7 Habits

It has been some time since I have read Steven Covey’s, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and I found the 5th habit, “Seek first to be understand, then to be understood”, struck a chord with me. With my personality, I tend to want others to understand me but in my ‘rush’ to be understood, I have forgotten to give that same respect to others.  I have not been an empathetic listener and am concentrating on what to say, rather than hear and understand what they are saying. I am going to do a better job of thinking with them rather than thinking about me in my conversations.

Covey, in 7 Habits, discusses having private victories as we master the first three habits and public victories as we master habits 4-6. So why will these victories fill my life with passion and purpose? I can’t imagine that I will have any purpose or direction without understanding how to react to situations or how to have focus or direction for my life, let alone manage that time within my days. Wandering aimlessly is just that, it won’t create any purpose and certainly not any passion.  This focus or direction helps me to fill my life with purpose and essentially creates a desire or passion to be successful.

Interestingly enough as I master Habits 4-6, this will create a celestial home. And this is ultimately my passion and purpose first and foremost. When I create a home where we are all mutually benefiting, where we all feel good about the plan, then we can commit to the plan. We will all work toward that end goal, eternal life. I love this! In practicing the 7 Habits, I am working toward celestial life for my family and myself. I am creating purpose and passion for my life and hopefully for my children.

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