1-Minute Wednesday No. 184: Reframing an Essential Question

Design A Life That Really Matters

What's most important?

I've been asking myself (and others) this question for years.

It has guided both my professional and personal life. I've seen this question transform people's lives from a life prioritized by others to one that they design. So, you can imagine my surprise when I began to wonder if this was still the right question to ask.

After some serious reflection, I've decided this question needs an update. 

So here's what I'm doing this year.

Instead of asking, "What's most important?" I'm asking, "Who's most important?"

It's a subtle but consequential shift:  

What's Most Important 

• Focused on task completion
• Directive communication
• Success is measured by  achievement 

Who's Most Important?

• Focused on relationships
• Empathetic communication
• Success is measured by culture

This isn’t to suggest that results don’t matter - of course, they matter. But I’m wondering whether we’ve become too focused on what’s important and a little less focused on who’s important.

It’s like asking, “Which is the major, and which is the minor?” 

Here’s my best advice: Put the people first. 

Figure out who’s most important, understand and support them, and then watch as they transform because they feel they matter.

If you focus on who’s important and then what’s important, I think you will find a better, more fulfilling, more successful 2024 and beyond.   

Listen

This week on the podcast, I welcome back one of the most popular guests we have ever had, author and speaker Jennie Allen.  You'll love Jennie's incredible insight into emotional intelligence, connection, and living with intention. Discover the beauty of creating a legacy that transcends your lifetime and be inspired by tales of overcoming adversity and finding joy amidst life's struggles.

Learn

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What do you do when you're bored or feel restless? Chances are you look for something new. In this essay, happiness expert Arthur Brooks suggests that this may be the wrong approach. "Instead of seeking a new life," he writes, you should "go deeper into the one you have."

Find out how here

Weekly Wisdom

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards”  –  Søren Kierkegaard

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