Proven Not Perfect

The Power of Prioritization: A Journey towards Effective Service and Balanced Life

Shontra Powell Episode 51

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Ever feel like you're stretched too thin? Like you're saying 'yes' more often than you should? Find out how you can set clear boundaries and balance generosity with personal priorities. In this solo episode, we explore the importance of clarity and gratitude, and how we can avoid overextending ourselves by learning to say 'no'.

Join me as I share my personal strategy for managing commitments - focusing on three to five priorities at any given time - and how staying grounded in these priorities can lead to more effective service, greater generosity, and a much-needed sense of balance. We discuss the challenge of balancing service and generosity with personal boundaries and how to navigate this complex dynamic. Expect a heart-to-heart conversation filled with insights and personal anecdotes. Don't forget to share your thoughts on this episode when it goes live; I'd love to hear from you!

Drive, Ambition, Doing, Leading, Creating... all good until we forget about our own self-care. This Village of All-Stars pays it forward with transparency about  misses and celebration in winning. We cover many topics and keep it 100. We are Proven Not Perfect™️
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Speaker 1:

So it has been a minute since I've done a solo episode very long time and I think for a moment I thought that probably those were less useful, that you guys were so much more interested in hearing the voices of my guests and the conversations that we have together. But I've come to learn that you know what, just as this started as a solo episode, I have some stuff to say and, by God's grace, some people actually want to hear it, so cool. So you know, I'm going to do more of this. I'm going to do more of the solo episodes. I think it's important to maintain that grounding and that connection and understanding who it is, quite frankly, that you're engaging in listening and conversation with, as you share the conversations that I have with some of my amazing guests, all of my amazing guests. They're all amazing. But I think you know, let's be real, right, some of us connect to some conversations more than others, right? I know I do the same thing and I am podcast surfing or listening to my favorite podcasters as well. So here it is, solo episode today.

Speaker 1:

So what I want to talk about today? Well, recently I have a former guest on the show posted a little I don't know what you call it, like a little wallpaper thing, and it said no, in small quotes, parentheses no, not parentheses, small quotes no member. And I thought that was really interesting. And then I thought about all of the gratitude conversations that many of us are having and how we're choosing to be more grateful, which is very interesting to me, that we have to choose to be more grateful because there's so much to be grateful for, even when things are going on, and trust and know that my life is not perfect. I go through things daily and I choose to be grateful. So I really want to talk about how do you combine this notion of being really clear about your nose and also being full of gratitude and generosity? Quite frankly, can those places coexist within us? Can we be really really grounded and clear on what our priorities are, allowing us to say no but at the same time, being open and receiving and generous and grateful? Well, no. So I'd love to hear what you think. So you'll have to definitely hit me up when I post this, but I can only speak from the perspective of the no-vimper.

Speaker 1:

So for me, it's very easy to get to a place and I've talked about this before to get to a place where I am overextended because saying yes was just the easiest thing to do and, quite frankly, went with my own heart and generosity to serve. But it's so clear to me that every single time I do that I get to the same in place where I have to do the hard work of unpacking all of the things I said yes to to get to the core of what really was the yes that was intended for me and I'm telling you it's a lot of work and you know this is work right. But the thing that hit my mind regarding the generosity piece is that you can be more available and flowing in generosity when you are not over-serving. And it sounds almost ridiculous to say over-serving because we are born to serve but we are limited. So if we are limited, then there is a limitation to what we can serve at any given time. I have historically used three to five, three to five goals, three to five priorities at any given time. What are the three lanes that I am serving?

Speaker 1:

For me, this podcast is a ministry, and it's as much a ministry for me as it is for the community that I'm so humbled receive these words and think about these words and join in the conversation. For me, it's also leadership. You know I've had a big swerve, a few swerves, but my recent swerve has been to go back into a corporate structure of leadership and I take great responsibility for that role. I take great responsibility for the impact that I have on others. I take great responsibility for how I show up and who I show up as and with. Quite frankly, I take great responsibility for fit and the things that I'm doing that preclude me fitting and the things that are happening around me that preclude me fitting, so that I can stay really grounded and very communicative when things need to be discussed. But I take great responsibility there. So that's number two.

Speaker 1:

Number three and this is not in the order y'all, because this would have been one all day long it's family. It's my family that a birth is my family that birthed me. There are so many things going on and for me there's nothing more important than celebrating life, experiencing life and being a part of those moments, those beautiful, rich moments that are fleeting and so important for us to be fully immersed in. So those are my three proven not perfect leadership and family. So I'm just going to put it out there If you are like me, and your yeses come far quicker than your nose, and you found yourself sort of packed in with so many expectations of others and you need to pull back out.

Speaker 1:

Then do it, just do it. Take the time and just do it. And if you're also like me, you've moved from five to three, because the more I give myself lanes of pursuit, the more I'm gonna do it. And you know, there's something about relentless focus. It's got us to where we are and it's gonna get us to where we're going. So go ahead, girlfriend. Sharpen that pencil, get out that note taker on your phone, whatever it is that you're jammed, go get it done.

Speaker 1:

And then I have a word of scripture for you that I believe will uplift you as much as it did me. This is from 2nd Corinthians, 8, chapter 8, and it's verse 16 that I'm gonna start with. But thanks be to God, who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus, for he not only accepted the exhortation but, being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord. Now I'm gonna go back up to chapter 8, verse 10. And in this I give advice.

Speaker 1:

It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago, but now you also must complete the doing of it. That, as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have, word, word, word. Do you get that? So, if you're like me and you pack in so many things with all the yeses, how in the world can you complete? And certainly, how can you complete with the grace and generosity in your heart to stay fresh and open and ready for more? Alright, just something for you to think about. I hope that you enjoyed this solo podcast. It's been a while. Have a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful week. Great holiday season 2023. Blessings to you. Proven that perfect.