Category: RebootBreak

Taurus Full Moon Goals: A review (a few days late).

13
Dec
2019

 So the moon will be transitioning into it’s latest full moon phase—and it will be both the last full moon of the year, and the last full moon of the decade. There is now less than three weeks left in the year—three weeks from today (Dec 11th) will be New Years Day. So the next constellation that the moon will be going through is going to be Gemini. So now it’s time to look back over the goals that I set for the Taurus full moon and see how I did with each one.

So what were my goals for the Taurus full moon?

            Meditating nightly (yes, this is focusing on me a little—but if I keep myself in the right mindset, I’m more polite and easier to be around other people).

            Reaching out to friends on-line (it’s a small step to start with, especially since there are only a few people within town that I probably still talk to, and I think better to start slow).

            Figure out when exactly my reboot break is going to start—that way I have an idea of when I can refocus on my nutrition and fitness.

Above all remember: progress over perfection.

So how did I do with each one?

In terms of reaching out to friends on-line—this has been slow going. This has been due mainly to trying to figure out the best way of reaching out, also due to extending my work schedule another couple of weeks—I hadn’t felt like being on the computer at night.

I’ve managed to meditate almost every night (and I’m getting better at it with not having a full schedule the next day—i.e. if I want to doze a little after the alarm goes off I can). I do feel better at night after having spent anywhere from three to seven minutes meditating. Now I’m also going to try to work that into my morning routine (meditate before getting up to deal with the animals).

So my reboot break started this week (December 9th), and I’ve managed one workout in addition to daily walks at Boomer Lake (to practice my nature photography). I’ve realized that walks may not happen every day (due mainly to weather and temperatures), so I’ll need to figure out the best times for doing one (or possibly two) workouts—possibly in the morning when I want a break from doing other things, and then again in the afternoon. Nutrition will be a little slower (true there aren’t as many sweets at home as there were at work—but there is the possibility of making cookies, muffins, and so forth), but I’m going to focus on trying to do my best each day and not beat myself up if I do slide a little.

So I managed to make an inroad with two of the three goals that I set for the Taurus full moon. I’ve always been a quiet person, who usually keeps different parts of my life in different “boxes” that usually never overlap. I’ve realized that this is almost all done unconsciously, due in part to my introverted nature—I don’t mind spending time with other people, but I need time alone then to recharge.

So progress is being made (slow progress, but progress none the less), and the baby steps will help make 2020 the best year yet.

No Comments AstrologyFull Moon GoalsPersonal Developmentprofessional developmentRebootBreak

Taurus Full Moon Goals—a few days late

16
Nov
2019

 So the moon has transitioned into it’s latest full moon phase and was going through the Taurus constellation; and I am going to be several days late in posting this as well. We’re somehow down to the last approximate seven weeks of 2019 and then we’re into 2020. My reboot break is starting in about a week and a half (more on that later). The weather is now bouncing between late spring, mid-fall, and winter temperatures and I have a feeling it will be doing that up until the official start of winter and then we’re into the cold temperatures.

In terms of some self-reflection during this time, there are some questions one can ask themselves (taken from “Moonology: working with the magic of the lunar cycles” by Yasmin Boland), and they are:

            Have I been lazy or overly self indulgent this month?

            Have I been too obsessed with money or status symbols?

            Have I been stubborn, jealous, or possessive?

            Have I been doing too much comfort eating?

            Have I done enough exercise?

If I were to number the above questions 1-5, my answers would be:

  1. I haven’t been overly self indulgent this month—but I will admit to being somewhat lazy. I manage to usually get all of my steps in during the day (and that usually correlates to at least 25 minutes of moderate walking throughout the day), and then two long walks on the weekend. I know that I need to get more stuff done and everything—but currently I’m battling the procrastination bug (and it’s slightly winning).
  2. No I haven’t been obsessed with status symbols, or overly obsessed with money. Currently I’m just trying to make sure that I have enough money to cover everything while I’m on my reboot break and reestablishing my job search.
  3. No I haven’t been possessive, jealous, or overly stubborn (I can’t rule out being a little stubborn—because that is how I always am). The only thing that I may be a little possessive over is my sleep—I would rather have things linger on the to-do list than stay up later than I normally would to finish something.
  4. Yes, I have been doing way too much comfort eating. This is one thing that I need to work on—when I’m stressed, depressed, having an anxiety attack, or just feeling off I usually will go for the high carb, high fat, really tasty (but “empty” calorie) foods. I’m pretty sure that once I’m on my reboot break, I will be getting my nutrition back under control.
  5. No, I haven’t been exercising enough lately. As I stated in question one (in terms of being lazy)—I usually try to get my steps in during the day (aiming for ~14,000/day) and usually call that good since it also usually correlates to at least 2 13 minute walks a day (but usually more). I know that I also need to start working out again, and I’m thinking that once I’m on my reboot break (I’ve lost the excuse that I’m tired after getting home from work), that I should be able to hopefully get back into some type of workout schedule and routine.

