7 Habits to Become a Highly Effective Person

(Source: Dziana Hasanbekava, Pexels)

Before we get to these juicy bits of awesomeness, let’s first try to understand the fundamental life rules with these fundamental beliefs. Here we go!

1. Reality is relative

As Covey puts it, “two people can see the same thing, disagree, and yet both be right. It’s not logical; it’s psychological.” Truth is, how we perceive anything is clouded by personal biases and circumstances. That’s why something seen positively in one culture may be seen negatively in others. Understand this so that you can make clear, objective decisions. 

2. We build our own lives

Positively or negatively, we make our daily choices by saying “yes” or “no” to opportunities and circumstances that happen around us. The sooner we get out of the “it’s beyond my control” mentality, the better it is as it allows us to gain control of the most important thing - yourself. Covey puts it very nicely when he said, “Happiness, like unhappiness, is a proactive choice.” So, my friends, choose wisely. 

3. Values are person’s internal rules of life

Simply put, your values form your internal foundation for your decisions: from what to have for lunch, or chatting up that cute girl/ guy, right up to deciding what to study in college. It’s critical for you to have strong principles with values that will help you make the right decisions. Covey explains, “Principles are the territory, [while values] are maps. When we value correct principles, we have truth - a knowledge of things as they are.” 

“Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do),

skill (how to do), and desire (want to do).”

-Stephen Covey

Master these 7 habits to truly transform your life to achieve the success and happiness you seek!

(Source: Freebizplan.org)

Understand How The World Works

How we view ourselves and others form our understanding of how things work in the world. As you begin to practice the 7 habits, you’ll grow from the stage of dependency to independency and finally, interdependency. 

STAGE 1: DEPENDENT

As a child, you probably remember being entirely dependent on your parents, who took care of most, if not all aspects of your life. The elderly, especially those with illnesses, also completely depend on their caretakers or children to be taken care of. People who grow up stuck at this stage tend to generally feel incomplete and insecure. This leads to constantly seeking validation of their abilities from others, inability to make up their mind and always ask for advice from their social circle.  

STAGE 2: INDEPENDENT

As we grow older, we start being more independent, making our own choices and decisions. We feel empowered with a strong belief that we can achieve what we put on our mind to. Independent people tend to spend most of their energy working on things that are important to them without caring much about what others think.

STAGE 3: INTERDEPENDENT

As we continue to experience more of life and gain more maturity (and hopefully, wisdom), we then get to this final level - having an understanding that everything in the world is interconnected, and hence interdependent. Covey states, “Interdependence is a choice only independent people can make.” People at this level come with the knowledge that cooperation is key, and success is only achieved through collaboration with others where true happiness is only real when shared.