2015: What Actually Happened?

I got a new job. 

I made the decision to reduce my meat consumption dramatically. 

I opened an Etsy business: Wild Peony Co.

I found new passions in life.

I had a tough battle with mental health. 

I fell in love with the stars.

I focused on quality not quantity. 

I transformed my fear of being alone into a necessity. 

I discovered new things about myself.

I went blonde.

I embraced uncertainty.

+

I decided to major in happiness.

I created, I loved, I lived.

New Beginnings

As you can see lots of exciting changes have been happening around here!

Live Bright. Be Bold. & Sparkle

has officially retired & been changed to:

•Pretty Little Life •

I once saw a quote that read:

➳ There are three C's in life: Choice, Chance, & Change. 

You must make the choice,

to take the chance,

if you want anything in life to change.

These words have stuck with me, applying themselves to many aspects in my life over the past couple months. 

One being this blog.

In three short months, it'll be one year since I started Live Bright. Be Bold. & Sparkle.

There are points in everyone's lives that you inevitably change.

Whether it be relationships,  jobs, future plans, or even something as simple as a new haircut.

I started this blog with no intentions of sharing it with anyone & it has delightfully grown more than I ever could have imagined in just one short year.

However, my highest goal will forever be for it to remain the truest reflection of myself.

In the past year, I have grown & changed the person I am tremendously. 

Hence the new blog name.

I adore this blog dearly & I am ecstatic to provide you with new, more diverse content & an insight into my unpredictable life.

I hope you all grow to love Pretty Little Life as much as I do & continue on this crazy, beautiful, & exciting adventure with me.

---Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything.

Maybe it's about unbecoming everything that isn't really you,

so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.

➳ You can find us at the new address:

pretty-little-life-blog.blogspot.com

➳ On Instagram:

instagram.com/pretty_little_life_blog

➳ Or Email:

prettylittlelifeblog@gmail.com

•Just as a disclaimer, don't worry, this will be the ONLY time that I will change the blog title•

Day 1 of 365

{ A year ago today I would have never pictured my life to be what it is right now }

That's one of the things that I find most exciting about life.

No matter how much you plan, it's crazy, unpredictable, & magical all at once. 

•2014 was a year that will always hold a special place in my heart•

It held many momentous occasions including everything from winning my first drawing contest for a festival in my town, to my Senior Prom. 

    I had the opportunity to stand on a stage with the best Drama Club in the entire world celebrating our Regional One Act win. 

• A moment that I hold close to my heart & will remember for my entire life•

I even turned 18 & graduated high school this year. 

Which by the way, when I received my diploma I forgot to stop to take the picture & tried to walk away.

Embarrassing myself obviously seemed to be a common trend in 2014.

Lesson learned. Stop for the picture kids. 

Though this year held many positive & unforgettable events it also came with some very trying ones. 

I was faced with many decisions that I was unsure about & lead me to be pushed very far out of my comfort zone. 

I went through the challenging process of eliminating unhealthy relationships of my life. 

& started new.

 { Someone once said }

•Whatever happened over this past year. Be thankful for where it brought you. 

Where you are is where you're meant to be•

& I couldn't agree with this more.

Through all the tears & uncertainty, the decisions I have made this past year have resulted in me finally feeling like I am headed on the right path for myself.

We often go into things having a goal in mind, but when we only focus on the end game, when often miss the detour that can lead us to even better things. 

•Life is defined in moments & I am so blessed to carry each one of these moments & so many more of 2014 in my heart forever•

I'm a firm believer in not setting New Year's Resolutions.

I believe that if you want to make changes in your life, why wait until a day at the end of the year to do that?
Start now.
Don't wait around.
If you want something, go out & get it for yourself.

I set goals for myself that are worked on long before a day at the end of the year where I feel like I need to make changes. 

I'm not saying I hold anything against people that choose to make resolutions, that is their decision & not mine. 

However, I choose to make my resolutions day to day instead of year to year. 

The second half of 2014 was focused completely on my journey & where I wanted to go from there. 

{ For more information check out this }

 I am very excited to say, that after a long couple of months, there are many things that are in the process of happening in 2015. 

I'm not going to share exactly what they are just yet, because like I said, they are in the process 

& there is still a long way to go. 

But achieving little goals along the way to the bigger picture, is a sense of accomplishment like you would never believe. 

•Each year has been magical in it's own way, but I am ecstatic to see where 2015 takes me•

{ With that being said... Here's my 10 pieces of advice for 2015 }

 • Image source: Pinterest•

1.  You know all those things you've always wanted to do? Go do them. What better time than now?

2.  Stop relying on other people to provide you with happiness. You are perfectly capable of providing it for yourself.

3. Don't let the mistakes you make define you. Making mistakes means you're trying new things, whether they turn out to be a success or failure. You're pushing yourself & changing your life. If I hadn't made the mistakes that I did last year, I would never be on the path that I am today. Learn from them.

4. Be proud of yourself. At the end of the day, this is your life & your life only. Make the steps to create the life that you can be proud of & proud to be.

5. Put down your phones, computers, tablets, anything & everything, every once in a while. Open your eyes to the world that is sitting right there in front of you.

6. Define your own success. Whether it be big or small, make it completely up to you. Don't feel like you have to obtain goals that don't relate to your choice of life.