Then I should also look to see what house it is passing through as well—and for me, Taurus passes through my seventh house—or my “love zone”. This is the time that we spend a little energy on other people, instead of making everything about ourselves. For me, currently there are no romantic relationships (I’m still trying to get my life in some semblance of order), so that means focusing on other relationships (work and friends).

Work wise, it will be trying to finish up what I need to over the next week or so, and to make sure that I have things written down for the next person who comes in. I’m also possibly staying on a little longer as there is someone out currently with family issues (and it could possibly overlap with my exit date). I’m also hoping to leave work without losing my cool with anyone, but remain cool and professional.

When it comes to spending time with friends, this is usually at times a spur of the moment depending on other people’s schedules—but I am going to try to be better at getting together with people.

So if I were to pick a couple of things to work on during the Taurus full moon period they would be:

            Meditating nightly (yes, this is focusing on me a little—but if I keep myself in the right mindset, I’m more polite and easier to be around other people).

            Reaching out to friends on-line (it’s a small step to start with, especially since there are only a few people within town that I probably still talk to, and I think better to start slow).

            Figure out when exactly my reboot break is going to start—that way I have an idea of when I can refocus on my nutrition and fitness.

Above all remember: progress over perfection.

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October in Review

01
Nov
2019

Well October is officially over, and there are only 61 days left in the year. As I’m writing this I realize that my reboot break is going to be starting in a few weeks, and that I’m a month into my last year of my thirties—so I should really try to figure out what the hell I’m doing with the second half of my life. In addition I realized that I only met one goal (in total) for the month of October.

We’re officially a third of the way through the fourth quarter of the year, and I’m thinking that is where some of the change is going to take place, and the seeds for change in 2020 will be planted.

I didn’t really change my October goals that much, so they were basically the same goals that I’ve had for the past few months, including the goal of working on my “reboot break” plan.

October was a difficult month in general—as it marked the one-year anniversary of losing both Chewi and Piranha.  

The goals for October included:

At least 434,000 steps

Photography challenge (if there has to be a recap session to make up for a few days—oh, well—I’m only human)

Read at least 2 non-fiction books

Continue working on my reboot break & start reworking my transition plan

Aim for one week no spend

Continue working out (hybrid LIIFT4/Country Heat/Yoga Booty Ballet)

Set up the monthly calendar (can start with November as a trial run)

So how did I do with each goal?

At least 434,000 steps

            This was basically the only goal that I was able to reach this month, even with a few days below the target of 14,000 steps. I managed to get 487,754 of steps, which was 53,754 over the goal of 434,000 steps. This has me at a yearly total so far of 4,535,054 and that means to reach exactly 5 million steps, I only need to reach 7,623 per day for the rest of the year. This is nice to know that I can have several days that I don’t reach my total—but even with the reboot break coming up—if I walk around Boomer Lake every day, that will get me to at least 10,000 steps. So unless it is raining or snowing—I’m going to be getting a daily walk in on my reboot break.

Photography challenge (if there has to be a recap session to make up for a few days—oh, well—I’m only human)

            Well this didn’t really happen. I have been taking pictures on the weekend—but currently the area of my photography shots is Boomer Lake. I feel like I’m sharing the same theme over and over again—though they’re all slightly different. So I’m in the process of trying to develop a nice long list of photography topics, so that I can start the challenge over once more. Though this time around I did make it a little over 200 days before falling behind.

