Rebuilding My Life After Losing My Identity

Hey humans,

This video is a long one I know, but I go through my thought process of how I'm aiming to get some clarity around my life after I lost my identity last year.

Of course I'm not looking for sympathy, that would be madness amongst all the chaos that happened last year, I am just sharing in on my own journey, and I have a feeling a lot of people also experienced a type of loss of identity last year.

Whether it was losing a job, plans falling through, re-assessing friendships and relationships and moving away from some of the people that didn't align on your new life path...all of these can contribute to a feeling of being overwhelmed and lost.

I'm not claiming to be any expert about what I went through and I'm not giving any professional advise, I'm just one lost soul that is trying to make sense of it all.

So perhaps my sharing of this confusing path might provide you some insights for your own life...or maybe it's just entertaining to watch another human stumble in this game of life :)

Watch here for the previous video I made about the loss of identity I experienced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmVge...

(Didn't realise this would turn into a series!).

Loss of Identity - The Art of Moving On

Loss of Identity - The Art of Moving On

Hey friends,

Well...I have mentioned a few times in the last few months that I experienced an identity loss and many of you shared this and wanted to know more.

So let me share with you the personal transformation that has happened in my life and how I'm dealing with it.

Again, your girl knows she's crazy lucky so I'm not complaining, but I was in shock and the change of lifestyle was drastic and I felt unstable in every area of my life, trying to find something familiar.

Basically, it was (and still is) messy. Let me know if you've ever experienced an identity loss when your life trajectory was drastically taken away from you (job, relationship).

It would help me feel a little less alone in all this ;)

4 Pieces of Advice Every 20 Year Old Needs to Hear

If there’s anything I’ve learned in the past decade of my life, it’s that there’s no set path to success or happiness. It takes most of us a lot of time and effort to find what fulfills us, and when we’re starting out in our 20’s it’s all the more confusing to hear conflicting messages from friends, family, media, etc.!

While I’m not perfect and definitely don’t know everything, I know that our individual experiences are extremely valuable. They define us and teach us a lot about ourselves. I’m just now figuring out my 30’s, but looking back on my 20’s there are a lot of things I’ve learned and wish someone would have told me.

Of all the things I’ve learned for myself through trial and error, these 4 pieces of advice are the key ones I can give you. If anything I hope it will give you something to think about and help you face this stage in life and be the best version of the rad human you are!

1. Experiment

Our 20’s should be for major experimenting to find out who we are - or, just as importantly, who we’re not. Society usually expects us to make some big decisions as soon as we’re finished grinding through high school. But the reality is that most of us have no idea what we want! We spend years taking instruction from teachers, parents, and everyone around us. But what happens if we never get out there and really ask ourselves the serious questions about what we want from life?

Well, we’re far more inclined to follow the safe route. We’ll immediately jump into college, look for a stable job, and do whatever everyone around us is doing. This is certainly not a bad thing on its own, but it's also important to realize that this isn’t the only option out there and that the “norm” is far from a one-size fits all solution to life. There’s also very little that’s safe, secure, and predictable in life, jobs included.

My advice? Figure out who you are before going to university. Give yourself a break from school and society telling you what to do. Take a year off and go somewhere new, pick up some new hobbies or courses, open your mind, and gain more perspective on yourself and your life.

Not only will this make you a more well-rounded, experienced individual, but it will also make you far more equipped and confident in what you decide to commit to later on. Employers will likely think the same.

Oftentimes the best way to know who we are is to be exposed to different experiences and know who we’re not!

2. Own Your Individuality

Learning to be your own authentic, quirky, individual self is so important! Confidence in the things that make you different can be hard for anyone to accept, especially if you’ve grown up feeling like an outcast. Many of us might find that we just don’t “fit” into society in the same way as those around us and I think this is a really important gift.

Why? Because maybe your naturally “different” way of looking at things will help you see solutions and solve problems in ways no one else can. Maybe you’ll be invaluable to people you love because of your quirks and unique way of seeing experiencing the world.

If you start putting yourself into the “expected” box early on you might never become the most real and powerful version of you. If you have the potential to be a happier, more fulfilled version of yourself by living in accordance with your authentic self, why not do this?

Having the courage to be your unique self and trying to fit into a society or system that doesn’t suit you are both going to be very uncomfortable. But at some point, you’ll have to decide which of the two is the most worth being uncomfortable for.

Many people prefer to go with the crowd, others to do their own thing. Neither of these choices are wrong, just find what really works best for you and be confident in it!

3. Travel

This personally has been a huge one for me and something I’m still really passionate about. Furthermore, travel is far more affordable than living in one place full time depending on how you do it and can really open your eyes to what all is out there.

Musical residencies, volunteering, housesitting, etc. are great ways to travel and have accommodation covered, and in some instances meals as well. Some countries might have a much lower cost of living than your home country and could make it much easier to stay.

My recommendation is to find a place that scares you a little bit (that is safe, of course) and commit for a year. Find a job, work on a second language, and immerse yourself into a completely different way of living for a while!

4. Start an Online Business

Personally I don’t believe there really is any such thing as job security. The world can be a pretty crazy place and, as I’m sure we’ve all experienced this year, nothing is certain. There’s a major long-term benefit in being able to create your own job security and opportunities and that has been one of the single greatest things I’ve done for myself.

It can take anywhere from 2-10 years of learning and acquiring the skills necessary to build your own empire.

There are millions of ways to make money online and should be one of your first things to look into. It’s also a great avenue if you have something you’re really passionate about, have a unique skill, etc. to support the lifestyle you choose for yourself.

Building a successful online business was something I figured out after a lot of mistakes and even just finding what I was passionate about, what I was good at, and how I could add value to other people. Some of the biggest successes I’ve had has come from my Advanced Selfie University, #Blessed Instagram University, and my most recent Public Figure Bootcamp where I help students streamline their online success.

