A
week ago, I had a chance to chat with one of my all –time favorite human beings
on the planet- my son! When our schedules get so busy that we cannot see one another
right away, we text or we even have some face to face time via Marco Polo to
stay in touch. What started off as just us catching up as we often do, became a
very pivotal pow-wow for us (mostly me) to share some life experiences on the
difference between priority and purpose. Over more recent years, I have learned
to parent my son differently because he is a man, and I cannot have him
underfoot the way I once did when he was a small child. That season is long
gone. He has grown and evolved and is capable of living in and through his own
legacy. It will be whatever he creates and builds it to be. I give him room to
grow and to evolve. I am here for him whenever, for whatever, and however he
may need me to be of assistance without the preponderance of enablement. I
never seek to be a crutch, but instead, a hand up to lift as he climbs.
We
discussed the difference as priority is sometimes more of an urgency that we
encounter throughout life. So, we prioritize paying bills, taking care of
household tasks and personal business, taking care of our health and well-being
and responding to other things that require immediate attention. For some, that
may mean providing any and everything for children, a spouse or even for your
aging parents/family members. This has its place and is of importance; however,
we have to be careful that this does not monopolize all of our time. This can,
however, be very challenging to balance in some seasons of life. What deserves
great attention is purpose. We must never allow matters of priority to throw us
off of our mindset of purpose. We must be diligent to stay focused in this area
no matter what the distractions may be. Purpose is the life you were created to
live. It’s the reason why you are here! If left untethered, it will be
forgotten and escape the forefronts of your mind because the priorities have
taken over. This can happen more easily than you think. But, we have to manage
our time wisely and stay focused on purpose. A bit of advice, don’t allow
priorities to get the best of you! If they do, re-focus and get back on task. I
say this with a commanding, yet respectful tone because many have put things
off for tomorrow, and tomorrow slowly, but surely, became 5, 10, 15 years or
longer. Trust me, no one will regret it or pay the price for this delay more
than you will. The cost can be insurmountable and will not be worth it! So, it’s
up to you to choose what will win in the battle between Priority vs. Purpose!
Helpful
Resources
I
want to share a couple resourceful tools with you that have truly helped me in
more ways than I can say. The first is a book written by Stephen Covey
entitled, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. The other is the Stephen
Covey Time Management Matrix, see below:
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