7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey

Name Etc

7 Habits of Highly Effective People . Stephen R . Covey . New York . Simon and Schuster . 2004 . 348

Stephen Covey 's book 7 Habits of Highly Effective people is more than just another self-help book or one of many programs that seem to be everywhere on the internet , infomercials and in advertisements . His reading is touted as a way to internalize change by mimicking the actions of effective people throughout history . He believes that change does not occur simply by changing your actions but by being able to use tools that

we all possess to enact change in our world and the deepest levels of our being . The path prescribed in the book is one that relies on very innate and fundamental human attributes to be exposed and developed

Mr . Covey studied human development readings from the last 200 years in preparing for this book . He found that many over the last 80 years of so have focused on singular issues and did not rely on development of one 's character . These programs used technique , attitude and other methods as a way to achieve a more successful life and career . In some cases this is a very effective way to tackle problems in one 's daily life . The author maintains that the old ' way may be more effective as it develops a person from the inside and that to do this you must work at it constantly . For this reason , the book and its contents are not considered easy or quick fixes to problems . But he contends that by working on character and positive qualities and those around you success and happiness will follow

As described in the book , Personality Ethic is described as your actions based on skills and attitudes that you have developed over time Many modern self-improvement programs focus on these areas and do look deeper at the Character Ethic which Mr . Covey says is the root of success . The Character Ethic focuses more on qualities that are described in many religious doctrines such as truth , justice and other common qualities that we often look for in ourselves but rarely demonstrate or see in others . Both the Personality and Character Ethics are seen as important . The book suggests that the Character Ethic is a primary quality when looking for true success

I will present each of the 7 Habits ' presented in the book briefly as they apply to development of a human being into a more character driven and more successful person . Mr . Covey believes that a person must first seek independence before being interdependent . The first 3 qualities focus on becoming independent . Once you have truly become independent only then can you be effectively interdependent

Being proactive is the first step . That is make things happen and do not wait for others or situations to dictate your future . The second step is Begin With an End in Mind . Your are encouraged to see the future and your goals and almost work backwards towards your present success...