Dr. Jim Surrell, Journal columnist

We all need to periodically assess what our personal priorities are. We also need to determine what our priorities should be, and occasionally ask ourselves if we are paying attention to, and following our personal priorities. Let us first look at the meaning of the term, “personal priorities”. Our personal priorities may be defined as follows. Personal priorities are those areas of our lives that are meaningful and important to us. Our personal priorities will include the activities we choose to engage in, our personal interactions with family and friends, and all activities that we put personal time and effort into.

With regard to assessing our actions and our personal priorities, I often have to remind myself of the wisdom in the following question that I believe we should all occasionally ask ourselves. “Am I doing the right things, or am I just doing things right?” Of course, we all have many things we need to do every day, but I believe it is important to periodically assess our daily activities and be certain that we are doing what is right for ourselves, for family and friends, for our job, and for many other daily choices.

Let us now look at some rather insightful quotes to help us reflect on our personal priorities and to also periodically assess our priorities. Our personal priorities will indeed change over time, and they will always have an impact on our actions, our interactions with others, and our personal lifestyle.

≤ “Good things happen when you get your priorities straight.” – Scott Caan

≤ “I believe there are three keys to success. For me it is keeping my priorities in order: It’s my faith and my family, and then the business.” – Kathy Ireland

“Be wise in the use of time. The question of life is not how much time do we have? The question is, what shall I do with it?” – Anna Robertson Brown

“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” – Stephen R. Covey

“You need to make time for your family no matter what happens in your life.” – Matthew Quick

“Life is short. Focus on what really matters most; you should change your priorities over time.” – Roy T. Bennett

“Our life is the sum total of all the decisions we make every day, and those decisions are determined by our priorities.” – Myles Munroe

“Nobody’s life is ever all balanced. It’s a conscious decision to choose your priorities every day.” – Elisabeth Hasselbeck

“Like it or not, the world evolves, priorities change and so do you.” – Marilu Henner

“In a way, I have simplified my life by setting priorities.” – Karen Duffy

“Sometimes things in life happen that allow us to understand our priorities very clearly. Ultimately you can see those as gifts.” – Mariska Hargitay

Let me close by again suggesting that we all should periodically ask ourselves the following question to assess our personal priorities: “Am I doing the right things, or am I just doing things right?”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Jim Surrell is the author of “The ABC’s For Success In All We Do” and the “SOS (Stop Only Sugar) Diet” books. Requests for health topics for this column are encouraged. Contact Dr. Surrell by email at sosdietdoc@gmail.com.