What makes someone great? Some people have a natural ability to succeed. Other people know exactly what to do, and when to do it. Some people are born leaders, and others know how to follow. What sets great individuals apart from the rest is the power of habits.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a book that will change your life forever, as you learn how to become a more effective person and achieve greater success in every area of your life.
The principles outlined in this book are not exclusive to business but can be applied anywhere in your life where you feel there is room for growth. By reading these words and taking action on them, you can make an enormous improvement in your life – both personally and professionally.
Be proactive
Being proactive means taking action to get what you want in life, instead of just waiting for things to happen. It means having the initiative to create change and make things happen in your favour.
Being proactive determines the difference between those who succeed and those who fail. It’s the difference between the people who get promoted and those who stay in the same position for years. It’s the difference between people who get what they want out of life and those who don’t.
Proactive people view themselves as being in charge of their life, while reactive people let life happen to them. Successful people are proactive because they understand that they are in control of their life and that they are the ones who decide what happens next. They know that by taking action, they are in charge of their own destiny.
Begin with the end in mind
This is an important principle, and it’s all about the power of visualization.
Successful people understand the importance of seeing their success in their minds before it happens. They are constantly visualising their desired outcome. They know that how you think directly affects how you perform.
People who are unsuccessful don’t think about what they want or how to achieve it. They are only focused on the current moment and how to get through it. They don’t see themselves as successful, and therefore, they don’t perform like a successful person.
While people who think positively are visualizing their success, the negative people are stuck in their current situation and don’t know how to get out of it.
By visualizing your success and the end result you want, you will be able to focus on how to get there. You will have clarity, you will know what steps to take and you will be able to perform like a successful person.
Put first things first
This means doing the most important thing first, every day. You should always start your day by doing the most important task, not the task you feel like doing or the task that is easiest.
The most important thing is the task that will move you the most towards your goal. By doing the most important thing first, you are showing commitment and that you are serious about your goals. You are saying “I am committed to achieving my goals, and I am going to start by doing the most important thing today.”
People who don’t put first things first usually experience regrets. They look back on their life, wishing they would have started sooner. They wish they would have taken more risks and been more serious about their goals.
Balance effectiveness and efficiency
One of the biggest mistakes people make is growing their business or career too quickly. They become too focused on efficiency, being busy and impressing others. They lose sight of the importance of effectiveness and fail to see how their efforts are resulting in real progress.
They are too busy trying to be efficient and not focused enough on being effective. Too much focus on efficiency will hold you back from achieving your goals.
It’s not about performing tasks quickly, but rather, performing them correctly. You can increase your efficiency by performing tasks correctly, and then working on increasing your effectiveness by performing tasks better.
Efficiency relates to schedule and time, while effectiveness relates to results.
You must balance your time to produce the best results and you must also focus on being effective in everything you do. The best way to do this is by setting goals and maintaining a growth mindset.
Think win-win
The word win-win means that both parties involved in an agreement come out with an equal outcome that benefits both sides. It means having the right attitude and outlook and always keeping your focus on helping others.
Win-win is an attitude that focuses on cooperation between people instead of competition. It’s about giving more than you take, helping as many people as you can, and always focusing on creating value for others.
Win-win is about treating people with respect and dignity and being careful not to use things or people for your own personal gain. It’s about helping others succeed so that you can succeed in turn.
Commit to continual self-improvement
Every day you should be trying to become a better person. You should be striving to improve in all areas of your life, whether it’s personal, relational or professional. You should be getting better at something.
While you can’t control everything that happens in life, you can control how you react to it.
- You can control your attitude and outlook and whether you choose to be proactive or reactive.
- You can control your thoughts by choosing to think positive thoughts.
- You can control your actions by choosing to do the right things.
- You can control your words by choosing to speak positively.
- You can control your habits and you can choose to build better habits and rid yourself of bad ones.
Commit to continual self-improvement in every area of your life, and you will become a more successful person.
Give thanks and provenance – Give more than you receive
This is a principle that is often overlooked, but it’s very important. Giving thanks is an important part of success and will help you become a more positive person.
You should be thankful for everything you have, and you should express gratitude for it. You can be thankful for your health, your family, your friends, your job, your house, and all the good things in your life. You should also express gratitude for the people who have helped you get to where you are today. You can be thankful for your parents, your teachers, your mentors, or anyone who has helped you along the way.
Summing up
We all have the potential, and the power to make a difference in this world. This potential can only be reached, however, when we put these 7 Habits into practice.
If you want to change your life, start with yourself. Begin by changing your mindset and adopting these 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Start living a more successful, happy and fulfilled life.
The only way to make your dreams become a reality is to take action. There is no time to waste. Start today, and you will see the difference in your life tomorrow.