Dearest Reader,

I hope this finds you well.

Have you been wearing those thick jumpers and trying to remember what Spring / Summer clothing you packed away in vacuum sealed Ikea bags that you just cannot wait to take out of your neatly organised bottom of closets or storage spaces dotted around the house? I most certainly have. We are mere weeks away from British Summer Time which will brings us an additional hour of daylight.

As I sat on my morning train (slightly delayed) one day this week, waiting to enter London Bridge station, I was thinking…

How do we know what’s best for us? How do we know to choose right at the right time? It’s that pressure we feel when we choose something and think that it’s a decision made for life and we have to live with it until the ends of times.

A simple choice, such as choosing a new vacuum cleaner, took me about 8 months to make. Is it the right discount / offer, does it have the right attachments, the best free toolkit, I don’t have pets – do I really need all those attachments and the full toolkit, does it fit my purpose?

Do you know that feeling of wanting something so much that you can’t even imagine how you can continue without having that something.

What about the feeling, the incredulous feeling, that something you wanted for a while and have been building up to, seems to be finally happening but you just cannot believe it is happening and feel that you are not good enough for that to happen to you?

You don’t want to think about it not happening because you don’t want to put that message out into the Universe, but you just can’t help it… So many times, you thought it was the right vacuum cleaner but just as you were about to click that “Buy” icon, something in you tells you to wait just a little bit longer because it might not be just the right vacuum cleaner for you.

I am happily reporting that I took the plunge and purchased a new cordless vacuum cleaner which I am very happy with so far.

I am strongly considering getting another tattoo. That’s a big decision, something that will stay with me for a long time. I have been working on the design for over a year, and I thought I found what I was looking for. However, as I was booking in the appointment, something just didn’t feel right, it felt like I was being pressured into following someone else’s schedule and desire even thought this is my body and my art.

Within less than 24 h, I emailed the tattoo salon that I changed my mind and I wanted my full £200 deposit back.

This is a new me… a new Miss B… The “old” Miss B would have simply accepted the fact that the salon decided “in good faith” to return only 50% of my deposit as in the booking confirmation email they mentioned the deposit was non-refundable. But no, I stood up for myself, I argued my case (no mention of non-refundable deposits on their website, confirming the deposit was non-refundable after I had paid it and not having been advised it was non-refundable before I paid it, feeling under pressure when I discussed the design and timing of the appointment with the tattoo artist, advising them I changed my mind within less than 24h, no materials or manhours were used to develop my tattoo, asking them to consider the situation from my perspective) and they returned my full deposit.

What if we change our mind? How do we stand up for ourselves? We are entitled to change our mind and relay our thoughts and feelings in a cordial and constructive manner. We do not have to suffer in silence and be unhappy just because we changed our minds Having said that, sometimes we will have to have those difficult conversations we all dread and avoid but to what avail? We are not doing anyone any favours. Read my previous blog post on The Personal Bill of Rigths where I talk about the personal rights we have as human beings in our personal relationships with others, be those familial, romantic, friendships, work relationships or others.

As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments section!

Sending positive vibes,

Miss B