Tag: Intentionalmovement

Goals for the July Super Full Moon: Content creation, reading, & meditation

13
Jul
2022

So the moon will be entering the Capricorn constellation tonight (or possibly last night depending on where you are in the world), and it will mark the seventh full moon of the year, but it is also a super moon, and is also known as the buck full moon. We only have 18 days left in the month, and then five months left in 2022.

I have various ideas of what I would like to do professionally (such as science/medical/health communications, creating (and selling) e-courses, e-books, workbooks (and so forth), creating crafts (jewelry, cross-stitching, scarfs, afghans and so forth) to sell on etsy, educational consulting, professional coaching, blogging, setting up a podcast and YouTube channel, and photography)…now I just need to make the ‘map’ that will blend all of them together (honoring my strengths and values).

So looking to book “Moonology: working with the magic of lunar cycles” by Yasmin Boland—what are the questions that can be asked during the Capricorn full moon??

Have I been ambitious to the point of ruthlessness?

Have I been obsessed with work to the detriment of my personal life?

Have I been hard-headed, hard-nosed, or just too hard on others?

I have allowed my head to overrule my heart?

Have I been planning my life enough? Or have I been planning it too much?

If I were to number the above questions one-to-five, my answers would be as followed:

  1. No, I haven’t been ambitious to the point of ruthlessness. There is enough success to go around, and not everyone is going to try to be a science/medical communicator is who also creating molecular cloning workbooks, jewelry, and launching a self-developed coffee table photography book. Also being ambitious to the point of ruthlessness—is also a sign poor leadership, and people being severely toxic (and I’ve been trying to avoid those types of people the past couple of years).
  2. We’re still in a pandemic (or epidemic)…basically we’re still having to deal with the damn SARS-CoV2 virus…therefore I really don’t have much of a personal life (in regards to being out in public). While I would say that I’m becoming ‘slightly’ obsessed (I do need to get things up and running) in terms of my career—I’m not obsessed to the point of ignoring other aspects of my life.
  3. Nope, I haven’t been hardheaded, hard-nosed or too hard on others. Again, I’m still basically self-isolating…I have gotten the vaccine (but since I don’t go places—I haven’t gotten the booster), and I just haven’t had the need to be around others (in-person). Also I’m trying to stay ‘removed’ from discussions that will probably not lead anywhere.
  4. I’m going to stick with last years answer: In what context? Truthfully, there haven’t been that may decisions to make that would have been a head versus heart type of decision.
  5. No, I have not been planning my life enough. Part of the problem—I either set deadlines that are ‘too soon’ or ‘too far out’ in terms of the goal, and I haven’t quite figured out the best ways of breaking those really big goals into doable smaller goals. I’m also still making my way up the ‘staircase’ from the pits of ‘burnout’. I think I’m close to the third ‘level’…finding enjoyment again in areas I’d forgotten (such as reading, doing research [not at the bench], writing, and brainstorming). Will be working on those long-term goals and figuring out how to make the shorter ones not so ‘unattainable’.

So the Capricorn full moon is also going to be traveling through my third house—or the communication zone. This zone deals with both communications with people that you would see on a day-to-day basis (more or less): friends, co-workers, and possibly family; but it also deals with other things as well: to-do lists, self-expression, and so forth. While it is a time for communications—the communications are best done when people are in “good” moods—you don’t want things to spiral out of control and a disagreement started because someone took something you said the wrong way.

Currently, I’m not in the middle of any type of major disagreement with people that I talk to on a day-to-day basis, which since I’m still self-isolating are basically just my parents (and my younger brother every so often). I’m trying to avoid getting into ‘disagreements’ on-line (usually by just hiding the posts or un-following the particular person).

I’m finding my to-do lists easier to keep up with (especially if I write up them up the night before), and am working on the editorial calendars.

So what are my goals for the Capricorn full moon period? They will include:

  1. Get back into some type of intentional movement routine (lifting weights, doing yoga, dancing in the room)…just something…
  2. Work on creating a new long-term goal list. Since I’ve listed out numerous ideas at the being of this post in terms of what I’d like to do career wise—I now need to figure out how to weave them together, plus have goals for other areas of life: health/fitness, finances, personal/professional development, spirituality, living space, and crafts/hobbies).
  3. Continuing on my ‘personal/professional development’ journey, by starting (and finishing) the following:
    • Continue working on my ‘molecular cloning’ writing project (short posts on LinkedIn, and fleshing them out more for the blog)
    • Reading: ‘Dinosaurs Rediscovered: The Scientific Revolution in Paleontology’ by Michael J. Benton’; ‘INNERCISE’ by John Assaraf; and ‘HUSH MONEY’ by Jacquie Abram
    • Finishing up the podcast course, and starting a writing (or possibly business) course
    • Evening meditations
    • Start another small needlepoint project
    • Restart my 90-day content research/development project

Basically, I’m hitting ‘restart’ on certain areas of things (content research/development for example), and also taking the pause and really think on long-term goals (knowing full well, that they’ll be evolving as soon as I write them down). By relearning how to embrace my learner’s mindset (along with the values of knowledge, creativity, and curiosity)–I’ll figure out the best way to develop the fluid goals.

