About to buy this book, I contemplated within me, "Am I really going to read this book?" It was way bigger than any other book I had read in a long time. And coming from a book that was one-third its size, it felt like a challenge. I would then be thankful a month later that I took it on anyway, because the journey through its pages turned out to be something I really needed.
My funeral. Imagining it and thinking about the things I would like people to say about me on that day, I quickly realized that it actually wasn't such a bad idea as I had initially thought. The idea was, if there's a certain way you'd like to be remembered, what are you doing here and now to attain it? This point in The Second Habit felt uncomfortable, but it was getting somewhere. And that's the thing about this book; it's central goal is to cause paradigm shifts.
Ever seen those images that ambiguous? The kind that one person could see an old woman and another sees a young woman instead. It could be so hard to begin to comprehend something different from your reality. The first thing that this book addresses is paradigms—that people experience things differently, and it causes us to have different views, opinions, and behaviors. I thought it was a great way to begin, as what would follow required an open mind to receive—the seven habits.
The first six habits fall into two categories. Private victory (independence) and public victory (interdependence). Stephen Covey discusses in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that to truly be able to achieve effectiveness between oneself and others, it must begin from within. They first have to step out of dependence. And the last habit focuses on continuous growth.
Through over three hundred pages of the book, it was about being proactive, defining vision and goals before taking action, focusing on what truly matters, thinking win/win in relationships, what it means to first understand, the collaborative power in synergy, and investing in oneself in different dimensions.
I believe the book was more enjoyable reading the paperback, but I'm sure I would have found it just as insightful and profound anyway. It already stands as one of my top books I have read so far. I'd totally recommend it. At some point reading, it doesn't even feel so big after. Or maybe 300 is a small number for you.
I should add, by the way, that The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People isn't like those unrealistic self-help talks that aren't practical. It doesn't present itself as such. It rather focuses on an inside-out approach to life and relationships—principle-based values and character ethics. It is also not the kind you want to rush. There's so much value and teachings that may need time to be processed.
Images in this post belong to me
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