4th Priority

One of my family’s core values is called 4th Priority. It isn’t a new idea and I’ve heard a number of sources use something similar.

My short version of 4th Priority is: My wealth building work is always my 4th priority, after 1) God, 2) my spouse, and 3) my kids.

I’m always growing my freedom and enjoyment in those four areas—in that order of priority.

My visual for this framework is a fountain. At the top of the fountain is God the Source of all truth, goodness, beauty, joy, freedom, love, etc.

That Source fills up the first bowl of the fountain which is me.

Once I am filled, I am then able to overflow into the next bowl which is my wife.

Once that bowl is filled, it can overflow into our kids.

And finally it can overflow into my work.

By loving God first, I’m able to love my wife more. If I loved my wife more than God, I would cut myself off from the true Source. And I would have less love to give her in the end.

The same is true for my kids and also for my work.

4th Priority directly challenges the idea that you need to sacrifice everything else for your work or else you’ll never be successful.

But the opposite is true: You have MORE—not less!—energy, freedom, success, endurance in your work if it’s your 4th Priority.

What do you think?
Joseph