I know most of us are taught that we can’t have it all, we are told life isn’t fair and it is about sacrifice and giving up to keep going. Not true – we can have it all, once we establish what our own personal “all” is. Most of us don’t really enjoy being pulled in multiple directions at once and multitasking ourselves into the ground, instead if we follow a simple rule of thumb about focus and choose only three major life priorities, at any given time, and let the rest go, it gets much easier.
In determining our priorities some of us may have some automatics in this like our families. This means that we create a life that allows time with our families and makes them significant as a priority. By the same token, you may say your career or one aspect of your career is also your priority and you may include a fun pursuit like sports or gardening as another priority.
The beauty in this approach is that we can change our priorities at any point in time because they are ours. We are not living our lives according to society or to someone else. This isn’t about what our spouse thinks, our parents want, our children demand, it is about who we want to be and what we want to accomplish. Breaking it down into bite-size pieces is critical for success. When we tackle it all, all at once, we get overwhelmed and burned out quickly.
Three main priorities is a simple fix for overloaded schedules and lives. In conjunction with this, consider adding a second layer of priorities on a more personal level, such as your health and fitness. Make it specific and doable. For example, committing to 30 minutes of exercise a day, the type and time is of your choice but you are honoring yourself, your health and this will facilitate your other priorities because you will feel better and have more energy. Perhaps another second tier priority that would support you would be some form of education once a week or month, whether it is a class you attend for fun, a seminar or workshop, or a daily teleclass to expand your skills and grow your mind. You will find that focusing more exclusively on fewer priorities you will achieve more in less time and feel better getting there.
And remember, just because you are asked to participate or attend doesn’t mean you have to unless it is inline with one of your priorities. So maybe the fund raiser will boost your visibility in your business and that is a priority, but perhaps the weekly networking event isn’t as effective for you and you could take back that time for better use. Also know that what works for someone else may not work as well for you, so tune in to your success opportunities. Where there is passion, there is reward!
