which comes first?

this has nothing to do with chickens or eggs, but instead is about the age old problem (or procrastinating method) of determining where our priorities lie.

the hardest thing I find is that there are so many things to consider: impending deadlines, personal v's professional, what will make the greatest change for my future, what requires the most amount of work, and of course, the job that is in front of me right now screaming to be done - to name just a few...

so really, how can we filter through all the expectations in our lives, and just focus on what really matters right now? there are obvious things - a crying baby for instance - but I'm talking more about making a change in our lives to follow our passion, when we still have the obligations of a 'day job' workload, bills to pay, family to feed, businesses to run, and paperwork to do...

it would be ideal to have money to pay someone else to do most of that stuff - but the reality is that it isn't always possible to do that, for so many of us. So how do you overcome a long to-do list, expectations, and obligations, without losing your mind, and succumbing to giving up your dreams in favour of 'just getting by'?

I wish I could give you a definite answer, but until I had tried it myself, I'd just be telling you what someone else has told me worked for them. I just try not to let my demons rule my choices, and try to fit a bit of what will truly make me happy into every day. I don't want to just survive - I want to live, but unfortunately I have days where I'm fighting against a rising tide of things that have to be done by yesterday.

I know there is always the option that is encouraged by many of the success gurus - who have done it themselves, and lived to tell the tale - to walk away from the things that are preventing you from following your dreams, to prioritise this before anything else - at the risk of bankruptcy, hunger, homelessness, and ostracism - so very much to lose & very very scary.

but a very very exciting prospect that keeps many of us awake at night as we dream of doing just that