Tag Archives: inspiration

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In Motion: Lessons from a summer of transition.

Me and some of my favorite future PhDs. #Cubenation, hold it down.

Me and some of my favorite future PhDs. #Cubenation, hold it down.

I’m almost certain when I look back in a few years I’ll have some trendy name (e.g. “Bluppie Beginnings” or something like that) for this summer of transition. There have been many changes — endings, shifts, new beginnings — in less than 15 weeks. I finally completed grad school, left my doctoral internship of four years, and moved all the way to Texas to begin a new career. At this point, almost every day is a blur. However, it hasn’t been lost on me that this is, and has been, the goal. This very moment. This phase. It’s what I’ve been working for: I’m in motion.

There have been moments, several of them, where I’ve been overwhelmed by the emotions I feel. I loved my role with University Housing, and transitioning to my replacement was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I’m pretty sure I dropped a single thug tear on the day I grudgingly relinquished control of our social accounts (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogger, Pinterest, Instagram, Storify, Google+ — all of it!). I immediately had to unfollow each one so I would not begin obsessing over what I was letting go. I had to repeat to myself: Felicia, you cannot be a doctoral intern for the rest of your life. Continue reading →

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How can we learn from the actions of others?

Here’s what I love about social media: its ability to connect people with others.

On the surface it seems so simple, but the power of those connections is anything but. I’m very particular about my language so I want to clarify: I don’t believe in the power of social media; that doesn’t exist. Social media is a tool. I believe in the power of people who use social media to perform meaningful actions – to spread the seeds of a new idea, to publicize little known facts, to share photos across the globe, or to simply connect with other people. These series of small, meaningful actions are the source of power that people often mistakenly attribute to social media. Continue reading →

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Book Share: What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast

About a week or so ago I finally cracked open (or, rather, clicked open – the Kindle version is only $2.99) What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, an amazingly quick, and useful, book written by Laura Vanderkam. Apparently, she’s written an entire series of books on how people manage their time efficiently.

What the most successful people do before breakfast by Laura VanderkampThis book caught my interest because I’m typically a night owl and my PhD journey has consisted of several nights up burning the midnight oil. However, moving forward with my dissertation, and as a professional, I’m thinking I should probably get a handle on this time management thing. Plus, I’m not getting any younger and the midnight oil doesn’t burn as bright as it used to. As I’m always feeling the pressure of a constantly ticking clock, I decided to take a look at this text after I saw one of my e-mentors, Myleik, shared it on Instagram (check out the hashtag #myleikbookshare).

Here are my thoughts on this brief read (really, I read it in one sitting!):

In one sentence this book is about: 

This book explores the benefits of nurturing yourself (goals, desires, relationships) FIRST in the day and, ultimately, first in life.

You should read this if: 

You often find yourself up late and night wondering why you didn’t get any of the things accomplished that you said you would. Continue reading →