AlignMENt: Is Your Life about Big Rocks?

Do you find yourself frustrated by spending a lot of time on things that are not particularly

In life, it is the Big Rocks that truly matter.

 important to you?  Some of this is unavoidable, we cannot pick and choose every meeting or activity we want to attend.   Our frustration levels tend to rise when we feel like we are being controlled by other people’s agendas.  That being said, we often have more control than we think. We need to take the conscious step of choosing our activities whenever we can.  I think we are most happy and fulfilled in life when our day-to-day activities line up with our core values. 

So, if I say my kids are important to me, then I feel really good after a day out at the museum or the moives.  The planning and anticipation of the outing can be just as powerful as the outing itself.  Why?  Because we feel joy when we are aligned, especially with our families.

Stephen Covey calls this the concept of “putting first things first” or choosing the “big rocks” over the “little rocks” in life.  The “big rocks” are those things that are truly important to us like our family, friends, career and faith.  Covey challenges us to schedule the “big rocks” first in our lives and let the “small rocks” fit in around them.  Often, we get squeezed by the tyranny of the urgent and the small rocks take over our lives, which leads to major frustration. 

As you finish reading this post, think of one big rock in your life and schedule something meaningful for it this week.  You will be glad you did.