The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

 

 

Habit 1: Be Proactive

“Habit 1 is the key to unlocking all the other habits and that’s why it comes first. It says, “I am the captain of my life. I can choose my attitude. I’m responsible for my own happiness or unhappiness. I am in the driver’s seat of my destiny, not just a passenger.”

Make a change in the world, and do your job to live life. If you have a job, it is your job to work hard. As a student, your job is to learn.  As a living creature, your job is to live. We need to do what is set for us, to complete the plan. To live fully, one must experience life in its entirety. Be productive, and stay positive to move forward.

 

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind

“Control your own destiny or someone else will.” (Jack Welch)

When reflecting on life realize goals and have set ends for them. For example losing weight, set a goal weight you wish to achieve as a end, so you know where you are heading. Life is a series of goals, victories, and persistency. Goals are motivation to move you forward in the world, and with goals you accomplish more. Right now, my cousin and I are exercise buddies. She really wanted to live a healthier life, and doesnt want to do it alone so together we are helping each other and our families become healthier from food choices to daily exercise. Yesterday for example, her dad, her, and me went for a brisk walk and then a jog around a park. Both of our households are focusing on having a healthy diet, so we are constantly finding new recipes for dinner and lunch. Our goal is to help our family become more healthy. This goal will help the members of our family with their own health and can help us all live health lifestyles in the future. The end, is never something we must dread but a goal we look forward to. Another view to this habit could be life. Life as we know it can end. So as mortals, we need to live our days to the most capacity of our potential, or at least live it happily. For me, I actually have a goal for each day. My goal each day is to be happy at least once throughout the day, and to make someon else happy. This way i feel accomplished and as if i brought some good to the world. Being successful requires looking to the future. So next time remember the future is the future and you can change it, the past is past and a memory. Focus on tomorrow, and today will only be yesterday.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

“Organize and execute around priorities.”

Priorities are first, and what matters should be accomplished and focused on. For a student school is first, for a parent their children come first, and likewise in other life scenarios. I currently have my homework to maintain and colleges to plan for. Focusing my time on my work has honestly allowed me to be more time conserving and honestly has helped me learn more. I honestly can say that managing priorities helps a person stay organized and relieves the headaches of stress.

HOW TO PRIORITIZE

NO MORE HEADACHES

 

 

 
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
“Think win-win or no deal.” 

 Think about the benefits and positive sides to every scenario and case. Their is always a good factor to acknowledge. In rough times, and bad times one must always see the good in the moment. I remember when we lost our Uncle to cancer a few years ago, all we could think about is how he is at rest now, and at peace in heaven. It was nice to imagine that he no longer had the harsh medicine and the needles, and that is how we viewed the passing. Also only doing good , and you recieving good, which in total is also win win. If you volunteer for giving food for the people in need, you give good, help and feel good. So partaking in such actions also help people be successful and accomplish things in life.

 

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand then to be Understood
“Diagnose before you prescribe.”

Listen to others, and you yourself can be heard. No one is able to understand someone who doesn’t understand others. People can sympathize with thoughts if you are willing to hear them out. For example in a debate, the person who wins, wins for two reasons. One, their argument was valid, and two the opposing argument was carefully examined, understood, and counter argued. Hearing helps. In many careers, you must be skilled at hearing and understanding. A simple job, for example a barista in a coffee shop, they must hear orders, and carefully understand the recipe to be able to make the beverage and give it to the customer. Teachers listen to questions of students, and students hear the wisdom from their teachers.

 

 

 Habit 6:  Synergize
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts (1+1=3)
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts: 1+1=3”
Four Dimensions of Self-Renewal: Physical, Mental

”  Synergize is the habit of creative cooperation. It is teamwork, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new solutions to old problems. “

Collaborating together with others is a form of synergizing. This can mean brainstorming ideas together and working together to solve or renew ideas. It is highly effective to work positively because you can complete tasks more quickly and this is effective when finishing work in your job, or for school such as projects. Cooperation also deals with positivity and being open minded to other’s opinions, and thoughts on something.

 

 

 

 

 

 Habit 7:  Sharpen the Saw
Four Dimensions of Self-Renewal: Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Social/Emotional

Sharpen the saw, is a metaphor for renewing something. For example, relearning something you know to add more knowledge, or doing something that can further your knowledge. Redo what you have done, and do what you have not. If you trained to get a 7 minute mile score, train for a 6 minute mile. Sharpening the saw can be just that, sharpening your tools. Sharpen your mind and expand its knowledge. Revive your heart by opening it up. Renew you way of thinking, by being open minded.

