Monthly Balanced Life Goals: June Review and July

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 being shown in blue.

Monthly 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 attend Temple prayer/blessing services online
- 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, giving, and joyful in June.  I feel that I do live a spiritually meaningful life and I have had many prayers answered!  I will continue to keep the rating at 10.

July Spiritual  goals will be the same as above.

House (8.5)(8.5):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:
- Clean - Clean the house 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 with the decluttering process; call for a donations pick up by the end of the month

 

This month, we were able to do enough cleaning to keep the house maintained.  I was able to sweep and mop, daughter vacuumed, and between the two of us, the important things got done - the toilets were scrubbed, the litter box was cleaned, kitchen trash was taken out, dishes were done, kitchen counters were wiped down, and laundry was done.  In addition, a couple of long neglected plumbing repairs were taken care of, as well, and the stove was checked out by a gas company service technician.  No decluttering was done, but, I am OK with that.  I am keeping my rating to 8.5 because the house has been maintained.

July House goals will be the same as above; I am hoping to be able to do more in July as my health improves. 

Garden (9.5)(9.5):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant:

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed)

The garden was well tended to in June.  M continued to tend to the garden twice a week and we have harvested at least 70 zucchini, in addition to the last of the peaches, two nectarines and some green beans.  My daughter has been helping with watering the fruit trees between M's visits.  I am keeping the rating at 9.5, because the garden is thriving with M and daughter tending to it.    

July Garden goals will include:

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed), with the bulk of it being done by M and my daughter.

Daughter (10)(10):  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her:

- Being together, taking it one day at a time

My daughter continues to be a special blessing to me!  She has continued to take good care of me.  She has to return to Berkeley towards the end of July as her office opens up in August and she will be expected to be in the office in person once it opens.  I am grateful that we have another three weeks of being together before she has to go back.  I am keeping the rating at 10!

July Daughter goals will include:

- Enjoying the rest of the time together before she has to go back

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

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them

I interacted with family and friends through phone calls, emails, texts, etc.  I was also able to share some of the garden harvest (zucchini, mostly, but, also some peaches, too) with family, friends, and neighbors.  In addition, friend R visited me one afternoon in early June which was lovely. 

I am blessed with some caring family and friends; I am keeping the rating at 10.  

July Family and Friends goals will be the same as above. 

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

- Continue to participate in the various community groups to the extent possible in the following ways:

  - Participate in the blogging community

  - Participate in the online organizing group

  - Weekly phone calls with neighbor T
  - Participate in temple events

I participated in the blogging community, etc., interacted with my neighbors and bombarded shared zucchini with them (as well as with any unsuspecting service people who might have stepped into the house!)  I didn't participate in any temple events however, as there were no online services held this month.  I am keeping the rating at 10.

July Community goals will be the same as above.

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

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose

I continued to spend mindfully in June.  I adjusted the monthly budget to accommodate M's twice weekly visits, but, it all works out well.  I am keeping the rating at 10.

July Financial goals will remain the same!

 Health & Well Being (4)(6):  The goal is good health:

- Focus on recovering from this latest health issue

- Follow up blood test

- MRI if authorized

- Reduce weight gain  

The good news is, after May's sciatica-related health issues, I am on the mend, again!  The request for an MRI was authorized, I had my MRI on June 28, and on June 30, my doctor phoned me to say she had received the results and they were good!  My doctor is convinced my sciatica pain was due to inflammation and it should get better with time and rest. I am grateful that it isn't due to any other reason such as a herniated disc.  I have now been pain-free for over one month and I think I shall be OK, as long as I don't overdo things.  I'm raising the rating to 6 based on how well I feel (pain free) and the good MRI results.

July Health and Wellbeing goals

- Focus on continuing to recover and regain strength

- Follow up blood tests

- Doctor's appointment (oncology follow up)

- Monitor weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc.

Time Management (5)(6): The goal is to spend my time in a mindful manner:
- Spend time purposefully, mindfully

- Continue to focus on making my schedule work for me

- Procrastinate less

As I mentioned in my review for May, this area had become almost a non-issue because I continued to spend  my time resting!  However, I did spend my resting time mindfully, praying, keeping in touch with family and friends, knitting (finished knitting a sweater for my daughter), sewing (repairing a quilt), searching for and coming up with zucchini recipes, reading, watching videos, etc.  I did a few household tasks in between periods of resting to the extent I was able to do so, as well.  Is it possible to be productive while resting?  I will continue to focus on what I can do to manage my time better to the extent I am able in July, too.  I  am raising my satisfaction rating to 6.   

July Time Management goals are the same as above.

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care (10)(10):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Engage in daily joyful activities

I have been engaging in daily joyful activities in June.  I have been sewing, reading, watching various videos, etc. while resting.  I have also participated in both the monthly photography challenge and the summer photo scavenger hunt and they, too, come under leisure/hobbies.  I am keeping the rating at 10.  

July Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care goal remains the same as above.  

Health issues continued to impact my attempts to live a more balanced life in June, too, but, it was a better month than May.  I remained pain free for the most part and the MRI results received on the last day of the month really cheered me up!  I lowered my expectations of what I was able to do in June and that helped me with finding some balance between the various areas of my life.  I am looking forward to July.

Anyone else making monthly goals for a more balanced life?  If not, how do you try to maintain balance in all the different areas of your life?