

They amass negative energy by blaming external factors for their feelings of victimization. Proactive individuals focus their efforts on the things they can change, whereas reactive people focus their efforts on the areas of their lives in which they have no control. What matters most is how you respond to these experiences. While external factors have the ability to cause pain, your inner character doesn’t need to be damaged. Where reactive people are driven by feelings, proactive people are driven by values. Consequently, you don’t blame your behavior on external factors such as circumstances, but own it as part of a conscious choice based on your values. More than just taking the initiative, being proactive means taking responsibility for your life. The first and most fundamental habit of an effective person is to be proactive.
#7 HABITS COVEY HOW TO#
This 7 Habits of Highly Effective People book summary will look at each of these habits and show you how to put them into action to become more successful in whatever you want to achieve.

Covey claims that these principles are self-evident and endure in most religious, social, and ethical systems.
#7 HABITS COVEY SERIES#
The “Character Ethic” is based upon a series of principles.

What we are says far more than what we say or do. Yet, these were just shallow, quick successes, overlooking the deeper principles of life.Ĭovey argues it’s your character that needs to be cultivated to achieve sustainable success, not your personality. However, after the war, there was a shift to what Covey refers to as the “Personality Ethic.” Here, success was attributed as a function of personality, public image, behaviors, and skills. This included characteristics such as humility, fidelity, integrity, courage, and justice. It was here that he noticed a stark historical contrast between two types of success.īefore the First World War, success was attributed to ethics of character. In an attempt to understand why, he read several self-improvement, self-help, and popular psychology books written over the past 200 years.

During his 25 years of working with successful individuals in business, universities, and relationship settings, Stephen Covey discovered that high-achievers were often plagued with a sense of emptiness.
