My goals for 2021

Since my last post was all about the things I didn’t achieve in 2020, I wanted to make a new list for 2021. The year started off with a new lock-down periode, at least here in Norway. And I totally still feel like I’m stuck in the middle of December of 2020. I thought it would be beneficial for me to write down some goals for this year. It’s great to have something specific to work towards. We might not be over the pandemic just yet but I can already feel that this year will be better than the last. It has to be! So let’s begin, shall we.

My goals for this year:

• Learn a new Surah
• Read more books
• Get a full time job
• Have a YouTube schedule
• Post on IG again
• Learn the box step when jumping rope
• Finish a 5k run in 30 minutes

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For now this is my list. I struggle to find books I can relate to so if you have any suggestions, please comment down below. I have also started to post on my public Instagram so if you want to check it out I will link my IG here.

Lots of love,

Elizabeth

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What I didn’t accomplish in 2020

Last year on the 1/1/2020 I wrote a blog post about what my 2020 goals were. This was 3 month before the pandemic, before the world shut down. Non of us could predict what year this would become but I’m sure everyone is happy that we’re saying goodbye tonight.

Last year I had this on my new year’s resolution list:

• WRITE IN MY GRATEFUL JOURNAL EACH DAY
• FAST IN RAMADAN
• WORKOUT & FINISH 5K RUN
• FOLLOW THE 12 HOUR FAST
• TRAVEL – AMSTERDAM, ISLAND…?
• KØBENHAVN BOAT TRIP
• MAJOR 25TH BIRTHDAY PRESENT 
• CONTINUE MAKING YOUTUBE VIDEOS
• POST ON IG AGAIN…? (BIG QUESTIONMARK)
• BUY LESS IN 2020
• SEW A DOLL FOR MY DAUGHTER
• SEARCH FOR A FULL TIME JOB
• GET MY MOTORCYCLE LICENSE IN 2020

I can honestly say that I did not accomplish all of these goals. Some I were unable to do because of the strict travel ban & I didn’t feel safe travelling otherwise. Others I was too hesitant to try and scared of the criticism I would receive. My list for 2021 is not long, in fact – I didn’t write one for this year. I always seem to fall short of them anyway and I don’t want to disappoint myself. I do believe I would benefit from more routines and structure in my life next year. Like having specific days to workout, filming youtube videos, bed time routine and so forth.

These are the things I didn’t accomplish in 2020:

• I did not write in my Grateful Journal every day (but I came very close).
• I did not finish a 5k run.
• I did not travel this year.
• I did not take a boat trip to København.
• I did not post on IG again.
• I did not buy less in 2020, unfortunately.
• I did not sew a doll for my daughter (but I bought her one).

I am however very proud to have fasted in Ramadan, having a great 25th birthday where we went to an amusement park and rented a tiny house on Airbnb. I searched for more jobs at the end of the year and also went on interviews. Most of all I’m proud to finally have my motorcycle license. A dream of mine for as long as I can remember.

Let’s look forward to a brighter future & hope for a great 2021.

Elizabeth

2020 GOALS

So everyone is in bed which is unusual because I’m never the one to be up alone in the evening. But I really do want to get my new years resolutions down on paper, or better yet – computer. And I thought I would share them with you as well.  

• WRITE IN MY GRATEFUL JOURNAL EACH DAY
• FAST IN RAMADAN
• WORKOUT & FINISH 5K RUN
• FOLLOW THE 12 HOUR FAST
• TRAVEL – AMSTERDAM, ISLAND…?
• KØBENHAVN BOAT TRIP
• MAJOR 25TH BIRTHDAY PRESENT 
• CONTINUE MAKING YOUTUBE VIDEOS
• POST ON IG AGAIN…? (BIG QUESTIONMARK)
• BUY LESS IN 2020
• SEW A DOLL FOR MY DAUGHTER
• SEARCH FOR A FULL TIME JOB
• GET MY MOTORCYCLE LICENSE IN 2020

New years eve is always this big fuss and you’d think it will be a huge moment when the clock strikes twelve but most often than not it’s just another minute passing us by. Suddenly we’ve past a decade and looking at the fireworks welcoming a new year. Beginnings are always nice because they mean a fresh and maybe even different start for so many. But at the end of the day it’s just a new day that welcomes us. We are lucky to witness it and we should count our luck and be grateful for another year. 

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Do you have any new years resolutions – if so what are they?

Elizabeth

Reminder to all reverts out there

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Sometimes it can be hard to see how far you’ve come when everyone around you is pointing out your mistakes.

