PRIORITIES: WHO NEEDS THEM?...YOU!

• At a time in my life I was more interested in saving a few bucks then keeping my integrity intact
• My priorities were out of whack and it effected how people viewed me
• You see Priorities are a very powerful thing.
• On one hand if used properly they can take us to where we need to go and on the other hand if not used properly can hold us back from achieving our goals
• What about you guys. Are your priorities in order?
• If you want to test yourself simply look at 3 areas in your own life: close your eyes if you would
  1. Your Checkbook-what do you spend your money on
  2. Your Schedule-what do you spend your time on, are you investing time in anyone
  3. Your Attitude-what do you spend your thoughts on. Other people, Positive or negative, contentment or jealousy
• If you are like most people you probably need some help in one or more of these areas
• Fortunately, one divine word provides the solution
• Actually, it is THE formula for success
• The word is JOY
• (J)esus (O)thers (Y)ou
• Where happiness is circumstantial, Joy is eternal
• God is a God of order
• He provides us with this simple word to remind us of our true priorities
• Satan on the other hand is the author of confusion, or disorder, determined to move us off the path
• Your response to this formula will lead to either harmony or chaos
• So with the all important JOY formula in mind, let’s turn our focus to Priorities in business.

I will tell you that in order to reach your goals in business you first need 2 things:

• Mission and vision statements
• These need to be part of an overall business plan
• If you have these great, if not it would be a very good idea to develop them
• You've heard it said, “If you fail to plan you plan to fail!” It’s true

This topic alone could take the allotted time today but to simplify things let’s say that:

• A mission statement answers the question, “What do we do? What makes us unique”
• A vision statement answers the question, “Where do we aim to be and how will we get there?”
• Many business people I meet don't know the answers to those questions. Do you?
• Can you effectively communicate your business to others in a succinct manner?
• Do you know what your numbers are and what they mean?

These are foundational priorities to business success. But many ignore this

Take 2008 for example. The market crashed. Many people lost their jobs and had difficulty finding another. Many just started businesses because they felt that they were good at what they did, so what’s wrong with that?

The challenge was they put their faith in what they did, but did little to address what they didn't know. They failed to prioritize the steps

Luke 14:28 (NIV) ²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it

Too many of us do business by the seat of our pants. Yes, some succeed, but the overwhelming majority do not.

So having said that there are 4 thoughts I believe will help you to better understand the power of establishing good priorities

1. Busyness does not equal productivity.
   • Activity is not necessarily accomplishment.
2. Leaders never advance to a point where they no longer need to prioritize.
   • Leaders never "arrive" but are always on the journey
   • Prioritizing requires leaders to continually think ahead, to know what’s important, to see how everything relates to the overall vision and then put that into action
   • Gauging and prioritizing Opportunities, new and old
3. The Pareto Principle – if you focus your attention on the activities that rank in the top 20 percent in terms of importance or production, you will receive an 80 percent return on your effort.
   • For example, if you have 100 customers, the top 20 will provide you 80% of your business, so focus on them.
   • Focus 80% on your strengths.
4. Leaders must order their lives according to the Three “R’s” –

• What is required?
  • The question we must ask ourselves is What must I do that nobody can OR should do for me?
  • If I'm doing something that's not necessary, I should eliminate it
  • If I am doing something that is necessary, but not required of me personally, I need to delegate it
• What gives the greatest return?
  • Leaders need to get out of their comfort zone but stay in their strength zone (Pareto Principle)
  • DNA vs character
  • What brings the greatest reward?
  • Tim Redmond, president of Redmond Leadership Institute, observed "There are many things that will catch my eye, but there are only a few things that will catch my heart!
  • Life is too short not to do some things you love
• Ask yourself two questions:
  1. What lights your fire
  2. What breaks your heart?
• These both speak to passion
• Strengths & Passions are a gateway to your SPECIFIC Purpose and THEREFORE we need to prioritize them! Eph 2:10
• Did you ever think that setting up proper priorities could not only point you to the thing we all want most in life, PURPOSE, but also fulfill it!
• The challenge most of us face is that we have become too comfortable AND growth requires work.
• So status quo becomes our way of life
• My question to those folks would be "how is that working out for you?"
• What are you doing EVERY day to grow?
• Maybe it’s time we UNLEARN somethings so that we can move forward and learn some new skills
• There is a great JOY in establishing solid priorities that will not only help you succeed but others as well!
• By mastering your Priorities it will take you less time to achieve your goals
• So the question is...What would happen if you were to sit down and take a real look at your life through fresh lenses and properly prioritize it based on whose you are and what you are called to?