​What Is Most Important To You?
 
 
When the captain of Flight 1549, Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger, said, “Brace for impact,” Ric Elias realized that his flight was on its way down. He also understood, instantly, what was important in his life as the Miracle of the Hudson unfolded.
“There are three things I learned at that moment,” he said:
1. “That it all changes in an instant. I no longer wanted to postpone anything important in my life. That urgency, that purpose, has really changed my life.”
2. “I learned that I regret the time I wasted in things that didn’t matter with people that mattered.”
3. “I learned that dying is not scary. But it was very sad. I didn’t want to go. That sadness framed the thought – and I only wished for one thing – that I could see my kids grow up. The only thing that mattered in my life was to be a great dad.”
Elias concluded, “I was given a gift of not dying that day, and to see into the future and to come back, and to live differently.”
Chances are you won’t find yourself plummeting toward earth on a doomed airliner. We sincerely hope that you don’t, but there are times when what’s really important becomes crystal clear. Our whole world doesn’t have to come crashing down to gain a little insight. Do you want to know how to tell what’s most important to you? Here are five other ways:
1. What keeps you up at night?:
I know we don’t all worry ourselves out of sleep. But, once in a while, something works its way to the front of our minds and won’t go away. Typically, it’s going to be something related to the security, wellbeing, and happiness of our family. Pay attention. Chances are your car, your golf game, or Monday Night Football isn’t on your mind at 2:00 AM. So why do we give those things (and others) so much attention when our family needs us more?
2. Take “hurricane inventory”:
Imagine your car is in the driveway. You have just 30 minutes to pack before the roads close and a Category 5 hurricane comes ashore to level your home. You make sure the kids are on board, and that your spouse has what they need, and you’ve taken care of the pets. Then you stop and think…other than a couple of boxes of family photographs, everything else is all pretty-much just “stuff,” isn’t it?
3. Outline your story:
Imagine a television special is featuring your life. Imagine that you’re asked to help outline the content of the show. What would you want to see highlighted? Your work? Your possessions? Your character? The way you love your family? Your children? Your choice of recreational activities? Your commitment to the community? What things would you insist the documentary addressed?
4. Stay up late one night and watch:
Wait for the entire family to go to sleep. Then, make yourself a cup of tea and walk around the inside of the house, slowly. Look at everything that occupies your space. Now pay attention to your heart, and listen to what it says when you watch your spouse sleep…and your children.
5. Attend a reunion and listen to yourself talk:
What did you share with that table full of people you haven’t seen in years? Chances are, if you want your old high-school friends to know about it, then it matters a lot to you. Don’t think about what you should say, but think about what you did (or would) say. Do the right things matter?
 
www.allprodad.com

“No person really becomes a fool until they stop asking questions.” - Charles P. Steinmetz
 
Are you confident enough to ask questions of people who are smarter than you?

“Good leadership consists of getting average people to do the work of superior people.” - John D. Rockefeller
 
How does your leadership style cause people to perform?

“Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind.” - Robert G. Ingersoll
 
How do you prevent your anger from impacting your mind?

“The secret to happiness is freedom. And the secret to freedom is courage.” - Thucydides
​
How is your happiness framed by your courage?
 

“Good thoughts are no better than good dreams if you don’t follow through.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
 
How do you follow through on making your thoughts a reality?

“Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience.” - Denis Waitley
 
How do you become an expert but continue to be a student?

Please check out my latest YouTube podcast where I had the pleasure of being interviewed on The Deciding Factor with John, Alton & Barb. You can watch the podcast by clicking on the VIDEOS button at the top of this page and scrolling down and clicking on The Deciding Factor Podcast tab.

“Success requires both urgency and patience. Be urgent about making the effort, and patient about seeing the results.” - Ralph Marston
 
How do you combine urgency and patience in reaching your goals?

“As a leader, you must make people want to do what must be done.” - Jim Collins
 
How do you make people want to do what must be done?

“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” - Zig Ziglar
 
How does your character, commitment, and discipline move you toward your goals?

“Be strong enough to stand alone, be yourself enough to stand apart, but be wise enough to stand together when the time comes.” - Mark Amend
 
How do you know when it is time to stand together?