Establishing what your priorities are is foundational to living intentionally.
A priority is something you prefer to something else. It’s about what you put first.
Priorities are important because they dictate the direction your life is going.
Where you put your attention is what grows. If you’re growing the wrong thing, you will head in a direction you never wanted to.
So, I want to help you feel really confident about setting priorities in your life based on what’s important to you.
Priorities In Life
I’m curious… have you ever thought about what the main priorities are in your life?
You can prioritize your health, your family, your community, and a variety of other things (more on this below). But until you decide what you prioritize (and in what order), it’s just ideas in your head. It’s too vague to take action on.
Getting clear about what matters most to you is incredibly important.
It’s like having clarity.
It shows you which way to go on a regularly basis.
Before we get into which priorities to set, though, let’s talk about the difference between priorities and goals…
The Difference Between Priorities And Goals
There’s a big difference between priorities and goals.
Priorities are what you do first. It’s what’s most important to you.
Goals are something you decide to achieve in the future. It’s a milestone that will take lots of action for you to accomplish.
I think talking about this in more detail here will help…
Priorities
A priority is defined by something you treat as more important than something else. A priority is that thing you choose to do as soon as you wake up. It could be that thing you try to do once a week.
Some priorities you may have are…
- Keeping a journal
- Eating right
- Going to the gym
- Spending time with important people
This is different from your goals.
Goals
Goals are defined as the object of your effort. To break it down, goals are in essence, the things you’re striving for in the long term.
You can set short term goals, but you usually do these in effort to reach a bigger goal in the future.
The things you’re choosing to prioritize on a day to day basis are what can help make those goals a reality.
How To Choose Your Priorities
Now that you know what priorities are, it’s important to know how to choose them. When you choose your day to day priorities, you want to focus on things that will help you in the future. What are the things that you see future you doing? Who is your highest self? Your goals should reflect that.
Do you plan to start your own business? Your daily priorities should be to work on your business goals and plan your business strategy.
Do you want to lose some weight? Your priorities will be to focus on your eating and exercising.
Your daily priorities should align with future you and her plans.
Here are some steps you should keep in mind when choosing your priorities.
1. Reflect On Your Goals
Think of the long term goals you’ve set for yourself. What are some of the things that you need to do to reach those goals? Try to do a little bit of that every day so you have a plan to succeed. Goals without a plan are hard to finish. Breaking down big goals into smaller goals will create a path for success.
2. Make A List
Once you have your goals, make a list of the steps to get to those goals. These are things you want to prioritize to get from point A to point B.
For example, you may want to focus on growing your relationships with people around you. If that’s you, then your list may include things like, having an intentional meal with your significant other, play with your kids, meet a friend for coffee, call someone to catch up.
- Resource: How To Fix Your Relationship (free course)
3. Categorizing Your Priorities
It’s important to make sure you’re categorizing your priorities. You don’t want to give yourself more than you can bear. This can take a little time to figure out, but that’s okay. Take some time to set your top priorities in life.
Set your priorities on your own time. You can plan your priorities out on your calendar. Put the things that matter most to you in time slots. Make sure you’re setting aside specific times to make those things a habit.
- Resource: Time Management Tools (free course)
Examples of Priorities
I want to share with you some examples of priorities you can set. If you don’t know which priorities to set yet, these are some awesome ones to start with.
1. Take Care Of Your Mental Health
Taking care of your mental health is so important. You can control your mental health by taking the time to coach yourself. Learn to control your thoughts and you can control how you feel. When you can control how you feel, you can learn to take big actions.
Coach yourself and retrain your brain to think differently about your circumstances and your choices. It’s so important to remember you can’t control the world around you, but you can control you.
2. Exercise And Eat A Healthy Diet
Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly can be a game changer. Get outside and move around. Choose to stop eating the sugar and the junk food. Eating a diet of nutrient rich food will make your body feel amazing. I chose to stop eating sugar and meat and I feel incredible.
Plan your meals and buy food that’s healthy. You don’t need to cut every non nutritious food out of your diet. But plan to eat healthy in advance and you’ll naturally avoid those foods that aren’t as beneficial.
3. Set Big Goals
If you haven’t already, set some big goals. What are some of the things you’ve always wanted to achieve? Write them down. Choose to plan for them. Choose to prioritize things that make those goals a reality. Nothing is impossible. Especially if you’ve got a strategy to reach those huge goals.
4. Process Your Emotions
Remember to process your emotions; even the negative ones. Remember, you’re allowed to feel any emotion. That doesn’t mean you give into it. That doesn’t mean it controls you. But it’s so important to check in and know what you’re feeling. Take the time to allow yourself to process the things your mind and body are feeling.
5. Plan Your Time
Plan out your day in time slots. Take time at the beginning of the week or day to put your activities into time slots. Allow yourself the time you need to work, rest, and spend time with people that are important.
When you plan your schedule ahead of time, you’re setting yourself up for results.
6. Take Responsibility For Your Actions
Choose to take responsibility for your own actions. Hold yourself accountable for your choices. Accountability is all about showing up for YOU. Self accountability is when you do what you say you’re going to do, no matter how you feel about it in the moment. You’re the one who creates your results.
7. Love Yourself Fully
Choose to love yourself fully and practice self care.
Self care isn’t just bubble baths and avoiding the negative. It’s setting yourself up for the future. It’s loving yourself through your mistakes. And it’s acknowledging your actions and trying hard, but loving yourself no matter the outcome.
8. Rewrite Your Past So That It Serves You
You can’t change your past, but you can rewrite it so that it serves you. You don’t have to feel a certain way because of your past. And you can choose to view your setbacks as set ups.
You choose to tell yourself a story about past you that creates a new future. Take the power away from your past and choose to let it benefit you.
9. Surround Yourself With People You Respect
Choose to hang around people that you respect and look up to. Do you know someone that’s where you want to be? Be intentional with them and learn from them. Spend quality time with ones you love. Make time for those who inspire you to be better.
10. Take Care Of Your Money
Take some time to take care of the money you have. Check on your bank account. Don’t let the number you see make you feel a certain way. Choose to feel abundant. When you do this, you can create more money and be grateful for what you already have. You can have an amazing relationship with your money.
11. Live Intentionally 100% Of The Time
You have the choice to live intentionally all of the time. You can choose to use your life to your advantage. And you can choose to let things happen for you instead of just happening to you. You can’t control your circumstances, but you can control how you think about them. Choose to live intentionally with the future in mind.
12. Travel Often To Learn About The World
Plan time to travel and learn about the world around you. Traveling is a lot of fun and an incredible experience. But, it’s also an amazing way to learn. There are so many different cultures and ways of life. When you get out into the world, you’re not just getting a unique experience. You’re also going to learn a lot about the people and places around you that you may have never learned otherwise.
13. Get To Know People Who Are Different Than You
Take some time to learn about people who are different from you. Everyone is so unique. Take the time to get to know someone who is completely different. Learn about a different political view. Learn about someone’s religion. Or learn about a new culture you haven’t experienced. Take the time to see something from someone else’s view. You can see the world around you in a whole new light.
These are just a few different priories you can set. There are so many more out there. Find the ones that align with your goals. Or make it a priority to create new goals! Either way create habits that set up your future self.
A Final Note
Defining your priorities is a life changer.
You’ll have more confidence in your day to day actions.
You’ll feel better about where you’re headed.
You’ll ultimately create a better life.
And there’s nothing better than that.
