“Feeling good doesn't just happen. Living a life in balance means taking the necessary time to renew yourself. It's all up to you… You can revitalize yourself and face a new day in peace and harmony. Or you can wake up in the morning full of apathy...” --Stephen Covey
I try to renew all four dimensions of my life (body, mind, heart, and spirit), as Stephen Covey taught: I spend about an hour each day on some combination of physical, mental, and spiritual regeneration activities, plus work to improve my social skills and relationships. Today's third quarter waning half moon is my opportunity to review how I'm doing, and make note of what could be improved:
Body & Discipline: Am I walking fast daily, plus some stretching, strength, and aerobics; eating well and drinking plenty of water; budgeting, saving, and spending within my means; sleeping and playing?
Mind & Vision: Am writing in my journal regularly; expressing myself with art and writing, reading a book on principled living; researching or studying something; teaching others?
Spirit & Ethics: Am I maintaining a daily awareness practice; maintaining my integrity; reviewing and working to understand my mission; immersing myself in creation (writing, art, and nature)?
Heart & Passion: Am working daily to improve and repair relationships with my family and friends; making new friendships; volunteering my time in service; working to understand and care for myself; studying and practicing better skills for patience, listening, and communication?
From my Journal: I set an intention to examine my budget this month, for the sake of integrity, but I haven't gotten to it yet... this is the week. And actually, I think I need to make it part of my regular self-care routine. Also, I still need to do a major purge in my studio space because the piles are taking over again. In everything else I'm steady and engaged. My service commitments are high, as is my Grandmothering schedule, but these are top priorities right now; and I'm doing internal repair work on damaged relationships, establishing new boundaries.
2. Self-care routine:
Caring for myself with persistence will give me the energy and health I need to succeed. More energy means more focus, so I can approach my goals with more discipline.
Self-care involves eating well, exercising, sleeping enough, and taking time for renewal of my soul; also, self-care includes budgeting, which is a huge block for me! And, unfortunately, I have a short span of attention for self-care. I get bored, and if I miss one day, I just give up. I have found that having self-care rituals helps me to stay on track: When I have a routine I am more likely to maintain the discipline to do it every day.
Intentions this next month:
- 8:00- Budget a little bit everyday, just a little check in with numbers, to desensitize myself.
- 10:00- I intend to walk further with Aldo (to different playgrounds, the bike path, downtown). Also return to counting steps on my phone.
- 12:00- I will adjust my timers earlier for my workout, add some stretches, and make a chart to record my effort.
3. Cleansing:
Cleansing means to purify my body/soul/mind and my sacred spaces, clearing out the negative energies that harbor there. I can choose from a wide variety of methods, and this month I'll stick to my favorite - a long bath with bath salts, music, and a candle.
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