How Do You Tell What's Truly Important To Someone?

In your opinion, how do people demonstrate their priorities? What patterns make you think, "This matters to them," versus, "It really doesn't"?

Asked this elsewhere, wanted to see what you all respond. My answer was:

I think people generally show what's important to them through consistent patterns rather than isolated moments. Over time, priorities tend to show up in where someone invests their time, attention, energy, effort, and resources. They make room for it, follow through, and, when they fall short, they usually try to repair the damage.

On the other hand, something that isn't a priority often gets whatever is left over. It's frequently postponed, forgotten, or set aside whenever something else comes up, and there's little urgency to make it right.

Of course, life isn't always that simple. Stress, illness, mental health, caregiving, finances, or other responsibilities can temporarily affect what someone is able to do. That's why I think it's more helpful to look at long-term patterns than individual moments.

To me, actions don't always reveal how much someone cares, but they often reveal what they're consistently prioritizing. I'm curious how others see it.

 

I find my priorities are constantly overridden by obligations. This summer in particular, I've been busy doing for others rather than myself.

 

Recalling school biology, isn't it just eating, breathing, procreating, sleeping and defecating? oh, and wrestlling with computers then posting on forums?

 

That's how you demonstrate your priorities?

 

Do you tend to sort them into priorities, based on what or who they are for? Or do you just go where you are bidden?

 

Specific days, or times of days, for specific people...and, outside of work, people generally don't like the result when they try telling me what to do. I have a tendency to react badly.

 

I don't react badly, but people tend to notice there seems to be a lot more chaos than they believed appropriate.

 

As long as you believe the level of chaos was appropriate, who cares what others think...or were there none left standing?

 

*Suspiciously quiet*

 

ALWAYS have a good lawyer and keep your mouth shut is good advice.