Revisiting the 7 Habits

I read The 7 Habits of Effective People several years ago. Recently, when I moved and got rid of all of my books, it was one of the few that I held onto; along with First Things First and The 8th Habit. I have many goals for myself this year and thought a brush up on the book would be useful for me. Hopefully, sharing my thoughts will be helpful to you as well.

Dr. Covey begins the book by describing the difference between the Character Ethic that was taught as a guide to success by our forefathers and the Personality Ethic that has dominated the Self Help mentality over the last fifty years. He regards the Character Ethic as primary greatness, the true foundation of success including the principles of integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice patience, industry, simplicity, modesty, and the Golden Rule. The Personality Ethic is a secondary greatness which teaches important skills such as personal growth, communication skills, influence strategies, and positive thinking, but only builds the illusion of greatness without building the foundation.

Both of these ethics are social paradigms. They are how we see the world based on what we learn from the influences in our lives, such as family, school, church, work , friends and other influences that help to shape our perception. Our perception of the world often divides the reality of the way things are and our values, or the way we think they should be. As Dr. Covey states “We don’t see the world as it is; we see it as we are.” Whichever paradigm we operate from determines our perception. As we become aware of our own paradigms, and how we have developed them, we will be able to test them against reality and change them, if necessary, to give us a more effective world view.

Citing Thomas Kuhn’s book, The Structure of Scientific Revolution, Dr. Covey states that every significant breakthrough is first a break with the traditional way of thinking. It is a paradigm shift. We can change our attitude or our behavior all we want, but to have true change in our lives, we need to change our paradigm.

In short, the Personality Ethic is more concerned with the quick fix solution instead of the deep rooted changes of the principle-centered Character Ethic. The basis if the 7 Habits is to create a paradigm shift that is principle-centered, character-based, and is focused on making changes from the inside out. The goal of the 7 Habits is to enable us to basically be the answer to the problems we face instead of trying to wish them away with positive thinking or outmaneuver them with manipulative strategies. This is accomplished by culminating the principles of Fairness, Integrity, Honesty, Human Dignity, Service, Quality, Excellence, Potential, Patience, Nurturance, and Encouragement. As Dr. Covey states, “Principles are guidelines for human conduct that are proven to have enduring, permanent value.”

I am currently operating four blogs to touch upon the four facets of my personality, as it were. The McAllister Code is my Mental approach to the world. It includes the lessons I’ve learned, and continue to learn, about business, marketing, effectiveness and whatnot. InkenSoul is where I let my Spirit soar and really let my pen guide me. Found Marbles is comprised of the Physical things I find in the world around me. And Modern Hippie Mag is the Social and Emotional aspect of my life, which I share with my wife Jaszy, the founder of Modern Hippie Mag, as we build a community that values peace, love, environmental sustainability, and conscious living. I only hope that by revisiting these habits and operating out of a principle-based paradigm, I will be able to fully realize my goals of communication.

Have you had any experience working with the 7 Habits? How well have they worked for you?

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Tags: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, stephen covey