Actions Speak Priorities - How to Make Aligned Choices That Move Your Life Forward

Most people spend their entire life stressed without ever giving a single thought as to what it is they really want or what's important to them. See, I'm here to cut through all that noise, connecting you to yourself and the life that you were meant to live. I used to slave away at a corporate job that I hated, but I broke through the social norms and pursued my passion. As a result, I own my own coffee company. I'm espresso sommelier, and I get to travel the world. You too can live a life that you love, but it starts with getting clear about what you want. It starts with a new decision. I'm your host, Donnie Rouse, and you are listening to the podcast One Life. Actions speak priorities. Every single day, you are faced with a decision what to focus on and what actions to take. Depending what actions you take, they are going to move you to a different destination. So the key here is to understand what is it that you really, really want as an outcome, and then what actions can you take that are going to move you in that direction? I'm going to share a story yesterday that inspired this entire podcast. Yesterday was a really, really rough day for me in the sense that I woke up and I just kind of felt a little out of it, right? You've had those days before where you're like, you can't even grasp your bearings. So I was feeling a little bit out of it. And then trying to, you know, not sure as to where I wanted to start my day. I was like, all right, let me work on my espresso machine, which is not the right thing to do, right? So I had some new parts for my espresso machine because it was down, and something that I thought was going to be a rather quick solution ended up taking three hours. So I thought it was going to be half an hour. Took me three hours. And by the end of the entire process of repairing it, I was frustrated because the problem with the machine was that there was some calcification in the pipes of my machine, so it wasn't allowing the water to flow. And so it wasn't a fix that I was gonna get a solution to, right at that point. So I had to wait another day to descale it and then start the process over. So at that point, I'm like, oh, my God, I just wasted three hours of my day. But it wasn't really a waste, right? Something that needed to happen, but it just wasn't a priority for that day. So after that, I was like, all right, let me regroup. Let Me go for a little walk and then start focusing on the work that I want to, that I wanted to complete. The priorities I had for the day. One of those was to work on my One Life blueprint course. I went out, I worked on that, and then as a result, now it's five o' clock and I'm like, okay, next thing I need to do is I need to go move my body. I need to work out. But there was something I promised. My nephew had his last baseball game in Greenwich. So I was like, oh my God, it's at 6 o'. Clock, there's no way I could work out. And I said, well, I could go there, do the game and, you know, just show my face and then leave. But they're going out for dinner after and it's my mother's birthday, so I'm like, I could, you know, I could go for the entire game, I could skip dinner, or I could go for part of the game, leave, work out, then go to dinner. So I was playing in all these scenarios in my mind, and then I asked myself, well, what is most important here? Like, what do I want? And I thought to myself, I was like, well, I want to support my nephew. I want my nephew to know that, you know, one, that I care for him. Two, that I want to encourage him because I know he loves sports and he would be excited to see not just me, but like, you know, other family members, they're watching his game. And then with regard to the dinner afterward, I was like, well, it was my mother's birthday, right? While this wasn't the official celebration of it, it was still her birthday. And I wanted to spend time with my, with my parents and my niece and nephew and my brother, because I know that those moments are very valuable. I mean, My mother is 74 now and, you know, looking at mortality, you know, it's. It sounds morbid to even think about it, but it's. The fact of life is that every single one of us, we have, you know, we have a, a time limit. And you start to realize that more as you get up in age, as you see your parents aging, you start to become face to face with that reality and you realize that these are the most valuable moments. So when I thought about what I really wanted, what really mattered, it was a no brainer. I was like, all right, well, I could stretch when I get home. I don't need to do the full workout. I'll stretch when I get home. And then I'll just go work out and continue the routine that I always do the following day. And I did that. And I was so, so grateful to have that time spent, especially when we went to. When we had dessert come out and we sang Happy Birthday to my mother. We went to Boxcar Cantina in Greenwich, if you live in Fairfield county and you're familiar with it. And as they came out, they brought out a cowboy hat and they put it on her. And I remember looking at her smile like a little child, like, just so