I often talk about committing to a decision to succeed. In today’s post I’m going to give you an assignment that will hopefully influence every area of your life, for the rest of your life: defining your priorities.
Identifying your Goals
This is different than just mastering goals. Anyone can set goals and accomplish them. Lots of people do this, only to find they still feel lost, dissatisfied, and living a life devoid of balance. I want to help you identify the right goals…the goals that line up with your priorities.
The first step in reaching your goals is setting ones that are a good fit. Whether you focus on health and fitness, business, marriage, faith, or parenting, before you set goals, you need to have a better system of identifying which ones will follow your life’s priorities.
This assignment has changed lives, career paths, and fitness journeys of thousands. If you’re currently unable to give this assignment undistracted time, come back when you are able to do so. That means no television, no phone calls, no social media, no computer…no distractions. This information will eventually be transferred to your smartphone, but for the time being, grab a pencil and pad of paper and get ready to write.
Brainstorm your Priorities
I want you to list any and all areas of importance in you life today. Priorities are those things that are so important that if they were stripped from your life, you would be devastated, unfulfilled, and living without a purpose. Here are some questions to consider. What do YOU want to accomplish? When are you the most happy? What do you think is your purpose in life? How do you feel pride? Which things do wish to be remembered for at the end of your life? What areas of your life are of great importance yet you believe you must keep yourself accountable to honor them? …Write.
Now place a star next to the five areas that are most important to you.
Now list the three priorities (in no particular order) that you have identified as most important to you. Use just a few words to identify each category, such as “faith”, “family”, “career”, “my charity”, “my health”, and so on.
Rewrite the list in order of importance to you:
- My number-one priority is…
- Second priority is…
- Third priority is…
Take the priority you’ve listed as number one, and complete the following statements.
- The reason(s) I have placed the greatest importance on this area of my life is because…
- I will honor my number one priority by doing my best to…
- The following action(s) would be inconsistent with my commitment to my top priority…
- To honor my number-one priority, I will limit the following…
- To honor my number-one priority, I need to make the following changes…
Now I want you to create your top priority statement. Really start defining your priorities!
Here’s mine:
My number-one priority is to be present and actively involved in the lives of my husband and children; to demonstrate through my actions that my children are more important than any personal pursuit; to work to strengthen my loving, respectful, and supportive relationship with my husband as a means to provide the best possible environment for my family; raise self-sufficient, confident children who believe they can do anything; limit any activities, pursuits, or relationships that might take me away from my family; and to weigh all decisions against what would be helpful, harmful, or indifferent to my family’s emotional well-being.
Now write yours and take all the time you need.
Lastly, I want you to type out your priority statement and post it on your computer, near your desk, in your kitchen, on the inside of your medicine cabinet, and hey, why not make it the lock screen on your smartphone? Memorize it. With this statement front and center, it’s miraculous how clear even the toughest decisions become.
If you feel inclined to share your priority statement, post it below in a comment. I’d love for you to share this post with anyone you think would benefit from it. Are you on Pinterest? Click the Pin it button below!
Let me know in the comments if you are on your way to better defining your priorities!
~ Chalene
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