Friday, March 31, 2017

March Balanced Life Goals - Review

Time to review my goals for a more balanced life in March.  The goal was to achieve something in each area so that I felt each area of my life was being attended to and not neglected while recognizing that I was still striving to regain my health and acknowledging that I needed to continue to focus more on this particular area of my life than on others, and therefore, it was OK if I didn’t achieve a lot in any given area (how’s that for a run-on sentence?). 

Spiritual:  The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life.

- Continue with daily prayers and gratitude – Have been doing so. Every morning, I say a quick prayer of gratitude for a safe night and for being alive through the night to wake up to another day; I usually recite my morning prayers after I have my morning tea if I am working from home, or on my drive to work on the days I go to the office.  I also pray for a safe drive for myself and a prayer that my daughter and I be safe during the day.  I recite my prayers again, in the evening, on my drive home, and, when I get home, I turn on the altar light and say a quick prayer of gratitude for a safe drive home.  Finally,  I say additional prayers at night, before I go to sleep and pray that my daughter and I will be safe as we sleep at night.  I also bless the house at night by sprinkling blessed water as I walk from room to room. 
  

- Continue to re-read the Dhammapada (a collection of Buddhist verses based on sayings attributed to the Buddha) with the intention of applying the wisdom contained in them to daily life – Have done so.
     

- Continue to focus on joy, gratitude, abundance, and blessings – Have tried; I made a new joy list for spring, I have been listing five things for which I am grateful on a more or less daily basis, etc.  Occasionally, however, I have grumbled!   


Environment:  The goal is a clean, tidy, uncluttered house and a well-maintained garden.


- Do only what is needed to maintain the house – Or less!  The papers breed over night!  But I have tidied the living room, I have kept up with the dishes and battled with the kitchen counter clutter, and I have kept the litter box cleaned. 


- Weed and mulch the flower beds – The flower beds are being weeded – it’s an on-going thing!  A new planting bed was dug and prepared (I’ve covered it with plastic to keep the weeds down and the cats off until I am ready to plant some vegetables!)   My gardener friend shared some vegetable seeds with me (zucchini and patty pan squash) and mentioned some spare strawberry plants!  My supervisor shared some plants from her garden and the first lot has been planted (she gave me more, earlier this week and another bag of cuttings, today!)


Daughter:  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her.  


- Celebrate her birthday! – She came down for an extended weekend and we celebrated with take out food from our favorite Italian restaurant followed by ice cream cake!  Plus, she enjoyed some time with her friends, too.  We also communicate daily.  She had got accustomed to calling me as soon as she got home from work to discuss her day with me and, just the other day, she said she really missed not being able to call me as soon as she got home on the days I go to the office, as I am just leaving the office or am on my commute home around that time.  She comes home, she said and it feels a bit flat as she can’t call me!    


Family:  The goal is to keep in touch with various family members.


- Sister's birthday - make and send card; call and wish – Called and wished her.  I promised to call her to arrange for a lunch date when I felt more up to it.

- 2 cousins' birthdays - make and send cards; call and wish – Called and wished both.


Friends:  The goal is to keep in touch with friends.


- Call and/or email friends on a regular basis – Did so. 

  
Career:  The goal is to continue to do work which I enjoy (for the most part) and which enables me to support myself.


- Continue to work from home as needed due to health – Did so, but have also started going in more regularly, towards the end of the month.  Still go in later in the morning than my regular starting time (but leave at my regular time), but I make up the time by working from home either in the evenings or over the weekend. 




Finances:  The goal is financial security.

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully – Have been doing so.


- Get the taxes done, if possible – Taxes have been filed!


Health:  The goal is good health.  This is going to continue to be the focus, this month.

- Attend the appointments with my various doctors - 1 scheduled, so far, in March; no doubt there will be at least one more – there were actually two additional doctor’s appointments, because I came down with a bad cold and cough and a resultant asthma attack which caused my doctor to be concerned that it might be the beginnings of pneumonia (it wasn’t, but I got scolded for not coming in sooner to have it checked!).


- Continue to monitor blood pressure and sugar levels as requested by primary care – Have done so; readings have been good and there is a follow-up appointment scheduled for April.


- Continue to focus on a healthier diet (more vegetables!), drinking enough water, exercising regularly, and getting sufficient sleep – A lot more effort is needed in this area, although I am drinking more water.  Getting in more vegetables, exercise, and sleep is a work in progress!  And that’s all I am willing to say about that! 


Time Management:  The goal is having enough time to do all what I want to do!

-  Organize myself and put routines into place so I have a more regular schedule!  - Nope; didn’t happen!  I am still disorganized, my routines are practically non-existent, and my schedule is all over the place!

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time:  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.


- Read a book (or more) – I have been reading the book I borrowed from the library (Prague Winter) and am almost near the end of it.  I have borrowed two more books (and started on them both!).  Another book has been requested and put on hold (but there are several others ahead of me on the waiting list).

 
- Make some cards – didn’t happen
 

- Take naps! – Done!  Have been requiring fewer naps, recently, though, which is a good, I think.

So that has been my review and update of the March balanced life goals.  I think I did well in many areas for the most part.  A few goals need a lot more work, though!  

Did you make any March goals?  If so, how did you do on attaining them?

10 comments:

  1. March passed me by and I accomplished little that I intended to. Mom is always my wild card and plans change on a dime based on her needs/wants/demands!

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    1. Yes, it is difficult when you need to be available to attend to your mom. It's good that you are able to be flexible. (((HUGS)))

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  2. Although your schedule and routines may be all over the place, it still seems that you are living a very purposeful life. Something we should all aspire to.

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    1. Thank you, Live and Learn. I think the schedule and routines will get sorted out as I continue to feel better, build up more stamina, etc.

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  3. You are so organized. Glad that you met most of your goals. The thing is to keep plugging away at them. March was sort of a wash for me, hopefully APril will be better, I pray. Maybe I need to write out a list of goals like you.

    Hugs
    Jane

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    1. Thank you, Jane. Sorry your March was a wash, but, the good news is, it is over and a new month has begun! I hope April will be better. Having a list of goals is helpful, I think. It keeps me focused on the reasons for doing certain things. :)

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  4. Sounds like you've done a great job on your goals! Your list is certainly keeping you focused. I think a part of me is putting off making a list as it will show how little I have actually done of my goals.

    Have a great weekend!

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. Yes, that's the problem with writing out your goals and posting them! I've learned to keep the goals small and more or less achievable! I hope you are having a good weekend and the weather is more spring-like. Take care.

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  5. I think you do brilliantly and your list is such a good way to keep on track and stay focused. I might do something similar myself this next month. My health issues are returning but fortunately once they are resolved this time I should have no further issue, therefore it should be a good enough reason to look forward with some goals. So thank you for the inspiration Bless. X

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    1. Jules, I'm sorry to hear the health issues are returning, but, glad that they will all be taken care of. I have just posted my April goals and there is a very brief description of how I go about it. Hope that will help you prepare your own goals. You are very welcome. :) Take care of yourself.

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