| Put First Things First “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” — Johann Goethe A recent New York Times bestselling book entitled “Discipline is Freedom” by Jocko Willink actually presents another way to think about the third habit of highly effective people, Put First Things First. In our work with students at Roycemore, we embrace the seven habits as part of our character development program and as a format for helping our young people acquire skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. Jocko Willink was a Navy SEAL for 20 years, rising through the ranks to become the commander of Task Unit Bruiser— the most decorated Special Operations Unit of the Iraq War. After retiring, Jocko continued on the disciplined path of success, co-founding Echelon Front, a multi-million dollar leadership and management consulting company, writing the #1 New York Times bestseller Extreme Ownership, the children's book Way of the Warrior Kid, and creating a top-ranking podcast, JOCKO PODCAST. Willink maintains that everyone wants freedom but that the only way to acquire freedom is through discipline. If you want freedom from financial worries, you have to have discipline with your finances. If you want freedom from health challenges, you have to have the discipline to exercise and make healthy lifestyle choices. If you want more free time, you have to have the discipline to say no to time-sucking activities that don’t support your greater goals. These all sound a lot like Put First Things First. No matter what age we are, we all have the same amount of time. It is our most precious resource. There are 168 hours in a week. Like it or not, how we spend that time sends a message about our priorities. If we can help our young people think about the things that are most important to them, and show them that some discipline around how they spend their time around those things or people they value most— whether it is spending time with family or friends, learning a new skill, earning money to use toward things they want to do or have, or simply being still and reflecting/ connecting— they will have developed a discipline that will serve them well throughout their lives. One of most beautiful reminders of the preciousness of time is in the lyrics of a favorite song of mine, Seasons of Love, by Donny Osmond and made famous in the musical Rent. I will share a few lines below, or listen to the original version here: Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles
In laughter, in strife In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life How about love?
How about love?
How about love? Measure in love
Seasons of love
Seasons of love I wish everyone a beautiful week of meaning, of purpose, and filled with time spent on those things and people you value most. In partnership for our students, Adrianne Finley Odell
Head of School 
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