good things list / february

(english version is available below)

как же хорошо, что февраль - самый короткий месяц в году. и как же хорошо, что он уже закончился. с ним у меня получилось примерно тоже самое, что и с январем - было непросто, но я старалась. кроме учебы, работы и блога, я каждый день медитировала, регулярно занималась йогой и ходила в спортзал три-четыре раза в неделю, периодически занималась шведским. а еще, я тридцать дней выполняла программу "магического утра" по книге хэла элрода, и чуть позже напишу об этом опыте подробный пост. как и вообще всегда, были паршивые дни, но были и замечательные. и чем меньше оставалось времени до марта, тем легче и лучше все становилось. февраль дался мне с трудом, но в итоге получился успешным месяцем, потому что я отказывалась опускать руки и продолжать совершать новые попытки касательно всего того, что имеет большое значение. открывай полную версию поста, чтобы узнать о том, что хорошего было за последние четыре недели и делись своими пунктами в комментариях <3

i am so glad that february is the shortest month of the year. and i am so relived that it is over. february resembled january a lot - it was challenging, but i kept on making an effort. apart from studying, working and blogging, i have been mediating every day, doing yoga on a regular basis and going to the gym three-four times a week. i studied swedish from time to time as well. on top of that, i completed the thirty-day "miracle morning" program created by hal alrod and described in his book. i need some time, and i will definitely write a detailed post about this experience. all in all, there were awful days and some wonderful ones, but the closer march was, the easier and better everything became. i struggled in february, but i managed to have a successful month, because i refused to give up and i kept on trying again and again, when the challenge was linked to something that really mattered to me. open the full version of the post to discover my latest good things list. finally, please share a few points from your own in the comments section <3

on saving up money

(текст на русском - ниже)

some people are smart when it comes to money and how they spend what they have and others are not. i am among the latter. i have always been that way. i am a true hedonist, and i constantly keep on spending money to add a portion of joy and pleasure into my life. let me give you an example - as a child i never had any pocket money left. if i did not have any money, well, then i did not, but if had any, i would always buy something. always!!! chewing gum, sweets, stationery and all sorts of other fun things that i really-really wanted to have, but probably did not always need. unfortunately, this is how i grew up and this is the way i have been for many years now. after graduating from high school,i dreamt of becoming financially independent as soon as possible, and even though it took me years to come any closer to that point, i did what i could right away. for example, it was essential for me to receive a scholarship from the government while studying at university in order to not have to pay the tuition fee and to receive a monthly bursary, which was not much, but that was not the point. the older i got, the clearer it became that i had to do something about the way i spend what i earn. i have read so much about the importance of saving up and i have thought about it a lot too, because it is clear - if you want to buy something more expensive than a few books, than you have to make an effort to stop buying some other things and to put the money aside. i think i have finally made some progress and i would like to tell you about it today!

good things list / february

(текст на русском - ниже)

winter is over! YES!!! fina-a-a-ally! the best thing about february? definitely, the realization that it is the last month of winter and that spring is just around the corner. february was busy as hell and sometimes painfully freezing, but it is the shortest month and its second part was pretty mild. the weather got better, so i was kind of inspired to go out more. after spending all of my time at home and at work in december and january, i finally wanted to go to places and to see people in february, which was great! also there was a lot of reading, that is why quite a few parts of this list are going to be about books. again, it was a very-very busy month, but i found time for things that cheered me up and made me feel good, so writing this list was not that hard this time. now tell me - have you already tried writing yours? ;-)

reading report / february

(текст на русском - ниже)

at first i thought that i would start this post by saying that it was difficult to find time to read in february. there were a few very important deadlines throughout the month, so basically the time that i would usually spend reading, like early mornings or late evenings, was dedicated to finishing important tasks. however, this thought reminded me of something, that i keep on pointing out to others all the f time - you either make time for something or you don`t. i do not have more time than anyone else, but i have priorities.

for example, i hoped to go back to yoga studio after not being able to go in january and then i just saw that rationally i could not afford giving away three hours (to get there, to be there, to go back) and i had to skip it. i felt guilty and upset, because i really wanted to go and because it made me feel so much better, but i just did not have enough time. instead i tried to do a litle bit of yoga here and there at home. something is always better than nothing. whereas with reading, i just love and need it so much, that i have to read at least a tiny bit every single day to remain sane, so i make it happen. that is why i would like to let you know one more time - if you want to read more - have a look at how you spend your time and get rid of something, because this is the only way to get things done. it works the same way for everything. i know that in march i am going to oversee my schedule one more time to make yoga studio a part of it again, but that is a subject for another post. books are what we are here today to discuss, right? YES <3

long hair vs. short hair

above is what my hair looked like this summer after i cut it once again. when i saw this picture, i felt an intense desire to cut it that way again, even though in november when i visitted the hairdresser for the last time i "made a decision" to cut my ends and then grow my hair out for as long as my patience would let me. well, a few months later i am not so sure about it anymore. i am writing this text at the end of february and i feel that spring is coming, so i want everything to be fresh. short hair somehow equals fresh for me. after i decided to make a change and to cut my hair visibly for the first time about four years ago, i kept on having these thoughts, i kept on coming back and forth - do i want short hair or do i want to grow back long hair again? i have no idea what i am going to do, so let`s talk about hair even more! i wonder, how many times i will manage to use the word "hair" in this text? shall i count when i am done? ;-)

on waking up even earlier

(текст на русском - ниже)

hello! maybe you know, maybe you don`t, but last year i wrote a couple of posts dedicated to mornings. one was about my morning routine and another one was about waking up early. there were a few months in between them, and now six months later i feel like it is perfectly fine to touch upon this subject again. why? well, because i have recently decided to wake up even earlier. i must admit, that doing so gives me an opportunity to do what i enjoy the most, therefore i have extreme motivation, but sometimes it is hard anyway.

