Tag: university
Let’s get back on track!
Hi all!
Dusting off the cobwebs on my blog (and website, and Twitter, and… everything, really!)
So, as I explained, I am currently completing a Master’s Degree and… wow, is it difficult! It’s been taking up so much of my time that I haven’t had chance to do anything in terms of writing, editing, marketing, etc. It’s crazy!
But today I had my viva, and although I haven’t yet finished, hopefully I have freed up some time to get back to blogging, writing, editing, and updating everything!
It’s good to see that I’m still getting royalties, even though I have done next to no marketing what so ever. And come onto my WordPress in what feels like a few months to see I’m getting traffic through – even if it’s a little, it feels like it’s actually improved, even though I haven’t been blogging frequently.
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As I’m nearly the end of my Masters I’ve been really thinking about getting my own business up and running, selling my own work (see below for links to my two published books), doing a bit more freelance work.
I have also wanted to do a vlog or something similar… maybe branch out a little from writing, getting back into photoraphy, both landscape and architecture as well as modelling photography (I have plans of making a room into a photography room!)
And… I have plans for a new instagram account.. but this one will be a bit of fun.
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Of course, get back into writing and editing my two last books; Ender’s Love and Rose Garden Sanatorium!
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I signed myself up to a Virtual Challenge!
I signed myself up for a virtual walking challenge today with Race at your Pace. It’s only a walking challenge, to get myself into the swing of things. Build up my fitness, as my fitness went hugely downhill after a health scare last year. I need something to push me to get back out again, as there isn’t much to do around here other than go to a cafe… especially in the cold… and when you haven’t got a car!
I also am slightly curious to know how this will turn out… I’ve never done a virtual challenge before, and I only heard about it on a Facebook ad. I don’t tend to pay any attention to Facebook ads, they’re usually just full of *cough*crap*cough*. But I was curious to know what this Race at your Pace was.
I did a bit of research into other companies first, as there are a few. Some appear to raise money for charity, others are specifically for running challenges that you have to do in one lump (which I cannot do just yet), others hand out pretty cool medals, from unicorns to marvel medals! In the end I decided to stick with Race at your Pace.
Race at your Pace is a virtual challenge where you sign up to a challenge, select your target and you basically go out and walk/run/cycle/swim over that month to hit your selected target. You can split that running time up over the month. For example, if you signed up to a 50 mile running challenge, you can run one day, take a break, run the next day, and as long as you run 50 miles in that month, you met your target.
You submit your evidence by either taking a photo of your fitbit, your app on your phone, or the screen on your electric bike. Once you have completed your challenge, you get your medal (and a compression top if you go for that option too!)
It’s £10 for just the one challenge, £14 if you want the compression top as well.
And if you manage to complete your challenge, you get a medal posted to you!
This is what the February medals look like:
(photo taken from the Race at your Pace website)
I figured, my walk to University is a mile each way. That’s at least 2 miles in a day already. If I add that up to the month, that’s between 40-50 miles already.
Doesn’t sounds like a huge accomplishment, but I don’t go to university every day! This month along, I only have two modules, which run from the 21st until the end of the month. That’s only 20 miles.
So, if I sign myself up to a challenge, say I do a 50 mile challenge, that MAKES me walk at least 2 miles each day (not including weekends). Once I get myself into the habit of walking each day, I can up my limit. Say if I do a 50 mile challenge next month, in March I can up to it the 75 mile challenge, April up to the 100 mile, and I could even move onto the running challenges, swimming and cycling (although I’ll need to get myself a bike first!)
I’ll also get a cool collection of medals to show my achievements!
I’ll keep you guys updated on how I do. As January is nearly over, I only signed myself up to the 25 mile walking challenge this month, and I’ve only managed to record about 8 miles on my fitbit so far (its new, haven’t that long ago got it).
But I hope this challenge will encourage me to walk more!
Protected: Update! This might be my last post for a while…
Protected: Tired today, the rejection took it out of me…
Protected: Summer work in Portree, Isle of Skye!
Protected: The Girl Who Whispered – The Next Chapter
Protected: Journey into becoming a Data Scientist…
Standing up to Bullying – don’t stop the dreamers!
I found out this morning that people in the village have been talking about me (I’m not surprised, it’s what they do best; gossip). But what made me laugh was that someone mentioned I’m writing a book. I am. But I am doing so much more than that. And I don’t mean my university studies either. I mean my scheming. I have ideas. Ideas that I want to turn into plans. I am using my time to not only write (and finish my studies) but to come up with a plan for the future. The future isn’t exactly set in stone. But I have an outline of what I want it to look like.
In the past I have spoken out about my ideas, my dreams, some haven’t worked out (most of them actually), either because I changed my mind or because other things have got in the way (like my studies getting in the way of my plan to travel the world for charity), and I’ve had people ridicule me (including family) and try to push me down, but I haven’t let it deter me. It just makes me stronger. I don’t care what people think of me, think of me what you like, but I know who I am and I’m going to keep pushing to be the best version of me as possible.
Do you think Marie Curie would be in history books if she gave up when she was refused entry to Krakow University because she was a woman? She was later given two nobel prizes. She was the first woman to recieve one. The first person and only woman to win twice. The only person to win in two different science fields.
Do you think Galileo Galilei would be in history books if gave up when the church tried to thwart his ideas that Earth wasn’t the centre of the universe and revolves around a sun?
Do you think Thomas Edison would be in history books now if he gave up when he tried thousands of failed attempts to create the first lightbulb?
I’m not saying I will be in history books, or find the cure to cancer or even do anything worthy at all, that’s a bit pompus, but I am saying that people doubt people who may one day be brilliant all the time. That’s what keeps me going, when it feels like everyone is against me. I’m not interested in getting into a history book, I’m not even interested in being formally recognised for my efforts or possible future accomplishments. But I am interested in proving a point. Proving that people shouldn’t look down upon others, don’t push them down because you think it’s funny, to fit into a crowd, or because you think they’re just ‘talk and no action’, those people, with the dreams and the ones we should be supporting.
I am also interested in pushing people to follow their dreams, no matter how silly they feel they are (unless they’re morally wrong, then I have a problem!) and being the best version of themselves.
Yes, I am writing a book. I would love nothing more for it to inspire people. But I’m not building my hopes up that it will. I’ll push really hard for it, but I’m not setting myself up for a fall just in case. I am also studying psychology, and want to push hard to get a PhD one day, contribute in some way in the world of knowledge.
I also still want to do things for charity, it might not be that round the world trip, I did a charity abseil (found my weakness is in lack of support though thus not much fundraising happened, so am finding other avenues to help instead) but I also have the idea to set up a business, a social enterprise to bring people, companies, charities and the community together to make the world a better place.
Feel free to think “She’s all talk and no action”. I might not accomplish everything, but I’m going to still damn well try to do my best! But I don’t care what you say or think about me. I care about helping others. DONT push other people down to make yourself feel better, THEY might be the next Marie Curie or Thomas Edison!
The Girl Who Whispered 