This is a sensible topic for me because I always thought I’ve set my priorities right. And it’s not that I haven’t done that, but sometimes I don’t act like it.
Here is an example: I always considered this blog is a priority for me, but today I realized I’ve spent half an hour playing some games on my phone instead of reading some of your comments and honestly, I don’t know why I did that. This made me wonder if this blog is really a priority or I want to think that way, but my behavior was a little off for the moment, which is ok.
Once a priority is really a priority, your actions should support that no matter what. Sure, it’s ok to have a break from time to time just to clear your head a little so new ideas can come, but I feel guilty when I do that. Maybe it’s my weakness or maybe it’s something normal. I always find a way to keep (most) of my promises.
The whole idea is around the fact that our overall behavior might not reflect what we say. If 80% of the time we concentrate on anything else than those priorities, are they really priorities? Are we too afraid to admit that some things are not really that important for us since we don’t pay so much attention to that?
Let’s take family for example. I don’t think there is one person on this earth that wouldn’t consider family a priority, but there are so many destroyed families out there. There are so many parents considering their children as the most important things on this earth, but they spend little to no time with them. And don’t get me wrong… I get the practicality of working almost 24/7, but in this case, career might be more important than family even though the family is the motivation. Think about this: do you think children need the fanciest things in life or they need love, support and understanding? Sometimes what’s important doesn’t seem to be due to the time spent directly on that and families are the most common examples.
But don’t despair! There is a solution! The solution is to be 100% present in the moment, regardless what that moment is. If you’re with your family, then be 100% with your family. If you’re at work, then be 100% at work. If you’re driving, then be 100% there. Whatever you do in the moment should be the top priority of that moment especially if you can’t influence other “priorities” in any way in that moment. We have this powerful tool we can use to be wherever we want in a certain moment, and that tool is called our mind. Use it to make your present your 100% priority!
Which one of your priorities gets less attention and time from your side?