The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Habit 1. Be Proactive 

Habit 1 is the key to unlocking all the other habits and that's why it comes first. It says, "I am the captain of my life. I can choose my attitude. I'm responsible for my own happiness or unhappiness. I am in the driver's seat of my destiny, not just a passenger." 

Quote: "If you are waiting for someone to help you, you may end up waiting a long time; Take charge and be proactive, take charge of each day."

-Adrian Michael

In order to do good in life you must take full responsibility and make sure you do everything that is needed in order to obtain success. You should not wait on others and depend on them to help you make your decisions. You must take charge, make your own choices (good choices), and work to becoming  a better person.. Only you are responsible for your future life and whether you are happy or not. 

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind

"Control your own destiny or someone else will." 

Quote: "You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct, and control your environment. You can make your life what you want to be" 

-Anonymous 

You are the only person who can control your life and future. You make your choices and choose the environment in which you decide to live in. Do not let anyone try to dictate you and force you to do something you don't want to do. You must take full control of your life and make good, positive decisions. Do not make any negatives choices or you will experience negative consequences. Remember that what you do now, will affect what you will do in the future.

Habit 3: Put things first

"Organize and execute around priorities." 

Quote: "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."

-Stephen Covey

In order to succeed in life, you must prioritize and set your goals, then follow through with those goals and priorities. This means that before you attempt anything, you must map out what you will do, and what should be done in order to accomplish those items. It is important to map out what you are going to do because it will make the path to accomplishing your priorities much easier. Remember to make positive priorities and not ones that can hurt you. 

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

"Think win-win or no deal."

Quote: "Win-win is a paradigm, a mindset... You genuinely want to achieve a win-win solution and not just aim for it- and then just settle for win-lose; if it proves too difficult."

-Anonymous

It is important that you have a winning and positive attitude because that is what will help you guide you through life and achieve your goals. Having a losers or negative attitude will greatly affect the outcomes of things in your life. You must want to win, or do good, in your tasks/goals//etc in order to achieve them and succeed. You should never give up your winning attitude because it seems too hard, that is not the right way to think.

Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood

"Diagnose before you prescribe."

Quote: "We are all so desperate to be understood that we forget to be understanding."

In order for people to listen to you and pay close attention to what you have to say, you must do the same to them. You must be extremely attentive and take into consideration everything they have to say. The person you are talking to will then deliver the type of attention you're giving them back to you. If you ignore the person and do not listen to what they have to say, they will deliver the same type of treatment back to you. So in order to be understood, you must understand.

Habit 6: Synergize

"The whole is greater than the sun of its parts (1+1=3)"

Quotes: "Synergy- the bonus that is achieved when things work together harmoniously."
-Mark Twain

Synergize, or the habit of creative cooperation, is one of the keys to achieving a happy life. Synergize and working well with others can lead to you making good relationships, learning new things, and continuing your path to success. In order to properly synergize, you must be a cooperative partner, not criticize, and give supportive feedback. This will help you and your partners to make a great final product.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Four dimensions of self-renewal: physical, mental, spiritual, social/emotional 

Quote: "Sharpening the saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have-you."
-Stephen R. Covey

Sharpening the saw means that you should work to maintain a healthy physical, mental, spiritual, and social/emotional state. Which means that you should work hard and make sure that you fill your life with positivity and good thought/actions. If you fill your life with many negative things, then you will encounter problems withing your physical, mental, spiritual, and social/emotional state. This will then lead to an unhealthy life, which is something you don't want to have. So make sure to maintain your physical, mental, spiritual, and social/emotional state at a high level.

Reflection:

I believe that these seven habits of highly effective people can really help me in the future. I can use these seven habits to help me become a highly effective person. I can do this by following all the seven habits, which include: being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, putting things first, thinking win-win, seeking first to understand then to be understood, synergize, and sharpening the saw. By performing these seven habits everyday, I can improve upon myself and make my self more effective in life. However, if I do the opposite of these seven habits it will lead to a bad life, one in which I am not effective, so it is futile that I follow all these seven habits.

