...my plans for 2016!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!! 

First of all I would like to apologise for not posting anything on this blog for MONTHS! Lots of things happened towards the end of last year which made my work soar through the roof and unfortunately not leaving me with much spare time =[ 

But that was last year so let's forget about that!

The start of a new year always forces us to think about the things we would like to do differently the following year, what we are going to do to make the next year better than the previous one and a stream of New Years Resolutions that we all know that we aren't going to keep. 

Now, I am no different to everyone else. I have a few plans & goals for what I WILL attempt to achieve in 2016 and I thought I'd share them with you because that's what we do, right? 

Goal 1 - Become a certified Beginners + Intermediate Aerial Hoop Instructor 

I've been doing Aerial Hoop for about a year now and I LOVE it! Since I am already an Aerial Yoga Instructor and I love teaching others, it only makes sense for me to train in this! Also I enjoy flying around and doing cool stuff ;P

Goal 2 - Set up my own business and get it off the ground

This goal actually began in the Summer of 2015 but 2016 will see the launch of my own business aaaaaand my relocation to a completely new location. Extremely exciting but rather scary stuff. However, I do believe that stepping out of your comfort zone every once in a while, is very good for you. 

Goal 3 - Work Out Daily 

Now I know a lot of people will read this and say 'Steph, you already work out daily' because my job as a dancer, yoga instructor etc... is already physical. You are not wrong my friends but I would like to do some work outs for me. Even though I love teaching my classes and they do class as a workout, it's not quite the same as doing a workout for yourself. Any of you who also teach, will know what I'm getting at. 

I'm happy to say that I started this on Boxing day and it's going really well. I downloaded the Sweat with Kayla app after reading about Kayla in the Women's Health magazine. (I won't talk about who Kayla is and what she does but if you want to find out more, click here.) The app contains different workouts for each week and you have a choice of 4 options: Resistance, Liss, Rehabilitation & Rest. During each week you will complete 3 resistance workouts (legs, abs and arms), 3 Liss workouts (walking, cycling etc..), 2 rehabilitation days (stretching and using a foam roller) and 1 rest day.   

The are also some really useful features in the app such as educational information about workouts, nutrition & meal tips, detailed ideas for what to eat each day and a way for you to track you progress. 

I AM LOVING IT!! 

Goal 4 - Gain more skills and learn more

This goal links into goal 1 & 2 but I really want to keep learning new things throughout 2016. I strongly believe that striving to better myself as a teacher/performer/person is really important. I am looking to learn about anything and everything. If you have any ideas for what I could learn about, leave me a comment and I'll definitely check it out. 

I think that's enough to keep me busy in 2016, don't you? 

I'd be really interested in hearing about your plans for 2016 so please do share them with me. 

Big loves x

....Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge

At the beginning of this year, I challenged myself to get into reading again.

I wanted to start reading again because I thought it would be a good replacement for my pre-bedtime social media check up. Also, I overthink WAY too much sometimes and having a good book on the go gives me something else to focus on. This gives my busy brain a chance to calm down *thumbs up*
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the odd rummage through various social media platforms before bed, but not every night.

Now, I'm a person who works best when there is a target to try and achieve. Dare I say, I work best under pressure. So I set off to find a reading challenge and that's when I came across the Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge. 

It's SOOOO simple that I think you should all get involved!

Here's what you need to do!

1. Visit Goodreads
2. Make a FREE account 
3. Set your goal for the rest of 2015
4. Add a book each time you finish one 
5. Watch as you slowly reach your end goal

I have aimed to read 10 books in 2015. I've only read 4 so far but I'm on my 5th and there is still time yet!!

Want to see what books I've read? 

You can take a look at my profile here

I'd love to hear about any of your reading goals and also if you've got any book recommendations for me!

Big loves xx

...my first Blog Nomination - #LiebsterAward

Earlier today, a little Twitter notification popped up to inform me that the lovely Carina has nominated me and this blog for the #LiebsterAward.  This was one my highlights for the day as I never expected my blog to nominated for anything!

Carina has a lovely blog and I'd be delighted if you went over to show her some love - you can find her and her blog RIGHT HERE!

What is the Liebster Award? 

This award is given from one blogger to another and it appears to help bloggers to spread the love for their fellow bloggers (especially bloggers who are new to the community, like myself) 

What are the rules? 

There seem to be different rules depending on who has nominated. Here are the rules that Carina used in her blog post, it makes sense for me to use the same ones, I guess! 

• Thank the person who nominated you and link them
• Answer the 11 questions that were created for you by the person who nominated you
• Nominate small blogs that you love, deserve the award and have less that 200 followers
• Create a new set of 11 questions for the people you have nominated and notify them via social media or their blog.