What is one goal you’re setting this Capricorn season?

Namaste….

No Comments AstrologyBooksFull Moon GoalsHealthPersonal Developmentprofessional developmentReflections

Time to make plans, read, and write: Taurus New Moon Goals

30
Apr
2022

So the moon is going to be transitioning through the Taurus constellation this weekend (either tonight or tomorrow night—depending on where you are in the world), bringing us our fifth new moon of the year, and either the second new moon of April or the May new moon. We will more or less be a third of the way through 2022. It seems each year, the ‘roller coaster’ ride of life is getting a little more ‘insane’—I’m personally ready for things to settle down, but I’m pretty sure that it won’t be happening anytime soon.

Looking back over the past year or two—I didn’t set any goals for the Taurus new moon during 2020 (I was in an angry haze due to the pandemic and the anti-science/vaccine movements), and I set them last year (when I had my hopes that everything was turning around).

Are things turning around? In terms of the pandemic—slightly, there are vaccines but there are also new variants that may be able to escape the immune system. So, I’m afraid that we’re going to be living in a world where one will have to make the decision on whether or not traveling; working in an office, and so forth is worth the risk (however slight) of contracting the virus.

Looking to the book ‘Moonology’, there are several things that one can focus on during the Taurus new moon, and they include:

  1. Make a financial plan
  2. Love yourself (i.e. Make a list of your values and ask yourself if you’re living your life in a way that allows you to honor those values. If the answer is no–figure out a new plan to allow yourself to honor those values)
  3. Be sensual (i.e. Ask yourself ‘What would/could make my life better?’)
  4. Character check (Ask yourself–Am I being too stubborn or too lazy?)
  5. Persevere–remember that there is more to life than racing ahead, there is also the journey that should be enjoyed as well (or as much as possible). Slow and steady will win the day.

In addition, the new moon in Taurus is also moving through my seventh house, or my “love zone”. This zone can also be referred to as the relationship zone as well. So what are some of the things that one can do during this time in regards to the seventh house?

  1. Go through old love letters and get rid of at least some of them
  2. If you’re single and feeling brave, try online dating
  3. Ask your parents about their ideas on how to make love (aka a relationship) work
  4. Recommit to your partner
  5. If you hurt a past lover, admit you were wrong and apologize to them
  6. Make a list of the qualities you look for in a partner

Since we’re still in a pandemic (I don’t care of states and countries are opening back up, when there are still over half a million (plus) new cases worldwide a day—it’s still a pandemic), I’m going to focus more on the financial/personal development aspects of things. While most would say it isn’t good to totally ignore the current house—I’m not ignoring it per say—I’m just not putting all my focus on it.

I like what I wrote last year, and therefore am going to ‘recycle’ it:

Yes—there is online dating, but that isn’t something I want to be focusing on right now, instead I’m going to focus on improving myself and then worry about possible dating issues. Also, I don’t have the time or energy to put into the dating scene and finding someone. In terms of relationships and being with someone—I seem to be one of the odd ones that doesn’t mind being alone and unattached. I also know that I still have other things to work out on my own before even attempting to stick my toes into the dating pool.

So my goals for the Taurus new moon include:

            Making a financial plan. I’ve been on a reboot break for over two years now, and the savings account has dwindled down to almost nothing. I still have a couple of ‘high’ credit cards that I need to pay down—therefore, the financial plan will have a ‘role’ in my personal/professional development plan I’m also going to be putting together.

            Start writing daily—I have the ‘hobby’ areas of the blog (photography, travel, and crafts), plus the ‘areas’ that I’m thinking of branching out into for remote writing: scientific, medical, and health communications and copywriting. This means I need to start developing a ‘portfolio’ of different types of pieces (basically—have a ‘landing’ page on the topic & these posts linked to them).

            The topics I’m thinking of writing/learning about: oncology (clinical trials, drug development, pathways—specifically for breast cancer, brain cancer, and liver or pancreas cancer), antibiotic resistance (diseases and how bacteria can obtain resistance), microbiomes (specifically gut and vaginal), and then some basics—molecular cloning, the cell, biofuels, GMOs, and vaccines.

            Continue reading various personal/professional development books.

            Go through the clothes and box up t-shirts that no longer fit well and figure out where to donate them.

            Continue with daily intentional movement, and getting back into a meditation routine.

While the goals seem to be on a repetitive loop from year to year (new moon to new moon; or full moon to full moon)—there is progress that is made, steps that are so small they may not be noticeable to the stranger’s eye. When I started this blog almost five years ago, it was with the intention of self-accountability on this journey of rediscovery—so while others may not notice the progress, trust me when I say progress has been made—and sometimes that progress is to admit that I’ve fallen off ‘track’ and am working my way back onto the track.

