Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” offers practical advice for succeeding in life. In short, the 7 habits are as follows: 1) Be proactive; 2)Begin with the end in mind; 3) Put first things first; 4) Think win-win; 5) Seek first to understand, then to be understood; 6) Synergize; 7) Sharpen the saw. Overall I agree with Covey’s notions that the way we see the world is based on our own perceptions and therefore the only way to change a situation is to change our perceptions. I would add that perceptions stem from beliefs; note that this idea may be covered in the book, but I only read the much abbreviated (yet very informative) summary of Covey’s book (a button link to said summary can be found at the bottom of this blog). Covey’s depiction of the evolution of society’s definition of “success” is intriguing (perhaps devolution is a more appropriate term). It appears that the shift from an ethic of “character”—where success hinged on integrity, honesty, courage, justice, and the like—to an ethic of “personality”—where public image, attitude and personality determines success—correlates to the success of the film and television age. In the 1920s the United States was producing more than 500 films per year. Again, perhaps this correlation is mentioned in the book. Regardless, it appears to mark a change in consciousness from one that is reflective and inward looking, to one that is projective, or outward looking. Covey appears to address this paradigm through the 7 habits since each habit focuses on achieving a deeper level of self-change. From the website:
The habit I have chosen to focus on for this blog is the first one: Be Proactive. Perhaps my disposition has carried over from a past life as a Delphic Priestess, regardless I believe it is of utmost importance to “know thyself.” In my opinion this habit is the foundation upon which all other habits rest and for this reason it is the most important. Reactive people see the problem as being outside of themselves and in this way feel victimized by the ways of the world. Alternatively, proactive people recognize they have responsibility. Proactive people are able to see choices: choices for attitude, choices for action, choices for responding and/or not responding. Much of the ability to choose lies with the focus point. If we are focused on areas we cannot change (namely those outside of ourselves) we begin to blame and emanate negative energy. Blaming demonstrates that we believe that others have power over us. This kind of belief system is often deeply embedded in our consciousness. Depending on our upbringing we may have held this belief since we were two years of age. I point this out because it is important to realize that a shift in thinking—in beliefs—doesn’t usually happen over night. It requires time and effort and that is after the recognition that the belief exists in the first place. It takes courage to face the idea that deep down we don’t feel in control of our lives, that we blame others for our circumstances and in so doing give our power away. In pointing to the damaging quality of beliefs we do not address Rilke said, “Where I am folded in upon myself, there I am a lie.” Of course, we are only trying to protect ourselves. What we don’t realize is the falsity of this kind of protection. Hiding behind a wall of blame and lashing out with reactive action or language, both internally and externally, only causes more pain and suffering. It might be true that our society hasn’t done a great job at modelling for us how to focus on what we can control. We have been inculcated, to a degree, to expect convenience, to shun effort and, yet, to feel entitled to (fill in the blank). In general, we have misplaced those values that nurture intrinsic worth. By focusing on the first habit of mind—be proactive—at home, in school, in the community, and in the workplace we can begin to see where we have influence. To get there we must implement self-reflective practices. We may require support in the form of therapy, exercise, self-help books and the like to help us break down old belief systems and being to see how to control our own feelings and actions. Once we become adept at this we begin to serve as models to others whether we know it or not. As a teacher I feel it is very important to embody this habit. With effort and practice one begins operating automatically from this place; the habit becomes embedded in one’s pedagogy and models to young people how to feel in control of one’s thoughts, emotions, ethics and actions. To be proactive involves critical and creative thinking, attends to both social and personal responsibilities and aids in effective communication. In this way, the habit helps develop the curricular core competencies that are so important in helping people be successful learners and teachers. Because we are all teachers and we are all learners working together for the success of all.
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AuthorNatalie Nickerson; that's me. Archives
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