Stephen Covey will be remembered most for his book — The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People — which was a runaway best seller. If you have read this book 20 years ago, when it was most popular, I suggest reading it again. While some of Covey’s ideas can be traced to the work of many before him, his succinct and well architected compilation is very valuable.
As we grow older, our interpretation of books and ideas is getting better. Re-reading a good book after putting it aside for a decade makes sense, because it results in new ideas and newfound appreciation.
Here are a dozen great quotes from Covey that are well worth thinking about while in your own fortress of solitude:
The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.
Life is not about accumulation, it is about contribution.
The key is taking responsibility and initiative, deciding what your life is about and prioritizing your life around the most important things.
Live out of your imagination, not your history.
Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.
Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.
I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.
You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. The enemy of the “best” is often the “good.”
I teach people how to treat me by what I will allow.
We become what we repeatedly do.
Leadership is a choice, not a position.
I have an abundance mentality: When people are genuinely happy at the successes of others, the pie gets larger.
— Stephen Covey
Now, here’s the kicker — after thinking deeply about these core ideas, will you decide to adopt just one of them, make it a habit, and change yourself for the better?
Everything good starts will making a good decision.
I.M. Optimism Man
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.