Happy Friday, Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a beautiful new has dawned in my Sweet Home Alabama! 😊
Well, for the second time in the past month I find myself writing Happy Friday on a Saturday morning! Yes, it has been that kind of month! Very busy but so very, very blessed! 😊
This morning I want to share a short message. It is something for all of us to think about and then determine how we want to live our lives…
My oldest Tender Warrior, Payton, attended an industry conference a couple of weeks ago. He was at a presentation by one of the leaders in his industry when the speaker was asked about time management. The speaker said something to the effect of, “You don’t manage time. You schedule your priorities.” He then went on to talk about the importance of his family to him, how the demands of the job are real and that sometimes there are things at work you absolutely can’t miss which might cause you to miss something with your family, but overall, you can schedule your priorities.
A few thoughts…
First, I am so thankful for leaders like this man. Payton is early in his career and to have leaders talk about knowing your priorities, keeping your priorities straight, and prioritizing family – a priority I share with this leader – makes a dads heart happy. It is far different than one of the early leaders in my professional life. That leader was teaching that you must stay at the office until 2:00 a.m., be back in the office by 6:00 a.m., and that these things are the things that matter most. It was a deep conviction in my Spirit that told me this was not right, that things can, and should be, different. This is probably why today I am so passionate with the people I am privileged to serve. I make sure they understand that their jobs are not the most important thing about them, that who they are as people and their families are their number one priority, and that we will be where our feet are – when we are home, be home.
Second, Inky Johnson had a great message a few weeks ago. He was talking about renewable and non-renewable moments. He was discussing the importance of honoring the non-renewable moments. Special moments in the life of your family – a birth, a birthday, a performance, etc. – are non-renewable moments and therefore cannot be missed for they will never occur again. There are plenty of renewable moments that, sadly, we attend while sacrificing the non-renewable moments. I pray we will identify, prioritize, and honor the non-renewable moments in our lives and in the lives of our families for if we don’t, we are apt to leave a path of hurt and regret that will last a lifetime.
And finally, let’s intentionally identify our priorities and order our lives accordingly. The thing about priorities is nobody can tell anyone else what their priorities should be. We will all choose our priorities, and those choices will determine the quality, depth, and breadth of the lives we live. Pretty simple, really. Here is the hard part; in prioritizing one thing, we will have to deprioritize something else. What we all eventually learn is you can do anything, but you can’t do everything. Going back to my example from early in my career; where is the time for my wife, for my family, when I am working until 2:00 a.m. and being back in the office at 6:00 a.m.? And the leader I was referring to? He got divorced. For him the job was the priority, he honored his priority, and he lost his family in the process. We would all be wise to consider what we want our story to be… Let’s take an assessment this weekend. What are our priorities? Are we honoring them? If we need to make changes, let’s make them. It’s not about time-management, it is about scheduling our priorities.
I want to share a few quotes with you here at the end…
“Boundaries are what you say no to. Priorities are what you say yes to.” – Nick Chellsen
“We don’t drift in good directions. We discipline and prioritize ourselves there.” – Andy Stanley
“Nobody’s life is ever all balanced. It’s a conscious decision to choose your priorities every day.” – Elisabeth Hasselbeck
“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage – pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically – to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside. The enemy of the ‘best’ is often the ‘good’” – Anonymous
“Good things happen when you set your priorities straight.” – Scott Caan
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well!
Kev
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