The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen Covey wrote a runaway bestseller in the Self Improvement Industry, titled the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This book has sold over 10 million copies worldwide! In the book, Covey lays out 7 proven principles for success.

Let me explain exactly what I think these mean and what I learned from them.

Number 1 – Be Proactive.
That’s almost self explanatory. It means you are taking the initiative. You are not living reactively, but are taking a proactive stance in your life.

Number 2 – Begin with the End in Mind.
The End is really your goal or your goals. Effectiveness is not just a matter of reaching a goal but rather of achieving the right goal. Imagine yourself sitting in the back of the room at your funeral, and what people could honestly say about you based on the way you are now. Do you like what you hear? Is that how you want to be remembered? If not, change it.

Number 3 – Do first things first.
This means to focus on your most important priorities, your top priorities. This doesn’t always mean urgent. The phone is ringing, and picking it up might seem urgent, but the caller is not always important. It could be a telemarketer. Focus on your top priorities.

Number 4 – Think Win Win
In personal, business or other relationships, exercise “interpersonal leadership” to make both parties winners. Two wins make everyone better off; two losses hurts everyone. A win/lose relationship creates a victor and leaves someone injured. Think Win Win.

Number 5 - “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood”
Communication is a two-way street. To develop win/win relationships, find out what the
other parties want, and what winning means to them. Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.

Number 6 - “Synergize”
Cooperation multiplies the power of one. In fact, “creative cooperation” may yield a
force greater than the sum of the parts. The buzzword to describe
this kind of relationship is “synergy,” which means bringing together a whole that
is greater than the sum of the parts.

Number 7 - “Sharpen the Saw”
There’s an old story about a man sawing a log. The work is going slowly and the man is exhausted. The more he saws, the less he cuts. A passerby watches for a while and suggests that the man take a break to sharpen the saw. But the man says he can’t stop to sharpen
the saw because he is too busy sawing! A dull saw makes the work tiresome, tedious
and unproductive. Highly effective people take the time they need to sharpen their tools,
which are, in fact, their bodies, souls, mind and hearts. It’s time for “self-renewal.”