Sunday Drive in Norway (on a Friday!)

 
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Cindy Vine is a South African currently living in Norway.  She is the author of Not Telling, The Case of Billy B, Defective, CU@8, Hush Baby and The Freedom Club.  All her books are available on Amazon.com in both ebook and paperback format.  You can find out more about Cindy and her other books on www.cindyvine.com.  Should you wish to find out about some of the many countries she's visited, you can visit her travel blog www/cindyvinetravels.com.

Why bother? Are you putting in effort for nothing?

Sometimes nothing seems to go right.
You run every day, do Cross Fit, eat healthily but you still can't complete a marathon.
You research, do character sketches, plot your novel, get it professionally edited but you still struggle to sell 100 copies of the book.
You spend money on marketing, get heaps of downloads when you offer your book for free but still fail to get any reviews.
You share what you have done with family and friends, they say good job, but they don't bother to read your novels or watch your videos and you know it's just empty meaningless praise.
(Not that I run or do Cross Fit or have any intention of running in a marathon but you get what I mean!)
You save money to travel to all the places on your bucket list but nobody is interested in hearing about your adventures.
Nobody cares.  They might say they do, but really they don't.
So why bother?
Why waste your time putting in effort when nobody gives a damn?
Why put in the effort when you never succeed.  Should we just not try?
How many times do you bend over backwards to make a relationship work, and you still end up getting stabbed in the back?
You never smoke, never drink in excess and still you get cancer.
You try and do the right thing over and over but nothing seems to work.
Everything is a constant struggle.  As if you are constantly running head first into a concrete wall.
If we are never meant to succeed, then should we even try?
Well, you have to ask yourself what constitutes success.  Is success getting recognition from others?  Is success some kind of financial reward?  Is success measured by the amount of followers or subscribers you have, the amount of views or downloads you get?  How do you measure your success?  Is success getting someone to love or like you?
Maybe we need to start doing things for ourselves and not doing it to please or impress others.
Leading a healthy lifestyle should be success enough without the marathon.
Completing a novel and getting it published should be enough of an achievement.
Learning skills to make a Youtube video should be a sign of success.
We need to start celebrating our achievements instead of rating them according to others' reactions to them.  Do things for yourself, set yourself goals and celebrate when you achieve them.  Don't base your success on what others think.  They don't know what you went through and have no appreciation for your journey.
We all live in our own bubble.  Sometimes our bubbles collide and become Venn Diagrams, but often they are just floating around oblivious to the bubbles near them.
People don't mean to not give a damn.  They are only concerned about their bubble.  They don't notice what is going on in yours.
If you are only writing a novel, running a marathon, making a Youtube video, propping up a relationship to please others, then you are doing it for the wrong reason.
You need to become selfish.  Do it to please you.  Do it because it makes you happy.  Do it because you enjoy being creative and learning new skills.  Don't give up, be resilient.  Bounce back.
Run in a half-marathon instead of a full marathon.  Nobody wants to read your novel, write another.  Read other books to work on your skills.  Nobody wants to watch your Youtube videos, continue perfecting your editing and filming skills and keep uploading new content.  Nobody wants to read your blog posts, so what.  Write them for yourself.  Get those words out of you.  Be resilient and bounce back.  Don't let others' apathy towards your efforts bring you down.
If selling a book was easy everybody would be doing it.  Nothing in life is easy and sometimes you don't see an immediate benefit for all the effort you put in.
Anyway, these are just some of my random thoughts on a miserable rainy day when I should be writing reports.

Please like and subscribe to my Youtube channel.  I upload new videos each week.

Cindy Vine is a South African currently living in Norway.  She is the author of Not Telling, The Case of Billy B, Defective, CU@8, Hush Baby and The Freedom Club.  All her books are available on Amazon.com in both ebook and paperback format.  You can find out more about Cindy and her other books on www.cindyvine.com.  Should you wish to find out about some of the many countries she's visited, you can visit her travel blog www/cindyvinetravels.com.

Discover Cape Town: V & A Waterfront

  
If you are ever visiting Cape Town, you just have to go to the V & A Waterfront.  There is so much to see and do there.  It is also from here that you can book boat rides, sunset cruises, ferry to Robben Island and helicopter rides.
Cindy Vine is a teacher and author currently living in Norway.  She is the author of Not Telling, Defective, Hush Baby and The Freedom Club.  All her books are available on Amazon in paperback and ebook format. www.cindyvine.com.
Follow her travel blog on www.cindyvinetravels.com

Norway: 17th May in Oslo

 
Watching the parades on Constitution Day in Norway is a must see!  Here's the video I made of some of the pomp and circumstance and some of the parades going to the King's palace.
Cindy Vine is a teacher and author currently living in Norway.  She is the author of Not Telling, Defective, Hush Baby and The Freedom Club.  All her books are available on Amazon in paperback and ebook format. www.cindyvine.com.
Follow her travel blog on www.cindyvinetravels.com

