Putting Yourself At The Top Of Your To Do List

Do you remember a time when life seemed to move more slowly, when you

perhaps had space and time to notice the movement in flight of a bird’s

wings, been drawn back into the present moment by the fragrance of a

flower, or been mesmerised by a sunset or sunrise?

Hmmm! Perhaps it’s been too long!

Believe it or not these are some ways of knowing when you are prioritising

YOU.

It’s so easy nowadays to focus more on what we need to do in the immediate

future and try to fit too many things into our days. Even our weekends or days

off can be a blur of activity. So life can feel as though it is getting increasingly

faster and time never stretches far enough to do all the things on our to do

lists. And where do you fit into your to do list? Are you there at all or do other

people in your life and your commitments take priority?

Currently I am practicing slowing down the pace of my life to see what

transpires. And the results are clear. I feel more connected with myself; I am

more in tune with my emotions, and I feel more contented. I am less triggered

by things that may routinely upset me or through me off balance and I am

more tolerant of others as well as myself. I feel more joy as I am in the

present moment more often, and I am more compassionate and

understanding towards myself. Basically, I am back up in the top points of my

to do list.

I admit it sounds easier than it can be. Sometimes I have to squeeze in less

dedication to this practice than I have on other days and sometimes I have to

say No to things to grant myself this gift of slowing down. Other times I can

struggle with inner conflict that tries to prevent me from engaging in any

practices that will allow myself to feel and to BE.

For me the most effective technique for prioritising ME begins with my daily

non-negotiable rituals: upon waking, a minimum of three things I am grateful

for, and daily dedications of the attributes I want to foster and strengthen

within me. For instance; “I am valued, I am worthy, I am enough!” And “I

honour you, I honour your journey, I love you.” We each have attributes that

will light us up and warm our hearts when we speak them from a place of

truth so these may differ for you from the ones I mention here. I create an

intention every day for what I want to create in my day. An intention does not

have to be anything grand. It may simply be; “I will be kind today.”

And there are other practices that are important to be daily but a little more on

my negotiable list in the event I have limited time due to other commitments.

Yoga and meditation is crucial and I ultimately would like to practice each for

30 minutes a day. Some days I only get to do one of those and that is okay

with me too because that is the reality of life. The most recent addition to my

toolbox is to have fun every day. I am still getting my head around that one

because my idea of fun must be something that makes me feel happy,

connected, and to smile. That can be trickier but is a great explorative

adventure. I am experimenting with new things to relearn what exactly that

means to me at this stage of my life. It’s a fun process!

What all of those practices do is put me back in the drivers’ seat of my life,

back at the top of my to do list, and they place me at the heart and centre of

my priorities which is exactly where I should be in my life.

Where are you in your priority list? What practices do you routinely engage in

that enable you to prioritise yourself?