Be Urgent for the Right Things
I admit. I’m a driven person. My Strengths Finder assessment (you should try it at www.StrengthsFinder.com) says I’m an “Achiever”. That means I have to get something done every day. And something significant. And by “every day” that means every week day, weekend, evening, holiday, vacation, etc. I feel lousy if I don’t have anything to show for my day.
Despite the fact that I have an inborn sense of urgency to accomplish, I want to be sure that I’m urgent for the RIGHT things.
I’ve been thinking about how ironic it is that people will spend hours planning and strategizing for their business, home improvement projects, finances, hobbies, vacations, etc, but not spend ANY time investing to that level in their marriage or parenting – two of the greatest blessings and resources a person can have. And then we wonder why things are stale or frustrating.
So this year I want to practice the discipline (I’m saying “practice” because I don’t FEEL it yet, but I know I will once I practice it) of applying my urgency strength to the things that really matter to me.
I want to practice a sense of urgency about investing in my marriage. That means re-instituting our date night. That means finishing a chapter in a book we’re reading together. That means putting him ahead of my work and other plans.
I also want to practice urgency for investing in my children. So often, I find myself just doing my own thing while they are doing theirs, rather than interacting in a quality way. (After all, dishes and laundry and work has to be done!) I want to be instructing them and training them and being conscious of what I am inputting into them, rather than just focusing on behavior.
Practicing urgency for the things that matter is going to be a new skill for me. I want to focus this year on getting the LITTLE things right in my life so that I can be prepared for the BIG things ahead. Perhaps we miss opportunities in life because we haven’t cultivated the discipline or perspective to be ready for them.
When I look back on my life I want to be glad that I was more URGENT for a quality life and interaction with my husband and children than my to-do list.
Have you been urgent for the wrong things? Bigger bank accounts? Promotions, projects, or plans or anything that is less important in the eternal scheme of things than your TRUE VALUES? I invite you to join me in practicing urgency for the things that really matter this year. Here’s to a blessed 2010!
~Vicki Norris
Related:
- What Are Your Priorities?
- Listen to Vicki’s teaching “REOrder Your Life to Discover Right Side Up Living“
