It's tough being in your mid twenties - succeeding in this world isn’t easy — by your mid twenties you possibly have been to university, you have debts and responsibilities, you want to break out and make a name for yourself but you don't want to stand above the parapet. If you want to get ahead you have to be prepared for it. These are tips that I once received in a careers lecture at university. I didn't pay too much attention to them until I came across them whilst packing up the house (less than a month to the move ... eek!!) looking them over they were good tips, tips that will stand you in good standing whether you have the job you dream of or are still in the application stage.  Read on!

image courtesy of www.pinterest.co.uk 

#1 – Set up your Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram privacy settings
You don’t want your boss or future boss to see your drunk party photos in the same way you dont want a potential client to see your bikini shots from that holiday in Mexico. Facebook *insert name of all social media websites* allow you to customize your privacy settings; you can formulate groups as to who see's what or hide certain posts from your boss.... anything I post between the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 ? Yeah you guessed, its hidden from my boss, my Instagram? private. I have to be especially careful in my line of work; hypocritical to be defending somebody who got paralytic on a night out and became involved in a fight too have photographs of myself being sick in a gutter uploaded the next day *disclaimer* this has never happened.. it was a corridor and I had food poisoning, it was definitely nothing to do with Tequila. 

#2 -Update your CV 

Whether you are looking for a new job or not ensure your CV is up to date; you don't know when you may need to rely upon it. Not only that writing your achievements when they are fresh in your mind means you will automatically include more detail, can you remember the specifics of that project you oversaw 8 months ago? No me neither. It can also assist you if you are having a 'down day' look over what you have achieved and be proud of yourself. 

#3 - Utilise Linkedin
Your Linkedin profile is your shop window to recruiters and potential employers, and the first place which potential recruiters will look when they are considering contacting you. Treat your LinkedIn profile like a summary of your greatest hits. As you make new contacts throughout your career, add them on LinkedIn so you can always have a pulse on what they’re up to; it can be a great way to break the Ice or put a face to a name you've known for a while. My Slimming World leader happens to be a caseworker at a forensic company I speak to on a weekly basis, I'd never of known without Linkedin. 

#4 – Get your name known 
Send a follow-up email or note after a meeting, always follow through on what you say you will do. In my job I quite often work alongside Mental Health Advocates; it can easily be a flippant comment that you will contact them with information, or confirm an outcome to them and then something more important comes in. I set aside five minutes a week to deal with all these such e-mails. It keeps my name in their mind, and I fulfill the undertakings I make which can in turn lead to further work. It also shows dedication to your client. 

#5– Know your worth.
By this time, you may have had a few jobs, taken on some projects, and conversed with others in your field. Know your own worth, I work in a firm who regularly send out client feedback questionnaires; I keep a copy of everyone I receive. Not only for a pick me up on a bad day but it also helps me identify areas for improvement. If I have a appraisal or fee earner review I read over some of these ahead of my meeting, it helps me feel prepared and go in knowing I can do the job I have and I can do it well. 

#6 – Always show up 10 minutes early

Think of this as more of a life lesson than anything—but punctuality is among the most important of professional habits to adopt. It’s an honest indicator of your organizational skills and overall reliability.

#7 – Get and stay, organized.
Use a to-do list and make sure your physical workspace is a neat and tidy environment. Easier said than done in some circumstances but set up a system, if others leave work on your desk arrange a "in tray" or separate "in desk" ... I know myself I cant focus if my desk is littered with different things, I therefore have a side desk where any new work coming in to me goes until I have chance to look at it. 

#8 - Dress for the job you want.
We all know that clothes are an important form of nonverbal communication, so do your best to avoid those side-eye glances. Bright clothes might be in fashion but do they send across the statement you want? I love some of the outfits portrayed in Suits but if I wore them in court I would be held in contempt! It is all abut striking an appropriate balance

Meet Echo, he joined our little family in May 2015; I had been living with my boyfriend for about four months when we decided we wanted to consider getting a puppy. I am the most inpatient person known to man and so as soon as we had that conversation I was trawling all of the pet sale sites, visiting the Dogs Trust at Sadberge and following hundreds of Stray Aid and RSPCA Facebook Pages.

We discussed the various breeds we would be happy having; it was a unanimous decision that we wanted a larger dog rather than someone small, someone who would be able to go on lots of family walks and not get tired or need carrying too quickly - that's my role!!

I remember the day I came across the advert for Echo (or Delta as he was then) he was listed on Gumtree as being 6 months old, his face in the photographs was the saddest thing I had ever seen, we had just been to the Dogs Trust and spent a few hours discussing different options with them when I got the notification for this little man. We had the night before extended our search alerts to include the Leeds area and so when his little face crossed my screen I was instantly in love.

There was hardly any information listed about him except that "He had to go that day" I begged and pleaded with Matthew to drive straight there and let me take him away to a happier life. The background to the photographs were horrendous, I hate to think of him living in those conditions. When we turned up to the house they refused to let us inside and led a tiny timid underweight thing out to us. He was terrified and shyed away from his owners if they took a step near him.

