The 7 habits of Highly Effective People

The 7 Habits of  Highly Effective People
By:Stephen R. Covey 

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."

Reflection: To be proactive is to be cool, calm and think things through. It is also a person who can take a lot of mental stress and still come out on top and someone who knows what they want and is willing to work to that goal. It is also someone who will not falter when things go wrong but will continue to work to make things better than they are at the moment in time.It is also a seen in a person who will work hard for what he need or wants in life.Many people in this world want to be proactive but are instead reactive because with even the smallest amount of pressure they explode.

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind
"Control your own destiny or someone else will"(Jack Welch)
Reflection: To begin with the end in mind means that before you make any decisions that may affect your future , think about what effect it could at the end not of the effects from the beginning or the middle but with the end result. This is a good habit to pick up because most people commit the error of only seeing the initial benefit of there future action instead of the most likely ending to the future action that he or she is going to do. Most people that keep this habit in mind will always see every action that they will do in to different ways one they start with the end and then they move to the start. It is an excellent habit to pick up since you can see if a plan that you already have in mind will work or if it will fail and you can scrape the ideas that have a terrible end before you waste time thinking about the entire plan. 

Habit 3: Put first things first
"Organize and execute around priorities."
Reflection: This is saying to put things that are more important than other things on the front of your to do list. It is also referring to the habits themselves because certain habits must go first in order so that the other habits can work properly.With this habit in mind items of priority will now be more clear for you to see and you can accomplish all of your goals.To put things first one must be able to know what they need to accomplish now and want can be accomplished at a later date. 

Habit 4:Think Win-Win
"Think win-win or no deal."
Reflection:This habit is important because many people don't think like that they just do they don't think about the side effects that one action can cause. What this habit is saying is to not only think about the short term success but to think about the short and long term success. This is what many people now a days don't think about the long term affects which is what ends up making there life a little worse that it should be. 

Habit 5:Seek Fist to Understand then to be understood
"Diagnose before you prescribe."
Reflection: This habits is telling us that we must understand what we are doing first before we can be understood. It is also saying that before a person can understand you, you have to understand them first.You can't rush into things without knowing what it is that you are doing then you can be understood by other people who share the same interest as you.

Habit 6:Synergize
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
Reflection:To synergize is to be able to find new solutions to old problems. It is also a habit that is does not happen on its own but with teamwork and with everybody solving the problems together. It is a great habit to have because you can get more things done with two people than you can just by yourself. It is also the idea that not just one single person can do everything that all tasks are done better when there are a multitude of people working together. 

Habit 7:Sharpen the Saw

Four Dimensions of Self-Renewal:Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Social/Emotional

Reflection:This is saying to always be on the top of your game to never let your self rust or decay to always stay ready for a moments notice.It is stating that as long as you keep yourself sharpened be it physically or mentally you are gonna be fine in life because you will always be prepared for the twist and turns in life. 

Reflection:I am willing to try the majority of the seven habits mainly because the habits I am planing on doing do not go against what I believe but the one I will not do are because I believe I can't do them or they go against my own believes.The only exception to this is habit seven since I am willing to do everything except sharping the spiritual aspect of myself. But the ones that I am planing on trying out are mainly going to be done here in school or at home some may even be tried out in public but at a later date since I have confidence issues. 

Three Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

Three Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

Technique 1.Don't criticize people.

Reflection: It is a bad thing to criticize people who you do not personally know for you could be wrong the entire time. It is one of the worst things to do because you don't know if you are right or wrong you just do it because you can and the way you criticize people may make them feel unwanted and they could fall into depression just because you were insensitive. It is also the worst feeling when you are  being criticized because you may know that some of the things they are saying are false but you don't want to say anything.

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

Technique 2.Give honest and sincere appreciation
Reflection: To give honest and sincere appreciation is like showing someone that you honestly listen to them when they talk and that they are important enough for you to be honest and sincere with instead of trying to come up with lies to not hurt them. It is also a great feeling when someone is being honest and sincere with you because it show that you matter to them. But you have to know when it is time to be honest and sincere because there are times when a person need you to lie to them even if they don't say it to your face. This is important to keep in mind because what you can say might hurt them more than just a simple white lie and at times it is the best to just tell a simple white lie so that the people that you are close with won't be hurt by what you say.

