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.

Introduction to PLASTIC FREE LIVING: How To Cut Out 80% of Your Plastic Use in a Few Easy Steps

Hello there humans!

Today we're talking about a topic that I'm super passionate about - you may remember I made a video 6 months ago saying that I was going to trial the plastic free lifestyle for 30 days.

I got hooked! I completely fell in love with that way of life. It's fun, it's responsible and it's an awesome way to give back.

You may feel like 1 person can't really make a difference, well take a listen to my sisters story:

“I actually convinced a restaurant owner to go plastic free after I had a conversation with him about plastic straws and the damage that they're doing to the ocean and the plastic straws that are ending up in Turtles noses.”

See! One person can make a very big impact :)

You’ll also find that when you're rocking your reusable bag and reusable utensils, your friends will start to notice. They will start catching on and thinking “hey, maybe I'll be a bit more careful about how I use plastic in my life”. Slowly but surely, their family and friends are affected by that as well and the ripple effect happens. It's really amazing to watch the transformation one person can create.

I really do think that it's super important that all of us jump onto the plastic free lifestyle right now, as we are in a bit of a crisis when it comes to plastic.

There is so much plastic around the world, that all of the untouched beaches you see in magazines and blogs, are now covered in rubbish.

If you have children, or if you're thinking about having children in the future, you really have to think about leading a plastic free life because there’s a chance that maybe they won't ever experience a plastic free Beach in their lifetime. If that's not scary, then I seriously don't know what is.

Without further ado, here are some tips that I've learned over the 6 months of plastic free living, that I would like to pass on to you!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1. A reusable cup for coffee, tea, or any drinks on the run.

2. A stainless steel cutlery set (but make sure you take out the knife whenever you are traveling as they might take it off you - I learned that the hard way)

3. I also have a little special pen that I absolutely adore and treasure. I carry it with me everywhere so I don’t have to use plastic pens.

4. Tupperware containers! They are optional, but they're really great for food on the go and snacks. The same goes for jars, they're great for food or drinks on the run.

5.  A reusable water bottle of course! This is the Grayl water bottle, it has the best water filter in the entire world. It is hardcore stuff, you can filter water anywhere in the world, which means you're replacing water bottles in the hardest places to get water. You don't have to be concerned about being sick - it's a life changer!

6. A reusable shopping bag.

7. A metal straw is always an option, but I just don't use straws at all anymore.

8. The beeswax wrap. This thing is so crazy cool, it replaces cling wrap! I highly recommend them to keep your food nice and fresh in your fridge.

9.  You'll probably need a little bit of an assertive attitude as well. If you are nervous to ask for no straws in your drinks for example, you might just have to push that aside (again, think of the children of the future! Think about the clean beaches and you will hopefully be okay to speak up).

In the beginning, I was a little bit nervous to talk to people about the plastic free lifestyle. I didn't want to look like I was intruding or being rude or pushy. We’re just trying to do a good thing here and help mother nature to survive, so I started becoming more assertive and polite about it.

Make people question plastic. You need to make people aware that plastic is not the best or only choice.

TRAVEL RELATED GOODS:

1. Headphones
I have my headphones with me all the time to avoid using the crappy plastic ones they offer you on planes and tours. If you are one of these people that tends to lose their headphones, I would suggest investing in a more expensive pair. You will not be losing these babies!

2. Prepared food
It is a bit of a pain in the butt to prepare your food for flights, but it's healthier for you and to be completely honest, airplane food isn't good for you and you’re also cutting down on plastic - which is the whole aim of the game!

This is where your Tupperware container comes in handy! It does require a little bit of preparation though, so if you don't have the time to prepare all your food in advance, you can still bring your cutlery set, your cup and your reusable water bottle on board.

You can hand the plastic option straight back to the staff when they're handing you food. If you hand it back at the end when you've eaten everything it doesn't look hygienic anymore so make sure you hand it straight back to them and say “hey I'm trying to live the plastic free lifestyle so I'm just gonna give this back to you, can you please reuse this?”. They actually really appreciate it these days! The world is becoming more conscious and it's making me so freakin happy!

3. Plastic Bags for Security
You can get a more sturdy plastic bag that allows you to reuse it over and over again, instead of just having a one-time-use plastic bag.

4. Shop Locally Grown Food
Some areas of the world (for example, Asia and Iceland) import a lot of plastic packaged food! They are usually imported foods, so unfortunately they kind of have to be wrapped, but the best thing you can do to combat this problem is a try to avoid those foods and shop for the locally grown goods.

Not only are you supporting the local people in the country, but they are usually cheaper and plastic free.

If you eat meat or fish, you can take your Tupperware containers and ask them to put the fish or meat in there because it is better for the environment - and you don't want to store your fish or meat in plastic anyway.

5. Straws
Wherever you go, you have to ask for no straws when you're ordering drinks. Sometimes they bring it with straws anyway unfortunately, but all you have to do is tell them they can take it back. Of course you can bring a metal straw or a bamboo straw if you need it for medical reasons.

6. Rubbish Bags
When it comes to plastic bags sometimes we really need them for rubbish and so forth, but did you know that you can literally just put your garbage into a trash can without plastic bags? I actually never thought of this before!

