What are your priorities?

 

Do you feel lost? Confused at every stage of your life because you do not know how to place people, goals and other things in an order of urgency or importance? Or maybe you feel you have nothing to look forward to, no goal, Nothing. If you silently said yes, you probably do not have a clear idea of what your priorities are and how to manage them.

“To change your life, you need to change your priorities”

-Mark Twain

For years, I felt exactly the same way you feel now reading this. I wandered in frustration, depending on others approval to move ahead in my life. I had no clear idea of anything I was doing and everything seemed blur. It was not until I made a choice to set right priorities and stick to them that I had a clear view of where life was taking me to. This is not to say that I am now perfect but to make you understand that knowing your top priorities and how to manage them will help you reduce indecision, know when to say ‘NO' and make you feel good about yourself everyday.

A normal human has about two to three things he/she cannot do without. It could be exercise, good food, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or even a certain group of people. They are consciously or unconsciously taken as priorities by that person and can affect him/her positively or negatively. Our priorities are the activities, practices or relationships that we want to put genuine effort and time into. Understanding my top priorities made it easy for me to decline an offer when I realise that it is not one of my priorities without feeling guilty for saying ‘NO'.

Goals and priorities are not the same thing. Your goals are what you want to achieve, your priorities are the things you do that can help you reach that set goal. In this article, I am going to give you four major things that should be on your top priority list if you’re looking forward to a better version of yourself.

·       Prioritise God

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things shall be added unto you”  -Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

The word ‘first’ in this scripture means before anything else. God should come first in everything, every decision, every choice. So many people find it easy to do things without involving God in it, you find it easy to prioritise other things before your creator comes in view. Have it in mind that you could be a frequent church goer and even a ‘Christian’ and still not have God as your first and top priority probably because your business, work or career takes up all of your attention and you only practice religion out of a sense of duty and not because God is your first love.

A life without God taking first place is like a tree with no solid root or foundation. When it gets to a period, it either falls down or withers away completely. Putting God first in every little or humongous thing you do attracts all the good blessings of life to you.

·       Prioritise your goals and personal growth

Goals are tangible milestones that you’re trying to achieve. Your goal could be to lose 20 pounds of weight, earn a certificate, learn a new language or skill and many others. Make them your priorities. If you want to be a successful business man/woman, make it your priority. If you want physical fitness and good health, make it your priority. When your goals and personal growth become one of your top priorities, you experience definite satisfaction and true contentment.

·       Prioritise healthy relationships

Good relationships are one of the key things you need to maintain to attain your set goals. Anyone who understands business knows that the ability to build and maintain relationships with clients, staff and other business owners are prerequisites for successful business. Nobody is an island and as such, you need people around you to cheer you up, keep you going and give you the help you need.

Be careful not to prioritise parasitic relationships. Prioritise mutualistic and healthy relationships that are beneficial to you and vice versa. Your priorities can require that you make new friends and associates, it can also require that you change your circle. Be selective and determine your associations carefully.

·       Prioritise your finances

How to spend wisely differentiating between your wants and your needs is a major problem for many people. Prioritise your spending so that all of your money is not blown on things that depreciate. If all your income is spent on expensive clothes, cars or other accessories that you have nothing to save for the rainy day, your priorities are misplaced.

Many people choose to invest their time in looking like they’ve made it rather than investing in things that will help them achieve genuine success. Are you that kind of person? Prioritise your finances so you don’t waste money on things that do not add any form of value to your life.

“It is in the moment of your decisions               that your destiny is shaped”

        -Anthony Robbins

The decision to set priorities and stick to them depend on you and you alone. No one can help you determine your priorities unless you allow them to and that is why they are solely yours. Prioritising does not mean you would not face challenges or have frustrating moments, moments like that are bound to occur at varying stages but your priorities help you understand how to handle them and get back up to keep focusing on what you need to.

An efficient and effective way to set your priorities is by writing down a list of your top priorities on a sticky note, journal or diary. After writing them down, categorise them according to their states of urgency or importance that is, determining which comes first and others that come after in a particular order. This way, when something is not on your priority list, you could ask yourself questions like ‘Is this planned?’ ‘Is it on my list?’ It gives you a sense of congruity within yourself not to allow anyone’s false emergency become your own priority.

Determine your priorities now and make the decision to live by them.

Peaceout🕊