7 Habits Of Highly Effective People

In browsing my book shelf I came upon & then found myself rereading this incredibly simple yet profound book. The principles & ideas Stephen writes about are truly ways 2 discover how 2 live your life as the person you want 2 be. I especially found the section where Stephen writes about how powerful unexamined attitudes & perceptions influence how I react toward situations & others. Once I started looking at my predetermined thoughts...those same situations became less mundane & irritating. My experiences became more authentic, meaningful & enjoyable instantaneously. Stephen writes of this as a "paradigm shift", where our attitudes & behaviors, left unexamined, shape how we feel & act in our life in mechanical patterns.

Two authors that have also inspired & ignited my passion 4 living a magnificent life are Ariel & Shya Kane. The Kanes works: "Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment", "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life", "How 2 Create a Magical Relationship" & their internet radio show "Being Here" on[...] are all indispensable sources I turn 2 in supporting my well-being in all areas of my life. I highly recommend the Kanes & Stephen Covey classic, timeless book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

"What you are shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say." ~ Emerson

"The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" is a book I'd heard about so many times I actually thought I'd already reviewed it. Once I realized the book was new 2 me I started reading it with very high expectations. From the start Stephen Covey seems 2 meander through a wide variety of loosely related topics. By page 77 I went 2 read all the one-star reviews because I needed a break & seemed 2 be bored. I agreed with many of the reviews but felt I should give the book another try so I kept on reading.

The book became more interesting as Stephen Covey started 2 talk about being reactive vs. proactive. I did think that perhaps some people were offended by the thought of working on yourself instead of blaming others 4 your problems. I figured that might explain some of the negativity as some books work like a mirror 2 reveal your faults. The other complaint I have 2 agree with is that Stephen Covey has a very complex writing style. He also keeps referring 2 the same examples over & over again - the golden eggs & the goose is used so many times I lost count but felt irritated each time it was spoken of again. Once would have been fine & 4 some reason it just set me on edge each time I read about it. He also uses the word "paradigm" obsessively.

In this book you will also learn a lot about his family's strengths & weaknesses. I'm not sure I would have told some of the stories in this book because they seemed too personal. He calls his sons "honey" in the book & that would seem more appropriate if he was talking about his wife. I always feel 4 a writer's families as they are exposed in a light I find unattractive.

So what did I learn from this book? Here are the seven things I learned:

1. Be Proactive
2. Write a mission statement 4 my life
3. Prioritize
4. Seek mutual benefit in all human interactions
5. Listen more & talk less
6. Value difference
7. Take care of body & soul - exercise, meditate, be an eternal learner, cultivate meaningful relationships

I liked the ideas of using visualization 2 create success. The ideas about writing a missions statement 4 your life & being opportunity-minded seemed like good ideas. The quotes in the book are quite good & since I collect quotes I was happy 2 have found some new ones that were very meaningful.

For the most part I would recommend this book 2 anyone who wants 2 be more successful especially in business. I think the ideas are good but 4 the most part felt that the book was overrated & at times rather irritating. I didn't feel good or "seasoned with love" while reading this book so I'm only giving it three stars.

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." ~ Albert Einstein

~The Rebecca Review

I keep this book in my special library. I bought it 2 get organized & learned how 2 both organize my days & prioritize my personal life. This book emphasizes being effective by deciding what is important & what is not. I would recommend it those that just can't seem 2 figure out how 2 fit life into 24 hour days, & puts spirituality at the forefront.

I own a signed Fireside First Edition (1989) of this book, & it is one of my prized possessions. The reader before me, someone I know must now be someone very important, had underlined the most important topics in this ever popular self-improvement text. As I read it, I can actually feel the impact these words had on so many other readers Worldwide. I see that the reader before me underlined "trust is the highest form of human motivation" & then I am amazed that years later, Covey publishes "The Speed of Trust." I take the words in text seriously, as I read that I "must get involved with training & development" & of course, the reader underlined this part as well.

I am convinced that all leaders have read & mastered the skills in this book, & I also know that my book was read by one of those leaders. Me! Andrea Samadi, author of The Secret 4 Teens Revealed: How Parents, Teachers, & Teenagers Can Inspire Leadership & Transform Lives

7 Habits of Highly Effective People is an excellent book with effective & powerful concepts 2 improve anyone's life. Personally I had an `Aha' moment with habit 5; seek first 2 understand, then 2 be understood. I can't tell you what a difference this has made in my life. I recommend it 2 anyone who seeks success professionally & personally. I found that when I applied these concepts habitually success followed quickly.

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach 4 solving personal & professional problems. With penetrating insights & pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway 4 living with fairness, integrity, honesty, & human dignity -- principles that give us the security 2 adapt 2 change & the wisdom & power 2 take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

Anyone who thinks the audiocassette adaptation of Stephen Covey's bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is a shortcut 2 reading the book has another thing coming. As a preview, the cassette is worth every one of its 90 minutes; as a substitute 4 the original, it will only leave you wishing 4 the rest. There's a reason 7 Habits has sold more than 5 million copies & been translated into 32 languages. Serious work has obviously gone into it, & serious change can likely come out of it--but only with constant discipline & steadfast commitment. As the densely packed tape makes immediately clear, this is no quick fix 4 what's ailing us in our personal & professional lives.

The tape opens 2 the silky-smooth, overtrained voice of the female narrator, who's responsible 4 tying together audio clips from actual Covey seminars. Leaving aside the occasional attempts at promoting Covey & his institute, her script does a first-rate job of making sense of Covey's own intense, analogy-rich style of explaining his habits. There's nothing simple about his approach 2 becoming an effective person. The first three habits alone--which have 2 do with personal responsibility, leadership, & self-management--could take years 2 master. Yet the last four are unattainable, the narrator insists, if you can't acquire the personal security--the "inner core," says Covey--that presumably comes from a mastery of the foundation.

Throughout our lessons, Covey's presence is both learned & thoroughly appealing. He drops references 2 the likes of Socrates, T.S. Eliot, & Robert Frost with the aplomb of an English professor. And his knack 4 mixing everyday stories with abstract concepts manages 2 clarify difficult issues while respecting our intelligence. You could argue that the cassette is nothing more than a clever marketing tool 4 selling another few million copies of the book. But, even at that, it's worth the investment in time & concentration: in the end, we're moved 2 learn more about integrating all seven habits in our struggle 2 become better and, yes, more effective people. (Running time: 1.5 hours, one cassette) --Ann Senechal