Priorities

Two years ago, I bought a phone I loved. It took lovely pictures and I did a great deal of work on it, but the disc space was small and it filled up quickly. Issues began when the charger got stolen. Due to my tight schedule, I kept moving the day I would transfer data through some other means forward, as I could not use the charging port, till the phone went off and never came back on. I lost data. Based on professional advice and my observation, I decided that the solution was to get a phone with sufficient space.

I used another phone I didn’t really like but got one I loved in December 2019. Pretty phone with all the space I needed - 32 GB ram and 16 GB memory card, perfect for me. All my platforms were up and I worked comfortably without my laptop, sure it would not fill up quickly. Guess what? It was stolen in the most horrible way and I was heartbroken, I cried like a baby. How could I get back works, proposals, photos from past events and the last road trip with my kids? I traveled a lot between December and March and went without my laptop because I knew my phone would suffice. I lost it all. I got my dream phone with ample space but my problem was not solved. I still lost it all. What a loss!

I have learnt in the most painful way that the things of utmost priority in our lives are usually hushed – health, fitness, personal goals, family, relationships, career change, personal development. They don’t tug at you, they don’t jump in your face all the time, they are just there, silent. We get more active doing things that demand immediate attention than focus on the things that really matter. So, I may never recover all I have lost, but have learnt a bitter lesson - I will put first the things that should come first, irrespective of the demands on me.  I need to choose what to respond to, because there is a purpose attached to my name and I need to do what it takes to fulfill it, not live to please others.

What are those things you have been pushing till you have a little more time or money? You will be surprised how quickly other things will appeal for and gain your attention when you are free or can conveniently fund those things you would have loved to do. Fulfilment comes from doing what is in your heart, creating solutions to those things that break your heart. Wherever you are at, the little steps count to pushing you towards that big dream. Keep moving, make time for the things that matter, even while you are still working at the things you are wondering if you should keep doing.

It is the seventh month in 2020 and as a result of the global COVID-19 situation, some people have gone through or heard of horrible experiences and are currently in survival mode. Let’s go back to our drawing boards, tweak those plans if you have to. Have you fulfilled the dream of spending quality time with your kids? Have you started that business or completed that course you planned to? Even if you cannot go straight to the implementation phase, develop an excellent blueprint, keep a vision board that will keep you dreaming and then draw up a timeline. Dreams keep us hopeful and hope can strengthen and lead us to a place of fulfillment.