Conclusion:

Some of these things will possibly cause some conflict with family and friends in your life and they may judge you harshly for your decisions. But it’s your life to live, not anyone else’s and you only have one shot at it!

Make yourself happy and don’t wait for anyone to give you permission to strike out the path that makes your life worth living every day.

As mentioned above, I offer this advice only to give some perspective to alternative ways of living and approaching this wild time of life called your 20’s. What I’ve done is certainly not for everyone and if after you reading this you think, “Noooo way, none of this is for me” then all the more power to you for knowing that.

But if this strikes a chord with you and makes you start questioning how you could be living more in tune with your authentic self, then also more power to you! You’re just one step closer and I’m thrilled for you!

There is no clear cut path for any of us. You have to make your own and know that regardless of how you do it you’ll make mistakes, learn, grow, and keep moving forward with what you want from life.

I have all of the faith in the world in you!

All the best,
Sorelle

I learned to surf in 14 days in El Salvador

A dream come true, but not without pain and challenges. (Video available with Spanish subtitles).

They call El Salvador one of the best hidden gems for surfing.

I decided to go there...naturally...and test it out for myself. Without any prior experience in surfing, but holding onto this dream for more than half my life (I wanted to learn to surf since I was 12), I decided I already gave enough excuses, so I might as well just try.

And so...here is the result of that. The ups, the down, the frustrations, the injuries, the failures, the successes. A truly fruitful journey.

Was I able to accomplish the task at hand? Keep watching to find out!

Thank you to EVERYONE involved in helping me achieve this life long dream, particularly:
MARCELO: https://www.instagram.com/marcelocsurf/
Puro Surf: https://purosurf.com/

I hope you enjoyed this video!

This video is particularly important to me because obviously this is a dream, secondly it’s showcasing one of my favourite countries in the world, I realised this is EXACTLY the kind of content I want to create and also incorporating having a team. I've wanted to get videographers and editors for 2 years now to assist in the workload, and this video is the result of that. Beginning of an amazing new team!

Let me know what you'd like me to try next!

Sorelle x

Some of my goodies that might be of interest:
TAKE ADVANCED SELFIES LIKE ME: https://bit.ly/2BJ4V4B
GROW YOUR INSTAGRAM LIKE ME: http://blesseduni.com
MY PRESETS: https://sellfy.com/sorelleamore
MY MUSIC (Great for YouTubers) - https://bit.ly/2IwOW8C
MY GEAR: https://kit.co/SorelleAmore

Stalk my other channels:
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/sorelleamore
TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/sorelleamore
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/sorelleamore
WEBSITE: http://www.sorelleamore.com

Social Media Is A Monster - My 30 Day Detox

The reasons why I decided I needed to get off social media asap:

• brain felt like mush

• less productive

• comparison of my work was brutal

• waste of time

• not enough time to do what I wanted to do

• always on the phone

• late nights on the screen which was disrupting my sleep cycle

• felt like I was plugged in and didn’t know who I was

• not happy. let me rephrase - moody af

• Looking at my phone made me physically sick 

• I couldn’t create. Creativity was at an all time low

• I thought I was a disaster of a human because everyone around me always seemed to be doing better

• I couldn’t tell if I was asleep or awake

• my personality was gone

• it felt like my brain was revving at a million miles a second without any downtime

• my life felt empty
  

It shows that I’ve sure…been a minimalist in my life but a major consumer on this front which has been ruining me.

It’s important to have down time without doing anything as mentioned in the book ‘How to be Bored’ by Eva Hoffman:

It is easy, amidst the plethora of diversions and options offered by our societies, to lose track of why we do what we do, what we truly want, and what it is about our activities or our lives that we value and love. 

I hope you learn to detach my lovers. Get your life back. You deserve it.

Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World - and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

My name is Sorelle Amore and I’m a human crab 🦀

Also I’m a realist. I’ve been always very hopeful for the world, sometimes even to my surprise when a most common phrase around me is “I’ve lost hope in humanity”. I never agreed but didn’t know why.

Currently finishing the book Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think, now I understand my attitude.

In the book, with supportive statistics, it shows that the world is progressing in so many ways - but we never get updated with improvements so it’s easy to have an old view of the state of the world.

• most of the world has access to a forever improving medical system

• the world is safer today than ever before

• most of the world is out of extreme poverty

• the world is having less babies than ever before due to access to education, plummeting child mortality rates and people escaping poverty

• population growth will be levelling out at around 10-12 million people

• people dying from natural disasters has halved over the last 100 years

• life expectancy around the world is increasing

• women around the world are spending almost the same amount of time in classrooms as men

• lots of animals are coming back from extinction

• so many more heartwarming facts

There is still SO much work to do, but all in all, you should be impressed with humans progress.

Climate destruction and overfishing are some areas in a critical state so that’s something we must all strongly work on.

All in all though, I hope you read the book if you have doubts and hopefully you all never use the phrase “I’ve lost hope in humanity” again.

How do you feel about the state of the world today? Were all these facts surprising? Are you in awe of humanity or disguised? Do you feel safe in the world or scared?

(Ps. Please read the book!)

#AdvancedSelfie #Crabtastic

11 Things To Do When You Are Feeling Burnt Out

Hello my beautiful humans,  

First of all I just want to say a massive thank you for the support on my recent video. It was pretty amazing of you guys to be so accepting of everything that's happening right now.

(If you don’t have a clue what I am talking about, here is the video if you want to check it out)

I also want to acknowledge the fact that so many people are going through this right now. Holy crap, I couldn’t believe the outpour over how you guys are feeling as well. I think this is just a reflection of the society we live in, where we are always expected to deliver more and more more, always better than the last. We never give ourselves time to stop or slow down, we’re always pushing forward.

