Afterschool Advice

Afterschool Advice Featured Post Self Development

6 Changes You Need To Make If You Want To Be Successful

When we leave school we got a vague understanding of how hard work in form of studying and organizing teaches you how to be successful. Our teachers tell us what to study, we get our act together and study like mad for success. A somewhat easy system. But what happens when we leave the safe tracks of school life? Suddenly you need to tell yourself what to do in order to get work done and be successful. These tips have helped me getting an understanding of how to direct yourself towards reaching your goals.

1. Get past your comfort zone. Working towards success isn’t comfortable.

It is 11pm already, you are tired but you should still be working on your project? Whatever it is: work, homework, an email, a call – it is damn tempting to simply postpone it till tomorrow and give in to your fatigue, turn netflix on and fall asleep.

This is where you need to be stronger than this need to give in. You know who ended up being successfull of my friends? Those who said no to afterwork drinks and long partynights in order to go home and work on their project. You can party later, when you have made it happen! Seriously, the more effort you put in the bigger the reward.

2. Don’t wait for the right moment to start. You will never feel ready.

I have this amazing friend who started this lovely vegan blog, but keeps postponing the launch. Her reasons? The website isn’t good enough, there is not enough content, she has too much work on my plate right now etc. I tell you what, in 2 months she will still feel that way, because it simply isn’t the right time ever.

You never feel good enough, or prepared enough, because you are just starting out and have little experience. And that’s perfectly fine and no one will laugh, because we all gotta start somewhere. Just do it. Juuuuuust do it. It’s all a big learning process.

3. Keep a journal in order to be successful.

I saw this with many badass women as I interned at a kick ass blog about Berlin. When you start your workday and all those tasks for the day got your head spinning, keep a bullet journal next to you and write them all down. Include important emails and meetings. This way you wont lose track of what needs to get done for the day. Sounds so simple but made chaos-me 150% more productive!

4. Be couragious. Go to to that event. Ask again for that job.

The only way I landed my dreamjob was by getting out of my comfort zone and bringing up some courage. When I got rejected the first time I applied, I kept asking politely, every following year, if they might need my support now. I just stayed in contact and made it obvious, that I am very passionate about this job.And now, two years later, they contacted me, offering me the position!

The same goes for networking events and promising meetings, bring up that extra courage and go. You can only thank yourself later. And if not, well, be amazed at yourself that you went!

5. Set weekly and monthly goals to help you keep your butt on track.

Something that I forced myself to do: Write up your monthly or weekly goals. Seems somewhat scary right? What if you don’t meet them, what if you end up being disappointed by yourself?

Well it’s exactly this fear that will get you to actually do something, in order to prevent yourself from being disappointed in the end. Write it on a clear piece of paper and stick it to your drawer or your bedroom door, where you can’t avoid seeing it. It keeps you updated and motivated!

6. Actually do work that gets you anywhere. Googling and planning is not work.

I know… reading blog post after blogpost on how to reach your goal might feel like it got you somewhere near it, but clearly, after 10 blog posts you are still in the same place.

Planning your way to success, mapping out your goals, organizing your day, plotting the tasks is great.. but dreaming of reaching our goal tricks our brain into sending out the same endorphins that would be released, when we actually achieve it. So for a lot of people, including me, planning used to be extremely rewarding.

Until I woke up one day and noticed that it didn’t get me anywhere. So realize the difference between dreaming/planning and actual WORK. Work is visible, work is trackable, work is ticking off difficult steps of your goal-list. Know the difference.

So..

If you want to be successful, be aware that the comfy life that you might know now needs to change in order to get you where you want to be. It takes a lot of hard work, long hours, little sleep, conscious breaks and dedication to reach your goals. But hey, when you are aware of this and ready to work hard, there is nothing in your way!

Good Luck loves!😊

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Afterschool Advice Featured Post Lifestyle & Travel Self Development Uncategorized

10 Ways To Improve Your Life Now

We have all been there. Life isn’t running smoothly, things don’t seem to work out the way we hoped they would and suddenly we become all disenchanted with our situation. Eventually you reach this moment when you know things need to change, but what exactly? And doesnt “change” happen over weeks? In this post I want to share 10 simple ways you can make a difference today. I found that it is not the big massive changes that improve your life, but the daily changes on the long run, that make the biggest impact. And the great news is, that if you are feeling dissatisfied with your life right now, it is possible to feel more content by tonight.