Then simply wash your garbage bin whenever they take the rubbish away. If you really need to use garbage bags, you can find awesome compostable ones. They decompose so quickly, I literally put anything in there and within a couple of days it's starting to fall apart. So when you're shopping look out for proper compostable bags not the ones that takes months or years to decompose.

ACCOMODATION:

I know it's fun to stay in accommodation where you have all these little goodies (tiny shampoo, conditioner etc), but if you leave them completely untouched the cleaners don't have to replace them and they can be used on different customers.

Don’t take the plastic water bottles from the room, just boil your water or use your trusty Grayl reusable bottle!

TOILETRIES:

I'm slowly replacing everything in my toiletries bag to be plastic free and figuring out more solutions. Of course I have my bamboo toothbrush and all my shampoo and soap conditioners are metal.

I had a little plastic bottle from a previous product, but I didn't want to throw it out without proper use, so I've been using it for the past 6 to 8 months to hold my coconut oil. This can be used as makeup remover, moisturizer for my face and moisturizer for my body (oh the wonders of coconut oil).

The Baiden Mitten is the best exfoliant on the market, You can literally see rolls of skin coming off you when you are using it. It has saved my skin from horrible crazy skin conditions and I highly recommend it! I have been selling this for 8 years or something so you know how much I love it.

MY BAG:

This might be my favorite part! I have a little carry bag that I carry with me all the time. I thought it was bit nerdy at first, but people always tell me how much they love this thing! It's just a simple bum bag (or as Americans call it - a fanny pack). I can clip on my water bottle and store all of my utensils inside. Comment down below and let me know what you think - cool or nerdy? :-P


Those are my tips for the plastic free life! It is actually a really fun lifestyle that you will grow to fall in love with. You do need a tiny little bit more preparation, but at the end of the day, you get to feel good about yourself and know that you're contributing to the world, which is super super important.

Small steps make a huge difference for the world that we are living in today. If you are reading this, you are one of the lucky ones that can make a difference. You are now aware so please take some action to live a plastic free life.

Make sure to comment below if this is something that you think you can do, which part is your favorite and which is the smallest and simplest change you can do right now to start living this lifestyle.

Until next time guys!

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 :)

8 Secrets To Making Money FAST With A Small YouTube Channel

Sometimes I suffer greatly from the ‘I don't deserve it’ syndrome, which means that at times I'm actually afraid to get paid for my work - it's kind of strange.

I have been a creator for over two years and I didn't start getting paid until about 18 months into my journey, or until I had about 120 thousand subscribers.

Some of you it might feel like it’s almost impossible to get paid as a small creator at first, but that's why I'm bringing in a very special guest today, who is gonna share ways of making money as a small creator and reasons why you deserve to get paid as a small creator.

The information shared here is about YouTube, however this applies to all creators so keep that in mind.

Without further ado, let me introduce you to this very special guest. Welcome Lizzie! Lizzie has been on YouTube for 9 months, she's got almost 20,000 subscribers and she's getting brand deals back to back. She's also got an Instagram of 40,000 people because she kicks ass!

Lizzie will be sharing ways of how to make money and reasons you deserve to make money and I'll be sharing the mistakes I made when I was starting youtube and overall mistakes that you should be avoiding as a small creator.

TIP #1: MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOME

There are many different ways that you can actually make money through your YouTube account that you may not be aware of.

1. Fully sponsored videos
2. integrations (that can be anywhere from 30 seconds to 60 seconds)
3.  Affiliate links
4. Digital products (like presets etc)


MISTAKE #1:

Don't wait for deals to come to you, you go after the deals. For example, you could dedicate Wednesday nights to sitting down and figuring out what brands you love, writing the emails down and getting in touch with them.

Sometimes you really have to put yourself out there, in order for people to know that you actually exist!

TIP #2: THERE’S VALUE IN YOUR WORK

If a brand is reaching out to you just know that that's because they love your personality, they love your account, they love your work and they want to make use of your following no matter how big it is.

Know that there's value in that and you should be compensated for it. Also don't feel bad about doing brand deals, you actually have to live, eat, pay your mortgage, do basic things like that, in order to make these videos.

In my case and also in Sorelles case, we're actually providing really useful tips for you guys so we want to keep doing that. We want to keep helping you and we can only keep doing that if we're compensated for our work in for our time.


MISTAKE #2: NO MEDIA KIT OR A POORLY PRESENTED MEDIA KIT

A well-prepared media kit is gonna make you look professional and distinguish you from the rest. Here’s a nice little surprise! Click here to see the media kit I actually send out to brands - enjoy!


TIP #3: ASK TO BE PAID

A lot of times brands aren't always forthcoming that they have a budget, so always ask. Usually they will at least have a little one and it's better to have a little one than nothing.


MISTAKE #3: WHAT’S YOUR EMAIL GAME LIKE?

You guys need to get your email etiquette on point. The amount of times I receive emails from people that just look childish. it doesn't fly.

Or the other thing is when people are too robotic, without any personality, so the balance has to be just right - fun and professional at the same time.

