This morning’s post over at Becoming Minimalist was really good, so I thought I’d share it with everyone. Josh talks about remembering what’s most important. Several of my posts refer to focusing on what is important to you, both in terms of your spending and in terms of your time. He does a really good job of getting the point across in terms of identifying your main values using the following steps:
1. Grab a piece of paper and pencil.
2. Across the top, write “What I Most Want to Accomplish with My Life.”
3. Write down whatever comes to mind.
4. When the moment feels right, stop.
I know that personally, the single biggest factor in getting me to remember what’s important was having a child. From that point on, life was no longer about me or even me and Amanda. We were now completely responsible for another living, breathing person. His needs have to be met, regardless of what Amanda or I have planned or would rather be doing. It really makes us stop and think, “What were we doing with all our time before he arrived?” I can’t think of anything that we no longer do that I truly, deeply miss. We still have our time in the evenings when Tyler is asleep to talk and just spend some quality time together. It’s true that now we have less time for that, but we’re aware of that and make sure to enjoy the time we do have.
Not that there aren’t areas that I’d like to improve on. I know I can be a better husband, and I need to work on that. I’d like to do more community-service related activities, and I need to work on that. I know I can manage my time better and get important things done, and I need to work on that.
Take some time and read Josh’s post and complete the exercise he mentions. We only get one life. We need to make the most of it.