1. Envision your day and organize your week.

Before you start your day and randomly begin with any task that pops in your head, try to take a step back for a moment and think what you want your day to be like. What you want to get done and the vibe you want it to carry. Also, visualize your week and write down your tasks, this will clear your head and help you getting things done. Since I have been doing that, my days dramatically changed from „I kinda didn’t get anything done today…“ to „This feels amazing, whats next???“

2. Understand how change really works.

What is actually needed for change? Reflection and Action. Why have you procrastinated on that one task, why have you suddenly gained weight, why are things piling up at work? Don’t just accept and be angry that these things happen but reflect why and then take action to change it. In order to improve your life you need to be ready to take some serious action. It is great to write to do lists, but even better to start working on ticking them off.

3. Take a step towards your goal today.

Sometimes we refer from taking action towards our goals because they seem so big and amazing, you have no idea where to start. And then you don’t do anything instead, because all you could do feels too little. See it this way: do a little something towards your goal every day and in a month you got 30 days of action taking under your belt, that will have gotten you farther than ever before. Also, taking daily action towards your goals is a deeply satisfying habit, that will turn you into a profoundly content person in only a week from now.

4. Focus on the present.

The most important one!! The past doesn’t belong in your present. Regrets mistakes and old lovers wont help you build a better present, they continue to lock you in the past. Staying in the present will dramatically improve your life and help you focus on what is really important right in front of you.

5. Get physical!

No I mean it. The simplest cure for dissatisfaction is moving. You know this incredibly happy and satisfying feeling after a workout? Look up local dance classes or join a running team – anything that gets you to move at least once a week will make you happy and proud.

6. Do this one annoying thing you have been postponing for a while.

Like taking this important letter to the mail, paying this awful bill or answering your facebook messages. Sometimes we don’t notice how these little things weigh us down a ton! Free yourself and be stronger than your inner procrastinator.

7. Shed new light on your biggest problem.

I got my heart broken a year ago and it ate me up inside. For months on end I didnt know how to get better. Until one night I realized that in order to stop hurting I would have to reevaluate the situation. I wrote him a loving letter, send it off and didn’t believe what happened the next day. The pain was gone. The importance of it was gone. Why? Cause instead of continuing with my anger I forgave him and made peace. I set myself free. Two days later I met the amazing man who is now my loving boyfriend.

8. Get in touch with your friends.

Sometimes when we are hurting, it is hard to let other people in and find interest in anything else than our own misery. Although it took me a bit of strength, the day I felt a bit weak I called up an old friend, determined to rebuild our friendship. After I hung up bad mood was gone. Instead I felt inspired and also happy to have her back in my life again. Instead of isolating yourself, reach out to your friends. They do not only provide you with affection, the also give you more input and might inspire you to try new things.

9. Count your blessings.

This is a quick pick me up trick I learned to cherish only a year ago. Whenever you feel like you are unhappy with your situation, come up with 5 things you can be grateful for in your life. Really feel them and feel what they are giving you. In our times of constant comparison and the display of polished shiny lives on social media, it is super easy to feel like everyone is happier and more blessed than you. Put this thought aside, focus on yourself only and remember what this life has blessed you with. Done? Lucky you, right?!

10. Stop beating yourself up.

We will never feel as good as we should be. Tune down these fantasies of yourself of how you should have achieved a lot more than you have in order to improve your life. Of course, in our fantasy world that sounds possible, but it is not reality ever. Come to peace with where you are at but continue to work for your goals persistently.

What are the steps you are taking today to improve your life?

Remember that you are in charge of how you feel and it is on you to take action for yourself to feel better or continue to feel sad. When I am in my „staring at the wall, feeling miserable about everything“-mood, I force myself to go to the gym or call up a friend to get out of that dark mood. It takes practice and „activation energy“ to get started, but it has always been the better decision to take action. Try some of these today and let me know if they have helped you!! I am here for you ya know <3

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Afterschool Advice Lifestyle & Travel Self Development

How To Quit Negative Self Talk When You Are An Overthinker

Why don’t we take on opportunities sometimes, even though our gut feeling deeply wants us too? Negative self talk.