We need to give ourselves the time and opportunity to reflect on what's happening, what has worked in the past and what hasn't worked in the past, so we can improve.

Here is a list of things that I'm personally doing right now, to help me throughout this period. I'm by no means saying that I'm an expert (clearly), I'm just learning to tackle the burnout my own way. I know that these things are going to help you, because they are really helping me.

#1: ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ARE NOT 100% AT YOUR BEST

It took me four months to acknowledge that something is really wrong. Until I could acknowledge that something was wrong, I was always blaming it on other circumstances and just trying to push through it instead of figuring it out.

Now I'm taking the baby steps to fix this. In my instance - video editing - It drains me. I want to make videos, I want to talk to you guys, not edit!

Being houseless, moving every one to three days with my digital nomad lifestyle has also been a bit intense. On top of this, not having any hobbies, not being social, it's time to change all that.

#2: HAVE A MINIMUM RECURRING INCOME ‘SECURITY BLANKET’

For people that are trying to make it in their industry, I would absolutely 100% recommend that you have an income coming in, even if it's a crappy job that you have to do just so you can maintain basic little income, because there is nothing worse when you're burnt out, trying to make it and you have no money coming in. You have to keep going, you have no choice and this does not help with burnout.

If you have a full time job and that is what's burning you out, maybe you can systemize what you do and outsource those really routine things that you do over and over again. I think most people get drained by the repetitive tasks and that leads me on to my next point…

#3: OUTSOURCE

There are going to be a lot of people are going to say “I can't do that, that’s not possible for me” but if your job is anything to do with a desk, we live in the most beautiful time right now where we can connect to people in different parts of the world, where they can do really great work for a fraction of the cost. In Asia, Philippines for example, you can find people for like $2 an hour to do very repetitive tasks that you can’t bare to do again.It frees up your brain power.

If you work for someone and they’re not willing to pay for that 2 dollars an hour, I would personally take that financial hit (if it's possible for you) because I know, freeing yourself up from minor, repetitive tasks is going to make you so much happier in the long run, because you can focus on bigger picture tasks, which not only makes you more productive, but it also makes you feel like you're fulfilling something and really contributing.

It could also potentially mean that you could cut down your hours as well because you would be speeding through work. You could go to the gym or the beach with that extra time!

#4: DO SOMETHING EVEN IF IT’S GOING TO SUCK

For me right now, I don't think that this is the best piece of work I've ever done in my entire life to be completely honest with you, but it is always better to do something that sucks, than do nothing at all.

#5: HAVE A ROUTINE AND STICK WITH IT

I love the quote “inspiration comes to me at 9 a.m. every morning”. It's because you are showing up and letting that inspiration come to you.

A lot of us wait in bed because we don’t want to do anything, just watching the time go by until midday or 2 p.m, and it throws off your routine. I really want to start at 9 a.m. and finish up at 5 p.m. and have a real job, because right now I am working at the stupidest hours (like today I'll be editing until 2:00 a.m. most likely and that is going to throw off everything!). I really am trying to put the routine together and stick with it.

#6: DON’T WEAR PANTS:

Pants are overrated. Just kidding! ;-)

#7: HAVE HOBBIES

Most people that talk about accomplishing greatness talk about this because you need to find inspiration from different sources. It is not from your work. Most likely it is when you're walking down the street, doing nothing related to your work, where you get a source of inspiration. You need to have hobbies, completely different to your work. Separate them because that is where inspiration very often comes through.

#8: BE SOCIAL

I am so excited to implement this into my life, I am so guilty of dismissing this and not thinking it's important, but we know that right now the world is going through a serious problem with disconnection. All of us are lacking human connection and it makes us feel bad.

Being able to vent to your friends and having them there to listen to you - sometimes that’s all you need, so get out there, call your friends that you haven't called for a long time and just say “hey, beer time/Coffee time?”.

#9: BE ACTIVE

I gotta say, this one's a tough one for myself right now too. All of us know that being active helps you feel better, so I just recently started ‘30 days of yoga’ with Adriene on YouTube, she's super cool. I have already noticed that I'm feeling better and I have so much more mental clarity after I do the exercises 30 minutes a day. We all have 30 minutes a day to be able to feel better mentally and physically. Do it, do it!

#10: EATING HEALTHY, MEDITATING & JOURNALING

They're all going to make you feel better! If you're not really into journaling I recommend it, even for the dudes, it just helps you vent and sometimes you just need a vent when your friends aren't around, or when you don't want to tell them specific things. Just jot things down on the paper, get it out of your brain, otherwise it just sits there on repeat.

#11: BE AUTHENTIC

This is a big lesson for me in a lot of ways, so I'm going to dedicate this point to myself!

A lot of the time, you guys know that I'm super hyperactive. I would say there are times where I forced myself to put that on because I almost feel like I have to put on this extra energy for you guys to love me instead of what I have to say. Yes I'm pretty full on, everyone knows me, they know that that's the case, but I'm not always like this.

I am probably going to turn that down in the days that I feel like it. Today I feel a lot more authentic when I'm speaking to you guys instead of putting it on, which feels good.

Secondly, I think one of the biggest reasons why I'm feeling burnout is because I don't know if the topics that I'm talking about are completely aligned with my heart. I love photography and I love travel - these are two things that are basically ‘me’, but I have so many more interests. I always say that you should stick to a niche, that you streamline yourself so people know exactly what they come to you for, but then I look at people like Tim Ferriss - this guy is a human guinea pig and you just respect him for being Tim Ferriss! I think I am going to go down the route of just being me and  talking about the amazing things that I'm figuring out in life, financially, mentally, physically etc.

Obviously transitioning can be a little bit uncomfortable because you don't know how people are going to react, but for my mental health this what has to happen. So that’s basically what’s going down in the near future, which I am kind of excited about! Lets just see what happens!