How to Sharpen the Saw

 

 

 

 

 

  These habits are essential, to be successful in what you plan and to complete goals. This post is truly about how to work life, and get things done. Being productive means prioritizing, and working constantly. The mindset of success has been to be positive and

goal oriented. Life is a series of goals, victories, and persistency.  To live fully, one must experience life in its entirety. So as mortals, we need to live our days to the most capacity of our potential, or at least live it happily. In rough times, and bad times one must always see the good in the moment. It is highly effective to work positively because you can complete tasks more quickly and this is effective when finishing work in your job, or for school such as projects. Listen to others, and you yourself can be heard. Being an effective person means being hardworking, and meaningful and useful to others. This means being open minded, open hearted, and open handed, listening, caring, and helping.

Three Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

Dale Carnegie

Technique 1: Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.

“If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive.”

 

Criticism is never handled lightly by anyone and is often seen as rude. Complaining is a burden because you bring down your own spirit and the other person’s. People like good natured conversation not something that will bother them. Life is always about focusing on the good and not the bad, it’s the only way to truly survive. It keeps you hopeful in difficult times. When speaking with someone, you don’t really know their thoughts or what they have gone through. Sometimes criticism seems useless when you don’t fully understand the situation and complaining can bring up other issues that you or the other person may have. People like to be appreciated and this is how relationships are formed. Each individual brings the other one something to better their life such as sympathy or compassion.

Technique 2: Give honest and sincere appreciation

“The big secret in dealing with people”

People can tell when we are lying, and a fake compliment is the worst. I think it makes the person feel guilty of not really being truthful. Honest and sincere comments are ones that cannot be denied and are truthful. For example, you can tell a girl ,” you are the most beautiful person alive,” but if the girl doesn’t believe it, it may sound very fake and unrealistic. Instead of this you could try, “you are the most beautiful, in my eyes,” this way the person cannot disagree and will understand that what you say is truthful because it is your personal opinion. Speak for yourself, and for the voiceless. When speaking, one must be connected to what they are saying for the phrase to be meaningful. Anyone can say, “I love you,” but only few can mean it with their heart. You can then feel the connection between each other. Applying this to your daily conversations and greetings surely makes those around you feel welcomed.

Distinguish Fake Smiles!!!

Technique 3: Arouse in the other person an eager want.
“He who can do this has the whole world with him. He who cannot, walks a lonely way.”

This principle can mean various things. For example you can inspire another. For a teacher to get their students to learn they must feel motivated and inspired to want to learn. In a conversation you have to encourage the other person to want to talk to you. In an interview for a job, the person hiring must see in you a reason to add you to their company or team as a benefit. When somebody truly wants/needs you, it is noticeable and often benefits both individuals. The other person will welcome something they want. If you want to be invited to a party, show that you are the life of the party and that your way of being is going to make the party more exciting. People will follow you for how you are and how you handle situations.

 

 

 

 

 

Final Reflection:

Handling people can become both a simple task and a difficult mission. People need kindness, and genuine emotion. These traits make people want to talk more. Humans crave interaction, but most importantly interaction that benefits them.  A conversation is between two people and two people should enjoy the conversation. I wish to apply these techniques in my conversations to help me speak better and more fluently with people. These techniques are the basics for handling small talk or deep convos with friends or strangers. When people are seeking advice from you, be honest and help them out. If you want to speak to someone, don’t push them away. If you want to talk to someone, make them enjoy talking to you.  People are like people, you are a person, and so am I. We should always take into consideration the views and words of others when we speak to them.

Killer Conversation Starters – click to view

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Break.

 

For Christmas vacation, I visited my dad. My dad’s house is about 3-4 hours away and in the middle of nowhere. My dad lives with my cousin from Mexico, my two other cousins, my niece, and my cousins friend. Our whole family was going to spend Christmas over there, and this is the first time I’ve spend any form of holiday with my dad since the divorce. We decorated the house, we put stockings on the staircase, and we burned cookies, and ate posole. My aunt made tamales that lasted us until three days after New Year’s.  I got to paint my own stocking which was awesome and I got to drink so much champurrado. We were there for two whole weeks and during the time we made the most of our time. We got to ride our old ATV’s, we played our shooting games, and I got to relive my most memorable moments in archery. We line up discarded soda cans to shoot at for accuracy and we shoot at a target board my dad has set in his back yard; my dad has his own set of dirt land next to the house where we ride our bikes and race. I hadn’t been able to do those things in a really long time. We made a fire and my dad’s dog started howling so we taught our baby niece how to howl at the moon, it is literally the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. New Years was very meaningful to me, possibly the best New Year’s yet. I always see people get all fancy for this day and this year I really wondered why. We stay home, and eat food, and are with our family. I think that’s enough to kick off a new year. So this year I literally showed up to my cousin’s house with sweats and a hoodie, but I was extremely happy to share time with all of them.