Touchstone ‘P’ is for priority. Yes, the P word. We may think we do or don’t have priorities. We do. Our priority is what we choose to do instead of something else. We may think we don’t have a choice, but we always do. We can either do it or not.
Think about it. We have to get the kids out of bed, we have to make breakfast, we have to drive the kids to school or daycare, we have to pick up the laundry, we have to, we have to, we have to. There’s that phrase again ‘have to’. Truth is, these may be our responsibilities, but we don’t have to do them. There are plenty of parents out there that don’t bother. Just look at the kids running the streets. The point is, these are our priorities – the things we deem most important to be accomplished.
I am sure you all have heard the example of the jar. Fill the jar up with big stones, is it full? Pour in beads over the stones to fill it up. Is it full yet? Now pour in sand over the stones and beads, again filling it up. Is it full yet? It is? Now take water and pour it in. Finally we can say it is truly filled up.
What we need to do is to decide what the most vital things in our lives are. Make a list of all the things you ‘have’ to do in your life. Now make a list of the things you ‘want’ to do. It’s OK to have the same things on each list, although there are bound to be some that make one list and not the other. These are the big stones in the jar. The beads and sand are the other things that fill up our lives, and the water is the room, or time, left.
Have you ever wanted something so much you could almost ‘taste’ it? I wanted to travel home to see my mother (a 17 hour drive). I didn’t have the money nor the time off work. Guess what? I found the time and the money. I wanted a new vehicle – I found the reasons and the financing to get one. What we really want, we find a way to do it.
What if someone you loved was in an accident or was hospitalized, you would find the time and resources to do whatever you could to help them. Wouldn’t you? If you are overweight, your health is at risk – you are at risk. Are you going to put yourself as a priority? If you were in an airplane and the oxygen masks dropped down do you remember what you are to do? You are to put your mask on FIRST before taking care of anyone else. If you don’t, you may pass out before you are able to help anyone else. Think of your health like that. If you don’t stay healthy, how are you going to accomplish all of those priorities in your life?
Now remember: You are worth it, you deserve it, and you are going to become a healthier, happier you.
Listen to this post 