Carina's Questions & My Answers

 1. What languages do you speak? 

 I'm embarrassed to say that I can only speak English fluently. I can speak basic French and German but only the the things that they teach you at school =[ not a lot else. *note to self, learn another language*

2. How did you come up with the name for your blog?

I was trying to think of a name that suited my content. I knew that I just wanted to write about things that were happening in my life, things I was enjoying and issues that I felt passionate about. After wrecking my brain for a while, I realised that I wanted my content to be an insight into my life and experiences and that's when 'A Little Insight Into' was born.

3. Name the top three places on your travel bucket list. 

Oooooh, this is a tough one! I'd say the...
West Coast of the USA - I've always wanted to drive from San Diego to Washington.
Hobbiton in New Zealand - I am a HUGE fan of The Hobbit & LOTR. The closest I've got so far is giving my friend my LOTR leggings to wear on her trip there

Mexico for Dia De Muertos (Day of the Dead) - It sounds a lot more terrifying and gross than it is. If you don't know about it, it is a Mexican Holiday where family and friends honour their deceased loved ones. I think that it's really nice that there is a holiday for people to share stories and celebrate the lives of lost ones.

4. Most inspiring bloggers?

I'd say that the bloggers that I get most of my inspiration from are Emmie from Carpe Diem Emmie & Elsie Larson & Emma Chapman from A Beautiful Mess

5. Have you ever been involved in guest posting and would you like to be in the future? 

I haven't guest posted before but I'd love to in the future.

6. Do you ever want kids?

Yes, I'd love to have kids one day <3

7. And what about pets? 

Well I currently have 2 cats and I love them dearly. However, I would like a dog and a pygmy hedgehog at some point in my life.

8. Do you have any networking tips for new bloggers? 

Being a new blogger, I don't really have a lot of advice as i'm still learning about this! I have recently been getting involved in a few bloggers twitter chats and have loved them. They are a great way to meet other bloggers and discuss topics that relate to different aspects of the blogging community.

9. Do you use Facebook for networking/spreading your blog? and how? 

I do! My blog is rather new and I took a deep breath and shared my blog on Facebook for the first time. I got a great response and now share when I've published a new post.

10. Favourite Movies? 

My most favourite movie of ALL TIME is The Nightmare Before Christmas. It has been my favourite film since I was a kid and it always will be. After that comes the Lord of the Rings (all 3)

11. How did your friends react when you told them you've started blogging? 

I'm not too sure how many of my friends know! I haven't told a lot of people but after sharing it on Facebook, I'm sure a lot of them know about it. Up until now, I haven't received any negative comments so I guess they like it or don't care hah!

My Nominations

The bloggers that I am nominating are Harry Casella and Carina Chung

My 11 Questions

1. Why did you start blogging? 

2. Did you have any New Years Resolutions this year? If so, what were they and have you kept any of them up?

3. Where's your most favourite place in the world?

4. If you could recommend a book to anyone, which book would it be? 

5. Describe yourself in 5 words.

6. Who is your inspiration in life?

7. Do you have any hobbies? If so, what are they?

8. What's your favourite food?

9. What are you passionate about?

10. If you were a type of biscuit, what biscuit would you be and why? 

11. Would you rather burp bubbles or fart glitter? 

I look forward to seeing your responses!! 

Big Loves, 

Steph xxx

...Life as a Freelance Dance Artist

I absolutely LOVE being a freelancer but that doesn't mean that it's always easy. In fact, most of the time it isn't.

Earlier on today, I was thinking about why I enjoy pursuing a career where I am constantly looking for the next job, never really knowing how much I am going to earn each month and why I'm always facing statements like 'you could really do with some more work' and questions such as 'when are you going to get a real job?'

Even though being a freelance dance artist is tough, I could never see myself being anything else. For all of those people who wonder why us freelance dancers love doing what we do, here is a little list of why it is 100% AWESOME! 

• We earn money doing what we love. Life is too short to be stuck in a career that you hate
• We get to work with incredible people of all ages
• Our place of work changes quite frequently, meaning we get to go on mini adventures on a regular basis
• We have the excitement of not knowing where we will be and/or what we will be doing this time next year
• We have control over what jobs we are involved in, allowing us to select roles that inspire us and help us develop & grow 
• We have a great sense of community with all of our fellow freelancers
• We get to be creative and have fun on a daily basis
• We inspire younger generations to express themselves and think creatively 
• There is always something new & exciting to learn
• We hold more skills then people may think, which are transferable to a variety of other job roles
• Most of us do everything. Our accounts, taxes, administration, project management, funding applications, curating/programming, invoicing... (the list goes on & on & on)
• Our careers can take us down so many different paths, in numerous fields of work
• We are really in touch with our bodies and tend to look after them better than the average person. (some may disagree with this point)

There are SO many other points that I could add to this list but this post would become more of an essay if I were to carry on! 

What do you other freelancers think? 

Leave a comment and let me know. 

Big Loves, 

Steph