Remember the time you didn’t wear the hijab. The time when you still ate pork or drank a glass of alcohol. The time before Islam. Before you change you’re life.

I used to read a lot of forums on fb and at first it was fine but soon it began to drag me down. Every notification made me question my faith and there were times I wanted to cry because I felt like I was a bad muslim. That my afford wasn’t enough.

But do your best and that will be enough. Be proud of yourself! Be proud of how far you’ve come and pray that Allah will help you become the best muslim you can be. We are all on our own journey and for some it’s easy and for others it takes longer.

Find a balance and don’t lose yourself. Your faith should make you stronger and lift you up.

Elizabeth

Last day of 2017 – recap

15 minutes before midnight and here I am sitting on the couch writing a recap post. 2017 has been a wild, chill, amazing, heartwarming, difficult and hard – and once again I’m taking a look back at the past year.

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Last Day of 2016 – I ended and started the year with my mum, highly pregnant, walking around trying to catch the fireworks at 12. It was a lot like today, cloudy and roads covered in snow. We actually didn’t find a good spot to look at the fireworks, but we did see some. And after a short, but tiring walk I made my way home to my bed.

15th of January – The most amazing, heartwarming, incredible day of my life, and of 2017. I gave birth to my baby boy. He’s soon turning 1, and I can’t believe how I found the strength to push him out without any medication or drugs. This was hands down my proudest moment & the highlight of my year!

Surprise Birthday Party for 2 – Surprised my mum at home with a clean house and her favorite cake. I stayed and celebrated her belated birthday whilst we ate carrot cake and she opened presents.

Summer 2017 – First summer i tried wearing the hijab, and it was a success! Not as hard as I thought it would be. Abayas became my new best friend and light chiffon scarfs as well.

22nd Birthday – I gave birth at 21, but 7 months later I turned 22. If you haven’t seen it you can watch my «22 things I’ve learned the last 22 years».

2 Year Anniversary – This day lies close to my heart because it’s the day I said my shahada. Nervous and anxious, but the best decision I have made.

Roadtrip to Gothenburg – I was eager to travel the whole year, and finally at the last end of November we decided to take a roadtrip – my mum, my son and I. We had a wonderful stay in Gothenburg, spending most of our time at Liseberg, Universum and in the car, of course.

First day back at work – After 46 weeks at home I had to say goodbye to my baby boy, at least for a couple of hours, and go back to work. After a couple of days and haircuts, I was back into the old routines.

Dinner with the fam – 23rd of December, a day before Christmas Eve here in Scandinavia, we all meet up at my brothers apartment and had a wonderful homemade buffet and played games long over midnight.

Last day of 2017 – Today I continued packing for tomorrow, and also meet up with my mum yet again for a New Years Eve dinner with my son. Now 1 year later he could join us and it was a full circle experience.

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A new year is on it’s way, and this year we get 366 days of creating and writing our story!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Elizabeth

My goals for 2018

I know it’s a week until new years but I thought I would share my goals a week in advance. Since I am going traveling the first week of January and I still want to film 2-3 videos in advance, I thought I would do this now.

I always take a look back at the year I’ve had and summaries my feelings, accomplishments and travels. I will still do this at the end of the year but for now I’ve picked my brain on what I want to improve in 2018.

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MY GOALS FOR 2018

1. Read the Quran every day! I did this after Ramadan and even though I just read a page or two sometimes, I sat myself down after Maghrib prayer and read. Now I’ve fallen out of my routine and only read a verse or two on my Quran app.

"The most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even though it were little." Sahih Bukhari 8/471

2. Listen to the Quran every morning. A great way to the beginning of a new day and why not start the day of right. This is something you can do while preparing breakfast, getting dressed or doing your laundry.
3. Do dhikr. Remember Allah (God) in everything you do. Say thank you for the food you have, the clean water, the job you’ve been giving, your faith, family & friends. Nothing would be possible without Allah.

Alhamdullilah - All praise to Allah
 Subhan'Allah - Glorious is Allah
 Allahu Akbar - Allah is the Greatest

4. Learn Surah Al-Kahf. The 18th chapter of the Quran. A surah I’ve started to learn but then again forgotten because I don’t practice it. Insha’Allah I will learn at least the first 10 verses before Ramadan 2018.
5. Listen to Surah al-Kahf every Friday.

