laotong ♡ eternal sisters

2 Comments

I write about inspiration a lot. It is such an important factor in my life.

Inspiration gives me motivation. Looking at things that inspire me, and having these things surround me gives me the motivation to do things, even the things that are a little bit harder.

Since my last post about inspiration, I have included it even more in my life. I've built more Pinterest boards, filled with beautiful pictures and words. I find that while it may seem like procrastinating, spending 5 minutes looking through one of my boards inspires me to start working, and do my best.

I have also built a vision board that sits just above my desk. I got this pegboard from IKEA and some of my favourite coloured paint chips from the local hardware store. With the paint chips giving some colour to the board, I added some of my favourite quotes and pictures. It only took about an hour, and I now have inspiration right at my desk, whenever I need it.

Including ways to find inspiration in my everyday life has been really important to me, and really helped me to be the best person that I can. It doesn't take much time, but it really makes a difference in everything I do.

Where do you find inspiration?
xxxPoppy

In photography

Up, Up and Away

Posted on Thursday, 22 March 2018

"Have the courage to live life the way you want to"

I love hot air balloons. (Maybe not if I was in one), but they are such a beautiful addition to the landscape.
Last weekend I was able to photograph some hot air balloons from near where I live. I loved exploring their colours and managed to capture some beautiful photos of the balloons at sunrise.
Enjoy

xxxPoppy

Individuality

Posted on Monday, 19 March 2018

"No one has ever made a difference by being like everyone else"

-P.T. Barnum

We are all unique. We have different talents, different abilities, we do things differently. Our individuality is something that we all try and embrace, and are constantly being told we should get better at expressing. Think about how many times you have been told to "be yourself" and not worry about what other people think.

I am trying really hard this year to work and being me and not changing my opinions because of what someone else might think. There is a fine line between being tolerant and respectful, and not being able to stand up for your opinions. It is a line that we all find hard to stay on.

Anyway, today I wanted to talk about individuality at school. I love learning new things, and I love exploring something that fascinates me and expressing what I know about it. But I don't like being forced into doing things a certain way. I would love to learn about things that interest me, in ways that I enjoy.

But school isn't like that. At school, you learn about what "they" think is important. You learn about a million different things, only touching the surface with each. I would love to be able to learn about fewer things but much more in-depth. I would love to be able to learn about medicine in world war 2 for 10 weeks, rather than brushing over it in one lesson and then moving on. I completely understand why things are like this. There are a lot of things we need to learn, and this is the way school has worked since the beginning of well, school.

But don't you think there might be a better way? So many things have advanced in the last 100 years alone. Almost everything has changed, yet the way we learn has stayed almost the same. We could embrace technology, and use it to tailor lessons to students, allowing them to focus on the things that interest them. Maybe they want to spend 6 lessons looking at cells, and only 1 on the weather. I haven't got all the answers, and I don't know how it would happen. But couldn't we have e-schools, where students are in control? Our world is evolving and we have the capacity to learn in so many different ways, and we aren't embracing it!

Think about all the problems this would solve. Kids would no longer not want to go to school because they get to choose what they focus on. People would learn to love studying, there would no longer be dreaded lessons. Don't you think you can still learn as much about religion by focusing on its role in modern society as you could looking at its origins?

Even more, we would all be able to learn in a way that suits us! Back to individuality, with our unique talents and abilities, we all flourish by learning in different ways. Currently, it is impossible for one teacher to cater to 15 different learning styles, but if we had more freedom to choose and focus we would be able to learn in ways that suit us. The internet allows all kinds of learners to learn the same thing... those who learn visually would no longer be disadvantaged in a textbook based subject.

I know that I would enjoy learning if I was able to focus on the things that interested me and learn about them in ways that work for me. What about you?

xxxPoppy

In photography

Lights and Colour

Posted on Thursday, 15 March 2018

Over the weekend I was lucky enough to go to the local light festival. Taking photos of beautiful light and murals is one of my favourite things to do because of all the beautiful colours. When I take photos of lights like these, I get the chance to play with bright pinks and greens- colours that we don't normally see, and that I don't normally photograph.

