Priorities Shock!

Well...I have had some amazing experiences over the last week or two - all to do with changing perspectives and priorities in life. The first happened when I was away with a friend over the Mother's Day weekend. I lost my very expensive diamond ring in the sand around the pool area where we were staying. My friend and I, and both our daughters, looked frantically through the sand totally focused on finding it. Next think I knew, my 2.5 year old son who was paddling in the pool had ventured out of his depth and had gone under. He recovered in a couple of minutes but needless to say that from that second on I really haven't been too concerned about the diamond!

Not co-incidentally (I suppose) most of my clients over the following week shared similar stories with me. These ranged from huge health scares to basic every-day frustrations...but each one had the same theme. Why do we focus on things that really aren't important SO MUCH MORE THAN we focus on the things that are???? How do our priorities get so stuffed up?

Let's face it, we all do it! We get caught up in work and choose long work hours and skipping lunch rather than going home for quality family time or looking after ourselves. We become so focused on achieving our goal rather than enjoying the journey! We insist that the house is tidy rather than getting in on the mess making fun with the kids! I'm sure you can think of even more examples. Have you heard the saying "Show me your diary and your cheque book and I'll tell you what you most value"? Scary thought isn't it.

We need to be conscious of what personal needs are driving us to make the choices we make. Anthony Robbins says we are driven by 6 core needs - certainty, variety, significance, belonging, growth and contribution. We can meet each of these needs in a healthy and ecological way or in a way that is not good for anyone. Which of these needs are your priorities satisfying? How happy are you with this answer?

Let me know what you think.



We