Monthly Goals for a Balanced Life: Mid Year Review

Here we are, half way through the year!  The first six months behind us, the next six months ahead of us.  It is a good time to pause and do a bit of a review, don't you think?  In addition to my usual monthly reviews, I want to take this opportunity to review my goals for a more balanced life, to see if I want to continue the way I've been doing things or do things need a bit of a mid-year adjustment?  

For example, New Year's Resolutions - do you make any? If you do, do you review them from time to time to see if you are keeping them or if they need to be modified in anyway?  I made five New Year's Resolutions at the beginning of this year.  Very briefly, they were to pursue good health, better time management, being more organized, being more positive, and maintaining a balanced life.  These resolutions are incorporated into my monthly goals for a balanced life; the monthly reviews enable me to see my progress on those resolutions.   

Or, how about a Word of the Year? Did you have a Word of the Year?  Or One Little Word as some call it? I know at least one blogger who selects a new word every quarter.  I chose "Resilient" as my word of the year; I wanted to be more resilient in all areas of my life and considered it as part of my overall well being, but, going forward, I will include it as part of my "Spiritual" category, along with joyful, grateful, and positive, in my Balanced Life goals.  

I visualize my life as a wheel, with 10 spokes, currently (I had more spokes, at one time, but, 10 are what I have now), each spoke representing a category or area in my life.  Each month, I rate my satisfaction in each area on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being most dissatisfied and 10 being most satisfied.  Ideally, all the spokes have a rating of higher than 5 and are of equal length which enable the wheel to roll along smoothly.  If some spokes are shorter in length than others, then, the resulting wheel is lop-sided and wobbly!  I usually indicate my satisfaction ratings for each segment within parentheses, with the beginning of the month ratings in black and the end of the month ratings being shown in blue.

So, here is my mid-year review of my goals for a balanced life:

Spiritual (10)(10):   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life:

- Continue with daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, resilient, and joyful

- Continue to cultivate non-attachment by being generous and giving to the extent I am able

I have continued with my daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, resilient, and joyful.  I have continued being generous and giving in various ways (not just in terms of giving money and other donations, but, also giving my time, energy, and other resources).  I haven't been to the Temple during the first six months of this year, but, I have had the monks come to my home for an almsgiving, I have helped them from time to time, and I have practiced the teachings of my religion in my daily life, observing the daily precepts of being mindful of my thoughts, speech, and actions in order not to cause harm or pain to another being.  I feel that I do live a spiritually meaningful life and moving forward, I will continue to keep the same spiritual goals. 

I will continue to keep the rating at 10.

July's Spiritual goals will be the same as above.  

House & Garage (6.75)(7):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:
- Clean - Clean the house and garage as needed
- Organized - 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

 

I've kept up with the housework, cleaning, organizing, maintaining, and decluttering.  During the first six months of this year, I have sorted out the garden shed and the garage, and I have decluttered hundreds of items.  June decluttering included several food storage containers and canning jars, a couple of items of clothing, some household items, magazines, gift bags, boxes/packing material, and a broken sewing machine.    Moving forward, I will continue to keep the same goals for a pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming home.

In June, I managed to keep the house maintained and I managed to fix one item that was broken; I felt very pleased with myself that I was able to do that!

I have raised the rating to 7, based on what I was able to accomplish!

July House & Garage goals will be the same as above.  My July Room of the Month will be the kitchen and my decluttering goal is 31 items.

Garden (8.0)(8.0):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant:

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed)

- Planting summer vegetables!
- Start improving the parkway in the front

The garden has done well during the first six months of this year, providing me with fresh fruits (lemons, oranges, peaches, blueberries, a handful of plums) and vegetables (broccoli, peapods, beetroot, broccoli leaves, chard leaves, chilies, potatoes, and one or two sweet potatoes) as well as flowers and hours of enjoyment.  I was able to preserve some of the produce to share with my daughter, family, and friends, and to enjoy in the coming months.  Going forward, additional watering restrictions will make gardening more challenging, but, I will continue to focus on growing an edible garden.

