Good Ideas vs. Priorities

There are many things that we think are good ideas. For example, hanging with friends, running/working out, reading, spending time with God, cleaning the home, practicing an instrument, getting out in nature, getting enough sleep, eating healthily, cooking/baking, writing a note to someone, taking a class, starting a small business; all of these are good ideas. However, there may be a host of good ideas but if we don't make them a priority and take steps to make them happen, they remain just a good idea.

For me, I've made running and lifting weights a priority (the former because I truly enjoy it. The latter because a skinny white boy can use all the help he can get :) and do so fairly consistently. Studying is usually a priority and the accountability of a class structure helps enforce that though it sometimes falls down the list. Getting enough sleep is both a good idea and mostly a priority though sometimes other things bleed over into sleep time. I've tried to make a more concerted effort to follow a routine in the evening to help with this.

On the opposite end of the spectrum I think cleaning and organizing things at home is a great idea but it's just not a priority for me. It really doesn't bother me that much. I generally do keep things clean but from a neatness standpoint, not so much. As long as the cave is mostly warm (or cool depending on season) and dry we here at The Wisdom of Dre are generally pretty happy.

So, I think the take away is that we should be honest with ourselves in making priorities and not confusing priorities with good ideas. Acknowledge some things as good ideas but also recognize you're living in reality and don't get down on yourself for not always living perfectly. At the same time, some of those good ideas should be priorities and we need to structure things so that they actually happen rather than sitting in the closet of good ideas gathering dust. Take them out, dust them off, and put them in action.