Goal Setting - January to June 2010

This lull is... just a tiny bit... driving me crazy.  I'm expecting my license to arrive at any time now.  (If I filled out something wrong and is delayed/rejected... would I get some kind of reply?)  When it comes to being self-motivated, momentum is a useful tool.

I think the easiest way to maintain momentum is to have have multiple goals, so if one starts to simmer a bit, another one can be focused on.  That's where I've failed at, at this current moment.  Over this Christmas holiday,  pretty much all of my sub-goals, have all be set to the side at the same time.

Well... this post is something that I wanted to do, but I didn't want to make it on January 1st.  To symbolically represent that it is not a New Year's resolution.  (January 1st isn't a special day when goals should be set and when people should evaluate themselves and look for ways to improve their lives.  No one day should be reserved for changing their lives.  When the time comes, when the thought strikes, that's when the idea should be embraced.)

I'll be listing down the goals I want to reach in the next six months.  And in three months, I'll list the goals that I want to reach in the six months after that point in time.  So once I get to the April post, I'll actually be revising the goals that I set through June, then adding on to those goals up to the end of August.  There will always be some overlap to review and revise, and then looking further ahead to the future.

The main goal is of course, to have a career in pharmacy.  But I'm setting goals within goals (and so on), because seeing that progression is helpful to maintain momentum in being self motivated, and thinking about these goals will help to keep me organized.

So, from January to June what are my goals?

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- Graduate 

The largest goal that will be taking up my time that I can foresee for the next six months is the need to graduate and finally move on from being an undergrad.  This will finally be my last semester at San Francisco State.  In fact, I have no choice.  I received this email last week:

Your hold has been removed for the spring 2010 semester.   The spring 2010 will be the last semester that you are permitted to attend San Francisco State University.  Please apply to graduate by the third Friday in February 2010.

- Become a Pharmacy Technician

I want to work.  I'm waiting for my license to arrive so I can apply.  I'm sure another wave of excitement will hit me once I finally reach that step.  It will be a massive learning experience (and of course provide lots more to write about. =P)

- Research Schools

A never ending goal.  Some more specific goals however, will be to attend the Info Session at USC on January 15th, and if there is no conflict in my calendar, go to the Western U Info Session on April 12th.  (If not April 12th, there's always July 26th.)

- Lose Weight

Managing my weight will always be a struggle.  At least that's how I've always known it.  But as of now, I want to reach 185 pounds by April 27th.  It will be a birthday present to myself.  Then from that point on, keep on maintaining a regular schedule in weighing myself so my weight never gets out of control ever again.  It's time to fully take control of my weight.

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I think that's about it.  Four nice and solid goals to keep me busy for the next six months.  Next Goal Setting update on April 1st.

The Waiting Game & CPR Certification Card

I hope everyone's been enjoying the holidays.  That's pretty much all I've been doing as I play the waiting game for the arrival of my California pharm tech license.  I would love to start working now and feel a bit restless.  But at least the wait is happening during a time when the holidays can be a distraction.  It would have been less tolerable in the summer.

I'm tempted to go looking into the 2010 Census jobs as a supplemental job to go along side being a pharm tech.  But of course considering getting a supplemental job without knowing the schedule of my future primary job is a bit difficult to do.  But calling to find out how long they'll be taking applications couldn't hurt.

In other news, I received my credit card sized CPR certification/identification card.  So now if in the unlikely scenario that someone asks if I'm CPR certified, I can show them proof.  And more importantly, I can see the official time span in which I can claim certification.

Volunteering - San Francisco H1N1 Vaccinations

Alright, I was able to make it this time.

I had no experience, and didn't speak multiple languages, so I ended up being assigned to... I'm not quite sure of the title... but it was part of the whole data collection system.

As people came in, as a standard procedure, people had to fill out some forms giving all the relevant medical information, and as the vaccine was administered, the forms had to be checked off as to what form of the vaccine was given.  This was to keep an eye on supply and most likely to keep track of relevant statistics.

So as forms got filled out, they got taken back to the back room where I and a partner were, where we kept tally of how many were brought into us, and where we sorted them out into relevant age groups and counted again.  (0-24 months, 2-4, 5-18, 19-24, 25-49, 50-65, and 65+ years)

Sounds simple, and sounds repetitive, and it was.  I wouldn't want to do that every day, but it is of course important, and I didn't mind contributing my time for something like that for one day.  And because we inherited about a thousand forms as we started second shift, and were receiving 550 to 800 forms an hour, there wasn't much down time with just two of us handling the job.  The first shift had seven volunteers working with them, and they left us a backlog of forms.  I guess we set up a extremely efficient system, which was kind of nice to realize.

We also had access to the evaluation forms that people were filling out.  A lot of people came in with low expectations of how the whole thing would be run, but, for the most part, they all left with those expectations proved wrong.  That's nice to know.  Both about the public perception of the Department of Public Health, and knowing that their minds have been changed.

Overall, it was a pretty interesting experience.  Some day in the future I'll be able to administer vaccines or prepare them, since I'll be qualified to do so.  That'll be a good day.