Thank you again for being so amazing, such a cool bunch of humans, I love you guys! Until next time guys, peace!

I TRIED LIVING LIKE CASEY NEISTAT FOR 7 DAYS

This time last week, I came across Casey Neistat's daily routine video and I knew that this was a sign! I had been thinking about Casey’s insane routine for months so when this popped up on Youtube, I knew it was time to undertake the challenge of living like Casey Neistat for 7 days - starting now. No more excuses!

I really didn't know if this was a challenge that I could complete or if it was going be super easy, if I was gonna be overwhelmed, procrastinating or producing more. But I knew I wanted to know what it was like to live like this machine and imagine the insights I could get from living this way.

He's a hyper successful guy, I wanted to know what makes him so great and was it the routine that was helping him?

Are you up for the challenge of #LivingLikeCasey? So many of you guys have already jumped on board and are getting amazing insights from what I'm hearing so far!

Personally I was experiencing a giant slump when it came to my work. I wasn’t inspired, my work was actually getting worse, I wasn’t loving creating videos, I wasn't working out, I was in a slump and I wanted to get out of it. This challenge couldn’t have come at a better time.

The biggest hurdles of Living Like Casey

1. The idea that scared the crap out of me before even starting the challenge was waking up between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. every single day, to be working for two hours.

2. Exercising twice a day. I wasn't even exercising once a month.

3. Producing daily videos a day, which is something I had never done before.

Day 1:

5am - This day was dedicated to studying the Casey Neistat lifestyle and seeing if it was actually possible for me to do!

7am - Gym time! I definitely didn’t feel like being there. Run 10 miles? No way. 10 kilometers maybe…

10am - Time to start the work day! I didn't want to undertake the task if I couldn't complete day one, but I did! It was hard, but I did it and I was super proud of myself!

Day 2:

The morning was epic productive! What they say is actually super true - between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. no one is awake and you can work so well because there's nothing else to do. You can't be loud, you have to sit on your computer and work.

5am - I kept waking up at 4:55, my favorite time of the day to wake up now apparently. I really love waking up at this time I get so much done, everyone is asleep, it's a new level of productivity that I didn't expect.

Get out of bed, do not sit in bed. You have to get up, move around, get on to your computer and start working productively. Have a set list of things to do so you don't fall into social media and scrolling.

7:30am - my video is ready to go out! I'm about to go to the gym again, a little bit behind schedule but feeling pretty okay. I just have to not panic, if I panic everything will fall apart. Do not panic Sorelle!

My boyfriend has been feeding me all these supplements to help me workout because let's face it, I need all the help that I can get!

During the morning run there was a bit of a problem. At 2.2 kilometers I started experiencing pain in my left knee. I would suspect that it's probably because I'm not a runner anymore, I used to be when I was young, about 10 years ago, but I haven't really run since. For me to just jump in and start running 10 kilometers a day, it was dumb. I don't know if I recommend this by anyone - it was really dumb.

I decided to push a little bit more and thankfully they stopped hurting. I did it! I can't believe I've ran 20 kilometers in two days!

Day 3:
I am smashing it at the gym, I have no pain, I feel like I've bounced back! I even increase the speed on my treadmill.

Workwise, I am amazed by my productivity. I did not think that I could keep producing videos after videos. Proud as punch! I just finished the next video and it is only 12:30! I didn't think I was capable of producing so much.

I legitimately thought that I was struggling creating 2 videos a week and now I that I am forced to do 7, I feel so re-inspired! I'm capable of creating so much, which I never thought I was going to be able to do! 7 videos in 7 days!

I was always coming up with some sort of excuse to not create.
1. Maybe people won't like it.
2. Maybe it's not the right topic.
3. This is kind of boring, no one wants to watch it.
All these excuses kept on coming into my brain. But when you're so busy and you have a tight schedule, you don't have time to overthink. You just create.

6 - 10pm - Family time was one of the biggest shocks to me, which sounds pretty sad unfortunately. There's something so magical about detaching and being able to enjoy myself and completely forget about work. I actually really enjoy the structure and how it creates more freedom in my brain and in my experiences.

My family and I had a blast! We went out to restaurants, spent some time with the ladies, went to Gong meditation, scooter rides, ice cream dates, salsa dancing. Less work, more fun!

How did I feel about the night time gym session though?
This is one part of the entire process that I despise. Casey, go to sleep, wake up and in a few hours you can go running! You don't need to go to the gym as well.

I'm ready for bed and now I have to get up.

Day 4:
Today is where the physical exercise started getting to me.I managed to get through 5 kilometers but my body does not want to do it.

My mental capacity is so willing, but my body's definitely not. Every single time I attempt to run again, I feel like I'm gonna puke, I don't know if I can keep going.

I was very concerned at this stage that maybe this was going to be the end of my running challenge which is such a huge component of the Casey Neistat lifestyle. If I cut out the run, I feel like I would have failed the entire challenge. Fingers crossed I can get straight back into the flow of things tomorrow.

The nighttime exercise also didn't happen this day. Instead I decided to have a bath, have some tea, a coconut and relax today.

Day 5:
I feel so much more rested today than I was yesterday, so fingers crossed I'll be smashing it at the gym!

Another struggle came into the picture today. Because I have been so busy producing content, running and exercising - all of the stuff that is unusual to me, I haven't done any of my mindful exercises like journaling or meditating, which is starting to catch up on me.

A quick meditation/nap did the job!

I’m catching myself going a little bit out of schedule because of tiredness. My schedule is all over the place and I found myself editing into family and sleep time.

10pm Workout - Yesterday I was really struggling with this whole workout scenario... Well I don't know what happened but today I'm smashing it! I smashed the run, I wasn't tired, I didn't even stop for a break. Right now I'm loving the fact that I'm at the gym! Who is this person?!