Quote:"The big secret in dealing with people."

Technique 3:Arouse in the other person an eager want.
Reflection: Using this technique you have to be a really well trained person because it takes knowing what the person want and how to put it in a way they can understand what you are trying to say. It is also a great thing because you can use it to benefit not only the person you are dealing with but yourself as well.

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

Final Reflection: These techniques are a good way to learn how to handle a person. It is also a good way to learn how not to mess up when you are talking with a person you want to get to know or don't want to lose a friend. It is also important to know this so you don't make errors when trying to handle talking to people. I will use these techniques in my everyday life from now on because they can be used for a huge variety of real world applications.

School Break Days

This winter break I only did a handful of things since my family didn't have the money to do anything extravagant for the holidays. The things I did where go and watch the new Star Wars movie with my friends and I also re watched it with my mom. I also stayed at home and played with my brand new Xbox One. The games I played where Star Wars Battlefront, Battlefield 4, Battlefield Hardline, and a game by the name of Smite. The majority of the games fall under the category of FPS which stands for First Person Shooters, now the last game Smite falls under a category of games called MOBAs  which stands for multiplayer online battle arena they are also called ARTS which stands for action real-time strategy. In these games you control a single unit on one side of a team. I only met a few people on my break but none that are worth mentioning. The big movie I watched over my break was the new Star Wars movie which in my opinion is one of the best movies I had watched in all of 2015 the story was all around good but it did leave the audience with many questions unanswered, but overall it was a great movie and way better than the prequels. That is all I did in my winter break.

    

How To Win Friends and Influence People

Rule 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 then 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."
Reflection: This rule is a great rule because a person does not want to get to know us they want other people to get to know them before they get to know us. They want us to ask questions that are friendly yet not to friendly to the point were it gets weird. It is the greatest thing because if we start to get to know the other person then that person will want to get to know us better to have a better and more interesting chat. The greatest thing about this is that by following this rule we can create a better conversation that is two-sided instead of the regular one-sided conversations that we would normally have.
Quote:"If you want others to like you and develop real friendships keep this principle in mind BECOME GENUINELY INTERESTED IN OTHER PEOPLE."

Rule 2: Smile

"Actions speak louder than words,and a smile says, "I like you. You make me happy. I am glad to see you."

"You don't feel like smiling? Then force yourself to smile."

"It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign of friends."

Reflection: Smiling is a great way for people to start liking you because people start thinking wow this person might have a great life and if I am friends with them I might be able to have a happy life as well. It is also the best way to express yourself without having to communicate verbally because everybody knows what a smile means. It is also the best way to express yourself because the world knows that when a person similes that the person is having a great life. It is also a great way to uplift a persons mood because some people may need to see someone smiling to start feeling happy them self. It is also a good way to uplift a group of peoples spirit in case a traumatic accident has just occurred.

Quote: "Smile and forgive it's the only way to live."

Rule 3: Remember Names

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

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

Reflection: This is a must to remember because if you don't remember the name of your friends or people you might want to befriend they could get mad at you and not want to stay friends with you. It is also a important thing to keep in mind because that way you can remember the person you are talking to and remember that persons likes. This is a good thing to keep in mind because people hate it when you don't remember there name. It is a good thing to remember so you don't make in error in the future and possibly ruin a beautiful friendship.

How to remember names:

Repeat the name.

Associate the name with something simple.

Tell the person that you forgot there name.

Spell out the name.

Keep records.

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

"If you aspire to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener."

"Remember that the man you are talking to is a hundred times more interested in himself and his wants and his problems than he is in you and your problems."

Reflection: Being a good listener is a important thing because that way you can learn more about the person you are trying to befriend. It is also a important lesson to remember because you can you is it anytime in your life to try and learn new things about the people around you. It is a good thing to keep in mind that a person will talk to you more of you are interested in them more than yourself. It is also a good thing to keep in mind to always pay close attention to certain detail like there birthday, there kids name(if the have any), and other useful information. The best thing you can do is show that you are paying attention by asking questions frequently and also adding in your own opinion to certain matters. You can also keep eye contact at all time to show that your interest is focused sole on them and not anything else.

