Nothing good rhymes with Charlotte

  • ON RELATIONSHIPS
  • ON PARENTING
  • ON CONFIDENCE
  • ABOUT
  • HIRE ME

ambitions

Why you should stop giving social media so much control over your feelings

05/04/2015 by Charlotte 2 Comments
IMG_20150404_225921-1024x1024

It’s very easy in this world of constant digital access to other people’s lives and photos and boasts to feel that every single one serves as a direct comparison to your own life:

Have you had a delicious homemade brunch today, Charlotte? Hmm, well, @someoneyouwillprobablynevermeet has. Why is your morning time consumption so inadequate? Did you even think about taking a picture of your food before you put it in your face? Where are your priorities? 

Hey, Charlotte, have YOU just landed yourself a sweet book/magazine/film/four-album deal? Hmm, well, @somedudeyoudontevenknow has. Why do you even bother conditioning your hair for this world if you’re not going to take it seriously?

And this all feels so much more personal because we’re having these words and pictures delivered straight to our phone and laptop screens whilst we sit at home watching old episodes of Not Going Out and eating, well, everything. It’s like these people have come round to our houses to tell us directly how well things are going for them, had a scathing glance at our peeling wallpaper and overflowing bin and then danced off down the street with their 300,000 followers trailing behind them. I mean, who does that?

But, of course, that isn’t what’s happening. Firstly, you opened the door. In fact, you invited them round to stay for as long as you’ve been following them which, if you joined Facebook back in 2005 like all the cool kids, is a chuffing long time. And you know that you could have them off your screen in a micro-second if you wanted to but that isn’t the point. It’s you that you need to feel OK with – your life, your achievements, your consumption of photograph-worthy brunches and cocktails – and then none of this will touch you. You’ll just give ’em a little ‘like’ or a ‘favourite’ and be on your way, rather than adding them to your personal file called ‘Reasons to believe I am fundamentally failing at life’ which, if nothing else, is a very long name for a file.

It’s easy to forget that people rarely use social media to acknowledge the baby steps it takes to make real progress towards realising your goals. You don’t get many updates that say “Sent a few emails out last week. Got a couple of replies saying no and one maybe, so we’ll see what happens” because that would be a) pretty boring b) who is going to retweet that? and c) nobody likes to admit just how much hard work goes into getting things done.

The loyal readers among you (Hi mum!) may remember that in January I wrote this post about my intentions to spend 2015 being much less afraid. And it is this very thought process that made me realise that I haven’t been doing so well at it. But now I think I know why.

Because I forgot that other people’s lives and successes have no bearing whatsoever on our own. And because I forgot that if you want to do something difficult – like get your teeth fixed (no, I still haven’t been to the dentist), or get more writing work, or attempt to do anything else which means making you vulnerable – it is going to feel a bit scary but that can’t be a reason not to do it. In fact, it should be all the more reason to go and bloody give it a try – because imagine how good it’ll feel when it turns out to be completely worth your while.

And if nothing else, any success you do get will make for some excellent social media posts. But remember not to be fooled – it’ll only ever be half the story.

Posted in: ON CONFIDENCE Tagged: adulthood, ambitions, fears, goals, growing up, life advice, resolutions, social media, writing

The inevitable list: 30 things I’d like to do before I turn 30

26/10/2014 by Charlotte 2 Comments

IMG_20140801_115604-1024x1024

I will be 30 next July. THIRTY.

And, as is customary, I have written a list of things I would like to achieve by that time.

Is this just an opportunity for me to write down some funny thoughts I’ve had or is this an actual record of my hopes and dreams at this pivotal moment in my life? Or is it something in between. I’ll let you decide.

1. Find a mascara that remains on my eyelashes throughout the day. Not down my cheek, not – somehow – in the middle of my forehead, just on my eyes. Come on science, I’m on a deadline.

2. Remember once and for all that the phrase is ‘Off your own bat’ not ‘back’ and stop just saying ‘ba’ and hoping nobody notices.

3. Finally decide what type of book I’d like to write and START WRITING IT.

4. Do more drawing. I bloody love drawing. Stewie (top) needs some company.

5. Watch The Godfather Part II. No I haven’t seen it, yes I know it’s amazing, no I don’t know what I’ve been doing with my life, yes I have heard it’s better than the first one, no I don’t need to borrow your copy thanks, yes I have had this conversation a few times before.

6. Go to New York, get discovered as the next Carrie Bradshaw and commence living a disproportionately glamorous life considering the pittance I must surely earn from writing just one column per episode/week. I shall live the dream.