I just didn't know what to do before, I didn't understand all these machines, it’s so complicated, but once you get a grasp of it and you see your muscles getting defined and stuff, you start to feel really good!

Food-wise... I'm hungry all the time!
My appetite has gone insane. I could not stop eating.

In a single session of running I was burning around 700 calories - apparently that's a lot! All my usual healthy eating habits went out of the window, which my insides weren’t entirely happy about...

Day 7:
I freaking did it! Tomorrow I'm sleeping in.

I got so much fitter from just one week of living like Casey! By the end of the week I was running non-stop, without breaks, doing the 10 miles! The fast progress of my body's strength really shocked me! I’m about to do my very last workout of the 7 days and I can say I am VERY excited for this to end.

I've learnt a lot about discipline and I have proved to myself how much I can do! I think the surprising byproduct of all of this exercise as well is being flexible with my eating schedule. I usually eat super healthy, but being able to justify eating whatever I want has been has been nice.

INSIGHTS

1. I appreciate the productivity so much.

2. I love the fact that you have no time to waste on social media. You have a specific schedule and so many things to do, you cannot scroll for hours on end.

3. This challenge also helped me realize how many distractions there are in the world. Not just from TV and social media, but everything in general is trying to stop you from creating a really kick-ass life.

4. I now understand that successful people have to have a schedule to not distract themselves. It's like their blinders to make sure they stay on track.

5. You're going to experience resistance from people in your life. They're going to think you're a bit crazy, why do you want to work so much, you're not living life at all - blah blah blah.

Sometimes it's from people that feel guilty for not living their life to the fullest. What I recommend is whenever you're with that person, be ultra present with them and make them feel like a million bucks. Explain to them how important it is for you to stay super focused on your work because you really have some great ideas and you want to execute them.

Don’t give into their complaints because this is your life, not theirs.

6. Having very scheduled blocks of time for things to do was amazing. It makes you super hyper present on what you're doing at that time.

Before, when I didn't have a schedule, my life was just morphing into one another. If I was with the family I was thinking about work, but having blocks of specific time I could detach from everything else and just concentrate on the task at hand.

7. I loved dedicating time to family. 100% keeping this!

Let me know what you thought of this challenge and if there's any aspects of this you would like to take into your own life.

As always, you can find me on Youtube and Instagram for more of my crazy experiments and Advanced Selfies!

Until next time guys, peace!

I tried Tim Ferriss' NIGHTTIME ROUTINE for Optimal Relaxation and Sleep

Let's talk about routines.

Specifically we're talking about the nighttime routine of Tim Ferris. I decided to challenge myself to take on this routine over the last 7 days, and found some fascinating results!

Here’s a really quick back story, because a lot of people often ask me what is the point of having a routine. At the beginning of the year I had the zero routine. I travel full time and I'm a Digital Nomad, which means that I was really scattered, with no concrete routine at all.

With this lack of structure, I noticed that my productivity and creativity was really suffering. Basically I was just flailing through life and I really didn't like it.

I heard a lot of the greats talking about how having a nighttime routine actually helps them to be more productive and creative, because having a routine ensures that their machine (aka the body) is functioning properly and getting everything it needs, so it frees up mind space for everything else.

“there's actually a bunch of psychology theory that even making small decisions around what you wear or what you eat for breakfast or things like that they kind of make your tired and consume your energy I really want to clear my life to make it said I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community”

So with that, I started researching routines. At first I wanted to start with the morning routine. I came across the Tim Ferris routine and I freaking fell in love with the concept of it! As soon as I trialled it, it completely altered my life.

From that, I recently started observing myself again and I noticed that at night time, I was really horrible to myself. I would go to bed really late and the last thing I would do is look at my phone (bad idea because not only does the blue light damages your brain but it also interrupts with sleep).

I wanted to look after my body as best I could, so I decided to research nighttime routines and of course, I turned to Tim Ferris once again.

I also asked you guys on instagram whether you had a nighttime routine and 60% of you said no. Another 60% of you said that you don't feel like your sleep is very good. This was enough evidence to conclude that maybe nighttime routines have something to do with having a good night's sleep!

The Tim Ferris Nighttime Routine:

1. The first thing he does is makes a tea from one or two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, unfiltered and adds one to two tablespoons of raw honey. You can also add decaffeinated tea for flavor.

“It knocks you out like that!” - Tim Ferris

2. When he's having his tea he's also reading a nonfiction book

“I’m not gonna read something like a nonfiction business book that's going to keep my problem-solving apparatus in sixth gear.”

3. Then the lucky bugga soaks in his soaking tub with Epsom salt. He intersperses this with sauna and cold plunge pool rounds.

4. during the soaking-type sessions he drinks water with ice, while listening to an audio book - and apparently that knocks him out straight away.

Mr. Ferris certainly has a lot of cool equipment in his house, so I've had to find solutions therefore that mimic his routine without me having the equipment. What I figured out is that a local gym just down the road have the saunas and the cold pool that I can plunge into.

Afterwards when I get home, I can have a bath as well, do my tea and listen to audiobooks. In your local area, I'm sure you can find the same solution too, so this is a definitely accessible for all of us.

THE RESULTS:

1. Tea Verdict… It's amazing, it tastes delicious and it really does work!

2. Soaking in a tub or a bath in my instance at nighttime is beautiful and it helps you unwind massively. Taking time to be alone is a really beautiful way to honor yourself.

3. I love that through this routine there is no time for the phones. I'm forced off my telephone and I really appreciate that.

4. Honestly this sauna wasn't my favorite part. I don't know if I appreciated sweating that much at nighttime... it wasn't so pleasurable. However it did exhaust me so I guess it did the purpose that it's meant to.

5. Drinking a solid bottle of water was great! To constrain that I had baths and saunas, I was definitely a little bit dehydrated, so I didn't have to pee throughout the night very much :-P I've just replaced the water into my body and I woke up super hydrated.

