November 2016 was all about the flu. Which was a shame as I had planned to be all about NaNoWriMo, but spent most of the month coughing, and sneezing, and sleeping, and blowing my nose instead. I’m not even going to mention Thunderstorm Asthma. It was bad enough to make me think about getting the vaccination next year. My nephrologist mentioned that viruses like Glandular Fever (mononucleosis) could recur, and I’ve been so tired that I’m wondering if I’m in the middle of another bout of it.

Virtue	September	October	Notes
beauty: body Weight ≤ 59 kg by 6 February 2017	😐 64.2 kg	😐 63.3 kg	My little weight loss would ordinarily be very cheering for me, but I got as low as 61.9 kg during the month. Admittedly that was because I was ill in bed and not eating. And after my 2016 Transplantiversary, I know I need to do more to get down to that weight. I had a facial but might have been better with a massage.
beauty: presence build a practical and workable wardrobe that reflects who I am	🙂	🙂	Much happier with my November haircut, but I forgot to mention that I was growing my fringe out, so it’s back. The cut is supposed to encourage a smoother style, but my hair is curling in an exuberant manner. Had another couple of wardrobe malfunctions and had to buy more clothes than I intended, (the wardrobe update is here). None of which will be useful for NaNoWriMo outfits.
beauty: home sparse yet comfortable happy home that reflects our authentic selves	😐	🙁	We’ve been compiling a list of things that need doing. We’ve been here for so long that it’s beginning to look like we need a full renovation. I’d like to replace the carpet, but with ageing dogs not really wise. My dog is not nicknamed “Hurk” for no reason.
beauty: garden lush and abundant garden providing habitats, weather protection and a mystical threshold	🙂	🙂	The broccoli was excellent and has been replaced with tomatoes. I am weeding parsley from the driveway. Pretty Girl’s first stop when she leaves the house is the strawberry box, but she hasn’t yet realised there are raspberries. Pretty boy is monitoring the apple tree. The roses smell divine.
friendship: creatures get the dogs well and healthy develop habitats to support native species	🙂	🙂	Birds, birds, and more birds. The lorikeets and black cockatoos are back. The fox has not discouraged the four cats that stroll along the back of the house.
friendship: friends maintain and improve relationships with international and e- friends make new friends (especially local)	😐	🙂	There have been some more lunches, and some dates set for December. I’m actively making plans to stay in touch with people next year. I was probably inspired by the number of unidentified people I saw in archival photos. Our Christmas preparations are mostly done – just over 2 weeks left, and the Mint Turkish Delight is finally available. And I created a Stress Free Dinner Party for NaNoWriMo.
friendship: contribution give something back to the community and the planet	🙂	🙂	Did you know that there are two kinds of termites? There is the dry wood kind that eats your house and the kind that prefer damp rotting tree stumps? The damp wood ones are territorial and will destroy potential colonies of invading dry wood termites. Totally natural and eco-friendly termite protection. I was horrified that the skies of Aleppo looked just like my own.
pleasure: adventure taking risks, international vacations and just doing stuff	🙂	🙂	I had to get a new phone this month. Mine was so old it couldn’t hold a charge for a day and kept turning itself off at inconvenient moments. Phones have changed a lot in the interim, and it’s taking a bit of getting used to. But I have a pretty new phone cover to go with it.
pleasure: recharge rest, relax, recharge turn off the computer by 9 pm read two books per month	🙂	🙂	Doing fairly well at turning the computer off, though that’s easy when it doesn’t get turned on. Haven’t done as much reading as I would like. (I have been getting a lot of sleep though).
wisdom: choice having the capacity to make choices	😐	😐	I’m not usually the kind of person that second-guesses decisions – I make them, commit to them and move on. To keep re-examining them is to invite madness. But I’ve been wondering whether I made the right decision not to apply for last month’s job, or whether self-employment is the right route for me.
wisdom: growth become a more complex person by challenging my beliefs developing my mind and having the courage of my convictions choosing me for me	😐	😐	It’s hard to grow when you are sleeping. Though I spent some time thinking about the differences between person, role, and identity.
wealth: income $12,000 income	🙂	🙂	The last time I mentioned numbers was in my August report, where I had achieved 7.1% of my royalties target. With the reporting lag, (and let’s not get into the payment lag), my total royalties up to end October is 8.5% of my revised 2016 target. Somewhat depressing, but more than ten times better than this time last year!
wealth: expenditure reduce expenditure	🙂	🙁	I finally converted my utilities, just in time for the prices to increase because the French lessees of one of our electricity generation facilities has decided they aren’t making enough money. If they can’t sell (which seems likely) they will cease operations in 2017. And as you can make twice as much money selling your natural gas into Asia than you can selling it here in Australia, I’m expecting gas to rocket as well. During my health research, I shared how to save money while eating well.

My November 2016 productivity journal contains next to no words, let alone stickers.

Editing Holistic Personal Finance is going well. It won’t be ready by the end of 2016, but I’m beginning to think it might be possible to publish by the end of January 2017 if I pull out all the stops. I’m excited!

Click here for other Project Worthwhile Life progress reports.

I hope your November was more productive than mine. Let me know your highlights in the comments below.