What Influences Our Priorities In Life?

May 21st 2007

How we prioritize things in our life is determined by a number of elements which I have detailed below. We all have some idea of our purpose and where we want to be in our life, even if it’s only short term goals, rather than some grand life plan and it is important to understand how they affect and influence our priorities during different stages of our life. We don’t just decide to do one task over another randomly. There is a logic to it based on those things you deem most important. Note the distinction between the influences in this post and short term influences such as time available, tools needed and immediate consequences.

Family/relationships
A single person with no family or partner naturally has different priorities to a father who puts his wife and children and their safety/future first. For example if they are single and ready to settle down, they may prioritize finding a partner.

Money
If you don’t have much money or you are burdened with lots of debts and bills, finding ways of making money will likely be a high priority in your life. Likewise if you are raking in lots of money, it is not as important as you don’t have to worry about paying for your next meal or the electricity bill.

Job/career
People nowadays are increasingly motivated by their job. It it often the biggest element of their lives and gives them purpose. A 9-to-5 job versus an high pressure career where you manage entire departments puts very different pressures and priorities on your life. Things that help and improve your career, such as training and personal growth can be deemed important to some while others may be happy to get their wage at the end of the month.

Age
While I am loath to pigeonhole people into age brackets it’s true that as time goes by and we grow older our priorities shift. What an 18 year old wants, with the whole of their life ahead of them, is vastly different to what a 60 year old planning for retirement wants.

Health
As our society becomes more health conscious, it is becoming an important priority to many people. Someone in good physical health is likely to have vastly different priorities to someone who has a life threatening illness.

Happiness
Do we sacrifice our happiness for someone else to keep them happy, or do we put it before anything else, potentially running over other people’s feelings in the process? It’s often the one element that influences all other elements. For example, a 70 year old grandparent (with their age as an influence) will consider the happiness of others (specifically their children and grandchilden) their main priority.

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