It happens within seconds in your head, without warning crushing your positive impulse to take necessary action on whatever it is, that you would love to do. Whether you are working on a project that is important to you, holding a presentation, applying for a job or putting your hand up in class – self deprecating thoughts can crush dreams within the blink of an eye.

We all have experienced negative thoughts, but often many of us don’t notice when a thought repeated too often becomes a thought pattern, effectively eroding our self esteem. Negative self talk can sound a little something like this:

I don’t / I can’t ..
I’m not good enough ..
If only I had..
I suck at …
I don’t deserve..
I can’t get anything right.
I shouldn’t even start..

And sadly it mostly happens when we are about to try something amazing! Like daring to voice a thought, building a project, applying for this one position we are dreaming of or wanting a better life in general. All of these steps need courage and involve taking a risk. Greeting every idea with negative feedback from yourself will not only crush your self confidence but also quickly become a habit. A little infusion of self doubt can sometimes be inevitable but manageable, if you know how to direct it towards a positive outcome. In this post I want to show you a technique that has helped me tremendously with getting rid of my negative self talk and building my self esteem.

1. The second you notice your negative thoughts, say „stop“ in your thoughts and replace them with positive affirmations.

This technique needs active practice but you will want to hug me after a week, because like every mantra and thought pattern, „stopping“ negative self talk will also turn into an automatic mechanism. So now, when I am doubting my post ideas or keeping myself from putting my hand up in class, in my head it sounds a little like this:

„I am not g- STOP. I can do it. I managed to do x I can also do y.“

By actively stopping your negative thoughts and replacing it with one or more positive qualities of yourself, you are not only preventing your self esteem from getting harmed but actually building it each time you are using this technique. Love yourself enough to actively start changing the way you talk to yourself. Pamper your self esteem like it is starving! Go overboard with it and it will just be enough.

2. Make a list of your amazing qualities and what you like about yourself.

In order to believe the compliments you are giving to yourself you shouldn’t end the affirmation with „I can do it“. It is a great start but in order to truly believe you can, tell yourself why. Are you great at coming up with ideas? Really efficient at organizing or are you a great student? Make a list of your favorite traits, small and big achievements and also ask your friends what they love about you! And each time you talk down to yourself, actively stop it and replace it with your collection of positive traits and achievements.

3. Always ask yourself how realistic your negative self talk actually is.

So, you don’t want to upload this picture on facebook, because „they“ will find it ridiculous? Now take a step back to look at that thought. Actually rationally look at it. Now ask yourself: who actually is „they“? Do they really exist as people in your life, or is it self doubt becoming reality? Take a step back from your inner dialogue and analyze what you are actually saying to yourself. In this case: Will they think it is ridiculous? And if so, why? You will notice that most of the time, there are no answers to these questions, because these stem from fantasies and deeply rooted fears playing out only in our heads. I cannot even remember that someone ever laughed at a picture of mine! But still, I used to fear it every time before I started to notice that those are only fantasies.

Be good to yourself!

The first step to loving yourself more and treating yourself better is keeping track of the dialogue in your head. How you talk to yourself is how you feel about yourself. Let it become a habit to stop negative self talk, analyze where it comes from and replace it with positive affirmations. You will feel a beautifully positive difference in no time, I promise! <3

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Afterschool Advice Featured Post Lifestyle & Travel Self Development

The 7 Steps to Self Love

Once you leave your teenage years behind you realize that self love is nothing you can put on together with your make up. It doesn’t work like a mask, it can never work as an act only – it has to grow from inside until you radiate it. Today I was wondering what you can actively do and change in your way of thinking, to achieve inner stability and grow to love yourself more. The following list is a summery of what has helped me greatly in building new confidence for myself.

1. Forgive your past self and arrive in the now.

Don’t let regret over past mistakes hold you back from starting over. The past has absolutely nothing on you and your present moment, it only exists in your head. Be strong and keep your eyes on the steps you are making now, creating the life that you want.

2. Value yourself and your (life)time. Set boundaries when you have to.

One of the greatest secrets of self love is to learn how valuable you and your time is. Learn from past experiences when enough is enough. If it is a friend that used you or a lover that hurt you. Love yourself and your lifetime enough to set boundaries. Cut chords if you need to, take time for yourself if you need to. Learn to say no and turn away when the situation hurts you more than it benefits you.

