 |
| Jacaranda Flowers and Pomegranate Leaves |
On the last day of June (didn't the month start just the other day?), it is time to update the monthly goals, again!
As I've explained before, when I do my monthly balanced life goals, I picture a wheel with several spokes, each spoke representing an aspect of my life that is important to me. Taken together, I like to think that they make a well-balanced life. Ideally, each spoke is of equal length and the arcs drawn between the spokes are equally rounded to make a perfectly circular rim around the wheel, without any bump-outs or indents. A well-balanced wheel results in a smoother ride; a wonky wheel results in a bumpy ride. Currently, as shown in my month-end reviews, I am mostly wobbling along!
Here's how I wobbled along in June:
Spiritual: The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life.
- Continue with daily prayers and gratitude; focus on being positive - On-going; I don't think I complained too much or grumbled a lot, and I listed five things for which I was grateful, every day.
- Take time for meditation - continue to attend the Friday night meditation sessions at the temple - I decided to wait until I had retired, as it was a bit of a rush to get home from work around 6:30 p.m., go to pick up my friend and then, drive to the temple to be there by 7:00 p.m. It didn't give me enough time to change out of work clothes, freshen up a bit, feed the cat, have a cup of tea, etc. And all that rushing around in the half hour preceding wasn't very conducive to slowing down to meditate!
- Cultivate non-attachment - focus on letting go of attachment to perceived grievances and grudges - This one is almost as hard, if not harder, than letting go of things with sentimental value! Even when I make a conscious effort to let things go, I find that the emotional scars remain and they have become a part of me, a part of who I am now. This one is still a work in progress.
- Attend the monthly rosary prayer gathering - The date was changed at the last minute (it was originally scheduled to have been held, tonight) and I couldn't attend due to a prior engagement.
Environment: The goal is a clean, tidy, uncluttered house and a well-maintained garden.
House:
- Focus on decluttering and maintaining cleaned areas - Work in progress!
- Deep clean my bedroom - Didn't do!
Garden:
- Deep clean my bedroom - Didn't do!
Garden:
- Maintain (water 2x per week; weed) - Accomplished for the most part, although, some weeks, watering was done only once for the week.
- Plant some flowers and vegetables - I planted a plumeria cutting.
- Continue to participate in the blogging community - On-going.
Career: The goal is to continue to work while planning for retirement.
- Continue to do my assignments in a timely manner - - On-going
- Read up the brochures and other retirement related information - Did so; still more to information to process, though!
- Print out and fill out the required paperwork (lots of forms!) - Did most of them, but some will have to be redone, because of retirement date changes!
- Gather all the documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce papers, etc.) that are being required to be submitted and make copies - Accomplished
- Attend the retirement counseling session (scheduled for 6/20) - Accomplished
Finances: The goal is financial security.
- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose - On-going; I went over one or two budget categories (groceries, eating out), but savings in other categories more than made up for it.
Health & Well Being: The goal is good health.
- Attend the appointments with my various medical doctors - 3 scheduled for June, so far, with maybe 2 more to be scheduled upon authorization approval! - Lots of medical appointments, this month! I went for a consultation, a bone density scan, a mammogram, and will be scheduled for additional screening tests, in July. I rescheduled two appointments, however, because there were too many to go to this month!
- Continue to monitor blood pressure, sugar levels, and weight - On-going
- Continue to focus on a healthier diet, drinking enough water (8x 8oz), exercising regularly (walk for 30 minutes during the work week), and getting sufficient sleep - Let's just say it's a work in progress!
- Focus on accomplishments and staying positive - Trying!
Time Management: The goal is having enough time to do all what I want to do!
- Procrastinate less - I got the important things done, such as getting the documents ready for the retirement counseling session, etc. This is me, focusing on the accomplishments!
- Implement routines and schedules - Work in progress!
Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time: The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Set aside 30 minutes a day to do something relaxing, such as readingbooks blogs, or doing a craft - I read and commented on blogs, I played sudoku and other games online, I did crossword puzzles, I did some knitting, I made a couple of cards, and I started sewing an apron for daughter on the last day of the month!
So, that is my goals update for June. I think, overall, I did pretty well. I'll be posting the July goals, tomorrow.
- Plant some flowers and vegetables - I planted a plumeria cutting.
Daughter: The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her (without being over-protective!)
- Daily texts, phone calls, emails, and video chatting - Accomplished
- Look forward to her visits in July - I didn't have to wait until July, after all, because she came for a visit in June, as well! To accompany me to the retirement counselling session, because I got so stressed over the forms and options! Having her home for those few days was wonderful! We went out to lunch (or got food to go), we went shopping and found some good buys, and we were able to just spend time together!
Family & Friends: The goal is to keep in touch with various family members and friends.
- Attend uncle's funeral (6/2, morning); cousin P and her daughter will give me a ride to the funeral and back - Attended the funeral and the reception afterwards.
- Attend bridal shower for cousin V's son's fiancée (6/2, evening); again, cousin P and her daughter will give me a ride to the event and back (although I offered a ride to them) - Attended the bridal shower and dinner.
