Clear-Sighted-Living

“As soon as we’re finished tonight I’m checking into the hospital.” – Suzi McDowell

Clear-Sighted-Living

“As soon as we’re finished tonight I’m checking into the hospital.”  Suzi said to me as we walked together.

“Is everything alright?”  I asked with concern streaked across my brow.

“Yes.  I go for the night at least once each month.  It’s no big deal.”  She responded in an unconcerned manner.

I hadn’t known any of this before last night when she let this bit of information out.  It isn’t like we haven’t been working together for quite some time.  That’s why I was so surprised.  I thought I knew a lot about Suzi and her husband Dave and I clearly didn’t and don’t know as much as I thought I did.  Yet, this tiny amount of additional information allowed me to begin to pull some pieces together.  

It’s funny how a person can think they understand the motives of another person without even having an inkling of what is really important to them.  Working with Suzi and Dave has offered some short questions which can illuminate a path to show how any person can master the art of living with clear sight.

“I wish I would have made different choices long ago.”  Suzi explained as we walked through a building together.  “I guess this is what it took for me to finally make better decisions for myself.  We all talk about having priorities, but I’ve come to understand that living with a ‘priorities’ belief is a myth.  All of these personal challenges have made me realize that many of us don’t understand the word, priority at all!”

She then went on to teach me about what prioritization is.

“You can really have one priority! It’s really about simplifying life down to what’s really important.  I thought I was doing that before.  But, being forced to deal with debilitating health issues has focused me like never before.  My life is much simpler now.”  She said just before she began to tell me how to she had to begin to ask herself a series of questions so she could figure out what her real priority was.

“A person’s priorities are hardly ever obvious!”  She said.  “So, here’s what I ask myself all of the time now.”

First.  Get to one. “If I could only do one thing today, or this week, what would it be?”

Second. Take another step.  “What is the one thing that will leave me the most satisfied?”

Third.  Three-step with yourself.  What will I care about in a week, a month, or 50 or 80 years from now?”

Finally!  “What one thing will make everything else easier?”

The answer wasn’t obvious as to why Suzi and Dave where making major changes in their life until Suzi said, “As soon as we’re finished tonight I’m checking into the hospital.”  Yet, that one statement was an opening, the beginning of a walk to discovery; discovering a path to Clear-Sighted-Living.

At first Suzi responded to my inquiry with, “It’s no big deal.”  

But living a life based on priority, satisfaction, design and ease is a really big deal!  It’s Clear Sighted Living!