The parkway improvements are still under consideration; it will be my July project.  

I am keeping the rating to 8.0 even though a recent heat wave caused some damage to the newly planted vegetable plants.

July Garden goals will be the same as above.

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

- Keep in daily contact with her

My daughter was with me for the first quarter of this year, returned to her apartment for two months, and visited me, again, for a week in June.  I loved having her home with me and look forward to the next time we will be together.  In the meantime, we keep in daily contact, checking on each other and chatting.  I am happy with the relationship we have and hope we will continue to have a close relationship in the future, too.   

I am keeping the rating at 10!

July Daughter goals will be the same as above.

Family & Friends (10)(8):  The goal is to have a close connection with family and friends:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them
- In person get togethers as and when I feel comfortable about them

I am satisfied with the connections I've had with family and friends during the first half of this year.  They were mostly by phone, emails, and texts, but, there were a few in-person visits, too, although some of them made me feel a bit uneasy due to on-going Covid concerns.  I tend to be more reluctant to let my guard down than the rest of my family and the majority of my friends where Covid is concerned and am not as willing to mingle as they are.  They are ready to put Covid behind them and move on; I am of the opinion that we are still in the middle of the pandemic (our County's new Covid case numbers are still quite high, over 7,300 new cases, today) and I am not willing to take many risks.  In fact, I have declined an invitation to get together with my sister for lunch and to attend an up-coming family event due to my reluctance to mingle.  Moving forward, I see myself continuing to keep a physical distance and limiting interactions with family and friends to phone calls, texts, emails, and maybe the occasional curb-side/masked visit.  Is that the best way going forward?  Probably not.  But, it is the only way I am comfortable with, at present.  

I have reduced the rating to 8.0 to reflect the fact that I know there are things I can do to improve my connection to them, even if I am not willing to do those things, at present.

July Family and Friends goals will include:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them; as mentioned above, I've already opted out of two invitations to be with family
- Celebrate a friend's birthday with a curb-side visit
- Observe my father's death anniversary

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
  - Food exchanges with neighbors from time to time
  - Participate in temple events when safe to do so

I participated in my community in the various ways that I felt comfortable participating in the first half of this year.  Much of it was online or on the phone, with some limited in person interactions with neighbors.  Unlike interactions with family and friends, I am content with this level of interactions with the community in the second half of this year.  

I'm 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 live on a fixed income since I am retired and have continued to manage my finances in a responsible manner, budgeting and spending as mindfully as possible during the first half of this year.  I don't anticipate that to change in the second half of the year, even with rising inflation and increasing costs of living.  

I am keeping the rating at 10.

July Financial goals:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose 

Health & Well Being (8.5)(8.5):  The goal is good health:

- Focus on continuing to improve my health through diet, hydration, adequate sleep, etc.

- Attend my medical appointments
- Continue to take my medications as prescribed
- Continue to take necessary precautions against viral infections

I continue to have some chronic health issues, but, my health was good for the most part during the first six months of this year.  I have had routine check ups with my health care providers, including the required lab tests and scans.  I have continued to take my medications as prescribed and the booster vaccinations against Covid.  Going forward, I have more routine check ups, including one appointment at the end of July, one at the end of October, and one at the end of November.   

I am keeping the satisfaction rating at 8.5.

July Health & Well Being goals will be the same as above.

Time Management (7.5)(7.5): 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

I continued to struggle with my time management during the first half of this year and often felt that I was not making good use of my time, procrastinating and idling and not being as productive as I should be.  I know that I spend a lot of my time on the computer.  However, I have managed to accomplish quite a few things during the productive periods.  Going forwards, this is one of the areas in my life that I will closely monitor to see why I feel I am not managing my time as well as I should and what needs to improve.   

I am going to keep the rating at 7.5.

