By Eva Gregory, CPCC
How often have you heard someone say that work, family, a relationship, or a project was their “top or first priority?” I’ll wager that the phrase can be heard almost daily. Okay, then when was the last time you heard someone say that they were their top priority? I’ll also wager that you don’t hear that very often. How does that statement resonate with you? Would you peg the person as shallow and self-centered? Most would, but those who live their lives by the Laws of Attraction would recognize the Law of Priority, and understand that you must first take care of yourself before you can take care of others – namely, by putting yourself first.
She’s up into the wee hours of the morning, baking cookies or sewing a costume despite an aching back and early business meeting. Awake at the crack of dawn to run a couple of loads of wash before a long day begins, or dashing out during lunch to run to the dry cleaners, visit a teacher, or pick up something from the grocery store for dinner. Sound familiar? It should. This could be the life of any one of millions of mothers in the world. The law of priority affects everyone in every possible group, but mothers seem to be the group that most need to embrace this law. Mothers typically consistently put the care of their loved ones first, before their own needs, wants, and desires. Failing to realize that this act of pure selflessness, based on love, can be quite counterproductive.
Rita knew that she should have gone to bed three hours earlier when her husband turned in, but was determined to complete the report that was needed for tomorrow’s meeting while putting the finishing touches on her son’s contribution for the holiday party – the Rita Hunt Gingerbread house. Okay, truth be told, it did indeed look more like a village, but Dom’s class was huge. So Rita sat at the kitchen table huddled over her laptop, sniffling as she felt yet another cold coming on. Her head felt stuffy, her eyes watery, and her throat felt like an incinerator. Hard to believe the holidays were near and she’d already had five colds just since school started. Bed rest was what she needed, but knew that she’d be lucky to make it to bed at all. The next morning when Dom flew downstairs ready to see the finishing touches, he found a partially constructed gingerbread house; and his mother asleep with her head on the top of her laptop. Rita had run out of steam and everything she had set out to accomplish the night before, lay before her in various stages of completion. When Dom woke her, she looked around the room dazedly with bleary, blood-shot eyes and wondered how she could best mitigate the damage. Clearly, Rita did not understand the lesson that the universe was practically shouting at her. Luckily for her, the lesson was not lost on her husband. When he assessed the situation after Dom bellowed for him, he told her to go up to bed, called her in sick for the day, took the remaining ingredients of the gingerbread house packed it up and told Dom that he and his classmates would get to complete the project, told Rita that he’d pick her up to take her to the doctor after his last appointment, and hurried Dom along to drop him off at school on his way to work. He knew that Rita’s illnesses were all compounded due to fatigue, and knew that she had not been very happy lately. Rita needed to rest, take some time for herself, and build up her resistance. When they left the doctor’s office that afternoon her husband explained that she was the most important part of their family, but they all needed her healthy, happy, and whole in both body and spirit in order function properly. Together they decided to work on getting Rita focused on making herself Priority Number One.
Do you know someone like Rita? Perhaps, you see traces of her in your best friend, sister, mother, or a co-worker? Why not offer a few suggestions to get them out of their rut. It is the time of year for hustle and bustle, but given the colds, flu, and viruses that are plaguing the nation, allowing the body to get run down is the worse thing that can happen. Each person has a purpose and a function within their network – be it a family, business, friendship, etc. The job of each individual is to take care of themselves first, so that they can take care of whatever, and whoever else may need their attention.
So, this holiday season, try to extend a hand to those that may have forgotten the Law of Priority, to help them get back on track. A healthy, happy [priority number] “one” can lead many towards success.
All writings here are copyrighted by Eva Gregory. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.
Comments