Looking back on June and forward to July, here is the review of my June goals and the goals for July!
As mentioned before, I have chosen 10 areas of my life that I think are important to me, on which to focus. 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 the month ratings in blue which then become the starting ratings for the next month.
- Continue with daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, and joyful
- Continue to attend Temple prayer/blessing services online
- Participate in the June prayer gathering if possible
- Continue to cultivate non-attachment by being generous and giving to the extent I am able
Once again, thanks to all the technology that is available these days, I was able to attend online blessing services at the Temple and to participate in the monthly prayer gathering as well! I also continued with daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, and I have tried to be positive and joyful. I haven't done a lot of decluttering or donating; however, I have received a lot from generous family and friends and have tried to reciprocate, in my turn.
I am keeping the rating at 10.
July Spiritual (10):
- Continue with daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, and joyful
- Continue to attend Temple prayer/blessing services online
- Participate in the July prayer gathering if possible
- Continue to cultivate non-attachment by being generous and giving to the extent I am able
June House (8)(9): The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:
- Clean - Do more deep cleaning
- Organize - Continue to find a place for everything and keep everything in its place
- Well maintained - Keep "erasing the evidence"; implement daily and weekly cleaning schedules
- Decluttered - Declutter a minimum of 15 items in June
I didn't get a new housekeeper, after all! LOL. However, I gave the current housekeeper (myself) a stern talking to and made a determined effort to clean and maintain towards the end of June. I am happy to say that I am able to close out June and start July with a fairly clean and tidy house. There are still some hot spots to tackle, but, for the most part, the rooms have been tidied and cleaned. I also decluttered the minimum 15 items, including 2 CDs, several catalogs and brochures, and jars. I called and scheduled a donations pick up! The earliest they can pick up is July 15, but, at least I know the 5 or 6 bags of clothes and household items I've set aside will be gone.
I am increasing the rating to 9.
July House (9):
- Clean - Tackle those areas that need a deep cleaning
- Organize - Continue to find a place for everything and keep everything in its place
- Well maintained - Keep "erasing the evidence"; implement daily and weekly cleaning schedules
- Decluttered - Declutter a minimum of 15 items in July, too; donations pick up scheduled for July 15
June Garden (9)(9): The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant:
- Clean out the garden shed
- Continue with landscaping the side yard
The garden has performed very nicely! I had a bumper crop of peaches and I canned some, made chutney and jam and ate some fresh! The tomato and cantaloupe seedlings have grown and I've some baby tomatoes, although no sign of any cantaloupes! But, that is OK, I didn't even expect them to grow! The sweet potato vine is growing, the two moringa plants were repotted in larger pots and continue to grow, an avocado seedling has been potted up, too, as well as a cabbage core I managed to root! Cabbage is a cool weather plant, here, and M thinks it is too hot for it to grow now, but, it hasn't died, yet. In addition, there are baby pomegranates and I see some new oranges have formed, too. The garden shed got postponed, yet again, but, that's not a priority.
I am keeping the rating at 9.
July Garden (9):
- Maintain(water frequently as needed, weed, fertilize)
- Clean out the garden shed
- Continue with landscaping the side yard
June Daughter (10)(10): The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her:
- Daily texts, phone calls, and video chatting, etc., to keep in close touch with her
- Be supportive of her and be there for her
Daughter and I continue to keep in contact daily. She has been a blessing, so very supportive and helpful, doing everything she possibly can, from a distance, to make sure that I can continue to stay at home and still live a comfortable life. Our nightly online chats continue to be the highlight of my day. Daughter was supposed to come down for a visit during the first weekend in July, but, she isn't coming down due to the virus. I really don't know when we might be able to be together in person, but, I am grateful that we get to see each other during our nightly online chats.
I am keeping the rating at 10.
July Daughter (10):
- Daily texts, phone calls, and video chatting, etc., to keep in close touch with her
- Be supportive of her and continue to be there for her
June Family & Friends (10)(10): The goal is to have a close connection with family members and friends:
- Be supportive of her and be there for her
Daughter and I continue to keep in contact daily. She has been a blessing, so very supportive and helpful, doing everything she possibly can, from a distance, to make sure that I can continue to stay at home and still live a comfortable life. Our nightly online chats continue to be the highlight of my day. Daughter was supposed to come down for a visit during the first weekend in July, but, she isn't coming down due to the virus. I really don't know when we might be able to be together in person, but, I am grateful that we get to see each other during our nightly online chats.
I am keeping the rating at 10.
July Daughter (10):
- Daily texts, phone calls, and video chatting, etc., to keep in close touch with her
- Be supportive of her and continue to be there for her
June Family & Friends (10)(10): The goal is to have a close connection with family members and friends:
- Regular phone calls and emails to check on family and friends
I have been interacting regularly with family and friends through phone calls, texts, drop offs of goodies, etc., and I was also able to "see" family and friends at the monthly prayer gathering as we did it online.
I am keeping the rating at 10 because I feel that I have done my best to keep in touch under the circumstances.
July Family and Friends (10):
- Regular phone calls and emails to check on family and friends
June Community (10)(10): The goal is to be involved in my community:
- Continue to participate in the blogging community
I have been interacting regularly with family and friends through phone calls, texts, drop offs of goodies, etc., and I was also able to "see" family and friends at the monthly prayer gathering as we did it online.
I am keeping the rating at 10 because I feel that I have done my best to keep in touch under the circumstances.
July Family and Friends (10):
- Regular phone calls and emails to check on family and friends
June 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
- Continue to participate in Temple online services
I participated in the blogging community, continued to participate in the online group, exchanged weekly phone calls with neighbor T, interacted with other neighbors, and participated in temple services online.