TIP #4: KNOW YOUR WORTH

You do a lot of different jobs, you're not just a creator, maybe you're a videographer, an audio engineer, you're your own marketer, you're an artist - so make sure that you know that and know your worth when you're negotiating for yourself with different brands.


MISTAKE #4: GIVE, GIVE, GIVE. DON’T TAKE, TAKE, TAKE

I really love Lizzie’s point above! I think it's extremely important in the influences society that we're working with today because I think sometimes influences kind of think that they're entitled to receive, receive, receive.

When you're working with a brand you have to remember that it has to be a mutually beneficial relationship, this is how business works, so when you're approaching a brand make sure that you're asking what you can do for them and make sure that you give, give, give.

TIP #5: GET A MANAGER OR PRETEND TO BE ONE FOR YOURSELF.

I have my own manager and it's been a great decision for me because he's someone that I trust and it saves me so much time reaching out to brands that I want to work with. It's a lot easier to have a manager or to have someone else advocating on your behalf because all it does is add another level of legitimacy, so if you don't have your own manager and that's not something you're interested in then you can make a fake email account and pretend to be your own manager... maybe call her Susan. Susan sounds like a manager kind of name :-P

MISTAKE #5: BLENDING INTO THE CROWD

My lovely humans, you guys have to differentiate yourself from the rest. What is the unique selling proposition that you have above others? You need to stand out, in order to increase your value.

The fastest way to get there is to focus on your strengths and forget about those weaknesses.

TIP #6: DON’T SELL YOURSELF OUT

Even though it's great to get paid, you didn't start this account because you just want to get paid, you have another goal in mind and you love what you're doing. You don't want to jeopardize that and ruin it by doing tons and tons and tons of brand deals with products that you don't actually like.

Be really careful about the brands and the collaborations that you say yes to because that's going to reflect on you and your brand. Say yes to deals because it's something that you really like and you really use and that you want to vouch for, not just because it pays.

MISTAKE #6: NOT DEVELOPING AND GROWING

Keep growing your skills. Your value is gonna keep growing as long as your skill level is increasing.

TIP #7: REMAIN AUTHENTIC DARLINGS

Your integrations need to be organic, thoughtful, tasteful and most importantly they need to still feel like your work. They can't feel too much like an ad.

Put in the effort to go the extra mile and make them creative and make them feel like you.


MISTAKE #7: FALLING PREY TO THE IMPOSTER SYNDROME

The impostor syndrome really does feel real for everyone. So many of us feel like a fake, don't let that consume you, just keep on doing your work, keep developing, keep growing and if people are loving your work there's a reason for it so embrace that.


& that is if everyone! Thank you so much @LizziePeirce! Make sure to subscribe to Lizzie because she is a babe up-and-coming superstar ;-)

Until next time guys, PEACE.

How To Pose Male Models: 5 Photo Tips For Men

You guys have been asking for this video for the longest time, so here it is - finally! :)

For today’s very special episode of ‘HOW TO POSE IN PHOTOGRAPHS- Male Edition!’ We have an extra special model! Introducing Boyfriendo!

The actual truth is Leon hasn't been in front of the camera that much, actually he hates it!

Although on the weekend we did our first ever photoshoot together - a ‘couple advanced selfie’ photoshoot and he did amazingly well.

So today we're gonna be running you through different poses that you can do for male models in case you're kind of confused as to what to do in front of the camera.

Guys have it a little bit more limited the girls, girls have so many different possibilities for poses, but it doesn't matter - you guys are gonna own it!

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR MALE POSING:

You want to make yourself look stronger and more fierce, it’s all about that fierceness baby!

The way you can do this is by...
- Including sharp body angles
- Lessening any curves
- Bold facial expressions
- Leaning into the camera
- Being photographed from lower angles to signify dominance

But as you guys know, I'm all about breaking the rules, so if you feel like making a more ‘welcoming’ photograph, this is exactly what I want you guys to be doing. Break the stereotypes.

It is a bit boring but these are the general guidelines for male posing as it's been done throughout history.

1. STANDING POSES

#1 - Lean casually against a wall, bend your leg and put your foot against the wall, then fold your arms.

#2 - Turn 45 degrees onto the camera

#3 - Stand straight onto the camera

SITTING POSES:

#1 - One leg outstretched, one bent.

#2 - Drape your arms casually over your knee, remember to keep your fingers loose.

#3 - Lean forward and rest your arms on your knees.

#4 - One foot on top of the knee & ensure that you keep your arms relaxed at all times.

3. WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HANDS:

#1 - One hand and pocket, one relaxed.

#2 - Play with your rings, play with your watch, play with your hair.

4. HEAD POSITIONING

Once your body is in position, shift your head in tiny movements, up, down, side to side, to experiment with different head positions.

5. FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

This was the funniest part of making this whole video with Leon! He found it so difficult to get the facial expressions right. I found it difficult in the beginning too, so I actually left my facial expressions for a very very long time, until I became quite comfortable in front of camera.

If you're not comfortable doing facial expressions, then don't do them and stand further away from the camera. Focus on your body positioning at first and when you get more comfortable you just move a little bit closer to the camera. Don't stress if you can't get your facial expressions on point, focus on the body, break it down into sections, start mastering every section one at a time.