IMG_20140803_212410

7. Find a black skirt that actually fits. This is definitely too ambitious in this time frame.

8. Learn how to cook an appropriate amount of potatoes to feed two people.

9. Buy a new pair of jeans. Oh god, I already can’t face it.

10. Spend more time at the wonderful British seaside. I love arcades, I love chips, and I love being at constant risk of having my entire lunch stolen by a seagull.

11. Start having the balls to say “I would like to be a writer who gets paid to write words, please!” when people ask me what I’d like to do with my life, and then have the additional balls required to make it happen.

12. Reduce my chocolate button consumption to just one bag per week NO I’M SORRY I CAN’T DO IT I TAKE IT BACK YOU CAN’T MAKE ME

13. Stop feeling the need to merge words together for my own amusement e.g. shoppurtunity, mumbrella, ex-snack-tly.

14. Never ever let anybody in the world know that – until the age of 24 – I thought that the direction of North, South, East and West changed depending on which way you were facing (like with left and right). This secret must die with me.

15. Go to the Lake District. I am an adult and I want to go for a walk.

16. Speak with confidence about where and what ‘East Anglia’ is.

17. Learn how to bake a cake that doesn’t break when I take it out of the cake tin. The GBBO crew would not think much of my presentation skills.

IMG_20141026_203204-1024x1024

18. Sigh long enough and loud enough for my husband to FINALLY change the light bulb on our landing which broke three years ago. (I’m not tall enough to reach and – on principle – refuse to risk my life by standing on a step ladder to try.)

19. Stop being so passive aggressive.

20. Go to Budapest. The level of holidays on this list is already unrealistic.

21. Ooh and Istanbul.

22. Move this blog over to WordPress and make it look so good that the internet has to be completely redesigned to keep up with its wonder (or just so that maybe a few more people want to look at it. Either way.)

23. Either find a photography course and go on it or STOP GOING ON ABOUT IT.

24. Finally make a decision about what to do with my wedding dress. NB: Wearing it to other people’s weddings is not cool. I realise that now.

25. Invest in those blue Bertie brogues I keep dreaming about. The universe clearly wants us to be together.

26. Make an album of our wedding photos and have a physical reminder that there was indeed one day in my life when I wore the right thing to a party.

IMG_20140830_172852-1024x1024

27. Get better at gardening. And by better I mean: actually do some gardening.

28. Learn once and for all that lying down whilst watching a film – no matter how enthralling – is a one way ticket to Sleepy Town.

29. Watch the end of all the films I’ve missed due to the above. (Current count: 732)

30. Organise an excellent party. And by excellent, I mean one that involves lots of sitting down, chatting, and a guarantee that we’ll all be tucked up in bed by 11.30pm. At our age we need all the beauty sleep we can get.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: age, ambitions, birthdays, growing up

HELLO, I’M CHARLOTTE

About me

Welcome to Nothing good rhymes with Charlotte. This blog is full of honest words about parenting, relationships, confidence and friendship. I'm here to help us all feel less alone and to make you laugh when I can, too. Want to hire me to write for you or just fancy a chat? Get in touch: nothinggoodrhymeswithcharlotte@gmail.com

Follow me on Instagram

Happy New Year! I've written about feeling too ove Happy New Year! I've written about feeling too overwhelmed by the general demands of parenthood/adulthood to come up with ambitious new year's resolutions. I'm trying for more of a 'Keep what works, bin what doesn't' approach to 2023. You can find the post at nothinggoodrhymeswithcharlotte.com, should you like that sort of thing. Much love 💖
Christmassy silliness and prettiness at @lightopia Christmassy silliness and prettiness at @lightopiafestival with @radcliffe_hart 🎄❤️
Heading out into the cold for a much-needed break Heading out into the cold for a much-needed break from pulling baubles off the tree/trying to pull the TV on our heads ❄️💝🦖
We're all swinging from joy to chaos to full-scale We're all swinging from joy to chaos to full-scale meltdowns and back to joy again at approximately five minute intervals and I don't see that changing any time soon. #December
Friday night dinner with two of the best 💖 Friday night dinner with two of the best 💖
She turned 5 today 💖 She turned 5 today 💖
Packed up our chaos and took it to the seaside for Packed up our chaos and took it to the seaside for an all weathers half term stay. Rain or shine, it's always good to see the sea 💙
Half term has commenced 💖💛 Half term has commenced 💖💛
💕 💕
If you will go to the park at 8.58am, you will be If you will go to the park at 8.58am, you will be the only people there 💫
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Follow me on Twitter

Tweets by @CharlotteBuxto

Subscribe by email

Loading

Search this blog

Copyright © 2023 Nothing good rhymes with Charlotte.

Omega WordPress Theme by ThemeHall.