Want to Be Happy and Feel like You Are Making Progress in Your Life?

Tired of feeling like you are going in circles and not making progress in your life? One of the best educational seminar's I ever attended was based upon Stephen R. Covey's book entitled "7 Habits of Highly effective people". At 20 years old, I credit that two day seminar with changing the course of my entire life. At the time, I was in training to become a sales representative for a wholesale grocery supply house, but the education I received could be applied to anyone, particularly those that felt like they were wandering through life aimlessly, victimized by circumstances beyond their control.

Habit 1 - Be proactive

I learned that the first habit of highly successful people is to be proactive. What this meant for me, was that I should no longer take the mindset of waiting until the crap hit the fan. Instead, when I saw something that was out of kilter, or awry, I would take a proactive approach, and report it, adjust it, do something to prevent all hell from breaking loose. Rather than being a drama queen, effective people ward off the drama by preventing it or addressing it earlier rather than later.

Habit 2 - Begin with the vision in mind

Are you someone who wakes up one morning, jams a bunch of your things in a suitcase, goes to the airport and picks a destination for a vacation and expects to have a wonderful time? Of course, not! You pick a destination for vacation based upon what you have heard or seen, and you plan what you pack by where you are going and how long you are going to stay. You set money aside and patiently wait for the day to arrive. The same holds true for your professional, spiritual and emotional life. The seminar for 7 habits of highly effective people suggested that we think about where we want to be in life and then work backwards, setting goals for ourselves that are achievable, so that we can get there.

Habit 3 - Put first things first

Once you have a vision of where you want to be in life, whether it is losing 20 pounds, or quitting smoking, or getting a new job, write down all the things that you can think of that you need to do to accomplish this goal. Put these things in groupings or categories and then put them in order. Naturally you won't want to go out and buy a new wardrobe for your new smaller size, until you have reached your goal, but you may want to buy one new item as an incentive. Or you may want to think about how you could spend the money you are currently spending on cigarettes, to help establish the goal in your mind. You won't want to spend that 16.00 a day on something else until you have actually quit spending money on cigarettes.

Habit 4- Think win/win

Maybe your goal is to find a new job. What differentiates you between the other 1000 people bidding for the same job as you are? Have you had experience as a football coach, or did you lead a project for your church? What other skills can you bring to the table to assist your new employer that they might appreciate over and above the ones that are listed in your resume, that make you an ideal candidate for that job?

Habit 5- Seek 1^st to understand, than to be understood

People, who are highly effective, are effective listeners. Even if you know the answer, or have the solution, if you are busy shouting it over everyone else, they won't listen. Instead, listen to what is being said, and once you have gained the trust and full understanding of the issue, then contemplate how it can be fixed, with the support of others, together.

Habit 6 -Synergize

Most people fear what they do not know. Instead of focusing on the differences, focus on the likenesses and work from there. I have found it enormously useful to come up with a problem statement that specifically calls out the objective, whether it is mine, or the problem of a team, or a work group. By defining specifically what the focus must be, it helps eliminate discussion and energy on things that are off topic, and really helps the participants focus on the overall goal.

Habit 7 - Sharpen the saw

To me, this simply means practice makes perfect.

As a 20 year old, I had no idea how powerful this course would be, but I listened, I applied and I have achieved. Over twenty years ago, I began looking at my life in both short and long term buckets. I began setting goals for myself, including a five year, one year, six month, one month and one week plan or outlook.

When I go to bed at night, I reflect on my day, the good points and the bad. I try not to repeat my mistakes and learn from them. I think about what I want to accomplish tomorrow and make sure it all ties into my master plan. If something is outside of my plan, I learn that I can say, 'No thanks, I don't have time for that right now'.I have accomplished a lot of things in my life, simply by having a dream or vision and going after it, one step at a time. Every New Year's I look at my plan and feel good about my achievements. I am happy with my accomplishments and my life. You can be too, by following these 7 habits of highly effective people. The New Year is a great time to recalibrate and review those goals, best of luck to everyone on achieving your dreams, for 2010.

Reference:

http://www.quickmba.com/mgmt/7hab/