“Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”
In 1989, Stephen R. Covey penned The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (public library), a book that went on to sell millions of copies worldwide and defined a new genre bridging self-improvement, business management, and personal productivity. This week, Covey passed away at the age of 79. Here’s a look back at his legacy with some of the keenest insights from his beloved bestseller:
Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do), and desire (want to do).
Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.
People can’t live with change if there’s not a changeless core inside them.
Until a person can say deeply and honestly, ‘I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday,’ that person cannot say, ‘I choose otherwise.’
To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.
It is one thing to make a mistake, and quite another thing not to admit it. People will forgive mistakes, because mistakes are usually of the mind, mistakes of judgment. But people will not easily forgive the mistakes of the heart, the ill intention, the bad motives, the prideful justifying cover-up of the first mistake.
Admission of ignorance is often the first step in our education.
Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions.
The ability to subordinate an impulse to a value is the essence of the proactive person.
How you treat the one reveals how you regard the many, because everyone is ultimately a one.
There’s no better way to inform and expand your mind on a regular basis than to get into the habit of reading good literature.
And, of course, the meat of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
This article is reprinted with permission from Maria Popova. She is a cultural curator and curious mind at large, who also writes for Wired UK, The Atlantic and Design Observer, and is the founder and editor in chief of Brain Pickings (which offers a free weekly newsletter).
Such a shame that Stephen Covey failed to extend his compassion and deep understanding supposedly of human beings and relationships to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people - how can we trust in his wisdom when he actively opposed marriage equality for lgbt people with heterosexual counterparts?
1 reply: Caryn | Post Your Reply
Stephen Covey is immortalised in all his books and so he lives on. His in-depth knowledge on human relationships continue to change millions of lives across the world. I am one of them.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
Death of Dr Covey is a great loss to humanity. His teachings have touched millions of lives all over the world. May his soul rest in peace.
yes, the great guru who had inspired me when I was young
The death of Stephen Covey is deeply regretted. He shall be missed for his depth and breadth in his writings and as a life coach.
The World without Stephen Covey make me a lttle more lonely.
Unfortunately, Covey was active in opposing marriage equality for the LGBT community, and that's how I remember him.
1 reply: Kristin | Post Your Reply
On Dec 12, 2012 Jatinder Singh wrote:
Like anyone, he had faults but he recognised them and tried to work on them. His work has had a big impact on me. Heres a few practical ways of applying his work www.usingthe7habits.com
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