This is an interactive post - not just reading but doing! So here's how it works. Take a minute or two and write down your top 5 to 10 priorities. The point is not to get "everything" but to get the main things. Here's my example:
1. God
2. My Family
3. School
4. Friends
5. Ministry/Utilizing My Gifts
6. Investing/Entrepreneurial Pursuits
7. Outdoor Adventures
8. Staying in Shape
9. Surfing the Internet/Maintaining My Blog
10. Watching TV and Movies
Now here's the fun thing; redo your list according to how much time you actually spend on your "priorities." The tough part is to be really honest. Again, here is my Real List Of Priorities (in approximate hours spent a week):
1. School (20 hours a week)
2. Surfing the Internet/Maintaining My Blog (16 hours)
3. My Family - quality time - (13 hours a week)
4. Investing/Entrepreneurial Pursuits (10 hours a week)
5. Watching TV and Movies (8 hours)
6. God - time spent with just me and Him (5 hours a week)
7. Friends (5 hours a week)
8. Ministry/Utilizing My Gifts (2 hours a week)
9. Staying in Shape (1 hour)
10. Outdoor Adventures (0.5 hour)
As you can see in my case, things change. Priorities are kind of empty unless we back them up with time. Now I realize that using just one variable (time) does not fully show one's priorities, but it is still useful to do so. Of course time is not the only way to show where are our true priorities are. Let's try it again with money as the main variable:
1. My Family ($2300 a month)
2. God - money given to God's church or to those in His Name (between us and God)
3. School ($260 a month)
4. Investing/Entrepreneurial Pursuits ($100 a month)
5. Surfing the Internet/Maintaining My Blog ($25 a month)
6. Watching TV and Movies ($30 per month)
7. Ministry/Utilizing My Gifts ($20 a month)
8. Friends ($12 a month)
9. Outdoor Adventures/Hobbies ($10 a month)
10. Staying in Shape ($0 per month)
Hopefully you see the point of this experiment. You may something is a priority for you, but your time or finances spent there may share a different story. Any other ideas on variables to use to show your priorities? My prayer for myself and for you is that God blesses us in following through on what we say is important - whatever that is.
May Light increase!
Testing
3 weeks ago
2 comments:
The thing is though, you really need to go more in depth to truly get a more accurate reflection of your priorities, taking into account multiple factors.
For example, you have staying in shape low down your priority list both financially and timewise. If your work-out consists of going for a run, of course your costs are going to be next to nil (though I would think the cost of your iPod might get factored in there, although that would be a one-time expense, unless it gets washed I suppose...). And even though you said you spend an hour a week on staying in shape, I would also consider time spent at work at the Olive Garden under that category since you have a very physical job.
JBo
Agreed, it is an imperfect, totally subjective experiment. And yet . . . it may be useful for some to help see inconsistencies in what they pour into their "priorities."
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