I’ve been writing down monthly goals  to help me focus in on what is important. Many of the things listed are daily habits I’m seeking to maintain or grow in. The goal is not to obtain perfection, but to make steady progress…and months when there isn’t any progress, to give myself grace and start again the next month. That is my hope for you too as you strive to implement daily/weekly/monthly habits.

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RECAP OF GOALS IN October

Things that were challenging in October: tracking expenses, blogging and finishing the e-book content and formatting.

Things that went well in October: my morning routine, making our bed, keeping my gratitude journal, getting at least six hours of sleep, running, family time, and decluttering the basement. My husband has been doing great clearing the basement on his own – needing working space has been a great motivator for him!

Silence, Meditation, and Centering Prayer

One of the additions to my morning routine for the past several months is the addition of 5 minutes of silence. I use an app called Insight Timer on my iPhone. You can set it to any duration and I’ve been adding one minute at a time through the weeks.

I’ll write more another time about how Centering Prayer helped me to maintain my prayer life after my father died, but the practice is how I started with silence and meditation. I was introduced to it over 10 years ago and practiced Centering Prayer consistently for several months at the time. I’ve only recently come back to consistent periods of silence within the last year.

Like yoga, I use it as a time to practice deep breathing and relax. While meditating I find myself slowly scanning my face and taking the opportunity to gently remind myself to relax my jaw, unfurrow my brow, and not to squint my eyes.

I can’t say that this small amount of time has changed my life in obvious ways to outsiders, but I know that it will take time and consistent practice. I can say though that only during yoga and silence am I consciously checking in with myself and aware. I’m hoping that as I continue, this awareness seeps in to the ordinary moments throughout my day – where I can gently remind myself to unfurrow and relax.

October’s TOP 3 LIST:

As part of these monthly recaps and goals, I’m sharing the top 3 posts and top 3 things I was grateful for this past month.

TOP 3 POSTS IN october:

1. 10 Lessons Learned After a Year of Decluttering
2. Stress Free Meal Planning for Beginners: Finding what Works for You
3. Meal Planning for Beginners

TOP 3 THINGS I WAS GRATEFUL FOR IN October:

1. Going apple picking with the family and all the yummy apple dishes we made with them.
2. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. This was the first non-fiction book I’ve read that didn’t fall into the “self help” type category. It was a really inspiring story!
3. Consistent freelance work for my husband. We are grateful that we are able to live comfortably  on my part-time salary and his freelance work without dipping into our savings. He’s able to be home with our youngest son after school on days when I’m working.

November intentions

SPIRITUAL GOALS:

• Daily bible reading from The Daily Message
• Pray for my husband, children, and loved ones daily using the scripture God has given me.
• Take at least 3 slow, deep breaths in the morning. Silent prayer and meditation.

PERSONAL GOALS:

• Intentional movement 5 days of the week (running at least 2 of those days).
• Be in bed by 11pm. Sleep at least 6 hours a night, with 7 hours being ideal.
• Write down 3 things I’m grateful for daily each evening.

HOUSEHOLD GOALS:

• Meal Plan dinner for the weeknights
• Maintaining the decluttered areas
• Work at least 15 minutes in the basement with hubby.
• Budget and track daily expenses using the free EveryDollar app. 

WRITING & BLOGGING GOALS:

• Continue with a blogging editorial calendar for the month! The Elite Blog Academy has been super helpful in helping organize all my ideas so that my editorial calendar is a cinch to plan.
• Post at least once a week on my blog for November
• Write 500 words at least 3 times a week (daily is too much for me right now!)
• Complete the first full rough draft. I have some beta testers from my email list that have graciously agreed to read and apply the material in the e-book before I launch.
• Contribute an old post on Huffington Post. I was so excited to become a contributor to Huffington Post. You can find my entries so far here.

Ruth has great free content that she gives away and is a super teacher. If you’re interested in turning your blog into a business, sign up on her waitlist – you’ll get notified of her free courses.

 MONTHLY GOALS:

• Date night with hubby (where we actually go out of the house together…without kids)
• One on one outings with each son.

What are some goals that you have for November?

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