We all have different priorities in life, but some priorities can bring more fulfillment and happiness than others. It really depends on our values and what we hold closest to our hearts. Sometimes what we may think are priorities are not really priorities. Maybe someone else told us we should hold them as a priority so we pretend like they are, but we don’t actually take action on making them a priority.
For example, I was reading a post the other day where someone was asking about their dog’s food. They were wondering what the cost was to feed homemade versus kibble. They declared that they knew homemade would be healthier for their sick dog, but they didn’t want to spend the money if it was more expensive. There were plenty of comments that went something like this, “Where do you find the time to cook your dog homemade food?” It was apparent that their dog’s food and health were not a priority in their lives. I would bet that they would never say that about cooking for their sick kids, sick family, or even a sick friend who drops by for supper. They obviously hold more value in other things and, while they are pretending to prioritize the dog, they don’t.
A Quick Example Of Different Priorities
While we all pretty much have some core priorities in life, they can be arranged differently depending on what’s happened in our lives. That’s why it’s important not to force your priorities on other people.
For example, look at these two priority pyramids I found.
The first one focuses on necessities like water, breathing, and excretion first. It ends with morality and problem-solving.
The next one starts with God as the foundation and has eating healthy in third last place and taking care of the Earth behind everything else.
What would be the foundation of your priority pyramid? What is the number one thing that serves everything else in the pyramid? It’s an interesting way to organize and visualize your priorities in life.
If you are not sure, I recommend taking something like Lifebook. It will help you clarify where your values are and what matters most to you. Everyone is different, and when you can find your own priorities in life, as opposed to what other people tell you your priorities should be, you will live a much more rewarding and happy life.
Without priorities in life, you will aimlessly do whatever calls your attention most, even if it’s the TV for 8 hours a day.
When you are crystal clear about your priorities, you will be more willing to get up and do what matters. For instance, if one of your top priorities is taking care of your family, including your pets, you will make that homemade dog food rather than do something else.
In short, finding your priorities will help you have much more fulfillment and success.
Top 10 Priorities To Focus On
Besides the necessities, your priorities will likely change depending on what’s happening in your life. For some people, their top priorities may never change, but for most of us, life’s curveballs can throw us off for a bit.
But when you have made yourself a priority pyramid, where you can see what YOUR priorities are, you will have a good reminder of what’s most important to you and what to focus on for your best life.
Following are important priorities that you may want to include as an important part of your priority pyramid.
1. Your Well-Being
Self-care is a buzzword that is used a lot now, but there are good reasons for it.
- Nobody else will make you their biggest priority.
- Nobody else will take your happiness or health as seriously as you do.
- Nobody else can make you happy or healthy.
It all falls on your shoulders.
Along with regular self-care activities, such as relaxation, vacations, and ‘me time’, I would suggest that you focus on self-growth as a part of your self-care routine.
Through challenges and journaling, you can discover more about who you are and how to really take care of yourself so that you are as healthy, stress-free, and productive as possible.
Moreover, focusing on the rest of these priorities will improve your well-being as well.
2. Your Partner
I find it interesting that in almost everyone’s pyramid, the spouse or partner is close to one of their top priorities. It shows the value that a loving partner can be the foundation to every other aspect of your life.
A good partner can offer support in good and bad times.
They can be a sounding board.
They can be the encouraging voice that helps you do important things.
If you don’t have a partner or spouse, you may want to make your best friend a priority. They can offer you a lot of the same value that a spouse or partner can.
3. Taking Care Of Friends And Family
Would you do anything for your friends and family? If you would drop anything you are doing to help them, then this is likely a top priority for you.
If your friends and family give your life a purpose, then you may want to make this your number one priority.
This means you may want to do things such as:
- Dedicate more quality time with family and friends.
- Find ways to make them happy.
- Focus on encouraging and uplifting them.
- Engage in special activities with them that promote bonding.
4. Hobbies
Speaking from experience, there is nothing sadder than watching someone get older without any hobbies. Life loses a ton of meaning.
When work is gone (and even in your working years), hobbies are what help you get up and out of bed in the morning. They give you a purpose. They give your life meaning. This is why taking time to find new hobbies and engage in current hobbies is so important.
Hobbies can include anything from camping to painting.
A hobby is simply something you do that gives you pleasure.
What gives you pleasure? Do you spend enough time focused on it? If not, how can you make it more of a priority in your life?
5. Money
Like it or not, money should be a priority in most people’s lives. They need it to do what they want, live where they want, eat what they want, and enjoy life on their terms.
Money is not a bad thing. Money is a good thing that allows you to really engage with your life’s path and to help others engage with their’s as well.
If you feel like money is a bad thing, or if you struggle with money, and you have not heard of Happy Money by Ken Honda, then you need to check that out.
6. The Environment
Without the environment, you would not have a life to make priorities in!
There are so many things you can do to help the environment out, and, every single choice you make is important.
A lot of people feel like other people will save the environment, but those ‘other people’ are also waiting for other people to save the environment. In short, the more you let other people do it, the more it will never get done.
We all need to make the environment a priority, now.
We are facing a mass extinction, and we each need to do our part so that nobody is waiting for someone else to do something… we are all just doing it.
What can you do? How about going vegan? It’s delicious, easier than ever, and will help you make this priority high.
7. Faith
Faith can help you get through hard times and give you a sense of meaning in life.
Not everyone believes in God or religion, but most people feel a connection with something bigger than themselves, and that can help cultivate faith.
For instance, you may feel a connection to nature and its abundance and ability to regenerate and keep going on. This connection can help you have confidence in your own ability to be abundant and regenerate and keep going on.
Prayer is another tool to help you cultivate more faith and face life with more hope.
8. Fun
This is a priority that many people lose as they age, but it’s an important one for fulfillment and happiness in life. The more fun you have, the more you enjoy life. It’s just that simple.
Make fun a priority. Put as much fun as you can into your relationships, your work, your health, and everything else.
Cultivate a good sense of humor and a sense of play, and keep it until the day that you die.
9. Compassion
Having a sense of compassion is one of those priorities that will serve you and your life well.
Being able to see things from other people’s perspectives will help you maintain a sense of community and concern for other people, as opposed to indifference about what other people think or feel.
Making compassion a priority will help you see the beauty in the world and steer away from hatred and anger towards others.
Making compassion a priority will improve your relationship with others and with the environment.
It’s a priority that will keep you down on earth with a sense of humility.
A compassionate mind will impact your life positively in every way possible. There’s nothing that won’t benefit from compassion.
10. Mental And Physical Health
This priority is obviously important. Without your mental or physical health doing well, you can’t give your energy to all your other priorities in life. It’s just too hard because your energy and time are devoted to your poor mental or physical health.
Everyone has different approaches to improving their physical and mental health. It’s important to figure out what needs improvement in your life and then find solutions for your specific areas that need attention.
Your mental and physical health should be an ongoing priority in your life. There is a real truth that you need to use it or lose it, so make sure you are doing what you can to improve your mental and physical health at all times.