What are your goals for the Taurus New Moon?

No Comments AstrologycareerfinancesHealthmoney saving challengesNew Moon Goalsno spend challengesPersonal Developmentprofessional developmentReflections

Aries New Moon Goals: making plans: personal/professional and intentional movements

03
Apr
2022

So the Aries new moon was actually this past Friday (April 1st). Looking forward, I realize that I need to call one of the many local pharmacies in town and see who is offering free booster shots and go get one (since the omicron variant is still running around, along with its sibling).

Looking back at what I wrote last year, we’ve been dealing with the viral pandemic for over two years now (at least in the US—we’ve entered year three), and I’m not sure how I feel about everyone thinking we can ‘downgrade’ from pandemic to endemic—but that is another post.

I had previously mentioned in an earlier post, that I decided to treat the first three months of 2022 as my ‘tester’ quarter. I did not publish as much as I’d wanted (or even planned on)—I let my inner critic/imposter syndrome get control and only posted a few posts each month (the month in review, new/full moon in review for the previous month, new/full moon for the current month, and possibly a book review or two).

So, while I’m trying to figure out a writing/editing/posting schedule for the blog and other sites, it is also time to look at the various things that one can work on during the Aries new moon.

So what are some things that one can work on during the Aries new moon? Those things include:

  1. Taking action on dreams and plans
  2. Make a 12-month plan
  3. Be courageous in moving towards achieving your goals
  4. Have some fun
  5. Focus on you

Then if one looks to see what house Aries is passing through—for me it’s passing through my 6th house or my daily work and health zone. This means that I really do need do develop a ‘fluid’ daily schedule that will let me focus on things of importance: health/fitness, personal/professional development, career, and so forth.

So what are some of the things that one can do during this time to improve things in their sixth house?

  1. Recommit to some type of exercise program
  2. Think about (correct if need be) your eating habits
  3. Help someone out this month
  4. Talk to your boss about any work concerns you might have
  5. Read a book on positive thinking
  6. Eat healthy lunches or dinners for one month–no expections
  7. Learn to meditate

So I always find it a little uncanny at times how accurate the moons transition is through the houses (especially when I know there are certain things I should be focusing on). While there are things that listed that are ‘mainstream’ (such as correcting eating habits or eating healthier)—I’m working on developing a better relationship with food, and am starting to listen to my body more. I’m also going to be moving to a more intentional movement ‘calendar’—to where I’m doing something daily for at least five to fifteen minutes each day.

So which things am I going to try to focus on over the next few weeks?

  1. Making a 12-month plan. I know what I want to be focusing on in terms of my career transition (remote writing and/or freelance writing/copywriting), and I have my other focal points (personal development, health, and hobbies) to also focus on—now I just need to turn those points into a yearly plan, and then break it down to quarterly, and then weekly and daily goals.
  2. Start with my intentional movement program (weight lifting four days a week, cardio once to twice a week, with a walk and possibly yoga or Pilates thrown in there as well).
  3. Start having yogurt with fruits and nuts for breakfast again, and possibly have some more veggies throughout the week as well.
  4. Read a book on positive thinking, positive psychology, relaxation, or mindset
  5. Continue to meditate nightly

I noticed last year, that I ended my Aries New Moon goals with the assumption that the insanity of the world was slowly starting to come under control—but this year the insanity is snowballing out of control.

I’m going to focus on what I can control (my reactions), which may mean less time with the news and social media.

I will send happy vibes, thoughts, and good feelings to the people of Ukraine who are still fighting for their country. I would have thought that by now we’d be past the slaughtering of innocence—but we’re not.

Happy, safe, loving, thoughts, vibes and prayers sent.

Namaste…

No Comments AstrologycareerfinancesfitnessHealthNew Moon GoalsPersonal Developmentprofessional development

Mind-mapping & creating board games: Pisces New Moon Goals

03
Mar
2022

The moon will be making its third new moon transition either tonight, or last night and will be moving through the Pisces constellation. One goal that I set was to be more productive, and post more consistently on the blog—well, that hasn’t happened so far this year (hopefully will be ‘breaking’ the non-consistent habit this month). Trying to get back into the habit of writing out a ‘to-be-accomplished’ list and doing monthly brain dumps.

One thing that I really need to get back into the habit of trying to do—unplug for the day/afternoon or night; I need to just turn off the computer at a certain time, hide the phone and either read, write things out by hand, or work on some crafts.