happy. And it made me happy to be there, to observe it. Much more happier than I would have been if I was just going on that routine and I was going to the gym, because I know the feelings. I would have hit the gym, I would come home, I would have been like, oh, I'm exhausted. I would have journaled or something like that. And I would just gone to sleep, right? I wouldn't have had any of those moments that came as a result of just making a new decision and focusing on what was important to me. So I, I, I tell you this because I want you to ask yourself that very question. What is important to you? As you go about your day, you are going to be faced with decisions that are going to move you in some way, right? They're going to move you into you, to a different destiny or different outcome. It's up to you to say, to stop and say, okay, well, what am I doing right now? What really matters? Because every decision you make, every action you take comes at the cost of another action. It's like, oh, well, I could go to Italy or I can go travel. Indonesia. You're probably, where the hell is he going with this? This is actually one of my, one of my upcoming trips is going to Indonesia. Malaysia is. It was top of mind. So sorry. But so, but there, you know, there's, there's, there's resources that are limited, right? In, in this case, it's your time. So it's like, all right, well, I could spend my time here, or I could spend it here. Where am I going to get the most benefit for it? And by looking at that, you'll realize you'll start to make different choices. And it's not to say that it's. It's one or the other, right? It's not. They're not always mutually exclusive. Like, last night when I went out for dinner, I was, all right, what do I, what is my outcome? Like, what do I really want? Like, I want to support my nephew. I want to be there for my mother. I want to spend time with my Family, that is the most important thing, right? I didn't say, like, oh, but that means I can't work out, right? That's. That's how. What I was thinking initially, I was like, oh, but then I can't work out. But that's not the. That's not true. Because what was the. Today's. Yesterday was a Tuesday. Tuesdays are my flexibility and my stretching days. So I was going to go to yoga class. So the thing is. All right, well, what is the outcome there? I mean, the outcome isn't just to go to a yoga class and sit there for an hour. That's not the outcome. That's not the purpose. The purpose for me is to just stretch my body, to open up my body so this way I don't feel tight from all the lifting of the weights. I don't need to go spend an hour at the gym in order to do that. I like doing it at the gym, right, Because I have people around me. And there's also different poses when I do yoga that opens up different parts. But I don't need to do that tonight to get the result I want. As a result, I just rolled down my yoga mat and I did some stretches, and that was enough for me to feel like, you know what? I still took action. I still stretched. I still feel good because I wasn't. Normally, if I don't stretch, I go to bed and I'm like, my body's a knot and like, I wake up because my legs are tight. That did not happen because I took some time to stretch. So I got the outcome by asking a different question. It wasn't about just attending the class and being there for an hour. It wasn't about the. I was looking at the outcome, what it was that I wanted. And in the face of a conflict, meaning like, of wanting two things, how can I still get the result? Well, that. Without giving something up, like, you know, if you have 1, 1, 1 option, you have no options. 2 options, you have a problem. 3 options. Now you have a choice. So look for creative ways in which you can have it all, or, you know, or at least capture your outcomes to capture. You know, really, if I wanted to summarize this entire episode into one, into one phrase, know what it is you want. Like, know what is important to you. That's it. And then just take the appropriate action to move in that direction. So that is it. I hope this, this, this. This story of a baseball game, of making the decision to go to my nephew's baseball game, allows you to make a new decision today as to what you're going to focus on and what you're going to prioritize, as well as to bring to light what is important to you. Because not a single day is guaranteed and not a single day should be taken for granted. Because every single day is a gift. Every day is a blessing. Every day is an adventure. Every day is whatever you want it to be. So I hope you enjoyed this story. I hope it impacts your life, and I want to thank you for tuning in and spending this time with me. If you have any questions, you can send them to me via my website@www.donnyrouse.com. again, D O N N Y R A U S do ask a question. Leave a comment on and don't forget to hit that subscribe on the way. More people here. My message is for you to hit that subscribe button. So hit that subscribe button and share it with five people. I appreciate you guys. Thank you so, so much for doing it. Remember, you only get one life. Live fully, live passionately, and most of all, live now. God bless you guys and I will see you again soon.