Book Review: Girl Gone London – An American Girl’s Guide To Studying Abroad In London

(Disclaimer: A copy of this book was given to me by the Author free of charge, in return for an honest review. Opinions and experiences are completely my own)

Title: Girl Gone London – An American Girl’s Guide To Studying Abroad In London

Author: Girl Gone London

Publishing Date: available now

Available at: PayHip.com to download

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

The reason I was interested in a book about studying abroad is because of my daughter. As a young person who is about to go to College, and with a European Mother ( I was born in Germany), she is very aware of the possibilities and opportunities of studying abroad.

Still, I was not informed enough about the details to help her make a well-researched decision if  she would decide to study out of the country, and help her to decide where that would be.

This guide is a great place to start getting the information needed to make these decisions.

Very well written, in a light conversational and entertaining tone, Girl Gone London’s book  is a quick and comfortable read filled with plenty of detailed information. For example, I did not know that it was difficult for a student from the US to open a bank account in the UK, a very important point that needs to be kept in mind when you are planning on staying for more than 6 months in the UK.

I am glad that I was given a copy of this book to review, and I handed it as soon as I was done reading it, to my daughter, convinced that she will be able to make a more informed decision about what her educational future will look like, and what possibilities​ she has from here on out.

I thank the Author for giving me this peace of mind.

 

Blessings

Claudia

Planning, Goals, Progress and Coffee

Flowers In Blue by Claudia H. Blanton

If you were coming over for coffee, I would greet you with a hug and some chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. It has been a while since I posted on this blog, but I have been pretty busy. The fact that my computer has a nasty virus did not help either.

December is usually my busiest month, not only do both of my children have birthdays, and of course, there are the holidays, but it is the time where business picks up, and also the time to plan for the next year.

Which is exactly what I am working on this weekend: Goal and Action Plan for 2016.

I don’t believe in New Years resolutions. Of course, they can be beneficial, but why wait until a particular time to make a change? Yet I do plan the year, but not in a resolution kind of way.

There are overall goals to work out – that has to be the first step, never forgetting that there has to be a why, a reason behind each goal, otherwise, I am fully aware that I will not follow through on it.

Willpower can carry you far, reasons will carry you further.

Then there are the monthly goals – smaller steps that together build the picture of a successful year. Those are flexible, meaning, I can adjust those goals throughout the year to fit the progress I am actually making. The trick is to set these goals high, but not so high that they are not attainable. Otherwise,  the frustration of not reaching them will keep me from going further.

Next are tangible action steps. I ask myself, what do I need to learn to make this happen? How much time am I willing to invest into this goal? What do I need to do to see progress? Those answers will be based on the overall goal and the monthly  goals.

This leaves me with a framework for the entire year.

Another Bright Day By Claudia H. Blanton

What I am questioning this year is about how public I should make these goals, and when. I have seen many bloggers and marketing experts, who put all of their goals and their achievements out there – that is wonderful, as it motivates me. But being an artist first, a creative, who might not see monetary results in such a profound way every month – while other months soar – I am not sure, I am going to do that yet. What do you think? How public do you make your goals?

If you were here with me, I would tell you that another year end practice I enjoy and intend to employ this year:

Expressing my thanks to those who inspired me.

Now, some of these people – some of whom are famous, some are very successful might never respond to my email, Facebook message or tweet, but some might (hey, I have had Brendan Brazer, the creator of Vega, and the author of Thrive, acknowledge my tweet the other day, where I was praising his mission, products and words), but that is not the point. It does not matter how successful you are, I am sure that it can not be a bad thing to hear something positive from someone who learned from you, or was inspired by you. Spreading a little kindness through expressing gratitude at the end of the year – and throughout the year benefits the receiver as much as the giver. It simply feels good all around.

So these are the questions I have for you this week:

Do you plan your year? Do you make resolutions? If you do, what steps do you take to allow yourself a better chance of success? And, how public do you make these goals and plans?

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

I hope you enjoyed the cookies. I enjoyed your company as always

Much love

Claudia

 

 

This blog post is a part of the following blog hops

Celebrate The Small Things

Weekend Coffee Share

Thankful Thursdays

Thankful Thursdays 2

No Rules Weekend

 

Disclaimer: The above blog post contains affiliate links.

 

W Is For What Now?

The weird, wackiness of the A to Z Challenge is almost over, so it is time to contemplate what to write about in the wake of it, and most importantly how much.

With my head always in the midst of some kind of art form, may it be a really good book, or a movie I can hardly wait to share, there will be plenty to write about.

So when it is over, and it is over soon, I have planned for you the following:

 

A book review of “The Hero” by Robin Carr

A more thorough dissection of the documentary: “The Artifact”

 

Flash Fiction – I will again participate in the Friday Flash Fiction, so watch out for new, exiting really short stories

A look at Joss Whedon’s “In Your Eyes”, which is currently available on Vimeo, a rather unconventional release, but we should expect the unconventional from Joss by now.

and I will be talking about a few projects that others are working on, but I am happy to support in any way I can, especially because they deal with some important issues, such as bullying.

 

What have you planned to write about, once the challenge has been completed?

Have a wonderful week!