Read at least 2 non-fiction books

            I don’t think that I managed to finish any non-fiction book this month. One thing that I’ve noticed is that there are numerous books that I’ve started at some point, but then started reading another and never went back and actually finished. So, therefore moving forward I’m not going to jump between books—but pick one and finish it before going to the next non-fiction book. I will probably go between that non-fiction book and my fiction books.

Continue working on my reboot break & start reworking my transition plan

            I’m slowly working on both plans, and actually made a little headway this month by “naming” one of my biggest hurdles—movement paralysis. The first week of my reboot break is probably going to be spent just relaxing and decompressing, especially since it is also going to be a holiday week (Thanksgiving). The major work is going to start during the first week of December.

            I have several different areas/titles that sound interesting picked out—I just need to fully determine what type of professional lifestyle I want, and which would fit it the best. I know that I will need to make a choice and therefore a plan of action for the early part of 2020—but hopefully I can narrow down the choices before than and not feel totally overwhelmed.

Aim for one week no spend

            This didn’t happen—I spent money on campus more or less daily during the month of October. The only good thing is that towards the end of the month it may have only been once a day. I figured that once I’m on my reboot break, that will be the easiest time to curb the spending—I won’t be on campus, and I’m going to more or less shut down the WiFi connection on the kindle (with exceptions)—that way I will save money two ways—no buying snacks on campus daily, and no mindlessly buying e-books on the kindle.

Continue working out (hybrid LIIFT4/Country Heat/Yoga Booty Ballet)

            Well I managed to start the hybrid calendar, but that has been about it. I’ve realized that even though I’ve had a couple of months to figure out the getting home after 5 schedule—I still haven’t; I get home, do the few chores and then I sit and relax for awhile. If I was prompt—I would then change into my workout clothes and get my workout done before dinner, but that isn’t what I end up doing—I sit and relax until dinner. Then after dinner I have my evening routine (and I don’t like working out on an semi-full stomach either—I’d rather workout on a semi-empty stomach), and I have so far only fit in stretching and meditation.

            So this is a workout calendar that I’m hopefully going to follow much better once I start on my reboot break (I really won’t have any excuses not to follow it).

Set up the monthly calendar (can start with November as a trial run)

            Well, this semi-happened—at least workout wise, but I haven’t followed it that well. I’m going to be setting up another calendar, hopefully this weekend for the rest of November (as I’d only be missing one or two days) that I will hopefully then follow. I’ve realized that when it comes to trying to figure out my life—I need to do in such a way that the anxiety and depression don’t realize that I’m trying to move out of the do nothing zone and into the positive and constructive zone.

So not that much progress on most of the goals for the month of October—though admitting that there were problems is progress in and of its self. There are two months left in 2019, and there can still be quite a bit of progress in those last sixty-one days—I just have to play mind games with myself.

So what are my goals for November going to be?

At least 420,000 steps

Making a nice long list of possible photography topics

Slowly start the hybrid LIIFT4/Country Heat/Yoga Booty Ballet workout calendar

Reading two non-fiction books

Making my November monthly calendar

Working on my reboot break plan & transition plan (revamping this one)

Keep reminding myself: Progress over perfection, and that I shouldn’t fear failure, but fear being in the same place next year as I am today.

No Comments Lifestyle ChallengesMonth in ReviewPersonal Developmentprofessional developmentRebootBreak

A review of the Capricorn Full Moon Goals

15
Aug
2019

So tomorrow marks the full moon for August, and just like that we’re halfway through the month. I’m actually liking how time is going “quicker”—that means that pretty soon I’ll be starting my reboot break, and then readjusting, reorganizing, and restarting my job search/transition as well. So that means that it is time to look back on the goals that I had set for the Capricorn full moon, and see how I did with each one.

So my goals for the Capricorn full moon period will include:

Continuing to work on my drafting my “reboot break” and also working on my transition plan to move from academia to industry.

Read (finish) at least one personal or professional development book.

Finish my second round of Country Heat.

So in terms of my reboot break & transition plan—I have ideas for both. I’m planning on spending most of the first month dealing with my storage unit and slowly try to declutter and get rid of things. I’ve realized that I probably won’t be looking to buy a house any time soon—therefore I shouldn’t have a lot of stuff, and also whatever I do keep will need to fit in an apartment (or a condo). In terms of the transition plan, I’ve been going through my notes and I also have some ideas there as well.