LESSONS LEARNED:

Here are some things I've learned from working with a male ‘model’ :-P  

Posture is extremely important, you want to make sure that you are standing as straight as possible.

For anyone, guys, girls, no matter who you are, you're probably gonna have a favorite side of your face, so figure out what that is by standing in front of the mirror, taking selfies over yourself to figure out what side of your face you love the most.


As always, all of my photographs have been edited using my preset pack! L

That's all that me and boyfriendo have time for, the Sun is setting and we're gonna sit and enjoy the sunset now. Thank you very much for tuning in, here's my Instagram if you'd like to check out more. Here’s Leon’s Instagram if you would like to check out his stuff and until next time, PEACE!

Conquering Creativity: 8 Universal Mistakes Every Artist Makes

Hello Humans! Greetings from Toronto!

I'm here at the Buffer Festival, where I'm gonna be screening my first ever short film, which I'm super excited about, because last year I was like “mannnn... I really wish that one day I could do that” and then one year later, here we are! Also very nervous as a side note…

A lot of people assume that because you are professional, you never make mistakes. People hold themselves back massively because they're just constantly in their heads, so today I’m going to be sharing with you guys some mistakes that I make as a creator, as an artist, as a youtuber.

I'm sharing all of these mistakes because if you catch yourself procrastinating, experiencing perfectionism, that do not give a f*** attitude, carelessness, anger, low self-esteem, these are all signs that you're probably self sabotaging yourself.

I am experiencing this stuff and I am a professional. This is why I'm sharing it, because it'll show you that you just have to get shit done. You can't be in your head, we need your art, so get your shit done.

1. NOT BEING CONSISTENT
Consistency holts procrastination. You need to get out of your head, leave your baggage at the door and just do it, every single day, even if it's crap, even if you don't feel like it, you have to get up and do your art. It is all about your art, so do not let your mind stop you from providing your gift to the world.

2. NOT CHALLENGING YOURSELF OR FOLLOWING YOUR HEART
If you are not challenging yourself, creating for yourself, trying to be better than what you were yesterday and at the same time also not doing the things that you want to be doing about working and creating art for other people, stuff that you don't really care about, this is how burner is gonna happen. You’re going to get bored and you’re just grinding for someone else’s sake. This is a very dangerous territory to be in, so just make sure that you stick to your guns, stick to what makes you happy, because this is where the greatest results will come.

3. LEAVING THINGS TO THE LAST MINUTE
We're all guilty of leaving stuff to the very last minute when there's a deadline. Pre-plan and backtrack so you can give your best at all times and save yourself distress.

4. NOT VALUING YOURSELF ENOUGH
This is such a common problem for all artists. We don't know how much we're worth. It's really hard to put a value on art or creation or anything like that.

I often come across people that I like “well I'm not good enough yet to be charging money, so I just charge a little bit here and a little bit there, but it's not a lot”. This is where you have to get a professional opinion of how much you’re worth.

I do the same thing, I always undervalue myself until someone says “hey, you know your stuff is actually worth this much” and generally I'm charging about half of what I should be.

Get a professional objective opinion of how much your art is worth, stick to that even if you  don't feel good enough because I guarantee you, even people at the top don't feel good enough but they know how much they're worth and they stick to that.

If you demand it, people will pay.

5. NOT BEING GRATEFUL
This is gonna destroy your career if you're not grateful. I am very guilty of this, I do this a lot to myself and you get into your head again and you start thinking of all the things that aren't going right without focusing on the things that are going well.

We all know that we create our own reality, the more you think about the positive, you're thankful for it, you're gonna get more of that and if you're not and you're concentrating on the negative you're gonna get more and more of that.

You create your reality so whatever you have right now, even the small things, it doesn't matter, you have to practice gratitude. Otherwise everything you have, your dreams, they're never gonna come true. Be grateful for what you have and watch more of it roll in.

6. SELF-CARE
I think this next point has become like a status quo thing… apparently if you’re not sleeping, if you're not eating probably, not being healthy and you have no work-life balance, THAT makes you a proper artist.

I don't know if this can be anything that's further from the truth.

I just read yesterday that if humans don't eat, we last weeks, if we don't sleep for 11 days, we die. You need to make sure that your normal rhythms are in place, you have a routine, you take care of yourself.

This is a huge one for me right now. I have zero work-life balance and I'm seeing it affect me massively. I have no time for exercise, very little time for my friends and my relationship, I'm eating semi okay but there's so much more that I can be doing. My life is just work right now and I know in the end it's actually affecting my creativity and my art and it's not making me produce the very best work.

Who wants to get to the end of their days and say “well I've worked a lot but I didn't actually even create the best work because I never recovered”.

Make sure you take time out for yourself. Days without the phone, that's so important! You have to have days without phones.

7. ADDING MADE UP PRESSURE TO YOUR SITUATION
This one sucks honestly... What if this happens? What if that happens? I'm gonna destroy my career if this doesn't happen! What if I don't survive next year? There’s so many made-up things that we have going on in our brains, which are holding us.

How about breaking down what you need to do into tiny little chunks and just doing it. Progress is much better than sitting in your brain. Nothing is gonna happen if you're just sitting in your head, being too concerned about yourself... Which brings me to one of the most important points.