  

5 steps for active listening

1.Stay focused.

2.Really listen .

3.Allow for periods of silence.

4.Repeat the other persons words or paraphrase them. 

5.Understand the emotions behind the words.

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

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

Reflection: This is important to keep in mind because a man will be more willing to talk to someone if you want to talk about there interest and not about your own. It is also  important to keep in mind that a man will be more calm and relaxed if you are talking about his interest more than your own. It is a good way to learn what the man your are talking about has in interest and hopefully some of his interest are similar to your own. You could also learn a lot about a man from his interest especially about how the act around other people and how his personality is. It can also help if you ask questions about his interest to see if you want to add his interest into your own interest.

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

"The desire to be important is the deepest urge in human nature.

"Helping people feel important and appreciated works magic."

Reflection: This is important because if one feel important then they start to feel more confident in themselves. This in turn help us to learn more things from the person who feels important. We should act sincere because there are some people who will be able to tell if we are not being sincere which could ruin are afternoon with that person hounding us as to why we acted as if we cared. It is best if we show sincerity to other people because we don't know how hard there life has been. 

Ways to Make feel people important:

1. Compliment them.
2. Make there job seem better than you own job.
3. Make them feel like they are the center of attention.
4. Make them feel there is no one greater than them.
5. Give them reasons why they are the best.
6. 
   

Reflection: All of these pieces of advice are great ways of making friends because they show us how to make the people believe that we are interested in them. All of the advice that was given to us are the best pieces of advice that we can get because it will help us all through out are life and when we are looking for a job.

The Six Attitudes of High Achievers

The Six Attitudes of High Achievers

1. Make no small plans

   Reflection: This is a attitude of high achievers because why aim small when you want something big. It is also good because yes while you aim small you may achieve it but if you aim big and achieve you feel a whole lot better than achieving something small. A high achiever would not aim small because in what way would that help them it will just waste more time if they aim big they can do what they want at a faster pace.

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." 

3. Are willing to prepare: This is one of the attitudes of high achievers because it is good to have everything ready before the due date is near. It is also good because they can use the time one would normally use to prepare for something more productive and or do another class homework. They can have all there work done before anyone else and use the extra time to do something more useful or do an extra activity.

Quote:" Expect the best, prepare for the worst."

4. Are willing to risk failure

Reflection: This is a attitude of high achievers because if they can not risk failing then they can never be successful in life without this attribute. This is something good because with this they learn from there mistakes and can improve on themselves. It is the best thing because they will learn to be better at things that they may not have been good at. They can learn to be the best at many things because they are willing to fail to learn form those failures.

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 Schavrien 

5. Are teachable

Reflection: It is a attribute of high achievers because they have to be able to learn from people who know what there talking about. It is also good because it shows that they are willing to learn new things about what they want to specialize in. It is also a great thing because it show that they are willing to learn and wont wast time messing around not doing anything.

Quote: "We are looking for people who can become role models and leaders. We want people who are teachable."

-Marcus Eng. 

6. Have Heart

Reflection: This is a attribute of high achievers because if they put there heart into anything they will succeed. It is also a good thing to have because that way people will know that if you put your heart into something they know that something will come out great. It is also a bad thing because that attribute might come back and ruin you because people that do not like you can use that to there advantage and start destroying everything that is important to you ruining you mentally.

Quote:" Having a big heart is a great thing but it can also be your greatest weakness that some will abuse."

Reflection: All these attitudes are something all high achievers have in common because they help them be a better person in and out of school. It is also a good thing because with these attitudes people can become a better person and someone who other people can trust. But this attitudes also come with a risk that evil people in the world would love to manipulate. All these attitudes come with many positive outcomes but they also come with a lot of negative outcomes that can mentally and physically harm a person. But it many case the negative outcomes can be out weighed by the positive outcomes.

