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Wednesday 31 December 2014

10 Questions for 2014 and 2015

Hi guys!

Well, we've finally come to the end of another year, and I, like many of you, take this time to reflect on the past year as well as looking forward to the new one.

Here are 10 questions that can help focus your attention on what needs to be done next year, and evaluate the past year. You can listen to them in my latest podcast.



For 2014:

1. What did you enjoy most about 2014?
2. Who did you spend the most time with, and/or communicating with? Name your top 5.
3. What was your biggest achievement this year?
4, What one thing would you differently, if you could redo 2014?
5. What was the most important lesson learnt?

For 2015:

6. What is the one thing you can do this year that will still have an impact in 10 years time?
7. What would make you happier?
8. If you could do anything, what would you do?
9, What (or who) stands in your way?
10. What do you want to achieve by the end of 2015?

Bonus question:
What will theme of 2015 be for you?


Check back soon for my video, answering these questions.

love you,

Rach xx

Tuesday 7 October 2014

1 thing you should do today.

If you do just one thing today, let it be this: 

Let yourself be. 
Allow yourself to grow at your own pace. 
Don't compare yourself to others. 


Trust that what you're doing right now is enough. 


Love you,

RachieGirly xx 



Ps: follow me on Pinterest for more quotes like this and more. 

Wednesday 1 October 2014

I am Free



free
friː/
adjective
  1. 1
    able to act or be done as one wishes; not under the control of another.
    "I have no ambitions other than to have a happy life and be free"










  2. 2
    not or no longer confined or imprisoned.
    "the researchers set the birds free"
    synonyms:on the loose, at liberty, at large;More































adverb
  1. 1
    without cost or payment.
    "ladies were admitted free"
    synonyms:without charge, free of charge, for nothing, complimentarygratisgratuitous, at no cost;More
  2. 2
    SAILING
    with the sheets eased.
    "I kept her off the wind and sailing free until I had all square forward"
verb
  1. 1
    release from confinement or slavery.
    "they were freed from jail"
    synonyms:releaseliberatedischargeemancipate, set free, let go, set at liberty, set loose, let loose, turn loose, deliverMore



  2. 2
    remove something undesirable or restrictive from.
    "his inheritance freed him from financial constraints"
    synonyms:exempt, make exempt, exceptexcuseabsolve

One day, I woke up. I realised that I was free to make my own decisions, that I held the key to my destiny. 
I realised that I'm free. The prison that I held myself in was my mind, I had the power to free myself! 

I am not controlled by what you think of me. 
I am exempt of your expectations of me. 
I have been liberated from the opinions of others. 

I am free. 



Love, RachieGirly xx 



Thursday 18 September 2014

What does it mean to be brave?


Whenever I think of the word, 'brave' I think of William Wallace in Braveheart charging across the battle line shouting, "FREEDOM!" This is definitely a picture of bravery, but you won't find us doing that in everyday life. 

Being brave could look like you actually getting out of bed tomorrow, and daring to believe that you'll have a great day. Start small. 


Above is the dictionary definition what it looks like to be brave. 
What can you face without showing fear today? 

Love you, 

RachieGirly xx

Tuesday 12 August 2014

Little by little: the battle against depression

Hey lovelies!

Today's post is a little heavy, but also necessary. I woke up to the news that Robin Williams had died of an 'apparent suicide.' According to BBC news, he had been battling depression for a while. I remember when I heard the news that one of my cousins had committed suicide, he'd told my aunt that he didn't see the point of life. I remember thinking the same...

Life can be such a rollercoaster at times, where you feel like you're bit quite sure where it's going. The twist and turns of events that you by surprise, and you catch your breath. How you react in that moment will determine how and if you get out ok. Like the rollercoaster example, you have to know that it's not forever, even when you can't see the end. 

Yes, I hear you saying that's it's not that easy, I see you shaking your head and telling me that I don't understand. But I do, I really do. I get it. I hear you. I FEEL you. I remember sitting in the doctors office, about to be prescribed sleeping tablets, and really feeling as though I couldn't make it through another day. But I did, and you can too. 

It's not about pretending that everything is fine, it's about realising that everything is not fine, working out what's going wrong (or even not knowing what's going wrong), and deciding to feel better anyway.

It really is mind over matter. Depression starts in your mind, hopelessness begins in your heart, and if you're not careful it will creep on you and strangle the life out of you. 

What am I thinking about this situation? 
Can I do anything about it? 
Am I doing all I can to get out? 
You may feel powerless to change your current circumstance. 
You may feel that there is no hope for things to get better. 
But, you can start with this..."today will be better. I can do this." 

Self-talk, is pretty much how I get through my days. I even have words in my diary, on my wall, in the Notes app on my iPhone...all to remind me of who I am. 
Some days are harder than others, some days I just cry, some days are awesome. Let yourself have those days, it's ok. 

