Determining Your Purposeful Priorities
“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”
But how many times do we allow the things that matter least be greater than the ones that matter most? Far too many times than we are willing to admit. We know our purpose and life’s vision, we know the things that we want to pursue and yet still our goals and desires fall to the wayside of busyness, distractions, and that which is expected of us.
We will set our goals and generate our list of to-dos with the best intentions only to find ourselves regularly rolling over our to-dos like rollover minutes. Largely because we’re living in reaction to the demands of our everyday lives. Therefore, we fall into a vicious cycle where we live this mundane, disempowering life.
I know because I’ve been there too: living life on autopilot instead of being in control. I would wake up and go instead of dictating the direction of my day, mainly because I felt like I couldn’t do anything about it. I wasn’t in control, my schedule and responsibilities were. That unsustainable way of living led me to approach burnout more times than I'd like to admit. And to be honest, I’m still recovering but I have made a decision to take my life back. A decision to stop living in reaction to whatever is thrown my way. A decision to be the pilot of my life, choosing what I will allow and what I won’t. And that decision began with me determining my purposeful priorities.
Purposeful Priorities are the daily and weekly activities that matter most. They are the activities that align with your purpose, life’s vision, and goals. Many of us spend time doing busy work or what’s expected of us rather than what matters. In order to live an intentional versus reactive life, we must focus on doing more of the things that will move us forward in our purpose and goals. Here’s how to define your purposeful priorities:
Assess yourself.
The best way to move forward is to start by looking back. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 in your life, work, health, faith, finances, and relationships. How is that rating compared to your desired level of living? Whatever your rating may be, don’t be discouraged. Think of this exercise as assessing your growing ground. There is an opportunity for growth here. An opportunity for things to be made new.
Envision future you.
You may have a long-term vision for your life, but what about the short-term? Envision yourself one year from now. When you look back on this time, what will you wish you would have done? How will you wish you would have lived? What are the types of things you would like to be doing? Allow your mind to dream of all you could be and do. This visualization will inform what you need to do today to make your vision happen.
Examine your schedule and to-do list.
What in your schedule is vying for your energy and attention? Is your schedule maxed out and your to-do list filled to the brim? Have you bitten off more than you could chew? Choose something to quit. There is no shame in quitting non-purposeful things. Only take on the bare minimum required of your roles and responsibilities.
Purge the unnecessary.
Is there anything not serving yourself or others? If so, it’s time to cut it out. Oftentimes the change, progress, or blessings are being blocked by the things that are currently taking up space. Make room for the things and people that matter most.
Form new habits.
What new habits need to be formed? What new skills need to be developed? What new lessons need to be learned? You won’t be successful by doing the same things that left you stuck. Replace the bad habits with ones that will give you life and foster an environment for growth.
Once you’ve gone through these steps, you will know what your daily and weekly priorities should be. Don’t allow busyness to masquerade itself as productive or purposeful. Living a purpose-driven life starts with knowing what does and doesn’t fit in with God’s plan for your life and then prioritizing what does. Determine, focus, and then pursue.
One of the best ways to get clear on your priorities is to cast the vision for your life. Get clear on your vision and priorities with the free Vision and Value Workbook. Click the button below to download now!
