A new year is just around the corner. It’s time to take stock of your life priorities as you plan for everything any changes you want to make in the new year.
Your values should determine your life and work priorities — they are the measures you use to determine if your life is turning out the way you want it to. They are the things, people, causes, and practices that are most important to you. When the way you spend your time, energy and effort matches your values, life is usually good. You are satisfied. When the opposite is true, everything feels wrong.
Often we think that we can only live our life priorities when the circumstances are perfect (i.e., when you have enough money, when you are successful, when the children are grown or out of college, when you retire, etc.). The truth is you must live your life in alignment with your priorities now to feel satisfied with your life and with your business.
Create a List of Priorities in Your Life
A simple test of priorities is to rank the following in order of importance to you. Rank the following list from 1 to 8 with 1 being the most important and 8 being less important.
_______ Family
_______ Friends
_______ Hobbies
_______ Faith
_______ Community
_______ Self or YOU
_______ Work, Business, Career
_______ Money
There is no “right” or “wrong” order for these priorities. They should be a personal choice. Once the choice is made, those that ranked highest should be prioritized in your plans for your life and for your business or career.
What Are Your Priorities in Life?
So, what can you learn from this exercise? Look for areas to focus on in your planning process to improve your appreciation for your business and your joy of life.
For example, if you ranked “family” first and you are working seven days a week in your business, you will most likely feel overworked or overwhelmed. You may receive feedback from your family that they feel ignored and that things have to change. You may feel unfulfilled in life in general.
As you plan, you will want to think about how you can reclaim time to spend with your loved ones. Look at ways to outsource, delegate and set boundaries for work hours.
If you ranked “community” in the top three, then think of ways that you can use your business to promote your community or identify volunteer programs or non-profits that you want to support.
Life priorities are usually fairly stable but they will change as life circumstances change. For example, when you have a young family, “family” may rank higher than “you” or “self” and as you grow older, “community” or “friends” may move up in rank.
As change occurs, you may notice the signs of feeling out of balance, so making this exercise a part of your planning process every year will help you identify your life priorities even as they change.
Plan with the Help of Northwest Coaching Group
No matter where you are today, stop and take inventory of your life priorities. Then, build your plans for the new year around them.
To create a plan that will allow you to balance and prioritize the most important parts of your life, the Northwest Coaching Group is here to help. Our experienced coaches can help you develop a strategy to improve your business, focus on work-life balance while remaining successful in your career, or give back to the community around you. We actively listen to your goals and help you plan accordingly for success.
Reach out to the Northwest Coaching Group for advice today!