2021 Was a difficult year…but I’m still going

Hi again! It’s been quite some time, hasn’t it?

I haven’t shared anything here for a while. I should definitely apologise for that. Life gets in the way, sometimes way more than you would like to admit.

This year has truly been testament to that.

From my family moving to Scotland in Januray, money being stolen from account in February, to losing my job in July and having no money left in my back pocket for a couple of months until now. This has been one lengthy rollercoaster.

I know I’m only 23 and there are going to be a few real shockers as I grow older, but as it stands at this moment, 2021 was my hardest year to date.

I’m almost glad it’s over.

However, I never gave up.

That’s one thing I am proud of myself for.

Through every struggle, I kept the faith, I held on and although it was tough, I made myself keep going.

Thankfully I wasn’t alone at any point. Though I will say, there were moments in my mind where I could have allowed myself to believe I was.

Okay. I won’t lie. At times I did think that a bit. Sue me. I’m human. But worry not, those thoughts were quickly abandoned. They did not consume me.

With Christmas now just around the corner and the New Year close in sight, I can happily say I did it…well I’m on my way to.

Yes, the battle isn’t over. There will always be challenges and trials ahead, but that is part of the journey we must follow each and every day.

We can’t escape that. We can only continue to move forward and lock our eyes on what is in front of us.

The old me would never have been able to handle what the me now has had to face this year. I know that for a fact. If you went back and looked at my old posts from 5 years ago (5 years?…damn) you will see that for yourselves. I used to write anonymously for one. That’s how afraid I was.

Now? Well I’m a totally different person and refuse to be that version of me again.

So even if where you are right now is not where you want to be, at least you are not where you were.

It’s called the past for a reason. What matters is the future and what we make of that.

Be encouraged by these words.

For now, I’ll leave you all with that. Partly because as I’m writing this it’s almost 11pm and I’m tired. Forgive me. Long day.

Until next time!

Your friend,

Chloe Lauren

Start the conversation – Overcoming the Silent Killer

Last night I was going through my Twitter feed when I came across a story about a young Biritsh reality TV star who had unfortunately passed away at the age of only 26.

Although I had never been a fan of the work he had done previously with the show he found fame on, I was absolutely devastated by this news.

26 is no age to die. No matter who you are.

The more I read on, the more I felt I truly understood his story.

He had been suffering inwardly from what seems to be a very silent yet prominent killer in this day and age…Depression.

He had been given a persona from the show, something he had to take on board, live with, and act as though was who he really was on a daily basis. It wasn’t until the news of his death, that you heard about who he truly was on the inside.

Perception isn’t always truth and Reality TV isn’t the reality we are in. It’s made and altered to fit what it’s aiming to be and for the audience it wishes to keep.

And just for the record, this is not the only account of this we have seen in the news, and unfortunately it will probably not be the last either. In fact, under a year ago, there was another case with a very similar issue, and from the exact same show.

What does this say for the way we treat others? These people were treated like their characters not for the people they are outside this life.

How can this be? How can we allow this to continue to happen?

It doesn’t matter if you are in the public eye or not. Something desperately needs to change!

One major issue – these people feel as though they are silenced. They fear speaking out in case of backlash or people just not getting it.

Trust me, I have been there. Opening up was the one of the hardest things I thought I would or could ever do, to the point that the only way I found I could do so was through writing…hence this blog.

Mental Illness continues to take lives.

I’m ready for things to change. Are you?

If you are struggling or if you know someone who is, please, I ask you now, don’t hide away. Talk to someone. There are people who really can and want to help.

Don’t suffer in silence. Start the conversation!

Chloe Lauren x

3 Simple But Effective Lessons That Changed My Life

Hey Guys,

It recently dawned on me that in a little over 3 months, I turn 21. I mean most days it’s hard enough to just comprehend that I am 20, let alone turning 21. Just the sound of it somehow doesn’t seem right to me nor has it completely clicked with me yet. In fact, it is weird how quickly times moving forward as each day passes by.

One thing I know for sure though, is that in such a short period of time I have been through, and faced so much, as well as having what I consider to be some extremely crucial and life defining moments which have helped craft me into the person I am right now.

Although at the time I felt completely beaten by them, I am so grateful for those moments. Each weary step backwards later lead to five giant leaps forward, or at least, that’s how it feels now looking back.

So in light of this, I wanted to share with you the lessons I wish I’d have known previously and hopefully help some people who are in the position I was once in.

Here we go:

1) YOU HAVE TO FIGHT PAST ADVERSITY!

One of the main things I have had to really come to grips with, over the last few years especially, is that anything you want, you can’t leave it to chance, you have to really fight for it, even if seems difficult and so far away.

It’s never going to be plain sailing and if I am honest, I am so glad it isn’t!

For example, when I was job searching. During the entire process, I was still struggling with anxiety. It was truly prevalent and there were times when I just wanted to fully give up. I felt stuck and like a failure.

I remember sending out application after application and even though I was getting interviews, I let myself down quite often.

Then…reality hit. It may be tough, but if I didn’t push through I would never move forward.

