2016

I've been seeing a lot of people saying that Kylie Jenner was right about this year being the year of 'realizing things' and to be honest, I totally agree. Every year I learn some very valuable lessons but there's just something about 2016 that has been the biggest eye opener for me. Last year I did a post on 2015 and it was just me answering questions on what that year had been like for me but this year I want to change that slightly and just talk about the ups and downs of 2016.

I just have to share with you quickly my love for winter. These past couple of days I've woken up to sunny, frosty winter mornings and it is perfect. This is totally my type of weather and as a blogger, beautiful scenery is always a bonus when taking photos!

Anyway.. I'll start off with the challenges that came at me this year and end off on a positive note. I would say the main struggle for me this year was university, going into my third year was a lot more harder than I thought. Actually, I didn't think I'd struggle going into my third year at all simply because I had managed to get through the past 2 years and by now, I'd be used to everything. That wasn't the case for me unfortunately.. it took me forever to get back into the routine of studying and going into lectures, I mean.. after nearly 4 months off you won't get back into things so easily.

Quick note, I didn't realise my hair band was hanging out of my bag as these photos were being taken.. oops!

Throughout this time I started to lose my interest for my course, I wasn't enjoying Law anymore, it became so difficult to put in the effort needed and I just wanted it all to be over and done with. I actually almost deferred my third year because of other things that were going on around that time but after a specific conversation with one my friends, she made me realise that there was no need to defer my third year especially because I'm so close to finishing. The convo went into more depth than that but to summarise it, that was the main thing that stood out to me. I also realised that I kept focusing on what I wanted to do after I finish uni and that began to effect my progress in my studies at that moment. I couldn't focus and put in the effort for my studies because I so badly wanted to finish uni and just start living my life.

After some serious thinking, I've found that I'm in a much better place now and I've found that interest for my course again. I'm also back to working hard and I feel so much better about it all.

Another challenge for me this year was my anxiety, for some reason my anxiety reached its peak. I think this had to do with how I was feeling about my whole uni situation and just how I was feeling about myself in general. I became so low on confidence this year, I wasn't happy with a lot about myself so it made my anxiety go crazy. I remember it being a struggle to get out of bed, go outside and even go to university! It was horrible. I so badly wanted to feel better and in the past, I would normally go to the gym but this time, that became difficult to do as well. I would say that right now, on this very day.. I'm overcoming my anxiety and I'm slowly getting back into the things that kept me calm and relaxed before. I know this is a process I will always have to deal with but I believe it gets easier.

Now, onto the good! I've got to start off by mentioning that getting into my third year of university is something that has been a highlight of this year, with all the challenges I've been through from the start of my first year.. I'm still here! I don't give myself enough credit when it comes to things like this, I'm 5 months away from graduating and it's the best feeling in the world knowing I've come so far on this journey.

Another achievement of this year was reaching 10,000 views on my blog, I felt so proud of myself that day and I remember feeling more inspired than ever to just keep at it. I believe my blog is improving, I see what it was from when I started to what it's like now and I know it's only going to get better.

You might be wondering, so Shamilla.. what is it exactly that you've realised about 2016? Well, where do I begin. I think to keep it short and sweet (this is going to get a little deep lol), I've realised that..

• You can't expect things to just come to you, you have to go out there and work for it
• Not everyone has the same good intentions as you
• Don't expect too much from anyone, you'll only get disappointed
• Give yourself credit for the achievements in your life
• If you want to get things done, do it yourself
• Your mind is more powerful than you think

I will be dedicating a post on these things where I'll go into more detail about life's biggest lessons so far (in my opinion). This is a post I've been wanting to share for sometime now but I want it to be just right when I write it so keep a look out for that one.

That's pretty much it for 2016, that's my year in a nutshell. I'm so excited for 2017, I believe great things are coming for so many people in this world. I've seen so much positivity and if we can all just keep that same spirit throughout next year, good things are sure to come round. 

Coat - New Look

Scarf - Burberry

Jumper - Next

Jeans - Primark

Boots - H&M

Photo cred; Hakeem Chiraga

Love Sham x