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
- Engage in leisure activities
- Do crafts and pursue hobbies

I feel I did very well in this area of my life during the first six months of this year, engaging in daily joyful activities, leisure activities, crafts and hobbies, although, sometimes, they were more "inactivities" than "activities"!  LOL!  I tend to be less of a "do-er" and more of a "be-er".  I don't always enjoy doing things - going places, seeing things, attending events, etc.  I'd much rather just be where I am, usually at home, relaxing and not doing anything in particular.  I think this might be why I feel I am not managing my time well, because I am not being productive; I'm just sitting and be-ing!   I did finish a few crafts projects and I participated in photo challenges and I did some painting!  Going forward, I am planning to continue with craft projects and the various hobbies that I enjoy doing.  

I am keeping the rating at 10.  

July Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care goals will be the same as above.

In conclusion, I feel I have managed to live a fairly well balanced life during the first half of this year.  Yes, there is room for improvement, even in those areas which have a high rating of satisfaction, as the areas can be changed to expand or contract as needed as circumstances change.  Going forward, I plan to continue to review each area and do what I can to live as well balanced a life as possible while still being cautious about viral infections, pandemics, and other concerns.  That is the goal for the second half of this year.

What do you think?  What are your goals for the rest of this year?

2022 Resolutions & Word of the Year

New Year Resolutions

My 2022 New Year resolutions will be the same as my resolutions in previous years, as they still apply:

Resolution 1:  Continue to pursue good health by keeping all medical appointments, taking my prescribed medications, eating a healthier diet (more vegetables and complex carbohydrates, less refined sugar), drinking enough water and staying hydrated, increasing my activity levels to build up stamina and strength,  and getting sufficient sleep.

Resolution 2:  Better time management by procrastinating less and attending to things right away and getting them done.

Resolution 3:  Be more organized by decluttering, having a place for everything and making a habit of keeping/putting back everything in its place.

Resolution 4:  Be more positive by focusing on accomplishments.

Resolution 5:  Maintain a balanced life, by paying attention to all the different areas of my life.

I plan to continue to incorporate my New Year's resolutions into my Monthly Balanced Life Goals to make sure they are worked on throughout the year.  The monthly balanced life goals are how I plan to implement my annual resolutions.  Resolution 1 (good health) is incorporated in the Health and Well Being segment; Resolution 2 (time management) is incorporated in the Time Management segment; Resolution 3 (being more organized) is incorporated in the House segment; Resolution 4 (being more positive) is incorporated in the Spiritual segment, and Resolution 5 (a more balanced life) is incorporated into the monthly goals for a balanced life.

Word of the Year

My 2021 Word of the Year was Upeksha/Equanimity.  I hoped to respond to events in a composed, balanced manner.  I think I was able to manage that for the most part.

My 2022 Word of the Year is a word suggested to me by my daughter: Resilient: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.  I hope that, in 2022, I will be resilient as circumstances continue to evolve around me.

Monthly Balanced Life Goals: December Review and January Goals

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 cultivate non-attachment by being generous and giving to the extent I am able

I continued with my daily prayers, meditation, being grateful; I have tried to be positive, generous, and joyful.  I was also able to talk with the monks at the Temple and have booked a date to have an almsgiving in the first week in January!  I feel that I do live a spiritually meaningful life and I am very pleased with this area of my life!

I will continue to keep the rating at 10.

January Spiritual  goals will include the almsgiving, scheduled for January 5.  My daughter has offered to do all the cooking and she will help me with the rest of the preparations, too.  It will be a much scaled back event, due to Covid precautions, but, I am looking forward to it.  

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

 

The house was cleaned and decorated for Christmas,.  I kept the house maintained for the most part, but, last minute holiday gift making and wrapping created messes that need to be cleared!  Decluttering went well, even with new items (mostly clothes) coming into the house!  I exceeded my goal of decluttering 31 items this month and about 8 bags of donations were picked up by a charity.

I am keeping my rating at 8.5.  

January House goals will be the same as above, with putting away the holiday decorations and getting the house ready for the almsgiving being the focus.  I am planning to continue with the decluttering in January, too; the goal is at least 31 items! 

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

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed); M will continue to visit twice a week

- Focus on the winter vegetable and fruit plants

The garden continues to thrive, with Mother Nature doing most of the watering for me!  The lemon trees are full of fruits, the orange tree has fruits ripening, and I've harvested the first peapods.  

