Here is the chapter inspired by: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
- Improving your production is important, but it is only one half of the equation. We must balance this focus on production with a focus on growing our productive capacity. Rather than looking at the immediate outcomes, we need to step back and look for ways to grow ourselves in a way that will lead to long-term sustained improvements.
Habit 1: Be Proactive
- When something happens to you, there is gap between 'stimulus' and 'response'. When something happens (stimulus), there is a momentary pause (gap) before we take action (response). This gap allows us to consciously decide what course of action we take.
- You get to actively choose how you respond, rather than being buffeted about by the world around you, or by the primitive emotions within you.
- You're not a victim of conditions and circumstances. Instead, you can choose for yourself what you want to do!
- The responsibility we all have is 'response-ability: the ability to choose how we respond. That may be scary for some, but it should be liberating to know that you are in control.
- 'Proactivity' is more than just taking initiative, it means taking responsiblity.
Habit 2: Begin With The End In Mind
- Decide who you want to be, what you want to achieve, how you want people to remember you. Take the long term perspective. Then connect it back to your daily actions.
- To begin with the end in mind is to know where you are going, and understand why you're going there.
Habit 3: Put First Things First
- Quadrant 2 = Important + Not Urgent. Quadrant 2 is vitally important to any long-term success, but it is so easy to overlook or procrastinate on.
- Quadrant 2 must be scheduled. This is the last step, and it's the one must ordinary poeple don't do. You must have regular time dedicated to Quadrant 2. Block out time for these crucial activities. Don't get sucked into distractions when that time comes.
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
- Rather than dividing up the pie equally, first look at ways in which you can both grow the pie, so you both get a bigger portion.
Habit 5: Seek First To Understand, Then to Be Understood.
- We all view the world through different filters. Every single person you come across has their own unique set of experiences that colours their whole reality.
- Most people don't actually listen; they're just thinking about what they want to say next. We must look beyond the words to gain a true understanding of the real meaning behind them.
- Being an effective communicator means being both an effective listener and an effective talk.
- It's your job to convey your messag in a way that other person can understand.
Habit 6: Synergise
- To synergise is to value differences. It means building on strengths and compensating for weaknesses. An effective person has the humility to realise that their worldview is a work in progress. There is much to be gained through the interactions with the hearts and minds of other human beings.
Habit 7: Sharpen The Saw
- The single most powerful investment we can ever make in life is an investment in ourselves. We need to replenish ourselves regularly so we can deal with life and continue to contribute positively to the world around us.
I am not gonna lie that I do not really enjoy reading The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People however, I found this summary very precise and powerful. I think anyone who read this will benefit from it somehow.
