What is your priority today?
The start of the New Year often dawns with two camps of thought:
-
“My New Year resolutions will transform me into a better, bolder, fitter version of myself. For this, daily discipline, strict self-control and a clear unwavering vision on my goals will be my guiding force.”
-
“There is no point whatsoever in making resolutions that I will inevitably break by February 1st leaving me feeling like I failed.”
Well, how about a third option? Regardless of your age or stage of life, we can sometimes feel bombarded with the demands, requests and expectations on us and our time. Instead of making grand, punishing promises to yourself that may be challenging (or quite frankly, a bit miserable) to sustain, how about deciding on your priority at the start of each day?
A priority is a singular thing that matters most – there should only be one priority that you are focusing on at a time. So, choose one priority at the start of each day, and choose one that matters to you, no matter how seemingly small.
At the start of each day, take a moment to set your priority for the day: what matters most today for you to be, do or achieve? This is great to organise your thoughts and is also a useful mindfulness practice to visualise how you intend your day to be. You might prioritise eating nourishing food that will give you energy; drinking enough water; finishing off that assignment; having a proper conversation with your parent/friend/sibling; getting to bed by 10pm; saying “thank you” to the driver of your bus; showing patience with the annoying person you sit beside in Maths … the choice is quite simply yours.
Choose each day what matters most for you and place your energy, effort and time there: that is your priority focus for the day. At the end of the day, check in with how it felt to focus on one thing and achieve it. And if you don’t quite get there… maybe it becomes tomorrow’s priority.
