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Tag: life

  • The Need For Balance & A Social Time Out

    The Need For Balance & A Social Time Out

    Maybe There Is Such Thing As Too Much Fun

    I well and truly feel like I’ve burnt the candle at both ends. You know that friend that will say yes to social plans 95% of the time, even the super last minute ones, well that’s me. The problem is, not being one to say no means I’m like this even when I have a thousand other things on my plate and eventually it often leads me to grinding to a complete and utter halt. I say this, but obviously work still needs to carry on, previously made social plans are still in the diary and meanwhile my mind is ready to switch off, I’m left feeling unmotivated and the most appealing option is to go into hibernation.

    I think a big part of this comes down to not wanting to disappoint and trying to always be there for the people around me. When I say no to something or have to cancel plans I’m always left feeling so guilty, when in reality I know my friends and loved ones would understand, but I just can’t help feeling bad. There’s also the occasional fear of missing out and for the most part I just love having fun, so will rarely pass up the opportunity.

    And that’s the thing, I do have a lot of fun. I can think of so many memories from this year alone that will set me off giggling just thinking about them. I’ve been able to spend some quality time and make great memories with some of my favourite people and I’ve had a lot of pretty cool adventures.

    Whilst I sometimes do well with juggling it all, I need to remember that I occasionally need to stop in order to prevent me from eventually dropping everything. Saying no and easing up my social calendar is something I’ve never been great at and I absolutely love making plans, but it’s vital I get better at it in order to allow myself to have some rest and recuperation.

    They talk about the work/life balance but I feel like I need ‘time out’ thrown in there too. I don’t mean stopping everything altogether, I just mean giving myself periods where I take a step back from social engagements and focus on work and me time, instead of trying to fit everything in all at once and eventually burning out altogether. This is just a reminder to myself that it’s okay to say no, it’s okay to not be available for everything and it’s okay to have those days that you might not have other plans but that you keep free anyway, even just to have a day for yourself.

    Samio x

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  • Trust the Timing of Your Life

    Trust the Timing of Your Life

    Photography by STVP

    This is just a little post to say that it’s okay do things slowly, to take your time or to even at times feel like you’re not moving anywhere at all. It’s natural, we all have these periods, some longer than others and these each can take place at different times in our lives entirely.

    With the internet these days it’s easier than ever to promote yourself, start your own business, create your own content, reach out to your dream employer, or whatever it is you want to do in life in terms of the growth of your potential career and dreams. However with that, it also becomes increasingly accessible to see what other people are doing too.

    You might live in a cosy little village in a secluded part of Scotland but with a few taps on your phone you’re able to see what Emma is doing on her travels around Bali, how Jason in London just bought a second flashy new car with his latest bonus, or how Julia in L.A has just got engaged to Mr Right and is celebrating the start of her new clothing label. Okay, those are really poor examples of fictional people but what I’m trying to say, is how we can easily see what’s going on with everyone else and use it as an example for how we should be doing in our own lives…But, everyone’s timings in life are different, as well as each of our journeys.

    One person might have their dream job by 25 but might be unable to find work at 30, whereas someone else might get their dream job by 40 and stay in employment until their retirement. Life happens very differently to us all and there are so many different examples like this, relating to all aspects of life, be it with work, love, relationships or goals.

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    Samio shot by STVP
     

    There are no time limits on achieving goals or getting where we want to be, only the ones that we create for ourselves. Just because you aren’t where you hoped or want to be right now doesn’t mean you won’t be in five, ten, or fifteen years, or you may even end up somewhere completely different than you’d ever imagined but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We change as we grow and so does life around us.

    Everything happens differently for different people at different stages of their lives. It’s important to focus on your own passions, goals, interested, love life and relationships and don’t take anyone else’s successes, growth or current situation as an example of what you should be doing, or where you should be at that exact moment of your own life.

    Life is always going to be a bit of a rollercoaster and will never be one smooth sailing ride towards the finish line. Because what really is the finish line anyway, and who knows where you’ll end up. Once one goal is achieved you’re only bound to make another one and who knows exactly what life has in store or where it will take you on your journey. Just remember that your timing is bound to be very different to someone else’s. So whatever your dreams or goals in life, just keep working on those things that make you happy. This is your unique journey and you’ll do things in your own time.

    Samio x

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  • Writer’s Block of The Blogging Variety & Practicing Gratitude

    Writer’s Block of The Blogging Variety & Practicing Gratitude

    Photography by Jess Petrie. Makeup by Chloe Gray

    I’ve been feeling a little off recently. Not necessarily unhappy, just off. I haven’t quite been able to focus and any attempts at productivity have been distracted by a feeling of frustration that I’m not getting enough done/haven’t done enough and in turn have halted my productivity. See the silly, vicious cycle here.