I’ve managed to finish several books over the past full moon period:

            “Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and organize to make more room for happiness” by Gretchen Rubin

            “Pause: Harness the life-changing power of giving yourself a break” by Rachael O’Meara

            “The Self-Care Prescription: Powerful solutions to manage stress, reduce anxiety and increase well-being” by Robyn L. Gobin, PhD.

All three books dealt with one of the two areas that I’m currently trying to work on—decluttering and getting my mental/spiritual health back on an even keel.

Though now I’ve fallen into my reading for enjoyment more than reading to learn. Tomorrow, though I go back to reading at least 10% of a personal/professional development book before going back to an “enjoyment/escape” book.

In terms of the fitness goal, I did not make it through a second round of Country Heat. This was due in part to the weather—it’s been either hotter than hell, humidor than hell, or both—and after a long day at work wearing shoes & socks, I’d rather not once I got home. The other part, is that I’m still trying to adjust to the fact that I can’t leave work until 5 o’clock on the dot—when you have numerous things to do once you get home—something falls off the list.

I’m hoping once the temperatures drop a little, I will feel like putting shoes and socks back on at the end of the day and doing a workout—I use to do it after dinner, but then tried to push it before dinner (that way there wasn’t a little lag room for letting it settle before working out).

Well I managed to get two out of three goals this past full moon. Even though I didn’t make it through a second round of Country Heat—I did manage to basically hit my step goal at least Monday-Friday (weekends are something else, to where if it isn’t cool enough for a walk, I usually only hit about fifty percent of my steps). So I am making slow progression towards my goals. Now it is also time to sit and plan out the goals for the next full moon (which is tonight—or maybe tomorrow or last night depending on where you are in the world).

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Reflections Part 1: The years since getting my PhD

04
Aug
2019

As I stared at the calendar wondering how it could be August already, I realized that in a little over a month I’ll be staring down my last year of my thirties.

So I’ve decided that I’m going to start looking back on the past nine years or so (since I’ve earned my PhD), and look at what was good and bad–but also what lessons I can now take from those years. So my first reflection is on the twisting road I’ve taken through academia, and realizing that I need to reboot and plan for my industry transition.

I realized that it has been nine years since I finished graduate school—I had made a promise to myself that I would have my graduate degree before (or shortly after) my thirtieth birthday. I managed to keep that promise—I defended a little over two months before my birthday, and I got my diploma before the end of the year. I then spent the next two years out in the Boston area.

Being out in the Boston area for a little over two years was a mix bag of both good and bad—it was good in that I made new friendships (that I’ve been trying to maintain online, as I haven’t been back there as often as I would have liked), experienced living on my own, well away from having a family security net, and started to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Though on the flip side, the bad included: my postdoctoral position ending on a extreme sour note, unintentionally giving my dog an anxiety/separation disorder, and at the end of the time—being in heavily in debt and emotionally bankrupt.

I came back home to get my financial and emotional feet back on steady ground—and it’s taken quite a few years to accomplish those feats—almost seven to be exact. I am no longer heavily in debt (my monthly debt now can be paid off each month), and I’m still working on getting my emotional/spiritual reserves filled up.

During the past six and a half years, I’ve held three different positions within my alma mater department, at my alma mater. I started with a post-doc position (this was fairly smooth compared to my first, though any situation can head south when funding becomes an issue), then after a brief unemployment period I got a staff position helping with undergraduate research (this as a little over three years; ended again because of funding), and then after yet another unemployment period I got my most current staff position.

In total over the past nine years (since getting my PhD)—I’ve been unemployed probably a total of nine (maybe ten) months—which averages out to about a month per year. But also over the past nine years—I’ve taken jobs that may not have been the best fit for me (first postdoc, and most current position) because of the fact I needed a job and income.

This is one of the main reasons why I’m so adamant about doing my reboot break/pause towards the end of the year and into the beginning of next year—I need to figure out what it is I want to do with my life. I’ve learned little things over the past nine years in terms of what I can put up with, what I can’t put up with, and what I would like in the next job.

For starters, I miss working as part of a team—or at least being around other people with whom I could have conversations with during the day. In my current position, we’re in a secure facility (so unless you have access, you can’t get in), and there aren’t that many people in the facility (five in total, counting myself; though there are two graduate students—but they aren’t actually within the facility (in other words they don’t work in the inner lab). I miss being able to talk with people while I’m doing things or inquiring what they’re doing (and learning a little at the same time). I’ve also realized that I don’t do well with micromanagers (and this is something that I will need to inquire with people about during informational interviews), and overbearing colleagues.