Matty and I looked at each other and I knew there was no way I could leave this little boy behind, We asked all the usual questions and could tell they didnt have a clue and were just fobbing us off, they gave us enough food for "three days" this was 2 cans of wet food, food which for his size and weight he should of been having 2 a day :(

We took him away there and then and we got to know each other on the car journey home, he tucked himself into the furthest side of the back seat that he could away from all contact. We gave him a jumper from each of us so he could get used to the smell and let him settle. Once we got home he curled up on the sofa and went to sleep. It wasnt until then that reality hit home, we had bought him on the basis that if things didnt work out we would have to take him to Sadberege, it wasn't what we wanted but anything was worth getting him out of that so called home. It was a Sunday night and there were no pet stores open, he had water out of a soup bowl that night and we begrudging-ly gave him the crappy quality dog food they had given us.

It was three long days before we could get him into our Vets for a full check up and microchip, I spent most of those days stressing about whether he would be flagged up as stolen, whether they would think that we had let him get into the state that he was in and whether any permanent damage was caused by the malnutrition.

We quickly learnt that his start in life hadnt been all rainbows and butterflies. He was terrified of people, he wouldnt go anywhere near us, he didnt understand toys and wouldnt take treats incase you changed your mind and took them away from him. It broke my heart that he didnt know how to trust humans and that someone had caused his total loss of faith.

Within days and following a thankful trip to the Vets (he hadn't been chipped and was only 15 kg in weight at 6 months) we bonded. He became my shadow (always being wary of men) and we must of walked miles. Over the next couple of months we spent hours learning how to play and building up our confidence meeting new people. He is now one of the most loving animals I've ever had the pleasure of knowing and the progress hes made is one of my proudest achievements. He is a mummy's boy and spoilt rotten but I wouldnt have it any other day.

In essence, I suppose what my waffling is really all about is to say please please please dont be put off re homing a rescue dog, for us it was one of the best decisions we ever made.

Sometimes, just sometimes you cant beat a good old "fakeaway", I tried this the other day and it was gorgeous! Will definitely be repeated again and again. A perfect way to increase SP food would be to add cauliflower rice. This was all bunged in and skillfully left to cook for 30 minutes whilst I recovered from being caught drenched in the rain after work. 

When it comes to cooking, I love doing it. But it always looks like crap. I follow hundreds *cough* thousands of Instagrammer's who all do Slimming World and their food looks like it's just walked out of a 5* hotel. I know mine will never amount to that so for now - I'm happy with the fact hat it is more than edible but actually nice! I think one of the ruts that most people find when trying to slim down is becoming stuck in a rut - cabbage soup every day for a week anyone? I love mixing things up and re-discovering old favorites. 

For anyone wanting to re-create this at home the recipe is below - and trust me its as easy as phoning for a takeaway! 

The recipe serves 4 & the Syns per Serving: 

EE - 3

Original - 3

Green - 13 1/2 

Ingredients: 

Fry light - is fry light an ingredient?! 

8 Chicken things - cut into bite sized pieces

1 large chopped onion (or frozen if your lazy like me) 

1 green pepper (or a handful of frozen if lazy!) 

3 large carrots chunked 

435g pineapple chunks in natural juice drained, keep 2 tbsp of juice 

1 crushed garlic clove 

1 level tbsp cornflour 

1 tbsp tomato puree 

1 tbsp red wine vinegar 

2 tbsp soy sauce 

Method: 

Chuck it all in and wait. Well not quite but along the same lines - place pan over high heat and spray with fry light, add chicken and cook for couple of minutes (3) - transfer chicken to plate. 

Add the onion pepper and carrots to the wok and cook for 4 minutes stirring occasionally. Return the chicken to the wok and cook for a further 3 - 4 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Or you could eat it raw and make yourself bad.. all in the name of weightloss ey? *disclaimer - I joke* 

Make the sauce by mixing the pineapple juice (2 tbsp) with the garlic, cornflour, tomato puree, red wine vinegar, soy sauce and 100 ml of water. 

Stir the sauce into the chicken and vegetables, add the pineapple and cook over a low heat for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with hot noodles or rice. 

 I am most definitely a tried a diet and got the t-shirt (albeit most of the time not in a smaller size) type of person, although I try to stick to it I always find myself rolling (quite literally) off the rails again a few weeks or days down the line. This time round with Slimming World I have been more determined, I have something to work towards, that something being a two week holiday to Mexico with my boyfriend in September 2016. My aim is to be four stone lighter for this adventure and as such I am more determined than ever to stick to Slimming World, and, what better way to stick to it than be accountable to the whole of the internet and not just my Slimming World group! 

So far I have lost 1 stone 12 1/2 lbs and I have definitely now hit the "wall" this blog is hopefully a avenue for overcoming this and somewhere where I can express and vent when the day to day pressures of life get to much. I hope you enjoy my journey as much as I am hoping to and I hope you are inspired by some of the recipes/ reviews. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me!