The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey is one of those books that is on my ‘books to re-read’ list. I don’t have many books on that list. This book is a classic that is a must for the serious entrepreneur and personal development student.
I want to share with you what impacted me most from reading this amazing book.
Fill Your Life With the Big Rocks First
The analogy of your life being a jar and having to fill that jar with all the demands of life had a profound effect on me. If you’re unfamiliar with this analogy, watch the video below:
Life is demanding for everyone, and for the person who wants to accomplish all they can in life, there never seems to be enough time to do everything.
If we don’t give the most important things in life the priority they deserve, we will find at the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of the month, at the end of the year, and ultimately at the end of our lives, that we have not taken care of those things that are truly the most important.
While this might seem like something that most people would do anyway, the truth is that many times we don’t do those things that are most important because they are easy to push aside. We push them aside for ‘tomorrow’ because they don’t press themselves upon as being urgent.
For example, eating well, exercising, spending time with our spouse and our children. These important priorities will often take a back seat to the ‘urgent’ demands of a demanding client or deadline.
What I’ve found is that if I don’t give in to the ‘urgent’ requests of lower priority demands, they will get done in time anyway.
Think Win/Win
Unfortunately, there are many people out there who have been taught to believe that in business (and in life) you are either a winner in a situation, or a loser.
I was shocked to see a very popular book that touted this philosophy, and after reading just a few pages I put it down because it felt so dark and toxic.
The reality is that in every situation in life and in business, there is always a win/win scenario. It might not be obvious from the outset, and it may require some work, but if we do take the time to look for it, we will find the win/win in every situation.
The successful business man, parent, spouse, etc will always seek the find the win/win in every situation.
After learning this principle, I have used it every day in my own life and business. An example of this from my own experience was a conversation I had with a business associate just a few days ago. We were discussing whether he should charge clients a flat fee for a service, or a percentage of their sales from using the service. Each had their own pros and cons. The flat fee benefited the clients most, and the percentage model benefited my business partner the most. Then I proposed a win/win solution where he could have a hybrid model of charging a flat fee, and also a very small percentage for each sale. He loved the idea. It would be fair to both parties and not advantage any one more than the other.
Private and Public Victories
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is about teaching you how to achieve victories in your private life, and in your public life.
Since first reading this book about 15 years ago, it has helped me to work on my weaknesses. This has helped me to feel better about myself. It has helped to lay a foundation that I can be a better husband, father, son, brother and cousin.
The teachings in this book has also helped me to successfully build a business of loyal happy employees and clients, to be a more engaging and faithful church member, and to contribute positively to society.
If you haven’t read the book, I can’t stress enough how highly I would recommend it to you. It will have a profound impact on your life.
If you have read the book, please leave a comment below on what teaching had the biggest impact on you.