Focusing on Clear Priorities

I was talking to a friend/colleague today and was describing the three things that I'm making my top priorities.  I'm doing these three things because I enjoy them and because I believe that they can have a positive influence on future generations.  Then, there are other things that I distract myself with.  Things that I find need change, but don't really lend themselves to any practical approach to effecting actual change.  I'm going to need to talk to myself about this on a regular basis.  Why I want to spend valuable time worrying about, expending passion/energy on, isn't practical.  Nor is it actually healthy.  I'm literally fighting with myself when I do this. I feel a need to do something, but the reality is that there's little I can truly accomplish.

On the other hand, the three things that I've been prioritizing, are things that I have varying degrees of control over, and plausible impact resulting from them.  Hmmm. This isn't too difficult.  Since I often try to relate my life's goals to triathlon or running, I'll take a shot at that here.  If I'm trying to improve my 5K time, I don't focus on running 20 miles.  I don't try to do workouts that are not physically possible.  There are only so many days in a week.  It's ironic, but I generally have three run workouts to focus on each week.  I guess the number three is the right number!

The other thing about focusing on priorities is not to tie myself to results.  Even though I've chosen priorities that have a greater likelihood of having results, I still don't want to tie myself to those results.  That's how I get into trouble.  That's how my heart and gut fight with one another.  That's how I end up going down an unhealthy path.  Stay in the moment, focus on things that matter to me, and enjoy the journey.  It's a journey that will focus on clear priorities.