Recently, I found the effort that I had once devoted to deepening a priority in my life was waning.  You may also be experiencing a lull in one area of your life that you once found very focused, energized, and productive.  Is it your marriage, your fitness program, a hobby?

At first, I wallowed in my inadequacy.  How could I so easily lose the great momentum I had built up? The answer came when I considered the path that I had traveled, from feeling good about my dedication, to slowly getting away from daily practices, to eventually feeling inadequate about my inability to maintain such a good routine.

I considered what practices, habits, and routines I had developed that made me feel so good about the area on which I was focused.  As I reflected on what I had been doing that was leading me toward my goal, I contemplated how I got away from those practices. 

Part of the answer was that I stopped making time to put myself in the presence of others who valued the same thing I valued.  A-ha!  That was it!

Being around other like-minded people keeps me focused on my priorities.  I suddenly realized all of the recent decisions I had made not to spend time with these people.  No wonder I was losing direction – I wasn’t allowing the power of my community to support me.  Now, I know how to get back on track – get back to my community.  

If you are experiencing a lull in a particular area of your life that had once been very focused, energized, and productive, try these steps to reignite the flame:

1.  Identify what area you would like to reignite.  Is it your marriage, a fitness program, your nutrition, your spirituality, a hobby?

 2.  Write a list of your behaviors during the time you were feeling energized in that area of your life. 

·        If marriage is your area, were you and your spouse committed to a regular date night, did you kiss when you saw each other at the end of the day?

·        If exercise is your area, were you at the gym 2-3 nights a week, taking an exercise class on the weekends?

·        If your hobby is your area, were you devoting a certain amount of time to enjoying the hobby?

3.  Consider your community.  Who was involved in your life at that time that supported your goal?

·        Was it the sales person at the hobby store?

·        Was it your workout buddy or a person you met in an exercise class?

·        Was it your spouse, a co-worker who would inquire about this area, your children, a relative?

4.  Reconnect with those supportive people (your community) and maintain regular contact.  Contacting them can be as simple as sending an email, a quick phone call, or meeting for coffee. Do not feel pressured to jump into your old, focused ways immediately.  Simply contacting these people will motivate you to get back on track.

 Also, do not feel embarrassed that you have fallen away from your priorities.  The people you contact will be more than happy to re-energize you.  In fact, you may provide the opportunity they needed to boost their own efforts.

 5.  Understand that anything worth doing well is worth doing poorly at first.  Know that you will eventually rebalance your life, but there could be many slips in the meantime.  A balanced life takes constant re-evaluations.  Periodically, reassess your life with these 5 steps.    Nothing feels better than having your priorities balance and having your behaviors and life practices reflect that.  Although labeling an aspect of your life a “priority” implies that is will always take precedence, real life teaches us a different lesson.  When you are feeling that the priorities you once had at the top of your list are slipping, use the five steps mentioned above to regain your focus and build the supportive community needed to stay focused on your priorities. 

Popularity: 4% [?]