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Prioritize Your Priorities

Written by Mark Glicini | Oct 17, 2024 11:15:00 PM

What do you value most? Are you living in alignment with your core values? Do you prioritize your priorities?

Story

A philosophy professor stands before her students with a large empty jar, softballs, golf balls, pebbles, and two cups of coffee. She fills the jar with softballs and asks the students, "Is this jar full?" They nod and reply, "Yes."
 
She then adds several golf balls and asks again, "Is this jar full?" They laugh and reply, "Yes."
 
Next, she pours in the pebbles and the two cups of coffee, looks up, and explains, "The softballs represent the biggest values in your life. The golf balls represent the activities you should find time for each month or quarter. The pebbles represent auxiliary and social events you should attend several times per year. And no matter how busy you get, always make time for a cup of coffee with a friend. But, my dear students, if you put the coffee, pebbles, and golf balls in first, you will neglect what you ought to value most!"
 

There's a saying: every new chapter of our lives requires a new version of ourselves. This is why reflecting on the following question should be a frequent and fundamental practice: Right now, what and who must matter most in my life, and why?

When we act in accordance with our core values, we experience a sense of engagement, meaning, and purpose. Our personalities and life circumstances shape our own unique values. 

Remember this line, if nothing else: Remain true to you—your interests, your passions, your people.

Albert Einstein once remarked, "Everybody is a genius… but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." You're not stupid. You're brilliant. Your brilliance is connected to what lights your soul on fire. As the late, great Howard Thurman emphasized, "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do that… because what the world needs is more people who have come alive."

So let’s make this personal to you.

Grab a pen and your mental performance journal. Write down what matters to you most.

A. Soft Balls (every day or every week):

  • Spiritual practice, prayer or meditation

  • Connect with loved ones

  • Break a sweat, exercise, stretch or yoga

  • Hydrate—drink your body weight in ounces of water

  • Work on yourself, your job, and your future

B. Golf Balls (every month or every quarter):

  • Visit parents or grandparents

  • Reconnect with old friends or colleagues

  • Enjoy a spa day or personal relaxation day

  • Write three handwritten letters

  • Finish books, podcasts, or documentaries

C. Pebbles (several times per year):

  • Attend weddings

  • Go on vacations or weekend road trips

  • Set goals

  • Run a marathon or undertake a difficult endeavor

  • Get an annual physical, dental checkup, or bloodwork

D. People I’d LOVE to have coffee with:

  • Family Member

  • Friend

  • Coach

  • Mentor

  • Celebrity

This is just a framework. CREATE YOUR OWN!

Put first things first.

Align your core activities with your core values.

Prioritize your priorities.

Go be great.

MG

 

 
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