What Is the Priority

Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today I'm going to talk about priorities. So I think deep down, most of us know what our priorities are. For example, most people feel that quality time with their loved ones is more important than working hard to get more money. But in the hundreds of decisions that we make every day, it's not so easy to stay focused on what matters, especially when we're really busy or stressed.

But although ticking things off the task list can feel really satisfying in the moment and busy-ness can have that kind of upbeat buzz about it, there is also a risk that we can start moving through life in a haze of busy-ness and distraction, and really lose touch with what's deeply important to us in our hearts. Greg McKeown in his book, the, Essentialism, tells a powerful story to demonstrate the power of knowing your priorities. I've abbreviated the story a little bit here. He says a woman named Cynthia once told me a story about the time her father and her had made plans to go out on this amazing night in San Francisco. Twelve year old, Cynthia and her father had been planning this date for months.

They had a whole itinerary planned down to the minute. Now, this was all going according to plan. But as her father was leaving a convention center on the night of the date, he ran into an old college friend and business associate. It had been years since they'd seen each other. And Cynthia watched as they embraced enthusiastically.

His friend said in effect, you know, I'm so glad you're doing some work with our company now. You know, when Lois and I heard about it, we thought it would be perfect. We want to invite you, and of course, Cynthia, to get a spectacular seafood dinner down at the Wharf. Cynthia's father responded. Bob, it's so great to see you.

Dinner at the Wharf sounds great. Ahh in that moment, Cynthia was crestfallen. Her daydreams of trolley rides and ice cream sundaes evaporated in an instant. Plus she hated seafood. And she could just imagine how bored she was going to be listening to the adults talk all night.

But then her father continued. But not tonight, Bob. Cynthia and I have a special date planned. Don't we? He winked at Cynthia, grabbed her hand and they ran out the door and continued with what was a unforgettable night in San Francisco. So as it happens, Cynthia's father was the management thinker Stephen R.

Covey. He was the author of the book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. And he had just recently passed away weeks before Cynthia told this story. So it was with deep emotion that she recalled that evening in San Francisco. His simple decision she said, bonded me to him forever because I knew what mattered most to him.

And it was me. So this story holds a really powerful lesson. We can't do everything in life. We have to choose where our limited attention and energy should go. So keeping in mind what our true priorities are as we navigate life really is a key skill in living a more intentional and meaningful life.

So my invitation for you today, is just see if you can get clearer on what your top priorities are in life and see if you can devote more of your time and energy towards them. So as we give more energy to our true priorities, we naturally begin to lead a much more fulfilling and passionate life. So as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us. And now let's settle in for today's meditation.