Priorities and Aging

I’ve noticed my priorities have changed a lot over the years. What mattered most in my 20s doesn’t carry the same weight today, and I suspect you’ve felt that too. Life has a way of reshaping what feels urgent versus what feels meaningful. What was SO important years ago barely makes a blip now.

Research shows that as we age, our values and goals naturally shift. A 2017 study in Psychology and Aging found that older adults tend to focus more on meaningful experiences and relationships, while younger adults emphasize exploration.

Small Shifts Create Big Clarity

Even small adjustments in priorities can make a big difference. The same study found that people who consciously reflected on what mattered most experienced less stress and greater satisfaction. Taking time to list our top priorities can help us act intentionally instead of reacting to every demand or distraction.

When priorities feel unclear, it helps to ask, “Does this align with what matters most to me?” Research from Developmental Psychology shows that aligning decisions with personal values increases well-being and long-term satisfaction. Pausing to reflect before saying yes to something can save time, energy, and emotional strain.

Patterns Reveal What Matters

Tracking how we spend our time and energy helps us spot what consistently feels rewarding versus draining. Awareness of these patterns allows us to focus on what truly contributes to growth, relationships, and fulfillment, rather than what just seems urgent in the moment.

Even as priorities shift with age, we can stay intentional about what matters most. And what's important today may not be years from now.

Let's make today count.

Autumn Cleaning

I was doing some weeding; you know those times when you open a cupboard or closet or drawer and decide right then and there it is finally time to clear it out? I found a coffee mug and wrote about it here in the past but I think its worth looking at again.

It's a black mug I received as a Christmas gift a few years ago with an interesting message on the side written by Mary Ann Radmacher. The mug reads:

Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard.
Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh.
Choose with no regrets. Continue to learn.
Appreciate your friends. Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.

Sometimes weeding can give us great perspective.
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Stuck Why Stuck

As I work on my new book on leadership, culture, and how we get stuck, I was sifting through notes and files and old posts. This one struck a chord. I wrote it five years ago and it still rings true.

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A friend sent me a copy of Rick Butts’ e-book 7 Choices. In it, he talks about the time we work on us versus the time we work on what we do or getting customers or what we can offer. In 1943, Abraham Maslow outlined our need to belong in his paper The Hierarchy of Needs.

No matter your age or situation, you want your life to have purpose and passion. That is the core of why we may get stuck – we aren’t following either. We haven’t deciphered who we are and what drives our passion. All too often we seek external confirmation.

So why do we get stuck?

Is it because no one will help us realize our passion and purpose? Or is it that we haven’t discovered it inside us in order to tell people what we want?

Years ago, a friend gave me a copy of The Secret. I watched the first half of the film with my closed mind and arms folded and the second half taking notes. It wasn't the message, it was what we do with it. Intention, attraction, and most importantly action doesn't happen on its own. But finding what we want is more than half the battle.

We need action and focus. We are human. We get stuck. We fall into the same traps of listening to the opinions of naysayers. We fail to listen to that pang in deep in our gut. If you haven't experience this, count yourself very fortunate. That is extremely rare.

Help Is On The Way

Does this mean we shouldn’t discover people we trust to help us navigate this journey? Ask the most successful people on the planet if they get stuck and you will get a resounding – YES!

None of us is immune. But if someone asks you to help them get unstuck, forget their resume or the past and listen to what they need. If you do, magic will happen for both of you. Getting unstuck requires help and asking for it is our first step. If you're feeling stuck, let's chat.

Shoot me an email and let's chat!
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit
New Book out in 2016 – Details soon!

Coffee Wisdom

Years ago, I purchased a coffee mug. It was strong. The perfect weight. The perfect size. I have been using it almost every day since. I was on a call this morning and read the words on the side probably for the first time since the day I bought it. The author is Mary Ann Radmacher. I’ll be reading my coffee mug daily from now on.

Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. 

Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. 

Choose with no regrets. Continue to learn.

Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. 

Live as if this is all there is.

Drink up.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

Mary Ann Radmacher | Kneale Mann