The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Introduction

Stephen R. Covey’s book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" is a self-help book in which he suggests habits that we should develop for self-improvement. In the opinion of Stephen Covey, our perceptions decide the way we see the world. Therefore, if we want to change a given situation, we need to change ourselves. And to change ourselves, we need to change our perceptions. These 7 Habits help everyone including individuals who have achieved outward success but still struggle with an inner need to develop their personal effectiveness and growing healthy relationships with other people.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

1. Be Proactive:
The first habit of the 7 habits of highly effective people is to be proactive. He opines that the inherent ability of humans to examine our character, choose our attitude towards our situations, and control over our effectiveness makes us different from animals. Proactive people recognize their responsibility. Stephen Covey defines response-ability as the ability to decide how to respond in a particular situation or to a given stimulus. 

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2. Begin with the End in Mind:
The second habit of the 7 habits of highly effective people is, to begin with, the end in mind. It suggests that we should begin with the end in mind in everything that we do that is, we must start with a clear destination. Stephen covey says that we can develop a vision of what we aspire to become with the help of our imagination and can use our conscience to decide that what all values will guide us in the process.
3. Put First Things First:
According to Stephen Covey, the third habit of the 7 habits of highly effective people is to put first things first. It suggests that we must follow our dreams, and execute on our priorities every day. We need to have the willpower to maintain discipline and consistency. Also, we should act in accordance with our values and not by the impulse of the moment. To manage ourselves effectively, we should prioritize our day-to-day actions on the basis of importance and not urgency.
4. Think Win-Win:
The fourth habit of the 7 habits of highly effective people given by Stephen Covey is to think win-win. He says that the Win-Win paradigm of human interaction is where both people win. In this paradigm, the agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfactory to both parties. In Win-Win situations, we maintain the mentality of Abundance. We need to focus on results, not methods and problems, not people.

5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood:
In the opinion of Stephen Covey, the fifth habit of the 7 habits of highly effective people is to seek first to understand then to be understood. And to seek to understand, we must first learn to listen to others. We must seek to understand people and their perspectives deeply through empathic listening before offering advice, suggesting solutions, or effectively interacting with another person in any way.
6. Synergize:
According to Stephen Covey, the sixth habit of the 7 habits of highly effective people is to synergize. Synergy can be created by understanding and valuing the differences in another person's perspective. Synergy helps us to open the doors of new possibilities and create new alternatives through openness and creativity. Synergizing allows us all to collectively agree to leave the old ways and make our own new ways as a group.
7. Sharpen the Saw:
The seventh habit of the 7 habits of highly effective people is to sharpen the saw. We need to remain focused on renewal. The habit of taking time to sharpen the saw makes each one of the above-mentioned habits possible by preserving and enhancing your greatest asset, that is, yourself. We need to devote time to renewing ourselves physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially to be effective.
Summary
The 7 habits of highly effective people help us to undergo paradigm shifts, that is, changing ourselves fundamentally and not just altering our attitudes and behaviors on the surface level. Stephen Covey identified a significant change in the way humans defined success over time. Earlier success was more about character ethics that included integrity, courage, patience, modesty, etc., but starting around the 1920s, it's more about, personality ethics that includes public image, personality, attitude, and behavior of a person. Therefore, we must try to develop these habits if we want to bring true change in our lives.