The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit - Aristotle

There are Three kinds of Assets
-Physical- A car, a computer , a washer, our body or our environment
-Financial - Our capacity to earn
-Human - Smartness, responsibility, self discipline, confidence

Habit 1
BE PROACTIVE
"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavour" Henry David Thoreu

- As human beings, we are responsible for our own lives
- Taking the Initiative and the responsibility to make things happen
- Highly proactive people don't blame circumstances, conditions or conditioning for their behaviour


Habit 2
BEGIN WITH END IN MIND
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us" Oliver Wendell Holmes

- To start with a clear understanding of your destination
- 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
- All things are created twice . There is a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation, to all things
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Habit 3
PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST
"Things which matter the most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least" Goethe

-It's the fullfillment, the actualization, the natural emergence of habits 1 and 2.
- Its the exercise of independent will toward becoming principle centred
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- Time management matrix

Habit 4
THINK WIN/WIN
"We have committed the Golden Rule to memory;let us now commit" Edwin Markham

-Win/Win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions
-With a Win/Win solution, all parties feel good about the decision and feel committed to the action plan.
-Win/Win is a belief in the Third Alternative. It's not your way or my way; it's a better way, a higher way
- Character is the foundation of Win/Win, and everything else builds on that foundation. There are three character traits essential to the Win/Win paradigm
1. Integrity - The value we place on ourselves
2. Maturity- The balance between courage and consideration
3. Abundance Mentality- The paradigm that there is plenty out there for everybody

Habit 5
SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD
-The heart has its reasons which reason knows not of
Pascal

Character and communication
-Communication is the most important skill in life
-If you want to interact effectively your spouse, your child, your neighbour, your boss, your coworker, your friend - you first need to understand them

Empathetic Listening
-In empathetic listening, you listen with your ears, but you also, and more importantly, listen with your eyes and with your heart
- You are listening to understand

- Habit 5 lifts you to greater accuracy, greater integrity, in your presentations
- When we really, deeply understand each other, we open the door to creative solutions and third alternatives. Our differences are no longer stumbling blocks to communication and progress

Habit 6
SYNERGIZE
"I take as my guide the hope of a saint: in crucial things, unity in important things, diversity in all things, generosity" President George H W Bush

-The relationship of the parts is also the power in creating a synergetic culture inside a family or an organization.
-The more genuine the involvement, the more sincere and sustained the participation in analyzing and solving problems, the greater the release of everyone's creativity, and of their commitment to what they create
-It is the crowning achievement of all the previous habits.
-It is the effectiveness in an interdependent reality- it is teamwork, team building, the development of unity and creativity with other human beings.

Habit 7
SHARPEN THE SAW
"Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things.... I am tempted to think... there are no little things" Bruce Barton

There are four dimensions
-Physical
1. Exercise
2. Nutrition
3. Stress Management

-Mental
1. Reading
2. Visualising
3. Planning
4. Writing

Spiritual
1. Value clarification
2. Commitment
3. Study
4. Meditation

Social/Emotional
1. Service
2. Empathy
3. Synergy
4. Intrinsic Security