'The Now'.

In the past few weeks I've spent less time on YouTube than I have previously due to being too busy to sit down and catch up on the creators I follow most. However, whilst struggling to get off to sleep the other night, I thought I'd peruse my subscription box. In doing so, I came across the latest video from Will Darbyshire, a relatively new YouTuber entitled, 'The Now' and it really hit home.

In the video, Will discusses the idea of living in the 'now' as when it really comes down to it, that's all we actually have. As he says, the past is just a collection of previous presents; the future is an infinite number of 'nows' that we are yet to experience.

What Will then goes on to explore is the dilemmas we can all face in choosing how we experience our 'now'. A lot of us, myself included, struggle with thoughts of what we're going to do in the future and how we're going to get there. And this can sometimes mean that we miss out on the beauty that simply is, now. 

The choice between following our hearts or our minds; the predicament of opting whether to be rational and make decisions based on our futures or whether to act spontaneously in the spur of the moment isn't an easy one. Will talks about how he has recently started living each day for what it is, and one of the points that struck a chord with me most was, 'if something makes sense to you and nobody else, I think you should just go and do it'. In the last few months, many of the decisions I have made haven't really made any sense to anyone else, but I've still done them. I've begun to start thinking about what makes me happy right now, and learning to embrace that rather than constantly making decisions that are only going to change my future, not my present. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going completely off the rails and spiraling into a psychotic 'YOLO' stage, I'm simply doing more of what makes me happy. 

And I believe that this can only be a positive thing. Not just for my present 'now's' but also for my future ones. By experiencing more now, and making the most of each day as it is, I can feel myself moulding and blending into a better, happier person. This may mean that the aims for my future 'now's' shift slightly, altering their course to head towards happiness as well as practicality, but inevitably this will mean that the future me is happier than the one I had planned out before.

I think the main thing I took from Will's video this week was the knowledge that it's okay to do unexpected things, to explore pathways you never thought you would and most importantly, it's more than okay to make a decision based on your happiness over what others may deem as the best option. As long as you're content and comfortable with the decisions you're making, and you believe that they're going to have a positive affect for you one way or another in the long run, keep doing them. Even if all you end up with are some stories of your crazy youth to tell in the future, at least you can say you had a bloody good time.

We only have now. Don't live your life waiting on tomorrow, saving yourself for a time in the distant future. It may never come. Enjoy what you have now. Do more of the things that make you happy.

'We're young, we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world; might as well have fun while we can and save the serious stuff for later.' - Summer, 500 Days of Summer. 

You can find Will's video here, as well as his channel which I would highly recommend you subscribing to.

As always, thanks for reading.

A

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Life in Letters

For today's post, I have taken inspiration from Alex Day and one of his recent videos entitled 'Life in Letters'. For those of you that don't know who Alex is; he is a British musician and YouTuber who runs the channel 'nerimon'. 

The concept for 'Life in Letters' is simple really - all you have to do is choose a word that describes something about you or your life to align with each letter of the alphabet! I thought this would be a good way of telling you guys a bit more about myself. If you would like to watch Alex's video (and I recommend that you do because he is brilliant), you can find the link HERE.

So, let's begin!

 - Ambitious.
I like to describe myself as an ambitious person. I set myself goals that are often challenging to reach, but I enjoy working towards something. 

 - Bossy.
I'm the first to admit that I can get a bit bossy when it comes to certain things. I was at my worst in school when I was helping to organise some shows. I've learnt how to listen to other people a lot more now though, thankfully!

 - Confidence. 
Confidence is an issue I struggled a lot with when I was younger, especially in lessons. I remember when I first joined secondary school I was far too scared to raise my hand during lessons even though I knew the answers. Luckily, I have now come out of my shell and am much more confident. I do still struggle sometimes though.

 - Drama. 
Drama and Theatre are huge parts of my life. In fact, taking part in school shows was what built my confidence levels up. I figured if I could perform in front of hundreds of people, I could do anything! Drama soon became my favourite subject throughout school.

 - English. 
On an equal par with Drama, English is also a subject I adore. It has been my strongest throughout my school life, and I am now doing a degree in it at university. I love reading different texts, and discovering many new and exciting ways of interpreting them. Language is such a powerful thing.

 - Friendship.
Friendship is so important to me. My friends are my favourite people, and I am lucky to have met and made many new ones in the past year since starting Uni.