So turning back to the new moon, what are some things that one can do during the Pisces New Moon? They include:

  1. Dream
  2. Face your fears
  3. Following your hunches/intuition
  4. Heal–focus on working through emotional or spiritual issues
  5. “Surrender”–practice yoga, meditation–and open yourself to the possibilities of the universe

Lets see—with having to self-isolate for the past two years (and counting), I’ve realized that most of my ‘fears’ are more ‘anxiety’ issues. I mentioned last year, my ‘speaking’ anxiety/phobia, but it also a fact that I’m more of a ‘behind the scenes’, observe, and then maybe interact after contemplating my options. I also realized that other ‘problems’ include not speaking up when I get bored (on the job), not sticking up for myself (I really don’t care for confrontations), and so forth. I’m thinking that to ‘face’ the ‘speaking’ phobia/fear/anxiety issue—I may start my own podcast this summer. Or at least, start recording myself talking about different topics/issues, as a way of learning to ‘not hate how I sound/talk’.

I’m working on healing (focusing on mental/spiritual health) as well. I’m starting to try to delve deeper in the wiccan/pagan spirituality of things (conventional religion doesn’t work for me). I’ve been doing my evening oracle drawings and sometimes dreaming about what I wrote.

I’m trying to get better at meditation and should probably think of starting some light yoga again as well.

In addition, Pisces is also moving through my 5th house—or my fun zone. So this is the area that is triggered by creativity, children, and romance. Now I’m good with the creativity portion—I don’t have kids (and I’m not around them all that much), and truthfully right now I’m not in the market for romance (especially since I’m still trying to figure out my life and where I want to be working/living within the next year).

So there are several different things that one can do, that sums up the 5th house (or fun zone):

  1. Take up belly dancing
  2. Make a toy for a child
  3. Start to date
  4. Go on a trip with your significant other
  5. Do something creative (writing, painting, so forth)
  6. Do something that typifies your idea of fun

So there are few things on the list that I can basically scratch off as not doing—starting to date, going on a trip with your significant other, making a toy for a child, and throwing a party. These are only crossed off the list because 1) I’m again not looking for a relationship, 2) I’d rather meet up with people for lunch or an afternoon walk than throw a party, 3) I don’t have the accessories to make a toy for a child (as I would be leaning towards making stuff animals for children); and 4) we’re still in the middle of the pandemic and while everyone should be vaccinated—I’d still rather not risk catching the omicron variant (or whatever other variant comes next).

I’ve tried to belly dance in the past (had actually bought some workout DVDs), and I may actually try to find a free program to follow on-line. I found it fun and challenging (especially since I currently don’t have the coordination for it—not that I had the coordination in the past either).

So if I were to make goals for the next few weeks, they would be the following:

  1. Work on indulging in more creative work during the day
  2. Spend at least part of the weekend (or a couple of days throughout the week) mind-mapping different ideas (creative writing projects, plus expanding the writing portfolio)
  3. Create a intentional movement board game (include weight lifting, yoga, Pilates, cardio, dancing, walking and so forth)
  4. Continue with the evening meditation routine and also try to mediate in the morning

While remembering: Progress over Perfection

I’ll end my new moon goals with sending healing/happy/strong vibes/prayers to the citizens of Ukraine, whose strength and tenacity are awe-inspiring.

No Comments CraftsfitnessNew Moon GoalsPersonal Developmentprofessional developmentReflections

Leo Full Moon goals: working on various calendars, crafts, and meditation

17
Feb
2022

So last night marked the second full moon of 2022. We’re six and half weeks into the year, and I’m still debating on whether I like it or not…We’re also about a month away from entering year three of the pandemic, so I guess we need to retire the phrase ‘avoid it like the plague’—since we haven’t been able to do that for the past few years.

I’ve also come to the conclusion that I need to start writing daily (even if I don’t post everything)—just as a way of starting to get out of this ‘funk’ that I’ve found myself in the past six weeks or so. That has actually been my biggest problem—looking at the computer and not wanting to do anything. I’m thinking that the best way of getting over the ‘funk’ is to do a little work each day (plus figure out ways of ‘blocking’ various social sites so I don’t mindless scroll through them). Oops, sorry for the mini-rant, now back to the Leo Full Moon.

What are some questions to reflect on during the first few days of the full moon? According to “Moonology: working with the magic of the lunar cycles” by Yasmin Boland:

Have I been too self-centered, egotistical, or proud?

Have I been treating the people around me like minions?

Have I been arrogant, vain, pushy, or pompous?

Have I been expressing myself creatively enough?

Have I shown myself enough self-love?

