Finally finished reading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” the other day and I feel extremely inspired. It has been a very impactful book and to me is a manual on how to live a happy, productive, meaningful life. This book was recommended to me by a good friend years back and I have attempted to read it a few times, I finally saw the book to completion. Disclaimer: I listened to the audiobook version

I’m not going to write out the 7 habits or talk about each one individually, you can read the book yourself if you want. What I want to do is share the inspiration that I pulled from the book. Habit 3 Putting First Things First helped me to create my mission statement which is mentioned extensively throughout the book. A personal mission statement helps guide you in every decision in your life, it is a personal true north. Putting first things first also made me realize the importance of prioritizing all of the things I want to accomplish in a day. One of the most important things you can do as a person is take good care of yourself. That means getting proper rest, exercise, and social time. Putting First Things First means you need to schedule these items, preferably in the morning before less important distractions get in the way.

The 7 Habits talks in depth about *paradigms, the most important being “Win-Win”. Win-Win is a simple paradigm to understand, in business, and relationships. It is a mutually beneficially deal where both parties win. Not groundbreaking material, but think about how many times you have been in an argument with someone and chose win-lose, or even worse lose-lose. Try and think win-win.

I have been working on my listening skills for many years and will always actively work on improving my listening skills. Habit 5 is Seek First to understand, Then to Be Understood. This was very powerful to me, I have always been a good listener and would even say good at empathizing with people. But to truly make sure that you understand where someone is coming from is completely different and truly powerful.

My Mission Statement

Books Links Work In Progress