3. Acknowledge who you already are and what you have accomplished.

It is very easy to admire other people, especially today where all we see is the shiny surface of a social media profile. Sometimes we just need to see little snippets of peoples lives and our head creates a great story around it, that is always so much better than our own. Keep your eyes on your own life.

When you see a post of a happy couple or of your friend showing off his travel pictures, acknowledge it but don’t let it go deeper. If this concerns you sometimes, find some advice in my post about the “5 Truths To Inner Peace”.

happiness self love

4. Practice gratitude. I promise it will change your life.

At least once a day remind yourself what you can be thankful for in life and what makes you happy on a daily basis. And it will feel like an immediate antidote against negative thoughts, lift your mood up and help you refocus your mind on your life only (and not what everybody else is having or doing).

5. Instead of putting yourself down, tell yourself about your good qualities daily.

Self love also means paying attention to how you treat yourself on a daily basis. Actively replace negative by positive affirmations. Negative thoughts about yourself quickly become the loudest of all in your head and only lower your self esteem. Instead, try to boost your self confidence every day by consciously pointing out your good qualities to yourself: I am a loyal friend, I am passionate about my work..

Notice when you are putting yourself down and actively stop it. This could also start by accepting compliments instead of fighting them off. When a friend compliments you on your work and you play it cool by saying „ah, its not that good“ your subconsciousness will remember and you feel less good about it automatically. Accept compliments and keep the positive feedback in the back of your head.

6. Surround yourself with loving, supportive people. Let go of your frenemies.

It can be very individual why we don’t feel comfortable in other peoples presence. Sometimes you just don’t share the same vibes, sometimes it is something explicit this person does. Don’t invest your energy and time in people that you cannot be yourself with, that put you down or make you feel less than you are. Be strict and take a step back. Nurture the relationships that empower you to be the best version of yourself and that make you feel strong and loved.

7. Practice self care. We only get one body and we’ll learn to love and care for it !

I do believe that exercise, less fast food and good 6-8 hours sleep leaves us feeling stronger than before. Actively notice what you put into your mouth and what it does to your body. The more conscious we treat ourself the less likely we are to get back to harmful behavior (..like drinking too much alcohol and sleeping less than 4 hours!). Also pamper yourself! Nourish your skin with lotions after showering and do your nails.. all of this sends signals to yourself „I love my body and I take care of it.“

So..

There is a lot to self love. Acceptance, forgiveness, positivity and self care. All you do on a daily basis – how you treat others, how you perform in your job and how you look out on life – is rooted in how you view yourself. The more balanced and strong you become in your core, the less likely you are to be shaken by outside influences and the happier you will become.

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Afterschool Advice Lifestyle & Travel

5 Truths I Wish I Knew Before I Left School

Do you know what you want to do after school?

It is a touchy subject for many, as it is connected to high expectations of yourself and of others. Here I want to share some thoughts on the after school blues and how to avoid it, so you can get the best out of your time and skip post-school-anxiety!

1. There is no “one perfect way” after school.

Do you ever feel like that? Influenced by what you see in the media, what your friends say and your parents preach? I was convinced, that there must be this one perfect way that leads to academical success, your parents being proud and you being happy. But whether you wait 0 or 3 years before you start a new educational path, may it be university or job training, this time truly doesn’t have an effect on your happiness or success.

We like to trouble our inner peace by comparing our lives to others. So, your best friend started right after school and is almost done with university? Well, that’s her path – yours is perfectly suited for you. You are an individual, with a different story that is in no way comparable. What if you go traveling, meet this one inspiring person, start an online business together and so on and so on. Still sad you didn’t go to university then? Be calm, trust in yourself and let it happen. School, gap year, uni. School, training, job, gap year. School, gap year, uni, gap year. It’s all perfect, as long as you trust the journey.

2. Inform yourself, so you don’t develop anxiety about your future.

For some reason I thought, that everything will magically fall into place as soon as school is over. That I don’t really need to research opportunities or worry about what to do, because it will all somehow happen. WRONG. Out of nothing.. grows nothing. So suddenly there was this big hole after school, this free time that I looked so much forward to suddenly scared me and I didn’t know how to make use of it wisely.

