In a world where we’re surrounded by stressed out, run-down, depressed, overstimulated and overworked people, it’s important to periodically set aside time to answer the question, “What matters most?” There’s a special day each year that’s designated for this purpose. Evaluate Your Life Day is October 19th.
Without setting aside time to ponder your priorities, you may continue running on the proverbial hamster wheel as fast as possible — just to make ends meet — while remaining out of touch with yourself and those you love most.
Life offers infinite options, along with many challenges and opportunities. With so many choices, it’s easy to slip into auto-pilot or get lost in indecision. You want success, yet you wonder if you’re on the right path. You’d like to have more balance in your life, but you often find yourself expending too much energy on one thing.
“What does it matter how much we do if what we’re doing isn’t what matters most?
-Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
You may regularly evaluate parts of your life, such as your finances or job performance. But how often do you actually pause to evaluate all aspects of your life?
How do you measure success for yourself? According to a Gallup/Populace survey of more than 5,000 Americans, society measures success by fame, but individuals have a highly unique, personal view of success.
Discontent happens as a result of two factors: (1) lack of clarity about what matters most to you; (2) lack of focus on priorities you’ve identified. Perhaps you’ve allowed other people and circumstances to pull you in a different direction. A failure to focus on your priorities will erode your quality of life.
Priorities have become a central focus in my life over the last several years, and important relationships are at the top of my list.
On October 8, our daughter had a baby girl – Violet Marie, just a few hours old in this photo — and I became a grandmother! Because I have been focused on what matters most in my life, and relationships are a top priority for me, I’m eager and ready to step into this new role and begin the next chapter of my life.
In an effort to clarify your priorities and take concrete action steps to keep first things first in your life, let’s look at 7 important elements.
7 Areas of Your Life to Evaluate
1. Who are the most important people in your life?
We all have biological family. You can also adopt a chosen family if you are not getting the kind of support you need from your blood relatives.
Are your connections with family and friends bathing you in positive energy, or are they sucking the life out of you? Evaluate the people in your life. Not everyone is meant to stay.
Giving and receiving love is one of the most essential parts of being alive. Sometimes we take loved ones, family members, friends and coworkers for granted. This does a disservice to both them and you. By identifying the most important people in your life, you can make a conscious effort to recognize and value of your most meaningful relationships.
What will you do to nurture your most meaningful relationships and create a supportive network of individuals who are always there for you, no matter what?
If you’d like to dive deeper on this topic, read my blog Balance Your Life: Environment #5 – Relationships.
2. What brings you the greatest joy?
When you take the time to identify what brings you joy, you’re more likely to make room in your life to do more of it.
It’s also important to be aware of how often you do a task or activity that you don’t enjoy.
Find ways to substitute the things you don’t enjoy with activities that bring joy into your everyday life.
Can you articulate your personal needs and what you do each day to meet them … or are you in auto-pilot mode, moving through the daily motions, even though you find little joy in your routine?
Part of living a fulfilling life is to find and follow your purpose for being here. If you are unable to fulfill your purpose with your work life, find ways to do so with a hobby or by working as a volunteer.
What makes your heart sing, and what steps can you take to follow your passion with vigor?
If you need help answering this question, check out my guide, Living With Purpose.
3. Are the choices you’re making in alignment with your core values?
If your behavior and activities are not aligned with your values, you’ll experience dissonance in your day-to-day life.
When you make important decisions that honor your values, you’ll feel a much greater sense of peace, regardless of what’s going on around you.
As long as someone else is telling you what to do, when to do it, how to do it, etc., you are not honoring your own values. It’s time to take 100% responsibility for your life.
What are your core values? Recognize that you have the freedom to make your own choices that align with what you value most.
For a deeper dive on this topic, check out my guide Cultivating Happiness: Living Life on Your Terms.
4. Are you connected with your own core genius?
You were born with a unique combined set of qualities, skills, and talents that make you unlike anyone else in the world. What’s most important to you is deeply embedded in these qualities, skills, and talents.
“Your core genius is the one thing that you love to do and do so well. Successful people recognize the value of their core genius and do everything they can to spend all their time doing it – because that’s where the financial rewards and the joy are.” – Jack Canfield, The Success Principles (Principle #39)
Unfortunately, most people spend less than 30% of their waking hours focused on their core genius and unique abilities. To help you raise this percentage, write down five tasks that you can delegate. Then identify the people or systems you can delegate these tasks to. Delegate these tasks in the next 24 hours, so you can repurpose your time and energy on core activities.
For help with delegation, read my blogs: Great Leaders Perfect the Art of Delegation and Improve Your Management Skills with Effective Delegation.
You may overlook some qualities that are so core to you that you don’t even think about them. You may also discover that you have some qualities, skills, or talents that you have not tapped into or have suppressed. Once you know what these are, you can decide if you choose to spend more time liberating your core genius qualities.