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

  1. Lets see—we’re about to enter year three of the pandemic. Therefore, I can safely say that I’m not being self-centered or egotistical about anything. I am proud that I’m surviving this whole crazy roller coaster without having any type of major mental breakdowns. I won’t say that it has been a walk in the park—I’m still struggling with a few things, but I’m surviving.
  2. Nope, I haven’t been treating the people around me like minions. I live at home with my parents still—there are no minions here.
  3. Again, nope I haven’t been arrogant, vain, pushy, or pompous. This is also because again—I haven’t really been out of the house for three years (with a few exemptions of getting the weekend paper, an occasional walk, or voting).
  4. No, I have not been expressing myself creatively enough lately. I’ve actually been spending way too much time playing silly games (such as Farmville and Klondike)—though I’ve deleted both off the kindle (yet again). We’ll see if the ‘deletes’ last longer this time around. I’m actually thinking of starting a new cross-stitch project or possibly some doodling (I bought some drawing books before Christmas), over the coming week. Once the weather straightens up, hopefully there will be a monthly (if not weekly) walk at Boomer Lake with the camera.
  5. Again, this one is a no in that I haven’t been showing myself enough self-love. While I feel like I’ve come a ways from where I was at the end of 2019—I’m still far from being totally out of the ‘burnout’ hole I found myself free-falling in. It is a back-and-forth ‘dance’ between feeling like I’m dealing with various things, and wanting to hide from the world. I know that I still need to find more productive ways of dealing with the stress/anxiety, negative self-talk, and inner critic/imposter syndrome. Self-care/self-love can come in different ‘forms’ and I’ve realized that I need to develop ways/forms that doesn’t result in me spending money on books or silly games. So, yes—I still need to work on improving my health: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and social (all of which have been up and down since the pandemic started).

With focusing on self-care/love, this will include doing intentional movements (anything from lifting weights, to walking, to cardio and yoga), meditating at night, doing a oracle/tarot card reading, starting to listening to podcasts again, reading, and just trying to figure out what works for me.

Looking at my chart—the Leo full moon is going through my 10th house, which is also my career zone. So, with it going through my career zone—last year I stated that I was still technically on my reboot break, and this year I’m starting to move forward with the second half of my life.

I decided towards the end of last year that I was going to focus on finding a remote writing/data analysis position and at the same time try to build a freelance writing business (copywriting and content writing). I figured that going down these paths would allow me to combine my core values (learning/knowledge, spirituality/inner harmony/peace, creativity/curiosity, and evolution/growth/transformation) with my strengths (learner, intellection, input, achiever, deliberative/ideation/arranger, creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking), while also improving some of my ‘weaknesses’ (such as communications, significance, and bravery).

So what are my goals for the Leo Full Moon?

Develop an intentional movement calendar (weight lifting, cardio, yoga, and walking). Remembering that this is my health journey and no one else’s—therefore the intentional movement should be things that I enjoy doing.

Develop a schedule for working through various courses and assignments to move forward with the goal of transitioning to a remote writing/data analysis position and hopefully setting up a freelance writing/blogging business.

Spend time working on crafts (start a new cross-stitch project, doodle, color, make jewelry, and when the weather warms up—photography time up at Boomer Lake)

Evening oracle card reading, straighten up my meditation altar, and designing a new meditation ‘area’ (one that can be easily setup and dismantled each evening).

No Comments AstrologycareerfinancesfitnessFull Moon GoalsHealthLifestyle Challengesmoney saving challengesPersonal Developmentprofessional development

Looking Back at 2021: I’m a bookworm. Now to plan for 2022 and beyond

07
Jan
2022

While looking ahead to a ‘blank slate’ of 2022, I realized that I should also reflect on 2021 and the ups, down, hills, valleys, and everything in between. The post will probably seem a little bit ‘rambling’—but that is due to just writing what I’m thinking and not really organizing my thoughts beforehand.

We were still in the grip of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic during 2021. While there have been several vaccines approved (the Pfizer one received full approval from the FDA and CDC towards the end of the year), there is unfortunately still a good portion of the population that is refusing to get vaccinated.

Come early March, we will be entering year three of the pandemic—hopefully we’ll be seeing the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ by summer????

I’ve still been isolating at home (only leaving the house maybe a couple of times a week—one to get the paper on the weekends, then an occasional walk either at Boomer Lake with my camera or through the neighborhood with Chaos) for the most part this past year. Like everyone else, I would like for things to return to a ‘new normal’—but I also understand that it will take awhile for the ‘new normal’ to emerge and everyone to get on the same page.

I’m not planning on doing any type of travel this year (thanks omicron variant and anti-vaxxers), but hopefully maybe able to do a small trip sometime between 2023 and 2024.

Since the number of cases is still skyrocketing due to the omicron variant—I plan of trying to get my booster shot sometime within the next two weeks.

The only huge crisis we had this past year was with Rolex—when we took her to get an allergy shot, she developed the rare side effect of hemolytic anemia. So, the past few months have been a roller coaster as we try to help her overcome the anemia. So, far she’s had two blood transfusions and is on numerous medications—we’ll hopefully see if she can be weaned off of two of them entirely next month (I’m assuming one of the meds will be lowered again this month).

Chaos doesn’t care of strangers (which is both good and bad), so when I do have to take him into the vet—he has to be given meds to mellow him out. I’m hoping to possibly start taking him for longer walks (to where we might encounter other people) this coming spring.