For me, I've realised that I need to let me internal reality dictate my external reality. That outside forces cannot determine whether or not I'm happy. 
Success cannot determine my happiness, I need to be content in every situation.
Whether I get that job or not, whether he loves me or not, whether my album sells well or not, whether I get that contract or not....I will be content. 

I am in control. 
I am in control of my own happiness. 
It's up to me how I feel today. 
I am powerful. 

Depression....to some is a dirty word. You may not feel like you can really say what's going on because you do not want pity. I encourage you to find someone you can talk to about how you're feeling, and what you're going through. 

Today, I decided that I'm going to be ok and so will you. Tell yourself, everyday if you have to, I do.  

Love, 
Rach x 

Choosing to be happy!
 Ps: feel free to email me if you have any questions or just need to talk; rachel@rachelyvonne.com


Sunday 3 August 2014

Life Hack: We are a family, like a giant tree branching towards the sky!

Hello lovelies!

Since so many of you comment about how close my family is, I thought I would write a post on things we do to stay connected. It's not easy, and it does take work, but the rewards are astonishing. 

Photo by Jendella
I've lived away in my own place a couple of times, and I've lived in America twice. It was probably, during those times that I realised that I had to work at maintaining a connection with my family. I did this by using social media including Skype, FaceTime, iMessage, whatsapp, and even letters. 

1. You have to choose to stay in connection. 

I currently live with my parents, brother, and (soon-coming) foster siblings, and we all lead individually hectic lives, but we choose to hang out with each other. It's a daily decision. 

2. Use whatever you have to stay connected. 

We text all day, I set up a "McIntosh Household" whatsapp group when I moved to California so that I could keep in touch with everyone at once. I also started a whatsapp group for my mum's side of the family, "The Wilson's" where we keep each other entertained on a daily basis, as well as make plans to meet up, or share information. 

3. Don't take them for granted. 

It's so easy to just expect your relationship with your family to grow just because you're related, but it actually doesn't work like that. Little things like going to B&Q with my parents are ways that I spend a few minutes with them on a busy day. Birthdays are a big deal in my house, so we'll probably have some sort of event, we always decorate the house and there will be cake! 

4. Make an effort, even when it feels like a thankless task. 

My mum and her 3 sisters; Janet, Jennifer and Angela
The Wilson's are a big family, my mum has 4 brothers, 2 sisters, and 1 deceased. My aunts and uncles, and mum have (approx lol) 20 children, and the next generation is currently at 6 (I think). This number grows every year, and not to mention everyone's partner, plus the children we all foster (currently at 6) ....so we're currently at around 50 for any kind of family gathering. It's hard to get us all organised as we range from new born to early 50's, and I do get frustrated. But I've realised that it's worth the hassle to keep the family together, even when it seems like the minority actually care. Persevere!
Mum's brothers; Michael, Lloyd, Anthony and Raymond

5. Don't worry if your family is different. 

My dad also has 3 sisters, and 3 brothers, his parents live here, and most of their family do.  However, we're not as close to them and there isn't really a reason. Meet people where they are, and also know who you're dealing with. Deep and often connection isn't something the McIntosh's need and that isn't a negative thing, it's just different. They're a much quieter, reserved family and their family dynamic is different from the Wilson's. Life goes much smoother when you work out the personalities, temperaments and dispositions of the people you love. I love how different each side of my family is. 

6. What works for one family may not work for yours. 

So as I've said, we talk often, and for you texting your mum all day might not feel natural and that's fine! But when was the last time you saw her? If your schedules don't quite match, then try and set up a monthly meeting. If that's too much, what about a call every 6 weeks? You can build the connection as slowly or as fast as you like. For us, it's unusual to not have had at least 3 conversations in a day, and that's all before 3pm! I recently started a new job, and we're all adjusting to the fact that I really can't check my phone as often as I'd like ;) 

On Friday night, my parents were teaching in South London, and my brother was playing keyboards there too. I was really tired from a busy day, but made to effort to travel from Essex to see them. I was late but I'm glad I got the opportunity to support their work.

Love you all,

Rach xx

The McIntosh's: Caleb, Yvonne, Nathanael and Rachel-Yvonne

Friday 1 August 2014

Barcelona in July

Hey guys!

I spent the weekend in Barcelona a few weeks ago, with lovely girlfriends of mine.
Our agenda for the weekend was to get some sun, sea, relaxation and bit of partying. In the end we didn't do any partying LOL. We lazed about for 2 and a half days, talked about boys, life plans, and chilled out.

I've had a rough year so far, and when I was invited, I jumped at the opportunity to get away.

Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery...

Love you,

Rachie xx