{Visiting the set of the Late Show with David Letterman}
"Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others." ~ Jonathan Swift
Last week we discussed creating a document that will be a tool for formatting your aspirations. This document will be your touch point for staying focused and on plan as you strive to intentionally live your Life Priorities. Today we will look at how to enlist the help of others.
After weeks of thought, planning and preparation, you now have your Life Priorities Plan in place. You may have decided to live a healthier life, be financially independent, live a greener life or accomplish any one of a number of other personal priorities you have set. You are excited about your plan and bam!, your mom, husband, sister or friend starts to knowingly or unknowingly roadblock your efforts. Hubby charges a new flat screen TV without discussing it with you...there goes your financial plan, your sister brings over you favorite, a chocolate pound cake...healthy living will have to start tomorrow. It could be any number of things done by the closest people in your life that stops you in your track. What do you do to protect your LPP?
First, proactively share what you are working to accomplish with those who influence your life . Explain to your spouse that you want your family to to be financially independent. Get his or her by-in and discuss how you can achieve the goal together. Whenever possible make it a team effort. If baking rich desserts has been a "thing" between your sister and you, explain how changing your diet is important to you and enlist her help. Suggest other activities beside baking or eating or challenge each other to come up with desserts that are tasty and good for you. Again, if possible include others in helping you reach your goals.
Next, stay the course. Just because your husband blows the budget on a new TV, doesn't mean you should throw your hands up and declare your LPP a failure. Continue to manage the budget as you planned and over time your husband will see your are serious and may be willing to support the goal of becoming financially independent. People need to know you are serious about your plan and may test your resolve in the beginning. Don't give up when you hit the first speed bump in the road.
Finally, confirm that your LPP is about you and not about others. If you want your home to go "green" but your wife refuses to separate the recycling from the trash even after an adult conversation, then the decision is yours. You may need to take leadership on moving your household forward on your LP. If it is important to you, then you may be the one who needs to make it happen.
It is our desire that other's think our LPP's are as important as we do. But if they don't, it should not be an excuse to quit. In the end, our Lifetime Priorites are about who we are and how we want to live our life.
Week 13 Assignment: List 3 people you can share one or more of your Lifetime Priorities with over the next week.
Get caught up on the entire Intentional Living series:
- Week 1: The Importance of Taking Time to Think
- Week 2: Asking the Right Questions
- Week 3: What is working in your life?
- Week 4: Do you have your priorities straight?
- Week 5: Are you moving forward?
- Week 6: Setting Lifetime Priorities
- Week 7: Decision Time
- Week 8: Planning
- Week 9: Review
- Week 10: Four Reasons Why
- Week 11: Are You Being True to Yourself?
- Week 12: Self Realization