The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (English)

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (English)

Introduction

What is a highly effective person? A highly effective person is someone who has a good character. He is someone who has strong values. Have you experienced being in conflict with a relative or a workmate? Before trying to change others, you must start with yourself. Do you think you have qualities that you can improve?

A highly effective person is also someone who has good relationship with other people. He maintains harmony with his family, relatives, friends, neighbors’ and workmates. This good relationship can last for a long time.

By reading this book, you will learn how to be highly effective. Whatever your job is, you will learn from this book. If you are a parent, you can learn something to have a better relationship with your child. If you are a boss, you can learn a few tips on how to be a better leader.

When you have a good character, people would want to be near you. That is what makes “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” an International Bestseller. This book focuses on improving character. Most books out there will tell you how to win friends or how to make people follow. But 7 Habits focuses on the individual first.

If you have a good personality, that will make you an effective person but only for a short time. People will soon realize that you have a motive behind your actions. But if you have a good character, that will last a lifetime. You can influence the people around you without noticing it.

Remember that you must start from inside out. You must start with yourself first. Are you ready to make the change? Are you ready to become a highly effective person today?

Habit 1
Be Proactive

What does it mean to be proactive? The psychologist Victor Franklsaid that we cannot control what is happening around us. But we can control how we respond to them.

To be proactive means not being affected by the opinions or behavior of other people. When people say hurtful things, it is often that there is nothing wrong with you. It just shows that there is something wrong with them. The negative things they say to you reflect their negative view of the world.

To be proactive also means not being affected by the bad situations. The weather or the traffic may be bad, but still a proactive person is not affected. He may experience poverty or hardships, but still he can be happy. A proactive person does not complain but instead, keeps on working.

The opposite of being proactive is being reactive. People who are reactive are easily affected by their environment. If bad things happen to them, they become negative as well.

There was one time when the author, Stephen Covey, was giving a lecture in Sacramento. Suddenly, as he was speaking, a woman stood up from the crowd. She got excited and began talking. When the woman noticed people staring at her, she sat back down.

After his lecture, Stephen Covey approached the woman. He learned that the woman is actually a nurse. She is attending full-time for a difficult patient. Her patient always shouts at her. To the patient, everything she does is wrong. The patient never said thank you to her.

As a result, the woman felt miserable. She is not happy with her job. The subject of Stephen Covey’s lecture then was Reactivity. Covey explained that if you are proactive, nothing can hurt you. No one can hurt you unless you let them to.

The woman became excited because she realized that she can choose her response. She told Covey, “I had chosen to be miserable, I also realized that I could choose not to be miserable. At that moment I stood up…No longer am I going to be controlled by the treatment of some person”.

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Habit 2
Begin with the End in Mind

What do you want most in life? To begin with the end in mind means that all your actions must be in line with your values, with your purpose. You must know your destination so that each step you take will be towards it.

We are often caught up in many problems and concerns every day. The challenges of life make us forget what truly matters. For example, you need to provide for your children. But as you work hard and make a living, you forget to spend time with them. You forget that more than the material things, they need your love and support.

If you truly value your children, show it to them each day. The way you speak and act towards them must reflect your love. The same goes with your parents and other people who mean so much to you.

Begin with the end in mind means knowing what is really valuable to you. It can be your loved ones. It can also be the principles that you believe in. If you are busy doing something that is not according to your principles, then you are being ineffective as a person.

Imagine that you are building a house. Before getting the tools, what you must do first is to plan everything. If you have kids, every space in the house must be child-friendly. If you love to cook, you might want to upgrade the kitchen. Your blueprint must be clear before you make any move.

If your house is not planned well, it will not be constructed properly. In the end, you will only spend more money doing repairs. Everything in life needs planning. That is how you begin with the end in mind. Think of what you will do first. Make sure that it fits with your values.

Do you value honesty? Do you value respect? Begin your day by remembering them. Hold your values firmly. This is so that whatever challenge you face, all your actions will be according to those values.

Habit 3
Put First Things First

Put First Things First is not only about time-management. It is about self-management. As humans, we are self-aware. That makes us superior to all living things. We have the ability to evaluate ourselves, to know what we are doing wrong so we can change it.

When we have many things to do, the best move is to set priorities. Some people have planners to help them remember. Others have to-do-lists and boards to remind them. But still, there are times when we are not able to accomplish our priority task.

When you fail to meet your priorities, the problem is not lack of self-discipline. The true reason is that you did not put that priority in your heart and mind. What makes it your top priority? Why is it important to you? Think about it. This will motivate you more.

“The challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves.” Put first things first means following your priorities. It also means learning to say “no”. If you have many things to do, learn to say “no” to tasks that are not part of your priority.

For example, Sandra was asked to be a chairman of a community project. She is already committed to more important tasks. However, she felt pressured to say “yes”.

Sandra called her neighbour Connie to ask if she also wants to join the project. Connie listened as Sandra talked. But Connie said, “Sandra, that sounds like a wonderful project…For a number of reasons, I won't be participating myself, but I want you to know how much I appreciate your invitation.”

Afterwards, Sandra thought that she should have done what Connie did. She should have politely said “no” when she was asked to be the chairman. The project is good for the community. But Connie knows her top priorities. She has more important tasks to do. And so, she had the courage to politely say “no”.

If you plant that priority in your mind and heart, it is easier for you to say “no” to other things. It will also be easier for you to accomplish. More than self-discipline, you must have that will power to put first things first.

TO READ OR LISTEN COMPLETE BOOK CLICK HERE

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