I am keeping the rating at 10.
July Community (10):
- Continue to participate in the blogging community
- Weekly phone calls with neighbor T
- Continue to participate in the online group
- Continue to participate in Temple online services
June Finances (10)(10): The goal is financial security:
- Continue to participate in the online group
- Continue to participate in Temple online services
I participated in the blogging community, continued to participate in the online group, exchanged weekly phone calls with neighbor T, interacted with other neighbors, and participated in temple services online.
I am keeping the rating at 10.
July Community (10):
- Continue to participate in the blogging community
- Weekly phone calls with neighbor T
- Continue to participate in the online group
- Continue to participate in Temple online services
June Finances (10)(10): The goal is financial security:
- Continue spending mindfully, with purpose
I spent mindfully and with purpose in June. I am still in the process of stocking up on various items, as part of building up my emergency supplies and regular quarterly stock up routine. Since things often seem to be unavailable when I order groceries and some household items, I try to order in bulk when I can. On the plus side, I was able to deposit two checks that I had received as refunds on insurance premiums, which helped to mitigate the amounts spent on stocking up.
I am keeping the rating at 10.
July Finances (10):
- Continue spending mindfully, with purpose
June Health & Well Being (7.5)(7.5): The goal is good health:
- Call and reschedule this month's medical appointments and lab tests
- Continue to work on the same life style changes as before to the extent possible
I spent mindfully and with purpose in June. I am still in the process of stocking up on various items, as part of building up my emergency supplies and regular quarterly stock up routine. Since things often seem to be unavailable when I order groceries and some household items, I try to order in bulk when I can. On the plus side, I was able to deposit two checks that I had received as refunds on insurance premiums, which helped to mitigate the amounts spent on stocking up.
I am keeping the rating at 10.
July Finances (10):
- Continue spending mindfully, with purpose
June Health & Well Being (7.5)(7.5): The goal is good health:
- Call and reschedule this month's medical appointments and lab tests
- Continue to work on the same life style changes as before to the extent possible
- Continue to strive to attain a healthier weight
I rescheduled my medical appointments due to the corona virus and advice to stay at home. My appointments weren't urgent. In any case, my primary care physician's office is closed due to the virus! I tried one online exercise class, but, found it too hard, so, will continue with walking and trying out one or two videos I've found online. I didn't lose any noticeable weight this month, but, I haven't gained any, either. I'll leave the rating at 7.5.
July Health & Well Being (7.5):
- See if I can reschedule any or all of this month's medical appointments, too
- Continue to work on the same life style changes as before to the extent possible
- Continue to strive to attain a healthier weight (lose 5 lbs)
June Time Management (7)(7.5): The goal is to spend my time in a mindful manner:
- Keep to a more regular schedule
- Procrastinate less
- Spend time purposefully, mindfully
I did become more productive towards the end of the month and I managed to accomplish a few things. I have raised the rating to 7.5 to reflect that end of the month productivity and time management.
July Time Management (7.5):
- Keep to a more regular schedule
- Procrastinate less
- Spend time purposefully, mindfully
June Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time (10)(10): The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Engage in daily joyful activities
- Daily piano practicing
- Do a crafts project (knit a few more hats, sew a few more masks, finish making one of the quilts in progress so it can be gifted in July)
I knitted another hat or two to donate and I knitted two pairs of fingerless mittens, one for myself and one for my daughter. I sewed several fabric masks, too, but, procrastinated on the quilt! Instead, I made a couple of batches of jam, some chutney, and tried my hand at canning peaches. I have been engaging in daily joyful activities, too, and I participated in the June link up of the SPSH and a mini photo challenge on the theme, "Repetitions"". The daily piano practicing became more like weekly practicing, but, it has picked up, again, because I resumed lessons at the end of June.
I am keeping the rating at 10.
July Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time (10):
That is the review of my goals for a more balanced life in June and the goals for July.
Did you make any goals for a more balanced life in June? If so, were you able to achieve those goals? Will you be making any goals for July?
- Do a crafts project (knit a few more hats, sew a few more masks, finish making one of the quilts in progress so it can be gifted in July)
I knitted another hat or two to donate and I knitted two pairs of fingerless mittens, one for myself and one for my daughter. I sewed several fabric masks, too, but, procrastinated on the quilt! Instead, I made a couple of batches of jam, some chutney, and tried my hand at canning peaches. I have been engaging in daily joyful activities, too, and I participated in the June link up of the SPSH and a mini photo challenge on the theme, "Repetitions"". The daily piano practicing became more like weekly practicing, but, it has picked up, again, because I resumed lessons at the end of June.
I am keeping the rating at 10.
July Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time (10):
- Engage in daily joyful activities
- Daily piano practicing
- Do a crafts project - finish the quilt!
- Do a crafts project - finish the quilt!
That is the review of my goals for a more balanced life in June and the goals for July.
Did you make any goals for a more balanced life in June? If so, were you able to achieve those goals? Will you be making any goals for July?
You've done really well with your goals!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. It turned out to be a good month. :)
DeleteWell done! You've maintained or increased your ratings and your write up sounds positive ... and you managed to declutter some items, which I know you find challenging. I hope July continues to be just as good for you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen. I think I managed to salvage June! :D I think July will be good. At least, that is what I hope for. We shall see. :)
DeleteI'm impressed. Look at all of those 10s!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Live and Learn. Those are all the areas in my life with which I am happy. Even the house and garden are getting up there! I think, on the whole, you can color me happy. :)
Delete