This is why I advice you to collect all sorts of ideas what to do after school. Get organized! Make a plan beforehand where to travel to, if you want to travel. Which jobs to apply to or which universities could be right for you. Just be prepared that there suddenly will be a lot of time on your hands and its good to decide for yourself how to make use of it beforehand.

3. You must try (and fail). Start somewhere, even if it isn’t perfect.

Whatever crazy plan it is – do it. Don’t wait. Risk it. And even if this job training doesn’t seem like your perfect fit, do it anyways. That way you find out about your strengths, your likes and your dislikes. Also, it’s never truly about feeling ready. We never feel good enough, skilled enough or truly ready to take on something that is important to us, until we just do it.

So you tried this university course, spent a lot of money on it and now notice it’s totally not your thing? Be honest to yourself, admit it and quit. This is how you learn about yourself, by trying things, drawing your conclusions from that experience and moving on.

4. Take your dreams seriously.

The worst mistake you could make is being convinced, that you have a lot of time (before it’s getting serious). I’m sorry to be a party pooper here, but you actually don’t. I see a lot of teenagers spending their afternoons on Netflix, instead of writing this song that they keep talking about or joining ballet class. Why? Because taking on your dreams is scary, it is tiring and it takes ambition. In 5 years from now you will wish you had actually started ballet class, because you’d be frickin awesome now and this silly song would have grown into a whole album.

Just see how little investions now can pay of hugely later. Don’t dream of becoming a writer and postpone to write, because ‘you got time’, but take your dreams seriously and work on them. It will make you happier than an episode of Game of Thrones, I promise 😉

5. It’s all gonna be okay. And it is gonna work out, either way.

Whatever way you decide for – going to university, going traveling, becoming a yoga teacher – love it, live it or leave it. Be clear about your decisions but don’t panic.

When I was traveling I would always worry about getting into university, which tainted the time that could have been free of worries. I did get in, but if I hadn’t, I would have found something else to love and to do. I just didn’t know that then. It’s all going to be okay, it never follows a flawless line – that truly is life. One door closes, another door opens – it never goes according to plan. Know that and make peace with it.

Truly trust your journey.

What to do after school

These are my top tips, that I wish I had known before I left school. I was deeply insecure, but making all these experiences I listed above, I turned into a stronger girl. If you ever feel insecure about your decisions on what to do after school, I would love to help 🙂 Don’t hesitate to drop me an email and ask for advice. I got you <3

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Afterschool Advice Featured Post Lifestyle & Travel My Travel Guides

The Essential Guide to Your Gap Year

Travelling sets our soul on fire. No, I really mean it. On fire. Personally, I shine from the inside out with a happy smile spreading across my heart. And still, I meet a lot of people who cannot cut ties from their lives at home, who are scared to invest the money or travel alone and those who don’t want to hurt their CVs in the long run. If you find yourself there, maybe I can give you some insight why I absolutely, from the bottom of my heart, advise you to go out into the world. Here are some ideas of what to do, where to look for infos and examples what I did.

Gap Year – Should I do it?

Basically, this year is yours. Absolutely yours. You have no obligations, no places where you have to be because it is fully your choice. Realize now, this second, how amazing this is. Later in life you will decide to commit. Commit to a 3-year university course or to 2-5 year education, to your job, to your realtionship, to the dog you always wanted and later a family. Now is your time to make it absolutely yours – you are free to go ! And now that you have all this time on your hands, how do you spend it best for you?

So whats next?

Visualize. Where do you see yourself during that time? Dare to dream. What are you seeing yourself doing? Where are you? What are you feeling?

Write these images down. Eg. Puerto Rico – I am surfing – I am meeting fun people – I am part time working – incredible sunny weather = part-time work in a surf-hostel/eco-lodge at one of puerto ricos beaches maybe?

Plan it. Whatever it is that comes into your head, there are many different ways to make it happen. Privately or by organization. I will go into that later on.

To inspire you, I collected some examples from myself and my friends that you can build your first ideas around :

Leave and experience life in another country. 2-6 months of diving into another culture.
Exciting: the “just go and see what happens”-adventure aspect. Something awesome always comes up.

Go to language school in another country.
Exciting: becoming fluent in another language, meeting likeminded people, living in another country.
(Here is where I went and had the most amazing time.)

Participate in a social project in another country.
Exciting: broadening your horizon, learning about working with NGOs, meeting travelers and making connections.