I am keeping the rating at 9.5, because the garden has been doing quite well.    

January Garden goals will include:

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed); M will continue to visit twice a week
- Focus on the winter vegetable and fruit plants

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

- Continue to enjoy the rest of the time together before she has to go back
- Take her to get her booster dose
- Do more fun (safe) activities together (some craft projects, painting, etc.)

- Celebrate the holidays (Christmas and New Year) together

I have continued to enjoy having my daughter home with me; we celebrated her being home for a whole year, just before Christmas!  I took her to get her booster dose and fussed over her while she recovered from the side effects!  Fun activities included making our traditional holiday love cake and having some of her friends over to dinner one night.  We celebrated Christmas and New Year's Eve together and I hope it is something we can continue to do for many years to come.

I am keeping the rating at 10!

January Daughter goals will include:

- Continue to enjoy the rest of the time together before she has to go back (not sure when, but, probably at the end of this month or beginning of February)

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
- Attend aunt's memorial service

I interacted with family and friends mainly through phone calls, emails, texts, etc.  But, there were also more in person interactions in December, than in previous months, with me attending aunt T's memorial service and giving cousin P a ride, visiting cousin R a week or so later, attending a family gathering for Christmas (and giving P a ride), picking up bags of new-to-us clothing from cousin P, and curbside visits with friend R.  There was, also, the exchange of food with friends from time to time!    LOL.

I am keeping the rating at 10.  

January Family and Friends goals will include:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them
- Have friend R over to lunch (when we are having the almsgiving)

- Visit friend A when her health permits

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 when safe to do so

I participated in the blogging community and interacted with my neighbors, exchanging holiday gifts with them, etc.  I'm keeping the rating at 10.

January Community goals will be the same as above!

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

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose; the big expenses this month will be paying the homeowner's and earthquake insurance for next year (due at the end of the month) and holiday gifts, although I budget for that, year round. 

I continued to budget and spend as mindfully as possible in December.  I paid the homeowner's and earthquake insurance.  I haven't run the numbers for the whole year, yet, but, I stayed within budget for the most part and didn't incur any debt, so I am content!   

I am keeping the rating at 10.

January Financial goals:

- Set up my budget for the year

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose  

Health & Well Being (8.0)(8.0):  The goal is good health:

- Focus on continuing to improve my health
- Focus on diet and hydration

- Go for a blood test towards the end of the month

My health goals are on-going.  I had my blood test done at the end of the month and the results were mostly good, but, I need some further testing based on a couple of results.  I have told myself that I am not going to worry about it until the further tests are done (my doctor will put in the requests and I will be notified by the insurance company when they are authorized).  Until then, however, I will do what I can to maintain a healthier lifestyle.  

I am keeping the satisfaction rating at 8.0 on the strength of the good portions of the blood test results.

January Health and Well Being goals

- Focus on continuing improve my health

- Focus on diet and hydration

- Go for my mammogram (scheduled for January 7)

- Take another blood test (prior to appointment with the oncologist)

- Oncologist appointment (scheduled for January 27)

Time Management (7)(7): 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

The good news is, I am getting things done on time.  The bad news is, I still procrastinate and, as a result, there is a lot of last minute rushing around!  This is another area with much room for improvement!  Therefore, I will keep the rating at 7.  

January 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, with the focus on getting the holiday gifts done!

I engaged in daily joyful activities in December.  They've included making holiday gifts, chatting with family and friends, attending a Christmas get together with family, having friends visit, etc.  I am keeping the rating at 10.  

January Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care goas include:

- Resuming piano lessons (second week in January)

- Continue with craft projects that are in progress
- Participate in the Monthly Photo Challenge and the Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt
- Watch some videos with my daughter

December has been another good month, overall.  My ratings remained the same as nothing improved or got worse that dramatically.  Health/Well Being and Time Management will continue to be the focus areas in January, too.      

Anyone else making New Year's Resolutions and monthly goals for a more balanced life?  Do you choose a word of the year?   