"If anyone learns by heart the first 10 verses of Surah al-Kahf, he will be protected from the Dajjal (Anti-Christ)." Sahih Muslim 4/1766

6. Fast Monday & Thursdays. Prophet Muhammad saw used to fast on these days because these are the days our deeds are shown to Allah.
7. Wake up for Fajr consistently on time, and also pray Tahajjud (night prayer) at least once every week.

Our Lord comes down to the nearest Heaven every night when the last third of the night remains.

8. Write a gratitude journal. A place where I can write down what I’m grateful for, what I want to improve and my accomplishments for the day.
9. Create a new video every week with bonus videos sometimes during the week. Focusing on lifestyle videos, fashion & style and beauty related videos.
10. Gain 500 subscribers on YouTube.
11. Buy a Nikon j5 to improve my video quality. Support me on Patreon if you’d like!
12. Keep a daily diary on my laptop without any filter. Somewhere I can write exactly what I’m feeling and experiencing.

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I hope you continue on following my journey and let’s check off this list one by one together. Do you have anything you want to add? Leave it in the comments.

Happy holidays!

Elizabeth

Worst week in my life

Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating, but I’ve not had the best 48 hours. Everything went downhill since Wednesday night and now I’m sitting here on the living room floor with the worst headache since this afternoon.

I don’t want to keep on dragging this complain wagon any longer, and I will try to look at life from a more positive way.

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Even though we don’t celebrate Christmas, I do want to give something back to my family, especially my mum. And since this is a time of year where people usually meet, I ended up buying some gifts for my family.
It was most natural for me to buy something hair related since I work at a salon. So both my brothers will receive a shampoo. My oldest brother will also get a 3D puzzle I thought was so cool, maybe even something I should have bought for myself. And my brother in between will get a sports t-shirt. I still have my parents but I’ve got them covered with something.
I’m off to bed hoping to sleep away this awful headache. I have to be up, ready and back at the salon by 9 am, so good night.

Elizabeth

2016 summary

At the end of every year I sit down and write down the big things that have happened the last year. It’s a great way to reflect and look back at the year I’ve had. Even though I haven’t shared a lot lately, there is a lot that has happened and I thought I’d write an overview of how my 2016 has been.

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New Years Eve – A very laid-back evening with my love. We made dinner together at our first home. The power went out half way through the night but that only made it more cosy. The clock turned midnight and we watched the fireworks from our balcony.

London – From the 1st to 5th of February we travelled to England. I’ve always dreamed of going and it was a great first trip together as a couple.

May 1st – After 6 months at our new home we had to move out. We had three months to pack up our things and move.

May 18th – The day we found out that Baby #1 is on the way. A nerve-racking and exciting day with a whole lot of feelings.

1st of July – Moving day. We moved to a town 20 minutes away from our first apartment. And personally, I couldn’t be more happy. New beginnings are always nice and with an extra bedroom there would be plenty of space for our little family.

24th of August – First baby check-up, is it a boy or a girl?

26th of August – My birthday, I’m officially 21. I never in a million years thought that I would be in this place at my age. But I couldn’t be more happy.

16th to 21st of September – Lisa, my cousin from Scotland, visited. We had a lovely couple of days together with lots of shopping, sightseeing and great company.

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Elizabeth

Patience

It’s been a minute or two since I’ve sat down and opened a blank post. The end of the year is sneaking up on us, and new beginnings are awaiting. A lot is going to change in the coming year and I’m debating on weather or not to share that part of my life. Since it’s so private and close to my heart, I want to protect it as much as I can.

As for myself, I’m still learning and everyday is a constant battle. It’s a lifelong journey and I need patience with myself. And I need the same patience and support from the people around me. It’s hard when you feel you’re carrying a huge weight on your shoulders. When people you thought where the closest to you, can’t be there for you and somehow you know you don’t have their support. It wears you down and sometimes you just want to run away from it all. But you can’t, and you remember that God has put you in this situation, going through this trial for a reason.

Elizabeth

Saturday

My home office today. I always get the couch or the bed, but I don’t mind. At least I get to update you once in a while. I know I have been neglecting to write. I don’t know where to start. Should I tell you the whole story or only put to words the ‘perfect’ picture? It’s easy to hide behind a screen, for me and for you. I still have the control but if I share it all, you will get it. You will get the control to judge me, and I don’t know if I’m ready for that.

It’s been snowing the last couple of days just when I thought winter was over. We had a green holiday but I guess winter comes every year. At least I have three days off now so I will be enjoying the snow from inside.

Elizabeth