JumpStart Your Priorities By John C. Maxwell

​​This book centers around Maxwell’s 12 key priorities in life, which he calls his “daily dozen.” He goes through his priorities one at a time, offering some insight as to why the category is important, and then asking a thought-provoking question designed to help catalyze personal improvement in that area. Turns out, John has some good insight!

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Maxwell's daily dozen are as follows:

• Attitude
• Focus
• Health
• Family
• Thinking
• Commitment
• Finances
• Faith
• Relationships
• Generosity
• Values
• Growth​

While John speaks to each priority individually, a few themes remain consistent throughout all of his advice. Namely:

• Figure out what you’re best at (i.e., what gives you the highest return)
• Figure out what’s most important to you (i.e., what gives you the most purpose)
• Figure out what you enjoy the most (i.e., what is most rewarding for you)
• Lastly, and most importantly - Prioritize THESE things in how you live - in all 12 areas.

For instance, in our relationships / friendships, it’s easy to spend the majority of our time with problem people. Instead, we ought to have a bias towards our best, most important, and most enjoyable relationships. “You should not spend time with everyone equally,” as Maxwell puts it on page 38. Or take work for example: nothing will frustrate more you in the workplace than doing a job you aren’t good at, with people you don’t like, to support a vision you don’t believe in! We can endure a setting like this for a time, but eventually, it will crush us.

As we seek to improve in every area of our lives, Maxwell’s encouragement is to avoid trying to grow our weaknesses, and instead, to intentionally focus on mastering the aspects of each priority that we excel in. While this seems like no-brainer advice, it’s seemingly much easier said than done. JumpStart Your Priorities exists for that purpose - to help us get over the hump and live our lives the way we actually want to.

Below are some of the quotes I found most impactful:

On Intentional Choice:

• “Those who focus on the external expect conditions to determine whether they keep their commitments...In contrast, people who base their actions on the internal usually focus on their choices. Each choice is a crossroad, one that will either confirm or compromise their commitments” [p. 96]
• “Nearly all people would like to become who they are capable of being, yet many people don’t. One reason is that they think growth is automatic as you age, that it comes from information or as you have experiences. These may aid in your growth, but if you don’t make personal growth a life priority through a commitment to continuous improvement to reach your potential, it won’t happen” [p. 174].

On Living A Values-Driven Life:

• “Put the value of things into perspective. People tend to value money and things over what’s really important in life: other people” [p. 102]
• “There is a spiritual aspect to human life that cannot be denied. Spiritual needs must be met spiritually. Nothing else will fill the void. There are longings of the soul that can be satisfied only with spiritual experiences, though people try and fail to meet them in material ways” [p 124].
• “When you invest in another person just for the sake of seeing them blossom, you will be the kind of generous person others want to be around” [p. 148].
• “If you know your values and live by them every day, you will have few regrets at the end of your life” [p. 162].
• “Articulate and embrace your values daily… Write a descriptive statement for each one explaining how you intend to apply it to your life and what benefit or direction that will bring. Keep that document where you can see and think about your values every day… Then you need to compare your values to your practices daily” [p. 168]

On The Journey Ahead:

• “If the destination appeals to you, but you cannot enjoy the journey it takes to get there, you would be wise to reexamine your priorities” [p. 180].
• “As you plan your strategy and set aside time for growth, don’t forget that the more you grow, the more specific the growth should be to your needs and strengths” [p. 184].​​

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