Word of the Year: Upeksha/Equanimity

Last year (2020) was the first year I chose to select a word of the year and the word I chose was "Organized", although I didn't do a blog post about it (instead, I posted it on the online organizing group in which I participate).  I like to think that I was at least somewhat organized in 2020, although, perhaps not to the extent I would have liked!  But, being organized, for me at least, is a moving goal!  It will continue to be something I will strive towards, in this year, too.  

But, 2021 deserves its own word of the year!  I considered several, including "mindful", "purposeful", "faith", and "intentional", before I decided on my word, today:  "Upeksha".

Upeksha is a Sanskrit word.  In English, it is translated as "Equanimity" or "even minded".  It means having a stable, balanced mind that is not shaken by what one experiences, it means being composed, it means living a balanced life, it means being dispassionate, but, it does not mean being indifferent. 

I suppose I could have just gone with Equanimity as my word of the year.  But, I chose Upeksha, instead, because it has a religious significance to me.  In Buddhism, upeksha is one of the four states of sublime attitudes to be cultivated, along with maitri (generally translated as "loving kindness"), karuna (kindness, although, often translated as compassion, as well), and mudita (joy).  

I chose this word because I have a feeling that this sort of equanimity is something I will need this year.  It looks like it will be another year of many ups and downs, with much of what is happening being beyond my control.  Under such circumstances, when I haven't control over what is happening, then, I need to focus on what I can control, which is how I react and respond.  In which case, I would like to respond with equanimity or upeksha, in a composed, balanced manner.  That is the goal, at least.  How well I manage to achieve it is yet to be seen!  Wish me well, please!

Do you usually choose a word of the year?  Have you chosen your word for this year?

2021 New Year's Resolutions and January Balanced Life Monthly Goals

My 2021 New Year resolutions will be the same as my resolutions in previous years:

Resolution 1:  Continue to pursue good health by keeping all medical appointments, taking my prescribed medications, eating a healthier diet (more vegetables and complex carbohydrates, less refined sugar), drinking enough water and staying hydrated, increasing my activity levels to build up stamina and strength,  and getting sufficient sleep.

Resolution 2:  Better time management by procrastinating less and attending to things right away and getting them done.

Resolution 3:  Be more organized by decluttering, having a place for everything and making a habit of keeping/putting back everything in its place.

Resolution 4:  Be more positive by focusing on accomplishments.

Resolution 5:  Maintain a balanced life, by paying attention to all the different areas of my life.

I plan to continue to incorporate my New Year's resolutions into my Monthly Balanced Life Goals to make sure they are worked on throughout the year.  The monthly balanced life goals are how I plan to implement my annual resolutions.  Resolution 1 (good health) is incorporated in the Health and Well Being segment; Resolution 2 (time management) is incorporated in the Time Management segment; Resolution 3 (being more organized) is incorporated in the House segment; Resolution 4 (being more positive) is incorporated in the Spiritual segment, and Resolution 5 (a more balanced life) is incorporated into the entire wheel of the monthly goals for a balanced life.

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.

January Balanced Life Goals:

Spiritual: (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

House (9):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:
- Clean - Deep clean the house as the Christmas decorations are taken down 
- 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

Garden (9):  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
- Discuss spring planting plans with M

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

- Enjoy her being home!

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

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them

Community (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

Finances (10):  The goal is financial security:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose. 

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

  - better diet - eat more vegetables and complex carbs, less refined sugar
  - better hydration - drink 8 x 8oz glasses of water, daily
  - better sleep habits -  get sufficient sleep and try to adjust the sleep schedule
  - more exercise - continue with a walking schedule 

- Continue to strive for a healthier weight 

Time Management (8): 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

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

Those are my 2021 resolutions and goals for a more balanced life in January.

Are you making any resolutions in 2021 or goals for a more balanced life in January?

Monthly Balanced Life Goals - December Review

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

- 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.

- 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)

- 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.

- 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

- 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.

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.  

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

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

- 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.   

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.  

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? 