7. Don't waste your precious time on people that don't care about you. I have spent way too much of my time trying to keep relationships that only hurt me. Take that time & energy & focus it towards relationships with people that truly care.

8. Don't be so hard on yourself. You are perfectly extraordinary just the way you are.

9. Laugh often & love many. It's good for your soul.

10. Pursue your passions & dreams. If they're important enough for you to make them dreams in the first place, stop making excuses for yourself & make them a reality. 

This is your year to shine. Go out & make it extra sparkly.

In the waves of change we find our true direction

Welcome back everyone!

I just wanted to give you a quick update on a few changes that are happening here on the 

 Live Bright. Be Bold. & Sparkle. 

blog.

As you may have noticed, we got a complete blog makeover! 

But don't you worry, this will be the last one for a very long time. 

I received some very exciting news last week that I am ecstatic to share with you all! 

However... 

You will have to keep checking in this week to see exactly what that news is!

Due to these new changes, last week's Friday Favorites will be the last one.

 Friday Favorites aren't going away completely, just changing over to Monthly Favorites starting in December! 

This is going to allow me to post more exciting content & a larger variety of posts for you to enjoy! 

Whether it be, Fashion, Cooking, or more Claudia's Life, you're in for a treat!

Since the holiday season is also upon us, be looking out for some holiday themed blogs in the very near future!

Like in life, progress is impossible without change. 

I hope you are just as excited for these new changes as I am!

Keep checking in to see more!

Image source: Pinterest

Friday Favorites: October 24th + Feminism

This week's Friday Favorites is going to be a little different here on the 

Live Bright. Be Bold. & Sparkle. blog. 

Instead of my multiple favorites like usual, I only have one this week & this happens to be it.

Potty-Mouthed Princesses Drop F-Bombs for Feminism 

http://youtu.be/2ZfltpUhP30

You may have seen this video being shared around, receiving a lot of attention & controversy do to the fact that it features multiple young girls swearing. 

Many people have very strong opinions on the language these young girls are using, however what really should disturb them, is the facts that are the sole purpose of this video. 

Women face gender inequality every single day of their lives in many different instances.

For example, as this video shared, women are paid 23% less than men for the same work, please tell me how much sense that makes. 
& if that doesn't say anything, in many cases, women that graduate with straight A's get paid the same as men that got straight C's. 

We're teaching girls that bad grades = more bank, based solely on the fact that they're male. 

Instead of waistlines defining women, why don't we focus on something else. Like hmm, I don't know, maybe their brain? 

Image source: Pinterest

After watching this video, I decided to scroll down the YouTube page to read some of the comments. 
To say I was disgusted would be an understatement. 
It featured many things like, "These girls will be whores in no time" or "Teach the women how to act like ladies and not dress like a hooker on the streets that would help too."
Why is it that when women finally stand up for themselves they're automatically labeled as "whores" or "sluts"?
Last time I checked, that didn't seem very "equal" to me.

Image source: Pinterest

As a senior in high school, I spent half of the year completing a project on women's self confidence & the impact the media has on it. 

We teach women of all ages that they have to perfect, that you have to be skinny, you have to be sexually appealing to men, & it's a must to act the way men want you too, or else you'll be called degrading names for it. 

I'm not saying that I completely blame men for the way they treat women, because our society has trained them to view & treat women as an objectified object. However, there has to be a time when everyone needs to realize that this is NOT okay 
& what better time than now?

Image source: Pinterest

Feminism. 
It's a word that holds many negative connotations that seem to be continuously growing. Referring to women that are Feminist as "Men Haters" is one of the most common. 
However, I find this very hard to believe, when the literal definition is....
fem·i·nism : the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities 
{http://www.merriam-webster.com}

Emma Watson did a truly magnificent job in her speech addressing gender equality. 
If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you do. 

http://youtu.be/c9SUAcNlVQ4

When girls are young we teach them that being "bossy" is bad.

 We teach young boys to not "run like a girl" because being a girl is a bad thing & not to express their feelings because it means their weak. 

We instill in teens that their bodies should be nothing less than perfect. 

We teach women not to dress certain ways because we're

 "asking for it" when it comes to sexual assault & rape. 

Which by the way, happens to 1 in every 5 women. 

Image source: Pinterest

Why should women have to live their life in fear? 

Why should I have to be afraid when I go for a walk alone fearing that something may happen to me?

Why should I be told I can't wear something because it's 

"too distracting for males"?

 Why should I feel 10x happier when someone tells me that I look like 

I've "lost weight"?

Why is my level of intelligence worthless when compared to a male? 

Why is it that when I stand up for myself, I am automatically called a bitch, no matter what the impact of the words coming out of my mouth are? 

When is this nonsense finally going to change?

I am a Feminist & I am damn proud of it. 

Image source: Pinterest

For more information check out some of my favorite places:

Miss Representation: Watch the movie. Join the movement. http://therepresentationproject.org/films/miss-representation/

Laci Green's YouTube Video's on Feminism are wonderful, I highly recommend checking them out.  

http://youtu.be/UwJRFClybmk?list=UUJm5yR1KFcysl_0I3x-iReg http://youtu.be/EJPT_U97lNs?list=UUJm5yR1KFcysl_0I3x-iReg

Upworthy often features some great articles on women & just great articles in general! Check it out!!

http://www.upworthy.com

Image source: Pinterest