I wrestle with priorities. Not only for the team I lead, but for the broader community I am a part of. Life has used intense and at the time, painful and frustrating experiences, to remind me of the importance of focusing on the right things at the right time. When I do, everything changes. While the outcomes are not always what I thought I was aiming for, as I look back on the times where I got the priorities right, the results were better, higher, and farther than anything I imagined.
In my early days, I knew Life was terribly complex and messy. I would articulate the nuances of today and their implications on tomorrow. As bright as I might have been, I missed the obvious. As complicated and messy as life is, priorities are usually simple and direct. In all things, bring care and kindness. Start with yourself, then focus on the needs of others. Love and compassion are always the best frames to the decision. When applied, there is a natural loop back to where this started, the beginning of my priorities. Bring care and kindness to every choice.
Partner with others who share your priorities, they can help. Life continues to teach me that this starts with Divinity. Experiences validate the psalmist’s words; “He does what’s best for those who fear him—hears them call out and saves them.” (Psalm 145.19). As I look at those closest to me, each has care, kindness, compassion, and love at their core.
Look at your real priorities through a rearview mirror and adjust why and how for the next step. I am like many others – I aim high while my shot lands somewhere else. As I sharpen my ability to look in the mirror with clarity, the conversations I have with Divinity and others increasingly get to the truth. With this, I find an opportunity to learn, grow, and take the next step differently.
Priorities are constant yet applying them changes all the time. Care and kindness have many different faces and ways of showing up.
