Urgent or Important

"To forget one's purpose is the commonest form of stupidity." Friedrich Nietzsche

I have been thinking about all the details of our lives, and how we sometimes might mistake the urgent for the important. The urgent is right there up in our face, demanding our time and attention. "This must be done now! Immediately! Yesterday, if not sooner! Drop what you are doing and take care of this right now!" it screams.

The important can be much more subtle, quietly tugging on our sleeve for a while, then walking away quietly when it fails to get our attention.

The urgent is the dinner that must be prepared. The important is the child who puts his arms up, asking to be held. The urgent is the client who calls and emails at all hours. The important is the spouse who would love to have a few minutes of our undivided attention. The urgent is the need to earn a living. The important is the desire to really live a  life.

It's safe to say that most of us in modern day America are very busy. It's easy to get our priorities out of order. It's easy to cave into the demands of the urgent, while ignoring the important. So here is what I am going to do. Today I am going to take a few deep breaths and contemplate what truly gives my life meaning. Today I am going to ask the urgent to sit down and take a number, and focus my full attention to what is important. I've been ignoring it too much lately.

Susan