Setting Priorities

Setting Your Priorities By Ericka Foster

Joy is different for everyone, so I can’t write a a how- to on adding more joy to your life. I wish I could just say eat more ice cream cones, watch a certain TV show, or have a certain mean. But I can tell you how I became to find joy in my life. I n 2008, I was laid off, and quickly realized that if I couldn ’ t figure out how to find joy – particularly the cheap kind, the anxiety of uncertainty would eat me alive. It clicked for me when I set my life ’ s priorities using a life wheel. I ’ m hoping that once you identify your priorities, you get more joy out of your life.

F or example: When you have $10, hab itually, you may go to the store and purchase a candy bar and an energy drink. Certainly there is joy in sugar and wakefulness. But after you identify your priorities, you may decide you want to spend the $10 on something that you care more about – like a stuffed animal for your favorite person.

F irst, draw a circle and divide the wheel into the categories:

Finance

Health Fami ly

Career Friends

Contribution Spirituality

Romance

T hen, draw five circles within the largest circle. You will use the inner circles to rank where you think you are in your life. You can find a template at www.mindtools.com

T his is your circle

It’ s based on your perception, so there is no right or wrong answer to do this.

Ad ditionally, you can make the categories your own. For example, Family and Friends can be one category. Or, if you have a hobby, you can make that

one of your categories. You really have the flexibility to make the circle representative of your life.

A s you rate the categories (with one being less important and 10 being most important) and connect the dots, you’re going to end with a funky version of a circle. The tens will tell you where your priorities lie. If you rate your health as a 10, you might decide to trade in that candy bar and energy drink for a nap and an apple.

N o judgement. This wheel is about lining up your actions with your priorities based on the idea that the things that are important to you will bring you joy. I wish I could guarantee that once you identify health as your goal, you’l l find joy in salad. But, you will find joy in taking care of yourself.

It i s important to note that these priorities are fluid . There will be times where earning money is more important than having fun. But there will be other times when we need to put loved ones ahead of work.

Cr eating joy

My favorite part about this exercise is that once you identify what your priorities are, unimportant things start to fall away. You have a kind of framework for making decisions that feel good.

I used the wheel of life when I got serious about my budget and became more thoughtful about how I spent my money. It also works great with time management. It becomes much easier to say no to things that aren’t worth it to you, or don’t fit into your priorities.

J oy is especially important when you ’ re in survival mode. Clearing away the clutter of things that aren ’ t important is the first step .