Make a list of destinations and connect them through roundtrip.
Exciting: changing locations every few weeks and seeing unforgettable things and meeting travelers in a shorter amount of time.

Take on an internship in a city you always wanted to experience.
Exciting:getting an insight in a field that interests you, getting ahead in the “what should I do after school” thought, living somewhere new!

Book an around the world ticket.
Exciting:Good to get the wanderlust out of your system. You’ll travel the world! And have it all booked flexable in advance.

Do work & travel and dive into a project found on Workaway.
Exciting:traveling with a task and making money on the road. Who doesnt love a set purpose in their day and a stable money stream on the road.

Take your time to work on a project. Record an album, write a book, start a business.
Exciting:Now you have the time to dive into something that school took all the time up for. Make it come true!

Deepen a passion. Eg go to piano camp for 3 months and become crazy good.
Exciting:focus on a hobby and become really good. Be one of the “I continued piano” and not the “oh I wish I had” people. Embrace it.

LEAVE.

Whatever it is that you are passionate about, whatever image it is that you have in your head; rock climbing, walking down the lanes in Paris, driving down Highway 1 in a convertible, teaching english to monks in Peru or chilling in a hammock above the trees in an yoga-reatreat in Sri Lanka – just leave.

But… What about University?

You know what? Half of my gap year me and my friends I met on the road were worried mad about getting into university. And it tainted the experience. Looking back now with university experience: Yes, Uni is needed for your CV in some cases but please stop stressing. If its now or in 3 years, everyone is different in their development and schedule of life, so do what suits you best. And go with the flow. I think what I learned in University, I can sum up in a sentence. What I learned while traveling can fill a whole book. So what education do you prefer? 🙂

No seriously, in order to know what subject you want to dive into, you need to have some life experience. Know what you like and what you don’t like. And you will only ever truly know, if you have tried it. So get out there and do as much as you can, experience as much as you can, it will get you closer to yourself.

But.. I have too little money!

Yes, I absolutely get that. If you don’t want or cannot have your parents financial support, you must get creative how to make the money a few weeks or even months before you leave. You probably have some good ideas already but here is some inspiration for you:

Sign with an event-agency. It’s quick money, without contract and easy to quit if you don’t like it.
Neighborhood work. Babysitting, lawn mowing, dog walking, leave raking, plant watering.
Get a part time job. Duh. Look for something in your area, so you don’t need to go far and you can do more hours.
You’re creative? Sell it! I put up an advert on ebay for doing prom make-up when I was 19 to go to Barcelona. It was enough to go 3 times within a few months (to see my boyfriend hehe).
Home office. Write texts and sell them. There are a lot of websites needing content out there.
Pretty or not, getting with an extra/model/commercial/people-agency never hurts.
Sell your unwanted clothes.
Sell unwanted furniture.
and save…

This will surely spark more ideas. If you wanna add some, let me know!

Stop stressing out about “making it” early.

Nowadays we are conditioned to be productive, and only feel valued and worthy when being productive. Youth plus success are thrown in our faces and more and more people are getting freaked out by it. But against this development there is a great amazing part of rebels among us, that get off the grid to go after their dreams. According to this article, the generation of kids that is now leaving school, Generation Z, is leaving with big dreams and a strong tendency towards doing what makes them happy and not what brings the most money. We are all subtly but visibly starting to lean towards self realization as well as profound and active search for happiness.

So what comes with this? Employers will (forcibly) get used to all our gap years and start up attempts and blogging fun, because that is quite frankly, where it’s headed. Starting your bachelor at 24? Why the heck not, I am sure by the time there will be many who start later, because they successfully launched a youtube channel first. It’s about what YOU want, what makes YOU happy. And not the system.

An example… While traveling Yosemite, I stayed in a hostel in a small town called Groveland. In front of the supermarket I met two boys from there, who helped me with my grocery bags. Talking to them they revealed, that they had never left Groveland in their entire life. Never left the state of California or had any desire to go to college. Life is comfy there. With a job, a steady income and Yosemite around the corner, they are happy. And I totally agree, this is comfy. But this is how it will stay – for 60 years.

Leave your comfort zone!

