Perspectives and Priorities...

We all view things from different vantage points and with different contexts based on what we've previously experienced and seen and heard. Having different points of view is what makes us unique. Priorities are much the same way. The priorities we set are based on who we are, what we've seen, done and want. We each have out own and they make us unique, too.

I was talking to a friend from high school this week (talking = email) and I was reminded of when I was in Grad School. I'd reached the point in life I wanted to do something and I thought an MBA sounded fun. I love to study business so it seemed like a good idea. Before I started I sat down and thought about what I was under-taking, what else I had on my plate and how it would fit in. I made a firm decision that it would not come before Family or work. Family would be number 1 and work would be 2 and then school. I had a new 2 year old and we'd have another before I finished so I had to decide now before I got in the middle and then decided.

Making decision before you need to always helps. You think clearer, you are more rational and rationalize much less.

I look at grades as two things: A measure of how you do and a reward for effort. In this program you graduated with honors ONLY if you got all A's. You could make no more than 2 C's to graduate. So, the way I looked at it was I needed two A's to cover 2 C's I might make. Anything over 2 A's was a waste unless I got all A's. Remember, A's represent a lot of effort. B's less so.

Well, I'd been in the program a while and was down to my last 2 classes and I had all A's. Pressure was on to graduate with honors. I had a final exam that night so I'd decided to take a half day off to study. My daughter, hearing that I'd be taking off early, asked if I'd come have lunch with her at school. She was so excited. My wife, trying to cover for me started to explain that I had a test and was very busy. The look in her little face brought back my priorities in full force. I knew that in 10 years no one would care about the grade but she always remember the lunch.

So, I stopped on the way home, picked up her lunch at McDonald's and had lunch with her and her friends. I taught them to play table football with a folded sheet of paper and we had 70 kids around the lunch table cheering and yelling and having a ball! What fun! Now, I know that I was disruptive and I could see that the teachers were not sure what to do with a parent creating such fun but every kids there still remembers it. And, let's face it, table football is a critical skill to have.

I got my A in the class. I'm sure I did well because I was happy with my decision and that made me more relaxed.

My daughter tells that story all the time. I always think that I was close to forgetting my priorities. She has a different perspective, she thinks I have the right priorities.