8. THINKING ABOUT ME INSTEAD OF CREATING THE ART
So often we get caught up in things like “what does my hair look like? What does my butt/house look like? Do I sound stupid? Am I sounding right?”

You and I, this body, us, this is a vehicle for you to produce your art - that is it. The thing that's gonna stop you from creating massive amounts of beautiful, life-changing, world-changing work, is thinking about you instead of the art.

Think about who is consuming your art, what do they need from you, what do they want from you, are you gonna be able to help them with your art?

Mistakes. They’re gonna happen, it's part of the process.

Until next time guys, PEACE!

ADVANCED SELFIE CHALLENGE: Tiny Room Self Portraits (7 Easy Selfie Ideas)

MY PRESETS: https://sellfy.com/p/ZhQD/
MY MUSIC (Great for YouTubers) - https://bit.ly/2IwOW8C
MY GEAR: https://kit.com/sorelleamore

This is the first time I'm revealing my new goal and dream of where I want to take these Advanced Selfies! I'm very exited to just give this dream a crack. 

But in order for me to be good enough to take Advanced Selfies for a huge and luxury brand, I really have to get really, really good at these self-portraits. 

And luckily, you guys are coming along on the ride with me and I'll be teaching you everything I possibly can about advanced selfies along the way so you can get better for yourself too!

In this challenge, I'm working with a really tiny hotel room and trying to get the most out of the room. It was super hard!

The lighting wasn't amazing, it was hard to get my camera in the right areas I needed to. But here are the results!

I'm excited what came out of them. Please let me know which shot is your favourite! 
 
I hope you enjoyed this video!

Living On The Road Full Time: How I Became A Digital Nomad and Is It Right For You?

Many people constantly question what my life looks like when I live full time on the road.

How do I afford it?
Where do I live?
How do I stay healthy?
Is living out of a backpack tiring?
How do you stay connected with friends?
Do you miss having a stable home?
How do you not go crazy constantly moving around?
How do you choose where to live?

This is the way I do things. I know to some this is going to seem crazy, outrageous, rubbing it in peoples faces even, but that’s not the goal of this video.

Sometimes you think the reality you’re currently living is the only way to go until someone opens up the curtains and you can see a completely new way of living.

This is that video that may inspire some of you to choose a road less travelled in your life to provide you with freedom that you so desire.

NOTE: I realize I’m lucky since I grew up in a first world country under the guidance of my entrepreneurial family that all work online. I wasn’t born into a rich family, I looked after myself 100% financially since I was 18, no hand outs, I worked shitty jobs, I learned to save, I learned all these skills myself.

I had the drive to live a free life and that’s why I’m here now.

I didn’t have to support any family members back then, but now I’m working on overdrive to ensure I can provide for my loved ones much more than if I worked in a regular job.

There’s also NOTHING wrong with working in a regular job. If you love it, great! If you don’t want to think about work 24/7 like I do now, or have to grind really hard to ensure you can eat next month like I had to at the beginning, then it’s just not for you. This lifestyle is really hard to figure out and it’s not for everyone, but for those that want it, this video shows it’s possible

Pre requisites for this lifestyle:
What’s worked for me is having discipline to not party all the time, discipline to eat healthy, continue to work out, not blow my money on stupid stuff whilst traveling, discipline to keep learning skills to continue making money whilst full time traveling. Discipline is very important for this lifestyle.

How do I Afford it?
I now make money online. That means that my physical location doesn’t dictate my income. I could be in any part of the world and as long as I have wifi, I’m good to go.

Here are some ways I make money now: 

• videography

• photography

• digital product sales

• video editing

• brand sponsorships

• tourism campaigns

• brand ambassador

• mentorship

• youtube ad revenue

• affiliate marketing

I somehow believe that living in one spot can be more expensive than constantly moving around. I don’t have a car, I don’t have normal bills, I don’t buy a lot of things as I’m restricted to my baggage size & can’t overload, I don’t go out a lot and blow my money.

When I was first starting this journey, I was making hardly any money online. Over the span of a few years I saves $15k USD which was my initial lifeline when I decided to start living on the road full time. I could fall back on this money in case I wasn’t able to find jobs in the new country I was going to live in.

During this time, I continued to learn how to make money online. It was a long journey, but certainly has paid off.

Where do I live
I don’t often know where I’m going to be one month ahead of time. I have some rough goals of my preferred location but I’m fully flexible depending on any jobs I might have in certain locations, where nice Air BnBs are, where I want to catch up with friends around the world, where I want to explore next.

Sometimes I stay in a home for a week, sometimes a few days, sometimes a month or two. It always changes.

I mostly live in Air BnB’s or speak to friends that have spare rooms around the world. I don’t stay in hotels often as I want my own space and kitchen to cook healthy food.

Which leads me onto my next point – how do I stay healthy on the road?

The novelty of  being in a new country and needing to try all the foods in that country wears off after a while. Not having stable roots means that I crave stability in other areas of my life much more – eg. Eating healthy

So I stick to my ultra healthy food routine however much I can. Living in a place longer means I can find my organic stores and buy yummi food and cook it.

