September 2017
What are "first things?" First things are those things you, personally, find of most worth. If you put first things first, you are organizing and managing time and events according to the personal priorities you established. From the book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Habit 3: Put First Things First.
You have established a priority for today; that is, something of importance for you now. If you are a list person, you may have the list in front of you. You receive a phone call, asking you for help with someone else’s need or want and it sounds urgent. Is it important enough to put your priority aside? Do you drop everything? Is it really an emergency?
Someone you knew a long time ago dies, and you are urged to go to the viewing or funeral. Do you truly want to go, or do you feel “compelled” because of social protocol? The answer to prayer comes from God, so may you pray for the deceased and their family instead? Would this be more important than your priority?
Or, you receive call, asking you to join them in what they want to do because they don’t want to go alone. Will going fulfill your priority? If you say “no” they will call someone else.
We are told to help others above ourselves. We want to be there to help others. But... is the other person’s request truly a need? Can they get along without your help at this time? Do they have someone else who can help? If you accept these requests, what happened to your priority? It is put off another day and maybe another, and yet another, all to pay attention to others’ needs or wants.
Quotes from the Edgar Cayce readings:
What are "first things?" First things are those things you, personally, find of most worth. If you put first things first, you are organizing and managing time and events according to the personal priorities you established. From the book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Habit 3: Put First Things First.
You have established a priority for today; that is, something of importance for you now. If you are a list person, you may have the list in front of you. You receive a phone call, asking you for help with someone else’s need or want and it sounds urgent. Is it important enough to put your priority aside? Do you drop everything? Is it really an emergency?
Someone you knew a long time ago dies, and you are urged to go to the viewing or funeral. Do you truly want to go, or do you feel “compelled” because of social protocol? The answer to prayer comes from God, so may you pray for the deceased and their family instead? Would this be more important than your priority?
Or, you receive call, asking you to join them in what they want to do because they don’t want to go alone. Will going fulfill your priority? If you say “no” they will call someone else.
We are told to help others above ourselves. We want to be there to help others. But... is the other person’s request truly a need? Can they get along without your help at this time? Do they have someone else who can help? If you accept these requests, what happened to your priority? It is put off another day and maybe another, and yet another, all to pay attention to others’ needs or wants.
Quotes from the Edgar Cayce readings:
Do the first things first; and know that as you keep in line with that which is constructive ever, then the gain mentally, materially, spiritually, may come.
But if there are put the first things first and the proper evaluations of those of material and mental and spiritual forces, then there may be a life of harmony, a life of happiness, a life of joy in this experience. For it will make all of those whom the entity may contact day by day aware, by the very dealings and the expression with same, that he hath taken thought of his relationships to his God and his fellow man!
Conclusion: establish your priorities: spiritual, mental, and material. Learn to say “no” to what would distract, distort or delay any of your priorities.. This is meant for the interruptions or distractions to a priority, not to a true emergency for another.
Let’s all try this for a week and see how we do. I need this, too.
Conclusion: establish your priorities: spiritual, mental, and material. Learn to say “no” to what would distract, distort or delay any of your priorities.. This is meant for the interruptions or distractions to a priority, not to a true emergency for another.
Let’s all try this for a week and see how we do. I need this, too.