How to make South African Biltong

 
This is my Youtube video on how to make biltong.  I absolutely love biltong and make my own wherever I live in the world.  Biltong is the perfect keto snack and great to nibble on when you are watching sport on TV.  You can adjust the seasonings to make it as spicy as you want.
Cindy Vine is a teacher and author currently living in Norway.  She is the author of Not Telling, Defective, Hush Baby and The Freedom Club.  All her books are available on Amazon in paperback and ebook format. www.cindyvine.com.
Follow her travel blog on www.cindyvinetravels.com

What to do in Cape Town: Fairview Wine and Cheese Tasting

One of my favourite places to visit in Cape Town is the Fairview Wine Estate.  What stands out from the many other fantastic wineries for me, is the fact that they also make the best cheese.  You can do a cheese and wine tasting.  The serene, peaceful environment of this winery always recharges my batteries.  If you are in Cape Town, put Fairview Wine Estate on your list of places to go.
Please like and subscribe to my Youtube channel.  I upload new videos each week.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living in Norway.  She is the author of Not Telling, The Case of Billy B, Defective, CU@8, Hush Baby and The Freedom Club.  All her books are available on Amazon.com in both ebook and paperback format.  You can find out more about Cindy and her other books on www.cindyvine.com.  Should you wish to find out about some of the many countries she's visited, you can visit her travel blog www/cindyvinetravels.com.

Why I’m Making Travel Videos – Travels with Cindy Vine

Why I’m Making Travel Videos – Travels with Cindy Vine

As a writer, it's important to keep writing even if it is a blog post for your travel blog.  Here's the link to my blog post.   The more you write, the better you get.  It's like training for a marathon.  You can't just go out and run it and expect to make it.  You need to practise every day.

Cindy Vine is the author of the novels Not Telling, Defective, Hush Baby and The Freedom Club.  All her books are available on Amazon in both kindle and paperback format. www.cindyvine.com

How Norway disposes of trash

I took my Grade 4 class to the local dump to have a closer look at how Norway handles their trash.  Besides getting caught in a freak hailstorm which morphed into a snowstorm, we learned a lot.  Norway excels at trash disposal and fully deserves being called a Green Country.  My Youtube video shows just how Norway deals with its trash.  Please like and subscribe to my Youtube channel.  I upload new videos each week.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living in Norway.  She is the author of Not Telling, The Case of Billy B, Defective, CU@8, Hush Baby and The Freedom Club.  All her books are available on Amazon.com in both ebook and paperback format.  You can find out more about Cindy and her other books on www.cindyvine.com.  Should you wish to find out about some of the many countries she's visited, you can visit her travel blog www/cindyvinetravels.com.

Cindy Vine Travels

 
This is the channel trailer I made for my Youtube Travel Channel.  It's really short, under a minute, and won't take you long to watch it!
Please subscribe to my Youtube Channel for more Travel destinations and tips.  It's free and won't impact your life in any way but will help me a lot!
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Norway.  She is the author of Not Telling, Defective and Hush Baby to name a few. All her books are available on Amazon.com in both Kindle and Paperback format.  You can find out more about her books by going to http://cindyvine.com.

What to do in Cape Town: See Endangered Penguins

 
The African Penguin, also known as the Jackass Penguin is on the endangered list.  If you are visiting Cape Town, then there are 3 different places where you can see this endangered penguin. You can watch my Youtube video to find out where to go.
Please subscribe to my Youtube Channel for more Travel destinations and tips.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Norway.  She is the author of Not Telling, Defective and Hush Baby to name a few. All her books are available on Amazon.com in both Kindle and Paperback format.  You can find out more about her books by going to http://cindyvine.com.

What to do in Cape Town: The Old Biscuit Mill

 
If you are visiting Cape Town and will be there on a Saturday morning, you just HAVE to go to The Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock.  If you are a foodie, this is one day trip you can't miss!
Please subscribe to my Youtube Channel for more Travel destinations and tips.
Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Norway.  She is the author of Not Telling, Defective and Hush Baby to name a few. All her books are available on Amazon.com in both Kindle and Paperback format.  You can find out more about her books by going to http://cindyvine.com.

Cape Town for Foodies – Travels with Cindy Vine

Cape Town for Foodies – Travels with Cindy Vine

Click on the link above to go to my travel blog especially if you are planning a visit to Cape Town in South Africa..  

Please check out my travel blog for cool places to visit, great restaurants and useful travel tips.

You can also subscribe to my Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/CindyVine

As I've just returned from Cape Town, there will be a lot more Cape Town blog posts and videos coming!

Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Norway.  She is the author of Not Telling, Defective and Hush Baby to name a few. All her books are available on Amazon.com in both Kindle and Paperback format.  You can find out more about her books by going to http://cindyvine.com.