Is living out of a backpack tiring?

Yes it can be. But that’s why sometimes I need to live in a place for a month or two, because it’s the constant packing your bags and going from house to house, airport to airport that gets really exhausting after a while. Living this way, you really start to appreciate ‘normal’ aspects of life a lot more.

However even though this lifestyle is tiring, I don’t imagine myself living in one spot for years at a time. I need a lot of change and novelty in my life to keep me wide eyed and excited for life.

How do you stay connected with friends?

I have friends scattered all over the world now which is amazing. I can catch up with people anywhere I might be and it’s very special.
Most of my friends understand I’m not that ‘normal’ friend you can catch up with every week over dinner, but instead the friend they see once a year. If the friend needs more from me, unfortunately I can’t provide it and the friendships may slip away.

Do you miss having a stable home?

Sometimes, but again – novelty is something I need, not want. It’s a small sacrifice for a life much more suitable for me.

How do you not go crazy constantly moving around?

Having a routine that I can do anywhere in the world is vital for me to keep me sane. So that is my morning meditation and diary session and my normal healthy food that I love to eat. Once I have these done, then I’m pretty ok traveling full time forever.

That’s it from me. An insight into my wild and crazy life and into a unique reality that not many people live. Also, I’ve been working to understanding this way of life for a long time. The beginning though was awkward, uncomfortable, scary. But overtime you learn to master this way of living.

Once again I acknowledge I’m extremely lucky to be living this way, but I also reinforce that I worked very hard for this.

I hope you enjoyed this video, check out my Instagram if you’d like to see photos from my adventures and until next time…peace!

The Art Of Scouting: How To Find Stunning Locations For Your Photo And Video Shoots

My favorite quote in the world is…

“I’m going to make everything around me beautiful. That will be my life.”

— Elsie de Wolfe

I learned this quote four years ago and since then it's shifted completely my outlook on life. I have beauty goggles on basically non-stop now. Whether it's admiring the detail of the beautiful flowers or tiny little insects, or admiring the whole beautiful building that is in front of me, or admiring the sad times that I'm experiencing and the feelings associated with that, or even admiring the so called ‘ugly’ locations or things.

There's beauty everywhere. Choosing to see life through this beauty lens has really helped me as an artist.

Perhaps this is why I can personally find beautiful locations to always shoot in. There is never ever a shortage for me to find these locations, so today I'm going to be sharing with you the thought process that I go into when I'm looking for beautiful places to photograph so you can find it as many as you can and create beautiful art.

I don't have the luxury of planning out photo shoots, so I'm very spontaneous in choosing locations. The locations that I find and I stumble upon literally dictate the entire photo shoot for me.

For example, I'll be driving along and I'll see a bunch of tires, so I'll dress appropriately to that experience to make sure that I get the most out of the location.

Right now, I'm in a tiny little village in Germany and even the Vodafone guys just up the road were laughing that I'm here. But to me this is the most beautiful location I could be in and I am seeing beauty everywhere.

I've already taken photographs with a range of objects including my home, a pile of tires, the wind turbines, the grass, the cornfields, the sunflower fields and the hay fields. I’ve shot in sunlight and at nighttime to give a variety of shots.

I know the question will be “what if I live in this village/city? What can I do if I'm not traveling as much as you?” ... well I've got a full list!

If I did live here, I would take photos with the horses, cows, chickens, with the tractors in the area. I would shoot in front of the beautiful homes, I'd drive an hour and shoot at the beach, I'd shoot near the local ponds or rivers, I would shoot at the local cafe, the playground, maybe even inside the local school at the weekend (with permission!).Then I just tailor my outfits to make sure that it matches with this school environment. It would like a cool, edgy photoshoot.

In each of these locations, I change outfits a million times, posed differently, edit the photos differently, and that would give me a variety of shots.

Then you also have the change of seasons and times of day! It's gonna be a completely different photograph.

Use what you got man! Stop making excuses.

TIP #1: VARIETY OF SHOTS
I choose locations that can give me as much variety in one location as possible.

Whenever I'm traveling I look for a hotel or Airbnb that is really beautiful inside and it has a variety of shots. Even if it's a tiny little room, that room itself just has to have a variety of corners that look completely different and can give a variety of shoots because I don't want to just get two snaps out of a location. If I'm paying to stay in a hotel, I better be able to get some nice photographs out of that too.

TIP #2: SHOOT IN BULK
I recommend taking a huge chunk of time out to go explore and take as many photos as possible. It's fun and there's never a time restraint.

If you're taking a model or yourself, try to find a forest that is close enough to a hay field, or a beach close to a little city or a town. Then you can spend the entire day photographing. It’s so much fun, why wouldn't you want to do that? The added bonus is that you get many different photos from that.

TIP #3: CHANGE IT UP (ANGLES, CLOTHES, MAKEUP ETC)
Change your hair, change your makeup, change your accessories. Again, work with what you have.

In one spot you can take photos from above, below, straight on, close-up, far away, sitting, standing. One location = many options!

TIP #4: IT’S ALL ABOUT LIGHTING
I always aim to shoot in natural light because I don't really have the luxury of carring lighting equipment with me because I'm a full time traveler.

