Write Often

I absolutely love writing. I've been doing it for a long time and I honestly cannot imagine a life without me reading and writing almost every single day.

I wouldn't even be able to start explaining how I felt when I just wasn't able to write for a while. Then I decided to take action. And things worked out way better than expected.

When I got into my #project50 on Instagram, I made up my mind to post everyday. The agenda was to get better at photography and just generally create work I myself would like to see. Over the course of those 50 days, I realized I was paying equal, if not more, attention to writing the captions. That should not have come as a surprise because writing is my addiction.

This blog is my passion project and it was making me feel really weird that I wasn't able to write even one blog post a week - rather, barely one a week. It was an absolute shame because the blog was started for me to write about what I wanted to write about, but along the way, when collaborations started coming my way, I kinda got off the track of the topics I wanted to write about, and started writing more about the fun and interesting new things that came up for me to collaborate with.

Now, I'm at the stage where I am still taking up collaborations, but I've learnt to compartmentalize. Atleast, I am still learning. I have not entirely 'learnt' anything yet, because you never really stop learning anything.

That's where writing comes up again. After my #project50 I started being able to write again. I am so grateful about that because I was in such a rut.

It was the daily writing, albeit just on Instagram, that made me able to write again. And I have finally been able to get back on track. From not being able to write on this blog for months at a stretch, I am (not too ambitiously) trying to post every week. And you know what? It's working. I have been able to.

It's because I started with baby steps. I didn't even know if I would be able to get out of that rut but just posting a small paragraph everyday on social media made me feel I could do a weekly blog post. And I can.

I will continue to do so.

Nothing is impossible.

Photo Credit - npr.org

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Create Good Habits

It is often easier to continue doing the same things you've been doing for a while. But is that really the best thing to do for yourself? Doing the same things everyday puts you in a sort of comfort zone, a sort of rut that it is just easy to stay in, because it is what you know. It is a habit, a series of habits, in fact.

I'll give you a task to do that'll make things so much clearer for you. The first step might take a few days, or a maximum of a week since it would be good for you to do it on weekends also.
You can thank me later.

Firstly, you must observe.

When you start to observe things around you, you realise how many things you do, what those things are, how much time you spend on each, and whether they contribute to your growth or not.
This requires noting down what you do. Every time you start a new task, make a note of what time you started it. When it ends, make a note of what you did in that time span, and how much time it took you to do so.

Regular readers of this blog know that I have not been able to write here regularly. I intend to post once a week, and I haven't even able to do that.

Writing one blog post in seven days is really not a big ask, and I'm the first person to accept it.
It's only after I tried this myself, am I able to write. I have now set aside scheduled time to write blogposts, and I actually have next week's post scheduled too. It gives me an immense amount of satisfaction that I am now starting to create quality work every single week. This is just the start but I know that I am doing it and that is the difference it makes when you start observing what you do with your time.

So now you have the observation bit down. You've​ made your notes. Now is the time for you to understand what to do with it. Now is the time that you make a plan of what you want to accomplish.

One by one, start making time for your goals.

The first thing on my list is writing a weekly blogpost that adds value to my readers and provides valuable information. The tabs on top are the topics I cover in this blog and I want to add something valuable to each tab. My goal is to make this blog a repository of valuable information across all those topics.
Working towards that necessiates writing regularly. Once writing a blogpost becomes a habit, once I automatically start creating, I will go on to the next habit on my list.

The beauty of this is that it counts on natural human nature to form habits, and one habit at a time is not a big change from your schedule.
But, and this is the magic, those habits slowly add up, and those multiple new habits that you have created just change up your day and suddenly you are more creative and productive that you ever knew.

It's a slow process, and sometimes it'll be hard, but nothing that was worth it ever came easy.
Easy come, easy go. We don't want that.

Photo Credit: pinterest

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My Top Six Uses of Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is something the west discovered fairly recently, but we in India have been swearing by it for ages, millennia actually.
Coconut oil is deep rooted in Indian traditions and for very good reason.
Indian heritage uses many natural herbs and oils that are very useful in order to heal the body and provide nourishment and good health. I use organic cold pressed coconut oil, and that is the kind I would recommend.
Coconut oil is one such magical oil that provides so much! Read on to know my top six uses:

1. Moisturiser and lip balm - You can use this as a lip balm and as a body moisturizer. I have personally tried this and I am absolutely satisfied with the results! Your skin will very well moisturized without any of the harmful chemicals.
In a tropical climate like ours (India), it is almost always liquid, so in summers, you can use it at home before bed. When it's colder outside, it turns solid so you can carry it around in a little tub and use it during the day as well.

2. During and post shower - In the shower, use coconut oil as a shaving cream substitute. After your shower, apply coconut oil liberally all over your body. Coconut oil will hydrate dry skin, and helps to soothe skin after shaving. Coconut oil also has a natural SPF and is a great and easy way to protect your skin from harmful rays and sun damage.

3. Hair leave in conditioner - After you wash your hair, let it air dry or use a cotton t-shirt to absorb the water. After hair is fairly damp, or semi dry, apply coconut oil to the ends and part of the length of your hair. There is no need to apply to the roots. The ends need most nourishment so be most liberal here. Instead of using chemical laden conditioners, it is best to use a natural product like coconut oil. Your hair will thank you. This works best for thick/coarse hair. If you have fine or limp hair, don't use this as it will weight down your hair.

4. Vegan substitute in baking - It is a great substitute for butter, milk, eggs, shortening and so many more. Check out this link for comprehensive information. That website on the whole is a wonderful resource for learning more about your journey towards veganism.

5. Anti acne - Although people do believe that acne and pimples are caused due to oil and sebum in skin, and that oil would make it worse, they're wrong. Coconut oil has anti bacterial properties, and it will work to combat the harmful bacteria, which is the root cause of these skin issues. If you feel it is more severe, you can also mix it with a little bit of tea tree oil, as it has strong purifying and antibacterial properties. Just dab on a little, leave it overnight, and you will see a change in the morning!

6. Boost Nutrients in Smoothies – Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to any fruit smoothie for a boost of cholesterol fighting compounds. Side benefit? It improves the texture and taste of smoothies, while adding healthy fats to your diet. Over time, if you enjoy the taste, you can add it to vegetable smoothies as well. It'll help make it more palatable as people do take some time to get used to the taste of vegetable smoothies!

These are just a few of the awesome results that you can get from coconut oil. It is truly a versatile ingredient with uses from skincare to food to healing to being a part of your vegan/vegetarian journey! Would you like to see more articles about healthy, DIY and organic skincare? Let me know in the comments below!


Photo Credit: Well-beingsecrets

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