What Is a F**K Budget? + How Creating Yours Will Make You Happier and More Productive!

Good morning people!

Have you heard of a F**k budget? No? If you haven't then you must not have read the awesome "The Life-changing Magic of Not Giving a F**K" which is one of my all time favourite personal development books. 

One of the concepts I liked best from the book was that of the F**K budget. This is part of the "Not Sorry" method that Sarah Knight writes about and it is no ordinary budget. It is based on the concept that, being human, we only have a certain amount of f**ks to give before we reach burnout and become overwhelmed. 

Put simply, this is a concrete method of deciding what you will keep giving a f**k about (ie. what you will spend your time and energy on) and what is not important enough to drain your f**k budget. 

Plus, lets be real, the title is SASSY as hell! 

Knight believes that your f**ks should fall into four categories to make things easier to tackle: things, work, friends and family. 

A few examples of things I kept in my F**k budget were:

Family:
* Quality time with my partner once a week (without phones or technology)
* Meet-ups with the whole family at least once a month
* Getting our new home together sorted (a long-term project that's still in the works!)
Work:
* My professional development
* Forming good habits that keep me organised and productive. 
* Maintaining a good relationship with my colleagues.
* Developing my blog platform and learning how to be a better blogger/Youtuber. 
Friends:
* Keeping quality friendships going
* Taking an annual trip with my best girls.
Things:
* Looking after my health (for me this means eating healthily and going for regular walks)
* Saving money

Things I decided to eliminate from my f**k budget were:

Things:
* Negative opinions from others (ignore that sh*t, you don't need it in your life!)
* People pleasing ( for me this means saying yes to everyone else before my own needs are met)
* Comparing myself and my life to other people's (Just why torture ourselves when we don't have to?!)

Friends:
* Always being the instigator in one-way friendships and relationships
* Toxic friends who keep taking but don't give back
* Toxicity whether in person or on social media (That's what the block and unfollow buttons are for people!)

Family:

I am extremely fortunate to have an amazing family and support network, so I won't be giving any of them up!

Work:
* Taking on other colleagues work before I've finished my own and not getting credit just because "they asked so nicely"
* Stressing about things that are out of my control.


So there you have it! My life will definitely be far less anxious and stressful if I stick to this budget. I really believe everyone can benefit from sitting down and creating a f**k budget. All you need is a pen and paper or a smartphone and no excuses. The chances are there are things in you're life that you are doing because you feel like you have to, not because they're things you care about. 

Remember you can't take care of anyone if you can't take care of yourself first. 

I hope you all have a happy, healthy and productive day and I will see you soon!

How Gratitude Will Improve Your Mindset For Change + 10 Exercises To Get You Started

Hello beautiful people!

Today I want to talk about a very simple concept but one that the majority of us forget to invoke in our day-to-day lives. If, like me, you are a personal development junkie then you have probably heard about the growing trend in gratitude journaling. 

So What Is Gratitude Journaling?

A gratitude journal is a free and easy way to improve your mindset and give yourself a perspective overhaul. You don't need to go out and buy a fancy journal to do so, you can do this in any notebook, smartphone or even on scrap paper. It is also something I find invaluable to take stock of before I begin any change in my habits.

The concept is simple. Take ten to fifteen minutes a day to think about the things in life you are grateful for. You may choose to note down anything from important relationships to the sun shining that day (or whatever weather makes you happy!). 

Gratitude journalling reminds us that even though we may have sources of stress or struggles going on in our daily lives (If you say you don't you are either a liar or a superhero and I need some of that power!). Furthermore, gratitude is one of the habits practised by some of the most successful people in the world including:

• Oprah Winfrey
• Tim Ferris
• Richard Branson
• and
• Paul DeJoria

It is also proven to:

• Make you physically and mentally healthier by decreasing levels of cortisol (the stress hormone)
• Improve Happiness
• Improve your relationships and social skills by increasing your empathy towards others
• Give you greater sleep quality
• Raise self-esteem
• Increase mental strength and resilience
• Reduce feelings of anger and aggression
• Give you Motivation to change

And the best part is ANYONE can do it,starting right now!

So now that we've established how gratitude can help you live a better life, here are some exercises to get you started from the serious to the downright silly, we have many aspects of life to be grateful for?

1.  What relationships do you have in your life that you are grateful for and how do these people add to your life?

2. What opportunities have you had that other's in the world would not have access to? Why are you grateful for these and how have they improved your life?

3. What parts of your job/work environment are you grateful for? Even if you're not a fan of your daily grind right now, you can still be grateful for good relationships with colleagues, development opportunities or flexibility, it might even be something as simple as having an inside office when it rains!

4. What part of your morning routine are you grateful for? Do you have a significant other to kiss goodbye as you leave for work? Maybe you have time to walk your dog or have a cup of tea in peace and cuddles with your children or pets before your day begins?

5. Think of someone who has done something to make your life easier or improve your day recently? How could you thank them?

6. What hobbies or pleasures do you have in your life? Why are you grateful to have the time to pursue them?

7. What elements of nature are you grateful for? Maybe you're like me and the warm glow of sunshine gets you out of bed in the morning? Or maybe you find the sound of rain or the site of snow relaxing?

8. What materialistic items could you not live with out? Why are you grateful to have them in your life?

9. What songs/ books/ podcasts/ movies or you-tube videos make you feel good? Think about why you are grateful to the people behind them.

10. What daily essentials are you grateful to have in your life? For example in the UK we have ample sources of food and water and free healthcare when we need it, this is not the case in many parts of the world. 

So there you have it, ten exercises to hopefully get you started on exercising those gratitude muscles. I hope you have a happy, healthy and productive week and I'll see you soon!