- Call, email, wish people on their birthdays, etc. - Kept in touch with various friends, including my former supervisor who checked my blog to see how I was doing and emailed me when she found out that I was stressing about the retirement papers! We have since exchanged several emails and I am hoping we'll be able to get together for lunch, in the near future.
- Will be seeing several members of the family and friends at the various family gatherings (funeral, bridal shower, monthly prayer gathering, etc.) - I saw several friends and family at the funeral and the bridal shower; however, I didn't attend the prayer gathering this month.
- Weekly calls with neighbor T/have coffee with her one day - Weekly calls and one or two in-person chats, although I didn't have coffee with her.
Community: The goal is to become more involved in my community.- Daily texts, phone calls, emails, and video chatting - Accomplished
- Look forward to her visits in July - I didn't have to wait until July, after all, because she came for a visit in June, as well! To accompany me to the retirement counselling session, because I got so stressed over the forms and options! Having her home for those few days was wonderful! We went out to lunch (or got food to go), we went shopping and found some good buys, and we were able to just spend time together!
- Attend uncle's funeral (6/2, morning); cousin P and her daughter will give me a ride to the funeral and back - Attended the funeral and the reception afterwards.
- Attend bridal shower for cousin V's son's fiancée (6/2, evening); again, cousin P and her daughter will give me a ride to the event and back (although I offered a ride to them) - Attended the bridal shower and dinner.
- Call, email, wish people on their birthdays, etc. - Kept in touch with various friends, including my former supervisor who checked my blog to see how I was doing and emailed me when she found out that I was stressing about the retirement papers! We have since exchanged several emails and I am hoping we'll be able to get together for lunch, in the near future.
- Will be seeing several members of the family and friends at the various family gatherings (funeral, bridal shower, monthly prayer gathering, etc.) - I saw several friends and family at the funeral and the bridal shower; however, I didn't attend the prayer gathering this month.
- Weekly calls with neighbor T/have coffee with her one day - Weekly calls and one or two in-person chats, although I didn't have coffee with her.
- Continue to participate in the blogging community - On-going.
Career: The goal is to continue to work while planning for retirement.
- Continue to do my assignments in a timely manner - - On-going
- Read up the brochures and other retirement related information - Did so; still more to information to process, though!
- Print out and fill out the required paperwork (lots of forms!) - Did most of them, but some will have to be redone, because of retirement date changes!
- Gather all the documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce papers, etc.) that are being required to be submitted and make copies - Accomplished
- Attend the retirement counseling session (scheduled for 6/20) - Accomplished
Finances: The goal is financial security.
- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose - On-going; I went over one or two budget categories (groceries, eating out), but savings in other categories more than made up for it.
Health & Well Being: The goal is good health.
- Attend the appointments with my various medical doctors - 3 scheduled for June, so far, with maybe 2 more to be scheduled upon authorization approval! - Lots of medical appointments, this month! I went for a consultation, a bone density scan, a mammogram, and will be scheduled for additional screening tests, in July. I rescheduled two appointments, however, because there were too many to go to this month!
- Continue to monitor blood pressure, sugar levels, and weight - On-going
- Continue to focus on a healthier diet, drinking enough water (8x 8oz), exercising regularly (walk for 30 minutes during the work week), and getting sufficient sleep - Let's just say it's a work in progress!
- Focus on accomplishments and staying positive - Trying!
- Procrastinate less - I got the important things done, such as getting the documents ready for the retirement counseling session, etc. This is me, focusing on the accomplishments!
- Implement routines and schedules - Work in progress!
Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time: The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Set aside 30 minutes a day to do something relaxing, such as reading
So, that is my goals update for June. I think, overall, I did pretty well. I'll be posting the July goals, tomorrow.
(Some of my color changes on the updated items wouldn't show up in blue, but showed when I did in a different color! Weird!)
Well done, it sounds like a very positive month with plenty of progress to report. I look forward to reading your July goals.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen. It was a good month. A lot was accomplished and I am happy with that. :)
DeleteI think you're doing pretty well. Your wheel shouldn't be wobbling too much.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Live and Learn. There are, I think, three or four areas where I would like to see more happening, more being accomplished. I am hoping I'll be able to focus more on them once I stop working, as I should have more time, then. It'll be interesting to see if I will actually do anything in those areas once I do stop working!
DeleteAll things being equal, your well-balanced wheel would take you through life smoothly and effortlessly. But that isn't the case unless you invent more hours in the day. Sometimes, health and career has to receive more attention...but perhaps to the detriment of home and garden. You have done exceptionally well this past month.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. More hours in the day and more energy, I think! More stamina. Or, if not more hours, then, using the time I do have more efficiently! Yesterday, for example, I spent the majority of the day sewing. As a result, I didn't do any of the other tasks on my To Do List, other than clearing the table and cleaning the litter box. Had I been more efficient, I would have changed my bed sheets and started a load of laundry before I sat down to sew! That would have been a more efficient use of my time. It was just poor planning on my part. But, on the whole, I think I did OK in June!
Delete