Does Prioritizing Ever Get Any Easier ?

I constantly struggle to feel good about the order of my priorities.  After spending time in any number of activities, I often found myself reflecting on other things I had NOT done instead during that time.  Depending on the situation, this caused a variety of feelings (see: guilt, inadequacy, heavily burdened, wanting to quit, etc.) and those feelings led me to finding fault or flaws in myself.  I began to believe I was lazy, or maybe another time it found out I dislike spending time with my family, or perhaps the 'real issue' is that I am afraid of trying new things or afraid of change.  But it turns out, it isn't any of those things - which are only true in fleeting moments.  The real challenge is this: After at least 30 years of trying to improve in my ability to effectively prioritize my 'life' it feels like I am no better at it than when I started!

Aren't we supposed to improve as we do things?

What about the following quote?

How are we supposed to feel good about ourselves if we cannot seem to make meaningful, noteworthy progress in all aspects of our humanity?

Why do I constantly find myself wondering if I am spending my time in the BEST activities?  Or creating an endless list of 'Things To Do' which can never fully be finished, only to question items on that list when reviewing it later?  (Ehh, it's not that important to get the oil changed today.  I'll get around to reading that book eventually.  We had a date night last week ... that's good enough, right?!)

Perhaps the answer is echoed in the adage: Those who can't, teach.

Maybe I'm not meant to ever feel good about prioritizing things, but through my example (good or bad) others can learn how to better prioritize for themselves.


Song Of The Day:
With a chorus that include the phrase "Even as we stumble through the darkness and the light - you know these were the best years of our lives." OMD's melancholy love song "Best Years Of Our Lives" feels somehow appropriate for this post.  When I stress about priorities, I always end up calming down by reminding myself that these are some of the BEST years of my life.  It is natural to wonder whether we're doing the best we can and this song helps me reflect on the choices I am making now, hopefully helping me make even better choices going forward.

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