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[sally-studys]

Can You Keep a Secret

A letter, to 20 year old me,

I rewatched the movie last night and as much as I hate to admit it, it really got to me, to the point of crying. Why? Well simple really - it was a line from a movie that really got to me. I’ll quote it for you: ‘my whole life, I always based my value in myself off of what other people thought of me. I completely lost sight of who I was. And then I met you, and I told you everything about me. I told you all of my secrets, and you didn’t leave, even though you knew all of goofiness, and my weirdness and all of my fears and my insecurities, you didn’t leave. And I didn’t know anything about you. But it didn’t matter because I knew your heart. You made me believe that I could be loved just by being myself. You made me believe that the only way to be loved was by being myself and that is amazing’.

Emma was confessing her love for Jack in an unconventional way in that scene on the plane headed to Chicago. I wasn’t picturing myself and some boy who distracts me from my assignments on occasion, I imagines I was talking to myself, expressing my undying love for myself regardless how self absorbed it may mean. But no amount of convincing could make me believe that I still have not accepted the love I should carry for myself, towards myself. 100 girls could scream at me through TikTok videos encouraging me to love myself but the fact is the we have all fallen succumb to the power of society. Let me show you how I have:

1: I started a TikTok creators account on the 27th January 2021 and I vouched to myself that I wouldn’t post my face or anything that could reveal my identity until I reached 5000 followers. Why? Because I don’t want people to judge me. I couldn’t even get myself to let my closest friends know about it because my previous choice in friends has made me believe that they could be talking in whispers behind my back. @sally_studys if you want to show some love.

2. I dedicated part of the first lockdown towards my Instagram account reaching a larger audience until I began collaborating with brands and promoting. A person I’d gotten to know from uni had said to me ‘it’s so easy for girls to get famous, they just have to look pretty’. It was a backhanded compliment at best but one that caused me to delete the account starting a new one with very limited people on it and not a single post.

I know some of you relate to either of these examples I’ve laid out. Seeking validation from others is not a habit that you can just break out of. And I’m not going to be a hypocrite and preach self-love when I’m not following the advise myself. But I want to start taking small steps to feeling comfortable in my own skin, as you should be doing too. The opinions of other should no loom over your head with each passing day. So grab a wine glass and let’s cheer to another stepping stone.

In a years time on my 20th birthday when I read this again, I want to be dancing in the streets of London while the rain pours down on me.

~ Sally

[sally-studys]

For all my GCSE and A-Level babies 👶

Once upon a time, not too long ago, I was in your shoes, failing miserably at attempting to balance my time between all the subjects I was taking as well as finding a time for a social life, although Boris took that away from me.

Adapt is the app you’re looking for - it’s 2021 after all, there’s something that does everything for everyone. Adapt does exactly that (not sponsored btw, although they might as well sponsor me)

[sally-studys]

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Sometimes I just want to go somewhere where no body knows my name <3

[sally-studys]

Time.

The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole, measured in hours, minutes and seconds.

You can’t reverse it and you can’t fast forward - leaving you forced to live in the now.

When it comes to education, it might be a hard pill to swallow, but time is your enemy. With content to learn and revisit throughout the year, deadlines to meet and exams to sit, it can be a bit overwhelming to think that there are only 24 hours in the day, 8 of which you spend sleeping. Hence why when it comes to time, it’s in your best interest to always be selfish. You’ve probably heard this before and I hate to be a parrot but there’ll be no one holding your hand while you read your textbook or sit down amongst your peers to take your exam.

So the lesson to learn here is to start cutting - snip snip. If they don’t make you a million pounds then they don’t deserve your time of day my love. Pack your stuff and get going.

[sally-studys]

I know it’s not the first of February anymore, but for the remainder of the month I want you to try out this challenge and see how far you can get.

Every day for the remainder of the month establish a routine for yourself. That means:

- wake up and go to sleep at the same time

- follow through with your skincare every morning (i know sometimes you slack)

- have breakfast and make your bed

- establish set hours to do your studying and don’t forget to set hours for all of your other priorities

It might be hard at first especially if you haven’t got the best sleep schedule, but the reward you’ll feel for doing as you promise yourself will be worth it at the end of the month - and who knows you might just find it rewarding enough to upkeep for a little while longer. 

Don’t forget to update with your results and if it doesn’t work out one day, start again the next day. Don’t worry, everyone gives second chances.

[sally-studys]

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There’s no reason for you to have one hour of online classes in the day and then complain about how online school is too much stress :/

[sally-studys]

There are two different types of people in the world:

Early birds

Night owls

Whichever one you are, the first hour of your day I like to consider the most important one. 

I post here once a day preaching motivation, success and offering a hand to those who are willing to take it. But today I lower my weapons.

You see some people will tell you that they had a great day, the attended their lectures, they read their textbooks, submitted their assignments and completed their exam all while giving themselves well deserved breaks in between. I applaud your achievement and congratulate you for your hard work and efforts. But I’m also here to open up your eyes.

A good day may consist of all those things I mentioned, but truth be told a successful day is one in which you wake up, brush your teeth, wash your face, make your bed and have a whole breakfast. Well done! What others call the bare minimum is something that quite surprisingly, not many people do - myself included if I’m being honest. Those first four steps are your one step closer to unlocking a view outside your window on a Monday morning.

