So we’re going to be entering the next new moon phase this week—for those within the US, it will be on Thursday, November 4th; and for others it could be on the fourth or the fifth. That means there will only be 58 days left in 2021. It seems that time is starting to ‘pick back up’ after ‘dragging’ last year. Though this reminder is a few days early—for those of us in the US, we should remember to turn our clocks back an hour before going to bed on Saturday.

The next new moon will be within the Scorpio constellation, but before looking ahead to setting up goals for the Scorpio new moon, I should look back at the goals I set for the Libra new moon and see how I did with each of them.

The goals that I’d set for the Libra new moon included:

  1. Unplugging at night. I’m basically going to try to set a boundary of not being on the computer after eight pm.
  2. Continue to work at regaining my identity; slowly work at resolving/healing the unhealthy diet/exercise mindset that I’d developed voer the past couple of decades.
  3. Figure out how to launch a freelance/remote/contract business. This is facing a ‘fear’ and would start first as a freelance/remote/contract writing business before adding in possibly data analysis, project management, and/or product management.

So how did I do with each of them?

In terms of trying to unplug at night:

I’m starting to get a little better at ‘unplugging’ from the computer around eight every night. Usually I will quickly check my email, and then various social sites and depending on whether or not there are messages/comments to respond to—I will put the computer to sleep for the night.

I’m still working on trying to ‘unplug’ for part of the weekend. It was easier the past week or so when our modem and router were dying and the Wi-Fi signal for the house sucked. Now that things are starting to work better, I will be devising a better plan for ‘unplugging’ on the weekends.

In terms of resolving/healing my unhealthy diet/exercise mindset—baby steps are being made. It isn’t like a ‘switch’ can be flipped and I no longer feel guilt or ‘beat’ myself up over not following a workout schedule or slightly overeating at lunch or dinner. I’ve realized the areas I need to work on: getting more protein in during the day, eating more fruits and veggies (that I actually like eating), hydrating enough, and figuring out a fitness plan that I can actually ‘stick with’.

I’m getting better in terms of the protein—I’m trying to start varying what I have for breakfast (as this is the meal that I usually don’t get enough protein at), and figuring out protein-rich ideas that aren’t also heavy in the cholesterol and bad fats.

In terms of starting my own freelance/remote/contract writing business—I’m in the beginning stages. I’ve decided on the three main ‘niches’ that I’d like to write within (personal/professional development, health/wellness, and science/medical education/communication), now I just have to decide on a few sub-niches to focus on, draft some examples, and start reaching out to potential clients.

I’ve already applied for a few freelance positions, but wasn’t selected for them—probably due to my pricing (I think that the particular group/company had a set budget and didn’t feel like trying to negotiate down to their price), and very small portfolio.

One goal now is to have at least two pieces within each major niche written and posted within the specific tab by February 2022 (that is three months from now). I’ll write other pieces that will be blog posts, but might ‘reference’ back to the niche page. I may also look into offering slide deck preparations as well.

There was progress made with all three goals from the Libra new moon. None were ‘full’ completed, because only one had a ‘finish’ line to cross (starting my freelance/remote/contract writing business), and the other two are a continuous journey with no ‘real’ end in sight. Therefore, I met my aim of ‘progress over perfection’ and slowly starting the next chapter of my life.

I’m starting to enjoy this windy and bumpy road that will lead me to a beautiful destination—will it be the beach, mountains, a city, or just a nice little apartment?

Where is your favorite working spot?