6. I love listening to the audio books at nighttime because it was just this final weight on in my brain. I loved that I was giving it just a little bit of nourishment, but nothing too hard to digest.

WHAT I AM KEEPING FROM THIS ROUTINE:

1. I think overall I've really loved that this routine detaches you and gives you a set way for your body to know that you’re going to bed, so it helps to unwind a lot faster.

2. I love the 60-minute mark. The fact that you know you're going to sleep in 60 minutes really supports your body and mind to start winding down. This definitely helps to sleep better and more effectively.

3. I love the no phone. I love the bath. I love the tea. I love the audiobooks and I love everything. I love life!


That's me done! Short and simple, but I just wanted to specify the importance of a night time routine. I don't think enough of us actually utilise this. You have less decisions to make and let's face it we’re all a bit exhausted, especially in the adult life, so just set up routines for yourself. It doesn't have to be exactly like this one.

I want you guys to be as productive and creative as possible and live a really great life! Let me know if you have a night time routine already. If you don't, would you consider taking aspects of this one, or would you do the full thing?

I will be reading all the comments on here and this is my Instagram if you would like to see more! Until next time guys - PEACE.

Are things really as they seem or are some HIDING because of this...

This video I posted was received with a very wide range of opinions. Some loved it, some hated it, some didn’t understand. The last two days on my social media it’s been a whirlwind. I’ve been sitting back and observing everything as it’s unfolding and learning about us as humans, women, communities and individuals.

I’m creating this post to clarify a few points that have been brought up. Firstly, I’ll acknowledge that this video wasn’t created to the best of it’s abilities and it was more or less a rant. I could have for sure worded it better to ensure there could have been no confusion. I will say that I probably just spoke in the frustrated state I was in which wasn’t clear to understand. That’s 20 years of pent up frustration that was finally unleashed.

I’ll also say that I never expected this video to be loved by all. It’s not a popular opinion and I know those that have no idea where this video is coming from, it’s because it’s never been something that’s never tormented you inside and that’s awesome news.

The literal underlying message of this entire video which I could have shared in one sentence was this:

I don’t want the media and societal norms to keep representing women as just fashion and beauty obsessed individuals only.

I want to see women represented in a different light. OF COURSE we can love fashion and beauty, I don’t blame anyone for that. I personally love looking good too. It’s about 10% of what I focus on though so why should my entire value be based on my looks, as is so according to the media and societal norms.

I don’t want the Kardashians of the world to be the biggest ‘role models’ for women today. And since their following is so enormous, that is literally what is happening. Millions of women around the world believe that they have to spend all their time, energy and money on superficiality.

And I know what some people will say. That the Kardashians are very clever business people and should be applauded for this. I would agree to a degree. I admire the business and financial empire that they have created. It’s smart. But what I don’t appreciate it is that they are exploiting young women and men to get their attention using a mind numbing show, taking their money using very expensive products which are wrapped in endless packaging that is not good for the environment (clothing, makeup).

Why can’t you be successful AND do good for the world?

In the video I also mention the ‘pink and delicate’ aspects. Of course you can be pink and delicate and still a powerful, badass momma. But how about sprinkling a little bit of extra into the mix and not just limiting us to that sphere. Some women aren’t like this and it’s a battle to constantly watch music videos, TV shows and movies and see only one type of women represented.

This is where this video is coming from.

I knew there would be some offence. I’m disappointed in myself in a way that I did word it the way I did - let’s take for example the part where I talk about my little sister. If she genuinely wanted to dress up and wear pink when she grows up, so be it! But I just want her to know she doesn’t have to (but yes, if she loves this stuff, I’ll of course love her just as much).

I also have a best friend who literally runs a business that is all about pink and glitter and dress up and sparkles. I totally support this business because I see how many lives this business has changed and how my friend helps women feel beautiful. So I get that this kind of aspect of women is important too and I worked in this business myself and I loved it.

So all in all…I’m not saying this video was right. Some aspects are horrible and my frustrated self should not have said it the way I did.

In the same breath, the amount of women that have messaged me and told me this video made them feel like they could actually finally rest knowing they are not weird, that they are not born into the wrong body, that they are ok being a tomboy again (which isn’t misogyny - so many people have said that just because I’m a tomboy it’s misogyny which I don’t understand that point at all) - the video got through to the people it was meant to.

As I said at the start, I knew this video would divide and I hate that it did so. But perhaps the tomboys of the world needed to hear this and next time, I’ll take a breath and word my stuff better to ensure I express myself properly.

All in all, thank you for all the comments, feedback, discussions and the lessons within all this. I’m amazed by the community that is open to discussing this further and not unleashing with hate. Discussions will change the world so congratulations for using this tool.

Much love,
Sorelle Amore

7 Digital Detox Tips to Ditch Social Media & Your Phone

I’ve been going through an addiction that most people don’t take very seriously. It’s called a mobile phone addiction.

I wanted to highlight just how serious this really is and to show you the steps I am personally taking right now, to cut down on the use of my mobile phone, so that I can focus on having amazing moments instead.

The main reason why I decided to take a digital detox from my phone addiction is because I felt myself getting dumber. I wasn’t having opinions, I wasn’t having great conversations with people, and instead of learning new skills, I spent my time scrolling! I felt my brain deteriorating and I wasn’t ok with that.

My boyfriend worked out just how much time I spend on the phone and I think this is going to shock you too.

He told me if I live to 100, I will be spending 20 years non stop, starring at the screen. If that’s not scary as hell, I don’t know what is.

To break it down more and for you to be able to really grasp it, that’s 3 months every single year that you are missing out on because you are on your phone.

Living life is much more fun than staring at your mobile phone, so here are some steps to get your social media detox underway. The goal is to get you away from the screen, and start living!

