A to Z Challenge: Priorities

When we are busy taking charge of our lives, there is suddenly so much to do. There are all the things you need to do and learn to get to your goal.

And then there are still some "obligations" from before. Like taking care of family. Spending  time with your friends. (Any of those whose negative outlooks aren't trying to bring you down.) Spending time with God is another good example. Note the quotes above. Because none of these should really feel like something you have to do, but rather what you want to do.

On top of all that, there are the many tiny little "favors" that people want you to do. Errands for others... Projects at work that isn't really in your job description. Especially the "optional ones". You  know, the things that keep you from doing what you should be doing. They seem so small in the beginning, but invariably, they add up to a serious drain on your time.

If you keep doing these things for people, they'll keep heaping more on you. So. At some point, you need to sit down and see what's important to you and what you want to do. Because deep down, you definitely don't want to be everyone's door mat. Once you know what you're willing to do, you're welcome to continue them. The others, you say no to.

The people who've used you up to this point won't like it. After all, they'll have to do the things they never felt like themselves. Which is truly so sad for them. They'll probably put up some resistance, but stay strong.

The time you'll win to do things you love will make it all worth while.

Prayer

Lord, 

I feel like I'm drowning in little odd favors and demands that people put on me. I know that the only way out is to prioritize and cut back on things that aren't worthwhile. Please help me to see what I should stop doing and give me the strength to say "no". 

I pray this in Jesus's name. 

Amen. 

Refocusing Priorities

Have you ever noticed how you can set some amazing and sensible goals, only to discover a few weeks down the line that you didn't do a thing toward them?

Happens to me with amazing frequency. Like my drafting goals. In January and February, I got almost no writing done.

Here's the thing, though, if you really care about getting your goals done, you can't just mope and give up.

You need to re-focus your priorities.

For me, this means doing the following:

1) Putting more focus back on my faith. There's a really good reason for this, but I'll do another post on it in the very near future.

2) Getting back into a regular writing schedule. Right now I'm trying to write a thousand words every day for the month. That way when I tone back down, I'll be more than able to write five days a week or something along those lines.

3) Finding sporting activities that intrigue me. This means I will definitely be going back to fencing. Then there's probably pilates or yoga and  maybe capoeira to strengthen my core.

4) Learning Languages. Main clients in my company are now French and Dutch, so that'll be the ones I focus on. I have until May to be conversant....

5) Finally, I'm making a concerted effort to deal with stress. It's just so much better for my stress. Amazing thing is that a few hours after I came to this decision, I was offered a chance to test a social network focusing on the so-called Psychology of Happiness, called Happify. Basically they give users a few short exercises to do every day, helping us focus on the positive and to escape stress. It also shares some really interesting stats on what makes people happy/stressed etc. Interested in checking it out? I've been given five invitations, so if you want to test drive this Happify thing too, please let me know in the comments and leave me an e-mail address.

Which goals do you think you need to refocus on? Want a Happify invite?