December Balanced Life Goals - Review

There are still a few more days left in December, but, I think it is a good time for me to review my monthly goals.  Since my monthly balanced life goals are how I ensure that my New Year's Resolutions are implemented throughout the year, seeing how well they have been implemented will help with deciding on resolutions for the coming New Year.  

As I've explained before, my monthly balanced life goals are similar to the spokes of a wheel, with the length of each spoke representing my satisfaction in that area of my life, from 1 to 10, with 1 being most dissatisfied and 10 being most satisfied.  Ideally, all the spokes are of equal length and the wheel will roll along smoothly.  If the spokes are of unequal lengths, then, the resulting wheel will be lop-sided and wobbly.  My ratings for each segment are shown within the parentheses, with the beginning of the month ratings in black and the end of month ratings in blue.

December Balanced Life Goals:

Spiritual: (10)(10):   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life:
- Continue with daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, and joyful
- Continue to cultivate non-attachment to material things by donating/decluttering more
- Hold the annual almsgiving, scheduled for December 8
- Attend the December rosary prayer gathering, if possible (no date, yet)
- Watch midnight mass from the Vatican on Christmas Eve (an annual tradition for me)

My spiritual highlight in December was the almsgiving, of course.  Which was carried out quite successfully.  In addition, I continued with daily prayers, meditation, gratitude, etc., and did some decluttering.  I was unable to attend the December rosary prayer gathering as it took place at the same time as my daughter's flight home and I needed to pick her up from the airport; however, I did watch midnight mass from the Vatican on Christmas Eve.  I am going to rate this area as a 10, as I am well satisfied with the spiritual aspects of my life.  


House (9.5)(9.5):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:
- Clean - Clean the house for the almsgiving; decorate for the season
- Organize - Continue to find a place for everything and keep everything in its place
- Well maintained - Keep "erasing the evidence"
- Decluttered - Declutter 31 items in December; call for a donations pick up

The house got cleaned for the almsgiving, but, I didn't decorate for the season as I fell ill and didn't have the energy to decorate.  I have been trying to keep things organized and maintained, although, currently, there are still some holiday wrapping paper and new gifts to be put away.  I also managed to declutter 34 items, so I met and exceeded my decluttering goal, this month!  However, I haven't called for a donation pick up, yet.  I plan to do so in January.  I am keeping the rating at 9.5, even though there is some general untidiness which will be taken care of in the next day or two.   

Garden (8)(8):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant:
- Maintain (water 1- 2 times per week, depending on how much rain we get; weed)
- Clean out the garden shed

The garden is being maintained and is doing quite well with all the rain we've had!  I've been picking lemons from my trees during the month of December and have just starting picking the oranges, too.  New osteospermum seedlings are starting to sprout and I have plans to transfer some of them to other areas of the garden over the next few weeks.  The garden shed got postponed, once again, but, I am keeping the rating at 8. 

Daughter (10)(10):  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her:
- Daily texts, phone calls, and video chatting, etc.

- Enjoy her planned visit at the end of the month

She is home for the holidays and we have had several fun days, shopping, going out to eat, spending Christmas with family and friends, etc.  Poor thing is now down with a cold and cough, but, she's managed to fit in some fun time with her friends.  She is home for another week, before she has to go back to work.  I am hoping she'll be able to recover from her infection before she goes back.  I am looking forward to seeing the New Year in with her.  Definitely a good area of my life and I am keeping the rating at 10.

Family & Friends (10)(10):  The goal is to have a connection with family members and friends:

- Regular phone calls and emails
- Might see some family and friends at the almsgiving (they've all been invited to attend; whether they do is up to them)
- Attend two birthday parties that are scheduled for this month
- Wish other family and friends on their birthdays
- Celebrate Christmas with family and friends

December was a good month for being with family and friends.  At least two of my cousins and a good friend attended the almsgiving and daughter and I celebrated Christmas with family and friends, too.  I was unable to attend either of the two birthday parties we had been invited to, due to being ill, but, I wished everyone on their birthdays.  The only sad part was friend T getting a stroke and being hospitalized (she's still in hospital and her recovery is slow).  Even so, I am keeping the rating at 10.

Community (10)(10):  The goal is to be involved in my community:

- Continue to participate in the blogging community 
- Weekly phone calls with neighbor T
- Continue to participate in the online group of which I am a member
- Participate in temple events
- Mail the red hats for new borns to American Heart Association
- Deliver the other hats to the cancer center

I have had a good month where being involved in my community is concerned.  I have participated in the blogging community and an online group, held the almsgiving and supported the temple with donations, and delivered several hats I knitted to the cancer center.  The American Heart Association sent an email saying they have discontinued the red hats for new borns at local hospitals, so I couldn't send them the hats I've knitted!  I wish they had notified me, earlier!  Now, I am left with a dozen or so red hats for infants; maybe I'll include them with the rest of the donations I will be making to the rescue mission.  I am well satisfied with this area of my life and will keep the rating at 10.

Finances (10)(10):  The goal is financial security:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose.

I continue to do well in this area of my life.  I have no debts and I live well within my means.  I continue to budget because I want to and I continue to spend mindfully, for the most part.  I am keeping the rating at 10.   

 Health & Well Being (8)(7):  The goal is good health:
- Attend the medical appointments (2) and lab tests (1) scheduled for this month 
- Continue to work on the following life style changes: 

  - better diet - eat more vegetables, less carbs
  - better hydration - drink 8 x 8oz glasses of water, daily
  - better sleep habits -  try to adjust the sleep schedule (earlier bed time)
  - more exercise - get back on a walking schedule 

- Get back down to a healthier weight through diet and exercise

My health spoke took a bit of a hit, this month, because I came down with an upper respiratory infection that flattened me for the better part of the month!  Thank goodness for antibiotics!  However, the lab test results were good, I was told, and I did lose a little bit of weight, so that is good, too.  On the other hand, there was hardly any exercising and the diet definitely could have been better!  I reduced the rating to a 7, because of being ill and generally run down; I didn't reduce it further because the blood test results were good. 

Time Management (8)(8): The goal is to spend my time in a mindful manner:
- Keep to a more regular schedule
- Procrastinate less

I've said this before and I'll say it again; this is another area of my life that could be improved. However, on the positive side, I did get the almsgiving preparations carried out in a timely manner and I did get most of my Christmas gifts ready by the Big Day, so that is good.  Plus, all bills are getting paid on time!  I blame getting sick for the things that didn't get done, such as decorating the house for the holidays.  I am keeping the rating at 8. 

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time (10)(10):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Continue to make my holiday gifts

- Engage in daily joyful activities
- Participate in the Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt

I managed to make a few holiday gifts, engaged in some daily joyful activities, and took one photo for the Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt.  This was another area of my life that was impacted from getting sick, earlier in the month.  There were quite a few days when I didn't feel like doing anything much, other than take enforced "me-time" and nap!  I am keeping the rating at 10, however, because I feel that I did relax quite a bit while I was ill!

That is my review of my goals for a more balanced life in December.  Everything stayed at the same rating, except for Health and Well Being which came down a bit due to being ill for a good portion of this month.  On the whole, I am pleased with what I was able to accomplish towards having balance among the different areas of my life, this month.  I am pleased to be ending the year on a relatively high level of satisfaction, all around.  My goal for next month (and next year) is to maintain or improve as needed.

Did you make any goals for a balanced life in December?  If so, how did you do?  Were you able to accomplish most of your goals?  Are you happy with what you were able to accomplish?  Will you be making new goals in January?