Book Review
"The Seven Habits"

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Stephen Covey divided his 'seven habits' into three categories: private victory, public victory, and personal renewal. Though the whole book is relevant for self help, the private victory section is tops for setting and achieving goals.

Most of the 542 reader comments on amazon.com (at 27 May 2004) are very favourable, but there are criticisms too. One reader who gave the book 5 stars says emphasises that Covey is talking about seven habits and not seven suggestions - and also that there is no promise of "seven seconds to achieve ultimate success without effort".

By the way, I'm not sure that Stephen Covey came up with original ideas for the book. Some critics say it's a rehash of previous classics. But then, when did these ideas first start?

Anyway, let's have a look at the private victory section of the 'seven habits'.

BE PROACTIVE

Being proactive means more than just 'taking the intiative' says Covey. It's about taking our own destiny in hand rather than blaming other people or circumstances for the state of our lives. When you set a goal you are being proactive - you are taking steps to change your life in the way you decide. The opposite would be to react in a passive way to whatever life appears to throw at you.

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND

This habit is based on the principle that all things are created twice: once in the mind and secondly in 'physical reality'. So when you start working towards a goal, you have your end result in mind, and you identify the mini-goals and tasks that will be needed to achieve your goal. The opposite would be to drift from day to day without having any particular destination in mind.

PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST

If being proactive says 'you are the creator of your life', and if beginning with the end in mind says 'first create your goal in your mind', then putting first things first says 'now create the physcial reality'. In practical terms this habit is about time management. You ensure that you make time to do the most important tasks (that will help you achieve your goal) even if these to do not appear to be particularly urgent.

Maybe a lot of this has been said in other books. Maybe Covey was not the first to say it. Nevertheless, the Seven Habits is a classic and is very highly related by many readers. Just read the amazon reviews.

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