2020 New Year's Resolutions and January Balanced Life Monthly Goals

My 2020 New Year resolutions will be the same as my previous resolutions: pursue good health, better time management, being organized, being positive, and living a balanced life.

Resolution 1:  Continue to pursue good health by keeping all medical appointments, taking my prescribed medications, eating a healthier diet (more vegetables and complex carbohydrates, less refined sugar), drinking enough water and staying hydrated, increasing my activity levels to build up stamina and strength,  and getting sufficient sleep.

Resolution 2:  Better time management by procrastinating less and attending to things right away and getting them done.

Resolution 3:  Be more organized by decluttering, having a place for everything and making a habit of keeping/putting back everything in its place.

Resolution 4:  Be more positive by focusing on accomplishments.

Resolution 5:  Maintain a balanced life, by paying attention to all the different areas of my life.

I plan to continue to incorporate my New Year's resolutions into my Monthly Balanced Life Goals to make sure they are worked on throughout the year.  The monthly balanced life goals are how I plan to implement my annual resolutions.  Resolution 1 (good health) is incorporated in the Health and Well Being segment; Resolution 2 (time management) is incorporated in the Time Management segment; Resolution 3 (being more organized) is incorporated in the House segment; Resolution 4 (being more positive) is incorporated in the Spiritual segment, and Resolution 5 (a more balanced life) is incorporated into the entire wheel of the monthly goals for a balanced life.

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.

January Balanced Life Goals:

Spiritual: (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
- Go to the Temple at least once
- Attend the January rosary prayer gathering, if possible (no date, yet)

House (9.5):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:
- Clean - Clean the house for the New Year
- 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 January; call for a donations pick up by the end of the month

Garden (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
- Discuss spring planting plans with M

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

- Enjoy the rest of her visit home during the first week in January
- Daily texts, phone calls, and video chatting, etc., when she goes back, to keep in close touch with her

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

- Regular phone calls and emails
- Wish cousin R and aunt T on their birthdays
- Might see some family and friends at the monthly prayer gathering, if attending
- Get together with friend R, hopefully before daughter goes back
- Visit friend T

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

- Continue to participate in the blogging community 
- Weekly phone calls with neighbor T
- Visit neighbor S
- Continue to participate in the online group of which I am a member
- Participate in temple events

Finances (10):  The goal is financial security:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose. 

 Health & Well Being (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 and complex carbs, less refined sugar
  - better hydration - drink 8 x 8oz glasses of water, daily
  - better sleep habits -  get sufficient sleep and try to adjust the sleep schedule
  - more exercise - get back on a walking schedule 

- Get back down to a healthier weight through diet and exercise.  I weighed myself, this morning; just under 160 lbs., according to my scales (I always seem to weigh more at the doctor's office!).  I have a good 20 lbs. to lose (and keep off!).  That is my goal for the end of the year, to weigh 140 lbs.  Even then, I'll be technically overweight as I am just under 5 ft., but, I haven't been at my "ideal for height" weight since I was 18!  My goal for January is to lose 5 lbs. by the end of the month.

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

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

- Participate in the Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt

Those are my goals for a more balanced life in January.

Are you making any goals for a more balanced life in January?

December Balanced Life Monthly Goals

It's time to post my December goals to achieve a more balanced life!  This December is a special month; it is the last month of not only this year, but this decade!  Since my monthly balanced life goals are how I ensure that my New Year's Resolutions are implemented throughout the year, this last month of December becomes especially important!

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.

December Balanced Life Goals:

Spiritual: (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)

House (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

Garden (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

Daughter (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

Family & Friends (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

Community (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

Finances (10):  The goal is financial security:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose. 

 Health & Well Being (8):  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

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

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time (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

Those are my goals for a more balanced life in December.  It can often be a busy month for a number of reasons, with almsgiving preparations as well as Christmas and New Year's and all the family gatherings that usually take place at this time of the year.  But, I am hoping that I will be able to enjoy participating in this month's activities without getting too stressed and overwhelmed.  Are you making any goals for a more balanced life in December?

