The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity--principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

When Stephen Covey first released The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, the book became an instant rage because people suddenly got up and took notice that their lives were headed off in the wrong direction; and more than that, they realized that there were so many simple things they could do in order to navigate their life correctly. This book was wonderful education for people, education in how to live life effectively and get closer to the ideal of being a ‘success’ in life.

But not everyone understands Stephen Covey’s model fully well, or maybe there are some people who haven’t read it yet. This is definitely true because we still see so much failure all around us. Now, I am not saying that by using Covey’s model, or anyone else’s model for that matter, you can become a sure-shot success, but at least we should have seen many more successes around us already judging by the number of copies the book has sold! So, where is the shortcoming?

There are two main problems here, and we are talking only about the people who have read the book already. The first problem is that most people are too lazy to implement the ideals of Stephen Covey in their lives. They consider his masterpiece of a book as a mere coffee-table book or a book that you use for light reading when you are traveling and then forget all about it. They do not realize that this book contains life-changing information. Or, they take the information and do not make the effort to actually utilize it so that it becomes knowledge for them.

The second problem is that a lot of people have a myopic view of Covey’s ideals. These are people who are impressed by the book already. If you ask them what the seven habits are, they can rattle them off end to end, but then they miss the larger picture. They do not understand that Covey was trying to tell more than he wrote in words. There are hidden implications in this book, yes, and a lot of people have just failed to see through them.

That is what we are trying to do. We are trying to show you how Covey’s book, or rather, his model, was a complete model in itself. There was nothing amiss about it. If you implement it, there should be no aspect of your life that should go untouched. The only thing is that you have to understand these ideals and try to implement them in your life.

But, before we barge into that area, it is extremely important to understand what these ideals are. What was the model that was propounded by Stephen Covey in his mega-famous book? We shall begin by trying to understand his model first, and then interpret it in such a way that it pertains to every aspect of our life

Be Proactive

Begin With the End in Mind

Put First Things First

Think Win-Win

Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Synergize

Sharpen the Saw

These seven habits are grouped into three categories: Private victory (habits 1-3), Public victory (habits 4-6), and Renewal (habit 7). We’ll start with an overview, then discuss the habits in each category.

Be Proactive

Take responsibility for your life and actions, and focus on what you can control rather than what you can't.

Begin with the End in Mind

Define your goals and purpose in life, and use them as a guide to make decisions and prioritize your actions.

Put First Things First

Prioritize your time and energy on the essential things in your life, and learn to say "no" to less important things.

Think Win-Win

Seek mutual benefit in all interactions and relationships, and look for solutions that benefit all parties involved.

Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Listen empathetically and seek to understand others' perspectives before expressing your own.

Synergize

Work collaboratively with others to achieve goals and create outcomes more significant than any individual could achieve alone.

Sharpen the Saw

Take time to renew and improve yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for continued success.