I aim to generally shoot always at golden hour, so sunrise or sunset. That is the best light ever.

By the time you finish shooting all the locations during sunset, you should probably be skilled enough by that time to start shooting those locations during the harshest sun. That means you can go back to all those locations and shoot again, giving you a completely different feel to the photograph, especially if you switch up the hair, makeup, accessories, clothing and so forth.

TIP #5: INSTAGRAM SCOUTING
No matter where you are in the world you can go onto Instagram for example and put the hashtag of the city you're in or the country you're in and see what comes up. That could lead you to beautiful locations to photograph.

Another great way is to stay in beautiful Airbnb’s or hotels that have a nice environment to shoot in. If it's too expensive and you can't afford it right now, you could potentially become best friends with the manager and ask them if it is okay if you go into the rooms after someone checks out (but it's still messy so you don't mess it up for them) and just take a few photographs or their beautiful hotel room. Tell them you're studying photography and see if it's possible for you to just spend half an hour in between the cleaning sessions before the cleaner comes along.

Yes, you're gonna get rejected by a lot of hotels, but so what? Keep going until you can get into a hotel because there will be someone that will say yes.

If this sounds like a very daunting thought, to go approach the manager and ask for this... Dude! Not many people will ask this! It is a golden opportunity for you. Yes it's gonna be scary, but if it works you have a beautiful location for free - hell yeah!

To do great things you must push the boundaries sometimes.

Finally, I am NOT an expert in location scouting, I just take photographs non-stop wherever I can, that's my approach to this whole thing. You see me with a camera basically non-stop. It's my addiction and I just make it work, I just have fun with it but hopefully these tips have helped you in one way or another.

Until next time, PEACE!

How To Take Your Own Travel Photos

You have all asked for so long how to take your own travel photos. 

So in this edition of the video, I'm going to share my secrets of the perfect travel indoor self-portrait.

What you will need:

1. Camera

2. Phone

3. App

4. Tripod

5. Them good looks of yours

It's a lot easier than you think. 

Hope you enjoy this video. Let me know if you'd like more of these.

Love always, 
Sorelle Amore

Fake Yourself Flawless - Beginner Retouching Secrets in Photoshop

Beginners Retouching & Sculpting for Face, Skin, Eyes & Hair in Photoshop 

In a world that's always trying to crush us and make us feel bad in order to purchase the 'latest' and 'greatest' products, we hear a lot of criticism, but honestly, it's not true. And the older you get, the more comfortable you become with yourself and the more you learn how to look your absolute best, in a way that you're comfortable, the less you care about this pressure put onto you. 

Never compare yourself to models and celebrities. They have teams of people behind them to assist in making them look their absolute best. You very rarely see any selfies of celebrities in a bad light, without make up etc. Yes...there is a small percentage of extremely beautiful people in the world. That's their gift and that's great. We have our own gifts.  

It's nothing against celebrities and models for always presenting themselves perfectly - it's their job. And it's your job to not allow this to get to you and with these retouching insights, you'll understand how to make yourself flawless in seconds, so you can stop comparing your raw photos to professionally edited photos of models. It's just not fair.

If you would like, please submit your photos to my email address listed at the end of the video and I will retouch them and make a video out of it. I'm not sure if anyone would like this done to their photos, the changes will be only minor and I will be very sensitive and delicate, so don't worry. I'll just polish your photos a little. 

I hope you find this video helpful. Let me know what other videos you'd love to see from me. 

Enjoy!
Sorelle Amore

How to Travel Cheap: 21 Tips for Traveling the World on a Budget

How to Travel Cheap: Tips for Traveling the World on a Budget.
Do you often find yourself scrolling through your social feed, daydreaming about faraway lands, inspiring photography and life-changing adventure? Then you wake up and check your bank balance…dammit. 

To travel on a budget is a daunting thing to many people, and unfortunately can deter some would-be wanderers from experiencing this incredible planet. To help you get the most out of your journey, here are 21 genius travel hacks for when you’re broke AF.

Enjoy!

Why You Look Ugly in Photos - And 6 Ways to Fix it

We are costantly bombarded with these polished, perfect images on the daily of models and social media celebrities. And then you go ahead and look at your grainy, poorly lit selfie of yourself and you think “I’m so ugly”. 

Have you ever thought about the fact that they have a whole team of people behind them to make them look spectacular?

Well this video is all about giving you guidelines so you can bring yourself up to scratch and look your absolute finest. And then, when you’re comparing images of models to your perfectly polished images, I can guarantee you there will be no gap in beauty. It’s comparing apples to apples and that is now a level playing field.

After this video, you’ll walk away with a guideline of:

• how to pose optimally for your features

• basic retouching skills to polish your photos to bring them up to the magazine standard

• finding the right outfits for your body shape

• finding the right colourings for your skin tone

• beginner steps of how to embrace what you have

Now ok, I’m hearing all these critics saying “another beauty video, here we go".

Of course woman are much more than our looks. But we all agree - when we look fine, we feel fiiiine. So we might as well look our best and then resume conquering and improving the world.
So, without further adieu, let’s get into it. 