1. HAVE A DIGITAL DETOX ACCOUNTABILITY BUDDY

Choose someone that you spend a lot of time with. You need to have them around you as often as possible, it’s now their job to nag you, tell you to get off the phone and keep you accountable to stay off your phone when you are sitting their mindlessly scrolling.

2. TURN YOUR PHONE TO GRAYSCALE

Social media companies are super smart and they use colour to draw your attention. So when your brain sees the icon and the colour, it is going to react by automatically checking your social media for no particular reason. Turning your phone to grayscale diminishes the factor that triggers your brain to say “It’s social media time”.

3. CUSTOMISE YOUR ‘MOMENT’ APP (OR ANDROID EQUIVALENT) TO SUIT YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA DETOX NEEDS

You can tell the app what time you don’t want to be on your phone, which helps you to restrict yourself. I initially put a restriction on from 9am to 7pm and whenever I logged into my phone, the most annoying sound in the whole world would start to play every 5 seconds! That was a constant reminder to get off your phone unless you really need to be on it.

I also have a daily limit on my phone of 2 hours, so not only does it send me a reminder every 15 minutes, but it also sends you little sad emoji’s if you go over your 2 hour limit - which is really heartbreaking!

4. HAVE A MORNING AND NIGHTTIME ROUTINE

I’m not allowed to check my phone until I have completed my morning routine every day, which means I have to meditate, journal, have a cold shower, drink a coffee and THEN I can check my phone.

I’m also trying to get into the rhythm of not checking my phone 2 hours before bed time. It’s not just to combat the social media addiction, but also to encourage a deeper sleep. Checking your phone before bed, really impacts your sleeping patterns, meaning that you are affecting the health of your whole life.

5. FIND A SUBSTITUTE TO FILL YOUR ‘NEW TIME’

You’re going to have a lot of extra time on your hands, so to avoid getting super ansty you’ll need to find things that you enjoy to fill up your time.

6. DELETE OR HIDE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA APPS

It can be as simple as putting them in folders on the last page of your phone and tucking them away out of sight so that it doesn’t trigger your brain to check them. You and I both know that you don’t need to check them, your brain just loves that dopamine hit that it craves so often!

7. LEAVE YOUR PHONE AT HOME

You don’t need to take your phone everywhere you go, you will be perfectly fine without it. Test it out once a week and work your way up!


These small things are going to help you appreciate life more and help you to think more clearly. Most of us are too addicted to our phones these days to ever think about what we want, to be productive, to get the most out of life, so just drop your phone and lets get this adiction under control. There's never been a better time to take a step back into a digital detox!

Do I have it completely under control? No, but it is a process and I am getting better! I am enjoying life more, being more present and slowly but surely everything is coming together :)

Real Mind Control: Trying The 21 Day No Complaint Experiment Endorsed by Tim Ferriss

I have wanted to do this challenge for the longest time but I’ve been putting it off for some unknown reason. I knew it would be hard, but there are zero negative side effects from doing this challenge, so I guess I just wanted to  protect my right to complain, hence why I was shying away from this challenge.

That’s not the best way to go.

I can at times slip into a very negative mindset and I don’t know how to snap out of it. I’m aware it’s happening, but I just seem to be stuck in a cycle.

And then I read this article by Dr Bradberry:

"When you repeat a behavior, such as complaining, your neurons branch out to each other to ease the flow of information. This makes it much easier to repeat that behavior in the future—so easy, in fact, that you might not even realize you’re doing it."

Basically your brain is trying to help you to make things easier. Thanks brain. But this can also work against you, in the case of a poopie mindset and complaining which basically means over time, you find it’s easier to be negative than to be positive, regardless of what’s happening around you.

That’s completely me. I have shelter, food and love and I still find the small things to complain about, but I’ve been at least aware that something about this isn’t right - and that’s just how my brain has been set.

I’m ready to change that.

Furthermore, research from Stanford University has shown that complaining shrinks the hippocampus—an area of the brain that’s critical to problem solving and intelligent thought. The hippocampus is the primary brain areas destroyed by Alzheimer’s. I'm scared shitless of that because my grandpa had Alzheimer's.

Furthermore, when you complain, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol. This means you're stuffing up your immune system and it can cause high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. It even makes the brain more vulnerable to strokes. Some of these also run in my family so yaaay. Not. 

So the 21 days of no complaining challenge begins now. I don't generally do a video before a challenge, but I thought I'd try something new today. I'd love to get you all involved because I want your life to be awesome!

Here are some extra steps to help you (and me) along your merry way.

Tips to help you tackle the complaining mindset:

1. Be in an attitude of gratitude - if you feel a complaint is coming on, switch immediately to a state of gratitude. You will find something to be grateful for - even if it's rain and that means it's watering the trees and you can breathe. Joy! An attitude of gratitude will reduce the stress hormone cortisol by 23%
   

2. if there is something worthy of complaining about, go into it with a problem solving attitude. Have a clear purpose as to what needs to change. If you notice there really isn’t anything to change, you’re probably complaining for the sake of complaining, if you’re addressing a person - start with a compliment. It’s much more effective to getting your point across. Then also finish with a positive statement. No one wants to feel like shit.
   

3. Watch out who you hang around. Humans naturally mimic each other as it's a way we emphathise with each other and build connections. If you have a friend/friends that complain too much. Maybe avoid them this period OR just tell them straight out you can't gossip. The good friends will understand.
   

Join me in this challenge! If you're on board for a nice little life changing 21 days, tag me in your instastory with your progress (@sorelleamore).

Let's meet back here in 21 days and see what's happened!

Thanks for reading guys as always.
Sorelle Amore

How to Hack Your Emotional State - Become a Queen (Or King)

This is basically how I see myself whenever I'm in Queen mode.
Image by @sherbetbirdie_photography

Too often we wake up in a shitty mood and don't know how to get out of it.

