Reflection: A Delicate Balance

Recently I pulled out my Passion Planner and took a look at some of my goals that I set for the first three months of the year. Each year as the year ends/begins, I like to set a few goals for myself in areas spanning from my own health and wellness to home improvement projects and self-enrichment--things like learning new skills or refining existing skills. As I looked over my list, I realized something happened since the beginning of the year that had shifted some of these goals, that something is a really good thing, it is a desire to savor every moment I have with Jamie and Sylvia.

Among the many goals I started the year with, some have just had to just get reprioritized for now. I've heard it said that we tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in a year, and underestimate what we can accomplish in five. Last year, as we were getting ready for Sylvia's arrival, Jamie and I found ourselves taking on more and more big projects, and not only taking them on, but getting them done. One of my dear friends and personal coach took a look at five of my goals that were launching between September and December of last year and said if I only accomplished one of them it would be huge; I'm grateful that I was able to take on and accomplish all five, but I'm not sure how sustainable that pace is for the long haul.

This year, I've noticed a natural gravitation toward goals that are focused more on family, health, and wellness, than on next major steps for the house, or new skills, hobbies, or interests being cultivated. And, while I want to continue to grow and expand in skills, during this season, my focus has become more centered on daily habits that build toward long-term goals. This is probably true for every single one of us, but over the last few months, I have become more aware of it than ever. I'm striving to take vacation (something I've historically not been the best at), and I am taking more intentional daily space to get away from connected devices, from social media, and from work, although my friends and the farmers I have the privilege of serving alongside are never far from my heart and mind. And, while my blogging frequency has dropped pretty significantly this year, I am still taking time for reflection.

What I've been discovering during this season is that there is a delicate balance as we each learn and grow and make our unique contributions to this world, and that there is a value to building foundations that will secure both the longevity and the depth of these contributions. Part of what has brought this truth into focus for me has been the blessing of having Sylvia join our family. Even more than before, I want to be stronger, healthier, and better at all that I am doing so I can be more readily available to play, to grow, to learn, and to enjoy this beautiful world with her and Jamie. We daily get play-time together, and we make it a point to have at least an hour each day outside. Beyond these daily routines, I've doubled down on fitness and health and made significant cuts to the amount of sugar I consume (I know that my habits have a potential to become Sylvia's), slowly and steadily train toward a fifth Marine Corps Marathon for Nuru, and building an almost daily regimen of bodyweight training and mobility.

While I could have chosen to focus my efforts toward achieving a litany of goals like the ones I have listed in my Passion Planner (blogging more frequently, working toward a blue belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu, paint the house), those goals will still be available next year. What won't be available again next year is Sylvia's first year of life, and witnessing all of the discoveries and developments she is making. I don't think I'll regret waiting a little bit before painting the house. It will still need to be done, but I believe I'm gaining by waiting.

I believe each of us has a great deal we want to accomplish during our short period of years on this earth for the good of others and for the glory of our Creator. May we each be granted wisdom and discernment to know when to start, how to prioritize, and how to make the most of our limited days on this earth!

Reflection: Prioritizing and Intentionalizing

Over the last few months, I have been thinking a lot about prioritizing and internationalizing. It has  come up as a key piece of subject matter in some of the books I've been reading, and it has been a major topic of many recent conversations with others. How does one prioritize? How many priorities should one take on? What does it look like to make something a priority?

Recently, I read that it has only been in the modern era that the word took on a plural form "priorities" and in my opinion, that may be part of why it seems to be a great challenge for people today. It is hard to set just one priority, or at least only focus on one priority at a time. Because we live in a world where it seems like we are encouraged to move forward with multiple tasks at once, we can very easily find ourselves making virtually everything into a priority, but by definition only one thing can be a priority at one time.

Now can we do activities that can accomplish more than one goal at the same time? Of course! For example, over the last few weeks, I have been getting up early and exercising either by myself or with friends. Doing that helps me to grow in my own self-discipline but I am also becoming stronger, more fit, healthier, and more alert--I also find that this discipline carries over into other parts of the day. This one activity and priority is helping me accomplish a great deal in the day. And maybe that is part of the power of setting a priority.

Stephen Covey mentioned a concept in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People that there are activities in our life that fall into one of four quadrants. They are either urgent and unimportant, important but not urgent, unimportant and non-urgent, or urgent and important. He says that the areas of our life that fit into the important but not urgent category are those most easily squeezed out and deprioritized. For example, I may believe my health is important, but it is very easy to allow activities that would benefit my health to be less of a priority than tasks that at least feel more urgent or important. If I believe/say my health is important, but I don't eat right and and don't exercise, then I'm not investing in this priority for my life.

For me, it has been helpful to develop routines around what I want to be prioritized in my life. If something is prioritized, that means it needs to happen, and that other activities must take a lower priority. We live in a world where we are told that we can do anything and everything with our life and our time, but it it is a lie. We cannot do everything. And in trying to do everything, we often miss out on doing the things that are most important.

Every year at the end of the year/beginning of the year I like to take a look back over the previous year and set goals for the year ahead. It's an opportunity to recalibrate and refocus. It gives me a chance to see what was the ultimate priority, and where I need to make adjustments. My ultimate aspiration each year is to grow in my relationship with God, and then let everything else in my life flow from that singular intentional priority. It affects how I care for my body, my time, my relationships, and my limited resources. Setting my priority toward cultivating my relationship with God keeps everything else in its proper perspective. During times in my life when I have let other areas of focus become the ultimate focus (health, work, relationships, time management, etc.) it seems like not only that area, but every area suffers by degrees.

As you go about your day, may you have wisdom in setting your ultimate priority and intention, and may you daily move the needle in the areas of your life that are of greatest importance to you, so that at the end of the day, you can reflect with satisfaction that the "main thing" was indeed the main thing.