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 “How?” 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. This self- knowledge reveals where you need to change to find more fulfillment. In this article, we will examine if your life is in line with your priorities.In article 3, you uncovered your top 5 priorities. Now let’s continue to gain insight into how you use this new found information to achieve self-fulfillment.

To find Happiness, make your life compatible with your Priorities.

For the last step of the process, compare your life with your priorities. Are your goals comparable with your priorities? Is your time and energy going in the right direction? If not, what do you need to change? You can make small changes that greatly impact your life. For example, let’s say you need to work a 40 hour week, do chores and get enough sleep, but this makes it hard to spend time with your children. In this scenario, the family is a priority for you. If you can’t give your family quantity, you can give them quality. Plan some regular family dinners, outings, game night or just special quite time like going for a walk or reading. Your heart will know that you have made your family a priority and it will feel more contented. Let’s say one of your priorities is having fun. But you aren’t having much fun. First, decide what “Fun” is to you and work at incorporating it into your life. Needs or wants don’t just fall into our laps, we need to do what we can to make them happen. I love murder mysteries, so I make a point of reading for 15 to 20 minutes before going to bed. Playing cards is something I enjoy so I am in a 500 ladies card club that meets once a month a couple’s pinochle club that meets once a month. I also enjoy musical theater, so I have season tickets and go 6 times a year. We are not talking about huge time commitments, but it does add a lot of “Fun” into my life. This is exactly what you need to do. Look at your priorities and make changes that will make your top values an important part of your life. I have found that these types of changes really bring about more contentment and give people a more enriched and meaningful life.  Sometimes, you have to make a big change. Fear and Anxiety can cloud your judgement of the future but knowing your true inner self will clear your vision and point you in the right direction. At age 35, I went back to college to get my Masters in Psychology. It was a big commitment, but it gave me 20 years of an enriching career. Knowing your life priorities can be a grounding force of self-direction and self-knowledge leading your way to personal happiness.

In this 4 part series, you have read why priorities are important, a method for uncovering your top 5 and how to use this knowledge to change your life. Empower yourself with this new Awareness!

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 by Vicki Langemo, LPC, MA.