In the world there is only one person you can change: yourself. Doing so you will achieve: generate habits that lead you to be proactive / or; get better results; gain time; have more effective communication; create synergies; and work on the renewal of different areas of your life, so that all of the above can occur.
Today's article is based on Stephen R. Covey's book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” a masterpiece that became a bedside book for top executives as soon as it was released in 1990, and which today continues to be required reading. This information will be extremely useful to you.
Habit 1 - Self-control - Be proactive
Being proactive / or is based on the need to choose our reaction to any situation, according to our principles and values. We are responsible for who we are now, and the only ones we can choose to change. So you don't have to say "I have to", but "I choose". "Only we ourselves have the initiative and responsibility to make things happen."
To generate this habit, it is necessary to change the way we see the world from within.
Habit # 2 - Self-control - Start with an end in mind
Start each day with your address and destination clear. You must understand that things are created twice, once in your mind and once in reality through action.
To generate this habit you need to first define what you want to achieve, and then design a plan with the steps you need to take to obtain the desired results.
Habit # 3 - Self-control - Put first things first
Order things according to how important they are to your life and goals. What is the important? It is that activity that will give good results with respect to our objective. We must focus on prevention, building relationships, recognizing new opportunities, and planning, thus avoiding urgent tasks.
To generate this habit we have to base ourselves on our priorities and desires, and on balance with the important areas of our life. We also need to make more of our time, delegating with flexibility and holding them accountable for results.
Habit # 4 - Interrelationships - Think win-win
It is about seeking mutual success to reach a higher path; never win at the expense of someone else's loss.
To generate this habit, it is necessary to have integrity, maturity, relationships of trust, agreements, follow a method according to what is proposed, and follow a model:
- Look at the problem from the other point of view. Identify the key issues, which will build the mutual end. Define the acceptable results for both. Identify the new solutions to achieve the acceptable.
Habit 5 - Interrelationships - Effective communication: First understand, then be understood
Listening means deep understanding of the other, this is effective communication. Normally we do not listen, we only compare with our own reality, so we give in response our own thoughts, feelings and interpretations. To really listen you need:
- Say what the other is saying, in his own words. Say in his own words what the other wants to express. Know the feeling that the other wants to express. Say in his own words the feeling that the other reflects.
The second part of this habit is to be understood, to be able to express our feelings and thoughts with maturity.
Habit nº 6 - Interrelationships - Create synergies
Synergy means that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. It consists of creative cooperation and teamwork.
To create synergy, you need people with a win-win mentality, and who practice effective communication. Thus, they can take advantage of their differences to create ideas superior to the individual ones. Thus, we will broaden our perspective.
Habit # 7 - Renovation - Sharpen the saw (or ax)
It consists of self-renewal, the basic maintenance necessary to keep previous habits working properly. These are the four aspects that we must take care of:
- Physical - food, rest, exercise. Spiritual - our values. Spending time looking at your goals renews you. Mental - reviewing progress in life; analyze what you think and feel. Social (emotional) - service to others; positively influence others.
The secret to being highly effective / or, is to generate in yourself the necessary habits that lead you to: be proactive / or; design a plan with the steps that lead you to obtain the desired results; think win-win; learn to prioritize and manage time; practice effective communication; create synergies that help you broaden your perspectives; and be in continuous renewal, taking care of all aspects of yourself.
"We are what we do, day by day. So excellence is not an act, but a habit ”Aristotle.
