By Stephen R. Covey
Abraham Maslow, at the end of his life, put the happiness and fulfillment and contributions of his posterity ahead of his self-actualization. He called it self-transcendence. 20
Positive Mental Attitude: Your attitude determines your altitude. Smiling wins more friends than frowning. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve. 27
Paradigm Shift: Aha moment – every significant breakthrough in the field of scientific endeavor is first a break from tradition. 37
“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them” – Albert Einstein. 50
Principles vs. Values: Principles are deep fundamental truths that have universal application. A gang of thieves can have the same values, but they violate principles. Principles are guidelines for human conduct that are proven to have enduring, permanent value. They are fundamental. 43
Inside Out Approach – Private victories precede public victories. Making and keeping promises to ourselves precede making and keeping promises to others. 51
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit” – Aristotle
A habit is the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire. 55
True effectiveness is a function of what is produced (the golden eggs) and the producing asset or capacity to produce (the goose). P/PC Balance. 62
Self-awareness, the ability to think about your very thought process. Animals do not possess this ability and this is why we can evaluate and learn from others’ experience as well as our own. This is also why we can make and break out habits. 74
Victor Frankl – the freedom to choose. This is the last of human freedoms. The difference between liberty and freedom. The Nazi Captors has liberty but he had the freedom, internal power to exercise his options. He along could decide how the torture would affect him. The stimulus was the torture. The RESPONSE was his freedom. 76-77
The key to both our growth and happiness is how we use that space between stimulus and response. How we exercised that very freedom.
In the same way, we all have the freedom to choose how things in our lives affect us. Instead of being reactive, be proactive. We are value driven whether it rains or shines. 79
The power to make and keep commitments to ourselves is the essence of developing the basic habits of effectiveness. 99
Begin with the end in mind – have a clear understanding of your destination. North Star. 104
Efficient management without effective leadership is, as one individual phrased it, “like straightening deck chairs on the Titanic”. No management success can compensate for failure in leadership. 109
The power of independent will – The human will is an amazing thing.
Discipline: Disciple to an overriding purpose, to a super ordinate goal. 157
E.M. Gray “The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do. They don’t like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose” (The Common Denominator of Success E.M. Gray) 157
“Effective people are not problem-minded; they are opportunity minded. They feed opportunities and starve problems.” – Peter Drucker 163
Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people. 186
You can’t talk your way out of problems you behave your way into. 196
The best way to manifest integrity is by being loyal to those who are not present. 206
Abundance Mentality vs Scarcity Mentality: there is plenty out there for everybody. Life is not a zero sum game. 230
Empathic listening – you need to really listen. Not say “oh I know what that is like” and then recant your story. Stop talking. 251
Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival – to be understood, to be affirmed, to be validated, to be appreciated. 253
The single most powerful investment we can ever make in life – investment in ourselves. 301
“The greatest battles of life are fought out daily in the silent chambers of the soul” – David O. McKay. 306
When it comes to service (and anonymous service) influence, not recognition, becomes the motive. 311
“Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.” – N. Eldon Tanner