The sun is shining, you can still breathe, you have food on the table, you have a roof over your head, but your mood is SOUR!

How on Earth to get out of this mood and into a more productive, fun and loving state. Go to sleep and hope it goes away? 

I guess that's one way. But there's another, much easier way.

You program yourself to have an emotional trigger.

Your brain is basically a computer and it's wired a certain way through your learnings, environment, input from internal and external sources. But it can also be rewired to suit your needs.

I noticed recently my confidence was quite low. Not for a particular reason, but I think over time I had let a few very vital confidence pieces of mine slip away. I started dressing worse, mumbling, not making decisions and relying on my boyfriend to make them for me, slouching and more. All of these things are signs of low confidence.

What initially started off as laziness, slowly rewired my brain to link these to low confidence. The longer I did it, the lower my confidence was.

One day I woke up and I had enough. Where was that fiery, spicy, excited for life, loud, sexy, center of attention girl? I missed her.

And then I discovered this emotional programming.

It works on the basis that you think back to one of the times when you were the most confident in your life. For me I thought back to about 3.5 years ago when I flew down to visit a guy friend that I made out with every now and again. I was out shopping for the day in the town and looking damn fine. I had amazing red lipstick, hair in a shleak bun, faux leather jacket. I felt on fire.

I also had another guy friend in that city that was always ultra confident whenever we were around each other and I loved that about him. But I thought he was out of my league. 

On this day however, I was shopping away, drinking some wines throughout the day and my confidence was high. Then I caught up with this ultra confident guy and the minute he walked in to the bar, I had him wrapped around my little pinky. I dictated how the conversations went, I cracked the best jokes, I sat seductively looking at him and when I was ready, I pulled him towards me without hesitation and I kissed him. He was impressed by my confidence. Few kisses later, I got up, got my things and walked out.

I haven't seen him since but I sure as hell left a great impression.

Then I wandered back to meet my other guy friend and kissed him too. Double whammy.

Thinking back to how I felt this day, I'm never sure what overtook me, but I was completely in control of my feelings, desires, feminine power, confidence and my life.

I call this 'character' from that day Queen.

And so I use my emotional programming to get me back to that state.

I think for any female, tapping into her feminine power is recommended. This is a power that moves and shakes. You yourself know how intriguing it is when you see a woman navigating through life without hesitation and knows she owns the world.

Just think of Beyonce for example.

I'm obviously not talking here about seduction only. The feminine power is so much more than that.

How To Program Your Emotional Trigger:

'QUEEN COMING THROUGH'
Image by @lauramannersdesign
Jacket by @birdbirdbirdbirdisthe

When I was ready to program myself as a 'Queen' to pull on her emotional state when I needed to, I thought about this moment in the bar and me being in control and confident. I remembered all the details and smells and the exact state I was feeling. Everything I could remember in as much detail as I could.

Then whatever I'm feeling in that moment, I allow my body to do a physical action that can be easily recreated.

For me I naturally wanted to pound my chest with my fists (above the princesses, I'm not here to cause myself pain) and at the same time I also thought of a word that came to me for the state I was feeling. 

Naturally the word became Queen.

And so I pound my chest once (like Tarzan or a Viking) and I say 'Queen'. Then I increase the energy around it not once, but twice. 

In the end I'm loudly saying 'Queen' (almost screaming) and the pound to my chest is almost like a warriors sign. Powerful with unwavering confidence.

Does this emotional trigger work?

This morning in front of the mirror I decided to bring my queen to work. I have a lot of great work to do and needed her by my side. 

I did my emotional trigger and when I got in the Queen state of mind, I opened my eyes and looked in the mirror. I could see so clearly on my face that she was here. Her eyes were focused, determined, sexy, strong and confident.

This is when I knew that this trigger works 100%.

When can you use this emotional trigger? 

When you're low on confidence, roll out of bed in a shitty mood, if you're about to go in for a job interview, if you've just failed at something massively and you feel like a loser, if you're working on a project and it seems to all be going wrong...all of these times are great for you to bring back your peak-confidence self to remind you of how great you are.

Once again...you're completely in control of your life and emotions. Of course sometimes circumstances in your life are really tough and you just want to curl up in bed and cry. 

Do that...but there has to be a point when you say enough is enough and you shake yourself out of the sad, victim space and take control.

Because after all, this is your life, you are shaping it to be your ultimate reality and nobody, not even you should get in the way.

Lots of love to you all, 

From Queen Sorelle Amore

Image by @sherbetbirdie_photography

My Morning Routine

I tried Tim Ferriss' morning routine for 7 days. Ferriss is the bestselling author of "The 4-Hour Workweek," a podcast host, an entrepreneur, and an investor.

Here are the routine steps: 
1. Get out of bed within 2 mins of alarm going off
2. Make your bed immediately
3. Sit down and meditate for 10-20 mins
4. Take a cold shower
5. Drink some green tea
6. Write in a monkey mind journal (listing all the things that are on your mind. It doesn't need to make sense, just clear your mind.
7. Write in a different diary 3 things you're grateful for, what would make today great, 3 points daily affirmations and at night recap and write 3 awesome things that happen today
8. Bullet journal, everything to accomplish for the day and have top three priorities to focus on.

This all takes around 45 minutes.

Then you can proceed with 20-90 minutes of exercise or do it at your desired time that day. 

I have yet to come across a more complex morning routine but I needed to find the best routine for me that would get the most out of my day. Knowing that Tim Ferriss is an incredible business person, human guinea pig and an all round impressive individual, as soon as I finally found his full morning routine I jumped right on board.

And what are the results? 
Was it effective? Will I do it again? Do I recommend it for others?

Yes...absolutely. It increased clarity in my mind and productivity. I can't imagine not doing my morning routine now. It's my time to prime myself for the day. 

Lots of love,
Sorelle Amore