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Right now, las I write this, ife feels full… am I right?
I’m personally managing:
A rental property in another country.
Caring for my mother battling stage IV cancer. Helping my son navigate a job change and relocation. Guiding my daughter through finals as she prepares for two years abroad. Running my businesses and supporting my clients. Taking care of my aging body.
Being present in my marriage and supporting my wife in a career change.
I’m sure your list looks different, but just as full.
Here’s tsomething I’ve been thinking a lot about: Priority vs. Priorities
You don’t have multiple priorities at the same time, in the same place…
You have only 1
The word priority was never meant to be plural. But here’s where most people get this wrong…
It’s not just about what your priority is… It’s about where you are when you choose it.
Your priority should follow your presence… “Keep your mind where your ass is.”
When I’m at work… there is a clear priority list for work.
When I’m at home… there is a clear priority list for home. Unless there is an emergency, I stick to my priority list in each environment.
That doesn’t mean I ignore everything else. It means I stop trying to hold everything at once all the time. “Keep my mind where my ass is.”
Because that’s where people break and you need to keep this in mind as well:
Everything has seasons: business, marriage, parenting, relationships, life.
And within those seasons… priorities may shift.
Right now, I am in the season of family support… that will pass, and my priority list will shift accordingly.
But in any given moment, in any given place, in that season of life your in… There has to be clarity.
As owners, we like to say:
“My patients are my priority.”
“My team is my priority.” “My business is my priority.” “My family is my priority.” They can’t all be number one… all the time… everywhere.
What I’ve been forced to do and what I coach my clients to do is build a priority list.
Not a forever, carved in stone, black and white priority list, But for this season… and for this moment and for where you are.
And then have the discipline to honor it… that is the hard part. You may have to say “No” or at least “not at the present moment”
That might mean:
Some emails have to wait.
Some tasks take a little longer. You ask for help (imagine that 🤪). It doesn’t mean things don’t get done.
It means they get done with intention and clarity… instead of chaos and urgency.
It’s choosing…
Choosing one thing, fully, without feeling like you’re failing everything else.
But if you try to choose everything and make everything important then…
Nothing is important. Clarity disappears.
And everyone around you feels it, your team, your patients, your family.
So here’s the question:
What is your true priority in this season of life you are in, at this time, where you are?
Michael
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