Many writers are plagued with self-doubt. We write a few sentences or pages or chapters in feverish passion before slowly tapering off into the realm of negative thoughts. We feel like we aren’t good enough. We wonder if we are wasting our time.

What we need to remember is that nothing we write is ever a waste of time. Each and every sentence we write is another stepping stone to becoming a better writer.

Every time you write, you are finding your voice. You’re crafting your skills, learning what works and what doesn’t. You will slowly notice the things you love to write about. …

When I discovered the concept of an ‘extroverted’ introvert, I was relieved.

Many of us love to be able to put various labels on ourselves, as it helps us navigate our thoughts and feelings, and helps us better understand the way that we are. I’d finally found one that, for me, had hit the nail on the head. I felt seen.

Previously, whenever I had tried to explain to friends, family and colleagues that I was an introvert, it was often met with raucous laughter. “Ha!” they would exclaim, “You’re the least introverted person I’ve ever met.”

I would often try to explain to my bosses that I didn’t really enjoy Friday-night-after-work-drinks because after 40 plus hours a week with the same people, all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch, alone. The last thing my introverted-self felt like doing on a Friday night was spending more hours with more people. It made me feel claustrophobic. Drained and anxious. But my bosses would always laugh a little, because I was usually quite loud and energetic at work, seemingly enjoying my social interactions (which, to be fair, I did). That there was no way I was introverted and that me saying I was introverted was simply an excuse to get out of putting in networking time at work. Not fitting the cookie-cutter mould of the standard introvert left me feeling incredibly misunderstood. …

I first learned of this notion from reading Stephen King’s “On Writing”, and it changed my life forever.

“I believe the first draft of a book — even a long one — should take no more than three months… Any longer and — for me, at least — the story begins to take on an odd foreign feel.”

— Stephen King

I’m a perfectionist, which is often a battle when it comes to writing a first draft. You doubt every word, every sentence, every chapter. …

1. Be kind to yourself.

It took me 4 years to put on an extra 20kg, which is a pretty short amount of time for such a large amount of weight. It started with the new, sedentary lifestyle of my first desk job and was quickly escalated by being thrust into the midst of intense grief.

Queue the severe depression, anti-depressants and frequent binge-eating to mask the sadness and anxiety and the 20kg came on hard and fast. And I honestly didn’t care, at the time. Grief leaves little room for you to care about more than the grief and pain itself.

Fast forward to the start of 2020 where my emotions were back under control (for the most part, grief will always stay with you) and I was ready to get my shit together. I was quite ashamed and saddened that I’d let myself get to such a state, but I continued to remind myself of what I’d been through. The hell I had ensured. That I needed to give myself a break and cut myself some damn slack. …

The title of your article is arguably one of the most important aspects of your writing. It doesn’t matter if you’ve written an absolute masterpiece if no one clicks through to it in the first place.

Titles may only be a few words long, but their importance can’t be underestimated. A good headline will drive traffic, increase article shares and improve search results.

Over 90% of my articles get curated by Medium, and I do give some credit to my titles. They’re simple, straight to the point and everyone who reads them immediately gets the gist. I’ll happily admit that some of my articles have horrific titles. I knew in my gut that they were bad from the very beginning. I slightly cringed as I hit ‘publish’ and my suspicions were confirmed with the lack of readers that followed. …

Squats are arguably one of the best exercises you can do for both your strength training and cardiovascular health. And no, they aren’t just for body builders.

The list of benefits one gets from incorporating squats into their workout routine is a mile long. Squats develop total-body strength, stimulate total body muscle growth, and improve overall athleticism. The most obvious benefit of squats is strengthening and building your muscles — quadriceps, hamstrings, hip flexors and calves. As well as improving muscle mass, squats are a great exercise for weight loss as well — the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism is and the quicker you burn calories. …

I met my partner when I was 21 years old. It was at the very beginning of my big European trip that I had embarked on with my best friend. I’d never been particularly interested in dating or boys — I was always more interested in hanging out with friends, family, working and travelling. Josh and his best friend were also embarking on a big European trip together, and as fate would have it, they were in the same 3-week tour group as us.

I’ll skip all the lovey-dovey details — that’s an article for another time. But after 5 weeks of travelling Europe together, I just knew he was the one for me. I’d never felt this way about a person before. …

I started making vision boards when I was in my early teens. They basically consisted of Zac Efron cut-outs from Dolly magazine (manifesting him as my future husband) and clipping of Australian soap dramas (that I genuinely thought I’d be cast in). Fast forward to my late twenties, and I take my vision boards a little more seriously. Sorry Zac, I’m sure we would have been magic.

I’m a practical person, but I do believe in manifestation. …