What Are the 5 Most Important Things in Your Life?

An interviewer recently asked me this question. It was left intentionally vague, so it’s open to interpretation. I don’t think my answer is particularly insightful, but I have a feeling your answer will be more interesting, so that’s the main point of this post.

My answer was (in no particular order):

  • My friends
  • My family
  • My cats
  • Games
  • Time

My answer was so short in the interview (other than “time,” which I elaborated on a bit) that I asked what his answer would be, and he had a really interesting answer including “validation” and “connection.” With that in mind, I might revise my list to the following:

  • People/creatures I love
  • Creative tools/career
  • Entertainment
  • Time
  • Food

What about you? What are the 5 most important things in your life?

4 thoughts on “What Are the 5 Most Important Things in Your Life?”

  1. My Chaos of Kitties.
    My Pack of People.
    Making People Laugh.
    A Good Story (movie, book, TV, game).
    Financial Independence and Stability (aka a good job).

    Reply
    • Adequate functioning of my mind and body
      Creativity—expressing my own, especially the phases of receiving messages from my unconscious and savoring the final product; and helping others to express theirs
      Close connection to the people I love—face-to-face, via phone, via email, via memories, in that order of preference
      Laughter—prompted by me (making myself or others laugh) or prompted by others in my life. (I have been characterized as “easily amused.”)
      Food—thinking about it, fiddling with it, consuming it

      Reply
  2. In no certain order:
    My family (both two legged and four)
    My students
    Advocating for the best future for those students
    Meaningful connections and conversations
    Doing things that bring me joy, and sharing them with others

    Reply

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