    Call it writers block of the blogging variety, or call it my brain thinking of too many things at once to the point where it can’t think of anything at all for longer than five minutes. I’ve ultimately got myself into a bit of a rut that seems to have halted my creativity and as a result, left me feeling unsatisfied.

    How to clear your mind
    Samio Makeup By Chloe Gray and shot by Jess Petrie
     

    I woke up this morning and as I opened my eyes, my first thought was one of gratitude. It filled me with contentment for a moment but then as that moment passed, a feeling of dread crept over me. A subtle reminder of all the things that I haven’t done and likely won’t be able to do today. You see, silly, vicious cycle. I wanted to go back to that carefree moment of contentment again.

    Then it hit me. Gratitude.

    As I lay there, I realised that one thing that I was usually very good at but that I hadn’t been lately, was practicing gratitude. It feels quite funny to see it as something that needs to be practiced, but the realisation is that if you don’t actively engage in it, you can easily forget to do it at all.

    By focusing on the things that I’m grateful for, I felt a weight slowly lifting, a grey cloud above me dispersing and a ray of sunshine breaking through.

    I could almost laugh. It’s surprising how something so simple could become so detrimental when forgotten.

    I feel somewhat different. There’s a shift in my emotions and I can feel my ‘can do’ attitude slowly resurrecting.

    The moral to this little story: Practicing gratitude everyday can make a huge difference to your emotions and attitude and in turn your productivity. It’s too easy to take your situation, or how far you’ve come, for granted. Now when I step back and think about it, I’m exactly where I need to be and have a lot to be thankful for and for that I am truly greateful. That thought alone makes my emotions feel resolved and my thoughts a lot clearer. It’s funny how something so simple can make all the difference.

    Samio x

    Practicing Gratitude
    Samio
     
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  • Don’t Hate, Appreciate

    Don’t Hate, Appreciate

    Photography by Jess Petrie. Makeup by Chloe Gray

    I’ve always been supportive of my girls, especially if you’re one of my besties, I’ll be like your ride or die cheerleader always…However there was a time when I didn’t always feel quite this way when it came to those outside of my circle.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never been an actual hater, that’s never been in my nature and it certainly isn’t about the troll life! However, I must admit, in the past I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy at times when I’d see certain females, usually those I didn’t actually know (seemingly) doing really well, when I felt like I wasn’t. I often could’t help but make comparisons, especially when in my own life I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be.

    Inner thoughts shot by Jess Petrie
    Don't hate, appreciate
     

    The difference between back then and now, isn’t that I’ve completely got all my shit together since becoming an adult (I think that’s pretty much a constant work in progress regardless of your situation), but it’s the fact that now my perspective has changed. I don’t see any other women who are doing well as competition, I see them as motivations, inspirations and just generally super cool bad asses most of the time.

    As women we have to realise how far we have come as a whole and not just as individuals. There are so many opportunities available to so many of us now that probably once could have only been dreamed of. Another woman pushing the boundaries, succeeding, doing new and amazing things is only paving the way for more of us. It’s not about who did it first, it’s about someone doing it in the first place and actually making it possible!

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    The thing is, when you see a person’s success, you also have to appreciate the journey. It’s often all too easy to speculate and imagine a person’s success is purely down to luck. And whilst I do agree, timing and ‘luck’ can certainly play a part in ones growth, it also usually still takes a whole lot of hard work along with it.

    When I see women putting their all into something that they are passionate about and in the process doing amazing things, I see it as something to be celebrated. I love seeing a person’s journey and their growth and even then we often don’t see the full extent of what goes on behind the scenes. So now when I see my fellow females (or super cool bad asses, if you like) doing awesome things, I appreciate the journey, the hard work and the dedication. It makes me feel proud to be a woman and nothing inspires me more.

    Samio x

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  • Prioritising Time

    Prioritising Time

    Photography by Rosie Butcher

    The Struggles Of A Procrastinator

    I just watched a Ted Talk on How To Gain Control Of Your Free Time. It came at the most appropriate point as I’d planned to get to work on a blog post straight after it. Needless to say, it has sparked some inspiration for the topic of this post, as well as given me a much needed kick up the bum when it comes to thinking about working on my own time management.

    I’ve always been somewhat of a procrastinator, if I’m honest. I can often become idle, working on meaningless tasks for long periods of times, or simply find myself not working at all, when I have more important things that I really wish to focus on.

    I always say that you’ll prioritise what’s important to you, but my problem is often that I don’t. It’s easy to make excuses and say that we don’t have enough time but as that recent Ted Talk rightly highlighted, it’s usually just that we aren’t prioritising the time that we have in order to do the things that we would like.

