How do I Discover my Top 5 priorities?
Why Defining your Top Priorities is Important:
Defining your true top priorities can be life changing. You may be wondering “Why?” When you become aware of what truly matters to you, it helps you make important decisions, shows you why you are unhappy in certain areas of your life, and empowers you with self-knowledge and deeper insight.
How do we go about defining our priorities?
This process is fairly simple. I am going to give you a list of general life priorities. If you believe this list is incomplete, feel free to add some of your own. Take a real good look at the words. Go with your gut as you review the list. Cross off the words that you know aren’t your top priorities, circle the words you feel represent your top priorities and put an “M” for maybe if you aren’t sure. Now review your tally. Have you circled 5 or more? If the answer is more than 5, really study the index and reduce the list to 5. Tip: Just because you haven’t put something in the top 5 doesn’t mean that you don’t believe in it. It is just not what essentially drives you. Those priorities do not get your energy flowing and give you inner validation and bliss. Your top 5 priorities should get you geared up, feel energized and give you a feeling of deep satisfaction if you have achieved it. It is a basic decision-making, tool , adds to personal growth and aids in the old proverb, “Know Thyself”
Step 1: Here is your list:
Defining your Life Priorities
Here is a basic list of choices. If your top priority isn’t listed then, please add it.
Challenges Skills/Qualifications
Children Security/Safety
Diet Strength
Dreams Survival
Exercise/Fitness Spirituality/Religion
Family/partner/closeness Sports
Friends Travel/Vacations
Fun Work/Career
Health Extended Family
Home Passions
Finances/Money Romance
Happiness Recreation/Hobbies
Relationships Relaxation
Personal Development (education, new skills)
Myself/ Me-time
Personal Appearance
Step #2: Put them in order
Now choose which priority is your top one, which is the next and so on to number 5.
Priority #1. _________________________________________
Priority #2. _________________________________________
Priority #3. _________________________________________
Priority #4. _________________________________________
Priority #5 ____________________________________________
Now that you have discovered your Top 5 Priorities, they can be used as the foundations to your life road map. When you become conflicted at your core, go back to the fundamentals of your inner being. These would be your top Priorities, Values and Personality Strengths. These three things can be used to give you insight into where you should go next or what you need to change. Your life will not be happy if you do not flow with your core being. Therefore, make decisions that coincide with your Priorities, Values and Personality Strengths and it will lead to a life of inner calm and peace.
Resources:
If you find you need someone to help you in this process, you can go to my website at www.supporttalk.com and make an appointment to have me help you. If you would like more information on this subject, you can check into books like Priorities by Elizabeth Stuart-Grimes or The Priority List by David Menasche.
If you have found this article helpful, check out other articles by this author, Define your Values, Focus your Life ; Empower Yourself to Move Forward in Life…..Starting Today, Empowerment, Discover your Potential ; and “Personality Strengths” by Vicki Langemo, LPC, MA . All articles by this author are found at www.supportivetalk.com .