In terms of my career—I think I’ve figured it ‘out’ (at least a little). I’m going to go in the direction of remote/contract/online science/medical communications/education with the end goal of creating my own freelance business (melding copywriting [medical/science communication/education, health/wellness, and personal/professional development] with blogging [hobbies, travels, and personal/professional development]). Therefore, the blog/website will be getting update throughout the year as I work my way in that direction.

I managed to land a ‘volunteer’ medical content writing position with a company in Canada during the summer—so I’m getting my ‘feet’ wet in the regards of summarizing scientific papers and other topics for the general public. In addition, I put in my application for a couple of freelance writing position and then a medical writers position—didn’t get any of them, but I was proud of the fact I went ahead and applied for each of them, being a total ‘newbie’ in the online medical writing world.

I’ve joined another accountability group—which is good, but since I’ve really ‘narrowed’ down what I want to do (remote/online writing and/or data analysis), I’m having problems finding the job postings. I’ll be working on those assignments, and giving updates throughout the next few months (which will include ‘linking the blog/website’ to my LinkedIn account).

Those were some of the highlights for the year, so how did 2021 go in general?

In terms of steps—I had a rough goal of at least 1,825,000 steps (breaking down to basically 5,000 steps per day). I managed to get 1,979,594 steps for the year, with the following monthly breakdown:

January:          159,685

February:        146,418

March:             197,430

April:              187,411

May:               187,855

June:               149,009

July:                140,686

August:           154,591

September:      157,114

October:          160,753

November:      168,476

December:       170,166

The months with the lowest number of steps happened to be during the summer, when it was a little too warm (or humid or both) to be outside walking either on my own or with my dog.

While I’d set the goal of completing nine workout programs throughout 2021—I managed to complete three, and then spent the rest of the year concentrating on more ‘intentional movements’ than fitness programs.

I also had set the goal of reading a minimum of 80 books (30 non-fiction and 50 fiction), and the actual total number of books that I read last year was a minimum of 127 books (12 non-fiction and at least 105 fiction). These included new and rereads (all of which were within the fiction category).

I met the goal of at least fifty fiction books (actually doubled it), and almost met half the goal of non-fiction books (thirty).

The non-fiction books I read during 2021 included:

  1. Secrets of Six-Figure Women: Surprising strategies to up your earnings and change your life by Barbara Stanny
  2. Badass Habits: Cultivate the awareness, boundaries, and daily upgrades you need to make them stick by Jen Sincero
  3. Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
  4. The Joy of Missing Out: Live more by doing less by Tonya Dalton
  5. The Renaissance Soul: How to make your passions your life–A creative and practical guide by Margaret Lobensteine
  6. The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking
  7. Permission to Screw Up: How I Learned to Lead by Doing (almost) Everything Wrong by Kristen Hadeed
  8. The Financial Diet by Chelsea Fagan
  9. 25 Ways to work from Home by Jen Ruiz
  10. Write to Speak by Mike Acker
  11. I want to do all the things: finding balance as a polymath, multipotentialite, and renaissance soul by Arcadia Page
  12. The More of Less: Finding the life you want under everything you own by Joshua Becker

In terms of fiction books read during 2021 (new and re-reads), I managed to read (a minimum) of 105 fiction books, and they included:

  • Loved You Once (The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers #1) by Claudia Burgoa
  • A Moment Like You (The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers #2) by Claudia Burgoa
  • Defying Our Forever (The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers #3) by Claudia Burgoa
  • Call You Mine (The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers #4) by Claudia Burgoa
  • Blackout After Dark (Gansett Island #22) by Marie Force
  • Catalina (The Alders #10) by Avery Gale
  • I re-read the first nine books in the Alders series by Avery Gale
  • The Shadowdance Club (7 book series) by Avery Gale
  • Masters of the PrairieWind Club (11 book series–as of Feb 2021) by Avery Gale
  • Billionaire Unexpected–Jax (The Billionaire’s Obsessions #16) by J.S. Scott
  • Loving Arms (Slick Rock #30) by Becca Van
  • Reckless (Slick Rock #31) by Becca Van
  • Exception to the Rule (Beautifully Imperfect #7) by Becca Van
  • My One Night (On My Own #1) by Carrie Ann Ryan
  • State of Affairs (First Family #1) by Marie Force
  • Re-read the entire Fatal series (16 books) prior to State of Affairs coming out
  • Tempted by Love: Jack “Jock” Steele (The Steeles at Silver Island #1) by Melissa Foster
  • My True Love: Jules Steele (The Steeles at Silver Island #2) by Melissa Foster
  • Love Under Two Warriors (Lusty, Texas #42) by Cara Covington
  • Ride Out the Storm (SSI #6.5) by Monette Michaels
  • Wild and Loving (Slick Rock #32) by Becca Van
  • Royal Line (Tatter Royals #1) by Carrie Ann Ryan and Nana Malone
  • My Rebound (On My Own #2) by Carrie Ann Ryan
  • How Much I Love (Miami Nights #3) by Marie Force
  • As We Are (The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers #5) by Claudia Burgoa
  • A Scent of Magick (McKendrick Warlocks #3) by Rhyannon Byrd
  • Come Together (Butler VT #7) by Marie Force
  • Inked Obsession (Montgomery Ink: Fort Collins #2) by Carrie Ann Ryan
  • The Green Mountain Series (7 books) by Marie Force
  • First six books in the Butler VT series by Marie Force
  • Vortex: A FBI Thriller by Catherine Coulter
  • Wiretaps and Whiskers (The Faerie Files #1) by Emigh Cannaday
  • Catnip and Curses (The Faerie Files #2) by Emigh Cannaday
  • My Next Play (On My Own #3) by Carrie Ann Ryan
  • Breaking Badger (The Honey Badger Chronicles #4) by Shelly Laurenston
  • Yours to Keep (The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers #6) by Claudia Burgoa
  • Inked Kingdom by Carrie Ann Ryan
  • Inked Devotion (Montgomery Ink: Fort Collins #3) by Carrie Ann Ryan
  • Temptation after Dark (Gansett Island #23)
  • Finally You (Luna Harbor #1) by Claudia Burgoa
  • Enemy Heir (Tatter Royals #2) by Carrie Ann Ryan and Nana Malone
  • Mated in Darkness (Talon Pack #10) by Carrie Ann Ryan
  • Love Under Two Explorers (Lusty, Texas #43) by Cara Covington
  • My Bad Decisions (On My Own #4) by Carrie Ann Ryan
  • The Morgan Brothers (5 books) by Avery Gale
  • State of Grace (First Family #2) by Marie Force
  • Snow Dragon (Dragon Knights #16) by Bianca D’Arc
  • Gatekeeper (Dragon Knights #17) by Bianca D’Arc
  • Falling for Fallon (Masters of the Prairie Wind Club #12) by Avery Gale
  • Billionaire Unnoticed–Cooper (Billionaires Obsessions #17) by J.S. Scott

I’m pretty sure that there are probably another 20-30 books that I re-read during the year, but didn’t keep track of–what can I say, I’m a book worm and I would rather spend my evenings reading than watching TV.

While I had decided on doing a ‘no spend days/no spend weeks/limited spending month’, the only month that I really succeed at it was January. I ‘slipped’ and spent more money throughout the year than I really should have. I’ve pledge to restart the challenge this year, and to do better than I did last year (not aiming for perfection—but aiming for progress).

While the goal for 2021 was to finish at least twenty e-courses, I managed to finish nine throughout the year. I’d found that if I managed to watch several in a month, I ‘took’ the next month (or two) ‘off’ (probably unintentionally—letting ‘Pam’ win an unspoken argument). The courses that I ‘watched’ and ‘completed’ included:

On Skillshare:

  1. Powerful storytelling today: strategies for crafting great content
  2. 3 ways often overlooked to get traffic to your blog
  3. Finding your inner creative
  4. Personal Branding: Your Copywriting Secret Sauce
  5. Create a simple digital marketing plan
  6. Crappy Copy: 8 digital copywriting mistakes you should avoid

Two Cheeky Scientist Association Advance Programs:

  1. Clinical Research Coalition
  2. Intellectual Property Pack

Then on Udemy:

  1. Understanding and developing Emotional Intelliegence

The goal for 2022 will be to at least double (if not triple) the number of e-courses that I watch/finish.

One big accomplishment I that managed to get done during 2021 was the creation and updating of my comfort/stretch/risk/die diagrams. The first one that I did in February/March was an ‘assignment’ from a coach, when it became obvious (to her) that I was struggling with figuring out what I wanted to do with my life.

Since that first one—I’ve modified it four times, adding in a ‘bounce zone’ between the comfort and the stretch zone, and have watched the comfort and stretch zones (along with the bounce zone) grow, and the risk zone shrink.

I also created a personal/professional board game as well to help me ‘figure’ things out—and I’ve discovered the ‘biggest’ drawback on the game is that everything is ‘open-ended’ (such as review immunology or review cell biology).

I managed to teach myself basic cross-stitching this past year, and even finished three abstract design pieces. I started to do a more ‘nature’ based piece, and will probably try to turn it ‘abstract’ as I didn’t like how the cacti were turning out. I managed to spend quite a bit of time over the year up at Boomer Lake with my camera (one thing I still need to do is curate and delete all the really dark and/or blurry pictures I’ve taken over the past few decades).