Three Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

Technique 1: Don't criticize, condemn or complain 

"If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive." 

Quote: "Don't criticize someone, just because you don't understand it"
-Anonymous

You should not criticize anyone, no matter the circumstance. You should always listen closely, be open-minded, and pay attention to what that person has said or has to say. Don't criticize them for doing something in a way that may seem unusual to you, don't condemn them for having a different opinion that you, and don't complain about them in general. You should always think positive and have a positive mind. In order to have a clean, positive mind, you should not critique, condemn, or complain.

Technique 2: Give Honest and sincere appreciation 

"The big secret in dealing with people."

Quote: "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is to not utter words, but to live by them."

-John F. Kennedy 

It is important that you give sincere appreciation towards someone or something that they do. This means that you should express your gratitude towards them, but only if you sincerely mean it. You should not lie about your appreciation for someone because that is wrong. You should only say something if you mean it. Lying and faking your appreciation is no good. 

Technique 3: Arouse in the other person an eager want.

"He who cannot do this has the whole world with him. He who cannot, walks a lonely way."

Quote: "If you want to be around people who are positive and enthusiastic, and eager to live life, your attitude has to be the same."

-David Cornell

If you want to maintain a person happy and pleased, you must arouse an eager want in them. That means that you should pay attention to them and show them that at that time, they are your main focus. By doing so, the person will feel pleased and happy that you are such an attentive listener. But in order to do this you must remain cool, calm, and positive. 

 

Final Reflection:

Overall I can put these three fundamentals to great use, for these fundamentals can help me handle people better and become more friendly with them. Which will then lead to me making more friends and acquaintances. In order to follow these rules right, I must not criticize or condemn the person, give my honest opinion on what they are saying, and show my sincere appreciation to what they are saying and express an eager want in wanting to hear more. I will surely follow these rules, because they will lead me to the right way. 

Christmas Break

I did not do much this Christmas Break. I spent most of my days just sleeping, watching movies/t.v, or playing my Xbox. One movie that I saw was Creed, and I enjoyed it very much. I found it to be very interesting and amazing, and I hope that there is a sequel. On top of watching other movies, I also saw many sporting games on television, such as football or basketball. If I wasn't doing these things, I was either trying to catch up on the sleep I lost during school and/or just relaxing, listening to music in my room. 

This is pretty much how my break went. I spent the holidays at my cousins house and enjoyed their company. I also celebrated my birthday (Dec. 31) over the break as well, and am now seventeen years old. The last week of break pretty much involved me doing the homework which I was assigned. Although I did not go anywhere special, or accomplished anything is some people's eyes, I still enjoyed my break, for it was a relaxing one, and I can't wait for the next. 

Final Part 1 of 2 

Class/ Self Evaluation 

So far in this school year, I can say that I find this class to be very interesting. Although at times it may seem dull, there were still many moments which I enjoyed. One of the things which I found to be very interesting was coding. Even though it may get annoying and feel redundant when you're trying to figure out what was wrong in the code, nothing beats the feeling like when you get it right and see the code work. Another thing which I enjoyed about the class and found to be very interesting is the binary numbers lesson we had. It is amazing how each number has their own binary code and how computers use that to store information faster and more efficiently. As you can see this class provided many insight on items which I did not previously care for. However, one thing which I did not like about this class was how it can be boring.

Did you do your best in this class: computer work, CTR?
Yes, I did my best in this class and I think it showed in the work I turned in, and the quality of that work. However, I think I still can do better and turn in better work.

Are you committed to being a CTR person? Why or why not?
Yes, I am committed to becoming a CTR person. After reading the many quotes and looking at the countless inspirational stories, I learned that being a CTR person is the way to go. Being a CTR person can lead to many positives, while being a CTW person can lead to many negatives.

Six Ways to Make People Like You

1. Become genuinely interested in other people

"Do this and you will be welcome anywhere.""You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested  in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.""Ask questions to other people, questions that they would enjoy answering"

Quote: "If you want other to like you & develop real friendships, keep this in mind; Become genuinely interested in people."

