On personal growth and moving back to London

The last time I was living in London I vowed to myself that I would treat the city like I was a visitor, never wasting an opportunity to seize a moment of exploration when it came knocking.

Though not long after I arrived did I slip into a routine of working from home and being more or less reclusive. I let my good intentions drift away like a quiet fart in the wind.

But now I’m back in London I’m determined to keep my inner sloth buried inside the closet. I can be sociable goddamit! So I don’t fail as impressively as last time, I’m taking the preliminary measure of writing down my intentions here, on my blog, so I can refer back to them and check my progress.

These goals are not difficult by most standards. But what I find difficult others might not, and what I find easy others might find difficult. We’re all different. These goals are aimed towards expanding personal growth, ‘cos this woman wants to put some roots in her soil. They’re simple, straight-forward, and should be achievable.

 

Attend talks

London is one of the best places in the world to see some of the great thinkers of our generation. There are loads of organisations that invite people from all over the world to discuss their ideas and thoughts to a wider audience.

Live talks with Guardian membership

So far things are off to a promising start. I bought a Guardian membership and with this I’m allocated 6 tickets a year to attend any events hosted by the Guardian, and a further 20% discount once I’ve used up all my tickets. The first talk I’m going to is a conversation between Ed Milliband and George Monbiot. I’ve been a huge fan of George Monbiot ever since I saw his Ted Talk about rewilding a few years ago. It’s going to be really interesting to see what a politician and an environmentalist will have to say to each other… I’m expecting some ruffled feathers.

 

Read more fiction

I used to read loads of fiction but now all I ever seem to read are travel related articles. If you combine this with working in travel it becomes a major overkill. I want to get back into reading, lose myself in storylines and characters and thoughts. I want to experience a place through a novel even before I travel there.

 

Be realistic

I know myself, so I know there’s no way I’m going to go out every day of the week. I like spending time by myself way too much. However, I’m blessed with some wonderful friends who I should see more regularly than I do. Good friends don’t come around too often so I must appreciate and hold onto each one like a precious little stone!

 

Give back

Last time I was in London I began volunteering at a homeless shelter, just being a body to help change beds and make dinner in the kitchen, but then I ended up leaving London earlier than expected and stopped volunteering which made me feel sad. Now that I’m back again I’m going to try and find a shelter closer to where I live in South London.

I’ve also been reading a lot about Calais, and volunteering there is something I want to look at being a part of when I can get the time off work. Even though it’s getting demolished as I write this, I’ve read they still need volunteers. Flora from Flora the Explorer wrote about her experience and I feel very inspired to do the same thing. I’m also meeting up with my cousin Danielle to talk about any volunteering trips she might want to do after hitchhiking to Serbia with her friend from the Red Cross for the refugee crisis.

 

Get better at cooking

I love cooking curries and hotpots, dishes I can just throw together using herbs and spices but I resist getting technical. Though the thing is, I’m living with my brother in London who is an undiscovered Masterchef so I need to soak up his talents! He’s the kind of guy who can rustle up a meal with ingredients most people would leave to go mouldy at the back of the fridge. And he knows how to improvise the ass off any dish too, if we don’t have the ingredients he knows exactly what they can be substituted for. Nothing goes to waste in his fridge.

homemade tortellini

The other day he cooked tortellini from scratch which alone is impressive, but he made them after he came in from a 10km run! He’s currently training for a marathon he’s doing in North Korea next month…

 

Play more chess

Playing chess in London

If there’s one thing I love as much as travelling, it’s playing chess. I LOVE CHESS. Now that I’m back in London I want to play more and it’s already started. I’m also very keen on meeting up with people from all walks of life for a game. In my experience the people who I bond the most with are people who like playing chess… funny, but true.

 

Learn a language

I’m terrible at languages, to call myself a layman would be a huge compliment, it’s like I’ve been lobotomised when I make an attempt to learn. It’s the thing I’m most ashamed about but instead of persevering I give up because the progress is so slow. My buddy, Ruchi, told me she’d be my French teacher and I cancelled on the day of our first lesson. That’s the kind of dedication I have! But that was then and this is now, so I’m going to put this one on the list because I want to look back at this post and see a progression in everything I’ve written down.