Enjoy these photos!

xxxPoppy

Updated - Beautiful Words

Posted on Monday, 12 March 2018

I found these two beautiful poem/quotes on pinterest the other day, and I think they are both something that I need to keep in mind... learning to love everything I do.

"You have to be the kind of person who can make the best out of a Tuesday. You know those people who live for the weekends? They are wishing their life away. You have to find something worth living for or else you'll look back and realise you've wasted your life away."

"someone once told me to always live for the little things in life.

live for 5am sunrises and 5pm sunsets

where you'll see colours in the sky that don't

usually belong.

Live for road trips and bike rides

with music in your ears and

the wind in your hair.

Live for days when you're surrounded

by your favourite people who make you realise

that the world is not a

cold, harsh place.

Live for the little things because

they will make you realise that

this is what life is all about,

this is what it means to be alive."

(a.y)

What do you think?

xxxPoppy

Study Time

Posted on Thursday, 8 March 2018

I am If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you."

-Zig Ziglar

I am the kind of person who enjoys school. I love learning new things and that feeling when you finally understand something, or when you ace an exam!

Don't get me wrong, it doesn't all come easily to me. I have to work just as hard as anyone else to do well and keep on top of things. I find it hard sometimes, sometimes I don't want to do it. Sometimes I have no motivation and I get nothing done. But sometimes I power through three hours work of work in 1. Sometimes I finish my to-do list. Sometimes it happens. Today I want to share three things that are really important to me when I am studying.

Understanding
I don't like memorising. I get that sometimes there isn't another way, and I can deal with that. When I have no choice but to memorise something I write out a flash card with pretty colours and neat notes, then I take a mental picture of the flashcard to refer to in my head.
But if there is the option of understanding I will always take it. I will always try to work out why something is the way it is. Why that formula works, why the weather is the way it is. I research and work really hard to understand things.
It might seem like more work, but instead of relying on regurgitating facts I know that I have them in my head and because I understand what I am talking about.

Practising
If I have to write an in-class essay, I will write a practise one the night before. I will do practise exams, practise problems. I practise all the time. Practising re-enforces something in your mind and allows you to put your understanding onto paper.
Practising is also more forgiving, it's completely ok and there are no bad consequences of making a silly mistake in a practise maths problem, you don't lose marks as you would in an exam. It's better to make a mistake when you are practising than when you are doing an exam.

Learn to Love It
Studying is something you can't avoid. It will all be much easier if you learn to love it. This is something I am trying hard to do.
Learn to love learning. Think about the results, where this work now will lead you. Love understanding something and seeing it play out in life. Love learning how the world works.
For some people fostering a love of studying might involve taking beautiful notes, typing them on a new keyboard, making a youtube video of yourself explaining something. It can be fun, and when it is fun you will learn not just to tolerate studying but enjoy it. Enjoy discovering and re-enforcing new things.

xxxPoppy

2 Comments

What I've learnt from my first job.

Posted on Thursday, 1 March 2018

I have always known that you don't just learn things as school. But I didn't really understand this until towards the end of last year, when I got my first job.
Before I started I was super excited to learn how everything worked and to earn money to spend on things I love. I didn't realise then how much I would learn and grow as a person from having my first job, and the valuable life skills it would teach me.
Today I want to share some things that this job has taught me:

How to manage money
I didn't realise that I would learn how to manage what I bought, and how to save for the future. I have learnt what is worth buying, and how to save for something that I want. But I have also learnt the value of money if that makes sense. It is kind of like seeing how much something costs and going "that's 3 hours work, is it worth it?".

How to talk to people
I used to be really shy and hate talking to people in shops, I even hated going up and ordering something. From work I've learnt how to talk to people and make conversation with them...which leads me too...

Confidence
This job has dramatically improved my confidence, at school and just in everyday life. I am more confident to speak up in class and to ask the teachers for help.

How to manage my time
When I am working I have to use the spare time I have really well. I have to be productive when I sit down to do some homework and get as much done as I can. Having blocks when I have to be at work has helped me learn how to manage my time and bring more balance to my life.

I am really glad that my first job has taught me all these skills, and while it may feel a bit boring while I am there I am learning a lot about how the world works.

When did something teach you when you weren't expecting it?
xxxPoppy