[Monday Message] Priorities

There’s a lot of noise-to-signal these days. So many things are grabbing at our attention, so many messages, so many things we think we need to do, that it can be paralyzing. Priorities help; but real priorities, not the ones being forced on you by society.

In order to know your priorities, it might help to ask yourself what makes your heart sing. The things you love tell you who you really are. Not what you are, but who you are. Our society tries to define us by our function, by what we do. We are a who, not a what. Who are you? When your heart sings, that is your higher self telling you you are on the right path. Listen for the heart song.

Then you can set about figuring out your real priorities is to figure out the three areas of your life that matter most to you. Mine are Community, Equality, and Empowerment, if that helps you figure out yours. And then figure out three things under those areas that hold the most weight in your heart – under community, in my example, would be (1) spending time with the people whom I love in the circles in my Venn diagram and letting them know they are loved, (2) creating & fostering community space for others, and (3) connecting people. Anything you give attention to should, in some way, further or contribute to those (essentially 9) things, and everything else should get bounced off your to do list.

I find it equally useful to determine those things that are in no way strengthening for you. What are the three qualities or characteristics in a person which are most distasteful to you? The answer will determine those things that will eat your soul if you allow them into your life on a regular basis. Be mindful of that, because ignoring that information means you disempower yourself. If you have an obligation to spend time around those qualities, make sure you are practicing self care. Learn good boundaries if you haven’t yet. Create an energetic shield between you and the personifications of those qualities so you don’t have to take those people personally. Foster your own compassion for them if that helps you self-soothe. And limit the amount of time you spend in those situations.

If you are not running your life according to your priorities, then you may want to reevaluate what you are doing and how you are going about doing it. Don’t let fear keep you from being who you really are. It is important to your soul’s development and to your here-and-now well being to be who you are.

This post is part of a series called Monday Message, based on that day’s reflection from 365 Days to Enlightenment (authorized versions are currently out of print, working on a new edition). Check back next Monday for another one! You can also sign up for the Daily Message on my mailing list if you’d like to receive a new reflection every day. I also often post them to Instagram, if that’s a medium you enjoy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.