New habits for a new job - part 2

Amy Ching, 07 September 2016

I continue to be amazed at the habits which Stephen Covey presented in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” I find that the way I handle situations has changed. Today I will share more on how the habits have inspired me.

Proactivity

In the book, Stephen Covey shared a story of Viktor Frankl.  In summary, Viktor had traumatic experiences losing his family and he was imprisoned in the Nazi death camps. He had every reason to feel depressed, but instead he took on a proactive approach to visualise his life after his release from prison. Through this, he inspired people around him, helping them find meaning in life. This is a very powerful testimony of someone who chose his response over his circumstances. He practised freedom in his mind and eventually showed everyone that what was in him was greater than what was outside of him. If he is able to do it under such terrifying experiences, I am sure I would be able to use the same discipline to practise freedom over my situations in life.

To begin with the end in mind

This is a very interesting statement but I believe there is great truth in it. To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. A project always has an end product to be achieved. Without the end product as the destination, the project would be meaningless. In life, we are always trying to achieve a goal e.g. get a good job, get married, be a successful business person etc. How do I want my friends and colleagues to see me when I reach the end of my life? This is a question I keep asking myself, mapping out the life that I want to fulfil and working out how I can positively impact people. I believe having the end in mind will greatly increase my capacity to cultivate good and effective habits and help me fulfil the end purpose.

Think win-win

“Win/win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions.” I have always been told that win-win is the best situation and this book confirms it all. I believe this is definitely fundamental to success in all our interactions. It sounds easy to think win-win but I believe it takes effort and discipline to think in other people’s shoes. Not my solution, not their solution, but the solution that makes us both happy and satisfied.  When we are thinking win-win, we have to be sincere about it to build a trusting relationship with the person or organisation we work with. In this way, it will definitely be a win-win situation.
Synergize: Positive synergy creates energy. When people experience a moderate degree of synergy, they start to open up and explore various opportunities that thrust them to a new level. For me, the key is to accept the differences of the people around me. It is very easy to fall into the trap of producing negative energy when you do not accept someone’s differences in a positive manner and try to manipulate so that people can be on your side. But just like Stephen Covey said, valuing the difference is the essence of synergy. For me, it is always good to get a second opinion, not to take insults personally and learn to accept everyone’s unique differences. It is not only positive synergy but also a great virtue to have.

Sharpen the saw

This is my favourite chapter in the book. We can enhance the personal asset – ourselves. Stephen Covey identified this as a Quadrant 2 activity – It is important but often we neglect it. However, we are often caught up in our busy lives; going through the motions and neglecting our personal development. The late Dr. Han Selyes says that a long, healthy and happy life is the result of making contributions, having meaningful projects that are personally exciting and contribute to and bless the lives of others. I think it is time for me to expand my territories, enlarge my capacity and focus on my development so I can reap long termbenefits for myself and others.