SO, WAS THE GAP YEAR WORTH IT?

And that's a wrap, my gap year is officially over.

Unofficially, my gap year started in June. I finished my exams on the 8th or 15th of June last year. 

I made the decision to take a gap year on a bit of a whim with little to no thought on how the year would plan out but it couldn't have gone better. Admittedly, I wish I had planned my year and travelled more but I did so many other amazing things that made the year even more worthwhile.

Had I gone to the University of Liverpool as planned, I wouldn't have received the job offers and work experience I did, I wouldn't have met the new friends I made, I probably would've given up on my blog and I certainly wouldn't have started my podcast. 

I now truly believe that everything happens for a reason. A decision I made a year ago has put me on the path that I was supposed to walk on. 

So, was the gap year worth it? Absolutely. 

Do I feel behind my friends? In the beginning, yes but now? No. 

Am I prepped for uni? I don't think you can ever be fully prepped but I feel more mentally prepared than I was last year.

What skills have I gained? Leadership, better communication, better time management, professionalism, better money management, confidence and more independence. 

I gained a lot of work experience, grew my blog, I made new friends, saved a lot of money, conquered a fear, visited a country on my travel bucket list, secured a spot at uni (again) and got my head in a better place. I now know what I want from life, the career I want, the people I want to surround myself with etc. Life can only go onwards and upwards from this point. 

Fran

PHOTO DIARY | THE LAST TWO WEEKS

In the last two weeks, I have started posting on Instagram again. Instagram is my least favourite platform, it's so easy to get consumed by the number of likes your content is getting, how many followers you have or popular trends, you lose yourself trying to compete with other creators. I started to lose myself so I stopped posting. Up until the beginning of August, I hadn't posted on Instagram since May, I deleted the app and abanonded the support/family I had built on there but now I'm back with a new mindset and fresh ideas.

I started the month with a trip to the cinema to see the new Lion King, it was amazing! On the same day, I tripped and fell into the tattoo shop and booked in to get a new tattoo, something to commemorate the end of my gap year. I took a trip to the seaside with Emmanuela, that's one thing on my summer bucketlist ticked off and I should've been heading to Cornwall last Thursday but Boardmasters got cancelled due to a severe weather warning. I've spent the last 5 days in bed doing absolutely nothing. I could've planned a mini trip somewhere but after working 14 days in a row up until the day before what was supposed to be Boardmasters, I needed this time to relax.

You may have noticed an increase in food posts on my Instagram feed, I think food blogging might be my calling so expect to see a lot more food shots on the gram. 

What have you been up in the last two weeks? 

Fran

AUGUST TO DO LIST

August. Summer is coming to an end, my gap year is nearly over, my tan is fading and I'm itching for Autumn to arrive. You know the drill by now, a new month calls for a new to-do list.

01. SEND OFF MY CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION
I'm putting this at the top of my to-do list because it is my top priority this month. 

02. START POSTING ON INSTAGRAM AGAIN
I stopped posting regularly on Instagram a few months ago and put my time and energy into building my online presence on other platforms and producing more quality blog posts.

03. CREATE A BUDGETING SPREADSHEET WITH MY STUDENT LOAN
My student loan is going to be my main source of income at university and if I don't account for my regular monthly outgoings, sports team membership etc then I will be broke within the first month and eating pot noodles until the next loan comes through. I don't even like pot noodles.

04. FINISH PACKING FOR UNI
I hate packing and I'm so tempted to leave it until the night before so then I'm forced to pack.

05. READ MORE
I won an Amazon gift card from a competition that I entered a while back. I wasn't sure how to spend it but I haven't read a new book in a while so I guess I'm buying some new books, any recommendations?

06. FIND MY FLATMATES
So far, I've found two of them and I'm hoping to find all 5 before move-in day. Wish me luck!

07. PUT A DEPOSIT DOWN FOR OUR GIRL'S HOLIDAY
Most of my friendship group and I are turning 21 next year and we've decided to celebrate with a big holiday. We're still very undecided on which country to visit, where would you go to celebrate your 21st birthday?

08. PREWRITE SEPTEMBER BLOG CONTENT
If all goes to plan then I will have all my September blog content written and scheduled before fresher's week so I can jump straight into the madness without having to worry about sitting down to write blog posts.

Posts you may have missed from last month:
JULY TO DO LIST
EXPLORING LONDON WITH KEETOO | #AD
YOUR GUIDE TO APPLYING FOR UNIVERSITY
A WEEK IN MY GAP YEAR
MY SUMMER BUCKET LIST 

What's on your to-do list for the month of August?

Fran