I also miss doing actual research at the bench, but at the same time—is that how I really feel or is it because that is all I’ve ever done? This is something that I will need to see how I feel during and after my reboot break—also this is a good informational interview question for people who have moved away from the bench—do they miss doing research?

I don’t mind doing an occasional long day or working a weekend in lab—as long as I’m compensated for it (in other words having a good income), and knowing that it isn’t expected daily. I also want to be within a group, that once someone apologizes for a mistake, the apology is accepted and everyone moves on—it isn’t harped upon constantly. Also I don’t want to be within a company where there is someone watching the clock to make sure that people are leaving exactly at a certain time (say 5 o’clock on the dot)—if you get in a little early, you should be able to leave a little early—but if you need to stay a little late, you’re allowed to stay a little late. In other words—I want a job with a little flexibility on the work hours.

Life shouldn’t be all work and no play, just like it shouldn’t be all play and no work—there should be a point where things are somewhat balanced—there is time for both work and play, but that balance is different for each of us, and each need to find it on their own.

Hopefully during the reboot break, I can work through various e-courses, interact more on Linkedin, network, set up informational interviews and actually decide on a direction to go–instead of wandering around a swamp with a lantern that is going to be going dark and risk falling into the swamp waters again (and possibly not escape this time).

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Reboot Break Update I

23
Jul
2019

So I’ve managed to decide on a start date for my reboot break—it will start roughly right around the Thanksgiving holiday. Many may think the timing is bad, but when you start a job right after the holidays, the contract usually ends right before it the following year. I more or less gave four months notice two weeks ago, so now I’m on a countdown clock.  I just haven’t decided on a end date for the reboot break—I know that it will at least stretch into the early part of 2020.

I’ve also decided that this is going to be a three-prong reboot break: course-correction/career reinvention, emotional/mental healing, and life enhancement. Currently I see all three as interconnecting—if I can get back on a even keel in terms of mental/physical health, I will be able to readjust my career trajectory and enhance my life at the same time.

I’m planning on spending a good part of early December trying to get my storage unit in better order; I started it last year right after the Fourth of July holiday, but haven’t had the time to repack anything that needs it. I’m hoping that in addition to repacking the boxes that have fallen apart, I will go through others and start paring down my belongings.

I’ve realized that I will probably always be living in an apartment (or condo)—I don’t really see myself trying to buy a house anytime soon. Therefore, I need to make sure that I’m not taking a lot of stuff with me that will just clutter up the space.

I’m also planning on working on my mental and physical health as well. By the time the reboot break starts, I will hopefully have finished a second round of Country Heat, the first round of Yoga Booty Ballet: Abs and Butt, and maybe be working through a second round of LIIFT4. In addition, I will start meditating twice a day (morning and evening), and writing more in my journal. By removing myself from a semi-toxic work environment, hopefully within a few weeks some of the mental cobwebs will be gone.

My traveling will probably be done during the springtime—at least one trip somewhere for enjoyment, and then one or two for networking/job hunting. I have a couple of ideas percolating for the networking trips—which one(s) I go with, will depend on the time of year, and how much groundwork I’ve done via online networking.

In addition, I have so many different e-courses that I’ve bought over the past few years, that I will finally have the time to sit down and actually go through and learn something that I can possibly use moving forward. I won’t feel guilty listening to videos taking notes on things unrelated to my current position. If I can also relearn a foreign language (such as Spanish or German)—it will allow me to travel more with a little more confidence.

So a recap:

Reboot break is starting end of November 2019. During the month of December I plan on getting my storage unit in order, starting to work through more of the e-courses, declutter things in my bedroom, and hopefully settled into a exercise/meditation routine as well (getting my mental and physical health back on track).

I will also then be planning out what I hope to accomplish during the first few months of 2020 as well. Those plans will be posted in an update, once I’ve posted pictures of the cleaned/organized storage unit and decluttered bedroom.

No Comments financesfitnessHealthLifestyle ChallengesPersonal Developmentprofessional developmentRebootBreak