CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
One of my favorite movie quotes comes from the movie "Cheaper by the Dozen." The father, played by Steve Martin, decides whether to take a very demanding job that will continue to take away from his family time. He says "It doesn't matter what you accomplish in life if you fail with your family." It was at that time that he realized he had been putting his job ahead of his family. His family was not a top priority.
Many things we do on a day-to-day basis are based on our priorities and, if you haven't taken the time to consider what yours are, you will someday (probably before you know it) need to make a tough decision and not be sure what action to take.
I was very fortunate as a brand new butter bar (more than 15 years ago) to have a chief and a major both provide great mentoring. Not only did they influence me to join Toastmasters and learn to speak confidently in public but, more importantly, I learned about setting goals and defining priorities. I remember a brand new wing commander who called his first staff meeting to order, and the first thing he talked about was his priorities in life.
Almost every day, I have to make a decision based on my priorities. Some decisions are easy and others require more thought. My priorities have changed a little over the years but remain a guidepost that I use to help make the tough and not-so-tough decisions.
My priorities are God, family, country and college football and basketball (okay ... I'm a Florida Gators fan!). If you haven't taken the time to write your priorities down, I urge you to do so. Think about them carefully and use them for all of those decisions you make when you're not sure what action to take. Whether you're deciding to stay at work fifteen more minutes to complete a few more e-mails or go home to spend a few extra minutes to play catch with your son ... it comes back to what you've set as your priorities.
Along with priorities, it's important to set goals ... short-range (one to two years), mid-range (three to 10 years), and long-range (more than 10 years away). Know what you're striving to achieve. Are you going through life, one day at a time on the "lazy river" tube ride or are you following a path you've created to help accomplish your goals? As you go through life following your priorities, remember to bloom where you're planted. Others will see your performance.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry." When you find it hard to accomplish those goals, think of Henry Ford, the creative force in the automotive industry, who said, "Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." These men knew about success and failure and they learned from them to accomplish their goals.
What are your priorities? What are your goals? Have you sat down to think of them? Life goes by too fast ... maybe it's time to put yours in writing today!