Introduction:

Have you ever tried to solve a math problem using the wrong formula? Even if it’s just a single letter or number that it’s wrong, there’s an 80℅ probability that your answer or result will come out wrong. In some cases, you might keep solving and each time you think you’re closer to the end of the problem, but you’ll find out that you are not even close, and they might go on for long. This is the same thing with our lives when we don’t place our priorities right. I call it Misplaced priorities.

It’s very common seeing people doing what they aren’t supposed to be doing at a particular time or place and that’s one reason several youths and teens are still dwindling and not really producing enough results. I listened to Sandeli Shezi (South Africa’s young millionaire) talk about youths and young people in general, He said: “the world is filled with young people who are not doing anything with their lives, they are fooling around, waiting for the future with the narrative of We are the future”.

Lots of emphasis are placed on things that don’t really matter or things that are not relevant and that are really a problem, why is it so?

Making an Emphasis on Irrelevant things is a sure way of missing out on the right things. Most times they are not really irrelevant but not relevant at that time.

I quote Michael Tieran Filkins:

"I say someone has misplaced priorities when they don’t know what is important in life. Typically, these people will be too focused on work and school and not spend enough time on things like relationships with friends and family. I can understand it is hard for people who have to work to survive but even they have time."

People don’t think very often these days. Most people don’t know why they’re doing what they do, they just keep going forward. Their priorities are misplaced if they don’t see the value in taking time to think about their goals, relationships, and the “why” in their life.

Misplaced priorities are a major issue and a bedrock to many problems we have not just as individuals but as a community and Nation. Taking Nigeria as an example, we’ve had it wrong from the onset, little is made to fix the manor issues we have, power, Education, Health etc

The Effect of Having Misplaced Priorities:

Misplaced priorities have their effect likewise many disparities.

• Slow Growth.
• Lack of Innovation and Creativity
• Stagnation
• The high crime rate in a community.

So What Do We Do?

Having a better scale of preference.

• Decision Making.
• Discipline and Perseverance.
• Studying: Study, in this case, it’s not just reading or getting information. It also has the ability to study from past results, and examinations and check History and facts.
• In today’s World: Lots of teens pays more emphasis on Relationship and dating, instead of focusing on what’s important, saying they can multitask, and sometimes, it doesn’t really end well.

Someone said, looking at UAE or Saudi Arabia, one would think Nigeria has been exporting water. -Also as individuals, getting it wrong places us at the edge of a plank, waiting to be poked in the ocean because the entire world is moving at an alarming rate and so should we. Take a look at people that had unimaginable growth, their priorities we’re on point.

So the 1st step to becoming a better self, growing and making an impact is by setting your priorities straight.

“If only we can set our priorities right, putting the same effort as we do to the irrelevant things, we would have grown exponentially and at a very fast rate”  — Louis Whyte Jonah

I know its huge as nothing comes easy but getting our priorities fixed is a sure way of improving and a big step in making our environment and nation a better place