The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
I first read this book several years ago, and although I knew this was one of those special books that I could continuously refer back to, a lot of the concepts went right over my head at the time. This time around, I was able to internalize a lot more of what Mr. Covey was saying. He detailed 7 Habits that we could apply to our lives to make us more happy, fulfilled, and effective as human beings.
I had two chapters that resonated with me this time around. One was called, "Begin With the End in Mind," and the other was, "Sharpen the Saw."
"Begin With the End in Mind" was about goal-setting and how to live your life in alignment with the "End in Mind." There was a great funeral exercise, where I had to imagine my own death, and what my family and friends would say about me. Mr. Covey then had me ask myself, "Am I living my life according to what I would want people to say?" In the same chapter we were told to come up with a Personal Mission Statement, and so I have made my New Year's Resolution to have a coherent, working Mission Statement for myself by the end of January.
"Sharpen the Saw" was about taking a step back, a breather of sorts, to "sharpen the saw" before I continued to cut down the "tree" (goal) I was working on. To me, that told me that I still had to make time for myself, to reassess my direction in life, and to make sure everything was in balance. For me personally, that means to make sure I am constantly contributing to the four parts of myself that will make me a healthy man: mind, body, heart, and soul.
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