The 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey has been one of the most highly recommended books to dive into, and not for nothing at that. The seven habits mentioned are extremely useful for developing a strong work ethic as well as outlook on life that has helped millions of people change the way they see the world. Today, we are going to take a look at some life lessons that we can extract from the book so as to help you improve your life. Without further ado, here are some life lessons from the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Focus on Yourself
Now, this may seem as though it is a very individualistic approach to life, but it is far from it. Focusing on yourself is a way to establish an internal locus of control. Many people around us enjoy blaming external factors on the cause of their misery. This ranges from students blaming examination conditions, individuals blaming society, their family or the education system. But the true take away from successful people is that they never make an excuse for themselves when things go south. Start focusing on what you can do to make your life better and stop affixing the blame on others.
Being Proactive
Although some of us may find this intuitive, being proactive in your approach to doing things is one of the few considerations that you should take. Proactivity safeguards you from surprising shocks that may derail you from your current path in life. By being proactive and having a contingency plan for the major things in your life, you can set out to conquer the multitude of obstacles in life without having to meet with shocking demands of others.
The Golden Rule
Do unto others, what you want others to do unto you. This saying is an age-old adage that continues to serve well in one’s life. Having principles to deal with ethics is one of the simplest ways to live your life by and shows in the way you accomplish your goals. Often times, the most straightforward ways in fixing your life may really be through addressing your personal behaviour. An ethical behaviour is an excellent way to go about doing this, allowing you to handle the situation with no regrets.
Material Wealth Say No
Getting consumed by the constant chase of material wealth, fame, and anything to do with the physical can be easy. In fact, it’s even more pertinent now, almost 30 years after this book was first written. We are surrounded by media portraying happiness as synonymous with material wealth, but if we take some time to think about it, we will realise that it really doesn’t matter all too much. In fact, once material wealth takes control of you, it becomes a struggle to keep up and your sense of worth gets tied to a house built on a weak foundation. Free yourself from material wants and you’ll realise just how liberating it can be.