Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
Stephen R. Covey
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The Habits
Habit 1: Be Proactive (You’re in Charge)
Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind (Have a Plan)
Habit 3: Put First Things First (Work First, Then Play)
Habit 4: Think Win-Win (Everyone Can Win)
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood (Listen Before You Talk)
Habit 6: Synergize (Together Is Better)
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw (Balance Feels Best)
Notes
…the first and most basic habit of a highly effective person in any environment, the habit of proactivity…It means more than merely taking initiative. It means that as human beings, we are responsible for our own lives.
Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about.
“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
A good affirmation has five basic ingredients: it’s personal, it’s positive, it’s present tense, it’s visual, and it’s emotional.
Integrity is, fundamentally, the value we place on ourselves. It’s our ability to make and keep commitments to ourselves, to “walk our talk.”
Organize and execute around priorities…organize your life on a weekly basis. You can still adapt and prioritize on a daily basis, but the fundamental thrust is organizing the week.
Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people.
…be loyal to those who are not present.
Seek first to understand, then to be understood…Satisfied needs do not motivate. It’s only the unsatisfied need that motivates. Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival—to be understood, to be affirmed, to be validated, to be appreciated.
Sharpening the saw in the first three dimensions—the physical, the spiritual, and the mental—is a practice I call the “Daily Private Victory.”