May Balanced Life Monthly Goals

It's May, already!  Time to post my goals for living a more balanced life in May.  My April balanced life goals update is here.

But, first, I thought a little more about my goals.  In general, I don't consider myself as a deep thinker.  I don't do a lot of analysis in my life.  I think, in a way, this was a coping mechanism I developed when I was a child as there was a lot that happened to me that didn't bear thinking about.  I just accepted life as it happened and generally, went with the flow.

Along the way, however, I acquired some goals in life, although, at first, they were the goals of others for me, specifically, my mother's goals for me: a good education, leading to a good profession, resulting in being able to earn a good living, with marriage and a child to follow.  I rarely questioned these goals, however; I just accepted them and made them my own.  Now, looking back, I believe I've achieved most of them, if not all.

But, it wasn't a straight route from point A to point B to point C.  There were detours and resulting adjustments to my goals along the way.  For example, the profession my mother wanted for me (becoming a physician like my father) just didn't happen; I didn't have the ambition to make it happen.  Instead, I modified the goal and chose a different subject to study.  I went to university, I earned a bachelor's degree, and then, a master's.  I thought about a PhD, but decided not to pursue it.  That was my education goal, attained.  Initially, I couldn't find a job in my field of study and I found other employment, but, eventually, my degrees paid off and led to a career that lasted for 35 years, which enabled me to earn a good living.  Goal achieved!  Unfortunately, my marriage didn't last, but it resulted in a wonderful daughter!  With the birth of my daughter, my overarching goal became to raise her to the point where she would be able to manage on her own, if needs be, and I believe we are getting there!  I feel truly blessed to be where I am, today, where my overall life goals are concerned.

But, there was a period when I was working full time, raising my young daughter, taking care of my increasingly frail mother, the housework, etc., when I felt my life was very out of balance.  There were many demands on my time and I was juggling a lot of things.  That's when I learned about the balanced life wheel and started this exercise.  At the time, I believe I had some 16 or so areas and I combined some and eliminated others until I had a more manageable 12 or so.  These days, I am down to 10.  The last area to get eliminated was my "Career" spoke, when I accomplished my goal of working 35 years and retired!

All this is by way of explaining that, for me, a goal is an end state.  It is what I aim for, what I hope to achieve or attain, a place I wish to reach. I think it is important to review our goals from time to time.  Circumstances change.  Sometimes, goals have to be modified to make them more attainable and it is okay to do so.  Sometimes, goals have to be discarded, completely, and that can be sad, but it is being realistic.  Sometimes, certain goals are actually attained, and when that happens, it is truly a blessing to be celebrated with a grateful heart. 

My overarching goal, now, is to live a life that is meaningful to me, well-balanced, joyful, and fulfilling.  I have reviewed my goals in the different areas of my life with that in mind and made one or two slight modifications to my on-going 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 current ratings for each segment are shown within the parentheses.  The main goal is stated at the top of each area and the ways in which I plan to reach that goal are listed below.

May Balanced Life Goals:

Spiritual: (10):   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life:
- Continue with daily prayers and gratitude; focus on being positive and joyful
- Take time for meditation - maybe attend some of the Friday night meditation sessions again.
- Be more giving
- Attend Vesak celebrations (commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha) at the Temple
- Attend the monthly rosary prayer gathering

House (9):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:
- Clean - do one deep cleaning task per week
- Organized - focus on the spare room
- Well maintained - continue to implement the cleaning schedule

Garden (8):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant:

- Maintain (water 2x per week; weed)

- Plant additional seeds (vegetables and flowers)
- Landscape - develop a landscape plan for the front garden

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

- Daily texts, phone calls, and video chatting, etc.

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

- Regular phone calls and emails
- Visit aunt T
- Will be seeing several members of the family and friends at this month's prayer gathering  

- Get together for lunch with friend R

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

- Continue to participate in the blogging community
- Participate in the Summer Photo Scavenger Hunt
- Weekly phone calls with neighbor T
- Continue to participate in the online group of which I am a member

Finances (10):  The goal is financial security:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose 

Health & Well Being (7):  The goal is good health:
- Attend this month's medical appointments
- 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 -  get 6-7 hours of sleep
   - more exercise - implement a walking schedule
- Lose 5 lbs

Time Management (7) : The goal is to spend my time in a mindful manner:
 - Make time to do what needs to be done (exercise, sufficient sleep, housework, etc.)