Overall, 2021 was an okay year—not great (I mean there is still the pandemic), but also not a totally horrible year either. I’ve made progress in terms of personal and professional development (while some may see the past two years as ‘unemployed’—I view them as investing in myself)—maybe not as much as I’d originally liked, but still managed to do quite a bit. I’ve decided the career direction I’d like to pursue (remote/contract/online science/medical communications/writing and possibly data analysis), with the long-term goal of creating my own freelance business.

Therefore, heading into 2022, I’ve decided that:

I’ll have an overall BINGO card for the year (similar to what I tried to do for 2021), in addition to having BINGO cards for non-fiction books, e-courses, and intentional movement.

If I read a non-fiction book or complete/watch an e-course that isn’t on either of the current BINGO cards—I’ll write them down to put on an additional BINGO card.

The goal is to have at least a single BINGO on each of the cards (Bonus to have a totally checked BINGO card), and to have at least one BINGO on the overall yearly BINGO card as well.

I will transition into a remote/contract/online science/medical communications position. To help achieve that goal—I’m aiming at writing and publishing at least six scientific blog posts/articles by the end of the year. Each will be a minimum of 1000 words and will probably cover different topics I find of interest (or sub-topics within a specific ‘niche’).

In addition, I’m planning on writing at least two small literature reviews (being somewhere between 1000 and 1500 words), on one or two science topics, in addition to the larger project I’ve had bouncing around in my head for the past year.

I will also finish updating/modifying the blog/website to showcase the addition of science/medical writing in addition to my pieces on personal/professional development, hobbies, and travels.

Overall, I plan on 2022 being the year of ‘change’ and ‘growth’—growing as a science communicator, changing/transitioning into a ‘new’ position, and also finding my online ‘tribe’.

How was your 2021, and what do you have planned for 2022?

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The next adventures in personal/professional development and goal setting

07
Jul
2021

So, we’re officially over halfway through 2021. The moon will be transitioning through the Cancer constellation later this week, marking the seventh new moon of the year. It is amazing, how time seems to be ‘speeding’ back up with the fact there are vaccines now available for the SARS-CoV2 virus, and most countries are ‘opening’ back up. I’m still being cautious, and am waiting to see what type of spikes there will be in numbers come fall, before deciding to venture out more.

So, before I look ahead and plan for the Cancer new moon, I need to look back at the goals I set for the Gemini new moon and see how I did with each of them.

The goals for the Gemini new moon included:

  1. Creation of a financial plan (or at least brainstorming)
  2. Continuation with my daily intentional movements and nightly meditations/sitting quietly moments
  3. Continue with my personal/professional development game, work on writing up various posts, and as always reading (along with hopefully posting reviews as well).

So how did I do with each of them?

  1. In terms of creating the financial plan–it is slowly coming along. I’ve realized that there are several points/questions that I need to cover/answer, and they are:
    • Have multiple ways of earning money. That way if one ‘dries’ up for awhile, I’m still earning money via the other ‘areas’
    • What would my ‘minimal monthly earnings’ be for each area? I can slowly start raising each ‘minimum’ after I manage to reach teh ‘initial goal’ for say three to seven months straight.
    • Will I stick with just doing online/remote/contract/freelance/consulting and blogging type work, or will I try to do a hybrid (online and a part-time in person job)?
  2. I’ve been keeping up with my intentional movements and the nightly meditations/sitting quietly moments. I’ve realized that even if I only manage a few minutes of sitting quietly, those few minutes are usually good enough to help me sleep through the night (more the most part).
  3. I’m slowly working through my next set of ‘adventures’ via the personal/professional development board game. I completed the Intellectual Property Pack course at the end of June, and moved on to the next ‘square’ which was another reading square. I’m now in the process of reading two more books: ‘Why You’re Stuck’ by Derek Deopker and ‘More of Less’ by Josh Becker. I’m also going to be working through at least one copywriting course (as that was the next ‘spot’ after I had finished the previous book: ‘Write to Speak’ by Mike Acker). Then finally, I will be working on my ‘troubleshooting tips for molecular cloning’ document, which was the spot (review molecular cloning) that I landed on after finishing the ‘doodle a cross-stitch pattern’ (which I finally decided on would be geometric designs in various colors).

These three ‘adventures’ should last me through the month and possibly into August as well (namely working on the various writing projects and courses).

I managed to more or less achieve the three goals that I set for the Gemini new month last month. While there was still a little splurge spending, several of those books are going to be serving as ‘reference’ books for various blog posts/articles, and short stories/novellas that I’ve been thinking about writing.

I’m slowly becoming accustomed to the fact that if I go with the career change I’m thinking of–I will be sitting at the computer for a good portion of the day. This means that I may not hit my step goal–but that it also means that I should be thinking of ways of getting steps in around the house/yard when I take my ‘mini’ breaks throughout the day. Therefore, once I’m able to answer the questions I came up with in regards to my financial plan–I will really be on the ‘road’ to creating my new career.

Achieving mini-goals are a step in the direction of achieving larger goals. Each are also a point of celebration. What goals did you meet last month?

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