1) We all want great photos of ourselves but if you’re like me, you’re scared shitless to pose in front of others. It’s awkward as fuck. So I’ve learned and perfected the craft of taking photos of myself. Go ahead  and watch my video here on this topic.

2) How to pose yourself

Time to get friendly with the mirror and if needed, use your phone to take photos of yourself from different angles. These are some of my tips to learn your best angles:

• Most of us have one side of the face that we prefer more. For me, it’s my right, so most of my photos are taken from that angle or I love straight on. Find out what that is for you. Yes it feels weird staring at yourself in the mirror, but you need to get to know the best side of you.

• Learn about lighting. I mean - can we agree that this selfie looks better than this one. Wherever possible, use loads of natural sunlight. And if there are shadows, they shouldn’t be cutting across any major features on your face. Don’t create a weirdly shaped nose for yourself, don’t create bags under your eyes, if you have a double chin, pull your chin forward.

• As for the body, general guidelines is stand straight, pull your shoulders down, turn your body at a 45 degree angle to the camera.

• There’s a TONE of videos on how to pose on YouTube so get researching. Find a woman that is your body shape on YouTube that does posing tutorials and follow what she says.

As for retouching, watch the video here on a thorough beginners tutorials to making your images magazine standard. 

3) Bbody shape - learn your body shape and what clothing works best for you.

Again, that means familiarising yourself with the mirror. What is your body shape? Mine is a column, no ass, no hips, no butt. So I research online what I can wear as a column.

4) Skin tone will dictate what clothes look best on you.

So find out what your skin tone is and then chose colours only in that category. I got a professional swatch test done for my skin tone years ago by a stylist so you can either do that with your local stylist or research online your skin tone.

5) What message are you trying to present about yourself

Basically watch Love, Lust or Run episodes and you’ll understand that what you wear will provide people with a different impression of you. Right now I look like an artist, but if I need to look pro, I’ll put on my big girl outfit. Your clothes say a lot about you. Are your clothes saying what you want about you?

6) Embrace what you have

So many of us think that the grass is greener on the other side - some days I desperately want curves, some curvy woman desperately want to be petite and so on and so forth.
It’s important to find role models that look like you to learn what will look good on you.

This is the part you have to put your blinders on and just focus on what your momma gave you.

I can’t sit and wish for hips forever because it aint gonna happen. Just roll with what you have.

Some role models for curvy girls - Micheline Pitt. Role models for large girls - Tess Halliday, Role Models for all girls - Winnie Harlow just for generally being a goddess.  I look at Ruby Rose as inspiration as I see her style matching mine.

I honestly believe that style and beauty is a process. Stylists, makeup artists, hairdressers all learn the staples of what they do, once they master that, then they add their own flare.

For you now, I would start at the beginning, master the basics and then work up from there.

I just want you to feel your best girl. You deserve it.

But this is all the basics to make you aware of what you need to do and now it’s up to you to research and bring it all to life, specially for your look.

Ain’t no woman called ugly on my watch!

We’re not. We’re all goddesses.

If you liked this video, do share it and give it a thumbs up. Subscribe, you know you wanna and hit that bell to be notified of the next video. 

Check out my Instagram for my piccies and until next time, see ya later my queens. 

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

I TRIED LIVING PLASTIC FREE FOR 30 DAYS!

And what are the results?
Was it effective?
Will I continue living this way?
Is this even possible?

I actually think it's easier than you think.

Here are the essentials to succeeding in this lifestyle:
1. Reusable coffee cup
2. Reusable water bottle
3. Cotton bag for groceries
4. Bamboo toothbrush
5. Menstrual cup for ladies
6. Stainless steel razor blade
7. Bees Wax Wraps
8. Stainless Steel cutlery set

Small steps you can take to make a massive difference:
1. Say no to plastic straws
2. If you need to use a disposable coffee cup, say no to the lid
3. Say no to plastic bags
4. Learn to make your own toiletries which are cheaper and better for you anyway.

Just remember, any small way you can start cutting out this major pollutant right now is better than not doing anything at all!

So take baby steps wherever you can. The future generations deserve it :)

Natural beauty hacks videos: https://youtu.be/89r_kj3QuLE

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

Happy International Woman's Day!

I love watching women more and more come together to support each other and do incredible things in the world that have been previously thought not possible for us.

And to think not even that long ago we didn't have any rights and we were a possession. Wow. We have progressed!

The future is bright for all humanity and a part of that I do believe is having more strong, smart and kind women in power. I love you boys, but some female energy in power is necessary to balance the equation.

So! To spread the love of International Women's Day, here is the Instastory template for you to download and tag the 5 women that inspire you the most.

Here is to strong women. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.  

Lots of love to you always,
Sorelle Amore

7 Ways to Make Money as a Travel Influencer RIGHT NOW (Even if You're Just Starting)

We live in a BEAUTIFUL time where making money is easier than ever. Here are 7 ways you can make money RIGHT NOW as a Travel Influencer, even if you're small.

I hope these guidelines kick start you into thinking of ways you can make money online. These are just rough ideas which are there to provide inspiration. If I can do this, you can do this!

Link to a video example for what you can create for a customer:
https://youtu.be/cLGtftRDc_Y

Enjoy!

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