Seven Habits

8 Pages 2004 Words

Seven Habits:
Improving Ourselves

The book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People written by Stephen Covey is
an excellent book and compliments everything that we have studied this semester. His
book is an enhancing book based on personal experiences, tips, and suggestions on
how to better our lives.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People begins with the wise observation
that people perceive the world differently, and because we view the world with our own
unique "lens," it is difficult to separate the observation from the observer. Covey says
that we all have our own paradigm, which is our own map of how we perceive the world
and how we think the world should be in our ideal view. Covey writes, "The way we see
things are the source of the way we think and the way we act" (Covey et al, 1989).
Covey reveals ways of changing by providing a seven-step approach, which will
give a positive accent to your life. Covey’s seven habits are: Be Proactive,
Begin With the End in Mind, Put First Things First, Think Win/Win, Seek First to
Understand, Then to be Understood, Synergize, and lastly Sharpen the Saw. Habits
one, two, and three relate to private victory with habit four, five, and six relating to
public victories and habit seven being involved with renewal.
According to Covey, Habit one, Be Proactive, explains our ability to take charge
of our lives. We have the ability to take charge, plan ahead, and focus our energies on
things we can control instead of reacting to or worrying about things over which we have
little or no control. Being proactive is determined by principles. Principles are how you
treat other people, how to listen to people, how you build trust, how to seek win-win
relationships and being genuinely happy when other people succeed. No matter what
the world outside is like or what your mood is you still hold true to your principles. Being
proactive also means that yo...