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."

Reflection:What I think this means is that you should be responsible for your own actions. Being proactive is a great habit to have, because you never waste any time. Being proactive allows you to have more free time. For example, let's say I have a lot of homework, but I have one week to do it. If I do the homework on the first day I get it then, I'll have the rest of the week to myself. I always try to be proactive because I love taking naps and playing basketball, so I need to do my homework quick, so I could have a 2hr nap then play basketball until I have to got to sleep. When I am not being proactive I usually take a long and cold shower to wake me up. Being proactive also allows me to carve out my own journey. It allows me to do whatever I want to do not what others want me to do. What the quote above states is that when you are proactive you are the main man and the person with the say. 

                                              Habit 2: Begin with the end in Mind                                                  "Control your own destiny or someone else will." Jack Welch

Reflection: What I believe this means is that you should always take charge of your destiny. You should know where you want to stand and do something to make sure you end up there. You should never let anyone tell you your goals or what you should be doing. This will help you control your life more. For example when people ask you what College you want to go to . What do you say the one you want to go to because it has the major you want or the one your friend is going to. .... OF course you have to say the one that has the major you want to go into, if not then what is the point. You should always do things because you want to not because your friend or your mom or anyone else wants to go there. It should be you. Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen. 

                                                     Habit 3: Put First Things First                                                          "Organize and execute around priorities." 

• Generations of time management 

• Notes and checklists 

• The calendar 

• Time management 

• Self management 

• Learn to say “No” 

• Adapt to sudden changes 

• Successfully delegate 15 

You must make sure to follow these steps In order to learn how to put things first. When you do things that are important first you end up realizing how much time you actually have to relax and do the other non important stuff you end up doing. You should really learn  how to manage time in order to have a good schedule. Make sure you always carry a calendar with things you need and want to do. Learn to say NO to the things you do not have to do. For example lets say you have a big chemistry test on Monday but your friend is having her birthday bash on Saturday. What do you do ? If you were smart you said that you will stay home and study. Forget a party you'll have many of those later on, right now you should worry about passing the chemistry test that is 60% of your grade. 

Habit  #4: Think Win-Win

"Think Win-Win or not Deal"

You always want a mindset of winning. You never want to lose because then you're not succeeding in life. Having that mindset of winning will allow you have an advantage because now you'll have the confidence to win. Many that do have this mindset are usually the successful people. People that have this win win mindset usually win. For example, Leo Messi  would always play even if he was injured. He would do this just because he wanted to win and had that win or win mindset. Integrity: sticking with your true feelings, values, and commitments. Maturity:expressing your ideas and feelings with courage and consideration for the ideas and feelings of others. Abundance Mentality:believing there is plenty for everyone. 

                                 Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood                                       "Diagnose before you subscribe" 

What this means to me is that you should always have steps toward creating a plan. When you plan on doing something you have to have steps. Make sure you know exactly what you are planning and know how to plan it. When creating a plan you must make sure you know your routine and make sure you put exact times and dates. What I think this means is, you should be good listener and learn what things are about before you start teaching other people. This is a great message because it shows how you should learn to be taught before teaching. I could remember a time when my coach told the whole team and said " I know you can play, anyone can play. It's a matter if you can understand the process. Overall what this process means is to listen first and then you can go out and teach someone else. 

                                                             Habit 6: Synergize                                                                 "The Whole is greater than the sum of its parts (1+1=3)"

What this means to me is that it is good to help others when they need it.Synergize is the habit of creative cooperation. It also means to be open minded and work as a team to work on solution to problems. This word is quite new to me never heard of it, but know that I have done some research its very important to be synergize. An example of synergize is any type of team. Every team has to be open minded towards new ideas and they also have to work as a team. This is a great example because are only as good as their worst player. By getting the others involved will help them grow to better players. I did not know what this word meant before, but now that I know it I want to use it my everyday life. This mentality of being synergize will my trait of being a leader. I would like that leader trait to be the strongest. Me being the leader will allow me to control my own destiny. I want the keys to the car and ride waves of reality.  

                                                         Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw                                                              Four Dimensions of Self-Renewal: Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Social/Emotional

What I think this metaphor means is to practice. If you practice everyday then you'll be more experience that's what is means by sharpening the saw. It can be by any four social/emotional, spiritual, mental, or physical. Here is a physical example, if I practice everyday in soccer than more likely than not I will be better. By practicing it will increase my production on the field. I like this example on sports, but you can use it in education. Like when you're studying for that final exam, so you study all night. By studying all night you are sharpening the saw for the exam you are about to take. This is a great example because it shows how you can sharpen the saw physical or mentally. Spiritual example can be you studying your religion so you can be at peace with GOD.

Reflection: How this has reflected on me and how it had impacted me is by showing me that there are several ways to do things and not just in one way. You should always be aware of the things that are being done and the way they are being done. Sometimes there could be shortcuts to doing these things so you don't take forever doing them. You could always be more productive while doing these things.The 7 habits have been change the way I think in different perspectives. I have been using all the 7 habits. If it's, be proactive, begin with an end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek to understand then to be understood, synergize, or sharpening the saw. I was in the midst of doing my college application and when I started to do it all I remember was how can apply the 7 habits to my college application. I was being proactive when I was seeking out for information about colleges. This took a lot of time and effort, but I was on task and proactive so I finished with time to spare. I began with end mind because I knew I was doing my college plan, I wanted to apply to college. As of right now I am very anxious because I want to be accepted and that's thinking with a win win mentally.