So that’s just what I did. I made a bold move, sent out an email to a company in the local area and to my surprise got a reply almost instantly, and had the interview the very same day.

Imagine if I had just done that from day one! Oh well. I got there in the end!

2) LIFE WILL THROW SOME INTERESTING CURVE BALLS

It doesn’t matter what you do, where you go, or what plans you think you have, life will find a way to throw something your way which may either help, or be an initial hindrance to you, making you feel truly defeated at times, that is…if you let it!

There were moments in the past when I thought things were heading in a certain direction, but without notice were diverted, throwing me completely off course, so what I originally assumed to be a sure thing, ended up on a completely different path.

Although, yes, this could sometimes be for the better, it never stopped that flurry of confusion and fear creeping up and taking over the thoughts within my mind. I never did know how to handle change, but that’s just the thing, whether we like it or not, just like the song says, change is going to come, we just have to learn to deal with it.

3) IT’S OK NOT TO BE LIKED BY EVERYONE!

This one in particular has always been such a HUGE issue for me.

Growing up, I always had this want to get on with everyone and for people to want the same with me, but unfortunately it never ended up being the case and the more I began to realise, the more it messed with my head.

It made me anxious and overly self conscious, to the point that I would fall in tears each and every time. I would constantly worry that there was something seriously wrong with me and that I had to change who I was in order to be liked by my peers.

I had fully convinced myself that I was the problem. What I hadn’t considered is that maybe I didn’t actually need their validation.Why did I value it so much anyway?

Over time I have had to teach myself that I am good enough and that if people don’t like me, that is completely fine, they don’t have too. I’m going to be me regardless!

So there you go. Three lessons I am thankful for learning. It was nerve wracking writing this, but hope my story helps you.

Chloe Lauren

A Day In The Life Of A Social Media Marketer

Hey Guys,

A month after I started my Digital Marketing Apprenticeship, back in August, I let you all in on how it was going, and it made people tell me in the comments and via Social Media how they were interested in this as a job also.

So, I thought I would show you a better view of my job so you know what the day to day workings of a Digital Marketer consists of, especially that of a Social Media and Content Marketer.

The only problem is, this is an ever changing career and no two days are ever going to be the same, so this is an overview of what one day could look like, so don’t think this is all that is involved.

9:00am 

Make it to the office and get straight into my work, or at least I would like to think I do.

What actually happens is, I will get in, turn on my computer, have a quick catch up with my colleagues and put the kettle on as well as start the coffee for the guys, because I am obviously a team player.

Then I will go on to check all of the emails I have received, including notifications from other team members for tasks I am working on to see where we are currently with certain projects.

9:30am 

The first part of my working morning is dedicated specifically to the Twitter accounts I manage for our Clients.

For this, I use Crowdfire in order to increase the following of each account as well as to determine which content, blog posts or industry related articles to push to the individual audiences available and built as a means of retaining interest on the platform.

10:00am 

Once this is done I move onto checking each of the Clients Social Media accounts more in depth, by checking notifications and posting content for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google +, Instagram and Pinterest.

For each Client there is a set tone of voice, audience type, business goals as well as objectives, so when posting on these accounts, I have to ensure that the content is varied and fits the platform dependent on whom I am doing work for at that time.

To do this, I go through what is trending on that day or that week and try and flip it for the different industries and how to best sell the products or services being pushed by the Business.

12:00pm 

In the two hours before I go out for my break, I like to go over any tasks which may have been brought to my attention by our team and need to be completed. This gives me the opportunity to get any urgent tasks out of the way.

If this isn’t the case, I will go over the ECommerce platforms and check the listings for products, and go over to the Ads created for promotions and see how they are performing using the data provided. I can then begin to improve or freshen up the Ads to make for more of a productive and effective promotion.

14:00pm 

Although my lunch period technically begins at 13:00pm, I don’t usually leave until 14:00pm, because of trying to keep up with tasks before going, but also because I feel it splits up the afternoon better.

During this time, I head around the corner to the Cafe I volunteer at on Saturday’s for my lunch. How convenient, right?

Sometimes though, mainly on a Thursday, I will join my colleagues for what we call, ‘Church Food’, which is just normal food, but it comes from a Church that Tim, our designer, goes to.

15:00pm 

When I return from my lunch, I will put on the kettle once again, then get in to writing a Blog post or article for a Clients Website or go on to scheduling Social Media Posts for the coming weeks.

Both of these require research to be done for trends and keywords to be integrated within the Content.

To instigate this further, I also like to check the insights to check how posts are performing and what is working and what isn’t. This will then allow me to get an idea of what should be continued with for the content strategy in the future.

17:00pm 

In the last half an hour of the day I will go over the tasks from the day, reply to any outstanding comments left by colleagues, make sure all emails and any messages on Social Media pages have been answered.

17:30pm 

The day is over and I can now head home, relax and prepare for the next day when I get to do it all over again!

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And there you have it, one day in the life of a Social Media Marketer.

If you’d like to find out any more information, please do get in touch as I would love to help in any way I can and let you know anything you want to know!

Anyway, see you all soon and hope you all had a great Easter Weekend,

Chloe Lauren x