is time not well spent. Try and be happy, even when it feels impossible. Look at the things you love most. Make the most out of the things you have to do and hopefully you'll find something beautiful..

So, this Motivation Monday may seem a bit cliché, but I feel it's important to tell you to be happy. Even though you've read it in more than one other motivation monday - I still believe the overall goal in life is to be happy.

I hope you have a fabulous Bank Holiday Monday if you're in the UK, or just a Beautiful day anyway!

Tell me a beautiful thing you've seen today, maybe the look of your tea this morning, or the flowers in  the garden, or the look on your dogs face when you gave it some breakfast - what has been a beautiful thing you've seen today? 

Motivation Monday: Live Life Now

Hello!

Happy Monday! I've got an extra special reason why this monday is a happy one - I'm home for the next 2 weeks! Yay! But that doesn't mean you can't be happy with your Monday, anyway! Everyday should be a happy day, right?! Thus leading onto the first part of the post...

Everyday should be a good day, just enjoy life! What's a life waiting for the next day to be a good one, when you can make today a good one! It's fun to be happy! 

Adding to that, obviously there are things we cannot control. Maybe someone did something that made you feel down, or something happened you wish didn't. Guess What? We can't really change what happened. We can move on, make it better if we can, or just make now/today the best it can be! 

Finally, I'll leave you today will a happy Giraffe! Because this Giraffe looks really happy, makes me happy and I hope you're happy! (I couldn't say happy one more time in that sentence, could I?! haha!) 

What is your word of Happy Advice?! 

*Images are not mine, I had them saved and do not know the source..

Motivation Monday - Smile

Hello! 

Happy Monday! I hope you had a fantastic weekend, enjoying the beautiful weather if you are a Londoner like me - or anywhere that may have received a few kisses from the sun! Having really enjoyed my Sunday, I decided I shouldn't let the Monday Blues bring me down - and you shouldn't either! Whether you had a rough or smooth weekend, let this be another day to make wonderful memories! 

This quote by Dr Seuss is an eye opener in many ways and really warms my heart. Sometimes I find we seem to regret where we are now and prefer how it was like before. We say things like 'Oh, back in the good old days' - well, if you think about it, these days will be the 'good old days' in a couple of years time, so why not make the most of it NOW. 

Don't cry because we aren't in those 'good old days' but smile because those good days existed. Smile that we have another chance to make it good for ourselves! 

Wishing you all a positive day and tell me, what are POSITIVE sayings or quotes keeping you going?