Prioritized Writing
"We actually wanted a bigger house, but had to settle for this one."
That's what one of today's clients told me when we met. Was it because they couldn't afford a larger house? No, the reason was their love for their dogs (the photo is from their driveway).
The house had a very large yard, which made it optimal for their Greyhound dogs. The animals were their biggest interest, so they had to make a choice.
Priorities.
Inside, there were trophies they had won. I mentioned that I grew up in Åkersberga, which has a Greyhound track. "Yes, that's where we compete," he replied and told me that it's a 70-kilometer (44 miles) journey.
Priorities.
I learned that Greyhound racing is a very small sport in Sweden. There are a few enthusiasts who keep it going. The starting fee during competitions is 300 SEK (about 30 USD), and the winner gets 1000 SEK. In other words, it's an expense with no chance of ever becoming an income.
Priorities.
That's the way it is in life; we can't have our cake and eat it too. If we want to maintain our weight, then we can't always eat what we crave. If we want to read more books, then we have to watch less TV.
Priorities.
It's the same if we want to become better writers. If we want to develop our writing, then we have to write more - there are no shortcuts.
To be able to write more, we may have to adjust other parts of our life. Maybe we decide to watch one episode instead of two of our favorite series. And at the breakfast table, we choose to write instead of scrolling through our feeds.
Priorities, and we prioritize writing.