cheer up / part two

(текст на русском - ниже)

i don`t know about you, but winter is really tough for me to deal with, especially taking to consideration how extreme and how long it is in a country like ukraine. it started being pretty cold in early october and november was just freezing. basically there was no proper autumn, just like there was no proper spring a few months before that. so, i would say winter started in early november and it won`t be over until the middle or even the very end of march, which is pretty upsetting. the hardest thing is the temperature. it has been minus fifteen lately, which felt like minus twenty one. i have no idea what kind of clothes one is supposed to have to be able to feel warm in such conditions. by late january or early february i always get really-really tired of winter. i just want to be able to wear a jacket and a sweater and feel comfortable, but NO, you need ten layers of clothing and it won`t be enough anyway. as a result, i get moody all the time and nothing seems to be good enough to feel fine. naturally, it is not an option to let yourself be that way for a couple of months in a row, so i am in a permanent search of various ways to cheer myself up. last year i wrote a short piece about some of the things and actions that made me feel better in winter, and today i would like to share with you a few more. the fun thing is that this time i am going to be pretty specific, as all of them involve scents.

good things list / february

(текст на русском - ниже)

i have a great idea; it is a consistent way of cultivating a positive way of thinking and implementing its consequences into my life. in the beginning of every month i will post a list of good things. i have already written one in february. march is here, so it is time for a new one. what was february like? let`s see!

• reminded myself every single day that it was the last month of winter and cheered up right away;
• participated in the preparation of ksenia schnaider`s fall/winter 16-17 collection presentation, wrote a post about it;
• wrote an article for thefashioncrowd.com about the collections shown at mercedes-benz kiev fashion days, that i have found the most interesting;
• got a new pair of fun socks as a present. my crazy collection keeps on growing. once again pointed out to myself how valuable it is when someone knows you really well. details matter the most;

• made pancakes, ate them with nutella and homemade jam. drank banna milk too;

• finally starting using film camera again and shared the results. looking forward to finally spending hours in parks and gardens, taking pictures of natural beauty around me;
• bought flowers and put them in glass bottles all around my place. realized that flowers are something you can go and buy just like a cup of hot coffee or a new book, if you want to. you can simply go and make yourself a little bit happier, so go and take care of yourself;

• received the loveliest card from paris with a picture by my friend, taken in one of my favourite places - luxembourg garden. was happy and grateful for people i have all over the world, who manage to stay close despite the distance between us. i have always been very lucky to meet the most extraordinary people;

• practised the skill of saying "no" when something was not urgent and could be done tomorrow. as a result, wrote two posts about work and life. you can read them here and here.
• made a lot of plans for the upcoming spring <3.

what about you? my suggestion is to make a cup of something you like (green tea with soursop for me), turn on a good song (i have recently discovered scott matthews, so he is my choice this time) and spend some time thinking about your month. what was it like? what were its good parts? write them down and appreciate everything, then work hard to have more happy moments. remember that it depends on you only how many good things you have on your list. i wish you a happy march! 

ко мне пришла отличая идея; способ последовательно культивировать позитивное мышление и воплощать его последствия в жизнь. в начале каждого месяца я буду публиковать список хороший вещей. я уже написала один в феврале. пришел март, так что пора браться за новый. каким был мой февраль? давай посмотрим!

• ежедневно напоминала себе о том, что это последний месяц зимы, и тут же чувствовала, как мое настроение улучшается; 

• участвовала в подготовке презентации коллекции ksenia schnaider осень/зима 16-17, написала об этом пост; 
• написала для thefashioncrowd.com статью о коллекциях, показанных в рамках mercedes-benz kiev fashion days, которые мне показались наиболее интересными; 
• получила в подарок пару очередных забавных носков. моя сумасшедшая коллекция продолжает расти. в очередной раз подчеркнула для себя то, как же важно, когда кто-то тебя хорошо знает. детали всегда имеют наибольшее значение;
• сделала блинчики, ела их с нутеллой и домашним вареньем, а также запивала банановым молоком;

• наконец-то снова начала пользоваться пленочным фотоаппаратом и поделилась результатом. с нетерпением жду, когда на улице потеплеет и можно будет часами гулять по паркам и садам, фотографируя красоту природы вокруг; 
• покупала цветы и повсюду расставляла их в стеклянных бутылочках. осознала, что цветы это что-то, что можно пойти и купить, так же как чашку горячего кофе или новую книгу, если тебе этого хочется. можно просто пойти и сделать себя немного счастливее, так что иди и заботься о себе; 

• получила милейшую открытку из парижа с фотографией, сделанной моей подругой в одном из моих любимых мест - в люксембургском саду. была счастлива и благодарна за тех людей, которые живут далеко, но при этом умудряются оставаться близки. мне всегда везло со знакомствами с самыми необычными людьми; 
• практиковала умение говорить "нет", когда дело не было важным и могло быть выполнено завтра. в результате, написала целых два поста о работе. их ты можешь прочитать тут и тут; 
• запланировала множество дел на приближающуюся весну <3.

а что насчет тебя? предлагаю тебе сделать чашечку любимого напитка (для меня это зеленый чай с саусепом), включить хорошую песню (недавно открыла для себя scott matthews, так что его и советую) и провести немного времени, обдумывая свой месяц. каким он был? что в нем было хорошего? запиши каждую мелочь и цени её, а потом упорно работай, чтобы счастливых моментов было больше. помни, что количество хороших вещей в твоем списке зависит исключительно от тебя. желаю тебе, чтобы март был счастливым!