Priorities

What are my priorities and where does work fall in the list? What am I going to eventually say is my greatest accomplishment in life? These are big questions that were brought up for me on Friday. I was fortunate to attend Pursuing Excellence, the professional development day at International Community School (Singapore). The opening keynote was given by Jehiel Lawrence: "Anything is possible unless proven otherwise."

Jehiel's illustrations were fascinating and made me think. For example, what do I currently think is my greatest achievement? Will I let that be the greatest thing in my life? He gave an example of climbing Everest. That's amazing! - but someone gave the sage advice, "Don't let Everest be the greatest thing you'll ever do." I find this inspiring. Whatever is my greatest accomplishment so far, is this the thing that I want to be the greatest in my life, or will I keep striving to achieve more value in the world, serve more people, and be more kind?

A key moment for Jehiel occurred when his wife took a photo of his two children on either side of him, looking on as he worked on his laptop on a public holiday. The photo signified how he was prioritising his work and helped him make some crucial choices. Now, he says, his faith and family come before fun -- and fun includes his work. It struck me that deciding in advance what is most important to you helps you make those crucial choices. Deciding your priorities once means you can channel energy into executing them rather than ruminating on small, daily choices.

I had a list of priorities (and a personal mission statement) a long time ago. It's time to update my list. Thanks to Jehiel for his thought-provoking talk.

🔶 Do you have a defined list of personal priorities or a personal mission statement?

Back to the main post about ICS's Pursuing Excellence conference.