When discussing the first habit of highly effective people, “Be Proactive,” Stephen Covey makes a point to delineate the idea of proactivity as not just a positive action, but as realizing one’s responsibility in choosing the reactions that will create the life that is intended. He breaks down the word responsibility so that we can see “response ability.” We have the ability to choose our own response to any given situation.

While one may think that the opposite of proactive would be inactive, Covey points out that it is actually reactive. Being proactive, we own our behaviors. We realize that our decisions in any circumstances will determine what kind of person we are and how much control we have of our own lives. If we live reactively, our circumstances will determine our decisions, never letting us know what kind of person we really are because we choose not to take control of our lives. Read more »

The McAllister Code is a fictional approach to marketing that is out of this world! Go on a journey through time and space as two aliens convince Steve McAllister to turn his hometown of Sarasota, Florida into a marketing mecca. Filled with great information, a lot of laughs, and a story about getting back to the basics of humanity that will keep the pages turning, The McAllister Code is a must for anyone seeking purpose in their business and in life.

In the midst of a brutal hurricane season, after seeing an incomprehensible object shoot through the night sky, Steve McAllister receives a strange email stating that his latest book has been picked up for publication. The only problem is that he hasn’t written it. Setting out to unearth the mystery of the errant press release, Steve meets two aliens who charge him with a foreboding task – turn the city of Sarasota, Florida into a marketing mecca.

With a handful of guiding principles and a bevy of philosophical ideologies, the two wise-cracking extraterrestrials take Steve on a journey through time and space in order to teach him the finer points of industry and how his community can prosper in the new millennium. Filled with humor, wisdom, and intrigue, The McAllister Code is the definitive allegorical journey of one man on a quest to write his world.
As the Second Iteration of The McAllister Code comes to life via this blog, catch up with how it all began by ordering a copy of The McAllister Code: The First Iteration eBook.

Throughout the month of February, 50% of all eBook sales from this website will go to Haitian relief.
As an added BONUS, if you order The McAllister Code now, you will also get a free copy of the 38 page eBooklet “Developing Positive Habits in Social Network Marketing” by Steve McAllister!

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In order to fully ingratiate us into this new paradigm, Dr. Covey has developed the 7 habits into two main parts. The first part contains the first three habits, which move a person from Dependence to Independence through Private Victory. The next three habits comprise the Public Victory which helps a person more from Independence to Interdependence. The 7th habit is regular improvement and maintenance of all of the other habits.

Private victory begins with self awareness. Whether we are seeking improvement in our business, health or relationships, the ability to look at ourselves objectively and realize what aspects are working and what aren’t is an invaluable trait. Although humans are the only species that seem able to do this, all too often it is an ignored ability. When we miss out on that opportunity, we limit our own potential and our ability to help others reach theirs.

Sometimes, mastering this self awareness can take awhile. Read more »

The last decade has brought us overwhelming changes in our economy, in our technology, and unfortunately in our unemployment rate. Although a record number of Americans are without work, it seems that just as many have branded themselves as “social media marketing experts.” Although we know too well the myriad of ways one becomes unemployed, the question must be asked, “How does one become a social media marketing expert?” Just what is a social media marketing expert anyway? Read more »

Dr. Covey states that our character is basically a composite of our habits. The activity and attitude that we entertain every day define who we are. He defines them as the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire. What to do and why + how to do it + wanting to do it = a habit.

Bad habits are caused usually because we want something now and desire leads our behavior and character. But if we knowsomething better will come along, and we know how to make it so, we can use good habits to achieve happiness, or as Dr. Covey describes it, “The fruit of the desire and ability to sacrifice what we want now for what we want eventually.”

What does this mean for us as a society? Especially considering the state of flux that our current economic condition has us in, we need to start looking at the changes we must make if America as we hope for it is going to survive. Read more »

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. Read more »

There is a revolution underway. It goes by many different names depending upon a person’s upbringing and station in life. It has been called the Rise of the Cultural Creatives, the Environmental Movement, a Spiritual Revival, the new Renaissance, and many other things. We have come to call it the Modern Hippie movement.

Though it is perceived differently by the subgroups of people taking part in the movement and by those on the outside looking in, it is heralded mostly by a growing awareness. It is defined by a choice to take a more active part in the collective life we are creating. It is a movement of conscious living.

The first Hippie movement brought an anti-authoritarian attitude that bucked the system, fought for peace, and found joy in the simpler things in life. Building upon the stamina created by the civil rights movement, this generation of rebels and dreamers all but defined the 1960’s. But alas, the rebellion eventually petered out and the dreams remained as only visions lost in the ether as many of its proponents gave up the fight and merged into the mainstream.

But the spirit of the movement, though it seemed vanquished, never truly died.

Four decades later, we look back past the caricatures of the tie-dyed pot smokers that have been portrayed to us over the years and see again the essence of what the movement was really all about. It was about caring for the environment. It was about helping your neighbor. It was about attaining world peace by attaining inner peace. It was about achieving social justice for all. It was about living simply and simply living.

That is the spirit we wish to celebrate at Modern Hippie Magazine. That is the revolution that is rolling our way once more.

We are constantly seeking creative answers to the questions that plague us. We are seeking a cleaner environment and healthier living in body, mind, and spirit. We are forging new paths apart from the antiquated methods which no longer serve the greater good. We are finding new opportunities to serve one another and build communities. We are realizing the potential to use new technologies to bridge gaps and to build a more solid foundation for the generations to come.

Forty years ago, this spirit seemed to die. We cannot let that happen again. Humankind has come too far to falter now. We, as a people, have developed revolutions based on agriculture, industry, and information. It is time for us now to come together and take part in the Revolution of Wisdom. Though we will surely find opponents to the good that we try to create, just as all revolutionaries have before us, there is a spirit in us that can never die and never be defeated. Let us hold dear to it, allow it to flow through us, and be created anew by it as it creates the world around us.

Welcome to the new Revolution.

Originally published in Modern Hippie Mag.