-Anonymous 

In order to make friends, the first step is to gain a genuine interest in their lives. This means talking about their hobby's, likes, dislikes, etc. By doing so, you are showing that person how much of a great listener you are, how friendly you are, and most of all how kind of a person you are. If you are trying to make friends by just talking about yourself, then you are doing wrong, for that just shows the other person that you are a selfish and self-centered.

2. Smile

1. "Actions speak louder than words, and a smile says, "I like you. You make me happy. I am glad to see you."
2. "You don't feel like smiling? Then force yourself to smile."
3. "It created happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign (witness or indication) of friends."

Quote: "Let your smile change the world, don't let the world change your smile."

-Anonymous

In order to make a good impression and seem friendly to others, you should smile. Smiling lets the person know that you are kind, nice, and friendly. Not only does smiling do these things, but it also makes you think more positive. This is because your facial expression can change your way of thought. That is another reason why it is important to smile, because if you were to frown all day, your head would just be filled with negative thoughts.

3. Remember Names

1. "A man's name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language."

2. "If you don't remember names, you are headed for trouble." 

Quote: "Remember my name cause there is no other like it"

-Anonymous 

You should always remember a person's name, even if you have only seen that person once in your life because their name is a part of their legacy. Each person's name is original, even if they have the same name as another person. This is because the life which they live is different than the other people with the same name as them, They created their own legacy and their name is a part of it. Remembering someone name also shows that person that you are nice, friendly, and thoughtful, 

How to Remember Names:

1. Repeat their name over and over again.
2. Write their name down. This will help your brain remember the name.
3. Associate their name with a hobby or attribute of the person

4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves

1. "If you aspire to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener."
2. "Remember that the man you are talking to is a hundred times more interested in himself and wants and his problems than he is in your and your problems." 

Quote: "Most of the successful people I know are the ones who do more listening than talking."
-Anonymous

In order to make a good impression and appear more friendly, you should listen closely to what the person you are talking to has to say. Even if you are not that interested in what they are talking about, it is still important to listen to them, for being a good listener is a great attribute. Being a good listener can also lead to success because you are taking in what everyone around you has to say, thus making you more open-minded and giving you a bigger view on certain items.

5 tips for active listening:

1. Stay focused- natural eye contact, don't judge, and be patient 
2. Really listen- don't think about what you should say next
3. Allow for period of silence- wait til the other person speaks again 
4. Repeat the other person's word- it will reassure that you are really listening  
5. Understand the emotions behind the words- express the other feelings back to them 

5. Talk in terms of the other man's interest

1. "The royal road to a man's heart is to talk to him about the things he treasures most."

Quote: "In order to encounter joy when talking to someone, one must talk about one another's interest."

-Anonymous

In order to joy and the road to someone heart is to talk about their interest and likes. By doing so, you are not only showing what a great listener you are, but how much of a friendly, courteous, kind man you are. For example, if you are talking to someone who is extremely into something, such as a show then talk about that show. Ask question about that show, like what is it about and what is their favorite part, because it is showing the person you are talking to that you are legitimately interested and invested in the conversation. 

6. Make the other person feel important-and do it sincerely.

1. "The desire to be important is the deepest urge in human nature." (John Dewey)

2. "Helping people feel important and appreciated works magic."

Quote: "Some talk to you in your fee time, and some free their time to talk to you."

-Anonymous

One important thing that you can do everyday is to make the people around you feel important. You can do this in many ways, such as listening to the person and being genuinely interested in them and what they have to say. By doing so, you are making the person feel good and important. However, you should not do the opposite of this and make the person feel bad, because that is not a way to make friends and/or people like you. You must put your interest aside and listen to what they have to say. 

Reflection 

Overall, I can say that this assignment will help me a lot in the future; it will help make many people like me, and become my friend. This lesson taught me that it is important to put your interest behind, sit down, and pay close attention to what the person I'm talking to is saying. I should do this because it makes that person feel important and shows how much of a friendly person I am. In order to apply these six rules I will smile more often, listen to people more often, remember more names, and become genuinely interested in what they have to say. 

