Forest for the Trees - First Things First

Forest for the Trees - First Things First

The road to 
first things 
may be narrow.

These topics have been discussed for years by many wonderfully smart people.  It's been illustrated in examples with rocks as priorities and other clever ways.  The idea that we overlook the simple and obvious because we're so distracted in the moment is telling about our society.  On the other side, we talk about "first things first" and how we should prioritize the important things in our lives.  Today's post hopefully gets you thinking about how we're so consumed in what we think are the first things that we miss the actual first things.  

The forest 
may need a 
bike to 
navigate it.

We half-joke in wildland fire profession that we spend more time/energy/money in putting the fire out than the values we save (homes and such) that it'd consume if we just let it burn itself out...and that we probably kill more trees with all the paperwork than the forest fire burned up.  In another example, we got a $.55 cent stamped letter letting us know that we had a $.15 cent rebate at our local hardware store.  Some of these items illustrate the lack of a clearly articulated "desired end state" when we're doling out the tasks or tactics.  If you find yourself saying, "Because I said so," or "Because we've always done it this way," it might be time to really think about if you're missing the forest for the trees. 

There are the quintessential examples of the businessman who "makes it" with his hollow millions, mansions, and monster trucks but misses out on the kids or is on his third trophy wife.  Perhaps he defined his "first things" differently than you or I or perhaps somewhere along the way he let his first things slip under the surface of his career.  

First things
might look
like this.

You've all probably got examples of how we mix up our first things with the second, third, or seventeenth things...trading our attention in the quality time moments with our loved ones for mindless social media scrolling.  It becomes less obvious that we're getting out of balance when we are picking and choosing between several first things...or picking between good things.  When we are surrounded by "too much of a good thing" we can end up having our first things (faith, family) compromised or diluted by our busy activities.  

Sometimes you
just have to
hike it.

In the I'm In a Hurry To Get Things Done by Alabama reminds us that we're in a race to some obscure endpoint but important/point/purpose along the way.  For your family, it's important to have continued conversations regarding both the first things that you've defined and where they are in this season of life - are they still first?  It's also important to call out the trees that may be causing you to miss the forest.  What are the items, right now in front of our family, that are causing us to lose focus or stray away from how we've said we're committed to doing life.  

You might have to 
get creative.

Hopefully you're in a season where you have the bandwidth and margin to really analyze what are those first things...and are you prioritizing/investing in them responsibly.  Is your money (time, energy, effort, focus, attention) where your mouth is?  Do you stated values/priorities actually receive the resource investment to make them actual values/priorities?  If they're not...the great news is that the ball is in your court with the watering can...because the grass truly is greener where you water it.  Take the time to sit down with your loved ones and talk about how you are...or how you get back to the first things leading the way.  

With you in the arena, from ours to yours...Happy Trails!

Call to Action: 

• Pick out three things that your family can work to ensure the first things are the first things...budget and savings at the front of the month, calendar and church at the front of the schedule.  
• 1 - ___________________ 
• 2 - ___________________
• 3 - ___________________
• Discussion: Consider what you/your family could/would/should (level of commitment) and start/stop/sustain (action) in terms of systems to help you keep the priorities in the right order.  

Further Reading, Motivation, and References:

- Meir Kay on Priorities

- Alabama - Hurry To Get Things Done