Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it.
Establish your priorities and go to work.
(H. L. Hunt)
Do you ever find yourself moving along, doing what you need to get done, and barely finding time to come up for air? Are there times when the world seems to be moving so quickly, yet you’re standing in molasses and slugging your way through?
Just like Mother Nature is transitioning from spring to summer, there are seasons to life. We are slow, then busy… sad, then happy. One way to find moments (or years) of happiness in the midst of these changes is to focus on your priorities.
Priorities are the things that are the most important. We can prioritize people, activities, action items, goals, emotions, or ways of being. How do you start each day? How do you spend your time? Are there things you do every night before going to bed? It is possible to connect most things back to a priority, and when you do that, life gets better.
This practice begins by pausing to reflect on your current priorities. Ask yourself, “Where is my energy going? How am I spending my time?”
Then consider, how do your responses make you feel? Do they make you feel tired or excited… angry or enthusiastic… indifferent or eager? Drop the “priorities” that aren’t feeding your soul. If something doesn’t make you feel good, find a way to live without it.
Take a moment to reaffirm your true priorities. What’s most important to you? What makes you genuinely happy? Write these priorities down, meditate about them, or share them with someone special.
Revisit your priorities often. Ask yourself, “Am I making my priorities a priority?” Organize your time and energy around your priorities. If your calendar is not aligned with your priorities, it’s time to make some adjustments.
Leave room for a little improvement. Like most things in life, our priorities will change. Pause each week (or month) to consider your priorities. Allow for shifts in perspectives. Expect yourself to grow, and trust that your priorities will grow with you.
The next time you’re going with the flow or speeding along, check your calendar to see if it aligns with your priorities — and remember this quote from Robin Sharma, “Those things that are most important should never be sacrificed to those things that are least important.”
Image via Death to the Stock Photo