I was late for an important Board meeting tonight.
Fifteen minutes.
That’s how long it takes me to make a delicious salad for dinner.
Busy day.
No time to prepare food.
Fed the kids.
Time to go.
But I hadn’t eaten my dinner.
So… I walked into the meeting fifteen minutes late.
Luscious salad in hand and big smile on my face.
Everyone sitting and waiting for me.
I was really on my game.
It was a difficult meeting – 21 pages of constitutional amendments to agree on .
Lots of controversy.
I was articulate, alert, mediated some tricky negotiations, brought clarity to a historically contentious topic, and remained awake throughout!
I wouldn’t have accomplished this if I’d stopped at a fake food drive-thru to save time.
Deciding to be late in order to make dinner was a no brainer for me
Because I am very clear on my priorities in life.
I have them listed in order in my head
And I am committed to living my life by them.
Are you?
My current priorities are:
1. my health and happiness
2. my family (so much easier to take care of if number 1 is good)
3. & 4. finances & coaching business (they feel equal and related)
5. community – friends and volunteer work.
(hey friends and fellow Directors, don’t worry –
This is my top 5 list – I love you guys!
And I know if I take care of me and my family first,
I’m free to be the best friend or volunteer I’m capable of being.)
Commitment to my priorities looks like this:
Decision required?
Refer to priorities.
Whichever option serves the higher priority, that’s the choice I make.
No dilemmas.
Clarity.
It’s like having a road map for my life.
Want one?
Love this coaching tool:
List your top 5 priorities
(if you aren’t number 1 think again – without you you can’t really fulfill any of the others)
Now scan your schedule for the past week
How does your life lived line up with your stated priorities?
Most of my clients tell me that their health is number one.
BUT they aren’t even on their schedule.
Not once the entire week
I emailed ten of the smartest women I know
Asked them what they would have done last night
Not one told me that taking care of their needs was an acceptable reason to be late for a meeting.
What if your child needed you? I asked
Of course that’s a valid reason, they responded.
What if you need you?
Silence.
My brilliant teacher suggests that our excess weight is an attempt to get our own attention.
Did you just make a life-changing connection after reading that last sentence?
If not, read it again.
It took me a while,
But I figured it out eventually.
I’m going to give it to you to save you some time and suffering.
If our excess weight is us trying to get our own attention
then
if we pay attention to our needs
put ourselves in our schedule
act nice to ourselves
maybe the weight will lose its purpose
and peacefully go away.
How’s that for a good reason to put yourself at the top of your priority list?
Sure beats going on a diet.
