There is no better time, than the present, to evaluate what our priorities are. In order to do this, it helps to have a working definition. In this sense, priorities, are those things that give us the most pleasure in doing or being. They are expressed in specific ways. Some people may substitute the word purpose or goal, even dream. These priorities are the things you would like to be remembered for in the minds of others long after you are no longer a part of this existence. They may be things for others or yourself, you choose.

It is important to identify these priorities because there never seems to be enough time in the day to accomplish all that we have in our planners, heads, smart phones, and computers. We feel like we are not the ones in control and cannot always chose the direction we are being pulled in. That is a matter of perception. When taking the following quiz, it is helpful to remember the whole picture, fewer priorities with specific expression methods, yield the greatest pleasure. Ready? Set? Go!

Quiz: You will need some paper for this.

What are your priorities? List no more than 10.

What are your most important priorities out of the 10? List no more than 6.

What priorities would you not be able to live without? List no more than 3.

Of those 3 priorities, what ways do you express them? List no more than 3 methods for each priority.

Who else knows the methods you use to express these priorities? List as many as you can without cheating.

How and when will you tell them?

That’s it.

So many times, we have ideas of how we care for others and what we do for them. However, the missing piece of the equation is that they do not know that is how we express our priority to them. We fall into the trap of expressing our priorities using too many methods. So much so, that the methods are not only lost on who they are intended for, they are also lost to ourselves. Time passes chasing methods of expression that are not getting through. Pleasure is lost.

Work this out over time. This quiz is not something to be completed in a short amount of time. It may yield better results if taken at different points in time during the week or even a month later. It could be a tool to review priorities on an annual basis.