Do you ever feel as if your life is spinning out of control? Maybe things haven't gotten quite that bad yet, but you do know that things are definitely out of whack and you feel confused, dazed and wondering why you haven't been experiencing the success you had hoped for. Believe me when I say that there have been many times over the years that I have felt this way. Whenever I have analyzed things to try to discover the "who, what, when, where, why and how" of the situation, I have nearly always come to the realization that my priorities were out of kilter.

I need to be honest here and say this has always been one of the toughest areas of my life to get a hold of and to master. I share with you, not because I think I have "arrived" in this area, but because I understand the importance of setting my priorities and keeping them right and know that it is something I must work at diligently and consistently.

Thinking about and working on priorities is not something you do only once a year; once a week isn't even often enough. The key to maintaining the right priorities in life is to keep them forefront in your mind everyday. It's a daily responsibility only you can attend to and no one else can do it for you.

If, after setting your priorities, things still do not appear to be working in your life, take another look at your priorities. Quite possibly, they may not be in the proper order, or maybe you are leaving something out, or trying to include something that really should not be a priority at all. At this point you will need to get tougher on yourself. You will need to be honest with yourself as you seek to discover what works and what doesn't work.

Right now, take out a sheet of paper and write down your top ten life priorities. Post them in a place where you can look at them everyday for one week. Ask yourself questions, such as these:

Am I happy?
Am I balanced?
Is what I am doing working for me?
What's my next step?

Once you have established your priorities, take time to update them on a regular basis. Type them up and share them with your family, and ask someone whom you respect and trust - a family member, close friend or a colleague- to hold you accountable to consistently living out your priorities. Remember the goal is to keep your life balanced in each of your priorities. If you will do this, it won't be long and you will see that you are truly learning to master your priorities.

2005 Professional Development Systems All Rights Reserved

Robert Prentice

Robert A. (Bob) Prentice is an entrepreneur, a motivational speaker, a corporate trainer, a business and marketing consultant, an author, and publisher, who began his career 25 years ago.On December 26, 1989, Professional Development Systems was established in Rapid City, South Dakota.

In 1998, Bob moved the business to Wessington, South Dakota, so his family could experience the benefits of living in a rural community. Since the birth of PDS, Bob has worked with literally hundreds of companies and organizations within a 15 state region, delivering highly motivational training sessions in Customer Service, Leadership, Sales, Total Quality Management, Team Building and more. Literally, thousands of people participate in Bob's training seminars each year.

A family man, Bob and Vicki, his wife of 28 years, have enjoyed the privilege of raising three children–two sons and a daughter–to adulthood. They also have an 11 year old daughter. Bob says he plays much more than he works, and when he works he goes to fun! Bob's friends call him Mr. Attitude.