I need your help! Please read and pass on to other bloggers :)

Hello girlies, how has the start of your week been? I went shopping today with a friend and bought lots in primark so expect a haul post this week! I actually wanted to take the time to talk to you all about something quite important to me. I mentioned before about my history with depression due to being abused as a child. You were all incredibly supportive and it means the world to me to have such lovely people in my (virtual!) life as well as the support from some close family and friends. Recently someone I knew sadly passed away and it really hit me how much I have been taking life for granted. As we are still grieving I won’t go into a lot of detail but basically the person in question was very young and it was totally unexpected. It made me want to do ‘something’ that could be my little way of showing how I felt about their passing and how I would always remember them. I realized that part of the reason I have been able to start the healing process and start winning my battle with depression is down to you. Every time one of you comments to me on here, emails me some news or tweets me something I smile and I can’t tell you what it means to me!

I am going to start a project in 2013 which I am tentatively calling ‘The Cockney Sparrow’, and I am asking you once again to help me. Basically I want to use my blogging skills to create a new type of lifestyle post. Every week I will be trying a new challenge, something to push me totally out of my comfort zone, to help me meet new people, to get me to have a little bit of independence and most of all to help me honour the person we lost this year. I am so not the type of person who goes on big adventures or does anything out of the ordinary. It would be fair to say I have been playing it safe, to the point of not really living at all! This is something I WILL be rectifying in 2013! I have a jar which will be filled with little pieces of paper (sort of hunger games style) and on each one will be a different challenge for me to complete. I will be completing a different challenge every week and where possible (and depending on how many of you help me!) more than one a week!

So what do you need to do?

It’s simple:
1. Email me at carlottasbeautyspot@hotmail.co.uk 
In the subject line put ‘the cockney sparrow, challenge 2013’

2.Write me a note in the email setting me a challenge.
You can let me know why I should do it (to help with my shyness, to boost my confidence etc) but the challenge is the most important part because if it is physically possible for me to do it, I WILL. 

3. Hit ‘Send’
Once I get your email I will print it off and it will go into the jar and will be chosen at random!

So as I mentioned this is a big deal to me. I am being a bit vunerable and really putting myself out there. I am doing that because I know how lovely you all are. Please refrain from sending me hate messages or cruel messages. This is an experiment of sorts to be able to help myself grow as a person and to help me with my ongoing battle with depression. Everything that might seem really easy for you (like popping to the post office on your own) is really difficult for me. To give you some idea of the sort of things I was thinking about I have put this word diagram together. I would love it if you could be more specific but these are just some general ideas!

I cannot wait to hear from you and to start this amazing journey with you all. I hope your going to enjoy reading my challenges and watching me grow and heal. I am hoping that this time next year I will be able to say that you have truly inspired me and helped me to become a stronger, more confident version of myself and I already want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for that.