I’m a goal-oriented person. I make myself a to-do list and I finish it. I have an end goal in sight and I don’t stop until I’ve accomplished it.
In doing so, I find that I can go an awfully long time without seeing or talking to people. Left on my own, with a computer and a project, I can go weeks without people.
In my push to finish one project or another (I have plenty of projects to keep me busy until I’m at least 150), I’d often forgo social events, preferring to “get stuff done.”
But a few months ago, I realized that the way I was living was not consistent with my life vision.
“My vision is to glorify God by growing daily in relationship with Him, being conformed to the image of Christ; by growing in relationships with others, taking time to invest into their lives; and by growing as an individual, always learning and practicing what I’ve learned.”
I said that I wanted to prioritize people, that I wanted to take time to invest in their lives; but I wasn’t doing it.
Something had to change.
So I put people on my to-do list. Three slots every day. I couldn’t say I’d completed my list for the day unless I’d made contact with at least three people. A phone call. A note. A lunch date or walk around the neighborhood. My day wasn’t complete until I’d made time for people.
Singing the little ditty “Make new friends, but keep the old–one is silver and the other gold”, I made a list of friends, old and new. I scheduled them in regular intervals throughout my planner–reminders so I wouldn’t let these friendships slip (as I have been wont to do in the past.)
My roommate from Bible school came up in my list this week, and I was trying to figure out how to connect with her. We haven’t seen each other for a while. She moved to Kansas City after she married, and we’ve only seen each other infrequently, when she comes back to Lincoln and we happen to run into each other. But I knew I wanted to renew this friendship. But how?
The opportunity came rather surprisingly. She and her husband just closed on a house in the neighboring city–and she posted a Facebook status asking if anyone wanted to help them paint and move.
I saw my opportunity–tailor-made by God.
I’ll help. I’ll renew this friendship. I’ll prioritize people today.
So today, I’m going to Omaha to paint. I’m ticking things off my to-do list. I’m prioritizing people.
So much wisdom here! I can be like you: feeling a great sense of accomplishment from finishing projects, but not feeling that same sense from time with people–at least, not naturally feeling it. I like how your “system” helps you to focus on people, but still feel like you’re accomplishing something. Well done!