The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Powerful Lesson in Personal Change

Dear friend,

If you have gone through my profile before, you will know that I am a book addict to the core. I trade in superior information. The level of information at your disposal determines how far you go in life.

The secret of my success both in business and my personal life can be credited to constant learning. If you are not learning, you are wasting away, believe me. You may not have to go to Harvard Business School to have sound business knowledge. You may have to start by buying a book at your local bookshop.

I have read over 450 books on success, finance, leadership, management, investing, motivation, self development, marketing, sales and the likes. I have consumed the works of authors like Michael Gerber, Brain Tracy, Robert Kiyosaki, Warren Buffett, Stephen R. Covey, Richard Branson, Sam Adeyemi, Ken Blanchard, Guy Kawasaki, John Maxwell, Jim Collins to mention a few. So when I advise you on a particular book, I know what am talking about.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People written by Stephen R. Covey shows you the keys to effectiveness. It is a definitive guide for anybody who wants to achieve extraordinary success. I bought it several years ago and have gone through it countless numbers of times from cover to cover. It is one of the finest and greatest books ever written. It is definitely one of the most important books I have ever read.

Covey states that we can build our self-confidence by making personal commitments to ourselves - and keeping them. Each time we do our self-confidence increases.

Covey points out that we have the ability to choose our response. It means that as human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. We have the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen. Look at the word responsibility- “response-ability” –the ability to choose your response

I was so excited with what I found in this book that I had to make it a routine to go through the book every year. I truly have been impacted by its contents. Its words have given me a deeper perspective on life. I have being able to start and complete several projects. Am now more effective and I get more done in a shorter time.

Below is an overview of the 7 habits:

Habit #1: Be Proactive
Being proactive is the foundation of the entire seven habits paradigm. This entails a realization that you are a person who can take direct control of a situation. You have to assume complete responsibility for your life.

Habit #2: Begin with the End in Mind
To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you are going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.

Habit #3: Put First Things First
This is the physical creation of what you want. It is the exercise of independent will towards becoming principled-centered. It’s the day-in, day-out, moment-by-moment doing it.

Habit #4: Think Win/Win
Out of six possible scenarios, Win/Win is the highest form of agreement between parties that empowers all involved and does not sour the milk of future relations with resentment. It is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interaction

Habit #5: Seek first to Understand, then to Be Understood
Covey says that this is the most immediately applicable of all the seven habits. He is right. However, this is probably the most difficult habit to practice since it requires a major paradigm shift in how one views communication. We typically seek first to be understood. He urged us to seek first to understand by practicing empathic listening. It is listening with the intent to understand.

Habit #6: Synergize
Synergy is what happens when a group of independent people coalesce their creative energies and the result is more than the sum of their individual input. It is the culmination of the other habits and it requires integrity to be most effective. The essence of synergy is to value differences –to respect them, to build on strengths, to compensate for weakness.

Habit #7: Sharpen the Saw
When Covey details sharpening the saw, he gives the reader one final abstraction of thought, a level above the others that entails keeping all the other habits sharpened by continued planning, practice, and renewal. It means exercising all four dimensions of our nature (Physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual) regularly and consistently in wise and balanced ways.

There you have all the habits. Bottom line, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in personal development and effectiveness. If you want to influence your world, then this book is a must read. Invest the time and money into this great book and you will be glad you did.

What are you waiting for? Click the link below to get the book.

Happy reading.

P.S: Please come back and share what you learnt from the book after reading and if you’ve read it, share your experience with us via the comment box below.