Good Afternoon Lovelies, 

Firstly, I want to say that I did not write this article, as I believe that the writer deserves the credit. However, I really loved it when I read it and so I wanted to share it with you all. Please enjoy and let me know what you think of it! 

At times (no matter how positive we are), we can all feel deflated, unsure of our direction in life, bored and maybe, well, a little bit stuck. The winter months don’t help either! 

I came across something recently that was designed to help people find their inner spark and their passion in life. It’s called emberly and it’s a new online platform which helps people to develop professionally, personally and socially. 

The courses are split into four categories ‘Energise’, ‘Create’, ‘Grow’ and ‘Relax’ and they include everything from ballet and hip-hop dance classes to wild art journaling, yoga and even pasta and focaccia making. It’s online, so the courses are flexible and they can be done solo, or, if you want to create some special (or perhaps hilarious) memories, grab a course buddy. 

It got me thinking about my own top tips for bringing a spark into your life… 

• Spend time with friends and family – Enjoy spending quality time with people you love and never underestimate the importance of that
• Meet with people who inspire you – You never know where life can lead, if you are inspired, anything can happen 
• Learn more about a topic that’s of interest to someone else – To be interesting you have to be interested and one of the best ways to invest in yourself is to never stop learning and growing 
• Try something you’ve never done before – Try to avoid thinking ‘I can’t’ or ‘I don’t’, it can be easy to create your own boundaries as you get older but aim to see things with fresh eyes and a fresh approach  
• Start a new hobby or do something you used to love doing as a child – Children growing up go to all sorts of extra-curricular activities; ballet, music lessons, horse-riding, Brownies, why shouldn’t 40-year-olds?! Is there a skill, a game or a hobby you used to love but have long forgotten about? Why not give it a try again just for fun? Skip down the road, read a children’s book, wear a sparkly necklace…
• Create a ‘you’ fund setting aside money to spend purely on your growth – We spend money every day on all sorts of things, but have you considered spending a certain amount on investing in yourself? 
• Travel to new places even if it's just a part of your city you've never seen before - You don’t have to go on a long-haul flight, you’ll be amazed at how many incredible things there are right on our doorstep
• Express your creativity - Even if you don't think of yourself as 'creative'. This can be anything from singing along to some of your favourite songs, dancing in your living room, writing in a journal or cooking something with extra flair
• Unsubscribe and declutter everything! - Get rid of what you don’t need, keep only what you love or things that are useful  
• Prioritise your energy into the right places – To help you, you could list anything that brings negativity into your life and feelings of anger or guilt and then list things that bring you happiness. See what practical changes you can make to reduce your list of negativity!

If you give any of these tips a go or have some of your own wisdom to share do let us know in the comments below! Explore your passions with emberly’s variety of inspiring online courses. Energise, create, grow and relax with a monthly membership and unlimited access, or purchase a single course on-demand and find what makes you glow. Visit emberly.co.uk

Follow emberly on Instagram @emberlylearn, Twitter @emberlylearn and Facebook @emberlylearn

Joey X