How change of attitude makes you a better person

Oct 09, 2007

To disagree with an authority like Stephen Covey is to face banter from the millions who have diligently followed him on the highway to success.

To disagree with an authority like Stephen Covey is to face banter from the millions who have diligently followed him on the highway to success.

He recommends that you should not ‘see’ this material as something to read once and put on a shelf. Much of it is a back-and-forth read, but some sections are as interesting as the sub-chapters in fiction writing.

And with that, Covey can hardly be matched as a motivational writer as he presents “the kind of penetrating truth about human nature that is usually found only in fiction”.

This product of reviewing 200 years of success literature gives a lot of historical background, from the time of Aristotle to date. Covey writes with depth as he tackles each of the seven habits of highly effective people.

The first habits regard private victory. And the first one — be proactive, makes a good choice for beginning on the ladder of attitudinal change.

It is not merely taking initiative, but taking responsibility. Behaviour should be a function of decisions and not conditions.

It is only reactive people who make it a feeling and fall when they think they have found love. With a guide on how to respond to social stimuli and how to develop the language of a proactive person, this is the most convincing of the seven habits.

By the end of the chapter, you will feel that you have already acquired much.

The habit of beginning with an end in mind may sound familiar to many readers. But not if you read the chapter in the manner it is meant to be read.

Progressively, you will realise that developing a habit of concentrating on relevant activities builds a platform to avoid distractions — you become more productive and successful. Putting first things first is the physical aspect of beginning with an end in mind. It is the most tangible of all the habits.

The habits that are used to acquire public victory are broadened by Covey’s commitment to involve other people in your personal development.

First you have to understand other people, then seek to be understood.

He dwindles from the specifically motivational language to the simple.

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