“Nothing great ever came from comfort zones.” – Have you heart that saying before? It is true. Getting out of your comfort zone sparks new ideas, new interest, inspires you to start up new hobbies or revive old ones and feeds your brain with information and visuals that will take you places. Whereas home is comfort zone. And I am a strong lover of comfort zones myself, which is why I had to leave in order to grow.

I met some of my best friends traveling. They are spread all over the place in Bremen, London, Barcelona and Los Angeles. We write to each other every day and plan new adventures together. I feel so blessed to have those strong, interesting, independent people in my life – all met when I left my comfort zone.

All the adventures, the memories, the heartbreak, the being lost and found, the images, the freedom, the excitement, the pride of managing whatever the journey throws at you – it’s the gift traveling softly lays into your hands after each journey.

Are you ready to leave? Where would you like to go? Sending you the strength and courage to do it xx

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If you liked this you might also be interested in.. :

6 Signs You Should Drop Out Of University And Start Fresh

5 Ways To Connect When You’re Traveling Alone

Here Is Why You Need To Book A One Way Flight Once

7 Ways To Effectively Spend Your Holiday

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Afterschool Advice Lifestyle & Travel Self Development

6 Signs You Should Drop Out Of University And Start Fresh

Congratulations my brave friend, reading this means you have admitted to yourself, that what you are studying this moment is not what your heart knows is right for you. Like millions of other students, who feel exactly like you this very second. Nowadays the possibilities are endless, the fields of study get broader, the list of fantastic sounding courses grows and how in the world should you know what’s best for you, if you haven’t tried any of them.

And this is the key point you need to be aware of, whatever decision you make: You’ll only know for sure, if you make the experience of trying things out. And if you needed this term or year to figure this out for yourself, perfect! How should you grow and learn about yourself and the course of your life, if you haven’t experienced anything.

Should I leave…?

You might want to consider changing your course if..:

you know for sure it wont get you where you want to go
you get stomach pain going to uni every morning
you start to like your part time job in the bakery better than the subject you are studying
you start to lose connection to your fellow students and lecturers
you notice that your actual passion lies in a different field
it’s unbearable to imagine studying this subject for 2 more years

But.. all the money!

Sure, I feel you. Tuition nowadays is ridiculously expensive, more than morally acceptable, but even more so you should rather leave the course now before you pay for time, that you wish you had invested in your future. If you were getting a tuition loan, ask your university how to contact Student Finance to quit the financial support. You should receive a letter with a confirmation. In most cases you University will contact them for you. I know this feels like loosing money, but in the long run – you already enjoyed an education, the money is not lost!

The First Step: Getting clear of what you want instead

Thanks to the course you started to study you now know what you do NOT want to do. That is a huge step into the right direction. Now please get comfy and grab a piece of paper. Surely your course has shown you want you WANT to do, so take your time to write your heart out on all fields you are interested in. All of them, even the one you thought is ridiculous to even dream of. Highlight your absolute favorites. These are the fields you’ll work with in order to find your new course.

Extra Tip: If you have severe difficulties in making a decision what to study, like me, there are psychologists dedicated to test you and find out what your strengths are. I was tested for 3 days and they filtered out 5 courses and the one I decided for, digital media culture, was just perfect for me. If you have questions about this, let me know.

Research Universities

Like the first time around but so much better. Now you know clearer what you want and do not want, you have experienced university, you know what to expect and what you as a student need. So with your new field of interest, that you filtered out in the step before, go look for universities that provide a program that suits your needs.
Take a piece of paper and create yourself a little university cheat sheet. Write them all down to organize yourself like in this table:

drop out of university

Apply Apply Apply !

Thanks to your University cheat sheet you will not miss a deadline and can prepare all the paperwork you need for each university in time. Apply to each one to use every opportunity presented to feel safe about the process.

Whatever happens – It will all work out. Experience taught me.

If I have learned anything from the past, from stressing out about getting into university, from stressing out where and when and what to study, I can now calmy say: Whatever way, whatever you do – it will all work out. Seriously. If I could tell my worried and anxiety-shaken younger self one thing, it’s that everything is going to be okay. It doesnt matter how long things take or if they happen exactly how you planned them to happen, either way, whatever happens, is an enrichment and adventure in your life.