To help you identify your core genius, take some time to jot down the successes, achievements, and accomplishments you’ve had—big or small. How did you feel when that happened? When you’re excited about your accomplishments, this is a sign that you’ve tapped into your core genius. If you’re having trouble with identifying your core genius, ask a few friends and loved ones to list your best qualities.
To drill down deeper on this topic, check out my blogs:
5. What can you do to optimize your health?
If you don’t have good physical, mental and spiritual health, you won’t be able to fully enjoy everything else in your life. Consider your diet, exercise, rest and stress reduction.
Rather than ignoring or denying emotional components that have stood in your way in the past, deal with these things constructively. Bouts of sadness or anxiety are a normal part of life. However, prolonged depression or anxiousness can severely hamper your progress. If you find that these powerful emotions are standing in the way of doing what’s most important, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to get professional help.
What are you doing to optimize your physical, mental and spiritual health, so you can minimize the risks associated with serious illnesses and stress?
For more assistance with optimizing your health, check out my guide, 12 Daily Habits to Improve Your Health & Well-being.
I’ve also written several blogs on this topic:
- 9 Tips to Get Healthy While Saving on Fun & Fitness
- Balance Your Life: Environment #1 – Memetic/Mental
- Balance Your Life: Environment #2 – Body
- Balance Your Life: Environment #4 – Spiritual
6. Do financial constraints hold you back?
Perhaps you find yourself stuck in a job you don’t like. You took the job because you needed the money and you have stuck with it because it pays the bills. If the truth be told, does your present job bring you joy, align 
with your core values, and utilize your greatest strengths?
Life is a gift and it’s your responsibility to get the most of out of it. Unless you want life to pass you by, you may need to invest in expanding your knowledge and skills.
Some pursuits may be difficult, expensive, time-consuming, or require resources that are hard to come by. The secret to sticking with a goal that seems out-of-reach is to break it into manageable pieces. Identify baby steps you can begin taking immediately. By focusing on the next step instead of the ultimate goal, it’s easier to make the effort necessary to get started and keep going as you pursue an important goal.
In pursuit of your ultimate goals, reward yourself by taking time to enjoy leisure and recreational passions. If you love skiing, schedule some ski trips. If painting is a passion, carve out time to begin creating works of art in the medium of your choice. These activities will help provide the fuel you need to keep going, especially when things get difficult.
Map out a plan to make changes that allow you to pursue your passions and take care of your financial responsibilities.
For a closer look at this topic, check out my guide Find Your Strengths & Choose Your Success. You may also benefit from reading my guide, What Does Your Money Blueprint Say About You?
7. Do you think you’re not good enough or don’t deserve what brings you joy?
Most of us have felt the sting of disappointment, either that we didn’t live up to our own expectations or those of someone else. Criticism and harsh comments from others just add to that feeling we’re not good enough.
Others don’t define us and we should never allow someone else to act as if they can. Being good enough begins with believing that you are. It also begins with making your own decisions about how to prioritize your life.
If you think you can, you’re right. If you think you can’t, you’re also right. Your thoughts have such a huge effect on the outcome. That’s why Olympic athletes visualize themselves breaking records before they actually do it.
By persistently giving your best effort and attention to whatever is most important to you, you’ll be better than just good enough. You’ll be right where you want to be.
You can read about my client’s successful journey here (shared with permission): How Mary Transitioned Through Major Life Changes and Reinvented Herself in One Year.
Identify three actions you will take to support your goals and desires. Then identify individuals you’ll surround yourself with to affirm and uplift you as you pursue your goals.
If you’re ready to get unstuck and make a shift that helps you align your vision, priorities, and actions — like my client Mary did — let’s schedule a no-cost, no-pressure Discovery Call today. I’ll help you map out ways to get from where you are to where you want to be.
Additional Resources
- Blog: Balance Your Life: Environment #5 – Relationships
- Blog: Feeling Stuck?
- Blog: Balance Your Life: Environment #3 – Self
- Blog: Great Leaders Perfect the Art of Delegation
- Blog: Improve Your Management Skills with Effective Delegation
- Blog: 9 Tips to Get Healthy While Saving on Fun & Fitness
- Blog: Balance Your Life: Environment #1 – Memetic/Mental
- Blog: Balance Your Life: Environment #2 – Body
- Blog: Balance Your Life: Environment #4 – Spiritual
- Blog: How Mary Transitioned Through Major Life Changes and Reinvented Herself in One Year
- Guide: Living With Purpose
- Guide Cultivating Happiness: Living Life on Your Terms
- Guide: 12 Daily Habits to Improve Your Health & Well-being
- Guide: Find Your Strengths & Choose Your Success
