December is coming to an end and with it, the year! Time to review my balanced life goals for the month and see how I did on achieving those goals.
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 the month ratings in blue.
Balanced Life Goals:
December Spiritual (10)(10): The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life.
- Continue with daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, and joyful
- Continue to attend Temple prayer/blessing services online
- Continue to attend Temple prayer/blessing services online
- Make the almsgiving donation to the Temple in lieu of having an almsgiving at home
- Continue to cultivate non-attachment by being generous and giving to the extent I am able
I continued with my daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, and I have tried to be positive and joyful. I sent the almsgiving donation to the Temple and I have tried to be generous and giving.to others, as well. On the whole, I feel that I do live a spiritually meaningful life; I will continue to keep the rating at 10.
December House (8)(9): The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming.
- Continue to cultivate non-attachment by being generous and giving to the extent I am able
I continued with my daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, and I have tried to be positive and joyful. I sent the almsgiving donation to the Temple and I have tried to be generous and giving.to others, as well. On the whole, I feel that I do live a spiritually meaningful life; I will continue to keep the rating at 10.
December House (8)(9): The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming.
- Clean - Clean as needed
- 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 - Continue to declutter (goal = 31 items)
- 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 - Continue to declutter (goal = 31 items)
- Decorate - Decorate to bring some holiday cheer!
The house was cleaned and decorated and is being maintained, with daughter deep cleaning her bedroom! I also did some decluttering, although I didn't meet my goal of 31 items. I am raising the rating to 9 because I am happy with how the house is, at present.
December Garden (9)(9): The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant.
- Attend all of this month's medical appointments
I attended this month's medical appointments (two visits to the dentist). I am continuing to work on my life style changes (sleep patterns, exercise, better diet, etc.) and I lost a little bit of weight, but, I think all the Christmas goodies cancelled that weight loss! I'm keeping the rating at 8!
December 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
The house was cleaned and decorated and is being maintained, with daughter deep cleaning her bedroom! I also did some decluttering, although I didn't meet my goal of 31 items. I am raising the rating to 9 because I am happy with how the house is, at present.
December Garden (9)(9): The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant.
- Maintain (water frequently as needed, weed, fertilize)
The garden is being maintained; the peach tree was sprayed earlier in the month, the winter vegetable seedlings are sprouting, and Mother Nature provided a good shower of rain to water deeply! I am keeping the rating at 9.
December 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 continue to be there for her
- Be supportive of her and continue to be there for her
- Look forward to the possibility of her coming down for Christmas!
Daughter was able to come home for Christmas and she's planning to stay down here and work from home at least until March! I am definitely keeping the rating at 10.
Daughter was able to come home for Christmas and she's planning to stay down here and work from home at least until March! I am definitely keeping the rating at 10.
December Family & Friends (10)(10): The goal is to continue to have a close connection with family and friends.
- Regular phone calls and emails to check on family and friends
- Try to get holiday gifts to them, if possible (contactless deliveries/shipped direct, etc.)
I interacted with family and friends through phone calls, emails, texts, etc., and managed to give them their holiday gifts, either dropping them off or having them shipped. I am keeping the rating at 10.
I interacted with family and friends through phone calls, emails, texts, etc., and managed to give them their holiday gifts, either dropping them off or having them shipped. I am keeping the rating at 10.
December Community (10)(10): The goals is to be involved in my community
- Continue to participate in the various community groups to the extent possible
- Continue to participate in the various community groups to the extent possible
I participated in the blogging community and at least one other online community; I exchanged gifts with several neighbors and donated to various community groups that provided meals and other services to those in need. I am keeping the rating at 10.
December Finances (10)(10): The goal is financial security
- Continue spending mindfully, with purpose
I continued to spend mindfully in December. I stayed within budget and paid my bills in a timely manner. I am keeping the rating at 10.
December Health & Well Being (8)(8): The goal is good health
I continued to spend mindfully in December. I stayed within budget and paid my bills in a timely manner. I am keeping the rating at 10.
December Health & Well Being (8)(8): The goal is good health
- Attend all of this month's medical appointments
- Continue to work on the same life style changes as before to the extent possible
- Continue to strive to attain a healthier weight
I attended this month's medical appointments (two visits to the dentist). I am continuing to work on my life style changes (sleep patterns, exercise, better diet, etc.) and I lost a little bit of weight, but, I think all the Christmas goodies cancelled that weight loss! I'm keeping the rating at 8!
December Time Management (8)(8): The goal is to spend my time in a mindful manner.
- Continue to focus on making my schedule work for me
- Procrastinate less
- Spend time purposefully, mindfully
On going. I did manage to accomplish most of what I wanted to accomplish this month in a timely manner, without procrastinating. I am keeping my satisfaction rating to 8.
- Continue to focus on making my schedule work for me
- Procrastinate less
- Spend time purposefully, mindfully
On going. I did manage to accomplish most of what I wanted to accomplish this month in a timely manner, without procrastinating. I am keeping my satisfaction rating to 8.
December 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 some holiday crafts/making gifts
I have been engaging in daily joyful activities and did several f the activities listed in my December Joys list. I have been practicing the piano, too, and did some holiday crafts. I am keeping the rating at 10.
- Do some holiday crafts/making gifts
I have been engaging in daily joyful activities and did several f the activities listed in my December Joys list. I have been practicing the piano, too, and did some holiday crafts. I am keeping the rating at 10.
December was a fairly well balanced month, I think. As always, there were some areas that could have been better, but, over all, it was a balanced month.
Year End Review: I incorporated my New Year's resolutions into my monthly balanced life goals and worked on them throughout the year. I did better in some months than in others, and it always seemed to be the same three or four areas that I struggled with the most, but, overall, there was balance throughout the year. Certain areas of my life, such as spirituality, my relationship with my daughter, family and friends, etc., consistently remained highly satisfactory, while other areas, such as keeping a well maintained house, my health and well being, and time management continued to challenge me. I shall work on those areas in the coming year.
How was your December in terms of maintaining balance among the different areas of your life?
You've done such a great job and I'm thrilled to hear your daughter will be there with you through March, what a blessing that is!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Martha. Yes, she doesn't have to go to the office in person until July at the earliest, so, she's planning to stay home for a couple of months. :)
DeleteYou have successfully figured out ways to adapt your goals to the difficulties of the pandemic. Congratulations on a job well done.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! :) I am happy with the way things have worked out!
DeleteWonderful goals and follow through!
ReplyDeleteI am SO glad that your daughter will be able to stay with you. It will be great for you both to have someone else to share these difficult times with. You must be so very excited!
Thank you, Sharon. Yes, I am very happy that my daughter will be home with me for an extended stay! :)
DeleteWell done Bless. It looks like another good month and your ratings at the end of the year leave you in a good position to focus on the four areas you didn't score at 10.
ReplyDeleteHere's to a happy and successful 2021 for you.
Thank you, Eileen. Yes, I need to really focus on those areas that are less than satisfactory, in 2021. Everything else just needs to be maintained.
DeleteWhat great scores! You have done well.
ReplyDeleteI still don't keep a balance wheel but I am focusing on being thankful and cheerful in this pandemic, and if I do occasionally wake up feeling anxious and negative, I work at changing that before it takes over the day!
Thank you, Bushlady. It is a challenge to be thankful and cheerful given all that is happening, isn't it? But, we must try our best to not give in to worry (easier said than done, I know).
Delete