"I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday."

Self-awareness

Stimulate>Freedom to Choose>Respond.


Proactivity

Proactive: decisions based on value.

Reactive: decisions based on feeling- a product of conditions.


3 Central Values

  • Experiential, what happens to us.
  • Creative, that which we bring into existence.
  • Attitudinal, our respond in difficult circumstance such as terminal illness.


Taking initiative

"Our basic nature is to act, and not to be acted upon."


Language

Reactive Language: "people become reinforced in the paradigm that they are determined, and they produce evidence to support the belief."


Circle of Concern &
Circle of Influence

  • Where we focus our time and energy

  • Proactive: focus efforts in the Circle of Influence; work on things you can do something about.
  • Reactive: focus efforts in the Circle of Concern, on the weakness of other people, the problems of the environment, and the circumstances over which you have no control.


Problems

  • Direct control: are solved by working on our habits.
  • Indirect control: are solved by changing our methods of influence.
  • No control: accept these problems and learn to live with them, do NOT empower these problems to control us.


Consequences
&
Mistakes

  • Consequences: When we pick up one end of the stick, we pick up the other.
  • Mistakes: It is important to immediately admit and correct our mistakes so that they have no power over the next moment and we are empowered again.

[Personal notes from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People –Stephen R. Covey]

I care about:
Are you proactive or reactive?
Do you always complain but never take responsibilities?
Are you ready for the 2nd EFFECTIVE HABIT?