How to Align Your Priorities to Lead an Authentic Life

How to Align Your Priorities to Lead an Authentic Life

March 24, 2021 

When was the last time you thought about what you’re chasing in your life?

Corey Ciocchetti, Associate Professor of Business Ethics and Legal Studies at the University of Denver

Corey Ciocchetti, Associate Professor of Business Ethics and Legal Studies at the University of Denver encourages you to think about it daily. Specifically, if how you’re currently spending your time, energy, and money pursuing aligns with your goals.

The pandemic turned lives upside down and exposed what people had been prioritizing before, Ciocchetti says. It has also provided an opportunity to refocus and renew your priorities for an authentic life, which starts with answering a few key questions.

As part of Periop Reset, an AORN virtual event on April 24, Ciocchetti will talk about how to chase an authentic life with integrity.

What are you chasing?

Where you spend your time, energy, and money indicates what you are chasing. Are you going after more money, a certain level in your career, admiration, and acceptance?

Although our culture encourages us to pursue these things, ultimately, they don’t make people happy, Ciocchetti says. Authentic success is attained through strong relationships, having a sincere sense of contentment, and a solid character.

While these foundations of integrity have been known since the times of Aristotle and Socrates, Ciocchetti realizes that it can be hard to do what it takes to implement them. Prioritizing key relationships and acting on what’s consistent with your values may keep you from getting some material rewards, Ciocchetti acknowledges, yet it leads to deeper long-term happiness.

What would make you authentically happy?

For your post-pandemic life to be better, Ciocchetti suggests taking time now to refocus your attention on what really matters to you by turning to your heart for guidance on how to prioritize.

The place where your passions and talents meet may have led you to nursing, and it’s clearly an important job, which Ciocchetti recognizes. While work may be an extremely high priority, he has yet to meet a person whose job is their top priority who is truly happy.

You must align the priorities in your heart to the way you want to live your life, Ciocchetti says. Strong relationships, internal peace, and contentment, and being a good person top the list for most people.

Once you think critically about what really makes you happy, you’ll have the ability to make the changes to chase those things.

How can you bring integrity and authenticity to your work?

Be the type of nurse who you’d want to work with, Ciocchetti suggests.

That does not mean working to the point of burnout, though, because then you can’t fulfill your higher purpose. Being aware of your stress level and knowing what it means for you to be maxed out can help you realize when it’s time to recalibrate, he says. Go back to your priorities and use them to make decisions for your life and your work.

If you’re a leader, be the type of leader who you’d want to follow. You may not always know what to do but using an ethical framework for making decisions grounds them in integrity.

The key to having integrity in your work is to be true to your priorities, even when it means you must give up some perks. When your priorities and values guide you, you have the roadmap for your journey to authentic success.

Register today for Periop Reset, a virtual one-day event where you’ll hear more from Ciocchetti and reenergize, refocus, and renew with inspiring keynote speakers, have fun in digital experiences and learn about new perioperative practices.