If you don’t find anything you want to study now. Screw it, go traveling, work, create a project – whatever you do, it will all fall into place. Everything will be okay <3

Finally: Strength and courage to pull through

So be courageous, dare to throw the granade where you’re standing and start anew. Your courage will be rewarded. Start changing and living the life you want! I am sure there are more people looking for help on dropping out, please help me help others by sharing this article. If you have any questions or requests on new advice about Uni, please let me know in a comment or email. I got you <3

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I wish someone would have told me teenage angst life

Afterschool Advice Lifestyle & Travel Self Development

5 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me 5 Years Ago

We all know this moment when we reflect the years that have passed. Time stands still for a moment and you go through your ups and downs and maybe try to find reasons why you went down certain paths and, most importantly, if you ended up where you wanted to. And sometimes we cannot push away this lingering feeling, that, if only we would have listened to the advice our parents or older friends gave us 5 years ago, we might have achieved what we feel we missed out on today. With many people this is misconception, because we tend to focus on what “we missed out on” instead of focussing on what we achieved, but still, lets give our younger selves the advice we would have liked to receive.

You only got this one life to do what you always wanted to.

When you are very young, time doesnt pass. In fact it passes so slowly that you feel like it will go on like this forever. So we tend to procrastinate on our dreams, wait for the right time and the right level of skill, find excuses as to why we dont need to go out tonight or why we dont need to work on our plans today, because there is always a tomorrow and so much time left. And in the blink of an eye that precious time left has passed and suddenly all there is left is the pressure to quickly get the things done you dreamed of doing.

So, it doesnt matter if you are very young or feeling pressured, it is never to late to do all these things that you always wanted to do in life. Because, finally, that is what life is about, turning our dreams into reality – so take a little step today.

Follow your gut feeling.

What I have learned in the past years is, that my gut feeling is always right. It is that little voice inside, that tiny tingly feeling, that knows how the inner, real you will handle the situation you are in. It does not protect us from making mistakes, maybe the decision you make, based on your gut feeling, will not turn out how you wanted it to, but it is very honest about what you need at that very moment.

Don’t wait to be your best self.

As soon as you realise, that there is no better time than now, don’t waste time waiting for you to be or look a certain way. We tend to think: “Oh when I am 20, I will be cool and when I am 30 I will be sophisticated and strong.” But what about now? Because, suddenly you hit 20, you hit 30 – and then? Are you all of these things or have you been them before already? Stop waiting and start consciously living and being in the moment. Love yourself now, be proud who you are now – stand up tall.

Start something and finish it.

As a person who has struggled with ADD all my life, I know how hard it is to stick with a task and finish it. It is a pain, it takes a lot of strength and determination, but the end result and the pride you take from finishing what you have set yourself to do, is pricesless. So when you have decided to learn the guitar and you really feel it is what is right for you – stick with it. And you will thank yourself in 5 years. Some dreams just don’t let us go, they haunt us and when they do, grab them by the horns and turn them into reality. It is the only way to get rid of them and be proud.

Focus on one skill and perfect it.

There is something within us, that we have loved and felt attached to since we were children. I am a strong believe of that theory, that once we have found that passion, it will not let us go until we leave this earth. Something we love to do, for some it is music, for some it is sport, for some it is writing. I believe that this is a calling that will not change for the rest of your life, so believe in it, take it seriously and work on it. I always say to myself, if you can’t stop thinking of it, don’t stop working for it. And don’t forget, sometimes a hobby is just a hobby and that is your blessing.

I often stopped myself from attempting at something because I pressured myself to be great at it and do something with it later on. And if I am not great at it, I didn’t want to keep it up at all. People like me, who put a high pressure on themselves, often go with this “all or nothing”-attitude, that we need to lose. There is a brought field in between that is rich of experiences, new knowledge and friends we should not miss out on. In 5 years you will be so proud of yourself that you have learned something in depth, that you sticked with it and made a whole lot of new experiences to grow from.

So..

Maybe, if someone would have told me those things 5 years ago, I would be on a different path now, maybe some things would have turned out better for me, maybe it would have meant less pain and doubts, but ultimately, this is where we are now, and if you are reading this, you are strong and willing to learn and make a change. We cannot turn back time – but we can start now, and believe me, you will thank yourself in 5 years 😉

What do you wish you had known 5 years ago? Would that have really changed things in your life? I’d love to hear from you – I am here.

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