    The women from the Ted Talk uses a great example about prioritising time, she says ‘I could tell you I don’t have time to dust my blinds but that’s not true, if you offered to pay me $100,000 to go dust my blinds, I would get to it pretty quickly.’ Aside from the fact that I actually do dust my blinds (erm, what did I say about procrastination earlier), although she makes her point in a jokey manner, it’s still very much a clear one. We always have room to make some time for those things that are important to us, we just need to make them a priority.

    Are you a fellow procrastinator or are you good at prioritising time for all the important things?

    Samio x

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    Samio Castlefield shot by Rosie Butcher
     

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    Samio street style by Rosie Butcher Photography
     

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  • Life Update – Birthday Celebrations, Travel, D.I.Y & Getting Back Into Fitness

    Life Update – Birthday Celebrations, Travel, D.I.Y & Getting Back Into Fitness

    I thought today’s post would be a little more lifestyle than my usual posts as I feel like giving a little life update and letting you know what has been going on in the world of Samio.

    Yesterday I turned a year older and celebrated my Birthday. Another year has flown by and now I’m starting to sound like a old timer when I speak, as you’ll often hear me saying things like ‘when I was younger’ or ‘time goes by so quickly’. I’m still in my twenties and not one of these people who dramatises my age by saying ‘I’m getting old’, each year that passes but I’ve just noticed that I’m more aware of time these days. How I spend my time and who I spend it with, is something I consider a lot more now than I did when I was much younger. I’ve realised how precious time is and how quickly it really does go by, so I try to embrace my experiences much more, appreciate the positive people in my life and make the most of everything the best I can.

    One thing I did decide to do for my Birthday this year is actually celebrate it. Last year I did not and although I wasn’t bothered as I was busy with work, this year I decided to make some plans… On Saturday my boyfriend Damien, took me for Champagne afternoon tea at Opus One at the Radisson hotel in Manchester and that evening we met up with friends for drinks and had a great day/night. This coming Saturday I plan on being slightly less civilised, as I’m heading out for a meal with some of my girlfriends and then we are going out after to party, which should be great fun.

    Afternoon Tea with Damien at Opus One Radisson

    I’m also super excited as next weekend I’m flying to Hamburg to visit my dear friend Tara who’s over there from L.A. We met whilst living in our model flat together in Barcelona last year and since then we’ve constantly kept in touch and even met up in London (along with our other friend Natalia) last December. This time I’m going to her, as she’s over in Germany for the month modelling, so I knew I had to arrange the trip to see her before she jets back to L.A. I cannot wait to explore the city with her, as although I’ve been to Germany before, it will be my first time in Hamburg.

    Aside from that and the odd trips down to London for castings and what not, my life is currently being taken up with D.I.Y. For those of you who regularly read my blog, you may know that my boyfriend and I recently bought a house together. We’ve taken on quite a bit of a project, as we are doing it up from scratch. So far I’m actually enjoying getting stuck in (although some tasks can be tedious). I can’t wait to see the progression and see what we make out of our new home. It’s hard work yet exciting all at the same time.

    Opus One Afternoon Tea Manchester

    Due to our constant late evenings of partaking in home improvements, our diet has become exceptionally shocking. We keep biscuits and chocolate at the house to keep up moral whilst working, which I have to say does help but for someone who does not usually eat that much chocolate, I have been consuming a lot! The bad thing is, I’m noticing it in my skin and after having a break out, I’ve decided it’s time for a bodily system reboot (after this weekend’s celebrations of course). I managed to get back to the gym for the first time in a around two months yesterday and I instantly felt better for it. Now I’m ready to get back to eating well again and now that the weather is nice, walking more too.

    And ahhh, the weather. The sun is making me super happy right now, even if I am about to spend my afternoon indoors steaming wallpaper, the sun shining through the window always makes me feel happier.

    Samio x

  • My March In Pictures

    March has been a super busy month for me. With lots of early mornings, late nights and plenty of travelling (which I mostly utilized as nap time), I’ve had no time at all for blogging. However, as always I managed to capture many of my moments on camera and so here is a look at some of my month (March) in pictures.

    Samio March 2014
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  • Work and Play

    I thought I’d catch up with my sporadic blogging with an update post of what I’ve been upto…

    Last week I arrived home after a busy 10 days away, shooting in Spain for Fruit Of The Loom. There were a crew of 13 of us in total, including four models, all of whom were lovely to work with. We stayed in Sotogrande for the first part of the shoot and then in Marbella for the second, each day shooting in a different location. Although it was early starts and long days, it was so nice to be shooting in warm weather in so many beautiful locations. It was fun working with such a great team and we had so many laughs together.

    20130612-232914.jpg-Gorgeous hotel room in Sotogrande.

    20130612-232724.jpg-Shooting on the beach.
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