The first three habits, 1. be
Read on to learn about Covey's three Private Victory habits: 1) be proactive, 2) start with the end in mind, and 3) prioritize the important over the urgent.
These fundamental principles, such as integrity, honesty, fairness, human dignity, service, excellence, potential, quality, growth, nurturance, patience and encouragement are inherent to all, so all may benefit from Stephen Covey's world-celebrated 7 habits.
Habit 1 says, “You are the creator. You are in charge.” Habit 2 is the first mental creation, based on imagination, the ability to envision what you can become. Habit 3 is the second creation, the physical creation. The power of independent will.
What is the rule of three? Basically, the rule of three is a commitment that you set for yourself. That every day, you will consistently do three things that will bring you closer to your dreams. You don't have to do the three same things, but you have to commit to doing three things a day.
Habit 3: Put First Things First- Prioritize and do the most important things first. Habit 3, Put First Things First, is about learning how to prioritize and manage your time so that your first things come first, not last.
The daily private victory—time routinely spent each day renewing body, mind, heart, and spirit—is the key to developing all of the 7 Habits. Winning a daily private victory gives us the capacity to win the more difficult challenges played out in the public arenas of our lives.
Effective individuals win two victories in life: a Private Victory when they learn self-mastery and self-discipline, and a Public Victory when they build deep and enduring relationships with others. This digital learning session gives participants a "jumpstart" on the Private Victory.
Habits 1 (Be Proactive), 2 (Begin with the End in Mind) and 3 (Put First Things First) make up the private victories that move us from dependence on circumstances and other people to greater independence, self-reliance and personal accountability.
The private victory was about mastering your own effectiveness. The public victory is about working with others to achieve not only your goals, but their goals as well. Habits 4-6 are: Think Win/Win. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood.
The inside-out approach says that private victories precede public victories, that making and keeping promises to ourselves precedes making and keeping promises to others. It says it is futile to put personality ahead of character, to try to improve relationships with others before improving ourselves.
Why is it important to master the Private Victory before mastering the Public Victory? "You've got to get your personal act together before you can be a good team player." You can't try to fix your relationships with others when your personal life is hectic. You need to fix your life from the inside out.
The second set of three habits, 4. think win-win, 5. seek first to understand, then be understood, and 6. synergize, are the basis for public victory.
Stephen R. Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, continues to be a bestseller for the simple reason that it ignores trends and pop psychology and focuses on timeless principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity.
A victory is a win. In sports or war, one side usually achieves victory. If you've ever won anything, you've achieved a victory: being successful in some kind of contest, sport, or battle. The winners of elections, football games, chess matches, debates, and scholarships all have won impressive victories.
Habit 1: Be Proactive is about taking responsibility for your life. Proactive people recognize that they are “response-able.” They don't blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. They know they can choose their behavior.
Habit 3: Put First Things First is the exercise of independent will toward becoming principle-centered. Habit 3 is the practical fulfillment of Habits 1 and 2.
Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind is based on imagination—the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes. It is based on the principle that all things are created twice.
Habit 4: Think Win-Win is not a technique; it's a total philosophy and one of the six paradigms of human interaction. The other paradigms are: Win/Lose, Lose/Win, Win, and Win/Win or No Deal. Win-Win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions.
Win-win thinking requires optimism that can see beyond the constrained resources, competitive threats and problems of today to see opportunities to work with others to achieve a leap forward. For example, a manager who tries to learn from a talented rival in hopes of making great strides forward in their career.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood® is the habit of listening to other people's ideas and feelings. It's trying to see things from their viewpoints. I listen to others without interrupting. It's about being confident in voicing your ideas. It's about looking people in the eyes when speaking.