[sally-studys]

A little unconventional for a motivational book, I know. It wasn’t written by your conventional writer: J.K. Rowling or William or William Shakespeare, but Lilly Singh or superwoman as some of you may know her as share very though provoking ideas through the 50 chapters outlined in her work.

So I leave you with two challenges:

       1. Read a book

When I say read a book I don’t exactly mean head to your local primary school for a Biff and Chip session with the year 1 students (although I don’t think that’s possible given the current lockdown situationship). I mean grab a book, fiction, non-fiction, motivational - any book you want to read. Don’t read the words just because they’re there on the page you stare at. Indulge your mind and let the words carry you away. That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving on your feet ~ Jhumpa Lahiri

       2. Interact with the post, and we’ll continue to grow together (I promise there’s something here for everyone and I won’t let you down)

[sally-studys]

to dream of one day being able to go back to the university library

new library | 091219 — 10:40

studying an introduction to micro-economics in my uni’s new library. stay hydrated and organised friends <3 

[sally-studys]

Goals: the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.

Wordy I know, but simpler than it appears to be, believe me.

The not so secret second secret to a future of success is setting yourself goals - both long term and short term. All it requires is a piece of paper (I know paper in the last post, paper in this post, we’re basically killing off the trees). Sometimes all it takes to get you seated and doing some work is knowing what you’re working towards.

I’ll let you in on one of my goals. You’re welcome to steal it if it lives up to your standard.

Since the prime age of four my dad, the greatest man in my life, has done nothing but provide his family with a better life: relocating from Egypt and leaving all his family to start over in a foreign country that would provide him no support. Working multiple jobs to get to the position he is at today: a supervisor engineer. I admire that. Hence why when I envision my future, I like to see myself doing the same. Living with my family somewhere sunny with potential like Dubai - after getting my degree that is, working to provide an even better life than I had.

If you live to study it may prove a little more difficult than studying to live

[sally-studys]

Don’t forget to buy your little moons from Tesco with your 70s style blowout imagining every guy you pass down the isle has a secret crush on you

Good Morning - another day of sitting at home in no make up and comfy clothes and studying in bed. I miss cafe’s but I have to remind myself this isn’t all too bad. Romanticise where you can.

ig: rhiharper

[sally-studys]

One step forward towards the act of productivity: a desk (for me sometimes the floor - just goes to show you don’t need much to succeed)

In normal times I may tell you go to the library. I may even encourage you to grab your things and head to a local coffee shop. Alas, we are in the Covid era where leaving your house is almost pretty much illegal and even if it wasn’t, everything has been forced to close down.

Online study requires you to create a study space for you, somewhere in which you can block out the rest of the world and just concentrate of what truly matters: your future.

In order to create this you need to start of by removing any distractions. That means no phones, no games, no food (snacks don’t count otherwise I’d be a hypocrite) and no other people. When you use an tablet or a laptop make sure nothing open on them can serve as a distraction. It’s useful to know what to leave out, not just when studying but in all aspects of life.

You now know what to leave out, but what do you need to include? Don’t leave your calculator on the bed next to your phone because when you need it, you’re simply going to distract yourself by checking the one notification you have from subway surfers telling you to complete your daily challenge. So, pens, pencils, notebooks, textbooks and anything that helps you complete your work need to be within reachable distance. Leaving your chair only makes you prone to distractions. That does also mean getting your snacks ready before you start your timer.

Don’t make your chair a place for your clothes. Yes, I understand they’re not clean enough for your cupboard and not dirty enough for the wash, but they need to go elsewhere.

Remember not to use this as a form of procrastination. The most important thing about having some place to study is to actually do some studying 📚.

[sally-studys]

The first and most important lesson I’m going to teach you so listen 👂 up and do so closely (even though this won’t be the only time I remind you of it).

In order to have a successful day you to plan! and when i say plan, that doesn’t mean make a plan and not stick to it. I was once upon a time a fool who succumb to planning and not following through.

There are two steps to planning:

1. Weekly: the night before your week starts grab your planner or even just a piece of paper and write down a list of everything you have to do that week.    For me, this is usually a Friday night (pre-drinks if its the same for you, although I don’t indulge myself in such activities).

2. Daily: flip the page around and every night before going to bed, write down what you plan to do on that day. Some people might tell you to plan every hour of your day, this isn’t something I personally do, but if you need a bit more discipline in your life, it is how I started my journey. Don’t be unrealistic with what you set yourself although I do encourage some friendly challenge to guilt induce.

It goes without saying, tick of the tasks as you go along, reward yourself with just the right amount of time on tiktok and I guarantee you will be one step closer to reaching your goals

[sally-studys]

Term two at university has officially begun - are you excited 😜 or dreading another 10 weeks of slow and painful torture in the form of late nights an early mornings catching up with grades and begging for higher marks?

My story started on the 13th August 2020, a day many #alevel students from the graduating class of 2020 can tell you all about. I after 2 years of a questionable experience was disappointed and shocked to see B C D on my a-level results paper, declined entry to my first choice university despite the number phone calls and whatsapp spams ;) Yet here I am, just a few months later with a first in all my modules so far.

Don’t let one bad experience deteriorate your pathway to success ~ Sally 2021 ~ because I am living proof (with my shiny B C D) that there is hope for any of us to turn our failures into lessons.

Here’s to an account I hope to use to share my experience and tips with the rest of the world <3 Sally

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKeIGMGjOyI/