Taking stock of where you are and what is important to you

I hope this finds you well and enjoying everything that the day is offering to you. And I do mean everything....yes even the "not so good" happenings that happen to us can make us stop and re-evaluate where we are and what we need to do next.
 
And that is what I would like to discuss with you today.
 
What is really important to you?
 
Now you could say that having fun and partying all night is the most important thing in the world to you right now, or it could be that finishing your degree or meeting lots of people and visiting new places is.  You tell me, after all this is your list as well as mine.
 
For me I have several categories where I need to focus, so let me explain them to you.
 
1. My children. Two beautiful people who are a delight to know, and spend time with. Being able to show them that the world does not revolve around the next, latest, greatest brand name. Teaching them the importance of savings and investment. Good nutrition and exercise. Teaching them the importance of values and ethics. As a parent, it is a huge responsibility to nurture their growing minds.
 
2. My home. My home is my haven, a place to return to after the end of a long and sometimes stressful day. I have several areas in my home that have been designated my space, a space that I have filled with the material things that are important to me. In my case, candles, incense, books, writing implements, a laptop, comfortable chair, music and did I mention books?
 
3. My friends and acquaintances. Knowing they are safe and well and enjoying everything that they are currently engaged in.
 
4. My writing. This one should go without saying, but for those of you who don't know me well, well I get really twitchy if I don't write for a couple of days.
 
5. My work. Now this one has two categories. I have my paid work which gives me the opportunity to pass on my skills and experience in the information sector. And of course my personal project of which you are a very big part. I want you to be all that you can be, and I do that by "nagging" you on a daily basis.
 
6. My belief in myself and my abilities. Rather a strange category perhaps. But I am a "do it yourself" project. I am constantly looking for ways I can be more than I currently am, and do more than I currently do. I have a to do list for my home tonight that is a foot long. Little things that need doing and organising. But the belief that I can be a better person by eating the right foods and exercising my body as well as my mind. If I am not learning something, I feel that I am slipping behind. There is so much out there to absorb, I could spend a lifetime reading and learning and not know everything there is to know.
 
So what is on your important category list at the moment?
 
But there is another aspect to taking stock of where you are and what is important to you that we need to touch upon.
 
What would you take with you if you had to evacuate your home and premises in a hurry?
 
With the threat of terrorism and bush fires in Australia, this is not a subject that you can take lightly. Oh that will never happen to me. A colleague at work said that they could get copies of all their important documents if they ever needed them again. The question is - can you? I'm not sure if you are aware, but when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans vast storehouses of information were lost through fire and flood. Computers were ruined, and data was lost - forever. And Katrina was not an isolated incident. Most of the companies housed in the twin towers that collapsed on September 11 never recovered because their "vital" information was not sufficient to ensure their businesses could start up again.
 
So what would you pick up, if you needed to get somewhere safe, and in a hurry?
 
If I were at home, the first things I would ensure were safe were the kids and the car. That way we could move and move fast. We could also transport other important things.
 
We don't have pets these days but if we did, then they would be picked up and bundled into the car too. But what else? What would you take with you? What is really important to you? Where do you keep your "vital" records? Property deeds, insurance documents, phone numbers and names and addresses of important people? What about passports, birth certificates and everything else? What about photographs? Which books would I take? I have a briefcase stashed away with the most important stuff in it. Beyond that there are a couple of files that contain other important info. I have several archive boxes that contain our history. Cards for each birthday the children received. Christening gowns and the like. So if I had time I would also sling those in the car. Things that just cannot be replaced.
 
And then there are those things that you carry with you all the time, do you know what you carry in your wallet or handbag - do you know who to call should these items get lost or stolen?
 
What about your home computer - do you have a backup plan in place? I backup most of my important documents to an internet based email account...one of the biggies that aren't likely to be affected by a local disaster.
 
So as you go through today and when you get chance to spend some quiet time tonight, spend time and work out what is really important to you.