Blogging 101

Good morning everyone and Happy Friday!

Wow, where to begin? I haven't written a blog post since July 30th...can you say slacker? I've been running around campus like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to keep all my ducks in a row, and haven't had time to sit down to write a good post, so here goes nothing. Fair warning, I might be a little rusty so you'll have to forgive me. 

As always, let's start with catching everyone up. Junior year, woah, JUNIOR YEAR!!! So crazy to think I am more than halfway done my college career. Since my last post, I finished up my internships and headed back to good old PA for the "enjoyable" first week of the year...preseason. During preseason we ran two+ miles and had double practices for 3 hours every day which exacerbated my weird persistent leg issue. It was so painful I was pulled from running and practicing for three weeks while I underwent various tests to see what was going on. Luckily, they ruled out compartment syndrome (no surgery woo woo!!), stress fracture and torn muscles. Unfortunately, they still have no idea why my leg goes numb when I run or why I get weird pain and bruising around my shin/inner ankle. But, other than that the year has been successful so far! My classes are difficult but manageable and I am excited to see where the rest of the semester will bring me. I had an amazing weekend a couple weeks ago, SVC homecoming. The whole fam, yes all five Glasheen's were on Saint Vincent's Campus and nothing went drastically wrong... point for the fam! I'm very excited to come home for Thanksgiving but hoping my time doesn't go too fast because, man, I love Saint Vincent.

Now onto today's topic: Blogging.

I've never been a hugely "hip" person; I don't usually get wrapped up in the most current societal trends. Of course, I have gone through my fair share of phases. However, as I've gotten older I've realized my phases are not to conform to society but more out of a practical standpoint. I never got into Club Penguin or Silly Bands, but I can't deny the fact I love scrunchies and my converse. Scrunchies don't put a crease in your hair when you just want to toss it up and converse can be worn any season and with any outfit and still be considered appropriate, super practical. Blogging, for me, follows a similar argument.

Sophomore year of college I began writing for Her Campus, a national club, and found that I actually really enjoy writing when I am given the flexibility to pick my own topic. The ability to write about whatever I felt like gave me more confidence and helped me improve my academic writing skills. Several of my college friends decided to start personal blogs when the huge blogging trend came about. Not going to lie, I was skeptical of whether or not they'd be able to keep up with writing a certain amount of articles every week. This is where my practicality gave me blurred vision.

Blogging is all what you make of it and what you, personally, gain from it. You are not pressured into writing a certain amount of articles on a specific topic. When they tried to convince me to start a blog I was hesitant. Then, I immediately thought about the first Her Campus article I wrote, "2018: Year of Adventure". In that article, I wrote that I wanted to start a blog. I love new things and new adventures but for some reason I was reluctant to put myself out there and have people read what I had to say. I thought, "Why me? What do I have to say?". But what more did my friends have to say than I did, the answer: NOTHING! We all have important things to say!

When crafting your blog, you need to play to your strengths. Don't start a photo blog if you're not into taking pictures, don't start a cooking blog if you've never been in the kitchen. This will only make it more stressful for you. I decided that I was more of a writer than a photographer so my blog is focused on articles, rather than photographs. But, this is what is so great about blogging, it's all up to you! Whenever I blog, I write like I am journaling or writing to myself. The whole reason I started blogging was to learn about myself and about the blogging world. So far, I have achieved at least a little of each of these, however there is so much more to learn.

I love blogging because it gives me a forum to convey my thoughts without interruption. It allows me to come up with new ideas that I had never fully thought through before. Being outwardly positive is not something that changes overnight, but if you can write a post about one positive thing every now and then, you are doing more than you were before! Positivity and happiness sometimes take effort, you have to be willing to put in the work.

Though I haven't stuck to my blog every other Monday plan, I still plan on writing on PQTH because it helps me stay positive, improve my quiet thoughts and brings me happiness. If I had to give one piece of advice, it would be: Don't hold yourself back from anything, especially if you get enjoyment out of it

My challenge to you: Do one thing out of your comfort zone this week and write how it made you feel.

PQTH,

HAN