 - Procrastinate less

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

- Engage in daily joyful activities
- Finish at least one, if not two, of the three quilts in progress!

Those are my goals for a more balanced life in May.  Yes, they are basically the same as the ones I always make, as many of my goals are on-going.  But I made one or two small changes  to the mini-goals  Is anyone else making goals for May?

2019 New Year's Resolutions and Balanced Life Goals for January

My 2019 New Year resolutions will be the same as my 2018 resolutions: pursue good health, better time management, being organized, being positive, and living a balanced life.

Resolution 1:  Continue to pursue good health by keeping all medical appointments, taking my prescribed medications, eating a healthy diet (more vegetables, less refined sugar and carbs), drinking enough water and staying hydrated, increasing my activity levels to build up stamina and strength,  and getting more sleep and rest.

Resolution 2:  Better time management by procrastinating less and attending to things right away and getting them done.

Resolution 3:  Be more organized by decluttering, having a place for everything and  making a habit of having everything in its place.

Resolution 4:  Be more positive by focusing on accomplishments.

Resolution 5:  Maintain a balanced life, by paying attention to all the different areas of my life.

I plan to continue to incorporate them into my Monthly Balanced Life Goals to make sure they are worked on throughout the year.  The monthly balanced life goals are how I plan to implement my annual resolutions.


So, here are my Monthly Balanced Life goals for January:  

Spiritual: (10)   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life
- Continue with daily prayers and gratitude; focus on being positive
- Take time for meditation - spend 5 minutes meditating at night
- Cultivate non-attachment - focus on letting go of attachment to material possessions - declutter 31 items
- Attend the monthly rosary prayer gathering

House (9):  The goal is a clean, tidy, uncluttered house:
- Take down Christmas decorations and put away

- Focus on deep cleaning and maintaining cleaned areas
- Declutter 31 items
- Continue to sort out the 3rd bedroom, a.k.a. The Dump!
- Make a master list of repairs and renovations that need to be done over the year

Garden (7):

- Maintain (water 2x per week; weed)

- Buy and plant bare root fruit trees - at least 1 peach and maybe another orange
- Plant some winter vegetables

- Paint the front security door - buy paint

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

- Enjoy the rest of her visit home for the holidays

- Daily texts, phone calls, and video chatting, etc., once she goes back 

Family & Friends (10):  The goal is to keep in touch with various family members and friends.

- Regular phone calls and emails
- Attend aunt's New Year's Day luncheon - DONE!
- Call and wish Aunt T for her birthday

- Will be seeing several members of the family and friends at this month's prayer gathering 

Community (7):  The goal is to become more involved in my community.

- Continue to participate in the blogging community 

- Mail the hats to the American Heart Association 

- Visit neighbor S
- Weekly phone calls with neighbor T 

Finances (9):  The goal is financial security.

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose 

- Keep track of spending 

- Review budget and adjust as needed

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

- Attend the appointments with my various medical doctors

- 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 - get at least 7 hours of sleep/try to go to sleep before 4:00 a.m.! 

   - more exercise - walk 30 minutes 5 days/week

Time Management (8):  The goal is to find a good balance between what I have to do and what I want to do.

- Be mindful of my time and how I spend it 

- Plan my days/balance the "leisure" with "productivity" 

- Implement the schedule my daughter and I came up with

- Procrastinate less!

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time (8):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.

-  Mail the red hats I knitted for heart association (first week in January)

- Continue to participate in the winter photo scavenger hunt
- Read the 2 library books I borrowed

- Finish embroidering the 2 T-shirts
- Work on one of my many "works in progress" knitting projects


Anyone else making New Year's Resolutions?  If so, how do you implement your resolutions?