Glenn Cunningham 

Glenn Cunningham was an Olympic runner who overcame adversity as young as 7 years old, when he was with his brother. His brother was trying to light a fire but did pay attention and see the kerosene all over the floor, thus a huge fire started, one which engulfed him and burned Glenn's legs. A doctor told their parents that Glenn's brothers burn were to severe and he would die, and that Glenn would never walk again. However, Glenn sought out to obtain the ability of walking and did so. He eventual would run in two Olympics and go on to be a doctor.

This is a really inspirational story because it shows us that we (humans) are capable of accomplishing anything. If Glenn can go from having burnt legs to running in the marathon, then we can do whatever we want. We just need to stay motivated in our work and responsibility, similar to how I should stay focused on my school work, so that I can have a great job in the future.

"The Six Attitudes of High Achievers"

-John R. Noe

1. Make no small plans

Quote: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work"

-Daniel Burnham 

You should never limit yourself to small plans and/or goals. You should always aim high and strive to achieve the best possible. This means that you should make large goals, which may take you a while to complete, but that's okay because as long as you're striving to do the best possible, you are on the right path. For example, instead of making a goal to get one A in your report card you should attempt to get 2 a's.

2. Do what they fear

Quote: "People fear what they don't understand and they hate what they fear"
-Anonymous

You should attempt to accomplish what others or yourself may fear or not look forward too. For example,if you have a fear of public speaking and are about to present in front of a class, you should accept that fear and conquer it. That means that you should embrace that fear and work towards defeating it and making it an friend instead of a foe. Because fear is nothing but a mental state/emotion.

3. Are willing to prepare

Quote: "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success."

One of the key fundamentals that lead to success is preparation. Before you do anything you must plan it out and prepare what you are going to do. Not only does preparation help you become a more organized person, it helps you map out your progress/steps which you will take which will then help you complete your goal. For example, in order to accomplish my hundred goals I can prepare and think about what I can do in order to accomplish those goals.

4. Are willing to risk failure

Quote: "If you want to be great you have to be willing to risk failure. Risk it not just in some things but in all things, big or small."

-Todd Schravien 

In order to become great and leave a great mark for yourself you must be willing to risk failure. You can use the thought of failure as a motivational method in order to help you succeed. This means that you should attempt to accomplish something even if failure is eminent. When you fail, you should continue trying to accomplish that certain goal until you get it right. For example, if you are trying to learn to play a song on the guitar you must be prepared to fail at first and get some notes wrong, but with enough practice you will play the song perfectly 

5. Are teachable
Quote: "Be willing to listen to others and be teachable. You are not right about everything, nobody is."
-Anonymous

In order to be successful you must be humble enough to know that you are not perfect; you will make errors, and there are people out there that can help you with those errors. All it takes is letting yourself be taught how to fix those errors. You must be willing to listen to everyone tells you and use those lessons/tips to help you in your life. If you are so stubborn that you do not want to listen to anyone, you will get nowhere in life. For example, in school you must let the teacher teach you because they know what is best for you and want to see you succeed.

6. Have Heart

Quote: "To be rich is not what you have in your bank account, but what you have in your heart."
-Anonymous

What it means to have heart is, are you caring, responsible, compassionate, trustworthy? Having heart means that you have all these traits and more. In addition, having heart can show others what a great person you are. But if you do not have a heart, and are a careless, disrespectful, untrustworthy person it will lead to a bad reputation with your name.

Final Reflection 

Overall, I can put these six attitudes of high achievers to great use. I can use them to help and lead me to success. For example,  these six attitudes can be very helpful in helping me accomplish my goals from my 100 goals notebook, because when attempting to accomplish my goals I should, prepare, make no small plans, be willing to risk failure, do what I may fear, and have a heart. Along with these, I should also be teachable and let people help me accomplish my goals.