Way To Be

9 Ways to be Happy and Make Something of your Life  

Gordon B. Hinckley

1. Be Grateful 

Reflection: This new way to achieve happiness is talking about that we should always say thanks to the people in our life who do things for us. We should never be disrespectful to the people who sometimes sacrifice themselves so we can be happy. It also talks about how we should never take things for granted because we don't know when it will be taking away from us. I can't believe how many things us people take for granted in this life but I know that there are a lot of things I take for granted and thinking about makes me upset and sad because I don't know what will be the last day I ever see them so it also shows us to live every moment like it could be the last. Because in this world that we live in we just don't know when it will be are last.

Quote: " Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have."

2. Be Smart 

Reflection: We need to be smart so were are not taking advantage of. It  is also good to be smart because if we are smart we have a better chance at understanding something that other people are still not able to understand. Being smart not only means be book smart but also street smart which means we know how the people on the streets act and the places to avoid. They also say that the difference between a smart person and a dumb person the smart person will see there mistake and change because of it and a dumb person will always make that same mistake.

Quote: "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."

3. Be Involved in Good Works

Reflection: We need to be involved in good works so we can gain a sense of accomplishment. Also to show that we are willing to waste are time doing something that may not even matter in the long run. When we could have done something that could  of made our own future better. But it does help by us learning how to work responsible and at a better rate.

Quote: " I will help others and build the kingdom through righteous service." 

4. Be Clean 

Reflection: Being clean is a good thing because no one want to be walking around all filthy and sticky and other things. It is also nice because a employer will want someone who can represent the company in a good way and create a good image that people can see and just make them want to go and buy whatever the company is selling. It is also nice to be clean because others will think of you in a better light.

Quote: "Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window which you must see the world."

-George Bernard Shaw

5. Be True

Reflection: Being true is a good thing because you won't be lying to yourself and the important people in your life. It is also a good trait so other people will have a better time believing in the stories you tell. It is good so we know that we have not told anyone a lie. It is good so that you can also believe in yourself and be true to who you are not the person you want to be. Being true is also a good quality because then people will believe you not just put you down for the lies you have made.

Quote: " Love doesn't need to be perfect; it just needs to be true."

-Unknown

6. Be Positive

Reflection: Being positive is a good thing because we our mood can change the way we live are life. A person with a positive attitude can go through out the day without stopping and will probably make others around them happy. It is also good to be positive because being negative will just put you down and make you feel unhappy and depressed. Having a positive attitude is a great thing because then you wont have to see the reality of the world and how dark it really is because that is what the world is it is a dark, disgusting, lustful, hating, and underhanded place.

Quote: "Think positive, Be positive and positive things will happen."

7. Be Humble

Reflection: Being humble is a good thing because with being humble people while act the same way. Being humble is also a good thing because it will show how to treat other people. It is also good because with it other people will want to hire or be around you a lot more because of how you act. I will try being more humble in my life by showing other people a good treatment. 

Quote: "Nothing in life is permanent, Be Humble."

8. Be Still 
Reflection: Be still is to know that I am God. Or so says Psalm 46:10. What I believe this means to be patient which is a good things because we this skill we can wait on good things to happen. This is also good because we can wait things out and not be inpatient. But this could also be bad because what if you wait to long and something incredibly bad happens to you because of it. This could also be bad because you could become a pacifist which is both good and bad it is bad because you could get to a point where people just trample over you. It could be good to be a pacifist because of the anti violence approach.

Quote: " Be still is to know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

9. Be Prayerful

  
Final Reflection: The 9 ways to be happy was a great source of writing because it helped me think about life a lot more than I usually do. It also helped me express some of my deeper thought on paper rather than out loud. This post was great because it also caused me to think more about the reflection than I would have in the past. It also caused me to reflect on my life something that I have not done in a long time. Some of the ways I can commit to do the 9 ways are to be positive about how life is and to stop thinking negative thoughts.

 

Personal Development Attribute : Commitment

Commitment

Commitment: The state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.

Quote: " There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something you do it only when its convenient. When you're committed to something you accept no excuses; only results."

Reflection: This quote is try to say that the biggest difference between interest and commitment. Is when you are interested in something only because you can gain something from it. When you are committed to a cause you only want results not anything else.