BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Self Development What Are Your Priorities?

I've been really happy with my priority list. I think it's whittled down to exactly where i want to be. It's so useful to have it written on my wall to refer to.

I can ask myself: does THIS task bring me closer to my priorities? Is there something else i can be doing that will?

Hi Jilly, the next step is to choose something from that list and action 'it' (or part of 'it') daily. In essence, every day do something that takes you closer to what you truly want in life. (JOY)

Jilly - that is fantastic, you have polished your priority list over time to become a guiding light for your life! Well done!

I agree that having my priority list printed out and hanging next to my desk is very helpful!

Thanks, Lisa. I am so happy to have this accomplished. I will keep checking each year to see if things remain the same, but i have a feeling these are the perfect items for my life's framework.

I really appreciate having had the support here to do this.

Right, Joy. Those are things i am discussing in my goals threads. :)No need to fritter away my life energy on things that don't relate to my priorities.

We're approaching 2011! Does everyone have their priorities posted by their computer? Are there any changes or tweaks to them as we start a new year?

Here is my list, same as last year:

Stability, health/fitness, serenity, creativity, order, joy/fun. So six main areas to work with.

The most challenging ones for me are...well...all of them, really.

For example, I am more stable right now in that I am not moving every few months, but another move might be looming on my horizon for 2011. But at this moment I am more stable than i have been in years. Many years.

And up until just this week, there was no serenity in my life for more than a few moments. But I might have found the right mix of antidepressants and antianxiety meds, because i feel pretty peaceful these last few days.

Health/fitness is probably the easiest category for me, but i still need to give myself the gift of this kind of time and attention. It's easy to get wrapped up in work all day every day, and not workout or eat right.

Creativity is another one i need to give myself the gift of time and attention to. It's too easy to let this one slide.

Order is huge for me - it's still a wreck in the house and I have *just* begun to make some sense in the RV I am living in. Specifically (in the RV) i have the kitchen, desk and living area worked out now, but the bedroom and bathroom areas are piled high with stuff on every surface. The cabinets are a shambles. I also need to figure out what goes in the basements. My car is also piled high with random things, like a moving closet. I hate living in jumbled mess. I want to go easy on myself because of the depression, but I really can't feel content when everything is just everywhere.

Joy/Fun is very challenging because I have nobody to do things with. I hike alone, explore towns alone, make plans alone, watch movies alone and go everywhere and do everything alone. I would love to share some things with people but have chosen a town where this is very difficult. Everyone I can have adventures with lives at least an hour and half away, so there really aren't any easy evenings out, or spontaneous walks in the park.

So I think the only thing that would work is to make time for solo activities that bring me joy. Which, like creativity and fitness, involves that limited resource of TIME.

Breaking all this down was really enlightening - I recommend others try it.

Regarding priorities, making 'S.M.A.R.T decisions' will help here too.

See: SMART Decisions

Jill - that was great! It sounds like you have your priorities well in order, and now it's a matter of taking slow, regular steps towards them!

My priority list from last year was:

helping others (directly)
helping others help themselves
being more healthy
finding serenity
keep learning
order / organization


I think in looking at this now that I can do a better job of phrasing things. All those "ings" seem like extra reading

OK.

* Help Others Directly
No need for parenthesis here. This is still a main priority for me. It is what brings me joy.

* Help Others Help Themselves
I feel strongly about this one as well. If I can get someone running on the right path, they can thrive for their entire life. I very much love this image. I want to give them the tools they need to succeed wherever they go.

* Be Healthy
The "more" makes it sound like I'm not healthy now, which we know from vision board statements is something to avoid. We want to envision ourselves NOW being the way we wish. Every day I want to make healthy choices for myself. This encompasses body and mind.

* Be Serene
Again I need to avoid the "finding" word. I can do everything so much more fluidly and easily when I start from a serene space. I can help others, help myself, achieve my goals. Serenity is a foundation for that.

* Learn and Grow
It is easy to get comfortable in a rut. But when your mind gets locked in a track, you miss out on countless opportunities. I want to, every day, practice out-of-box thinking so I am always in that mindset, that a solution and better path can be found. The more you practice on the quiet days, the easier it is to find solutions when trouble hits.

* Organize My World
I think this phrasing helps in many ways. First, I know the chaos of my house bothers me a lot. I have to hunt to find important papers. I have stacks of books all over my office. It is a constant stress / reminder of all my backlogged work.

The same is true for my online world. There are so many to-do emails everywhere, it is a source of stress. I need to make progress on that.

I think it also helps to remind me to focus on MY world. It can be easy sometimes to get wrapped up in how family members feel and what they expect. I have to remember that their issues are in THEIR world. I cannot change other people. I can only change myself and how I choose to react to things. I need to focus on my own environment and the things I have control over.

So that is my new priority list for 2011!

Well, I checked and my last priority list in this thread was done in 2008 :P

My priorities for 2011 are:

Be Healthy
Make healthy choices!

Nurture my Family Relationships
Date night with hubby and game night with kids - to start!

Make money through my websites {here and my personal site}.
I'd really like to be able to support my family. Then hubby could retire early to build hot rods.

Feel Peaceful

My priorities are to be able to spend more time with those that I love--includes my human and pet family members, plus my friends.

My health is a major priority. I do a lot better than I have in the past, but there is so much room for improvement.

I will write more and find a source of income from writing. This will allow me to do more with priorities one and two.

I will continue to find ways to help others reach their potential. Although I may be retired from a regular gig in the classroom in five years, I will never stop helping others. It's part of who I am.