Life is short and the most precious things can easily become lost.

Sometimes, outside circumstances cause that loss. Sometimes, we cause ourselves to lose the things that mean the most to us.

Whether a life-changing accident happens or you momentarily do something out of character that leads to irreparable damage, you often only realize what you had once it’s gone.

That’s why you need to protect some fundamental aspects of your life with a fervor that can’t be tamed.

Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.

– Yogi Berra

Our lives and priorities are all different. However, there are precious things in life that are pretty much universal.

Never lose track of these:

Family

Our relationships are the most important things in the world. They’re the most crucial factor for happiness and, in combination with your calling, tend to be our reasons to live. For most, family is at the top of the list in terms of values and priorities.

Sometimes, it’s easy to forget just how much family means to us. They’re the people we typically live with and it’s hard to live with another person– no matter how much we like them. Love gives way to frustration and sometimes…we feel like we hate the other person.

However, your family is irreplaceable and precious, so you have to devote your time and energy to nurturing those precious relationships not just for the sake of your relatives, but also for your own.

FriendsAfter the Hurricane: 6 Things You Can Do to Help Your Loved Ones

Like family, friends are one of the most important things in the world. Good friends are hard to come by, so when you find one, you need to do everything you can to nurture that relationship.

A great friend can become like family. You forge an inseparable bond with someone whom you know you can always count on — no matter how dark things get. A good friend is a confidant, a shoulder to lean on, and sometimes the voice of reason for us.

Always remember how lucky you are to have found someone you can truly call a good friend.

Love

Love includes friends and family, your calling, and intimate relationships. But it also includes everything else you love and all your encounters with others. It includes those things you enjoy doing, the stories you grew up with, and the kind interactions with strangers that remind you of the love that exists in the world.

These can seem like separate, unrelated things, but they are opportunities to experience love in its varying forms. Experiencing love can give our life a sense of meaning and purpose, like something else…

Your calling

This is your sense of meaning. It’s your passion, your muse. Your calling gives your life purpose and fills you with a sense of vitality that makes everything easier and more enjoyable. This is also how you make a difference.

Your calling is your life’s work. It’s your legacy. To find what you have a passion for, and to pursue that passion, is to find the vehicle you’ll use to contribute your greatness to the world.

Health

This is one of those “you don’t know how much it means until it’s gone” type things. Many people will skip over this point, not giving it a second thought.

However, once you have even a single small health complication you’ll know exactly just how important this is. At the first sign of complications, you realize that everything is jeopardized by bad health.

With good health, you can spend more time with friends and family, enjoy the love in your life, and follow your passion to your heart’s content. With bad health…you eventually lose it all. So, take care of your health so you have more time to enjoy the other most important things in your life.