Sometimes what we say is essential shows little evidence in our lives that it really is essential.
Ponder these 3 simple questions, because they’re crucially important and potentially life-changing.
1. What’s essential to you (in your life)?
Let’s define essential: absolutely necessary; extremely important (according to Google).
2. How much time and energy do you actually put into either attaining or maintaining these essentials?
3. Does your answer to question #2 make sense, based on what you said for #1?
In other words, if you SAY something is essential, then it will show up all over the place in your life!
If it doesn’t, then it’s not essential.
OR, it actually IS essential, and you’ve drifted off your mark, and doing an exercise like this is a reality check for you–being a gentle reminder, or perhaps a smack in the face, that you need to make some corrections.
If, for example, “time with family” is essential to you, then you’ll clock a commensurate number of hours towards that end. If you don’t, then it’s essential “in theory” only–it’s only a theoretical-essential.
If you claim that physical health is an essential, then we’ll see it show up in how you eat, exercise, and take care of yourself. If you’re drinking a 2-liter of pop every night and never get off the couch, then your health isn’t an essential. It belongs further down your list of “important things”.
It’s not rocket science.
If you say something is essential, there will be evidence in your life that it actually is essential.
If there’s a lack of evidence, then either:
1. make the adjustments you need in order to live in alignment with your stated essential (get back on track),
2. Or, remove it from the “essentials” list.
Only 2 choices here.
It’s all about living in alignment. Getting that deep clarity on who you are and what you’re about, and then ordering your life that way.
Or . . . just drift with the wind, and see how that works for you 😉
By the way, what would an outside observer conclude are your essentials, just by watching you for one week?