The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

"The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"But what minutes!

Count them by sensation,

and not by calendars,

and each moment is a day."

- Benjamin Disraeli

"Summertime and the livin' is easy..." So goes the gorgeous and melodious song from the musical Porgy and Bess.  Here we are in the throes of July, a vacation summertime month for some.  A time for new and varied experiences for others.  Maybe we'll be able to, at long last, kick back, put our feet up and find a nice shady spot underneath the branches of a favorite tree.  Maybe it's a time to pick up that book that we have been meaning to read so that we can be re-freshed and re-created through the power of words and ideas.

If you haven't already done so, now is a great time to pick up a book written 25 years ago by Stephen R. Covey entitled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  We might have heard of the book, but have we actually taken the time to read it?  It's a powerhouse, a wealth of wisdom and insight.

Check out the title - it's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  Effective, not Successful.  All three contestants missed this question on a recent Jeopardy show.  They tried to put the word 'successful' in the title, rather than the word author Covey chose, 'effective'.  Perhaps we are a bit obsessed with the concept of being successful when maybe we might want to try to be more effective in our personal lives and in running our businesses.

At any rate, here are the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:

Habit 1 - Be Proactive (Principles of Personal Vision)

Habit 2 - Begin with the End in Mind (Principles of Personal Leadership)

Habit 3 - Put First Things First (Principles of Personal Management)

Habit 4 - Think Win/Win (Principles of Interpersonal Leadership)

Habit 5 - Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood (Principles of Empathic Communication)

Habit 6 - Synergize (Principles of Creative Cooperation)

Habit 7 - Sharpen the Saw (Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal)

In presenting workshops and seminars, Covey said the Habit 5 "Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood" is the most often requested topic of the 7 Habits.

Best wishes for a terrific summer!  May you be energized by the resources at your fingertips and in the world around you this summer.  May your life be enriched as you work on bringing principles such as those listed above to fruition.  May you enjoy the journey to becoming a complete and fulfilled person in your private and in your professional life.

Godspeed!

Lydia

FL Crooks & Co

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