 - Gatherings.
This year I attended my first YouTube gathering and I blooming well loved it!! I intend on going to many more, and hope to go to some that aren't solely about YouTube too. If you are interested in my Summer in the City experience, I wrote some posts about it which you can find here, here and here.

 - Happiness.
'Happiness is not a destination. It is a mood, it is not permanent. It comes and goes and if people thought that way then maybe people would find happiness more often.' - One Tree Hill.
One of my favourite quotes from one of my favourite programmes. Too often I see people striving for 'happiness' as if it's an object that they'll suddenly wake up one day and have. 

 - Internet.

Much like the majority of my generation, I am addicted to the Internet, most specifically social networks. I actively update and scroll through LINKS TO ALL 

 - Journey.

I wanted to use the word 'travel', but I have already thought of an idea for T. Instead, 'journey' is the word I've chosen. I love exploring new places, and would love the chance to visit many more. I hope one day to get the chance to travel all over the world. 

 - Kind. 

I have often been described as a kind person. This makes me happy! I live helping others in any way I can. 

 - London.

I love London. It's so easy to become lost in the hustle and bustle of thousands of people wherever you go. It also contains the West End, which is one of my favourite places in the world! I hope to live in or a short distance from London once I have graduated.

 - McFly.
McFly are my favourite band. They are the first band I ever properly followed, I have grown up alongside their music and have been to see them numerous times. One of my favourite memories from Primary school is sitting in the playground with two of my friends pouring over the lyric book to their first ever album, whlist debating who was our favourite. Oh, to be 10 again, haha. 

 - Nervousness.
Nervousness is something I struggle with quite often. I have an irrational fear of never being good enough, and never achieving things to the highest standard possible. Therefore, whenever I'm given an important responsibility I get nervous. I tend to thrive through this process though, so I'm okay with it now. 

 - Organised.
I love lists. I love notebooks. I love folders. I love labels. You might as well just say, I love organising and being organised.

 - President.
This year, I have been elected as President of my University's Musical Theatre Society. This means I have now taken on even more responsibility, but I am excited to lead a group of my favourite people. You can read more on this here. 

 - Quiet.
When I was younger, I was very quiet due to my confidence issues. However, after discovering my love for Musical Theatre, I came out of my shell a lot and am now much louder than I was before! I'll still be quiet and shy when meeting people for the first time though.

 - Reading.
I love reading, and always have done. Some of my earliest memories are either of reading, or being read to. Books are amazing in my eyes!

 - School.
I was very fortunate in that I loved my school days. Don't get me wrong, I went through a period of horrible bullying but luckily, I had teachers around me who managed to put a stop to it. School was easily some of the best years of my life, and hopefully most of my adult life will be spent in the same environment as I want to be a teacher. 

 - Tea.
I love tea. How very British of me! My favourite type has to be Earl Grey. Nothing beats a cosy Autumn evening curled up with a good book and a hug mug of steaming hot Earl Grey, in my opinion.

 - University.
As you will already know by now, I am currently studying at Universtiy. This September will see me start my second year of a BA (Hons) Degree in English.

 - Veracious.
This means to be truthful/honest (yes, I did use Google if you must know), which is something I like to be. Lying gets you nowhere, and can only cause upset. I'd much rather tell someone the honest truth and them be upset, than to hurt and deceive them in a much harsher way by lying.

 - Walking.
Walking is another hobby I enjoy. I'm sad that I don't get the opportunity to do this as often as I used to. I participated in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme in school and loved it!

 - X.
I couldn't think of a word beginning with X for this. Everytime I tried, I ended up thinking about how weird it is that we use X's at the end of messages to symbolise kisses, and wondering who thought of that first....

 - Youtube.
I love YouTube. I spend more time watching videos on the Internet than I do watching television these days. This is probably obvious from my many mentionings of Summer in the City. Have I said how much I loved that weekend yet?! Ha. 

- Zoo Keeper.

Bit of a random one to end on, but when I was younger I desperately wanted to be a zoo keeper. My animal of choice to care for would be giraffes, I love them! I soon realised this wouldn't be the best career for me as I used to bawl watching wildlife documentaries, so I would definitely not cope with real life loss! 

So, there we have it; the alphabet according to me! I hope you enjoyed this post, and that it wasn't too long and rambling for you! I get a bit carried away with things like this. I would love to see other people doing this, so let me know if you have tried it out or done something similar! Thanks for reading.

A

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