 

Do you have any goals, big or small, for personal growth?

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Hi, I'm Shing

Welcome to The Culture Map, a place where I share my travel guides, adventurous tales, and capture the inspiring diversity of our world.

17 Responses

  1. Hullo, brutalist Claire here from The Finders Seekers 🙂 so you’ve moved back to London!? Funny isn’t it – I’m so desperate to leave yet people come flocking back! Not that I don’t love it (we’re south too – Peckham!) but in terms of goals, for me and my better half, it’s to have a one way flight booked out of the U.K between our 30ths next year! Another goal is to pour some love into our blog (which unfortunately is not going to happen until we get a laptop – I swear every time I save £ something breaks). HOWEVER. A personal goal was to try something new, and I did start yoga in February. I hate the idea of the gym but haven’t done any real exercise since I left uni so I needed to do something before it’s too late (!), and I’ve been influenced my many friends I’ve met travelling who are hard core yogis who are some of the most relaxed, happy and content people I have ever met. I thought I wouldn’t like it at all, but I have found something I adore! I’m getting fit and meeting really lovely people at the same time, and becoming genuinely more mindful. I hope this leads to great things – I’m already doing better at work and when I get a laptop I intend to pour my new found focus into blogging! Anyway – it’s really good to read, as an avid reader, all of your goals! Guardian membership is a good shout! Hope you’re doing well, have loved following your adventures (even the scary Hong Kong apartment block one!)
    Claire

    1. My nickname for you is Brutalist babe haha! Cheesy, but I’m a sucker for alliteration 😉 Thanks for sharing your goals, love that you have something big planned for your 30th. It’s a shame your blog has had to take a back seat until you get a laptop, it’s Sod’s Law that when one things gets fixed another breaks! I hope that changes soon for you though.

      On being mindful, I’m completely with you – it’s so important to be aware of how our actions effect not only other people but ourselves. Good luck with working towards all these Claire!

      1. Haha brutalist babe, I like! I think I’m just gonna pay a bit of my credit card off and then whack the laptop expense back on it! Got so much to write about and barel anything on the blog 🙁 well enjoy being back in London, and happy Friday! Claire.

  2. A second language is high on my list of personal goals. My french is, comme un bebe, but I can push my way through it. Other goals are to be less quite, keep exercising, get a professional certification & learn to fly. But I’m traveling now so mind will meet paper with those things after.

    I also like using farts in analogies. Props.

    1. Enjoy travelling Shaun and good luck pursuing your goals when you get back… though the language one is good when you’re on the go!

      And let’s toast to the fart!

  3. Languages – don’t worry Shing, I’m not very good at them either. I think perhaps I try TOO hard to learn, instead of just living it.

  4. These are fantastic goals Shing and I’m not surprised that you’re moving back to London!
    I’m from Manchester but after graduation, I lived in London for a few years. It’s a great place as you know, but the trick is to do it in piece-meal! After 2 years living in Islington (Camden nearby was sooooo good!), I moved to the Czech Republic and then went to live in London again for another 3 years (Dulwich & Ealing) then moved off again to live in Berlin! So I can say with absolute clarity and conviction that I loved living in London, and I did!

    I wouldn’t want to have a family there though as the quality of life that I’m used to would make it awfully expensive and a drain on my energy and resources lol!

    1. You’ve lived in some fabulous places Victoria, and clearly you must love London! But I’m with you re: bringing up a family in London, the housing market turns my stomach!

  5. These are fantastic goals- I share most of them, but am extremly rubbish at putting the effort into learning languages! I usually have to do that on the go if I manage it at all. Good luck with the chess! We need to prove that it’s not just a man’s brain game (you wouldn’t believe how many times that has been said to me)

  6. I’ve been working my way through the classics: James Joyce, Edith Wharton, Hemingway, Dickens, and am working my way up to War & Peace. One of these years…

    I also tend to fall into the bottomless pit of my apartment and have been trying to make more of an effort to get out and explore Riga and Latvia at large. Some days are more successful than others. I’ve found it helps to have a specific thing to do/place to visit/friend to meet. Good luck!

    1. Your reading list is very accomplished Heather – haha… indeed… one of these days we’ll get through War & Peace, though I’m predicting you’ll be first.

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