Priorities.
It’s almost everyday that there’s a constant struggle to keep up with the things we wish to achieve in the near future or ‘goals’ we are enthusiastically pushing for. And in the long term, a ‘vision’ we have, that drives our lives. But primarily it’s about ‘priorities’ which is strongly correlated with the outcome, be it short term or long term, and to get the best of it, things ought to be organized.
Okay, let’s get this things clear and emphasize a bit more on the difference between identifying the goals and a vision , and how important it is to be in the right frame of mind before you start with something, before you start setting your priorities right.
Goals are what would be tangible, something we can aspire for and some level of diligence would get us there. Whereas vision is what defines us, it has to be etched in our thoughts always to stay motivated in the right direction but to work on those thoughts requires you set goals that ‘can be achieved’, which are realistic and not far fetched.
Why is it important? — For a simple reason ‘Confidence’. If you are pursuing something that connects with your vision, no matter how genuine and enchanting it seems, unless you feel the result and there isn’t a sense of achievement, it will lead to dejection irrespective of what you worked on and how hard! Contrasting it with setting a goal, say daily or weekly, it would be more tangible and you can actually measure your growth in realistic terms, which would give you the much needed confidence.
That’s why prioritizing things on a short term basis is of great importance, along with it, finding the right ‘balance’ is the key. It is sort of interleaved but when you get things in order, we have some form of balance, not the whole circus act but somewhere there.
Focusing on setting the priorities right and to strive for the balance, consider this — ‘life is a juggling act’ and hence the following quote-
“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends and spirit. And you’re keeping all of these in the air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls — family, health, friends and spirit — are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.”
- Brian Dyson, former CEO, Coca-Cola
Breaking it down, it doesn’t matter in what phase of life you are, on what stage and in what role, there are things which should come before everything, keeping that in mind, you set your priorities. We will always feel that if a little bit of something that we wish for gets fulfilled , we will be happy, but that will never stop, there will again be something which keeps us in the constant hunt for this happiness. What’s essential is for us to identify what echoes with our beliefs and our personality, only then we can be sure of what happiness is to us.
How to go about it? — It has to start with a routine, you got to build a set of things, that would make you feel accomplished at the end of the day, and following that chain of events perhaps would bring about some level of satisfaction. Now, what should be your priority? I can’t tell you that, but the intent is to have a mindset which formalizes a set of rules which are aligned to the principles you believe in. Can’t emphasize enough on the importance of writing it all down, the thoughts, the agenda, ideas and experiences on a regular basis, just so that you have something reflect back on.
That being said, most of this is just my opinion on getting the most out of everything we do, a lesson to keep reminding myself that I’ll be better off doing things on a priority basis than to procrastinate, given I start of with the most important ones, given that I will not drop one of the ‘glass balls’. Talking about the principles and beliefs, what defines/drives us, we must be clear about that in order to grow. Tony Robbins lays out ‘six human needs’, which according to him fuel our passion for life. The realization of what we are chasing has to be there for us to progress towards that vision.
Getting your priorities right is all about what makes you happy and how you can budge out time for things that would make the outcome that much more conducive as well as the moments along the way to be more cherished than ever. Once you start enjoying the process, things start falling in place and its only elementary to ascertain that it would be a significant step forward towards your vision and towards your growth as a person.
