What are Your Priorities?

Kitty Boitnott, Ph.D., NBCT, RScP

Career Transition & Job Search Coach | Life Strategies | Stress Management

This week, I will have the pleasure of returning for the third time to speak to the Virginia Municipal Clerks Association. I always enjoy speaking to this group.

One of the workshops I provide the group is on stress management. The other is on work-life balance. 

At the end of the day, it occurs to me to consider that both workshops are about priorities. So, let me ask you. Do you know what your priorities are?

The wheel below offers a graphic reminder that our lives are made up of a variety of areas or domains. As a tool, you can use it to assess where you are in your own life. For example, do you love your career but your finances are in a shambles? Is your social life booming but your health has taken a back burner and you aren't taking care of yourself the way you should?

These domains represent what most people consider areas in their lives where they spend a lot of time and attention. At different times in our lives, one area may take up a little more attention, time, and effort than others because of the place where you find yourself. For example, in your twenties, you may make building your career a greater priority than your social life. But you need both: a satisfying career and a full and active social life.

A full and happy life requires that you try to keep all of these areas in balance. It can be tricky, I know. It is probably not realistic to expect that you could keep all these domains in balance all the time. And putting that kind of pressure on yourself may not be useful.

On the other hand, it is important to try to keep your life in some sort of balance because a severe lack of balance can lead to illness or unhappiness that results in depression.

You get one life. It makes sense to make the most of it while you can, and at the end of the day, YOU are the only one who can control your own life. 

Take a moment and assess where you are happy with how things are going and where you might need to do some work. You get to set your own priorities. You get to decide how you will live your life.

Until next time.

Do you need help with setting priorities in your life? Perhaps I can help! If you would like to take advantage of a no-obligation strategy session at no cost, use this link to set up an appointment: Calendar. 

I would love to help you figure out where your imbalance is and how you might address it, especially if the imbalance is the result of a job you no longer love or derive satisfaction from. I can help with that.