Motivational Monday: Keep Moving Forward

We all get the that awful point where we want to throw in the towel. We feel like we're not achieving the things we want to be achieving. We're not going the places we want to be going. This could be with our careers, our personal lives. I think sometimes we don't realise all of the little things we do and how valid it is just to keep going. Sure, we may not be getting the rewards we seek right now but as long as you keep going that's admirable.

Sometimes you've got to remind yourself that just moving forward can be enough.
It is enough.

Silver Linings Search: March

Hello, blog-ghosts!
It's time to start looking for the positive things that happened to me in this, the month of March. This is a personal project that I started with myself to just write down and record good things that happened this year. The idea is that it gets me focusing on the positive. I think we too often focus on the bad things that happen and forget all the good things in our day. Sometimes you have to search a little harder to see the good, but it's there. Here are some good things that happened in the month of March:

• I got a lot of script writing done. 
• I actually got some reading done for my 2014 Reading Challenge which is good because I was seriously lagging behind quite badly. I had some Neil Gaiman, some Rainbow Rowell, some manga. It's all been good!
• A double page spread that I wrote for a magazine was published. Unfortunately they didn't publish my name along with it BUT it's still pretty damn cool - my words printed forever, sealed in ink. It's just another thing to write on the CV I suppose...
• I started working on some articles for my local newspaper which would mean getting some local exposure and journalistic experience.
• I also started doing some work for the company at which I am employed which involves writing and the arts. Again, this just means I'm doing things that are relevant to my dreams and aspirations and my personal skill set is being appreciated.
• I applied for my dream internship. Fingers crossed I actually get it but at least I know that I tried. It would be absolutely amazing to get it though. 
• I had some outrageously good naps. I mean soul restoringly good.
• I also had some really nice baths. These might seem like really mundane things but they're the things that calm me and make the day a bit better.
• I picked up some extra, exciting projects which should be interesting. It'll mean I'll be getting some experience working as a journalist as well as doing some PR and Marketing work. 
• I took a trip to IKEA and bought some beautiful home accessories. 
• I had some time to just catch up with my parents and have some one on one time which was really nice.
• Anne Rice announced that she is bringing out another Vampire Chronicles book and this made me so, so happy. You have no idea. I'm such a huge fan of her work that it became a huge part of my university thesis. She is one of my absolute idols as a writer and as a human being. I'm so glad that the world will hear Lestat once more. Rice has even hinted at more books after that. Yay!
• The sun started to come out. Flowers began to bloom. The blossoms started falling down from the trees. Beautiful... 
• I got really, really creative and I did a lot of writing and penning out various projects including my next collection of short stories and a novella. I know, I know. It'd be great if I could sit down and actually finish something but who knows? Maybe I'll get around to finishing something very soon. I've been writing like mad lately. 
• MY FREAKING BOOK LAUNCH HAPPENED. I wrote a whole post about it on this blog.
• I got to go back to Huddersfield and visit for a day and a half. It was short and sweet but man, I love that town.
• I got a cake with a picture of my book on it, a wonderful gift from my father. Best writer perk ever.
• I went to IKEA and bought a few beautiful home items. One is a gorgeous lantern and the other is a bird cage room ornament that hands from my ceiling. Bird cages - most fitting!
• I won a few competitions at work. I love the thrill of winning and achievement. 
• I got to work at this super cool Muppets event with a few reps from Disney. It was really cool PR experience and, as an added bonus, I now have some cool photos of me with some of the Muppets. 
• I had a super satisfying moment when I bumped into my old boss. He fired me and was a really loathsome person. There I was working at a cool event and there he was, now officially unemployed. Look who's on top now, matey...
• I got a little ambitious this month and started asking after a better position in the company that I currently work for. Although there are no job vacancies, I registered my interest. I don't know if I'll work for this current company for long. I definitely know now that I want to move onto bigger, better things. 
• I've managed to get a bunch of writing done. Ever since my book launch people keep asking me what I'm going to write next. It truly pushes me to work on new projects.
• I met up with some old friends, some of whom I hadn't seen since I was a teenager, which was refreshing. 
• So many people pre-ordered my short story collection and I felt so shy and so humbled by how many people went out to pre-order it. It truly was something special. It gave me all the feels.
• I got my first ever book review. Yes, someone read and reviewed my work and gave it some pretty high praise. It was the first ever official review of my work which excited me greatly. Similarly on the 10th of March I noticed that you can actually buy my collection of short stories on Amazon. I'm on Amazon! FREAKING AMAZON. 
• I've been to some brilliant events: I saw Eric Whitacre and the Eric Whitacre singers at Union Chapel. I saw Laura Mvula. I saw the Cantate 20th Birthday Concert. 
• I've had the opportunity to bump into so many old friends, many of them I've seen over the past week. It was wonderful to catch up with people I once knew. I love hearing how their lives are going and what they're up to now. I've also bumped into people I've not spoken to in years who somehow know of my publication of short stories. This makes me very, very happy. 
• I've also made some wonderful new friends. I'm always thankful to meet new people. 
• I got to do a First Aid course. I was thankful to have been chosen for the opportunity. Similarly, I am glad that I have the training to potentially help save a life.
• I got to spend some great time with my family. Right now we're sat together eating pizza and watching The Musketeers.

Song of the Day: Same Love by Macklemore ft Mary Lambert

Oh My God, how am I only listening to this now?

This is one of the best and most moving songs I've heard in a long time.

Macklemore is really earning points in my book.

This is an excellent song and already an LGBTQ anthem.