How to determine what is really important in life

As we go about our lives, it is very easy to fall in to a daily rut and lose track of stuff that is important to one's self. Bills, social commitments, etc. have a way to take over our lives. For majority of us it is about paying bills. For those fortunate enough to not worry about bills, there is something else. There is ALWAYS something else.

So how do you take control and step back to enjoy life and focus on really what matters the most?

Here is a little exercise that I learnt from reading the 7 Habits of Great People by Stephen Covey. Though, I have heard variations of the same theme/concept/idea; I think Mr. Covey explains it best. I will paraphrase:

Sit down, close your eyes. Imagine you are at going to a funeral. You are walking in through the front doors. You look around and see you friends and family....everyone you care about. You smile...you walk to towards an open casket to see the dead body, you look down and you see it is yourself. Wow...you are dead. You turn around to say something to your friends and family, to only find out they cannot hear or see you.

You say to yourself, this cannot be happening.....I had to say ____ to _____. (fill in the blanks).

If you do this exercise correctly, I guarantee to you that you will find out what/who is important to you.

Sal
www.salmankkhan.com