"Think of effectiveness with people and efficiency with things."
-Stephen Covey
Habits 1, 2, and 3 are focused on self-mastery and moving from dependence to independence.
Habits 4, 5, and 6 are focused on developing teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills, and moving from independence to interdependence.
Habit 7 is focused on continuous growth and improvement and embodies all the other habits.
That's where the seven habits of highly effective people come in:
1. Be Proactive - We are the only people ,responsible for our lives. So, our reaction on what is going on is the most important.
We are surrounded by 2 types of events:
⚪️ The circle of influence - things we can have a control : our mood, working process, resting , our skills and healthcare.
⚫️ The circle of concerns - things , which are out of our control zone : weather, politics, other people and their behavior, emergency situations.
We should learn how to perceive, and what is most important, learn how to interact with events happening as black circle.
As for the white circle, we should learn how to broaden the horizons of it.
«Proactive people are solving problems, which they are facing, not just talking about problems and complaining, proactive people are trying to do all possible to solve the problem and benefit themselves»
The whole principle of being proactivity means make changes inside of your head, change the way of your thinking and that is how you can achieve success.
2. Begin with the End in Mind. Before starting something new, you have to imagine the final result in your head.
Our life aims are defined by personal mission. Briefly saying, this is the way how you want to live and the aim of your life.
It consists of:
Features of your personality. To understand it, try to ask yourself «What kind of person do I want to be?»
Achievements. What would you like to do in your life?
Principles. The core of your all doings?
The path for achieving goals is long and challenging and it consists of:
Mental creation : creating in your mind the end aim, thinking of every small detail of ready result. This is how new life scenarios are formed.
Physical creation : actions which you are taking in order to achieve your aims.
3. Put First Things First
You have to learn how to set priorities. To achieve goals first of all you have to develop in yourself such skills as discipline, following the rules you set for yourself and actual performance of actions to achieve goals.
In order to be more productive you have to keep to the strategy of division of things for “Important” and “Urgent”. (If you want to know more about that strategy, read our posts )
Covey , along with other psychologists, thinks that that concept is the basics for how we should build our day.
4. Think Win-Win
Covey highlights 4 types of interaction between people :
Win/Win
Is when results of interaction between people are beneficial for both of them, This is what we should be aimed at.
Win/Lose
Is when one person is using another in order to benefit somehow in a certain process and achieve their own need.
Lose/Win
When you work to the detreatment of your own feelings and desires.
Lose/Lose
Both people are trying to use each other to achieve a certain goal, however nothing really worthy happens. Mostly it happens , when 2 people with “Win/Lose” beliefs meet.
Each of us should stick to the principle Win/Win, so both sides of people would be satisfied and benefit more of common interaction.
4 steps to Win/Win principle:
Take a look at the problem from the position of another person.
Identify problems and key questions.
Imagine the detailed result which would benefit both sides.
Find ways of achieving the results and look for new options to solve unexpected problems.
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
“The majority of people are listening to people not to understand them, but to reply”
The author advises all people to develop the ability to actually hear people, not just listen. WE need to let the story come inside of our mind, we have to learn how to understand people and their motives. Covey suggests us not to rush with replying to people. Do not rush to judge the situation or give advice to people. When we put someone to our place, we broaden our minds and learn how to think in a different , fresh way. We are getting a unique chance to see the world , and see what other people see.
6. Synergize
1+1>2 “It is needed to respect and appreciate our difference, perceived as uniqueness. We have to work on our weak parts and try to take over better sides of other person ”
By understanding and valuing the differences in another person's perspective, we have the opportunity to create synergy, which allows us to uncover new possibilities through openness and creativity.
The combination of all the other habits prepares us for Habit 6, which is the habit of synergy or "When one plus one equals three or more and the whole is great than the sum of its parts."
For example, if you plant two plants close together, their roots will co-mingle and improve the quality of the soil, so that both plants will grow better than they would on their own.
Synergy allows us to create new alternatives and open new possibilities. It allows us as a group to collectively agree to ditch the old scripts and write new ones.
Synergy allows you to:
Value the differences in other people as a way to expand your perspective
Sidestep negative energy and look for the good in others
Exercise courage in interdependent situations to be open and encourage others to be open
Catalyze creativity and find a solution that will be better for everyone by looking for a third alternative
7. Sharpen the Saw
To be effective, we must devote the time to renewing ourselves physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially. Continuous renewal allows us to synergistically increase our ability to practice each habit. It surrounds all of the other habits and makes each one possible by preserving and enhancing your greatest asset - yourself.
There are four dimensions of our nature, and each must be exercised regularly, and in balanced ways:
- Physical Dimension: The goal of continuous physical improvement is to exercise our body in a way that will enhance our capacity to work, adapt, and enjoy.
To renew ourselves physically, we must:
Eat well
Get sufficient rest and relaxation
Exercise on a regular basis to build endurance, flexibility, and strength
- Spiritual Dimension: The goal of renewing our spiritual self is to provide leadership to our life and reinforce your commitment to our value system.
To renew yourself spiritually, you can:
Practice daily meditation
Communicate with nature
Immerse yourself in great literature or music
- Mental Dimension: The goal of renewing our mental health is to continue expanding our mind.
To renew yourself mentally, you can:
Read good literature
Keep a journal of your thoughts, experiences, and insights
Limit television watching to only those programs that enrich your life and mind
- Social/Emotional Dimension: The goal of renewing ourselves socially is to develop meaningful relationships.
To renew yourself emotionally, you can:
Seek to deeply understand other people
Make contributions to meaningful projects that improve the lives of others
Maintain an Abundance Mentality, and seek to help others find success
Hope you would find this article useful and interesting. If you have any questions, feel free to comment!
W&O&K&J
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